February 21, 201312 yr comment_150766 Vampire HATES the cold, seriously hates it... It's more of a question of would Chessie get the budget for having those rides open, rather than these rides should be open... Let alone winter maintenance needing to be done (which is the main reason why most of the rides are shut, though they could plan around this if there was the need)...
February 21, 201312 yr comment_150767 To add to that, Fury vallies quite frequently in the cold weather, even with its testing weights in. Can't see Rattlesnake or Runaway train being a problem though. I'd assume that if the week carries on as it has been, those two rides would be considered for next years half term.
February 21, 201312 yr comment_150804 Whilst it's a bit later than the previous couple of days, capacity has once again been reached. Go Chessie
February 21, 201312 yr comment_150819 I think the reason the 'capacity' is far lower for the event and the reason that more rides aren't available is purely the fact that the recruitment process /staffing for the main season probably isn't finished yet. As much as they probably would like to, they can't magic more [fully trained] staff from nowhere, at short notice to meet this demand...hence why the capacity has been reached every day of half term so far. They are probably staffing the rides with team leaders and some returning staff.
February 21, 201312 yr comment_150823 More than likely. It's also that this is a zoo day. I highly doubt many rides would be handed over ready for chessie anyway. For example, thorpe has only SAW handed back at the moment apparently. Towers doesn't have many rides over than it already has open.
February 21, 201312 yr comment_150832 To add to that, Fury vallies quite frequently in the cold weather, even with its testing weights in. Can't see Rattlesnake or Runaway train being a problem though. I'd assume that if the week carries on as it has been, those two rides would be considered for next years half term. Vallies? Sorry, I don't understand.
February 21, 201312 yr comment_150834 Having visited today, I was very disappointed. Firstly, I was suprised that chessington reached its capacity as the park seemed rather empty to me. The only sign of it being busy was that bubbleworks had hit 45 minutes at around 1:00pm. Tha rides and attractions were open till 4pm which was strange although there weren't many rides and attractions to be honest. I was looking forward so much to riding black buccaneer, we arrived in the morning to find it testing, and the ride operator said it would be open later in the day. However, it did not reopen due to it being 'cold' and the motor not being able to work also the carousel was closed for no reason it appears. Safari skyway was still broken... So if anyone is visiting this week then don't expect black buccaneer open as it was closed today at 4 degrees and its only meant to be getting colder as the week goes on.
February 21, 201312 yr comment_150837 Shame that they were closed but does clearly say subject to availability and I believe the ticket price didnt increase from the standard zoo only days meaning the rides were an added bonus. Was very nice that they extended the opening hours. I believe they have done that all week. My weather forecast says the opposite. It says it was 2 today, 3 tomorrow and 4 at the weekend.
February 21, 201312 yr comment_150838 Vallies? Sorry, I don't understand. Where it doesn't complete the circuit. it would often do this between the immelman and break 1 and break 1 to break 2.
February 21, 201312 yr comment_150841 Like on AP day in 2011, between break 1 and 2. I'm sure there is a picture somewhere.
February 22, 201312 yr comment_150868 Oh right, cheers guys! So it appears to me from reading above that Chessington has hit capacity with lots of rides unavailable! What a great paper headline that would make. This news is laughable!
February 22, 201312 yr comment_150876 It's a ZOO DAY... Capacity is therefore lower, and most attractions are still being worked on by engineering... Therefore there aren't many rides that can open, the colder weather as well doesn't help the machinery... Most guests (applies to Towers as well) cannot seem to comprehend this...
February 22, 201312 yr comment_150880 Oh right, cheers guys! So it appears to me from reading above that Chessington has hit capacity with lots of rides unavailable! What a great paper headline that would make. This news is laughable! The carousel was closed for no reason Black buccaneer was closed due to the fact that the motor wouldn't start in the cold Safari skyway was still undergoing maintenance. Chessington could have opened up the carousel but that didn't really appeal to me anyway, I just wanted black buccaneer open but that is not chessies fault because of the weather
February 22, 201312 yr comment_150881 The carousel was closed for no reason There probably was a reason you know.. they don't just close rides for the sake of it.
February 22, 201312 yr comment_150882 Well it didn't say a reason, it just had a sign stuck on it saying: 'The rides and attractions avalible for today are hocus pocus hall and bubbleworks'
February 22, 201312 yr comment_150884 It wouldnt say why, I have never seen a ride give a reason why. Did slammer ever say. "Slammer will be unavailable due to it being a pile of crap that likes to go down for long periods of time every year" As far as I am aware the park are not supposed to tell you why a ride is not open! When rides break down they just tell you they dont know whats going on. They would have all sorts of pronlems if they told you why. Imagine when Stealth's cable snapped if the had a sign saying that it was closed dut to part of the ride snapping, there would be sll sorts of rumours going around and people exaggerating and being put off of riding.
February 22, 201312 yr comment_150886 This is why they shouldn't open the whole park, like you seem to think would be a great idea. Rides don't like cold. It's a zoo day, bubbleworks was open, it's a bonus for you.
February 22, 201312 yr comment_150888 That might be the case, but if as many people as have been don't grasp this the park are obviously doing a bad job of telling people what they are going to get. I can't really have an opinion as I haven't been, but is it absolutely explicit before entrance that HPH and BubbleWorks is all you are getting with the zoo? I could easily believe it isn't. Also, Adventure Island had every single ride they have open yesterday in the snow.
February 22, 201312 yr comment_150889 No point comparing different parks as to how many rides they have open because location, park layout and potential popularity are all key indicators... Southend is essentially smaller, less 'complicated' rides (compared to the likes of Vampire, what's the most complex ride there? Rage) and also is in the middle of Southend, meaning it's in a decent interest of getting people in as there's not exactly much else to do there in Winter... The thing is it suffers from a similar situation to Towers, in that it's not particularly obvious to those who don't research (I.e. most guests) further into events... Therefore people go and assume the entire park is open (because the thought process is probably "oh it's cheap let's go")... Although with a name like Zoo Days, would you expect the rides to be open? And I doubt they expected to hit capacity at all this week...
February 22, 201312 yr comment_150890 No point comparing different parks as to how many rides they have open because location, park layout and potential popularity are all key indicators... Southend is essentially smaller, less 'complicated' rides (compared to the likes of Vampire, what's the most complex ride there? Rage) and also is in the middle of Southend, meaning it's in a decent interest of getting people in as there's not exactly much else to do there in Winter... These things are true, but if Chessington aren't opening more because of the weather there are plenty of duplicates (whole of wild asia, tugboat, elephants) that show it can be done. BPPB also open full scale complex rides in harsh conditions. Although I think Chessington are just not opening more because they don't want the risk of staffing it all up only to be snowed off and making a big loss. As I said yesterday, I'm rarely on the side of the moron and yes, it is clear to me with my average common sense what a 'zoo day' would be. But the shear volume of people getting disappointed surely means communication to the masses from the park is falling down somewhere?
February 22, 201312 yr comment_150892 Just checked the website for how they are advertising it and it's quite clear that its the Zoo with Bubbleworks and Hocus Pocus Hall. Bucaneer, Skyway and Carousel seem to be an added on bonus. I thought it was something to do with Zufari but as it states on the website quite boldly, it is due to open on the 20th March. I thought today wouldn't be full due to some snow and the colder weather but it is yet again closed for the day. It's quite something to see this level of interest for a Zoo day. I don't think its ever been like this before.
February 22, 201312 yr comment_150895 I have to say that the list of rides open has definitely changed. Up until yesterday it 100% said Black Buccanear and Carousel also open next to Bubbleworks and Hocus Pocus Hall. I've been backing Chessington up all the way, but that is sneaky. At least they have updated it though, but unless you have logged on their recently you would expect the other two to be open. But they covered themselves with the "subject to availability" term anyway.
February 22, 201312 yr comment_150897 All rides and attractions are subject to availability... Difference between Chessie and Blackpool/Southend is the seasonal aspect, the other two keep on staff for Christmas, Chessie don't... Hence the ability to open rides is limited unless they change recruitment procedures... Then of course maintenance happening on-park... And the risk that actually, this is a one-off... It's a knife edge really...
February 22, 201312 yr comment_150904 I have to say that the list of rides open has definitely changed. Up until yesterday it 100% said Black Buccanear and Carousel also open next to Bubbleworks and Hocus Pocus Hall. I've been backing Chessington up all the way, but that is sneaky. At least they have updated it though, but unless you have logged on their recently you would expect the other two to be open. But they covered themselves with the "subject to availability" term anyway. Lots of unhappy faces by black buccaneer yesterday, but it is good that chessington have updated their website- I don't think we will be seeing black buccaneer or the carousel open again this week. I'm not sure how the zoo is this popular, if I wanted to go to the best zoo, I would go to london zoo so I'm not sure why chessington keeps reaching capacity...
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