Happy New Year!
Welcome to the first TowersStreet news update of 2017, and a very happy new year to our readers. The last day of the season seems like an age away now, and we’re now quickly heading toward opening weekend of the 2017 season.
Opening Hours
With the theme park’s opening being announced as Saturday 25th March, Alton Towers also released their planned opening dates for the 2017 season. The most significant change seen this season is the park now opening half an hour later than usual. The park will now open at 10:30am instead of the usual 10am which has been seen in previous years.
Last year saw the theme park closing midweek during off peak period on Tuesday and Wednesday following budget cuts introduced after The Smiler incident. 2017 will see the park closed only on Wednesday during off peak periods.
Whilst complete opening hours are available on the Alton Towers official site, the main opening hours are:
- Off peak weekdays 10:30 – 16:30 – Most weekdays outside of holidays, school trip and event periods. This would give guests just 6 hours of ride time, or 7 hours for annual pass and online ticket holders.
- Off peak weekend 10:30 – 17:00 – Most weekends outside of summer holidays.
- Peak Weekdays 10:30 – 17:00 – Peak weekdays during school trip and non-summer school holiday periods.
- Summer holidays 10:30 – 18:00 – During the July and August Summer holidays, the park will open slightly longer under 6pm.
As with 2016, Scarefest will again run for a total of 15 days, starting on the weekends of 7th/8th and 14th/15th October before running continuously from Friday 20th – Tuesday 31st October. Opening hours will be 10:30am-9:00pm throughout the event.
The resort’s annual Fireworks Spectacular is again scheduled to run for just 2 days on Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th November.
The resort have been known to amend opening hours as the season progresses in the past, so changes could be possible as the season progresses. As always, TowersStreet will keep you up to date with any changes.
Revised Ticket Pricing
As expected, a ticket price changes have been introduced for the 2017 season, and although on the day prices have seen an increased, online prices have seen a drastic decrease. The main changes are:
- On the day prices have risen by around 2.5%. This is the price used when calculating 2 for 1 offers at the entrance kiosks.
- Guests can now book 1-4 days in advance to take advantage of a discount rather than 2-4 days previously. Pricing is now also rounded to £35 for children and £40 for adults. A decrease of around 9% has been seen for this ticket type.
- Booking 5 or more days in advance gives the largest discount, with ticket prices dropping by around 12%. As with 1-4 day ticket pricing.
- 2017 Senior and Family ticket options are not yet available online, so are not compared in the below tables.
2017 on the day prices
| Ticket Type | 2017 Price | 2016 Price | Price Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult (12+) | £52.80 | £51.60 | +2.33% |
| Child (Under 12) | 46.80 | £45.60 | +2.63% |
| Family (Max 2 Adults) | Not Yet Available | £43.80 | N/A |
| Senior (60+) | Not Yet Available | £25.80 | N/A |
2017 1-4 Days in advance
| Ticket Type | 2017 Price | 2016 Price | Price Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult (12+) | £40 | £43.86 | -8.8% |
| Child (Under 12) | £35 | £38.76 | -9.7% |
| Family (Max 2 Adults) | Not Yet Available | £37.23 | N/A |
| Senior (60+) | Not Yet Available | £21.93 | N/A |
2017 5+ Day in advance
| Ticket Type | 2017 Price | 2016 Price | Price Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult (12+) | £32 | £36.12 | -11.41% |
| Child (Under 12) | £27.50 | £31.92 | -13.85% |
| Family (Max 2 Adults) | Not Yet Available | £30.66 | N/A |
| Senior (60+) | Not Yet Available | £18.06 | N/A |
All guests who purchase a ticket online will receive Early Ride Time allowing them to experience select rides and attractions from 9:30am. The lineup of this is yet to be confirmed.
Using widely available promotional ‘2 for 1’ vouchers are still the cheapest way for guests to visit the park at £26.40 per person, but the gap between this and the lowest online price is slowly closing.
CBeebies Hotel
Construction resort’s new CBeebies Hotel is still progressing, with the hotel opening to guests on Saturday 8th July. Our latest update from the 8th January shows work continuing, and the entrance taking shape at the side of the Alton Towers Hotel. The steelwork resembles the entrance feature seen on the latest TV advert from the resort.
Keep Up to Date
Don’t forget you can discuss the ticket price and opening hours changes over on TowersStreet Talk. Remember to follow us on Facebook and Twitter as we’ll be bringing updates from the resort as opening day in March approaches.
