SteveJ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tVJmBD1GdQ
People will always find something to moan about, let them get on with it, their the ones clearly unhappy in life if they have to come on here and moan about an advertisement on a building.

They look very similar in some ways.
Before...

After...

Oooh, err... I much prefer how they looked before. Since when was YELLOW CAPITAL LETTERS the Thorpe Park logo? Nevermind, the new lap bars and more open seats will considerably improve the ride experience.

Lol, there goes my childhood. Bye!

. They also created the dragon tunnel which has apparently also gone.I'm of course being optimistic and expecting them to magically rebuild it all next year.

Some pictures of the latest sea serpent roll inversion from my trip today:




I take back whatever I said about the toilet block. The roof support is hardly noticeable, and the landscaping round the whole ride is incredible. Can't wait till May

McDonald's opened with the other fast food outlets in 1998, was also when the Counts Cauldron come in. The problem is over the years Vampire has gone from being dark and scary (early 90's it was a top coaster) to fun and purple, it's a shame the purple and colour has taken over but I guess the fresh look suits the family theme better than the darker horror style.

They look very similar in some ways.
Before...

After...

Oooh, err... I much prefer how they looked before. Since when was YELLOW CAPITAL LETTERS the Thorpe Park logo? Nevermind, the new lap bars and more open seats will considerably improve the ride experience.

According to logic, what do you do when you have an old, rotting structure? You demolish it right? In order to rebuild it afterwards. You don't "leave it there and try to improve it" because you can't just reverse chemical reactions. And "those who believe they will come back soon" include Chessington themselves who obviously understand the significance and have said several times how they would like to rebuild it. They just don't have the money yet (or do they now?).
And anyway, what?! We weren't even talking about the mountain that was removed years ago, we are talking about the current refurbishment which has just demolished most of the themework. Did you read the topic? A bit stupid having "Dragon Falls" with no dragon or falls, don't you think? or is that perfectly logical to you since all you enjoy about theme parks are resurfaced paths and the smell of McDonalds?

Lol, there goes my childhood. Bye!

. They also created the dragon tunnel which has apparently also gone.I'm of course being optimistic and expecting them to magically rebuild it all next year.

That video is good marketing - it's a shame the videos on the queueline TV's are so unconvincing and don't give off any sense of panic. They should be like this!

They look very similar in some ways.
Before...

After...

Oooh, err... I much prefer how they looked before. Since when was YELLOW CAPITAL LETTERS the Thorpe Park logo? Nevermind, the new lap bars and more open seats will considerably improve the ride experience.

But it's the rubbishy track transition that does that to your head. Unlike larger, more drawn-out rollercoasters, Saw is so noticeably compact that the transitions are very abrupt, creating sudden forces on your body, and thanks to the horrible restraints you have no power to stop your neck getting bashed. It really takes away from the ride experience in my opinion. Especially when you reach the MCBR and think you have time to breathe, only to see the world's tiniest dive loop in front of you; that sense of horrific inevitability always amuses me somehow... The dive loop of doom.
Gerstlauer have obviously been chosen to manufacture the Smiler because of their famously compact track style, allowing them to fit that many inversions in one space. As long as Gerstlauer have totally revised their trains, including much less restrictive restraints, it will be an amazing ride. The track looks much more fluent than the likes of Saw, yet there are several hilariously tight inversions squeezed in there. Crazy people...!

I thought I'd quit lurking and post something. We came across this mini site for the Swarm - 'Beat The Swarm'

YES! It is most certainly the same brand or whatever of smoke, I've never found a ride with quite the same pong until now. This is exactly the same smell as 5thD and puts me straight back on the ride in my head when I get a whiff. I even said that a the time to whoever I rode Stealth back row with yesterday as the train in front launched, it hit me straight away.
If they made a spray or candle of that smell I would certainly buy it, along with the original grape smell from the start of bubbleworks. The closest I've found to that is KA black grape drink which I buy for a sniff sometimes!
As for stealth, it really felt punchy yesterday, although that may be down to me not having been launched for 5 months. Still waiting for that rollback though.

Many of you guys know; I love Chessington, at one point I even lived and breathed it. The truth is, along with Alton Towers, I have some extremely special memories at these parks and I've sort of grown up with them and seen them develop and change into what they are today. Whenever I talk of these parks, it is from my deepest passion and enthusiasm for them, their beauty and the potential that they have and genuinely, how much I want them to succeed. With that in mind, I'll begin...This rather sexy fellow (below), our friend Kirsty and I, decided on a spontaneous visit to Chessie earlier this week.



Smoking kills. Don't smoke kids.
We spent the afternoon at the park, from around 1pm. So not very long at all, but still, it's not as though we've never done any of the rides at the park a thousand times before and we always enjoy a chilled out pace, taking the day as it comes. We spent absolutely ages just enjoying the beauty and awesomeness of the park. Particularly in Wild Asia, where we spent about an hour chilling by the fountain, observing guests in the area and how much everyone was enjoying themselves. Some of the guests comments were brilliant and very interesting. It's a very humbling and facinating thing to listen to what guests actually think and say. This is why I feel Chessington truly have got Wild Asia spot on in every single possible way imaginable. Excellent.Let me also say, operations from the front line staff were consistently very good indeed all day. Very pleasant and went out of their way to ensure our visit was special. Not once did we feel as though we were just a number in a long conveyor belt of people, but actual individuals. Top work. There was also a lovely girl who offered to take the time (probably coming back from her break and she did not need to offer at all) to take a group photo of us at the Jeep by the Trail of The Kings entrance.Now, if anyone from Chessington is reading this- and I know you are *waves*, then please take the time to pass on the praise, just as she took the time out of her day to make our day great. Unfortunately, I didn't catch her name, however she was wearing black so I'm assuming she was from Pizza Pasta in F&B. I will officially send in the good comments but in the mean time, I just want to get that out there.However, from an operational and guest satisfaction point of view, the health and safety restrictions on Black Buccaneer really put me off from riding this. There was just one ride's worth of guests in the queueline, yet, it took more than 10 minutes to load this ride. Or at least, we had been sitting there for that long- I hadn't seen it go round for ages before that. It's a bit shocking when you think about it. It's ironic, these Health and Safety rules designed for the enjoyment and safety of the guests actually does the complete opposite. I'm pretty sure Chessington do not need to go to such extreme measures on their age restrictions for guests; if the restrictions do not need to be there then for the sake of hindering guest enjoyment, please get rid of them! I heard several guests complain about this, which is a shame because it's such a good ride. I know I'll think twice about riding again. So frustrating!More Wild Asia goodness- it really is awesome. So, getting to the crux of what I want to say; with the exception of Wild Asia and a few other spots, the park is sadly looking very tired and not in the best condition. This is a Merlin- wide comment I suppose. It's all well and good creating themes and investing in scenery, but you need to maintain it please, provide these parks with the money to keep everything looking as though it was built yesterday. By this I mean, keep the illusion going and don't let things deteriorate so much that guests can see the construction methods behind it. It really breaks my heart. Honestly does. A couple of examples:There have been some great improvements across the park this season, which really shows the passion from the park management about this great park. However, you can clearly see that these are low budget additions, I'm clenching my whole body in anticipation that the park will eventually get the budget to properly redo some of the scenery at Chessington. The coyboys that have appeared on the Mexicana facades are great, excellent, but then you take a few steps to Runaway Train and see a faux mountain literally crumbling away so you can see the dated construction method underneath. We know it's been like this for years but it's still there and it hasn't changed.I'll make a few, brief observations from my visit before going into more detail about Vampire:Smells in Bubbleworks are great, music is great (but not when it still doesn't loop), lighting in the lift before the drop is still my fave throughout the ride. Really can't polish a turd though, the ride is still pants, even by UK standards.Falls- station interior I love, station exterior however, looking very tired and needs to be cleaned and re-painted. I'm putting a very critical eye here, but I hate seeing cables for things such as lighting, sound equipment and general infrastructure blatently on show to guests. It seems so silly but these small things really impact my enjoyment. Perhaps this is just a reflection of the "that'll do" culture that we have in the UK though. The landscaping team have done a marvellous job across the whole park and it's beautiful.I got my picture taken with Cinders, she was standing in one spot on her podium. But once I actually approached them for a photo, the ents team were great. It should be them interacting and approaching me though- makes all the difference.Vamp's interactive tombstones are more or less destroyed. You can see the polystyrene that they used to make it completely blown all over the place, huge chunks of it missing, looks pathetic.In fact, going into Vampire in more detail. Well, the good- the music has returned to a decent volume within the station and ride operator was using the PA very well and at a respectable volume, not loud at all. Well done Chessington. I'm sitting on the fence about my next comment:I love that they're changing things with with the lighting and I'm pleased to report that the organist is moving quite well at the moment. However, I am not a fan of the slight lighting change. It does look quite nice but I can't help but think it all feels a bit "discoish" in there now. The green was fantastic, I loved the red and blue combo too. Thought this, in addition to the green and other minor lighting changes makes it feel too colourful and it just doesn't quite feel right. Personal preference perhaps.I'm definitely not a fan of this though....Having worked operations before, I totally get why this has been done. To make the lives of the staff easier, perhaps to try something different, to make things clearer for guests... there are plenty of reasons why and I totally understand why from an operational standpoint, these could be very useful. However, it just looks so unprofessional and tacky. I'm sorry, but I hate them. I hate them on Tomb Blaster as well. In fact, my Team Leader and I ripped them down in 2008 (but have since returned) because, well, it's not very theme parkish is it?I'd love for there to be a budget to get studios to make some proper themed ones, make it all fit in and make the aesthetics flow, but sadly, this is another area where the park have been neglected. Hell, I'd even make them some for both Tomb Blaster and Vampire if they wanted. I've come to the end of my slightly critical report I guess. What I will say is that I still had an absolutely brilliant time at Chessington, this is due to the fantastic staff, interactive family rides, variety of experiences and great atmosphere the park does provide. However I think I'll think twice before visiting any of the UK parks until next season (or perhaps Halloween). I genuinely am very fond of our theme parks, they just need to cash so that it can be splashed!I'll leave you with some yummy food from the Monkey Puzzle and a um, "interesting" photo opportunity. :)Cheers for reading guys.

If the thud thud thud is back as the floor lowers then forget The Swarm and x. That for me will be the biggest and best improvement on the park this year.
Improves the whole experience of the ride immeasurably.

No, it's a misconception that theme parks are busy all winter. From what I gather, stuff like general maintenance, cleaning and any minor developments are done during the run up to opening month. The majority of the closed season is spent... closed. This sounds like what X No Way Out has been needing for a long time. The ride's purpose was confused from the start. In the pas,t they have tried and failed to explain the point of the ride with some kind of 'theme', but the truth is it has no point. It would be stupid to invest in a proper theme design for what is a very poor ride experience, but ignorant to let the ride remain in its current pathetic state. So I am glad they have gone back to basics, refurbished the infrastructure and added sensory effects to just make it a good, fun ride.
That's all it needs really, as long as they do it properly. X may actually be enjoyable this year! :o
Although I will miss the weird sensation of travelling backwards on a glorified runaway train in a dark pyramid.

Yes that was the Black Forest Chateau signage that had been there since 1990, hidden behind the Count's Cauldron facade. They were never planning to use that in the new Burger Kitchen.
Talking about Black Forest Chateau, it's clear how uncreative they have been. The Burger Kitchen as you see it today is basically Black Forest Chateau from 1990 except painted purple. I presume that original facade was deemed too bland, because they quickly changed it with more windows, a different half-timbered pattern and striped canopy, as you can see in this image from c1992. This was back when they had an animatronics show in there and it sold special "vampire" burgers.

Then in 1998 they went too far and adapted it again, to make it the McDonalds castle. This always stuck out as inconsistent to me with its goofy gargoyles and turrets - not what you would find in a European town at all. This was also when they removed the animatronics show to free up more seating space.
Then, this year I praised Chessington greatly for unexpectedly refurbishing the whole building, when they could have simply replaced the Burger King logos with Burger Kitchen ones. Instead they went further and actually uncovered the first exterior that had been unused for over 20 years. But if it was bland 20 years ago then it's still bland now, they have simply regressed rather than been creative.
At least the area looks much fresher than it has for years, but for the wrong reasons. They messed it up at the painting stage in an attempt to make it look "fun" on a low budget, to the detriment of the whole area. However, maybe there is more to be done. If you look at the beam over the entrance arches, you can see wires protruding, possibly for lanterns or some other theme detail that is yet to be installed.
In my opinion the restaurant's second appearance from 1992-1997 was the best it ever looked, although a little bland for Chessington's current image. Oh well, maybe in another 15 years they will have the money to finally get it right. In the meantime, I am looking forward to eating a burger there.

Of course everything you are both saying is correct, but guests that visit theme parks don't go from a business perspective. Riding on Loggers Leap is done for their own enjoyment and the tunnel was a "feature" that interacted with the ride to make it more fun. Well that's obvious. From Thorpe Park's perspective, every factor is telling them not to rebuild the tunnel, except the issue of potential guest satisfaction being lost. So, unless they really care about the guest's perspective, they won't rebuild it. As a guest, I feel disappointed by that.
If you also think from the creators' perspective, those who designed Logger's Leap, they put that tunnel there entirely for the enjoyment of the rider - it serves no marketing purpose and would not have been so cheap. Yet for over 25 years it contributed, however slightly, to millions of guests' enjoyment. That's what a theme park is all about for me.
But I recognise my perspective on theme parks is an ideal, and Thorpe Park will probably never restore the tunnel. Well, at least I have my memories.

Of course everything you are both saying is correct, but guests that visit theme parks don't go from a business perspective. Riding on Loggers Leap is done for their own enjoyment and the tunnel was a "feature" that interacted with the ride to make it more fun. Well that's obvious. From Thorpe Park's perspective, every factor is telling them not to rebuild the tunnel, except the issue of potential guest satisfaction being lost. So, unless they really care about the guest's perspective, they won't rebuild it. As a guest, I feel disappointed by that.
If you also think from the creators' perspective, those who designed Logger's Leap, they put that tunnel there entirely for the enjoyment of the rider - it serves no marketing purpose and would not have been so cheap. Yet for over 25 years it contributed, however slightly, to millions of guests' enjoyment. That's what a theme park is all about for me.
But I recognise my perspective on theme parks is an ideal, and Thorpe Park will probably never restore the tunnel. Well, at least I have my memories.

NOOOOOOO!!
If that is true, it's probably a great thing for the longevity of the ride and disturbance from neighbours, but still... Whenever I hear that sound it's so nostalgic!
*endless rhythmic clanking... clank click clack...metallic rattttttttllleeeeeee...screams..!*

Can we not have a tunnel and a working ride? Or is that just too much?
Oh, the dreaded budget and profitability argument again. It's a bit of a leap (pun not intended) to suggest that Loggers getting a new tunnel would make the park un-profitable or plunge the park into an economic spiral that they could never ever escape. And all because they maintained a tunnel and some effects, god darn it.
It's just from a riders perspective very odd for the bit that is scary (ie the drop in the tunnel) has gone, whereas the meandering to the second drop retains the tunnel.
Of course. Thats true. But how that means a tunnel on Loggers Leap's first drop is out of the question is still just that little bit beyond me.

NOOOOOOO!!
If that is true, it's probably a great thing for the longevity of the ride and disturbance from neighbours, but still... Whenever I hear that sound it's so nostalgic!
*endless rhythmic clanking... clank click clack...metallic rattttttttllleeeeeee...screams..!*

The talk of the park will spend more money on what is generally marketable interests me.
This season, there seems to have been a fair few improvements around the park, which is great. Having not visited the park, I don't know what all of these are, or their success, but from what I'm aware, there's been - Swarm stuff, X, fixing up of Inferno effects, improvements to Colossus' station, new Detonator restraints, new Depth Charge boats, some buildings and the beach being done up a bit, dome having some TLC and no doubt other bits and bobs.
This all sounds great, and I'm glad that we're seeing these little touches being done - it shows that the park must somewhar care about their appearance. However, only the Swarm stuff and X are marketable. From what I could gather, the only other improvement which would directly improve guests' experiences are the Inferno effects (again, having not been to the park, this is more an assumption, but I doubt some of the little things are improving a guests' day out dramatically?).
The one thing that I don't 'get' is surely Loggers' tunnel is more important than a spruce up of little things, new restraints and new boats? The enclosed drop for many is a highlight of the ride. Well, was. I don't know how budgeting works at theme parks, which could be why I'm not getting this, but I'd have thought that some of these things could be put off a year to ensure that a ride's experience isn't hampered. Out of a choice of loads of little spruce ups, which could be done any time, or ensuring that a ride is kept the way it was designed to be, neither of which are marketable, I know which I would choose. No doubt more non-enthusiasts who return this season will note the lack of tunnel more than Depth Charge's new boats and Detonator's new restraints.
I'm trying to not judge the decision until I've ridden Loggers, as it would be unfair to do so otherwise. But from a purely theoretical view, if you will, this just does not feel right. Maybe my views will change once I visit the park.

But the problems you talk of Ian are ones of poor maintenance in the first place! It doesn't have to be like that - it can easily be an enclosed drop into something that isn't rotting. Considering it should be pitch black in there you can spray it with whatever you want to waterproof it.
I don't doubt that as a structure it was finished and would had to have been removed to the extent it has been before replacing. The cost of building it again would have been insignificant in comparison to much of the other work that has been completed around the park (including painting a big building that doesn't even have anything inside it and messing about with what was already their newest and best ride). Remember, that tunnel was built by the original Thorpe with no practically no money at all because they realised that providing an experience and something a little different was worthwhile. Now the might of multi-billion pound Merlin can't be bothered.
Admittedly I haven't seen it in person, but from the photos what they have done looks bizarre - the old entrance leading to nothing, an open lift and drop then into a hole in the ground with really obvious signs around you that there was a building there before. It would never have been designed like that and that is obvious to GP and geeks alike.
It annoys me to say the GP don't care about the rides like we do. We are the GP, we just analyse things a bit more than the average guest - that doesn't mean we don't enjoy it just the same and for the same reasons. Money may be spent where it will bring the guests in, but that should include simply giving a good day in pleasant surroundings, not only on something big and shiny to put on the poster. People do notice this stuff.

Hmm, maybe they are deliberately letting the whole park die because it "fits the theme".
[/sarcasm]