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BigBobJones

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Everything posted by BigBobJones

  1. As for queue less system, to be honest unless you paid a premium for it, then it will not be introduced. Merlin make far too much money out of Fast Track at the moment. It is their incentive for there to be big queues so they sell more Fast Track, then anyone who buys a Fast Track tells everyone how good it was jumping the queue. The current system means they make lots of money from doing very little. Having a queue less system means they need lots of time money and effort to be spent and I seriously can't see it happening. I would rather they got the queue times correct on top of their rides first.
  2. One of the best decisions they have ever made. Never went on the ride, the creaks it made just didn't fill me with any confidence and hearing everyone complaining how painful it was just didn't make me want to try it out. Plus only ever seeing one side working or having the entire ride out on most visits just didn't make me wanna try it at all. On a positive note, there is room for a Top Scan or Afterburner ride :-)
  3. I have managed to get a picture of what we can expect from Angry Birds land
  4. Well we have got the 4D cinema back and the return of the bumper cars. Yes these are small additions, but I would rather have these additions than nothing at all. It is a shame my MAP runs out at the end of April, but I will be waiting for both TP and Alton to get a new coaster before getting another MAP. So I accept I may have a gap of 2 years away from Merlin parks. This can only be a good thing as I will go to BPB and Pleasurewood Hills etc to see what the others are offering.
  5. Maybe it is to stop the system re-using all the water, turning green and smelling like ditch water, that way taking it from the lake means you are using more water and not a limited amount. It isn't like they can use chemicals to clean it either.
  6. Hotel opening August.....?? cutting it a bit fine to cash in on the open season, only really leaving 3 months of the park being open, why not get these things ready for the start of the season or even Easter at a push as you are kind of missing out on a lot of business or is this the new Merlin way to open things half way through the season?
  7. All what really needs to happen is they need to be given more money and to spend more money. I am not asking for a new coaster as I don't think Chessington really needs on (Yes it would be nice). They just need to do the place up and run the rides and attractions to their full potential. I also believe we need to focus more on the Zoo, they have a good Zoo, but they need to make it better, I did see improvements at Christmas as many of the glass windows were now see through and no scratched/dirty etc The Monkey Tree top thing loosk impressive. They could easily improve creepy caves, make it bigger, get some nice big spiders in there and even have a talk and a snake/spider holding session in there. The Sealife centre, really needs to be in a proper building and they could get some bigger tanks and make it a very impressive attraction. For me if they have a better Zoo offering, they could have this open all year round, rather then the off Zoo day weekends. Correct me if I am wrong, but the majority of guests go just for the rides and only get interested in the animals when the rides have mega long queues.
  8. Wow Thorpe are really pushing the boat out and pushing the theme to the max!
  9. This is very interesting, looks like Merlin are taking over County Hall.
  10. When the pumps are not running the water from the rapids drains into the holding pond int he middle. More than likely there was an issue with the ride which is why is was not open.
  11. Pond/Swamp or flower bed... what is frustrating is in some parts of the parks the gardeners do a fantastic job at keeping it looking very presentable, but the middle of the Fish is a good example of where it is not done too well. But with Scorpion, I guess they will have a good plastic liner to keep out the weeks and sand/gravel on to to 'theme' it and make it very low maintenance.
  12. If we are lucky we will get a Waltzer
  13. The Bubbleworks had been running as I went on it twice on the 7th. I wonder when we will get any pictures of the area when the park re-opens and the level of damage. The 25,000 sq foot area they were reporting would say to me this was the Bubbleworks and possibly Vamp/Bubbles shop. To be honest I would expect Chessington to close the main gates between the Zoo and Transilvania/Market Square to keep people away from it. Which sadly could also mean the loss of Seastorm for the youngsters as well as the Bubbleworks. Chessington will be covered as they are only advertising the Zoo and Sealife centre, so if you get no rides then you still get what they are advertising. The only backlash for guests will be that there will be almost nothing to keep you there longer than 2 hours. They don't have the option of opening other rides as Tomb Blaster is too far into the Park and next door to last years ride embarrassment. Unless they fence off Transilvania and only have the Buccaneer and Seastorm open. I guess we will find out after Christmas. I would put money on it that the fire was caused by the heaters and a decoration too close as I had this discussion with somebody when we were in the grotto waiting to see Santa, I said "Maybe they are fire retardant decorations or something" But this should have been picked up in a risk assessment which I am sure the park would do for every attraction the open, permenant or temporary.
  14. This looks very good, lets hope this is done on time and to budget and it looks good. If you read the magical description of 'The Night Before Christmas' walk through attraction, you can see how well these turds can be polished. But I guess we have to wait until they open, I for one will be queuing up to visit.
  15. On my visit last weekend, just the Chicken Shack.
  16. I just believe that Merlin are going for the impulse buyers, people who are very happy they have got off the ride, love the photo and without thinking buy it. Quite often if there are 2 or more guests, they split the cost, which is OK if you only want 1 or 2 photos in your entire day out and this is your only visit to the park in a year, you can justify the cost. But for guests who visit multiple times a year and want lots of ORP, you suddenly realise how expensive it is. I think they need to do a photopass which is designed for regular guests, something with MAP discount for pass holders. even if it was something like 30 digital downloads for £50, it would still be value for money for the guest and Merlin/Picsolve will still make lots of money. I would be seriously interested to see the trend in photosales over the last 3-5 years, are they making more money or more profit or both? You can not argue the selection of items to have your photo on has improved over the years, but there is nothing wanting me to buy photos at the moment which is all down to cost. I have no issue paying a £2 a digital photo and to be honest on every visit I would buy multiple photos and in the end spend more money with them. At the beginning of this season I put aside money to buy photos and I intended to buy 2-3 photo passes in my first 2 visits, but due to getting less more more money and no MAP discount I didn't buy at photos at all. The current policy means I refuse to pay extra for digital downloads. Thorpe were charging £5 for 1 digital download at the end of the season which my niece purchased two. TIP: If you have a photo already or if you just buy a digital download for £5, why not print your own magnet(s)? My local £1 shop does photo magnetic paper, 2 sheets for £1. So you can either print an A4 or 2 A5 magnets or even 12 magnets for 50p + ink. The added bonus is that the photo paper sticks to the fridge, where as the Picsolve magnets tend to fall off.
  17. Yes but they need to ensure the price of the ORP, food and merch is value for money. 2013 saw the prices for the ORP almost double with the con of the photo pass loosing MAP discount, being reduced from 5 photos to 4, then digital downloads now an optional extra. Picsolve and Merlin have been trying all sorts of cons this year like when you ask for the price of a photo, they say it is £10 and you get a free digital download when what they are hiding is the photo is only £8 and if you pay £2 you get the digital download. So basically charging the full price rather than giving the guest the option. When it comes to food, most people complain that the Burger Kitchen is over priced, with my MAP discount I find the price ok, but I guess with out the discount it is expensive. Look at PIzza Pasta, cheap at Chessington and Alton Towers, but a good 30% higher price at Legoland for no reason at all. On the merch side, look at the cost of the Alton Towers Monopoly game £30 with NO MAP discount, many people have refused to spend £30 on the game, with the MAP discount it would have been a reasonable price, but why not MAP discount? Seems a bit mean if you ask me. But on the plus side we do get some very good deals, like the drinks capsules £16 for an entire year or for me I paid £16 for for 15 months due to when I renewed my pass. Less than £1 per month and unlimited refills, you really can't argue it isn't value for money. I have filled my drinks capsule 50 times this year! I have got 20% discount at the food outlets 19 times also 20% discount in the shops 20 times as well (Sad I know I keep track of what rides I go on and what I spend!) For me the cost of the Merch was ok, apart from the cost of the Smiler themed items, way over priced. The food with MAP was good value, but the ORP were just a rip off this year and only purchased 1 physical photo and 2 digital only downloads this year. It would have been a hell of a lot more if the price was lower or the offer was similar to 2012.
  18. I wouldn't stay in a Travelodge, been in quite a few and I have to say uncomfortable beds, dirty rooms and just not very nice. I would rather pay £10 extra and stay at the Premier Inn which is much better quality. Stayed in the Premier in for Alton Towers last year (6 times) and didn't pay any more than £29 per room. I want quality AND value for money. Value is not spending the price of a Crash Pad or Alton Towers room when I can get the Premier in so cheap. At the end of the day I only want a good bed for the night and a nice breakfast. Quality is not staying at the cheapest hotel, so Travel lodges and we stayed in a really bad 'Quality hotel' the name didn't reflect the hotel. At the end of the day go with what you are happy with, if you are happy paying Crash pad prices or you only want to pay the minimum, do whatever you want. At the end of the day people vote with their feet, they will either keep booking rooms or stay elsewhere. The way I look at it when I go to Alton Towers is I can stay at their hotel, or for the same price, stay at the Premier Inn, have an evening meal, breakfast and pay for the petrol costs all for the same price.
  19. I am sure we will get a much better picture during the Feb half term event. If anything it does look like they are doing the place up rather than let it continue to rot. Let's wait to see their "New for 2014" attraction, the Flying Fish, I mean mine train with no theming.
  20. Festive Zoo day 7th December 2013 To start of with I was in two minds if I was going to go at all. The reason for this is that Legoland have been advertising on the local radio that they have 8 rides open, each child gets a Lego toy, free entry for the kids, it all sounded too good to be true. In reality all the rides Legoland had open were pants, and the cost to get in for adults was £20 for normal guests and £15 for annual pass holders. So this means two adults who own a pass will pay £30 to get in for most of the park to be closed, but if they went during the main season it is free entry and for normal guests it is still cheaper for them to go on a BOGOF and get the full experience..... Still a hell of a lot cheaper than Lapland UK of course. Where as for Annual pass holders it was free to get into Chessington. Then put the added advantage that our lunch would get MAP discount, free fizzy drinks, it was going to be a cheap day out. Looking on the Chessington Website, it is very clear there was going to be very little open. "7th - 9th, 14th - 16th December, 19th December – 5th January (excluding 25th December) - Open 10am - 3pm. NEW FOR 2013 - Take a magical adventure to visit Father Christmas* and his elves in a brand-new walkthrough attraction "The Night before Christmas - A Magical Adventure". When you enter the home of Father Christmas, you’ll find yourself in a world of wonder and excitement! Journey into the Elves workshop and help them make some very special toys. Discover how Mrs. Christmas makes all those delicious Christmas cookies in her kitchen. Assist the Head Elf in sorting through all those Christmas cards and letters in the Mail Room. Finally, enter the study of Father Christmas and show him your Christmas lists! Don’t forget to collect your free chocolate as you leave! That's not all - take your photo with our Reindeer or have a walk on the wild side and visit Trail of the Kings. See our Lions, Tigers, Gorilla, Binturong, Fossa and Lynx, then come face to face with the creature beneath the waves including sharks and rays in our SEALIFE Centre. Don’t miss our Sealions making a splash over at Sealion Bay, and be fearless explorers and brave snakes, lizards and spiders in Creepy Caves. Plus, with our daily animal shows there will be lots to see and do this winter." For those people who have moaned they don't get a present, it states you only get chocolate. I was disappointed to see there were no rides advertised as open on the website as previous Festive Zoo days have included Seastorm, Bubbleworks and Hocus Pocus. But it was very clear what you were going to get, half the Zoo, see Santa and no rides. If you had any additional expectations, you will only be disappointed. Plus there was no map to download showing you what was open. Here is a copy for those who are going to be visiting Entry to park This is something they got very right and very wrong at the same time. Let me explain... I checked the website the night before and the scrolling message said to get there early if you were an Annual Pass holder. So we got to Chessington at 09:25, we were the second lot of people at the gates. We were greeted by locked gates, no Christmas decorations, no members of staff. As the queue started to build guests were queuing on the Zebra crossing and delivery trucks were trying to get through, not very safe for young children. It really would not have hurt for Chessington to have a member of staff on the main gates to talk to guests and manage queuing on the Zebra crossing. It was not until 09:55 that a member of staff came to open the main gates. They were playing Christmas music inside the park, but guests queuing outside could not hear it. Now this is where things could have improved. Have at least one member of staff on the main gates at 09:30 to answer any questions and greet the guests, this really doesn't cost much but gives a better impression. Let guests through the main gates at 09:45, allow those purchasing tickets or retrieving Annual Passes to get them and other guests to go directly to the turn styles. It is madness that they have a perfectly good queuing system inside the park, but they choose to have their guests queuing over a zebra crossing with traffic trying to use the road. I won't go into details about an extremely rude guest who though queues were not for her and that everyone else "had to get out more" or "Have a hernia" when they pointed out she was queue jumping.. This would have been fixed with a member of staff getting guests into line. Then we were let in, got up to the machines to scan our tickets and I can say the staff were brilliant, asking guests if anyone had a birthday, singing happy birthday to somebody and getting everyone excited. Then at 10am we were let in, and Chessington have indeed done up the park. The lights are still in place from Halloween too. The Night Before Christmas walk-through Located in the Creaky Cafe, the venue itself is very small. After visiting and reading the description, Chessington really did oversell this attraction. The staff were very friendly and professional, yes we were the third group through the door as we chose to run directly here rather than queue for ages. Journey into the Elves workshop and help them make some very special toys. - You just walk into a room and a member of staff chats to you to kill time, this is all really Discover how Mrs. Christmas makes all those delicious Christmas cookies in her kitchen. - I didn't see any kitchen, there was talk about things she makes and some fake food (See picture below), but I'm sure everyone who has done this bit will remember "Don't touch" is all I can remember Assist the Head Elf in sorting through all those Christmas cards and letters in the Mail Room. - I must have missed this bit To be honest for a free attraction it was good, if you had paid just to come to see Santa, then I can understand how people would be disappointed with this. The theme was good, it was warm in there and we didn't queue, but there was a very big queue outside most of the day. AND of course there is the up selling part which Merlin can not resist, the photo with Santa, we got a photo and it was good quality, the Picsolve guy was on his own, he couldn't get the photos into the holder as they were not fitting, he couldn't get the photos into the photo Christmas tree decoration as the plastic was not fitting together. We were the 3rd group of guests through as a disable group had been fast tracked in front of us and already the queue to get photos was causing a delay in guests getting out of the Santa room. I mentioned to a member of staff about this bottle neck, I'm not sure if anything was done about it or not. I guess if I had waited 30+ mins for this, I would be disappointed. Employee of the month Somebody said they didn't have Christmas trees, I saw 4 of them in the kitchen area and more with Santa, here is proof of one of the trees The kitchen Meeting Santa Picsolve picture The queue was very long Rides I was very happy to see that there were rides open this year, I am guessing the reason for these not being advertised on the website is to only attract guests who want the Zoo and Santa and not guests who are expecting a full theme park. I can understand this, but looking at what was on offer, you have half the Zoo missing, some guests would be put off by no rides. But the park was very busy indeed, so it looks like they got this one right. I won't be returning for February half term as it was too busy last year and Alton Towers have a much better line up of things on. The Bubbleworks was the same as it always is, one or two effects fixed, but still in need of a good clean. Seastorm was good, the first time I went on it, I didn't realise the cars turned around. Hocus Pocus was good, either I had a pair of 3D glasses which were working well, but it looks like the place has had a good clean and the 3D effects looked better than normal. Food This is what really let our day down. They had the doughnut shack open at he main gate and the Market Square sweet shop open, but the only resturant open was the Chicken Shack. We wanted a Burger Kitchen, but that was closed and we could not get to Pizza Pasta as most of Market Square was a construction site. Now unless you could gain access to Pizza Pasta from the Childrens Zoo, it all looked very much closed off to us(See picture below). The Chicken Shack is just a nasty place, every time I go here, either high season, low season, it is just a nightmare. Now I have never had any complaints about the quality or taste of the food on any of my visits, in fact I prefer the food in there to Burger Kitchen, but the service is just so shocking and it is the same every time we go in there. Queue to get a table, the tables are too close so you bash into guests to get to your table. Then the queue to order food is always out of the door, the staff are either too slow or they do not have enough staff on and the knowledge of their very limited menu was not good. They could not work out how to get the post mix machine working so we could get our drinks. We had 1 kids chicken meal, 1 beef burger, 1 chicken burger and 1 Panini. We waited over 10 mins at the main counter, then was given a hot panini and no drinks as they would bring them over when they worked out how to use the machine. So 1 child had their full meal, but we we waited for ours. After 15 mins we queued up to remind the staff they had forgotten our drinks. Then the food I had seen under the hot lights for a good 10 mins was brought over to our table. It tasted good, but it is really not that difficult to have the food arrive at the same time. They really need to sort out the queue system or employ more staff as it is always very bad in there. Plus they need to learn how to clean properly, we sat at the table far right at the back, near the door where the staff took the used plates. The windows next to us had 6 live flies crawling over it, there were two dead wasps on the window seal and the amount of dust and old bits of food which had clearly been there since the main season really is off putting. The tables and the kitchen looked clean, but you would think that with the park being closed for 6 weeks, they would have done a deep clean of the whole place. But they put up some decorations Sealife Being an indoor attraction this was very popular, to be honest way too popular and busy, but the staff were on full form and for us it killed 20 mins of our time. The displays were fine and guests looked like they were enjoying themselves. Animals Sea Lions were good as normal, we missed the Penguin presentation, Otters and didn't bother with the Childrens Zoo as we have done those many times this year. Creepy Caves were closed but advertised on the website as open. The Reindeer were popular which you would expect. The Trail of the Kings was good and most of the animals were out despite the cold weather. Most of the glass viewing windows have been cleaned or replaced, so you can now see through and take pictures which has made a huge difference Construction work Market Square was closed and lots of building work was taking place, there were at least 3 lorry sized skips near the Black Buccaneer so it looks like the £5 million upgrade is going well. I was not able to get close to the Mine Train or RR. Fury did look in need of a good paint. Other photos taken on the day
  21. I'll upload the pics, there were some very large and I mean lorry sized skips near the Black Bucaneer (Full) and Market square was getting lots of work done. But I didn't get any pics of the Mine train or RR. As for rides, 0 mins for the rides, the Sealife Centre was packed, Creep Caves was also shut which was disappointing. Room for improvement would be to have the carousel open, Black buccaneer as well as more of the Zoo. TBH there is no reason why Zufari could not have been open, they only needed to switch off the water effects As an annual pass holder not paying any extra it was worthwhile, but I would not make this your main Christmas attraction, it was disappointing to only get a small chocolate, but I guess costs do add up. I would be happy to pay an optional £5 to grantee the kids get a small gift when they meet Santa. I agree the personal touch was missed, but what they need to do next year is to have at least 2 rooms with 2 Santas on the go improving the personal touch and increasing through put.
  22. Well I am going to disagree with some of the reviews above. Reading on the website, they clearly made out that only half of the Zoo was open, Sealife Centre, Santa walk through open and that was it. I was not happy they had these extra attractions open as to be honest looking at the line up I was thinking to myself that it wasn't worth going. But we all enjoyed ourselves and it killed 3 hours. So I came expecting to see Santa and only a few of their animals. But I was very happy to find out that the Bubbleworks, Seastorm and Hocus Pocus was open. For us these are all added extras. As an annual pass holder, we didn't pay to park, get in, nor did we pay for our fizzy drinks. The lunch in the Chicken Shack was cheaper than McDonalds and tasted very good. In the park, they did decorate it up nicely, some trees had lights on, they had decorations all down the main path, there was Christmas music playing at the main gate and in Santa's walk through. We followed advice from Chessington and turned up early, we were the second guests through the gate, we got straight in to see Santa. For NO ADDITIONAL charge, it was very well themed, the staff were friendly and it created a nice warm atmosphere. For our group it would have costed £30 for us to go to Legoland vs £0 for Chessington. As we got there early we only waited a few mins for the entire experience. I have to say I wouldn't be happy waiting 30mins + for it. There seems to be a load of work going on, I was going to do a trip report, but as so many members think it is a shambles, I will leave it, got quite a few good pics too. Now here come my negative comments: Entry to the park, the main gates were closed right up to 09:55, no member of staff there to talk to you, wish you Happy Christmas, basically all guests were left on their own, this was not good IMO. Put up some lights and decorations over the "Britain's Wildest Adventure" sign at least. Let your guests in to buy tickets and queue up at the turnstiles at 09:45 Now once we were let in the staff were brilliant, shame this was not the case while we queued for 35 mins outside the main gate. It is soimetimes the small things in life which make a big difference. Food - only the Chicken shack was open, so no PIzza Pasta or Burger Kitchen . So like every visit, the queue was mega long, staff didn't know what they were selling, very slow to serve guests, queue out the door and down the stairs. They were unable to supply us drinks (We had to queue twice to get drinks), our food was left under the hot lights for 5 mins before getting over to us. As always good tasting food, but shocking service. Cleaning, they have not properly cleaned the Chicken Shack, the window we were next to had 6 live flies crawling over it, the window seal had not been cleaned since the end of the last season as their was dirt, old bits of food and two dead wasps on it.
  23. I'd be interested to see what price the MAPs are in the January sale as I got mine for £75 last year... just an extra £20 and you get so much more thrown in.
  24. Well the last pictures we saw it did had red supports rather than the old brown. If you look at Flying Jumbos, they did a fantastic job on it, I really hope they don't do a cop out and do a Flying Fish as it simply would not be the same.
  25. http://www.chessington.com/plan-your-trip/festive-zoo-days.aspx You can now visit Santa's home in a walk through... Now is this a re-themed Hocus Pocus or something else?
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