Best theme parks deals: cheap tickets and 2 for 1 offers

The price is so off-putting when I first look at a fun-packed theme park day out with friends or family.

There is no need to pay full price if you check out theme park deals before you head out.

Some of these offers mean you don’t need to pre-plan months in advance, which is great if the weather is awful or if you’re looking for some spur of the moment fun.

We’ve taken a look at some of the best current offers, deals and promotions for theme park deals, so you don’t ever have to pay full price. 

Theme park deals

Until July 2021 (fingers crossed), due to government guidelines to control capacity, pre-booking is essential.

£3 ticket to London Zoo

Fmailies can get tickets for £3 each (under 3s go free) to London Zoo until the end of Match 2023.

You can’t pre-book but need to buy them on the gate and be in receipt of certain benefits.

There are more London Zoo deals here.

241 tickets with National Rail

Travelling by train? You can get 241 one day entry to 20 different places with the National Rail’s Days Out Guide.

In normal times, you need to show your train ticket at the gate and the discount will be applied.

However, until restrictions are cancelled, you do need to pre-book.

Free adult or child ticket to Merlin attractions with Cadburys

EXPIRED

Tuck into a tasty Cadburys chocolate (currently on offer for £1 in Tesco or Sainsbury’s) and get a free ticket to some of the biggest attractions in the UK.

Cadbury has teamed up with Merlin Entertainments to run a ticket promotion through until the summer.

It’s an on-pack promotion, meaning you need to buy selected products from Cadbury’s Chocolate and Biscuits range. Some seasonal items will also be included in the promotion.

The chocolate bar wrapper will be your 2 for 1 instant voucher to book a ticket online, and you can make potential savings of £53. You need to purchase at least one adult ticket at the same time.

To get the offer, visit the Cadbury website, click on the attraction you want to visit and start booking. You will be sent an e-ticket via email to gain entry.

Keep hold of the chocolate bar wrapper, as they may need to see it on the gate.

The vouchers expire on 30 September 2021, which gives loads of time over the summer holidays to use them, if you don’t want to go straight away.

In previous years, the free ticket promotion ran for 4 months, but with staycations at an all-time high in 2021, they are running the offer for 6 months.

Cadbury’s chocolate to look out the free ticket include:

• Dairy Milk Buttons 5 pack
• Dairy Milk buttons 6 pack
• Chomp bars 5 pack
• Curly Wurly 5 pack
• Curly Wurly 6 pack
• Dairy Milk Buttons 5 pack
• Dairy Milk Freddo 6 pack
• Dairy Milk Freddo Caramel 5 pack
• Dairy Milk Freddo Caramel 6 pack
• Fudge bars 5 pack
• Fudge bars 6 pack
• Dairy Milk Little Bars

You can use the ticket for days out at the following theme parks and attractions:

• Alton Towers Resort
• Chessington World of Adventures Resort Theme Park and Zoo
• Thorpe Park Resort
• The LEGOLAND® Windsor Resort
• Warwick Castle
• The Bear Grylls Adventure
• Shrek’s Adventure! London
• Madame Tussauds (London or Blackpool)
• The Dungeons (London, York, Edinburgh or Blackpool Tower)
• The Blackpool Tower Eye, The Blackpool Tower Circus at Blackpool Pleasure Beach
• The lastminute.com London Eye
• LEGOLAND® Discovery Centres (Manchester or Birmingham)
• SEA LIFE Aquariums & Centres (Birmingham, Great Yarmouth, Loch Lomond, Blackpool, Gweek, London, Brighton, Manchester, Scarborough, Bray, Hunstanton and Weymouth SEA LIFE Adventure Park)

Kellogg’s Grownupsgofree 2 for 1 Thorpe Park cereal boxes 2021 and more

Get a cheap day out at family favourite theme park resort like Alton Towers, Legoland, Warrick Castle, the London Eye or SEA LIFE Aquariums in the UK as well as attractions in Ireland including EPIC, Brigits Garden and National Wax Museum with Grownupsgofree.

While you need to spend a bit more than £1 on a bar of chocolate, the Kellogg’s Grown Ups Go Free offer sees you get more overall savings.

With their theme park deal, when you buy an adult or child ticket, you get an adult free ticket, so you pay less (if you’re travelling with a kid).

Look out for the unique 10-digit code printed inside promotional packs of Kellogg’s cereal, then enter the date you want to visit the attraction at www.merlinfun.com.

You won’t need to retain the cereal box if you book online.

The following Kellogg’s products are running this offer:

• Corn Flakes 
• Crunchy Nut 
• Rice Krispies (cereal and snack bar)
• Frosties (cereal and snack bar)
• Coco Pops (cereal and snack bar)
• Krave 
• Squares
• Fruit Winders
• Coco-Pops Choco Bakes
• Nutri-grain Elevenses
• Nutri-grain Fruit Bars

(Snack packs are not redeemable at The Bear Grylls Adventure).

Kellogg’s say you can cut out the voucher and present it at your chosen attraction on the day you want to visit, but it’s not even guaranteed you’ll be given entry due to capacity controls. So probably best to just pre-book online at the moment.

The voucher from packs is valid until 20 June 2022.

Half price entry with Carex

There was a bit of an influx in soap buyers in 2020! Maybe Carex wasn’t your usual brand, so you picked it up as it was the only one there, or maybe you buy it all the time anyway.

Now is the time to dig out your old soap bottles as the offer that ran in 2020 for half price theme park entry is still running.

They have extended the offer and vouchers are valid through until 31 May 2022.

You can use the voucher for half price entry to Alton Towers Theme Park, Chessington World of Adventures Resort or SEA LIFE Centres & Sanctuaries in the UK.

You do need to pre-book via the Carex website, get an e-ticket, plus present the promotional voucher/pack at the gate.

Tips to get the best theme park deal

To make sure you have not only a cheap day out, but an overall great day, here are some tips to consider before you and the family head out.

Check the dates

Not all dates are bookable, so check on the site before you get your hopes up.

For instance, most theme park entry isn’t possible on dates like fireworks night, Halloween or Christmas.

Also, some tickets cannot be used on certain excluded dates during the summer holidays.

Check age/height restrictions

For safety reasons, heigh restrictions and age restrictions are in place on a number of rollercoaster rides and resorts.

So, again, before getting your hopes up, check first. It’s best to get out a tape measure and check the heights of your children.

Free parking

Most theme park resorts offer free parking on site, with a bit of a walk to the resort gates and rides.

If you are visiting in central London, or some other attractions, parking may not be on site, so plan in if you can find free parking nearby, or if you need to factor in additional cost.

Get cheaper petrol

If you’re travelling by car, fuel prices can hurt and add so much extra cost if you have to travel a fair way.

Use these tips to get cheap petrol near me for every time you fill up.

Short breaks

You can use the theme park tickets offers during a short break as well.

You’ll need to book an overnight stay or hotel stay on the resort separately.

Hold onto the promotional pack

While it may be tempting to thrown rubbish in the bin, save the promo pack with the coupon code.

With some of the booking options, the T&C of the deal say you need to show the pack along with your pass at the time of park entry.

Eat cheap

Packing a lunch will be the cheapest option to save money. Theme parks will have facilities on site for fast food and also restaurants.

If you are planning an overnight stay, looking to take advantage of kids eat free offers at local restaurants.