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Drayton Manor Park
- Thread starter Matty
- Start date
The fountain drinks prices are a joke still. We were there Saturday and purchased 3 fountain drinks at 3.10 each, the cups are tiny, you probably get the same as in a can. I suspect the profit on them is in the 100's of %.
DistortAMG
TS Member
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Does this include food do you know. Apparently it has been running since the start of July..first I have heard about it.
Gotta love what they are doing but they do not seem very organised from our end.
Themeparksandy1981
TS Member
No just 20% off on retail items. The pass is really getting bad comments on social media with what was available on there back in 2019.
The biggest up roar has been the annual pass and ticket prices where they think 4+ is ok to charge the same price where on average a 4 yo is roughly 1m tall.
jon81uk
TS Member
Paulton charge one price over 1m, Alton Towers charges one price over 4 years, Legoland charges one price over 0.9m, Chessington charges one price over 4 years. Discounts for children are no longer a thing at theme parks.
I think this is fair enough in Drayton's case especially with the direction they are going. Thomas Land is the main draw which appeals to 4+ years IMO and with them removing major thrill rides if anything the reduced rate should be the +1.4m but I know that isn't going to happen.
Does anyone know if Chute 5 has reopened on Apocalypse? going again at end of month and have convinced my friend from london to go for the first time as he's never been to Drayton before but told him he should go this year before Apocalypse goes otherwise less point next year. He will never have experienced a stand-up tower drop before so really hoping I can get him on it before the end of the year. My main pitch to him is Drayton offers something very different to Alton Towers but being in his 20s I'm hoping their is enough for him to do and enjoy himself. I still really struggle to get my head around this new not offering something for everyone strategy that Drayton used to do so well being a better strategy then before? I'd be interested in others insights into why it is a better strategy to just focus on younger then everyone.
DistortAMG
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I doubt chute 5 will be open before the end of the month to be fair. If at all again. If it does open it is likely to be much later in the year.
I am not sure what new strategy you mean. They very clearly recently stated in their blog that they are focusing on "immersive experiences that can be enjoyed by all". They have pretty clearly stated the direction they are going in, is for the family market, rides that can be enjoyed by all. This is not children's rides so to speak, and not extreme thrill rides, but the middle ground. This certainly is not focusing on younger. I think Vikings land mirrors this change is strategy pretty well.
I think this is good strategy, the reason they could not sustain a strategy that involved high end thrill attractions before was because out side of flat rides, high thrill rides generally cost quite a lot of money. Given to their generally larger size and scale. This is something Drayton Manor simply could not keep up with when Alton Towers is 30 miles down the road. Even under the new ownership, they cannot compete with Merlin and the money they can spend on thrill attractions.
I think the new strategy is good and it is going to do them very very well.
Drayton Manor is currently one of the market leaders in it's new positioning in the UK, Chessington the other, but being so far apart the mitigates the competition. No other independent park in the UK comes close to offering the well fleshed out range of themed attractions, rides and overall day out than what Drayton offer in that market segment. Paulton's are certainly up and coming, but when you subjectively (to take out my opinion and bias') look at what is developed and on the ground at Drayton compared to Paulton's. Paultons have a long long way to go to be on the level of Drayton Manor. But the heavy development is sure to now push Drayton to maintain their positioning.
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I agree Drayton are certainly improving, but in the case of Apocalypse (given a ride height of 1.2m for sit down) surely this fits "immersive experiences that can be enjoyed by all". Maybe if it was given a retheme to a more family friendly theme especially as part of a new area. One thing I do thing which is positive is Pirates Adventure or a new dark ride in this building certainly fits "immersive experiences that can be enjoyed by all" very well so the new strategy defiantly points to something happening there soon. Though I'm slightly surprised we don't hear anything of the Excalibur site given I'd say this fits this strategy too. I know the old ride system struggled in the lake but I'm sure a new ride system could be built to deal with that a lot better learning from Excalibur, alternatively even something similar to Jungle Cruise would fit that strategy and that ran for 20+ years and I don't recall issues with that as a ride system.
I just liked Draytons previous strategy which was competing with Towers by being very different in offering, yes they had some thrill rides but everything was different to what you'd find at Towers. I do agree though Drayton is probably the best park with something for everyone. Even now, though to a lesser extent. I remember my Grandma would always prefer going Drayton over Towers as she felt there was more she was willing to do (not being a fan of coasters) she would family do Pirates, River Rapids, Excalibur, Haunting, Cable Car, Ferris Wheel and liked the Zoo. Whereas Towers she liked the Garden and Towers but the only other rides she liked was Skyride, Toyland Tours, Haunted House, Rapids and Hex. I guess she spent a lot more waiting around for the rides she didn't like at Towers compared to Drayton. While I also agree Poultons are up and coming and have a lot more coasters they do lack the decent water rides of Drayton and dark rides.
I just liked Draytons previous strategy which was competing with Towers by being very different in offering, yes they had some thrill rides but everything was different to what you'd find at Towers. I do agree though Drayton is probably the best park with something for everyone. Even now, though to a lesser extent. I remember my Grandma would always prefer going Drayton over Towers as she felt there was more she was willing to do (not being a fan of coasters) she would family do Pirates, River Rapids, Excalibur, Haunting, Cable Car, Ferris Wheel and liked the Zoo. Whereas Towers she liked the Garden and Towers but the only other rides she liked was Skyride, Toyland Tours, Haunted House, Rapids and Hex. I guess she spent a lot more waiting around for the rides she didn't like at Towers compared to Drayton. While I also agree Poultons are up and coming and have a lot more coasters they do lack the decent water rides of Drayton and dark rides.
AT86
TS Member
With regard to Apocalypse, whilst the height restriction might lend itself to a family market it will come down to the following questions (which can be used for any attraction at any park)
How popular is it with guests?
How much is it costing to keep it running?
What else could be done with the space it sits on?
It would appear that quite simply the outcome of those questions in some mix or another is that it isn’t worth keeping.
How popular is it with guests?
How much is it costing to keep it running?
What else could be done with the space it sits on?
It would appear that quite simply the outcome of those questions in some mix or another is that it isn’t worth keeping.
jon81uk
TS Member
I'm not so sure, on rollercoasters Paulton's does actually beat Drayton right now with seven compared to four.
On many other rides the parks are quite similar. Yes the big stuff from the 90s (Rapids, Shockwave, Stormforce) sets Drayton apart but the only other major attraction type Paulton doesn't have and Drayton does is probably Sheriffs Showdown, but neither park really offers a good dark ride.
I think if DM invested into the similar mid-range coasters than Paultons has they could be in a really good position soon.
DistortAMG
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Oh they absolutely beat them on coasters. But I was referring to the park as a whole. They are the market leaders.
They have a much more complete and developed overall product. It is no surprise, for all their faults and stagnation, they were building market leading attractions over 2 decades ago.
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Themeparksandy1981
TS Member
Paultons really is best for value when it’s free for under 1m tall as my daughter didn’t even hit that mark to she was around 4 and a half.
The Drayton pass is still excellent value for money but you always get people moaning about the price increase with reduced offering.
For example they use to offer
20% off food
10% off retail
1 day of the 3 to see the fireworks which was on the Friday.
1 Santa visit during the Christmas event.
Now last season annual pass holders were offered half price tickets for the fireworks but had to pay full price for Santa.
There were even people moaning when Drayton offered 4 tickets for £99. They said they were only 4 for £80 last season
.
I really hope the park go for a 1.2m thrill rating for there next coaster as that’s the problem with 3 of there coasters aimed at 4-5 year olds they got nothing in between for the under 10.
The Drayton pass is still excellent value for money but you always get people moaning about the price increase with reduced offering.
For example they use to offer
20% off food
10% off retail
1 day of the 3 to see the fireworks which was on the Friday.
1 Santa visit during the Christmas event.
Now last season annual pass holders were offered half price tickets for the fireworks but had to pay full price for Santa.
There were even people moaning when Drayton offered 4 tickets for £99. They said they were only 4 for £80 last season
.I really hope the park go for a 1.2m thrill rating for there next coaster as that’s the problem with 3 of there coasters aimed at 4-5 year olds they got nothing in between for the under 10.
Themeparksandy1981
TS Member
That was in place when the table was removed last time. It’s a trip hazard without that as the bolts under that are raised up.
Apocalypse needs to go as it’s sad to see both stand up in pieces and the floorless and other sit down covered over. It’s at the end of its life and think the park know the only thing that can replace 2 thrill rides is a good thrill coaster. The owners know they got a good selection of rides for the under 1m tall and now the 1-1.2m tall is now fine but with just storm force 10, Maelstrom and shockwave over 1.2m they got to add more attractions for the 8-12 year olds.
Excalibur is gone and the lake will never be used again for a attraction as the building been used for the Christmas event for the past 10 years and I’m sure it makes the park a lot of money in the 7 weeks it’s open.
With space a big problem at Drayton can see a flat ride opening in Thomas land next year with the new area and coaster coming in 2024 with the pirate adventure building used for 2025.
Themepark-newbie
TS Member
Fun fact!! Apparently if everyone in a pub drunk post-mix soft drinks rather than beer etc, the pub would make more profit.
Themeparkplanet
TS Member
it always looks like that when its removed and is normally taken away for a long timeDrunken Barrels still missing it’s centre piece. Looks so bare and bland without it. And it looks like it’s going to stay that way given how permanent the new structure looks. Sad.
Themeparksandy1981
TS Member
Found a video on you tube on how they removed that centre piece
RustyShackleford
TS Member
It's a bit pointless comparing Paultons to Drayton when they are 2 and a half hours apart. I'm not going to go to Paulton's or buy a season pass there ahead of Drayton.
The consideration for Drayton is whether folks will still pay for an annual pass or not bother. And the fact is this, I've bought a rucksack and I'm not going to be buying food and drink beyond the occasional treat item (I promised the little lad a bubble waffle in exchange for a good school report) because the cost has raised a lot and the discount has dropped massively.
It's a shame because I use to think the food offering was good and reasonably priced. But the options have been reduced, the price has gone up and the available discount restricted.
That being said the park is in as healthy a state I've ever known in my taking my now six year old regularly. I thought the park did really well when I visited yesterday...the park was full of school parties but by effectively separating Thomas Land to only being accessible to those accompianied by an adult they really managed the situation well.
The ride additions have really bought a lot to the park. Someone will put me right but now there are the added options of Thor, Loki, Rapids & Wave Swinger for the metre plus market. Which to my mind have doubled the amount of marquee rides such as S10, Shockwave, Apocalypse and Maelstrom. Although Pandemonium has gone.
Granted my feelings may be skewed by the fact that my little one has grown to give a different boost to the access to rides. But I'm surprised that Apocolypse has been allowed to decay in the way that it has. I can only imagine the amount of throughput it was able to generate with 5 times the present capacity.
You have to hope that the replacement is for a ride that could cover the capacity and utility of both a fully operational Apocalypse plus Pandemonium. If it does then everyone can get back to wondering about any Pirates Adventure replacement!!
The consideration for Drayton is whether folks will still pay for an annual pass or not bother. And the fact is this, I've bought a rucksack and I'm not going to be buying food and drink beyond the occasional treat item (I promised the little lad a bubble waffle in exchange for a good school report) because the cost has raised a lot and the discount has dropped massively.
It's a shame because I use to think the food offering was good and reasonably priced. But the options have been reduced, the price has gone up and the available discount restricted.
That being said the park is in as healthy a state I've ever known in my taking my now six year old regularly. I thought the park did really well when I visited yesterday...the park was full of school parties but by effectively separating Thomas Land to only being accessible to those accompianied by an adult they really managed the situation well.
The ride additions have really bought a lot to the park. Someone will put me right but now there are the added options of Thor, Loki, Rapids & Wave Swinger for the metre plus market. Which to my mind have doubled the amount of marquee rides such as S10, Shockwave, Apocalypse and Maelstrom. Although Pandemonium has gone.
Granted my feelings may be skewed by the fact that my little one has grown to give a different boost to the access to rides. But I'm surprised that Apocolypse has been allowed to decay in the way that it has. I can only imagine the amount of throughput it was able to generate with 5 times the present capacity.
You have to hope that the replacement is for a ride that could cover the capacity and utility of both a fully operational Apocalypse plus Pandemonium. If it does then everyone can get back to wondering about any Pirates Adventure replacement!!