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Merlin Annual Pass

I was at Blackpool yesterday, and all three of the attractions there are really pushing the annual pass sale, even tram/bus stops in Blackpool had adverts for the sale.

Also i'm starting to think these extras to the premium annual pass were very late additions, which would explain why they aren't available until February/March. There were various posters and leaflets at the Blackpool attractions, all in the new Merlin style, but none of them mention the birthday treat, free fastrack or the new VIP pass. They all just compare the usual comparisons to the two annual passes.

Also here is a poster that was up in Mutiny Bay for the annual pass sale (taken last weekend at the Christmas event):
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And can anyone spot the ride on the poster that is not in a UK Merlin themepark?
 
I know this has probably been mentioned already, but would I be able to renew my MAP in the January sale, even though it runs out at the beginning of June?
 
You can indeed Jon as you'll get a year added on after your current expiry date.
 
Honestly, sale begins in December and ends in February! I wouldn't call that a January sale. *Opens the door for an argument.*
 
Tom.B said:
Honestly, sale begins in December and ends in February! I wouldn't call that a January sale. *Opens the door for an argument.*
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Whos complaining? It makes the things bloody cheap!
 
Scott said:
Tom.B said:
Honestly, sale begins in December and ends in February! I wouldn't call that a January sale. *Opens the door for an argument.*
Click to expand...
Whos complaining? It makes the things bloody cheap!
Click to expand...

We should all be complaining. Its that cheap, their is less money to spend on new rides, and the new rides we get are of a lower quality.

You know there is something wrong, when an Annual Pass to Europa Park is almost double the price of the cheapest Merlin Annual Pass.

Now don't get me wrong, the current offering from Merlin Attractions makes it good value, but I am sure we would all be willing to pay a bit more, if Merlin invested in more Europa Park standard attractions and themeing.

Ian
 
I really really don't think the price of the MAP in the sale has any bearing against the level of investment in terms of new rides.

In the last few seasons Merlin have spent tens of millions of pounds, euros and dollars on attractions across the globe. Whether the attractions are of a good enough quality is arguable but I severely doubt the cost of a MAP in the sale makes any difference to this.
 
I think we get back to that old argument/discussion about how Merlin is run, which we can only speculate, but I think in an ideal world, where Merlin did want to deliver the best guest experience possible at all its attractions, £79 (less than a £1 per attraction) is hardly going to allow those attractions to deliver the best experiences possible?

At some point, it is not sustainable for Merlin to continue to sell the Annual Passes as cheaply as they do, and yet still continue to invest in a high quality attraction.

That being said, I believe the intent on offering Annual Passes this cheaply is to increase the number of guests visiting the attractions, and then upselling to those guests, to make increased revenue on park. I am guessing/speculating that Merlin believes that it can generate more revenue from the repeat visits and upselling to guests than having a higher annual cost price.

If this is what their intent is, it again leads us to a negative issue of the over keen upselling you get, and something most of us dislike about Merlin. I know for one, I would rather pay a bit more, and get a better experience, than have the cheapest possible price, and a worse product. Something most people on here agree with, as no one has any complaints about the price EP charge.

Ian
 
Wait, are people COMPLAINING that the MAP is TOO cheap?

They get the majority of income from non-MAP holders, indeed, what they are trying to do is make people spend more before visiting which might in turn make MAP holders more liable to buy food or merch (which are both discounted, making it even more attractive)...

Considering with a Premium Pass these days you only have to visit any of the parks 3 times now, I cannot believe that people would think this is a bad idea or would affect how much money they're spending on attractions... Especially given Towers has had £20m odd spent on it in two years on new things alone...

Actually mental...
 
Having purchased my first annual passes for the family this year I think I am much more likely to make purchases of goods/food/FP when I haven't paid to get in on the day too.
For a family of 4, a trip to a theme park for a day out is very expensive but take out the entry fee and we feel better about buying lunch rather than taking our own!
 
Afternoon All

Just to confirm that the Quidco has been paid for our passes, so we have paid only £72 (Family of 3, £20 saved)for a standard pass, and £115 (£10 extra saved) for a premium pass.

You can only earn Quidco if you buy the passes on-line at Sea Life Centre.

Ian
 
Has anyone recieved their priveledge pack yet? I believe they said, the packs are due 'before February Half term' which starts in a week.
 
I haven't got mine yet. Tbh I completely forgot about the privilege pack.
 
Nope, still waiting on mine, but there's time yet.
Not really the end of the world if my lanyard takes a little longer to arrive I suppose.

I'm still interested in hearing a bit more about the VIP pass and whether it'll be upgradable from a current MAP.
 
I had also forgotten about this. The lanyard will definitely make a great alternative to the boring, corporate-style one I'm supposed to wear at work. ^^
 
IanB said:
If this is what their intent is, it again leads us to a negative issue of the over keen upselling you get, and something most of us dislike about Merlin. I know for one, I would rather pay a bit more, and get a better experience, than have the cheapest possible price, and a worse product. Something most people on here agree with, as no one has any complaints about the price EP charge.
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If it was anymore than £100, I wouldn't go. I don't believe that the Merlin theme parks offer value for money once it breaks the £100 threshold. I only own a MAP due to the January sales in 2012-14.
 
Has anyone recived info yet on the vip passes i am holding out patiently but am wondering if it has been buried under junk mail
 
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