rygr

I would think neither - they still aren't sure what to do with it and there are probably various reasons why they wouldn't send photos as it isn't the norm, even photos of other rides in the complex during close season. It would be like asking them to show photos of the Bubbleworks redevelopment. I guess the only way to tell for sure would be to go up Monks Walk - can it be seen from there?

It was only a matter of time.... It's a shame nobody is able to take pictures of the old posters which have presumably been uncovered in the queue, one final time before they are gone forever.

Was good to see Dragon Falls open for the whole day today! Although slight incident where a guest (who obviously knew the staff on duty) hit the emergency stop button in the station. The staff and the guest were in fits of laughter, not sure it was actually that funny. I did, however notice 2 operators going above the 'norm' today. On Dragon's Fury we heard "attention all riders in the station and queue line it's 'XXXX's birthday today, we are all going to sing happy birthday to him. Fair play to the op as he got everybody in the queue line, station and ride singing happy birthday with a smile on their faces. I thought this was a guest who's parents or friends had told the staff it was their birthday. It turns out it was actually a member of staff (as the girl on the batch gate told us). Either way, it was nice to get everybody joining in regardless. Similarly on Dragon Falls, the operator was having a full conversation with the platformer. She kept booming over the speakers 'Hey, XXXX what do you prefer Mario or Luigi?', then 1 minute later 'Peanut butter or marmite?' and the guy responded. However, the whole station was shouting back their favourite option, which again was making people laugh and smile as they joined in. I know there's probably an unwritten (or maybe written) rule somewhere that states you shouldn't use the PA unless absolutely necessary or you shouldn't use it for your own personal use, however it seemed to entertain people and it was nice to see somebody not just sitting there twirling a pen and watching the monitors.

It's official ! - the organist is moving again! He jolts up and down (almost like he's going to fall off his seat) for about 30 seconds, then stops for two minutes then does it again. To put the music volume into perspective... The sound of air being compressed (or however it moves) from the animatronic was actually louder than the music itself. Batching is awful in there still. We had queued for over 90mins, finally got into the station and I asked the batcher if we could queue for the front, to which she turned round and said "no, I have to fill these rows". That's fair enough I guess but I again said I'd happily queue longer to which she responded "somebody else has already asked to queue for the front". Eventually she asked for another 2, hastily letting us go to the front. This annoyed me (and I may totally be in the wrong) but having queued for so long and paid £££ to get into the park, should I not be able to queue for the front if I wish? There were no signs saying I couldn't? I know the batchers job is to fill rows ASAP and I could fully understand if it were a 3 train operation and there was seconds between each train to sort people out. However, trains continued to stack for up to one minute and most of the staff in the station were standing around chatting and generally being very slow. Again, maybe I'm in the wrong for wanting to go to the front but unless it's specified before going into the station that you are 'put where you are put' I don't think it's an unreasonable request!

Interesting selection of items. It's unfortunate that none of the original posters will be in the auction (station or the ones from his 'office') but as I said before, I assume these were painted onto the actual walls, so I doubt they come off (unless the panels can come off from the wall). They will be covered over again I assume. I am still unsure as to why the frames aren't included though? I guess, although drastically modified, the 'bubbleheads' will hold some sentimental value - to know they were in the ride before the refurbishment and weren't just brought in like the ducks were is at least, for some people, something. Others, (like myself) will think actually they are nothing like they were intended to be or look like and have been painted over so whats the point? I do, however find it interesting that many of the larger props/scenery aren't up for grabs. For example, the old beaufart scale, the jacuzzi, big bubblehead, the cow, bottles from the conveyor belt before the lift, the giant 'scary' bubble, the cylinders from the gas room. Although quite substantial in size, a few of the items in the auction are quite big. I am wondering whether some of these will indeed be retained from the old ride to put in the new one. Either that or they will throw them in a skip but surely there are other items that *could* have gone in the auction rather than simply throwing them away - although, come to think of it... that's what the park does best - throwing away.

Those posters were so great. I too would love to own one. However, I *believe* they were painted onto the wall so can't be taken down (I may be wrong though) so they will as he says probably perish in the refurb and not be up for grabs in this auction. It's strange with the park keep mentioning prof burp that they haven't taken the new posters off to reveal the old ones for its last month in operation! (Now that would be lovely to see). Does anyone know what is actually going to be sold off in the auction? Rubber ducks? I can't see them selling things like the cow or 'feet' but I might be wrong...

Queued up twice for this today. Not only is there somebody on the batching gate to stop people going through to the station and somebody on the platform on each side but there is also now somebody standing at the top of the stairs to stop people going down to the platform. Essentially, you have to bypass 3 different members of staff before getting on the ride - is there a reason for this 3rd person at the top of the stairs? H&S? not allowed to have guests standing on the stairs? Possibly answered my own question but this seems like a very recent thing/change.

This was painful with a capital P today. The 'adult on either end of a row' rule remains. After 10mins we were still sitting waiting for the bars to lower. There were 2 staff on this too and even the op putting out PA announcements about it didn't seem to help. People were furious they had to move apart from their family/group and sit with strangers just to be on the end of a row. The op told the queue "it makes it really hard for us to try and move people about on the boat, the reason the queue is 60mins (it wasn't even up to the tunnel as a perspective) is because we have to keep moving people around - you should know this before you queue any further". It was ridiculous and the staff are definitely feeling it as people continually argued with them.

Went on Vampire for the first time in a few years today. Operations weren't *too* bad and it seemed relatively quick inside the station - still a lot of staff standing around chatting as opposed to being ready to help people who have trouble releasing their bars. Pre recorded announcements remain but are far louder than the music which is hardly audible. I know it's been referenced above but whilst standing in the station it really sank in on how much it has changed over the years. Thankfully, the dark dimly-lit corridors remain (but I wonder how long it will be before those LED lights are installed due to somebody tripping or H&S reasons. Not only have the chandeliers been taken out of the ceiling, but a few had been taken off the walls too. The organist has definitely seen better days. I realise it's a 26 year old animatronic but it looks much older than that. It wasn't moving at all today and his clothes were falling off in addition to his wig actually scraped back into a ponytail which makes him (as somebody said a few pages back) far, far less scary. Oh how times have changed...

Thanks for the link. Definitely agree - can't say its a surprise but I'm sure there were things they could have done to prolong its lifespan…. but didn't.

Just found this on the Chessington website: Safari Skyway Safari Skyway has been a firm favourite for many years and in fact was one of the original rides at Chessington Resort as it opened as a Theme Park back in 1987. As a result of ongoing maintenance issues, the decision has been made to retire Safari Skyway from the Chessington ride offering. This was a difficult decision to make as we know the ride has been a firm favourite amongst our Adventurers over the years however with exciting new shows and attractions planned for the 2016 season and beyond, we’re committed to ensuring the continued development of the Resort. Bye Skyway! 1986-2015. Can't paste the link, but if you search 'Safari Skyway' on their website, you'll see the article….

About a week ago, I emailed Chessington regarding the rides closure in 2016 and received the following: "our Safari skyway ride is still currently closed due to ongoing maintenance. We can assure you our maintenance team are working very hard to ensure the ride is available as soon as possible. Please continue to keep an eye out on our website for further updates and information regarding our 2016 season. Thank you." I know it's a standard reply thats sent out by the social media team but I would have hoped they would have said more if it was going….

I'd be interested to know the actual reason behind it. The ride is 30 years old next year. They had to cut some of the track away refurbing Black Buccaneer a few years ago and then weld it back together again. Although the trains….. less said the better perhaps. Either way, it would be a shame for the park not to have a monorail of some kind and it could be a great addition if it was extended!

I reckon this is the last we've seen of Safari Skyway. It would seem pointless for them to plough money into a ride which works for half a season and doesn't deliver. Although this is Chessington….

I would guess (if this is permanent) that they are using the advisory section solely for rides that are CURRENTLY unavailable rather than long term closures (like Safari Skyway and Rattlesnake). Seems pointless to me as these rides are still advisory issues as they are still closed. As somebody said above though it could be they want to play down their closures… anybody who is not familiar with their website and just takes a quick glance at the ride status will go 'oh, it's just Peeking that's not available at the moment'… leaving people to believe ALL other rides are fine. I saw nothing wrong with the old system personally, when they are grouped together at least people know what's available and what isn't!