Wake The Tiger — Attraction in Bristol

TLDR; Fantastically unique idea, very expensive peak pricing, could be better managed and immersive if there were actors or engaging staff.

I've Wanted to visit WTT since it first opened, but was stoked to go following the recent extension and new additions.

I'm a teacher and can only go either weekends or school holidays, this falls into their 'peak' pricing structure, which painfully is almost 50% higher than off-peak. Prices, in advance, for OP are £14.50 for an adult, but at peak shoot to almost £25. If you are lucky enough to get a spot in their small car park you're sound, otherwise that's another £5 (it is all day, but this isn't central Bristol so you can't really extend your day in this area). If you want the souvenir book, this is another £5 too. The entire experience will last a good hour to an hour and a half. If I had paid £14 I would have been quite happy, but £50 for 2 adults is a lot of money.

At it's core, WTT is an amazing visual wonderland that is the result of a lot of effort and dedication. It's tone, pitch and feel are spot on, and for this I can't fault it. There is a sense of a story here, but it's very open and left for your own interpretation to fill in the blanks. It felt though as if a lot of potential was missing. There is no set path (which I actually liked a lot) but a physical map of the 'zones' would have been welcome (and a nice keep sake of your time in Meridian). There's also a lot you can miss if you don't back track on yourself. One great moment though was emerging from a cabinet to a shocked lady who didn't realise there was another room beyond the initial door. I believe you're able to go around again if you wish.

On arrival we just had our code scanned and let in (the timed entry isn't strict). We were given no guidance on what the experience was, what to look out for, what to expect or indeed any sort of welcome or set up. There is more throughout the rooms too, but sop easy to miss. If you've ever been to the Warner Brothers tour (which is actually only twice as expensive as WTT at peak times) you'll know how well oiled the timed entry and set up is. WTT would benefit hugely from an objective for the visitor. The whole thing is screaming out for just 1 or 2 quality actors to bring the whole thing together too and offer direction or fill in story you might have missed on your journey. Even if on initial entry a real welcome to the world would have been amazing, especially if you did enter the spaces at the exact given timed bookings. As it was, it was a bit of a damp squib. We encountered just 1 member of staff on the train who stated that we were at our half way point, but that was it. A shame really as it really felt like having actors throughout would lift everything.

One of the hardest things for us though was the lack of control of anyone's children. It was ace to see youngsters enjoying themselves, but they really were running wild, crashing into visitors and screaming. The whole 'outerverse' new section was like a play park as there's a slide which saw the kids running loops around. Again, ace they were having a good time, but we didn't get to go anywhere near the displays here. One caveat to this though is that there is a slide that adults can use to exit that is great. Other spaces were difficult to enjoy though and there were spots such as a room where you can write a note and post it, except there wasn't any paper or pencils/pens to write with. One thing to note if you are going with young children, there are plenty of toilet spots and even a chance to go into the cafe at the half way point if you/your children need a break.

You will get a good hour here, and if it's quieter a solid 1.5-2 where can you really immerse yourself in the space. I'd say it's worth a visit, in fact I'd encourage it, but book your tickets in advance and visit off peak if you can. There's so much time and effort gone into this and it's really refreshing to see something...

My daughter and I first visited last August (2023) and both completey loved the experience. We have recommended it to everyone since and my daughter has eagerly awaited returning especially with the news of additional areas being added earlier this year. My daughter loved it so much that she decided a year and 2 weeks ago that she wanted to return for this year's birthday celebration.

I booked the tickets a few weeks ago and the next day I saw the offer that kids can go half price in August. Unfortunately after contacting wake the tiger I was informed that this offer would not be honoured for any bookings made before the offer announcement even if the visit day was in August. I didnt feelmrhia was very fair but decided that because we.lobes the experience so much on our first visit that I would put up with usual prices.

So today my very excited daughter and I returned with three of her friends to celebrate her 10th birthday.

We were disappointed upon arrival when greeted by a member of staff who very quickly blurted out some information to fast for us to comprehend and then showed us the direction to go. We proceeded to walk through the double doors to where we were expecting our immersive journey to begin a it has on our previous visit. Unfortunately, this step has been removed from the experience, meaning there was no set up or explanation/introduction into the world of Meridia, which my daughter and I found disappointing and our guests then found confusing upon entering the experience.

Our next disappointment was straight after entering Meridia where they have again removed the meridian who offers quests and questions/riddles. This for me and my daughter had been a massive part of our first experience and we spent over 4hours returning to speak with spitfire for various quests jokes and riddles. This again meant there was no introduction or context given to our guests.

The walk around scenery was beautiful and mesmerizing as in our first visit and the new sections were just as impressive aesthetically, however the lack of interactive and hidden aspects to the new areas was incredibly disappointing as was the lack of meridians/actors randomly around the experience to interact with and instead the vast number of staff members 'standing guard' around the place in uniforms that didn't fit the scene or story and stuck out like a sore thumb and many of whom looked like they would rather be elsewhere (not all though, ex spitfire was very friendly, again). The interaction and actors had made our first experience incredible, with my daughter still talks about spitfire and a random male meridian who made the visit so memorable and immersive for us. However on today's visit we encountered only two meridians both of which only interacted if asked direct questions. Today's experience was not immersive.

The biggest disappointment for my daughter was the removal of the temple and the section where you discover which guild you belong to. This along with the story setting, great actors and bonus quests made our first visit totally immersive, memorable, mesmerizing and uplifting. However today, my daughter left her birthday outing majorly disappointed and I'm very unsure if we would return.

Oh, and gift shop is...

Pre-booked our tickets. We did this and received the website offer of 20% off. Easy to book. Had an enquiry and it was responded to within a reasonable amount of time via email. I couldn't get through to them via telephone number advertised on Google business page.

Anyway, we arrived earlier than our booked slot so thought we would eat before doing the experience! Not a problem at all, we were let in immediately & the staff at the front desk were friendly and explained what to do & where to go.

We visited with 2 adults, 4 children between 8 & 12yrs. All had a fabulous time 😍. They loved running around and seeing what was around the next corner. It truly is a brilliant experience. Something to look at even if you look up, down, inside & around. Being able to touch the experience and get involved everyone loved. Loads of photo opportunities! Kids were way too fast & excitable for us to keep up with! We probably spent around 3 hours here. (Plus a small break for food on top) If the kids hadn't worn themselves out I think they would have gone right back around again. Secret doors and tunnels take you on a fun adventure & not knowing what's next is part of the fun. Nothing was scary and we would definitely return.

My only gripe is the food cost. Overpriced prepacked sandwich, near £6! Plus when we asked for a glass for rose wine and was offered a small can of rose wine for £8!!! When my friend was given a medium white wine for £6 made no sense at all. We thought we would have a treat on our break but at that price I thought that was trying to rip us off.

Limited options for the kids to eat also. Luckily I had taken a bag of snacks which was a life saver as they burnt off some energy running around.

That small gripe did not spoil our enjoyment of Wake The Tiger. This place is complete fun for the eyes! Full of weird & wonderful things to do. Even the adults were amused! To turn every corner & find something different. My youngest son said 'It was pretty cool with loads of mysteries', I tend to agree with him!

5⭐ experience. (I won't put too many pictures on as why would I spoil the surprises Wake the Tiger has...