Alton Towers

Reviews

• II

  Ismaeel

  Aug 23, 2026
  2.0
  Went to Meet the Mobs today expecting a fun day out. Instead, I apparently bought a ticket to The Great British Robbery: Theme Park Edition. £3.50 for WATER. WATER. The stuff that comes out of a tap. At that price, I expected it to be blessed by the Pope, filtered through a diamond and delivered personally by Michael Jackson. £4.25 for an ice cream with a Flake. A FLAKE. Not a gold bar. Not a signed Michael Jackson glove. A FLAKE. I could practically hear my bank account screaming. £18 FOR A CUP. £18. For something whose only job is to hold a drink. For £18, that cup should be able to drive me home. Then I wasted £1 on a game that DIDN’T EVEN WORK, and when I tried to get my money back, apparently my pound had entered witness protection. £5.75 for a cheese sandwich. Calling it a sandwich is generous. It was basically two slices of bread having a brief romantic encounter with some cheese. Then there was the 80-MINUTE QUEUE for the Bluey rollercoaster. EIGHTY MINUTES. I could’ve watched an entire movie, grown a beard and questioned every decision that led me there. The orange juice was 40% APPLE JUICE and tasted absolutely criminal. Michael Jackson loved ANY orange juice, but I genuinely think even he would’ve taken one sip, stared into the distance and said, “No.” “Meet the Mobs”? More like “See the Mobs for 6 Seconds Before They Vanish Into Another Dimension.” Brilliant. And then: £9.75 FOR CHIPS. NINE POUNDS. SEVENTY-FIVE PENCE. FOR POTATOES. At that price, I expected the chips to have their own passports, Wi-Fi and a family tree tracing back to the first potato ever grown. And the final boss: £130 for a four-year-old, a 12-year-old and a 40-year-old. £130. I could’ve gone to Turkey for that. TURKEY. ANOTHER COUNTRY. And probably eaten better food, seen more interesting things and still had enough money left to buy a small goat. Overall, Meet the Mobs was less of a day out and more of a financial hostage situation. Bring your own food. Bring your own water. Bring your own entertainment. And most importantly, bring a solicitor for when you see the prices. Because those prices aren’t just expensive. They’re BLASPHEMOUS. SACRILEGIOUS. CRIMINAL. A DIRECT INSULT TO EVERYONE WHO HAS EVER OWNED A WALLET. £18 for a cup and £9.75 for chips? I’ve seen robberies with more reasonable pricing. Michael Jackson would show his true deep voice because this robbery is that bad. Utterly pathetic, disgusting, ridiculous.
• KO

  Karlygash Orazbayeva

  Aug 23, 2026
  2.0
  I am writing about our recent family visit to Alton Towers, and I sincerely hope that management reads this review and takes appropriate action. What was supposed to be an enjoyable day with our family and friends turned into an exhausting, frustrating and extremely disappointing experience. Firstly, we purchased tickets in advance for 11 people. However, when we arrived, we were told that we also had to purchase a ticket for our three-year-old daughter because she was over a certain height. This was extremely confusing and unfair, as the website stated that children aged 3 were free. We then had to pay £47 for her ticket at the entrance, while we had purchased our own tickets for around £34 each in advance. If admission is actually based on height rather than age, this needs to be made absolutely clear when customers purchase their tickets. You cannot advertise one condition online and then charge families according to a different condition when they arrive at the park. Secondly, the park was so overcrowded that both our older and younger children only managed to go on TWO rides during the entire visit — and even that was only possible because we paid for Fast Track. How is this acceptable after paying such a large amount of money for admission? A three-year-old child cannot reasonably be expected to stand in queues for 40–60 minutes. I was also carrying and looking after a three-month-old baby. Why are unlimited numbers of tickets apparently being sold when the park clearly cannot accommodate that many visitors without enormous queues? There should be a sensible daily visitor limit so that people who have paid for admission can actually enjoy the attractions. The third and perhaps most frustrating issue was that many rides started closing at around 4:00 PM, with some closing even earlier. By the time it approached 6:00 PM, only a handful of attractions appeared to still be operating. Yet the advertised opening hours were 10:00 AM–6:00 PM. If the park is advertised as being open until 6:00 PM, customers quite reasonably expect the attractions to remain available until close to that time. It is completely unacceptable to sell full-price tickets and then progressively close a large number of rides hours before the advertised closing time. By around 5:00 PM, we saw many visitors leaving looking just as disappointed and frustrated as we were, while the park itself was becoming almost empty. Our family day at Alton Towers left us exhausted, disappointed and regretting the amount of money we spent. Between the unexpected charge for our three-year-old, excessive queues, overcrowding and attractions closing early, we absolutely did not receive the experience we paid for. This is not how paying customers should be treated. Maximising ticket sales should not come at the expense of the visitor experience. When families spend a significant amount of money on tickets, travel, food and Fast Track passes, they have every right to expect a reasonable opportunity to actually enjoy the park. I expect Alton Towers management to take complaints like this seriously and reconsider its ticketing policy, daily visitor capacity and early ride closures. Families deserve transparency, fairness and a service that actually reflects the amount of money they are being charged.
• PW

  paul wilkinson

  Aug 22, 2026
  1.0
  Merlin is slowly destroying what makes places like Alton Towers special. Alton Towers should be somewhere families go to have a brilliant day, make memories and feel that the considerable amount of money they’ve spent has been worthwhile. Unfortunately, our recent experience left me feeling that Merlin is prioritising cost and profit over the quality of the guest experience. Poor maintenance and procedures My son and I were stuck on Rita for over 30 minutes while staff appeared to work out how to release us. What made this particularly frustrating was discovering that a harness override/release tool was in a box next to the track the entire time. I appreciate that safety procedures must be followed, but being left restrained on a ride for that length of time was not a pleasant experience and raised serious questions about staff training and procedures. Poor-quality, overpriced food Days out like Alton Towers aren’t cheap, and I don’t expect the food to be cheap either. But when you’re paying premium prices, you should at least receive reasonable quality and value for money. Instead, much of the food feels overpriced for what you actually get. Many restaurants and attractions now offer meaningful family deals, such as children eating free or for £1. Merlin’s answer appears to be 15% off already expensive food. For families spending hundreds of pounds on a visit or short break, that feels like a very meagre offering. Accessibility and neurodiversity This is probably my biggest disappointment. Merlin desperately needs to improve its understanding of neurodiversity. Long queues, overcrowding, uncertainty and sensory overload aren’t simply inconveniences for some guests — they can make an attraction completely inaccessible. The Ride Access Pass should exist to remove genuine barriers for people who need it. In my view, the current system needs serious improvement, and Merlin’s recent decisions and the resulting press coverage have only increased my concerns about whether the company genuinely understands the people this scheme is supposed to support. Inclusivity shouldn’t mean making everybody use an identical system. It means recognising that some people have different needs and making reasonable provisions so they can enjoy the same experiences as everyone else. Merlin needs to remember what places like Alton Towers are actually for. Yes, Alton Towers is a business. It needs to make money, invest and remain commercially viable. But people are also handing over significant amounts of their hard-earned money because they want to give their children, families and friends an amazing experience. Profit and a great guest experience don’t have to be mutually exclusive. Invest in the rides. Invest in the facilities. Train and support your staff properly. Provide decent food at reasonable prices. And most importantly, make sure your attractions are genuinely accessible to the people who need additional support. Alton Towers is an incredible attraction with enormous potential. It would be a real shame to see Merlin’s pursuit of profit slowly erode the very things that make people want to visit in the first place.
• AS

  alexandra p sz

  Aug 19, 2026
  3.0
  3.5 stars Amazing rides 10 out of 10. We went on all of them except the ones with the lapover bar. Our accomodation -The Stargazing Pods 10 out of 10. We love the little pods! Comfy beds and the 'rustic' vibe. Toilets cleanliness 8.5/10. Customer service:6/10. Overcomplicating explanations, not enough care. And here lies the problem: our check in was RUINED by the TIME and process of the check in and the first day felt bad, rushed and tiering because of that. Let me explain. We came from the SW. One 50 yo mum with a 12 yo girl. Left at 7 am arrived around 11am. Two backpacks -medium sized, pretty heavy. At the entrance - the big lockers FULL after waiting In the line .Advised so check out other lockers-really??? (let me look for the needle in the haystack) or get out ( after finally getting in!!) and drop them at the accommodation site. We've never been here before. The paper map doesn't show the accommodation. :-( Opened the application and tried to figure it out on that. Point deducted! The app gets just an average 7/10. Got to the accommodation far end and started looking for the pods. The signs are rubbish! And there should be more of them.Lots more! We got lost. Literally went in circles around the carpark. It's not funny with 2 backpacks and half a day gone! After having an unwanted detour around the accommodation houses looking for the well hidden pods' reception, we couldn't find the strength and dropped our backpacks at the Alton Towers hotel. On the way we disturbed the guys inside the closed pods ' reception just to find out that we had to go to another reception point (The Enchanted Village Reception), and by the way, check in at 15.00 hours! At this point I was dead tired and fuming. Thank you Mick ( Alton Towers Hotel) for your kindness and accurate directions that helped us find the reception! Jumped back on the monorail. Went to the X Sector & Rita. At 14.45 back to check in and dropping the backpacks at the pods. Back on the monorail to the park .... :-( And at 19.00 hours??? ( still light and warm outside - summer time ) the park closes. We love a good night ride! No other comment needed). Food 8/10. We found this amazing 'Argentinian steak' picknic place and the Bubbology. Treat to our tastebuds. Worth every penny. The Chicken fast food included in our standard meal plan was rubbish. Had to ask for cutlery?! The donuts - perfect treat. I still don't know where is our pods' breakfast pick up point and honestly, can't be bothered to ask as I don't want to get upset again looking for it As I said, the signs are rubbish. Yesterday we had the breakfast at the Crooked Spoon. Tiny buffet, ok quality. Kind of disorganised.... Food good. First dinner at the Secret Garden. Very good, reasonable prices, excellent service. Second dinner at Flambos Jambo. Below average buffet. I do not eat pork & spicy food. Little choice left... The Italian & salad selection was excellent. Same with the icecream. The rest... not for me. I left the Asian noodles on the plate after the first mouthful that went into the napkin. Atmosphere: 3/10 The entire resort doesn't have that vibe. It feels more like a big park + rides ... The rides 10/10!!! General impression: 6.5/10 Good rides let down by logistics, customer service, bad and insufficient signing and insufficient street lights, all accomodation crammed on one side of the park ( good luck if you have mobility issues!)- and two choices to get there - a confusing walk or the monorail ( waiting time depending on your luck), evening vibe nonexistent as the park shuts at 19.00 hours. The second day we had the golden fastrack so we made up for it. Worth it, though very expensive. A few rides closed due to weather but that's normal. One day is enough for the entire place if you plan it well and you have a golden or silver fastrack. Would we come back? Not sure. Don't think so. Too expensive and too far away from us. If on offer, yes only for The Smiler, Galactica and the other big rides which are amazing.
• SS

  Sarah Sissons

  Aug 17, 2026
  4.0
  The Good: The theming is strong in the rides, the theming director is obviously a horror movie fan. The park is actually within a park so the scenery is gorgeous. Its really a day out in nature not a day out at a theme park. The service is both good and bad. I found the park and ride hosts really nice but the F&B young staff under trained. The Bad: toilets! Lack of and standard and cleanliness. Every theme park i have been to has an abundance of modern toilets. Alton towers toilets are hideous and outdated, not clean and impossible to find. Traffic into the park is slow because of the narrow historic roads. F&B staff level or training is obvious, not great or fast at cleaning up, attitude, too young and no strong supervision. General cleanliness is an issue. Its not international standard. The tables are ALWAYS dirty, everywhere. Rides: oblivion is cool but very short so an hour in a line wouldn't be worth it. I had the silver fast pass which was good except on Rita and galactica where even fastpass takes 30 minutes. Favourite rides, wickerman has that wooden coaster thrill. Galatica because its the only ride that flys you horizontal around the track. Very cool. The mine cart was fun.... choo chooo ( the conducted says it so funny and it was a great giggle). I found nemesis reborn quite standard and predictable but my daughter liked in (not everyone is a spoilt rollercoaster buff). Smiler was my great surprise the theming, the unexpected lifts and drops. A definite must do. Food: Do not do the roller coaster restaurant. Dingy, limited food options which werent great. Dirty tables. Over priced. The one in Europa Park in Germany is the one you should go to. The food festival tent set up called Cargo was very tasty, the bao buns, the steak sandwich, poppy's pineapples all excellent, definitely the best food option in the park but assume it will be seasonal. If you are a soda fan go with the unlimited refil as there are more coke stations than there are toilets! Hotels: we stayed at the alton towers resort - will write a review there. They have a hotel access to the park which is good. No magic hour which I think they should implement. Hotel 3/5. Waterpark: just dont go. 3 rides and a couple of splash areas. Only waterpark ive left in 1hr and 20min.

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