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Alton Towers Waterpark review for families

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Alton Towers Waterpark review for families

With the weather warming up, we visited Alton Towers Waterpark in Stoke-on-Trent to tell you if it's worth a trip.

Splash Landings Waterpark

Laura Riddell

Our Rating

4.4

A star rating of 4.4 out of 5.

Save

In a nutshell

A super fun tropical waterpark with slides, a lazy river, water cannons, buckets, pull ropes and water wheels, set within the Alton Towers Resort

What we tested

Fun for kids

5.0

A star rating of 5.0 out of 5.
Fun for parents

4.0

A star rating of 4.0 out of 5.
Worth the money

4.0

A star rating of 4.0 out of 5.
Facilities

4.0

A star rating of 4.0 out of 5.
Family friendliness

5.0

A star rating of 5.0 out of 5.

Overall Rating

4.4

A star rating of 4.4 out of 5.

Pros

Fun for young families; good lifeguard presence; variety of water slides; poolside food available; warm temperate throughout

Cons

Time restriction may apply during busy periods; not many food options; long queue for Master Blaster; needs more rings and inflatables

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Who we are and when we visited:

Laura Riddell is an editor and mum-of-two. She visited Alton Towers Waterpark with her husband and their six-year-old and three-year-old sons on a quiet, sunny Sunday during a bank holiday weekend at the beginning of May.

How much does it cost in 2025?

Tickets to the Alton Towers Theme Park does not include Waterpark entry. Make sure to book in advance to guarantee entry and to secure the best price.

An online Waterpark ticket for an adult (12+) costs £18, a parent and toddler pass costs £23, and a Merlin discount pass costs £14.40.

Alton Towers Waterpark press image

Alton Towers Waterpark via Merlin Entertainments

How long will we spend at Alton Towers Waterpark?

A timed entry system is in place – you select from the available times when you book online. During busy periods, timed sessions may be in operation. These will give access to the waterpark for a minimum of 2 hours. When we arrived on a bank holiday Monday in May, there was no time restriction in place, and we could have stayed as long as we wanted.

If we hadn’t had a long journey back to London we probably would have stayed longer. But after a great couple of days at the theme park and the Waterpark, I would now definitely consider coming back to Alton Towers and staying at the Splash Landings Hotel for a special occasion or birthday treat.

If you want more theme park fun, take a look at our roundup of the best UK theme parks.

Is it suitable for pre-school children?

Absolutely! For older children there’s the Master Blaster, which twists and turns around the whole of the Waterpark, the Rush ‘N’ Rampage high-speed slides and the Flash Floods: Outdoor Flume Adventures. But there’s still loads to keep younger children entertained, with smaller slides only for those under 1.1m. Little Leak is an area designed for toddlers and babies. It’s a bright shallow pool where they can paddle, slide and play. Wacky Waterworks Treehouse has over 70 interactive water features and is suitable for pre-school children.

Alton Towers Waterpark press image

What shouldn’t be missed?

Highlights for us were:

When we arrived at Splash Landings and my boys looked out the window of the restaurant on to the Waterpark below, they jumped up and down with excitement. When we entered the Waterpark, they both ran in different directions. I followed my youngest and my husband took our six-year-old on the bigger waterslides.
What I loved most was how warm it was in the Waterpark, both indoors and in the outdoor pools. It was a cloudy day with a bit of a chill in the air, but the outdoor pools were lovely and warm.
We spent about three hours at the Waterpark, and the boys didn’t want to leave, but we had to make the journey back to London. I got stuck in tough negotiations with my three-year-old who kept going up and down the small water slide in the Little Leak section. ‘Last go Reuben’ ‘No, ten more’ ‘Three more’ ‘Five more turns’ ‘OK, five more’. In the end, I bribed them out of the Waterpark with the promise of an ice-cream but even then, they left very reluctantly.

Does Alton Towers Waterpark have lifeguards?

Yes, when we visited there was a strong lifeguard presence around the Waterpark.

Does Alton Towers Waterpark have family changing rooms?

There are lots of individual and family changing facilities (with nappy changing tables in the family changing rooms). Lockers are available to store your valuables, but require a 20p piece. A free swim nappy can be provided from the Waterpark reception and additional swim nappies can be purchased from the Waterpark shop.

What are the food and drink facilities like at Alton Towers Waterpark?

There are poolside eateries offering things like jacket potatoes, sandwiches or chicken goujons and chips (about £6 for a kid’s meal) and ice-cream. There were lots of people sat at the tables around the Waterpark in swimsuits, eating lunch before carrying on their enjoyment of the pools and waterslides.

What are the adult to child ratios required when visiting Alton Towers Waterpark?

Alton Towers Waterpark operates a strict adult to child ratio of one adult (aged 16+) to one child aged 4 or under OR one adult (aged 16+) to two children aged 5, 6, or 7.

All members of the party must be swimming to fulfil the ratio. And children under 8 years of age must have a supervising adult (16+) with them in the water at all times.

Alton Towers Waterpark press image

Opening dates and times:

Alton Towers Waterpark opens at 10am everyday and closes at 4pm on weekdays and 6pm on weekends. Hours vary during school holidays, check the Alton Towers website for the latest opening times.

Where is the Waterpark?

The waterpark is based in the resort’s Splash Landings Hotel (but you don’t need to be staying at the hotel to go to the Waterpark). It’s both indoors and outdoors and is open all year round.

How to get to Alton Towers Waterpark:

Alton Towers Resort is located in rural Staffordshire and is still easily accessibly by a number of options:

If you're visiting by car, you should put the postcode ST10 4DB into your satnav. The resort is well signposted and is located between the M1 and M6.
The nearest train station to Alton Towers is Uttoxeter which is a 30 minute bus ride from the resort. You can find train tickets on thetrainline.com.
Alton Towers is accessible by a number of bus routes including the X41 and 32X operated by D&G, and the X52 operated by Notts & Derby buses. Find more information here.

Which hotels or holiday accommodations are near Alton Towers Waterpark?

The Alton Towers Waterpark is located in the resort's Splash Landings Hotel which you can book here.
Alton Towers Resort has many other accommodation options on site including Woodland Lodges, CBeebies Land Hotel, and the Alton Towers Hotel.
Holiday Extras offers deals on a short break to Alton Towers, including an overnight stay in a nearby hotel and park tickets.
You can find more family-friendly hotel deals near to Alton Towers on Booking.com and Vrbo.
For self-catering cottage ideas close to the Resort, look on Holiday Cottages.

Nearby attractions:

There is plenty to see and do at Alton Towers, as well as the Waterpark the Resort has many other attractions on site including the Alton Towers Theme Park, Alton Towers Dungeon and Extraordinary Golf crazy golf course.

If you're planning on staying in the area, you can visit the lovely Dimmingsdale for a forest walk, or the Peak Wildlife Park, both of which are less than a 15 minute drive from Alton Towers.

MFM verdict:

If you’re making a journey to visit Alton Towers Theme Park and are staying somewhere local overnight, then I would highly recommend making the most of your trip by visiting the Waterpark the following morning. Just be sure to book in advance to avoid disappointment.

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Authors

Laura Riddell