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Drayton Manor Park

Benjsh said:
Apocalypse I will grant you but Shockwave is awful. Its boring and painful. The only remotely interesting thing about it is that's its the only stand up in Europe. But there's a good reason it is. Its awful.
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It's not the only stand up in Europe, the other one is Freestyle at Cavallino Matto
 
Benjsh said:
Apocalypse I will grant you but Shockwave is awful. Its boring and painful. The only remotely interesting thing about it is that's its the only stand up in Europe. But there's a good reason it is. Its awful.
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Not in the front row, very smooth. ;)
 
skyscraper said:
Not in the front row, very smooth. ;)
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I have ridden the front row a few times and it made no difference to me. Never came off a ride with 'ball ache' before. Hahahaha.

Can't imagine it's got much longer left to operate. I got the cred and won't ever be going back on it.
 
See, I didn’t dislike Shockwave at all! The stand-up position was... interesting, to say the least, but it wasn’t the dealbreaker I was led to believe it would be, and the ride itself was not too rough, even if not inherently glass smooth; the odd bit of rattle here and there that I would probably prefer wasn’t there, but I would probably have said it was no rougher than something like Nemesis from memory. Most of the track was quite smooth.

In terms of the layout itself, it may not be the longest, but it packs some pretty good g’s in places, as well as being reasonably fast-paced throughout, and the zero-g roll was an excellent inversion; really threw me out of my seat!

On the whole, while I admit that Shockwave is far from my favourite coaster, it was certainly a really pleasant surprise, and it just about squeezes into my top 30 (at #30, in fact!). It’s not quite as high as Nemesis in my rankings, but it’s not as far behind as you’d expect (Shockwave is #30, while Nemesis is #21), and it’s pretty far ahead of the Big One in terms of the 1994 trio for me!
 
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Again my height may be a factor here in not rating it. At 6ft 5 it's not always easy fitting on coasters. With this being a stand up you'd imagine it's easier but i found it very uncomfortable. In fact I was uncomfortable even in the station and just going up the lift hill. So much so that on my last visit to the park i didn't even ride it and it barely had a queue all day.

And going back to the new takeover news......the Loopings company must have balls of steel taking this park on. For several reasons.

1. Lack of coasters. GForce now gone (no great loss for me) but it does leave a huge gap in their already weak ride line up. Shockwave also currently not operating and rumours that it needs huge investment to get it back operational. This could be false information of course we shall see.

2. Rapids ride and the whole stigma currently hanging over that attraction. Obviously it was a terrible incident that occurred and I don't feel like the park were 100% to blame......but will it ever be allowed to re-open? Who knows. And if it ever does will the ride be tamed down a little? Quite possibly.

3. The mini Zoo is literally the most depressing thing I have ever seen in a theme park. On our last visit a few years ago now I have never seen animals looking so miserable. As big animal lovers it was upsetting to say the least.


The pros are that there are still a couple of very good flat / non coaster rides at the park, there is a hotel and Thomas Land is still a big hit for families obviously. I just don't know how long that can keep them going though. The current lineup has been making them lose money in recent years so unless they add a few new biggish rides I can't see how having new owners will change much really.

If they have the money......be nice to see a couple of new solid family coasters added over the next few years to kick start the park. A ride like Pegase express from Parc Asterix would be a fantastic fit for DMP. Or even something like Wood express from Parc Saint Paul. It's just about affordability though and I have my doubts whether they can afford even these more modest of coasters.
 
Benjsh said:
Again my height may be a factor here in not rating it. At 6ft 5 it's not always easy fitting on coasters. With this being a stand up you'd imagine it's easier but i found it very uncomfortable. In fact I was uncomfortable even in the station and just going up the lift hill. So much so that on my last visit to the park i didn't even ride it and it barely had a queue all day.

And going back to the new takeover news......the Loopings company must have balls of steel taking this park on. For several reasons.

1. Lack of coasters. GForce now gone (no great loss for me) but it does leave a huge gap in their already weak ride line up. Shockwave also currently not operating and rumours that it needs huge investment to get it back operational. This could be false information of course we shall see.

2. Rapids ride and the whole stigma currently hanging over that attraction. Obviously it was a terrible incident that occurred and I don't feel like the park were 100% to blame......but will it ever be allowed to re-open? Who knows. And if it ever does will the ride be tamed down a little? Quite possibly.

3. The mini Zoo is literally the most depressing thing I have ever seen in a theme park. On our last visit a few years ago now I have never seen animals looking so miserable. As big animal lovers it was upsetting to say the least.


The pros are that there are still a couple of very good flat / non coaster rides at the park, there is a hotel and Thomas Land is still a big hit for families obviously. I just don't know how long that can keep them going though. The current lineup has been making them lose money in recent years so unless they add a few new biggish rides I can't see how having new owners will change much really.

If they have the money......be nice to see a couple of new solid family coasters added over the next few years to kick start the park. A ride like Pegase express from Parc Asterix would be a fantastic fit for DMP. Or even something like Wood express from Parc Saint Paul. It's just about affordability though and I have my doubts whether they can afford even these more modest of coasters.
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I think the biggest problem with adding a biggish ride is that it don’t always turn out to be a good financial investment in the long term. Look at the last three, air race, Ben 10 (what ever it’s called now) and g force, all of them did not bring any success financially to Drayton. But every time Thomas land gets a new ride or gets a land expansion it’s a major hit and is financially rewarding. If you are going to add something to the park it needs to be on the same level as something like the buffalo coaster. We have to think of the investment going forward not what we would like as enthusiasts but as the major paying punter who goes to the park. The park has moved way out of the thrill market that it would be absurd to even try putting a major thrill ride in so it will be interesting to see what they come up with. End of the day as much as we want to knock the park for how much it’s invested in Thomas land I think it’s safe to say if Thomas land didn’t come along when it did then I personally think the park would of closed down years ago.
 
Benjsh said:
Again my height may be a factor here in not rating it. At 6ft 5 it's not always easy fitting on coasters. With this being a stand up you'd imagine it's easier but i found it very uncomfortable. In fact I was uncomfortable even in the station and just going up the lift hill. So much so that on my last visit to the park i didn't even ride it and it barely had a queue all day.

And going back to the new takeover news......the Loopings company must have balls of steel taking this park on. For several reasons.

1. Lack of coasters. GForce now gone (no great loss for me) but it does leave a huge gap in their already weak ride line up. Shockwave also currently not operating and rumours that it needs huge investment to get it back operational. This could be false information of course we shall see.

2. Rapids ride and the whole stigma currently hanging over that attraction. Obviously it was a terrible incident that occurred and I don't feel like the park were 100% to blame......but will it ever be allowed to re-open? Who knows. And if it ever does will the ride be tamed down a little? Quite possibly.

3. The mini Zoo is literally the most depressing thing I have ever seen in a theme park. On our last visit a few years ago now I have never seen animals looking so miserable. As big animal lovers it was upsetting to say the least.


The pros are that there are still a couple of very good flat / non coaster rides at the park, there is a hotel and Thomas Land is still a big hit for families obviously. I just don't know how long that can keep them going though. The current lineup has been making them lose money in recent years so unless they add a few new biggish rides I can't see how having new owners will change much really.

If they have the money......be nice to see a couple of new solid family coasters added over the next few years to kick start the park. A ride like Pegase express from Parc Asterix would be a fantastic fit for DMP. Or even something like Wood express from Parc Saint Paul. It's just about affordability though and I have my doubts whether they can afford even these more modest of coasters.
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I think the park would do better without G-Force and Shockwave, IF they can afford to put the right replacement in. Two reasonable family coasters with a 1.2m restriction to help add rides for kids a little too old for Thomas Land would do the park much better than chasing the big thrill coasters that Alton and Thorpe already do better.

Once the court case and similar are done I think the Rapids should return, but I think like Alton have done they will be much more strict about adult supervision in each boat and they will likely have to upgrade CCTV and may choose to have staff monitoring sections such as Thorpe did for a while. Its a good family ride and if people remain seated it should be largely safe, so improved CCTV should allow it to re-open.

I've always thought that Drayton Manor wanted to get rid of the zoo but didn't have a plan to replace it either so it has limped on. Maybe if they link up with WMSP they will be able to make some improvements, or remove animals and focus on the theme park further. Maybe.
 
If they get rid of the Zoo and move some of the animals to WMSP then that would give them give them quite a bit of land to expand the park over the next 5 to 10 years.

And I'm definitely not advocating them to add any 1.3 or 1.4m coasters. That would be totally pointless given their target audience. However I think some 1.1 or 1.2m family thrill coasters would be great for them if they can make it work financially.

A small woodie, a mine train coaster, a Gerst family coaster etc......these are the types of rides that will go down well with DMP. They should basically try to emulate what Paultons have done. But again it's whether they can afford it.
 
Benjsh said:
A small woodie, a mine train coaster, a Gerst family coaster etc......these are the types of rides that will go down well with DMP. They should basically try to emulate what Paultons have done. But again it's whether they can afford it.
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Yep, if Shockwave goes and Splash Canyon stays then I would keep the vague Wild West theme and add a mine train style coaster. It would be a good time to plus both rides.

But I think the old talk of a launched coaster near the lake, potentially replacing the buffalo is long dead. A woodie style coaster would be a much better idea if they could do it within the noise restrictions.
 
Benjsh said:
A small woodie, a mine train coaster, a Gerst family coaster etc......these are the types of rides that will go down well with DMP. They should basically try to emulate what Paultons have done. But again it's whether they can afford it.
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Yeah, a woodie like Oscar's Wacky Taxi would be a great fit for Drayton.
 
Don’t know if this has been mentioned, but Looping Group are investing quite heavily in WMSP to implement holiday lodges within the actual safari drive thru. They’ve also smartened up the branding and marketing outreach of the park in recent years which has helped its online presence.

The lodges do look fantastic on the artistic impressions, and are due to open next year. They’ll be located within the drive-thru so that you get views of the animals on a balcony throughout your stay. They’re a more premium/luxury accommodation offering by the looks, and drummed up plenty of interest online. Due to open in 2021 and are being advertised on the WMSP website.

Just emphasises that Looping Group are investing in their attractions. Perhaps it’s not a ground-breaking investment, but it’s a very clever move and something fairly unique to the UK.
 
kydog1299 said:
Don’t know if this has been mentioned, but Looping Group are investing quite heavily in WMSP to implement holiday lodges within the actual safari drive thru. They’ve also smartened up the branding and marketing outreach of the park in recent years which has helped its online presence.

The lodges do look fantastic on the artistic impressions, and are due to open next year. They’ll be located within the drive-thru so that you get views of the animals on a balcony throughout your stay. They’re a more premium/luxury accommodation offering by the looks, and drummed up plenty of interest online. Due to open in 2021 and are being advertised on the WMSP website.

Just emphasises that Looping Group are investing in their attractions. Perhaps it’s not a ground-breaking investment, but it’s a very clever move and something fairly unique to the UK.
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Although I still wish they had gone ahead with the hotel/waterpark at WMSP. Partly because Kidderminster used to have a great leisure pool (Wyre Forest Glades) but the council replaced it with just a simple lane swimming pool as they expected the waterpark attached to the hotel at WMSP would fill the leisure pool gap. But then the safari park cancelled the hotel plans.
 
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Looping Group also owns quite a few theme parks in Europe that are getting decent investment. For example, I know Fort Fun Abenteuerland in Germany is owned by them, and that’s apparently had various new improvements, including a Zamperla Air Race being built last year as well as a major retheme of their rapids ride (could Looping Group potentially refurbish and reopen Splash Canyon?). I think they also did work on Speed Snake, their Vekoma looping coaster, fairly recently too.

I know this might sound like a strange suggestion, but could we potentially see a little bit of “swapping” going on between WMSP and Drayton? Could we see some of the animals from Drayton’s zoo section go to WMSP, with some of WMSP’s rides going to Drayton?

As they are quite close to each other (only 1h 4m between them according to Apple Maps), I think they could make a nice combo ticket deal to potentially combat the MAP, as they’re fairly different to one another, but both aimed at young families!

Also, I’ve had a look at the WMSP lodge development alluded to above, and it certainly doesn’t look like a cheap development; take a look: https://www.wmsp.co.uk/lodges/

If this is anything to go by, then I think Looping Group’s financial capability to invest into Drayton could be larger than some might expect, especially considering Drayton (presumably) has quite a few more visitors per year than WMSP!
 
Let's hope they have got big plans because boy does DMP badly need it and the UK TP scene as a whole.

One plus point for them is that there's a hotel already built so hopefully that means they will invest in the rides fairly soon. Maybe they will look to add another family IP land to go alongside Thomasland but aimed at slightly older audience (6-10 years). That could be the best investment they could make really with hopefully a decent sized family thrill coaster as the star attraction.
 
Most of my visits to Drayton Manor were in the very early 90s and I remember having a great day out, I would have been about 10-13 at the time and this was before Shockwave opened. I didn't want high thrills as wasn't that into them at the time. But I remember loving Splash Canyon, Pirates Adventure, Jungle Cruise, Klondike mine train, the Chair Lifts and several other rides. So I find it odd when the park is criticised for not having enough thrills, when it never really did.
What is needed is decent replacements for Pirates Adventure, Jungle Cruise / Excaliber and G-Force (Klondike Mine).
 
I do wonder with the park removing the last of theming from the pirate adventure and with none of the boats sold the new owners may invest in new lift motors,pumps and repairs and if it runs fine then maybe bring the ride back into use for the 2022 season. They could use sets and projected mapping.
For next season they could finish off the G force site and add a Disc ride like the Edge or a spinning coaster.
 
Themeparksandy1981 said:
I do wonder with the park removing the last of theming from the pirate adventure and with none of the boats sold the new owners may invest in new lift motors,pumps and repairs and if it runs fine then maybe bring the ride back into use for the 2022 season. They could use sets and projected mapping.
For next season they could finish off the G force site and add a Disc ride like the Edge or a spinning coaster.
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Wasn't the building deemed unfit for purpose as well as parts of the ride not working? It was one of my fav ever dark rides so I would love it to come back but i think that ship has sailed now sadly (pun intended)

It was actually a fantastic dark ride and batting way above its average for such a local family run park. Might have been a rip off from POTC at Disney but who cares.
 
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