November 25, 20159 yr comment_223943 DRAGON FALLS IS NOT BEING THEMED AGAIN EVER. Just live with it. Or go to a theme park that gives a toss about its themed attractions. That sounds like a better alternative then visiting Chessington right now.
November 25, 20159 yr comment_223947 Parks like DLP & Efteling look after their parks a lot more than Chessington (or all Merlin parks to be fair). They have more love and dedication in their nails than Chessington has in its whole body in regards to making a park good. I'm sure the same can be said in regards to Europa Park, Phantasialand, PA & Liseberg (amongst other European parks).
November 25, 20159 yr comment_223948 Nope, utterly wrong about dedication. The reason it is a low standard is because the people who can make a difference are given no time and a budget of 2p. Chessington has some of the most dedicated people I'm aware of who care a lot more about the park than 90% of enthusiasts actually do. It's a shame the management system doesn't offer enough opportunity, but it's been like that for years now before Merlin. Thing are improving though, so no point being pessimistic when things that have been asked for years are now starting to materialise.
November 29, 20159 yr comment_224091 I'm probably way ahead of myself, but why repaint Vampire entrance if it's not going to be used again!?https://m.facebook.com/Themeparkuk/(sorry can't link directly to picture on phone!)
November 29, 20159 yr comment_224093 Because it looked awful after not being repainted for 25 years? Really, why is there a cynical response whenever something actually good happens? It isn't being used as the entrance again (much to the frustration of everyone), but the teams pushing to get all the old worn exteriors repainted are doing a great job. Be thankful that side of the job is being done.
November 29, 20159 yr comment_224096 I'm probably way ahead of myself, but why repaint Vampire entrance if it's not going to be used again!?https://m.facebook.com/Themeparkuk/(sorry can't link directly to picture on phone!) Vampire? There hasn't been any rumours about it closing has there? Or are you talking about the other photo that looks like Tomb Blaster?
November 29, 20159 yr comment_224097 Really, why is there a cynical response whenever something actually good happens? Unless I've missed something, I see no cynical responses?
November 29, 20159 yr comment_224098 Unless I've misinterpreted "Why repaint the Vampire entrance if it's not going to be used?!" as meaning 'why bother' when that's not what Adam meant? Anyway let's just say "yayyyee it's not going to look green and mouldy anymore" instead.
November 29, 20159 yr comment_224099 Vampire? There hasn't been any rumours about it closing has there? Or are you talking about the other photo that looks like Tomb Blaster? They were talking about the old ENTRANCE for vampire, the one that isn't used any more.
November 29, 20159 yr comment_224100 I have to say I don't see the point in re-painting it if it's not going to be used, actually didn't think it looked that bad?!
November 29, 20159 yr comment_224101 It was appalling considering how it used to look. The point is that it's attention to detail.
November 29, 20159 yr comment_224102 It looked pretty poor to be honest. A lot of the old details had disappeared, and parts of it had been very blatantly plastered over, in an attempt to stop it from cracking.
November 29, 20159 yr comment_224104 Whether it is going be used or not, I am just glad another derelict and rundown area of the park is receiving much needed love. Chessington as a whole needs a major touch up and if there's lots of major improved upkeep for 2016, I will be ten times happier of this being the investment in the park over a new ride. This probably says a lot of how the state of the park has been in recent years probably.
November 29, 20159 yr comment_224111 I agreed with electric bill, if it requires painting because it looks old, then paint it. If this was disney they would do, so why not Chessington. I think its great that after years of no investment, finally now theres a small group of staff that are going to try and make a difference. I hope that 2016 will be the turn around year.
November 29, 20159 yr comment_224115 Basically the scrapping of this supposed "new ride" has given Chessington the opportunity to open their eyes, realise the current state the park is in...and do a little spring cleaning! I currently have full trust that Chessington are now doing everything they can to freshen up the old rides and make them look new again.
November 29, 20159 yr comment_224120 I have to say I don't see the point in re-painting it if it's not going to be used, actually didn't think it looked that bad?! It's not often that Chessington repaint things, so don't say there's no point or it won't happen again! In all seriousness though, repainting sections of the park is vital even if they aren't being used as it makes it look much cleaner and adds to the overall feel of the park. Of course they could actually use it again and get rid of the awful metal pole signage, but that's for a different debate!
November 29, 20159 yr comment_224122 The problem is that often repainting or refurbs often come at the expense of some actual investment into the park... Meant to be a new ride next year, but perhaps due to the pursestrings being tightened we can only afford some paint...
November 29, 20159 yr comment_224124 Precisely. A bit of paint is great but the fundamental issues at Chessington remain. Capacity on several rides is still crippled and rides like Skyway and Tomb seem to be beyond repair. I hope there's more going on then infrastructure refurbishments because the ride side of Chessington is on a knife edge.
November 29, 20159 yr comment_224126 As far as I understand it, more money has been spent on ride refurbishment than what was "planned" for the mythical 2016 ride anyway.
November 30, 20159 yr comment_224153 But again what needs more painting, the entrance which isn't used for Vampire, or Vampire itself? in the whole sense of what's going to be done and not done this close season, if it's not going to be used I still don't see the point still taking into account most people just walk past it to get to the entrance.
November 30, 20159 yr comment_224154 It's not a case of painting the entrance OR the track. To me that entrance is one of the last remaining parts that still gives off that fun old Gothic Vampire flair, not the track (which has been jet washed already as you may have noticed). To repaint the track you'd have to spent weeks doing it and get lots of contractors harnessed up, and would need additional budgeting for. To repaint the entrance you simply have to scaffold one small area and spend 2 days painting it with contracted scenic artists, which comes under the park's presentational/creative budget. They both need painting, ideally it would all be done together but it's not like a choice of one or the other. If guests can see it and enjoy it then of course it matters a lot.
November 30, 20159 yr comment_224155 Whether people actually walk through that entrance or not is pretty irrelevant, it's in a very prominent position and to see something which could be considered useless but aesthetically pleasing getting attention is a very encouraging thing. Where there is paint there is hope...
December 5, 20159 yr comment_224279 I'm no expert, but I believe Chessington is getting a new(ish) logo to replace their old one. See this magnet CWOA sold this year: Then on the Merlin Annual Pass website, this is visible: So yeah... New for 2016 - LOGO?!
December 5, 20159 yr comment_224280 If they paid someone to design that 'new' logo then they deserve to go bankrupt through incompetence.
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