Update 8th January 2021 @ 3.15pm
Following the update from the UK Government in response to COVID-19 on Monday 4th January 2021, our attractions will now be temporarily closed until it is appropriate to reopen. If you have a pre-existing booking or hotel stay, you will be contacted via e-mail by your chosen attraction.
To account for the time our attractions will be closed, we can confirm that we will be adding a two-month extension to current expiry dates for all Merlin Annual Passes purchased or renewed after 31st May 2020. Pass extensions will happen automatically, and you don’t have to do anything to activate this. Please visit the New Expiry Date Calculator to check your new expiry date.
For Monthly Membership Passholders, all payments will be frozen for two months from Saturday 9th January 2021 and will resume from 9th March 2021. This will happen automatically, and you do not need to do anything to activate this.
Thank you so much for continuing to bear with us during these difficult times and we look forward to welcoming you all through our attraction gates soon to make magical memories with us in 2021.
Until that time, stay safe and we wish you all a very happy New Year!
Please read our FAQs at the bottom of this page.
Update 21st December 2020 @ 11.30am
Following the latest Government update on Saturday 19th December, we can unfortunately confirm that some of our attractions are now in Tier 4 and have therefore temporarily closed in line with Government guidance. We recommend all Passholders with bookings visit the relevant attraction website to confirm if it is affected, and to follow the advised next steps.
While we had been looking forward to welcoming you, our Passholders, for safe, festive fun at our affected attractions, the health and well-being of you and our staff is our top priority.
Any Passholders with hotel bookings at affected attractions should already have received an email from the attraction team regarding re-arranging your stay.
We very much look forward to the time when we can welcome our Passholder family safely back to our attractions and will be in touch with updates regarding this as soon as we are able. Until that time, stay safe and we look forward to seeing you again soon.
Update 1st December 2020 @ 9.30am
Following the latest Government update on Thursday 26th November, we are pleased to confirm that many of our attractions will reopen on Thursday 3rd December. We can’t wait to welcome you back!
Unfortunately, in line with Government guidance for regions in Tier 3, we are currently unable to reopen our resort hotels and accommodation. We recommend that all Passholders with hotel bookings in December at affected attractions please head to the attraction websites and follow advised next steps.
Further, we can confirm some of our Midway indoor attractions in areas moving into Tier 3 from Wednesday 2nd December, such as SEA LIFE and our LEGOLAND® Discovery Centres in Birmingham and Manchester, will sadly be unable to reopen. We recommend heading to the attraction’s website before visiting to ensure that the attraction or event you wish to visit is open and operating.
The good news is that we will still be able to welcome day guests to enjoy our outdoor Christmas attractions including Winter’s Tail at Chessington World of Adventures and LEGOLAND® at Christmas .Whilst some of the indoor attractions that guests would normally see at our attractions at this time of year cannot open, we are certain that we can still offer local Passholders some much needed festive cheer. Please head to our attraction websites for more details.
As we very much look forward to welcoming guests back to our attractions, the health and safety of our guests and staff remains our number one priority. We will continue with the additional hygiene and safety measures within our Covid-secure attraction, which can be found here.
Update 5th November 2020 @ 3pm
Following the recent update from the UK Government on its response to the COVID-19 outbreak, we will sadly be temporarily closing our UK attractions until 2nd December 2020 as a precautionary measure, in line with the latest legislation.
As much as we were looking forward to welcoming you all for even more fun and adventures at our attractions during November, including our Passholder Exclusive Days, the health and wellbeing of our guests and teams is always our top priority. However, we are happy to share that we will be operating Passholder Exclusive Days in 2021 and will confirm details of these closer to the time.
To account for the time our attractions will be closed, we will be adding a one month extension to current expiry dates for all Merlin Annual Passes active as of 5th November. Pass extensions will happen automatically, and you don’t have to do anything about it.
For Membership Passholders, all payments have now been frozen and will resume from 5th December. This will happen automatically, and you do not need to do anything to activate this.
We once again thank you for your patience with us during these strange times and look forward to seeing you all back again once we can reopen.
Please read our FAQs at the bottom on this page.
Update 16th October 2020 @ 1:45pm
Following the UK National Lockdown in Spring 2020, we gave Passholders a five-month extension on their passes and implemented a further extension for those passes due to expire in the Winter months to account for Theme Park closures. Please note all extensions are automatically added to your pass. Currently all UK Merlin Entertainments attractions remain open, except SEA LIFE Bray. We will continue to monitor Government guidance closely and will update guests as and when we have more information.
Update 30th September 2020 @ 4:00pm
2020 definitely isn’t the year any of us expected or planned for, especially when it comes to how you usually visit us for memorable and fun days out with your Merlin Annual Pass.
Navigating these unprecedented times has certainly been challenging. One of the most difficult parts of this year for us has been not being able to welcome you as freely as we’re used to for awesome adventures at our attractions. The ‘new normal’ has been something we’re all having to adapt to and there have been significant changes that have been necessary to keep both staff and visitors to our attractions safe.
We have greatly appreciated your patience and support throughout this year. Your feedback has been crucial in helping us make improvements that we hope will benefit you and your families, and for that we want to say a special thank you.
With this in mind, we want to highlight some of the changes we’ve made here at Merlin Annual Pass to ensure you’re getting as much fun and excitement as possible from your pass with us this year:
Over 50,000 more Passholder Tickets
From September to November 2020, we have allocated over 50,000 extra Passholder tickets across all your favourite Resort Theme Parks. We’ve done this by closely reviewing our capacities and introducing special ‘afternoon only’ tickets. This enables us to welcome more of our loyal Passholders to enjoy our theme park attractions whilst still adhering to strict social distancing measures to keep us all safe.
Exclusive Passholder Days
Throughout November we’re inviting our loyal Passholder family to enjoy Passholder Exclusive Days at all our Resort Theme Parks. Passholders can enjoy exclusive access to some of the UK’s best attractions as well as sneak peeks of seasonal events! Check out the Merlin Annual Pass Facebook page for full details.
Developing Our Technology
We know that one of your biggest concerns was some Passholders were makings bookings and not turning up –much like many other attractions and hospitality venues across the UK. There have been many no-shows, and this is frustrating for both us and you, which is why we’re excited to announce that we are reviewing and developing our current system. This will allow Passholders more freedom and control over pre-booked tickets, including introducing a cap on tickets bookable and the ability to cancel unwanted tickets so that they may be freed up for other Passholders to enjoy.
Thank you all for your continued support and for being a part of our Merlin family – we can’t wait to welcome you for a magical day out at one of our attractions soon!
Update 24th September 2020 @ 10.45am
🗼 NHS QR Check-In: From 24th September 2020 you’ll find NHS QR ‘check-in’ code posters at key entry points around our attractions. We kindly ask that you and your group scan the NHS QR code with your smartphone on arrival at our attractions, hotels and when entering one of our Merlin restaurants. If Passholders choose to log-in using the official NHS QR code, you won’t need to provide your contact details by any other route.
🎡 Face Coverings: In the areas of our attractions where we require you to wear a face mask, any guests over the age of 11* without a valid exemption will not be allowed to ride or enter any enclosed buildings without a mask.*
* Children under 11, people with certain health conditions and people with a disability are exempt.
** Guests who simply do not wish to wear a mask will now be refused boarding or entry into enclosed buildings. In those areas such as F&B seated areas guests will be allowed to remove their masks to consumed food and beverages when seated.
🎢 Crowd Marshalls: To ensure you have a fun but most importantly safe experience when visiting us, several Crowd Marshalls will be on duty within our UK theme parks – during both peak and off-peak periods. These team members play a vital role in helping us to:
- monitor social distancing procedures
- ensure mask wearing is taking place in appropriate enclosed buildings/and on selected rides
- check group size formations are being observed
Guests who repeatedly refuse to comply will with measures will be asked to leave the attraction.
👬 The Rule of Six: From the 14th September we encourage all Passholders to not visit or meet in groups of more than six people*. This will help protect everyone when visiting our attractions. As a COVID-19 Secure venue we can still host larger numbers in total but groups of up to 6 must not mix or form larger groups. Our attractions already provide an extensive range of COVID-safe measures, designed to ensure a happy and safe experience for all Passholders and staff – more information can be found here. *Government exemptions our outlined here.
🍔 Restaurants and Food Outlets: For any of our licensed food premises where alcohol is offered, food and drink will now need to be ordered from, and served at, one of our dining tables. For our other food and beverage restaurants, Passholders will be required to eat and drink at an available table. Where food or drink is available for purchase to eat or drink away from the outlet, it's still possible for Passholders to order and be served at the counter/bar. Our restaurants and bars will now also close at 10pm.
Update 10th September 2020 @ 9.15am
In line with updated advice from the UK Government, from the 14th September we encourage all guests to adhere to the latest guidance and not meet in groups of more than six people* to help protect themselves and each other when visiting our attractions.
As our attractions are COVID-19 Secure we can still host larger numbers in total but groups of up to 6 must not mix or form larger groups. We will continue to monitor Government guidance closely.
*Government exemptions are outlined here.
Update 4th September 2020 @ 2pm
A big thank you to everyone who has reached out to us recently to offer suggestions on how we can improve your membership experience – we very much value your feedback!
We’d like to thank you for your patience during these unprecedented times and we are thrilled to see so many of you returning to our attractions to enjoy magical days out once again.
Following your feedback, we have decided to make the following change:
- All online Passholders bookings to UK Merlin attractions reserved from midnight on the 8th September 2020 will no longer incur the £1 booking fee
- Please note, any reservations that are made before 8th September 2020 will not have the fee refunded
As always, your safety is our number one priority. Therefore, Passholders are still required to pre-book tickets online before visiting Merlin attractions as this helps us manage capacity and adhere to social distancing.
Unfortunately, we are seeing Passholders pre-book several tickets and fail to turn up to our attractions. We kindly ask that all Passholders pre-book tickets for the dates you intend to visit us only. This allows more tickets to remain available for other Passholders to enjoy our attractions too. Please be reassured that we are continuously monitoring Passholder ticket allocation and we recommend checking back on our attraction websites in case more Passholder tickets become available.
To improve your booking experience moving forward we are also currently reviewing our ticketing system. Please keep an eye out for relevant updates and improvements in the near future.
Thank you for being a part of our Merlin family – we really value your continued support! Please know we are working harder than ever to deliver those memorable experiences you love, safely.
Update 15th July 2020 @ 10.30am
Passholders, we’d like to thank you for your patience during these unprecedented times - we are so excited to have you back!
In line with the updated government guidelines, as our attractions start to reopen, we want to continue to keep you up to date, so you have all the information on enjoying the magic with a Merlin Pass and what to expect during your visit.
The health and safety of our guests and employees is always our number one priority so we’ve been working hard to make sure the attractions comply with government guidelines and we have everything in place for you to have a safe and enjoyable visit: https://youtu.be/PgkMoUmcebo
As we need to manage our capacity to ensure everyone has a safe and enjoyable visit, all guests will be required to pre-book a ticket online. Our attractions review Merlin Pass allocation daily to ensure we have as much availability as possible for you. Please continue to check the attraction website for updates.
Please see below for more detail about advance bookings, pass extensions, refunds and other topics.
If you are staying on-site or at a partner hotel, please refer to the FAQs.
Standard terms and conditions for annual passes still apply.
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Pass Extensions
**December Tier Updates**
Following several Merlin Annual Pass extension periods and Merlin Membership monthly payment freezes this year, we will not be extending passes or freezing payments on this occasion.
For Merlin Annual Passholders, if you are unsure of your New Expiry Date following previous extensions, please visit the New Expiry Date Calculator.
** UK national lockdown commencing 5th November 2020 **
To account for the time our attractions will be closed during the second national lockdown, we will be adding a one month extension to current expiry dates for all Merlin Annual Passes active as of 5th November. Pass extensions will happen automatically, and you don’t have to do anything about it.
For Membership Passholders, all payments have now been frozen and will resume from 5th December. This will happen automatically, and you do not need to do anything to activate this.
** UK national lockdown commencing 19th March 2020 **
Passes Purchased before 19th of March 2020
We know you have already missed making magic Merlin memories. To account for the time we have been closed in Spring 2020, as well as to acknowledge the new pre-book process, we will be adding a 5-month extension onto all original expiry dates for Merlin Annual Passes that expire after 18th March 2020 (for passes purchased before 19th of March 2020).
Merlin Annual Passes that expired before 19th March 2020 or purchased after 31st May 2020 and passes bought within the Summer Sale period will not be entitled to the extension period.
We understand that many of you purchase a Merlin Annual Pass to enjoy the full offering of Merlin, from rollercoasters to sea creatures. Therefore, if your pass extension falls during the winter period when some of our resorts are closed, we will further extend these passes.
Pass extensions will happen automatically, and you don’t have to do anything about it.
New Passes Purchased after 19th of March and Pass Renewals
New pass purchased within the Summer Sale (1st July) period will not be entitled to the extension period.
A new Merlin Annual Pass that was purchased during the closure period will be extended by the time lost during the closure period.
Monthly Membership purchased before 19th of March
Membership payments have been frozen for April, May & June and will continue to be frozen for July and August – to account for the months we have been closed, as well as to acknowledge the new pre-book process.
You do not need to action anything for this, we have automatically frozen payments for these months.
As we need to manage our capacity to ensure everyone has a safe and enjoyable visit, all guests will be required to pre-book a ticket online. Our attractions review Merlin Pass allocation on a daily basis to ensure we have as much availability as possible for you. Please continue to check the attraction website for updates.
New Monthly Membership purchased after 1st of July
Any new Monthly Memberships purchased from 1st July on-wards, will be processed as normal with joining fee and monthly payments taken from date of purchase.