rygr

Who doesn't haha!So the poster has been painted over with gold paint? Seems a bit cheap, considering they could just print another off. I guess if IL are going though, this wouldn't phase them. Goodness knows why they didn't re-do that poster with the other two.

Being more of a Chessington fanboy, I myself didn't realise the Tidal Wave sign lit up. It looks like a great feature and I think its good Thorpe Park are starting to think more about little things like fixing signs, which help the overall upkeep of the park and keep guests happy. Keep it up! On a side note, how many boats does Tidal Wave actually have? Is it two or three?

Didn't think that Merlin were so 'up' for sponsors, however, its nice to see Dragon Falls with a sponsor. Agreed, the outdoor signs look much better judging by that photo, I look forward to seeing it myself! Am I right in thinking Dragon Falls has never had a sponsor, although either Mystic East or Falls itself was sponsored by Singapore Airlines (or something similar) in the late 80s/early 90s?

Me too. Whilst you may find this funny, imagine if a child now goes and drinks the water that CLEARLY says 'Do NOT drink this water' - The people on Dragon Falls didn't look particulary happy to be sprayed with it. And I think judging by people's reactions on here, people in general don't find it funny either.

That does seem bad! If its permanent, looks like we've seen the end of dark rides at Chessington! - I wonder if Bubbleworks is having the same kind of thing done, since they are both built inside warehouses.

Yeah the toe fell off and was re-attached last year some time, its a mystery as to why a piece of theming so big was taken away though.

Ahh yes, I remember that, I think I was there on that day... anyway, that wasn't the model I was referring to. Let me explain a bit more.Here's a picture of what I mean from 2005 (Click) Notice the left foot (if your looking at it) is leaning onto the right foot (the one where the toes move) and its being tickled by a bubble worker. (This was the same case in 2006, but I can't find a good enough picture).Now, around 2008 (Click) You can see the foot has fallen towards the wall, and the worker has been turned slightly so it is now tickling the right foot with the feather duster.Before finally in 2009 (Click) you can see the left foot has completely disappeared, or at least it has done by the end of 2009 anyway. Seems strange the park would just take this theming away and not even try to put it back. Can anyone shed some light on it?

Just noticed in one of my pictures I took yesterday, that the left foot (if your looking at it) has been taken away from the giggle gas scene... any idea why? I'm almost certain it isn't in the picture. Seems odd to me..*Edit, looks like it got taken away last year some time, but even so, its quite strange it wasn't put back*

it's not looking likely from what I saw today - if it were a simple issue, they might have been working hard to try and rectify it, but they weren't today at all. Which makes me think its more long term and they are waiting for a part to be delivered.

Okay. This is my first trip report on here. May be quite long, may be quite short, lets see how we go!!Got to the park for opening time (10am), queue's for the advanced ticket collection were enormous, luckily we had a print at home ticket and an annual pass, so could go straight in. On my last visit, you were allowed to go through the turnstyles at just after 9:30 so you could look through the zoo before the rides opened. However today, the turnstyles opened at just before 10 and you could go straight into the park, not sure why this was changed (?).After entering the park, we headed straight for the Bubbleworks. I was very pleased to see the station looking so clean, the ride also seems a lot darker in places, most notable the first scene, hawian scene and the fairground, with the finale having much more strobe! A lot of the animatronics still work fully, and the rubber duck hatchery has recieved some attention, as all of the three levers now move up and down which is great. Its a shame they haven't kept up the bubble machines this year though, although I think there is a bubble machine in the fireworks bit at the end now, there were a few bubbles around there! Staff didn't seem to want to wear their yellow builders hats as costumes either, so wore the white lab coat on its own. I also enjoyed the fact a fountain was dislodged so the water literally came into the boat!After Bubbleworks, we headed onto the Vampire which was running TWO trains today. The queueline has had some more attention with some gravestones moved and put onto some fences ect. The tunnel leading to the station seemed a lot brighter than usual. I was a little sceptical about the new lighting. The organist I have to admit does look quite strange in blue colours, as it is JUST blue, with some strobe, so in that respect I prefer the organist to be green. However, the red shining onto the walls and lighting up the theming on the walls worked really well, and at least we can see this artwork now as the lights were always quite dim. The ride itself was on two trains and ran very smoothly.After Vampire, we moved onto the Safari Skyway. Not really sure why the announcement when the doors are closing had to be redone? It left me thinking, come on and just close the doors already! Because the person doing it spoke quite slowly. It basically wasn't as snap and quick as 'Please mind the doors'. Anyway, the trains still look really poor, and I'm tired of saying they need to be repainted. Its something the park should put on their list of things to refurbish. Was able to get a good view of the new gorilla enclosure and the African Savannah experience.After this we moved into the Wild Asia area where Kobra was shut, and there wasn't actually any sign of them trying to fix it, which is a shame. Had a good ride on The Monkey Swinger. Then we moved onto the Dragon Falls which was running very smoothly. I'm not a big fan of the cloth building cut out at the top of the second hill. Especially as it is mesh type material and you can still see through it! I still love the water fountain at the bottom of lift 2 which guests can operate as well as the elephant. After this we moved onto the Rattlesnake which gave some very abrupt rides which was good. The rest of the day was pretty much the same. The staff working hard to make sure everyone was having a nice day, and were friendly to guests which is always really good! This season I'm really liking the fact that the staff on the games stalls aren't so much in your face asking you to play, its a much more relaxed atmosphere.For lunch we went into Burger King which I spent 20 minutes queueing in just to get to the tills - which was ridiculous in my opinion as they should have had more tills open!The park itself as I mentioned in the other thread was really busy with lots of school trips taking place which filled the park up. I'd be interested to see the gate figures actually.Ride Count:Bubbleworks (Todays queue time was around 30-45 minutes) = 3 Safari Skyway (Todays queue time was around 15 - 20 minutes) = 3Monkey Swinger (Todays queue time was around 15-20 minutes) = 2Rattlesnake (Todays queue time was around 15 - 30 minutes) = 2Vampire (Todays queue time was around 60 - 80 minutes) = 1Black Buccaneer (Todays queue time was around 10 minutes) = 1Dragon Falls (Todays queue time was around 45 - 60 minutes) = 1Runaway Train (Todays queue time was around 5 minutes all day) = 1Hocus Pocus Hall (Todays queue time was around 0 minutes) = 1Ride total was 15. Dragon's Fury remained about 60 minutes all day.Also visited the SEAlife and African Savannah Experience, which was a really nice addition and it was really good to see some Zebra's back at Chessington again!! Also, today I had my first visit to Hocus Pocus Hall which actually was quite freaky, especially the mirror corridor at the end!A really good day in spite of the long queues, and the weather was nice too!

This was proved wrong today.Vampire was 70-80mins from 11am onwards. Dragon Falls was 45 minutes, Bubbleworks and Tomb were 30, Fury notched up 30-60 minutes. Rattlesnake was 15 minutesSafari Skyway was 15 minutes.Most other rides were 20-30 minutes.Runaway Train remained 5 minutes the whole day.

Lets hope its waterproof! - I really like it actually, although the view across the park used to be really nice, it certainly hides the tops of buildings below which is great!

The express pass board was moved in time for the 2008 season so that it was easier to see for express pass riders. Although from my point of view the Bubbleworks express entrance is ridiculously signposted with many people each time I visit thinking that it is the main entrance.Not sure about the top of the building, but in the first picture it does like a tad unsafe! but yes, very unusual. It was there in 2006, and wasn't in 2008, so maybe in 2006/2007 close season it was removed.

Sarcasm isn't good at the best of times. What tracks from Chessie AREN'T available at the moment?

Vampire station music with added laughs is better! - wonder if they'll ever release that track!

The post about the finale music really got me thinking about the current music in Bubbleworks and why it was changed ect. Feel free to debate what I say!!The welcome scene - This could have stayed the same and had the dialogue spoken by the person in the tub put over it... no reason to change it really!The fruit scene - The music DID need to be changed here. There is no way the fruit music could have stayed because it wouldnt have matched the scene, and I prefer the bubble type music here anyway!Giggle Gas - has remained the same.Explosion area - Again, the music kind of had to be changed because there isn't anything dangerous about this scene anymore!Hawian - This has again remained the same.Space - Remained the same.Hiccups/Dunkin Ducks area - Using the same cola coaster music as the explosion area with added duck sound effects. In my opinion, the old ice music (with added sound effects) would have suited this area more, so the music wasn't repeated from a previous scene.Fairground - This is the area that annoys me the most. Yes the music has remained the same, but it has been cut before it gets to the next part. There was at least another 20 seconds of music after the music has been cut, it's as though they couldn't be bothered to dub the rest of it with the duck sounds, so again, the old music for this area would still have suited!The lift hill - I personally prefer the danger music here mainly because it creates a tense atmosphere (when it doesn't cut halfway through) and builds up anticipation for the finale, especially for first time riders who may not know what happens next.The finale - I personally prefer the music that is used now. Simply because the finale isn't dramatic anymore, so they don't need the dramatic music. If they were to put back all the mirrors, strobes and lighting effects, then yes, bring back the old finale music, but for now, it's not dramatic enough to be used, so I think the current music does suit this area.It brings to mind the question, that most of the music has been reused, but why has it been cut? Does anyone know why? For example, the Giggle Gas scene. The music cuts halfway through, the same music was used in this area in the old version. Bearing in mind each scene has its own sound system why couldn't they have just left the original loop, but taken away the dialogue spoken by professor burp (since it wasn't part of the actual music loop and was separate) ? It makes no sense. And even if the music was all joined together as one big music loop, why couldn't they just leave the parts of the music in the same scenes (minus the fruit bit) and edit the duck sounds into them? It makes no sense AT ALL. It seems they were messing about with the music when it didn't really need to be done!Why does it cut halfway through in the fairground, surely it wouldnt have taken them that long to dub the rest of the track. And since the music tracks have remained the same in some scenes, why do they suddenly just stop. I could understand if there was some old bubbleworks sound effects mixed into the music, but as far as I know these were separate. So the music really minus one or two tracks could and should have remained the same!

Oh me too. Watching video's of the old ride on the internet really does bring back those childhood memories. The whole queueing up, walking into the station mesmerised (sp). Queueing up for the boats and then setting sail on an actual DARK ride, and just for a little kid being amazed at the amount of things inside. My memory of the old ride is hazy somewhat now, but there are still things that stand out thinking about it. Professor Burp on his bike (clothed), the fountain finale, the 'Hiccups' and the 'fruit lady' still stand out to me this day.For a ride which reaches almost an hour queue on busy days, for me getting rid of it would be stupid. It is still very VERY popular with families, and children. FACT. Children nowadays won't have gone on the old version and so will have nothing to relate the new ride too, meaning they can come away saying, I loved that ride, it was magical, just like we did 7 years or so ago.The ride should have done what the park did to Vampire. Close it for a season (or half a season) and have a complete retheme. I don't have any idea's on what the new ride could be about, I like the tour idea, and visiting different areas of the tour. The team at Chessington need to have a good think about what would be best for such a good ride. It needs to be something that appeals to people of all ages again. There's nothing to stop the same anematronics (sp) being used now, being used in the future. But ducks don't appeal to people of ALL ages. The ride itself does, but the story has never done, and never will appeal to EVERYONE. The old ride did. It had something about it that made even teenagers who want thrills ride it over and over and over again.For me, I really would paint the exterior building purple, because it's more spooky than pink and might even draw people to it because it will stand out more against the other buildings in Transylvania. The finale needs to have the lights used in there again to bring out the fantastic magical atmosphere that it had previously. There isn't much I can say because I'm not a designer and won't have any say, but from a guest's point of view, it needs something new and fresh that will stand out and appeal to people of all ages. That's where Chessington come in. They used to be (some would argue they still are) so fantastic at designing rides that the WHOLE family would enjoy, Bubbleworks WAS one (and isn't so much anymore). Let's see Chessington bring out their creative side again, and provide guests with a brand new Bubbleworks for 2011/2012 that people can enjoy for years to come!

Can you see the park getting rid of Bubbleworks though? It is 20 years old now, and the look of the outdoor queue, and the exterior doesn't look GREAT. The station floor is also rotting quite a bit as you can see before you enter the ride, the floor has become quite wet and rotted. There could be a chance that after the sponsorship ends in November the ride is simply demolished. I for one would hate to see that happen, but I guess it is a possibility and would give the park a space to develop. I just hope that Bubbleworks is around for a bit longer (3 years at least) because as people on here have said the ride has SO MUCH potential, it's just up to the park and creative designers to actually explore that concept.

Posting in the Vampire topic really got me thinking about Bubbleworks too. Bubbleworks was and still is my favourite ride, and even though it makes me sad to see all the things that have changed in there (mostly the finale!) it's still a nice gentle ride to go on and look at the animatronics. But also an opportunity to remember what the ride was like 6 years ago. I have very vivid memories of Bubbleworks, which will stay with me for a long time. It was just the whole dark experience, the station having things EVERWHERE to look at, the music, the fact it didn't break down every 3 hours or so (like last year, this year realiability seems quite good). The strobes in the finale, everything was magical about this, and 3/4 of that experience have gone for good.This got me thinking. Do you think Professor Burp's Bubbleworks would still have a place at Chessington in 2010? It was still very popular back in 2005. But do you think times have changed at the park enough so that PBBW wouldnt have been able to keep up with that change. I know the ride was looking very poor in 2005, but imagine the park had spent more time and money into it's upkeep, do you think it would have lasted for many more years had Imperial Leather not stepped in?For me, I think no. I think it could have lasted another 2/3 years, but times change and the audience changes and I think the park would have done something to it by now anyway, since it was quite hard to maintain a ride which was so old and had so much which needed to be done and fixed.Also, we all know the Imperial Leather contract ends at the end of this season. If it were up to you what would you do with the ride? Would you get rid of it and put something else in its place? Would you get John Wardley in to redesign it into a proper magical attraction again? Would you keep it as it is?I'd keep the ride, knowing that it is still a very popular family attraction with the queue out of the gate on busy days, but I think re-designing it would be key, to keep up with the new wild image and the changing face of Chessington as a park.

I'm also presuming that the organist moved a lot more than he did nowadays!On the picture front, there is a picture from the 1990 guide book which shows the station, although if you are thinking of another picture it would be good to see that!Vampire was always a very scary ride for me too, I'm not doubting that fact. The prospect of riding it was very daunting, but I think as I grew up, the novelty wore off, and although its still my favourite rollercoaster, I can't see the scary aspect there anymore.Very interesting views on the ride Neilfever, it does sound awesome back in the day! - I agree that with health and safety the fences had to be put up, which is a shame, since a lot of riders to forget they should stand at the top of the exit stairs and do come down onto the platform!I know the music changed for the ride too, I mean the laughs were added in 2002, and I'm sure thats when the opp's started to talk over the music quite a bit. Although its weird how they now HAVE to talk over the PA, where as back in 1990 - 2000 Neilfever said that the PA talking was very limited, let it was still the same ride, it just has air gates now!

I know I'm going to get opinions on this. But looking at pictures of the Vampire station in 1990 and a picture from it nowadays, I think the station actually looks better than it did in 1990 nowadays. Whenever you ask someone about Vampire they would usually say, the station was a lot more well themed in 1990 - 2000 it was scarier, and much better. But whats changed since 1990? The trains and the addition of air gates. Why do people say the station was better in 1990? There must be SOMETHING in there that makes them think this. Having rode the Vampire myself in around '98, yes it was very daunting, but don't you think kids nowadays will find the station scary? Maybe it's simply because the people who saw the station for what it was in 1990 - 2000 have grown up and don't appreciate the spooky aspect that it still holds... any thoughts on this?

In MY opinion, ALL the operators on Vampire (that I have seen) are OVERUSING the PA. I know a lot of staff are new, but it is CONSTANT talking! - You should see what happens when a train comes into the station without the Opp telling you what to do... There isn't ANY change! No-one panic's or anything. Plus the AMOUNT of people who DON'T undo their belts or pull their bars down in towards them, so it comes to raise the question, is the PA actually needed to be used constantly when people don't REALLY pay much attention to it, and the fact there are lots of platformers to help ANYWAY?

Vampire's audio had been turned down slightly the other day.. the floor was no longer vibrating like it was, don't know why it has been turned down, I'm guessing because the PA is quite loud for people maybe. Also, the music outside Bubbleworks has also been turned down quite a bit, and you can't really hear the music unless your actually standing by Bubbleworks and you used to be able to hear it from the entrance to Black Buccanneer and Transylvania! - These are just guesses as to why the music was turned down. It would be interesting to find out exactly why!!

This question has probably been asked before, and I didn't want to start a new thread on it, so I'll mention it here instead. I was just pondering to myself, when did Chessington stop being magical for me.Going a bit further into this, I'd have to say 2004. Why? Well... I used to visit the park on a yearly basis, I would get woken up by my parents and they would tell me 'we're going to Chessington today' and I would nearly be sick with excitement (bearing in mind this was 1999/2000, so I was only 6/7) because it was the place I talked about the most at primary school with my friends. I dreamt of going there all the time, it had such magical rides that intrigued me so much.We got to the park and I remember each time it wasn't that busy and so we were able to go onto Dragon Falls 3/4 times in a row without getting off, then run over to Professor Burp's Bubbleworks (which I remember being so magical I still vividly remember the interesting smells, music, sound effects and visually what there was to look at. We then had lunch in McDonalds, and I was asked if I wanted to go on the Vampire after lunch (which had the infamous 'bat' cars). I reluctantly said yes, and I remember being SO scared by the organist, the music, the scenery, the trains it was SO daunting and after riding I was so proud of myself for going on the ride I had wanted to go on for ages, but couldn't because of my height. We then went on the smaller rides like Safari Skyway, Seastorm ect (ones I seem to miss out on these days, opting for Dragon's Fury and what not). My question is When did Chessington stop being magical for you? Maybe it still is in some way. Don't get me wrong I love the park to bits and will always defend it when people say to me "Nahh, Thorpe Park's better, it's got bigger rides for me" My response... "Well Chessington is a much better FAMILY park". I just feel that in 2004 parts of my childhood were being demolished. The Land of the Dragon's came with a new rollercoaster and it seemed like Chessington's target audience were now bigger children as opposed to me at 6/7 years old. The Adventure House was knocked down, Action Man, Toadie's Cars was shortened, and as a child for me it lost that magical feel. Too much was changing, and at the time it was for the worse. Then of course the next year Professor Burp went.Of course, it may be to do with the fact I go to the park 15 - 20 times per year now, but even so. When I think of going to Chessington I think no longer, "Ahhh that magical place full of mystery" I can't help but think to myself, "Yeah it's good to go there, but for me NOW its JUST another fun day out" - again maybe thats to do with me being a teenager now. Anyway, when did Chessington stop being magical for you, or is it still?Also, do you think that if you were 10 years younger today, would you find Chessington as magaical today as you would have done 10 years ago... is the magical thing just something a child would experience when visiting the park?

I *guess* a reason to remove the ones that were there was because you don't really notice them, I mean people are usually racing to get into the station, not really noticing whats behind a brick wall... So moving them to where they might be seen better might be the idea. Hence why one is by that pool.