MAP Christmas/New Year Sale

I can't believe I got a Premium MAP for only £121! Right steal, saved myself £74

Premium pass for £121 is really good! Makes it just over £10 per month.

The sale is disappointing compared to last year's price. For people that have held a pass for years, there is less incentive to buy.

Tom said:

The sale is disappointing compared to last year's price. For people that have held a pass for years, there is less incentive to buy.

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I have to agree Tom. Just working it out with family, now you actually have to calculate, taking into account offers/parking, who will go when etc, is it worth it?

Now fathoming it out takes a calculator and diary, before it was an absolute no brainer. I still wish they would separate out the attractions - I only want the Theme Parks, I used to have fish, Alton has some old bricks I can look at, and I have vertigo, I don't live near London and have no desire to old underground arches etc.

Yes I know this usually brings about a load of "no, I think it's a great idea!" - Good, keep your more expensive pass and enjoy the range of great value days it offers - which it does in this case, my circumstances dictate however I cannot.

SO PLEASE Merlin, knock 40 quid off the price - 85 quid for a Premium Park pass. Keep the Tower, the glorified big wheel, the "horror" attractions and the fish - you can even take out the stickle brick park if you want - JUST GIVE ME DA COASTERS BRUV INNIT!

;D

But most passholders, especially families, but also enthusiasts like us, love the extra little perks and the fact that on a day out in London there's the freedom to pop into iconic attractions such as Tussauds and the Eye at whim

£10 a month is SPECTACULAR value for the unlimited entry and money saved on parking before one even considers the good discount on everything (not a perk many other passes globally offer). And that's before the other perks such as reduced hotel rooms come into play!

TheMan said:

Tom said:

The sale is disappointing compared to last year's price. For people that have held a pass for years, there is less incentive to buy.

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I have to agree Tom. Just working it out with family, now you actually have to calculate, taking into account offers/parking, who will go when etc, is it worth it?

Now fathoming it out takes a calculator and diary, before it was an absolute no brainer. I still wish they would separate out the attractions - I only want the Theme Parks, I used to have fish, Alton has some old bricks I can look at, and I have vertigo, I don't live near London and have no desire to old underground arches etc.

Yes I know this usually brings about a load of "no, I think it's a great idea!" - Good, keep your more expensive pass and enjoy the range of great value days it offers - which it does in this case, my circumstances dictate however I cannot.

SO PLEASE Merlin, knock 40 quid off the price - 85 quid for a Premium Park pass. Keep the Tower, the glorified big wheel, the "horror" attractions and the fish - you can even take out the stickle brick park if you want - JUST GIVE ME DA COASTERS BRUV INNIT!

;D

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As good an idea as this is, I unfortunately don't think Merlin would introduce any more types of passes.

Although to us it seems obvious and easy which one to have...you're not bothered about Fright Nights or not being able to go to London in August, you pick standard and save some money, you want these things and some free parking, you pick Premium. I think if you bring ones in where you can just have parks or London attractions or just say Dungeons and Sea Life Centers it would get confusing to the GP. When I was buying mine at Scarborough Sea Life a couple in front of us were very confused as to the difference just between the Standard and Premium passes.

This, together with the fact that passes for single attractions such as Towers, Thorpe (although I think they're getting rid of these?), Sea Life Centers etc. are on offer, I can't see Merlin bringing something in like you have described unfortunately, as I think it's a fantastic idea.

LiamC said:

This, together with the fact that passes for single attractions such as Towers, Thorpe, Sea Life Centers etc. are on offer, I can't see Merlin bringing something in like you have described unfortunately, as I think it's a fantastic idea.

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Mags says it is fantastic value, it is, for one person - you start making this a family thing, and all of a sudden it isn't. I expected to have people defend it's present state - and also Liam you make an excellent point about the confusion for the GP. As you say, Premium/Standard is complicated enough for people who just want to buy a pass to go to places.

Mags: I accept your point mate for sure, but there are plenty who would just like the Theme Parks, and I feel now when I buy a Merlin pass, I am paying for you to get more value - ultimately, because I am. There is that much on a pass now, (which is good in many ways, except if you don't use it lol) I feel it is overboard, and that the price of the pass now has to reflect all the attractions they have bought up which a lot of people don't have a great deal of interest in, or indeed, time to visit of course.

No matter how you view it, the premium pass is still good value. That I wont deny, but it is nothing like the relative (very important word there) value that it used to be. I'm not talking ignoring inflation (yawn) etc, but in terms of what you want and what you pay for.

I think they have spread themselves out so far now, there is scope to offer a reduced pass purely to visit their theme parks, without too much confusion, so long as they call it something obvious!

They wont though, because they need the people who don't visit them, to pay out and cover the people who do and thus the running of those attractions.

In relative terms, to the economy, families etc - this is now a very expensive purchase, regardless of how good value it is when you consider the often not required proverbial "as long as your arm" list of attractions you can visit.

Merlin Annual pass was price held for 3 seasons (might have been 2 but sure it was three). So since 2008 its actually not risen in price beyond inflation really. Even when they changed the format the price increase after a 3 year price hold was £25 from the old standard to the new premium and a decrease if you went for the new standard.

To provide some comparison the EuropaPark annual pass which gets you unlimited access to one park and a single free ticket to about 5 other European parks and does not include free parking and does not have any discount perks on F&B or hotel rooms and costs £135 in current exchange rates. The Premium Merlin Annual Pass includes unlimited free access to four theme parks and dozens of other attractions including free parking, 20% off F&B, hotel discounts and a fair few other perks (like RAC discount ect) is only at full price £50 more expensive and at this sale is £15 cheaper. If you take the standard pass you get a similar price to EP and still get more attractions and the 20% discounts.

I really don't rate Merlin all that high but one thing that they have got spot-on is the annual pass.

We're also neglecting to mention ERT which is a great exclusive (slightly less-so now obviously with hotel guests, but still!)

The entry level Disneyland Paris AP is ~£102 (other two are £136 and £170), just for the 2 parks, again nowhere near the perks of an MAP, no free parking included, and you're not even allowed in the parks 23% of the days! Imagine if Towers annual passes restricted access on such a large percentage of 'peak' days - there'd be an uproar!

Obviously park quality isn't comparable but a standard WDW AP (and that's only for the 4 parks) sets you back nearly £400, with premium at £470ish!

...try justifying that as a family, and without the aid of the invaluable Tesco vouchers

All other parks and owners state that the MAP is undervalued. You won't find a pass with this many benefits for this price, possibly ANYWHERE.

Plus, the yearly half price sale. Plus you can use tesco or nectar points for them.

I don't think it works for all people if you don't visit attractions a lot. You don't have to buy one, but for the people that do... Wow, you don't half get value.

For £10 pound a month I would say on average I get for that, 1 trip to AT including discounts on everything. Myself & son can both eat at pizza-pasta for £10 which is a great example of how much of a saving you can make. I took the whole family to ATH for nye once and saved £100 on drinks alone over the 2 nights we stayed, and if the food hadn't been included it would of been more.

Ert another great benefit, 4-8 rides on nemmy before even having to que... Priceless.

Parking, I would say on parking alone, I save £70 a year only at AT.

If we are ever in London, as mags said, you can just 'nip' to the eye, Tussaud, dungeon etc at a whim. Priority entrance, the lot.

I recently renewed a 3 person 'family' pass for a total of £280 if my memory serves me correctly (without checking.)

For what we will get / save with that is astonishing to what we would pay, not to mention what perks we wouldn't get, going to the attractions individually. Even with Bogof etc.

We probably get 10 trips to At, 5 to legobland, Warwick 2/3 times, London attractions 2/3 times each, 2x Thorpe, 1x chessie, and aquariums maybe 2-3 also.

Even without the discounts / benefits this is a 'no brainer.'

Basically the map is the best thing since sliced bread, and sky plus of course

It's cheaper to have a merlin annual pass than the cheapest sky package.

And my god, sky is poo (for me anyway)

I never understand it when people say something is cheaper than something else, it is no justification whatsoever - it merely demonstrates that financial fascism is widespread.

I also question anyone who says unlimited use/access items represent good value for money. I ask them how much they would realistically spend if the unlimited use/access item was not available.

Too many people say "well I went X number of times with my pass and that would have cost me X in entrances fees". That's precisely the sort of mentality and frankly intelligence-lacking thought process that big business relies on.

To remain on topic, this sale has been a bad call and at least partially a failure. I find the extension of the 31 January end date despite claims it may end sooner to be evidence of that. I suspect a 37% discount to £99 is not an attractive price to people this time.

The "while stocks last" trick is the oldest one in the book. It is a meaningless phrase to drive sales. It's like when event/concert promoters say things like "tickets selling fast" and "get yours quick" to try and cause minor panic and rush.

If the unlimited use/access wasn't available and i maintained the level of attendance I have currently I calculated £900. I could not purchase a pass and I wouldn't spend £900 as I wouldn't go to the parks but then my freedom to do something I enjoy is severely restricted. Value for money is frequently based on a comparable product and when you compare the MAP to similar products its of great value.

But at the end of the day true worth depends on the value you place on the product, you could offer me a football season pass for £5 and it would hold no value for me, the annual pass does. And compared to its associated products it is good value for money.

I would be quite happy paying that price for a merlin premium pass (even though I only payed £144 to renew) because I worked out last season I would have payed £1800 without a pass just on park entry and car parking (if paying full price)

Tom said:

I never understand it when people say something is cheaper than something else, it is no justification whatsoever - it merely demonstrates that financial fascism is widespread.

I also question anyone who says unlimited use/access items represent good value for money. I ask them how much they would realistically spend if the unlimited use/access item was not available.

Too many people say "well I went X number of times with my pass and that would have cost me X in entrances fees". That's precisely the sort of mentality and frankly intelligence-lacking thought process that big business relies on.

To remain on topic, this sale has been a bad call and at least partially a failure. I find the extension of the 31 January end date despite claims it may end sooner to be evidence of that. I suspect a 37% discount to £99 is not an attractive price to people this time.

The "while stocks last" trick is the oldest one in the book. It is a meaningless phrase to drive sales. It's like when event/concert promoters say things like "tickets selling fast" and "get yours quick" to try and cause minor panic and rush.

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I agree with the sales drives and what nonsense the whole "get yours quick" pitch is, but I don't quite agree that we are lacking intelligence by utilising something that we find good value to the maximum.

Granted, we would not visit the attractions as much if we didn't possess the passes, but we, in turn, would then be spending our money elsewhere. For the amount of enjoyment we get out of our passes compared to what we would spend elsewhere, I still maintain that the passes are still excellent value for money & a fantastic offer.

I agree with dave, that it represents good value for 'us' not everyone. Some people may wish to spend that £280 on a weekend ticket for one person at silverstone for 2 days whereas myself & family can enjoy dozens of days enjoying our time as a family at a 'premium' attraction.

josht said:

I worked out last season I would have payed £1800 without a pass just on park entry and car parking (if paying full price)

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That was the point I was trying to make, you wouldn't have paid that.

I also put it to people that make the "value for money" claim that most people enjoy things less when they overindulge.

Yes, you may spend money on doing things elsewhere rather than visiting attractions if there was no pass, but a pass is simply a method of luring you away from from doing that.

I should say that I have a pass (a Premium one at that) but you will never hear me say it represents good - and certainly not excellent or fantastic - value for money. It is what it is - it suits my needs, but it is still a tool of monopolisation.

I also went to Silverstone for the Formula 1 last year, but that is a once-a-year event held over a single weekend - it isn't comparable at all.

Tom said:

josht said:

I worked out last season I would have payed £1800 without a pass just on park entry and car parking (if paying full price)

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That was the point I was trying to make, you wouldn't have paid that.

I also put it to people that make the "value for money" claim that most people enjoy things less when they overindulge.

Yes, you may spend money on doing things elsewhere rather than visiting attractions if there was no pass, but a pass is simply a method of luring you away from from doing that.

I should say that I have a pass (a Premium one at that) but you will never hear me say it represents good - and certainly not excellent or fantastic - value for money. It is what it is - it suits my needs, but it is still a tool of monopolisation.

I also went to Silverstone for the Formula 1 last year, but that is a once-a-year event held over a single weekend - it isn't comparable at all.

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Tom is absolutely right, and understands rule no1 of business.

That pass gets you in spending money, it is almost a loss leader, the profit isn't in the entrance anymore - it is in justifying the massive prices (normal) to include parking and what not.

I disagree with Tom, I think they represent great value for one person, if that is indeed what you intend to do anyway - but it also does create a monopoly on your experience. They are geared toward that as a business, it is evident everywhere they move that this is what they are aiming for ultimately.

They want a total monopoly on attractions as far as they can go, and you do that, buy achieving a habitual captive market.

Another point Tom is making which is not really being considered, is, do you go BECAUSE of the pass, or DESPITE it... in other words, would you do this anyway? If not, you are limiting yourself experience wise purely because of the perception of value given.

It is a very obvious psychological sales tool, like clubcards, nectar cards etc - it is incentivised.

I heard of some of you paying small fortunes for freedom passes for mazes, you eat there, you drink there, many of you spending small fortunes over the year at the resorts - they over price everything to make it seem great value!

I wont go as far as Tom, I'd say if you budget well and are constrained you can get excellent value for a pass, arguably massively if very local to a major park or especially London. Fuel negates this value hugely now to those who aren't though.

All in all, when you factor in the economy, from when I last had a pass there are twice as many considerations now that make it, far, far less enticing than it used to.

It used to be the first purchase - now it is one of the last.

I know big business well, don't think this is for "you", it isn't. Unfortunately I, like Tom, do see many of your falling for this standard practice though.

It does annoy me how easily everyone falls for it though.

Yeah the trouble with that argument is unfortunately Merlin have the Monopoly on theme park based entertainment without even factoring in the pass.

Back onto value...

If you don't like carrots then a 50% discount on carrots holds no value for money for you as an individual, if you do like carrots then that deal has high value and more value than the shop selling them for 10p more. If you like themeparks the MAP has high value, THEN when you compare it like for like with other passes it has a good value for money.

No one thinks Merlin sell them out of one fluffy warm hearted compassion, everyone knows its a business but the product has a high value for theme park enthusiasts and the MAP has a good value for money when compared to similar products.

There is a difference between the value for the customer and the motivation of the seller, a good product has value for both parties.

Purely from personal opinion , I am willing to pay the price of the pass if my yearly Alton visits alone justify the cost.
This year I plan to visit FHT, April for my birthday, a summer meet, scarefest and fireworks, based on having a BOGOF for each trip as my friends always do, around £24 a time that would cost £121, the cost of my AP. Not including the inevitable food and drink discounts and parking. Add onto this trips to sealife , Blackpool and London which are planned.

I understand the argument that it's false economy for some people as they visit more times than they would without a pass to 'get their money's worth' however for myself I see it as a way to save money visiting an attraction I love, but otherwise couldn't afford to visit so frequently, if I was ALSO doing other things such as the London attractions that my friends wish to do.

Apologies if that doesn't get my intended message across, I'm very tired and typing on my tiny iPhone keyboard!