Imagineer

Euro-Mir for its spiral lift hill...mirrors, Russian ness, spinning, not-spinning. It's just madness.

Also for comparison a 1 day/2 park ticket to DLP is £54.24 and for that the park is open 10am until 11pm, (10am - 9pm for Studios) with so much more to do and free fastpass...

Note: For some reason I am unable to post photos or even past in links to my photos...I'll try and work it out. I rode Ratatouille twice last week and I have to say I was very impressed. I loved the way that the ride vehicles move, it really makes you feel like you're on a rat when they move in different directions and reform in another order. The 1st scene is the only one where you really notice the floor, but it is kind of worth it because of the way the effect on entering the room is great. Lots of sights and smells too throughout the ride. You also end up with a view of the restaurant which looks very nicely themed! Queues were long for both days I was there. (It only opened at 1pm on the first day, perhaps for filming because they had planters blocking the way.) On the 2nd day the queue on arrival at the park at 9:30am was all the way back to the entrance of the park from the initial 'studio' building. (Along the back path and then down the centre of the park). However there was a cast member giving out fast passes if you showed your park tickets! That meant we didn't have to queue at ALL. When we returned for our fastpass slot (10:40) the queue was basically covering the whole area and up out towards Tower. Overall though I think this is a great addition to the park.

I used to live near where Grimmauld Place was filmed. It's crazy how close it is to the real thing - and quite strange too, to see it in a theme park when I used to walk past the building every day.

They've done this for a couple of years at least. Save on the staffing budget.

What I found amusing about HPH's emergency stop button was that it cut the power to the CCTV. Surely those conditions it would be useful to see inside the attraction? I brought this up all the time and nothing was done about it.

Above the Mexican Cantina is Entertainments and Picsolve, so no Bubbleworks props there!

I know the pipes got moved to the Ents tech store and were still there when I left. It's a shame it all got lost and yet I emptied a shipping container that had the staging for Trick or Treat door in the early 00's and another container that had lights from the Circus in them!

Insider, you're literally an eejit. I've never said that Tech Services didn't do a lot. I'm simply disputing your point that "Entertainments don't know anything about audio systems". As I wasn't seasonal there is no "being asked back", too.

Now you're talking rubbish. Where's your proof that "all of these occasions Technical Services were called"? You've asked me for mine - now show me yours! What else is there to the system? Audio source (No CD players are used at Chessington) goes to amplifier, which goes to the speakers. They are simple systems. Only market square has a sound desk involved (or did). That doesn't mean that Ents wouldn't be able to complete something more difficult. Wild Asia might be a different story but Technical Services can't even fix the PA/Announcements on Temple/Bus due to the broken wires under the surface. Obviously you work at Chessington now and you won't be swayed by what I'm saying. You don't seem to accept that departments often work together. It's attitudes like yours that made me leave Chessington. Whats the point of working somewhere where everyone is out for themselves?

I replaced the player in Market Square with the idAL microplayer and ran speakers for the Market Square Halloween shows. I installed the audio systems for the Christmas shows in the Chicken Shack and, in fact, I also installed the audio system in the Chicken Shack. I fixed the external audio for Hocus Pocus Hall whilst this was still under the control of Entertainments. I purchased the system for the Coffee Hut & Africa shop - but this was installed by Technical Services. Not because I don't have the knowledge but because I didn't have the tools or the time to do it. What about Haunting in the Hollows (first year) which was installed entirely by Entertainments? I'm not saying that Technical Services don't (or didn't) get involved in it. They do and obviously the two departments (at least when I was there) worked closely. Areas of responsibility cross over when it comes to drilling into walls to support a speaker. What I'm getting angry about it the fact that you said "Entertainments doesn't have any technical audio knowledge" which is a lie. Perhaps that is what it is like now? I do not know.

My degree and previous experience perhaps says otherwise. In this park. Doing this very job. Where I actually installed systems.

Entertainments certainly used to have responsibility for the audio systems around the park and did maintain them as well. This was at least until December of 2012. Tech Services did of course have input, especially when cables to speakers needed replacing.

Probably Comm Opps getting sick of the music and turning it off...

3 year contract, show written by Dreamworks not Merlin/Chessington... Only got the show because it was shared between Chessington and Dreamland (?) in Australia and therefore the cost of producing the script/records was halved.

That's because most of the season for going to countries that have a Safari is during a dry season - so that it is easier to spot the animals. In theme parks obviously spotting the animals through thick grasses isn't really a problem!

The initial contract was for 3 years.

It'll be the same trains I think.

I uploaded the file so it would've been safe...I assume? I don't have (and don't know) the Transylvania H'ween with Howling though. Sorry.

this one? http://speedy.sh/HDt7K/001Trail-of-the-Kings.mp3

http://www.chessington.com/press/image-bank/images/christmas/fullsize/chessington-father-christmas.jpg For comparison...this is the Santa used for the previous 2/3 years.

The Santa looks quite young, and the beard is quite unconvincing.

Dinosaur at Animal Kingdom. Cry like a baby.

The Scorpion. (or similar)

I've heard rumours that RMT is getting a new name. The new name that I've heard would suggest that the rocks aren't going to come back and, I would think that it looks more like a Flying Fish...