Skyscraper
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Nemesis
Well, this is a report I never thought I'd be writing... Just four days before the date of this event I got an email to say I'd won! Gave me a chance to finally get to the park for the first time. Apologies in advance for the sheer length of this report, but read about my ROARsome day below...
(and unlike my previous reports, I've listed the rides in the order we did them)
After setting off just after 5 am and having breakfast en route, we arrived at the park just after 9 am. I must say, the car park (and getting to it) is an experience. Basically just a dirt track and field! After a quick security check, We joined the queue of other lucky winners waiting to go in. At 10 am we proceeded through the park entrance to the event check-in point, where we were given our wristbands (which doubled as our Fastrack for the non-WoJ rides). After that we gathered outside the entrance of TWoJ to await the opening ceremony.
Whilst there, the one and only John Burton was greeting people. We had a chat and I got a photo. Lovely bloke!
As you can see in the photo, a band played while everyone was arriving. Very loud but they were amazing! Eventually (with the help of a volunteer to push the button) the curtain opened and, with some pyrotechnics, we were in! We headed straight to Mandrill Mayhem (as did most), although it was having technical issues.
Mandrill Mayhem
This was having technical issues before both of our rides, but that was understandable. After a short wait to get into a holding area for our first ride, we were in, and got the front row! Left side I think (we didn't go over the bridge). As mentioned in the Chessington topic, the holding areas are at the front of the station and are loaded back-to-front. If you want the front row you need to be last in the holding area, and vice-versa if you want row 7. Eventually, we boarded and got ready to go. That took a while as they kept having to recheck harnesses, and mine was too tight so they had to release and redo it.
At long last, we set off. The dispatch sequence is pretty good, there is audio and the lighting changes. The backwards launch out of the station is fairly quick, but the forward launch into the main section is even quicker. It pushes you back in your seat. The dip just before the backwards spike is sudden and really takes you by surprise. The hangtime on the inversion in both directions is crazy, you really feel it! The spiral is a strange sensation without being uncomfortable, and you do feel the boosters kick in. The stop in the station is quite sudden but not too much. I was in the inside seat and it was butter smooth.
Overall, MM is a fantastic coaster, and I urge you not to judge it until you have ridden it. It really is more exciting than it looks! I regret not getting more rides on it, shame Chessy is so far away from me.
Mamba Strike
After that first ride, we headed to Mamba Strike. This is a smaller but permanent version of the Miamis/Crazy Waves you see at funfairs. It's not too fast but quite fun, with a long cycle too. I followed it with a ride on the other new flat, Ostrich Stampede.
Ostrich Stampede
This is a mini Jump n Smile/frogs, which are also found on the fair circuit. It spins surprisingly fast but the bouncing is quite tame, and the cycle is extremely short as well.
After exiting Ostrich Stampede, we headed for a second ride on MM. This took longer than expected as while we were in the holding area the train got stuck part out of the station after the previous cycle. Tech services had to manually jog it a few times, but eventually (after a test run) we got on. Row 5 this time, and I got the outside seat. This was a little bouncy but nowhere near as bad as on Swarm. If you're nervous or unsure if you'll like it, I'd recommend the smoother inside seat.
On leaving MM, we decided to explore the rest of the park. While leaving the area we found out that (contrary to what the email said) we could have as many rides in WoJ as we wanted and had until 12 pm, but we wanted to get around the rest of the park as it was our first visit. They also gave us our goodie bag, which contained a water bottle, four pens, four pin badges, a notebook, an ostrich soft toy and our £40 magic money in £10 vouchers.
On receiving the vouchers, we quickly went back into the area to buy some merch. I saw a photo of the snake mugs before my visit and instantly decided that I had to have one!
After leaving WoJ for the final time, it was time to explore the rest of the park. We headed for our next ride...
Korbra
Before this Zamperla Disk-O Coaster, I'd done two others, in the form of Edge (Paulton's) and Thor (Drayton). I enjoy these so was looking forward to Kobra. Made me feel a little queasy but was fun. Not the most comfortable though, but that goes for all of them.
After Kobra, we had a bit of lunch, then because the sun came out we decided it was time for a water ride...
Tiger Rock
This was one of the rides I was most looking forward to, as I hadn't been on a large custom log flume for years (oh how I do miss The Flume and Loggers Leap!). It surprised us, being actually quite choppy. The boat was constantly banging the sides of the trough. This was one of the few rides we all did together, which was nice. We didn't get too wet either which was a bonus! Definitely one of my favourites at the park. We did see a few tigers (lazing in the sun, understandably) as well, which was nice!
Leaving Land of the Tiger, we headed to Tomb Blaster.
Tomb Blaster
Finding the Reserve and Ride entrance was difficult on this one, so we just used the main entrance. Luckily there was no wait until after the merge point. Unfortunately the queue was moving rather slowly, as there was no batcher and the bays weren't filling until after a train had stopped. We ended up being in the front car, and were in the bays in time for the gates to open. There was a slight hold up too as the cabin op had to tannoy some guests who weren't waiting in the right area. The ride itself was actually really good. I know it gets a lot of hate, but we really enjoyed it.
After leaving the tomb, we headed to the zoo area, towards Zufari.
Zufari
This safari expedition was one I was looking forward to, and it was ok. The actual truck ride was fun, being quite bumpy, but we didn't see too many animals about. It was shorter than expected too, unfortunately. Worst, though, was the boarding process... My group of 4 got batched together in row 1, but when the gates were unlocked a lot of kids decided to run to a different row. It was pure chaos, and we ended up sitting in pairs across two different rows. Finding free seats was a pain too, and luckily the restraints didn't lock straight away.
After exploring more of the animal areas, we reached Wild Woods.
The Gruffalo River Ride Adventure
It's a shame I never got to experience the original Bubbleworks, but The Gruffalo River Ride Adventure is still a nice little water ride! Very cute we all thought. The drop/ramp was longer than I expected, and the fountains were cool. Very enjoyable and would definitely ride it again!
After Gruffalo, it was finally time for my most anticipated coaster outside of Mandrill Mayhem. Vampire!
Vampire
I had been wanting to ride this rare, 33-year-old Arrow Suspended Coaster for years, and finally got the chance! I love the way it glides high above the pathways, helps build anticipation even before you join the queue. After the merge point there was a fairly long queue inside the station, but that gave us time to watch and marvel at a very special part of Vampire... the animatronic organist. It was great to finally see this in the flesh. after seeing pictures and videos of it over the years. It is a truly amazing thematic spectacle.
Now, on to the loading faff. When we got near the front of the queue we saw why it was moving slowly. The bays weren't starting to be filled until after the train had stopped, resulting in the gates opening before most of them had anyone behind (like on Tomb Blaster). This was partly because there was no separate batcher; the host on the load side of the platform had to shout row numbers from behind the gate line, and it was extremely difficult to hear them over the awesome soundtrack. We thought we got allocated rows two and three but couldn't be sure, so we decided to wait an extra train for the front row.
I had waited all day to ride this, but boy was it worth the wait! Incredibly fun and surprisingly fast, coupled with the swinging. Definitely one of my favourite coasters now. Being on the front row helped of course, being able to see where we were going, but I would have still enjoyed it further back. I certainly hope its track is replaced in the near future, to prolong its lifespan for another 30+ years. Would be a real shame to loose this classic.
After Vampire we started heading back towards the entrance, but our day wasn't over just yet. Next up was Rattlesnake.
Rattlesnake
This wild mouse coaster is infamous for being such low capacity/throughput, and we saw first-hand just why that is the case. When we were waiting to board at the exit,
there was a delay caused by riders not following the staff's instructions. They wouldn't understand that they couldn't all ride together (max three adults per car and no two riders of a greatly differing stature can sit together due to the shared lap bars), and it took four or five hosts to get the point across. Once we were on it was good, though. Wild and out of control just as expected.
Upon exiting Rattlesnake I decided to quickly do Croc Drop as it was nearby.
Croc Drop
Now, the theming around this SBF Visa drop tower looks fantastic. If only the ride hardware matched it in terms of quality. Unfortunately it didn't spin for me, but the drops were slightly quicker than expected. Nice views at the top though too.
Finally, it was time for our last ride of the day.
Dragon's Fury
It took longer than expected to get on this Maurer spinner, as the R&R queue was long and moved very slowly. Once past the merge point, however, the queue into the station moved much quicker. Think it was the first time I've ever been weighed before getting on a ride though! I was worried I might feel a bit queasy after coming off but I was actually completely fine. It was really fun, and the trains are comfortable. I will definitely make sure I finally do Spinball at Towers this year.
Conclusion
And with that, our day was at an end. After a quick stop in the gift shop (got a t-shirt but can't show the pic due to the upload limit), we exited the park and began the long journey home. I'm so glad I finally got the chance to visit Chessy, and never in a million years did I think I'd will a competition like theirs! I can't thank the park enough for the opportunity and all the free merch we got (the water bottle especially is going to get a lot of use out of it).
We had a good day and got on some good rides (the Fastrack definitely helped, though, I must say). Again, it's a shame I live so far away, but I would like to visit again in the future. Mandrill Mayhem and Vampire are coasters I would certainly marathon if I could!
Final ride count:
- Mandril Mayhem x2
- Mamba Strike x1
- Ostrich Stampede x1
- Kobra x1
- Tiger Rock x1
- Tomb Blaster x1
- Zufari x1
- The Gruffalo River Ride Aventure x1
- Vampire x1
- Rattlesnake x1
- Croc Drop x1
- Dragon's Fury x1
Total: 13
Now, you might be wondering both what my top 10 rides at Chessy are and where the coasters rank in my overall top 10 coasters list. Here we go;
My top 10 rides at Chessy:
1- Vampire
2- Mandrill Mayhem
3- Tiger Rock
4- Gruffalo
5- Tomb Blaster
6- Dragon's Fury
7- Kobra
8- Rattlesnake
9- Zufari
10- Mamba Strike
And finally, my updated top 10 coasters list;
Top 10 coasters overall;
1- Nemesis (Towers)
2- Vampire (Chessy)
3- Smiler (Towers)
4- Colossus (Thorpe)
5- Stealth (Thorpe)
6- Mandrill Mayhem (Chessy)
7- Icon (BPB)
8- Wicker Man (Towers)
9- Thirteen (Towers)
10- Dragon's Fury (Chessy)
(both of these lists are my own personal rankings and took a lot of thought, so please don't roast me!)
Well, thank you for reading to the end and I hope you enjoyed it! Any questions, please ask.
(and unlike my previous reports, I've listed the rides in the order we did them)
After setting off just after 5 am and having breakfast en route, we arrived at the park just after 9 am. I must say, the car park (and getting to it) is an experience. Basically just a dirt track and field! After a quick security check, We joined the queue of other lucky winners waiting to go in. At 10 am we proceeded through the park entrance to the event check-in point, where we were given our wristbands (which doubled as our Fastrack for the non-WoJ rides). After that we gathered outside the entrance of TWoJ to await the opening ceremony.
Whilst there, the one and only John Burton was greeting people. We had a chat and I got a photo. Lovely bloke!
As you can see in the photo, a band played while everyone was arriving. Very loud but they were amazing! Eventually (with the help of a volunteer to push the button) the curtain opened and, with some pyrotechnics, we were in! We headed straight to Mandrill Mayhem (as did most), although it was having technical issues.
Mandrill Mayhem
This was having technical issues before both of our rides, but that was understandable. After a short wait to get into a holding area for our first ride, we were in, and got the front row! Left side I think (we didn't go over the bridge). As mentioned in the Chessington topic, the holding areas are at the front of the station and are loaded back-to-front. If you want the front row you need to be last in the holding area, and vice-versa if you want row 7. Eventually, we boarded and got ready to go. That took a while as they kept having to recheck harnesses, and mine was too tight so they had to release and redo it.
At long last, we set off. The dispatch sequence is pretty good, there is audio and the lighting changes. The backwards launch out of the station is fairly quick, but the forward launch into the main section is even quicker. It pushes you back in your seat. The dip just before the backwards spike is sudden and really takes you by surprise. The hangtime on the inversion in both directions is crazy, you really feel it! The spiral is a strange sensation without being uncomfortable, and you do feel the boosters kick in. The stop in the station is quite sudden but not too much. I was in the inside seat and it was butter smooth.
Overall, MM is a fantastic coaster, and I urge you not to judge it until you have ridden it. It really is more exciting than it looks! I regret not getting more rides on it, shame Chessy is so far away from me.
Mamba Strike
After that first ride, we headed to Mamba Strike. This is a smaller but permanent version of the Miamis/Crazy Waves you see at funfairs. It's not too fast but quite fun, with a long cycle too. I followed it with a ride on the other new flat, Ostrich Stampede.
Ostrich Stampede
This is a mini Jump n Smile/frogs, which are also found on the fair circuit. It spins surprisingly fast but the bouncing is quite tame, and the cycle is extremely short as well.
After exiting Ostrich Stampede, we headed for a second ride on MM. This took longer than expected as while we were in the holding area the train got stuck part out of the station after the previous cycle. Tech services had to manually jog it a few times, but eventually (after a test run) we got on. Row 5 this time, and I got the outside seat. This was a little bouncy but nowhere near as bad as on Swarm. If you're nervous or unsure if you'll like it, I'd recommend the smoother inside seat.
On leaving MM, we decided to explore the rest of the park. While leaving the area we found out that (contrary to what the email said) we could have as many rides in WoJ as we wanted and had until 12 pm, but we wanted to get around the rest of the park as it was our first visit. They also gave us our goodie bag, which contained a water bottle, four pens, four pin badges, a notebook, an ostrich soft toy and our £40 magic money in £10 vouchers.
On receiving the vouchers, we quickly went back into the area to buy some merch. I saw a photo of the snake mugs before my visit and instantly decided that I had to have one!
After leaving WoJ for the final time, it was time to explore the rest of the park. We headed for our next ride...
Korbra
Before this Zamperla Disk-O Coaster, I'd done two others, in the form of Edge (Paulton's) and Thor (Drayton). I enjoy these so was looking forward to Kobra. Made me feel a little queasy but was fun. Not the most comfortable though, but that goes for all of them.
After Kobra, we had a bit of lunch, then because the sun came out we decided it was time for a water ride...
Tiger Rock
This was one of the rides I was most looking forward to, as I hadn't been on a large custom log flume for years (oh how I do miss The Flume and Loggers Leap!). It surprised us, being actually quite choppy. The boat was constantly banging the sides of the trough. This was one of the few rides we all did together, which was nice. We didn't get too wet either which was a bonus! Definitely one of my favourites at the park. We did see a few tigers (lazing in the sun, understandably) as well, which was nice!
Leaving Land of the Tiger, we headed to Tomb Blaster.
Tomb Blaster
Finding the Reserve and Ride entrance was difficult on this one, so we just used the main entrance. Luckily there was no wait until after the merge point. Unfortunately the queue was moving rather slowly, as there was no batcher and the bays weren't filling until after a train had stopped. We ended up being in the front car, and were in the bays in time for the gates to open. There was a slight hold up too as the cabin op had to tannoy some guests who weren't waiting in the right area. The ride itself was actually really good. I know it gets a lot of hate, but we really enjoyed it.
After leaving the tomb, we headed to the zoo area, towards Zufari.
Zufari
This safari expedition was one I was looking forward to, and it was ok. The actual truck ride was fun, being quite bumpy, but we didn't see too many animals about. It was shorter than expected too, unfortunately. Worst, though, was the boarding process... My group of 4 got batched together in row 1, but when the gates were unlocked a lot of kids decided to run to a different row. It was pure chaos, and we ended up sitting in pairs across two different rows. Finding free seats was a pain too, and luckily the restraints didn't lock straight away.
After exploring more of the animal areas, we reached Wild Woods.
The Gruffalo River Ride Adventure
It's a shame I never got to experience the original Bubbleworks, but The Gruffalo River Ride Adventure is still a nice little water ride! Very cute we all thought. The drop/ramp was longer than I expected, and the fountains were cool. Very enjoyable and would definitely ride it again!
After Gruffalo, it was finally time for my most anticipated coaster outside of Mandrill Mayhem. Vampire!
Vampire
I had been wanting to ride this rare, 33-year-old Arrow Suspended Coaster for years, and finally got the chance! I love the way it glides high above the pathways, helps build anticipation even before you join the queue. After the merge point there was a fairly long queue inside the station, but that gave us time to watch and marvel at a very special part of Vampire... the animatronic organist. It was great to finally see this in the flesh. after seeing pictures and videos of it over the years. It is a truly amazing thematic spectacle.
Now, on to the loading faff. When we got near the front of the queue we saw why it was moving slowly. The bays weren't starting to be filled until after the train had stopped, resulting in the gates opening before most of them had anyone behind (like on Tomb Blaster). This was partly because there was no separate batcher; the host on the load side of the platform had to shout row numbers from behind the gate line, and it was extremely difficult to hear them over the awesome soundtrack. We thought we got allocated rows two and three but couldn't be sure, so we decided to wait an extra train for the front row.
I had waited all day to ride this, but boy was it worth the wait! Incredibly fun and surprisingly fast, coupled with the swinging. Definitely one of my favourite coasters now. Being on the front row helped of course, being able to see where we were going, but I would have still enjoyed it further back. I certainly hope its track is replaced in the near future, to prolong its lifespan for another 30+ years. Would be a real shame to loose this classic.
After Vampire we started heading back towards the entrance, but our day wasn't over just yet. Next up was Rattlesnake.
Rattlesnake
This wild mouse coaster is infamous for being such low capacity/throughput, and we saw first-hand just why that is the case. When we were waiting to board at the exit,
there was a delay caused by riders not following the staff's instructions. They wouldn't understand that they couldn't all ride together (max three adults per car and no two riders of a greatly differing stature can sit together due to the shared lap bars), and it took four or five hosts to get the point across. Once we were on it was good, though. Wild and out of control just as expected.
Upon exiting Rattlesnake I decided to quickly do Croc Drop as it was nearby.
Croc Drop
Now, the theming around this SBF Visa drop tower looks fantastic. If only the ride hardware matched it in terms of quality. Unfortunately it didn't spin for me, but the drops were slightly quicker than expected. Nice views at the top though too.
Finally, it was time for our last ride of the day.
Dragon's Fury
It took longer than expected to get on this Maurer spinner, as the R&R queue was long and moved very slowly. Once past the merge point, however, the queue into the station moved much quicker. Think it was the first time I've ever been weighed before getting on a ride though! I was worried I might feel a bit queasy after coming off but I was actually completely fine. It was really fun, and the trains are comfortable. I will definitely make sure I finally do Spinball at Towers this year.
Conclusion
And with that, our day was at an end. After a quick stop in the gift shop (got a t-shirt but can't show the pic due to the upload limit), we exited the park and began the long journey home. I'm so glad I finally got the chance to visit Chessy, and never in a million years did I think I'd will a competition like theirs! I can't thank the park enough for the opportunity and all the free merch we got (the water bottle especially is going to get a lot of use out of it).
We had a good day and got on some good rides (the Fastrack definitely helped, though, I must say). Again, it's a shame I live so far away, but I would like to visit again in the future. Mandrill Mayhem and Vampire are coasters I would certainly marathon if I could!
Final ride count:
- Mandril Mayhem x2
- Mamba Strike x1
- Ostrich Stampede x1
- Kobra x1
- Tiger Rock x1
- Tomb Blaster x1
- Zufari x1
- The Gruffalo River Ride Aventure x1
- Vampire x1
- Rattlesnake x1
- Croc Drop x1
- Dragon's Fury x1
Total: 13
Now, you might be wondering both what my top 10 rides at Chessy are and where the coasters rank in my overall top 10 coasters list. Here we go;
My top 10 rides at Chessy:
1- Vampire
2- Mandrill Mayhem
3- Tiger Rock
4- Gruffalo
5- Tomb Blaster
6- Dragon's Fury
7- Kobra
8- Rattlesnake
9- Zufari
10- Mamba Strike
And finally, my updated top 10 coasters list;
Top 10 coasters overall;
1- Nemesis (Towers)
2- Vampire (Chessy)
3- Smiler (Towers)
4- Colossus (Thorpe)
5- Stealth (Thorpe)
6- Mandrill Mayhem (Chessy)
7- Icon (BPB)
8- Wicker Man (Towers)
9- Thirteen (Towers)
10- Dragon's Fury (Chessy)
(both of these lists are my own personal rankings and took a lot of thought, so please don't roast me!)
Well, thank you for reading to the end and I hope you enjoyed it! Any questions, please ask.
Last edited:
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