TPJames Posted April 1, 2013 Report Share Posted April 1, 2013 Zufari shall be shut the week commencing the 14th of April for a 'upgrade'You got me there I am visiting on the 15th and didn't want it to be closed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshC. Posted April 1, 2013 Report Share Posted April 1, 2013 Well played Mark, well played... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragon2000 Posted April 1, 2013 Report Share Posted April 1, 2013 The sad thing is that Zufari does actually need to be shut for a week for improvement. At the moment the ride is just so bare... I guess we just have to wait for the foliage to grow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coaster Posted April 1, 2013 Report Share Posted April 1, 2013 Well, after riding twice today I like some things about it but it could be improved durastically. It is very bumpy, especially in the back which is great fun and improves the experience by a lot! There were not however many animals outside and the cave final could have been better. - Also worth noting that it didn't open until approximatley 2pm today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EC! Posted April 1, 2013 Report Share Posted April 1, 2013 I'm really skeptical at the mo,there has been lots of good and bad reviews, it looks alright from the video but I will reserve judgement until I go on the chessie meet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noob230 Posted April 1, 2013 Report Share Posted April 1, 2013 The majority of the general public think it's a good addition to the park, with the only down point being the animals kept away during the cold moments. They even said the water cave was surprising and exciting JoelPagett 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBobJones Posted April 1, 2013 Report Share Posted April 1, 2013 Zufari shall be shut the week commencing the 14th of April for a 'upgrade' What did I say, I said they would do a Sub Terra and close it for a week for an 'upgrade' LOL I should have put money on it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liam T Posted April 1, 2013 Report Share Posted April 1, 2013 What did I say, I said they would do a Sub Terra and close it for a week for an 'upgrade' LOL I should have put money on it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
th13teen Posted April 2, 2013 Report Share Posted April 2, 2013 What have the queues been for this recently, I went the other day but it had just broken down as I got to it, and I did not get to ride. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricky Posted April 2, 2013 Report Share Posted April 2, 2013 Cannot believe I wasted 5 minutes of my life watching a video of Zufari ZuNothing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RideAddict Posted April 2, 2013 Report Share Posted April 2, 2013 Yeah, I was on the edge of my seat! What have the queues been for this recently, I went the other day but it had just broken down as I got to it, and I did not get to ride. Thanks Good Friday was about 45 minutes. I guess it's been about the same other days. th13teen 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merry-go-girl Posted April 2, 2013 Report Share Posted April 2, 2013 So as I see it this ride needs three things before it can be worth a ride.> Time, for the foliage to grow in and the animals to become more tame.> Sunny weather, so you can at least try to make-believe you're in Africa> And alcohol. pluk and MarkC 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricky Posted April 3, 2013 Report Share Posted April 3, 2013 > Time, for the foliage to grow in and the animals to become more tame. What animals? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RideAddict Posted April 3, 2013 Report Share Posted April 3, 2013 The "heap of ****" walls that you can see all around do look like they were formed yesterday, and although they may not look attractive at the moment, I'm sure in time they will. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merry-go-girl Posted April 3, 2013 Report Share Posted April 3, 2013 What animals? "Now, eventually you do plan to have Dinosaurs animals on your Dinosaur animal tour, right?" pluk, RideAddict and Benin 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitchada04 Posted April 7, 2013 Report Share Posted April 7, 2013 Just got back from a morning at Chessie so I shall review Zufari (this post may contain spoilers). It opened about 30 minutes after park opening which was a bit annoying. We got over to it at around 10:50 to see it had a one hour queue so we decided to queue as this was the main reason we went. The main bridge over to the area is very bland with tall, wooden fencing but I'm sure over time it will look better. The queue is a massive cattle pen but moves quite quickly. The queue offers you a nice view of the Flamingos at the beginning and further on you can just make out the Rhinos through the fencing. Before you reach the batch point for the pre-show you encounter a photo point. It is by far the worst positioning ever and can severely hold up the queue. My favourite comments I herd about it were: 'I'm not putting on that hat, people could have head lice' and 'I haven't queued for my photo to be taken'. Once through this there is another little cattle pen before the pre-show where both the Fastrack and disabled queue join (it's not fair that they get to skip the photo point. The area behind the doors to the pre-show are not large enough for people to wait behind so instead you are mainly fed in through one door regularly being stopped to let in Fastrackers/disabled queue. Once the pre-show is full and doors shut it begins. The pre-show starts very professionally with your expedition leader, Chase Van-Driver, explaining this new area they have found called 'Zufari'. His lemur friend then pops up on screen and you are introduced to her. He then has to leave so the lemur interacts with the audience. The younger kids seem to enjoy it but not so much the adults who have just queued an hour, especially when they are picked upon to make monkey noises. The lemur then warns you about the cave, makes you promise not to go in there and then you leave to the ride itself. However, you will find yet another queue after this to board your vehicles so move as far down to the other side when entering the pre-show (and back row if possible) so you can be the first out and not have to long a wait for the ride. Once behind your gate you wait for your truck, then push (Chessington don't do air gates anymore, they are to main stream for them) your gate and board. The signs on the truck tell you to place your bag in a metal, mesh wire cage under your seat, however, it may get wet down there so you can keep it on your lap, the staff didn't seem fussed. All buckled up and ready to go, your adventure begins. It is a very bumpy ride which is great fun as it makes it seem much more like a safari. Each ride will vary but on my ride we got great views of all the animals, especially a Giraffe who stood in front of the truck stopping us from going anywhere. This was great though as it gave us more time to take in our surroundings and the other animals. You then arrive at the fallen branch (with for us Rhinos right next to it) and are told you have to go another way. Of course, the only other way is the cave. Some younger kids on our truck started screaming saying 'go back, go back, we can't go in the cave.' It's nice to see that the target audience are understanding the story line. The cave is better than I was expecting. Lots of loud noises and lights going out scaring a few children. The sudden burst of water is very effective and even spills into the truck through gaps in the door (the reason not to have your bag down there) and the only way out of the cave is through the waterfall. Again very effective and will get the people on the edge seats a bit wet. You then return to the station having completed your expedition. Overall I was very impressed with the ride and know that overtime it will get better. The only real negatives about it are all with the queuing which does need to be looked at but I'm not sure what can be done. Having been lucky enough to ride Rhino Rally and Kilimanjaro Safari I thought Zufari did quite well and is a great addition to Chessington offering that crucial link between the zoo and theme park. Inferno, SteveJ, pluk and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benin Posted April 7, 2013 Report Share Posted April 7, 2013 My review: The queue is crap... The pre-show is crap... The seatbelts are crap... The loading/off-loading systems are crap... The cave is crap... The ride itself is decent though, I feel that having a pre-recorded thing fails epically as it forgets the whole mystical evil carvings half way through and you can't listen to it half the time (mainly due to people going "ohhhh" at the animals, which is fair)... The cave is pretty damn anti-climatic... They got everything but the actual point of it right, as the sounds/lights in there are actually decent... Shame... The queue as said is stupid... WHY IS THERE A BOLLOCKY GREEN SCREEN PHOTO 3/4 OF THE WAY THROUGH? Idiotic idea (especially given the state of the photo booth) to have it at all, let alone so far along in the queue you actually ARE queuing for it, rather than the ride... The pre-show is shockingly bad... 2nd best to Disney eh? I bet even Mingoland could get better lip-sync (read: ACTUAL LIP SYNC) than that lemur... Let alone it looked DIABOLICAL... Would've been better either having an extended queue with TVs explaining bits (hence allowing an INTELLIGENT onload/offload system) from Chase rather than a character which doesn't actually appear anymore in the ride (or on park for that matter)... Another thing are the high fences, which mean you see NOTHING... Sorry guys, but that is stupid as well... No build up to the ride in the paths leading up to it OR in the queue... Missed the chances there... You can see they tried... They really did, and I enjoyed the ride itself, but there are so many failings with it as well which cause quite a few issues... Such a shame really... Not the worst thing at Chessie though right now... TPJames, pluk and Inferno 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt 236 Posted April 7, 2013 Report Share Posted April 7, 2013 My review: The queue is crap... The pre-show is crap... The seatbelts are crap... The loading/off-loading systems are crap... The cave is crap... The ride itself is decent though, I feel that having a pre-recorded thing fails epically as it forgets the whole mystical evil carvings half way through and you can't listen to it half the time (mainly due to people going "ohhhh" at the animals, which is fair)... The cave is pretty damn anti-climatic... They got everything but the actual point of it right, as the sounds/lights in there are actually decent... Shame... The queue as said is stupid... WHY IS THERE A BOLLOCKY GREEN SCREEN PHOTO 3/4 OF THE WAY THROUGH? Idiotic idea (especially given the state of the photo booth) to have it at all, let alone so far along in the queue you actually ARE queuing for it, rather than the ride... The pre-show is shockingly bad... 2nd best to Disney eh? I bet even Mingoland could get better lip-sync (read: ACTUAL LIP SYNC) than that lemur... Let alone it looked DIABOLICAL... Would've been better either having an extended queue with TVs explaining bits (hence allowing an INTELLIGENT onload/offload system) from Chase rather than a character which doesn't actually appear anymore in the ride (or on park for that matter)... Another thing are the high fences, which mean you see NOTHING... Sorry guys, but that is stupid as well... No build up to the ride in the paths leading up to it OR in the queue... Missed the chances there... You can see they tried... They really did, and I enjoyed the ride itself, but there are so many failings with it as well which cause quite a few issues... Such a shame really... Not the worst thing at Chessie though right now... Su First paragraph sums the ride up. On the other hand, there are Truckers and Jungle Bus which can't beat this ride. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RideAddict Posted April 7, 2013 Report Share Posted April 7, 2013 I see Webb groundworks are still on park working directly behind Runaway Mine Train. Unsure as to what they're doing, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBobJones Posted April 8, 2013 Report Share Posted April 8, 2013 Hmmm they can stick the photo section up their bum, I refuse the pay for photos now they have increased the price and reduced the offering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragon2000 Posted April 14, 2013 Report Share Posted April 14, 2013 Thoughts on Zufari: Quite enjoyed it! But you get the feeling everything has been done 'on the cheap' - non-automatic doors for pre-show, having to push open the gates to board etc. The lemur in the pre-show is soooo annoying. As others have said before, lemurs don't even come from Africa... Queue time today ranged from 15mins - 2 hours! Around park opening and park closing times it was quite frustrating having to sit through the pre-show when you knew that there were empty trucks sitting waiting for passengers... Had one ride of the day shortly after opening, all the animals were out in the sunshine and close to the truck. Had a second ride at the end of the day and the flamingos and rhinos had been put to bed - I can understand how you would have been disappointed if you had just waited 60mins + Spoilers: Cave is ok, got some good screams from passengers as the water flooded down. However, those jets of water spray that are directed straight into the faces of passengers is not nice! Avoid the front row left and right corners if you don't want to get *soaked*. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benin Posted April 14, 2013 Report Share Posted April 14, 2013 Madagascar is now no longer part of the continent of Africa then? Will agree that the pre-show is pointless... Could've easily done a decent station instead with a loading video playing in the background... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragon2000 Posted April 14, 2013 Report Share Posted April 14, 2013 You know what I mean! When was the last time you saw a lemur on the mainland? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benin Posted April 14, 2013 Report Share Posted April 14, 2013 I would think that a talking lemur appearing with a research team not in it's native habitat is the least of Zufari's worries... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshC. Posted April 15, 2013 Report Share Posted April 15, 2013 (edited) Average. The best word the describes Zufari. (Warning - this post will contain spoilers). Can someone explain how this in any way builds you up nicely to an African safari? Simple answer - it doesn't. The fact that this is a bridge over to the plaza, I'd have expected some form of nice view to the ride in some way, but nothing. You pretty much don't get to see the ride till you're on it, which in this case doesn't serve the ride well. This is meant to be something to be looked at, enjoyed, with the exception of the cave, which should be hidden away. Instead, everything seems hidden away. I also noticed this under the entrance hut. Sure, it's nice, but what does it have to do with an African safari? The Pre Show The bit with Chase is nice, though I couldn't help but feel a bit more about what ACRE was and why it exists wouldn't have gone a miss. Then the Lemur bit. Well, the kids seemed to enjoy it. And this is my problem with Chessington in general at the moment - the kids enjoy everything loads, whereas everyone else is left content - not how a family park, not this family attraction, should go. Anyways, I digress. The lemur bit was annoying, cringey and just in general meh. One thing which I found is whenever the operator uses the PA system, you hear it too clearly in the preshow room, and it just ruins everything. Design flaw there. It's annoying how there's still a bit of a queue afterwards - isn't a preshow meant to be something that comes directly before a ride? The Experience So, after more waiting (and getting confused by the row system, which should be clearer as people kept going into wrong rows..), we got on. It was taking ages for the trucks to go, even when everyone was strapped in. Don't quite get that. So, it's very bumpy, perhaps a bit too bumpy at points, but it does reflect a safari well in that respect I guess, and you adjust to it after a while. When it comes to the animals, we saw most of them, I think at least. The thing is though, you don't get a chance to observe them. You drive past, it's quite bumpy and you just see a few animals here and there. The pre-recording speaker thing was okay, but it wasn't much cop really - I didn't really realise it after a short while. I want a chance to see the animals, be able to admire them, take photos of them, which I just found wasn't easy enough to do on this ride. Whilst it may slow the pace of the ride down a bit, why can't you just stop for a bit, near where the animals are currently, so you can actually appreciate what you're seeing? The flamingos were way in the distance. You're having a giraffe...or two. The rhinos were mooning us. The ancient tribe carvings about the cave of danger. One thing I noticed, which annoyed me, was the 'traffic lights', which I guess were there for the drivers to know the truck ahead wasn't too close? Our truck did stop once for these, and it wasn't anywhere exciting. Whilst I understand they'll be there for safety, they could have been a bit more discrete surely?! Something which struck me was the lack of build up to the cave. It's mentioned in the preshow, which to me made it feel really obvious you'd go in there, and it's mentioned once on the on board audio? I'd have thought they'd want to make people fear it a little more, as it is the big finale of the attraction. The Cave You've heard the warnings, and now you finally see it - the cave. Really effective stuff there. [/sarcasm] THE DANGER CAVE OF DANGER! So, you see it, and you hear on the audio there's no other way, we'll have to go in the cave. There was no urgency regarding it, it was so blasé, as if it was the norm to go into dangerous caves ancient tribes feared. The described route of the trucks didn't even seem to show an alternative route that was cut off, it was just sorta like going into the cave was meant to be, not a last resort (at least, that's how I saw it). What would have been better was for the truck to stop, and the driver to physically say "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, unfortunately our route has been blocked off. We're going to have to go into that cave, but don't worry, it's safe, no one's gone missing..." and just sort of trail off or mumble. It would add to that sense of fear and danger, which is what the cave should be about. Oh well. EDIT: After watching some POVs of Zufari on Youtube, turns out there was something like this, with a path blocked by a tree, and Chase saying we need to take a different route. Didn't hear that on my go, nor did I notice the blocked off route - I did notice how the truck reversed a bit to make a turn, but just thought the driver underestimated the space needed. So yeah, not obvious or effective at all there... The cave itself is alright. It's nothing special, just a few mist sprays, noises and lights, followed by going under a waterfall (which DID surprise me; thought it'd be one of those turn off things and we'd just get a quick splash or something). So yeah, it's alright, but nothing as special as it should be. This then ends the ride, with the audio playing "We thought we lost you, oh my!!", or some rubbish like that. The story isn't strong enough, and that was something I was expecting with this. Okay, it's not piviotal to the attraction, which is about recreating a safari, but still something which should have been done well. All in all, it's an average attraction. Maybe I was expecting too much? Despite the fact you can see that Chessie have tried, really tried, and that it's great to see a ride-zoo attraction, I just can't say it's anything better than average. It is something I will do again, and I hope that as time goes on, the ride will age well, and the park can tinker around with it in a way that will ensure it works nicely in the park. Zufari - 5.5/10 Edited April 15, 2013 by JoshC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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