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Drayton Manor Park

Winter wonderland and many other fairs charge a lot more for battered fun fair amusement rides.

However it would still make more sense to me anyway to buy a day pass in comparison and enjoy unlimited rides all day. Maybe good for old people who just want to go on the dogems with their grandkids? Completely stereotyping here.
 
Alphe86 said:
At £10 a ride…
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But there you go you see.
I am one of the old gits who now has no choice but to ride less, it is better than filling dippy's wife's car with puke for several hours.
So this would save me at least a tenner.
Old git but not a grandparent by choice thank you.
This offer is targeted at me and my like...nephews and nieces, now great ones, all being taken out and treated in the holidays intergenerationally, just like we used to at the Beach.
I have no grandkids, and at the Beach, no dodgems either.

Ten out of ten Drayton.
 
I see this as an interesting test in the current economic climate as to if they can make more money overall from wristbands and ppr. I like the idea and don't agree annual passholders like myself are disadvantaged by it. Nice excuse to bring parents with me for zoo and maybe they will do odd ride or get something to eat.
 
Aren't they only doing this because of the bad reaction to the April Fool's post, though? It definitely feels that way.

I wouldn't travel nearly 2 hrs and not want to ride at least 7/8 of the bigger rides so it doesn't even save me any money anyway. For locals who might want to nip in for a hour or two I suppose it could be quite nice.
 
I think it was always part of the plan- they are doing lots of stuff to celebrate the 75th Birthday and this is how it used to be- although was a small entrance change rather than being free and then you got a wristband or tickets.

I remember going loads in the late 80’s and 90’s as kids with our parents and they wouldn’t go on the rides so worked great, we never went to Alton towers as a family due to having to pay one price. I remember grand parents coming as well when was young again they wouldn’t go on rides.

I doubt it’s a test and they will retain their current pay one price structure but great PR activity anyway.
 
DistortAMG said:
You still dont seem to have grasped the issue. It is irrelevant if I visit or not, the pass that has been purchased, has still had its value lowered after the fact. It doesn't matter if I like it, dont like it. Vist on the days or dont visit. The pass's value has dropped.

Thats quite a cheeky move by the park, if it was any other industry, you could have trading standards on their case.
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How on earth are you working out that the value of the annual pass has dropped? Drayton do not offer split entrance fees. Ie. There isn’t an entrance fee and then a ride fee. Pay a flat fee, get in to the park and on all the rides. Annual pass equates to visiting as many times as you like (pass dependant) for its duration, including access to all the rides. This promotional weekend is purely providing access to the park. If you want to ride the rides, you pay. If you have an annual pass. You don’t. You can’t equate free entry for one weekend as a devaluing of the annual pass. I’d see your point if Drayton charged, say £5.00 to get in, plus a ride access charge. If they did, you’d effectively lose £10.00 of value in your pass if you visited on both days of the promotional weekend. But they don’t, so you aren’t. And you’re still getting your car parking benefit (pass dependent) and the on park retail and F&B discounts.

It’s promotional, clever, and a way of getting people in to the park who otherwise wouldn’t come. It ties in to the old model with a nice nostalgic nod to the past. It’s clever, creative and importantly, if you really feel like you’ve had the value of your annual pass nullified and denigrated, it’s only a single weekend. I’m sure the feelings of frustration will pass.
 
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Johnny_5 said:
How on earth are you working out that the value of the annual pass has dropped? Drayton do not offer split entrance fees. Ie. There isn’t an entrance fee and then a ride fee. Pay a flat fee, get in to the park and on all the rides. Annual pass equates to visiting as many times as you like (pass dependant) for its duration, including access to all the rides. This promotional weekend is purely providing access to the park. If you want to ride the rides, you pay. If you have an annual pass. You don’t. You can’t equate free entry for one weekend as a devaluing of the annual pass. I’d see your point if Drayton charged, say £5.00 to get in, plus a ride access charge. If they did, you’d effectively lose £10.00 of value in your pass if you visited on both days of the promotional weekend. But they don’t, so you aren’t. And you’re still getting your car parking benefit (pass dependent) and the on park retail and F&B discounts.

It’s promotional, clever, and a way of getting people in to the park who otherwise wouldn’t come. It ties in to the old model with a nice nostalgic nod to the past. It’s clever, creative and importantly, if you really feel like you’ve had the value of your annual pass nullified and denigrated, it’s only a single weekend. I’m sure the feelings of frustration will pass.
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After reading everyone's points of views and opinions, im doing a total u turn. Its not such a bad thing after all.

Everyone has put across some very valid and good points to be fair. I can't really argue with them.
 
I have a feeling this was never the 'plan'. I think their April fool went down so badly they had to backtrack and come up with a 'it isn't an April fool...' and this is how they've got round it. Place will most likely be heaving but the rides will be quiet.

Still, at least they'll get their car parking money 😀
 
I know a fair few people who are going who wouldn't have otherwise. So Drayton will get parking money and u suspect they will buy £20 worth of tickets plus some food so while not whatnthey would make from a family of 4 it's more then the 0 they would of made by friend's not going at all which would of been the plan before
 
I agree with DistortAMG the idea works for visitors who not been for years or in a while.
The looping group hadn’t even looked into the operations under the Bryan’s in the 80’s and 90’s.
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Like going off flyer admission into the park and zoo it cost:
Adults £2
Children £1
Under 4’s free
Car 40p

Wristbands £4:50 each
Tickets 5 for £1.50 or 20 for £5.

So back in 1990 a family of 4 with entrance, zoo, parking and wristbands cost £24.40 which is worth £70.87 in todays money.
 
This obsession with the Bryan’s and Looping’s “respect” for them is a continuing theme in this forum. I don’t know what rose tinted glasses get looked through, but Drayton Manor is in a way better state now than it has been for decades. I don’t understand how the Bryan’s seem to get a free pass, when Merlin get slammed. Is it just because we should forgive a small independent park because we like them? Forgive them for opening rides and letting them rot, regardless of how good they were on opening day (Stormforce, Pirates, Excalibur, even Apocalypse was left to rot, the station music, the condition of the station, the failing ride vehicles), The Shockwave building was rotting, the rapids SBNO (for obvious reasons) and so on and so forth. It was a mess of a park. Colin made multiple mistakes in the ride hardware he bought in, often at huge expense. Cost efficiencies such as cannibalising one of the shockwave trains to keep the other run running, the continual downward cycle set in many years ago. It was run on a shoe string and I’m honestly amazed it limped on for as long as it did. And I’m hugely nostalgic for Drayton Manor. As a native Brummie it was my home park for decades. But the reality is it was a mess of theming and was a long way past its early to mid 90’s peak a long way before Looping came in. The rot was entrenched and the park was in terminal decline. Looping, despite some missteps, have revitalised the park, are working to give it thematic coherence, updating buildings and ride themes, investing in areas that badly need it and have a plan, which they have so far delivered on pretty much to the letter. We’re never going to get major thrill rides back at Drayton and we should stop hankering after those long gone days. It’s a good value for money family day out. And I’m for one grateful of the work Looping have done. I’m not in the least bit surprised that they want to control which bits of the last 75 year narrative they’re choosing to celebrate.
 
Apocalypse In its final year of operation under the Bryan’s was good with 4 of the 5 sides working. 1 stand up, floorless and both sit downs were working.
Then in 2021 the motor on the other stand up went and then it was down to 3 sides for the remaining 2021 season.
At the start of the 2022 season it was down to just 1 sit down and 1 floorless with the other sit down saved for parts to keep the 2 towers working.
Then around May time the floorless stopped working and it was down to just 1 tower but they spend over £50000 on trying to fix the floorless but as it was raised to the top of the tower it wouldn’t release from the catch car so they had to lower it back down to the ground and not long after that the decision to scrap it off at the end of the season was made.
 
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