This weekend we were lucky enough to be invited to Cbeebies Land at Alton Towers in Staffordshire, to join in its 5th birthday celebrations and we had a fantastic time so here are 10 Top Tips to Get the Most Out Of Your Day at Cbeebies Land.
In addition to the usual rides and attractions in Cbeebies Land there was also a Birthday Treat Trail, a giant Cbeebies Land Birthday Cake and a special live Birthday performance at the end of the day in the Big Fun Showtime area.
As the event ran over the Bank Holiday Weekend, and by the time you read this it will have finished, I am going focus on our main reasons you might like to visit Cbeebies Land and some top tips from our own experience for planning your visit.
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Reasons to Visit Cbeebies Land:
1. Cbeebies land comprises of 14 rides and attractions, each one represents a different show on Cbeebies. The connection with even very young children is instant as they recognise their favourite characters. Straight away you are on to a winner with your kids!
2. It has a wonderful calm atmosphere. Bearing in mind we visited on a Bank Holiday, there was still plenty of space to move about and you are not hurried through attractions. In the Big Fun Showtime area there is space to sit and relax, eat your picnic and play games with your children, like skittles and the horse shoe toss.
3. Cbeebies Land is designed to promote learning through play and there are lots of places to play around the park. We loved spending time relaxing in the Something Special Sensory Garden and Charlie and Lola’s Moonsquirters and Greendrops attraction, and letting off steam in the Tree Fu Tom Training Camp.
4. There are plenty of toilets around Cbeebies Land without big queues. Phew!
5. The staff are smiley and helpful. For example, we had forgotten to bring a pen for our Birthday Treat Trail. My son asked a shop assistant if he could borrow a pen and even though she didn’t have one, it wasn’t too much trouble for her to go and find him one.
6. You will secretly enjoy it yourself! I’ve got to admit it; I really enjoyed the Peter Rabbit Hippity Hop, the Octonauts Rollercoaster Adventure and the Get Set Go Tree Top Adventure rides. This also goes for older children. I thought my 8 year old would be past Cbeebies Land but he enjoyed it as much as the younger two.
7. The season pass for Cbeebies Land which starts at £56 really is good value for money. If Alton Towers is within easy reach for you the season pass is definitely worth considering as it includes over 40 rides and attractions – including Wicker Man, CBeebies Land & Sharkbait Reef by SEA LIFE throughout 2019. The season runs from 23rd March until 3rd November 2019 (some date exclusions do apply so check the Alton Towers website).
8. Under 3’s get in free. As a child under 3 is more than likely not tall enough to go on all of the rides in Cbeebies Land, I think it is fair that they are not charged for admission. Bear in mind that for your older children some rides will have height restrictions. These are summarised here: Do Any Rides In Cbeebies Land Have Any Restrictions?
9. There is a chance your child will get to meet their favourite Cbeebies character. The smile on my daughter’s face when she had this photograph taken with her very favourite character, Duggee, shows just how special that moment was to her. The best time to catch characters is immediately after their show in the Big Fun Showtime area where a queue for photographs with them is organised. It may look a big queue but it moves quickly so don’t be afraid to join it.
9 Top Tips to Get the Most Out Of Your Day at Cbeebies Land:
1. Book your tickets online at least 5 days in advance to qualify for the best prices. Also look out for special Parent and Toddler off-peak passes which costs £25 for one adult and one Under 5. Additional Under 5s cost only £5 with this pass too.
2. Check out the Cbeebies Land Website to help plan your visit. Here you will find information about height restrictions, opening times, directions, parking, disabled access and resort maps.
3. Remember to check out the show times when you arrive in Cbeebies Land. This includes the Furchester Hotel Live, Mr Bloom’s Allotment and shows in the Big Fun Showtime arena (Teletubbies Big Band Live Show, Bing’s Picnic, and Hey Duggee Live: The Big Day Out Badge).
4. Consider booking Express Parking. It costs £16 but it is only a 5 minute walk from the main gate and super convenient when you have young children with you.
5. Expect to have to queue for some attractions. On the day we visited we queued for an hour for the Get Set Go Tree Top Adventure Ride and the Octonauts Adventure Ride. Consider doing these first before your children get too tired. It is also a good idea be prepared with some games to play whilst in the queue eg. I-spy, the Alphabet Game including as things you can see while you are queuing as you can, 20 Questions on a Cbeebies theme, Charades, etc. Also take pencil and note pad for playing Hangman, Noughts and Crosses, Boxes, etc.
6. Take a big picnic with plenty of drinks and snacks. We saved eating our picnic until we joined the biggest queue which served as a good distraction. For my kids it is important not to fill them up with sugary snacks either as their behaviour deteriorates so I took rice cakes, brown bread sandwiches, crisps, raisins, bananas, apples, boiled eggs and flapjacks.
7. Wear layers. On the day we visited we seemed to experience every sort of weather so light weight raincoats for everyone are a must. The thing that really stood out for me though is how cold we got when we were queuing! I would recommend warm footwear and a fleece jumper that is light to stow away in your backpack if you don’t need it.
8. Take a backpack to carry your picnic and extra layers. Backpacks help spread the weight across two shoulders and so they are generally more comfortable to carry around all day than a hand held bag.
9. Download the Alton Tower App. This gives you loads of information but most usefully on the day it tells you the current queuing times for each attraction, including those in Cbeebies Land.
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9 Top Tips to Get the Most Out Of Your Day at Cbeebies Land
Ian & Emma Phillips live in Bolton with their three children, two boys aged 8 and 6 and their little girl who is now 4. Emma also writes over at Fuelled by Latte.