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Paultons Park: General Discussion

owenstreet7 said:
I'm not so sure that Splash Lagoon is the replacement for Raging River. I'd consider Raging River to be like Tiger Rock and Splash to be like River Rafts.

I do think that something much bigger will come for Vikings but that's my take on it.

I believe Raging River's removal was intended to be done later (either end of 2024 or 2025) than it was by - the sudden closure was likely due to a technical issue rather than a planned removal.
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It still at least feels like Paultons have a plan for the future of the park and even if it closed earlier than expected then they have a plan.

Compared to AT where they have had empty sites from ride removal for several years.
 
This thread become hijacked enough by AT
But my final comment on it is :
-Paultons have limited budgets and seem to be working wonders
-Merlin have significant funds on a par with market leaders yet seem to be going backwards

Who’s therefore better?
 
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The argument AT v PP is spurious at best, despite many people wishing it was so they just are not competing in the same market place. People in the midlands and the North don’t have a scooby doo for the most part that Paultons even exists.

Chessington v Paultons is a better angle if you want to Merlin bash, curious isn’t it that of all the UK Merlin parks Chessington is getting some love…..

As for Towers hope Drayton go big or wait for Universal.
 
owenstreet7 said:
I'm not so sure that Splash Lagoon is the replacement for Raging River. I'd consider Raging River to be like Tiger Rock and Splash to be like River Rafts.
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Raging River was nothing like Tiger Rock, it was just a bog standard Reverchon Flume, nothing bespoke or special and definitely not a themed experience. I’d argue that Splash Lagoon is an upgrade on Raging River. It might not have the height of the ride it replaced but it’s certainly more of a themed experience.
 
Shaggy_Dog_ said:
Raging River was nothing like Tiger Rock, it was just a bog standard Reverchon Flume, nothing bespoke or special and definitely not a themed experience. I’d argue that Splash Lagoon is an upgrade on Raging River. It might not have the height of the ride it replaced but it’s certainly more of a themed experience.
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That is true in terms of the themed experience, I was talking about scale of the ride.

Splash Lagoon is definitely an upgrade in terms of theming however I see something on a larger scale like Viking Voyage, Biberburg or Chiapas being added to complement Splash.

There is definitely room for a large scale water ride at the park and I'm imagining that's what we may see sooner than later.
 
Dave said:
The argument AT v PP is spurious at best, despite many people wishing it was so they just are not competing in the same market place. People in the midlands and the North don’t have a scooby doo for the most part that Paultons even exists.
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I guess the point is while the people in the south know towers exists because of its history, they don't go there now because of its current state. It isn't worth the effort.

I know Paultons is generally considered more of a regional park, but the posts on their Facebook page show what seems to be an ever expanding geographical pull while Towers is decline. That doesn't have to go on too long before they find themselves in exactly the same market place.
 
Jb85 said:
This thread become hijacked enough by AT
But my final comment on it is :
-Paultons have limited budgets and seem to be working wonders
-Merlin have significant funds on a par with market leaders yet seem to be going backwards

Who’s therefore better?
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Paultons is a more self-contained economic unit and they re-invest, while Alton Towers is one branch out of many in Merlin's business empire that may have extended too far, worldwide, where Merlin execs got too enamoured with a Legoland replicated in a unlikely place in the Middle East (Merlin may very well have been caught up in an "infinite growth, finite resources" downward doom spiral - see the oddly similar woes of the video game industry, where the fun, passion, & common logic is getting slowly sucked out, and Ubisoft also abruptly going private, because it was self-eviscerating too much to appease the investors).
 
pluk said:
I guess the point is while the people in the south know towers exists because of its history, they don't go there now because of its current state. It isn't worth the effort.

I know Paultons is generally considered more of a regional park, but the posts on their Facebook page show what seems to be an ever expanding geographical pull while Towers is decline. That doesn't have to go on too long before they find themselves in exactly the same market place.
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Towers is always filled with southerners when I go so I don’t think that tally’s.

I agree with the sentiment but up to now it hasn’t translated that way. Wouldn’t surprise me if it does eventually however.
 
I’ve said it before, but as well as geography, I also think that the one thing currently holding Paultons back is Peppa Pig.

This might sound like a bizarre statement given that Peppa Pig was the goose that laid the golden egg for them, but I’d argue it’s almost been a bit too successful in that it’s carved them a reputation in the public psyche of being for young kids. As much as the park are trying very hard to dispel this image with recent additions, and I have every faith that 2026 will go further again in this regard, I think that as a result of Peppa Pig, a lot of people see Paultons, think Peppa Pig, automatically assume it’s full of “baby rides” and don’t go because they assume it’s aimed at toddlers.

Paultons are clearly trying very hard to dispel this image, and with their excellent marketing, I think they eventually could, but certainly where I live anyway (South West/South Wales border), anyone who knows about Paultons assumes it’s for toddlers on the basis of Peppa Pig, from my experience. Me and my parents got a lot of questions from family members along the lines of “isn’t it for toddlers?” when we visited 3 years ago.
 
Benzin said:
It's because of the countless media descriptions of the "Peppa Pig Theme Park at Paultons" that pushes that thought process.

Same as when Thomas Land was built at Drayton, and it's already coming with Minecraft being added at Chessie.
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It’s also worth noting that Paultons Park’s own brand name is often “Paultons Park: Home of Peppa Pig World” in official communications (or was, at least), with Peppa Pig having a very prominent role on the website and such.
 
Matt N said:
This might sound like a bizarre statement given that Peppa Pig was the goose that laid the golden egg for them,
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This is a bizarre statement, Matt. Peppa Pig is a Pig, not a Goose. She does not lay eggs, golden or otherwise. I consider this to be cultural appropriation at its worst.

It would definitely be more apt to suggest that Peppa Pig produces golden turds, golden sausages, or golden bacon. The latter two may upset the vegans though.
 
Matt N said:
I’ve said it before, but as well as geography, I also think that the one thing currently holding Paultons back is Peppa Pig.

This might sound like a bizarre statement given that Peppa Pig was the goose that laid the golden egg for them, but I’d argue it’s almost been a bit too successful in that it’s carved them a reputation in the public psyche of being for young kids. As much as the park are trying very hard to dispel this image with recent additions, and I have every faith that 2026 will go further again in this regard, I think that as a result of Peppa Pig, a lot of people see Paultons, think Peppa Pig, automatically assume it’s full of “baby rides” and don’t go because they assume it’s aimed at toddlers.

Paultons are clearly trying very hard to dispel this image, and with their excellent marketing, I think they eventually could, but certainly where I live anyway (South West/South Wales border), anyone who knows about Paultons assumes it’s for toddlers on the basis of Peppa Pig, from my experience. Me and my parents got a lot of questions from family members along the lines of “isn’t it for toddlers?” when we visited 3 years ago.
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Completely agree with this statement - it's almost like Paultons Park need an IP either where the audience is universal or aimed at an older audience to add to the marketing and reduce the emphasis on Peppa.

The idea of Paultons Park being Peppa Pig World is so ingrained in people's minds that it's difficult for them to get out of it.

I'd say put less emphasis the "Home of Peppa Pig World" and the character from the marketing and put the extreme coaster front left and centre.

I'd say it could be clever going "Thought you've outgrown Paultons Park? Think again!" with images of Storm Chaser, Cyclonator, the new 2026 coaster, Ghostly Manor and any thrill rides added in 2026. That would be a clever campaign to get people back in the park.

I'm hoping the 2026 area will put the park on the map for a wider audience.
 
Dave said:
Towers is always filled with southerners when I go so I don’t think that tally’s.

I agree with the sentiment but up to now it hasn’t translated that way. Wouldn’t surprise me if it does eventually however.
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I can only talk anecdotally of course, but being from down south I can say 15 or 20 years ago non-enthusiast friends and colleagues would always be visiting and just knew of the park and major rides. Now it is much rarer, especially with my younger colleagues who seemingly haven't grown up with visiting through this extended rough patch. I'd estimate very very few would have heard of Wickerman or know where or what it is, where as a few years after they opened you'd have been hard pushed to find anyone who hadn't heard of (and probably ridden) Nemesis, Oblivion or Air.

You can bet that nearly every single one knows where Peppa Pig land is!! Certainly more than are aware of Cebeebies Land existing.
 
Skyscraper said:
How so? It's literally located on the Paulton's estate.
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I know, it just sounds odd to me. Obviously you could apply that to Alton Towers and others in the UK too but i suppose they have stronger brand awareness over the decades. I appreciate it's somewhat nonsensical!

Could also be that because their push to national recognition is more recent, the global trend has been more towards theme parks named after recognised brands or at least more descriptive of what they are. Just doesn't seem to roll off the tongue well despite being an alliteration.

Equally could be that i'm an idiot.
 
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