February 8, 201015 yr comment_82480 I think Bubbleworks needs a much stronger theme that really does fit in with the Transylvania area.
February 18, 201015 yr comment_83417 Not likely to happen though, although I feel that the red and yellow fits into the theme of the area alot more than the blue and yellow, or is that just me? Safe to say there won't be many rethemes of this ride in the future!
February 19, 201015 yr comment_83488 I think Bubbleworks is cute as it is :PObviously there are a few parts that I think could be improved, but I don't think there is any major re-theme needed.
February 19, 201015 yr comment_83490 I agree. Although I have to say I did prefer the ride before the sponsorship contract, I do still love the ride for what it is. Forgetting about the old ride, the tune is cool and appropriate for kids and families alike, the nature of the ride is fun, fast and exciting, and the general experience and atmosphere is very magical, ideal for Chessington's target market.
February 19, 201015 yr comment_83500 I loved the old bubble works, as a kid I used to look forward to it...the smell was amazing :Pnow idk the imperial theme is just not good :/
February 19, 201015 yr comment_83513 now idk the imperial theme is just not good :/Professor Burp's Bubbleworks and Imperial Leather Bubbleworks are two different rides though.Yes the nutty professor was a legendary ride and compared to the Bubbleworks now, it isn't as good.However, Bubbleworks is its own ride and is not Professor Burp's.Therefore, imo, I dont think the two should be compared.
February 19, 201015 yr comment_83515 I loved both, the former was definately the superior though. Something which annoys me about the current one is, there are SO many little things that could get the ride experience closer to the level it used to be can't wait to see any little improvements done over the closed season. Fingers crossed there are any.
February 19, 201015 yr comment_83521 I totally agree, and I hope they get the music sorted out quickly. last year they added new pulsing, multi-coloured lighting which really made the scenes that it was installed in look lively and often dramatic.The thing about the original is that it was full of imagination, whereas this one is not. For example, Professor Burp's Bubbleworks had the Lesser Crested Pop Whisk - a giant bird animatronic that had a whisk for a beak. A fantastic pun and a simple but memorable moment. Now you have the completely charmless 'Duck Massage Hut' which I call the 'Duck prop on a pole'. I still think the ride is great, certainly with families, however if Chessington were not prepared to spend lots or did not have any good ideas, then they should not have tampered with it.Though, it is still a fabulous dark ride and is thankfully getting better all the time.
March 29, 201015 yr comment_87949 Thee machines were always there, as I saw nothing added. I have noticed a good few effects have been fixed, however.The figures in the Bubble Mixing booth have been fixed and now move again;The Foamer control box's levers move by themselves, which I have not seen before;The wailing light on top of the Rub-A-Dub Reactor, left over from when it was the giant Gas Cylinder;The spinning cogs and wheels above the channel in the Fairground spin again.It would be great to have the lighting fixed in the Fountain Finale. The strobes have been toned down and there are glaring spotlights after the drop which illuminate the whole room making it look very small. I also hope the sponsorship does get removed eventually, it makes the ride seem more tacky than it actually is underneath.
March 29, 201015 yr comment_87954 It's still awful...Please Chessie... Gut the damn thing and restart from the top...
March 29, 201015 yr comment_87955 Unusually the Duck 'n' Dive Revitaliser (ex Cola Coaster) has stopped working too! The lift hill seems to be working better this year too!
March 29, 201015 yr comment_87957 Most of the Rubber Duck Hatchery scene was not functioning either. But who's complaining?:mellow:With all these little bits and bobs of Professor Burp's Bubbleworks returning it makes me remember how well designed and overall magical the original ride was. The zany entrance music playing in Transylvania, the loud boom of the main fanfare as you entered the station and ALL the scenes moved and really had life. Something that a bunch of static props of ducks on poles don't do.
March 30, 201015 yr comment_88051 Cola Coaster has parts on order, won't be too long until they get in and get fixed. The bubble machine has been put on maximum level since opening weekend, making the station very... bubbly.
March 30, 201015 yr comment_88054 I loved the bubbles that greet you as you enter the machine room...Great touch!
March 30, 201015 yr comment_88069 Just when I thought the lift had better reliabilty this year! - That was a regular occurence for me last year, happened almost every visit actually, if you don't rock it, the boat behind will usually push it down for you
March 31, 201015 yr comment_88130 I wonder how long it'll be before a bubble pops in someone's eye, and they will no longer be able to use bubbles due to health and safety.
March 31, 201015 yr comment_88163 It is a shame that not all the audio and effects are currently working on Bubbleworks in my opinion... :DI really enjoy Bubbleworks but it annoys when you are all hyped up from a particular scene; but then you hit rock bottom due to a scene not working correctly.
March 31, 201015 yr comment_88164 I'm too lazy to read back on the posts about the lift hill, but whats *actually* wrong with it?Seemed fine last season, except that time I stuck out my hand and confused the system, which then had to be reset. haha
March 31, 201015 yr comment_88166 I'm too lazy to read back on the posts about the lift hill, but whats *actually* wrong with it?Seemed fine last season, except that time I stuck out my hand and confused the system, which then had to be reset. hahaI think it was because boats kept on getting stuck at the top of the lift hill and didn't go down...Even if they did get stuck on the top though, the boat behind could provide a little push
March 31, 201015 yr comment_88167 What other old effects are there left to fix? Everytime I go I see something new working each time that I didn't know was meant to move, light up, etc. Last year the Tickle Test scene was improved with the tickle-monster-thing's toes wiggling and the cogs in the corner spinning wildly. The Foamer also has a lot more effects than I thought it did with the column of water bubbling and flashing different colours as well as the levers that move by themselves. A few years ago this was not happening, so it is good that they are putting in the effort to look for these lost effects and fix them. It seems a lot was turned off/broken during the retheme, such as the exterior music and various bits of lighting in what used to be the Pressure Room. Either that or they stopped working long before because of faults). Are there any more, does anybody know?
March 31, 201015 yr comment_88173 Are there any more, does anybody know?The ones I saw on Sunday:* There used to be audio as you 'drop' into the first part of Bubbleworks.* Egg used to bounce up and down after ORP.* Before the fairground, where the duck is spinning in the middle - This used to have audio.* Coca Cola Coaster / Duck Revitiliser - Not moving.* Mechanical 'spinny thingys' usually spun when boat was under it. - Didn't happen on my last ride.* Final Scene - The strobe is out of time with the music.Nerd bit - I looked at a 2010 video on You Tube to remind me of the things I remember not working on Sunday...
March 31, 201015 yr comment_88181 Yes, those were all operating fine when I visited on Sunday, minus the Revitaliser and the Eggometer-thing which usually work anyway. I wonder if there are some extra bits and bobs that have not worked for years (I do like old bits and bobs on dark rides!).I remember the farting Bubbleworker to bounce quite quickly back when it was Professor Burp's Bubbleworks, but now the Beaufart Scale has been changed it seems the mechanism works at half the pace, often not at all (as what happened on that visit). Maybe the weight of the egg prop is greater than the old prop, or is it just me?
March 31, 201015 yr comment_88190 The hatching eggs (ex - hiccups) really don't seem to work like ever, and if they do its only usually one of the three levers going up and down VERY slowly, almost like a vibration which is a shame because the hiccups used to look great on this scene. It just looks like the models in that bit are stuck to the walls! - I don't know if this has been answered anywhere, but why isn't the on ride photo based going down the lift hill? - I know its been moved since PBBW but even in that day it wasn't based on the ramp down into the finale. Surley this is one of the most exciting parts of the ride for the riders as they go down into the finale, some of which not knowing what happens in the final scene. To base it where it is seems quite strange to me really. I'm sure someone can enlighten me!
March 31, 201015 yr comment_88192 I don't think there is a particular reason why, but since it is dark in there you would not be able to signpost the camera unless you ruined the atmosphere. If it wasn't sign posted, then the photo would have riders overlapping each other and facing the wrong way because they didn't know it was there. I guess that is a problem anyway, but it would be increased if you didn't know the camera was there.The current positioning of the camera is a bit daft, though. There is a perfects spot, where it used to be, that does not have much going on right at the end. For some reason they moved it right in front of the Foamburst Falls scene which seems random and distracting. It also means you get "Aloe Vera" and "Mango" in the background of the photo.
April 1, 201015 yr comment_88271 Most of the stuff mentioned was working on tuesday, I even saw something work which I did not see working for the 3yrs I worked on it! The guy with the feather dusters seat thing moves up and down! wow!The main thing I dislike about the place is the lighting, it could be done much better with more thought than "Oh we only have red bulbs, so all this will now be red and look ****"
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