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2015: General Discussion

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ouch! Surprised parking hasn't gone up as well this year.... its due an increase as its been six quid for a while now...
 
A full rundown of the new prices and the changes to last year's prices (in pretty table format - oooh!) is over on TowersStreet News.

TowersStreet News said:
Alton Towers Resort have unveiled their ticket prices for the 2015 season on their website, with on the day pricing breaking the £50 barrier.

The pricing structure is the same as last year, with 3 levels of pricing. The cost of an adult ticket had risen by 2.44% this year, with similar increases seen across other ticket categories.

The increases, largely in line with those seen on previous occasions are in stark contrast to the changes seen at sister park Thorpe Park for the 2015 season. The Chertsey theme park, which saw ticket prices at £49.99 on the gate last season, has seen it’s peak day admission price increase to £59.99 on peak days for 2015. Thorpe Park class peak days as all bank holidays, school holidays and weekends across it’s season, and the new figure represents a massive 20% increase on last year’s prices. Despite a focus on attracting families with the recent addition of Angry Birds Land, the child ticket category has also been removed.

Thorpe Park’s changes led to speculation that Alton Towers Resort may have also seen a major change in how their pricing structure is set, however at present this doesn’t appear to be the case. In recent years, the resort have increased prices around two or three times per season, so it’s expected that further increases will be seen as the season progresses.
 
If anyone genuinely pays that then I'll be very, very surprised.

And seriously concerned.

And mindblown.
 
Towers don't want people to pay it, 95% of people pay half price or better,

I just don't like the way the Merlin pricing scheme works.
 
Might also be if towers wants to have staff on zero hour contracts, they can determine how many people to call into work on any given day as more people will book in advance.
 
Towers doesn't do zero hour contracts. They're all on guaranteed (albeit potentially low) hours.

Booking in advance is a great way to help determine budgets and ride openings etc. However I don't believe this is the best way to go about it at all.
 
I have to say the discount to buy online for towers is a bit rubbish. Why would you pay £37.80 online in advance, when you could turn up with a BOGOF and pay £25.

They really should push cheap online tickets more. The other week I went to Blackpool and got my ticket online for only £15. Drayton do the same and often do great deals for £20 online.
 
You would think in the day of online marketing (which is free) and the benefits of pre-book for workforce planning that the park would move away from BOGOFS altogether and do massive online discounts.
 
You would think in the day of online marketing (which is free) and the benefits of pre-book for workforce planning that the park would move away from BOGOFS altogether and do massive online discounts.

Or make the BOGOFs bookable online, give each voucher a unique code so they can only be used once on the website. Use print at home tickets or automated collection machines and you can then cut down on the number of ticket windows that need to be open
 
they could just stop punishing people for not bothering. I understand why they want you book before, and why they have bogofs. Lets face it at £50 a pop. No bugger would turn up. But the gullible British love a bargain. And will fall for it everytime.


Dam yiu merlin
 
They could always minimize the money-off vouchers, have newer 40% or 30% off vouchers, then lower the on-the-day ticket price and mix that in with some good marketing "Alton Towers CHEAPER THAN EVER" or something along those lines. Everyone wins and if done right Alton Towers/Merlin could actually get people paying more than they do now (very easy for marketing to twist it around).

I suspect they don't bother changing the way things operate just due to how accustomed people have got with 241s and leisure attractions. Plus the amount of products you see these vouchers must give them some pretty good free marketing.

A different system would be nice, one that doesn't rely so heavily on 241s, but it is what it is, if the current strategy is providing Merlin with the profits they desire then there are not many reasons for them to change things.

I'm glad Towers haven't followed Thorpe though with 50% off online, that really makes Thorpe look desperate and devalues their brand.
 
Alton Towers should charge £29.99 online. As it stands they don't compete with Drayton, Blackpool or Thorpe.

They should maintain "vouchers" but just direct you to the website.

:)
 
Quick change of subject, has anyone seen that the ERT is up on the website now? Nemesis from 9, RMT from 9 and Air from 9:30 plus I think, all of Cbeebies Land too.
 
Quick change of subject, has anyone seen that the ERT is up on the website now? Nemesis from 9, RMT from 9 and Air from 9:30 plus I think, all of Cbeebies Land too.
So as well as reducing what they have open for ERT, we now have to wait another half an hour for some rides?!

It was bad enough when they decided to delay opening of some of the rides until 11:00.

Head, meet desk!
 
Only ride open from 9:30 is Air, so by the time you've been let in and walked to Nemesis, ridden that a few times, Air will have opened...

Disappointing to see a lot of stuff like Mutiny Bay cut though... But I'm sure everyone is more interested to find out if Octonauts will be open for ERT, as that's the most important thing for the +1...
 
They need to completely re-think ERT. They need to open rides which get long queues throughout the day; Smiler, Oblivion, Rita etc. However opening CBL is taking a step in the right direction.

TS have posted on Facebook saying "Will Octonaughts be open?", however I assume it will and will come under the entirety of CBL being open.
 
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