Merlin Entertainments has limited the accessibility of its London attractions to its annual pass holders.
The company’s standard annual pass will no longer guarantee entry to the London Dungeon or Madame Tussauds, unless tickets are pre-booked.
Holders of the pass may turn up on the day and request a timed slot, but availability is not guaranteed.
The premium annual pass will guarantee entry without pre-booking, however holders are required to obtain timed slot tickets at the attractions box office.
Previously annual pass holders were previously able to join the queue and enter the attraction at the same rate as guests paying on the day, and in recent years the pre-booked priority entrance was accessible to pass holders.
The new pre-booking process for annual pass holders incurs a £1 booking fee per ticket.
Terms and Conditions changes
Standard annual passes can also no longer be used in London during all UK public Bank Holidays.
The news comes as Merlin launches its its Boxing Day-through January sale, and releases revised terms and conditions for its annual passes.
The standard pass will not permit entry to the new Shrek’s Adventure attraction opening in London next year, while the premium pass will be invalid for entry until 1 September.
Madame Tussauds is also now restricted to standard pass holders between 14 and 31 May.
Renewal prices for the standard pass this year match the sale price of new passes, which is £119.
The price rise has attracted considerable controversy on the annual pass Facebook page, with a number of people claiming to have had an email invitation to renew for less than £100 within the past few days.