It’s February Half Term and a motley crew has come ashore for their annual Pirate & Princess Takeover. Throughout the school holidays the resort has been overrun with fun and whether you want to take to the high seas, explore a fantasy isle or desire a more regal break; there’s a wide variety of activities to keep you busy throughout your stay.
And whichever adventure you choose, the resort is a veritable treasure map of fun with a round of Extraordinary Golf included in your stay as well as the tropical paradise of the Waterpark. Or why not head deep below the ocean and pay a visit to Sharkbait Reef by SEA LIFE in Mutiny Bay, which has opened specially for the takeover.
Princess Party
The regal atrium of the Alton Towers Hotel is a fitting venue for aspiring princesses to have a ball. As preparation for your big night, enrol in Princess School where you can learn all the tips and tricks to be your best princess self.
Once you’ve learnt all the proper etiquette, you are ready to take on the pirates in the Pirates vs. Princesses game show. Take part in a regal fancy dress parade before the evening finishes with a dance party for princess and pirates alike.
Shows
Princess School
Apriring princess are invited to attend the resort’s Princess School, where you can help Princess Adelaide teach Arianna how to be the best princess in all of Staffordshire.
Pirate Pegg’s magic show
Pirate Pegg has perfected her craft of magic on the high seas – after all how else could she magic doubloons out of unsuspecting wallets?
Join her as she shows off some of her favourite tricks to young buccaneers.
High Seas & Hijinks
The Conference Centre has been over run by pirates as the State Room plays host to High Seas & Hijinks: A Pirate Adventure. Throughout the day the Pirates of Mutiny Bay re-enact their adventures on the high seas before a motley crew stages a Pirate Takeover, teaching shanties to their new crew in between some swashbuckling games.
Before the night is out this pirate den is invaded by the crown, as the Pirate and Princess Party gets into full swing to round off a day of adventures.
Shows
The Pirates of Mutiny Bay
Everyone’s favourite ragtag band of miscreants get two outings during the event, retelling two of their favourite tales – The Lore of Treasure Unknown and The Kidnap of Lady Victoria Sponge.
Captain Fin’s Training Camp
Fin the Shark returns to the resort to reopen his pirate training camp. Are you ready to learn all of the tips and trick you need to become a a scourge of the seven seas?
Event History
Pirates and Princesses have taken over the resort every February Half Term since 2016 – the first year the Half Term event moved off park and into the resort. The park has had Pirate Winter Weekends ever since the winter of 2010, however a touch of royalty was needed to upgrade the event for a full half term run.
In 2016 the Pirate and Princess Week ran from 12th-21st February and had a distinctly CBeebies feel. The headliner for the event was a live show featuring Cook and Line from Swashbuckle but otherwise the event was similar to the Pirate Weekends the resort had run for many years prior.
When the event returned in 2017 (11th-26th February), the Swashbuckle show no longer featured in the line up and instead the focus of the event was a new “build your own Pirate Den” activity as well a treasure hunt around the resort. Otherwise the line up remained very similar to the previous year.
2018 saw significant upgrades to the newly renamed Pirate and Princess Takeover, with a range of new shows and activities added to the line-up. Notably, while pirates still dominate the event, the Princesses had a much larger presence with new activities such as Princess School. The 2018 event also feature the Lost Boys and Fairy Princesses Party, which ran for one year only in the new Enchanted Tipi. Another one-off attraction for 2018 was a Treasure Hunt around the Resort where Twigs and Lily Rose hunted for Shark Tooth Jack’s hidden Treasure.
