Chessington World of Adventures Resort

[TheMan]

With the last new attraction that was worth an actual visit in 2010, its actual painful to watch the park try and advertise to bring new guests in with nothing. I personally dont think that you can live off the glory of a ride for 2 years. Last year for example when Alton Towers didn't have anything new thier gate figures slumped (What a suprise!) because they thought they could live of the glory of Thirteen. It also looks like the same thing will happen to Thorpe Park with The Swarm.

I think you have hit the nail on the head here - a new ride or no one returns.

Why is that? ...

Horrendous queues, massive expense, a growing feeling of having to actually be a strategist to get value for your day, little magic, poor service - the list goes on.

WHY would you pay good money, to return to a place with that attitude towards it's customers, with NO new attraction to justify it? Simple answer Merlin. People WONT. Eventually, you end up tarnished with a reputation as a company.

Like people have mentioned before, there is little entertainment, poor marketing with new attractions, endless new charges for things - car parking, fast track becoming essential and ever present and HIDEOUSLY unbalanced , price rises through the season in a stagnant economy.

Yet - we see smaller parks like Lightwater Valley, surviving with NO new attractions and having the general respect of the community. If I lived closer, they would get my money no question!

So once again, by slowly removing what recently MADE Chessington worth a visit - it's just mind boggling really. THAT is the time they should go balls out to make a MASSIVE effort, not cut back.

It just makes zero sense at all to me. Oh and this is not a hit at the Park managers, there is no question this will be downward pressure from HQ.

 

[joelpagett]

TheMan... I can almost see your love for Chessington ebbing away. I do hope that they learn their lesson this year and will hopefully revert next season. I have to say that thier plans for next season do look good, but nothing that makes me sit up and go WOW!

Its not like we are asking for SW8 at chessington, just a nice new coaster like a small Mack launched coaster like Manta at Seaworld, it would fit in well. I supose next year they will have their hotel and Zufari ride and they we may see something in 2016...

I have been going to the park since 2002 and people ask me why I like it so much. I do have to say its the atmosphere. I have some of the most fantastic memories that place has given me but it just seems to be losing touch with the GP. I am looking forward to one last visit on the 5th November and hopefully it will be very quiet

 

[TheMan]

It is TPM, well - as a result of the decisions being made. My love for the park, is actually being replaced by some sorrow for it.

It's so frustrating! Even WITH planning restrictions, I still believe it has so much more potential than is being utilised. Rides are getting clever nowadays.

Personally, Th13teen would have been PERFECT for somewhere like Chessie! We all know, it's never an Alton ride. Now I do love the invention behind it, and the ride itself - for Alton, it was an average ride with an edge that ridden once, the mystery is gone.

However, that ride at Chessie, would have given, in my opinion a FULL compliment of family coasters - that would MAINTAIN a level of Thrill for that target market!

Imagine that ride, as an Aztec temple, Indiana Jones style (falling through the floor - booby trap styley). It is a FUN coaster - a dark theme, well is frankly a bit stupid. OK, so they can't build world class COASTERS due to planning, but they CAN with creativity build world class ATTRACTIONS surely? I refuse to believe that a creative industry cannot figure out ways around restrictions - that is one thing Alton must be given great, great credit for.

Admittedly, that is all conjecture on my part - and it really only serves to demonstrate how I think, rather than being a definitive solution as it were.

If I had to choose between Legoland, Thorpe, or Chessie to keep and develop - even though I LOVE Thorpe's rides (Stealth, is admittedly my favourite UK ride, followed by The Swarm believe it or not! sorry everyone! ;D) I would STILL choose Chessington.

Why?

It is the ONLY one left with any real semblance of that indescribable magic about it. That thing you cannot buy.

Atmosphere.

 

[Anonymous]

Time for me to step in here and have a rant.

I have personally spoken with many of the managers at Chessington and believe me, they want to add rides, they want to fix up and replace the rock work on Dragon Falls, they want to re-paint Dragons Fury and they want to do so much to the Vampire and it's station, it's just that they're not well funded enough. Merlin already have to plough a lot of money into the park due to the Zoo that they don't really see the point in massive theme park investment.

A LOT of people under-estimate the Zoo and it's costs, but then again, there are so many positives to it. For example, this year alone there have been not one, but two new baby Western Lowland Gorilla's. These group at Chessington are the most successful breeding family in Europe. This on it's own costs a huge amount of money to keep going. The Zoo at Chessington is one of the core components of the park, and although I want more rides too, the management of the park are looking at the "Bigger Picture".

The Resort hotel generates a huge amount of money and spends most nights fully booked and in high demand. The plan to add the new extension and it's stage / play area is one which to me, is justified. It's solid investment and means that Chessington also gets to rejuvenate the Monkey & Bird Garden's, which, judging by the plans for it that I've seen so far look amazing. It's going to totally change that part of the zoo in a similar way that Wild Asia did to Beanoland and Africa did to Toy Town.

There are various "Brand Flaws" at Chessington that need addressing, and that's where they are starting. For example, Chessington is just a Theme Park & a Zoo. Not really a fully blown resort is it? Which is where Zufari - Ride into Africa comes in. This new attraction will be run year round. It'll be a full blown experience and one that I'm really excited by. It's a massive investment into the Resort. Something that can be enjoyed all year round and offers more under the Resort flag. Much like the Water Park at Alton Towers. It's another Resort addition.

As for the lack of rides? I get it, there has been a distinct lack of investment into new ride hardware, but that changes in 2016. All I know is that it'll be a big new RIDE and that it is already under development at the park. The resort will feel magical again soon. It'll go back to the glory days of the 90's. Just have faith in the management, because believe me, there are some really special things planned and the teams at the park and Merlin Studio's are working hard on it. I know, I've sat down for coffee with both of them.

 

[Dylan]

*awaits the I'll believe it when I see it comments*
Great post Jared, I'm looking forward to the new Zufari and hotel developments at Chessie. For me, Chessington is the nicest UK park. It needs a lot of maintenance work, but it has a great feel about the place. A clean up and a large scale new ride would be great for the park.

 

[TheMan]

No need to have a rant Jared. It didn't come across as one either - in fact that was highly informative.

I'd like to put out there, that I specifically state that I wasn't taking a hit at the Park, or management - but felt their constraints were imposed from higher up the food chain - which you seem to have confirmed.

The things about the zoo are fascinating - so tell me? Why do we not hear MORE about this? I found that interesting, as I'm sure many others will.

What is going on in here, that is, no question, different to say TP threads, is that people generally have a great FONDNESS for the park, which manifests itself as frustration in it's present state! That is in fact complimentary to how people feel about the place.

That all being said - closing EARLIER in PEAK TIME still makes ZERO sense. That is the reason they lost my custom (and many others!) this year, and that alone.

So, the rant which wasn't really a rant, and more an informative and interesting prose (complimenting you here, not having a go, text doesn't always translate sentiment), wasn't really on point because we were sharing in a frustration - I don't feel anyone was having a blast at the park management, more a Merlin central attitude (in regards to rides), and the issue of EARLIER peak time closing (which is debatable, as to how this decision has been reached, given it's precedence being set across other attractions).

TheMan

 

[Benzin]

Zoos always cost a lot of money to run, considering the amount of food, upkeep, etc needed to ensure the animals live healthily (and to at least try and avoid the angry "zoos are bad" people hence the expansion of the gorilla enclosure recently)... And the fact is that the outlay will never go away like the ride side of things, probably a reason why they introduced zoo days in an attempt to try and get some money in the books to help pay for the various and costly zoo bits...

Again though, the Chessie management have been trying to get new rides in for years, it's kinda the same old thing year on year since DIC took over the park and began to just reap the benefits that the park brings with AP sales and what not...

As for the hotel expansion, I'm not a fan of it lurching itself into the park (which I am sure there are reasons for it doing so) but for me it just doesn't feel right in a sense... Skyway might as well not exist in that area anymore (would love for them to get it redone and head towards Wanyama, one can dream) and it gives off what, a new stage show? Considering the UK shows aren't particularly the best ever (Chessie's especially have always been rather budget Butlins) it's a lot of pressure on Safari to really bring in the punters...

Unfortunately the difference between Chessie's managers wanting something and getting something has been too big for a long time now... Wild Asia brought me a lot of optimism for the future, but these past two years just fell flat, with various problems involving ride operation standards (how ride staff can justify letting 75% of Kobra be exit and fastrack, I'll never know, but fortunately I was able to mention it to a rides manager, let alone issues with ride stacking, maintenance, etc) and another park suffering from the overselling of fastrack...

I think out of all the Merlin parks Chessie would be best without them, indeed, ever since Tussauds originally purchased Thorpe it's been a long downhill struggle for the park... And that's just internally... Add that onto the locals and it's a very tricky and potentially troubled future for the park... Again...

 

[BigAl]

There's still a lot of potential in Chessington and it's a real pity that Merlin don't realise this and give the park some TLC. It's a shame that the place isn't more popular because what they have is great, it just needs some attention, which means Merlin need to reach into their pocket, pull out their wallet and try and help them. It's such a shame to see the theming on the Runaway Train completely falling apart, and the queue to Tomb Blaster now being a complete eyesore. Even Dragon's Fury needs some attention now as well, as the theming in it's queue is crumbling and the track needs repainting too.


The site occupied by Toadie's Crazy Cars is enough for a new coaster on the same scale as Vampire and Dragon's Fury. Even if they don't want another coaster on that kind of scale, they can still fit a medium sized one in as well as a flat ride. That space is right in the middle of the park and is surrounded by trees, so I'm certain they'd be able to do something significant with that site without it causing the locals to get their knickers in a twist.

Once people see that something big has appeared at Chessington (and the marketing department don't mess things up), people will flock to see it and ride it for themselves, just as they did with major rides at Alton and Thorpe. The money gained from that should then be put into getting the rides and the theming back to an acceptable standard. The coaster needs to attract people in so a world's first coaster should do the trick. The problem is that it'd 1) be expensive and 2) need to be designed properly so that the ride doesn't rely on the world first to be good. I've already designed a Mack-style launch coaster with a theme and first feature myself, so if I can do it I'm positive they can as well! A new headline attraction could do so much for the place if Merlin could just see the potential.


The zoo expansion of the zoo with Zufari, as well as the hotel expansion should help to pay for that side of the park. Would it be possible to open a couple of theme park areas for the Christmas zoo days as well? A few odd rides might help to bring a few more people in. Alton Towers opens a few areas for Christmas (although they don't have the zoo), and their Christmas events always prove to be quite popular (weather permitting, of course).


Now onto Vampire. That ride needs some serious love because it's such a great ride and not riding Vampire on a visit to Chessie is like going to a bowling alley and then just messing around in the arcade instead of actually playing bowling! They could try to sort this out by explaining to Merlin that they can get more people to notice it by making it better than it used to be. That's probably easier said than done though.

They could use money for Vampire to sort the station out, which includes lighting, music and the theming that used to be inside before they nearly gutted the place over 10 years ago. They also need to get the track and supports painted, get the outdoor theming fixed so that you can't see the foam inside the statues. Maybe even even replacing the outdoor theming with a few animatronics that watch you as you queue for the ride and are partly out of sight to make it a little more creepy? Although this would probably be more expensive and more hassle than it's worth, Vekoma still manufacture enclosed swinging trains, so Chessington still has the chance to get them to build cars like the original bat shaped ones. They looked much more impressive and according to a lot of people, offered a more fun experience as well.

Once they sort Vampire out, they do what they did over a decade ago and market the attraction as new. Perhaps they could market it as "Return of the Vampire", or something like that? After a year of significant investment, this kind of thing, along with a small new attraction or a new show, could ensure that gate figures stay high for a second year running. After all, didn't the park market Bubble Works as being new in its second year of operation to make it look like there was something new after the previous year when they'd concentrated on Vampire?


Another important thing that Merlin has hopefully realised now is that the possible new Paramount Park that will be located not far from their three Southern theme parks may be huge and it could really do some harm to gate figures if they don't sort themselves out. Now would be a good opportunity to really try hard with their parks, not just leave them to carry on at the same pace as they are at the moment and create rides that only keep people's interest for a year (or less than that in the Swarm's case o_o ). Thorpe is too small to compete with a park on the scale as the plans that have been presented for the Swanscombe site, and Legoland may struggle to compete against massive IP's that Paramount brings with it. The three parks need to be running on all cylinders if Paramount arrives, as should Alton Towers really.

I posted an idea back on Towers Times about a joint ticket for the three parks, and with Chessington and Legoland having accommodation already, and Thorpe soon joining them, perhaps Orlando Flexticket style two and three park tickets might help to get people going to all three parks rather than just one. We already know that Melin want to make people stay at their "resorts" for multiple days, but so far they've been going about this in the completely wrong way by slashing opening hours across all of their parks and making some rides and areas open later in the day. This is really no use if a park that claims to be attempting to compete with Disney and Universal is opening only a stone's throw away. A multiple park ticket would also require some form of shuttle between the parks as well, so that might help to convince people that going to two or even all three of the parks isn't such a bad idea if it's free and easy to go from one to the other with ease.


My last point is about the locals. Yes, they're a pain in the backside and cry at the slightest signs of life at the park, but perhaps the park could help the surrounding area to show that they do care about how their park affects them? If management can secure funds for a big new project, perhaps they can provide funding to road improvements around the park? That way, the new coaster attracts more guests who naturally please Merlin by spending money in their park, we get a nice new ride and the locals get improved roads and pavements around the site as compensation for an increase in traffic.


Chessington could be such a beautiful park if all of these things were sorted out. Of course it's going to cost a lot, but what do they expect when they've left it for so long? It'll probably never be as popular as Legoland now, but that shouldn't mean that it should just be left to more or less fend for itself. If management have so many great plans for the park, why doesn't Merlin see what they want to do and put a little more faith in them?


Anyway, no doubt that most of what I've just written is complete crap, but I'm just trying to think of ways to breathe a little more life back into the park.

 

[TheMan]

What he said lol! ;D

EDIT*

What THEY said!

 

[joelpagett]

Everyone has a valid point, you have got to feel a bit sorry for Chessie as they have thier hands tied with the forces from up above... Sad really.

If we have to wait until 2016 for a new ride then IMO that is far to long. The rides have become stagnant, rotting almost, Vampire looks terible, Dragons Fury needs a repaint and it just looks tired. Looking at the plans for The Hotel it does look interesting and it could possibly make the resort more popular in the off season. If there is a possibility of Zufari being open in the Winter along with The Zoo do you think they may open areas linked into it... obviously not the whole park but a few small rides?

The future of Chessington could swing either way IMO, it could become greater then ever if the investment is pumped into it or it could fall by the wayside. When was the last time you heard £18 million being spent on an investment at Chessington? apart from the hotel which is almost a seperate entity which pays for itself I cant really rememeber!

I have to say that through this Chessington DEFINETLEY has the best customer service out of all the theme parks. Several visits this year I can think of many examples of staff who have gone above and beyond to make our visit more memorable, one girl even remebered me! Imagine all the people she serves! (and no I am not some blonde adonis that you would find hard to forget!)

All in all I dont think Chessington should be thrown into the heap of Merlin Dispair just yet, they may have a very good year next season !

 

[Tim]

I also agree with most of the comments before mine

But there are two things I wanted to add. Firstly when they come to choosing their next major ride I wouldn't go for Roller Coasters like every other park. Given the restrictions they are under and the need to appeal to the whole family I'd aim at Dark Rides. They already have two fairly good rides (Bubbleworks was once one of the best in the world). All they need is a Hex and Sub-Terra equivalent to bring them in line with Towers. Then they can start working on their own unique ideas.

Secondly I like the idea of connecting all the London Merlin Parks but unlike the suggested Orlando system I think it needs to be noted that people who visit Legoland are not going to visit Thorpe Park and vice versa (for 99% of the guests at least). Making Chessington a hub park that links the two could work but exactly how that could work I'm unsure.

 

[BigAl]

Perhaps offering a ticket which allows people to visit multiple parks rather than add transport might be a better idea, or maybe a ticket which links just Chessington and Legoland? Then they can see how it goes and introduce transport and/or Thorpe Park into the mix if the idea works.

A lot of people visit Legoland and I'd say most of Legoland's market would also enjoy Chessington. If people see that they can visit Legoland as well as Chessington with a new ticket, perhaps they might go for it. I'm thinking of something which offers real value for money to make people want to buy it. People want more for their money in these times, so Merlin could right a few of their wrongs by making a two or three park ticket which lets people do more for a lot less. They shouldn't forget that these groups will very probably spend money on food, drink and gifts at each park because that's what people want to do, so reducing the entry price for a new ticket might actually mean more money being spent on other things?

And as much as I'd love to see a new dark ride, I think Chessington could do a hell of a lot with the two they already have. UK dark rides just don't have the same sort of pulling power as dark rides elsewhere. Ideally I'd like a new coaster and a new dark ride, as well as the current rides being fixed, but that's not going to happen any time soon.

Oh, and they really ought to get rid of Peking Heights. What a waste of space!

 

[thefatone]

They used to have multi-park tickets marketed quite heavily on their website a couple of years ago, obviously they didn't work at the time. It'd be quite difficult when all serve different markets, and they're not right next to each other and you'd require a car and actually planning a relatively long holiday (to which there'd be extremely few people doing with these parks). Think its a bit too early to look into that, making the parks individually get to proper resort status must come first, and get good staying patterns.

The park needs investment, the park is seemingly getting some in good areas.. just not everywhere we wish for. Hopefully they're going along the right lines though!

 

[BigAl]

I honestly had no idea they ever tried a multiple park ticket. When was that? They can't have pushed them very much, but I guess it was when none of the parks were classed as "resorts"?

However, you're quite right. Currently, there's not as much to tempt people across different parks, as people get frustrated visiting just the one under Merlin at the moment. It's definitely something they ought to consider if they plan on competing with the Swanscombe park (if that happens that is), but they can't do that unless they pull their fingers out very soon.

Going back to Tim suggesting a dark ride and myself suggesting another large scale coaster, perhaps one of Mack's E-Motion coasters might be better than either a dark ride or a coaster alone. Chessington can combine theming, trickery and effects of a dark ride with the speed, twist, turns and drops of a coaster. They'd have to be careful in getting the right balance between something that isn't too intimidating or too boring with it being indoors. We don't need the next X:\Pleasepointmetothewayoutofthisthing but we don't need a new Blackhole either!

Here's Mack's E-Motion coaster page: http://www.mack-rides.com/en/products/coasters/e-motion-coaster/c-ec-info/c-ec-info.html

A rollercoaster ride that felt out of control? You probably experienced some unintentionally. Now imagine a ride vehicle that is constructed to enforce the feeling of being thrown out of the bend. All riders will definitely feel the adrenalin rush when the 6-seater-car tilts and moves in every single turn or even in a drop sequence.
With this ride you can enhance a wild mouse ride with even more screams and more surprises than expected when boarding. Our single lap bars and the ergonomic shaped seats guarantee a safe and comfortable trip back to the station.
Our e-motion coaster can be installed with 3 different lift options: spiral lift, chain lift and our vertical lift and in addition to that get turntables to change the direction of the cars.

The few exisitng coasters out there get good reviews as well. They also look like pretty versatile rides when you look at what they can do (besides what you could pay Mack to get them to make a ride do )...

TURNTABLE, DIRECTION CHANGE
Stop the car, spin it around and the next ride section will be a ride backwards.

NDOOR, OUTDOOR CAPABLE
Create an exciting ride inside a building or place this ride as a landmark of your theme park.

CHAIN LIFT SYSTEM
The classic chain lift system is perfect for a fast and exciting start of every rollercoaster.

VERTICAL LIFT SYSTEM
Save space and take the whole train or single cars up to big heights with an elevator system.

VARIOUS DROP
Combine steep drops with gentle jumps and create surprising effects.

There's nothing stopping them from making the ride have the pulling power of a coaster by having the ride start off as a dark ride and then having the ride go outdoors and up a lift to perform a coaster section that could switch from going indoors to outdoors, and vice versa. If guests see a new coaster they're going to want to ride it, whereas a dark ride alone can't hook people with a visual impact of seeing the ride in motion and people having fun on it.

Just an idea though.

 

[Anonymous]

Can I just say, that there are many things being "talked about" for 2016 and possibly 2015 for that matter.

As it stands I believe the best place for a new ride is in the centre of the park on the site of Toadies and Peeking Heights. I've been suggesting this for a while to both enthusiasts and the park. For those who don't know. The planning rules at Chessington mean that anything built must not detract from the locale it is in, therefore they are very limited on cutting down tree's the surrounding buildings and theming must be suitable and the rides must not be loud, high or in general over the top.

There is only one location to me which seems to tick all the boxes in terms of planning and that's the site I suggested above. It's perfect due to the fact that it's the only location in the park where they can get a bit of height on the ride. Peeking heights is 26 meters tall and barely visible from outside the park and just about sticks out above the tree's when viewed from the main car park.

To me it would be the perfect location for a new roller coaster. It's a location that works for planning, it's a big site and it'll also finish that end of the park off in terms of rejuvenation work, well, most of it. Just Land of the Dragons to be fixed up really. Toy Town is done, Mystic East could have the rock work done and a fix up as part of the new coaster and Wild Asia is all done. To me, it makes sense.

I also had another idea for a new attraction at Chessington, one which I think could work quite well. I thought that replacing the interior of Temple of Mayhem in Wild Asia with a Vekoma Madhouse. From what I can tell, it's the perfect size building, could be themed on the discovery of an Asian Temple and being booby trapped or something along those lines. To me it works, you'd have to add a few buildings for a pre-lift around the back of Lorikeet Lagoon as well as an extended Queue-line, but to me it utilises the space and the existing theming well.

On the subject of the Multi-Park ticket, it's a good idea in principle, but it would detract from sales of the Merlin Annual Pass. It wouldn't be a viable option. If transportation was easier, then maybe it would happen, but as it stands, the parks are a bit too spaced out.

The things about the zoo are fascinating - so tell me? Why do we not hear MORE about this? I found that interesting, as I'm sure many others will.

Most of the time it's because of the way most of the social mediums work. I'm sure most people heard the announcement about the birth of Mwana in February, but since then, Facebook and the others have changed the way it's "Pages" feature works. Now most coverage is only given if the page in question advertises with Facebook. If you don't, it limits how many news feeds the given post shows up in. For example it'll only show up on 50% of a pages likes, which means it's cutting out thousands of people. So the birth of Kuanza in July wasn't really advertised all that much. For those who are interested, here's a photo I recently took of the newest baby Kuanza.

Chessington is a park that I've grown up with, I've personally seen it change from it's early days in the 90's until now. It's been a park that I've seen change, grow and that I love every time I go. It has quite possibly the best management of all the Merlin parks, the best atmosphere and some of the nicest staff of them all. The park is amazing on each visit.

Last year, Halloween Hocus Pocus totally defeated Scarefest for atmosphere and lighting. The park was amazing and the lighting was quite a spectacle. I think more people need to experience it this year, yes it won't be for as long as last year, but this is a Merlin cutback and not one the park have opted for.

Chessington is the best all round theme park in the UK and I think it will remain that for quite some time to come yet.

 

[BigAl]

Now that you've mentioned about tree removal, the only problem I can think of with the Toadies site is the trees. There are quite a few on the site. Could you tell me whether or not they'd be allowed to remove some of the trees in that area to build a ride and then plant more once the ride is done? It'd be a pretty hard task to fit a coaster in the space otherwise.

It's definitely the only place in the park I can definitely see a new coaster going though.

It'd be useful to see some kind of map of the park and the surrounding land which details which areas can be used, what restrictions those areas hold and what areas of land nearby could be purchased and used in the future.

 

[TheMan]

It has quite possibly the best management of all the Merlin parks, the best atmosphere and some of the nicest staff of them all. The park is amazing on each visit.

Last year, Halloween Hocus Pocus totally defeated Scarefest for atmosphere and lighting. The park was amazing and the lighting was quite a spectacle. I think more people need to experience it this year, yes it won't be for as long as last year, but this is a Merlin cutback and not one the park have opted for.

Chessington is the best all round theme park in the UK and I think it will remain that for quite some time to come yet.

I agree wholeheartedly with these sentiments!

In a slightly back to front way, I am also glad you have more or less confirmed that it is indeed, HQ, that are imposing these ridiculous restrictions on the park. Thank you for the pictures by the way also, they're awesomely cute!!

The atmosphere, lighting, and feel to that park during Halloween is spectacular - but the reduced opening hours, as I've said, mean it is not worth our journey. I have STILL not received any kind of response from Merlin about my complaints, I know however that when I have spoken with the park when on visit, if anything has occurred, they've been more than willing to help.

This is why, with a few of my complaint issues, Merlin I believe may have tried to direct to specific parks - something I vetoed in the letter immediately. This is NOT a complaint they can weasel out of with a stock response easily. I certainly did not feel it was fair, to burden the park managers with certain of these issues. Merlin will be accountable for THEIR wider actions and stop passing the buck to people such as the Chessington management.

15 working days and counting...

I'm even more seething that more information keeps coming down the chain from various sources, that these are Merlin decisions and not that of individual parks, and they're then seemingly happy for the likes of Chessie management to take the flak for it, and hide away!

Can you tell I'm irate with them? ;D

Anyway, thanks again Jared, the info is enlightening and of immense interest!

TheMan

 

[Tim]

In response to BigAl (took me a little while to post :-[ )

I haven't heard great things about the existing E-Motion coasters but I agree that something like this could have a lot of potential.

And as much as I'd love to see a new dark ride, I think Chessington could do a hell of a lot with the two they already have. UK dark rides just don't have the same sort of pulling power as dark rides elsewhere. Ideally I'd like a new coaster and a new dark ride, as well as the current rides being fixed, but that's not going to happen any time soon.

The bit I've highlighted is the key reason I think Chessington should specialise in Dark Rides. In my opinion Chessington need to take a risk, just like they did by becoming the first British Theme Park. Moving into a market that is currently unappreciated is such a risk but one I believe can have spectacular results. As a country we have shown a natural talent in most media's for creating unique and interesting ideas. I think that if Merlin could assemble the right team to try and think outside the box we could have excellent dark ride potential.

For example Sub-Terra for all its issues is a fairly novel idea, only previously tried by Disney and for a fraction of the cost. Creatively I think it’s a step in the right direction but could do with being backed up with the story and character of rides like The Bubbleworks. This is where Chessington comes in. At Alton the coasters are king and the dark rides take filler roles. But at Chessington this doesn't have to be the case.

Edit: and Jared has given a perfect example for how they can start

I also had another idea for a new attraction at Chessington, one which I think could work quite well. I thought that replacing the interior of Temple of Mayhem in Wild Asia with a Vekoma Madhouse. From what I can tell, it's the perfect size building, could be themed on the discovery of an Asian Temple and being booby trapped or something along those lines. To me it works, you'd have to add a few buildings for a pre-lift around the back of Lorikeet Lagoon as well as an extended Queue-line, but to me it utilises the space and the existing theming well.

That sounds excellent. Rather than a mad house it is a booby-trapped temple so the spinning actually has a much better explanation then just "strange things are happening".

 

[thefatone]

It is the parks decision, and it's decision alone, as to what happens to its opening times and events etc.

Yes, they've had a budget and it's been cut, but it's their sole choice to reduce the opening hours of their halloween event. Could've reduced budgets elsewhere, or do a towers and argue and stand their ground. Seems to be a recurring theme with this park though!

Is Zufari opening up in march along with its main season?

 

[Benzin]

I've said for a few years now how Temple of Mayhem would make an immense Madhouse type ride, be it Mack (for some random extra stuff) or Vekoma... Could so easily produce a story to fit (EVIL BANYAN) the area, and it also needs an epic rotating pre-show room a la Defi de Cesar at Asterix...

Chessie's main issue is the low throughput rides... Things like Berries, Truckers, Jumbos are just so busy and as such for kids not tall enough for the bigger rides can be absolutely awful experiences... Whilst I wouldn't mind keeping Jumbos; Berries, Truckers and Toadies should all go, being replaced by a Zamperla Kiddie Drop Tower, secondary entrance to Land of the Dragons (which would involve an epic retheme of the area to a Medieval style village with centrepiece castle) and probably another flat and a small playground area... Then Peeking can be removed and replaced (with the other crap attractions there) with another flat and maybe even another wheel, which can use it's pods...

I think the park has a lot of work to do in the future, and they should still try and keep going with the implementation of animals into the areas... For example, a new coaster and animal enclosure could easily go in the Wild Asia field, then a small enclosure can be added into the old Toadies space... There's so many options for the park it's silly, with the whole making everything realistic adventure...

Which is why I'd make Land of the Dragons less fantasy and more medieval Knights Kingdom esque... Playhouse gutted and replaced by a castle? Filled with a massive sit down restaurant/stage show? Then Fury can interact with some extension parts of the castle (turrets and such) with some rockwork on the final stretch...

Urgh... So much potential and stuff that could be done to this park... I feel a revisit to my old ideas needs to be done to present them on here... I haven't even started on Bubbleworks (and idea that was bounced around for an epic Translyvania dark ride)... God...