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Chessington World of Adventures Resort

There is far more to the south than London and the east you know!

They haven't improved it at all. Fury stopped a lot going through the station and was stacking on the brake run. A single rider queue about 10 people long took over half an hour.
 
I've heard of this whole "not boarding until people leave the platform thing", dread to think what they would've thought of 3 train Vampire operations...

They have no confidence in either their rides, or their staff since the Smiler crash... The latter would be solved by actually training them properly, and focusing on throughputs rather than guest interaction at the loss of them...
 
matthewgcole said:
There is far more to the south than London and the east you know.
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Now that's a conversation for another time lol.

No, what I meant by different attitude down south is two fold, as Benin alludes to there a general lack of confidence in and from staff, and they seem more interested in talking about what they did last night than their job.

Last time we went it took about 20 minutes to get from the edge of the scales to on, then we went back round and immediately on again, same guy, same checks, I said to him jokingly that he'd already checked my sons height 5 mins before and he spent the next five minutes arguing with me that he hadn't, contrast that to Alton where the same staff member remembered us the next day, generally they are happier and take more pride in their jobs (well most do) at Alton.

I must be crazy because I'd rather endure a four hour drive to Alton than I would a ten minute one to chessington lol
 
Continuing the least bad motif, are there any rides at Chessington that are considered good anymore?

It might be because I've moved away, and dont get to visit as often, but it seems to have gone to pot!
 
Having never visited Chessington as a child or in its "hey day" if any such thing existed, I only have what it was like a few years ago to compare it against.
 
And what's your verdict? What's the least bad ride, matey?

Also - I think you mean "Having never visited Chessington in its least bad day"
 
Hairobics said:
And what's your verdict? What's the least bad ride, matey?

Also - I think you mean "Having never visited Chessington in its least bad day"
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Hated it when I visited for the first time a few years ago, but it's warmed on me somewhat. Most of my original critisms still stand about the place. Paultons is better. Most impressed with Scorpion Express which I thought was a creative way of tarting up an old figure 8 Mack mine train.
 
@Hairobics What rides are you missing? Or, is it just that you're the target audience anymore and the same rides don't appeal as much?
 
The park itself has just changed a lot. Bubbleworks is obviously something I miss, but it's not the deal breaker.

Chessington used to be very thematic; each area had clear borders and very indicative theming. Now, however, it's just a bunch of rotting bits of machinery strewn haphazardly across the landscape. Wild Asia is a decently themed area, not to fond of all the grey, but everywhere else is just a bit messy.

Mostly, however, I just miss all the characters. For me, and I in no way expect this to be unanimous, the best thing about theme parks were the ride mascots. Not the shoehorned sponsor ones ala gruffalo, but the classics like Professor Burp, Abdab, Peg Leg Pete. I'm having a hard time expressing what made the experience so special, but I really don't care about what a ride does. I just want to be lulled away to a land of make believe.

The only thing that comes close these days, and I feel a bit sick saying this, is Disneyland Paris. It's slowly losing its charm, but it's the closest I've got to experiencing what old Chessington was like.

Oh, and I miss the monorail. I hadn't been been on it since I was old enough to realise there were better things to do with my time. Now that it's gone, however, I pine for an aerial look at the park.

Oh, and the musical weather vane...
...and the chocolate castle...
...and that beefeater that had a suction mouth. Was he a bin? Is something still there in his place?

Also, might I add, I'm actually not big on thrill rides. My top 5 rides of all time are:
1. Bubbleworks (r.i.p)
2. Terror Tomb (r.i.p)
3. River Caves at Blackpool
4. Pirates of the Caribbean (pre Jack sparrow obvz)
and 5. Phantom manor.

As you can see, I just like to sit down, nice and slow, and bob past some scenes. I can get my thrills on the M25 when some juggernaut starts veering into my lane.
 
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@Hairobics - that's a fair assessment, but I think there is some nostalgia there and there's nothing wrong with that, it's human nature. Parks have to evolve, they're not museums.
 
I have two regrets from the TT@10 event:
1) I never managed to get a photo of John Wardley with my custom Lego minifig of him, and;
2) I never got a chance to ask him off the record (IE: not part of the official Q&A), "Do you look at Chessington and weep?"
 
@Rick Nostalgic in the sense that it was bloody well better. ;P

I just hate the direction Chessington has gone in. I've gone over it ad nauseum, but the ever encroaching zoo makes me want to run for the hills.

The only thing keeping me coming back is my old love for the place, though that too is slowly waining.
What's left from the least bad days?
Toadies crazy cars, buccaneer, vampire and maybe remmy? Crickey... Better start rethinking that MAP boys.
 
Rameses until the end of the season, probably.

Bubbleworks 'died' over 10 years ago. Scorpion Express is infinitely better than Runaway Train was in the past 20 years. They continue to keep Vampire running despite the maintenance headaches associated with doing so. Dragon Falls is set to get some love next season. It's not all bad news.

I don't think the animal focus is going to go away. That's just the way it goes.

(and whoever is editing the Chessington Wikipedia page with 'facts' needs to stop).

Hairobics said:
Better start rethinking that MAP boys.
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As a consumer, that's the most powerful thing you can do. Vote with your feet.
 
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