Well the queueline has been refurbished, which is better than nothing right?

Rather the queue line than the ride! The Vampire can't go because when I can drive this year it won't know what hit it! Plus, the possibility of working on this ride next season gives me goose bumps! The Vampire Nerd!

I really like The Vampire and it was my first ride and btw I'm nearly 20 ^^I think that Vampire will be massively-refurbished or will be replaced by a newer model. The new coaster at AT is not a coaster going in at a new site but a replacement one.Maybe Chessie could replace Vampire with a 4-seat Suspended-Swinging Coaster and to make it a lil' bit more enjoyable, it could be built into the ground which will allow it to have more height but not go over the treeline or be that visible.Everyone says getting planning for a replacement coaster for Vampire will be hard but if Alton get Nemesis, AIR and Oblivion is should be not that much trouble to get a replacement coaster for Vampire.If CWoA are really serious - they would go to that extent.

Right but you see the thing is Vampire in 1990 did a lot of damage in terms of noise pollution. It was a noise machine and so since then building new rides has been extremely difficult. Building an exact replica wouldn't do much as it would be essentially the same ride at the same cost. And a major problem with doing anything to Vampire is that you've got the Bubbleworks on top. You've got to remember that Merlin have been doing a lot with Vampire recently, a new food unit built and a new refurbished queueline means that if anythings going to happen, it will not be a replacement ride.I personally think it's got a long future at the park. It's still after Dragons Fury, the parks most important ride and more notibly is almost the exact defintion of a family rollercoaster.

Right but you see the thing is Vampire in 1990 did a lot of damage in terms of noise pollution. It was a noise machine and so since then building new rides has been extremely difficult. Building an exact replica wouldn't do much as it would be essentially the same ride at the same cost. And a major problem with doing anything to Vampire is that you've got the Bubbleworks on top. You've got to remember that Merlin have been doing a lot with Vampire recently, a new food unit built and a new refurbished queueline means that if anythings going to happen, it will not be a replacement ride.I personally think it's got a long future at the park. It's still after Dragons Fury, the parks most important ride and more notibly is almost the exact defintion of a family rollercoaster.

You don't know how happy you have made me saying 'I personally think it's got a long future at the park' !!!

Vampire is an instrumental part of Chessington and a must-ride for any visitor to the park. I feel it would be a catastrophic mistake to remove it. It does need some little things tweaked though. I also Love the Vampire to bits ( also my first Coaster )

Vampire is an instrumental part of Chessington and a must-ride for any visitor to the park. I feel it would be a catastrophic mistake to remove it. It does need some little things tweaked though. I also Love the Vampire to bits ( also my first Coaster )

I am glad I am not the only one! Colossus was my first! talk about getting straight in there! Anyway, Back on topic

I really hope it doesn't go as personally I think it's the best ride in the park!

I really hope it doesn't go as personally I think it's the best ride in the park!

I am sure that as long as Vampire doesn't cause major financial issues that it will stay.After all, CWoA & Zoo won't be guaranteed to place a rollercoaster in Vampire's current location.So Vampire should hopefully be at CWoA & Zoo for quite a few more years! :P

The truth is it probably won't go for at least a long time, but it will be removed some day, as every rollercoaster can only do so much before it does become really unreliable and costly. Vampire was build in 1990 and around 2000 it started to age and cause problems and the ride re-furbished with new trains in 2001 with a new lease on life.The new ride opened in 2001 and it's now been 9 years since the refurbished Vampire opened. I don't see anything wrong with Vampire but it has been 20-years and I'd be suprised if Vampire lasted more than 10-years. I personally love Vampire because it was the very first coaster I rode and I hope it stays as long as possible.

As great as it is, all rides have a shelf life and the Arrow Suspended coaster is supposedly 25 years...I think Chessington will do all in there power to keep it, but when it becomes cost ineffective, it will go :PAlthough isn't there a thing where if a building or something is there for a considerable amount of time, it can be replaced with the same or similar structure?Hopefully this would solve the problem of once the rides gone nothing can replace it.

I would hope Chessington have a plan with the Vampire situation. A lot of the ride is built on green belt land and quite frankly it'll be a miracle to get anything else built there once it's removed.One thing on Chessington's side now I guess is the new technology with rides becoming very quiet and you can do some very clever things with sound technology these days. Hopefully with some clever planning they may stand a chance of putting another fantastic family attraction there once Vampire has finished serving the park.

...once Vampire has finished serving the park.

I will have the rope and stool ready!

Well if you look into the Vampire situation a little deeper...The ride originally closed in 2001 as it had become cost ineffective, and it was seen as costing too much to maintain with such small amount of parts available to be sourced - and plans had started to be drawn up with what they were going to do next with the area - they were going to dismantle Vampire and build a totally different type of ride with the whole area - and remember how large the area is! It spans down from the back of Trail of the Kings all the way down to 'Rig Site' (which is located at the bottom of Black Forest Haunt, behind the metal gates), and obviously up to the Black Buccaneer. Obviously as with every Tussauds update or changing of an area, all different plans were considered. I believe they did invest on the help of John Wardley to essentially - and I quote - 'dig a huge hole and see how we could fit a B&M Inverted into it', however with the water table, surrounding buildings and other such factors, this stopped them and they then took up the path of leaving Vampire as it was. There was obviously everything there; the track, the station, the queue line and surrounding pathways and theming, however much it might have been nice to refresh the area, the idea of refurbishing the ride and what not was a much more viable option and they used Arrow to basically refurbish many parts of the track which had issues, restore many of the supports and also deepen some of the pits in the ride area for clearance.I'm not sure wether or not they stripped the station of theming before or after the refurbishment however I think it was for safety reasons - such as the gates (not that they are much use anymore) and also obviously a new PLC; the essentially made the ride new again and all that exists from the previous one is the track, only the containing building, track and a few supports. Just thought I'd post that condensed down if people hadn't known about it already!

Station was gutted by maintenance contractors who had to lower the floor to accomodate the new trains (look on the walls, you can see the old level of the station, and if you look on the farewell vampire video, you'll notice the lovely drop down between the platforms).The gates obviously went with that, as the floor was lowered, and they simply chose the quick cheap option of getting vekoma to install the airgates (goes in pairs you see - hence they don't fit with the ride!). Fun.

Unfortunately this cheap bit of plastic is staying.

Unfortunately this cheap bit of plastic is staying.

Good. The best coaster at the park, in my opinion.

Good. The best coaster at the park, in my opinion.

I think we've all forgotten about Dragons Fury, which actually gives you some Thrill! Vampire just..... moves... slowly

I think we've all forgotten about Dragons Fury, which actually give you some Thrill! Vampire just..... moves... slowly

Dragons Fury is a good thrilling ride, but it doesn't hold a candle to Vampire's theme or atmosphere...

Vampire is a great, fun, atmospheric coaster. I certainly am very, very happy its staying

I think we've all forgotten about Dragons Fury, which actually give you some Thrill! Vampire just..... moves... slowly

That's your opinion. I prefer Vampire, I love how it swings through the trees and just keeps building up speed and then fly's through the tunnel. And it's even better in the rain.

It was great last year as the trees had not been trimmed and you could only just brush the leaves as the train flew over!Though not a very thrilling rollercoaster, I have always found that last turn into the station to be surprisingly speedy and intense! It certainly catches all the younger riders out. it is the same when it ducks into the tunnel as the train swings quite violently to the left.

Obviously this was 'fangtastic' news to me! :angry:In reality, yes, it may not be the fastest and highest of all coasters but it does give a good thrill!The theming and audio is one of the best, in my opinion, of the Merlin parks as well.Also, it makes me feel happy that I see the younger "adventurers" being able to have a great ride and feel the speed!These are all just minor reason why Vampire contributes to being my favourite rollercoaster.

I rode it during one of the halloween nights this year, the tunnel with the smoke and strobe really made it for me! If the vampire was going, Chessington wouldn't be the same, I'm glad its staying

Vampire is the best ride their, seriously if this went gate figures would plummet.