Merry-go-girl

It's weird to think that Chessington's Halloween (oct 31st) event is over now, considering the evening has only just begun.

How were the crowds/queuing?

Good gracious that's a pretty dramatic response to guest feedback, and at a loss to them in up-sales. I'm quite taken aback.

Were you able to solve the mystery of HPH?

How many people actually know about the line their first time though? Most people I talk to were clueless.

Sorry, which doors do you mean?

I worry about the future of the goblins, there's cloth covering them and the sign up. They don't really fit into the Mystery storyline. Also, you normally hear goblin sound effects as you walk down the left hand side of the hall but yesterday...only music.

They're definitely doing something major in there, from the looks of it anyway. It definitely seemed to be more then a few extra lights and props. Also they seemed to have spruced up some of the outer walls.

You know what it almost seems like? I can imagine at some point in the conception stage someone bright suggested the pre-show as a means to make queuing on busy days less tiresome for people, and that in his mind it'd be designed to enhance the whole experience. But then he left and some derp who had delusions of Disney designed the whole thing to be a throughput nightmare.

Wow, is this attraction an odd duck. I went on a day as dead as you can get but the entire process of doing Zufari ate about 40 minutes of my day! Between getting to the site entrance, waiting to be let into the pre-show, the show itself (poor Lemur tried and tried but no cheering today) and then what seemed like ten minutes waiting for the jeep to start the whole thing is a giant queue. You get all this build up to something that literally seems to last about 7 minutes. I liked the ride, the animals are great, the getting thrown around in the truck was hilarious (anyone else reminded of Ace Ventura?), the cave was...an interesting way to wrap it all up. But I really feel like they went totally overboard for what the ride actually is. Like rapping a ring in a shoebox. There's just so much razzle-dazzle when all I really wanted was to just jump straight into the Jeep and go. Warm days in October really get the zebra's excited. *winkwink*

I asked the ticket vendor today and she seemed really confident they'll be accepting vouchers during half term, gave the coupon a good look and everything.

You went today? Drats we're off tomorrow, we could have met up. lol

Last year they were accepting 2for1 vouchers during the half term despite the coupons saying they weren't actually valid during those dates, do you think the same will happen this year?

...I'm glad it benefits everyone else, especially because this year has been a bit of a downer for the park. Still quietly pouting in the corner though.

Not too happy that Hocus Pocus Hall is now closed till the event begins, means I've missed my chance to do it this year. *pout*

So no RMT, no RR, a chunk of the zoo out of commission, on the website HPH and Kobra are listed as being unavailable...it's a little unethical for them to still be charging people full price tickets at this point.

So with the Monkey and bird garden a building site how much of the wildlife from that side of the zoo is still on show?

It's actually an effective piece of marketing, they got a mention in most papers and that put them on the Wright Stuff. And luckily most adults understood the intention was humorous.

If an experienced person was going to Hocus Pocus would they choose Friday the 25th or Tuesday the 29th?

Even in the slightest breeze the pods near the top sway like they're about to go flying off, it's been windy this week so perhaps they thought it best not to scare the crap out of guests?

Do Chessington give an ETA on the completion of the Monkey and Bird garden works?

It's better then the Nag's Head.

The Monkey Puzzle should embrace their neighbour. If it were me I'd capitalise on the situation by renaming the pub to something like the Shrieky Bat and market towards Chessington guests who need dinner after they leave the park.

Chessington is primarily a family park so the Halloween event is supposed to be spooky but not especially scary. Thorpe is more body parts and escaped mental patients, Chessington is more bed-sheet ghosts and witches.

On a good day there are bat chirping sounds in the cave, but I guess you would whoosh through too fast to be able to hear it.