Benin Posted January 21, 2015 Report Share Posted January 21, 2015 So aside from Scorpion Express and Market Square's refurb, what else did the £8 million get the park? Honestly curious here... As from the outside, it looks like it's another example of the ridiculous cost of Merlin Studios... And I'm with Josh, Scorpion Express is lazy, the backdrop alone is the greatest flaw, 2d and doesn't even look like a mine (which is meant to be the story, abandoned mine)... It's not just at Chessie mind, both Swarm and Smiler also have lazy elements to the theming, it's just a Merlin wide issue instead... JoshC. and TraX 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HermanTheGerman Posted January 21, 2015 Report Share Posted January 21, 2015 Scorpion is themed on an abandoned mining town. One which has become inhabited by a mass of metal scorpions. Also, the inside section of the queue is the mine. [/offtopic] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveJ Posted January 21, 2015 Report Share Posted January 21, 2015 Proves that large sums of money do not guarantee good entertainment and creative quality in the outcome. But yes 2014 should be remembered as one of the better years as the park only improved and became a more exciting place to be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt 236 Posted January 21, 2015 Report Share Posted January 21, 2015 Compared to the last few years, I found 2014 to be the best year at Chessington since Wild Asia at least. The park felt more well kept in places (though still run down in others) and having more soul and atmosphere than the last few seasons. Scorpion whilst I still prefer mine train, has a lot more personality on it now (zoo pared to what it used to be) and has lots of quirky features too. Marketsquare looks lush and fresh and the altered landscaping fits in to the park well (compared to the old ageing area that used to be around it). Amazu is an interesting update to monkey and bird gardens whilst the Azteca hotel looks a great second hotel and will hopefully boost guest numbers. Adam P 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Posted January 22, 2015 Report Share Posted January 22, 2015 Chessington was not a major year last year, Merlin itself would conclude. Hotels are separate investments. They don't go under the same cycle of development (and are owned/operated by a separate company to the attractions themselves). Infrastructure developments are also not included. They don't bring in new visitors. Therefore last year was considered a small year. JoshC., Will and Benin 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jared_A Posted January 29, 2015 Report Share Posted January 29, 2015 Chessington was not a major year last year, Merlin itself would conclude. Hotels are separate investments. They don't go under the same cycle of development (and are owned/operated by a separate company to the attractions themselves). Infrastructure developments are also not included. They don't bring in new visitors. Therefore last year was considered a small year. You do realise Chessington doesn't follow the normal 5 year investment structure that Merlin have in place? Chessington operates completely differently in terms of park and ride investments due to its high cost levels. HermanTheGerman 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TPJames Posted January 29, 2015 Report Share Posted January 29, 2015 I fail to understand this, presumably chessington, thorpe, alton and legoland get similar budgets per year but alton towers seems to go so much further with their money. I understand chessington doesn't follow the same investment plan as the other parks, but why not? It's been ELEVEN years since the last rollercoaster at chessingotn was installed, another one is long overdue. I understand they may want to use their budget on improving the zoo etc. but I think the park is in desperate need of a couple of new major rides to spruce up the line up. You do realise Chessington doesn't follow the normal 5 year investment structure that Merlin have in place? Chessington operates completely differently in terms of park and ride investments due to its high cost levels. How are the cost levels higher? I'm not contradicting you but alton towers has more rides, a bigger park and a sealife centre. Yes, chessington do have a zoo but I would imagine costs would even out when costs are taken into account considering alton is so much bigger. Yet alton go so much further with their money, the smiler was new for 2013, they added a massive new land for 2014 and they are adding a new rollercoaster for 2015. Yet, chessington seems to only have a medium-large investment every once in a while and the small investments in between are really small. I'm unsure to why this is, and I get park improvements are important, however alton maintain their park spotlessly and have regular large investments. There needs to be a clear balance between the two. Project LC 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt 236 Posted January 29, 2015 Report Share Posted January 29, 2015 It's been ELEVEN years since the last rollercoaster at chessingotn was installed, another one is long overdue. I understand they may want to use their budget on improving the zoo etc. but I think the park is in desperate need of a couple of new major rides to spruce up the line up.Legolañd Windsor hasn't had one for 16 years (though they had jungle Coaster from the same year as Fury and sadly removed 5 years ago now (wow, doesn't feel that long ago) and probably needs one even more badly than Chessington, but probably won't get another one for a long time (if ever). It does need more rides though, but I do think the park has improved massively since last year following years of neglect, the place was falling apart but has been refreshed in some aspects. Whilst I think another ride will be in the works eventually (maybe 2017/18) I think the sims are to refresh snd restore the park back to as near as it can get to its glory days (in the 90's to early noughies) though with its new adventure theme. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pognoi Posted January 29, 2015 Report Share Posted January 29, 2015 From some rumours I've heard, apparently a ride of some kind was supposed to replace toadies at the start of 2013/14 season, however due to a swap in ride managers the season before, toadies was not removed, for this space for the new ride. The centre of the park, where Madagascar is, could definitely use a flat, of a compact coaster. It's just concrete with a couple of fountains. It would certainly be nice to see something new, but it doesnt need to be a coaster. Chessington has a nice deck of coasters as it is, pletny of variation and easy progression throughout the park. I could possibly ask for to improve it is another water ride, a dark ride, a single inversion/launched coaster and a couple more flats, and the park would be pure gold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Posted January 29, 2015 Report Share Posted January 29, 2015 *cue Benin saying Toadies rumours come about every single year* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt 236 Posted January 29, 2015 Report Share Posted January 29, 2015 Toadies getting removed (rumour) is the new Thorpe Top Spin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark9 Posted January 30, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 I fail to understand this, presumably chessington, thorpe, alton and legoland get similar budgets per year but alton towers seems to go so much further with their money. I understand chessington doesn't follow the same investment plan as the other parks, but why not? It's been ELEVEN years since the last rollercoaster at chessingotn was installed, another one is long overdue. I understand they may want to use their budget on improving the zoo etc. but I think the park is in desperate need of a couple of new major rides to spruce up the line up. How are the cost levels higher? I'm not contradicting you but alton towers has more rides, a bigger park and a sealife centre. Yes, chessington do have a zoo but I would imagine costs would even out when costs are taken into account considering alton is so much bigger. Yet alton go so much further with their money, the smiler was new for 2013, they added a massive new land for 2014 and they are adding a new rollercoaster for 2015. Yet, chessington seems to only have a medium-large investment every once in a while and the small investments in between are really small. I'm unsure to why this is, and I get park improvements are important, however alton maintain their park spotlessly and have regular large investments. There needs to be a clear balance between the two. Just a few points here;- - Chessingtons locals are worse then Alton's when it comes to complaining about the park. Vampire did a lot of damage back in 1990, thanks to the noise it used to make so it is unlikely a coaster of that size and scale will ever be added again. Fury just isn't in the same league (although when that opened, people were pretty surprised at how high it actually went) - Alton's idea of proper maintenance is if it's falling apart, get rid of it. Parts of the Nemesis monster were just hacked off when they were beyond repair, because the park (for many reasons beyond park management) hadn't looked after it. - Alton is Merlin's premier theme park and the biggest and most successful in the UK. Whenever rumours of a new major roller coaster spring up, not just the UK but the industry takes note. Somehow a MACK star coaster on the Toadies site wouldn't quite grab the headlines. - Alton has more space (and removes a lot more rides) then Chessie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benin Posted January 30, 2015 Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 *cue Benin saying Toadies rumours come about every single year* Do they? Very rarely do I go along the Chessie grapevine these days, but even back in the day, Toadies was never often mentioned as part of the "getting removed" lines... It's part of my wishlist of rides Chessie should remove, but it's never been high on the list... Usually it was more a case of "Chessie can't afford to remove rides because of the low capacity already"... From some rumours I've heard, apparently a ride of some kind was supposed to replace toadies at the start of 2013/14 season, however due to a swap in ride managers the season before, toadies was not removed, for this space for the new ride. The centre of the park, where Madagascar is, could definitely use a flat, of a compact coaster. It's just concrete with a couple of fountains. It would certainly be nice to see something new, but it doesnt need to be a coaster. Chessington has a nice deck of coasters as it is, pletny of variation and easy progression throughout the park. I could possibly ask for to improve it is another water ride, a dark ride, a single inversion/launched coaster and a couple more flats, and the park would be pure gold. Ok then... Chessie needs a massive overhaul really... The years of neglect suffered under DIC are certainly part and parcel of the issues it has today... It's pretty much certain that the park needs pretty much everything from new rides to refurbed areas, yet Merlin don't appear to want to push the budgets for the park high enough to produce the results required... A Gerstlauer launched coaster would be perfect for the park, as it would produce that sort of stepping stone for the kids as they grow up over the visits... What annoys me the most about the park, is that 2010 was not capitalised on... It felt like the park had new life that year, but fast forward a few years, and it's continued a stagnation with only Zufari as an actual addition and not a lot else for the park to shout about... This might be as a result of the way Merlin are currently running things of course, with the excessively tight budgets (and indeed, sudden loss of budget if other 'more important' projects require them) making the management of the park feel rather limited to what they can do... Of course, I'll still champion the removal of most of the crap in the park to be replaced with actually good rides... As it does need a coaster, water ride(s) and flats of high capacity... Even if these attractions do not fulfil the daft USP aspects of Merlin's management, they only need to look towards parks of similar statures to see what a few simple investments can provide (*cough*Plopsaland*cough*)... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HermanTheGerman Posted January 30, 2015 Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 Chessie needs a massive overhaul really... The years of neglect suffered under DIC are certainly part and parcel of the issues it has today... It's pretty much certain that the park needs pretty much everything from new rides to refurbed areas, yet Merlin don't appear to want to push the budgets for the park high enough to produce the results required... See, I have to disagree. They come across as being extremely dedicated to solving the issues of the Charterhouse/DIC era. The Market Square overhaul has improved the area no end. It looks more classy and inviting than the original ever did. Other than maybe parts of the flooring, none of it was required. Merlin went out of their way to improve the park for virtually no return. They've given Transylvania, Pirates' Cove and Mexicana nice repaints and refurbishments, which as you said was one of their "issues". All of this wasn't cheap, and it doesn't equate to higher attendance. In fact, they only areas that acctually look rundown are Forbidden Kingdom and Mystic East. Both of which we know are 'on the list'. It obviously takes a while to change a park, you can't do it all in one season. But what they did for 2014, set out the foundations for what looks set to be a rapidly changing and improving park. They will be looking at tackling FK and ME in the future, but its important not to do it all at once, otherwise you end up with a park like Legoland, with nowhere to go. Chessiekid 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pluk Posted January 30, 2015 Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 And yet they leave Falls, Bubbles and Tomb looking horrific, along with two hugely underwhelming recent developments in Zufare and Scorpian. I get they can't do everything at once but as lovely as the new square is their priorities are all a cock. The actually rides should surely be first? And what they do do needs to actually be good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Posted January 30, 2015 Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 I have to agree with Benin, the park is pretty run down and I think they need to carry out the refurb on Dragon Falls, as well as on other rides. But the biggest picture is that Chessie is a theme park and they haven't had a major attraction in 11 years. I think a Rapids and the family launched coaster would be amazing and it would help the park a lot, along with other much needed improvements. Kerfuffle and TPJames 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coaster Posted January 31, 2015 Report Share Posted January 31, 2015 What they've done with Market Square is nice, but they need to give the rest of the park the same treatment as it is dire in areas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pognoi Posted February 1, 2015 Report Share Posted February 1, 2015 Ok then... Chessie needs a massive overhaul really... The years of neglect suffered under DIC are certainly part and parcel of the issues it has today... It's pretty much certain that the park needs pretty much everything from new rides to refurbed areas, yet Merlin don't appear to want to push the budgets for the park high enough to produce the results required... A Gerstlauer launched coaster would be perfect for the park, as it would produce that sort of stepping stone for the kids as they grow up over the visits... What annoys me the most about the park, is that 2010 was not capitalised on... It felt like the park had new life that year, but fast forward a few years, and it's continued a stagnation with only Zufari as an actual addition and not a lot else for the park to shout about... This might be as a result of the way Merlin are currently running things of course, with the excessively tight budgets (and indeed, sudden loss of budget if other 'more important' projects require them) making the management of the park feel rather limited to what they can do... Of course, I'll still champion the removal of most of the crap in the park to be replaced with actually good rides... As it does need a coaster, water ride(s) and flats of high capacity... Even if these attractions do not fulfil the daft USP aspects of Merlin's management, they only need to look towards parks of similar statures to see what a few simple investments can provide (*cough*Plopsaland*cough*)... What I meant was they dont need a coaster in the next couple seasons. Obviously another addition to the tracks would be great before the start of 2020, however some other rides may be better to be placed before hand to fill other gaps in the ride line up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark9 Posted February 1, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2015 And yet they leave Falls, Bubbles and Tomb looking horrific, along with two hugely underwhelming recent developments in Zufare and Scorpian. I get they can't do everything at once but as lovely as the new square is their priorities are all a cock. The actually rides should surely be first? And what they do do needs to actually be good. As far as I could tell on my solo visit last year, the rides are getting some attention but it's not as attention grabbing or big stuff like track repaints. It's things like Rattlesnake's queue getting refurbished or a new flag returning at Griffins. I want to use the phrase small steps but I'm worried they won't have done diddly squat for this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dk3 Posted February 1, 2015 Report Share Posted February 1, 2015 I've been keeping an eye on the queue times and the Bubbleworks hasn't been open for the last three weeks (now it's just Amazu & Hocus PH that are open). Normally it's open throughout the winter. Hopefully this could indicate that they're working on the ride in some way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt 236 Posted February 1, 2015 Report Share Posted February 1, 2015 I have recently found out the reason we have been seeing track removed from Fury recently, full details can be found here http://www.chessingtonbuzz.co.uk/news/dragons-fury-closed-season-update/ Turns out the ride's been getting noisier resulting in an increase of complaints (please don't be over again 2008) and the park is filling the track with sound (amongst other things) to try and make the ride run quieter. Must admit, I found the ride noisier last season from what I remember. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveJ Posted February 1, 2015 Report Share Posted February 1, 2015 Hint: this noise thingy is just an excuse, the rides actually much much quieter around the station & plaza because the lift 1 motor was replaced in 2014. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted February 1, 2015 Report Share Posted February 1, 2015 Filling the inside of the track with sand does decrease the noise as it dapens the vibrations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coaster Posted February 1, 2015 Report Share Posted February 1, 2015 This would also be the perfect time to repaint the track, and I really hope they do as it is in a terrible state. I'm always against silencing the roars of coasters, but sadly they don't have a choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pognoi Posted February 1, 2015 Report Share Posted February 1, 2015 Way too late for that now. Actually, I can't say that, I don't remember the last time, if at all, a merlin park repainted something. Wasn't like the last track repaint nickelodeon streak? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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