'I've been visiting Alton Towers for 20 years - here are 5 things you must do'
Fans of Alton Towers have been given a list of five ways to make the most of your day trip from a veteran of 20 years going to the theme park.
Sam Dimmer, 39, of NottinghamshireLive, believes that he now knows all the best hacks so you can fully enjoy Alton Towers and this includes maximising ride time and minimising queueing. "I've been a rollercoaster fan for years, spending loads of time and money at Drayton Manor, Gulliver's Kingdom and Alton Towers. But after 20 years, I think I've finally cracked the best way to do Alton Towers," said Sam.
"I still remember taking my Rover Metro filled with friends to the Staffordshire theme park, barely making it up the hill to the entrance. Another time, we arrived late on a hot summer day and only managed five rides due to long queues." But he added: "The first caveat, this approach is not for the faint-hearted. My seven-year-old walked 15 miles during our day, but he also had an absolutely brilliant time."
The family enjoying Halloween fun (Nottinghamshire Live)Plan your Alton Towers trip
A statement of the obvious, but never pay full price for Alton Towers. There's a reason people carry around cereal boxes at the park - because those Kellogg's deals do save you a fortune. I usually have a pile next to me in my home office for various days out and we utilised two for this trip, Sam said in NottinghamshireLive.
Then book your trip during Scarefest. This is a revelation, even with small kids, because the park is open until 9pm and gets quieter and quieter throughout the day. While others leave for the day you grab a chocolate bar and power through like the theme park fanatics you are to ensure you get every penny's worth out of your day. Also, going on fast rollercoasters in the dark is the best and no one will change my mind on this. Rita at 8pm was just exceptional.
Alton Towers’ new terrifying attraction is ready to open in March
Get there on time
Yep, another statement of the blindingly obvious, but if you're queuing for that first ride before the park has actually opened then you'll get a decent head start on latecomers. We were on the Wickerman after 10 minutes of queueing when we got in.
It's worth checking the app the previous day to see which rides are attracting the longest queues and hitting one of those first. For us when we visited it was The Smiler and Wickerman. Then when you're in that (hopefully short) queue, get your phone out and plan your next target.
Use the Alton Towers app
In the summer we visited one of the best theme parks in the world in France, Puy de Fou, and not only was it open really late it also had a brilliant app that did practically everything for you. Now Alton Towers' app isn't quite on that level, but it is very good. Download it before you arrive and get familiar with it. Then when you're in the park look at the queuing time and make sure you target the rides with the shortest queues.
Also, obviously, you can avoid the ones that are having mechanical problems. When we went some incredible rides had laughably short queue times. Both Galactica and Oblivion were only 10-minute waits, which seemed extraordinary on the day. The park itself isn't really that big either unless you take an ill-advised detour into the gardens, so don't be afraid to take on a 10-minute walk if you see a ride with a short queue.
Split up if you want
Our kids are 10 and seven, and the 10-year-old could double as a 14-year-old he's so tall, so we split up for some of the day to ensure they could do everything they wanted. That meant while mum and kid number one were waiting for Rita, kid number two and I went to David Walliams World and did four rides.
Again the app comes into its own, allowing you to scope out which rides are nearby and don't require a long queue. It meant both kids were happy and weren't waiting around or going on rides that they didn't fancy. It also meant, for the first time since we were blessed with our darling children we could actually go on the rides we wanted in a theme park by gently encouraging our oldest to take on every thrill ride going. He did though, the legend.
Stay late and keep on going
The main reason we did nearly 30 rides in the day though is the late opening. It really is brilliant and even if your kids don't like Halloween it doesn't matter, just avoid the scary stuff or, if you're an appalling human like me, take them on Thirteen and don't mention the brilliant twist halfway around.
You will probably start to flag later on, so target the rides you want to do in the dark and make sure you do them. Alton Towers say it's a totally different experience in the dark and they are spot on. Riding your favourites at night is absolutely brilliant. Staying late means you'll probably need to buy food in the park, and it isn't cheap, but for the extra five hours of rides, it's a worthwhile sacrifice in my opinion. In fact, I'd go back much more regularly and spend a lot more money if the park was open later more often, especially in the summer.
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can report any errors to [email protected]
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