Drayton Manor Park

[Shaggy_Dog_]

I can understand why they’re not shouting from the rooftops given that the ride doesn’t seem too close to opening, but I find the complete radio silence on the major new coaster quite odd. By now, I’d have at least expected a ride name and a basic summary of what it does to be out there in the public conscious.

The Wave has now been open for 2 weeks. Even if they didn’t want to announce the ride prior to The Wave opening, I’d have hoped for some sort of acknowledgement now that’s it been open for a good period of time.

They have had The Wave open for two weeks now but we are now entering the big build up for Hyperia’s launch which will be heavily promoted in the mainstream media. Drayton probably feel that it’s better to let that event pass and then start the promotion for their coaster sometime later rather than teasing it now when the attention will be on Thorpe Park’s massive new coaster (in both senses of the word). Giving themselves a clear window in a slot that is both post-Hyperia launch and pre-summer holiday start could be a decent strategy.

 

[Jb85]

Are they evening testing it yet? Seems miles of completion from the last images I’ve seen

 

[Themeparksandy1981]

Now I can’t understand what else Drayton can do to say what’s coming in 2024. It’s all listed also on the outside of the park with how many see it every day driving past.
It’s all on the website so if people are interested they will go on the website.
The only thing that’s gonna let the park down is the vloggers and maybe the annual pass holders who usually get invited to the preview event and give the coaster a bad review.

 

[TBoy535]

I agree the advertising campaign for Drayton’s new roller coaster in how many years? Is pretty poor if they want to increase numbers and get the word out, even if it’s just a few teasers for now. They started off well but now I think there leaving it to late and a repeat of Icon could be evident, unless there debating whether to open this year or not now due to delays.

Quite humours when i remember some people on this forum saying Dayton’s new rollercoaster is flying through construction even slating Hyperia and Thorpe saying they need to take note from Drayton…..months later?

I have to say the progress is shocking compared to other projects and the coaster isn’t exactly large. But I’m sure it will be a great addition once completed whenever that will be.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[rob666]

How can you possibly know they are "leaving it too late" when we have no idea of when the ride is going to open???
And how do you measure progress exactly, it looks complex, and unique, with switchtrack, probably a million bits of code in the operating system.
All needs linking to sensors, fiddly, detailed, complex.
Takes time.
Hyperia, on the other hand, you could just push it over the top with a (very) big stick.
Quicker, less complex, less code, fewer sensors, no real switchtrack.
Also...one done by a big company, another done by a smaller one, with less funds.

 

[Maelstrom]

The park did state in autumn I believe last year there had been some unavoidable delays that were outside of the parks hands with the project which delayed construction starting. Which I believe was due to supplies of materials required, not sure if this was the supply of the actual ride from Intamin or construction materials for ground work. The park did otherwise have it planned to open by around now.

The park will likely start a teaser campaign and full launch once they have a better idea of the rides opening. They don’t want to announce too much if it faces further delays and gets delayed until start of the 2025 season. Also outside of announcing the ride formally to the national media and some teasers on social media you would not see much else until the rides about to open. The major marketing push even for Merlins big rides doesnt officially start until a a few weeks before the rides open outside social media and a few press releases.

 

[AT86]

They’ll have a marketing plan and budget, and it will be set to kick off x weeks before the launch date.

You don’t want to spend your money too early and waste the marketing because by the time the ride opens everyone has forgotten about it.

Only they know what the opening date is, and it could well be that the launch date has been pushed back due to construction delays.

Drayton is a a very West Midlands focused regional park and folks won’t be planning their trips anywhere near as far in advance as the likes of Alton Towers or even in some cases Thorpe Park. So it makes sense to hold off until they are in the time range of their customers average booking window.

 

[jibbsie]

I think drayton don't have to market anything currently and I don't know how much it will benifit them currently, drayton and i think a lot of theme parks are places where your average person will plan a couple weeks in advance, not months if they were to advertise now an opening date then people who would say lets go to drayton may hold back untill the new ride opens, it would be a case of may as well go in a couple months when the new ride is open, in adition how many extra sales would it generate? currently we are in the summer during school trip season and typically from what I recall school trips are organised months in advance, it would make sence to hold on to the marketing budget for now and wait untill the summer holidays are closer and do a bigger advertising push, staying more active in peoples minds during the holidays. Also don't forget nemesis reborns advertising to the general public didn't properly start untill a few days before and most the advertising i saw was after the park opened and that worked really well.

 

[Bowser]

Yeah I think people are overreacting a little. And I still like the mystery of not knowing every detail.

They still have over 2 months till the summer holidays, the track is finished and the indoor sections look nearly done. Hopefully the break in rain is accelerating things too.

 

[Themeparksandy1981]

Update from today
Is this the best maintenance shed in the uk

The launch building been painted now

Not sure if I like the metal added to the launch building

The queue line is currently been laid

On the tape it listed warning to construction staff that they testing the transfer track.

Queue line fencing or fence to go around the site ready to start going in.

I’m loving the themed bucket lights that’s been installed in the station building.

 

[DistortAMG]

Update from today
Is this the best maintenance shed in the uk

The launch building been painted now

Not sure if I like the metal added to the launch building

The queue line is currently been laid

On the tape it listed warning to construction staff that they testing the transfer track.

Queue line fencing or fence to go around the site ready to start going in.

I’m loving the themed bucket lights that’s been installed in the station building.

Looking good, how busy was it today? What were water ride queues like???

 

[Themeparksandy1981]

Looking good, how busy was it today? What were water ride queues like???

Thanks as it was a last min decision as I worked to 1pm so didn’t get to the park to 3pm and parked in Vikings car park so only did Vikings and Frontier falls rides. I did look over to Stormforce 10 and it did look busy.

I’m loving the new merchandise

 

[DistortAMG]

Perfect day for re rides. 500 people on park, everything is open. Just Storm Force 10 staggered as opening at 12. Impressive.

The Wave has been stuck on the lift hill with the first riders of the day since 10.30am though. Not moving yet.

 

[rob666]

The Wave has been stuck on the lift hill with the first riders of the day since 10.30am though. Not moving yet.

Impressive!!!

 

[DistortAMG]

Impressive!!!

What's more impressive is the fact they have only just got the last people off the lift hill...2 hours later! Like the loading, evacuations are extremely slow. Engineers seemed to be sniffing around the brand new looking lift motor.

 

[rob666]

Seems to be rather a rash of middle aged thoosies with thinning hair locked on there...hope they offered out the suncream.

 

[Bowser]

Glad they managed to evacuate the back row quickly.

 

[DistortAMG]

Just did The Wave front row. Anyone who says the ride is much smoother is misguided I think.

From someone who has ridden it thousands of times, the jolts and bumps are still in exactly the same places as they were before. They are almost seared into muscle memory as to brace your head. The ride still bumps and jolts exactly where it always has.

The difference is, no head rest to bump and bash your head. But the roughness is still there. This does however give a MUCH better ride experience. Big improvement for sure. Those elements are great in that train.

 

[Funcone]

I haven’t been to Drayton Manor this year, so most of my information is coming from this forum. This topic is an interesting mix of people hoping they get the new coaster open soon, and people complaining about problems with The Wave.

I am wondering whether The Wave would have benefitted from more testing and staff training. I’m not saying it’s dangerous or that staff training is necessarily an issue here, but it sounds like something’s gone wrong with all the issues people are reporting.

It’s understandable that they wanted The Wave open, given that the park didn’t have a major coaster, and is still a little light on major rides since Excalibur, Pirate Adventure and G Force closed. But from reading people’s posts on here, it does sound like they may have rushed to get it open when it wasn’t quite ready.

 

[rob666]

Just did The Wave front row. Anyone who says the ride is much smoother is misguided I think.

From someone who has ridden it thousands of times, the jolts and bumps are still in exactly the same places as they were before. They are almost seared into muscle memory as to brace your head. The ride still bumps and jolts exactly where it always has.

The difference is, no head rest to bump and bash your head. But the roughness is still there. This does however give a MUCH better ride experience. Big improvement for sure. Those elements are great in that train.

Excellent news, used to love this ride, more for the company and event than the ride itself.
Oh those camping trips of distant halcyon memory. The new site just isn't the same.
Look forward to this and possibly the new thingy at the end of the summer on my World Tour of Britain, possibly tied in with Silk Cut the Ride elsewhere.