The summer holidays are looming – for some, they are already here. And with them, parents are starting to think about how to keep the kids entertained for weeks on end. Day trips are the staple of many summer holidays, but the rising cost of entry is making these increasingly unaffordable.
In May, the Government announced a temporary reduction in VAT from 20% to 5% for admission tickets to UK attractions, running until Tuesday 1st September. Yet even with many parks passing along this saving to customers, it can be an expensive day out.
Book regional
For thrill-seeking families, it’s always best to look at regional theme parks when planning ahead for summer – and never pay on the gate as that can double the price. I took a look at advanced adult ticket pricing for the same Saturday in August across some of Britain’s most popular theme parks.
At the big four (all owned by Merlin Entertainments) – Alton Towers, Thorpe Park, Chessington World of Adventures and Legoland Windsor Resort – tickets were priced £35. Paultons Park came in as the most expensive at £41.
© Getty ImagesConversely, at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, tickets were £29, Drayton Manor Resort £25.80 and Gulliver’s Land just £19. Although they may not be as big as some of their competitors, the regional parks offer families significant savings on a day out.
Childhood nostalgia
I grew up in the Midlands and was a frequent visitor of Drayton Manor in my youth. However, I haven’t visited in almost 20 years. With new worlds and rides added in that time, I decided to return to see if it was as fun as I remember – and if it is worth it for families.
I remember the Buffalo Coaster being the ride that made me fall in love with rollercoasters and I was surprised to see that it was still there, decades later – albeit rebranded and with new cars to suit with the updated, more inoffensive Viking theme of the land.
Other childhood favourites remain; the standing Shockwave has been renamed The Wave and is infinitely more comfortable than I recall. I loved it just as much as I did in the early naughties when I broke my toe colliding with a bin as I ran to go on again.
I also vividly remember my first time on Stormforce 10 when it opened in 1999; I got just as soaked then as now. Only I didn’t have the same youthful resilience to the cold.
New(er) additions
Thomas World wasn’t in existence the last time I visited (which shows how long it has been as it is now 18 years old), but I found it a great place for toddlers. My two year old is less than 90cm, and it seemed as though the only rides she was permitted to go on were those that go around or spin – and require an adult to ride with them. Thankfully the Sodor Classic Cars offered a respite from dizziness and she loved it, so we went on twice.
My four year old, who recently grew above the magic one metre mark, was able to go on much more – including three rollercoasters. Two (Accelerator and the Gold Rush mine train) were too much for him, though I loved them, but he grinned all the way around the Troublesome Trucks Runaway Coaster in Thomas Land.
The jump in what you can go on at that age is huge and seemingly nonsensical. My youngest wasn’t allowed on the submarines – a very mini logflume that you have to ride with an adult – yet my eldest could be flung around a ride that I’d argue was a couple of years too old for him. At least her ticket was cheaper (£14 for age 2–3 on a Saturday in August; under 2s go free).
No crowds, no queues
What struck me the most about the park, having visited some of its more popular rivals in the last couple of years including Alton Towers, Chessington World of Adventure and Legoland Windsor, was the striking lack of queues.
We went during a weekend in June and wait times at the most popular rides never seemed to go above 25 minutes. Riders were getting onto some of the bigger coasters in just 15 minutes. I’d seen queues at the rivals mentioned above heading well over the hour mark – and that was on a weekday.
We also waited no time for a meet and greet with Sir Topham Hatt (the artist formerly known as The Fat Controller); we’d queued to shake the Gruffalo’s hand just months before for over an hour and 15 minutes.
The drive is a good couple of hours from our home, so we opted to stay overnight at the onsite hotel (also not there on my last visit), and were surprised to find Saturday in the park almost as quiet as Friday.
The hotel
A theme park hotel is a theme park hotel; there are themed rooms you can choose from, a basic menu at the restaurant each evening and a buffet breakfast each morning.
However, when you compare like for like, I’d say that the Thomas Rooms at Drayton Manor Resort were much cleaner and more spacious than similar places I’ve stayed in across the UK. The carpet had a train track running across it, the wall was plastered with a motif scene from Thomas and Friends, and the bunk bed had Gordon protruding out of the end. It was basic but comfortable and pleased the children immeasurably.
The service was also fast and friendly and they had plenty of extras available; a cot and bed bars were whisked up to our room on request and there was already a foot stand in the bathroom so that tiny tots could reach the sinks.
Is it worth it?
As mentioned, day tickets can offer big savings against the UK’s most popular theme parks and as well as rides, there’s a small zoo and an adventure playground.
However, I found the food onsite expensive (as you might expect from any theme park); it cost £18 for two sandwiches and a can of Fanta. Yet there are no rules on bringing your own food and if you remember to bring a packed lunch, it can still be very affordable. Especially if you shop at Tesco as you can use your Clubcard points to buy tickets.
Parking was an additional cost for day guests, at £10 per car, but that is increasingly common across most major British theme parks – I’ve seen other attractions charging up to £20. Hotel guests park for free.
The hotel costs from £274 for the stay and play package during the summer holidays. Again, I found the food more expensive than the quality perhaps deserved (a meal of four mains with drinks cost just over £70); but you pay a premium for convenience. If you do choose to stay, I’d recommend finding a nearby pub to enjoy dinner instead as you can come and go through the parking barriers as you please – as long as you remember to validate your ticket at the front desk.
The final verdict
Much of Drayton Manor Resort was just as I remembered (showing it to be a little dated in places, perhaps), yet although the park is smaller than many of their competitors, the lack of crowds, short queues and general friendliness of the park staff made it a fun trip for a weekend. We also found that the rollercoaster provision was good for the size of the park and we still hadn’t tried everything by the time we left at the end of day two.
If you’re a theme park fan, it will do nicely for a day out with the kids.
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