An amazing day out. Recommended (Alton Towers (Staffordshire))

Member Name: lilmiss1982

Product:	Alton Towers (Staffordshire)
Date:	18/09/09 (161 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Lots and lots see the review

Disadvantages: Can get very busy in school holidays, can work out expensive

It was over 10 years since I lasted visited Altons towers in my teens. I loved it then and hoped I would enjoy as much this time with kids in tow. In our group we had 4 adults including two theme park virgins and 1 child of 3 years of age and a small baby in a pushchair.

Getting there. We were coming from the North and headed down the M1. We were very impressed as it is signed all the way from the motorway. It is a pleasent drive through beautiful countryside but you need to keep alert the roads are very narrow in places.

Parking you can choose express parking close to the park for £15. I think this is very expensive and personal wouldn't bother. The standard car park is £5 and you can reach the park via the monorail. We already had our tickets but tickets can be bought on the day at the entrance there are various booths to choice from including a cash only ones. An adult tickets is currently £37 on the day a childs ticket is £28 pounds and a child is classed a 4-11 year olds. Saving can be made by ordering online you get 20% off these prices.

On entering the park it is wise to pick up a map as this place is huge. The map can show you at a quick glance were toilets are, where food can be bought and rides also have a key too orange for big rides, yellow for kids rides and so on. Its very handy to have. On the back is a short decription of each ride.

If you have younger children I would also consider hiring a mini car if you don't have a buggy. We did they cost £6 for the day plus you need a £5 deposit. My 3 year old loved going round in the car and they are light weight and easy to push round.

Alton towers is split up into various different themed sections/areas, Old Mac Donald's farm yard which is most suitable for smaller guest with a tractor ride and boat ride and lots of animals to see. Smaller children will love it here. The tractor ride was a huge hit with my 3 year old. He was able to sit in the front and pretend to drive mum and dad and his baby brother in the back which he loved. 0.9 seems to be important height if your child is under this height they will be quite restricted to what rides they can go on. Over 0.9 and there become a much wider range of rides that can be ridden with or without an adult in some cases.

Next we moved on to Adventure Land. My son was able to ride on the Beastie roller coaster with an adult we then left him to play on the play area while we bigger kids went on the Spin ball whizzer. Which I have to say was a huge a hit it was really fast and very scary. You spin round in a waltz type car but will secured in whist going on along a roller coaster track. This is a an excellent thrill ride and I would certainly recommend it.

Next we headed for X sector to ride the Oblivion. This ride basically takes up rather high before stopping on the edge of the track leaving you looking down into a dark hole, it then proceeds to drop you at great speed into the hole. This is very scary but to be honest the ride is over very quickly and may be a tad disappointing for some. My brother was terrified at the prospect of going on this ride but forced himself to and enjoy it in a strange kind of way. I though he was so brave I bought him a personalised I survived the oblivion trophy from the gift store for £5 pounds, I though it was a nice touch that these could be bough for all the big scary rides.

On all the big rides you had your photo taken and I have to say some of the faces we were pulling were very funny. Photo's cost £7 each or you can buy 2 for £10 you can also get key rings and t shirts although I'm not sure of the prices this wasn't something I was really interested in.

Next we moved onto the towers where the Hex ride is. The towers do look rather gloomy and eerie and you can take a tour and discover there history. But we just passed through as we wanted to take our son onto Cloud Cuckoo Land. This is another area most suitable for younger kids. My son adored it here his fave was Wobble world and the frog hopper. Wobble world looks so much fun its like a giant inflatable bouncy castle but only small children are allowed. My son was allowed to ride the frog hopper with an adult, There were also cars to drive but sadly my son was 1cm too small, The staff are very strict and measure children properly and would not allow him to go on which I full respect as it is for their own safety. Once child has been measured they can get a band which allows staff to see their height at a glance which I though was an excellent idea.

For the big thrill rides you need to be at least 1.4 metres tall. But some rides have upper height restrictions and on the Nemesis a 52" upper body measurement. This is to ensure you can fit into the seats correctly.

Next we visited UG land, sadly the skyride has recently been damaged by fire so can't be ridden but it is also home to Rita queen on speed we caught it at quite a busy time and didn't feel the was worth queueing for but we did enjoying watching people faces as the ride set off at great speed.

With in UG land the places to eat and extra games to play were prizes can be won but these start at £2 and felt we had already spent enough on entry. You'll find these in all the areas of the Alton towers.

There are beautiful Garden to explore but we simple didn't want to waste anytime looking as we wanted to head for some big thrill rides located in Forbidden valley.This is the best place for thrill seekers as it has some on the biggest and best rides including the Nemesis one of the original and still one of the best rides at Alton towers in my opinion. We had to queue for this ride but I do thinking queueing adds to experience as you anticipate the ride.

We decided we wanted to go for front seats so after queueing almost up to the ride we joined an extra queue to wait for front seats and I have to it was worth waiting a couple of extra minutes. I climbed into the seat in it was a rather tight fit with my huge thighs but I squashed in ok. Then once in position the floor disappears and your legs are left dangling as the track is a above you. The ride is very fast and with your legs swinging around you feel like the might hit something of course they wont though. The ride certainly got my lungs working as I screamed and screamed. I could see my hubby and kids from the ride and they were laughing as I flew past. The front seat meant you got a full view of were you were going and added to the fear factor.

Another excellent big thrill ride was the Ripsaw. Which you spin round in and end up soaking wet. My husband took pity on me and offered to pay the £2 it cost to go in a drying booth afterwards. These are excellent and really do help you get dry afterwards. I was wearing a summer dress which I wouldn't recommend to others its far more sensible to wear trousers so you don't have to worry about flashing your knickers to the world on some rides.

Also up in Forbidden valley is Air a ride similar to Nemesis but it apparently feels like your flying. I gave this one a miss and watched the kids but my brother thought it was great. The only ride really suitable for smaller children in the valley was was blade. Which was a pirate boat that swung up and down. My son loved it and went on again and again as no one was queueing.

Next onto the Gloomy woods and home of Duel a haunted house/ ghost train type ride but with a difference that you get a gun to shout at lights. It wasn't my cup of tea at all and my poor son was terrified and hated it. Crying I'm scared throughout the ride. Lesson learnt here just because your child tall enough to ride doesn't necessary mean its suitable. So judge rides for yourself as you know your child best. But I wouldn't recommend Duel for 3 year olds.

Next is Katanga Canyon full of water rides like the river rapids. It wasn't a very warm day so we gave these a miss. The popular runaway mine train is also here but the queue was rather large so we just moved on.


Next is Mutiny bay a pirate themed area. This is home to the new sea life centre attraction which is well worth a look at although you can't take push chairs in so I had to carry my baby round. I enjoyed this attraction it had sharks and giant scary crab things. A hit with my son was the pirate show and all the kids seemed to enjoy. Battle Galleons was yet another ride that people were coming off soaked that we decided to miss.

There is so much to see and do. We were very lucky we went mid week out of season so hardly had to queue for anything. Also we left Forbidden Vally for later in the day and the queues had died down and we quickly got on the big rides before the park closed. I personally would avoid going at school holidays or weekends as I think it was too busy and with smaller children its had to make them a wait as you queue.


All the staff at Alton towers were so pleasant including everyone from the ground staff, the ride operators and the food serving staff. We were often told by staff to enjoy the rest of your day when leaving rides and it sounded sincere.

I think the £37 pounds adult ticket price is fair you get a lot for you money and offer pretty good value. But I suggest keeping your eyes peeled for special offers like buy one get one free or half price tickets it can really help reduce cost as its likely you'll end up spending money on extras inside like food, drinks and souvenirs. For example each of the big rides takes your photograph and has a large gift shop selling ride related goods. To save money I would suggest a picnic if possible as food is charged to tourist rate and the burger king is more expensive than usual although some restaurant have good family deals on.

I certainly had a great time and will be going back when I've saved up my pennies as it does work out a costly day out but very fun and exciting.

Summary: Fun for all the family