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Drayton Manor Park

OMG what a afternoon at the park so been going the park on average 2-3 times a month I find out quite a few things but 1st a park update.

The rapids I see they started to sort out the Jets that’s by the end of the ride
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I also took a pic of the new types
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At long last they replaced the signage on the shooting galley
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Around the castle of dreams/staff area they installing a lot of new drainage systems.
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Also I never seen this old Excalibur theming before
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Did it use to move?
Also 2 weeks ago when I took this picture
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This is Pirate adventure substation
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This is Thomas land’s substation
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Now on some news:
Apocalypse has needed a new part for the floorless which is arriving in the next few days and it could be open by the weekend.
4D cinema the projector has broke so they just using a normal projector to its replaced and they can’t use the water as the tank the water stored in got infected.
 
I’m also wondering with them cleaning the old theming by the hotel car park are they looking to install the multi-storey car park which is listed as C on the plans.
They could be planning on using the 2nd car park as a drive in movie theatre as plans were submitted last year and there was a digger doing some ground work in the far end of the 2nd car park.
 
rob666 said:
I don't think Drayton is a leader in the field.
It may have shifted it's market, like Lightwater, but it has too many old/clapped out rides.
I would say it has managed a shift from a very difficult period well, but leading the field?
No.
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Yes. Leading the independent family market.

My opinion is more than likely bias due to nostalgia, rose tinted glasses and many other reasons. I am in no way saying I am correct. But look at the facts and the history, there is a trend in my opinion. Love hearing other peoples opinion on stuff like this.

They built one of the most elaborate and highly themed water rides in the country..........first! Before Valhalla and Tidal Wave, still sitting as one of the best to this day.. A drop tower that is consistently to this day, rated as one of the more forceful towers on the planet (may she rest in peace). The biggest dark ride, by size, in the UK. Two years before the second largest for the time, was built at Alton Towers. The point I am making is, there is a trend with this stuff and Drayton, clouded by nostalgia or not. They have always aimed high.

Then we have Thomas Land, the expansion that has specifically been pivotal in making DMP the market leader for the part of the market segment they are doubling down on today. It was the first IP based, purpose built and dedicated land in the UK, that was specifically designed and built to the needs of and design of the Thomas the Tank engine IP and universe. Even today, the bigger parks have not managed to come close, let alone match it.

Thomas Land was and still is to this day a huge success for the park. BPB, responded on the back of Drayton's success by opening what was pretty much a repainted Beaver Creak with minor modifications a year later. Alton Towers followed suit in 2014, with CBeebies Land. It was not until Paulton's opened Pepper Pig world, that another purpose built area, specifically for an IP was built. Not some re paint. That says a lot about the state of the industry as well to be fair

Forward to today. Drayton's rides may not be for everyone, I get that. But they do have some of the more serious ride infrastructure in place, of any of the independent UK parks. Arguably, they also have one of the best hotels of any independent parks.

There is no argument in the fact that they have stagnated on a lot of things for a long time. But that does not make other places automatically better. It is testament to how forward thinking Drayton were in the past.


@Themeparksandy1981. The Dragon tale has always been there, in fact, this semi circle space the tale is in, was one of the first things built for Excalibur back in 2002. This photo is from early 2003, weeks before the ride opened. It did move, the water also used to bubble. You can see the green pipes in the photo that made the water bubble.

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A few others, as always, not my photos, excellent non the less.....
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James Watkins said:
Wow great find! Do you know if one of the rides will be the shelved Lady Hatt teacups from 2020?
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Staff wouldn’t say what the attractions were going In but think the looping group is trying to boost visitor numbers and currently the Viking and adventure cove hasn’t brought more visitors to the park that they had hope for as I not seen both car parks full since the last Thomas land expansion.
 
Themeparksandy1981 said:
Staff wouldn’t say what the attractions were going In but think the looping group is trying to boost visitor numbers and currently the Viking and adventure cove hasn’t brought more visitors to the park that they had hope for as I not seen both car parks full since the last Thomas land expansion.
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Drayton Manor did however, sell out earlier this year. For the first time outside of fireworks in nearly 20 years. Parking has been much more spread out this year across more fields. Impossible to judge on that alone.
 
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I also think Adventure Cove and partly Vikings really was just getting the park back up to its own standard, also being late in the season didn't help with adventure cove. I doubt the visitor numbers have increase for either has been that large, although I imagine there has been some for Vikings. Simply, whatever they add next they need to think more about marketing, sure the social media team do well but it needs to be marketed in other ways to, there needs to be more of a budget to actually spread the word when they add something really good.
 
The problem the park get if it’s very busy the park get really bad feedback.
I do want the park to do well as it’s my local park and my whole family been visiting over 50 years when my Nan and grandad visited and they took my mum and uncle who took me and my sister and I continued it taking my 2 kids and I hope they continue going when they grow up and take my grandchildren. The park has changed so much over the past 30 years. My mum still goes once a year with me and the kids and back in the day when she would buy me and my sister wristbands she would buy tokens to ride Splash canyon, Pirate adventure, Jungle Cruise and watch the Jungle Palladium.
 
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Themeparksandy1981 said:
I’m surprised they not thought of having a £7.50 cup for refills of sofa drinks like they do for hot drinks
A couple was trying to tell me what good value it was and they already had 4 coffees 😂 I do like coffee but I only drink hot drinks during the winter park days and in the summer I buy £1.25 bottles of pop from Iceland and take 1 of them to the park.
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Are sofa drinks only consumed on comfortable chairs designed for two or three?
Armchair exclusions, no single riders, cushions on stand chairs not included in this offer, check terms and conditions regarding 10% surcharge for chaise longue...No Wet Leg tracks.
 
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