Value for money (not the best)

When I got this year's membership at Chester, I think it had gone up to £100. It is a gift for me from my father, though, so I don't care. I generally get a few visits to Chester in during the year, plus one or two of the free visits to other zoos. I did well this year with Twycross, Bristol and Colchester - was very cross with myself for forgetting when I went to Paignton.

I do wonder how they check it is one visit - I am sure at Bristol they just looked at the card. I am tempted to try a second trip, but don't want to get into trouble.
 
We visited Marwell and Bristol using our Colchester pass and they didn't scan, jst looked and let us through. The only one that I reckon you couldn't get away with is Rotterdam, as they scanned and printed zoo tickets form the pass. I think you'd be fine on a Bristol repeat. Worse case, plead ignorance!
 
NigeW said:
Is it now officially one visit a year, and if so, has that just been applied?
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The websites for the zoos in this scheme stipulate that some are only one free entry and it has been that way for Chester and several others for a few years. However, as noted by others, there are no checks that I have seen at any zoo. A couple have requested the accompanying membership letter for Chester from me, as the card does not have the date on it, as the likes of Colchester and Twycross.

BeakerUK said:
When I got this year's membership at Chester, I think it had gone up to £100.
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If you set up the direct debit, it is £90.
 
littleRedPanda said:
If you set up the direct debit, it is £90.
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That explains it. I have decided next year to get membership of Bristol and Hamerton instead, as together they are marginally cheaper (than the non-direct debit price). Both zoos are closer to me, and combined with the size are more do-able in a day trip (I can't manage Chester in one day and usually go for two days).
 
The one trip to certain collections is in no way enforced - we have Colchester passes and they just look at the card and wave you through at all the other collections we have been to use it. I even managed to get into Marwell having forgotton my card by calling Colchesters customer services team and asking them to confirm over the phone that I am a platinum pass holder to the person on the gate at Marwell.
 
Zooreviewsuk said:
I am a Gold member of Blackpool but its £91 a year, and it's actually poor value as you get no free admissions anywhere else and effectively have to go 5 times a year to pay for
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Twycross is included in memberships now till febuary
 
NigeW said:
I've used Chester membership at other collections where reciprocal entry applies and its never been limited to one visit. Admittedly I've never tried to go a lot within the year to another collection, but the likes of Twycross and Colchester have welcomed us in on production of membership card, with no check as to whether we'd been already that year.

Is it now officially one visit a year, and if so, has that just been applied?

I agree that Hamerton and Cotswold are great value, and Chester's general admission for a very full day is good value. As for London, supply and demand applies, but if you travel to the capital by train as many people do there's a long standing two for one offer that makes it look more reasonable.
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It's meant to be one a year, but not sure how it's checked, as when you go to another Zoo, they just look at membership card, they don't scan or anything. However the letter states one time on it on Chesters and unlimited from SZSL and I stick to that as I wouldn't like to abuse what they state, when most of these places are charities at the end of the day.
 
migdog said:
The only one that I reckon you couldn't get away with is Rotterdam, as they scanned and printed zoo tickets form the pass.
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We went to Rotterdam two days running using Colchester cards without any problem in early June 2018.
 
If you want poor value, I'd suggest the annual membership at Shepreth. Adult ticket £12 (or £10.80 bought online before the day of the visit). Adult annual pass £75.
 
I am a member at twycross along with my two little boys whom love to see the animals And all though I do think there gate prices are high given the size of the collection and now arguably losing the biggest attraction with the elephant heard. At almost £20 an adult / £16 a child, but they have balance with all the free entry days or £5 / £10 days. The membership has been great value for us at £60 adult / £35 child over the last 9 months or so as we are local we can use it almost like a park with exotic animals and have probably been fifteen or so times, sometimes a day sometimes just a hour. Along with other collections we got in over the summer Chester, Colchester, Bristol and recently Blackpool all included in the membership. Doing the maths quickly that saved us just over £900 in the last nine months.
 
BeakerUK said:
If you want poor value, I'd suggest the annual membership at Shepreth. Adult ticket £12 (or £10.80 bought online before the day of the visit). Adult annual pass £75.
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I'm not sure if it's still the case, but a couple of years ago you couldn't get in at Shepreth with an annual pass on bank Holidays, which made it even worse value.
The annual pass does currently get you into a lot of other zoos in Eastern England for half price though, making it slightly better value. Linton's is £35!

Edit : Just checked and an annual pass still cannot be used on Bank Holidays at Shepreth!
 
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I considered membership of the Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Centre a while back as it's a lovely little place. However, it's already very cheap to get in at £6.25 for an adult, and whilst the season ticket isn't the most expensive out there at £52, I worked out that I would have to go more times there to make it pay for itself than at Twycross (which is the membership I went for in the end, and was just £8 more). They do say this adult membership includes up to 3 children under 15, in which case it would be great value, but as I do not have children, I want an option that is just a single adult.
 
BeakerUK said:
I considered membership of the Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Centre a while back as it's a lovely little place. However, it's already very cheap to get in at £6.25 for an adult, and whilst the season ticket isn't the most expensive out there at £52, I worked out that I would have to go more times there to make it pay for itself than at Twycross (which is the membership I went for in the end, and was just £8 more). They do say this adult membership includes up to 3 children under 15, in which case it would be great value, but as I do not have children, I want an option that is just a single adult.
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True, twycross has now gone up for next year now £65 adult £50 child so up £5 adult and £15 child which I still good value in my mind given the frequency I can visit and entry to other zoos but a little cheeky given they have lost arguably there star attraction this year, but as I said still good value.
 
I'm a fellow at ZSL Whipsnade and although it is quite expensive, £141 it does cover both whipsnade and London and you can take a guest with and free car entry/parking at london so a couple if visits and you get your money back
 
I must confess that the cost for two of us to get into Regent's Park rather surprised me, over £53 even with old codger discount. Since we are both life members at Chester (free admission, no annual fee :) ) we are not used to shelling out.

[Yes, I appreciate our NEZS membership might have got us in for free, but I like to make a contribution to the zoo's important work. Just didn't expect it to be £53 worth! :eek: ]
 
I have just been reminded that All Things Wild isn't great value for money. £11.99 for an adult (and £65 for annual membership - if I am going to spend that much, it will be for Twycross, not All Things Wild!) I am sure it's a great day out for a family with young children, with the play areas, animals and dinosaurs, but as an adult, I feel very much like I am subsidising the play stuff that I can't use with my entrance price. Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Centre has a wider range of animals and is almost half the price.
 
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