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Alton Towers, Price rises AGAIN!

Dan1989 said:
Take Blackpool tower for example. Before Merlin took over it was £14 for everything and you could stay in there the whole day, now it's about £40 to do everything and there is no way you can spend more than a few hours in their. I know Leisure parks were not looking after the place right. But Merlin just ask to much for their attractions, ESPECIALLY here in Blackpool were they are all minor attractions.
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We went to the tower in 2006 and we felt aggrieved at paying what we did for it. It was a too much for the short space of time we spent there. Though the Dinosaur ride was abysmally fab.

We went again a couple of years ago and had an awful time. There was more to do, but it horridly corporate. However, the price increase reflected the improvements in both quality of the attraction and how much extra there was (if you took part in the dungeons, etc).

Personally, I thought it was a rip-off both before and after the Merlin take over by roughly the same kind of amount.

I think most of the other points I was going to be made have been covered by everyone else. It's worth noting that Ian did ask Merlin PR how many people pay full price on the door, and it was in the couple of percent range IIRC. So it really is a none issue, and for those paying more when getting it half price, it's an increase of maybe a quid or two a year.

I do think it's an extremely expensive day out, but would it be better to have more expensive passes and no half price offers but a blanket £30 entrance fee? I don't think so...
 
Also if you lost your job and had to cancel internet I'm sure a day out at alton towers wouldn't be top of the priority list.
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I'm well aware of this, I was just lucky enough to obtain a Merlin before I got laid off. Which has really come in handy ever since =P.

Ill admit that yeh I wanted an excuse to moan about something, but who on here doesn't? It's a genuine thing to have a moan about, with more and more people getting laid off from work, and more and more people trying to find it, people will just not be able to afford it. 2-4-1 deals are really good and do work really well. All I am trying to say is that£46 is just to much for you average joe
 
And has already been said, there are very few "Average Joe's" out there, and they're utterly stupid at that given we're assuming these are the people that turn up and pay the on-the-gate price having done no research whatsoever into pricing or offers.
 
I do in principle agree at the points made, that no one actually pays full price to enter, and, I feel, the much bigger scam at most Merlins attractions is the price of on park spending. If you look at the all inclusive meal offer alton are doing this year, they actually charge more for this package than certainly the half price entrance fee. If you also add up your additional spending, you are soon exceeding the £20-£30 price range.

My other point would be a general disliking towards the two for ones, mainly because it really penalises you if you happen to come in an odd numbered group, or if I, as an AP holder, cannot bring more than one friend. Then they pay double at worst, the online rate at best, and the result is that actually, with an AP, you may as well not have one if two of you pay the same as a pair using 2 for 1s. Then there's the added confusion of finding the dates, times and terms and conditions of each voucher (especially this year, as they're becoming ever more confusing). Personally, I would favour a straight forwards everyone pays this flat rate entry tariff, no 2 for 1 confusion and you don't have to hunt around for vouchers months before. The question really is, though, would Merlin ever be willing to take such a hit to their marketing scheme? I highly doubt it.
 
It's worth noting how much cheaper Merlin are than US parks (I don't know about Europe).

Six Flags GAdv was $60, not including tax. The biggest possible discount was $20, booked 3 or more days in advanced... And there was a booking fee that brought that saving down dramatically.

It worked out being about £20 to get in... Slightly less than Alton BOGOF, but considering the living cost and wage differences, considerably more costly for Americans to afford.

Premium parks, like Hershey, Busch, etc. work out being closer to £30.

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^ Six Flags Great Adv always has Coke can offers though, eg everyone pays kids price.

It's when you compare Europa Park's €39 full price to Alton you can see a stark difference. EP offers a superior park on every level.
 
SFGAdv also charge $25 to park your car, granted you can get it for $20 by booking online, but that's still about £13, god knows how much people would complain if Alton put their price up to £13?

As for Alton Towers being £46, if you consider that most things get more expensive on a yearly basis and that nobody ever pays the full amount at the gate, I can't really see what the big deal is.
 
Let's look at this subjectively. In 2006 it was £14 (£28) and in 2013 it's £23.10 (£46.20).

So over 7 years that's a 65% increase in gate which is MASSIVELY above inflation. In that time we've seen 4 new rides, an area retheme and a Sea Life Centre.

So a 65% increase in price against a (flattering top end) 20% increase in the number of attractions.

So, whilst it is true the quantity of BOGOF and 50% off vouchers means that no one (practically) pays the full walk up price; it is also true that these vouchers have been as readily available since the Tussauds days. Meaning that however you choose to look at the prices, the increase in price in direct comparison to product is an enormously unacceptable increase.
 
Maybe that inflation is due to the bogof deals? It means everyone is paying a little amount which isn't giving the parks the sort of income they'd like to see from entrance? Therefore they're pushing the normal price up to silly costs so that they see some sort of return from the price the majority are actually paying?
 
nealbie said:
Let's look at this subjectively. In 2006 it was £14 (£28) and in 2013 it's £23.10 (£46.20).

So over 7 years that's a 65% increase in gate which is MASSIVELY above inflation. In that time we've seen 4 new rides, an area retheme and a Sea Life Centre.

So a 65% increase in price against a (flattering top end) 20% increase in the number of attractions.

So, whilst it is true the quantity of BOGOF and 50% off vouchers means that no one (practically) pays the full walk up price; it is also true that these vouchers have been as readily available since the Tussauds days. Meaning that however you choose to look at the prices, the increase in price in direct comparison to product is an enormously unacceptable increase.
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Before I go along with that I'd be interested to know what the comparable above-inflation-rises there've been in the energy sector, giving I'd imagine their running costs have gone up to somewhat (although not entirely) justify this increase in entrance fee.
 
Anyone fancy doing a price rise comparison with other UK parks like Drayton, Flamingo land, etc?

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Crazycoaster said:
^ Six Flags Great Adv always has Coke can offers though, eg everyone pays kids price.
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The £25 I quoted was inc the Coke discount, a book online deal (you can get it cheaper by about £5 if you book 3 days in advance though), tax and the online booking fee. Doesnt include parking.

Also, they charge extra for their safari.

Is that Europa price before it after possible discounts?

I remember Liseberg being a joke. I realise Sweden is a pricy country, but it was like £40 and not a discount to be found. (I know about the ECC thing, but for NORMAL folk...)

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peep said:
Maybe that inflation is due to the bogof deals? It means everyone is paying a little amount which isn't giving the parks the sort of income they'd like to see from entrance?
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I don't think so at all. I've said it before whenever this topic comes up - and will likely say it again next season when prices go up again: The "half price" cost is what Merlin expect people to be paying. It's the cost that they can afford to let people in at and get the sort of profit margins they're expecting. If it wasn't profitable to let people in at £24, they wouldn't let people in for £24.

Look at Blackpool. Their online rate is £25. They don't bother pissing about with BOGOF vouchers (yes, I'm aware they do various other deals throughout the year); they just have their prices set.

People think that by getting a Merlin BOGOF that they're somehow "cheating the system" and have come across a good deal. They haven't; they're paying exactly what Merlin expect them to pay.
 
Joey said:
Also, they charge extra for their safari.
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Actually, they don't now, or they didn't when we went a few weeks ago. We had a couple of days there so on the second day we could afford ourselves to do it as Tash really wanted to do it. So I thought I would check on how much the charge was, so we asked the people at the attractions entrance and they said it free with the park entrance fee.

So we did it and it didn't cost a dime.
 
Colossus said:
Joey said:
Also, they charge extra for their safari.
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Actually, they don't now, or they didn't when we went a few weeks ago. We had a couple of days there so on the second day we could afford ourselves to do it as Tash really wanted to do it. So I thought I would check on how much the charge was, so we asked the people at the attractions entrance and they said it free with the park entrance fee.

So we did it and it didn't cost a dime.
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Weird! I went on the 13th July - a few weeks ago - and it it was "from as little as $20!!!!!"

...Was it any good?
 
Joey said:
Crazycoaster said:
^ Six Flags Great Adv always has Coke can offers though, eg everyone pays kids price.
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The £25 I quoted was inc the Coke discount, a book online deal (you can get it cheaper by about £5 if you book 3 days in advance though), tax and the online booking fee. Doesnt include parking.

Also, they charge extra for their safari.

Is that Europa price before it after possible discounts?

I remember Liseberg being a joke. I realise Sweden is a pricy country, but it was like £40 and not a discount to be found. (I know about the ECC thing, but for NORMAL folk...)

Sent from my HTC Wildfire S A510e using Tapatalk 2
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No, the €39 is full on the door summer price, as seen on their website. I don't know if Europa Park is just an anomaly, but you can see why it's the busiest european seasonal park.
 
Joey said:
Weird! I went on the 13th July - a few weeks ago - and it it was "from as little as $20!!!!!"

...Was it any good?
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Yeah it weren't bad actually, it was worth doing with our situation, we had 2 days and plenty of coaster time, but the whole safari experience with queuing and a little half way stop point, took about 2 hours.

But yeah its alright, I wouldn't have paid too much for it or if I had only had one day at the park. I'm going to start my PTR within the next couple of days, so more details of the safari to come.
 
Smithy said:
nealbie said:
Let's look at this subjectively. In 2006 it was £14 (£28) and in 2013 it's £23.10 (£46.20).

So over 7 years that's a 65% increase in gate which is MASSIVELY above inflation. In that time we've seen 4 new rides, an area retheme and a Sea Life Centre.

So a 65% increase in price against a (flattering top end) 20% increase in the number of attractions.

So, whilst it is true the quantity of BOGOF and 50% off vouchers means that no one (practically) pays the full walk up price; it is also true that these vouchers have been as readily available since the Tussauds days. Meaning that however you choose to look at the prices, the increase in price in direct comparison to product is an enormously unacceptable increase.
Click to expand...

Before I go along with that I'd be interested to know what the comparable above-inflation-rises there've been in the energy sector, giving I'd imagine their running costs have gone up to somewhat (although not entirely) justify this increase in entrance fee.
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A very good point!

Good thing my dad is one of those types to keep all our bills in a nicely arranged folder! :lol:

So, my family is a typical/average 2 adults, 3 children and a couple of pets household. In 2006 our energy bill came to £1000(ish), in 2012 it was almost £1300. Therefore, nicely rounded a 30% rise over the same period.

Now, I don't think it's ludicrous to assume that a company operating on the scale Merlin do will get some sort of discount, so their increase in energy bills certainly isn't going to be any more than 30%. Add to that between 15-20% inflation in the past 7 years and the 65% hike in prices (considering they've added attractions as well) isn't much at all in the grand scheme of things. Um... Merlin don't seem as much of an evil money grabbing company as we all thought.

How intriguing! :p
 
Okay, nobody wants to take me up on my challenge?

I'll do it.

In this topic from 2010:
viewtopic.php?f=29&t=27970&start=0

We're complaining about Drayton prices going up to £28. This year they're £38. Now, let's keep in mind that there are very few Drayton BOGOFs compared to Alton.

Also in that topic, there's mention of Flamingoland being £23, this year it's £30.

This is assuming that people do no research, don't book online and just turn up at the gate and are OUTRAGED by the on the door price.

So Drayton has seen a 35% increase in three years. Flamingoland a 30% increase.

Now I don't think that either Drayton or FL have seen that kind of increase over every three year period, but it does put Drayton into the "not much cheaper than Alton and they don't offer as many deals" bracket. Though if you get a Drayton ticket online in advance, it's £20, but it's still only a little cheaper than using a BOGOF at Alton.

It's also worth noting (and both Alton and Drayton ensure you know :p ) that VAT has increased to 20% in this period too (though it did have a stint at 15% for a while, which may actually include the 2010 gate figure prices I've got here).

Anyway, When compared to DMP, Alton looks like very fantastically priced theme park day out ;)
 
^ I'll do it from 2006 - Neal's original comparison using the wayback machine.

Alton Towers
2006 on the day - £29.50
2006 internet - £23.00
2013 on the day - £46.20 (57% increase)
2013 internet - £34.65 (51% increase)

Thorpe Park
2006 on the day - £28.50
2006 internet - £23.00
2013 on the day - £45.60 (60% increase)
2013 online - £24.99 (9% increase)

Chessington

2006 on the day - £29.00
2006 internet - £27.00
2013 on the day - £43.20 (48% increase)
2013 internet - £32.40 (20% increase)

Drayton Manor (no online discount in 2006)
2006 - £20.95 for peak times (school holidays/weekends)
2013 on the day - £36.00 (72% increase)
2013 internet - £20.00 (5% decrease)

Flamingo Land (no online discount in 2006)
2006 - £19.00
2013 on the day - £30.00 (58% increase)
2013 internet - £27.00 (42% increase)

Tussauds/Merlin Annual Pass
2007 (no data on wayback for 2006) new - £95.00
2007 renewal - £75.00
2013 standard online - £143.00 (51% increase)
2013 standard on the day - £159.00 (67% increase)
2013 premium online - £176.00 (85% increase)
2013 premium on the day - £195.00 (105% increase)
2013 renewal (standard) - £111.00 (48% increase)
2013 renewal (premium) - £137.00 (83% increase)


So there we have it - its the Annual Pass price that's always annoyed me, things have changed as in whats included however you could argue that the new attractions that come in weren't much of a substitute for the ones that departed (the european parks). Also the fact there was one pass that included everything in 2007 whereas in 2013 the standard pass doesn't include free parking and also restricts certain dates.

For parks standard entries they're all around the 50-60% increase so its hard to criticise one park for price increases not going with the rate of inflation.
 
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