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Hyde Park Winter Wonderland 2013

joelpagett

joelpagett

TS Member
I have just got back from a trip to London, mainly to experience Hyde Park Winter Wonderland. Although the event is free to walk through there are many up-charge attractions such as;

  • Ice Skating
  • Ice Sculptures
  • Fairground attractions
  • Christmas Market

So it all sounded rather lovely and to thought it would be a good experience. Having visited I must warn anyone thinking of going... only go if you have money to literally set fire to and watch burn. The ice skating (£12) was appalling, tiny ice rink and plastic skates so you were almost walking on ice. The Christmas market was very nice but mostly food based and very expensive. The Ice Sculptures were good but it was still very expensive for what it was. The most shocking item on the bill had to be the rides.

Although they were very good quality fairground attractions the average price was £6.00 for the decent rides. Some were even £8! £8 I personally thought was disgusting.

All in all I thought the evening was overpriced and underwhelming. It is a perfect example of corporate greed spreading the joy of Christmas! You can check out my photos on FLICKR
 
I visited last year, and your opinion pretty much echo's mine.

The only thing I like is Air. Apart from that, there really is no reason for visiting, it's basically an overpriced fairground. I suppose if you have never been before, it does look 'pretty,' but the charge on all attractions is ridiculous. Saying that, there are obviously people willing to pay.

There was a circus last year which was mediocre at best, although the ice skating was OK I thought, one of the best temporary rinks I've been to in all honesty. ( Last year it was sponsored by Samsung, so maybe it was better quality )

Its events like this that make you almost associate M£rlin with 'value' ;)
 
I agree, Air is one of the best Fairground attractions I have been on by for £7 it was pretty steep. I know they have to make their money but it seems extortionate! I think that the ice skates have been replaced with new Health & Safety skates which are made of plastic. I also agree that it makes a Merlin park look fantastic value for money!
 
I visited last year on my 17th Birthday. I thought the fair was fantastic and the rides were really fun! It also had a very nice Christmassy atmosphere to it and it actually wasn't that busy (And I visited on a Saturday night!) Can't remember the names, but I love the Wild Maus XL, the Afterburner, the drop tower, and that ride which is similar to Bling that was at Blackpool Pleasure Beach.

I will agree, however, that the place is horrficly expensive and overpriced.
 
This year is far better than last year. There are more rides than ever before, including six coasters (not that any of them are worth riding except for the credit). It may seem expensive to some, but for London the prices are pretty standard. I've seen boosters cost £10 before, so £8 is not so bad!

This year's event is the first time I've been up for spending a whole day and night there... in theory. If only my wallet was bottomless.

I cannot stress enough though, Only a fool would go there on a weekend. Weekdays are nice and quiet, with good long cycles on the flat rides. Last week I went with Ashlee, and we must have been on the waltzer (by far the most intense one I have ever been on) for a good six minutes.
 
I wish we had known that before we went! It wasn't to bad in the day but at night they were staggering entry and it was heaving. I thought that there was a huge selection of rides, its just a shame they don't have a wristband system which may save a bit of money.
 
How much are the rollercoasters?

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Coasters are £6 for the main ones. I think the smaller Reverchon spinner is £4. Not sure about the Big Apple.
 
I think Winter Wonderland is much better on a quiet day. You can actually walk about and see whats going on.

There are a hell of a lot more quirky flat rides then there was last year especially in the thrill line-up, which is much more improved then last years fairly generic and disappointing offering.

I counted 3 new coasters this year. An indoor spinning coaster, which looks fairly cool, a smaller outdoor spinning mouse, and something which I don't quite remember the name of. It did have a decent looking drop though.

The biggest notable addition is the massive twisting sixteen-seating booster, which looks very impressive.

However, it still remains VERY expensive, so choose your rides carefully.
 
Sorry, but there seems to be a bit of misinformation here. Wilde Maus XXL is £6, not £8, which isn't bad for a premier unique ride, especially one so large that it rarely actually travels anywhere all year. The only ride that is £8 is Blizzard, the Mondial Turbine, which routinely charges €8 at German fairs.

I seriously dispute that it makes Merlin look good value. Food and drink prices aren't that much higher than Merlin, but the quality of food & drink is far higher, the choice much greater, and the venues purpose built specifically for one 6-week event. Personally, I'd rather spend my money on authentic good-quality German food at a specially-constructed Bavarian Village, than at a Merlin fast food joint selling rebranded Burger King/KFC junk.

I doubt a typical family would spend more at WW than Alton or Thorpe Park. I think we enthusiasts forget just how expensive Merlin parks are for people who pay full price on the gate. Plus, I think we forget that Merlin happily charges people £40+ regardless of whether they want to go on any rides at all, which I find a highly divisive strategy. I mean, who wants to pay £40 just to watch their friends and relatives go on rides?
 
Surely Wilde Maus XXL can't be anywhere near as much fuss to shift as one of the many Schwarzkopf loopers out there? Many of them range from 2500 to over 4000 feet in length (the double loopers, Alpina Bahn, Dreier Looping, Olympia Looping, etc...). Then there's that huge Giovanola inverted coaster, Euro-Star.

And next to nobody pays full price at Merlin parks due to the sheer number of offers and discounts available out there. :)
 
DiogoJ42 said:
Really? I'm sure it was £6 last year.
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I have gotten myself confusseled, it was £6! The only awkward thing is you can only buy a minimum of £10.00 to spend on rides. So with a coaster being £6.00 there weren't many other rides that were decent at £4.00.

I have no doubt that Winter Wonderland is a fantastic place to visit, it took us a good 40 minutes to get around the place, I just feel that it is very expensive, but i do suppose it is in London so people going expecting this?!
 
Seems like the prices might have dropped slightly, here's a list posted by TPJames over on Thorpe Park Mania last week:

Air- £7
Power Tower 2- £6
Snow Jet 2- £5
Wild Maus XXL- £8
WW Express- £4
Avalanche Waltzer- £4
Gladiator Turbine- £9
Rock rage- £7
Showtime- £5
Fun houses- £4
Click to expand...

It is extremely expensive for a PPR environment, and unlike most UK theme parks there's no discounts either - doing 3 or 4 rides at Winter Wonderland could cost about the same as a day at Towers or Thorpe using BOGOF.

I'm aware of some of the reasons the prices are so high, and if rides are running flat out with long queues then simple economics suggest it's not overpriced. That doesn't change the fact that there's absolutely no way I'll be paying that sort of money though, especially when you factor in how much it would cost me to get there in the first place.
 
johnp235 said:
I seriously dispute that it makes Merlin look good value. Food and drink prices aren't that much higher than Merlin, but the quality of food & drink is far higher, the choice much greater, and the venues purpose built specifically for one 6-week event. Personally, I'd rather spend my money on authentic good-quality German food at a specially-constructed Bavarian Village, than at a Merlin fast food joint selling rebranded Burger King/KFC junk.
Click to expand...

Food and drink prices are higher than Merlin outlets. You get 1x burger for £6 at WW (albeit a 'good' burger) or unlimited Pizza/Pasta/Salad for £9...

Granted, the Fast Food outlets are dire, but what about the Family Restaurant, Woodcutters, The Tavern, Secret Garden, Flambo's, Ma's, Dragon Bar & The Emperors Grill... Higher quality & Cheaper, thus better value. ( Especially with MAP discount ;) )

Drinks are not especially overpriced either, what is it these days, £5 for a bottomless soft drink?

Even paying full price, you will not only experience more rides, but better rides and attractions. Is it only me that prefers Nemesis to Wild Maus XXL? :/
Not to mention the overall experience of a theme park doesn't even compare to a selection of stalls selling junk and a fairground. ( Even if they are 'themed.' )
 
johnp235 said:
I doubt a typical family would spend more at WW than Alton or Thorpe Park. I think we enthusiasts forget just how expensive Merlin parks are for people who pay full price on the gate. Plus, I think we forget that Merlin happily charges people £40+ regardless of whether they want to go on any rides at all, which I find a highly divisive strategy. I mean, who wants to pay £40 just to watch their friends and relatives go on rides?
Click to expand...

I couple of things here. Firstly hardly anyone actually pays full price on the gate at Merlin parks and if they do they are a bit silly. There are always tonnes of offers flying around and they're all incredibly accessible. Secondly, yes you're right in saying people who don't want to go on rides have to pay the same entry price as those that do. However you call ths a divisive strategy by Merlin? How can you say that when it's the same for pretty much every other theme park in the world. I have not been to a theme park (execpt BPB) where you can pay less to get in and not go on the rides. Doing this would also be hard to implement as you'd need to give all guests that want to go on rides wristbands or something similar which they would then have to show to a member of staff upon entering every queue line. It isn't feasible or efficient.

:)
 
Themeparkmania said:
The only awkward thing is you can only buy a minimum of £10.00 to spend on rides.
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There is a minimum of £10 if you pay by card, but I bought less than that (£4 or £6 I think?) paying in cash.
 
DiogoJ42 said:
Themeparkmania said:
The only awkward thing is you can only buy a minimum of £10.00 to spend on rides.
Click to expand...

There is a minimum of £10 if you pay by card, but I bought less than that (£4 or £6 I think?) paying in cash.
Click to expand...

That was certainly the case when I went yesterday.

Then again I wanted to nab all the creds so it wasn't an issue. Spent way too much but it was worth it aha! :)
 
£8 for Wilde Maus XXL?

And I thought the Coney Island Cyclone was expensive...

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