SteveJ

The Swarm can be turned backwards because of the very design of the wing rider. The seats are suspended from the central chassis, right? Even then it isn't as easy as just swapping a few seats around. But the seats on Oblivion are built into the shuttle in rows, so significant modifications to the cars and station would be needed. It wouldn't be comfortable falling down the drop either, since the force would push you into your restraint rather than the seat.
Also, backwards Oblivion would be the height of pointless gimmickery anyway. It would ruin... everything... for the sake of being able to see behind you as you drop. "Don't look up"? What?
Backwards Swarm sounds rather fun, to be honest. A random idea, the type of pointless 8-year old's daydream that you would find suggested on the internet, but they seem to know what they are doing. If it wasn't practical and safe then they would not being going through with it; they have probable consulted B&M about it. I don't mind the redundancy of the interactive theming items, as they would still be partially effective seeing them fly around and away from you as you travel backwards.
I hope they take this opportunity to further improve the Swarm in general. I know they were gradually bringing in more props and theme objects, but it still felt rather inconsistent theme-wise with big gaps of emptiness and an obvious lack of landscaping. If they could properly programme the flame, sound effects and water sprays then the rhythm of the ride could be fantastic.

And yes, it's in Europe.

The Swarm can be turned backwards because of the very design of the wing rider. The seats are suspended from the central chassis, right? Even then it isn't as easy as just swapping a few seats around. But the seats on Oblivion are built into the shuttle in rows, so significant modifications to the cars and station would be needed. It wouldn't be comfortable falling down the drop either, since the force would push you into your restraint rather than the seat.
Also, backwards Oblivion would be the height of pointless gimmickery anyway. It would ruin... everything... for the sake of being able to see behind you as you drop. "Don't look up"? What?
Backwards Swarm sounds rather fun, to be honest. A random idea, the type of pointless 8-year old's daydream that you would find suggested on the internet, but they seem to know what they are doing. If it wasn't practical and safe then they would not being going through with it; they have probable consulted B&M about it. I don't mind the redundancy of the interactive theming items, as they would still be partially effective seeing them fly around and away from you as you travel backwards.
I hope they take this opportunity to further improve the Swarm in general. I know they were gradually bringing in more props and theme objects, but it still felt rather inconsistent theme-wise with big gaps of emptiness and an obvious lack of landscaping. If they could properly programme the flame, sound effects and water sprays then the rhythm of the ride could be fantastic.

Wow, I strangely don't remember that at all, and I went plenty around that time. Maybe it was because we were an on the cheap picnic type family! Although I much prefer the look of the more modern décor I love the organist show idea, shame that couldn't have continued in some form after the refurb. Although if it was there now we'd only be moaning about it inevitably not working any more anyway!
I remember Zappomatic having some pretty impressive moves going on too, they really did do a lot more animatronics back then.

That is the promo photo they used in the 1990 park brochure. There's a higher resolution version at the bottom of this page: http://themeuk.net/Chessington_Site/?page_id=1296
I'm glad the current layout is less blockish and compact, but it's still a shame to lose the animatronic show. They barely use real animatronics in UK theme parks these days, strangely, but there used to be so many. The only recent ones I can think of are stuff like the Billy doll from Saw - quite rubbish really. Yet 20+ years ago they were using quite complicated animatronics everywhere they could.

I think, looking back to what was said in that Wild Asia construction tour CF did, their intention was to unite Mystic East with Wild Asia under one title and then go on to have; Wild Asia, Wild Africa, Wild Europe and Wild Americas.It would irritate me to no end if Mexicana was dumped in with Africa and didn't become part of a wider "Americas" section. I think this was/still is their intention up until very recently, because in the plans they put up and then withdrew for the new monkey and bird garden, it showed theming that was Mayan inspired.Naming the Madagascar area simply "Africa" suggests a couple of things... That the show is temporary and can be easily replaced by generically naming that area to make it fit later. What looked like a huge distraction actually still in line with what was, and we assume still is, their long term vision.I think the show will be good for Chessie and their entertainments team are awesome. It's just not my cup of tea, and I'm skeptical that it'll bring in substantial numbers or that the British public really give a toss about shows. I hope I'm proved wrong, because that would open up a huge opportunity to push for more show-like aspects on attractions at all British parks. Because, at the moment, I'm fairly sure people are riding Valhalla to get wet, not for it's show-like special effects. Ya know? So, yeah, I'm interested in how this pans out and I hope the show itself is good. It's a good location in the park to put a show too, right in the centre. I'm kind of glad they found a use for that space because I sure as hell was stumped.Moving the Jumbos to Mexicana annoys me though. Massively. I'm not sure what the alternative was, though. Could they not have gone to Wild Asia?? They'd have fit in there... Maybe they intend to move them again at some point. Who knows.

A 1990 Tussauds Group (when they bought Alton Towers) were an extremely different company to what is now Merlin Entertainments. Not only that, the theme park industry has evolved so much and so has the culture of people. Back then Tussauds' parent company, Pearsons owned CWoA, Madame Tussauds, Rock Circus and a couple of other minor attractions (forgive me if I'm wrong or have missed any).Very limited or vague market research was carried out because essentially, there was little, to no theme park industry in the UK and to a certain extent around Europe. Back then it was all relatively new and relied very heavily on industry experts from the theatre and film industry to know what would entertain an audience. It wasn't until the 1980's that Britain saw it's first modern day adaptation of a theme park in CWoA.In today's age people have become a lot more savvy to the entire theme park industry and in a tough economic climate where a company is owned by an investment bank who expect substantial profits and repayments, mainstream is what has to be on the cards to ensure a beyond satisfactory profit is made.

Reading through the jobs posts on here, quite a few people have been wondering about having a job there and traveling if it is worth it or not. I live about 2 hours away by train, and have had the experience first-hand now. I will give some advice that hopefully any of you in that situation will find useful. 1. Many people seem to have pre-conceptions that being a ride host or operator is the easiest job in the world. This couldn't be more wrong. The job is by far more challenging than any other I've had before, and can be stressful at times. Having said this, it was the best job I've ever had, being the most rewarding if you put a lot into it. 2. Having a commute of near enough 2 hours each way, it isn't the most ideal and practical of job locations for me. However, Merlin were very flexible and were able to make my rota so that I never worked two days in a row. (giving me a day inbetween each shift to relax/recover)3. Despite still being quite expensive, I bought a Young Person's railcard for £25, which saved me so much money over the period I was working. 4. I tried several days in a row, but it just wasn't working (my days were leave home at 6.30am, get back home around 7pm) so working consecutive days just wasn't an option.So those of you who are thinking that you live too far away and it isn't possible, this is proof that it can be done! The travel costs didn't take too much out of my wages, so the only bad side is the time spent travelling. Personally I'm quite tolerant when it comes to travelling and I enjoy train journeys, so this isn't so much of a problem to me.My main tips if you're considering it is: Get yourself a YPRC if travelling by train. It would be stupid not to!Do not try to work consecutive days if you have a similar commute to mine, you will just get too stressed and exhausted and feel like you have no time for anything else! (as soon as you get home it will be time to sleep!) I started off thinking I would be able to do days in a row but after a week I couldn't cope. It's a very demanding and challenging job, but if you put lots of effort and enthusiasm into it, it is very rewarding. I had a fantastic experience, and would never regret it.

If you insist!I am glad you have enjoyed it, although I really should have put more effort in. The audio is in mono, for example. Whoops.Thanks for the compliments. I might give it a watch myself!

^by MrElectricBill.Come back Archive/Electric Bill!!Great vid.

This is by far the best video of hex I have ever seen, headphones in, lights off, almost feel like I'm their!

It may be to do with Saw, but there would be zero problem with anything staying other than Billy, the logo and the video.Yes there may be a guy on the floor in a bathroom in a Saw film, but it is too generic a scenario for Lionsgate to claim ownership of that scene.Yes there may be some swinging blades in a Saw film..................but it is too generic a scenario for Lionsgate to claim ownership of that scene.Yes there may be overhead guns in a Saw film............................ but it is too generic a scenario for Lionsgate to claim ownership of that scene.Yes there may be a man in barbed wire in a Saw film................... but it is too generic a scenario for Lionsgate to claim ownership of that scene.etc etc etc.A few grand to remove the signage, crappy puppet on a trike and make a generic video. Retheme done.Having said that it's probably in everyones interests if the brand stays, as long as the renewal is not as prohibitively expensive as it was in the first place (which should be the case as the franchise has died).

There are plenty more reasons that ToTK will be moving - the land type an how much damage it's done to that area.When Rattlesnake was built; one of the sides of the hole they had dug to fit the ride into, fell in onto a digger overnight. This may sound amusing but the whole park is sliding down the hill towards Leatherhead Road. It's not anything fast but 1-2inches a year - you can see the amount of cracks in the floor in the area from Greedy Goblin down to the bottom of ToTK, along with Sealion Bay. It's done a lot of damage to the animal enclosures so it's probably a no go area for new ride development.Random fact of the day: The hotel is built on 100m deep foundations, however it currently sits 1 metre above ground level so the water ingress doesn't affect it.

As those of you who read that blog I wrote will know, I'm a strong believer that the park is in dire need of a thrill ride...There's this fallacy floating around that family parks don't need thrill rides, when the very park that Chessington is so inspired by in recent years demonstrates the need. The Busch Gardens parks work because they integrate big investment rides which bring in paying guests with more typical family elements, notably theming. Theming dresses attractions up for the audience they are aimed at, and can transform thrill hardware into a family attraction. That's pretty much what Busch do with every attraction they get. This is a company that buys a drop tower and themes it to a folk dance. Think about what Merlin would instinctively do... Paint it dark and try and make it as terrifying as possible. I'm starting to think maybe they just don't really know how to entertain families?On a personal note, zoo expansion is right up my street... And I've heard numerous times that the British audience are a sucker for animals, but I can't help feel that you can see a rhino in so many places around the UK... Who is going to be drawn to the park to see one? Animal exhibits count as added extras, things that improve the quality of the visit, not things that attract you to the park, surely? Perhaps something like this safari experience is a little different, and they must have the research to back up an investment, especially one this huge. But the integration of zoo and theme park should improve the overall quality of a guests day, I just doubt the impact on visitor numbers, ya know?In a perfect world, Chessington would build a high capacity coaster which is one step up from Fury. Chessington's best asset is it has attractions which can follow kids as they grow, encouraging repeat visits yearly from families. That's how I grew up. Kids nowadays are much braver than I was as a kid, so a family thrill coaster (preferably 1.2/3m) is what the park really, really needs. Coasters bring in guests like no other attraction. They are unique selling points and they have longevity. But the reality is, the park cannot build a coaster... Height and noise restrictions are preventing them, and funding is stopping them from solving that by building indoors or pulling a Nemesis.What frustrates me is the constant abandoning of projects. I wan't to know why it keeps happening. I read something someone said on here once about there being a vicious cycle that started when Chessington stopped getting decent investments. Managers got frustrated and left and so the quality of management has thus dropped.As for investments that HAVE been made. Chessington apparently did rather well from Wild Asia, didn't it. When I worked there for a short time in 2010, I'd ask guests If they'd been on it and if they liked it, and there are a lot of guests who felt it's height restriction was too high for how tame it was. They need a proper thrill ride. Kobra is a spectacle ride. As is Ramases. But Kobra was obviously easy to market and it brought people to the park. It's mor ein the right direction.

I'm happy to post that - it's only who runs what ride.CrusoeVampireBubbleworksSeastormBlack BuccaneerHocus Pocus HallChessington CarouselDoraTiny TruckersSea DragonsCanopy CapersDragons' PlayhouseGriffins' GalleonDragons' FuryRameses RevengeTomb BlasterIndianaToadies Crazy CarsBouncing BerriesSafari SkywayThe RattlesnakeRunaway TrainFlying JumbosFrodoDragon FallsKOBRAPeeking HeightsMonkey SwingerTuk Tuk TurmoilTemple of Mayhem
I'd like to take this post to remind you that if you are, or have been successful in gaining a position within the Merlin Entertainments group, that you are bound by a media contract. This does include refraining posting or discussing events that have occurred, will occur in a MEG park or resort; or the posting of any information that could be deemed as confidential or private to the company.
Congratulations on your new position, however please be very careful with what you're saying on this forum and Facebook.

I have recently left the park however worked there for three years consecutively, along with winter Engineering work. Read this is you want a fair and unbiased view of it. If you want a good start within the company, then any RTP is a good place to start. I bang on about this but if you want to go far and you have that business acumen to want to succeed - then you will.The company has some fantastic courses and training schemes that get you either as a manager, supervisor, senior leader, attraction manager to get the most out of your job. However, you need to start at the bottom if you have no experience - but it's so worth it. I enjoyed my time at Chessington however with how far I had gone, it was time to pack up and move about.For those of you that know me, are aware I've recently moved to another theme park in the group in a role I am absolutely loving. The people are fantastic, and the company is putting a lot of effort into it's staff, as they know that is where performance of the park grows, and will all in all help us to succeed. Yes, it's a minimum wage job at the bottom, but if you want to step up that is what you need to take.However. Find me a job that pays more than £6.50 for the same duties as a Ride Operator in a family theme park. But the money is not what I do it for. The people you do meet and will work with if you are successful in this company will create the best friends and coworkers you'll ever meet. Yes - it's hard to say you enjoy your job when you're dealing with 30 angry guests but there is a lot of pride in knowing that in your regular duties that you stand and talk to people at the top of a 125ft rollercoaster, that you work in such a unique environment where everyone is encouraged to have fun.The views in this thread are skewed, along with the TP Jobs thread. If you want to do it, have a passion; then do not get put off by those around you moaning and say it's 'not a real job' or 'not worth the money'. I've never seen the attraction in working for a supermarket, or in a shop. How boring is that? Just a few thoughts.Joey - you were there for a month. If that. I am unsure how you can tell others how you 'just love interacting' and spout about a minimum wage job.Benin - you didn't get invited back and you are desperately sour about two girls (whom I do know very well and were the best people in my team for interaction, operation and motivation). Be very careful about what you write here.Mark and Peter are clearly the only ones here with any decent experience in the role. The moral of this is that yes it sounds brilliant on paper but if you don't want to do it, or deem it as boring, then don't. But if you have a passion for being successful, for working in a unique environment, then do this

Enthusiasts are not the target audience of any park. People are not there for the rides, they are there to have a good time. Rides are a small part of that.Being friendly fixes a lot of issues people have in all kinds of environments, from theme parks to the NHS. If you've been waiting a long time for anything and you have a friendly, chatty apologetic face to greet you, most people will be put in a better mood by that and forget the ordeal. I had to have blood test this morning. I was waiting an hour and a half, but the nurse was lovely.... And by the time I'd left, I'd forgotten about the awful wait.You cannot avoid long queues on busy days, so compensations have to be made.Working efficiently to decrease queues is a given... But you can easily do both and one does not inhibit the other, at all. Don't let individuals who make a bad name for guest interaction make you so anti-interaction full stop. We can have it both ways.

Haha. This question works every time..Just don't go in and mention YoChessington. That's if you want the job.

I remember this very, very well and have some park images of the train somewhere with Mr Rabbit sitting in.The old queueline that was outside, is still in view, hidden and covered by a block of tarmac. The door way was lowered and can still be seen as to how much higher the door way was. A few steps up and the queueline continued inside into a small room. Mainly white and very star trek, silver cattle pens and a 'window' above you looking out into space. Finally, passed the batching point and across a walk way, surrounded with mirrors and into the (at the time) daunting station.. the front of the train slightly tipping into the pitch black tunnel infront.Restraints down and the countdown would begin. Numbers illuminated and flashed above the tunnel infront '5, 4, 3, 2, 1...IGNITION...'The adventure began! Through the long upward stretch of track, flashing lights and neon, into the helix, before eventually passing by again the station, in it's darker blue lighting state.When the ride was over, exit to the left and the covered indoor bridge that was see you exit from the blue building back into the park.I remember when for the first time, I was able to walk through the fire exits (around near Inferno's lift hill) and into Carousel Kingdom, even as a small geek kid, I was excited to see what was once the space station zero ride area. Even now, whilst walking through the arcade, I look around and remember how much I loved those early trips through space. That's why I make sure I ride the fish as a 'grown up' secretly remembering my rides on Space Station Zero!

Well, this is something I sort of promised myself I would do..Really, it's just a collection of photos I've taken over the past year on CCR, just so that they're in one place and so that they're always there for the memories! Enjoy them as much I enjoyed riding CCR:

The somewhat themed shed which leads to Loggers Leap's enclosed area.

One on many views of Saw. These sorts of views just aren't possible without CCR.
Saw exitting its second inversion.

Saw going through the Immeleann turn.

Air time hill.

The end of Saw, and management I think?

Logo.

Wish I timed this photo better to get a Saw car in that reflection.

The lock of the gates. thorpeparkjack should remember the reasoning behind taking this photo...

The story board.

'Theming'.

View of the Loggers queue on a warm summer's day. I remember back in the day when all of that queue would be full...

Loved this bear! :')

Fishy bear. It did used to have a more realistic looking plastic fish in its mouth, but rumour goes someone leant out of the train, grabbed it and threw it in the river...

The 'tree hugger' bear.

I can't remember when it didn't say 8 bears to be honest.

The contraption which gives you a cold trickle of water on Loggers Leap.

There was always something interesting underneath Loggers' lift/drop...

...included leaks.

One of the rare times the breeze and the right timing left you with a refreshing mist of water.

The nice little grassy area near the station. Hopefully this could be extended to a picnic area or something?
I know it's just photos really, but hopefully it leaves some memories for everyone to enjoy. To round it all off...

CCR will always get the thumbs up from me!!

Terrible addition to the otherwise great promotional build up. It seems obvious to me that this is nothing to do with any ride narrative, backstory or whatever.They just ran out of ideas, so they got a mobile phone and filmed some random people saying "I am Lez Cougan" and put it on Facebook. Just to sustain hype.I will be really surprised if this turns out to be of any importance to The Swarm whatsoever. The general public might have forgotten that the Swarm is opening next year; this video is nothing more than a reminder to provoke online participation.

Don't even ask how I found this but....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKXzde54HVY

g

The 1994 Project at Alton Towers (Nemesis and Toyland Tours) came to a cool £12M. Just using a very rough guide by using a calculator online (assuming a 3% rate of inflation since 2006), that figure comes to a steep £17M.That is without taking into account the rising cost of pretty much everything you can think of. You would need a figure approaching £12M in today's money to build a decent dark ride. But anyway, I think £20M is a staggering amount for a company that is still millions and millions of pounds in debt!Edit- Wow what a fantastic photo!