Theme park deals

A stay costs from £62 per person and comes with a Merlin Pass that's normally £139

Entertainment company Merlin is running a ‘stay for a night, play for a year’ promotion at several of its theme parks and attractions.

What's the deal?

When you book an overnight stay at Thorpe Park, Chessington World of Adventures, Warwick Castle, Legoland or Alton Towers, you'll get an 'Essential' Merlin Annual Pass for free, giving you access to 20+ attractions for 12 months.

You'll need to book your overnight stay by 11.59pm on Sunday 1 March, and stay between March (exact start date depends on the attraction – see eligible dates below) and Sunday 26 June.

Merlin told us passes are digital, and can be activated at any point from the date of booking, but you will need to activate any passes before your stay, as it gives you access to the attraction.

Why's this a good deal?

The Essential Merlin Annual Pass normally costs £139. When this deal launched on Tuesday 3 February we saw prices from £62 to £95 per person (based on four people in a room) depending on which attraction you book – all guests over the age of three get an annual pass. As an overnight stay can now cost up to £77 less than the regular price of the Merlin Annual Pass, this is a great way to make a saving if you're planning to visit multiple Merlin attractions over a year.

How much do overnight stays cost and when do I need to go?

Below are the cheapest prices per person we spotted for each attraction, and the eligible stay dates. Weekdays are typically cheaper than weekends. Easter is included, but from what we've seen you'll likely pay more. For example, we spotted overnight Easter stays from £95 at Thorpe Park and £152 at Legoland.

MSE Hope says: "I found an overnight stay starting from £58 per person per night at Thorpe Park from Tuesday 28 to Wednesday 29 April. The catch? The theme park is closed on the Wednesday. However, with a Merlin Annual Pass, you can go back on most days (more on this later) in a 12-month period."

"If you do want a second day at the theme park, the next cheapest price I found was £62 per person on Monday 4 May to Tuesday 5 May – bear in mind though that prices can change. I found these prices on Tuesday 10 February and they're based on four people sharing – I looked for two adults and two children aged seven and 10."

"Overnight stays at Chessington World of Adventures are the next cheapest, starting from £72 per person. I found one at this price on Friday 24 April – although there were other dates at this price too."

What do you get with an overnight stay?

Each stay includes a night at a themed hotel, breakfast, parking and Wi-Fi, plus of course with this offer you also get the Merlin Annual Pass for each guest.

Individual attractions also include bespoke extras. For example, at Thorpe Park, guests get a one-hour fast track pass on their second day as well as 10% off snacks and merch at on-site shops. At Warwick Castle, it’s free evening entertainment for guests, and Legoland Windsor dishes out Lego for kids.

What does the Essential Merlin Annual Pass get me?

It includes entry to over 20 UK attractions, including:

• Alton Towers Resort

• The Legoland Windsor Resort

• Chessington World of Adventures Resort

• Thorpe Park

• The London Eye

• Madame Tussauds

• The Dungeons

• Warwick Castle

• Shrek’s Adventure! London

• Legoland Discovery Centre

• Cadbury World

Entry is excluded for 25 days of the year, typically at popular times such as Christmas, bank holidays and select weekends that usually fall within school holidays, and doesn’t include free parking.

Who's this deal best for?

The deal is best for families with children who are older than three and taller than 90cm. This is because at most Merlin attractions, kids under this height get free entry, which means you only need to pay for anyone taller than that height. If your child is under three and you book a break, they won't receive an Essential Merlin Annual Pass.

Normally, a full-price Essential Merlin Annual Pass is only cost-effective if you’re planning to visit five or more different attractions within a 12-month period. If you intend to visit just one of these attractions more than once in a 12-month period, you’re often better off buying a pass just for that attraction. And, if you’re only visiting an attraction once, purchasing a ticket in advanced online typically works out the cheapest.

Merlin has come under fire recently for proposed changes to its ride access pass for disabled visitors. It has since announced it won't go through with these changes, which you can read more about at this BBC News article. We're featuring the above deal as it's strong, and deals is what we focus on.

Check out our cheap theme park tickets round-up for more ways to save on attractions.

For up to six people with a valid train ticket (we've a trick if not travelling by train)

If you register with Days Out Guide and buy a National Rail ticket, you can get 33% off the online advance ticket price for Merlin theme parks and attractions, including Alton Towers, Chessington World of Adventures, Legoland, and Thorpe Park – see 'More info' below for the full list.

How to get 33% off

• Choose which theme park you want to visit at Days Out Guide and you'll be given a 33% off code.

• Go via Days Out Guide to the theme park's own website and use the code to book advance tickets online. You can book up to a maximum of six tickets per code. You'll need to do it by 11pm the day before you want to visit.

• On arrival at the theme park, you'll need to present your tickets alongside a valid train ticket (one for the station nearest the attraction) dated for the same day. Each person needs a valid train ticket.

Some dates are excluded, and tickets are limited during peak times. See full terms & conditions.

What if I live near the attraction/am travelling by other means?

If you're not travelling by train but this deal would still work out cheaper for you, you can buy a cheap single ticket (usually for a couple of quid) to the nearest station to your attraction – just get a train ticket from the next station along.

For example, £29 Alton Towers advance vs £68 on the day

Theme park tickets aren't cheap, but you can often make big savings by planning ahead and buying tickets online in advance, rather than buying on the day at the gate. The ideal time to book varies by theme park, but as a general rule, it's best to book more than two days in advance to get the best price.

Below, we've outlined how much you could save by booking in advance at several major theme parks, based on the cost of an adult day ticket. Since online prices are demand-based (you'll often pay more on weekends and during the summer), the savings you make may vary depending on when you want to visit.

Including Eden Project, Longleat Safari and many more

Convert Tesco Clubcard points into Tesco Reward Partners vouchers and on many attractions you get two-times the vouchers' face value to use on tickets, for example £5 in points converts into £10-worth of vouchers. They can be used at theme parks, wildlife parks and more.

Here are some of the popular theme parks you can choose:

• Alton Towers

• Blackpool Pleasure Beach Resort

• Chessington

• Drayton Manor

• Legoland Windsor

• Thorpe Park

And some of the other attractions:

• Eden Project

• Blackpool Zoo

• Longleat Safari

• National Sea Life, Birmingham

• Cadbury World

For how to fully maximise Clubcard points, see our Boost Tesco Clubcard guide.

Via cashback sites or certain bank accounts

It's often possible to get cashback when buying theme park tickets. Check the following:

Topcashback. When we checked, you could get 2% back at Alton Towers and Chessington World of Adventures.

Quidco. When we looked, you could get 1.6% back at Alton Towers and Thorpe Park.

Bank accounts & credit card offers. Certain banks and credit cards offer cashback deals, and we've previously spotted theme parks included. For example, in June 2025, Halifax had 10% cashback on Merlin attractions such as Thorpe Park, Alton Towers and Chessington World of Adventures. Of course, you shouldn't open an account, or sign up to a credit card, just for these offers – see our Best current accounts and Credit card rewards guides first. Always read carefully before choosing a card to make sure it'll work for you, and pay it off IN FULL each month to avoid getting hit with interest.

It's important to note that cashback is never certain, as things can sometimes go wrong, such as your purchase not tracking properly. Always see cashback as a bonus, not a guarantee. See our Top cashback sites guide for full info.