Mark9

I have been that employee Zufari29. I was there telling guests Runaway had 'technical difficulties' when the whole back wall of Runaway train's queue-line fencing gave way, I was ordered to close Rattlesnake as fast as possible after the fire exit door leading from Mexicana into Rattlesnake's main ride area collapsed. I know all that, it comes up time and time again, every time someone dares to question why things aren't refurbished or asks why the park is allowed to fall beyond disrepair before anyone gives a damn about it. Instead of the priority of the park being "how can we entice our guests to come back season after season" it's "how can we save an hours worth of pay here and there" or "how can we budget cut Zufari as far as possible, despite this being our first real shot at a major Chessington attraction." If all areas of the park is facing budget cuts because of low visitor numbers then the park needs to ask itself why aren't people visiting our theme park. If Blue Fire can attract a two hour queue on a Friday afternoon in the middle of theme parks quietest part of the year then why can't Chessington achieve this (without of course running the rides so badly that it has a two hour queue because the staff are more interested in you pretending to flap your arms instead of dispatching the rides). The theming demolition is one aspect of a greater problem at the park. I don't for one minute believe that the management at the park have no passion for the place, they clearly love what they do so my points aren't completely directed at them. In my post, I never apportioned blame to Chessington. In the eyes of a normal, park visiting person the name above the door is Chessington. To all intents and purposes, it is Chessington that the buck stops with. I won't step into a Giraffe restaurant, be disappointed with the food and start laying into Tesco and it is the same with park guests visiting Chessington. As you say it's supposed to be a discussion. When I talk of Chessington's destroyed theming and scaffold covered Tomb Blaster queue-line I always try and see it from a once in a lifetime visitor. That wasn't belittling, I just really struggle to see how the dressing down of Chessington because of lack of care over the past 25 years can be defended. No offence was intended.

Congratulations for completely missing the point then. The fact is, the park has been owned by Merlin since mid 2007. In that time next to nothing has been done to maintain Tomb, Runaway or Falls. It took the near death of a little girl last June for any kind of work to actually start to occur. Tussauds aren't just to blame for what has happened to the park in all that time, Merlin are just as responsible as Tussauds as while Merlin pumped over 30 million into Thorpe and Alton, Chessington got next to nothing levels of investment in new attractions or refurbishing rides that really were past their best. It's the year when Zufari opens, that the park really had a chance to show what they had to a new audience. Instead these new guests are being treated to naked and ugly rides, decaying theming on Vampire and Bubbleworks and Skyride trains that look like they fell through a time vortex from 1987. I don't see any work happening to Skyway and considering how knackered I know it is I can only assume the only reason it isn't closed for a full on refurbishment is because it isn't seen as dangerous.. yet. What Merlin are doing isn't actually upsetting me, I'm a grown adult and I've learnt that behind the magic is a management that lack any real power to do anything worthwhile with their park. But its the guests that walk into a park that see things like Tomb and Runaway covered in scaffolding or Falls missing rockwork that is missing out. And I think that's a shame.

Hell with it. I don't think there's any point in visiting the park this season. Zufari won't be enough of a reason to go if I have to see Tomb, Runaway Train and Dragon Falls in these naked, dilapidated state. I go to a theme park to see rides and stories, not construction (or more correctly, demolition sites) and Chessington is not delivering at all. Whilst the theming may return and they may be better then the previous versions, it isn't what I grew up with and it won't be the same for me. The park, instead of looking to the future, is having to revisit the past and this could have detrimental effects. I truly hope this is a wake up call for the rest of the Merlin establishments that if you don't start to look after your rides, theming and areas they will end up like Chessington's 2013 season. An utter shambles.

Thats because you aren't experienced Benin. American viruses are much better then European ones.

Thanks to invertalon on Theme Park Review. That really is a work of art. And thats why you buy B&M. Opened today with a rather pitiful four hour queue. Is that all you can muster Gatekeeper, IS THAT IT!

A Mack or an Intamin would suit the park to a tee. it pains me to say it, but a ride like Expedition Ge Force would fit into Oakwood like a glove.

I would but last time I was in Blackpool, this man and his stag do kept calling me a ******. So I'm not fond of Blackpool.

Yeah Saw, nice try in upstaging the Smiler.

Hmm. It looks impressive zooming around that tangled track. The on-ride video doesn't inspire much hope that it will be a ride that matures with age. Her head was flapping about like mine does on Saw at several points during the video. Still, always remain positive, it looks like a very fast ride and takes you all over the place.

I think Benin, more then most on TPM can comment on Cedar Point considering he has been to the park in the past. I can only judge by pictures and what I experienced in Florida which is what I'm doing. Besides, apart from Dragster, Millennium Force and at a push Mean Streak, Cedar Point have never been a park that goes "LOOK AT THE SIZE OF MY DROPS". Thats always been Magic Mountains job.

You're right, it can't be a destroyed Church. It could be an underground bunker, it could be an eagles nest, it could be a godly sanctum where you, as the rider take on an almighty quest to discover the hidden gate keeper creature. As I said, it's a typical American coaster. Stylised and modern but not themed as such.

Double Post but it's been four days so meh. It's good news for anyone wanting to ride Monster at Walygator but was afraid the park had closed for good, it has new owners who are looking to invest properly into the park. Rides that have been dormant for a while are being reopened and Monster itself will have a station and it's third train reinstated for the 2014 season. For those that don't know, Monster originally opened in Japan as Orochi, but when that park closed due to safety concerns (and a fatality on a togo stand up coaster), Monster was put up for sale and its safe to say french enthusiasts were stunned when Walygator purchased it. Since then, Monster left the park crippled financially and it looked like Walygator may have closed down for good. Fortunately this hasn't happened.

Whilst I don't deny I'd sell my family to go out to the point and ride it, I do admit that when watching the video, it just strikes me another big and brash but ultimately bland American B&M coaster.

The majority of the parks target audience would want free entry for everyone, unlimited fastpasses and 10,000 foot high rollercoasters with twenty inversions. They can have their radio tunes on Vortex, Zodiac, Quantum, Rush and Flying Fish as long as they keep the themed music on Colossus, Inferno and Swarm.

Whats more stupid is peoples obsession with taking their shoes off in the first place.

Yo Spider, I went to PortAventura last June (the 12th-15th) and to be honest its a gamble on how busy it would be. When we arrived on the Tuesday, Shambhala and Khan were on one train operation and there was barely anyone in the park. On the Wednesday, Shambhala and Khan were on two trains and queues ranged from 10-30 minutes. On the Friday, the park was packed out with hour queues for the majority of the big rides. If you're staying in the hotels (which I'll get to in a second), the best bet is to get the fastpass package. Benin and I are going in September and we have fastpass included and whatever you pay is for the whole of your stay. We opted for the front row package as there are no proper front row queues at PortAventura. As for hotels, we stayed in the Western themed one and it was really nice and quite relaxed. There wasn't many small kids around as I think the family groups tended to go for the other hotels which are slightly cheaper. The Western hotel had an awesome view as well like this:- which for a coaster geek like me, kept me entertained for hours.

The majority don't, hence why it's been stuck on one arm operation for ten years.

Zodiac (the I) was a knackered old funfair ride. Zodiac (the II) was a brand new model from Huss. And lets be frank here, the motions an enterprise goes through are nothing in comparison to a top scan being run on even a low setting. We would literally be seeing history repeat itself if a new top scan was to be introduced.

It was 'buggering' about after 4 years of hard operation at Chessington, for example it spent a lot of 2003 closed for maintenance as it was being run into the ground. They thought the refurbishment would extend its life a lot longer then it has proven to. Whilst a new one would make sense, I would hope that Thorpe are slightly more ambitious with a replacement ride.

Batman the ride is pretty well rated. I didn't think much of the clone in Spain though, too many sections where the train is just coasting slowly between inversions.

Ironically, it's you and EC that are the haters.

I had someone say that on Griffins Galleon. I wouldn't read anything into that one persons opinion.

The Worlds first stuff works unfortunately. As was proven with The Swarm, if you don't capture the publics imagination with these epically large tag lines, they don't visit in their droves. The 14 inversion record may only last a year (unlikely considering the track record of Goudurix, Khan and Colossus), but it will be enough to secure The Smiler for the public. Really though, this is a rollercoaster that so far has something for everyones. Its got enthusiasts tongues wagging with the videos and the promos and the public will become aware of it far more with the 14 inversion tagline.

Seems to be a general attack on Merlin over the last page or so. Can we keep in mind that for 20 years, Tussauds did next to nothing with Runaway, Falls and Tomb and when they did do something with Falls, they just destroyed the rockwork with no intention of replacing it. I am sad for the loss of all the fantastic theming but that is nostlagia talking. When we talk of 2012 Runaway for example, decaying rockwork and scaffolding barely standing is not fit for purpose. I truly hope that Merlin are going to do these original rides justice because without them the park wouldn't be where it was in the 90's and the park would be a far worse a place to visit.