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Merlin announce no more free parking for Annual Pass holders

All of the hatred on the Facebook and Twitter pages is just making people look pathetic. I don't see why people are shocked or outraged by this move at all. You could have seen a move like this coming a mile off. The people who complain that it's disgusting are probably the ones that will be sheepishly handing over £5 next season and just getting on with life. Why not save yourselves the bother and just start getting on with life now?!

It's like the rising prices in petrol, and the rising prices of cigarettes, and the rising prices of everything that is having a rise of price... they're doing it because they can, and because they know people will still pay. Merlin know that amongst the outrage people will just eventually have to accept it and before long everyone will pay and not bat an eyelid. If anything hopefully it inspires people to take a car full of people along and just pay £1 each, rather than visiting alone or just with another person. You can never have too many friends! <3

There are a million and one things that need to be changed in the world today and if enthusiasts had this much passion about something that actually mattered then maybe something that's actually worth it could be changed or at least addressed. I'm kind of disappointed here.
 
Can I keep my free parking and lose the sealifes, the London Eye, Legoland, the castle things and the foreign parks I will probably never go to? =)
 
So, what benefits does that thing have anymore?

I doubt I'm renewing either. Not that I drive, but it's just too much money for too little. And this does rage me a little. Like, seriously, whats the benefit of it anymore?
 
kir said:
It's like the rising prices in petrol, and the rising prices of cigarettes, and the rising prices of everything that is having a rise of price... they're doing it because they can
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And they're taking the piss.

Just because they've done something, doesn't mean we have to accept it. What they fail to remember is that we ARE who they cater for. Without US, they wouldn't have a business. There is only so far you can go before you ruin yourself and lose custom.

Merlin made £800 million profit the year before and it was probably around the same this year (Guesstimate based on previous years reports)... What justifies higher expense and less privileges? Of all things, they should be attracting new and keeping return custom. Not push people away.
 
Is Chessington getting parking charges? I heard about new toll things, but is it actually true? I normally do Thorpe/Chessington in one day, and this will put an end to that, aswell as half of my trips (About 25 - 30 park trips a year normally). I don't do parting with money so easilly.

I've tryed for years to hold the enthusiasm for our parks, but I struggle to find enough quality in a day at a Merlin park now. More people on the park leading to massive queues, fastracks on rides with crap thru-put, less rides in, no atmosphere, buildings molding/fading away falling into disrepair. If the money actually went to improving the parks then I wouldn't be fussed. I just get the feeling its shoved in a massive piggy bank never to be seen again and they don't care too greatly for the experience in hand.

But this type of thing isn't just Merlin to be fair. The whole of the UK has turned to this Quantity over Quality thing. All about productivity, profits and cutting corners. I get the impression the world just doesn't care anymore. Sh*t happens I suppose.
 
The world DOES care, it's just that the UK is gone so backwards lately.

Companies should really consider themselves as pets. They're dependent on us to provide them with money, without us, they can't live.
 
Does anyone wanna do a petition? Whilst it will likely get ignored, I think we should, noting that it will significantly decrease the amount of times we are willing to visit per season.
 
Doesn't bother me because I'm not affected since I don't drive, BUT I can see how it's annoying for everyone who does drive. I mean, an AP isn't cheap, that money should cover EVERYTHING at a Merlin park imo.

I'll still be renewing my pass for next season though. I still visit Thorpe a lot (16 visits this year...) and I try to make it to Alton as often as I can, so this'll no doubt carry on next year. Don't really care about the other parks/attractions...
 
I think its the whole concept and the image it puts across.

By having an AP you have this perception that you are getting in for free as no money is being handed over at the point of arrival. By adding a parking charge, it makes you feel like you are now paying to get in for something that you have already paid for.
 
I don't know if anyone noticed, but they have also banned entry from Legoland before 2pm in August for standard passholders. Punish the poor you Tory barstewards. Way to go Merlin.

Also, the MAP to me is a Merlin loyalty card; this year was my first year of owning one, and meant I visited a merlin park 8 out of 9 theme park visits this year, spending probably £50 per day. The year previous I went once in 8 theme park visits to a merlin park.

Rather than being a moneyspinner, it becomes an incentive to try the competition; at 6 a pop, my 8 visits would have cost me £48. That's just short of what Flamingoland are peddling there season tickets for at the mo.'

Love is blind? I think you'll find the phrase should be greed is blind.
 
Joey said:
Does anyone wanna do a petition? Whilst it will likely get ignored, I think we should, noting that it will significantly decrease the amount of times we are willing to visit per season.
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I'd definitely be up for that, this whole thing is a ****ing outrage! I get my AP every year as a Christmas present, so although it doesn't set me back any money I'll still be losing a fiver a time. It's crap. Like Ben said, there'll be no 'oh, let's quickly pop into Thorpe to ride Stealth' or on a crap day at Thorpe head over to Chessington or vice versa. It makes me sick, surely it makes the point of the Annual Pass nul if they're trying to get everyone to buy the premium?

How much more is it anyway and what extras do you get?
 
^ I'm guessing the 'extras' will be stuff they've taken away from the normal AP over the years, such as:

Free Parking
Entry to London Attractions in August
Free entry for events

Like ben said, they'll probably scrap the Alton hotel discounts (and maybe ERT?) and move them to the Premium pass too. Bit of a joke really...
 
I don't think I'll be renewing this year (I get mine for my Birthday in feb). The reasons? Firstly, I'm bored of the parks. Really bored. Especially Thorpe. There's not really going to be any investment this year either, so that situation isn't going to improve next season.

Is the MAP still value for money? Mine was bought on promotion this year, so cost £75. That means that 2 trips and I'm in the money. The August restrictions this year didn't bother me - for one thing, I was laid up with my leg in plaster for the whole month - but I would've coped anyway.

Would the parking charge make me go less? Less than this year? Prob not. I actually haven't been that many times this year (partly due to the aforementioned op). However, I'd previously been doing about 30 trips a year on my pass, and there's no way I'd be able to afford to do that again. The prices on park for things like food and drink also seem to be creeping up every time I visit - plus the restrictions at Legoland on when you can and can't get a discount still totally baffle me.

I think, in terms of the entry prices alone, that the pass is still good value. I think the problem is that people see they're paying the same price (or even more) each year, and yet they're getting less for it.

I'm seriously considering taking a year off from Merlin, and spending my money elsewhere. Let's see how much the Plopsa pass is next year, and whether it includes Holiday Park....

PS. Bobbiejobbieland AP costs about £45, and includes entrance to Tusenfryd, BonBon Land, Parque Warner, Parque De Attrracciones and Mirabilandia. Also gets you 50% off entry to Movie Park, Phantasia Land, Nurburgring... plus other stuff. Well worth considering if you're doing a couple of European trips this year.
 
I'm really struggling to get worked up about this :lol:

I think Nicky get it right:
Nicky said:
I think its the whole concept and the image it puts across.

By having an AP you have this perception that you are getting in for free as no money is being handed over at the point of arrival. By adding a parking charge, it makes you feel like you are now paying to get in for something that you have already paid for.
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I do agree that it will probably stop people from "nipping in for one ride" or whatever, but generally I doubt it will make much difference.

The reason I struggle with it is simply that we use Tesco vouchers for the AP. We'd consider getting one at £75 too probably.

For Merlin, I don't understand what they really get from AP holders though?

Most people do the same and use Tesco vouchers or deals. Essentially, four park visits worth of ticket sales. I suspect a lot of people take along drinks and snacks to some degree, are there really many of us who go that unprepared for a day at a theme park? This is Merlin, not Blackpool with goons on the gates strip searching you for a Double Decker.

So, in terms of "visitor income", we're pretty poor. When we DO buy, we get 20% off. Yes, they'll make money on that item anyway even with the 20% off, but not as much as a normal visitor.

Essentially, I think that most MAP holders just don't make Merlin any real money - and we know what a bloody good deal we get for it.

As Nicky says, it's perception that now we have to pay for our visit.

I also agree that the Premium Pass will start taking the benefits the current MAP has. The MAP will essentially become nothing more than a kind of cheap entry system. Is this good? Not really, but is there anyone here who hasn't sat with their MAP in hand thinking "bugger me, this thing is too good to be true"? We all have, because they have been.

Merlin here are scuppered by just what astonishing value the MAP has offered (based on a Tussauds Pass system). What they're doing is making it worth their while issuing them.

It doesn't suit everyone. For us who visit maybe two other Merlin attractions beyond Alton a year the MAP is a bit iffy actually. We only get it because it's such incredible value. We're too far from London and this brings the next real point for me.

For us to visit Thorpe, it's 250 mile round trip. It costs me (at today's petrol prices) about 17p per mile. £42 or so. I'l usually stop over too (£35 say a night) and have to eat (food for the family for one of these things usually comes in at about £120 all meals).

You could say "well, another fiver is the last thing you need", but in reality, it's such a drop in the ocean it just vanishes. Like I just eat up the constant fuel increases, I'll just add this to my travelling expenses.

Do I like it? Not really... Will it make a massive amount of difference to the way I approach things? Nope. I know the MAP is still such good value, I'll suck up the extra cost. I will probably take more food and drink with me and eat less at the park to counter it a little - but generally it's still not really making the MAP "poor value".

As Nicky says, it's just you now perceive your visit as "charged" rather than free. In reality, you never magically leave your doorstep, arrive for free at the park, spend nothing all day and magically appear home at no cost. It's just a case of incorporating the extra charge into your park visit budget.

I do agree it's not such great value (as I said before) for single car occupants just "turning up", in fact it's a real downer for them. Still, you sit down and work out the maths. MAP £75 + 5 visits + £25 parking > £100 + 5 (bogoff) visits + £25 parking.

If you make those five visits a year, it's still cheaper. Of course, the question is would you make so many visits if you didn't have the AP? If not, then you're probably tired of having a MAP anyway ;)

There you go, devil's advocate...
 
I find it bizarre the pass price has almost doubled in the space of four years (It was £85 when I bought it at the end of 2006) and each year everyone has sheepishly renewed without much of a grumble, then they add a £5 parking charge and everyone goes insane.

And stop inviting me to the facebook page I couldn't give a toss.
 
^ That's because the parks kept adding stuff so it was worth the hike.

I purchased the AP year in, year out because I knew I could visit the parks without forking out each visit.

Having to find a fiver to pay for parking your car on a bit of tarmac when it has been free before, with no improved parking services and security, is wrong imo.
 
I think it's worth pointing out that the charge only comes into effect if you buy a new pass in 2011 (well, if they do it).

They've confirmed that it wont affect current AP holders.

If it was being lumped on to current AP users, then it's out of order. For new ones - it then comes down to the choice of the buyer, if they think the pass is still worthwhile to them or not.
 
MAP page for those not wanting to leave CF said:
Clarification: Contrary to current debate can we please make clear:

* free parking will still be available to current Passholders and
* in 2011 parking will be included in Our Premium Pass
* In 2011 BOTH the Standard & Premium Passes will be reducing in price!
* The Merlin Annual Pass is acknowledged as offering one of the best value leisure products on the market

The Merlin Annual Pass – Pricing and Package Structure for 2011 – (previously embargoed until 4th January 2011)

We value our loyal Passholders and have taken into account their feedback during 2010 regarding changes to the Standard Merlin Annual Pass at the beginning of the year. We have also looked at the feedback regarding the cost of the Premium Merlin Annual Pass which carries no restrictions.

We can confirm planned changes in 2011 to the two Passes as detailed below, please be sure to read this information in full.


Standard Merlin Annual Pass
6 new attraction additions (that makes 29 in all!):

The Blackpool Tower Eye with 4D Cinema (Observation deck at the top of the tower) – reopens September 2011

The Blackpool Tower Circus - from September 2011

Jungle Jims (Children’s indoor play area) - from September 2011

The Blackpool Tower Ballroom - from September 2011

The Blackpool Dungeon - opens September/October 2011

Madame Tussauds Blackpool - opens April 2011


Changes for 2011 to the Pass:

No entry to LEGOLAND® Windsor before 2pm during August (open until 8pm)

No entry to the Blackpool Tower attractions from 22nd – 30th October

Attraction parking fees aren’t included

2011 Price:
Individuals - £145 inc. VAT
Family of 3, 4 or 5 - £95 inc. VAT

The Standard Merlin Annual Pass is the best option for guests wanting to visit around 4 times per year during off peak periods.

Even with the impending VAT increase to 20%, we have reduced the 2011 net price by £15 per person (families of 3) to reflect the new restrictions.


Premium Merlin Annual Pass

6 new attraction additions (that makes 29 in all!):

The Blackpool Tower Eye with 4D Cinema (Observation deck at the top of the tower) - reopens September 2011

The Blackpool Tower Circus - from September 2011

Jungle Jims (Children’s indoor play area) - from September 2011

The Blackpool Tower Ballroom - from September 2011

The Blackpool Dungeon – opens September/October 2011

Madame Tussauds Blackpool – opens April 2011

The Premium Merlin Annual Pass carries no restrictions and free Standard parking is included

2011 Price:
Individuals - £175 inc. VAT
Family of 3, 4 or 5 - £125 inc. VAT

The Premium Merlin Annual Pass is, we believe, the best value leisure product on the market today. It’s also the best option for guests wanting to visit more than 5 times per year during both peak and off peak periods.

Even with the impending VAT increase to 20%, we have reduced the 2011 net price by £35 per person (families of 3) to give an affordable option with maximum flexibility

A great offer on the Premium Merlin Annual Pass for our existing Passholders

Throughout 2011 we will be offering our current Passholders the chance to upgrade to a Premium Pass when renewing in 2011, this will cost less than the price of 2010’s Standard Merlin Annual Pass (£150 for individuals).

Not only will the Premium Merlin Annual Pass cost less, it will also carry none of the restrictions of the Standard Pass.
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