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First time visit - some suggestions needed

grrrr

TS Member
Favourite Ride
Vertigo, Tivoli Gardens
Hello!

I'm going to make my first ever visit to Alton Towers later this month with my wife. We're coming for two days mid-week during Scarefest, with an overnight stay at the hotel.

I didn't check before I booked the (non-refundable) hotel room, but I think that week is the local half-term holidays, eek. I am expecting the park to be pretty much at capacity.

Another thing making things more complicated is we're travelling by train from London on the first day, so we won't be able to get to the park for rope drop. And we're going to have luggage with us because my wife is travelling elsewhere for business after we finish at the park on day two - so we'll need to get to the hotel, drop luggage and then head to the park.... not looking ideal.

Because we've not paid for tickets (we're Merlin standard pass holders), and the fact that we're going to miss the first hour or so of park opening, I've decided to be a complete w*nker and buy us both platinum fast track tickets. I wouldn't normally, but it's my first time there, plus it's half-term, and I don't want to miss anything if at all possible!

So a couple of questions:

a) What is the easiest way to get from the hotel to the park? How long does it take? We'll be getting a taxi to drop us at the hotel, is that difficult when the park is busy (not sure how the car park and the hotel are linked)?

b) Any strategy to maximise time in the park? We're unlikely to get to the hotel until 10:15, so by the time we've dropped bags off and gotten to the park itself, I figure it'll be near 11? Having missed the first hour, are there any ways we can avoid longer FT queues? I'm not hugely interested in scare mazes or other entertainment, rides are the main thing I'm keen on.

Thanks
 
Which week are you going?

If you are going the week starting the 22nd, then the park will be rammed
If you are going the week starting the 29th then you should be fine, it won't be that busy (edit, seems like a lot of areas are off this week too, can't tell what is the larger proportion of the country is off which week)

There is no ERT, so same time entry for all regardless of what tickets or Merlin pass you use

Answers to your questions

a) 15 to 20 minutes walk or if there is no queue, then just hop onto the mono rail. Either way I would allow 20 minutes into the park. Don' forget the rides close at 9.00 pm so plenty of time to get on everything

b) Don't follow the crowds, I would try and do all the coasters first and then the non coasters. If the queue is very long, then do another ride that has a shorter queue and come back to that one later. If you are there on the week when it's just the locals off school, then you should be able to do all the big coasters after dark with no problems. So you should have no problems during the day too.
 
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Thanks - I think it looks like a 50/50 split between the two weeks for half term across the country. We're going on the week of the 29th.

Any thoughts about which coasters are likely to be less busy towards the end of the day? I'd imagine Wicker Man is going to be packed all day because it's still relatively new and then it lends itself to the Halloween spirit, you know?
 
Generally the last hour goes quiet. However I would leave the busiest ride till last as it is the queue line that closes at 9pm not the ride, so as long as you enter the queue line just before 9pm, you should get a ride regardless how long the queue is.

Wickerman will be busy and it is awesome in the dark
 
To maximise rides leaves the busiest until last - as long as your in the queue bag 20:55 you will be fine
 
Thanks - any suggestion on what's likely to be busiest? Or is it so variable that we should we just keep an eye on the app?
 
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