If you are looking for a fantastic day out for all the family, Alton Towers is definitely worth considering. Ever since the opening of CBeebies Land, which caters to pre-schoolers, Alton Towers has become the best venue for keeping everyone in our family happy. So now while the older kids head off to the rollercoasters, there is a whole day's worth of fun in CBeebies Land for Freddy to enjoy.
From the colourful entrance to the themed rides and attractions to the amazing Big Fun Showtime area, the attention to detail is fantastic! With character meet and greets, live shows, playground equipment, an assortment of kid friendly rides and hands-on interactive exhibits, Alton Towers have got it so right!
As Merlin annual pass holders, we go a few times a year to our favourite theme park, which is an hour's drive from home. Having the annual pass means we can beat the queues and get into the park an hour early with access to CBeebies Land before everyone else arrives. This was great because we were able to experience the In the Night Garden Magical Boat Ride, the Numtums Number Go Round, Charlie and Lola's Moonsquirters and Greendrops, Mr Bloom's Allotments and Justin's Pie-o-matic Factory while they weren't at all busy. We then enjoyed a nice time at the Tree Fu Tom Training Camp and Nina's Science Lab before relaxing on the sun chairs to watch the Zingzilla's show and play in the Mike the Knight knights in training camp at the Big Fun Showtime area. Freddy met Tree Fu Tom and Iggle Piggle, which was quite exciting!!
We loved a gentle wander in Mr Tumble's Sensory Garden and Freddy loved putting his hands into the imprints in the CBeebies stars walk of fame. Everything is brilliantly branded and themed for maximum child appeal with instantly recognisable imagery and music. We queued for one ride, which was the Get Set Go Tree Top Adventure, which was a twenty five minute wait, but there are things to see and do in the queue keeping kids entertained. At peak time, the queues for some of the rides exceeded an hour. I wouldn't fancy waiting that long with little ones, which is why I was glad to do them all early.
As regulars of Alton Towers we recognised all the rides as being revamped versions of the old rides they had there when it was Old MacDonald's Farm. It is a stroke of genius transforming an old tired, underused area of the park into something so popular. For example they have converted the old tractor ride into Postman Pat's Parcel Post and the Eye Spy Riverboat Ride is now home to Upsy Daisy, Iggle Piggle et al! A lick of paint, a spruce up and the introduction of some CBeebies characters has really given this area an incredible face lift. Hot on the heels of Peppa Pig World and Thomas Land, CBeebies Land is bang on trend when it comes to keeping little ones happy at theme parks.
I loved how there are now lots of hands on exhibits like Nina's Science lab where kids can explore their senses and the Charlie and Lola fun house, which is just stunning and immerses kids in the vision of Lauren Child. New facilities and some amazing design features have lifted the area, making it quite literally magical. The live shows and the interactive Mr Bloom attraction make kids feel a part of their favourite CBeebies programmes. It's like stepping into the TV!
I loved our day at Alton Towers. As well as CBeebies Land, Freddy enjoyed the carousel, the indoor soft play area, the River Rapids and the driving school, which are other kid friendly attractions that he enjoys. Add to that the beautiful landscaped gardens and the SeaLife Centre, and he enjoyed a full and varied day out.
Freddy's verdict - "Awesome!!"