Theme Park Musician
Member
That was the original dodgems there!
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Pirate Adventure
- Thread starter Harry
- Start date
Like Themeparksandy1981 says, they can't actually even use the Bullstrode entrance, that's because behind there is the Thomas Shop which would be disturbed, and therefore Winston's Whistle Stop Tours would also be disturbed. The only way you can access Pirate Adventure is through the existing entrance, and that means they have to keep the ramp and station layout because there is evidently something under the station, otherwise it wouldn't have been built up the way it is. The fact that without serious, serious remodelling work it'd be impossible to reroute the entrance, I'd say it lends itself well to being something for the main park.
Considering it's already in a decent-ish Pirate area, I'd say it should be an indoor pirate area with multiple attractions, maybe some walkthroughs, some kids attractions and maybe use half of the building for a small-scale Pirate Adventure, seen as it was so popular and it was a family ride, which fits with the park.
Pirate's is always a winning theme, and considering the Pirate Cove is entirely open for Christmas, an indoor pirate area would work well. Plus, who wants to walk through a pirate area to access a different theme indoor area? It wouldn't work.
Theme Park Musician
Member
To think it used to be a big area with good rides:
. Pirate's Adventure
. Excalibur
. Dodgems Ahoy
. Jolly Bucaneer
. Pirate's Adventure
. Excalibur
. Dodgems Ahoy
. Jolly Bucaneer
Pirate's Cove was a great area, it was fun for the whole family with rides like for the whole family. Areas like that would be appreciated at the park nowadays, as there is no one area that suits everybody - rides like Pirate Adventure and Excalibur were family rides, and they were world-class in some lights. I'd like to see more rides like that - leave the thrill lineup as it is, but add some family rides rather than under 8's rides.
shockwave2019
Member
anyone know how the construction work is going and has anything been revealed yet
Themeparksandy1981
Member
No work been done as it’s not been a good year so far for the park with the flood and now the Coronavirus I hope the HSE report and Fine don’t finish the park off for good.
Me too, if they do survive I can't see them doing anything with the PA building anytime soon. The worlds really [insert favourite swear word] everyone over this time.
Themeparksandy1981
Member
I do remember in the town scene on fire smelling like a smell of a candle been blown out.
Yes it’s one of those smells that the memory brings back to you. When I went to Disney world last year pirates of the Caribbean is defiantly clean chlorinated water as you can smell it. I don’t think I’ve ever been on another ride that uses bromine.
Themeparksandy1981
Member
I do think they got big plans for the building as there was so much stuff not sold at the auction from the ride and I think when I noticed all the doors open and the compressors working they were testing all the stuff and only sold the stuff that didn’t work or would have cost more money to repair.
Theme Park Musician
Member
So it's likely that this new attraction will be done in the same way what Alton did with Charlie and the Dungeons. Also, the airgates were still there which suggests that they might keep them for this new ride potentially coming in the next three
years.
Themeparksandy1981
Member
Around the world in 80 days opened in 1981 and it’s got concrete channels like at Drayton Manor lower section.
If you still got the catalogue of the auction if u zoom into some of the pictures the theming and scenes have been taken down very carefully just leaving the shell of the scenes if they had no plans to reuse that top section again why didn’t they just strip it all out. I think the ride route will be reused again and the bodies of the pirates that work will be reused. As the ride building and ride is still useable they can bring it up to HSE standards.
If you still got the catalogue of the auction if u zoom into some of the pictures the theming and scenes have been taken down very carefully just leaving the shell of the scenes if they had no plans to reuse that top section again why didn’t they just strip it all out. I think the ride route will be reused again and the bodies of the pirates that work will be reused. As the ride building and ride is still useable they can bring it up to HSE standards.
Makes a lot of sense, must be cheaper/easier to re-use what they can rather than buy new, and as you say why not just strip it all out. Surely you would work through methodically and just gut it if that was the aim, rather than remove bits piecemeal. I imagine removing the concrete trough would also be quite a big job and produce a lot of rubble which hasn't been seen as far as I'm aware?
The Pirate Adventure ride system is something that Drayton Manor could never purchase again, it was as far as I am aware incredibly reliable with very few issues. It has a high throughput around 12 boats seating 16 people being available, it also has an incredibly long length; let alone the fact that this is a Mack Ride with Air Gates and is in an incredibly expensive to make and destroy concrete "pool" from what I have seen from other rides like Pirate Adventure.
The park would be foolish to remove such a ride system, maybe the theming was beyond repair, but the ride system is definitely worth saving. It's so versatile and would fit to nearly anything and is really just a theming job. I can't imagine how expensive it would be to remove the ride itself (it still will have had steel lifts and drop tracks), the concrete pool and the building itself. For what it'd probably cost to repair, I'd like to see the park bring it up to standard and get it working if it doesn't already, and then relaunch the ride.
Like you've said, history itself shows how family water rides like this are successful, look at the likes of Tommy Tinkaboo's, Around the World, Toyland Tours, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Seaquarium and the like - whilst I know they're not the same ride system, they are very similar and very popular. What I'm trying to say is that Pirate Adventure's system is of good quality, something they could not afford again, and is versatile as to whatever theme the park decide to give it.
The park would be foolish to remove such a ride system, maybe the theming was beyond repair, but the ride system is definitely worth saving. It's so versatile and would fit to nearly anything and is really just a theming job. I can't imagine how expensive it would be to remove the ride itself (it still will have had steel lifts and drop tracks), the concrete pool and the building itself. For what it'd probably cost to repair, I'd like to see the park bring it up to standard and get it working if it doesn't already, and then relaunch the ride.
Like you've said, history itself shows how family water rides like this are successful, look at the likes of Tommy Tinkaboo's, Around the World, Toyland Tours, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Seaquarium and the like - whilst I know they're not the same ride system, they are very similar and very popular. What I'm trying to say is that Pirate Adventure's system is of good quality, something they could not afford again, and is versatile as to whatever theme the park decide to give it.
Theme Park Musician
Member
I mean Chessington didn't rip out the Bubblrworks ride system when that closed and the same boat system is still operating at Alton just with a couple of defunct elevators at the end of it!
Themeparksandy1981
Member
Is the lifts still in there? I not been in there myself since Charlie closed. Where is the scare rooms been built then?
I do wonder if the park have got a plan in place for the next 5 years as all theses attractions been removed and not been replaced
Theme Park Musician
Member
The lifts I think are still there but hopefully I'll be able to have another run inside the Dungeons this year to check!
Themeparksandy1981
Member
With the current work been done on the bumper cars and the walls out the front the pirate adventure looking a sad state of affairs it would have been nice to have seen the walls and the door repainted. Also the pirate adventure sign is starting to peel.
They would have made the most money on that sign at the auction.
They would have made the most money on that sign at the auction.
shockwave2019
Member
the main part of the sign had a repaint either last year or year before cant quite remember im astonished its peeling off already