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THORPE PARK, UK, Query re prices, accomodation, fast pass

garjobo

Roller Poster
Hello people of coasterforce, this appears to be a lively forum so hoping for a reply to my question/s.

Never been to Thorpe Park, and coming from Ireland to enjoy bits of Londonium, thought would add Thorpe to the list, so bit of travel involved, things to think about about and of course prices.

I have viewed Shark accomodation, and aware a little of whats on offer.

Question, Thorpe Park states, shark accomodation 2 people, 1night plus entry and fastpass ( 2nd day till 11am?? ) from £159...when i typed in dates, July, yes schools hols, price is £250!!

So - does anyone know of a decent enough, cheaper alternative..or..this is basically the best i can get? for myself and child ( 15yrs so i suppose an adult )

And fastpass - not on first day? so means spending £40 each at least on that. Would like to make sure we arnt queuing seeing as its limited time and travel involved etc.

thanks for any replies and thoughts.
 

rob666

Hyper Poster
Travelodge or Premier Inn, locally in Chertsey or Staines, would be my suggestion, then taxi.
Would not use their accommodation in the summer, may well be a "lively" young crowd.
 

garjobo

Roller Poster
Thanks Rob for the reply, hopefully get a few more regarding alternatives. Yes, seems like another PremireIn then -sealed windows and all! Looking into these Shark deal with Thorpe appeals less and less in that, aside from the price tag, you can only check in after 3pm - hence getting entry and fast pass - which runs out 11am the following day and you have to exit the shipping container by 10am. They will not hold your bags. SO..effectively, for 2days in a park..you get...5 hours.
 

garjobo

Roller Poster
Thought i'd ask the question - so as im not looking at accomodation, then travel to park, the 2 days tickets and 2days fast passes... any recommendations..this has suddenlty gotten very expensive!! any tips? myself and 15yr old . Theres no..2day fastpasses I guess? or 2day park tickets?
 

rob666

Hyper Poster
One full day at Thorpe is enough for many.
Second day/two half days sightseeing in central London, walking the South Bank etc.
 

Serena

Miss CoasterForce 2016
Staff member
Social Media Team
Hello, welcome to CoasterForce!

Accommodation-wise, there's a Travelodge in Two Rivers in Staines. It's a short walk from Staines train station, where you will be able to get a shuttle bus to and from Thorpe Park. Two Rivers is a nice entertainment complex with food and a cinema, so you will probably have more to do there after your day at the park than if you stayed in the Shark hotel.

Fast track on its own costs from £50 per person for 1 x go on 6 of the main coasters, or from £100 per person for Unlimited Fast track. Make sure to book it online beforehand for the best price. But yeah...its not cheap.

Try and find a Buy One Get One Free code on a cereal packet for your theme park tickets, that'll bring the cost down a bit too.

Re: luggage, if you choose to stay at the Shark. You will be able to store your luggage in the lockers inside the dome at the entrance to the park as soon as you enter. So, you could arrive at the park at 10am, put your bags in the lockers, enter the park (you don't have to wait until check in time for your park entry to be valid that day) and then collect your luggage from the lockers after your day at the park, then check into the Shark.

If you really want to get your moneys worth, I'd advise arriving at least 30 minutes before park opens. This will allow time to get through security (the queue for this can get very long) and you will be able to get on a few rides easily at the very start of the day, as the majority guests will still be queuing to get into the park!

Hope this helps, have a fab trip :)
 

witchfinder

Hyper Poster
One day with fast track should be plenty, even on a busy day. My first ever trip to Thorpe was on a Saturday in July and we rode almost everything and only purchased a 4-ride Fast track.

You can get offers with other, cheaper off-site hotels through https://www.thorpebreaks.co.uk - I've used this a couple of times and got some pretty good deals, but having a car makes it easier.
 

garjobo

Roller Poster
Thank you for the replied. I checked, for a fastpass, unlimited allday ( for 12rides ) it will cost a WHOPPING and DISGUSTING £150 /per person in July.

A £150 and then the park enterance for 12 rides unlimited. £150 !!!!! AVOID this park, i will never visit it.
 

StevenX

Roller Poster
That seems an extreme reaction, and I don't really understand why you feel you need unlimited Fastpasses in the first place.

Why not just visit for the day without Fastpass for £30-40pp and see how it goes, if you're already visiting London for other things and this is just an add-on? It's easy enough to get to from other areas, so there's no real need to stay locally, and absolutely no need to stay at the Shark hotel.

If you have a plan in place, arrive in good time, etc., I think you should be able to see most or all of what you'd want to do.
 

Heth

Mega Poster
The park isn't perfect but that's a massive overreaction. If you are there before opening you can easily do most of the rides without any fast pass. Generally I find if there well ahead of opening you can hit 2 coasters in the first hour and then complete the other across the day. At worst I've bought 1 one shot fast pass for the odd ride if I think i need it.
 

Serena

Miss CoasterForce 2016
Staff member
Social Media Team
It's also worth noting that Thorpe Park is a fairly small park, so you won't spend a long time walking between rides. I go frequently and have never, ever needed to buy fast track, even on busy days. The trick is to arrive early before it opens and get on lots of rides first thing in the morning :) Queues also quieten down in the final hour of operation usually.

You can easily do it as a day trip from London too, to save money on accommodation. Train from Waterloo to Staines (45 min) bus from Staines to Thorpe Park (20 mins)
 

witchfinder

Hyper Poster
A £150 and then the park enterance for 12 rides unlimited. £150 !!!!! AVOID this park, i will never visit it.

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garjobo

Roller Poster
I appreciate the comments re a slight over-reaction but come on - this is next level robbery. £150 !. So many themeparks around the World do not do it this way. It is disgusting and i can only voice my annoyance and vote with your feet so to speak and head to another themepark until they get the message. It has scuppered my plans, at inital sighting £150 for two days/two people and fast pass turns into utter and complete bs. And the the alternative, stay nearby and pay a staggering £150 .... nope. thanks for the replies, i will not takeup space on here so wont comment again on this thread, but your thoughts are welcome. thanks again.
 

witchfinder

Hyper Poster
OK, sounds like you've made your decision but just to reiterate what people above said, you don't need really fast track, even on busy days.

To take a real world example, look at the queue times for a Saturday in July during school holidays last year:


Average queue times for all the big rides is under 40 minutes. So all you really need is park entry (£60ish for two people using a 2-for-1 offer) and you're sorted. :)
 

rob666

Hyper Poster
Been giving this one deep thought.
Best value option overall...scrap Thorpe, kip in the little cave shelter under King Ina's Rocks at Alton, then use a £13 screwfix set of boltcutters to get into the Towers in the morning.
Probably the cheapest trip there is.
Sorted.
 

EmmaUK

Mega Poster
Is £150 really that expensive though?

I mean checking a random weekend in July you have:

Six Flags Great Adventure Platinum flashpass $185
Hersheypark Fast Track Unlimited $165
Universal Studios Orland (1 Park) Express unlimited £194
Busch Gardens Williamsburg $184.99
Cedar Point $199

Sure you can get Express Premium at Port Aventura for like 95 Euros, but that shows the problem. You just can't get by at Port Aventura without it. They sell so many that standard queues just don't move. The cheaper the fast pass, the more they sell, the less benefit you actually get from the fast pass.
 
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