{"id":8853,"date":"2021-08-10T08:00:57","date_gmt":"2021-08-10T08:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.coastersonthecoast.co.uk\/?p=8853"},"modified":"2025-06-12T20:04:57","modified_gmt":"2025-06-12T20:04:57","slug":"annual-theme-park-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.coastersonthecoast.co.uk\/?p=8853","title":{"rendered":"Annual Theme Park Report"},"content":{"rendered":"

You know how when your children\u00a0<\/span>or even us as children went to school and had the yearly report. I thought I\u2019d instigate that style but into theme park settings. So, here\u2019s my thoughts on all the theme parks I\u2019ve visited in the last year and how well or poor I think they did!<\/p>\n

Alton Towers:<\/span><\/h2>\n

One of my locals and somewhere we tend to visit quite regularly. All the new events that we saw get introduced have been excellent and brought a lease of stamina to the park for all the best possible reasons. The brand new rides have opened including The World of David Walliams & of course, The Retro Squad. It\u2019s been an action pack-year for the park even through the rough year of the ongoing pandemic. As much as I feel the new area perhaps has a second phase on the horizon you can\u2019t fault how much effort has gone into making this the absolute park to visit within the last year & continues to be the case as well.\"\" <\/span><\/p>\n

Thorpe Park:<\/span><\/h2>\n

Thorpe Park is Thorpe Park. Home to numerous tremendous attractions yet tends to draw in a not so peaceful crowd. We\u2019re yet to experience their version of Oktoberfest and the brand new Black Mirror The Labyrinth as of yet. Therefore, I\u2019m withholding judgement and only giving a faint opinion. As of the Fright Night offering last season,\u00a0 <\/span>it was a mixed bag for me. I appreciated Platform more than I ever have although it felt a bit steep on the up-charge point of view I do comprehend why it was done. Everything else except for Creak Freak Unchained felt quite vanilla.\"\" <\/span><\/p>\n

Chessington World of Adventures:<\/span><\/h2>\n

We\u2019ve not yet done the dark rides this season therefore this could get bumped up to something much higher in regards to ratings. The latest edition to the park Croc Drop is fab and it is a striking ride not as good as Magma at Paultons Park but the theming alone makes it a terrific attraction. After last years Halloween event or shall I say Creepy Caves, it\u2019s absurd to not rate this park so highly. They are missing a trick with not evolving into a stand-alone scream park in the evenings during Halloween time.\"\" <\/span><\/p>\n

Fantasy Island:<\/span><\/h2>\n

The tragic part of this trip for me was upon collecting our wristbands we were told the dreaded, \u201cMillennium won\u2019t be opening all day\u201d. I was heartbroken. It\u2019s possibly my favourite Vekoma and it has been closed but in my eyesight, it hurt mentally. As for the remainder of the, I was pleasantly stunned and quite taken back by how distinct it all was especially inside the pyramid. As someone who grew up visiting yearly, it felt almost sad but lovely to see such dramatic changes made.\u00a0 <\/span>As for their Halloween event I was sadly disappointed. When it comes down to scare maze they can alter like the wind with each dispatch and unfortunately I feel as if we entered them all at the wrong times.\"\" <\/span><\/p>\n

Oakwood: <\/span><\/h2>\n

An interesting little park isn\u2019t it? It felt exceptionally cute and some areas were fantastically themed whereas others not so much. But a rollercoaster I was yearning to ride for years left me underwhelmed and dissatisfied, Megafobia. Whereas, the underdog Speed left me utterly in love. That rollercoaster warrants more credit than it gets.\"\" <\/span><\/p>\n

Barry Island Pleasure Park:<\/span><\/h2>\n

Cuteness and has changed a lot from when Gavin & Stacey was filmed. It was a Pleasure Park with a pay as you go system there\u2019s not precisely much to say.\"\" <\/span><\/p>\n

Legoland Windsor:<\/h2>\n

Legoland Windsor has been unstoppable over the past year or so. There are constant investments have been made and with each of them they just keep getting better & bigger. The newest attraction to open; Flight of the Skylion is a game changer not just for Legoland but the whole UK theme park industry. It\u2019s simply the best dark ride we have in the UK. \"\"<\/p>\n

Drayton Manor Park:<\/span><\/h2>\n

My local and a park I adore. I\u2019m so appreciative to watch them come on leaps & bounds with all the latest investments & so enthusiastic for their brand new area. I was gutted when my favourite event they host got cancelled last year, the fireworks but I\u2019m extremely excited for this years! It\u2019s been a little while since I last visited and I need to visit again very soon!\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

Blackpool Pleasure Beach:<\/span><\/h2>\n

Ah, the iconic Blackpool Pleasure Beach! Not all that much necessarily occurred for last year other than Valhalla began its voyage on the re-imagination front, which is delightful to see some work commencing as it needed it. Whereas, this year they have done partial re-tracked Big Dipper & Big One. Both of which are running pretty well but a highlight for me is Big Dipper. I simply cherish that coaster so much all thanks to the re-track.\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014\u2014<\/p>\n

I hope you all enjoyed this little alternative concept to the school report and I\u2019d love to hear your editions too!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Thank you so much for reading!<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You know how when your children\u00a0or even us as children went to school and had the yearly report. I thought I\u2019d instigate that style but into theme park settings. So, here\u2019s my thoughts on all the theme parks I\u2019ve visited in the last year and how well or poor I think they did! Alton Towers: One of my locals and somewhere we tend to visit quite regularly. All the new events that we saw get introduced have been excellent and brought a lease of stamina to the park for all the best possible reasons. The brand new rides have opened including The World of David Walliams & of course, The Retro Squad. It\u2019s been an action pack-year for the park even through the rough year of the ongoing pandemic. As much as I feel the new area perhaps has a second phase on the horizon you can\u2019t fault how much effort has gone into making this the absolute park to visit within the last year & continues to be the case as well. Thorpe Park: Thorpe Park is Thorpe Park. Home to numerous tremendous attractions yet tends to draw in a not so peaceful crowd. We\u2019re yet to experience their version of Oktoberfest and the brand new Black Mirror The Labyrinth as of yet. Therefore, I\u2019m withholding judgement and only giving a faint opinion. As of the Fright Night offering last season,\u00a0 it was a mixed bag for me. I appreciated Platform more than I ever have although it felt a bit steep on the up-charge point of view I do comprehend why it was done. Everything else except for Creak Freak Unchained felt quite vanilla. Chessington World of Adventures: We\u2019ve not yet done the dark rides this season therefore this could get bumped up to something much higher in regards to ratings. The latest edition to the park Croc Drop is fab and it is a striking ride not as good as Magma at Paultons Park but the theming alone makes it a terrific attraction. After last years Halloween event or shall I say Creepy Caves, it\u2019s absurd to not rate this park so highly. They are missing a trick with not evolving into a stand-alone scream park in the evenings during Halloween time. Fantasy Island: The tragic part of this trip for me was upon collecting our wristbands we were told the dreaded, \u201cMillennium won\u2019t be opening all day\u201d. I was heartbroken. It\u2019s possibly my favourite Vekoma and it has been closed but in my eyesight, it hurt mentally. As for the remainder of the, I was pleasantly stunned and quite taken back by how distinct it all was especially inside the pyramid. As someone who grew up visiting yearly, it felt almost sad but lovely to see such dramatic changes made.\u00a0 As for their Halloween event I was sadly disappointed. When it comes down to scare maze they can alter like the wind with each dispatch and unfortunately I feel as if we entered them all at the wrong times. Oakwood: An interesting little park isn\u2019t it? It felt exceptionally cute and some areas were fantastically themed whereas others not so much. But a rollercoaster I was yearning to ride for years left me underwhelmed and dissatisfied, Megafobia. Whereas, the underdog Speed left me utterly in love. That rollercoaster warrants more credit than it gets. Barry Island Pleasure Park: Cuteness and has changed a lot from when Gavin & Stacey was filmed. It was a Pleasure Park with a pay as you go system there\u2019s not precisely much to say. Legoland Windsor: Legoland Windsor has been unstoppable over the past year or so. There are constant investments have been made and with each of them they just keep getting better & bigger. The newest attraction to open; Flight of the Skylion is a game changer not just for Legoland but the whole UK theme park industry. It\u2019s simply the best dark ride we have in the UK. Drayton Manor Park: My local and a park I adore. I\u2019m so appreciative to watch them come on leaps & bounds with all the latest investments & so enthusiastic for their brand new area. I was gutted when my favourite event they host got cancelled last year, the fireworks but I\u2019m extremely excited for this years! It\u2019s been a little while since I last visited and I need to visit again very soon! Blackpool Pleasure Beach: Ah, the iconic Blackpool Pleasure Beach! Not all that much necessarily occurred for last year other than Valhalla began its voyage on the re-imagination front, which is delightful to see some work commencing as it needed it. Whereas, this year they have done partial re-tracked Big Dipper & Big One. Both of which are running pretty well but a highlight for me is Big Dipper. I simply cherish that coaster so much all thanks to the re-track. \u2014\u2014 I hope you all enjoyed this little alternative concept to the school report and I\u2019d love to hear your editions too!\u00a0 Thank you so much for reading!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5357,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[5053,5054],"tags":[3381,1255,1184,1519,139,2143,3387,3386,256,294,3382,3385,3384,1286,434,3383,1540,3380],"class_list":["post-8853","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-theme-parks","category-themed-attractions","tag-annual-report","tag-blogger","tag-debate","tag-discussion","tag-drayton-manor","tag-fantasy-island","tag-female-voice","tag-female-writer","tag-merlin-annual-pass","tag-opinions","tag-run-down","tag-school-report","tag-theme-park-report","tag-travel","tag-travel-blogger","tag-uk-theme-park-report","tag-uk-theme-parks","tag-yearly-report"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.coastersonthecoast.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/e81b9f3b-39ba-43c6-9f05-7f985020b091.jpg?fit=1620%2C1080&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pb4qDv-2iN","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.coastersonthecoast.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8853","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.coastersonthecoast.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.coastersonthecoast.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.coastersonthecoast.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.coastersonthecoast.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8853"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.coastersonthecoast.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8853\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8855,"href":"https:\/\/www.coastersonthecoast.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8853\/revisions\/8855"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.coastersonthecoast.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5357"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.coastersonthecoast.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8853"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.coastersonthecoast.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8853"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.coastersonthecoast.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8853"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}