HermanTheGerman

^ Neither do Thorpe...

If there is a standard queue. Good luck to the people queuing for Valentine... Quid were horrendous on that last year, without Reserve and Rise!

Can I just say that both Ripsaw and Rameses have been busy this year. Ripsaw peaked at a 35min wait in July, and Rameses hit 90 during the Easter break. Don't say these rides aren't popular! They just need the right weather!

^ Why on earth would we want more references to the abomination that is the Shark Hotel?

Huss Pirate Ships with airgates can get well over 1000pph. I don't know what I'd want to see for the next investment. Just please sort out Ranger County. It's looking awful and it's totally irrelevant now.

Or Towers opening their HIGHEST CAPACITY RIDES an hour after park opens (Congo River and Skyride!) Personally, I think its quite impressive that they don't just shut the park on these days, I think they need to have over 500 people in order to make a profit, hence why they shut the rides for a hour or so to counteract the issue.

Get me a cafe and a heater. Job done.

You can't blame them for leaving Runaway. Whilst it would've helped with the atrocious queues last year, I think it was the better choice to re-develop it for this year. As by about mid July, it was pretty clear to the park that what should have been their finest moment was a complete shambles. I believe that they decided to almost give up on 2013 and instead put all efforts into making 2014 the year 2013 should have been. Again this is a guess, but its pretty clear. They obviously weren't going to have any money for a major attraction and Amazu and the hotel weren't going to pull the crowds. The re-working of Scorpion created one of the busiest periods at Chessington in years. The park was almost at capacity daily, sometimes even over! It might be worth pointing out that a lot more money than we think was spent on this year, a lot more! Merlin do see a bright future for the park, otherwise so much money wouldn't have been spent on a second hotel!

^ I'm pretty sure they could utilise the Creaky Cafe site for a small stage.

^ It is returning. Why would people leaving mean the attraction would have to depart?

^ There may be one minor addition next year, nothing special. Its only fair really, we've just had two consecutive years of major investment.

See whilst I understand what you mean, both with most new attractions involving water and more demand for investment in other areas, I still think that there is a need for a rapids ride. As people don't necessarily ride Zufari or Scorpion Express to cool down, on a hot day Falls will always be the attraction with a lengthy queue (during the easter break the ride was almost on a constant two hours!). Young families that want to have a cool off the only options are Bubbleworks and Scorpion Express, neither of which get you properly wet. To be honest, the only thing I think Chessington need more than a rapids is a relatively thrilling, high capacity coaster. Maybe a tame Mack Mega coaster? The exact same could be said for Monkey Swinger and Rameses...

Really? Lack of water and high capacity rides are what I think to be two of Chessington's biggest issues. And a rapids would solve both of these problems.But yes, there isn't really anywhere where they could actually put one. As the park is pretty much all level. :/

With slight remodeling of the area a rapids about the size of Rumba could be able to fit on the picnic field next to Buccaneer, the only issue being that that field may be greenbelt. Other than that though, the only other potential area for a ride that size would be Toadies.

^ A) Saw doesn't get over 1000pph, its target is around 950. (D) Colossus requires a dispatch as soon as the second train hits the brakes in order to get close to 1000pph. C) Rattlesnake was getting just under 500pph (which I know, isn't great) the other day, dispatched as soon as one had cleared the lift. D) Zufari's (achievable) target is 1000pph during peak times when it runs all trucks. E) Monkey Swinger with two hosts can also get over 1000. Other than through Chessie's throughputs are pretty poor. The only ride not mentioned that gets near its target is Rameses when only running one cycle (which it does in the Summer), the other day, it was achieving just over 830pph, a full ride was being sent by the time we had finished exiting and were by Jumbos!

After looking at Chessie's FB page, I noticed someone has written a small message of disappointment: HA, hilarious! She cracks me up!

Well, with Fury and especially Falls being down then I would expect the queues to have been that length. Just be thankful you weren't there last summer, as at one point queues peaked at: - Vampire 240mins (train two was broken) - Bubbleworks 100 minuets - Tomb Blaster 120mins - Fury 120mins - Zufari 180mins - Kobra 120mins - Rattlesnake 90mins - Falls 140minuets Yes those were actually wait times late August last year. But still, today can't have been far off capacity with both those rides down?

Ahhhh, yes. That was only a guess, implied by the "I believe". From what I've been told, in its opening year, Vampire played a track with a large amount of SFX, more than the one that had been in use over the last few years. It was switched to the one on the Doom and Gloom album the following year. Now this is just speculation but I assume it was changed so that it didn't distract from the rest of the amazing piece. Again in just guessing, but I suspect the track was altered again in 1998 when the ride was slightly re-branded. But then again, it could have happened at any point, the lighting changes all the time as well! I agree, it is disappointing to hear what is being played at the minuet, at lease the looping has been sorted!

I have to say, whilst the list of factors that make Merlin crap isn't far off endless, there is a fair few things they do well, in fact most things they have improved. Hell, they've even improved a fair few cock ups from the supposed 'glory days' in the 90s, such as: Cred Street and the Burger Kings etc. Things have definitely changed massively from the early to mid noughties. Some of their parks are now growing by leaps and bounds. Chessington went from a rapidly decaying park barely held together by sponsorships and second hand rides, to somewhere with two hotels, very impressive new areas (Wild Asia) and extremely creative themes (Scorpion Express). Attendance at the park is very close to what it peaked at in 2000. Only a few hundred thousand difference as opposed to around one million differance in 2006! Alton's deserted Black Hole tent as now become their most popular attraction, and areas like Mutiny Bay are immersive and atmospheric. Even small things like the Monorail refurb go along way, that is something we certainly wouldn't have seen before, even during the 90s. Although, having said that, the only thing they have done to Thorpe that I've enjoyed is The Swarm, the rest they managed to completely spoil. From the (previously immersive) Amity Cove, to the generalization of the whole park. Some of the things that they do work wonders, and are really very enjoyable, but some things, like letting Nemmy's monster and Katanga Canyon fall into the state they're in now really gets under my skin!

^ They had a maze called the Krypt in the events marquee in Wild Asia during the 2011 event. I believe the maze was ditched due to a very poor throughput.

It'd be an excellent excuse to keep the chainsaw scene!

Either that or it's the new marketing director!

Up until very recently, as in the last two weeks recently. Tomb had been achieving a max throughput of 450pph. That must have been the joy you witnessed.

I have to say, that is pretty arrogant. I'm hoping that Paramount opens, and fails, so that Merlin panic and do some rapid (and quality) investing, see how much the gate figures raise, and continue to invest in the same way even after Paramount is abandoned.

Its funny how that same person said that Tomb gets 800. Which is still out dated. On my last visit, I clocked in a throughput of 800pph on Tomb, when only four trains were operating! And, I'll be the first to admit, Vampire's operations are awful!