JoshC.

And now for me Alton Towers has dropped from a 'Probably' to a 'Probably Not' and Drayton Manor has risen from a 'Maybe' to a 'Probably'. Well, at least I'm breaking free from The Merlin Machine...

http://www.chessingtonbuzz.co.uk/interviews/nick-varney-2013/ Chessington Buzz have been fortunate enough to interview Nick Varney, CEO of Merlin, with regards to Chessington in general. It's quite an interesting read really. One thing which stood out to me the most: So, Zufari's investment was over £6million (quite a long way off the rumoured £10-12mill I heard!), and this is a significant high year for Chessie. Now, maybe it's just me, but when we consider Thorpe and AT's 'significant high year' investments are in the region of £18-20million, and the last medium investment year for AT (2012) was £6million, it shows that the amount being invested in Cheesie is still much less than the other Merlin. The first question also says £12million was invested since Sealife was installed, in 2008. As much as I don't like comparing, that is still A LOT less compared to Thorpe, AT and Lego...

http://www.the-smiler.com/merchandise/ Merchandise page has been added to the minisite. That cushion! <3 Those prices! </3

I reckon it's just an opticial illusion inside the station building. We could see a spinning tunnel or, given the amount of time supposedly there is inside the station building (at least 45secs I think I read), maybe something like a Vekoma Madhouse where the 'room' around you spins, and effects occuring to the train make it feel like you're spinning too (I'm sure I read someone on here suggest that, and worded it a lot better than what I've done). I don't think it'll be a 'washing machine' element. We have a coaster with 14 track inversions as it is, why put in more in a technologically difficult way, which is unnecessary? I can see why people may think it hints to a wachine machine, but I doubt AT would bother with it. The whole idea of the washing machine came up because people were expecting trick track after Th13teen, and TT seemed to have a reliable sauce which was in fact sour. If it had never been mentioned then, I think people would be seeing 'The Disoreintator' as a barrel roll or a spinning room. On the actual note of the screens, they look great. As for the fact on isn't working, OH NO!! The first time the screens are turned on, it isn't perfect. Maybe a wire wasn't connected properly / fully? There is no reason to panic about it yet.

What was it about certain rides that made me not go on them? Was the height of them? The speed of them? Just the fact they 'looked scary'? If it's about the height, I'd say get try and get them on something like Loggers Leap or Storm Surge, both of which are quite high really. If they're able to do those sorts of rides, then you can say they'll be fine on anything else because it won't feel any higher really, and they'll be up there for less time; make them think after they've been on Loggers/SS that that's the worst it could get. It will have varying success, but the approach worked a few years ago for me with someone who was scared of heights. If it's the speed (or height, and you want a different approach to my previous idea), then I think pluk's advice about Stealth is a brilliant one. It is over in a few seconds, and after that, the park doesn't have anything faster or higher, so in that sense everything else is a step down and won't feel so bad. If it's because some rides 'look scary', then it will be slightly trickier I think. Just try explaining, calmly and in a non-pressurising way, what the ride is like, try comparing it other rides they've been on, and that it'll probably be no where near as scary as he thinks it is. Try laying down a 'challenge' at the last minute for a certain ride, and see if they accept it. But at the end of the day, it will be up to them from there whether they're feeling brave enough.

The only time when I think they really needed the ridiculously high fences was for the entrance and exit walkways to the area, as you have to cross the service road, and that would have been even less of a build up to the area. Even then, they could have done it better - only have high fences near the service road, and have the other fences gradually getting smaller as you get further away from the road. Even if the thought process behind the high fences elsewhere was because of the Tomb Blaster fall, it's still pretty silly tbh and could have been better.

Yay, the track's finished. Does anyone know if they have to cement in the supports fully (or whatever needs to be done to the supports, as I believe they're not fully set in?) before they can start testing? Things to look forward to now track's been complete: -Testing. -Enthusiasts complaining that not enough testing is happening. -Enthusiasts saying that the ride won't open in May. -Enthusiasts complaining that the ride isn't self duelling to their expectations. -The ride opening.

I wouldn't have been surprised if X has pictures this season really; it's now a family ride and something I bet younger kids enjoy riding. If Flying Fish has ORPs, then surely there could also be a market for X? I guess we look at the fact Depth Charge and Detonator have had their ORP points removed for this season, so I guess even if there would be a market for them, it probably just wouldn't be big enough to warrant it.

Exactly what pluk said - 2006 was 7 years ago, the park was quite different and was still quite family orientated at that stage. With the current target market and marketing strategies, it's surely worth a go? I guess the only thing which could be holding them back is budgets? It's all well and good have the opportunity to be open that long, but if they can't afford to (or would much rather focus late nights to the MoS events), then I guess that would indeed hold them back. As James said, the FN hours seem to be shortening, and really and truly, that's probably the best time of year to be opening really late. Surely if they can keep some rides open till 11pm for the MoS events, they can keep the park open till 10pm for FN?

Going back to this, the opening hours of the dome have been granted on a permanent basis - http://planning.runnymede.gov.uk/Northgate/PlanningExplorer/Generic/StdDetails.aspx?PT=Planning%20Applications%20On-Line&TYPE=PL/PlanningPK.xml&PARAM0=181720&XSLT=/Northgate/PlanningExplorer/SiteFiles/Skins/Runnymede_AA/xslt/PL/PLDetails.xslt&FT=Planning%20Application%20Details&PUBLIC=Y&XMLSIDE=/Northgate/PlanningExplorer/SiteFiles/Skins/Runnymede_AA/Menus/PL.xml&DAURI=PLANNING So: -The public can be in the park between 9am and midnight. -The Dome is open to the public until 2am. -The Dome can stay open till 3:30am up to 42 times a year, with no more than 6 per calendar month. Good to see it's been granted. Whilst the nightclub thing isn't really for me, they seem to be quite successful at the moment, and this can only help in expanding the events and making them better!

To be fair, in my experiences this season, when the flame has meant to ignite, it has ignited. And even if the gas cloud of death has been happening this season, I'd bet my bottom dollar it's no where near as often as last season. Anyways, Inferno, 10 years old, woo, etc.

It was like that last season I believe, though in my visits where it's been working (I assume the times when it didn't 'work' was because it was turned off due to the weather more than anything else?), it was reacting every 3 trains.

Last season they were £5, so I assume they're the same price (or maybe a little cheaper, though that's unlikely) this season. I think you can get them in the Amity Mega Store (by Storm Surge) or the Emergency Supplies shop on Swarm's Island.

Thorpe have been pretty darn good with effects the past couple of seasons in my opinion. The only time I've known there to be problems with effects recently is on Swarm when they were tweaking them around a bit last year (and I think the water spray behind the fire engine has been turned off). Don't see any reason why they won't last outright. Saw had fire effects on top of the shop in 2009 (and there used to be ones by the Asylum's sign as well around that time), don't think they've returned since then though. The thing with Swarm's fire effect is it was designed to have the fire effect incorporated; it wasn't an after thought. It fits in perfectly. With Inferno, it would have to be shoe-horned in, and I can't see anywhere where it could nicely 'fit in' if you will. Personally, I just don't think it's necessary - unlike other rides with fire effects, it wouldn't add anything to the on ride experience (like it does with Swarm for example), or the spectator experience (like it does with Swarm and did with Tidal Wave). So whilst there's no reason to stop Inferno having them, there's no reason to have them really..

Really nice interview to listen to; really shows his enthusiasm for the job he had, as well as the down-to-earth personality he's known for. My copy of the book is due to arrive in the post tomorrow; looking forward to it.

Just tried, and I'm getting the same problem. Found it quite amusing that the random number I got for 'Value for Money' was a 2... I'm fine with the how strongly do you agree style questions, just the number-rating ones. Strange..

Damn you Ryan - I was just about to post that! When I went on Monday (which was an Inset Day, so probably similar busy-ness to a Saturday), the queue peaked at around 45mins (well, what I saw at least). Over the Easter break, I heard it reached 1 hour plus. So, I'd expect about a 25-45 min wait, depending on what time of the day you go on it.

I like the addition of people's birthdays showing up on the side; adds to the community feel all the more. Can I just suggest though that the 'Welcome....' box gets scrapped? Personally I just don't think it's needed, in general it just seems a pointless tbh.

On ride picture from CP's Facebook. Well, the view backwards looks nice...

Slammer was closed all of today. Samurai and Colossus opened late as well, though only about half an hour or so after the park opened. One thing I found strange was that all the coasters were on one train (and I think Saw was on 6 cars), but Inferno was on two trains from the word go. Out of all the coasters on park, I'd have thought Swarm would be running on full capacity. Not complaining of course, because Inferno was running fantastically! The new queue board signs look great, though the Tidal Wave one is either broken or not fitted up correctly. Speaking of queue times, ops on Swarm really need to learn how to judge the queue times better. At one point today, the op announced the forwards queue was 15-20 minutes and the backwards queue was 10 minutes. At that point, it clearly wasn't - 10 mins for forwards, and about 20-30 mins for backwards - and all of that was just in the station. In fact, I managed two rides on Swarm forwards before a guy queueing for backwards got on (and he was in the station before the first of those two goes!). Not a big deal really, as the park is quiet on these sorts of days, but on busier days such as during the summer, I know I'd be rather annoyed to be told a queue was 3x shorter than it actually was.

Average. The best word the describes Zufari. (Warning - this post will contain spoilers). Can someone explain how this in any way builds you up nicely to an African safari? Simple answer - it doesn't. The fact that this is a bridge over to the plaza, I'd have expected some form of nice view to the ride in some way, but nothing. You pretty much don't get to see the ride till you're on it, which in this case doesn't serve the ride well. This is meant to be something to be looked at, enjoyed, with the exception of the cave, which should be hidden away. Instead, everything seems hidden away. I also noticed this under the entrance hut. Sure, it's nice, but what does it have to do with an African safari? The Pre Show The bit with Chase is nice, though I couldn't help but feel a bit more about what ACRE was and why it exists wouldn't have gone a miss. Then the Lemur bit. Well, the kids seemed to enjoy it. And this is my problem with Chessington in general at the moment - the kids enjoy everything loads, whereas everyone else is left content - not how a family park, not this family attraction, should go. Anyways, I digress. The lemur bit was annoying, cringey and just in general meh. One thing which I found is whenever the operator uses the PA system, you hear it too clearly in the preshow room, and it just ruins everything. Design flaw there. It's annoying how there's still a bit of a queue afterwards - isn't a preshow meant to be something that comes directly before a ride? The Experience So, after more waiting (and getting confused by the row system, which should be clearer as people kept going into wrong rows..), we got on. It was taking ages for the trucks to go, even when everyone was strapped in. Don't quite get that. So, it's very bumpy, perhaps a bit too bumpy at points, but it does reflect a safari well in that respect I guess, and you adjust to it after a while. When it comes to the animals, we saw most of them, I think at least. The thing is though, you don't get a chance to observe them. You drive past, it's quite bumpy and you just see a few animals here and there. The pre-recording speaker thing was okay, but it wasn't much cop really - I didn't really realise it after a short while. I want a chance to see the animals, be able to admire them, take photos of them, which I just found wasn't easy enough to do on this ride. Whilst it may slow the pace of the ride down a bit, why can't you just stop for a bit, near where the animals are currently, so you can actually appreciate what you're seeing? The flamingos were way in the distance. You're having a giraffe...or two. The rhinos were mooning us. The ancient tribe carvings about the cave of danger. One thing I noticed, which annoyed me, was the 'traffic lights', which I guess were there for the drivers to know the truck ahead wasn't too close? Our truck did stop once for these, and it wasn't anywhere exciting. Whilst I understand they'll be there for safety, they could have been a bit more discrete surely?! Something which struck me was the lack of build up to the cave. It's mentioned in the preshow, which to me made it feel really obvious you'd go in there, and it's mentioned once on the on board audio? I'd have thought they'd want to make people fear it a little more, as it is the big finale of the attraction. The Cave You've heard the warnings, and now you finally see it - the cave. Really effective stuff there. [/sarcasm] THE DANGER CAVE OF DANGER! So, you see it, and you hear on the audio there's no other way, we'll have to go in the cave. There was no urgency regarding it, it was so blasé, as if it was the norm to go into dangerous caves ancient tribes feared. The described route of the trucks didn't even seem to show an alternative route that was cut off, it was just sorta like going into the cave was meant to be, not a last resort (at least, that's how I saw it). What would have been better was for the truck to stop, and the driver to physically say "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, unfortunately our route has been blocked off. We're going to have to go into that cave, but don't worry, it's safe, no one's gone missing..." and just sort of trail off or mumble. It would add to that sense of fear and danger, which is what the cave should be about. Oh well. EDIT: After watching some POVs of Zufari on Youtube, turns out there was something like this, with a path blocked by a tree, and Chase saying we need to take a different route. Didn't hear that on my go, nor did I notice the blocked off route - I did notice how the truck reversed a bit to make a turn, but just thought the driver underestimated the space needed. So yeah, not obvious or effective at all there... The cave itself is alright. It's nothing special, just a few mist sprays, noises and lights, followed by going under a waterfall (which DID surprise me; thought it'd be one of those turn off things and we'd just get a quick splash or something). So yeah, it's alright, but nothing as special as it should be. This then ends the ride, with the audio playing "We thought we lost you, oh my!!", or some rubbish like that. The story isn't strong enough, and that was something I was expecting with this. Okay, it's not piviotal to the attraction, which is about recreating a safari, but still something which should have been done well. All in all, it's an average attraction. Maybe I was expecting too much? Despite the fact you can see that Chessie have tried, really tried, and that it's great to see a ride-zoo attraction, I just can't say it's anything better than average. It is something I will do again, and I hope that as time goes on, the ride will age well, and the park can tinker around with it in a way that will ensure it works nicely in the park. Zufari - 5.5/10

So, went to Chessington today. The plan for a while had been to go during my Easter break, but whilst schools and colleges had gone back. The original plan was to go at the end of March, but due to the weather and the general case that Chessie seemed to be a bit off their game meant we decided to go this week. Today seemed to have the best weather, but unfortunately it seemed loads of local kids had an Inset Day, making it for quite a busy day, with queues avergaing between 20-40 mins (that I saw), and Fury peaking at 60mins, though it looked more. After popping to AS to pick up my Nan's disabled band, we moved on to Rattlesnake at just after 10, which has become a sort of traditional first ride these days. Unfortunately it wasn't open, and we were told it'd open soon, but how long was unknown. Instead of waiting around, we moved over to Tomb Blaster, made our way through the Disabled Exit to be told it was closed, though would be open soon as they were doing final checks. It did indeed open in a few minutes, and the staff member there was very nice and had a good chat with him, but surely all these final checks should have been done before the park had opened to guests. If the park is opening at 10 (and expecting it to be quite busy due to Inset Days), surely the rides should be ready to run at 10? Oh well. Had a ride on Tomb Blaster and my gun wasn't working properly. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. It was a bit annoying, and I did inform the staff who offered us another go, but we declined as we weren't too fussed by it really. We headed over to Zufari and did that. I'll do a review in the Zufari topic, but in a word - average. Of all the animals featured in Zufari, the Oryx are my favourite. Loved this ones strange 'one big, one little' thing it's got going on.. Hit up Wild Asia with Kobra and Lorikeet Lagoon. Personally, I think Wild Asia is one of, if not, the, best area Chessington has to offer, and Lorikeet Lagoon is quite possibly my favourite part of the park. It's just brilliant. Fantastic. Amazing. Any positive word in the dictionary describes it beautifully. We then headed over to Rattlesnake, which was now open. It is something I really do love, but it felt a bit more jolty this time, guess it is aging though. <3 My 'trying to not look awkward and failing' face. Scruffy lorikeet. It was time for lunch, and after realising that the Fish and Chips place was closed, we tried the Burger Kitchen. Okay, I don't know the best way to put this, but here goes...DO NOT EAT HERE. I'd heard it wasn't exactly great, but did think some of it was people expecting too much. But dear me, the burgers were awful. The cheese was vile, it wasn't exactly a nice thing to look at and it's just the eptiomy of bad. When it comes to food, I normally have a pretty strong stomach, but it did make me feel physically ill (nearly was a couple of times as well...), and in honesty, my stomach still feels a bit dodgy now. We did make a complaint as no one enjoyed the meal, and did get a full refund (speaking of money, am I the only one who thinks it's ridiculously expensive?!). We were told they've got new "high quality" cheese, but when melted, it changes, or something like that. Just not impressed by it all, and they said they've had "a lot of feedback" about BK. Hopefully they'll finally take the hint that it needs a complete rethink and the food needs sorting. On a more positive note, there was a great member of staff in the Burger Kitchen who was extremely friendly and helpful - gave him a good word at AS! So yeah, that's a quarter pounder burger... So, the rest of the day was spent more enjoying the Zoo and such, and not going on rides. The park doesn't look as good as it has in previous years, and in general the park seems of lower quality. It is such a shame that the park 'feels' different to me, as I normally enjoy the place loads (and that's even if the park wasn't on top form), but, I dunno, it just seems to be 'too off form' at the moment, which just isn't good.. Just looks awful at the moment. Meerkat! Nawwwwwww Normally I end my Reports or Reviews with some form of closing statement, maybe a bit philosophical. But in this case, all I have to say is Chessington need to get back on their game, and soon.