We visited Alton Towers last week. It's been a few years since we went, in fact that was before the horrible year of 2020. Until then, I had been going very regularly to review Stargazing Pod and Splash Landing.
When we were invited to visit and review, we jumped at the chance. It was great to be back and visiting with teenagers rather than younger children was a completely different experience. When my kids were little, they loved CBeebies Land, Mutiny Bay, and Sharkbait Reef. There are many other vehicles that have come and gone over the years.
We haven't ridden many big roller coasters, and we've loved roller coasters since we were young, so it's a shame that we no longer have the habit of riding roller coasters. This was something I really wanted to change, so I put on my big girl pants, got super brave, and tried 3 different roller coasters during my stay!
The first one we tried was Oblivion, which we had ridden many times many years ago. This was a really cool ride, a little scary at first, but then I was so, so happy to be on it!
During the day we also rode the Runaway Mine Train. This is more of a family coaster, but it also packs a lot of thrills.
Lastly, we tried The Wicker Man, which was a really great ride and I thoroughly recommend it. However, what I would say is aim for this at the beginning of the day because by the end of the day your legs will be tired and there will be lines.
Actually, there are some tips. You can pay for Fastrack passes. This means you can skip the lines on some of the larger rides (which rides you get priority tracking depends on the package you choose). If you're just paying for yourself or a couple, it's not too bad, starting at an extra £32 for four rides. However, if you're traveling as a family of four, this feels even more outrageous. Instead, I recommend arriving at the park as close to opening as possible and heading straight to rides that you know will have big lines. This tends to be a big roller coaster. Lines are shortest early in the morning and late at night.
One more piece of advice at the end of the day. The monorail is very crowded and there are always long lines. At that point, there's really no need to wait in line. Alternatively, you can walk to the parking lot without waiting for the monorail, but you'll probably be pretty tired at this point and it'll be a bit of a trek. So my top tip for today is that there is an exit next to Galactica that takes you almost out into the parking lot itself. So plan to finish your day in that area and then head straight to the parking lot. You'll definitely be grateful for this!
The photo below shows the location of this exit. It's just to the right of the blue circle.
A final helpful service was to take as many photos of the menus in the park as possible. This way you can not only know the prices before you go, but also plan the best places to eat around the park. When it was time for lunch, we were near Oblivion and sat on some picnic benches surrounded by food trucks. We chose sausage and chips, which was fine, but later we saw the Eastern Express in Mutiny Bay. The chicken tikka naan wrap looked great (and was about the same price). Wait, I should have eaten that instead!
Also, if you purchase a cup when you first enter the park, you get unlimited drinks all day long. It costs £16 and there are self-service drinks vending machines scattered throughout the park. If you return to the park on another day to collect your cup, it's only £10 that day.
So, I would like to introduce you to many menus around the park. I know it's not for everyone, but if you're like me, you love planning ahead.
We were invited to visit and review. As always, all opinions expressed are my own.
