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UK Theme Parks Recommendation

My husband and I will be in London & Scotland in September. I have a free pass for the two of us for the following properties: (thanks to my niece works at Legoland in the US)
Alton Towers Resort | Chessington World of Adventures & Zoo | Dungeons | Earth Explorer | Gardaland | Heide Park | LEGOLAND | LEGOLAND Discovery Centre | London Eye | Madame Tussauds | SEA LIFE | Seal Sanctuaries | THORPE PARK | Warwick Castle (I know some of these are outside the UK or London)

We are planning on The London Eye/Sea Life in London and maybe the Dungeons in Edinburgh (it's close to where we are staying)
We are undecided about Madame Tussauds (although I know it's popular and we are staying close to Marylebone Rd. while in London)

So, if you had some free time, no kids and a prepaid oyster card, where would you go and what have you particularly enjoyed? (not in lieu of, say, the British Museum or other "must see" sights - not my first time in London, but is for my spouse)

Bonus (or not!) for someone if interested - I can transfer the pass when we're done - should have a few visits remaining and it expires the end of 2009.

Posted by
11507 posts

Al I know ,, is my hubby and his friend (who lives in England) took our 14 yr old son to Thorpe park and it was the highlight of his trip. Thrill rides etc.. he really liked it.

I on the other hand have been to Warwick Castle and thoght it was one of the highlights of my visit to England,, so tastes vary..
With no kids,, I would not bother with Legolands ( I thought they were boring even when I was a kid. LOL) and I would not bother with Thorpe park.

I would go to Warwick, but I haven't been to all the other places either.

Posted by
101 posts

I wouldnt do Alton Towers. Even though it is one of the biggest theme parks in the UK, the US just seems to do them better so you might be disappointed. Stay away from Madame Tussauds and the Dungeons, one big tourist trap [been there seen it done it..hated it!]
London Eye is great, gave me a whole new perspective on a city I lived in for a while. Not sure where the seal sanctuary is, but I remember visiting one on the south of the UK many years ago and that was kind of fun. I have heard good things about Warwick Castle and if you have free access I would say go for that as its quite expensive. Not sure how much this helps,
Have a good trip

Pete

Posted by
445 posts

Recently I read a review of Thorpe Park and it was not good. I cannot remember where I read this..it might have been on TripAdvisor. They said it was getting rundown.

Posted by
2804 posts

I wouldn't use my time in the UK by going to theme parks, can do that here if I wanted to. The London Eye and Warwick Castle are great would recommend both of them.