Draytonmanor Reviews 

Daughter’s school trip. Too many tickets sold, too crowded, she only managed 3 rides due to 2-3 hour queues. Appalling value, how many hundreds of people have had extremely disappointing days over the last few weeks due to the length of the queues? Guess the company don’t care as long as they’re raking the money in.

I came with my 3 & 9 year old and there were far too many schools who basically ran the park in gangs and packs. We felt incredibly unsafe. We left the queue for storm force as my daughter and I were sandwiched between rival gangs kicking off so we didn't get to ride this. There was a gang smoking weed in the queue and huge numbers queue jumping in the Air race queue. The staff were amazing but the whole day was incredibly unpleasant. We were confined to Thomas land all day as the gangs didn't seem to go there so we missed out on most of the rest of the park.
We definitely will not be going back or recommending it to anyone.

Such a wonderful place to be! We went for Thomas Land as our adult son with LD adores Thomas and Friends. And there they were, in abundance, doing all kinds of stunts (rides) that our son could participate in. The Fat Controller was there too and he did an audience participation show every couple of hours – I think we saw them all, every day, for three days and they never palled. The Fat Controller is just amazing; he can chat to anyone of any age/ability/interests. He was outstandingly wonderful with our son; chatting easily with him about Thomas the Tank and he knew every single exploit and story; true encyclopedic knowledge which he drew on naturally and easily. How we love him! We danced to his songs, shouted out responses and generally cheered him in his shows. And we just loved running into him as he drifted through Thomas Land.

All other staff were so helpful and kind and cheerful. A joy to spend time with them all.

My only reservation is the lack of gluten-free food. I am a coeliac so eating gluten free is a necessity not a lifestyle choice and I found it hard to eat there. There are a lot of us around so please feed us; we get hungry too!

We spent two and half very happy and busy days in Thomas Land with the occasional brief trip to see other on-site attractions. But Thomas Land kept us happily amused for those days.

Thank you for making such happy memories for us.

Don't think we will be revisiting anytime soon. Staff were lovely and ride waits wasn't too bad despite being the Sunday before school half term starts. Food and drinks are very expensive however this is to be expected at a theme park. Overall it was a nice day which my daughter enjoyed however the price was very steep and we was left disappointed.

Ticket pricing is done by age however for my 4 year old this is not reflective on what she could experience at the park. She was full price but could hardly go on any of the rides. We measured her at home at exactly 1m so thought there was a lot that she could go on before purchasing tickets however when we got there the boards said she was 1m but the wooden sticks used by staff said she was just under 1m (the stick brushed past her hair but went over her head just slightly). We are aware of ride safety this was not the issue, the issue is the full price ticket. The other issue was that the rides in thomas land was very difficult to get an adult into and my partner found most of them a squeeze despite being of average size.

Overall we were left disapointed for the price point.

Been going years, worse day I ve evert had l, rude staff, overpriced and half the rides shut or not working properly, took over an hour just to queue to get in, save your money and go else where

Large rides not open until ?12 noon park closes at 4 today my son is waiting to get on accelerator and it has empty seats why i dont know ridiculous the price for this park is enormous for what is on offer and the inability to get on the rides

Shambles we paid on line for 11 adults and 4 kids but accidentally pressed the 2to3 year old on purchase so when we arrived we went to desk to rectify the difference and the staff member was rude and said no you won’t add up the money because you have turned up on the day you will have to pay the 45 pound disgusting wouldn’t even take the 15 pound we already paid and for what it’s worth the five year old could only ride Thomas land so why are they charged adult price. I had 2 disabled adults that can not ride anything even they paid full price and when I questioned it she said no discount and shrugged her shoulders. Never again would I take the 12 adults and 5 kids that we took today and the zoo is rubbish and the rides are not worth any we’re near 45 pound especially not a five year old

We visited Drayton manor on the 23rd of April had a fantastic time at the park & Thomas land, I took my younger children on the deisels ride Emma was a very polite & freindly member of your team she chased my son out the gate which he found very funny & was laughing & joking with him it made his day 😄 will definitely be coming back!

In simple value for money terms this park is fantastic. Half the price of brickland for a themed room stay and included two days in the park. The staff are gorgeous both at the hotel and the park. The park itself is very well laid out with loads to do for kids and the play areas are fenced with only one way in/out. We will definitely be back later this year

We visited on Sunday 23rd April, (We visit regularly as we are annual pass holders) and yet again we saw Craig loving every minute of his job, brightening up everyones day. It was a very wet day yesterday at Drayton Manor but Craig was operating the bumper cars and was interacting so well with all the guests. He sang happy birthday to my nephew and made him feel special.
We saw him a few weeks back operating Bertie Bus and he really made a fuss of my twins and made us all laugh.
An asset to the Drayton Manor team and I hope his efforts are recognised and rewarded by his employer :-)

I am here to address some serious issues I have experienced with a large amount of traveler families at your theme park on 09/04/2023. My children have experienced sever verbal abuse, being called racist, being pushed out of the way in the queue lines so they could be in front no care for anyone. Your members of staff which I have spoken to whilst boarding rides have all been verbal abused and harassed. I was queuing for air race with my 9 year old son and we was approached and asked to move out of they way then when I said no I was harassed being called racist for the simple fact I wouldn’t let them in front of me in the queue they then proceeded to jump over the gates to board the ride after being told no by your staff. The ride was then cancelled due to their stupidity. They slowed every ride queue down due to misbehaving and causing a scene. Most of the family’s we saw only had fast pass wristbands for the adults but the children was getting on without a wristband. I tried to order food at one of your establishments just to be pushed out the way and your staff still served them. Other family’s were getting off rides after queuing just because these families were causing a problem and stopping the rides for everyone else. Every single time they would push in and just say that they pay VIP Price. Not once did I see a member of staff removing any “TABS” as your terms and conditions calls them from any wristbands. My young children are now scared of coming back to Drayton manor as they have been harassed all day. They have only been able to ride 3 of your attractions due to all of the problems we have experienced today. We were only able to get on this at the start of the day when the gates opened. Even Thomas land we had the exact same with my 3 year old daughter. I have paid hard earned money just for my children to have an experience like this. I definitely feel that your staff are struggling and finding it very hard to deal with this problem. The staff them selves are telling us that all they can do is stop the rides until they stop. For your staff to say that they have had enough after a member of staff confronted them they just keep shouting out the she was a racist, and that “she was S**T at her job” even though she said nothing racist whatsoever.

Long long queues save your money. Work out how much your paying per ride and how long your queueing for. You wudnt pay to queue if your were paying individually would you? Your getting conned into the gates then spend the day queueing. Check the all the day before for queue times it doesn't lie!!! Profiteering!

Bought tickets in January to take our granddaughter to the zoo today.
Worst decision ever made from the moment we arrived to departure.
No meet and greet on arrival, no clear signage where to park, very few animals visible because of the rain and no access to see them in their weatherproof enclosures, any glass windows to see into enclosures were either dirty, reflective or blocked.
No cafe open until 12 noon and no individual children’s rides switched on. Heavy plant machinery moving about in visitor areas, totally against H&S rules!
We hadn’t been since our children were young and after today will not be going again or recommending.
They should not open if they’re not prepared to offer the customer experience suggested.

We had to cancel due to my son becoming ill. Guest services cancelled the booking and sent through a voucher to attend on a different date. Very helpful and also meant we didn't lose out.

Our visit itself was great but customer service was awful. I used the app to purchase photos for £20 of my kids on the rides. Tried to pay via PayPal and it came up with an error, asking me to try again. I did and got charged twice. I went into guest services who took my details and said to raise it via message on the app and they would escalate it. I got a response quite quickly saying they would refund however it would take 20 days? 20 days later and I haven’t had a refund, emailed them and got no response at all. I’ve ended up going through PayPal. Our day at the park was great but their customer service let them down.

Check Tesco Clubcard voucher T&Cs very very carefully.
Party of 7 arrived with our tesco clubcard vouchers to be told they are not valid on special days. Had to purchase new tickets and get Tesco to refund vouchers. We only went because of the Tesco deal as there are far better zoos that offer way better vfm. £60 for 6 adults for 2 hours is not vfm for the zoo in our opinion - I would rather make a donation using gift aid (this not offered??).
This was very disappointing and we only stayed as our under 2 year old child would have been very disappointed. Will not be returning.
Both the zoo and Tesco need to be much more explicit about the exclusions as we think this is just set up to rip off customers. There is NO reason in our opinion that clubcard vouchers can not be used on special days. This in our opinion is just unacceptable. If its an IT problem then this needs to be fixed fast to avoid negative feedback.

As a wedding photographer, I have had the privilege of capturing many beautiful moments at Drayton Manor Hotel. The setting in the Staffordshire countryside is breathtaking, and the hotel provides a unique and stunning backdrop for weddings. The venue offers a variety of options for ceremonies and receptions, including three beautifully appointed wedding suites and an outdoor space licensed for civil ceremonies.
One of the standout features of Drayton Manor Hotel is the opportunity for wedding photos to be taken within the theme park. The picturesque lake and the charming carousel provide an exceptional and unforgettable location for capturing those special moments. The couple and their guests can also enjoy the attractions of the theme park, adding an extra element of excitement and fun to the day.
Overall, I highly recommend Drayton Manor Hotel as a wedding venue. The staff are knowledgeable, friendly and professional, and they go above and beyond to make sure every wedding is a success. Whether you're looking for a traditional, elegant or fun-filled wedding, this venue has something to offer everyone.
Kindest regards
The Kensington Photographer

Avoid this place if your wanting to have a “special day”.
It was my sons 10th birthday on 24/02/2023 who is autistic and had been in over drive with excitement to go here as his main birthday present. I paid £150 on tickets, on booking it didn’t state the main rides was shut. We arrived at the park and the lady on the front desk was very blunt and un helpful in guiding us around the park, no maps available.
We then joined a que where I asked the colleague who was scanning our tickets if he could tell me what rides was open, & asked if he could point out what was actually open.
The man ( Brandon) became very rude, stating I should have looked before I came. He had an attitude and I began to start feeling overwhelmed, I explained I suffer with bipolar and severe anxiety, and that attending a theme park was a huge deal for me.
With that the man started waving his hands in my face, shouting “ your holding other people wanting to enter up, he said and I quote “ your being dramatic and a problem, you either enter or leave. I felt so embarrassed and became very upset, my son then became upset seing what had happend. I told the man I would be speaking to his manager, he replied by telling me to go on then my names Brandon, I said I don’t need your name, all this should be on camera, and there was several witnesses.
We entered the park and everything was closed bar Thomas land and the zoo, most the animals in the zoo was either not there or unable to see.
I wrote a complaint immediately while entering the park in the hope we could leave and get a refund. However I’ve had no response to this.
My son ended up having a rubbish day.
It also rained and I brought rainy day tickets as an additional, however no invite to use them, and frankly I wouldn’t want to return. I am disgusted by the service I received, & the fact my children had to watch the way I was treated.
EDIT -
Drayton manor got back to me today 03/03/2023 severely apologised, reassured me the staff members been dealt with and offered me return tickets. I’m just so happy the young rude staff member who has me in tears has been dealt with.
& greatful we’ve been offered the opportunity to go back.

Absolutely avoid! This place is in the business of trying scam you out of a lot of money and then offer you zero customer service.
I booked tickets for February half term, they did not make it at all clear that most of the park was shut when I booked. I called to complain and they wouldn’t offer a refund or any help other than providing an email address. After my complaint they updated their website to clarify what was open so they clearly acknowledged their mistake but still haven’t replied to my emails and the phone line is dead.
Buyer beware, this business looks like it’s about to go into administration again.

Absolutely disgraceful 195 pound for tickets and only half it's parks open it doesn't state this on site really not worth thr money!! Absolutely aviod