• ℹ️ Heads up...

    This is a popular topic that is fast moving Guest - before posting, please ensure that you check out the first post in the topic for a quick reminder of guidelines, and importantly a summary of the known facts and information so far. Thanks.

Flamingo Land: General Discussion

AstroDan said:
This is utter rubbish if that's the reason they are spouting.
Click to expand...

Matt N said:
I should note that this isn’t an official line; this is a rumour I heard online. This is of course unconfirmed, but certainly wouldn’t surprise me, what with the current travel restrictions and situation in Europe.
Click to expand...
If true (there are a lot of people who claim to be close to Flamingo Land and are not), it might not be directly Covid related. If it needs work from RCS or Intamin their crews might not be immediately available because they are scheduled to be elsewhere, Intamin have 15 rides due to open this year.
 
It could just be the fact that they are very skint and haven't got the money to complete the ride until they get punters back in in the summer.
Cash flow often becomes an absolute obstacle to building progress, which is what had probably happened in this case.
 
Matt N said:
By March 2020, is it plausible that the park hadn’t paid off the full cost of the coaster yet? The ride is quoted as costing £20,385,000 by the park, and £6m is not even half of that figure, so they clearly had quite a bit left to pay prior to the pandemic hitting.
Click to expand...
Don't believe marketing claptrap!

Sent from my SM-G991B using Tapatalk
 
OK - so we're now at the end of April. Parks across the UK such as Alton Towers, Paultons, Legoland and Co. seem to have had a fairly robust return to operation with solid demand for tickets and attendance at levels close to - or at - current capacity levels.

Yet, in the North East of England, whilst we've a downsized Lightwater Valley we now also have, perhaps more worryingly, a Flamingoland theme park which has a stash of coasters - and they're all shut. Along with their other thrill rides. And a massive new 10-inversion coaster that doesn't even get a mention. Meanwhile new rides/experiences at Alton, Legoland, Chessington, Paultons and Drayton Manor are ploughing on with marketing oomph behind them.

What. Is. Going. On?

Does anybody actually have a scoob?

*God it felt good to mention new rides/experiences at Drayton in that post.
 
AstroDan said:
OK - so we're now at the end of April. Parks across the UK such as Alton Towers, Paultons, Legoland and Co. seem to have had a fairly robust return to operation with solid demand for tickets and attendance at levels close to - or at - current capacity levels.

Yet, in the North East of England, whilst we've a downsized Lightwater Valley we now also have, perhaps more worryingly, a Flamingoland theme park which has a stash of coasters - and they're all shut. Along with their other thrill rides. And a massive new 10-inversion coaster that doesn't even get a mention. Meanwhile new rides/experiences at Alton, Legoland, Chessington, Paultons and Drayton Manor are ploughing on with marketing oomph behind them.

What. Is. Going. On?

Does anybody actually have a scoob?

*God it felt good to mention new rides/experiences at Drayton in that post.
Click to expand...
It’s rumoured that Flamingo Land is currently suffering quite significant financial difficulties, and that the 10 inversion coaster is currently “at the bottom of a very long list of priorities”.

I guess COVID couldn’t have hit at a worse time for Flamingo Land, in that regard...

Maybe they’re waiting for 21st June, when social distancing rules are hopefully relaxed?

Or perhaps they may be wanting to regroup more into the young family and children’s market, and are testing the waters to see how such a move would be received?
 
Matt N said:
It’s rumoured that Flamingo Land is currently suffering quite significant financial difficulties, and that the 10 inversion coaster is currently “at the bottom of a very long list of priorities”.

I guess COVID couldn’t have hit at a worse time for Flamingo Land, in that regard...

Maybe they’re waiting for 21st June, when social distancing rules are hopefully relaxed?

Or perhaps they may be wanting to regroup more into the young family and children’s market, and are testing the waters to see how such a move would be received?
Click to expand...
If they did that though that'd be a lot of ride removals that aren't suitable for younger families! It'd also be a silly move (and an unlikely one) as although it's not yet operating, they've just built a 10 inversion coaster - about as far a stretch away from families as there is!
 
Mumbo Jumbo and Hero have reopened, they're actively working on Kumali and Velocity.

Things are slowly coming back online, many full time staff didn't come back from furlough until early January, so they are playing catch up with winter work, training etc. The park makes its money in the summer.
 
Wow. Things are not good in the Yorkshire parks. And that’s an understatement.

On weekdays Flamingo are currently running a grand total of five kids rides. And at weekends, Mumbo Jumbo is the only coaster mentioned.

It could perhaps be that the holiday village is what keeps them afloat and with that, I assume, still currently closed, it isn’t worth opening the entire park? It will be interesting to see what the summer has in store, but I do have a feeling that the new coaster will be delayed another year, as it sounds like the park is really struggling financially.

Maybe the Looping group will be able to buy another cut price U.K. park here.
 
Last edited:
This could have been Flamingo Land's year in the spotlight. The only park north of Southampton with a major new ride addition.

Certainly can't imagine they'll be attracting many people back with their current shoddy offering.

It's a pretty unpleasant park even when everything is working.
 
D4n said:
This could have been Flamingo Land's year in the spotlight. The only park north of Southampton with a major new ride addition.

Certainly can't imagine they'll be attracting many people back with their current shoddy offering.

It's a pretty unpleasant park even when everything is working.
Click to expand...

To be fair, I think Legoland Windsor would want to challenge that...

But yes, they could have capitalised on their huge new coaster...
 
John_P said:
Won't they just be able to do that next year with even less competition from other parks.
I mean now parks have reopened any major 2022 projects would've been spotted by now. So they'd have competition from a small coaster at Paultons, a refreshed Valhalla, and likely whatever the merlin parks retheme for next year.
Click to expand...

I wonder how Parks might be affected by everyone wanting to take foreign holidays next year? There will surely be a big demand for it.
 
Enter Valhalla said:
Wow. Things are not good in the Yorkshire parks. And that’s an understatement.

On weekdays Flamingo are currently running a grand total of five kids rides. And at weekends, Mumbo Jumbo is the only coaster mentioned.

It could perhaps be that the holiday village is what keeps them afloat and with that, I assume, still currently closed, it isn’t worth opening the entire park? It will be interesting to see what the summer has in store, but I do have a feeling that the new coaster will be delayed another year, as it sounds like the park is really struggling financially.

Maybe the Looping group will be able to buy another cut price U.K. park here.
Click to expand...

Mingo camping and vanning is back open, for single family groups only, and looks rather bloody expensive in my eyes...hundred quid a night for two during the week, more at weekends, more still on holiday weeks.
I have heard a few times that it is the campsite that makes all the money, the park and zoo only makes money on busy weekends and the school holidays.
 
f5OmCRt.jpg
 
Reading through the comments and reviews on Facebook, it’s fair to say that the park has some really angry customers are the moment.

There’s talk of the park being rammed but, as already mentioned on here, barely any rides open. What I hadn’t realised is that the demand for more to be open is clearly there. People have been complaining of 2 hour queues on the open rides, and 30 minute queues to get food. They’re charging people £30 a ticket and will clearly, in the short term, be bringing in the dollar. But this is surely costing the park its reputation long term.

If the guests are coming in, the queues are long, the numbers are there, then I can really see no justification for keeping so many rides closed. The park may be struggling financially, but they seem to be digging their own grave with the current operation.
 
They make Merlin look like Disney don't they? It really is an absolute shambolic place. It's ugly, poorly ran and has a terrible atmosphere. Operations have never been good there but this really is taking the Micky.

It's just never had any charm or character about it either for me. Admittedly I have only visited a few times in my life but each times it's felt like a bit of a chore to be there which should never be the case for a theme park lover.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top