Alton Towers App Review
If you have visited Alton Towers then you will know about the Alton Towers App. They are keen for you to download it and advertise it a lot around the park. I have found it useful for finding out Alton Towers queue times and not so useful for a few other things. I thought a quick run-down of what the App is useful for and what it’s not so good for would be helpful.
The App that gives you the Alton Towers queue times is a free download. I added to my phone from the Play Store using the wifi at the theme park. It is currently rated 3.5 in the Play Store but they have made significant improvements since they first launched the App as recent reviews are generally much better than historical ones.
Explore Function – Alton Towers Map
If I am 100% honest I found this function infuriating when I tried to use it in the theme park, but I think I may have been wrong. Juggling two children and using occasionally spotty wifi meant I could not figure out how to navigate the map. There always seemed to be a massive ad taking up most of the screen.
Playing with it now at home I can clearly see that if I double-tap the map the ad disappears and I can navigate around like any other Google map. The only minor annoyance is that it automatically aligns North to South making it difficult to get your bearings against the paper map which is South to North.
The explore function shows you where you are on the map and allows you to easily see what you are close to. Using tabs at the top you can filter for attractions, shows, food and drink, facilities, shops, and hotels. This would have been really useful when our four year old needed to find a toilet quickly.
Each map marker has additional information. For rides, this includes queue times and height restrictions. All restaurants have allergy information and the resort ones also have menus and booking options.
Alton Towers Queue Times
We have been to Alton Towers twice now to visit CBeebies Land with our two young children. Queues are a pain for everyone but with toddlers, they are almost unbearable. The good news is that the Alton Towers App is excellent for giving you an idea of where the queues are and which rides are quiet. I would add the caveat that ride times are never 100% accurate but this really does help plan your day.
The Queues section has tabs for thrill rides and family rides. The thrill rides tab has all the big rollercoasters. The family tab was obviously more useful to us. It includes all the CBeebies Land rides (check out this blog post for more tips on how to beat the queues at CBeebies Land) and more child-friendly rides from the rest of the park (check this post on Alton Towers rides for toddlers and young children). All Alton Towers height restrictions for each ride can be seen by clicking on each ride for more information.
Shop Function
This is the section of the App that Alton Towers want you to use. It’s the feature that helps you spend your money. If you download the App before your visit you can use it to buy your tickets for the day. You can also purchase season passes, short breaks, fast track passes and any number of other exciting extras.
Info Function
The final section of the Alton Towers App is one you will definitely want to check out. From the Guest Services section, you will want to note the opening and closing times for the day of your visit. Remember that if you are staying at the resort you get early entry. (You should check out this post if you want some more tips on visiting CBeebies Land and Alton Towers Resort.) You will probably also want to know your parking options before you go. This section also has some useful FAQs.
Alton Towers App Review
While it is by no means perfect, this App deserves more than its current 3.5 star rating in the Play Store. The improvements made mean it gives a fair reflection of queue times and much more information besides. Download it before you go to get the most out of your visit and use all the pre-visit functions.
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