Alton Towers Resort

[LegoHouse274]

I've been looking at possibly staying at the Alton Towers Resort in either May half term, or early in the summer hols. It would be 2 adults, 7 yo, 3.5yo and baby under 1. Our summer hols start the week before the schools in that area, but it's still a little cheaper to stay in the half term due to an offer they have one. Looking at a two night stay with two days park visit.

Few questions for anyone that's been/ stayed:

• Are queues on park likely to be better in May half term, or that first week of our summer hols?
• What are the buggies you can hire like, would they be a suitable size for a 3.5 yo?
• How does it work if you book 2 days park access? Can you pick which of the three days you use them on? As ideally I'd want to use the second and third day not the first.
• If you do the park the second and third day, how does car parking work? Can you still use the free hotel car parking on check out day whilst at the park?
• How do you actually get from e.g. CBeebies hotel to the park and how far/how long does it take?
• What is the entertainment like at CBeebies hotel? Wondering whether it's worth booking that or going for the lodge in the enchanted village? Are the lodges detached? Concerned CBeebies hotel might be pretty noisy with all the little ones not sleeping well?!

TIA!

Queues will be quieter if you go outside of school holidays.

Not stayed in CBeebies hotel but it is specifically geared for children of the age you have with targeted activities and meet and greets, hence the extra cost. CBeebies is the second furthest hotel from the monorail or dedicated hotel guest entrance (that brings you out near 2 adult coasters, Nemesis and Galatica, this area is not aimed at small children).

Enchanted Village cabins are semi-detached but there are expensive tree house versions that sleep more people that are detached. They’re charming but not as much entertainment for little kids as CBeebies and, apart from the glamping pods which are the cheapest accommodation, are the furthest away from the monorail and hotel guest dedicated entrance.

Alton Towers hotel is the second closest to the monorail and dedicated hotel guest entrance. It's fun and quirky and will appeal to families and is a little more classy and better themed than the closest hotel which is Splash Landings.

Splash Landings is the cheapest option and the closest to the monorail and guest entrance if walking. It's got a lot going for it in that it's got a water park in the middle (which you'll need to pay for but wasn't expensive) and the restaurant there is buffet style so great for standard kids food and picky eaters. Rooms are tropical beach and kid themed and good for the low price and proximity to the park itself. Having an indoor water park is great if it's raining on the days you visit and there's an internal walkway connecting to the Alton Towers Hotel to use the facilities and entertainment in both.

Hotel Parking is right outside Alton Towers and Splash Landings hotels and we leave our car there with our checked out bags on the day of departure with no issues. Parking is a short walk for CBeebies and a slightly longer walk for Enchanted Village.

You get the inclusive tickets for the nights you stay and these get activated at the park's entrance on the day you enter. You can go in and out so a closer hotel might be important for this reason.

I've not stayed at CBeebies myself so hopefully someone who has will be along to give you more information.

My recommendations would be use the Monorail to get to the park's entrance rather than the guest walkway. There are 3 area in the park where there will be little for small kids to do and the theming is quite dark. The guest walkway will bring you out in a zone that has been invaded by a scary alien (Nemisis) and Dark Forest is creepy with 2 coasters that are being absorbed by Forest Wraiths. X-zone is fascinating to look at but themed to be subversive and industrial.

CBeebies land will be great for your kids though. Cloud Cuckoo land is themed to David Walliams' books and very child oriented. There's a pirate themed area with fair ground rides and an aquarium included. The gardens to the left of the tower ruins themselves are absolutely stunning and worth exploring.

Hope you have fun 🤩

I'm still agonising over when to go - May half term, or the first week of summer hols in July. I understand our schools break up the week before the schools in the East Mids, but then I presume most people travel anyway, so not sure if it will make any difference.

If anyone has been at either of these times I'd love to hear which one has the least queues?!

Im also still not sure, if you book two days park access and a two night stay, can you decide which of the three days you want to use the park access on? As we'd want to use them on days 2 and 3 to avoid having to travel down early on day 1.

I'm not sure about the queues in May half term but I do know that the last week of the summer term is when most of the local-ish school will take their secondary students on rewards trips.
We thought that week would have less queues however it was crazy; I think we would have managed three or four rides max if we didn't have fast passes. It's not a mistake we'd make again!
You might be ok depending on what rides your children want to go on ie not the big ones!
I grew up very close to AT and you'd be best going on an inset day if you can.