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Paultons Park: General Discussion
- Thread starter Maelstrom
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Matt N
TS Member
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- Shambhala (PortAventura Park)
To be honest, I think it's a cultural thing.
Something that I once heard and think is quite accurate about Brits' attitude to opening hours was that British people treat a day out like a day at work in that they like to get there early, but not stay too late so that they can get back home in time for tea.
I don't know if that's the case with everyone, but that was certainly the case on many of our family days out, particularly when me and my sister were young...
Something that I once heard and think is quite accurate about Brits' attitude to opening hours was that British people treat a day out like a day at work in that they like to get there early, but not stay too late so that they can get back home in time for tea.
I don't know if that's the case with everyone, but that was certainly the case on many of our family days out, particularly when me and my sister were young...
This is exactly what we would do too and still often do. I think this is why most UK parks have failed at this unless they have hotels.
NuttySquirrel
TS Member
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That's a really interesting observation Matt, and one of the 'cultural aspects' of this country that I've never subscribed to. My husband and I frequently arrive at places after lunch and then get frustrated when everything starts shutting down at 5pm, sometimes even earlier! (I remember we once tried to do the whole National Maritime Museum in 35 minutes before it closed!). On the other hand in Europe such places are regularly open until 7 or 8pm and in early evening town centres are buzzing, not ghost towns! I don't really understand why anyone would want their leisure time to mirror their working day at all!
Matt N
TS Member
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- Shambhala (PortAventura Park)
I’ll admit that it’s one I don’t entirely understand either, but I can sort of see why people might not want to stay places super-late; they might have work/school the next day or whatever.
I myself like to be somewhat of an early bird to arrive at attractions, but if left to my own devices, I would happily stay later if the parks opened later. My non-enthusiast parents, however, often find themselves worn out by about 4-5pm and want to go home (understandable; theme park days can be tiring), so taking people like my mum and dad as “the average theme park visitor” in this context, I can definitely see why parks wouldn’t want to open past 5pm or so.
For what it’s worth, we went to Thorpe Park for an 8pm close once in August 2019. We didn’t arrive until the early afternoon, but we got in a stonkingly good ride count of 12 rides, even having had dinner midway through the evening and having left 1-1.5 hours before the park closed. How were we able to accomplish this, I hear you ask? Well, the reason our ride count was so high relative to our riding time is that the park had begun to empty out at around 5pm, and by 5:30, it was deserted; we were literally the only people on Swarm Island, and despite an advertised Swarm queue of 60 minutes, the station was deserted, and as soon as we got off, we went straight back round again! Thorpe later scrapped the remaining 8pm closes that summer due to the lack of guests, but what I’m basically trying to say is; that very much seems to evidence the point I made earlier. British people just don’t seem to want to stay late places for whatever reason.
While I admittedly can’t vouch for Towers’ 8pm close days, having always left by 5pm whenever I’ve been on one, Thorpe’s were certainly pretty deserted after about 5pm, and I must say that whenever we left Towers at 5pm on those late closes, many other guests were joining us, and the monorail always had a huge queue, if that’s anything to go by!
Themeparksandy1981
TS Member
I think they value staff job satisfaction over a little profit. Like I work in engineering so I’m contacted for 39 hrs a week then 5 hrs at time and a 3rd then afterwards time and a half. Do theme parks and other hospitality places pay a overtime rate? They may only got pay 8.5 a day so they have to close at half 5 with half time clean down time. When I go theme parks when queues have closed I go into the main store to have a look and maybe buy a snack to eat on the way home.
When I have left Alton on my two trips this summer at 7pm the park has still been very busy, queues still large for the big rides. Queues at the food outlets around towers street and mutiny bay, plus queues to get in Towers Trading. When went past Pizza/Pasta at about 6-6.30 ish it was busy with people sat eating. Loads of people still sat on the benches on the lawns as well. It was great to see and hope they have the confidence to continue with the later openings going forward. Hopefully overtime it encourages some other parks to push opening times a little later.
D4n
TS Member
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- Zadra
It certainly feels as though many of the 8pm closes were at the wrong time of year.
7pm would have been quite sufficient for the majority of Madrid Gras, with the par emptying out in the evenings.
The queue to exit the car park after 7pm closes the last two weeks have been horrendous. A sure sign that the park should be open later.
7pm would have been quite sufficient for the majority of Madrid Gras, with the par emptying out in the evenings.
The queue to exit the car park after 7pm closes the last two weeks have been horrendous. A sure sign that the park should be open later.
Matt.GC
TS Member
Bringing it back to topic, Paultons certainly isn't a night owl of a park and regularly shuts around tea time and last time I was there everything other than the gift shop closed pretty swiftly. I also recall the restaurant by the entrance closing earlier than this because we wanted to eat before embarking on a long journey back home. We had to drive out and find a pub instead.
I don't think it's a cultural thing at all. I think it's a case of the biggest park operator does it so it becomes the norm and the expectation. When out in Europe, I'm always surprised come early evening just how many places close much earlier than they do here. When I started out working over 20 years ago it was rare to have a store open past 8pm, now you're lucky if you work in one that closes before 11pm. Loads of pubs, restaurants and takeaways would shut by 10pm back in the day, 11 was the latest most went, now 11pm plus is the norm depending on location and many takeaways are 24 hour. 24 hour convenience stores and petrol stations were unheard of outside of major cities and motorway service stations not too long ago, now they're everywhere. Even rush hour used to be done and dusted by around 18:30, now it seems to roll on for hours.
Visiting UK parks is almost like a list of things to ride with food and drink being mainly an annoying necessity. In many other countries, a park is more of a day out experience than a task list.
The UK certainly isn't a place where everyone goes home at tea time and drinks cocoa in their dressing gowns and slippers every evening.
I don't think it's a cultural thing at all. I think it's a case of the biggest park operator does it so it becomes the norm and the expectation. When out in Europe, I'm always surprised come early evening just how many places close much earlier than they do here. When I started out working over 20 years ago it was rare to have a store open past 8pm, now you're lucky if you work in one that closes before 11pm. Loads of pubs, restaurants and takeaways would shut by 10pm back in the day, 11 was the latest most went, now 11pm plus is the norm depending on location and many takeaways are 24 hour. 24 hour convenience stores and petrol stations were unheard of outside of major cities and motorway service stations not too long ago, now they're everywhere. Even rush hour used to be done and dusted by around 18:30, now it seems to roll on for hours.
Visiting UK parks is almost like a list of things to ride with food and drink being mainly an annoying necessity. In many other countries, a park is more of a day out experience than a task list.
The UK certainly isn't a place where everyone goes home at tea time and drinks cocoa in their dressing gowns and slippers every evening.
AT86
TS Member
In regards to Paulton’s specifically - due to the largely younger demographic linked to the heavily marketed PPW side of the park that has recently been discussed on here, I wouldn’t be surprised if guests with younger kids do tend to leave earlier because of wanting to get kids to bed/keep up routines and/or because a day of that much stimulation probably means the kids are knackered!
As they grow the other parts of the park there could be a shift and more need for the park to extend hours in the coming years.
As they grow the other parts of the park there could be a shift and more need for the park to extend hours in the coming years.
jon81uk
TS Member
Also more generally it’s not just a UK thing I think. Even at Disneyworld if there are no fireworks in the evening the parks wind down. That’s why Halloween and similar are so important to UK parks, it gives people a reason to stay later. Specifically with Paulton I agree that the younger audience of the park is unlikely to stay late anyway, they would have earlier bedtimes. Most families would want to eat on the way home or when they get back.
Dave
TS Founding Member
Towers has the highest on resort accommodation capacity of any uk theme park (you could argue Blackpool pleasure beach has a similar situation), I believe when fully booked it can have between 2500-3500 people on property overnight. Because of the on resort guests people stay on park a lot later (it’s only taken towers about 20yrs to work this out).
People don’t want to start a 2hr journey home at 8pm, so your distance visitors tend to leave earlier.
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Matt N
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Shambhala (PortAventura Park)
I think @Dave has identified a good point; the reason UK parks tend to have shorter opening hours could be because not many of them have an expansive range of on-site accommodation (I think it’s only Towers, Blackpool, Chessington and Legoland that have more than one hotel/accommodation option). Many of the resorts abroad with longer opening have huge quantities of on-site accommodation attached to them, which many UK parks lack.
That would also explain why Thorpe with its one fairly small on-site hotel was deserted after 5:30pm…
AstroDan
TS Team
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- Steel Vengeance, Cedar Point
Anybody got any idea why Paultons never open after dark? They close at 5pm through October and the moment clocks go back it gets even earlier (4pm). They ought to install lighting. They have a halloween event but close in the light...!
Themeparksandy1981
TS Member
Well I was very impressed with Paulton’s park today. There was roadworks in the area so took guests ages to park up so they had different closing times for different areas. The less popular rides called at half 5. Peppa pig world and rides under 1m tall closed at 6 with the rest of the park closing at 6:30 we left the park at 7.
IanB
TS Member
They have two late (7.30pm, so not late late, but late for Paultons) night openings during there Halloween event, 26th and 28th October.
We are planning to go on 26th, so will be interesting to see what they do.
Also worth noting, that the park do sell family event packages in the evenings, so for example, you can book the Tornado Springs area in the evening for a meal and the play areas are kept open until 8pm. Maybe that is enough of a money maker for them? Maybe its the lack of hotel?
The park does always feel busy enough, even when ride close is extended to 6.30 that they could keep it open longer.
siralgenon
TS Member
Does anyone have any more news / photos of the new coaster they're building for next year?
Rob
TS Team
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- Steel Vengeance
