Sunday 15 September 2019

All you need to know about a Merlin Pass.

Hey readers,

If you like going to the top attractions in the UK then one way to save money on days out is to purchase a Merlin Pass. 


What is a Merlin Pass? 

A Merlin pass is a pass that you pay for to enter 30 top attractions (see further down of all the attractions available on the Merlin pass).

You can either pay monthly or annual and each type of pass opens up different offers to you such as reduced food, car parking costs. 


How much does it cost?

There are two types of Merlin pass that you can buy - standard annual pass and premium annual pass, each comes with a set of their own perks that you can use during the time at a Merlin attraction. 

Standard annual pass. 

Annual prices. 

Individual price (adult or child) - £179.00 or family price per person. 3+ ( max 3 adults. Adults aged 12+).

Renewal price - prices from  £109.00  per person. 

Monthly prices. 

Individual monthly price - £8.99 per person plus joining fee £29.99 per person.

12-month minimal term. Total of 12 months cost £137.87.

Premium annual pass. 

Annual price.

* (adult or child) £229.00 per person. 

Family - 3+ (max 3 adults 12+) £189 per person.

Monthly price.

 £11.99 per person plus £34.99 joining fee per person. 

12-month minimal term, a total of 12 months cost £178.87. 

Perks.

Entry into UK attractions.

Free Royal Mail Delivery (3-5 Working Days).

Up to 20% discount on food, beverage and retail.

Short Breaks offers and discounts with Merlin Holiday Club.

Invites to exclusive Passholder Preview Events.

Discounted entry for family & friends.

Free car parking at our Theme Parks and Warwick Castle.

Visit anytime without restrictions (Subject to T&Cs).

Exclusive Passholder pack.

Priority entry to UK attractions (subject to availability).

Additional bits.

 A complimentary carer pass
 - this is a pass for any carer to help assist with a disabled person. It is not allocated specifically to one person but to the carer at that time of visiting. 

 This pass is free so you don't have to pay any cost towards the ticket. There must be at least one responsible adult in the visiting party (the party means the disabled guest and the guest using the carer Pass) in order for the party to enter an attraction.

To apply for the carer pass you will need to provide proof of disability when getting the pass issued, this can be any of the following documentation:

* Disability Living Allowance (DLA).

* Personal Independence Payment (PIP).

* Blue Badge (photo ID required).

* Signed letter from GP (photo ID required).

Documentation should be dated within the last 24 months, documentation dated later than this maybe rejected.



Type Talk.

When speaking to us via the telephone we accept all Type Talk calls. All of our agents are fully trained to use this service.

Hearing and Assistance.




Many of the attractions have the hearing assistance service for anyone uses a hearing aid.

Ride Access Pass.

Guests with certain disabilities are able to get a disabled access pass which means they can enter via the ride exit to avoid the queuing.


Buggy hire.

There are a limited amounts of buggies to hire at Merlin attractions. You would be wise to come early so you won't be disappointed. 

The cost of hiring out a pushchair for the day is £10 and a refundable deposit of £10 is required. 

Buggies must be returned, at the very latest, 30 minutes prior to the advertised Park closing time to guarantee that the deposit is returned.

Buggies cannot be taken through any queue lines and therefore must be left outside the entrance of the rides, keeping the entry point clear.

Please note items left in buggies or prams are left at the owner's risk. 

Wheelchair hire.

There are a limited number of wheelchairs and not all Merlin attractions due them such as Madame Tussauds. However, the theme park based ones do. 

The cost to hire out a wheelchair is  A £20 refundable deposit is required and a rental charge of £10 applies to guests who cannot show documentation confirming their eligibility. 

You can hire them at the box office on a first-come, first-served basis. 

Pop badges. 

Pop badges are collectible badges that you can collect at different Merlin attractions and put them on your passholder lanyard.  

They all have different designs and different ways to get them. I have only got a few but I explain below the ways in which I got them. 

Legoland Windsor - can get a Legoland pop badge when you purchase a kid's meal at any restaurant within the resort. 

Thorpe Park - Didn't have any in the shop they claimed so don't know how you get them. 

Alton Towers - didn't bother been told you can get them from a machine in the sea life centre within the resort at a cost of £2. 

We are planning on going back in a few weeks and test out that theory and shall update to let you know. 

After Thorpe park and visit to Legoland, I was so disheartened trying to get pop badges for my two little children but the time we visited Alton Towers I had completely given up on the idea of getting them. 


Circus, Blackpool - Main tower reception you can pick a circus pop badge up. 

Blackpool Tower - Tower shop you can pick up a badge with no purchase needed. 

The Blackpool Tower Dungeon - You need to purchase a dungeon guide for £2.60 with a Merlin pass and the assistant will give you a set of for each Merin passholder.

Blackpool Sea Life centre - one at the rock pool area and completing an activity sheet with children (answers are upside down on the sheet). You can collect the pop badge from the shop at the end. 

Blackpool Madame Tussauds - visit at the nice assistant at the shop and she will give you a few pop badges with your choice of the image such as Groot or Spider-Man, etc. 



When to buy a Merlin Pass.

The best time to buy a Merlin Pass is in January as they have a sale on and you grab a fab deal. 

Friends and family ticket.

With being a Merlin passholder you can save up to 50% with getting day tickets for family and friends. You can even book the tickets online to any of the resort theme parks. 

Each valid Merlin Annual Pass allows for the purchase of up to 5 friends and family tickets.

 Failure to present a valid Merlin Annual Pass when collecting your friends and family rickets will result in a non-refundable the ticket being charged at full gate price. 

Terms and Conditions. 

This is collect at the attraction ONLY ticket. 

* Tickets must be booked at least 24 hours in advance. 

* The friends and family ticket is for standard entry only. 

* Tickets are valid for one visit to the specified attraction.

Prices are subject to availability.

* A valid standard, premium or V.I.P. Merlin passholder must be present when collecting the tickets. 

* Failure to present a valid Merlin annual pass when collecting your friends/family ticket will result in a non-refundable ticket being charged at full gate price.

Attractions.

Chessington World of Adventure. 

The London Eye. 

Thorpe Park Resort. 

Alton Towers Resort.

Warwick Castle.

National Sea Life Centre Birmingham. 

Sea Life Brighton. 

Legoland Discovery Centre Manchester.

Legoland Windsor resort.

Blackpool Tower.

Legoland Discovery Centre Birmingham.

Madame Tussauds Blackpool.

Madame Tussauds London.

Sea Life Blackpool.

Sea Life Bray.

Sea Life Great Yarmouth.

Sea life Loch Lomond.

Sea Life London.

Sea Life Manchester.

Sea Life Sanctuary Hunstanton.

Sea Life Scarborough.

Shrek's Adventure.

The Blackpool Tower Dungeon.

The Edinburgh Dungeon.

The London Dungeon.

The Warwick Castle Dungeon. 

The York dungeon.

Weymouth Sea Life Adventure Park. 

  Attractions in order of location. 

North England. 

Blackpool - Sea Life Centre, The Blackpool Tower Dungeon, Blackpool Tower, Madame Tussauds. 

Manchester - Legoland Discovery Centre.

Scarborough - Sea Life Centre. 

Weymouth  - Sea Life Adventure Park

York - The York Dungeons. 

East England. 

Great Yarmouth - Sea Life Centre.

Sanitary Hunstanton (Norfolk) - Sea Life Sanctuary.

South-West England. 

Weymouth - Sea Life Adventure Park.

South England. 

Bray - Sea Life Centre.

Brighton - Sea Life Centre.

Chertsey - Thorpe Park Resort.

London - Chessington World of Adventure, Madame Tussauds, Shrek's Adventure, The London Dungeon, Sea Life Centre, The London Eye. 

Windsor - Legoland Resort.

West Midlands. 

Birmingham - National Sea Life Centre, Legoland Discovery Centre. 

Alton (Staffordshire)  - Alton Towers Resort. 

Warwick - Warwick Castle, The Warwick Castle dungeons. 

Scotland.

Edinburgh  - The Edinburgh Dungeon. 

Loch Lomond - Sea Life Centre.


Is it worth it?

You need to add up the total and then work out how many attractions can you get to which will determine whether it is value for money. 

I live in the midlands so better lengths to travel and more options as a pose to someone who lives in Edinburgh say. 


 Blackpool

The other week we went to Blackpool as there is were six Merlin attractions in the area so makes a lovely trip away with the family. 


In the Blackpool Tower, there is a circus there which is fantastic and definitely recommend. 

You do not need to book but it would be advised so you don't miss out. 

You can pay for tickets on the day however Merlin advise that it can take 60 minutes queuing for the tickets. 

Alternatively, you can book online and guarantee to have tickets for the day you visit. 

However, it does come with an extra cost on top of the Merlin Pass costing £5 for standard seats or £5.75 for second-row or £7.95 for front row seats. 

Both the £5.75 and £7.95 come with complimentary ice cream or popcorn (the popcorn is excellent quality and comes with a sealed back with a weight of 170g ish, which is a lot and definitely not expecting such a huge amount). Along with a soft drink of your choice.

Cheers for reading X 

My Sunday photo 15/09/2019


Friday 13 September 2019

Autumn date ideas that don't break the bank. **AD**

Hey readers,

Whether you're in a relationship or single we can all admit that autumn is a time to get cosy and spend it with someone you enjoy the company with. 

Running up to Christmas maybe you feel you have to tread cautiously with regarding money and not overspending. 

That does not mean to say you can't have any fun with someone and don't even have to break the bank. 

Below I have written some date ideas that may give you some inspiration on how to have low-cost dates that have lots of fun. 



Film night. 

Get cozy at home, turn down the lights and get the throws out, close the curtains and feel safe in the warm when it is cold and dark outside.

 There is plenty of films on during the autumn months so what better way to spend an evening with someone. 

Cooking.

If your into cooking or baking a fun thing to do is make something together in the kitchen. It creates a relaxed environment and less focus on you and more on the cooking which makes it much more fun. 

Singletons. 

If you are in the singles market and want to have naughty fun with like-minded people then check out datenaughtysingles.co.uk/.  

You can grab a date with no anxiety about putting an impression on because it is all about living in the moment and enjoying yourself with someone with similar needs to you. 

Pumpkin Carving.

Who says pumpkin carving is just for kids. It is a great way to get in the spooky mood and maybe even do a competition to see who can carve the best pumpkin. 

You don't need to go to a fancy pumpkin patch there are plenty of reasonably priced pumpkins in Lidl or Aldi for the fraction of the price. 

Stargazing. 

During Autumn the evenings can be mild and darker earlier so a sweet idea is to get the blankets head outside and lie next to one another cuddling and looking at the stars. 

No strings.

Of course, some people just want to get intimate with no strings attached which are fine because we all have different needs. 

Check out nostringsdating.net  where you can meet like-minded people to keep you warm this autumn ;) 

Board games. 

A fun way to spend an evening is to just the old board games and get competitive to see who can win, it is great way to relax with one another and you will never know where the night will lead.....

Early night. 

In this day and age, we can spend time not on our loved ones but on the old screen. So why not take a night off and go to bed early with your partner and get cosy and cuddly in the sheets. 

It is great way to show you appreciate your partner especially if you ditch the phone to spend some quality time with them, I am sure it will but a smile on their face. 

Bath. 

Nothing is relaxing than sharing a bubble bath with someone you like and it is a perfect way to wind down for the night and feel cosy in autumn. 

What ways do you like to have dates with someone in the autumn time that doesn't' cost the earth? Love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below. 

Cheers for reading X 

This is an AD however all opinions expressed are entirely my own. 





Thursday 12 September 2019

Why autumn is the best time to date in Warwickshire. **AD**

Hey readers,

Can you believe we are in September already which gives me all the cosy feelings.  This time of year is a wonderful time if your single and ready to mingle and let me tell you why. 

Now, I live close by to Warwickshire which is a beautiful place to go explore with someone new who may not know the area or simply enjoy the location as much as you. During Autumn in Warwickshire makes a wonderful backdrop when going out and having a good time with someone new. 

Because autumn is a mild month this means that you can still take advantage of the pleasant weather. You can go on walks in the evening say to a park. Don't worry there is plenty of parks to walk around in Warwickshire such as Abbey Fields in Kenilworth.

 The park idea is fab because you don't have to spend money on getting to know someone as that in its self can be costly depending on where you go. 



Walking around Abbey fields during autumn means one it is mild so you don't freeze to death but also you can enjoy the beautiful autumnal colours.

 At abbey fields, you can take in the view of the lake with the wildlife and see Kenilworth castle in the distance. 

You can bring a picnic along as there is plenty of fields to sit in or if that is not your thing there are some picnic benches. 

With internet dating, it is so much more easy to find people that live close by that you may not have stumbled upon that could be the one for you. 

A brilliant website that is designed for people in Warwickshire or close by is Warwickshire Singles .  

It is easy to join up and free. You don't have to worry about security. Warwickshire Dating
makes sure that each profile is checked by customer service and they are there to assist with any worries that you may face on the site.

Alongside the park idea, another thought is that during the lead up to Christmas means events are held around Warwickshire. 

These events are mostly free so you don't have to break the bank especially if you're conscious about Christmas around the corner. 

One thing I like to do is wander around the towns locally such as Royal Leamington Spa, Warwick, Kenilworth and check out the Christmas lights.

It brings about the childhood feels especially in the evening when it is dark and the lights twinkle to get you feeling all fuzzy.

 Of course, during the lead up to Christmas, there are plenty of Christmas lights switch-on through many of the towns of Warwickshire which are free to attend and there will be entertainment such as some celebrity figure doing the switch on. 

Alternatively, there are many free museums in Warwickshire such as Warwick Hall Museum, which is free to enter.

Going to the museum is perfect for when it is a bit chilly or wet and want to escape and take the opportunity to know someone new whilst learning a bit of history along the way. 

What kind of free date ideas during the autumn do you like to do? Love to hear your thoughts in the comment section. 



Cheers for reading X 

This is an AD for Warwickshire Singles. All opinions expressed are entirely my own. 








Wednesday 11 September 2019

Autumn Tag 2019

Hey readers,

I saw this and had to do it as it makes me feel or cosy snuggled down in this horrid weather. I do have a little bit of an addiction to tags as well, oops!



1. What signifies the start of Autumn for you?

Middle of  September with the cooler climate, the leaves are starting to fall and it gets darker at night.

2. What is your favorite Fall scent?

Cinnamon.

3. What is your favorite Autumn colour? 

auburn or mustard, can't decide both are bloody gorgeous in their own right.

4. What is your favourite Fall drink? 

Hot chocolate with all the trimmings - cream, marshmallows!

5. What TV show, new or old, are you looking forward to this Fall? 

Don't really watch much telly, more of a YouTube addict. But I like Humans and Dave Gorman's Life is Goodish. I also like the odd bit of comedy like Mock The Week or have I Got News For You.

6. What is your favorite Fall fashion trend?

jumpers/cardigans/capes. Yes, cosy is my ting!

Fashion, Clothes, Sweater, Wool

7. What is your favourite frugal Autumn activity? 

Staying in curling up with a hot drink or going for an autumn walk in a park or woodlands

.Autumn, Forest, Forest Path, Beech Wood

8. What is your favourite makeup look come autumnal weather? 

Not really got a particular thing.

THE AUTUMN 2016 TAG QUESTIONS - FEEL FREE TO COPY + PASTE

1. What signifies the start of Autumn for you?
2. What is your favorite Fall scent?
3. What is your favorite Autumn colour?
4. What is your favorite Fall drink?
5. What TV show, new or old, are you looking forward to this Fall?
6. What is your favorite Fall fashion trend?
7. What is your favorite frugal Autumn activity?
8. What is your favourite makeup look come autumnal weather?

Cheers for reading X