Posted July 10, 200916 yr comment_62992 Safari Skyway is a birds eye view of Chessington & Zoo.On Safari Skyway, you will start off your journey seeing Mexicana and going over the Children's Zoo.You will then come up to the Monkey and Bird garden, followed by the Penguin Cove and views of the Holiday Inn Chessington.Then you will see to your right (if facing forwards) the SEALIFE Centre. You will then go by the Main Entrance (North Admissions) and to your right, you will see Hocus Pocus Hall which is full of magical spells, a wizard and some very naughty goblins!Then you will come up to the the Trail of the Kings and the Sealion Bay.You will then be told about Vampire for little devils to try out their first rollercoaster. Fangtastic!Then you will come up to Seastorm and the Carousel while being told on other areas and rides at Chessington & Zoo.That is basically your ride and what you will see on Safari Skyway! :PAnyway... Any thoughts and opinions on Safari Skyway can be posted here!
July 11, 200916 yr comment_63071 It is ok if you want a birds eye view of the park but this ride is nothing special in my eyes.
July 13, 200916 yr comment_63237 I like Skyway but it desperately needs something done to it. I think the general ride is adequate, it gives you good views of parts of the Zoo and a brief glimpse of the rides. Realistically though the park has grown beyond Skyway and I think a new layout is required as the Skyway no longer covers much of the Zoo anymore. the whole of Creature Features and the Monkey and Bird garden can barely be seen. The back of the Sea Life also looks pretty rubbish and the ride itself has seen better days. The ride needs new, up to date trains because the faded yellow ones look pretty nasty these days. It is a very important ride in the park and needs to be looked after better.
July 13, 200916 yr comment_63245 It's funny you should mention about it needing a new layout, because I remember going on the Skyway when I was about 10, and I'm sure it covered a lot more of the park than it did today, or was that because the park was smaller back then? And did it have another layout before?It does need some TLC though, and a new layout is ideal. But just think of all the work involved, it would probably be out for an entire season.
March 13, 201015 yr Author comment_86161 Got to the park just before 1pm today and had training at 1:30pm, so thought would go in the Zoo...I have never been so happy to go on Safari Skyway in my life! Just being able to go on a ride during the closed season!!! :unsure:Also had a nice stop on the ride for 10 mins whilst they removed a train from the track. FUN TIMES :PIt is amazing how your level of happiness can go up after a ride!
March 28, 201015 yr comment_87837 Yesterday made me wonder what the park's plan for this ride is. From my point of view, Skyway is a fantastic ride, which always has long queues, and would be a loss to the park if it went, but the trains are getting into a worse condition, and if they want it to stick around, they REALLY need to think about some form of refurbishment! - which includes the right commentary playing on all trains!
March 28, 201015 yr comment_87839 The commentary is not required, it's barely audible most of the time. It's just a nice relaxing ride, something for after lunch. I personally cant think of Chessington without it, maybe I can actually.
March 29, 201015 yr comment_87848 They redo the commentary every year it seems...But they need to re-route and refurb the entire thing... Maybe with the savannah area opening up and what-not, it could happen in the future...
March 29, 201015 yr comment_87849 Agreed. What I don't get it with it is the park knows it is a popular ride, the engineers have been wanting it since I started there in 2005 and yet every year the same old dilapidated trains are on it and you just wonder why they can't do something with it. Merlin can have the expertise if you look at Skyride and the Monorail at Alton.
April 7, 201015 yr comment_88877 I know it wouldn't happen again, but it would be great for this ride to recieve a sponsorship (maybe with Kodak again) or a similar camera company, because then at least there would be a money and there would be a reason to fix it up. The ride just seems to be on a 'it looks okay to us, so we won't do anything about it' basis. You actually need to get inside the trains and look at the state of them, the exterior doesn't look TOO bad.
April 7, 201015 yr comment_88881 I don't think they look too bad anywhere. But they really need a touch up, but so does a few bits of the park and I'm sorry I would put EVERYTHING behind Runaway's Rocks getting re-done/re-painted/re-vamped.
May 1, 201114 yr comment_114852 Dragging up an old topic I know... Thought this would be the best place to post this. Picked up the 'Merlin Top Trumps' today. Was looking at the Chessington cards and something caught my eye about Safari Skyway. It says it opened in 1986, and on several websites it says the same thing, however on many others it says 1987. Saying that it also says Runaway Train opened in 1986 and Bubbleworks/Vampire in 1989. So with that basis, does anyone know which year Safari Skyway actually opened, I've always gone with 1987. Just out of pure interest.
May 2, 201114 yr comment_114854 As far as I know, Skyway was one of the original attractions when the park opened as Chessington in 1987 (although I may be wrong on this as the early park history is still a little fuzzy with me).The entire Transylvania area and its attractions opened in 1990. :rolleyes:The facts on the top trumps cards are far from accurate and not to be taken as canon.
May 2, 201114 yr comment_114855 Since my last visit this has been my favourite ride at Chessington. Something was being done to the Gorilla enclosure (I think) and we got a great view of some fit builders.
May 2, 201114 yr comment_114860 Dragging up an old topic I know... Thought this would be the best place to post this. Picked up the 'Merlin Top Trumps' today. Was looking at the Chessington cards and something caught my eye about Safari Skyway. It says it opened in 1986, and on several websites it says the same thing, however on many others it says 1987. Saying that it also says Runaway Train opened in 1986 and Bubbleworks/Vampire in 1989. So with that basis, does anyone know which year Safari Skyway actually opened, I've always gone with 1987. Just out of pure interest.With those, Skyway was constructed in 1986 whilst Runaway Train constructed in 1987. It's the same with Vampire and Bubbleworks. I think Merlin have played around with the official statistics to create more competition in the game.
May 2, 201114 yr comment_114874 Ok, thanks for the info Mark, I suppose they are allowed a bit of 'Artistic license' if it makes it more fun whilst playing the game.
May 2, 201114 yr comment_114882 I am such a berk that, the first time I went on Safari Skyway, I thought it was the Vampire ride....um....yeah and I was pooping myself because I wasnt strapped in. I thought my friends Mum had lured me onto it sneakily because I am a wuss.....can I just add that I was only 10.....still embarrasing though
October 25, 201113 yr comment_125793 No speakers anymore Seriously?Dear Mack, could you just do Chessie a favour and refurb it please?
October 25, 201113 yr comment_125801 A few days ago there were speakers. Some trains the speakers don't work though.
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