Jump to content

Safari Skyway


Recommended Posts

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! :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 8 months later...

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! :unsure:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

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!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

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 :rolleyes::blush:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 months later...

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...