Opening day was more of a swing-by queue for 3 hours to experience The Curse & see our friends then head home kinda vibe. But we soon made up for it and headed back to Towers last Sunday for the full day. Here is how it went!
Opening Hours:
Heading to Alton Towers with a 6 pm closure in mind did set me up for disappointment (in my brain) and the lesson from that is you should always check the opening hours beforehand, trust me. Admittedly, it closed at 5 pm which was more than enough time for us to do what we had wanted to do.
Monorail / Get To The Park:
Parking the car is always straightforward it’s that moment of whether you’ll have to do the long and dreaded walk to the park entrance or be lazy (like me) and catch the monorail. Luckily for us, the monorail was up.. the happiness that brings me is indescribable. Admittedly, the queue was long but it was so worth it. Getting in is always easy.
Ride Availability:
Yeah, ride availability hasn’t been the best. But that’s okay look at the weather we’ve been having lately it’s been a mix of wet & windy to then sunny. These things happen and it’s definitely not the end of the world. All of the rides which went down during our trip got back within a respectable time. There was something quite cool about seeing The Wickerman pre-show with the lights on too. Nerdy me was fulfilled. Simply keep an eye on the app to note when & if anything goes down to not waste time going to the said ride.
Food & Drink
What hasn’t gone up in price in the world? It’s the the current climate we’re living in now sadly. However, we forgot our packed lunch and it meant we ended up eating at Woodcutters. The pricing isn’t amazing however we do get a discount with our Merlin Annual Pass. I ordered the sweet chilli wrap with chips. The wrap itself was actually lovely however the rest of the food was not tremendous. I do prefer the in-house food to the recent company who have taken over. But we are fussy so please bare that in mind.
Of course, we haven’t ran out of refill vouchers just yet for our Freestyle Cup. Again, this is brilliant value for those with Platinum passes as you get a free bottle. However, without that it’s £15 for the bottle & refills all day then £8 or £9 for next time.
Another bit of food & drink we tried this time was the new outlet outside The Curse. I had what I think was called the Grim Reaper ice cream which was nice. Ant had a milkshake which I can’t remember what it was called. Both of which were nice. I found the milkshake somewhat sickly. But it’s lovely to see some themed foods at our UK theme parks. I found these to be reasonably priced given themed snacks typically are quite expensive (looking at Disneyland Paris)
Merchandise
The merchandise for this season has truly pulled me in and made it tricky to resist buying the lot haha. I’m a sucker for homeware items at theme parks and the cushions etc has gotten me. All of which I feel are reasonably priced like £25 for a t-shirt isn’t that bad. MAP holders do get discount also. My one thing is the merchandise for The Curse is quite meh. For a brand new ride with such huge marketing campaigns and hype to receive the merchandise it has is a little disappointing. Hopefully, there’s more to come.
Overall:
As with any day at Alton Towers it’s always terrific. The place holds such a special place in my heart and walking inside again makes me so delighted. As much as some areas need a little love, especially around The Smiler. It is a beautiful park. I do feel The Curse has set the bar so high for future developments & projects that it makes me so excited. Alton Towers is a MUST visit this season. As I can’t get enough of the place.
—-
Thank you for reading & check out my tips for making the most out of your day series to come soon.
