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2023 Trip Plans

Matt N

Matt N

TS Member
Favourite Ride
Mako (SeaWorld Orlando)
Hi guys. As 2023 has now begun, I'd be really keen to know; what are your theme park trip plans for the upcoming year? Have you got anything exciting planned?

As for me, I've actually got a fair few trip plans and ideas for 2023! I'm hoping that if all goes well, 2023 may be the year that I finally hit a triple figure coaster count...

My confirmed plans and potential ideas for the year are as follows:
Confirmed Plans
  • Florida (10th-24th June 2023) - My biggest trip plan for the year is that I am returning to Florida in June 2023! I haven't been to Florida since 2019, and seeing as we're not doing Disney at all this time (it was the sole focus of our trip last time), I haven't been to any of the parks we'll be visiting on our 2023 trip since 2016! Universal Orlando is most certainly on the agenda seeing as we have 14-day tickets booked for it, SeaWorld is very likely to be on the agenda, and while it's more of a maybe than the other two, Busch Gardens is also a possibility! And if I'm particularly lucky, I might even be able to visit Fun Spot Orlando for the first time and finally do White Lightning, what with its proximity to Universal Orlando. There is so, so much new stuff for me to experience at these parks since my last visit. VelociCoaster, Hagrid's, Volcano Bay, Fast & Furious, Jimmy Fallon, Ice Breaker, Pipeline (hopefully), Infinity Falls, Iron Gwazi, Tigris... the list goes on! Getting back to these parks for the first time in 7 years will be terrific, and I frankly can't wait!
  • Alton Towers (25th/26th March 2023) - I am starting off the season in slightly more familiar turf this year with a 2-day visit to Alton Towers. I have been to Alton Towers many times over the years, but this trip isn't really about me... my parents and I are taking my grandad for his first ever visit as a 70th birthday present! But this won't just be my grandad's first ever visit to Alton Towers... it will be his first ever visit to a theme park and his first ever ride on a roller coaster! It should be a fun trip... he's already got his sights set on riding Oblivion as his first coaster! Not to mention that it'll also be great fun to hopefully ride the refurbished Duel for the first time!
Potential Ideas
  • Brean Theme Park (Unknown) - I said I was going to visit Brean last year, but the closure of Crazy Loop for refurbishment made me put off the visit until 2023. With Bulldog Coaster presumably being open this year, I sincerely hope that 2023 will finally be the year that I tick off my closest theme park and get what may possibly be the easiest +3 of my life! For strategic, milestone-related reasons, I am hoping to do Brean before we set off to Florida in June, but I obviously can't guarantee anything.
  • Blackpool Pleasure Beach (Unknown) - My parents suggested that they could take me for a short break to Blackpool Pleasure Beach as a 20th birthday present this year, and to me, that is a rather exciting prospect! I haven't been to Blackpool Pleasure Beach since 2019, so it'll be really nice to get back. I can't wait to get back on Icon, my current UK #1 and overall #4, for the first time in 4 years, and it'll also be really exciting to get back on some of the park's other rides, experience some new ones (I've only spent a total of 2 days in BPB, so I'm still a relative novice, and there's a fair amount I haven't done...), and see some of the changes made since my last visit. The retracked Big One, the retracked Grand National, the retracked Big Dipper (in its 100th year no less), refurbished Valhalla... there will be so much new stuff to try out! My parents have also suggested that we could try taking the train to Blackpool North this time rather than driving in order to help me plan out potential solo trips to Blackpool in the future, so that should be really interesting!
  • Chessington World of Adventures (Unknown) - I haven't been to Chessington since 2014, and with the new B&M Wing Coaster opening this year, I'm thinking that 2023 would be the perfect year for a revisit! I'm really looking forward to hopefully seeing The World of Jumanji for the first time, as well as the many other amazing things that have come to Chessington since my last visit, such as The Gruffalo River Ride Adventure, Croc Drop, Shipwreck Coast and more! Not to mention that it should be great fun to get back on some of Chessington's other rides! As for when I go here; I'm a bit undecided about when to do the two London Merlin parks this year. Chessington will either be done when my dad goes to Wentworth (September), or, if not then, I will do it via public transport at some point over the summer.
  • Thorpe Park (Unknown) - I love a day at Thorpe Park, and I'll almost definitely continue my new-found tradition of having a solo Thorpe Park day in 2023. It should be great fun for me to have a solo day there and ride some great rides like Stealth and Nemesis Inferno again! As I said about Chessington above, I am undecided about when in 2023 I will be doing Thorpe Park; depending on which occasion suits which park, I will either do Thorpe when my dad goes to Wentworth in September or via public transport at some point over the summer.
 
Matt.GC said:
It's your first trip to Florida "since 2019"? You make it sound like that was a lifetime ago Matt! Thanks to Covid, I haven't been since 1994!
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It feels like ages to me; I hadn't even done my GCSEs when I last went to Florida, and by the time we go next year, I'll be approaching my final year in university!

COVID may admittedly make it feel like 2020 and 2021 didn't really happen, but 2019 was the best part of 5 years ago now...

It might also help that I have not been to any of the parks I'm visiting in June 2023 since 2016, so I'll be visiting Universal et al for the first time in 7 years...
 
So far have a 15 night Europe trip booked in august with some parks that I have never visited before. This will include visiting Walibi Belgium, 2 days at Efteling, 2 days at Phantasialand and 4 days at Europa Park. Europa Park is the only park I have previously visited (back in 2019). Will be using using trains and public transport to travel between the resorts (flying to and from the uk). The trip includes onsite hotels- 3 nights at Efteling Loonsche Land Hotel, 3 Nights at Phantasialand Hotel Matamba and 5 nights at Europa Park Hotel Bell Rock.
 
Matt.GC said:
It's your first trip to Florida "since 2019"? You make it sound like that was a lifetime ago Matt! Thanks to Covid, I haven't been since 1994!
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2019 certainly feels like a long time ago for people of our generation, my GCSE's were cancelled, I spent two years in college (sat in my room) and then I'm all of a sudden half way through my first year of uni. But I've never been to Florida so it's a really long time for me.
Matt N said:
Alton Towers (25th/26th March 2023) - I am starting off the season in slightly more familiar turf this year with a 2-day visit to Alton Towers. I have been to Alton Towers many times over the years, but this trip isn't really about me... my parents and I are taking my grandad for his first ever visit as a 70th birthday present! But this won't just be my grandad's first ever visit to Alton Towers... it will be his first ever visit to a theme park and his first ever ride on a roller coaster! It should be a fun trip... he's already got his sights set on riding Oblivion as his first coaster! Not to mention that it'll also be great fun to hopefully ride the refurbished Duel for the first time!
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I'm really looking forward to hearing your grandad's reaction to the rides Matt. I once took my grandma on thirteen without telling her about the surprise, I think I was writeen out of the will for a few years after but I was probably worth it. If he doesn't know about the drop, definatley don't tell him and be sure to watch the reaction.
 
Very busy time to visit Florida that Matt. Don't all the American kids break up for a long summer the week before you arrive?
 
Benjsh said:
Very busy time to visit Florida that Matt. Don't all the American kids break up for a long summer the week before you arrive?
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They do go for their “summer break” in June, I believe, but it still shouldn’t be as busy as July/August because at that point, other countries like Britain are on their summer holiday as well, whereas they aren’t in June.

And even that time of year is allegedly less busy than the top two times of year, which are December and March/April (spring break), according to a crowd calendar my mum read.

Our last trip, where we visited Disney, was in April 2019, and based on the parks being absolute bedlam on some days of the trip, I can absolutely believe that April is among the busiest times of year.

Given that Brits and other European countries aren’t off school in June, I’m hoping that it shouldn’t be as busy as it was in April. My mum read that June is not as bad as some of the peak periods, and with Virgin, it was also considerably cheaper to go in June than it was to go in August. So much so that we were able to get 2 weeks rather than our usual 10 days for around the same price that we’d usually pay for 10 days!

Given that I am still in university and my sister is graduating this summer, we don’t currently have the flexibility to go at really cheap and quiet times of year like September and January.
 
I've got a few decent trips pencilled in this year.

Salou with the wife and our son in June. Not booked it yet but looking likely for our hols this year.

Going back to Madrid also to see some friends in July for Mad Cool Music Festival as I used to live there. Will definitely be hitting Parque Warner for the new coaster whilst I'm there and if I have time I will get a cheeky few hrs at PDA too.

And in October we're looking at doing a Phantasialand, Efteling and Toverland mini trip for Halloween. This will depend on money situation though.
 
Going to Phantasialand late May Bank Holiday, stopping 2 nights at Matamba plus a night in Cologne beforehand to sample some delightful German Beer.

Summer plans not finalised yet but looking at going back to Europa Park before pass expires end of July. Hoping they will do the midnight close again, which last year was 23 July, so expecting to be 22nd this year. Looking at throwing this in with a trip around the Scandinavian parks afterwards. This is dependent on getting 3 weeks off work. Will have to split in 2 parts otherwise.

Also looking at a trip over to Poland too, which will most likely now be August BH weekend. Should of done it last year but by the time I looked in to it properly flight prices were extortionate.

Finally, no doubt Europa Park for New Year again, and possibly throw in a Christmas trip to non other than Port Aventura.

So, quiet year then :D . Though plans and reality can be a lot different. Only thing for certain at the moment is Phantasia end of May, everything else still has a lot of work to do.
 
Not a lot for me yet, I’ve got a trip to EP planned for end of March and also another trip to EP in June but that’s it currently.

I did loads of European parks last year so will probably avoid the likes of Efteling, phantasiland, etc this season. But will try to visit Liseberg this year as I haven’t been for years, and probably Madrid with their new coaster And more rides on the GIB.

My Plopsa pass runs out in august so May also try and get a trip there again before it expires for ride to happiness.
 
Couple of visits to Thorpe and Towers.
Chessington is fairly near to where I live so will probably go there 5-7 times.
Hopefully get to Scarefest.
Going to Pleasure Beach, Brean and Tulley's for the first time.
 
Crevettes at the Beach as frequently as possible this year, not enough wet weekdays last year.
Mingo with the old gits probably.
Nice trip to the Towers with the Mrs on a quiet weekday in termtime.
Oh, and a trip to Southport of course...The Thunderbolt is meant to be opening this year isn't it?
I won't hold my breath...more chance of Knightmare turning up.
 
Trying to find a suitable spring trip.

Towers in March for opening

Couple of European trips in the pipeline.

Every trip more sensible than the last.

Hoping to take some people to Chessington/Thorpe as well.

If I get a MAP then Legoland Windsor will probably happen too
 
Will be doing all the merlin parks throughout the season, starting with Towers on opening day.

We usually visit Drayton Manor once a year, probably sometime over the Easter or summer holidays.

The trip I’m looking forward to most is to Florida for 2 weeks in the summer holidays. Staying at Universal’s Endless Summer Dockside Inn and Suites. Plan on visiting all the usual suspects. Universal parks, the Disney parks as well as Sea World and Busch Gardens. Waterparks as well but haven’t made a final decision on those yet.

I really want to visit Paulton’s again but it’s a bit of a drive and only worth doing if we get a hotel for the night as well, so the cost of that trip adds up and I’m not sure it will be viable this year.

My merlin pass will come in handy this year whilst we try and save as much as we can for spending money across the pond. Maybe once Florida is done we will look at visiting some other uk parks outside of merlin. A big part of it for me though is ensuring the children will be tall enough to experience things, unfortunately bpb and other parks are off the cards until they both hit certain height limits and as a family we are not blessed in the height department.
 
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Booked a quick Poland trip for the 4tb year in a row again for may! Got to make the most of my drunken energylandia season pass purchase😂 plans originally was to head to asterix, but who can turn down £30 return flights and very cheap accommodation!
 
Well, it seems that my grandad’s theme park debut last weekend may have gone even better than I’d expected… as my dad just told me that he’s expressed a desire to go to Thorpe Park with me on my likely September visit this year!

To be honest, I’m surprised he wanted to go to another theme park so soon after visiting Alton Towers… although I knew he enjoyed Alton Towers very much, I wasn’t sure if he had the immediate urge to visit another park. I’m certainly not complaining, though!

I’m very interested to see what he thinks to Thorpe Park if we do end up going together…
 
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