The park have said their target market has changed and is families with children upto the age of 12, so don’t expect any new thrill rides anytime soon. Lots of parks do well attracting this group of customers without thrill rides. The park attracts much higher visitor numbers than American Adventure did. The park have said they are being very cautions with any capital expenditure while the court case is outstanding.
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Drayton Manor Park
The park have said their target market has changed and is families with children upto the age of 12, so don’t expect any new thrill rides anytime soon. Lots of parks do well attracting this group of customers without thrill rides. The park attracts much higher visitor numbers than American Adventure did. The park have said they are being very cautions with any capital expenditure while the court case is outstanding.
All the best customer service in the world will count for nothing if you don't have a great product.
A great theme park doesn't need to be full of thrill rides, just something for everyone and something different that can't be found at other parks.
Drayton Manor used to be a lovely place to visit, something for everyone. The Pirate Adventure was the only ride of it kind in the UK which has now gone. Aiming theme parks at 12 and under's may work for some parks, but is going to deter us thrill seekers from visiting. Kids won't stay at the age of 12yrs or younger forever. DM don't need to try and compete with Alton Towers, but just provide a selection of good ride, something for everyone.
The Zoo is nothing to write home about and I've plenty of local Zoo which are better to warrant a trip to DM. The only thing left at the park for me nowadays is Apocalypse. When this eventually goes, DM will be completely dead to me.
The bottom line is, the place has gone down hill and if they now focus on the 12yrs or younger, then the place will continual to go down hill until it is beyond the point of no return.
Themeparksandy1981
TS Member
It’s the pull of Thomas land that gets the guests in the park then when they hit the 1.0m tall they go on family coasters and then the 1.2m tall rides then neither there parents take them to Alton Towers or stop going altogether. There’s guys in there early 20’s who never been to Alton Towers or have never been since they were in School. Like out of my m8’s I’m the only 1 who takes my daughter to theme parks so I do worry about the next generation.
Also since Thomasland opened a year a new attraction opened the only time the visitor numbers dropped was the year Air Race opened.
Also since Thomasland opened a year a new attraction opened the only time the visitor numbers dropped was the year Air Race opened.
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DistortAMG
TS Member
On a side note. If you take the Polperro Express around the park, just before you come upto Air Race, on the other side there is a storage area which sometimes has interesting things in.
Currently the four huge rapids water pumps are sitting in there and have been for a while. You can't miss them, they are tall and there is four of them.
I would imagine they need sending out for a refurbishment before they are put back to use. They get routinely refurbished every few years anyway, but obviously haven't over the last few years, this is in combination with them sitting there doing nothing would mean a refurbishment of them would deffo be on the cards before they are put back into use.
I am very interested to hear about works going on around the Pirate Adventure building. However as far as I know the majority of the ride is now gone, with the building being used for storage for sometime, the aging and rotting scenery became a health and safety hazard for staff who were accessing the stored things. While some of it remains, alot is gone. Take it with a pinch of salt but that's what I hear on good authority.
I would love however, for all this work going on around the ride, to be for a new attraction in the building.
But let's face, the scenery inside that ride was in an awful, awful state. It has sat inside a high humidity building for nearly 30 years. The only way they could salvage it back would be to rip it out and start again. There isn't much you can do with rotten plywood that's sat untouched 30 years, except bin it.
Currently the four huge rapids water pumps are sitting in there and have been for a while. You can't miss them, they are tall and there is four of them.
I would imagine they need sending out for a refurbishment before they are put back to use. They get routinely refurbished every few years anyway, but obviously haven't over the last few years, this is in combination with them sitting there doing nothing would mean a refurbishment of them would deffo be on the cards before they are put back into use.
I am very interested to hear about works going on around the Pirate Adventure building. However as far as I know the majority of the ride is now gone, with the building being used for storage for sometime, the aging and rotting scenery became a health and safety hazard for staff who were accessing the stored things. While some of it remains, alot is gone. Take it with a pinch of salt but that's what I hear on good authority.
I would love however, for all this work going on around the ride, to be for a new attraction in the building.
But let's face, the scenery inside that ride was in an awful, awful state. It has sat inside a high humidity building for nearly 30 years. The only way they could salvage it back would be to rip it out and start again. There isn't much you can do with rotten plywood that's sat untouched 30 years, except bin it.
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Themeparksandy1981
TS Member
They been painting the front by the burger kitchen and round the side by the lake.
DistortAMG
TS Member
Yeah whatever they do they won't get rid of that section of the much robust external scenery. It is just a castle after all, and a castle isn't pirate theming on its own.
Laura91
TS Member
In all the years of going to Drayton manor as a kid I have never had an experience like todays. Yes it was busy due to the half price ticket offer (which don’t get me wrong it’s great to see it so rammed with people) but the operations were some of the worst I’ve ever experienced. The queues were so long, I went to apocalypse as a single rider and watched as they sent so many seats empty, at one point a group of two loaded and rather than call for another two, because the next group was a three, they just sent the car with two people, bear in mind only three towers were in operation when I entered the station, then a staff member went on break meaning they closed another tower. Shockwave was on one train with the queue coming out the building, they were despatching said train about every 10 minutes or so, there was literally no urgency going on anywhere.
It’s nice to see the park so busy but It’s like they just couldn’t cope.
It’s nice to see the park so busy but It’s like they just couldn’t cope.
Themeparksandy1981
TS Member
The park not failing and great work by the marketing team at Drayton Manor they had a very busy summer with there 4 for £88 and half price tickets promotion. With the nice weather this weekend I can see the park been full all weekend
D4n
TS Member
It's a shame it has to be just the marketing department doing a good job whilst operations are terrible, investment is virtually non-existent and the park (outside Thomas Land) and zoo continue to look completely run down and depressing.
I wouldn't have thought many of these visitors will be back. The impression left by the park is not a good one.
I wouldn't have thought many of these visitors will be back. The impression left by the park is not a good one.
Themepark-newbie
TS Member
If they can only be 'busy' due to a special offer on tickets, that perhaps tells you they are failing. Does this mean nobody would come if only the normal rates offered? That possibly tells you the offering isn't there!
Rick
TS Member
Themepark-newbie
TS Member
Merlins walk up rate is ridiculously high. Their '2 for 1' is still normal theme park levels. They also sell queue passes which benefits from having masses of people on site.
Rick
TS Member
@Themepark-newbie Drayton's walk up rate is £39, which is not insignificant considering their current offering - particularly for thrillseekers. Their model has moved closer and closer to Merlin's over the past few years, they probably felt as if they had to.
There are few parks in the UK now where paying the full rate is the done thing for a large percentage of guests. There are certainly parks where discounting is less prevalent, Flamingo Land being an example, but the on the gate rate is the value that you compare your paid price against, rather than the price you pay.
There are few parks in the UK now where paying the full rate is the done thing for a large percentage of guests. There are certainly parks where discounting is less prevalent, Flamingo Land being an example, but the on the gate rate is the value that you compare your paid price against, rather than the price you pay.
Tim
TS Member
Legoland are doing the same offer only at £99 rather than £88. Hardly a big difference.
Themeparksandy1981
TS Member
It’s not that deal they all buying tickets on. It’s a half price sale so:
12+ £19:50
4-12 £14.50
I got a email last night all tickets have been sold and only Annual pass holders will be allowed in today will limited tickets available to buy for tomorrow.
12+ £19:50
4-12 £14.50
I got a email last night all tickets have been sold and only Annual pass holders will be allowed in today will limited tickets available to buy for tomorrow.
DistortAMG
TS Member
I got a second lot of news the other day, from a person, who differs from the previous person, but is well connected with the park.
Few points of interest to note.
Pirate Adventure has been completely ripped out. Only part of the Pirate Ship from the Battle scene remains, nothing else. It is totally gone, except for the que and possibly some of the scenery there. There are also apparently no cemented current plans to do anything with the building. It was unclear if the ride system remains though, it did not sound like it did. This is the second person to confirm to me the exact same thing though.
Splash Canyon, in its current state would require upwards of a £250,000 spend to bring the ride which has sat un-used and rotting, back upto scratch and to a level it could be operated once again with guests. Pumpbs, boats, wooden platforms and scenery, plus much more all need work before the ride can be considered safe to use again. The fact this figure has been given does indicate they have plans to re open it. However, the longer it is left rotting, the more costly it will be and therefor the less likely to reopen. Pirate Adventure is an example of this. It closed with every intention of re opening.
Obviously take my comments with a pinch of salt but I like to post stuff when I know for certain it is as correct as possible. I verbally confirmed last summer that the Dungons at Alton were indeed 100% going into the old Charlie ride building, this was when nothing was officially confirmed and there was speculation to the site the attraction would use. So I hope my comments carry a bit of validity.
A moment of silence for Pirate Adventure please. I know it was falling apart in its latter years, but it was the ride that blew my mind as a small child. Genuinly sad to see what was a big highlight of my childhood, gone.
Few points of interest to note.
Pirate Adventure has been completely ripped out. Only part of the Pirate Ship from the Battle scene remains, nothing else. It is totally gone, except for the que and possibly some of the scenery there. There are also apparently no cemented current plans to do anything with the building. It was unclear if the ride system remains though, it did not sound like it did. This is the second person to confirm to me the exact same thing though.
Splash Canyon, in its current state would require upwards of a £250,000 spend to bring the ride which has sat un-used and rotting, back upto scratch and to a level it could be operated once again with guests. Pumpbs, boats, wooden platforms and scenery, plus much more all need work before the ride can be considered safe to use again. The fact this figure has been given does indicate they have plans to re open it. However, the longer it is left rotting, the more costly it will be and therefor the less likely to reopen. Pirate Adventure is an example of this. It closed with every intention of re opening.
Obviously take my comments with a pinch of salt but I like to post stuff when I know for certain it is as correct as possible. I verbally confirmed last summer that the Dungons at Alton were indeed 100% going into the old Charlie ride building, this was when nothing was officially confirmed and there was speculation to the site the attraction would use. So I hope my comments carry a bit of validity.
A moment of silence for Pirate Adventure please. I know it was falling apart in its latter years, but it was the ride that blew my mind as a small child. Genuinly sad to see what was a big highlight of my childhood, gone.
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djtruefitt
TS Team
The pirate building would be perfect for a Thomas land indoor expansion, or some other kind of indoor area. That would help the park on wetter days and also winter months.
Something like what Toverland, Plopsaland, Holiday Park etc have.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Something like what Toverland, Plopsaland, Holiday Park etc have.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Themeparksandy1981
TS Member
I got nothing against what your saying about the contents of Pirate Adventure been all gutted but anyone can say there been in there but without pictures I think the ride system is still in place and the boats back in there. I seen and got photos of workmen working round the back and side of the pirate adventure and repairing sections of the roof Area.
DistortAMG
TS Member
I think these are more working to keep the building in a use able state than anything else. They are in the final stages of the Pirate Adventure rip out.
I have it on good authority that the old ride basin for where the water goes is part of what is being use for storage. I also have it on good authority that the trough has not been filled with water for many years and certainly hasn't had water inside it recently.
This isn't to say the rise system is gone though. But I think any use for the building in the future will not include a boat ride, that's my personal opinion, but I don't think it will.
I would be surprised if the building is kept in the long run, it's location would made a great expansion to the zoo and farm area.