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Drayton Manor Park

Benjsh said:
Is the 'Zoo' even a big pull for guests? It's one of the saddest lookest zoos I have seen in a park. I'd rather them get rid of it, re-home the animals and build a brand new area on its site.
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Yep, I'd rather see the animals moved to WMSP and that park concentrates on the animals while Drayton Manor concentrates on the rides. Don't think it would happen though.
 
Wave Swingers are decent flat rides. I imagine it will be going on the G Force site.

Interestingly...there's a batman B&M invert clone up for sale from the now closed Entertainment City in Kuwait.
Probably not the ideal ride for where Drayton seem to want to head to but somebody is going to bag themselves a real bargain right there.
 
I could have sworn Drayton had a wave swinger, but its a Flying Dutchman which is slightly different. Still maybe a little too similar though, but Wave Swinger is probably the better ride of the two.
 

As you can see the owners are focusing on 1 area of the park at a time with Splash Canyon, Shockwave, Stormforce 10, Maelstrom and looks like the diner having work done or repainted.
No work happening on the G-Force site yet and there no work been done where the fire was in Thomas land.
Also at the back of the Pirate Adventure building the rapids boats are out of the water and been stripped so could be seeing new boats for this year.
 
Themeparksandy1981 said:

As you can see the owners are focusing on 1 area of the park at a time with Splash Canyon, Shockwave, Stormforce 10, Maelstrom and looks like the diner having work done or repainted.
No work happening on the G-Force site yet and there no work been done where the fire was in Thomas land.
Also at the back of the Pirate Adventure building the rapids boats are out of the water and been stripped so could be seeing new boats for this year.
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I've got a feeling the boats will be being slightly modified. ;)
 
Just seen a video by that Coaster Chall guy on youtube that people were discussing few pages back saying his source (I know I know) says the wave swinger will be added to with a Disco coaster before long and all themed to the Mad Hatter.

If he's making all this up that's an incredibly random theme to go with. Oddly specific and right out of left field.

We shall have to see if this turns out to be correct. If so you have to question how a 15/16 year old lad is getting this inside info.
 
At this stage we don't know of the location of the wave swinger, the obvious site is the Gforce area, plus there is room for another flat or two there as well. However I understand they plan on extending the seaside theme , that they have with Stormforce and maelstrom and the some of the buildings in that area, with shockwave and splash canyon retheme (and possible new name for splash canyon) and assume airrace themed to also fit in with this theme. The original plan was some kid of track ride and play area on the Gforce site fitting in with this theme, but that was before covid happened and looping groups taking over so assume things have changed.

I could easily see them adding a Disco Coaster, relatively cheap addition that fits the family market. Looking at the arial footage of the G force site, I think they could have fitted in a Mack Spinning coaster the same as at Paultons, that would have been a good addition as good solid family coaster and a step up from their Vekoma family boomerang.
 
Maelstrom said:
At this stage we don't know of the location of the wave swinger, the obvious site is the Gforce area, plus there is room for another flat or two there as well. However I understand they plan on extending the seaside theme , that they have with Stormforce and maelstrom and the some of the buildings in that area, with shockwave and splash canyon retheme (and possible new name for splash canyon) and assume airrace themed to also fit in with this theme. The original plan was some kid of track ride and play area on the Gforce site fitting in with this theme, but that was before covid happened and looping groups taking over so assume things have changed.

I could easily see them adding a Disco Coaster, relatively cheap addition that fits the family market. Looking at the arial footage of the G force site, I think they could have fitted in a Mack Spinning coaster the same as at Paultons, that would have been a good addition as good solid family coaster and a step up from their Vekoma family boomerang.
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Extending the seaside / harbour theme makes far more sense I agree and I think that's what they will go with too.

Maybe this Mad Hatter theme is for a different area of the park or maybe it's just made up gibberish. Who knows.
 
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Benjsh said:
Extending the seaside / harbour theme makes far more sense I agree and I think that's what they will go with too.

Maybe this Mad Hatter theme is for a different area of the park or maybe it's just made up gibberish. Who knows.
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I’d image because of the 30+ colours being used in the Splash Canyon retheme, he’s saying ‘Mad Hatter’ to refer to a wacky, colourful area. From the pictures I’ve seen, I’d argue the rapids refurb is not in keeping with a seaside theme. Maybe at a push multi coloured beach huts?
 
DMP would benefit from raiding Zamperla and Vekomas catalogues. An SFC, a Disko and a Rockin' Tug would work well in the park
 
John said:
They've pretty much raided the kids ride section of the Zamperla catalogue already for Thomas Land, think they've already got a rockin tug in there somewhere
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TBF I didn't really wander into there, not quite my sort of rides in there for some reason...
 
I think they have most of the Zamperla kids rides now! They have actually had two different rocking tugs, they added a pirate themed one back in the early 00's and then replaced it with a new version for Thomas land. I expect we will see some more family Zamperla flats added, i wouldn't be surprised if we see one their new Nebulaz rides at some point either at Drayton or at Alton (if Merlin finally allow Alton to add more permanent flats).

Coaster wise the buffalo site is the obvious location as has been the plan numerous times over the last 15 years as the site the park planned a new coaster, the fish and chip shop was even moved in prep for one Vekoma project that never happened. I think one of the new Vekoma suspended coasters, with inversions like they added at tripsdrill this year would be perfect, as by all accounts is very much a family thrill coaster, rather than being all out thrill.
 
G Force site or next to Buffalo are options, either the Apocalypse - Pandemonium site or the other side and move the fence further out towards the access road.
 
I do like the shockwave area and it’s always been quite well themed, but I guess went a bit odd when G force came and the Air race ride. So will be good to get that whole area themed into a seaside theme, as it’s quite a nice separate area.

Next they need to sort the top end of the park out, as it’s such a random mixture of rides and themes, and it’s become a bit of a dead end of the park, with apocalypse stuck out on its own.
 
ATTRACTIONS OPEN FROM 12TH APRIL*:
  • Thomas Land with 17 rides and attractions. Click here for details. On occasion, Thomas Land will have a controlled entrance and Sodor Railway will operate a one way system.
  • 15-acre Zoo (excluding indoor areas)
  • Accelerator (face coverings must be worn whilst queueing)
  • Air Race (face coverings must be worn)
  • Apocalypse (face coverings must be worn)
  • Buffalo Coaster
  • Carousel
  • Dodgems Ahoy
  • Drunken Barrels (face coverings must be worn whilst queueing)
  • Flying Dutchman
  • Jolly Buccaneer
  • Maelstrom (face coverings must be worn)
  • Pandemonium (face coverings must be worn)
  • Polperro Express
  • Sheriff's Showdown (face coverings must be worn whilst queueing)
  • Shockwave
  • Stormforce 10 (face coverings must be worn whilst queueing)
  • The Bounty Pirate Ship (face coverings must be worn)
*Subject to change in line with government guidelines.

ATTRACTIONS OPEN FROM 17TH MAY*:
  • Meerkat Manor
  • Tiger House
  • Reptile House
  • Jewels of Oz
*Subject to change in line with government guidelines.

ATTRACTIONS OPEN FROM 21ST JUNE*:
  • 4D Cinema
  • Bryan's Works Museum
  • The Haunting
  • Emily's Adventure Play
  • Terence's Driving School
  • Thomas & Friends Exhibition

https://www.draytonmanor.co.uk/tickets-and-prices/rides-2021
 
Rick said:
ATTRACTIONS OPEN FROM 12TH APRIL*:
  • Thomas Land with 17 rides and attractions. Click here for details. On occasion, Thomas Land will have a controlled entrance and Sodor Railway will operate a one way system.
  • 15-acre Zoo (excluding indoor areas)
  • Accelerator (face coverings must be worn whilst queueing)
  • Air Race (face coverings must be worn)
  • Apocalypse (face coverings must be worn)
  • Buffalo Coaster
  • Carousel
  • Dodgems Ahoy
  • Drunken Barrels (face coverings must be worn whilst queueing)
  • Flying Dutchman
  • Jolly Buccaneer
  • Maelstrom (face coverings must be worn)
  • Pandemonium (face coverings must be worn)
  • Polperro Express
  • Sheriff's Showdown (face coverings must be worn whilst queueing)
  • Shockwave
  • Stormforce 10 (face coverings must be worn whilst queueing)
  • The Bounty Pirate Ship (face coverings must be worn)
*Subject to change in line with government guidelines.

ATTRACTIONS OPEN FROM 17TH MAY*:
  • Meerkat Manor
  • Tiger House
  • Reptile House
  • Jewels of Oz
*Subject to change in line with government guidelines.

ATTRACTIONS OPEN FROM 21ST JUNE*:
  • 4D Cinema
  • Bryan's Works Museum
  • The Haunting
  • Emily's Adventure Play
  • Terence's Driving School
  • Thomas & Friends Exhibition

https://www.draytonmanor.co.uk/tickets-and-prices/rides-2021
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The plot thickens, as the rapids are clearly being done up. Yet is not mentioned at all. The only thing in that list I do not recognise is 'Jewels of Oz'. Maybe that is it, I do not know. But clearly they do plan to open the rapids at some point.
 
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