That was a fanmade one, the official one is on "Lichfields" headed paper as they are the parks architectural consultants
Pirate Adventure
- Thread starter Harry
- Start date
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
They will resolve it. It’s like I said the other day the ride system been restored and the chains all work so that means the basics to the ride now work. The pumps will just be replaced. It now all depends on the boats and the damage behind the frontage as it’s been on there for 35 years in places.
Go to 20 mins in this video
Where the pirate face was roughly where the shop was and it was replaced by the Thomas land shop.
Like where that tower is that’s still there now is the exit to the ride and you headed straight towards children’s corner. The shop was on the right hand side and if I remember it wasn’t big but the path continued if u didn’t want to go in and you exited below the pirate face in the picture/video.
Like where that tower is that’s still there now is the exit to the ride and you headed straight towards children’s corner. The shop was on the right hand side and if I remember it wasn’t big but the path continued if u didn’t want to go in and you exited below the pirate face in the picture/video.Most of it is rethemed to Thomas, I wish they did do tours of the Pirate Adventure building any unused building is more interesting than an operating ride
If you go into the original toilets in Thomas land you can see where they originally exited the ride but they got to reroute out by the Burger kitchen during the closed season of 2008.
The exit to the is roughly there and in its final years you walked this path
They wouldn’t do a tour of a closed ride as 1 they don’t want the general public to see what they done to the ride and 2 it will be unsafe.
The exit to the is roughly there and in its final years you walked this path
They wouldn’t do a tour of a closed ride as 1 they don’t want the general public to see what they done to the ride and 2 it will be unsafe.
I found the exit
It such a fascinating ride and building. Just from the sheer scale of the ride. I wonder if the building is used by staff for storage to this day.
Also I wonder if any of the theming set pieces are still there like the Caves, Skull Rock or Buildings inside.
Skill rock has 100% been removed and was sold to a props company who rented it back to the park for the Halloween event back in 2023.
I wonder if the bamboo buildings are still their
The instruments ain’t as some were sold in the auction.
The only thing I heard that was still standing was the battle scene.
The only thing I heard that was still standing was the battle scene.