Adventure Island - Southend on Sea

[Lou]

Well, I've just been looking at Adventure Island, Southend on Sea (As mentioned to me by Alan).
Perhaps Thanet District Council should have a look on the website as well. it is a fantastic website, with all you need to know about Adventure Island. It is bright and cheerful and with up to date information. FANTASTIC!!!
This is just the sort of publicity we will need when Dreamland is back on track. I am truly impressed.

[coasternutter]

I went there earlier this year. It is a great little Theme Park.I think that the reason that the owner wants to buy Dreamland is that there is not a lot of room for expansion.The staff were friendly and helpful and we had a great day, so much so that I will go again later in the year.

[Graeme]

Yes, it's an excellent website that tells you all you need to know - opening times, where new rides are on the map etc. I actually made good use of it earlier this year just before I went and had a very successful day at the park.

All I'd like to see now at the park is a big, thrilling, non-looping, non-gimmicky, 'meat & two veg' coaster (which Philip Miller is working on, trying to get built) and also a spinning pendulum. What I'd really like to see is one of those 16-seater Afterburners by KMG, the 'Freakout'. I admit I haven't been on one, but I saw the one at Hayling Island and it looked so cool! Thorpe Park has the 32-seater, many parks (Pleasurewood being the nearest to Southend) have the 24-seater...it'd be nice to have the 16-seater at Adventure Island for variety!

One of the things I think looks great about these rides is how small the gondola is compared to the arm. With Vortex at Thorpe Park, the gondola is huge, almost unwieldy, but I bet with the 16-seater you can get a good spin! The arm looks very long compared to the gondola. 16 seats might sound very small for a pendulum ride, but as the seats are suspended in groups of four, there are large gaps between each set of seats. It's probably more like the size of a 32-seat Frisbee.

[tash_xx]

Thanks!

If anyone else is thinking of coming to adventure island, stop off at the tourist information centre (which is at the entrance of the pier) and say you are coming down to the park and they will give you a voucher for 3 wristbands for the price of 2.

Or if you are coming to southend by train, say at the train station that you are coming to adventure island and they will charge you £18 (the price of a wristand) and you travel free. You then hand your train ticket in at the ticket office at the park and keep your return ticket.

Or if you are coming down late in the day its worth knowing that wristbands go half price after 6pm and we stay open till 10pm at weekends and during school holidays, allowing you 4hours of fun And you can get on a lot of rides in that time.

Whilst you are in Southend, why not visit the fantastic Sealife adventure, just down the road from Adventure island, almost opposite the Kursaal. Pick up a brochure from adventure island and you get one free admission

And remember EVERYDAY IS A NEW MAGICAL ADVENTURE!!!

[Neil]

Well I have a habbit of reviving old topics but as Philip Miller is currently the main contender for buying Dreamland it's interessting to note how he develops Adventure Island. Nick mentioned some exciting new attractions for 2006 so here's a list of some (possibly all) of them:
a) 'Southend Rock' (a climbing wall with a querky name See-while Thorpe Park couldn't find a satisfactory name for a major coaster Adventure Island do a better job of naming a climbing wall).
b) Water Wars (firing watter bombs at each other with catapults-popular with small children).
C) 'Fireball'-described as a 'brand spanking new thrill ride'. Exactly what it is is anyones guess if it's in the same league as the Dragon's Claw it could expand on the teen market.
d) 'Blackbeard's all at sea' is apparently a major redevloment of their Blackbeard's walk through (which is already fairly good with the disappearing Marmaid illusion!).
Other improvemnt around the park include:
1) New healthy alternatives on the menus
2) A new fancy and proffessional website.

The long and the short of it is that now I hope that Phillip Miller buys Dreamland more than ever. Incidentally I'm not sure how they will go about fitting all these new attractions in so whether any existing rides will have to take their exit I am unsure.

ps Am I right in thinking the French operator who was interessted was Grevin and Cie? If so are they still interessted?

[marc]

went to Adventure Island last saturday.
Pictures of my vist On my website
www.hacksfunfairpix.co.uk

[Chris H]

Hi all

If Mr Miller was to buy the dreamland site, it would be interesting to sit
back and watch how he would transform the park from the current state
to a country wide attraction. Due to length of time now that Dreamland has sat
and been neglected, he would really have to start from scratch, but the real difference that will set dreamland aside from other parks is that we will have the Scenic right down the center as a center piece

[cliffc]

Hi

As i have stated in a post in another thread, the web site for AI is very informative and professional looking, the park is also well represeted with a good selection of rides for all ages, but its the sites tie in with local transport providers so that people can get there wristbands by paying at the station or on the bus which gets them free travel, that shows foresite and good buisness accuming from Phillip Miller and his team there, I have never visited this park, but from the reports on here his team are very freindly and helpful ( a contrast to the mob that were running (if running is the word) Dreamland last season), with every body working to make a visit to AI a pleasent and rewarding one, also we have year round opening at weekends. Philip has taken on board that people may not now holiday for a week in Southend but that people still need something to do on a weekend even in the winter, there is a limit to how often people can go to the local shopping center or musuem and if you have kids thay need some alternative places to have fun where better than the sea side.
Let us hope that the TDC will either change there policy or have it forced upon them and Phillp can get his hands on the site for the right price and start work to make another park that people will want to come and visit all year round.

CLiff C

[Chris H]

If only the conservitives could just see it instead of just listenig to the wrong people.

Its clear to see more than ever now the benifits Mr miller would bring to margate,s business. He is clearly very experienced

[Neil]

If only the conservitives could just see it instead of just listenig to the wrong people.

Its clear to see more than ever now the benifits Mr miller would bring to margate,s business. He is clearly very experienced

Well that's where your're wrong Chris.
Mr Miller recons Dreamland could be very viable however Bob informs us that Mr Miller is entirely incorrect on this count so obviously Philip Miller isnt such an expert after all. I'm not quite sure why Philip Miller has made such an incompetant decission on the matter and if he's that incompetant why Adventure Island is so much fun but I'm sure Bob will tell us.

[Bob]

If only the conservitives could just see it instead of just listenig to the wrong people.

Its clear to see more than ever now the benifits Mr miller would bring to margate,s business. He is clearly very experienced

Well that's where your're wrong Chris.
Mr Miller recons Dreamland could be very viable however Bob informs us that Mr Miller is entirely incorrect on this count so obviously Philip Miller isnt such an expert after all. I'm not quite sure why Philip Miller has made such an incompetant decission on the matter and if he's that incompetant why Adventure Island is so much fun but I'm sure Bob will tell us.

Adventure Island a very succesful business !

There are things going on that I am not in a position to say anything at present.

[taffy]

Thank God for that.

[Neil]

Well thanks for being honest Bob and for admitting that there is something you are unsure about. I'm sure you'll understand when I say that I'll carry on campaigning to keep Dreamland until I do know something about it. Afterall we don't want to find the park has a large supermarket on it and then we suddenly find out the truth about the Philip Miller offer when it's too late. Nevertheless Bob this is your first straight answer to one of my questions and so is very much apprechiated.

[Marky66]

I visited Adventure Island yesterday with my two daughters and my wife on what was the first day of half term but a Monday in February all the same.
The place was very busy and we had a great day in a well run park that just lacks one decent signature ride, which goes to show well run parks are not just 3 month operations.
The thing is we drove from Surrey to get there and it's only a little further than Margate for us but HAD Dreamland in a similar state as this park been open, along with the fabulous Scenic then we would of been there.
If Bob and his cronies are allowed to build the Lesiure Park or whatever abomination they want to build then I along with most Daytrippers will I suspect continue to pump our spare cash into Tussaurds and more deserving pockets like those of Mr Miller at his lovely Southend Park.