19th Birthday and Gift Haul!

Hello everyone!

It’s been a crazy long but amazing couple of weeks! It was my 19th birthday on the 17th August and it’s finally time to sit down and have a rest before uni begins again!

On my actual birthday my sister, boyfriend and I had the day at Thorpe Park and it’s such a great theme park! Probably the best I’ve been to! There are so many big white knuckle thrilling rides- the weather was glorious too which made it even better

We had to get up at 6am and I was greeted by my sister bringing in a Frozen birthday cake with princess candles! (Yes, turned 19) Then we sat on the bed and opened gifts and I got some lovely things

We were then off on the road to Thorpe Park and we packed a picnic to eat throughout the day- then driving back we stopped off at a food court that had selection galore!! We could choose from chinese, Indian, mexican, KFC, McDonald’s, Carvery, Starbucks- the lot! We ended up sitting altogether and sharing food and it was a nice end to the day

We got back around 10pm and we had been out the house for about 16 hours and I had to pack and get up early the next day to travel from Worcester to Birmingham- I got 8 free Krispy Kreme donuts and an Eds Easy Diner milkshake for free as a birthday complimentary gift and we saw Inside Out!

We then traveled back to Doncaster the next day we got ready for my birthday meal out to meet all my friends and boyfriend Joe- we went to a restaurant called Zest (my favorite place!) and I also got a 3 course meal for free and my friend even paid for my drinks!

It was lovely to see my friends who I haven’t seen for months, maybe even a year- they even put a candle in my pudding to sing happy birthday for me!

We then went to a few bars for cocktails and then went to an 60/70/80’s bar called Flares and ended up doing shots- even bacon flavoured ones which was disgusting! And ended the night at 2am on karaoke which was hilarious and photo booths!

Then I visited my nan and opened more presents and cards from friends and family

So I thought I would show you the lovely bits I got from family and friends 🙂 Aswell as the things I bought with birthday money

My sister got me these adorable Olaf jogging bottoms which are so comfortable! I love Olaf

She also got me this super cute vest which ties at the bottom and has a tropical print of birds and gardens- I wore it to thorpe park with some high waisted denim shorts and it looked so good

She got me this beautiful pink and white/off yellow underwear set (im a sucker for underwear) It’s hard to see the colour on the photo

She also got me one of these foundation make up egg sponges that everyone has been going crazy over and It works really well

She also got me a card with money inside and my adorable Frozen cake!

My boyfriend bought me a gorgeous Pandora Bangle along side this Rose Gold white daisy charm which is adorable! Absolutely in love

He also got me some Tsum Tsums! Doc and Dopey from Snow White! 🙂

I got money in my cards from my sisters parents in law and my boyfriends parents to which I bought the Nightmare Before Christmas Tsum Tsums with!

My nan bought me my entire birthday outfit; playsuit, shoes, bag and necklace which are all gorgeous!

I got a lovely bunch of gifts and cards from my friends too; I got this adorable friendship elephant bracelet and giant lush bath bomb that exploded with confetti

I also got a big pack of marshmallows and roses chocolates (they are long gone)

Another friend got me this beautiful blue and silver necklace from Accesorize

I also got a really cute owl water bottle and this really cool cute hipster Pug that waves when it’s in the sunlight! Along side these adorable nail decors

Another friend also just visited Disneyland Orlando and brought me some adorable Mickey and Friends cookies back

With birthday money I bought these adorable Minnie and Mickey van like shoes- Vans were selling disney editions but we’re incredibly expensive but these are just as good- if not cuter

Victoria Secret PINK had a mini sale too! And I’m like a kid in a sweet shop for PINK stuff- I got this baby blue jumper with a hood and key hole back for £20.50 down from £40 and these yoga shorts down to £11

I was also running low on foundation so I decided to try the wake me up foundation as it was on sale for £5.99 from £8.99 and my sister recommends it as a good drug store product

Primark also had a sale on pyjamas and I needed some bed shorts as the warmer nights make it hard to sleep in full legs- I got this cute grey pair for £1 that say ‘pass me the popcorn’ which also matches a popcorn PJ top I already have!

I also saw this Mickey Mouse American style oversized PJ top a while ago and kept going back to it, and im glad I left it as I found it again on the sale rail for £3!

I’ve started to organise my make up too and for Christmas from my sister I got a white wooden organiser stand. My Nan got me another one that has larger compartments for my perfumes

I also got two more Alice in Wonderland Tsum Tsums; Queen of Hearts and the Mat Hatter

I still have a couple things to open from friends I haven’t seen yet but that sums up most of it! 🙂 It’s been another great birthday- last year of being a teenager too! Scary!

Happy Celebrations! x

Drayton Manor Theme Park Review- Staffordshire, UK

Hi Guys,

I’ve been to quite a few theme parks in my life so far; Alton Towers quite a few times, Flamingo Land, Light Water Valley, and a couple abroad too.

My sister moved to Worcester a few months ago and we had a couple days off together so we decided to go to Drayton Manor, about an hour away in Staffordshire. We packed a picnic, and we set off at 9am to get there for 10am, as rides opened at 10.30.

We had also found a 2 for 1 voucher online so that it was only £18 each. It was on tripadvisor for the second best thing to do in Staffordshire with 4/5 stars

When we arrived we found out it was £3 parking, which you didn’t pay until you went in. The guy didn’t even ask so we could of gotten away with it, but we thought we better pay just in case we need the ticket to leave. The guy at the ticket booth also seemed like he had no idea what he was doing, we asked if we could buy tickets and he kept saying; ‘you have reserved tickets?’, to which we answered no. He didn’t understand what we meant, it took ages for him to realise we just wanted to buy tickets. He also didn’t even ask about parking.

There was a tiny sign that said Shockwave was closed until 12pm which we thought was strange, we tried going on G-Force but that was closed too, the woman standing at the gate didn’t explain why either. We looked behind us at the Log Flume; closed. The rapids also closed. We went on the Air Race ride which just made us feel sick.

We went on the cable cars; you can tell they are 65 years old as someone has to push you to get going and then turn a crank! It took you right to the other side of the park near the hotel, even further away than we already were from the other rides, so we just went back.

We went on the Buffalo Coaster that goes over the water; very slow and boring. Better for little kids I guess.

We went on the Ben 10 Coaster, lasted about 20 seconds, not very fast but does go backwards after but nothing special.

We continued to the Apocalypse ride; it’s not very high and just goes down once, no going up and down. You’re on it longer going up than you are on the ride. Lines were luckily short, which is good because I would not have wanted to wait for these disappointing rides!

We went on the Gold Nugget Shoot out.. how pathetic! Tiny cart, the guns hardly worked, went round a tiny track and the things you were shooting were laughable! The cable that the gun was attached to was battered and old and twisted so hardly reached anything.

We then went to the Haunting, a walk along and mini ride. The story didn’t make sense at all, a man speaks to you via TV screen about some people being in danger and we have to find out, we then got taken into a room and watched a painting ‘come to life’- you could see the plastic puppet behind the screen. The floors glowed and lights flashed, we didn’t even bother listening to the story. It reminded me of the beginning part of Tower of Terror. But crap.

If you’ve ever been on Hex at Alton Towers, the end ride is similar. You sit in rows facing other people with some sort of tomb in the middle; the walls pretend to spin so it looks like you’re going upside down. Then the tomb opened and it looked like a raw chicken popped out; couldn’t even see it.

We asked about the Log Flume and the woman said it would be open later as it had broken down and that the rapids were definitely closed, but no reason as to why.

We went on some other small kiddie rides that just made us feel sick as they just did the same thing; went around and around.

The Pirate Adventure ride was closed; no explanation as to why and no warning. We asked a woman and she said it had been closed for days which was odd since it had only been open a week. But when we went to Customer Services, the man said it had only been closed since this morning. Totally opposite to what the woman had said. We asked about the flumes, he said they were changing a part but was open this morning at 10am. That was a lie as we had been there since 10am and it had never been on, he was also rude and said if he knew more information he would tell us, and then maybe not so many people would ask us questions and would make their job easier. I’m sorry but isn’t that what customer service is for?

We then got told by another woman that the rapids were open and the flume shut all day, complete opposite information!

We went to Thomas Land and even that wasn’t good! Sure, it’s for little kids but there were hardly any rides; 3/4 of the site still being built! The only good thing was the run away train, but little kids were being turned away for it, one kid was 119cm and needed to be 120cm! Pathetic

We took a picnic but wanted some fries, you couldn’t pay on card unless over £5 so we asked what would bump it up, she added on a drink and onion rings yet still only came to £4.60, so she seemed to be an idiot clearly. We eventually ordered a larger drink and it suddenly came to £7! Fries were cold, onion rings soggy, the slush was okay but not exactly a large.

A few tables for picnics, we managed to get one but only because it would pretty baron as people were leaving so early.

We managed to finally get on G-Force, you don’t feel very secure in the seats but the ride was good. Same for shockwave, you stand up on it which is interesting but getting on and off is ridiculous! You have to climb up onto a very high seat backwards with nothing to push yourself up with, then adjust your seat so that your feet are flat on the floor, but before you can even make sure you’re in properly they lock the seats and bring down the handles! Very uncomfortable, hurts when you go upside down as the seats bruise all your inner thighs. Then when you get off, they unlock the seats so that when you try and get off, the seats rise and you’re basically stuck, my sister also trapped her hand between the seat and arm handles and nobody helped her, I couldn’t even push the seat down with my hands, she bruised all her hand.

There was nothing else we wanted to go on, nobody was even there on the food stalls or games! Over priced anyway it seemed. We asked again about the flumes and the response was just rude; that we didn’t understand that parts need to be changed. We did understand, it’s just we were being given information that crossed over and different from each member of staff. They said it should be open by the afternoon but it was safe to say it wasn’t.

The park looked boring to, rather small and the hotel looked dreadful even from the outside. I’m so glad we got a 2 for 1 but I wish I hadn’t of paid any money at all to go!

I did send a tweet about my experience and they are trying to get back to me via email, it’s been a couple of days and nothing yet, most people on Trip advisor who complained said all they got was a response letter.

I cannot believe they are charging almost the same amount as Flamingo Land or Alton Towers! Next time we’ll be making the extra hour drive to Thorpe Park and avoiding this disappointing dump!

Other reviews said the hotel was also terrible and most rides were shut for them too without explanation as well as rude staff, it’s clearly poorly run and a lot of things swept under the rug. You can even tell the responses on trip advisor are automatic and not personal.

I would recommend only going if your child absolutely adored Thomas the Tank Engine, but even then I would still say go to Alton Towers instead and visit Cbeebies Land!

It was a disappointing day and the most I got out of it was soggy hair from the rain and a headache.

Safe to say I feel Drayton Manors time is up, 65 years seems to be enough.