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Paultons Park: General Discussion

Shaggy_Dog_ said:
Whilst it's true that you might not think of yourself as their intended target market there are definitely things that anyone could enjoy at the park. Cobra and Storm Chaser are very good coasters that would fit in well at any park in the UK and there are really nice gardens there as well to appreciate. I don't think anyone would bat an eyelid if you were at the park, it's not like it's only a kiddified park like the Gullivers ones are.
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I'd say that if you enjoy the rollercoasters and rides at Chessington and Drayton Manor, you'd certainly enjoy Paultons Park.

The thrill level of the park at current is practically equivalent to Chessington I'd say.
 
rob666 said:
Well aware of all that mate, but it is not a park I would plan on visiting unless I was in the area, which is highly unlikely.
Solo males in their sixties...simply not their market, at all!
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If nothing else you'll be delighted to know Paultons have no fastpass system. Nor do they need it.

owenstreet7 said:
The thrill level of the park at current is practically equivalent to Chessington I'd say.
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Very similar! They both have suspended coasters, both have a wild mouse, a shot tower, a Zamperla disc thing, a pirate ship, kids log flume, regular log flume and a spinning coaster. Never really noticed so many!

Chessington probably edges it currently with Mandrill over Velociraptor but practically neck and neck otherwise. It's only really the Wardley era theming of Vampire, Tiger Rock and Bubbleworks/Gruffalo that stands out over the Paultons equivalents of Pterosaur, Raging River and Grampy Sail (always miffed the latter wasn't a dark ride).
 
Bowser said:
If nothing else you'll be delighted to know Paultons have no fastpass system.
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Yes they do. Available as part of their VIP Packages, from as little as £270 per person. In fact, on their bronze VIP package, that's pretty much all you get.
1000019314.png
paultonspark.co.uk

VIP Packages | Paultons Park

Our VIP experiences are a perfect way to make a visit to Paultons extra special. Please enquire now for 2022.
paultonspark.co.uk paultonspark.co.uk

Does Paultons Park have a fast track service available?

Yes, fast track ride entry is an exclusive element under our VIP Packages and not available to purchase separately. Find out more here
blog.paultonspark.co.uk blog.paultonspark.co.uk
 
rob666 said:
But that is the best way if you must have it...make it so expensive a few will still be happy to pay, but it barely affects the queues.
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Can't say i've ever seen anyone use that, wonder how many they sell. There are no dedicated fast track lines so they'd have to use the exits to enter the rides (which is what RAP use). A lot of money to save about 10 minutes most of the time.
 
I took this photo of the penguins at the park on Saturday purely for my best friend who loves them, but I noticed that the enclosure is looking a little tired, especially the blue wall at the back. Bit of a shame given how the rest of the park looks really nice, hopefully it's down to get a refresh in the future. 😊

Penguins.jpg
 
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Bowser said:
If nothing else you'll be delighted to know Paultons have no fastpass system. Nor do they need it.
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They also have an early ride time for Peppa Pig, which includes 30 minutes of games and activities with Peppa and Friends, and then 30 minutes of ride time.

paultonspark.co.uk

Early Play Pass | Paultons Park

We offer a very special opportunity to meet Peppa Pig and George personally before the Park opens between 9.00 - 9.30am on selected 2024 dates.
paultonspark.co.uk paultonspark.co.uk

We have done this in the past, and it is a fantastic way to start the day, and enjoy the rides before the queues get to long. I have never understood why Alton Towers have not copied this approach for Cbeebies land, as it is an easy way to make some additional money.
 
Bowser said:
Can't say i've ever seen anyone use that, wonder how many they sell. There are no dedicated fast track lines so they'd have to use the exits to enter the rides (which is what RAP use). A lot of money to save about 10 minutes most of the time.
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It's a VIP package, so it's mostly for celebs and people with more money than sense. Most attractions of all flavours provide something similar.

You're not really paying for the fastrack, you're paying for the host, who will be accompanying you for the entire day, taking you from ride to ride.

You won't see it often, but if a member of the public is being escorted up a ride exit by a member of staff, straight on to a ride, chances are they're VIP. They usually try to be discreet about it, as very often the VIP is a public figure.
 
BPB...Big One...Illumination switch on night...(the mid afternoon before switch on).
That Jonathan sodding Ross jumps the whole queue and gets a front seat...and the ride held for photos, and a member of ride staff walks straight up to me and says...
"Shut your mouth Rob. Don't bloody start."
No manners those ride staff.
They know me well.
 
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Ryan said:
It's a VIP package, so it's mostly for celebs and people with more money than sense. Most attractions of all flavours provide something similar.

You're not really paying for the fastrack, you're paying for the host, who will be accompanying you for the entire day, taking you from ride to ride.

You won't see it often, but if a member of the public is being escorted up a ride exit by a member of staff, straight on to a ride, chances are they're VIP. They usually try to be discreet about it, as very often the VIP is a public figure.
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I had this on a work trip to a 6 Flags once, was pretty embarassing all round as there were no queues for most rides anyway and we just looked like a bunch of dickheads. Did get front/back row on all the coasters though and had the park cleared in a couple of hours so can't complain.
 
TedShatner10 said:
Will Paultons Park get round to constructing an onsight hotel similar to the hotels at Alton Towers and Legoland within the next 3 to 5 years?
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At the Superfans day, they basically said that there are no plans, on the basis that they’ve got good relationships with local hotels, and that it requires a different set of skills and expertise to run a hotel. Essentially the impression I got is that they don’t want to rush into it and it be a disaster. This is very Paultons, they’ve always been a very sensible park in terms of planning and business decisions.
 
TedShatner10 said:
Will Paultons Park get round to constructing an onsight hotel similar to the hotels at Alton Towers and Legoland within the next 3 to 5 years?
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No. I was in attendance at the Super Fans event a few months ago and the divisional director was asked this question, during a Q&A section.

Their response was that Paulton's has no long term plan to build on site accomodation. They have a good relationship with nearby accomodation providers, don't want to jeopardise that and don't want to deviate from their area of expertise, or dilute / divest their current operational structure.
 
Speaking of the future of the park, I speculated Raging River will be moved on from the park eventually either in preparation for or after a new larger replacement log flume opens.

It seems Interlink have got a log flume up for sale with Raging River's photos and details.

www.interlink-lg.com

Log Flume - WR33 - Interlink

Used rides - Amusement rides - Ride trading
www.interlink-lg.com www.interlink-lg.com

It's definitely a needed move for the future of the park if Raging River is to go however I'm hoping that a bigger and better flume style ride replaces it.
 
GooseOnTheLoose said:
No. I was in attendance at the Super Fans event a few months ago and the divisional director was asked this question, during a Q&A section.

Their response was that Paulton's has no long term plan to build on site accomodation. They have a good relationship with nearby accomodation providers, don't want to jeopardise that and don't want to deviate from their area of expertise, or dilute / divest their current operational structure.
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Ah, I see.

Also under the growing corporate bloat and arrogance of Tussauds & then Merlin since the early to mid 2000s, the opening and operating of their park hotels nationwide (ultimately worldwide) may opened up an additional can of worms and added another loadstone to their entrenched mismanagement/investment woes that became hard to ignore by the turn of the 2020s...
 
TedShatner10 said:
Ah, I see.

Also under the growing corporate bloat and arrogance of Tussauds & then Merlin since the early to mid 2000s, the opening and operating of their park hotels nationwide (ultimately worldwide) may opened up an additional can of worms and added another loadstone to their entrenched mismanagement/investment woes that became hard to ignore by the turn of the 2020s...
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A site like Alton Towers needs hotels. It's in the middle of nowhere, tricky to get to (almost impossible by public transport) and doesn't have the local accomodation infrastructure to sustain it.

Paulton's Park, by contrast, is in a year round tourist hotspot (being in the New Forest) with well established accomodation infrastructure. It's also an extremely short drive from Southampton, which by way of being a port of sea and air, also has large hotel chains and high availability.
 
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