Han30 Posted January 8, 2014 Report Share Posted January 8, 2014 Yup just read that retheming has been postponed grrrr! On a kind of side note, my sister visited CWOA last year and I mentioned how awful Dragon Falls looks and she said she barely noticed?!! - maybe the gp aren't as aware or really care about themeing......or my sis needs a trip to spec savers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveJ Posted January 8, 2014 Report Share Posted January 8, 2014 I am ashamed of chessington, how long does it actually take to retheme ONE ride!? But it's not one ride, it's two along with the monkey enclosure and new hotel. And Dragon Falls is a major ride that demands some big scenic construction, at least it ought to. I'd rather they focussed on one ride at a time to do the best job (although I'd prefer them to redesign Dragon Falls first!) Runaway Train and BubbleWorks are opening this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benin Posted January 8, 2014 Report Share Posted January 8, 2014 Bit harsh to have a go at them about Creaky Cafe as well, was only on fire a fortnight ago... Wouldn't expect it to be reopened in time for March... Merry-go-girl 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldFarmerDean Posted January 8, 2014 Report Share Posted January 8, 2014 there's only so much we can expect of chessington, and well this is chessington, we know what they're like... although I'm sure they didn't initially plan for the runaway train to be closed all season - and then guessing they aquired more funding to change the retheme and hotel etc. which either didn't leave enough money, or more likely time to retheme dragon falls - at least we can be happy that it'll be open for the season again? as for creaky cafe, like benin said regardless of whether it's chessington or not, I don't think it's fair to expect it to be open in time for the season, although I think it's not too much to expect to open at some point in the season... do we know if the scorpion express, hotel and new zoo area (forgot what it's called) will be open for the opening of the season, or is it going to be a later addition like Cebeebies and Angry Birds land! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted January 8, 2014 Report Share Posted January 8, 2014 I have visited Chessington twice in the last few years and have had an excellent day both times. Unfortunately it frustrates me to hell when they have so much potential but clearly lack the ability to get crap done. Of course I know much of it is beyond their control, and the fact they are reinvesting money in old rides is great. I just wish they had a bit more structure to their plans. Really know where they are going and what their long term vision for the site is. OldFarmerDean 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merry-go-girl Posted January 9, 2014 Report Share Posted January 9, 2014 Drives me crazy when people start multiple projects but only have the time to finish half of them. Oh well, lucky for them Dragon Falls is tucked away at the back. Perhaps people will be so dazzled by the hotel expansion and Market Square spruce up they won't even notice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pickles Posted January 9, 2014 Report Share Posted January 9, 2014 I'm actually rather excited to visit Chessie and see these new developments Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt 236 Posted January 9, 2014 Report Share Posted January 9, 2014 Can't say I'm surprised Falls won't be rethemed now due to Mine Train and Market Square's retheme in addition to the monkey kingdom retheme and the (perhaps not something the park needed) Azteca Hotel. Must admit, I'm very disappointed Falls will remain in it's poor sorry state as there's almost nothing immersive or impressive about the ride currently which looks about as exciting as an oversized sea side resort flume ride in the present. I hope these other projects will have a lot of effort placed in to them and Ramesis will reopen once again. As for Creaky, I doubt it'll open in march and have no idea what will happen on the place whether they can salvage the remains, rebuild it or a different eatery or leave it empty for 2014. Next season could be a mixed one and hopefully won't be worse than the last couple we've had which IMO have been poor show by the park. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattyMoo Posted January 9, 2014 Report Share Posted January 9, 2014 "A future theme park season" is rather worryingly vague, would hate to see Dragon Falls in it's current state until 2016. If Ramases is back this year, I'll be back - if not, I'm staying away Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark9 Posted January 9, 2014 Report Share Posted January 9, 2014 Still won't be visiting. I'll keep my memories intact (and my money come to think of it) until they can be bothered to put some theming around that second drop. MattyMoo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RetroIsBest Posted April 7, 2014 Report Share Posted April 7, 2014 To be honest Dragon Falls has been awful for a while now. Scenery falling to bits and little touches that it used to have either removed or not working. I preferred it back in the day of Dragon River, it had more colour and more life to it. If I remember correctly it used to have some lovely oriental music playing when you walked into it and some hilarious bloke with a fake Chinese accent telling you the safety rules in the queuelines. Chessie need to realise its these little touches that can make the difference. I would love to be invited to a meeting where Merlin come up with their ideas for the parks and tell them how it is and where they are failing. It's time to realise its rides and nostalgia that play a big part in attracting customers, not hotels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerfuffle Posted April 7, 2014 Report Share Posted April 7, 2014 I would love to be invited to a meeting where Merlin come up with their ideas for the parks and tell them how it is and where they are failing. It's time to realise its rides and nostalgia that play a big part in attracting customers, not hotels. Remind them about the lack of dark rides in the UK while your at it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Adam P Posted December 22, 2014 Popular Post Report Share Posted December 22, 2014 Not sure how many people will have seen these images before, but Chessington have allowed us shared these from when Dragon River was being built. Bottom of the page http://themeuk.net/Chessington_Site/?page_id=1287 Kerfuffle, Matt 236, GladiatorFanKyle and 8 others 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark9 Posted December 23, 2014 Report Share Posted December 23, 2014 Thanks for posting a link to those Adam. Really appreciated. Adam P 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merry-go-girl Posted June 19, 2015 Report Share Posted June 19, 2015 Do we have any indication when the reconstructions will start? I feel like we were all just supposed to forget about it so it could never happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benin Posted June 19, 2015 Report Share Posted June 19, 2015 Do we have any indication when the reconstructions will start? I feel like we were all just supposed to forget about it so it could never happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TraX Posted June 19, 2015 Report Share Posted June 19, 2015 HAHAHA.. the ride works, so why on earth would Merlin close it to make it look as splendid as it did in the 80's? Tombs re-do will come first, despite the fact Bubbles gets daily feedback for looking awful. Falls oddly has slipped through the net, and whilst there's no negative feedback on the embarrassing state the park decided to leave it in, it will remain. What's worse is that the original company that sculptured the stone faces, said they would love to re-create it, and bring it back to glory. Kerfuffle, Nosferatu and Matt 236 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveJ Posted June 19, 2015 Report Share Posted June 19, 2015 The original scenic design was done on such a tiny budget compared to the kind of money in the theme park industry now, and it was still generally much better than the standard in the UK now. It could be reconstructed quite easily but when the ride's so old.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merry-go-girl Posted June 19, 2015 Report Share Posted June 19, 2015 Aw man. It's just, well I thought we had a few insiders here or maybe someone had talked to someone. I dunno. I just thought maybe someone had heard something that might indicate if it'll be sometime this side of the Tokyo Olympics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nosferatu Posted June 19, 2015 Report Share Posted June 19, 2015 The park keeps getting worse yet the attendance keeps going up. And as long as people still visit the place, Merlin will be in no hurry to replace theming. The british public seems to settle for anything these days. TraX 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benin Posted June 19, 2015 Report Share Posted June 19, 2015 Another problem with Falls is that it sits over Tomb Blaster... Which is just as royally buggered... It's not exactly the brightest of futures for the rides that kick-started the UK industry... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt 236 Posted June 19, 2015 Report Share Posted June 19, 2015 Twenty years ago, the park was the grand gem of the UK and even to a less extent, Europe likely being only 2nd to Alton Towers in its golden age. Now unfortunately the place has reached its epitome (excluding the zoo) with theming falling apart and being removed and rides that are looking tired/dated, the majority of whom can't cope in a park that is receiving increasing numbers of visitors is may exceed 2 million guests in the near future. I still love Chessington despite its many flaws, but the place needs serious improvements, rides need re theming,reprinting and reworked with a few even needing rebuilt altogether (glares at skyway). Since first visiting in 2006 (which although to an extent is already two years in to the park's still continuing epitome age), the park looks even more tired now than it did then. 2014 for me looked like a year of change and hopeful future seeing more thematic centrepieces, a new interactive enclosure, redesigned park spaces and a quirky retheme of an ageing classic. Despite knowing it would be a low investment year 2015 has been a bit disappointing as aside from gaining a decent new show and rethemed penguin enclosure, there's a lot more the park needs than this and seeing fury rebuilt without a lick of paint and the Ramesis's ageing but grandi'sh entrance snd queue replaced by a cheap tacky cattlepen. In its current state, I would put it 6th place in terms of best UK park's as stagnation has been so bad and with Paultons are doing next year, unless the park really pull some major plans out the back, it'll be a further step down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coaster Posted June 19, 2015 Report Share Posted June 19, 2015 Another problem with Falls is that it sits over Tomb Blaster... Which is just as royally buggered... It's not exactly the brightest of futures for the rides that kick-started the UK industry... I think you're forgetting BPB, some of the rides there have been around since Chessington was just an empty patch of grass! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benin Posted June 19, 2015 Report Share Posted June 19, 2015 I think you're forgetting BPB, some of the rides there have been around since Chessington was just an empty patch of grass! I know you adore BPB and everything, but think about the industry we've seen in the UK... Prior to Chessie opening we had no true theme parks to speak of, so that (along with Tussauds/Wardley) certainly made a difference since it opened... Blackpool may have shaped the seaside park industry, but in the modern day, it's not led the charge in anything... It wasn't the first seaside park in the UK, nor the first to open a wooden coaster... Plus, how many of those rides from those days still stand? Fun fact, only Big Dipper is older than Chessington Zoo... pluk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coaster Posted June 19, 2015 Report Share Posted June 19, 2015 I know you adore BPB and everything, but think about the industry we've seen in the UK... Prior to Chessie opening we had no true theme parks to speak of, so that (along with Tussauds/Wardley) certainly made a difference since it opened... Whether I like BPB or not is irrelevant, they were once the leaders of the UK industry, they had at least double the number of rides of Chessington or Alton during their first few years and turned over half a million pounds on busy days, they weren't just a small seaside park. Blackpool may have shaped the seaside park industry, but in the modern day, it's not led the charge in anything... It wasn't the first seaside park in the UK, nor the first to open a wooden coaster... BPB once had a scenic railway which was the type which was made up of two sections and had to be pushed back, whether this was the first or not I don't know but I never said that BPB did open the first wooden coaster. EDIT: Just looked on RCDB, the first Scenic Railway opened in 1907, which UK wooden coaster opened before that out of interest? Plus, how many of those rides from those days still stand? Fun fact, only Big Dipper is older than Chessington Zoo... So Chessington Zoo opened before 1905 then did it? Flying Machines and River Caves are both older than the Dipper so to suggest that only Big Dipper is older than CWOA is complete nonsense when I can list two more rides without even thinking. Grand National, Nick Streak and Blue Flyer were also all open by 1935, so unless Chessington Zoo was open before then, they were also there before it. But seeing as you are so confident, when exactly did Chessington open? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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