Themeparksandy1981
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It’s been closed since last season. Think it’s waiting for a part.
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West Midlands Safari Park: General Discussion
Willemgorman1
TS Member
To my surprise, black fly is open today!
Skyscraper
TS Member
Have they replaced the Rapids with anything. Seems a prime spot for coaster they haven't replaced their thrill ride Vekoma BoomerangYou'll be glad to know that the rapids is no longer there, then
It was removed a while back, only the Reverchon log flume remains.
Skyscraper
TS Member
Themeparksandy1981
TS Member
Not sure what year it was re-themed to the Rhino coaster but before it was called Rollerskater and it was themed like a roller skate.
Poisson
TS Member
A standard Vekoma train option that appears on a few coasters than make sense (like K3 Rollerskater) and some that don't (Devil's Mine at Fort Fun)
Went today for the first time in 15 years. The park looks like its begging to be Old Yeller'd:
-Everything looks tired, dirty, damaged and runs rough except for Monkey Mayhem.
-The new attraction is genuinely awful and a complete capacity calamity.
-There's a couple of empty overgrown ride plots.
-Jumbo Parade and Pirate Ship weren't open and Rhinocoaster is running half capacity and you are told to brace for the brakes which hurt me regardless.
-The Driving Safari is mostly empty and the Walking Safari/Lodges are poorly laid out and infested with the smell of poop.
-Behaviour in the Driving Safari made me want to throw hands and bash bumpers.
(EDIT: the last one I removed as it was a falsehood and involved a different safari park)
-Everything looks tired, dirty, damaged and runs rough except for Monkey Mayhem.
-The new attraction is genuinely awful and a complete capacity calamity.
-There's a couple of empty overgrown ride plots.
-Jumbo Parade and Pirate Ship weren't open and Rhinocoaster is running half capacity and you are told to brace for the brakes which hurt me regardless.
-The Driving Safari is mostly empty and the Walking Safari/Lodges are poorly laid out and infested with the smell of poop.
-Behaviour in the Driving Safari made me want to throw hands and bash bumpers.
(EDIT: the last one I removed as it was a falsehood and involved a different safari park)
Matt N
TS Member
That’s a shame.
I remember it being a nice enough day out, if not the most interesting from a theme park enthusiast’s standpoint, when I went 5 years ago. Granted, the two coasters were nothing to write home about (I don’t rate Reverchon spinners at all, and while Rhino Coaster was fun enough, it’s ultimately only a small Vekoma family coaster), but Venom was an awesome drop tower (I do love those Fabbri towers; Detonator proved its awesomeness once again for me at Thorpe Park last weekend!), and the rides aren’t exactly the core attraction, to be fair.
The driving safari is always busy and takes ages, though…. I remember it being busy when I went as a child in 2012, and it was busy again in 2020. Incidentally, my last journey round there was not that pleasant for me because I’d accidentally spilt an ice cold bottle of water all over myself in the back of the car at the beginning of the journey and had to sit cold and wet for the entire length of the driving safari, but that’s not exactly the park’s fault…
It’s actually one of my nearest parks; I’m only 66 miles and around 1h 20m away by road. I haven’t been back since 2020, as while Venom is an awesome drop tower, it’s not really enough on its own to warrant a return rides-wise. However, my cousins have been twice recently, stayed in the lodges and absolutely loved it; they seem to really like it there!
I remember it being a nice enough day out, if not the most interesting from a theme park enthusiast’s standpoint, when I went 5 years ago. Granted, the two coasters were nothing to write home about (I don’t rate Reverchon spinners at all, and while Rhino Coaster was fun enough, it’s ultimately only a small Vekoma family coaster), but Venom was an awesome drop tower (I do love those Fabbri towers; Detonator proved its awesomeness once again for me at Thorpe Park last weekend!), and the rides aren’t exactly the core attraction, to be fair.
The driving safari is always busy and takes ages, though…. I remember it being busy when I went as a child in 2012, and it was busy again in 2020. Incidentally, my last journey round there was not that pleasant for me because I’d accidentally spilt an ice cold bottle of water all over myself in the back of the car at the beginning of the journey and had to sit cold and wet for the entire length of the driving safari, but that’s not exactly the park’s fault…
It’s actually one of my nearest parks; I’m only 66 miles and around 1h 20m away by road. I haven’t been back since 2020, as while Venom is an awesome drop tower, it’s not really enough on its own to warrant a return rides-wise. However, my cousins have been twice recently, stayed in the lodges and absolutely loved it; they seem to really like it there!
Matt N
TS Member
It wouldn’t surprise me if the Looping Group did some kind of swap over with Drayton Manor at some point, taking the rides from WMSP and putting them into Drayton and taking the animals from Drayton and putting them into WMSP.
With the parks’ relative proximity to one another, Looping Group may want each to focus more on their core offering and not overlap too much with the other. The rides seem relatively peripheral at WMSP, and the zoo seems relatively peripheral at Drayton; I don’t think either park would suffer that much if these respective peripheral elements went in favour of something new that better aligns with the core product.
But if WMSP does retain the theme park rides long-term, I do feel that some modernisation of the lineup would not go amiss now. Monkey Mayhem and Rhino Coaster are both quite old now; a newer family coaster would be a great addition. Maybe something along the lines of Wild Buffalo at Mer de Sable would work well, if Drayton doesn’t get such a ride!
With the parks’ relative proximity to one another, Looping Group may want each to focus more on their core offering and not overlap too much with the other. The rides seem relatively peripheral at WMSP, and the zoo seems relatively peripheral at Drayton; I don’t think either park would suffer that much if these respective peripheral elements went in favour of something new that better aligns with the core product.
But if WMSP does retain the theme park rides long-term, I do feel that some modernisation of the lineup would not go amiss now. Monkey Mayhem and Rhino Coaster are both quite old now; a newer family coaster would be a great addition. Maybe something along the lines of Wild Buffalo at Mer de Sable would work well, if Drayton doesn’t get such a ride!
Matt N
TS Member
Train?
I didn’t know the park had a train ride; is this something I missed on my last visit?
Poisson
TS Member
Enter Valhalla
TS Member
I’m surprised to hear people saying that WMSP isn’t in good shape.
I’ve visited only once, in 2021, and it looked great then. I remember thinking ‘if only Merlin looked after their parks like this’
Have things changed since then?
I’ve visited only once, in 2021, and it looked great then. I remember thinking ‘if only Merlin looked after their parks like this’
Have things changed since then?
slappyofmcguire
TS Member
Been a couple of weeks ago and it was fine, relatively busy. It was my first visit, and was largely impressed by it, but didn't ride anything other than venom. Queued for the rhino coaster, but it was running half capacity so gave up.
It's in no worse a state than Towers is for better or worse.
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