Madame Tussauds London including Star Wars - A Review

Last summer we visited Madame Tussauds Blackpool and it was an attraction that I really wasn't sure if we'd enjoy. It turns out however that we absolutely loved it and it was one of the definite highlights of our trip.

So when we headed to London this Easter we knew that a visit to Madame Tussauds London had to feature in our itinerary, especially as we are huge Marvel and Star Wars Fans. We were only in London for one day so booked tickets for 4pm which is supposed to be the quietest time of day to visit. 

Madame Tussauds London

First impressions were that it was sooooooo busy. I get that it was the Easter Holidays so probably not the ideal time to visit but it was almost impossible to get snaps of yourself with the stars unless you started acting quite rudely and just pushing to the front. This was out of my comfort zone and stresses me out so we wandered through the first few areas with party, sports, youtube and film stars fairly quickly. It was hard for the kids to get their photograph taken in these sections as the figures were obviously fairly tall and adults were constantly taking selfies and ignoring my three children who were waiting patiently :-(

Here are our highlights from the first few sections:-

A special mention the the host of the 'Royal' section - he was fab, took the time to chat with our kids, introduced them to the 'Queen' and organised this pose for us. 

We couldn't manage a pic with the whole of 1D as there were too many people grabbing selfies. 

Steve and I were honestly really stressed at this point and I'm sad to say the rudeness of others barging into our photos or not waiting their turn as our three children waited politely was very frustrating. However, half way through our visit, the crowds seemed to disperse and we started to relax and start enjoying the experience. Yeah!

Spirit of London Taxi Ride

Things started to change when we reached the Spirit of London Taxi Ride. There was a queue but this was very fast moving and we were able to jump aboard our very own London taxi which took us on a journey through London's history. This was fab as everyone could see everything and Heidi and Harry especially loved travelling through the plague-ridden streets and past the Great Fire of London as they had been learning about this at school. I think the taxi ride really helps to disperse the crowds and after this ride we didn't really encounter any problems taking photographs and had a much more enjoyable time - this was well-timed as the Marvel and Star Wars Sections were coming up which was the whole reason behind our visit.

Marvel Secret Command Centre

This part of Madame Tussauds is superb and a must-visit attraction for any Marvel fan. It was much less crowded and we were excited to meet all of our favourite super heroes.

We spent the longest time with the Marvel figures and especially loved meeting the Hulk who is a favourite in our house.

Marvel 4D experience

Towards the end of the Marvel area we were provided with 4D glasses and asked to enter a special 4D cinema. This room was large and the staff worked hard to quickly fill the room so we never felt like we were hanging around and waiting. 

WOW what can I say, it was the best 4D experience ever! I was smiling with joy as we flew alongside Captain America whilst dodging Spiderman's webs and jumping when the Incredible Hulk's hand burst from the screen. The 10-15 minute show was truly immersive and fantastic for adults and children alike. I don't think I've ever screamed so much in public! haha! Because the film is animated and created with characters your children know and love, it isn't at all scary but it is action packed and makes you jump quite a bit. We loved it and all left saying it was completely awesome. 

Star Wars

I'm pleased to report that our experience just kept on getting better and better. Who doesn't love a bit of Star Wars! We think Madame Tussauds definitely kept the best until last. Again, this section wasn't anywhere near as crowded as the first so there were plenty of photo opportunities which we were thankful for. This section has been created in close collaboration with Disney and Lucusfilm and I really think it shows - the attention to detail was fantastic. Unlike the earlier models, most of the figures were either sitting or crouching down (or naturally small - hello BB-8) so the kids could get up close and we managed to get some really good shots. I'll let the photographs speak for themselves (check out Harry's comic acting with Darth Sidious - he was really getting into it).

We definitely left Madame Tussauds on an absolute high and it was the perfect way to end our trip to London.

Madame Tussauds London - is it worth the money?

If we booked online, our entrance would have been £156 which is A LOT of money. However, Madame Tussauds London run lots of special deals including tickets for £22 per person if booked online for time slots between 4pm-6pm until 10th April. There is also the option to combine your ticket with other top London Attractions and 'See London Your Way' which can save you A LOT of money. For example booking a combi-ticket to visit Madame Tussauds London, Shrek's Adventure, The London Aquarium and The Coca-Cola London Eye can cost as little as £55 which saves you up to £84.99. This is a huge bargain and definitely worth it. 

We missed out a few sections (notably the Chamber of Horrors which seemed a little too scary for our three) so didn't see as much as we could have. I do think £156 is very expensive however I definitely think if you can buy a 'See London Your Way' ticket or buy a ticket with an offer or discount code, then a trip to Madame Tussauds London is a very fun way to spend a few hours in London with the kids and will provide you with lots of memories and photographs to cherish. It is definitely worth a visit if your children are mad about Star Wars or Marvel. Despite our annoyances in the first few sections, we ended up thoroughly enjoying our visit and can't wait to return next year when we buy our Merlin Annual Pass. I think next year however we'll try and visit during a teacher training or inset day and hope that the crowds in the first few sections aren't as chaotic. 

We were invited along as guests of Madame Tussauds London, all words, thoughts and opinions are our own.