I’m not sure who was more excited when we were invited to Thorpe Park last weekend – Miss Frugal who heard a rumour that District 3 would be performing, her brother who is suddenly brave enough to go on rides other than the ‘baby rides’, as he now calls them or their Dad who was dying to go on the biggest rides.
We travelled down very early Saturday morning by train (there’s a regular shuttle bus to the park from the train station) so we were in the park by lunchtime….
One thing we’ve found difficult in the past when we’ve been to theme parks is making sure that everyone gets to go on what they want to go on. Often there’s only Mr Frugal who wants to go on the bigger rides but the long queues that inevitably build up at the bigger rides put him off because he knows that the kids are wanting to go on something else with him (I don’t do rides other than the carousel). The fast track passes we were given were excellent as they meant he just turned up at the time given to him and got straight on the ride which left him more time to enjoy the park with us rather than standing in queues for half the day. Even if we just get him fast track passes in future, it’ll be well worth it.
As you’d expect, there’s such a massive variety of rides that cater for all ages and levels of brave-ness. Just make sure that before you send the family in to what you think is some sort of 4D show so you can sit on the bench and enjoy the sunshine that you make sure it actually is a 4D show. I packed them off into a ride called X which is housed in a building so I presumed it was one of those 4D type shows – it actually turned out to be a rollercoaster in the dark! Oooops.
The fun doesn’t have to stop when the park closes though.
We were staying at The Crash Pad which is the on site hotel so as the park closed we walked the two minutes (if that) to our room. The Crash Pad is exactly that – a place to crash at the end of the day ready to get up again and start over in the park. The rooms are small but very well designed to fit what you need into a small space – it’s not luxurious or spacious but it is convenient, clean and ideal for what you want it for.
We had a quick change and were back out again as District 3 were performing there that night and Miss Frugal wanted to get a good spot at the front. We had tea (reasonably priced and very tasty) and then sat on some comfy sofas in the bar while we waited for them to come on stage. When they did come on stage, we stood to the side rather than at the front as she’s quite small and I was worried about her getting separated from me and actually that was probably the best place to be.
We got a great view and at the end there was a meet and greet session so she got to meet them which was ‘awesome’. Even though we were one of the last ones in to see them, they were such lovely boys. One of them called Miss Frugal Babe and another called her Princess and she’s still smiling about it now….
The next morning we got into the park early as we’d stayed in The Crash Pad and made the most of the emptiness to go back on all the best rides from the day before. Miss Frugal even decided to brave one of the big rides but at the last minute, when she was all strapped in and ready to go she changed her mind – the man in charge of the ride was lovely to her and let her and her Dad off with no fuss at all.
If you are planning a visit to Thorpe Park, make sure you plan ahead so you can get the best deals available.
- Pick up a Frijj to take advantage of a 2-for-1 coupon offer when booking tickets. Check out more information on their Facebook page.
- Book tickets 7 days or more in advance to save 30% – adults from £30.24, children from £23.52 (under 12), more details about booking online can be found on the Thorpe Park website.
- Head to the the Coke website to get 2-for-1 tickets courtesy of Coke.
- If travelling by train, head to South West Trains to get online discounts on entry.
We loved Thorpe Park and the kids can’t wait to go back again which is the highest recommendation I can give you so if you’ve got a spare day over half term, get yourself there 😉
Disclosure: Thorpe Park were kind enough to invite us to visit them and provided travel, accommodation and park tickets to us.
