Merlin Annual Pass : Is it worth it?

We are now well into our second year of being Gold Merlin Pass holders and we love the ability to visit our favourite Merlin attractions as much as we want! It’s also takes away the pressure of feeling like you need to do everything in one day as you know your be visiting again soon! We aren’t the ‘take a picnic‘ type of family ….I’m afraid I’m just not that organised so the fact you also get discount on food, drink and retail is a perk we also enjoy!
The main draw for us was the theme parks but in our first year we also visited The Shrek Adventure, Madam Tussaud's London and The London Eye. There are many attractions and locations to choose from all over the country!  

Merlin Holiday Club
Nearly all the theme parks have their own hotels now and although fantastic they can be pricey! We have saved a lot of money booking through the Merlin Holiday Club . If you are lucky to have the freedom of going in term time you pick up a really cheap rate but we’ve picked up some good deals in the holidays too! 

So how much have we saved?!
Now obviously we wouldn’t have visited these attractions as much as we do unless we have had the passes. But you buy them because you want to use them so it’s a no brainer. Last year we made a saving of £412 on admission and hotel stays alone. On top of this would have been retail and hospitality discounts but you also receive free parking too at theme parks. We initially paid £219 each for 3 passes. We decided to pay in full upfront  but you can opt to pay it monthly by direct debit too. The renewal this year was £169 each for up front payment so it was even more worth it this year. What’s also nice is you get friends and family discount so it’s been great to go in a group or if Mason has wanted to bring a friend for a treat!

There are 3 types of Merlin Passes To Choose from starting from £99 for a discovery pass. I would recommend looking at the inclusion dates to find this best one for you! They currently have a Black Friday Sale on and for monthly passes there is currently no upfront fees! 

The best part for me has been the memories made and those you just can’t put a price on. At the moment our go to is Legoland - we’re actually headed there after school on Friday for a splash & stay to get a quick fix! However Cadburys world has recently been added to Merlin Pass so that is next on our list! To us it has been and continues to be totally worth it!