Chessington World of Adventures Resort

[Mattovey1984]

What date does the Theme Park rides shut this year? Or do they operate until the close for Christmas?

Chessington have extended their theme park season until Saturday 28th November this year (although closed on Tuesday - Thursday in November), with Sunday 29th now a passholder exclusive day.

Brilliant. There is still hope for another day out this year then

[Jared]

Behold, I found the logo last night!

[lewis97]

Good find :P  An announcement can't be too far off, as it seemed like they were gearing up to one a few weeks back and then it all fell silent...

[Liam.W]

It looks like they got bored and started playing around with WordArt in Microsoft Word... Oh god it's terrible  :lol

[abigsmurf]

That is an impressively terrible logo. Lose the metallic gradient and texture, make it a flat colour or a subtle 3D effect , apply the crumbling effect to the text, replace the outline with some sort of shadowing or emboss effect.

KISS applies. Too much going on with too many inconsistencies making it look like someone was just playing with a bunch of text effects in their lunch break.

[Chris]

It also resembles the logo for Oblivion, no?

[NemeJaney]

Coming soon to a Merlin park in mainland Europe...

Crop Drop: the Green Hole

[Jamess]

Construction photos of Croc Drop today courtesy of Theme Park Guide.
Really coming along nicely, interesting that ride hardware is still not in place.

[Jamess]

The new boat has arrived! Would I be right in saying it’s smaller than Black Buccaneer? Photo courtesy of Theme Park Guide.

[Chris]

Yes looks it, but then the boat is raised up so the angle may be misleading.

Still trying to work out who the manufacturer is...

[Jared]

Yes looks it, but then the boat is raised up so the angle may be misleading.

Still trying to work out who the manufacturer is...

It's manufactured by Metallbau Emmeln. The same people who built Mr Monkey's Banana Ride at Thorpe Park. It's a bigger model than that though of course.

[Jared]

Croc Drop has arrived at Chessington, the ride hardware has arrived. Lots more photos here. :)

[Dan]

Chessington World of Adventures Resort have this morning officially announced their new for 2021 attraction, Croc Drop.

This 25m family drop tower will see guests take part in a ceremony to banish evil spirits from the Egyptian god Sobek as they plunge into the crocodile's giant jaws.

Are you excited to tackle this jaw-dropping addition?

[abigsmurf]

The logo's still terrible but the theming having you launch out of a stone crocodile with jade teeth is neat.

They could have easily have filled in the Ramses Revenge pit, plonked on the drop tower and called it a day so it's good to see them taking care with the theming.

[Coaster Chall]

So I was thinking about this... Out of all the 5 main merlin parks, which excludes Legoland parks, Chessington is the one that won't invest in anything in 2022, unless there is any evidence suggesting otherwise. Alton Towers will refurbish Nemesis over 2021 and reopen it in 2022 in my opinion, Thorpe will have some new events, Heide Park could do something to the Maya Valley and Gardaland could put in a dark family coaster or dark ride in that Ramses building if rumours are anything to go by. But if Chessington invests in a 2022 ride, what could it actually be?

[Jared]

Alton Towers will refurbish Nemesis over 2021 and reopen it in 2022 in my opinion

There's currently no evidence to suggest this is the case. Although it is indeed heavily rumoured that Alton Towers will refurbish Nemesis' track and train, there's been no announcement or even suggestion that this is the case for this season. It would also likely come following an announcement from the park, allowing guests to get their "Last Rides" in on the original.

Thorpe will have some new events

That's a given...

Heide Park could do something to the Maya Valley

Considering the state it was in when I visited in 2019, they'd be better off just closing that area off and levelling it. It's in a sorry state and in dire need of investment, but it's unlikely to get it given the current Covid-19 pandemic and parks making cuts.

Gardaland could put in a dark family coaster or dark ride in that Ramses building if rumours are anything to go by

Rumours are just rumours until there's anything seen on site. Gardaland is currently spending a small fortune retracking Shaman, so I'd say it's unlikely they'll be getting a new coaster or dark ride anytime soon. I'd loved to be proven wrong, however.

But if Chessington invests in a 2022 ride, what could it actually be?

Perhaps it's a little early in the year to be able to answer this question...? I've got a rough idea of things that were being discussed for 2022, but I'm unsure of the current situation as plans could change due to the pandemic.

I get that you run a YouTube channel that seems to rely heavily on tips from various forums, but this isn't the way to fish for information. I'm sure there are people here who have an idea of what is going on within the Merlin Resort Theme Parks, but you'll need to be patient, as those who do know, don't tend to talk publically about them.

[Coaster Chall]

Yeah I get all that. Reason why I also discuss rumours is because it opens up the conversation. I'll never go for the ones that are so bizarre and don't have any evidence what so ever, I'll only discuss the ones that are backed up with evidence or markings, etc.

[Chris]

It's always okay to discuss rumours and speculation, and it's helpful when the evidence or sources are linked or referenced to back up any statements made.

Will be interesting to see what Chessington does moving forward, and how close they stick to the long term development plan, submitted in 2016: https://www.attractionsource.com/2016/0 ... term-plan/

[lewis97]

Merlin Annual Pass have updated their website to confirm that Croc Drop will open on Monday 12th April.

[lewis97]

Chessington have today commenced a two week public consultation on a proposed new themed ‘Amazon Land’ encompassing a rollercoaster and two children’s rides.

Concept images released suggest it could be a launched Wing Coaster, manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard, with a shuttle layout and one inversion!

Attraction Source News has a round-up of all the details.