Drayton Manor Park

[Haz]

Rollercoasterrickster88 on Instagram if you need to know the source. Looks like a pretty official Drayton Manor document to me. And no I wouldn’t say it’s only half the story, it provides opening times for weekdays and weekends for October, clearly stated in black and white.

Here if you need the link, looks pretty accurate to me:
From: https://www.instagram.com/p/DPef-85jNnS/?igsh=MXh0b3U4Zzc4ajdyeA==

A friend visited last weekend and according to guest services this table is wrong. Air race and The Haunting are supposed to be open but marketing haven’t made the new table yet for whatever reason, maybe they are waiting for AI to produce a one.

 

[DistortAMG]

maybe or its due to they are doing winter maintence early since more rides will be open in winter

Nothing like riding the River Rapids in the middle of January.

Paint it how you want, this is a clear sign of cost cutting. Drayton financially has been under performing, this year's accounts have not been released, but the previous year, huge energy costs, combined with their headline new ride opening late into the season, did not give them the return they hoped for.

This is not to say they are doing bad financially, I am not saying that. They are not doing as great as they expected however. That is quite obviously from the wordings used in the accounts.

Those energy costs will be present again this year.

 

[Enter Valhalla]

A friend visited last weekend and according to guest services this table is wrong. Air race and The Haunting are supposed to be open but marketing haven’t made the new table yet for whatever reason, maybe they are waiting for AI to produce a one.

If those rides are indeed open, then that’s something at least. This doesn’t however excuse the very poor opening hours of rides and lack of communication from the park.

Also looking at the days listed, these staggered hours apply for at least 12 days of October and also we don’t yet know if similar reduced hours will apply over the half term week. This information hasn’t been published yet.

 

[Hid]

This doesn’t however excuse the very poor opening hours of rides and lack of communication from the park.

Drayton Manor need to sort communication out as it truly is poor from them but the same could be said for many places, why is communication so difficult to understand.

However will give credit Drayton have had longer operating days this compared to most UK Parks with a lot more late nights

 

[GooseOnTheLoose]

This information hasn’t been published yet.

Neither has the opening hours document your friend posted, which the park allegedly pulled over incorrect information.

Also looking at the days listed, these staggered hours apply for at least 12 days of October and also we don’t yet know if similar reduced hours will apply over the half term week. This information hasn’t been published yet.

We do know that reduced opening hours will not apply over the half term week, because the park have confirmed that the restrictions are only running until October 24th. You are now, once again, starting to over exaggerate.

and lack of communication from the park.

The park has published that there is a restricted ride offering on their website and offered an appropriate discount to reflect this. What more are you looking for?

 

[Enter Valhalla]

Neither has the opening hours document your friend posted, which the park allegedly pulled over incorrect information.

We do know that reduced opening hours will not apply over the half term week, because the park have confirmed that the restrictions are only running until October 24th. You are now, once again, starting to over exaggerate.

The park has published that there is a restricted ride offering on their website and offered an appropriate discount to reflect this. What more are you looking for?

I think it’s extremely unwise of you to say that we know for certain that there won’t be reduced hours, as this is nothing more than a prediction.

The park has said that these hours will apply until the start of half term. But what then? They haven’t said this. For all you know, they could publish another set of reduced hours. We don’t know this yet.

You’re literally making a prediction based on nothing, apart from perhaps something you mentioned which says “full park offering” which is flimsy evidence at best. Yet you’re saying with absolute authority and total certainty, that there won’t be staggered openings, despite not knowing. I’d have thought you’d be reluctant to do that after your incorrect assertions about the Paultons accommodation, but clearly not.

There is not one single comment regarding this subject where I have exaggerated. I have stated the facts based on the evidence that the park itself has published. I have also stated the fact that we do not yet know what staggered openings will apply during October half term. Again, this is a fact, we don’t know.

Regardless of what we predict to happen in October half term, the fact remains that Drayton Manor have a very significantly reduced ride operating schedule for 12 out of the 19 days that they are open in October (not 8 days as you stated, not too sure where you got that number from), and as we know discounts are always more readily available in off peak season, yet I’ve never seen reduced opening hours to that extent in any other UK theme park. This is based on my personal experience of what I’ve seen at other UK theme parks. If you’ve seen a more reduced set of opening hours than this anywhere else in the UK I’d be very interested to know, it’s not something I’ve ever come across.

 

[GooseOnTheLoose]

I think it’s extremely unwise of you to say that we know for certain that there won’t be reduced hours, as this is nothing more than a prediction.

The park have clearly stated the dates which they are operating a reduced offering, we can therefore presume that dates outside of this will give a full offering as usual... As we would do any other ride availability page for any other park. To suggest otherwise is a sensationalist exaggeration based on very little, other than a dislike of the park, or a lack of information. Parks do not generally post what is going to be available, just what isn't.

You’re literally making a prediction based on nothing, apart from perhaps something you mentioned which says “full park offering” which is flimsy evidence at best.

You are making an assertion from a lack of any information at all. An assumption that because the park haven't published a reduced offering for the rest of October, after the 25th, that they must have a reduced offering... Which is illogical.

I’d have thought you’d be reluctant to do that after your incorrect assertions about the Paultons accommodation, but clearly not.

We do not need to make this personal, or relitigate past mistakes. I based my assertions on Paulton's accomodation on their own public comments and commitments at an event. I trusted Lawrence Mancey. He lied and broke my heart. One day he may win it back. I still acknowledged that my faith in what a park had stated was misplaced, I will always admit when I am wrong.

I have also stated the fact that we do not yet know what staggered openings will apply during October half term. Again, this is a fact, we don’t know.

The park have clearly stated that a reduced offering runs until October 24th. We know that they intend to run a full offering from the 25th.

(not 8 days as you stated, not too sure where you got that number from),

On the day that you made your original post, there were only eight more days of Drayton Manor Park and Zoo's operation to which this reduced offering would have applied.

I’ve never seen reduced opening hours to that extent in any other UK theme park. This is based on my personal experience of what I’ve seen at other UK theme parks. If you’ve seen a more reduced set of opening hours than this anywhere else in the UK I’d be very interested to know, it’s not something I’ve ever come across.

Off the top of my head, Alton Towers only offers access to Mutiny Bay, CBeebies Land and Towers Street during February Half Term. This is a vastly reduced offering.

What is also missing from your critique is that Drayton Manor Park and Zoo appear to be offering one of the largest attraction openings during their winter events, with almost every attraction operating, including their headline coasters. It may have more of its park open during this period than any other in the UK.

 

[Enter Valhalla]

The park have clearly stated the dates which they are operating a reduced offering, we can therefore presume that dates outside of this will give a full offering as usual... As we would do any other ride availability page for any other park. To suggest otherwise is a sensationalist exaggeration based on very little, other than a dislike of the park, or a lack of information. Parks do not generally post what is going to be available, just what isn't.

You are making an assertion from a lack of any information at all. An assumption that because the park haven't published a reduced offering for the rest of October, after the 25th, that they must have a reduced offering... Which is illogical.

We do not need to make this personal, or relitigate past mistakes. I based my assertions on Paulton's accomodation on their own public comments and commitments at an event. I trusted Lawrence Mancey. He lied and broke my heart. One day he may win it back. I still acknowledged that my faith in what a park had stated was misplaced, I will always admit when I am wrong.

The park have clearly stated that a reduced offering runs until October 24th. We know that they intend to run a full offering from the 25th.

On the day that you made your original post, there were only eight more days of Drayton Manor Park and Zoo's operation to which this reduced offering would have applied.

Off the top of my head, Alton Towers only offers access to Mutiny Bay, CBeebies Land and Towers Street during February Half Term. This is a vastly reduced offering.

What is also missing from your critique is that Drayton Manor Park and Zoo appear to be offering one of the largest attraction openings during their winter events, with almost every attraction operating, including their headline coasters. It may have more of its park open during this period than any other in the UK.

But as you have already pointed out, Drayton Manor has not published those ride opening hours on their website or social media channels. You even said in a previous post that you think this is a poor show. Now you seem to be backtracking on that.

In advertising a reduced offering, you’d expect some rides to be closed, and some are. But the staggered openings and early closures of such a large number of rides is like nothing I’ve ever seen before since it applied to virtually every ride in the park.



Yes the price is reduced, but the lack of communication is clearly something that I think will annoy a lot of guests.

Perhaps I’m wrong though, perhaps guests will be totally ok with that. I tell you what, I’ll read the Tripadvisor and other reviews at the end of the month, and judge it on that.

It does however mean that unfortunately I’ll be unlikely to visit Drayton Manor during off peak periods, because that set of staggered openings would irritate me intensely. But that’s just my personal preference. Perhaps other people would be ok with those hours, in which case great.

I just think it’s useful for people to be aware of things like this, then they can make an informed decision as to whether they visit during this time or not, hence why I made the original post.