Is It Worth Getting A Merlin Pass?

A Merlin Pass, which is an annual pass which allows entry to over 30 attractions throughout the UK, is priced at £119 per person for a Merlin Standard Annual Pass. For those who want more than the standard benefits offered, the Merlin Pass also extends to a Merlin Premium Annual Pass which is priced at £159 per person. For this specific blog post, I’m going to focus on the Merlin Standard Annual Pass as it’s the most popular option for those wanting to experience the attractions across the UK throughout the year. 

What Is Included? 
Entry Into Over 30 Attractions Across The UK
Free admission to popular theme parks such as Alton Towers Resort, Chessington World of Adventures and Legoland. Additionally, visitors can also visit the London Eye, The London Dungeons and even see everything that SEA LIFE London has to offer. If you live outside of London then there are attractions such as Warwick Castle, The Edinburgh Dungeon and Madame Tussauds Blackpool.

Up To 20% Discount on Food, Beverage & Retail 
Once inside these attractions the Merlin Pass will allow visitors to get benefits such as a discount on food, beverage and retail. As someone who previously held a Merlin Pass, there will always be instances where you will find yourself thirsty, hungry or both and as we all know food can be very expensive - 20% goes a long way. If you have children who have learnt that pester power will occasionally work then 20% off in the gift shops will make a souvenir not cost an arm and a leg. 

Discounted Entry For Family & Friends
If you plan to visit any of the attractions that the Merlin Pass offers but are visiting with someone who hasn’t purchased the pass, then you’ll be able to get them into these attractions at a discounted rate. These discounts can be as big as 50% as well as each pass holder being able to use it up to five times for family and friends. 

Restrictions
Although the Merlin Pass offers incredible value for those wanting to visit attractions across the UK, there are certain dates that members will be unable to use their pass during. For example, during the month of August visitors holding a Standard Pass will be unable to visit The London Dungeon, SEA LIFE London Aquarium, DreamWorks Tours Shrek’s Adventure! London, Madame Tussauds London, and The Coca-Cola London Eye. The same principle applies for Bank Holidays throughout the UK as well as specific dates leading up to Halloween - which prevents pass holders visiting Thorpe Park as there’s Fright Night Restrictions. 

Price of Each Attraction 
Prices are representative of buying tickets on the day as well as being correct as of July 2020. Attractions in London are highlighted in bold.

• Madame Tussauds Blackpool - £33
• Madame Tussauds London - £46.50
• SEA LIFE Blackpool - £11
• National SEA LIFE Centre Birmingham - £13
• SEA LIFE Brighton - £15
• SEA LIFE Great Yarmouth - £17.95
• SEA LIFE Sanctuary Hunstanton - £17.95
• SEA LIFE Loch Lomond - £9.95
• SEA LIFE London - £24
• SEA LIFE Manchester - £16.95
• SEA LIFE Scarborough - £16.50
• Weymouth SEA LIFE Adventure Park - £22.95
• SEA LIFE Bray - €13.50
• The Blackpool Tower Dungeon - £16.50 
• The London Dungeon - £30
• The Edinburgh Dungeon - £17.95
• The York Dungeon - £16.95
• The Warwick Castle Dungeon - £28
• Alton Towers Resort - £50
• Blackpool Tower - £33
• Chessington World of Adventures Resort - £52
• The London Eye - £36
• LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre Manchester - £16.95
• LEGOLAND® Windsor Resort - £60
• Shrek’s Adventure! - £29
• THORPE PARK Resort - £55
• Warwick Castle - £29
• LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre Birmingham - £20

If you lived in London and visited all of the attractions at least once throughout the year then without a Merlin Pass then it would cost you £217.50 compared to if you were to buy tickets on the day. These six attractions have a ticket price that is more expensive than the Merlin Pass itself. However, it should be kept in consideration that if you were to book in advance then tickets can have discounts as big as 50%, such as Chessington World of Adventures offering tickets throughout the year for £25. Even though the Merlin Pass gives incredible benefits as it allows free entry into over 30 attractions across the UK it would be worth researching what you’d actually do and see. For example, if you want to visit Legoland and a few other attractions then it may be worth investing solely into the Legoland Annual Pass which is currently priced at £59 whereas one ticket on the day costs £60 - it’s a no brainer. 

Overall, the Merlin Pass seems good in theory if you plan ahead - you can save yourself hundreds upon hundreds of pounds if you visit these attractions at least monthly. Unfortunately, the only downside I find to the Merlin Pass is that there is a restriction to when you can visit certain attractions throughout the year - especially during August, which ruins plans of those wanting to take their children to these attractions during the summer holidays. But then again, these attractions need to make money somehow and have found a way in which during the busiest period of the year, they can do so.