Chessington World of Adventures Resort

[Lottie.]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Zvy6iYJOYc

Mystery of Hocus Pocus Hall soundtrack by IMAScore

[bensaund]

Did anyone else notice that there will be no Zoo Days this year, just Christmas Zoo days ?

[Burniel]

Oh what!? That wasn't noticed by me before I got the MAP

Chessy being my local, I thought oh yeah even during the winter I can go to zoo days, but now we can only go around Christmas when everyone's busy preparing and we don't have time. I'll probably not be going to Xmas zoo days, and my pass expires at the start of April

Do we know the dates of Xmas zoo days?

[DanM3]

I have never been to chessington. Both me and my fiancé are 25 with no kids. Is this worth a 2 hour drive? I've read some bad things about chessington mosty from trip advisor so don't know whether to give it a try or stick to thorpe park and alton towers

[Burniel]

It just depends so much on what means more to you - ultimate thrills or great theming/areas with fun rides just the same

I'm not going to lie, chessington can get very busy and can make it be seen in a bad light. Around the Halloween event it is packed, but a normal weekend/weekday at the start of the seasons not too busy. Zoo days (RIP) are usually very quiet (only 4 rides open), Xmas zoo days slightly busier.

Rides include the vampire (suspended moderately thrilling coaster that gets long queues) Dragon's fury (family spinning coaster, queues range 10-90 mins) rattlesnake (wild mouse coaster usually very short queues) rameses revenge (top spin, only inverting ride in the park) KOBRA (disko, Asian themed. Very slow moving queue) Dragon Falls (log flume, oriental theme, short queues unless hot weather) monkey swinger (chairswing, water fountains under you are on in the summer) tomb blaster (shooting ride, long queues, inferior to duel) black buccaneer (pirate boat, back row is AWESOME) tuk tuk turmoil (dodgems) the runaway train (being refurbed for 2014, mine train coaster) and bubbleworks (imperial leather indoor dark/water ride) and various others, including ZUFARI their safari ride knew for 2013

You may not have noticed many thrill rides in the above list, that's because there isn't many. Chessington is a family park. I feel at the age of 12, I feel pretty old unless I'm with my younger cousins. But, nonetheless, a couple of 25 can have a good day, just don't go expecting equivalents to nemesis and the swarm.

Websites are chock full of bad reviews for chessington. It's a wonderful place, I go every few weeks with my annual pass, it's my local, I've been going for 6 years. Is it worth the drive and full price admission fee? Possibly.

My overall advice: go, but see if you can get discounts and GOD HELP YOU DON'T WEAR ANIMAL PRINT!

[rollerghoster]

second the above comments, it depends massively on what you're looking for....if you want thrills, go to thorpe park, if you want a nice relaxed day out in some extremely well themed areas with some very good rides, then chessington is for you, although it is liable to get busier now due to halloween, me (32) and my fiancée (25) both went yesterday, had a cracking time and it was practically walk on for most of the rides, and this was a sunday, so if you can get there before the 19th, you may have a similar experience.

mind you, i am terribly biased, i turn into a small child when it comes to chessington, largely due to nostalgic feelings....make of that what you will, but do go this year if you can, or wait till next year, when all the refurbishment has been done and the park will hopefully be looking at it's best again ( not that it's looking terrible now) 

[Burniel]

I haven't seen a topic that focuses on this ...

So ZUFARI has been open for a while now ... What do we think?

I have to say I usually love it, but went today and water in the cave was turned off - just drove through a dark cave - how boring and anti-climatic!

I usually love it, but I was just disappointed today

[bensaund]

I have been on Zufari 3 times now and I do enjoy it. You do have to go on the ride when the weather is nice as the animals will not be out if it is freezing cold and raining.

as for broken effects, that seems to be a regular trend across all of the Merlin parks. If anything it is a good addition to the park IMO

[Burniel]

It was quite funny tbh - the lights flash and reveal -

A stone-dry cave!

[TheOutpatient]

Considering this is a dark ride it should be pretty interesting. I would love to see the work shop area. At the moment there is no behind the scenes photos or videos that I can find.

[Burniel]

Wouldn't it be nice ... And MIB alien attack at universal

[Dom]

i found these pictures of runaway train at chessington






credit to themeuk.com for the pics

[TheOutpatient]

I can't believe that last pic is the Runaway Mine train. I would love to know what the plans are i.e. are they going to remake what was already there or redesign things?

I know for a fact the Buddha faces are being changed because there's a competition for people to redesign the flume stuff. I would like to send an entry of what was already there - an old photo or something!

[Burniel]

I wonder if you can see from the top of rattlesnake? Perhaps I'll have a look when I go on the 25th?

[obliviongirl]

I personally think that it would be fine to have Toadie's Crazy Cars removed, as it is not one of the overly popular rides, at least not now anyway, particularly seeing as it is so similar to the more current Tiny Truckers. It's a very old ride, which I don't believe has been taken much care of at all by the park in recent years, and somehow it feels out of place. However, I don't think a junior coaster would be the best thing to replace it, as the Runaway Train is already kind of the resident kiddie rollercoaster at Chessington, and the park will be able to sell it as a focal young attraction for the 2014 season thanks to the refurbishments which have been taking place in 2013. As others of you have been suggesting, I think that a water coaster, or ride of some sort, would be a perfect replacement for it. Sure, we already have Bubbleworks, Dragon Falls, Monkey Swinger and Rameses Revenge (or at least we will next year, if we can rely on the Chessington website), but all these rides have their own unique selling point, and another water ride, for example rapids, rubber dinghy ride or water coaster, wouldn't do their popularity any harm. As bensaund suggested, even a slow boat ride would work well around the zoo area of the park. This would actually attract the public's attention to the zoo, which is often overlooked by the public (myself included) in favour of the rides. However, I believe a rapids ride would be a great thing to bring to Chessington, as with it brings the whole element of the family ethic, and it's one of those rides that literally almost anyone can enjoy, families in particular. Also, it would mean that the removal of Toadie's wouldn't take away a ride that youngsters could enjoy without replacing it, as they would also be able to ride a rapids. A rubber dinghy ride could work to this effect too, although I am concerned that it may overshadow the appeal of Thorpe's Storm Surge. Also, I suppose a water coaster could function as a family ride as well, although it really all depends on how steep the drops were. Plus it could end up being too similar to Dragon Falls, and although it could be closed for the 2014 season for refurbishment, what about after that? So personally I feel that a rapids or slow boat ride would be the best thing to replace Toadie's were it to be removed (not that this has been confirmed at all).

[Burniel]

My idea for a rapids ride:

Dragons themed rapids, as conveniently near land of the dragons. Say in your boats of 6, you leave the station to a small drop. You turn the corner, and see some dragons, either side of you, mouths open, jets of water coming out. Next, round a slow, rocky and wet corner, and then, thanks to some powerful water jets, the boat is pushed fast outwards, quickly through a small (and not too strong) waterfall. To sharply turn the corner and see a sign warning you to go back. Waterfalls are either side of you now (similar to AT) and the boat is moving fast. A sign saying "beware - dragon's lair" is just visible before you enter a cave, barely lit up. Dragons either side randomly squirt water before turning a corner, where you can see the cave's exit. A dragon is on the roof, head hanging down. Water pours down powerfully from his mouth and the boat goes right through it! Riders are soaked! After leaving the cave, the boat turns a corner and goes up a lift hill that gets it back to the station.

It's ambitious, but ...

[obliviongirl]

My idea for a rapids ride:

Dragons themed rapids, as conveniently near land of the dragons. Say in your boats of 6, you leave the station to a small drop. You turn the corner, and see some dragons, either side of you, mouths open, jets of water coming out. Next, round a slow, rocky and wet corner, and then, thanks to some powerful water jets, the boat is pushed fast outwards, quickly through a small (and not too strong) waterfall. To sharply turn the corner and see a sign warning you to go back. Waterfalls are either side of you now (similar to AT) and the boat is moving fast. A sign saying "beware - dragon's lair" is just visible before you enter a cave, barely lit up. Dragons either side randomly squirt water before turning a corner, where you can see the cave's exit. A dragon is on the roof, head hanging down. Water pours down powerfully from his mouth and the boat goes right through it! Riders are soaked! After leaving the cave, the boat turns a corner and goes up a lift hill that gets it back to the station.

It's ambitious, but ...

That is ingenious. Sometimes I really wish that the parks would actually listen to our ideas... :P

[abigsmurf]

I'd quote like to see one of these at Chessington: http://www.vekoma.com/index.php/family- ... ch-coaster

Unique (for the UK at least), reasonably thrilling but still family friendly.

[iBacon]

I'd quote like to see one of these at Chessington: http://www.vekoma.com/index.php/family- ... ch-coaster

Unique (for the UK at least), reasonably thrilling but still family friendly.

It wouldn't be unique for the UK as there is one at Flamingo Land Yorkshire.

[Danny]

I'd quote like to see one of these at Chessington: http://www.vekoma.com/index.php/family- ... ch-coaster

Unique (for the UK at least), reasonably thrilling but still family friendly.

I'd rather an intamin family launch, there's only one been built as far as I know called juvelen or something like that, looks really fun and smooth and is seated on quad bikes