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Trip A or Trip B Advice please!

Marcus

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Hello everyone basically I am planning on taking my little brother on a UK theme park trip to a couple of parks across 2 days that we havn't done as besides the merlin parks we have only done a handful of other parks in the South. My brother is 12 going on 13 and will ride anything so thats not a problem!

The two trip ideas that I have decided on due to our location are either going to Oakwood followed by Drayton Manor, or going to Fantasy Island followed by Adventure island. I would really appreciate any feedback on which trip would be superior taking into account ride availbility, investment, opening hours, rides etc. I have looked into this plenty but always like hearing from people on hear as nothing beats first hand experience :D

Currently I am slightly leaning towards the Fantasy island, Adventure island trip but still very unsure. All feedback is appricated thank you very much!
 
Paulton's is your best bet for younger kids. Not sure whether 12 would still fall in to that age group though? If he has no fear he may find the place a bit too young.

Neither of those are especially great parks. I propose a third option: Flamingoland and Lightwater. Get him on The Ultimate and see what he's really made of! :p
 
Certainly a option that I won't rule out, we have done paultons but did it pre-dinosaur stuff however I think he is up for bigger thrills now, he has been lucky as he has been able to do the likes of Europa, Porta ventura, Efteling, Phantasia etc miles ahead of the offerings I had done at the same age but I guess thats what happens having a enthusist brother as our annual holidays have since 2015 been to a different European park each year (and yet his favourite ride is still Saw o_O ).

Just plotted it into google and Mingo and LW are a similar distance to the other trips which suprised me.
 
Well there you go then, sorted! Get him on British Rail's crowning glory and make a man of him! :p
 
@DiogoJ42 would you recommend Flamingo Land over Fantasy Island? As coming from the South doing Fantasy Island on the second day would mean it would be a far lesser journey home after the park. Although looking at it, its only an hour or so difference.
 
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I would recommend being publicly hung drawn and quartered on Tower Hill, with your remains coated in tar and displayed in gibbets at the four corners of the empire over Fantasy Island. ;)
 
Haha, that certainly paints a picture, I'm getting an inkling of an underlying dislike for Fantasy Island, but I'm no Sherlock Holmes.
 
It's one of those places you only need to go to when you've exhausted the other UK parks. Unless you REALLY like wandering around a dodgy flea market full of pickpockets and northern chavs while a huge coaster sits silently above you, unable to open because either a) the wind is above 3mph, b) they couldn't be bothered to hire enough staff, or c) both.

Though to be fair, when it IS open, Millennium is one of the smoothest old style Vekomas out there. It's just not very exciting.

EDIT: To give you a picture: First time we went there, when we got back to our car we found someone had unscrewed the radio ariel and nicked it.
 
Thanks for the info I didn't realise they had staffing problems. It would certainly be a shame to go all that way to find the Odyssey shut due to the wind, although it would be a tad satisfying to just hop back in the car and drive further north if that was the case.
 
If you're doing Adventure Island and Fantasy Island, why not tick off Great Yarmouth and Pleasurewood as well? (assuming you've not been there). If you end up doing the Oakwood/Drayton trip, you can also pop into West Midlands Safari Park which has a couple of creds (again assuming you've not been there before).
 
Both good suggestions thanks @TedTheHuman although not sure how pressed for time that would make us, pleasurewood hills also looks pretty meh but I have always been interested in going to west midland sufari.

Decisions, decisions?!
 
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Fantasy have really got their 'stuff' together recently and have most things running, most of the time. If you want to go (and you should, Odyssey is outrageous), now is a good time.
 
Thanks @Rick I am now thinking of possibly doing day 1 at Lightwater and then day 2 at Fantasy Island driving home that evening/ night, although I am still not quite 100%. Thanks again people for all the advice and suggestions.
 
@Marcus Flamingo Land is a fairly painless drive from Fantasy, Lightwater not bad either. Depends what you're looking for really. If you hit Lightwater and Fantasy on the right day you could do both in a day with a 10pm close at Fantasy.
 
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Fantasy Island can be done in 2 hours, you certainly won't need 2 days!
 
Don't do 2 days at FI, it's just not a pleasant space to spend any time, though their ride selection is pretty good (assuming it's all open). 'Mingo can still be a bit of a misery if it's busy as some of the queues barely move, but it's a far better option than a 2nd day at FI
 
Definantly wasnt planning on doing two days at fantasy island just possibly the second day but might take into mind the idea of doing doing half a day there and half a day somewhere else. If its not apparent I am terrible at deciding things but I will let you lot know what I finally settle with once I know myself. "I used to be indecisive but now i'm not so sure".
 
I think I have settled with the plan of traveling up to lightwater valley on the first day (which will take the best part of 5 hours) spend the day there then stay the night in a travel lodge or something similar in that neck of the woods. Then spending the first half of the next day at fantasy island and then heading down to adventure island for the evening/night unless we feel there is enough to keep us at fantasy island for the whole day before heading home that night.

Any advice for the parking at fantasy and adventure island, especially adventure as I hear it's a bit of a nightmare.

Thanks again people for the advice, I will let you know how it goes, at the moment I am keeping the park choices a surprise for him as he thinks we are only doing one park.
 
Just want to say I went on this trip last week, it was alot of fun! We in the end just did a day at Lightwater and a day at Fantasy Island. The Ultimate is a whole lot of fun and is definantly in my opinion in the top 3 coasters in the country, probably top 2. At Fantasy Island Odessey was open even though it seemed pretty windy, its a really fun ride and not nearly as rough as I thought it would be and looking down at the top it is one big invert! Unfortunately Millennium was down. The Beast is also one of (if not the) best flat rides I've been on in the country running on a pretty intense cycle, making samurai seem a bit tame in comparrison! Both parks had their share of problems but nothing that would ruin the day.

All in all it was a really great trip, thank you lot for all the advice and suggestions.
 
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