HermanTheGerman 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. Yep, £8 million was spent last year, purely on making the park safer and more aesthetically pleasing. A further £23 million was then spent on the Hotel. Anyway, I wasn't talking about investment into new rides (that'll have to wait), more general maintainance, which is horrifying in itself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whatever Posted April 20, 2015 Report Share Posted April 20, 2015 If Dragon's fury was only meant to be a temporary attraction, how long was it origianally going to be there for? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveJ Posted April 20, 2015 Report Share Posted April 20, 2015 10 years. Like all rides it has received reinvestment to try and prolong this lifespan. Same old story, you can see it all around the park, and not just in the rides. The most obvious example is Vampire. It's now nothing like The Vampire that opened in 1990 because it has been modified so much to cope with its age problems (no more Arrow parts, seemingly no more Vekoma parts, bla bla). But they can't remove it. Very difficult situation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deleted Users Posted April 20, 2015 Report Share Posted April 20, 2015 I do not understand how Chessington gets ever more popular when it struggles to run properly beyond even a small attendance. Great they spent so much on hotel stuff but that doesn't do anything for the park. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Project LC Posted April 20, 2015 Report Share Posted April 20, 2015 Ah, if the money was spent on making the park safer then that was not done out of choice. Chessington would have been forced to spend that money. The investment per year does not live up to that of Thorpe or Alton. CWOA may spend more on upkeep than the others but that's because there is no where else to spend it. CWOA can not expect to keep increasing gate figures year on year with dying rides and no new major puller. Seeing as the council would never (well almost never) grant permission for a new coaster I doubt we will see anything major at chessington any time soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HermanTheGerman Posted April 20, 2015 Report Share Posted April 20, 2015 I really cannot be bothered anymore. Market Square wasn't entirely for H&S you know! They have far better upkeep than Thorpe or Towers, look at Runaway, Colossus, Rumba, Nemesis, Loggers, Flume, Blade, Smiler, Inferno and the list goes on. Clearly they can keep pulling people in, last year was the second busiest on record... Work is being done with the council too, so don't rule out major developments. Adam P 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nosferatu Posted April 20, 2015 Report Share Posted April 20, 2015 Just because you personally find the zoo additions boring does by no means make them superfluous. The majority of Chessington's visitors do go for the park though. The zoo is OK, but it's nothing amazing compared to what other zoos have to offer. I guess some people might like the park/zoo combination though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian-S Posted April 20, 2015 Report Share Posted April 20, 2015 We are not the target audience for them, primary school age kids are, all the local schools have been given 50% off vouchers for entry and hotel stay for kids to take home and badger their parents to use, and nearly all have trips planned for between now and end of the School year. The Secondary Schools have a similar deal with Thorpe Park, and all the Infant schools have the same deal with Legoland, most primary schools have deals with both, my son has had trips to Legoland and Chessie in the last 3 years, funny though he went to Thorpe first when asked by us where he wanted to go, since Lego and Chessie were boring. That's what you call a captive audience, and that's why entry has increased, there has been a steady increase of children born in Surrey for the last 10 years, and it's not expected to decrease anytime soon. Oh and believe me, a 8-10 year old can be very persuading, especially when the only alternative is to let the kids play minecraft all day since there's nothing else to do round here that's affordable (believe it or not, the vast majority of people living within Chessie's catchment area, are not well off). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshC. Posted April 20, 2015 Report Share Posted April 20, 2015 I really cannot be bothered anymore. Market Square wasn't entirely for H&S you know! They have far better upkeep than Thorpe or Towers, look at Runaway, Colossus, Rumba, Nemesis, Loggers, Flume, Blade, Smiler, Inferno and the list goes on. But then you can say look at Dragon Falls, Tomb Blaster, Land of the Dragons, Vampire, Bubbleworks, Rattlesnake, Safari Skyway... The list goes on equally as long at Chessington as it does for other parks and it includes many of the major rides on park! I want to add a lot more to the conversation than that (but don't really have the time unfortunately), as you do make a good point when you talk of the upkeep of other rides at other parks, but I personally find there's something 'off' with Chessington. They're clearly doing something right to be getting people to keep coming, but doing something right and doing something well and different things. If I have a bit more time sometime soon, I'll try and elaborate a bit more on what I'm saying. Also, the £8 million investment into the park last year really doesn't show to me - Thorpe got Inferno for that price! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deleted Users Posted April 20, 2015 Report Share Posted April 20, 2015 Congrats for Bizarroing Runaway Train. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt 236 Posted April 20, 2015 Report Share Posted April 20, 2015 I think it's safe to say Legoland is the only UK (Merlin) park that doesn't have a (big) list of things that look run down or needing care (with the possible exception of Miniland). But then they haven't built a major new ride for four years now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mysterio Ka Posted April 20, 2015 Report Share Posted April 20, 2015 Legoland is just as bad, it's new developments aren't exactly great and all the new additions are just boxes with fancy signs. Laser raiders never looked like pyramids, river splash still looks so ugly and bare and most of the areas look so insignificant, detached or too old to look good anyway. Out of all the parks Legoland has become the most IP orientated and recently it hasn't done them any favours. Now, what's the chances of getting back on topic? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nosferatu Posted April 20, 2015 Report Share Posted April 20, 2015 Yeah this thread did go off-topic quite a bit. We were talking about the station and its diminishing theming. It's going to look like a warehouse in there soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Project LC Posted April 20, 2015 Report Share Posted April 20, 2015 Hmm a warehouse you say. Stick the word abandoned in front of it and you have yourself a merlin theme. Maybe they could turn the rotting crypt into a corridor made of shipping containers. Kerfuffle and Ian-S 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merry-go-girl Posted April 20, 2015 Report Share Posted April 20, 2015 I guess some people might like the park/zoo combination though. Bingo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benin Posted April 21, 2015 Report Share Posted April 21, 2015 I can't really forgive a park that thought putting Fastrack on Skyway would be beneficial... Or Truckers... Or Seastorm... Or Toadies... Or Jumbos... Etc. Cal and Ian-S 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TPJames Posted April 21, 2015 Report Share Posted April 21, 2015 Vampire is running a main queue as normal as it's no longer school holidays, however is still on one train operation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt 236 Posted April 21, 2015 Report Share Posted April 21, 2015 Lets just hope they now use this time to get the train on two [or prefferably three] train operation as they have about a month until the next peak time and two months before the super peak season. If they have the parts yet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dk3 Posted April 21, 2015 Report Share Posted April 21, 2015 Does anyone know when the last time three train operation operated successfully? (Will it ever return?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AstroDan Posted April 21, 2015 Report Share Posted April 21, 2015 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: Rather than answer constructively, you just shoot me down. Gee, thanks. Who mentioned Alton Towers? It's hardly any better; I don't really refute any of what you say about it nor the images which you feel you needed to post to somehow disagree with me - how can I? Clearly those hotel rooms are nicer than most at Alton Towers. I am not some sort of blinded idiot and if you knew me personally, you certainly wouldn't have tried to post negatively about Alton Towers because I am well behind much of that sentiment, too. You obviously do entirely refute me about Chessington, though, such is the stressed way you have clearly posted the above. I wanted a sensible discussion, you know. I wasn't trying to antagonise anybody, it was a genuine question having been travelling to visit Chessington for many years now. Kerfuffle, JoshC., huzzellio and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merry-go-girl Posted April 23, 2015 Report Share Posted April 23, 2015 Maybe the parts did get delivered but they were left at the gate and the gypsies had off with them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel.S312 Posted April 23, 2015 Report Share Posted April 23, 2015 It may look like it will be back on 2 train op again soon I saw the train behind the curtain having restraints on. was nice to go today without having an allocated slot time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian-S Posted April 23, 2015 Report Share Posted April 23, 2015 What were the queues like for Vampire? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel.S312 Posted April 24, 2015 Report Share Posted April 24, 2015 Walk on all day no queue at all on one train. Hopefully it will be on 2 trains b4 proper peak season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian-S Posted April 24, 2015 Report Share Posted April 24, 2015 Thanks, gonna bundle up there this afternoon see if we can drag the wife on it, don't want her to have any contemplation time in the queue to think up an excuse not to ride hahaha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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