Sweet 16th - Just spent the weekend at Alton Towers resort for my nieces 16th birthday. She brought 3 friends, her mum and auntie and myself (70) so all ages. I can't begin to tell you how fabulous the staff are, nothing too much trouble but a SPECIAL mention to Kevin on the Woodland lodges reception. He definitely stood out as being an absolute joy, whatever wage he is on, it's not enough. He went WAY over and above, the girls wanted a pic with him when we were leaving but he wasn't there. Thank you Kevin

AMAZING - Amazing we came in August and just yesterday 14/9 -15/9 for our boys birthday 11 and 4, we love it and amazing our oldest absolutely loved his 1st on nemesis and they both loved our upgraded room to the Gangsta Granny room

Great family time - We went to AT for a short break, stayed in Woodland Village and we had a great time. Rooms were comfortable and clean. Few playgrounds round so kids had something to do. 15min walk to AT. The only thing that I was missing was a small fridge. Staff were lovely and helpful. We definitely will be coming back.

Fab rollercoaster day out! - Great 2 day adventure with the family. Great selection of rides with Smiler taking your breathe away!! However be prepared to spend £5 on each soft drink or coffee. The coffee is bitter enough without it having to cost the earth!! PLUS, despite it being a no smoking zone, people were smoking and vaping everywhere. Disappointing that the rules are not managed and enforced a bit more. Cheaper tickets if you have a NHS Blue card otherwise expensive for a family of 4 or more.

Fun family trip. - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5) We stayed at Alton Towers as a family of four (2 adults, 2 kids aged 11 & 14) and had a really enjoyable time overall. Hotel: We were really impressed with our room — loads of space, sturdy bunk beds with high ends that gave the kids privacy, and plenty of storage. The bathroom was spotless, and the shower was always hot with great pressure. A couple of things let the stay down slightly: no hot chocolate sachets in the room, and none available at breakfast either. When I asked, I was told it was due to allergies, which felt inconsistent given the range of other potential allergens on offer. Breakfast was decent but not amazing — the coffee was very weak and not drinkable, and there were no hot drink options for kids unless we paid extra at Costa. Evening meals in the main restaurant were expensive, but the pizzas in the Dragon’s Bar were really tasty and a good alternative. Staff across the hotel were generally great, but restaurant staff seemed a little uninterested. It was my son’s birthday, and while he got a certificate and sticker (a lovely gesture), staff didn’t acknowledge it — though other guests did. Would we stay again? Yes, but we’d come better prepared food and drink wise! Theme Park: We were really impressed with the staff across the park — friendly, efficient, and full of energy. There were loads of ride options, and our highlights were Wickerman and Thirteen. When a storm rolled in nearby, a lot of rides closed for about two hours, but thankfully we took the opportunity for lunch and then went on Hex, which is indoors and was still running. Once things reopened, the queues were well managed and staff made a real effort to keep the atmosphere upbeat. Overall: A fun, memorable family trip. Great hotel rooms and brilliant theme park staff and rides. Some frustrations with food/drink options and costs, but we’d definitely return knowing how to plan around these little niggles.

15 Tips for visiting Alton Towers Theme Park - 1. CAR PARK: The way Alton Towers is orientated means you drive past the entrance and car park behind Forbidden Valley. The monorail transports you back to the entrance. Or it's a 10min walk to the entrance. Note: make sure someone in your group makes note of the parking area alphabet letter. 2. ATTRACTION AVAILABILITY: After you enter through the turnstyles ask a member of staff if any attractions are closed for the day or open later, attraction availability can depend on the time of year you choose to visit. 3. 1ST VISIT: If it is someone's first time at the park let them experience as much as they can, instead of hopping from main attraction to main attraction. Choose which direction to go around the park and work your way around the park. Some attractions have surprises, don't spoil them for 1st timers. 4. IMMERSIVE: Some attractions are very immerssive and come with a back story, look around the queue lines, reading the grave stones and watch the sceens. Tip: Pause in the queue line of The Curse At Alton Manor and watch the dolls House? 5. TEST SEAT: The roller coaster seat outside the roller coaster entrance is a test seat to see if visitors fit on the ride. If you're a larger visitor sit in the test seat, this could save you from being rejected a roller coaster in front of people. 6. SKY RIDE: The sky ride is a transport ride that takes you to 3 different points in the park. Check the Alton Towers app before boarding, walking to the attraction may be quicker. Also check that Sky Ride is open at all, depending on the time of year you visit, it may be closed for the day. 7. THE GROUNDS: Alton Towers is a big park, note that if your plan is to tick off every attraction, this may not be possible in 1 day. There is a lot of walking, and different types of terrain. The Alton Towers grounds are old and beautiful, the grounds were here before they found space to add attractions. 8. PERSONAL BELONGINGS: Some attractions require visitors to leave personal belonging at a drop off point or require you to put them the other side of the station. Have your personal belongings in a bag ready to drop off. Having your phone in your pocket could get crushed by the restraints it can also be an uncomfortable even painful ride experience if you have anything in your pocket. (having the keys in your pocket crushed into you, is not comfortable). Shoes must be worn to ride. 9. SINGLE RIDER: most ride vehicles come in an even number of seats, and quite a few visitors have an equal amount of people in their group. A single rider is filling up the spare seats. So sometimes waiting in the main queue will actually be a shorter wait time. 10. EATING: Make sure you sit down to eat, with so much walking and some very intense rides, memebrs of your group may experience burnout. There is little to no shelterd seating for picnic areas. 11. EXIT: At the time of park close, you have 1 hour to get into the monorail queue to take you back to your car. If you miss the last monorail, you will have a 10min walk back to the car park. You can exit the park next to Galactica in Forbidden Valley. So if you are closer to Forbidden Valley than the main park entrance at the time of park close you can exit via Galactica. 12. LAST RIDE: you must get into the queue of your last ride before the parks closing hour, as long as you are in the queue of a ride before a 4pm/5pm park close you will get on the ride. 13: DON'T WASTE TIME: If your friend group want to go to Forbidden Valley then to X-Sector, then to Dark Forest and then Mutiny Bay, you may leave having only completed 4 rides, so if you want to complete your list of rides don't jump from place to place, make a decision where you want to start and end. 14: 1 DAY, 2 DAY, 3 DAY: If you only have 1 day at the park you may fail to get everything done, if you choose to double rides it will eat into the time. 2 day visitors choose which way to go around the park, start where you left off on the second day. 3day is your chance to go to the waterpark, golf, look at the gardens. 15: ENTERTAINMENT: Most of the year you can find entertainment in Cbeebies Land for early years. The main parks entertainment mostly comes in the form of Scarefest, with mazes being an additional up charge from your park admission. Each year may bring a different line up of entertainment.

Soulless resort – Merlin has stripped away all the magic - I stayed at Alton Towers Hotel and spent the day in the park. Honestly, it’s shocking how far this place has fallen under Merlin. The rides are fantastic – world class coasters – but everything else feels cheap and money-driven. The park shuts ridiculously early (4pm!) and then you’re pushed towards “extras” like the waterpark or mini golf, all for extra money. Even parking isn’t included. Walking around the park feels more like a traveling fairground than a top theme park: arcades, ball games, claw machines with random plushies that aren’t even Alton Towers related. Zero immersion. Zero atmosphere. Nothing that makes you want to sit down, grab a drink, or enjoy a meal. The food is overpriced and uninviting – I didn’t feel tempted once. And the hotel? Honestly, my room felt like a hospital ward – sterile, plain, and completely lacking charm. For the price they charge, that’s unacceptable. Bars and restaurants inside the resort are uninspired and way overpriced. Disney gets criticized for being expensive, but at least Disney gives you the illusion of value and a sense of magic. Merlin charges similar money, but delivers nothing beyond the rides themselves. It’s soulless, short-sighted, and feels like one big cash-grab. Alton Towers could and should be the UK’s flagship theme park, but under Merlin it’s become hollow and disappointing. I left frustrated, not enchanted.

Mostly great experience but some little things did spoil it - Few issues this time with visiting and staying at Alton towers. We chose to stay overnight with the lodges, the first issue was they didn't send the email with the link to book the breakfast and even though my husband chased it up until we arrived we still didn't know whether we would be getting breakfast. Thankfully they were able to let us know that we could just book it now when we had actually gotten there. It also took sometime to open the barrier to allow us to get to our disabled lodge. The lodge itself was ok but the floor was definitely dirty and the bathroom although it looked clean smelt like mold very strongly. The first day she went to the waterpark which was lovely, we then went into the park on the Friday the weather was lovely and the lines were short so we managed to get on a few things. Went to the rollercoaster restaurant, the food was over priced and very average. I ordered the rita chicken wings which the kitchen never prepared and I had eaten my side and my family had eaten all of their food, I did chase it a few times but it still didn't arrive, eventually the staff said it was in the oven now but at that point I didn't want them as everyone else had already finished. Thankfully the manager apologised and offered complementary deserts for our table of 4 which did help to make up for the bad experience. Went into the arcade at mutiny bay and one of the ticket machines didn't pay out a certain amount of tickets (45 in total) there was no staff to try and speak to about it, eventually Rhiana appeared (I asked her name as she was very rude and unhelpful when I explained the situation) I wasn't trying to pull a fast one over a measly 45 tickets but it was the principle that my 4 year old should of had them as he got a ball in the 45 slot on a machine the same number my other son had gotten and received his 45 tickets. Rhiana said there was nothing she could do about it and was very abrupt and rude with her tone of voice when I argued it. Other than those small details the overall stay was lovely but sometimes the little things make all the difference and spoilt things a little bit which is a shame.

Not Truly Disability Friendly- Highly Stressful - There is a lack of clarity from the hotel and theme park; this was hard because our family had disabilities so info was vital. When we called, for clarity, they didn't have answers because they weren't based ta the hotel but a call centre and so they could only rely on their info sheets which were inadequate. I also sent emails to gain clarity and whilst some were answered others were never responded to a week in advance of our break. Sadly the lack of clarity continued which I'll explain. Day of arrival we tried to use the water park. Sadly my 11yr son with autism ran off because of the noise in reception, he'd refused his ear defenders. There were maybe 18 people there in a small space and kids can be very noisy. We use centreparks subtropical pool frequently and never had and issue. My sister explained there was very loud music playing alongside everyone talking and shouting to be heard. I found it very noisy but I coped just about. Is it necessary to blast music everywhere? I can understand having it in pool area but in a small reception area. My son wouldn't go in the water park that day. The staff were lovely tho I couldn't fault them. They said they would do a full refund if he couldnt go back later that day, so we left to check in. Trouble was i have CFS/ME so i couldnt go back to get the refund. We stayed at the original hotel which is a long walk to splash landings for me so my husband was going to drive me. As i sat there floor 2 hotel lobby and it was terrential rain the consierge said oh we can refund that here for you. I was like how helpful. Thank goodness. So my husband didn't bring car. Then it went from oh we can't it is at the waterparks discretion. Then it was why not give your email instead and we can validate your tickets for 12months? We can do this here. I was so exhausted by that point i just agreed. I didnt believe we would come back in 12months. He meant well and was kind. The next day when we managed to get to the water park, the tickets we left with the lady the day before (because she was going to usher us through if my son came back) had been binned so no confirmation if the validation was processing or not. So another kind lady took emails and assured us she would ensure this happened. It did. Sadly though my son hated alton towers so we won't be going back amd now the money is lost. It was highly stressful being told you could get a full refund then told no we don't do that. Then well you could but it's at the waterparks discretion so why don't you just get validation. They won't refund you. Then email states to the end of the year so again no clarity! Is it validation for 12months or not. Son probably won't go anyway! Issues with booking breakfasts was stressful all slots were gone. Got it in the end but what a polava to get that sorted too. Don't get me started on sorting out ride access card I'd and access passes. I'm not kidding when I say it took me hours to sort it all out. I do get confused so some of it may have been me but my sister assures me she couldn't get h3ad around it either. I'd managed sort my sons ID but I never got a code or confirmation of mine! So emails to and from access email. Unclear if nimbus had linked. Then issues changing from red pass to yellow. We had A4 print outs for the following which was overwhelming... Hotel confirmation 4 x golf course 9 holes 4 x waterpark 4 x water park 2 x scooter 1 day 2 x scooter 2 day 4 x yellow rides access pass guests for son day 3 4 x yellow rides access pass for me day 3 4 x yellow RAP son day 4 4 x yellow RAP me day 4 Then because we needed refunds for carers tickets. You couldn't just get them when you did it. You had to buy standard tickets then call to get refunds and new confirmations and new tickets. Repeated print outs. So that was more calls. Also when we booked our hol it limited us to one water park day so we had to book the 2nd water park day separate. So of course that was a different No to call to get that refunded! Their standard policy is to rehire scooters not picked up before 12pm. So I replied on admissions to relay that we may pick our scooters up late due to fatigue. Never got confirmation so just had to keep the faith! Lol luckily they had got scooter available so all well prob cos of out of season. No help for disabled guests to get from alton towers hotel to monorail despite up amd down hills. Told not far. Not told it can be challenging if mobility issues due to terrain The mono rails don't have lifts. Huge elevation pathways. We were wrecked before we got into the park. They don't allow you to access a scooter until you are in the theme park so it's a big struggle unless you have your own. We left hotel 9.35am and it took us until after 11am to get sorted with our scooters at tower street. We were very stressed at that point because we were exhausted. Customer services took 30min to process the 2 merlin cards RAP X 2 and the scooters. Because I was informed prior to just give them booking No it turned out he needed the bar code amd had been searching for ages. Some of my paperwork was in paper format and some in the app. I couldn't link them all to the app! And yet some wouldn't print out. Eventually I said is it the bar code you need not booking No he said yes. I said I've got that on my phone! Why didn't he just ask or why didn't access services tell me what he truly needed. We were told to look for RAP entry. It would be helpful to have a sign at the entrance indicating where the RAP lane was because there wasn't signage we had to scoot left right up hill down hill and round if we weren't lucky enough to see the gate on arrival. It's just unhelpful and exhausting. There's no indication how far or if you can take your scooter down the RAP and some of them paths are up hills! Again I must highlight how the staff did the best they could and many were amazing thank goodness. That was the hotels saving grace, I hope they appreciate their staff. We had booked the rollercoaster restaurant and in advance were told no help to get disabled people there who struggle to walk but it's just 15min. We have seated walked so figured ok we set off early it be OK. However no one explained how hilly the terrain was. After the monorail mount everest saga I asked reception in advance if the golf buggy could help us get to restaurant. One said I'm sure they will help if they can the day prior. It's just to help treehouses guests primarily, (whether they disabled or not). One staff member on the day said oh its for treehousesbonly so I don't think they will help you, I'm sorry ill check but I doubt it. On giving my time of restaurant booking he said they have said they will help just be here for ten to half past! Eh! That meant 20past! We were so grateful for they lift amd kindness and we were lucky to get it back. We would have been on dire streats! The actual rides at theme park Obviously we're great. And RAP were extremely helpful however it would be useful at the start of RAP entrance to describe distance and terrain to decide it to take stick or seated walker. Also for disabled guests a few fold up/down wall seats would have been a godsend and took a lot of pain and distress out of the visit. Offering a paper map would help too. I forgot to ask but I think for disabled guests offering be useful. Or sign suggesting to ask for one. One thing that would have transformed our stay would have being able to hire a mobility scooter directly with our hotel. It would have allowed us to conserve much needed energy and reduce stress. Or being informed that due to the hilly nature some disabled guests find it easier to park at the theme park disabled parking and that it's free for hotel guests. The RAP is helpful but sadly you had to que each day to collect your pass each day. We couldnt get our passes for the 23rd on the 22nd during our 1st visit. Which means 1hr of waiting/being served each day if you are unlucky! This makes me wonder if they are deliberately trying to make it difficult or just a way to help guests quicker. This is quiet season so I dread to think about busy season! Lastly mixed info about if hotel guests with mobility difficulties with blue badges need to pay for parking at the theme area. What a carry on. 1st told if disabled badge we don't need to pay. However on the day we needed it my husband told me he was informed we needed to pay. I clarified with reception who told me we needed to pay. So I paid £20 to park in disabled (same area as express parking) then I was told by monorail staff I should double check with admissions that seems wrong. Someone else working there advised asking guest services. As I was collecting mobility scooters anyway I asked and they kindly refunded the charge. But the contradicting info is what caused me the stress. Their website says there is a quiet sensory area on floor 4 which there is not which was disappointing. Alton towers please get rid of the countless print out tickets. Pls advise if we don't download app straight away tickets won't be accessible online. Please create a system that automatically links tickets for you to the app. We had to input lots of order No ourselves too amd them some weren't located! Also no toilets not even disabled on floor of restaurant/bar ie ground floor in hotel! Only on floor one! May seem petty but it was very painful, one of the lifts were very squeaky. It only needed oiling. I don't mean small squeaks I mean really loud painful ear piercing squeaks on door opening! On positive note breakfast was nice and moon voyager room nice amd more spacious than u tube videos depicted. My autistic son did say it gave him headaches but this may have been because he had to jump from the last rung on the ladder of top bunk bed. It didn't go to floor. He liked the.private cubby area Patio fountain with ducks lovely and relaxing at night this moment of calm really helped. My son literally spent 2 hours in the waterpark once and we stayed 3nights. He did enjoy the golf with dad once. We knew he may struggle but figured being out of season would mean he would cope, sadly we were wrong. Well he coped by staying in the room. He used to wear ear defenders but was refusing. All in all not the most successful trip for our family and I wouldn't recommend for disabled people with mobility issues.

Heartbreaking Discrimination Against Disabled Guest at Alton Towers - We booked a short break at Alton Towers for 29–30 October, spending over £500. This was not just any trip – it was the only chance we had to see our grandchildren before next summer, as we live and work overseas. We have not seen them since Easter, and this was meant to be a very special occasion. Our autistic grandson, who holds both a Merlin Pass and a Ride Access Pass, chose Scarefest as his “special place.” Because of his condition, he is medically unable to queue. Standing in long lines could cause him to collapse. This is exactly why he was granted an Access Pass in the first place. Last year, with the pass, everything worked brilliantly – it allowed him to enjoy the park safely and without distress. This year, however, we were told that no Ride Access Passes were available for our dates. The result? He is effectively excluded from the park entirely. Without the pass, he cannot go on the rides, cannot take part, and cannot experience the special day he has been excited about for weeks. What makes this even more outrageous is that while disabled guests were being told “no,” Fast Track tickets were still available for purchase. In other words, paying guests were prioritised while a disabled child was denied access. This is indefensible. It is not only deeply unfair – it is blatant disability discrimination. We contacted Merlin and Alton Towers directly, hoping for compassion, understanding, or at the very least a reasonable adjustment. Instead, we were met with a flat refusal to help. There was no flexibility, no willingness to make accommodations, and no recognition of the impact this decision had on a disabled child and his family. The consequences of this are devastating. We now face the heartbreaking task of telling our grandson that the trip he has looked forward to for months is not possible. He will not understand why. He will only feel disappointment and exclusion – something no child should have to endure, and certainly not at the hands of a company that claims to welcome families and prides itself on accessibility. Let me be clear: to issue an Access Pass but then refuse to honour it when needed, while simultaneously selling Fast Track tickets, is not just poor customer service – it is a systemic failure and a discriminatory practice. It undermines the very purpose of disability access schemes and highlights that revenue is being placed above inclusion. We will be escalating this further through the Equality and Human Rights Commission and through disability advocacy groups, as well as seeking legal advice under the Equality Act 2010, which clearly states that service providers must make reasonable adjustments for disabled guests. What Merlin and Alton Towers have done here is the opposite – they have made active choices that place disabled guests at a substantial disadvantage. I am writing this review not just out of personal frustration, but as a warning to other families of disabled guests. Do not assume that because your child has an Access Pass, they will be accommodated. As our family has learned in the most painful way, Merlin and Alton Towers may refuse to honour it, regardless of the consequences for your child. For us, a long-awaited, once-in-a-year family reunion has been overshadowed by disappointment, exclusion, and discrimination. Merlin have not only ruined our holiday – they have broken a little boy’s heart.