Been coming to this park for the last 15 years and no matter how many times I go, I just can't get enough of it. Though, I kinda wish Merlin would refurbish a few rides here and there. (maybe bring back the Sonic Spinball branding for Spinball Whizzer?) But yeah, for those who have never been, what are you doing with your life? This park, for me at least, gets a MILLION out of ten.
Brilliant day out although got stuck on a ride for half an hour. Also one of the main rides was not working so slight disappointment hence only a 4 star rating
Good if my friend brought her doctors note for her metal hips. Q's were long. Plus we got there at about 1 instead of 10 because we got in a car crash. All in all good experience.
Always a pleasure at Alton Towers. Beautiful scenic park.
The park wasn't open while we were there. We went to the splash park, extraordinary golf and sea life center. The kids really enjoyed the stay and we would do it again.
Merlins policy with passholders since covid is unacceptable. It is almost impossible to book as a pass holder even though it still possible to purchase full price tickets. When you do manage to book it is obvious that they aren't capping numbers and are doing nothing about gangs or queue jumpers. The cleaning is being done quickly so isn't the reason for two hour queues. Staff complaing of staff shortages and too many quests. Don't fall for the Coke freestyle rip off...as most of the machines either are shut, run out of flavours or are running warm.
Edit following response... its a shame that when someone reports queue jumping you don't follow your policy.
Just browsing here i really want to book a room in the cbeebies land for the little one. Not cheap thou looking at 350+ for one night. Fair enough u get 2 days park entry but my child is 3 and autistic and doesnt like the rides just likes to look.
Shame the advertised 9pm closing means that the rides close at 8:30.
Great staff. Got the ride access pass due to Autism. Never felt so accepted by any place than I did here. Slight confusion with how to use. Amazing time exploring, and riding. Highly recommended bucket list place.
Lovely spot, well maintained, very clean , staff very friendly, but in terms off other theme parks in Europe, the day is short 10-5 with alot off the rides closing before 4.30 and as a family trying to meet a number of needs, you don't get value for money.
Visited last Friday. Wasn't too busy and managed to get on most of the big rides twice, as the queues weren't long at all. There is loads for small kids with CBeeBies land there is great access for disabled people. It did rain which meant More
We had a great day out, however whilst using the app to find out times for rides they wasn't very reliable couldn't ride the mine train which is my kids favourite had to convince them to go on the boat ride as that was "0 minutes" (had to wait 15 minutes) the one in pirate area, not the rapids as that was also packed. There is no way Alton Towers are restricting numbers when everywhere is packed, including the gardens, open scenery and walkways. Only ended up going on that pirate boat ride on water, the spinning barrels, wicker man, and duel and the sealife centre. Dissapointed.
A post covid review. We've been to Alton Towers many times before and were looking forward to a family day out again. However, at the time of writing, there are some points to be aware of before your travels. Generally, there are all the covid prevention measures you would expect to - temperature scan before entry, hand sanitisers at every ride, social distancing measures etc. If your there for the roller-coasters, expect to queue longer as they are continually cleaning the rides. Most people are adhering to the distance rules, but some people clearly think it doesn't apply to them. Also, be prepared to wear a mask. You can't go on some rides without them and it's not always clear until you get to the actual ride itself. Don't queue for an hour and find you have to go and get a mask. IF you're not going for the high thrill rides, you may be disappointed. A large proportion of the attractions are still closed, including the Tower, the dungeons, Hex and others that include an element of interactive or walk through features. There are also reduced eating places and the water refill stations have been switched off so you'll need to plan your rest stops. The toilets are cleaned continuously so were very clean. I'm sure more will open in time but be prepared not to have the full Alton Towers experience just yet.
I can stop thinking about this place, the fun experience with those roller coasters....
If you like white knuckle rides it's the place to be
Excellent theme park set in beautiful grounds. The rides are great but the ques can be long! Would recommend going during the week if possible as you won't waste so much time quing for rides. There is food available inside the park but prices are a bit high as to be expected but you can bring a backpack and some lunch and have a picnic in the lovely park grounds instead. The gardens are very special, such a lovely scenic place to get lost in, very contrasting to the hype and excitement of the rides.
Overall the park is an excellent day out for all ages.
Best hotel I have been to. Entertainment was great. Kids loved it.
A MA ZING!!! All the old coasters are still amazing after all these years, and the new ones are great too
Amazing rides really fun only problem is queue times other than that loved it
We went midweek in the rain so didnt have to queue for any rides (Rita was closed), all the staff we came across were lovely that day.
It was just a bit disappointing that you had to pay to go into the new dungeons attraction per person, especially when the price to get in to the park is scandalous, even with the 2for1 tickets (check before you go). And the other disappointing thing was even though the park was due to close at 5pm that day, all the rides closed at 4pm. If it wasn't for these, I would have ranked the park higher as it is a great day out!!
Great park although 2-3 out of the 7 thriller rides were constantly out of order. stunning place, satisfies every taste if only all of the rides were constantly available. stuff was very friendly!
A great family day out! Been many times and always have a really good day when I visit
We stayed at the woodland lodge which was ok think the cleaning needs to be kept up to would be great at Halloween with all the dust and cobwebs! A little basic we filled the bin within 5 mins the beds are very firm in our opinion not worth the price tag! Breakfast was good you can get the healthy choice too.The monorail was broken so had a really long walk from the lodges not easy with a little 4 yr old and one with additional needs 2nd day (sat) was horrendous the queue!! To get onto the monorail shocking!! So we walked (again) then the queue to get in was just as bad (we have priority passes so our daughter doesn't have to queue they told us to join the back!! We walked back to the lodges and left mini holiday absolutely spoilt. The management have given us the day's tickets back but that's another days travelling. Inside the park even with the priority pass is still a long wait mainly because the staff make you wait we used to go in 2015 all time it wasn't as busy now it's crazy busy best place to eat is all you can eat pizza and pasta the staff were fab! Best time to go? When it's closed and it's summer it doesn't get dark untill 9 ish why shut at 5pm???
Excellent rides, fun for the whole family. Smiler, oblivion and galactica are my favourite rides of any park in the UK. Food is extremely expensive to the point where I found myself deciding to eat after a day at the park but with discount tickets available most of the season, it can be justified. Also a good work out as the park is huge and there's a lot of walking to do to get the most out of your day but the Monorail from the car park to the entrance and sky ride gondola to the other side of the park are there for you when your knees let you down.
Alton towers is amazing it can provide for all the family such as ceebebies land and the smiler.
Great day out. Just a shame the queues are really long but that's what you get for going in the summer holidays.
Disappointed they closed all rides at 4pm. But, ok day
Alton Towers is a great theme park for both Family and thrill seekers. All the rides have something unique, most of them being the first of there kind. Oblivion is the first 90 degrees straight down dive coaster, the smiler has the most inversions (upside down bits) in the world. If you want a fun time visit Alton Towers.
Santa Sleepover was magical for kids and well catered for adults too!
A great day out. Can get very busy and you may queue for an hour for the popular rides. This happens mainly school holidays and weekends.
First seven rides closed, eventually opening but not Oblivion n Enterprise! Good job we'd booked a two day break and got on Wicker Man first thing n had a couple of goes on Oblivion...would recommend two day break as can get in from 9:30. Also, use the app as tells you queue times and rides closed.
It's been 20 years since I last went to Alton towers - we went for my daughter's birthday and we all had a great time.
The rides are all great... Some more scary than others so you need to think carefully for the sightly younger kids.
Going on a weekday during school holidays seems to have worked for us as we didn't quite longer than 20 minutes for the rides.. Some we almost walked straight onto.
Parts of the park are looking a little tired.. In fact they haven't really changed in the 20 years since I was last there, but overall it's good.
Some tips:
- it's a long walk from the car park. Make sure you get the monorail!
- wear comfy shoes there is a lot of walking
- take some wasp repellant - there is a real wasp problem in certain places - usually in the queues.
- if you are coming from further away book a nearby premier Inn or similar they are a fraction of the price compared to the Alton Towers hotel.
As others have said for some reason you have to pay for parking which seems utterly ludicrous when you consider how much everything costs.
Overall a great day out... Especially if you can get a ticket deal.
Old fashioned wooden rollercoaster expect to be thrown from side to side fast and fun a really great ride...
Always a deal to be had on entrance... book early or 2 4 1... the rides are great... something for all ages. The Smiler is immense, possibly the best roller coaster I have ever ridden... time it right for some shorter queues but in busier spells be prepared to spend 45 minutes waiting for rides, which is about the recovery time I now need. Lol
Brilliant theme park, just for sure choose the day you go (mid week seems to be less busy) can sometimes end up queing for hours so pick your rides wisely!! Would recommend for big families to take own food, like a picnic, as food can end up being quite expensive.
Got on so many rides apart from Wicker man was not working
Terrible day out. Went there for a family day out on Saturday 7th September. First of all, the traffic management into Alton Towers was a nightmare. Was queuing for 1.5 miles before we could even enter the park. Bumper to bumper.
Terrible day out!!!
Super theme park, with a variety of activities. The grounds have been created for thousands of people to come and stay for an experience, not just the theme park rides! The main part is the theme park, but there are other areas such as Dungeon experience, gardens, bars and restaurants, acade games, carnival games and more.
There are other parts of the "Alton" brand such as Hotel and more.
OOFFF IM BROKE YOU GO THERE WITH MONEY AND YOU YEET IT AWAY BASICALLY. THOUGH IT WAS 100% WORTH IT AS THE RIDES WERE INCREDIBLE. I WILL NEVER FORGET THIS DAY BUT THE FOOD IS WAYYY TOOO EXXPENSIVE SO TAKE YOU OWN CHICKEN NUGGETS!! GOOD LUCK AND GO PAST YOUR COMFORT ZONE
A really surprising theme park. Huge area with varied rides and the surprise of fairly substantial garden. I don't typically like theme parks, but we haven't had to queue too much and the atmosphere is great. Personal favourite: Hex. Only giving 4 stars because this is only day one of three!
Way, way, way to busy. Even with fastrack tickets queues were long, and now they have removed names food chains the food is poor quality and far too expensive. Good rides however
Have been on a few occasions, great day out! I've dropped a star only down to certain rides being closed for the whole day on my most recent visit but had great fun regardless and with the offers that are always available it is well worth the money!
SUCH A BLAST!! My partner and I felt like little kids again as we ran to try and get on as many rides as possible. Fortunately, the waiting times weren't as long as expected and we did manage to explore a good chunk of the park before closing time. The food was decent but expensive, as to be expected from any theme park. A brilliant day out that has left us with loads of memories and the urge to come back again soon!!
Love Alton Towers. We come here every year. This year we rented a stargazing pod and it was great! The pods were still very new and well maintained. Shared shower area so was nice and warm. Rides were amazing as always. Staff were always friendly. Love it here!
Lost its magic... It's uniqueness and vim.
Used to be awesome but now lacklustre.
Needs work at grass roots level. There's less and less yet the prices keep going up.
Used to be a world leader now just a money grabbing corporation
Exceptionally long walk from the car park, super long wait in ride queues, visitors not taking notice of social distancing and very few wore masks. I only had one ride. I won't be renewing my Premier Merlin passes this year.
Loved it, only downfall was the que waiting times were ridiculous, especially as most rides last very short time, for 3 hours wait time not sure most were worth it, best ride in park is by far the smiler! Fast passes are a bit expensive but worth it if u have lots of money and are impatient or you have limited time
Place is huge beautiful gardens a lot of queues but managed to have a go on everything. Very organized but there is always room for improvement
Lots of fun. But I'm vegan, and the options are poor.
I do not class chips wrapped in a tortilla as a good vegan option.
Apart from the rain. Every time you got to a ride so many shut down due to tech errors.
Not impressed after waiting 1hour 30 mins for the ride.
Incredible park with incredible rides! Huge park and very busy, but cable cars and the monorail to ease up the walking, lots of food places, lovely staff and just an amazing day out!
A great day, it was low season so the queues were very quick.
Well it's Alton Towers! Do I need to say more?
If you are planning to go, you want to make a whole day of it, trust me you will need it! It is a huge place and you will spend a lot of time walking. Which in itself is equally as enjoyable, the layout is beautiful and there is music in the background to ramp up the atmosphere.
2 tips; when you go, start at the back of the park and work you way forwards towards the entrance. That way you can stay until it closes without having to stress about making your way all the way back to entrance. The best rides are also at the back anyways. It is also always worth looking out for promotional offers and grabbing them when you can, as they don't usually expire for a reasonably long time.
Thank goodness we pre-purchased platinum fasttrack bands as it was heaving today! However few lessons learned 1) could have got away with the gold fasttrack bands as we only got time to ride all the ones included in the platinum fasttrack More
We had a good day here, we really liked the wickerman (once it was fixed) and smiler (the single rider que is brilliant) , the rest of the big rides were good as well, but starting to show their age, (tatty seats on Rita).
There were a few breakdowns when we were here, wickerman, skyride, and the roundabout in the ground (I forget the name).
Biggest bug bear was car parking, we arrived early but were parked farthest away, and the que for the monorail was monstrous,
Remember although the park shuts at 5 (why so early) the ques for the rides close at 4, even if there are no ques so don't think you can ride till the close.
The eating places and vending machines are of course expensive, so bring snacks.
We go here regularly with the pass. And it has been more than worth it. My daughter has loved every second. We spent most of our time in Cbeebies land, which has all of my childs's favourite shows there to look st, interact with etc. A kid's dream. The staff are wonderful. Always willing to stop for a chat and ensure our day is going well. The place is clean and tidy. Excellent day out.
Super-Brilliant Park. BRILLIANT Facilities. The rides were extremely brilliant and thrillingly fun. Excellent scenery and games. I would love to come here again in the future.
Great Park with lots of fun rides. Good during off peak, ride times were low but some areas of the park/rides could do with some investment. Too many frequently unused arcade stands which make the park look chatty.
We had a great break at Alton Towers marred by the typical British summer weather. Our kids range from 7 to 18 and there are plenty of rides for the hardcore whiteknuckle riders and our younger children too. Food is priced well, good portion sizes and excellent quality. The park facilities are well maintained and clean. All the staff were friendly and very helpful.
A big park with plenty to do/see. We had a walk round the gardens and the sea life centre, as well as going on some of the rides. Quite pricey to get in/eat/drink. We used Clubcard vouchers which saved us loads of money. I usually take some food/drink in with me. We generally try to get in early and do a bigger ride first. We went on wicker man for the first time today and that was brilliant.
The rides are brilliant but the ques are crazy we had to pay a extra 50pounds to fast track on to rides otherwise it would have been a waste of time going very expensive for food and drinks a monster energy drink is more than double what you pay in shops my advice is to get the 2 for 1 ticket deals fast track before you go and definitely take your own food and drinks apart from that choose a hot sunny day and enjoy the fantastic rides
Great park and enjoyable. Better to go in the times when the kids are at school if possible as it can be very packed in the holidays and will make the waiting times longer. But has an amazing variation of rides so you'll find the rides for you.
Over priced most rides in cbeebies land was over an hour wait and our 2 year old wasn't tall enough for any of them . Not sign posted well. If your lucky you may enjoy one ride out the whole day!!
Brilliant fun for the whole family. Expert a bit of a wait for the rides on the busy'er days. If you want to save some money on the tickets take your own food or look out for special offers.
Theme park needs a bit of a clean, the blood red water at Nemesis is gone, it's gone a bit downhill but the rides are still brilliant
It was good apart from getting stuck on the swarm and then used as a test subject to see if its still working.
Got a free bottle of water and a a card for a free coffee which had to used on the day when it was nearly closing time.
I now have a cold for being stuck for 30 mins.
Was meant to get a email for a free return visit but no email
Fantastic for kids and adults, too pricy on meals though
3 stars because even though it was a quiet day wickerman wasn't open all day and food is expensive. Still charging for carpark even though the monorail isn't in operation and it's a long walk especially with children.
Great day, short wait times made for a packed day, fabulous!
Excellent place. Disney of Midlands. Wonderful staff. Watch out for restrooms no attendant so the stay a mess
My son passed out on the teacups. When he was unconscious, the person who has the controls, increased the speed. It was a sad day for us. Therefore, as a family we decided to disown him as our son.
Quite let down as most of the ride where not running, felt a bit ripped off as every thing that was open was extra on top of the entrance price
The best of all the Merlin parks, a brilliant day out.
Fab park not as expensive or queue mad as other theme parks. Plenty of parking bit at extra cost. (Water park is amazing too and not too expensive as can depend the whole day there easily) refillable drinks in park is a great inexpensive idea. Rides suitable for all ages .. not too hilly and is picturesque. We have holidayed in the hotel too highly recommend :)
great theme park most of the rides where closed though probably due to Merlin entertainment losing money. overall the best rides there are wicker man, nemesis and the smiler.
Go to towers all the time, best theme park in the uk hands down
After an hour of queuing for 3rides they broke down and was given no information or anything else. No entertainment for kids in the long queues makes it boring. The rides we did get on were very good though. Drinks and food is expensive too.
Great rides but ridiculous how busy it was. Managed to get on 4 rides due to queuing
The thrill rides that were open were great. Unfortunately, HEX was closed throughout, Galactica kept closing and opening all day and we saw people being taken off Smiler by technicians...also queues were up to 80 minutes in pm.
Always a fun trip with a huge silicon of rides to please all ages from 4 plus. Queues remain an annoyance but the app does make it easier to plan your trip cutting down queue time.
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