When we were invited by Alton Towers to join in with the launch of the new season and the new £6m Mutiny Bay area of the park it took my family a split second for them to start packing their bags.
Like most kids they love Alton Towers - it's the ultimate fantasy land for families with it's vast list of attractions ranging from white-knuckle rides to gentle adventures for the little kids.
Let's not forget the two out of this world hotels, stunning gardens, waterparks, spa and the new crazy golf course.
Alton Towers is the Uk equivalent to Disney and every year it keeps getting bigger and better, the latest example of this is the all new Mutiny Bay area which is a pirate themed land especially for families, the flagship attraction of the area is the fantastic Battle Galleons - a water adventure ride for all the family in which nobody is safe from a soaking!
 A package at the Alton Towers Hotel or Splash Landings is from s247 for a family of four per night, including breakfast and access to the parks.
Call 0871 222 9850 or visit altontowers.com.
Here's what our two eldest daughters Emily (15) and Katie (10) had to say about Battle Galleons...
Emily: I really loved the new Mutiny Bay area especially the new Battle Galleons, I have to warn anyone who wants to go on this though that you will get absolutely drenched - it's noot like the log flume where you sometimes get wet - you won't come off this dry. The idea of Battle Gallleons is that you sit on a pirate ship and fire at targets and people with the water cannons in front of you, you fire at other boats and even other guests!
The ride has a special area for spectators they can fire at you with the cannons but you can also fire back at them and drench them. You have to be a good aim and you have to work really hard because the cannons are hand powered - your arms can get very very tired! I loved this ride, it's fatastic fun and very clever, the ride looks great and it's a really really good laugh!
Katie: I couldn't believe how wet we got on this ride! It's really good fun firing water at other people, I shot one man right in the side of the head, it was his own fault though because he kept firing water at us all! The ride is really good and it's great because you can go on with it with your mom and dad and have loads of fun. I really liked the way that the targets can spring surprises when you shoot them and you get even more soaked, I also liked the shark that was swimming in the water. The whole of the pirate bit is great and makes you feel like you really are a pirate in pirate times.
Mutiny Bay is also home to Marauder's Mayhem - which is a revamped version of the much-loved teacups, don't worry though it's the same idea just themed around barrels and explosives - a nice big puff of smoke heralds the star of the ride.
There is also a really good new ride called Heave Ho which is a kind of spinning, rocking pirate boat for younger buccaneers.
This part of the park has had a really well-thought out revamp, Merry England was great but after many years it was due for a change, all of the side-shows and eateries are now pirate themed and all in all it looks swashbuckingly superb.
The new season has also brought with it new shows, there is the all-new Pirates of Mutiny Bay show which is a tale of hidden treasure and good old-fashioned goodies vs baddies, it's fun on the high seas, it's not too long, it's lively and action-packed and not one to be missed.
Vist the Mutiny Bay website at http://www.mutinybay.co.uk/
 The second new show of the season is the The Wonders of Algenon's Attic, this is in Cred Street and replaces the Tweenies - it's a unique magical tale based around the famous Alton Towers legend Sir Algenon and his enchanting attic of artefacts.
The show also introduces a few child-friendly characters that can be seen around Cred Street entertaining the little ones - such as Rusty the robot and Eric - who is a 7ft rock monster from the Tibetan mountains (best way I can describe him!)
You can see the characters from both the pirate show and the new Cred Street show around the park at various times during the day.
Alton Towers has a rich history of providing thrills and spills for white-knuckle addicts - Rita, Air, Nemesis, Oblivion - the list goes on, but what the park has been doing in more recent years is complementing this with a very colourful and varied range of family activities and attractions.
We have three girls Emily (15), Katie (10) and Lily (2) so we are always finding it a challenge to entertain all three, that's why We as a family are perfectly catered for at Alton Towers, each of them has things that they like individually and together. Emily is very much the daring type - the scarier the better, Oblivion and Rita are her favourites.
Katie is less adventurous, she loves the Dung Heap, and rides like Blade, Duel and the Runaway Mine Train.
Lily just loves the carousel, Squirrel Nutty and everything in Old Macdonals Farmyard!
But the magic is that the eldest girls can go on lots of rides together, and they also love taking Lily on rides such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
The park is great for keeping everyone happy and it really is a magical experience for all of the family.
Last year they introduced a new element for families - Extraordinary Golf - we didn't catch this last time we were at the park, it was still in development - this year we made a point of making it our first port of call.
The golf is situated by the hotels and the monorail entrance, it's the perfect start or end to any day for all ages, the two nine-hole courses are based around areas and rides from the park, some of the designs of the holes are ingenious to say the least as you tackle Rita, Oblivion or gloomy wood.
The holes are designed so anyone can play them, some are easier than others but they all have a guide on how best to play the hole. You don't have to be a golf expert to put your way around the course, it's accessible for ages and levels of skill, the colourful, fun designs and hidden treats make it a great way to spend an hour of your time - an excellent addition to the park's list of activities.
Alton Towers is now driving home it's family focused ethos at every opportunity each year the park does something to improve it's services for families, for example parent queue sharing, superb facilities for parents with young children, and an increased concentration on providing new rides and activities to keep families happy.
 A stay at either the Alton Towers Hotel or Splash Landings Hotel really does complete a magical experience, this time around we stayed in The Splash Landings Hotel - it is wonderfully themed around the Caribbean - little touches such as the amazingly designed carpet (sand, seashells, crabs etc) all add to the magic, as does the lift which plays a sea shanty when you go up and down in it!
You can walk from hotel to hotel via a boardwalk through the water park - I really liked the way in which the carpet merges from the beach theme to the explorer theme - after a while the only reminder of the tropical paradise behind you is a stray crab on the carpet. Brilliant touch! That's what Alton Towers is all about - it's the attention to detail.
Each hotel has it's own merits and both are fabulous - for more info on the hotels and the entertainments and food options etc and indeed the special suites you can find everything you need on the website. Brightly coloured guest rooms feature driftwood-style furnishings, and traditional Caribbean lanterns and window shutters. It looks fantastic - when we got to dinner our tables were packed full of shells underneath the surface - another nice touch.
To say our dinner in Flambo's Feast was gut-busting is an understatement. This place is reasonably priced for an all you can eat three-course buffet and it offers you the biggest selection of food I have ever seen! There is a slightly revamped menu for 2008 but the theme is the same, there are a number of exotic options like Coconut Spiced Lamb, Jerk Rubbed Chicken, Pirates Seafood Broth, Banana Loaf, amongst others but all the old favourites are there such as the excellent roasts, kebabs, salads, etc. The food is an experience in itself and you can try loads of different things, the kids love dining at the restaurants, and the all you can eat breakfast is as good as the evening meals.
For us no stay wwould be the same without a visit to the water park, Cariba Creek is an indoor water paradise, deep jacuzzis, lazy river, slides galore, adventure playground, outdoor slides and bubble pool and a gently sloped main swimming area - not too mention a bar!
What more could you want under a big glass roof with a tropical temperature!
 This is what Emily aged 15 wrote about Cariba Creek on behalf of her and Katie...
"We love the Waterpark - there is loads to do!
"There are lots of slides - for example the Master Blaster in which you sit on a rubber tube and get blasted round by huge jets of water, it sends you round corners and over bumps you then come flying out at the bottom with a big splash. We went on this again and again and again.
"The outside pool is great too you can get to this from inside the normal pool or by taking the Flash flood slides.
"There is a really great jacuzzi pool outside called the Wubbly bubbly pool. The water is warm and there are jets shooting out from the side. My mom and dad spent ages taking it in turns in the jacuzzi - we couldn't get them out of it!
"When we were outside it was snowing! It was really weird - we were sitting in the lovely warm water with snow landing on our heads - then there was a blizzard and there was wind and hail and sleet - but we still stayed in the warm bubbles it was great!!
"There is another jacuzzi in the main pool - my mom and dad took it in turns in there and seemed to stay in there for ages!
"We also all liked the lazy river - this is a gentle river with a current that goes round and round - you can sit in tubes to go round this or just swim round. There are lots of buckets of water and water tubes tipping water on you as you go along.
"One of the best things about the Cariba Creek park is the huge big water bucket near the ceiling when this fills up with water the bucket tips up and soaks everyone on the big play area and adventure section. The water keeps on coming and coming - it's brilliant fun!"
This is where our little girl Lily really enjoyed her stay too - she had a little inflatable ring to float in and blissfully played in the shallow water whith the little jets providing endless entertainment for her.
For a relaxing and fun filled day Cariba Creek is amazing, it's for every age group and you won't get bored. The design of the place is first rate and it's just the kind of magical day out you would expect from Alton Towers.
And that's exactly what you do get on a weekend at Alton Towers - Magic. Every little attention to detail is there. You are made to feel special and the whole weekend is geared around indulgence. It's the perfect stay for all occasions and all ages.
The Alton Towers website is geared up for all the info you could possible need and is helpful for informing you of the rides, hotels, booking etc.
There is so much I could write about staying at Alton Towers but the best way to discover it is to go and stay yourself - you won't regret it!! I have almost forgot to mention the all you can eat breakfast - out of this world!
The theme park has evolved for the new season, a lot of hard work and effort has gone into making the park just right for the new season, there has been concentration on those "little things" that make it such a magical place to visit. Even the staff are talking like Pirates!
For more info visit www.altontowers.com
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