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Reviews

• Disappointed by change in welcome for those with ADHD

  mgH4962EE,,Feb 5, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  1.00

  Really disappointed by the proposed changes to the ride access system. Not all disabilities are visible. Such a shame that the experience of visitors with ADHD will now be very different (if in fact they go at all)

• Not inclusive

  Fearless21045835947,,Feb 4, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  1.00

  We have been loyal visitors and Merlin Gold Pass holders for many years, but sadly the recent changes to the Ride Access Pass (RAP) system mean we can no longer visit. I have two neurodivergent children whose disabilities make queueing in busy, noisy, unpredictable environments impossible. This is not about convenience or preference, prolonged queueing causes extreme distress, meltdowns, physical illness, and in some cases self-harm behaviours. Under the previous RAP system, reasonable adjustments were in place that allowed them to access rides safely and with dignity. The new system removes recognition of “difficulty with crowds” and instead promotes things like pre-visit videos, sensory bags, and sensory rooms. While these may help some families, they do not address the core issue. A sensory room cannot help a child who is already in meltdown in a queue. Reactive support does not replace preventative reasonable adjustments. As a result, Alton Towers is no longer accessible to our family. Equality is not about treating everyone the same; it is about making adjustments so disabled people are not placed at a substantial disadvantage. Unfortunately, the current approach excludes many neurodivergent children with invisible disabilities. It is incredibly disappointing to feel pushed out after years of loyalty and careful planning around quieter days and shorter visits. We have now taken our custom elsewhere, not by choice, but because access has been removed. I hope Alton Towers and Merlin take time to listen to neurodivergent families and reconsider a system that worked, rather than replacing it with one that looks inclusive on paper but fails in reality

• Shadow of its former self

  Martin123100,,Feb 1, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  1.00

  I used to be a pass holder for years between 2005 - 2015. This was my first visit back since the cheap fairground era of Covid, and boy the park is suffering. It’s like no maintenance has been done to the look of the park in years. Can’t go in the towers anymore, anyone heard of a jet washer? Now living 2 hours away I wouldn’t consider visiting again with the super short opening hours, it doesn’t offer value for money. The food price is very high and the quality is appalling. Bring your own food. The sky ride looks like it’s come out of a skip. The biggest shame is the gardens, they were gorgeous, now they look like they’ve pruned the budget. Nemesis looks fantastic and it was great to see sub-terra re-open. X-Sector looks pretty run down. Management need to either be replaced or Merlin need to sell the park to a company that wants to invest and make Alton Towers world famous again. Maybe go to Paultons Park and see what a theme park should be in the UK in 2025. Sad to see the state of this park, value for money was poor and we left feeling pretty dissatisfied.

• Best them park ever

  Sherpa19735536610,,Jan 30, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  Alton towers is definitely my favorite theme park with the best rides attractions and theming . For the first time I went to the rollercoaster restaurant and it was brilliant food service good food and very very fun. My favourite ride is got to be smiler it has great theming extreme fun and 14 thrilling loops. Officially the best Thame park ever definitely recommend for all ages.

• A decent place, but not my cup of tea.

  Escape08168903211,,Jan 24, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  3.00

  My friend, presumably in a fit of madness, suggested that he and I visit Alton Towers. I, suffering the same fitness madness it would appear, agreed. I believe his reasoning for the visit was an attempt, futile as it might seem, for the two of us to relive our youth. What convinced me to agree to go, I will never know - I never even went to Alton Towers as a youth. This was to be my first ever visit. The first thing that struck me was how far it was from the car park (which, incidentally, seemed as large as a small town) to the park itself. We took the handy monorail between the two sites and I knew even then that this monorail would be the extent to which I could tolerate "rides" that day. We made our way into the park and I was immediately hit by the sheer scale of it. It sprawled out before us like a small city full of strange looking buildings and greenery. We made our way first of all to CBeebies Land, which parents will be glad to know is not too far a walk from the main entrance, as I wanted to take a few photos for my young daughter back home. After a few minutes, in which we both came to the conclusion that two middle aged men, neither of whom had brought a child with them, standing around taking photos in CBeebies Land might look a bit weird, we headed off and made our way across the park (past the impressive towers themselves) to the Skyride. The Skyride is actually a long, sedate cable car ride that takes you between Towers Street, Forbidden Valley and Cloud Cuckoo Land/Dark Forest. The cable cars were arguably my favourite part of the day. It was nice, sedate and offered lovely views across the parks gardens. In the Forbidden Valley we went on the ghost train - or The Curse at Alton Manor to give it its proper name - which was quite fun. We then headed back towards the epicenter of the park via the Aquarium ("Sharkbait Reef") which was impressive, before having a ride on the Congo River Rapids. These were a lot of fun, particularly as my friend got soaked whilst I managed to remain relatively dry. We ended the day on the Runaway Mine Train, which made me feel every one of my 40 years. If ever you want to feel your age, squeeze yourself into one of the carriages of The Runaway Mine Train alongside another middle aged man and proceed to get battered from pillar to post for about two minutes. It was this as much as anything that perhaps brought about our decision to leave and return home. Had we managed to relive our youth? No. Not even close. Had we managed to have fun? Just about.

• Overnight Santa sleepover Jan 26

  U1511OTlaurenh,,Jan 4, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  3.00

  Overall we had a great time . Nice decorations throughout. Nice evening meal , breakfast was lacking fresh fruit. Staff in the secret garden restaurant were very friendly and accommodating.. sadly can’t say the same for the gentleman working in the bar in the Alton Towers hotel - he may as well have worn a t-shirt that said “ I don’t want to be here “ ! Would be nice to be able to get a coffee in the evening from the bar after Costa has closed. Loved the theme of our room - room was dusty and really cold . The heater was so noisy you couldn’t hear the TV and certainly wouldn’t have been able to sleep with it on . Loved the golf and the lady working on Sunday 4th was very friendly and nothing was too much trouble. The two gentlemen we came across in the reception area who were there to help were very friendly and were keen to make sure they helped in any way they could.. we had fun at the pantomime :) and the ladies singing in the hotel were good fun .. Splash landings water park was great fun, clean and the water was nice and warm :) needed with the weather .

  

• Excellent Santa sleepover, relaxed and looked after

  louisetH3113BH,,Jan 4, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  4.00

  We booked before Christmas for a Santa stay at Alton towers, the price was reasonable and included evening food, breakfast, panto, room, waterpark and park tickets. You could choose if you did the park on day 1 or 2 along with the waterpark. We arrived, did waterpark, checked in then food and panto. The next day we hit the park. We have a challenging 1 year old (what 1 year old isn’t challenging) and thought we may struggle with a few elements of the stay but it was seamless, we all had a relaxed, fun, care free visit. We were fed decent food and entertained. Even though we woke to -4 degrees and a freeze which saw rides and attractions not on until after lunch we still fully enjoyed our stay from start to finish and didn’t queue for a thing. Staff were SUPER friendly, efficient and greeted you. It was a relaxed atmosphere and the panto really was the highlight of our stay. Both kids sat and watched the whole thing!! Highly recommend Santa sleepover package! And after the bugs knocked us down at Christmas it finished our Christmas break off perfectly !! We are regulars, our now 6 years old requests to go multiple times a year so we will be back.

  

  

  

  

• Scam

  MohamedSalah M,,Jan 2, 2026

  - Review from Viator

  1.00

  SCAAAAM !!!! I have been scammed by Viator !! I booked 4 tickets from them to Alton Towers experience for me and for my son( 2 tickets today and 2 for tomorrow ) , went today to Alton towers , 90% of the rides were closed , I used the 10% as we already travelled 3 hours , i went to Alton towers customer services ( spoke to a lovely man his name is Sam ), he promised to refund me tomorrows tickets after taking my tickets numbers and email address, but he said it will take a bit of time because I booked my tickets via Viator but he promised that it will happen and gave me a ticket to confirm that , I called Viator to confirm the cancellation , they said to me it’s denied ???!!!!! I told them that Alton towers has authorised that and they will refund you the money !!! They said to me that the admin team of Viator is refusing to refund me the money which has been refunded by Alton towers !!! Not only 90% of the rides aren’t working ( which wasn’t mentioned on the tickets ) but they are refusing to refund me for tomorrow’s tickets too !! That’s theft Tickets ref : 1339629461, 1335656667

• Avoid park during winter

  G1736DBnataliad,,Jan 2, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  2.00

  We were staying nearby with friends and decided to visit Alton Towers for the day. We bought the “Magical Day” pass, which we understood to be Christmas-themed with shorter opening hours (10am–4pm). What wasn’t clear at all from the website was just how much of the park would be closed. All of the major rollercoasters were shut for winter, which we expected and weren’t too concerned about as we were visiting with young children. However, even several family and child-friendly rides were closed, including Go Jetters and Octonauts, and the David Walliams area. In total, we went on three rides, visited the Sea Life Centre, had a walk around the park, and then left. Paying £84 for tickets felt extremely disappointing for what was available. The website should be clearer about park closures so visitors are properly informed. It honestly felt pointless for the park to be open.

• Very Poor

  James H,,Jan 1, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  1.00

  Our family traveled over four hours to experience CBeebies Land, filled with excitement and anticipation. Unfortunately, upon arrival, we were met with the disappointing reality that most of the rides were closed, particularly those our three-year-old son was eager to enjoy. None of the rollercoasters or age-appropriate attractions were operational, which left us feeling disheartened. After just two hours in the park, we decided to leave, having made a nine-hour round trip for a visit that didn’t meet our expectations. Given this experience, I can’t recommend visiting CBeebies Land, especially for families with young children.

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