Over the last few weeks the children have been very excited over a planned day trip to Thorpe Park. It was an opportunity for a fun day out and a chance to see the children's nan and grandad who live very close by. Thorpe Park is a place filled with childhood memories for me. Having lived only five minutes down the road as a child we would usually visit the park on every school holiday. Our eldest two are now just at the right age to start going to theme parks so on the lead up to our trip I described the park and the rides the used to be my favourite as a child.
The night before the trip the children fell asleep surprisingly quick leaving me lots of time to pack. The weather was forecasts as rain and a little sun shine so I stacked the children's clothes up ready to go including plenty of layers so they could strip off if needed. I made sure we had spare clothes packed for the older two and plenty of extra bits for Tinnie ( for once I managed to remember every thing that we needed).
When we got to the park in the morning G explained the park as 'amazing' and 'just like Disneyland'. She was ready to burst as we came through the dome into the park, she scanned the park and straight away wanted to run off and explore. We waited around a little while for Nanny and Grandad and then we got started working our way around the park.
Favourite Rides:
Before we went to the park we were quite worried Moley (aged 3yrs 8mths) would not have many rides to go on but we were wrong. Once there we were able to measure him against each of the rides and this helped him to understand which rides were OK for him to try. His favourite ride was the X. This involves going on a roller coaster in the dark which is made more exciting by a light and sound show as you whizz round. I spent the whole time on this ride with my eye closed however Moley (who we now know is a real thrill seeker) was crazy about the ride.
G (aged 8) preferred the water rides. To begin with we struggled to convince her to try out the roller coasters but after explaining to her it's best she tried those before Tidal Wave she finally gave them ago. Her favourite ride would have the be Tidal Wave as she loved the huge drop down into the water and getting soaked. After that I would say it was the rapids. Luckily the weather was so nice in the end that we didn't need to use the heated pod's which cost £2 a go but G took any opportunity that should could to get wet even if it meant tricking nanny into getting wet as you can see below on the video.
The grown up's in the family enjoyed the X mainly because it was the biggest of the rides daddy could fit on. Being a strong man definitively has its down side when it comes to family trips involving rides. I think he was more disappointing the he let on but unfortunately he could not close the harness down when sitting in the seats as his shoulders were so big. However even the grown ups had a nice time going on the children's rides and didn't mind being pulled on 4 times in a row and we stayed at the park from 10am until 6pm so there was plenty to do through out the day and I think the children would have happily stayed at the newly opened Crash Pad and done it all on the following day. As you can see from the photo's we had a great time!!
Refreshments:
We took a picnic with us on the day to save on the cost of food. As you go around the park there is a wide variety of places to eat. There are plenty of places to sit around the park and if it rains there's also a few shelters. The food and drink is expensive but no higher priced then I would expect on a day out. When needing to heat up Tinnies bottle we needed to return to the first aid centre to have it heated as the shops are not allowed to do this. It was not too much hassle as we were constantly walking near this area.
Tips:
- Don't bother with the lockers these are over priced and there are plenty of places to leave your bags while on the rides.
- Parking is costly so make sure you bring some change.
- Make sure you do plenty of toilet trips with the little ones, theres nothing worse then getting to the front of a que and then they need the loo.
- Take a spare change of clothes or wear layer in case you get wet.
- Pack swimming costumes for the mini beach.
Would we go again? Yes definitely!! The park is costly for a day out but there are ways to save money and it really is a great day out.
Looking for ways to save?
- Pick up a Frijj to take advantage of a 2-for-1 coupon offer when booking tickets. More information can be found on their Facebook page
- Alternatively you can Book tickets 7 days or more in advance to save 30% – adults from £30.24, children from £23.52 (under 12). Handy if your planning for the school holidays in advanced.
- Get 2-for-1 tickets courtesy of Coke
- If travelling by train, head to South West Trains to get online discounts on entry
- Feel like one day isn’t enough? Thorpe Park now offer over-night stays at the park in our newly opened ‘Crash Pad’ accommodation from £64 per person which includes 2 days at the park and breakfast!!
Disclosure: We were sent Thorpe Park Tickets to review however all opinion's are my own.
No comments:
Post a Comment