Alton Towers - tips needed

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Thinking of taking the kids to Alton towers in a few weeks, I’ve never been so looking for any tips on cheap tickets/ nearby hotels and best way to plan the day, kids love big scary rides!

Staying on site gets you early access but can be expensive unless you find a spacial offer. Lots of cheaper places to stay in Stoke on Trent and you can still be there as they open. There will be queues. Fast track tickets bypass these but again come at a cost. To be honest Ive usually found the queues to be ok, though also try to go outside school holidays when it can be much quieter. Plan what you want to go on in advance and go to those rides first. Its a big site and be prepared for some walking between the zones. Enjoy and have a great time.

There used to be a couple of nice little b&bs in the village of Alton which may work out cheaper than staying in the hotel and only 5 minutes away.

A friend has been this week and the queues have been ridiculous , fast passes were sold out in advance and even with them waiting time was up to an hour. Staying onsite does give you access an hour earlier to the site but the rides don’t start until the general public come in at 10 so it just gives you a space at the front of the queue for your first ride. Overcrowded in general

Get to the park before opening time. We were there about 45 mins before opening and had done 3 of the big rides really early in the day without too much if of a queue. Decide between Wicker Man and the Smiler for your first ride as these two are the most popular I think with the longest queues. The park is big and it takes ages to walk from one side to another.
Take food and drink with you - we ate in the queue lines for rides to save time. There is a little supermarket in the village of Alton just before you get to the park.
Download the app for up to date queue times.

Best advice, get there at opening time then head all the way to the back for nemesis and galactica- queues will be shorter as most people will go on the closest rides first.
Take the shortcut through the forest to get there.
Then head to thirteen, rita etc
Also, the gates close at a certain time but they won’t close a ride until the queue is gone. We went into the wickerman queue at 10 to 6 and got on at 6:30. Done it in the past for the smiler.
If you buy any souvenirs ask for pickup at the main gift shop.
Download the app to show queue times to help you plan your day.
Don’t bother getting the skylift- it can be quicker to walk.
If you can- consider going in the single rider queue- half the time you end up together anyway 🙂
From a long time visitor who has always made the most of a day! 🙂

Also, Kellogs 2for1 vouchers for the win.
If you know anyone with an annual pass, they can take guests for a significant discount

Check for deals through things like Tesco clubcard points, Nectar card points etc. Or if you know anyone who works for a big corporate company they might have access to discounts - we have a "corporate perks" shopping thing and there's some good discounts on things like theme parks and cinema tickets.

We just came back from Alton Towers. We drove past a newish looking Travelodge (or couldve been a Premier Inn) in Ashbourne which was next to an Aldi. Not more than 15 -20 mins away and on the main route out of AT heading back to Derby.

I said to the kids we will stay there next time.

Make sure you have plenty of fuel, l was literally on empty and couldn't find a garage anywhere close by Alton Towers last time l went, a few years ago. I dropped my teenager and his friends off close by to the park , as l didn't want to go in, (l went shopping in Stoke instead) but l had to travel miles to get fuel.

I've booked the hotel and been told on their facebook messenger early access is no longer happening, which I wasn't told when I booked, they said it was. Argh

Thanks all, booked a premier inn off site and do get a discount on tickets through my work but will wait a bit before booking just in case we can’t go