Pirate Adventure
- Thread starter Harry
- Start date
appears that the refurbishment and reopening of Pirate Adventure is pending for next year (2025). Last year Theme Park Guide published the following article.
themeparkguide.co.uk
Drayton Manor 2025 Pirate Adventure Reopening | Theme Park Guide
Could Drayton Manor’s next big project be reopening a classic Drayton Manor dark ride?Pirate Adventure closed in 2015 as a believed cost-cutting mea
themeparkguide.co.uk
I seem to remember you got slightly wetter on the drop towards the end of the rides life for some reason.It was inbetween to my memory - you wouldn't come off soaked , but the drop would get you wet to a degree - more a small splash
I also remember the last time I went on it the ride attendant was standing to the side of the boat and pushing it with his foot to get it moving!
Great memories of the ride. Really hope it is coming back in some form.
If they filled the boats as if I remember there was 5 rows with 4 in a row so a maximum of 20 per boat. So I remember getting splashed when you sat on the ends.
Back in the day when they sold Wristbands and tickets. My mum would Always buy us wristbands and get tickets for her self as she loved the pirate adventure but hated the drop but she would close her eyes.
She would also go on Splash Canyon, The jungle Cruise and watch the Jungle Palladium show.
It was truly the uk version of Disneyland.
Back in the day when they sold Wristbands and tickets. My mum would Always buy us wristbands and get tickets for her self as she loved the pirate adventure but hated the drop but she would close her eyes.
She would also go on Splash Canyon, The jungle Cruise and watch the Jungle Palladium show.
It was truly the uk version of Disneyland.
I think the likelihood of the Flying Dutchman being removed increased considerably when they brought in the Wave Swinger.
That being said the FD does have a quick turnaround and raltively high capacity. There is a need in any park to have somehting you can get on without another hour of queuing - The value of the FD may have gone down with the Wave Swinger's introduction but it went up when they brought in Loki and the limited throughput.
I don't think I trust this source because a lot of those rides did not happen
Victoria Lynn did say in an interview that a new 5 year plan we been put in place so it maybe published soon.
Just wondering where you got this version of the 5 year plan from?
From a website on google saying dmp 5 year investment plan
That was a fanmade one, the official one is on "Lichfields" headed paper as they are the parks architectural consultants
How long does everyone think it’ll be before Drayton Manor themselves announce the future of Pirate Adventure? I think we have enough indications to clarify the return of Pirate Adventure next year. Despite this I’m getting inpatient and wishing Drayton Manor would confirm this open secret to be true. If Pirate Adventure is reopening next year,as all the hints allude to I know the popularity of Dragon Manor will skyrocket,and the Theme Park will become a serious rival to Alton Towers which is also in Staffordshire.
Drayton Manor already has a wider variety of Rides so the return of Pirate Adventure will raise the popularity even more. Let’s face it where else in the U.K can you experience a Ride plucked out of the Disney Theme Parks. If Pirate Adventure is currently under refurbishment behind the scenes it could easily become one of the best Dark Rides in Europe. Europa Park in Germany hit the nail on the head with the mostly rebuilt Piraten In Batavia. If Mack have been drafted in to assist with Pirate Adventure’s revamp and reopening the U.K could be about to receive its premium Dark Ride.
I am glad that The Looping Group saved Drayton Manor. Since being under the ownership of The Looping Group Drayton Manor has changed for the better,and has already reopened a beloved SBNO ride. The Ride in question is Splash Canyon or The Adventure Cove River Rapids as it’s now known. Under the Bryan’s Ownership the Ride was destined to be removed and replaced by another Ride. Personally I’m under the impression that The Looping Group put the wishes of the Public before their finances.
Drayton Manor already has a wider variety of Rides so the return of Pirate Adventure will raise the popularity even more. Let’s face it where else in the U.K can you experience a Ride plucked out of the Disney Theme Parks. If Pirate Adventure is currently under refurbishment behind the scenes it could easily become one of the best Dark Rides in Europe. Europa Park in Germany hit the nail on the head with the mostly rebuilt Piraten In Batavia. If Mack have been drafted in to assist with Pirate Adventure’s revamp and reopening the U.K could be about to receive its premium Dark Ride.
I am glad that The Looping Group saved Drayton Manor. Since being under the ownership of The Looping Group Drayton Manor has changed for the better,and has already reopened a beloved SBNO ride. The Ride in question is Splash Canyon or The Adventure Cove River Rapids as it’s now known. Under the Bryan’s Ownership the Ride was destined to be removed and replaced by another Ride. Personally I’m under the impression that The Looping Group put the wishes of the Public before their finances.
Elise
Administrator
The park will announce something when they are ready *if* there is something they are going to announce.
I think that the park tries to work on commercial aspects. If they announce that hypothetically that Pirate Adventure v2 was opening on 1 June 2026, it will affect ticket sales in the first few months. So attendance may be down from April to May. If they announce it this year, people may delay coming to next year.
My personal opinion is that the likes of Alton Towers (and Thorpe park) are not direct competition. Alton Towers is aimed at the thrill market, rather than the family market that Drayton manor aims at. I see the competition being more Paultons, legoland and chessington. I see Drayton as the family park that it was in the 80s. Now in saying that I would hope they go down the route of the Vikings and do teaser at the end of the year and hype up the all new pirate cove. I think it needs a land and therefore bounty, jolly bucanneer and new or refurbished dodgems will create a new land.
Looping have done a great job so far, perfect no. They inherited a park with a lot of legacy which was crippled with debt and transformed it into themed lands. We all want to see more and the one ride that everyone wants to return is pirate adventure, which has the possibility of being the best dark ride in the country if executed well.
Maybe the park could look after the passholders with a pirate adventure v2 preview day before opening to ticket holders. Just an idea!
@Pete999films surly if Drayton Manor has remained silent for commercial reasons,they are shooting themselves in the foot. Announcing the return of one of Drayton Manor’s best loved rides in advance would make People save up their money to visit next year. People will still visit Drayton Manor this year regardless if Drayton Manor speak up about the return of Pirate Adventure or not. Hypothetically if Drayton Manor unlocked the poorly concealed secret,assuming the rumours are true,People would prebook tickets to visit Drayton Manor next year.
I just looked back on my photos and for Gold Rush the marketing started in May when theses were installed.
The footers didn’t even start to appear to the beginning of August and in September TPWW had a video with Victoria Lynn confirming that a new coaster was coming in 2024 and what type.
So with the season in full flow I reckon they will wait to around September/October time to put a sign outside the Pirate Adventure building saying something like set sail on a new adventure in 2026. Like the new adventure is the important bit as it means the dark ride is coming back but with totally new scenes.
Then after the main season finishes in November a construction wall will go up across the front of the building and the dodgems and between November and April they will have replaced all the frontage around the building and the dodgems building used for construction.
Then in April the marketing campaign will begin with the ride opening around May.
The footers didn’t even start to appear to the beginning of August and in September TPWW had a video with Victoria Lynn confirming that a new coaster was coming in 2024 and what type.
Then after the main season finishes in November a construction wall will go up across the front of the building and the dodgems and between November and April they will have replaced all the frontage around the building and the dodgems building used for construction.
Then in April the marketing campaign will begin with the ride opening around May.
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Wonder if it will return, would be nice if it did or another ride be refurbished
With all the reports and sightings since the end of last season. It would only be H&S that would put any hope in the ride reopening as it was a H&S report that got the ride closed in the 1st place.
But H&S issues can be resolved