Chessington Howl'o'ween

[yeah]

6 hours ago, BaronC. said:

>Needs RAP.

>Able to use Single Rider.

 

Forgive my scepticism (and for going wildly off topic), and I understand every case is different, but it just seems a bit...off

I'm sorry but I don't see the problem exactly? The SRQ is 10 minutes at worst I can queue up to about that without any real problem. And I don't need an adult tbh, I'm a 13 year old enthusiast with Aspergers, I know not to stand up, and I also know how to keep relatively calm (on the outside) during a breakdown (case in point the breakdown I had while using the SRQ), all I have is problems with queuing long queues, besides 9 times out of 10 I end up next to an adult, and they've put an adult from the SRQ next to me when I've used the RAP before when my sister wanted to sit next to my mum so there cant be any problems there.

[JoshuaA]

TBF it isn't like the RAP system is a good system for disabled in the first place..

Back on topic! Seeing the exact lineup is pretty sh!t from Merlin's part.

I remember back when Howl'O'ween was a good event back in 2014,

With two solid family scare attractions with great lighting and great shows..

Howl'O'ween used to be Merlin's best halloween event IMO, but now it seems to have lost its magic it once had..

 

 

 

[pognoi]

With RAP youre looking at an absolute minimum half hour queue, on top of the additional 45 minutes written on the sheet. You'll be lucky to get 2 in the dark, with or without RAP/Fasttrack/main queue, SRQ is probably the only system where you'll achieve 3 rides on a major ride in the dark, even if it's the same one!

[JoshC.]

5 hours ago, Ian-S said:

Needing RAP could be for any number of reasons, it's a RAP requirement that an adult rides with them, not the person themselves (if the RAP user is an adult they still need another adult with them) so if a RAP person is able to queue for 5 minutes in the SRQ surely it's better for them to do that than it is go up the exit and clogings up that way.

 

Please don't come back with the classic "well if you can do an SRQ then you can do the main queue", the two are not the remotest bit comparable, especially at Chessie where their expert operations can easily turn a 10 minute main queue into an hour in the blink of an eye.

 

2 hours ago, ChessingtonSam said:

I'm sorry but I don't see the problem exactly? The SRQ is 10 minutes at worst I can queue up to about that without any real problem. And I don't need an adult tbh, I'm a 13 year old enthusiast with Aspergers, I know not to stand up, and I also know how to keep relatively calm (on the outside) during a breakdown (case in point the breakdown I had while using the SRQ), all I have is problems with queuing long queues, besides 9 times out of 10 I end up next to an adult, and they've put an adult from the SRQ next to me when I've used the RAP before when my sister wanted to sit next to my mum so there cant be any problems there.

 

Just want to elaborate my point a bit further.

 

Here's what Chessington's RAP guide says about who the system is aimed for:

 

Quote

Ride Access Passes are reserved for Adventurers who do not understand the concept of queueing; have difficulties with everyday social interaction; have a limited capacity to follow instruction or to understand others’ emotional feelings or expressions, and may become agitated or distressed having to wait for extended periods of time; have a physical disability that prevents them standing for extended periods of time and permanently non-ambulant guests.

 

Taking this in black and white, the number of people who both should qualify for RAPs and be able to use an SRQ would be very small.  If someone struggles with everyday social interactions / follow instructions / becomes distressed after long periods of time, what happens if an RAP holder is on a ride by themselves and it break downs and needs evacuating?  It makes the situation more stressful for everyone.  Ditto for someone with a physical ability; how could they manage with no one who knows their condition supporting them?

 

Of course, things like this are rarely black and white, and there are plenty of exceptions to the rule if you will.  But people regularly complain about the operations of Merlin theme parks, and the large number of RAP users is something which is particularly noticeable at Chessington.  I'm not suggesting that the RAP system needs to be made stricter or anything, but if the situation is one where people who have the RAP bands are actually able to get on with their day without them, one has to feel that there's something not quite right with the system.

 

NB:  I hope what I'm saying isn't come across as rude, insulting, condescending or anything.  I completely understand that every person is different and that no blanket rule will ever be perfect and cover every possibility.  But I'm just throwing these points out there.

 

Sorry again for dragging this wildly off topic.  If thing discussion continues, I can move it to a more appropriate thread so we can continue to be...uninterested, I guess, by Chessington's Halloween offering.

[Ian-S]

That RAP system/description is universal, as you say what may be applicable to one user, may not be another.  I have a friend who is 42, he can queue no problem, as long as there are maybe five people in it, so SRQ is ideal, he could also queue for 5 hours if needed, as long as everybody is quiet.  He suffers from sensory overload so SRQ and RAP is a great combination, if the queue isn't long he'll do that, if it is he'll use the RAP.  He would cope fine in a breakdown.

 

My nephew on the other hand cannot even cope with something as simple as keeping his trousers up, he would probably have a heart attack in a breakdown (he's 10).

 

Both are treated the same and need a "responsible adult" with them when using the RAP.

 

So as you say it's a guide they stick to, if Sam is capable of using the SRQ instead of having to suffer the dirty looks of judgemental chavs by going down the exit and using his RAP, I don't see a problem with him doing that, management on the other hand....

[SteveJ]

The exit ramp is chaos overload though, and it's appauling that acces pass users are still made to use it. A constant stream of people pushing past from the offload platform, a narrow ramp sandwhiched between brakes and the noisy lift hill with up to 40 minutes worth of RAP users leaning against a flimsy chain link fence on busy days. It's one of the worst people flow systems at Chessington.

RAP in general is extremely abused by many guests, handed out willy nilly in ride breakdowns, poorly implemented in practice for rides that weren't designed for it (or fastrack for that matter) other than a cheap queue shoved in later. Makes staff's job a nightmare and guests experience a nightmare.

[yeah]

10 hours ago, BaronC. said:

and may become agitated or distressed having to wait for extended periods of time

And that's exactly me if I am standing up. If I'm in a half hour queue after 10 minutes I'll get EXTREMELY agitated, and turn around and probably start annoying my sister or something. Not nice for anyone. When we broke down (I used SRQ and was with another RAP user) I kept calm, on the outside, and tbh was kind of excited because it was my first breakdown. On the inside, fair to say I was 75% bricking it, but having a staff member telling us what happened helped. What didn't help was setting off again (after being told we would) and seeing every other car still stuck at the top of the second lift hill.

10 hours ago, wegloo said:

With RAP youre looking at an absolute minimum half hour queue,

Tbh I never get half an hour, if the RAP even looks like a long queue we won't go on and wait for it to die down. I remember getting in the Fury RAP queue just after a breakdown and we were in that little corner, the ride host came out and said they'd be letting a few main queue riders on because they were near the front of the queue when it broke, and by the time she'd finished speaking the queue was down the bottom of the ramp.

 

The worst park for RAP is LEGOLAND. It seems great on paper, but very little rides at LEGO have a designated entrance - less than Gullivers in fact - meaning we have to queue with the Q-Bot people. It's also not very clear - one time on Pirate Falls we queued through Q-Bot for about 10 minutes, then got told were allowed through the exit, then next time went through the exit, only to be told we're not allowed down the exit. Then next time we queued the longest queue I've ever had with RAP and they told us we shouldve gone through the exit! I remember going on the Helicopters ride once with my cousins (what is it, Whirlycopters, Whirlybirds, something like that) and (nearly, we left to go in the main queue) queueing longer than the main queue, which was 10 minutes. The RAP queue was at least 30.

 

Anyway, back on topic, what is Curse like exactly?

[Morgan.B]

Curse is fine, it's a small attraction, and you can easily tell where all the jumpscares/spooky bits are well before they happen. 

[yeah]

1 hour ago, Morgan.B said:

Curse is fine, it's a small attraction, and you can easily tell where all the jumpscares/spooky bits are well before they happen. 

Do you think (and this is sort of related to the discussion before) I could handle it as a 13 year old with aspergers (meaning I am easily scared/distressed)

[Whatever]

2 minutes ago, ChessingtonSam said:

Do you think (and this is sort of related to the discussion before) I could handle it as a 13 year old with aspergers (meaning I am easily scared/distressed)

My aspergers brother did Haunting In the Hollows, which I remember being a fair bit more severe than curse, when he had just turned 9. 

He found it a little bit scary, but that's the fun in it! But of course every case is different so it's entirely up to you to judge. You've never done anything of the sort before, so you could really enjoy it!

[pognoi]

Trust me when I say this Sam, Howloween doesn't die down. From 4 o clock onwards the queuing is relentless; scorpion will be half way up the hill, rattle all the way up the ramp, Kobra to the exit, Vampire up to the top of trail of the kings and Fury all the way out of the exit; as standard. The event is so much fun and is honestly my favourite due to the atmosphere but it's so popular that it's a struggle to get all the rides you want to do in the dark done in one visit. I'm sure most people who have visited Howloween can also vouch this; with the exception of when it's rainy (which normally means it will be very quiet in comparison)!

[Morgan.B]

You should be fine. I'm also autistic and I'm fine in all the mazes.

[Coaster]

Long queues are pretty much inevitable given that the four coasters at the park all

have pitiful throughputs. If they were all run on their (previous) maximum capacities then queues would be much more manageable - but operations on the coasters have been the slowest I've ever seen them on my two visits this year.

 

I'd be interested to know the throughputs of Fury, Rattlesnake and Vampire this year compared with the highest recorded throughputs.

[CharlieN]

I'm going to Chessie for Howl'O'ween. Will it be less busy if I go in the week of half term, rather than the weekends on either side of it?

 

Most kids have school on Halloween itself, so that may be a better option for all you lot who don't have to go to school.

 

 

[Ian-S]

It's hard to tell, as Mr Coaster points out operations are so slow that even with there only being a few dozen people in the queue for Fury they still managed to turn that into a 20 minute wait on a weekday in April.

 

It will be worse at weekends, but on a week like that you should just go along with the assumption that Vampire will be 90 minutes and take anything less as a pleasant bonus, keep those expectations low and you won't be disapointed.

[yeah]

I assume if me and my sister can persuade our parents to stay in the hotel (unlikely but apparently they're "looking into it") we should be able to get all three?

[yeah]

Howloween is excellent this year. 

 

I can't speak for Curse (yet...) but as for rides in the dark and lighting, this year was great.

 

One thing I would say is that aside from the lighting and dark, alot of the halloween stuff we did do wasn't great. The flash mob in Market Square that my mum wanted to see was pushed back to 7:30pm, then when we got there at that time we were told it had just finished. I was told on Twitter (@ykya2AT) there would be roamers however we didn't see any, apart from a skeleton standing at the entrance and all 6 of them standing in the hotel entrance earlier, and TOTW was an unorganized mess that meant we got caught up with the group in front and the surprise ruined. Professor Burp was also the man at the start lol (looks like Willy Wonka).

 

Other than that it was fantastic. I didn't get to go on all of the rides I wanted to do in the dark as Vampire was shut all day and we didn't have time for Kobra but we managed Dragon's Fury, Black Buccaneer, Dragon Falls and partially Rattlesnake as the RAP queues were staggeringly short compared to the horror stories Ive heard, with Rattlesnake no longer than normal and Fury not even past the square. Lighting was excellent, with Black Buccanneer taking the prize for best lit, the boat itself was hardly lit with simply two yellow lights lighting it up at its highest point but the backdrop lit in red to the right, blue on the left, and yellow down the middle, as well as pink on the lake. The jeep opposite Truckers was decorated with cobwebs, pumpkins, and skeletons of both the animal and human variety, lit up with some moving, colour changing lights. The crocodile pond was lit in different colours with mist emmiting from the back.

 

Ill add photos when I can.

[CharlieN]

I had a good day at Howl'O'ween yesterday. Vampire being shut for the majority of the day was a real disappointment but other than that I managed everything I wanted to do. 

 

I have to say, I didn't feel much of a Halloween atmosphere and I was slightly disappointed by the lack of roaming actors and general  spooky occurrences (though that may be due to the fact that I went to Towers on Saturday so I was automatically comparing it).

 

The event was very busy, busier than I can remember at a theme park - a queue for KOBRA that was meant to be 30 minutes was 2 hours!

 

I didn't do TOTW because it looked insanely cringey and I think I'm to old for it but we did do Curse of the Lost Tomb:

 

Now, this maze was interesting. Thoroughly enjoyable yet slightly bizarre. The interior theming was very detailed throughout and the actors didn't do a bad job (overral). The first room with the letters on the floor was my highlight: the actor was very enthusiastic and explained the scenario very clearly (though I don't know why he was dressed as a pile of leaves). The walks between rooms were also good and the occasional actor in a mask gave a mild but sudden scare.

Now, this is when it all got bizarre. The room with cogs was the most utterly contrived puzzle I've ever experienced and the actor who tried to explain it was way too fast. She then told me to hit a button which made a sound, and then another, and another. They had no logical sequence and she essentially solved it for us. Like what!?

 The ending was very anti climatic but the sequence prior to it with the skull and the coffin was well done and mildly scary.

 

I enjoyed my first Howl'O'ween experience though the event could be improved greatly.

[yeah]

Pictures

Creepy looking Gruffalo

Theres more from daytime if you like

[JoshuaA]

So a image just got posted on the Merlin Facebook Page; which probably is a teaser for this years Howl'o'ween!

 

I'm actually kinda intrigued, as this image is actually a little dark for the usual family friendly event.

Maybe we might see something a little more extreme?

I haven't visited since like 2014, but I do have to say I was highly impressed with that event that year.

Hocus Pocus and Haunting In The Hallows were both incredibly well themed, well told, and great attractions, and I think Curse Of Tomb looked no different.

Haunting In The Hollows did have its intense moments though, so I think they could pull off more of a dark attraction, anyway I'm excited to see what the lineup is this year, maybe I might actually go back this year!

[JoshC.]

Is there anything to suggest that this is for Chessington?  It's just a get a very Th13teen vibe off that image.

 

That and it looks like it was done in 5 minutes, which makes me question it's legitimacy whatsoever.

[Ringo]

1 minute ago, BaronC. said:

Is there anything to suggest that this is for Chessington?  It's just a get a very Th13teen vibe off that image.

 

That and it looks like it was done in 5 minutes, which makes me question it's legitimacy whatsoever.

The post states it relates to Chessington.

 

https://www.facebook.com/pg/VIPmerlinannualpass/posts/?ref=page_internal

 

 

[JoshuaA]

Sorry, I should of specified.

Yes the post on Facebook did say this was 100% coming to Chessington.

Though I do have to admit when I first saw the image I was scratching my head to whats happening over at Howl'o'ween this year.

 

This marketing seems a little dark, so I'm pretty sure we're gonna see some drastic changes to the event this year!

Lets just hope they keep Trick Or Treat Woods, as I want to write an angry review on how terrible it is before it leaves us 

[JoshC.]

I had a brief browse of the Facebook pages and missed that post completely, hence my scepticism! 

 

But yes, certainly gives off a darker tone than any other Chessington attraction I can remember.  Not sure that they attract enough people interested in 'scary scary' mazes to warrant an attraction, so it'll be interesting to see what they're doing. 

[Benin]

Like balls is Chessington getting something akin to that, it's such an obvious fake (purely because the image isn't over-imposed to buggery like anything Merlin)... Like, LOOK AT THE CAUTION SIGN!