Chances are days out are going to be more important than ever this summer, so to help your budget go further we've got top tips on how to save money on theme parks. Whether you're looking at going to Chessington, Thorpe Park, Alton Towers, or LEGOLAND, we know how you can make your buck go further.
From where to find 2 for 1 offers and how to save money on theme park entry tickets to how you can spend as little as possible when you're there, read on for our hacks. We're focusing on offers that are valid at:
- Alton Towers
- Chessington World of Adventures Resort
- Thorpe Park
- LEGOLAND® Windsor Resort
Eat cereal
What you eat for breakfast can give you a big saving on your theme park entry!
The Kellog's Grownups Go Free offer in promotional cereal packs gives one adult free entry when you buy entry for another adult or child. It's valid at the above four theme parks plus other Merlin attractions.
All you have to do is enter the unique 10-digit code printed inside your cereal box at Merlin Fun and then select the date you want to visit (up to 30 June 2022 — there are some exclusions dates).
These 2 for 1 type deals are typically the best offers you can get your hands on, as the ticket is the most expensive part of the day out. And there are other tasty ways you can get your hands on these deals...
Eat chocolate
There's also a Cadbury Free Ticket offer for Merlin attractions, including these four theme parks.
All you need to do is cut out the ticket voucher on your promotional chocolate packet, visit the special website, and book your e-tickets. You'll find promo codes on the likes of Barney Bear and Animal biscuits, chocolate multi-packs, and Christmas selection boxes.
Just remember to take the original Cadbury packet as well as your ticket when you go.
Don't fancy having to eat your way to a free ticket? Your travel option can do it for you, too...
Travel by train
Your mode of transport can also unlock great discounts on your entry ticket.
With National Rail's 2 for 1 offer you can get a free ticket when purchasing a full price adult ticket as long as you travel by train to the theme park (all four listed at the top are part of this offer).
Bear in mind you'll need to pre-book your 2 for 1 theme park tickets to get your discount and guarantee entry (walk–up on the day vouchers might become available in the future again). Simply use the unique code and theme park booking link on the National Rail Days Out Guide website to book online, and then show your valid train ticket on entry.
Double check the FAQs page for the finer details, and to make sure your ticket type is valid (Oyster Cards and TFL Travelcards aren't, for example). You can check the Merlin T&Cs page for more info too, including exclusion dates (such as Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays in August 2021, plus Christmas Day and New Year's Eve, and specific dates at specific parks — typically around their Halloween and/or Fireworks Night specials).
Remember to ask a member of staff at your arrival station to let you through the barriers manually, so the machine doesn't keep your ticket when you go through.
Join the club(card)
You can use points from your loyalty card scheme to get great value on your theme park tickets.
Shop at Tesco? Then you'll find lots of great ways to save with your Tesco Clubcard, not least at theme parks.
Your Clubcard points are valid at all four theme parks mentioned at the top. So, how does it work? You can turn every £0.50 in vouchers into £1.50 towards one-day entry to the theme park.
Simply head to the website of your theme park of choice and select the amount of Clubcard vouchers you'd like to exchange. Don't have enough? No worries, you can top-up the difference with another payment method.
You'll need to pre-book your tickets online in advance, and bear in mind that some dates are excluded (such as 5-7 November 2021 at LEGOLAND and Alton Towers, for example, and 23-31 October 2021 at Thorpe Park).
Book in advance
We're all much more used to pre-booking attractions now, and it really does pay to get organised early.
Certain restrictions have been put in place that require pre-booking at theme parks, and these rules can change quickly depending on government guidelines, so it's always best to check the the official website first.
Even when we are allowed to just turn up on the day, you can save by booking online in advance:
- Alton Towers: Save up to £19 per adult by booking in advance (from £34 online vs £53 on the day)
- Chessington: Save up to 29% by booking online in advance (from £34 online vs £48 on the day)
- LEGOLAND: Save up to 45% by booking at least one day in advance (from £29 online vs £53 on the day)
- Thorpe Park: Save over 20% by booking in advance online (from £39 online vs £50 on the day)
If you're concerned about the weather putting a literal dampener on your day out, check out the theme park's 'rainy day guarantee' section about getting a free return visit on a like-for-like day.
Look for off-peak savings
Avoiding the school holidays? Then you'll be able to get fantastic bargains on your entry price.
Visiting mid-week typically gives you the cheapest entry prices, and during term time is typically a winner.
At Chessington and LEGOLAND, for example, you can get an Adult & Pre-Schooler ticket for just £25 during term time if you visit on a weekday.
In fact, if you visit regularly with a child under 90cm you can save money at LEGOLAND with an Adult & Toddler Annual Pass for £49. Go just twice and you'll start saving money.
Consider annual membership
Annual passes for families usually offer great value if you plan to visit more than a couple of times in a year.
You can find park-specific options as well as multi-attraction ones like a Merlin Pass, which includes all four theme parks mentioned here plus more attractions nationwide.
As with all offers, be sure to read the small print, particularly with annual passes for multi-attractions, as the exclusion dates and restrictions can sometimes mean it isn't as good a deal if you're tied to certain dates.
Search for voucher codes
There are new offers being added to VoucherCodes' theme parks page, so make sure you check there before you book. You can also look on each theme park's VoucherCodes page: Alton Towers; Chessington World of Adventures Resort; Thorpe Park; and LEGOLAND® Windsor Resort.
It's also worth signing up to the theme park's newsletters for special offers sent direct to your inbox.
We've covered how to save money on the cost of entry, so now for the expense while you're there...
Pack a picnic
Theme park food outlets can make a big dent in your budget, so taking your own food is a savvy move.
Taking your own packed lunches will save you money, and time too, as the queues for the eateries at the parks can take ages. But there are a few things to note to make sure your picnic is as stress-free as possible.
Firstly, check the theme park is still allowing visitors to bring their own food. As of 12 July 2021, their policies are:
- Alton Towers picnic policy: The big tip for eating your own food at Alton Towers is to head for the Big Time Showtime area in Cbeebies Land. There's space to sit and eat while being entertained by favourite characters — two birds, one stone. There are also benches in other spots that are suitable for picnics.
- Chessington picnic policy: Chessington has picnic areas and places where you can sit and eat. If you want to keep your packed lunches in the car until you're ready for them, you can get a hand stamp to re-enter. Just bear in mind it'll probably take quite a while to traverse the car park, so you might prefer to rent a locker.
- LEGOLAND picnic policy: You can take your own food to eat in LEGOLAND, but there are only limited covered areas outside to eat. Again, you can get a hand stamp and head back to your car to collect your cool box. There are lockers, but they aren't big enough for a cool box and Guest Services can't store food.
- Thorpe Park picnic policy: You're allowed to bring your own food and drink inside Thorpe Park but you can't bring opened items in with you, so make sure that packet of crisps stays shut beforehand! They all need to be sealed on entry, as part of the park's security measures.
Secondly, choose smart with your food. Sure, ice packs are great to keep perishables fresher, but they're going to weigh down your backpack. So you might prefer to stick with food items that don't need to be kept cool while you're in the park — crisps, cereal bars, rice cakes, oat cakes, etc.
If you're travelling by car, you could keep ice packs with the lunch boxes during your journey, and then take them out and leave them in your vehicle when you head into the park — an early lunch will mean food is fresher, and also keep those cries of "I'm huuuungryyyy" to a minimum (well, at least for the morning).
Pre-arrange mementoes
The gift shop is another big bank balance denter, but you can swerve that when you pre-plan.
With a little forethought you can get some small, cheap souvenirs to present to the younger members of the family when they start salivating over something in the gift shop that costs more than the entry ticket.
You could leave them in the car hidden away as their 'surprise' for when you leave the park — that's also quite a handy tactic for getting them to leave when it's home time.
It's great if you can theme it to the rides/characters they're most excited about at the park. For example, at Chessington it might be a Gruffalo or Room on the Broom-themed gift, like the book or a keyring. These will always be cheaper bought online in advance than at full RRP in the gift shop.
Take your own photos
Official photos from the theme park are pretty pricey, but all you need is a smartphone and willing person.
If you can't get enough of the photos that the camera-bots take at theme parks, then a Digipass will probably save you money, but if you want to avoid that cost all together then see if someone in your party is happy to sit out a ride to watch instead, and snap away.
Top tip: Use the 'burst' function on your phone's camera when capturing those hilarious gurning face reactions when going down a log flume drop. Burst is often used for sports and other fast action events, and it'll mean you take successive photos fast, thus capturing the best faces for all eternity.
What are your tips for saving money at theme parks? We'd love to hear!
