2021: General Discussion

[MaxPower]

I know what happened at Drayton Manor was an incredibly sad and unfortunate accident, but the odds of such an incident occurring again must be very remote.

You're probably more likely to die by choking on some of the overpriced junk food than falling into the rapids.

 

[Matt N]

Urgh the rapids look pretty awful there, the masks almost draw your attention to how bad it looks. They really need to get new boats like Drayton have so that the waterfalls can be turned back on without the fear of an incident occuring.

Apologies for being slightly off-topic, but; do Drayton Manor’s new boats have physical restraints in them (e.g. seatbelts)? Or do they merely have upgrades to the exterior, such as higher sides and more robust doors on the sides?

I know that Infinity Falls has seatbelts, but that ride is a very different beast in terms of the type of rapids ride it is to any of the UK’s rapids rides.

 

[jon81uk]

Can anyone confirm the prices of the Pizza and Pasta at Towers? This is Legoland's new prices:

that price works out at £14 per person and I think that’s about what they were charging in 2019 for the buffet?

 

[Skyscraper]

According to the app, only Mixtape and Nemesis are down at present, aside from the things that we already knew would be down; is this the case on park?

One thing to note with the Retrosquad rides (and the one in TWoDW) is as they are hired in they'll probably be serviced by the fair company, which obviously could mean technical issues take longer to rectify.

 

[Matt N]

I should also point out that Congo River Rapids’ height restriction has now risen to 1.1m. It was at 0.9m prior to 2021.

 

[Steve74]

that price works out at £14 per person and I think that’s about what they were charging in 2019 for the buffet?

If it's big enough for 2 adults, yeah. The only thing that shouts "for 2 people" is the 2 drinks!
But according to replies and the MAP Facebook page, people are saying that is big enough for 1 person only!

I think they'd get more trade if they advertised it as £14pp because as it stands, it implies £28pp

 

[jon81uk]

If it's big enough for 2 adults, yeah. The only thing that shouts "for 2 people" is the 2 drinks!
But according to replies and the MAP Facebook page, people are saying that is big enough for 1 person only!

I think they'd get more trade if they advertised it as £14pp because as it stands, it implies £28pp

Yeah without seeing the pizza size its hard to say. But if its the normal size they put out on the buffet, it should just be enough for two, but I bet most people would get through a whole pizza.

 

[jon81uk]

Apologies for being slightly off-topic, but; do Drayton Manor’s new boats have physical restraints in them (e.g. seatbelts)? Or do they merely have upgrades to the exterior, such as higher sides and more robust doors on the sides?

I know that Infinity Falls has seatbelts, but that ride is a very different beast in terms of the type of rapids ride it is to any of the UK’s rapids rides.

I think in general only rapids with big drops (like Animal Kingdom, Seaworld, IoA) have seatbelts.

 

[Matt N]

I think in general only rapids with big drops (like Animal Kingdom, Seaworld, IoA) have seatbelts.

Interesting! I wonder what safety enhancements Drayton Manor’s new boats have that will make them able to run effects, then?

Also, I’m slightly stumped as to why CRR’s height restriction has risen. Do they not want small children riding or something?

 

[Rob]

Apologies for being slightly off-topic, but; do Drayton Manor’s new boats have physical restraints in them (e.g. seatbelts)? Or do they merely have upgrades to the exterior, such as higher sides and more robust doors on the sides?

I know that Infinity Falls has seatbelts, but that ride is a very different beast in terms of the type of rapids ride it is to any of the UK’s rapids rides.

I'm not sure on that one. However they look slightly more enclosed than the old boats and than the boats Towers have, which would make falling out somewhat more unlikely.

 

[Matt N]

I guess we’ll have to wait and see what Splash Canyon (or whatever its presumed new name ends up being) is like whenever it reopens, and see whether Towers could bring any of those changes over to Congo River Rapids!

Is it opening today, or has it not opened yet? I’m going to guess the latter based on the fact that we’ve heard next to nothing about Splash Canyon’s refurbishment besides the fact it has new boats, but I could be wrong on that one!

 

[Squiggs]

Judging by those Rapids upgrades, I would suspect that Katanga Canyon may well be on the list for a full retheme at some point in the not too distant future.

 

[Matt N]

Judging by those Rapids upgrades, I would suspect that Katanga Canyon may well be on the list for a full retheme at some point in the not too distant future.

Surely the rapids upgrades would solidify the area’s theme for more time, no?

 

[CSLKenny]

Use of the word "upgrades" for a few masks stuck around doesn't quite seem right...

 

[Matt N]

Use of the word "upgrades" for a few masks stuck around doesn't quite seem right...

Would “theming enhancements” or something that doesn’t emphasise the ride hardware be better, in your eyes?

 

[AT86]

Surely the rapids upgrades would solidify the area’s theme for more time, no?

These small additions would have cost minimal amounts. It doesn’t really signify anything in terms of ride longevity in my mind.

 

[Error]

Just stick the waterfalls on already....masks on a stick, jeez.

 

[MaxPower]

I can't imagine re-theming KK will be top of the priorities list in the near future, they need to add more to Wally World for a start.

 

[AT86]

In terms of the waterfalls I can understand their reluctance in not wanting them back on. What would be better in my mind, is to reduce the power so they can still run but not create anywhere near as much of a splash, meaning they will aesthetically provide a much better ride experience but reduce the chances of guests standing up.

 

[Matt N]

To be honest, as much as I love the theme of Katanga Canyon and I think that these smaller rapids touch-ups are nice, I wouldn’t really mind too much if the area did get a larger-scale thematic enhancement, along with some form of major new ride, in the not too distant future. I do feel like that whole western side of the park past Mutiny Bay could possibly do with some new blood rides-wise, as the newest operating ride on this side of the park is Galactica, built in 2002. By comparison, the eastern side of the park seems a lot “newer” in general.

If I were in charge, I’d personally build a new rapids or some kind of other major water ride elsewhere in the park as SW9, and then build a nice multi-launch coaster or something to replace the Rapids as SW10, tying in with a general facelift and modernisation of KC. I reckon something themed along similar lines to Cheetah Hunt would work really well, although I’d make the ride experience a bit faster and a bit more thrilling in order to differentiate it a bit from Icon at Blackpool Pleasure Beach (as much as I absolutely adore Icon, it’s certainly on the less intense end of the spectrum, as far as multi-launch coasters go). Something along the lines of Taron/VelociCoaster would work well, in my opinion, and it could almost make Katanga Canyon the UK’s answer to Klugheim if they made it interact with RMT a fair bit!