Teen girl party to Thorpe Park, please help!

[Itsnotmypartybutiwannacry]

I've asked Dd what she would like to do this year for her party which is in June. The one place she has really wanted to go for the last 2 years is Thorpe Park. I'm happy to pay for the tickets as we would usually do a big party. We are around 2hrs away by car and she has 10/12 people she would like to invite. I suspect at least 2 won't make it, so probably 10 kids. I think 2 or 3 of the parents would agree to come and help me supervise and drive.

Would it be worth having a night up there and getting a 2 day pass? Is there any way to get a discount on a group booking or way to cut the prices of tickets with family tickets? I've tried to look at their onsite hotels but they don't like anything over 4 people it seems, at least online booking, so maybe don't accept group bookings? I'm feeling like I've bitten off more than I can chew to a point and probably should give up on the staying over idea? Can anyone suggest anything or anywhere to stay that would be close and affordable?

[WonderingWanda]

I think one day would be enough at Thorpe park to be honest. I take school trips there and the kids have had enough at the end of the day.

[Itsnotmypartybutiwannacry]

Thank you! I haven't been for about 30yrs and think I may have lost perspective!
That certainly helps cut the costs, phew!

[RandomMess]

If you did the overnight I'd look at staying at a Travelodge or PI, Addlestone is very close.

It is full of teens, it's loud. If you went for 2 day you could cope without the fast passes.

10 friends is a lot!!!

It gets much quieter at the end of the day and get some good rides in.

[sprigatito]

How old are they?

[Itsnotmypartybutiwannacry]

They are 14/15. Personally I am worried that as it will have to be over a weekend we might find it super busy, so would be considering the fast passes. I think that would be cheaper per head than staying over.

[Jijithecat]

It's not a massive park. If you come up with a plan of order you can easily do the rides you want to in one day, if you are willing to spend the whole day there. You do have to allow time to get through security too.
This is provided you're not going at a real peak time e.g. a bank holiday weekend. We found Sunday to be quieter than Saturday.

[Itsnotmypartybutiwannacry]

Great point about Sunday, thank you!

[dancinginthewind]

Is she year 9? If so, then my tip is to go at a weekend just before GCSEs & A levels start. That means that quite a number of those who could be there are frantically revising. Most definitely don't go immediately after exams have finished as it is heaving there then.
We spent a Sunday just before GCSEs there last year. We got there half an hour before it officially opened so that we were straight through the gates and at the front of the queue for our first ride. We left at 3.30 having done all of the rides! I was amazed. Teens might spend a bit longer if they are going around themselves as there may be more faff between rides but there's nothing to do there other than rides. Well, there's a beach but that looked quite miserable on a grey, overcast day!

[BrutusMcDogface]

My kids adore Thorpe park. I definitely wouldn’t take ten kids though!! Agh. I’d say 4 is a good number. Maximum 6.

[Itsnotmypartybutiwannacry]

That is a fabulous tip! Thank you! Now I just need to check which dates the GCSE's are for this year 😊

[Itsnotmypartybutiwannacry]

They are all very wise and relatively mature for teens - not into causing trouble or fuss, just going on the most hectic rides they can I suspect!

[RandomMess]

They can go in on their own and "the mums"could go into Staines.

Get there super early so they Q before it opens. There is a pick up/drop off car park. One adult could walk them to the correct queue.

It is really small and there isn't anywhere quiet to sit/wait etc inside.

[Itsnotmypartybutiwannacry]

That is also an excellent idea - much more fun for us!

[Talipesmum]

It’s a great park for groups of teens - it’s pretty small and has decent phone reception so it’s easy to find and meet up with others if the group splits. No massive 30 min hikes from one side of the park to the other up massive hills (legoland I love you but you are hard work!). And it’s full of exactly the daft scary rides they like - so it’s not like there are loads of little kids rides and a few thriller ones with massive queues.

[RandomMess]

If you do head into Staines then find a residential street between Thorpe Park and town to leave the spare cars. The parking charges are pretty steep and the traffic over the bridge can be pretty painful!

[Grumpyoldpersonwithcats]

If you are looking at two days I'd do Thorpe Park one day and Chessington the other for variety. It's less than an hour away from Staines.
We live near Thorpe Park and used to have Merlin passes so visited both sites VERY regularly. For a weekend in June you'll need fast tracks so it will be expensive.

[Itsnotmypartybutiwannacry]

@Grumpyoldpersonwithcats ooh, that sounds like a challenge. Maybe not with the 10 of them this time though!
I was googling Things To Do In Staines last night but am none the wiser. I did go off on a little boat hiring fantasy (with The Little Green Boat Company) where the mum friends and I lounged about drinking champagne chugging along the river with reckless abandon, until I realised we would likely all be driving. And meant to be steering the boat.

[Grumpyoldpersonwithcats]

Boating on the Thames is always good. If you have a day to kill locally though, go to Windsor rather than Staines. Staines is a decent market town on the river (I'd recommend it to anyone) but it really isn't a tourist destination 😁

[Willmafrockfit]

best time is an inset day or a rainy day, less people
and agree 4 would be a good number, 4 on a ride for example.

[Itsnotmypartybutiwannacry]

Yes, Inset Day would be a great idea but sadly there are 4 different schools so unlikely to work.

I've not been to Windsor for years but remember it was lovely. Is there a cheap place to park, or somewhere we could eat and park?

[ToWorkOrNotToWork]

I agree just one day is better than two.

With a group of ten, you can buy group tickets for £31 each so actually it’s a pretty good idea!

Is there a possibility to do a joint birthday party and that way you could more easily add on the fast track passes? Maybe if it covered two or three friends it would still feel as special.

The Big Coasters fast track gets you on six of the big ones for 50 quid each - so that’s £80 a head plus you’d have to pay for their lunch I guess? You could probably buy water and snacks ahead of time for them to take in.

If you do ask another parent to help with transport, don’t forget to offer to pay for fuel and buy them a nice lunch and/or thank you gift as four hours of driving is quite a lot!

[gettingolderbutcooler]

Just been looking for my teens.
We stayed overnight at the shark cabins before which was great- we used the fast pass the next morning and left quite early as we'd already had a day there. Very expensive though!
They fit 4 people and are about £450 each although this also includes 2 day passes.

[Itsnotmypartybutiwannacry]

@ToWorkOrNotToWork there could be the possibility of a joint party, but then the overall numbers would go up again, as they would want to invite another group from their own school. The perils of primary friend groups as the years go on! 😅

[Itsnotmypartybutiwannacry]

@gettingolderbutcooler yes, I think one day will suffice. The shark rooms looked cool though and I did initially think it would be the best option - they really should fix the website for booking though as anything over 4 and it refused.

Of course, lunch for the mums going is a given, plus the ticket cost and petrol.

[RandomMess]

I only suggested Staines as it's close by tbh. It has a cinema (well it did) as you will have a long day to fill.