Nosferatu Posted April 19, 2015 Report Share Posted April 19, 2015 Farewell station chandeliers, you will be missed. I wonder what the next target will be? The organist better watch his back... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dk3 Posted April 20, 2015 Report Share Posted April 20, 2015 What? The chandeliers have gone!? All of them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benin Posted April 20, 2015 Report Share Posted April 20, 2015 Probably considered dangerous in case they fall down because they've not been maintained for years... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt 236 Posted April 20, 2015 Report Share Posted April 20, 2015 Yeah, I only noticed yesterday they were gone (I thought Vampire's station looked a bit more empty). I did see a couple of large round things at the side when the (only) train turned back in to the station. The UK theme parks really need to get better at upkeep (merlin are far too profit based). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dk3 Posted April 20, 2015 Report Share Posted April 20, 2015 Hopefully they've been taken down just for maintenance or a clean. I'd be gutted if they've gone for good. What a joke the Vampire's become. And has anyone heard any news regarding the delayed spare parts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mysterio Ka Posted April 20, 2015 Report Share Posted April 20, 2015 I suspect it's that, all 4 (or 5) were still in the maintenance bay by the switch track when I last visited, and the holes in the roof are still left open for the chandeliers to be put back up. Now I know thorpe have a habit of holding onto things but Chessington, when they clean up, seem to dump it. Surely this would be the same? Gonna expect they're keeping them for now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveJ Posted April 20, 2015 Report Share Posted April 20, 2015 There are only 3 chandeliers right? And pretty sure the holes have always been there. I doubt they will be put up anytime soon, you'd need some serious scaffolding which means closing the ride again. The time to do it at the start of the season has been and gone. The new policy is if it's potentially unsafe, just don't do it. And don't build anything that could potentially become unsafe in the first place. All guests will also be wrapped in bubblewrap as soon as they enter the park. Yet the false claims against UK parks are way more than 30 odd years ago, back when they were sending guests over rooftops, etc, and all rides had far less safety procedures. Claim culture happened, shame really. It makes it hard to strike the right balance, but with so much great stuff being removed it's ruining the experience. dk3 and Nosferatu 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benin Posted April 20, 2015 Report Share Posted April 20, 2015 And to think, Plopsaland has no fence around it's lake... We are so different from our contintental brethren... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HermanTheGerman Posted April 20, 2015 Report Share Posted April 20, 2015 Well, I've just asked them on FB about the situation with the chandeliers, and although not explicitly stating so, the message certainly implies that they are still fighting for them. It makes the suggestion that their future is not entirely determined, so perhaps they could return next year with some more reinforcements added. I hope so anyway. In other news though, the organist now seems far more alive this year, I don't know if he's had a spruce up mechanics wise or whatever, but he was moving a lot more than I've seen him do in recent years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveJ Posted April 20, 2015 Report Share Posted April 20, 2015 Sounds like your normal vague maybe/'we hope so' response from the online team that are nothing to do with the decisions that led to the chandeliers removal. It could be anything. Also everyone's overlooked the sad state that the old crypt is now in. OK so even before being completely obliterated it has been a shadow of its former self for years. But here are some bad photos I took around 2008 before most of the decoration was removed. I remember when you actually queued through the crypt and down the corridor, ahhhh. Spooky. There once was a plaque overhead proclaiming "Abdandon hope all ye who enter here.. The Vampire is about to strike.." or something along those lines, and that whole area was once filled with smoke too. Kerfuffle 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerfuffle Posted April 20, 2015 Report Share Posted April 20, 2015 In all seriousness, the ENTIRE station needs sprucing up! Remember in the Tussauds days when it was like this? ...to be replaced with this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveJ Posted April 20, 2015 Report Share Posted April 20, 2015 Remember in the Tussauds days when it was like this? Can't say I do. But I remember when Marseille the organist actually started moving again. Weird to think he just sat there still for about 5 years, those were the days when no one really could be bothered! I'm yet to find any material of his clone in the Black Forest Chateau. I love the idea that you'd meet him rising up through the stage floor in a jolly animatronics show, then he'd reappear to serenade you to the sound of late 80s gothic rock while you boarded the ride. No video preshow character interaction nonsense, just camp in-your-face animatronic fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AstroDan Posted April 20, 2015 Report Share Posted April 20, 2015 I don't know why people bother with Chessington in many respects. They don't build new rides and half the rides are clapped out, rotten and many have been for years. Do people just cling to the past? It's such a sad state of affairs with CWOA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nosferatu Posted April 20, 2015 Report Share Posted April 20, 2015 If Chessington ever got shut down Dragon's Fury is really the only ride worth saving. The rest can be sent to the scrap pile where they belong. It's pretty sad how far this place has fallen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian-S Posted April 20, 2015 Report Share Posted April 20, 2015 Is vampire running without the ticket system now? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HermanTheGerman Posted April 20, 2015 Report Share Posted April 20, 2015 I don't know why people bother with Chessington in many respects. They don't build new rides and half the rides are clapped out, rotten and many have been for years. Do people just cling to the past? It's such a sad state of affairs with CWOA. Why do people bother with Alton Towers? Every thrill area is depressing. They're removing all flat rides. Most areas have received no maintenance since opening. Close Nemesis, Oblivion and Hex and your left with a bunch of very mediocre rides with rotting scenery and cheap theming. The park is full of mostly pointless gimmicks. They have some the worst opening times for a major park is Europe. The hotels are totally left to rot. The only decent addition since Hex is due to rip itself apart in the next five years. They stagger openings for fairly important attractions (see Skyride). They don't seem to care about guest experience (when the last time they've actually extended opening hours?) Scarefest is becoming frightful dull and samey. Almost every new attraction needs to have oil drums for bins. The point is that you can pick out bad parts of every park. But you don't see Alton Towers spending over £1 million on a new show do you? Chessington might not be your cup of tea, and that's fine. Just don't label it as a "sad state of affairs". For two years on the trot now its had a massive attendance increases, clearly the park with the most potential. Sure, I'd be mad to say Chessington is without flaws, and that it didn't suffer from ten years of neglect, but to say the place has "fallen" is more than a little extreme. EDIT: Compare Alton's new Enchanted Village to the quality of the new Madagascar hotel rooms at Chessington: Kerfuffle, Merry-go-girl, Cal and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveJ Posted April 20, 2015 Report Share Posted April 20, 2015 If Chessington ever got shut down Dragon's Fury is really the only ride worth saving. The rest can be sent to the scrap pile where they belong.I laughed. Dragon's Fury is the cheapest excuse for a leading rollercoaster ever, was built to be temporary and it shows badly. And I've always felt the ride experience feels a bit like one of those homemade garden rollercoasters. Anyway there are massive plans for the future - people always say that about Chessington but this time they may actually result in something coming to fruition! shock pluk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt 236 Posted April 20, 2015 Report Share Posted April 20, 2015 If only we saw more attention to detail and scale like the new Temple Restaurant in Azteca, we would all be a lot happier with our parks, a Lot Happier!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Project LC Posted April 20, 2015 Report Share Posted April 20, 2015 Funny you mention it has the most potential. I would say it has the least. They can't build anything as most the park is in the green belt. They spend very little year on year. The park has a low capacity and 90% of the rides are dying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HermanTheGerman Posted April 20, 2015 Report Share Posted April 20, 2015 They spend very little year on year. They have the highest annual budget of any Merlin park. And yes, it does have the most potential, you don't see the other park's attendance rising by 15.4% each year do you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveJ Posted April 20, 2015 Report Share Posted April 20, 2015 Chessington has had a tragic history and IS a sad state of affairs. However I'm sure everyone knows this is because of its original design reaching the end of its intended life (rides being built on top of each other was the only clever way to maximise space at the time) and the fact that it was utterly vandalised for a decade before Merlin took over. It gets investment poured into it but very little is actually visible because of how poorly maintained the park was for years. But why it attracts criticism and hate now (not necessarily on this website) I never know. It can be fun to visit and is popular, and has a better future. Blame all of the park's flaws on circumstance and a decade of idiotic operation under DIC Tussauds. HermanTheGerman 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Project LC Posted April 20, 2015 Report Share Posted April 20, 2015 So you are telling me a park can keep growing at that rate for years to come when they can't build anything. Also how on earth can CWOA be spending £7+m a year. Although that's worked out with altons average spending, I'm quite sure Thorpe's is/will be higher. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merry-go-girl Posted April 20, 2015 Report Share Posted April 20, 2015 Can't say I do. But I remember when Marseille the organist actually started moving again. Weird to think he just sat there still for about 5 years, those were the days when no one really could be bothered! I'm yet to find any material of his clone in the Black Forest Chateau. I love the idea that you'd meet him rising up through the stage floor in a jolly animatronics show, then he'd reappear to serenade you to the sound of late 80s gothic rock while you boarded the ride. No video preshow character interaction nonsense, just camp in-your-face animatronic fun. Ah the Black Forest Chateau Organist, may you forever give me a sense of unease when I eat at a theme park. Hopefully your spirit still plays merrily when the park goes quiet at night. SteveJ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nosferatu Posted April 20, 2015 Report Share Posted April 20, 2015 OK, I'll admit I was too harsh earlier. Chessington does well with what it has to work with, but the ridiculous planning restrictions is seriously killing them. The other merlin parks get new rides while chessington gets boring zoo additions. It's a shame since the park has an atmosphere thorpe and alton can't match. SteveJ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merry-go-girl Posted April 20, 2015 Report Share Posted April 20, 2015 OK, I'll admit I was too harsh earlier. Chessington does well with what it has to work with, but the ridiculous planning restrictions is seriously killing them. The other merlin parks get new rides while chessington gets boring zoo additions. It's a shame since the park has an atmosphere thorpe and alton can't match. Just because you personally find the zoo additions boring does by no means make them superfluous. pluk and pognoi 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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