September 1, 201411 yr comment_190473 Okay, I just got back from a trip to Wales, including my first ever Oakwood trip! I love Megaphobia, and Speed is pretty good. It was quite a busy day and both were on one train operation all day! I don't know whether this is normal, but it did drag out he queues for those queueing (don't hate, but I get to skip). Drenched was closed, and it looked like a giant set of Meccano. Sadly it is normal these days for the coasters to be on one train with queues of 2+ hours. Never known a park operate so badly
September 1, 201411 yr comment_190480 It was really annoying as Speed's queue moved at a snails pace. Literally.
September 1, 201411 yr comment_190481 I'm surprised Oakwood left Hydro closed throughout august, I don't know maybe they will repair it in the weeks when it is only open on weekends in september and october but then it wouldn't surprise me if they leave it closed for the rest of the year seeing that their maintenance budget is crap.
September 1, 201411 yr comment_190496 It's such a great shame to hear my favourite non Merlin park is being operated so poorly. You'd think they'd at least try and get drenched up and running (quicker) and try and acknowledge the complaints of people going (which at least the Berlin parks seem to notice these days). I guess the way Oakwood is currently being managed and operated that it makes thorpe look like Alton towers and Alton towers like Disneyworld. Can't believe Bounce was only fixed recently, nearly a year after my trip which didn't do the throttle launch. Hopefully 2015 will be a better park year with the (final) launch of the sleepy hollow area with new rides. Who knows, may be the management will even wake up too and see how poorly the place is bring run and how it needs some TLC.
September 3, 201411 yr comment_190845 Oakwood has a new boss... Interim boss appointed for Oakwood theme park The new boss of Oakwood Theme Park says she is delighted to be taking charge at the ‘most exciting’ time in the park’s history since it opened. Clare Stansfield, the Pembrokeshire attraction’s current head of marketing, has been appointed interim park director. It’s the first time a woman has taken charge of the park and Clare says she is relishing the challenge. “I am delighted to have been given this exciting opportunity,” she said. “In the last two years, we have invested well in excess of £5m in a series of new attractions and rides here at the park, and last week, we were also able to announce plans for our £2m Legend of Sleepy Hollow multi-attraction feature which will open next year. “This is the most dynamic and successful period in the park’s history since it opened and I am really looking forward to working with a great team of people to continue to grow and develop the business over the coming years.” Clare grew up on the Wirral, Merseyside and has a degree in geography from the University of Leeds. She moved to Tenby in 2012 and has a two-year-old son. She spent three years working in export, sales and marketing for a manufacturer of non-woven products, then had six years with Survitec Group - a global leader in marine, defence and aerospace survival technology - as their business development manager. Hopefully she will make Oakwood a little less cack then it is at the moment although I'm not optimistic...
September 3, 201411 yr comment_190852 Oakwood need someone who will actually look at what is going on in the park. Whilst a new boss is good, I doubt she will make many positive changes whilst Aspro still own the park. I'm not sure who makes operational decisions, but anyone who thinks operating coasters on absolute minimum capacity and staff during peak times with 2+ hour queues and fast pass knows nothing about running theme parks. The first thing they need to look at is operations, then maintenance, then improving the image of the park (rather than just adding new signage all the time) and actually making an effort for paying customers before they even think about investing in more rides. I remember when Oakwood was fantastic. The atmosphere used to be second to none, Mega and Speed on maximum capacity eating through the queues and everyone looked happy. Aspro have taken a great park and run it down to the ground. Such a shame
September 4, 201411 yr comment_190894 I'm surprised Oakwood left Hydro closed throughout august, I don't know maybe they will repair it in the weeks when it is only open on weekends in september and october but then it wouldn't surprise me if they leave it closed for the rest of the year seeing that their maintenance budget is crap. If the chain is broken, then I believe they have to wait for a new one to be delivered as they won't keep spares on park
September 5, 201411 yr comment_191018 I doubt she'll be able to do anything - the previous guy has worked under Tussauds Group and I can imagine him not wanting it to be the way it was either!
December 27, 201410 yr comment_199655 Has anyone heard any more news on their 2015 development? To be honest I'm quite worried about what sort of state Oakwood is going to be in next year. Aspro seem to have no idea how to run or maintain a theme park, and it's sad to see it going downhill so quickly - hopefully they will turn things around next year!
January 20, 201510 yr comment_201245 All hope is not lost... recently mentioned on their facebook as part of a status announcing up to 100 new jobs... 'The park has also announced plans for a new £2m spooky ride based on the legend of Sleepy Hollow.'
January 20, 201510 yr comment_201251 Nice to hear a mention of Sleepy Hollow after all this time, personally I hope it is a complete revamp of Spooky 3D as that is in dire need of a refurbishment, it wasn't a bad dark ride once but with the state they've let it get into they may as well change it completely. The description of a "spooky ride" doesn't exactly scream out new coaster, so maybe they've given up with the wild mouse style coaster.
January 20, 201510 yr comment_201254 All hope is not lost... recently mentioned on their facebook as part of a status announcing up to 100 new jobs... 'The park has also announced plans for a new £2m spooky ride based on the legend of Sleepy Hollow.' It will be a shame if its just a dark ride or retheme seeming as it was heavily hinted on the logo and by many staff a wild mouse type thing would be arriving at the park. Ah well at least they have acknowledged this investment now though... The fact that last year was horrific and many people vowing never to go again on trip advisor and facebook, they need something that will really bring the masses in, at the moment I can't see them doing that.
January 20, 201510 yr comment_201255 I think if Oakwood go downhill further from last year, it was be an complete disaster. Made thorpe look like Alton Towers &Towers like Disneyland. Hopefully this new investment will be a great addition to the park (seeing how rundown and abandond that area of the park was last year). I get the Impression the provider of this 'so called' new coaster they were supposed to get has really messed them about,
January 20, 201510 yr comment_201295 A PR saying they've "announced plans" doesn't say anything about actually doing those plans. Aspro has screwed over this park fully. Sod all this crap about it being the best since it's opened.
April 2, 201510 yr comment_206292 Very slight new look to Oakwood's website, it was well overdue so I'm glad about that. http://www.oakwoodthemepark.co.uk/ They opened today, wonder how it went?
April 2, 201510 yr comment_206312 They did say it was a play on words as the train was "weighted" with water dummies, still poor though!
April 19, 201510 yr comment_207619 Visited Oakwood last week and lots of signs up saying investment coming soon. We went for Megaphobia however and were not disappointed, a brilliant coaster. Speed didn't agree with me - although I may have been feeling delicate, or it may have been running very rough. Wife was fine on it - but she doesn't have my neck problems!
April 20, 201510 yr comment_207707 The big question is... Was Drenched open? And were there any other rides closed?
April 20, 201510 yr comment_207711 Drenched is open, they have posted videos of it open this year on facebook
June 10, 201510 yr comment_211035 Did anyone go on the original Voodoo Mansion? (Now Spooky 3D). There doesn't seem to be anything online of the original ride, so I'm just wondering how different it was from the current form of the ride, and whether it was better/worse?
June 10, 201510 yr comment_211036 I went on it once a long long time ago in 2002, but It was so long ago I can't remember the difference, I just have a distinct memory of going on both voodoo mansion and spooky 3d lol
June 11, 201510 yr comment_211067 I never did Vodoo, but did Nutty Jakes before it became, Brer Rabbit (now also closed) and was a decent little train/dark ride that I remember being a bit eiry and creepy (in a good way). Speaking on which, has anyone heard any more updates on the (supposed) new Sleepy Hollow area that was supposed to be opening up and replacing the Wild West area as its gone very quiet lately, far too quiet. I think it's a shame the park has stagnated again (to an extent that it makes even Chessington look like it's been heavily developed). I was hoping by seeing how things in 2013 were looking this was going to be the big turn around for the park, but it looks like it would appear not.
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