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Paultons Park: General Discussion

We went to Paultons yesterday to get the creds as previously we only did Peppa Pig. Creds done, and over all we liked the place but it only got 5/10 from us for the following reasons:

- Photo rules - madness that only pass holders can have digital downloads only, everyone else has to buy tat with pictures on -1

- You also can’t collect digital ORP and then decide which to buy at the end of the day like you can at Merlin parks. You have to go back to the ride to buy -1

- Cup of tea size was TINY. I am big on tea and like a bucket but couldn’t get one -1

- Couldn’t get a non dairy frothy coffee -1

- No dark rides -1

- majority of animals were “least concern” conservation wise (so don’t need to be there) and the enclosures were small -2 points

Positive points:
- 3 vegan donut options, vegan burger was meh but tornado fries were very nice +1

- very clean and tidy, shiny rides +1

Remaining score, 5/10

I took a photo whilst there of what I think (from earlier posts) might be the new dark ride facade - but it looked pretty ropey so maybe it wasn’t?
 

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Alix said:
We went to Paultons yesterday to get the creds as previously we only did Peppa Pig. Creds done, and over all we liked the place but it only got 5/10 from us for the following reasons:

- Photo rules - madness that only pass holders can have digital downloads only, everyone else has to buy tat with pictures on -1

- You also can’t collect digital ORP and then decide which to buy at the end of the day like you can at Merlin parks. You have to go back to the ride to buy -1

- Cup of tea size was TINY. I am big on tea and like a bucket but couldn’t get one -1

- Couldn’t get a non dairy frothy coffee -1

- No dark rides -1

- majority of animals were “least concern” conservation wise (so don’t need to be there) and the enclosures were small -2 points

Positive points:
- 3 vegan donut options, vegan burger was meh but tornado fries were very nice +1

- very clean and tidy, shiny rides +1

Remaining score, 5/10

I took a photo whilst there of what I think (from earlier posts) might be the new dark ride facade - but it looked pretty ropey so maybe it wasn’t?
Click to expand...
Thanks for saving these thoughts. It’s interesting to hear about Paultons from a different point of view, as I only ever hear praise about the place and have always figured surely not everyone feels this way.

I’d agree that the animals are far less of a focus at Paultons than they are at parks such as Chessington and Flamingo Land. With the exception of the Little Africa area, most of the animal exhibits look pretty tired as in need of either update or removal.

This actually leads to my biggest issue with Paultons. The older, unthemed areas of the park are not just unthemed, they’re also bland, dated, mostly flat and unlandscaped areas of tarmac with unthemed rides plonked on them. Next to heavily themed areas like Lost Kingdom and Tornado Springs, the blandness of these areas is all the more apparent. I’m hoping that the park can really action this quickly. I’m not asking for total re-themes of every park area overnight, but a bit of landscaping really needs to happen.
 
Enter Valhalla said:
I’d agree that the animals are far less of a focus at Paultons than they are at parks such as Chessington and Flamingo Land. With the exception of the Little Africa area, most of the animal exhibits look pretty tired as in need of either update or removal.
Click to expand...
I’d prefer there to be no animals at theme parks. Not keen on zoos either. If the animal is endangered in the wild I can understand it a bit more, but I’d prefer places to phase out animals as entertainment or just something to gawp at/tease in between rides.

If places are going to have animals, in my view, their enclosures should be big enough to allow natural behaviours. For example, in the wild, sugar gliders glide from tree to tree. Poor mite can’t do that in a 6ft by 3ft box, which is exactly what it’s got at Paultons.
 
Alix said:
We went to Paultons yesterday to get the creds as previously we only did Peppa Pig. Creds done, and over all we liked the place but it only got 5/10 from us for the following reasons:

- Photo rules - madness that only pass holders can have digital downloads only, everyone else has to buy tat with pictures on -1

- You also can’t collect digital ORP and then decide which to buy at the end of the day like you can at Merlin parks. You have to go back to the ride to buy -1

- Cup of tea size was TINY. I am big on tea and like a bucket but couldn’t get one -1

- Couldn’t get a non dairy frothy coffee -1

- No dark rides -1

- majority of animals were “least concern” conservation wise (so don’t need to be there) and the enclosures were small -2 points

Positive points:
- 3 vegan donut options, vegan burger was meh but tornado fries were very nice +1

- very clean and tidy, shiny rides +1

Remaining score, 5/10

I took a photo whilst there of what I think (from earlier posts) might be the new dark ride facade - but it looked pretty ropey so maybe it wasn’t?
Click to expand...
That facade is the old 4d cinema facade. Its about a decade old. The building is being utilised for the new dark ride, and that will come down.
 
I think we all have our own personal views on whether it's appropriate to keep animals in captivity or not as well as the reasons for doing so. For myself I'm less concerned about the animal's endangered status than whether its needs are being met - as the animal itself neither knows nor cares whether it is endangered.

I've always thought Paultons kept their animals reasonably well, and certainly better than Chessington - the enclosures seem clean and well maintained and provide enrichment, although some could possibly be bigger. They also don't keep any of the larger animals with more complex requirements such as tigers, elephants, great apes etc. We've always enjoyed the aviaries and landscaped gardens as they are so well-presented and a bit different from what you might find at other parks.

I think they probably have some way to go with their food offering - I've been impressed by their allergen-safe practices but if I'm honest the gluten-free burger at Route 83 is pretty dry and tough. I would have expected it to be easier to find vegan-friendly coffee options as well.

The lack of a digital photo pass seems a bit mad - it's not something I've ever been remotely interested in, but they are surely missing an opportunity to make money there and provide a service that people want.

I've been an annual visitor to Paultons for the last three years, usually in the autumn, but we might give it a miss this year as it has got quite expensive and there won't be anything new this year that's really of interest to me, but I'm pretty positive about the place and will be keeping a close eye on what they do in the next couple of years.
 
Not a fan of animals in cages at all... especially aviaries. I really feel its the thing which lets Paultons down.

As for digital photos, didn't even realise. Do they work with a 3rd party on photos?

As for the bland, areas of the Park. Its no secret thats next on the list based on the planning applications. The dark ride is an absolute curveball!
 
I never visited Paultons before I had children and I think if I had I probably wouldn’t rate it as highly as I do. The park is incredibly child friendly, from toddler seats on every toilet to the free ride on machines. The range of good rides for smaller children is great - mine are at the too big for CBeebies but not at the 1.2m stage so Paultons is great for them.


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I've been to Paultons 3 times and don't live local and found it an excellent park that's still very much growing it's offering. Not overrated in the slightest.

I think it's very unfair to mark down the park for lack of dark rides while they are literally building one now. There is also a brand new area planned which you know will be an immersive experience.
 
The overall ride quality is lower than say Merlin parks with bigger rollercoasters and so on. Not to say they are bad, just as a relative comparison.

I think it's just more of a pleasant park experience. All the rides work (or you're notified well in advance if they're shut, all the queues are reasonable, the theming is clean and fresh.... and no fastpass :D
 
Mainly, I think it’s the promise it shows. I have cut the back off my seat when it comes to paultons, because I’m only sitting on the edge of it. I am always very exited to see what they do next
 
Thameslink Rail said:
I think a lot of the hype is caused by people's general frustrations with Merlin and Chessington in particular because of the lack of investment Chessington has got in the last 20 odd years and the absurd queues there.
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Very true and this might not have happened had Merlin but mostly Chessington hadn't dropped the ball so badly in which being utterly unaware of competition on the horizon which has allowed for Paultons to close the gap on Chessie to the point in which if they keep faffing about on questionable investments then it means that Paultons will feel that they can make a serious challenge on the family market in that area of the country and Chessie and Merlin can have no one but themselves to blame for letting this get to this point.

If Paultons do make a dark ride that utterly spanks anything that Chessie has to offer, which isn't all that hard to beat given the state of their dark ride quality, then it is another slap in the face for Chessington and with the momentum with Paultons IMO with how far they have come as a park, when that day comes in the next few years when they create a major family coaster that could be their answer to Vampire in terms of a flagship attraction that catches the attention of the wider public then that'll be when brown trousers start to fill at the offices of Merlin as they realise that they have to actually compete to once. As a neutral, it is great to bring out the popcorn and watch this slow but interesting battle taking place.
 
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