Draytonmanor Reviews 

What an absolute s**t show. Pre booked tickets for 6 adults and 3 children which I'm surprised didn't force Wonga payday loans to come back into buisness.
We qued to get into the carpark due to 3 lanes turning into 1 at the barriers and it turning into an absolute free for all. We finally parked up and then had to queue for an hour just to get into the park. There was no organisation or any sign of a member of staff in sight. At the gates it was once again a s**t show with people in front of us having tickets scanned twice because no one knew what was going on? We also saw a family that decided to walk the entire length of the queue push straight to the ticket office and be allowed to scan their tickets straight away without being stuck in the queue...
Went on 2 rides and all was well. Then we made our way to see Santa in his grotto for our allocated time of 14.48. HOLY MINCE PIE was there a massive queue. We waited for around 30 mins untill we decided to take the kids out as they didn't deserve to wait around. We then spoke to people who had been waiting around for 2 hours... That's outrageous and we decided to sack it off. Drayton Manor are trying to pass this off as a technical difficulty now but that is lies as it's just rediculously poor organisation.
The girl on the hook (net) a duck was aweful. Clearly could not interact appropriately with children. She was rude, moody and clearly didn't want to be there. Our kids felt very rushed to choose a prize and we pretty much paid £6 a go just to make the children upset. I don't wish anyone to lose their jobs ever. But this one doesn't deserve to be there.
A lovely lady that was running a ride had to tell people she was shutting the ride for 5 mins whilst she went to the toilet. She had been waiting for over 45 mins to be covered for a toilet break but no one came. No one should be having to resort to closing a ride while they run to the toilet and this brings Amazon staff treatment vibes with it.
Went to Rory's show and it was fine and FINALLY a bit of fun for the kids.
We went to get onto the Thomas train and the gate got shut on my 9 year old niece after her mom, dad and sister were let through. She burst into tears and then was told she would come back and let her in soon. I couldn't believe this actually happened. We eventually got let on and continued to wait an awful long time for the train to actually set off with several kids getting on board and wanting to get off.
Went to Santa's grotto finally at about 6.30pm as we thought the queue had gone down. Turns out we would still be inside queing for about an hour. Putting a shop in the middle of the queue is outrageous and definitely won't of helped the problems. In the write a letter to Santa room the elves were stood in a huddle not interacting with anyone. Instead they were just talking about personal lives and where they like going out to drink. What was the point on them being there? We finally got to the grotto after more queing and the elves that directed us to Santa were great! Finally something good. They were a credit to you and must of had a really really hard day with people moaning. Santa was also great and must be outsourced because I have no hope for any Drayton manor staff after this day. Turns out after all this the children get a bulk order Santa lollipop... Imagine queing for 3 hours for that. How underwhelming.
The end of show was underwhelming. There was a very small crowd left at this point and everyone looked fed up. The whole show was about Santa promising he was going to show up... Then he didn't... Unbelievable. Mrs Clause was trying to point out that he was flying in the sky but everyone was looking up confused. Apparently there was a little sleigh light that you could only see if you were in the right position. Luckily an airplane was in the sky so some children spotted that and the parents got away with an awkward conversation.

I could go on but instead I'm just going to say I won't be going back next year or again. If you have purchased tickets then I highly recommend you get refunds and go elsewhere before you have really disappointed children.

What a s**tshow!

We visited yesterday 25th Nov for the first Santa's enchanted grotto experience. We were a group of 9, with 3 children age 9, 8 and 5. The whole day was disappointing from the start. We waited an hour in a huge queue to get in the park, children becoming restless and upset, the car park was disorganised with 3 lanes quickly diverting into 1 lane which was chaos. I didn't see any staff helping in the car park or the queue to get in e.g. Keeping people updated or helping the queue flow faster. At the enterence gate staff had no organisation at all for scanning tickets with some people having tickets scanned twice as staff were not communicating. People were also observed skipping the queue if they were buying tickets at the box office so they were able to get in faster.... whats the point in having pre paid tickets if we have to wait in the huge queue! The queue for santas grotto was horrendous with comments from other people stating they were waiting 2 hours to get in. How can you expect small children to wait that long in the queue in the freezing cold with no sight of a member of staff to help. What's the point in having an allocated time for santa as our slot was 14.48 and we didn't even get to see santa until 7.20pm as the queues were awful. The layout of santas grotto didn't help the queues as they have placed a giftshop at the start which clearly disrupted the queue for santa, as people were holding the queue up if they were purchasing things and then the letters to santa again disrupted the queue flow. We waited an hour when in this area before reaching santa! Surely it makes sense to have these activities and the shop after santa or completely seperate. The whole day was a queue after queue with us adults becoming frustrated nevermind our children who had enough of the queues very quickly. We didn't even have time for a meal or a rest. We had to get dinner after leaving the park at 8.30pm at McDonald's as there was simply no time in between queuing for the very few experiences we manged to fit in. We missed out on rides and the zoo which we were upset about.
Also the staff in the grotto who were dressed as elves near the santa letter writing area were standing around in a group talking to each other about their personal lives and it definitely seemed like they couldn't be bothered to be there or interact with the children. Also a young girl on the hook a duck activity opposite the Christmas tree was very blunt, rude and tried to rush our children to choose their winning prize. This was very disappointing and upset one of our girls. It seemed some some of the decorations were not finished e.g. Star on top of the tree was missing with huge gaps of lights and the small Christmas tree lights near the Thomas train ride were not switched on. There were even shop labels left on some in the grotto! One of our children found a large nail on the floor in the park which we moved incase a small child picked it up. Also it was sad to hear one of the members of staff having to shut a ride for 5 mins and run to the toilet as she had previously called for cover 45 mins ago for said toilet break. Clearly speaks volumes about how they treat staff! We tried to discuss our concerns on the day but again there was a massive queue for guest services which highlights how bad the day was yesterday. No way was this a technical issue Drayton Manor! - more like terrible organisation!! Very disappointing start to our Christmas! We definitely will not be returning and recommend families to go elsewhere!

Thank you Drayton Manor for ruining my daughters 3rd birthday treat. This should have been a day of wonderful memories instead it was a day my family wish to forget. It started from the moment we arrived….
Unacceptable long queues at the main entrance, it took 1 hour 15mins to get through the main entrance in to the park.
Even though we arrived early for the Santa experience it was almost 3 hours we were stood in the queue, we were so cold we’d lost the feelings in our hands and feet.
The Wishmas express queue was slightly better it was only an hour’s wait but still unacceptable when we had booked a time slot.
Due to these wait times we didn’t get to experience any other of the rides at the park.
We came the year previous and it was brilliant so how did Drayton Manor get it so badly wrong this year?
I suspect greed over booking the event!

Very poor let to many people in to see Santa even though we pre-booked our time slot 2hour wait I guess they got greedy.

Also used my passes loads of times however we never had a picture for the passes should have come through on email never did wouldnt let us in but had to pay again even though my autistic grandson has his pass all they had to do was put in the number on the passes to check. He went on 2 rides the whole day let down never again. I managed to get some money back even though I had to wait 45 minutes in the cold at the entrance for the manager to do the refund has guest services could not do it, still out of pocket. Alton Towers for me and my grandson in the future

Booked on the Thursday for the Sunday using a return code for 2 adults and 2 children that had to be used before the end of November. Travelled nearly 2 hours to get there and found out the theme park was closed. There was no information online to say the theme park was closed and there was a confirmation email sent out after we booked. There were 5/6 other families who were there in the same situation there in the car park. I even checked my email and the website to double check I hadn’t made a mistake! I went in and spoke to an apologetic and helpful security guard who informed me the park had been shut for 2 weeks and it was just the zoo open. When I said I had booked he said because it was an ‘open ticket’ it had allowed the booking. According to the security guard there is a calendar on the website which tells you the dates it is open, I can’t believe they don’t highlight it on the home page! Google also has it listed as fully open! This must happen literally hundreds of times a week as I mentioned there were at least 5 other families there at the same time. Ridiculous waste of time, around £30 in diesel and £18 on the M6 Toll! Thanks Drayton Manor for ruining my kids weekend!

Let's you book for a park thats closed. Travel 2 hours to get to a guy who admits its not clear on the website and it still let's you book.

Free return ticket in the next 30 days... but we will full well know the park is closed for the next 30 days! We will let you book your return ticket, drive all the way to the park and not inform you on the website that it is closed and its zoo only.

SCAM!! Return ticket offer let's you return within 30 days but it is closed except the zoo. They fully know that's their plan. The man on the gate confirmed they do this because it happens a lot. They say you can email to get a replacement ticket for 4 days at the end of the month during school hours...

It was OK. Could have been a lot better if the rides didn't keep breaking down. 3 of our rides had issues one after the other which made queuing longer. There is also very limited seating around the ride areas so if you're having to wait for others to finish rides it's hard going with nowhere to sit! Doesn't make any sense as there is plenty of space to fit more seating in.

We were expecting lots of unhealthy junk food but as it goes it was tasty and we we're actually quite impressed with it particularly from the little kiosks they have.

The car park is dangerous at night. Very dark and God knows how people aren't run over! We had torrential rain and the car park was flooded. Got absolutely soaked as deep puddles everywhere.

We got there quite early no queuing and just walked straight in which was a big thumbs up from me as are the staff very nice.

Didn't go on any rides late at night but stayed for the fireworks at end which were OK and finished off the day in a nice way.

We stayed overnight with passes to the park
Issues we experienced were
Cost of the carvery per person was quoted as 11.95 adults 9.95 children- this was incorrect and was much more expensive. Surely the reception staff should have this information to hand to ensure that the correct details are given to the guests
We had passes for the fireworks- there was no lighting along the pathway from the hotel to the park. It was pouring down with rain so the walkway was full of puddles. Given the lack of lightning we had extremely wet feet when we got back to the hotel
There was also lack of lighting in the park and I felt that getting out presented a risk to the children , with getting lost
Why on earth is there insufficient lighting to keep guests and children safe
No healthy food option in the park , why is there no smoothie bars , salad bars ?
Please give these issues some thoughts to improve safety and give heathy options in the park
You could put solar lights on the fences leading to and from the park
I’ve emailed the hotel but no response yet

Just read the previous review and I agree. When we booked our Halloween the only haunted express slot was 6.20pm so we made sure we were in the queue. My sons friend booked online on the day and they unknowingly booked a 4.10 slot for the express. Over one hour later on the slot time we did see earlier time slots being ushered to the front too. When our slot was called the lady scanned our tickets but then refused my sons 2 friends as their ticket was 4.10pm. He tried to explain but wasn’t allowed on so me and my wife let them go on our tickets and we left the queue.

The castle queue was pathetic long. Fit what turned out to be about 1 mins walk around and out. Actors did a great job.

Didn’t see any scare actors around the park as advertised.

Haunted mansion was another stand around which ended with not seeing it due to always breaking. I mean who plans events and doesn’t make sure the events main rides aren’t up to scratch.

We arrived at 4pm and managed 3 ride attractions ( 1 Halloween ride) in the four hours, so was mostly spent standing around.

An alarming thought was no bag checks at all. A lot of people with back packs, I’d hate to think what that could have ended up being.

Fireworks were decent, after this there is one last ride that everyone who came in cars had to go on. That was the walk back to the car park. No stewards present, unmanaged crowds walking all over the place and cars trying to follow behind.

People at the back of the car park columns were playing first to the front causing standstill queues with people randomly walking around cars half entering the queues.

Could have easily gotten worse and I hope no one did get hurt.

All in all it felt over booked for an event that isn’t just a few days. Staff were coping best they could. Organiser should hold their heads in shame.

Jst got back from drayton manors halloween event it was an absolute joke even thou had pre booked time slots for haunted express and Castle shadows we didn't get to experience any of the scare themed activities,as they were more than an hour behind schedule. Spoke to people supervising the que and wad told nothing they could do. I get that they are busy and I expect delays but we have spent all evening jst queing for something we haven't experienced.
Such a Lack of organisation and just a rip off! Didn't even stay for the fire works.

Just a shout out to your ride staff for last night (28 Oct 23). Through torrential rain they never stopped, they smiled, they made sure you got onto the rides as quickly as possible. The weather was horrible and I’m sure most of them were cold, tired and soaked through to their underwear.
So THANK YOU for continuing to make our evening as pleasurable as possible!

went for halloween event last night 28th october what a shambles waited over an hour for haunted express train even thou pre booked 5.30 slot then too our amazement worker was calling ppl on from back que when over 40+ waiting front que approach member complain yes he saw him do it sorry said so he saw did nothing about it disgusting ridiculous anger 2 hour wait haunted castle never got to go in que was past food kiosks joke whole night shambles we left didn’t even wait for fireworks never again

I had a query that wasn't answered on the Drayton Manor Park website under FAQs or elsewhere. I submitted a contract form via the website to ask my question, but so far I've received no response. As we are visiting tomorrow, I decided to phone and ask. The only phone number provided is recognised by my mobile phone provider as a premium number (that my phone provider doesn't allow users to call) so I am unable to seek help before my visit and I'll just have to wing it on the day. Very poor.

Still no support for disabled enquiry.
I’ve been trot deal with customer services since early September. I finally got an e mail from someone who obviously had t read the review properly.
I responded to their suggested e mail three weeks ago....still no replies...
I’ve placed reviews on three different sites and still no reply.
They’re happy to take our money but dont care once they have it.
The worst customer services I’ve ever experienced.

Would someone have the decency to reply properly please.

The zoo is completely unacceptable. The lone tigers enclosure is too small. I have reported this to Wild Welfare and will be reporting also to PETA and Born free to hopefully investigate. A theme park in no way needs a ‘zoo’ attached this is not why families visit theme parks. Unacceptable.

I’ve visited today with my almost 4 year old daughter! We’ve had a great time!

Lots of rides for her to go on, we managed to get on loads more than once due to no queuing! It wasn’t overly busy but enough for there to be some atmosphere!

The trick or treat in Thomas land was cute and that’s where we met Rusty, Dusty and Mr Topham Hatt! They were absolutely amazing, a real credit to what they do! They remembered my daughters name and made such an effort, not sure who’s day it made more, mine or hers! We enjoyed the 4pm show too!

Every single staff member we came across were polite and pleasant and just genuinely nice!!

All in all a great day, a very tired girl and mum and lots of memories!

Thank you!!

What a massive let down! This used to be my favourite theme park to come as a child, however coming today was such a waste of money. So many of the rides were closed, and the advertised Halloween theme was non existent. Ridiculous how only one restaurant was open too, with the burgers tasting so bad and waiting times being so long. Massively disappointing to be paying full price.

Came here with my kids several time now returning with grand kids all fun in Thomas land and excellent staff one a bit rude elderly one but all the rest were spot on and made us feel welcome and safe will be returning