Matt 236 Posted December 14, 2013 Report Share Posted December 14, 2013 I'm also very frustrated with the price rises of ORP last year after what seemed a few years of sustained costs. In 2012, it was £20 for 5 photos but now it's £20 for 4 of them. In fact at towers, it's £25 for four photos and four downloads so tech I ally there, you're paying more for less than last year. There was discount that did appear in 2012 for pass holders on photos, but I think this has Seinfeld been removed. Unless prices change for the better next year, I'm unlikely to buy many (if any) ORPs in 2014. BigBobJones 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Han30 Posted December 14, 2013 Report Share Posted December 14, 2013 I have spent a small fortune on ORPs this year due to going on many rides I have never ridden and have managed to decorate one of my living room walls with them. But next year I will probably only buy one or two, if that - especially if the prices increase Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Posted December 14, 2013 Report Share Posted December 14, 2013 Towers was £20 for 4 photos, it was an additional like £5 for digital downloads if you wanted them. All the parks have the same photo pricing policy, as they're governed centrally by merlin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattyMoo Posted December 14, 2013 Report Share Posted December 14, 2013 I can't really grumble at the price of the food and the quality at Merlin parks from what I've tried... have had a kebab from Thorpe which was nice, rotisserie chicken from Legoland which I thought was particularly good, bacon cheeseburger from Alton Towers which tasted fresh and a "decent" burger... I don't have a MAP but even without, I didn't think the prices were a rip off particularly. On a different note - I bought a Smiler cushion and paperweight from Alton in October because they were marked down - the paperweight was £18 reduced from £40 (can't believe people bought them at that price!) and the cushion was £15. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Topsyturvy15 Posted December 14, 2013 Report Share Posted December 14, 2013 Can't believe you bought a paper weight for £18; still extortion!!!! BigBobJones, FrightNights04 and Phill Pritchard 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshC. Posted December 14, 2013 Report Share Posted December 14, 2013 I've also got the paperweight (£14.40 with AP discount). It's made from glass and got a really decent weight to it! Definitely think £18 is a reasonable amount to pay for it; £40 would have been a huge no from me though! I've never got why the parks started charging for digital downloads. I mean, like seriously? If it was 50p or something, that would be more okay, but £2 a photo!? Especially when people can scan them up if they really want (even if you don't have a scanner at home, I bet people could find somewhere where they could do it). And it's not like a scanned copy is much worse than a digital copy (I notice next to no difference between the ORPs I've scanned up and digital copies I've seen of others), so I really don't agree with that one. THAT really is penny pinching... MattyMoo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benin Posted December 14, 2013 Report Share Posted December 14, 2013 Plopsaland's Draaaaaaak coaster has digital photos (5) AND on-ride video for €2... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricky Posted December 15, 2013 Report Share Posted December 15, 2013 I bought one at Europa Park last week for 6€ Which works out around £5.04, personally, I feel a bit more happy to give away money for 'happy occasions' when is less money rather £9 or whatever it is at Merlin attractions. It's a very fine line when it comes to Merlin attractions however, as they have an external company (Picsolve), the £9 is straight away split 3 ways, 1. Profit for Picsolve 2. Percentage of profit to Merlin 3. Cost of materials (ink, paper etc) Sometimes it's even more than a 3 way split for instance with Saw lionsgate get a percentage for using the brand logo. But it's still very overpriced for what it is, baring in mind if you get the digital copy for half the price you can go to tesco and print 100's of copies for mere pennies! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBobJones Posted December 15, 2013 Report Share Posted December 15, 2013 I just believe that Merlin are going for the impulse buyers, people who are very happy they have got off the ride, love the photo and without thinking buy it. Quite often if there are 2 or more guests, they split the cost, which is OK if you only want 1 or 2 photos in your entire day out and this is your only visit to the park in a year, you can justify the cost. But for guests who visit multiple times a year and want lots of ORP, you suddenly realise how expensive it is. I think they need to do a photopass which is designed for regular guests, something with MAP discount for pass holders. even if it was something like 30 digital downloads for £50, it would still be value for money for the guest and Merlin/Picsolve will still make lots of money. I would be seriously interested to see the trend in photosales over the last 3-5 years, are they making more money or more profit or both? You can not argue the selection of items to have your photo on has improved over the years, but there is nothing wanting me to buy photos at the moment which is all down to cost. I have no issue paying a £2 a digital photo and to be honest on every visit I would buy multiple photos and in the end spend more money with them. At the beginning of this season I put aside money to buy photos and I intended to buy 2-3 photo passes in my first 2 visits, but due to getting less more more money and no MAP discount I didn't buy at photos at all. The current policy means I refuse to pay extra for digital downloads. Thorpe were charging £5 for 1 digital download at the end of the season which my niece purchased two. TIP: If you have a photo already or if you just buy a digital download for £5, why not print your own magnet(s)? My local £1 shop does photo magnetic paper, 2 sheets for £1. So you can either print an A4 or 2 A5 magnets or even 12 magnets for 50p + ink. The added bonus is that the photo paper sticks to the fridge, where as the Picsolve magnets tend to fall off. Cal 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Han30 Posted December 15, 2013 Report Share Posted December 15, 2013 Digital downloads for me are pointless (unless I cant be bothered to get out my scanner) - I've printed off copies of ORPs from a friend using Tesco printing machines - a lot cheaper way of doing it and the quality is pretty good. As with the above posts, you can buy fridge magnet thingies at places like Boots and some supermarkets so you can print out a 6x4 print and shove it on yer fridge with the added bonus that the magnet protects the picture Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattyMoo Posted December 16, 2013 Report Share Posted December 16, 2013 I've also got the paperweight (£14.40 with AP discount). It's made from glass and got a really decent weight to it! Definitely think £18 is a reasonable amount to pay for it; £40 would have been a huge no from me though! Yep - I wouldn't even consider it at £40... I did question it at £18 but like Josh says - it's bloomin' heavy and does feel "quality" - I couldn't tell you the last piece of merch I bought prior to my Smiler goodies... maybe a reduced Colossus mouse mat about 10 years ago?! I just don't normally buy merch, or ORPs either for that matter - personal preference and all that! I bought the cushion because it matches our sofa so would look good in our flat. Having a bit of involvement with The Smiler because of supplying reinforcement steel there, perhaps I felt a little more inclined to buy something... that said, I did the same for SAW, Thirteen and Swarm but obviously wasn't impressed enough with their merch to buy any - maybe I was marmalised by Smiler Shop TV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt 236 Posted January 2, 2014 Report Share Posted January 2, 2014 Looks like there will be some rather hefty price increases at the park this year. Park tickets are now £48 on the day, a £3 increase from last years prices which considering there's is nothing known about brand new rides seems a lot considering the price has gone up £6 in 2 years, however online prices don't look bad at £25 though. http://www.thorpepark.com/prices/tickets.aspx Also, MOS prices have gone up by £5 which is now £25 for standard tickets and £20 for pass holders. http://www.thorpepark.com/ministryofsound/ I hope MOS is better this year with these price hikes as they seem a rather big jump from last years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldFarmerDean Posted January 2, 2014 Report Share Posted January 2, 2014 Looks like there will be some rather hefty price increases at the park this year. Park tickets are now £48 on the day, a £3 increase from last years prices which considering there's is nothing known about brand new rides seems a lot considering the price has gone up £6 in 2 years, however online prices don't look bad at £25 though. http://www.thorpepark.com/prices/tickets.aspx To be fair you're a sucker if you pay full gate prices anyway, so I guess the increase doesn't make too much difference, I can just imagine there being a lot more 2 for 1 vouchers and that way thorpe are making a bit more money with the price increase but people paying half price will feel it less - also nice to see they're keeping online prices down I had a thorpe annual pass til july, but got a premium merlin pass now - gonna save a fortune on parking - 100% worth it with how much they like to charge for parking! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pluk Posted January 2, 2014 Report Share Posted January 2, 2014 I thought the MoS price would increase. I think every one of the events sold out(?) last year so it's kind of inevitable until they find how much people are prepared to pay and they stop selling out. To be honest they are quality nights and worth every penny. The full gate price and voucher structure is mental, but I've said enough about that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coaster Posted January 2, 2014 Report Share Posted January 2, 2014 Oh dear... And they expect to get customers in? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GladiatorFanKyle Posted January 3, 2014 Report Share Posted January 3, 2014 Any news on Flat rides for the new season? I'm praying that they will get a Mondial Turbine (it will probably never happen)! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark9 Posted January 3, 2014 Report Share Posted January 3, 2014 Oh dear... And they expect to get customers in? People will still flock to the parks. That online price looks even better now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benin Posted January 3, 2014 Report Share Posted January 3, 2014 Plus you won't be able to shop soon without buying SOMETHING that has a Merlin BOGOF voucher (or 20)... It really is all about making it look like a worthwhile deal... Dread to find out Towers' entry fee though if Thorpe is hitting £48... MattyMoo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Posted January 3, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2014 Towers is also £48 for 2014, although online is £36. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Posted January 3, 2014 Report Share Posted January 3, 2014 :| I remember when online was £20 odd... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattyMoo Posted January 3, 2014 Report Share Posted January 3, 2014 £48 is kinda crazy, but I've never ever paid full price, always used BOGOF or similar (I'm not a MAP holder, so shoot me ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexander Posted January 3, 2014 Report Share Posted January 3, 2014 for that kind of money (if I was paying full price) I'd expect a lot more from the park GOOSEANIMATICS and FrightNights04 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrightNights04 Posted January 3, 2014 Report Share Posted January 3, 2014 for that kind of money (if I was paying full price) I'd expect a lot more from the park cedar point is rated by a lot of people as the best theme park in the world and their entry fee is $49.99 which is equal to £30.45! A lot cheaper for a way better park! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Posted January 3, 2014 Report Share Posted January 3, 2014 Depends what you mean by better! And you have to also remember everything is cheaper in America. Aaaaand it may be like six flags in that it costs $25 to park a car. So they make that money up in other ways. GOOSEANIMATICS 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt 236 Posted January 3, 2014 Report Share Posted January 3, 2014 It's certainly a lot of money though to go in, but I can see the logical way they're working out prices that most buy tickets either online or use 2 for 1's and therefore give more reasonable prices around £24/£25 to enter. Those who pay the full day price either decided to visit last minute (1 day or so before going) or can't use computers and don't seek offers that are around. It's disappointing to know that 5 years ago, Thorpe's walk up ticket price was £33 resulting in a £15 increase since 2008. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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