New ride Red Arrows Skyforce gave us a good reason to visit Blackpool Pleasure Beach, and the Big Blue Hotel and White Tower Restaurant were highlights of a brilliant trip to the UK’s most ride intensive park.
The 4 star Big Blue Hotel sits in the shadow of the iconic Big One, the UK's tallest & fastest roller coaster, just steps from Blackpool's famous promenade. There are 157 bedrooms in total, with a choice of a Superior Double or Family, a Deluxe Double or Family, or a Deluxe Suite for the most luxurious accommodation.
We were invited to Drayton Manor for a night at the hotel followed by a day at the theme park, and we experienced quality accommodation, good food and a superb day out.
The four star Drayton Manor Hotel is located amongst 280 acres of lakes and parkland just outside the theme park with free parking for guests. The staff on reception were very welcoming, greeting us with a friendly smile and a seamless check in, then they helpfully made our dinner reservation ensuring our arrival was completely hassle free. The light and airy lobby features a working model of a traditional carousel, a Thomas & Friend shop, and lifts to the 3 floors with 150 rooms including Standard, Family, Executive, Thomas & Friends and Presidential rooms.
Dreamland Margate, the UK's original pleasure park, re-opened on 19th June 2015 with a grand opening day and star-studded opening night party. ThemeParks-UK were invited to check out the re-imagined park with it's restored, recreated and retro-fitted rides from the Golden Age of the British seaside holiday up to the present day.
Rather than competing with the hi-tech thrills offered by other UK theme parks, the park features a collection of rides celebrating the heritage of amusement parks. Famous designer Wayne Hemingway has worked his magic, creating a distinctly retro vision for the £18m project following a long campaign by The Dreamland Trust to get the park back open.
X-Sector at Alton Towers is open again, with the exception of The Smiler which will be closed for the foreseeable future, this means that visitors can once again enjoy popular rides Oblivion and Enterprise.
Sonic Spinball has also now reopened following the introduction of new safety protocols.
LEGOLAND Windsor has begun a public consultation on future development plans for the theme park and resort hotel. If the plans are successful, between now and 2017 there will be a new Haunted House attraction and a new extension to the LEGOLAND Resort Hotel.
The park are also considering an extension to DUPLO Valley and redevelopment of the Imagination Centre and Land of the Vikings areas. Following the acquisition of new land they are looking into a sustainable ecolodge style development.
Travel back in time for a Jurassic family adventure at Paultons Park in 2016, as the Lost Kingdom arrives featuring two new roller coasters and much more.
Opening 17th May 2016, step into the Lost Kingdom, a prehistoric world where dinosaurs still roam the earth. This new land will join the other themed areas Peppa Pig World and Critter Creek as the theme park continues to develop.
The Lost Kingdom at Paultons Park will include six dinosaur themed family rides, animatronic dinosaurs, a dinosaur themed play area and new places to eat and drink.
Alton Towers theme park will re-open on Monday 8th June. Due to the ongoing investigation into the incident on The Smiler last Tuesday, X-Sector will remain closed until further notice, as will Sonic Spinball.
The theme park has been closed for five days since the crash in which 16 people were injured, four seriously.
Four roller coasters at three theme parks in the UK have been shut after the crash on The Smiler at Alton Towers in which 16 people were injured, four seriously.
The Smiler, which crashed, and SAW - The Ride, another multi-car roller coaster manufactured by Gerstlauer which is at Thorpe Park, have both been shut "for the foreseeable future" according to Merlin Entertainments.
Two other multi-car roller coasters, Dragon's Fury and Rattlesnake at Chessington World of Adventures, have also been closed until new safety protocols have been applied.
Growth in visitor numbers at some of the UK's biggest theme parks during 2014 revealed in figures from TEA/AECOM.
The annual TEA/AECOM Theme Index and Museum Index, the definitive annual attendance study for the themed entertainment and museum industries, has been published.
Theme park numbers for calendar year 2014 show that the industry has continued its post-recession attendance growth at a healthy rate of 4% for the top parks globally. Europe has rebounded with 3% volume growth, the U.S. has remained steady at a little over 2%, and Asia, still the leader but not by as much, increased by about 5%.
Four people have been seriously injured after two trains on The Smiler roller coaster at Alton Towers collided on Tuesday 2nd June.
The theme park has been closed for five days from Wednesday 3rd June until Sunday 7th June.
