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Chessington changes for 2012

Re: Chessington to make drastic impovements for 2012

marc said:
I am sure that land is Greenbelt so it cannot be built on?
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Uhh well possibly, I did say it was just my musing. If so, at least I've provided you with a useful map of Chessington's picnic sites! Lol!
(although, surely this would mean that the new hotel/Africa area have already encroached on greenbelt land?)


Grumpy Gavin said:
Really?

Really?

What part of the current Chessington theming comes anywhere remotely close to Vliegende Hollander? That Transylvania area that was built years ago, way before Merlin has anything to do with the park? That's the closest as far as I can see, and it's still nowhere near in the same league.
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Alright, so maybe they aren't the best and I'm just daydreaming, but I'm sure Chessie would do a much better job of theming something like that than Thorpe or Alton. They've done a good job with Wild Asia and Africa (in my opinion), and the new Monkey area looks very nice if they pull it off. Don't be such a negative stroppy pants just cos you hate on Wild Asia!


I was always under the impression that Dragon's Fury was non-permanent. Look at the way the lift hill wobbles - it obviously has no 'proper' foundations
 
Re: Chessington to make drastic impovements for 2012

^Sorry, but I just see Wild Asia for what it is: a mass of uneven, broken slabs and a Disco. It's really not even remotely well-themed, or even pleasant to be honest.

It suffers from that apathetic "it's good for the UK" attitude (and even that I would disagree with), which doesn't mean it's actually any good at all.
 
Re: Chessington to make drastic impovements for 2012

You leave that boarded up field area alone, you can't put rides there - that's where we play on inflatables if we get good KPI results!

As for the 'big' 2013 ride, after being in the HR building and talking to some high-up peeps (whilst musing at the opening-year aerial photo of Nemesis <3), it will most probably involve water. A splash battle is highly likely apparently mainly due to the interaction and 'teamwork' that it could provide for families. Chessy's also a big hit in the summer, and people love water rides in the heat, so it all adds up. Talks of it going to ToyTown's area (after the re-theme) are afloat, but the thing is guests still seem so interested in that area, since most the visitors have very small toddlers who want to ride all the things there. It's distressing thinking of what do do next with the park, and there's definitely a lot of head-scratching going on.

As for all the new animal experiences and zoo add-ons, we do get the odd visitors who have genuine interest, but the general reaction from guests I've spoken to and from conversations I've heard is that people want new rides, not animals.

What decisions will Chessington make in a few years from now, and more importantly, what CAN they do, especially with all the Green Belt areas? Only time will tell.
 
Re: Chessington to make drastic impovements for 2012

A splash battle eh? Yeah I can see that happening. It would be disappointing for us, but I guess I see where they are coming from.

Nice one hun, good to hear from someone with their ear close to the ground :D
 
Re: Chessington to make drastic impovements for 2012

I was thinking earlier "what would I do" with Chessington and thinking to myself how soaking wet rides are fantastic at the right time, but if you want something to draw crowds year round, you cant go wrong with mildly wet rides. In the heat people hopefully assume it will be wetter whilst in the cold people think "oh it's not that bad". Other than a log flume, which they already have... And rapids. With rapids, I think Erol is right re: the land issue, and I also think we'd have seen them already if they thought rapids were even slightly a good idea. I recon the cost vs reward ratio is wrong with the rapids. They must cost quite a lot land wise to install, and to run the pumps? And after all that, you have a ride which is familiar at parks worldwide. Not worth it. I doubt they will go wish a splash battle seen as it hasn't been that popular at Alton, to my knowlegde?
 
Re: Chessington to make drastic impovements for 2012

^I think they're thinking towards a clone, or near enough replica, of the one at Flamingoland where it's on a long set course. But whatever it is it DEFINITELY involves water...well, that's if it can make it from the drawing board past the pitching board room. The impression I got from talks was "kids love water, and kids are our priority, so water it is!"

...I'm so losing my job over this.
 
Re: Chessington to make drastic impovements for 2012

Last year I heard rumours there for a Toadies retheme from team leaders.

As it turns out, they were true, at one time... But it never got past initial pitching.

This is probably the same. Hundreds of ideas are had, several get pitched... and if we're lucky 1 gets picked. Sometimes nothing gets picked.

I doubt a Splash Battle will happen. :p That's a bit of hoping from me, okay maybe a lot of hoping from me.

Others heard that Toadies was being completely removed, but I honestly don't think anything is "planned" for Toy Town anymore. I'm pretty sure that's on hold because the issue with Chessington is they can't make up their **** mind what they want to do.

I think the "big 2013 attraction" is something completely different.
 
Re: Chessington to make drastic impovements for 2012

If a Splash Battle were to happen, I'd despair... They just don't work in our climate and why would you build a ride that will only be extremely popular for a few days a year? Battle Galleons has been a walk-on every time I've been since it opened for example...

If they want water and interaction, I'd be more tempted by a Mack Twist n Splash on the Rodeo site... See if anyone reviews it positively after the Live this weekend...


As for Toytown, it's certainly the one area of the park which doesn't fit the new brand, and I reckon they still want to redo it... Maybe even next year if we're lucky...
 
Chessington to make drastic impovements for 2012

If Chessington consider a splash battle a "major" addition, then I fear for the parks future.
 
Re: Chessington to make drastic impovements for 2012

A Splash Battle is a horrible idea. That's not just coming from my "give-me-a-coaster" enthusiast mind either.

I've seen them at around 10 parks now, maybe more, and I've never seen one with a queue. That's including ridiculously busy parks at the height of summer, and in countries with a much better climate than ours.

I can see why smaller parks put them in (cheap), but even in those parks, with very little else to do, people just don't bother with these things.
 
Re: Chessington to make drastic impovements for 2012

gavin said:
^Sorry, but I just see Wild Asia for what it is: a mass of uneven, broken slabs and a Disco. It's really not even remotely well-themed, or even pleasant to be honest.

It suffers from that apathetic "it's good for the UK" attitude (and even that I would disagree with), which doesn't mean it's actually any good at all.
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Give examples in the UK which are better? I'm struggling to think of any.
 
Re: Chessington to make drastic impovements for 2012

^Ditto.

I'm aware Chessington doesn't have the best theming in Europe but their standards are well beyond all the other UK parks. The only other parks outside of Merlin with decent theming in the UK is Paulton's Peppa Pig land and Drayton's Thomas Land and they are both IPs and only in those areas and not throughout the park whereas Chessington has decent levels of theming through-out (though not to the levels of say Disney or Phantasialand). Obviously the other Merlin parks have decent theming too but I feel like Chessington is the only one with decent theming through-out the entire park, but that is just my opinion.

I really really hope they decide against a splash battle, it would be the worst thing they could probably go for. I agree with Joey that anything wet is just a bad decision. Obviously they need more rides, especially on the thrill side but it sounds like they're too scared to get anything thrilling which just puts off a massive amount of their target audience, the fools. As to what ride I think they should get well I have a small list but I won't bore you lot with that.
 
Re: Chessington to make drastic impovements for 2012

Joey said:
Give examples in the UK which are better? I'm struggling to think of any.
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Peep has basically just done it for me. I haven't seen Peppa Pig world first hand, so I can't say for sure that it's better-themed than Wild Asia, but Thomas Land at Drayton craps all over it.

I'd also say Katanga Canyon and Gloomy Wood at Alton are better themed as well; they certainly feel a lot more immersive, which is surely what theming is supposed to do?

My point still stands though; it's the apathetic "good for the UK" attitude that pisses me off the most. Why shouldn't we question what is clearly a second rate (being very polite there) product and just make do with it? If Wild Asia was at, say, Flamingoland (it's no better than that "Splosh" area), it would be slated to all hell, but because it's at CF's pet park it's "amazing".

Bollocks.
 
Re: Chessington to make drastic impovements for 2012

When I 1st saw the plans for Wild Asia I was really impressed, but I have tbh it never happened 100% as the plains showed.

The ground for example I am sure was never meant to have patchy tarmac like it has from opening day, I did say at the time I felt let down by this.

I have also said I thought the area was really grey and lacked colour etc, but people said that is what Asia is like?

For me the land is a huge improvement on what was there before so for me that is a big improvement.

But I like the birds there, thats the best thing :)

I can really see what Gavin is talking about.

For me I have been going to the park since I was 13 and nothing much has really changed in all that time, the theming around the park is still the same as it was back then but with new paint.

For me its the park lost in time. Many of you won't even remember when this was the London park and Thorpe was the no go park as there was nothing there. When Thorpe was bought Chessington just got left and neglected to the point nothing happened there. I mean come on why did they not fix the theming on the log flume that would never happen in Europe or the USA in big parks.

Anyway thats my honest view on it, and no I am not moaning or being negative here :)
 
Re: Chessington to make drastic impovements for 2012

gavin said:
My point still stands though; it's the apathetic "good for the UK" attitude that pisses me off the most. Why shouldn't we question what is clearly a second rate (being very polite there) product and just make do with it? If Wild Asia was at, say, Flamingoland (it's no better than that "Splosh" area), it would be slated to all hell, but because it's at CF's pet park it's "amazing".
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Funny, Marc said the same thing last year and got accused of always moaning and complaining :p

This is the point I am exactly getting at when I say that I have been spoiled by the Disneys and Universal. We just have higher expectations. I agree that Wild Asia is good for the UK but I also agree that its irritating that we are just expected to put up with that as a reason for it not being better or something...

Not all of the things they promised when we went to see them appeared which is a shame. Don't get wrong me, I really like Wild Asia and I think it will look better with some more greenery etc. BUT it still isnt anywhere close to getting near Disney. Im tired of hearing 'they are never going to get to that level so who cares'... well actually THEY DO! Since a big part of the Merlin message is all about "chasing the mouse"

I wouldnt say it was CFs pet park though...
 
Re: Chessington to make drastic impovements for 2012

^I have to agree with the greenery point. I have said since I first saw it that it needs more large plants. It's getting better as the plants already there grow bigger, but it doesn't feel like a newly discovered jungle civilization, which is clearly what they were going for. I think this would help to make the area more "immersive", as gavin put it.
 
Re: Chessington to make drastic impovements for 2012

Marc I'm sure they actually said something about theming the floor when we went for that special site tour but obviously that never happened and I agree that there should be a lot more greenery and there are areas which were not exactly finished (back of Tuk Tuk Turmoil where you queue along it is awful). I do feel that maybe it was down to delays during construction but I don't see why they couldn't of gone back over the closed period and finished the area off. Saying that makes me sound like a hater but I do love the area and think it's Chessington going into the right direction. Lets just hope that something ride wise is on the horizon and that more updates go ahead.

Gavin, I'm with Mark on Chessington not being CFs pet park, there are only a small minority of us that seem to give a damn about the park and rant and rave when anything happens.
 
Re: Chessington to make drastic impovements for 2012

I still don't know where in the UK has better theming overall than Chessington?

Here's the thing, with theming we're talking about two things. The design and the physical actuality. I prefer plenty of the concepts and ideas and designs for Alton, for example, but the level of physical theming is minimal. They've gone for themes there which haven't imposed too much on the landscape, very little has been brought in to construct an entirely fake environment. Wild Asia on the other hand is an entirely fake environment. That is difficult to pull off, because it means you have to create everything.

With regard to Wild Asia's design, I agree that it's too grey. There is little visual relief in the area. The argument that it's "realistic" doesn't hold, because firstly it's not and secondly it's irrelevant because we're at a theme park and not a museum. There isn't enough green in there, I don't think. And it's all too open. Making it feel less open is a challenge at a park, because you don't want to restrict people flow. Not only that, it would have been costly to add extra buildings and structures to the site.

With regard to the actual physical theming not being as good as the design, that is 100% the fault of budgets cutting things out right to the last moment. If it's not needed, it'll most likely get cut out. The quality of the theming I think is pretty good.
 
Re: Chessington to make drastic impovements for 2012

The main difference I see with theming round the UK is in terms of scale. Alton and Thorpe theme large open areas very well, which allows a high capacity of guests to travel easily around the area, but doesn't give the best immersive experience. I'm thinking Amity Cove here, which has impressive buildings, but nothing beyond a very nice KFC and some annoying fake American DJ.

By comparison, Thomasland and IMO Wild Asia, have a larger quantity of structures and accessories in a small space, which therefore, result in a more natural and atmospheric feel, giving a better experience for guests (statues, elephant tree, tuk-tuks, fountain, bamboo). You'd never be able to pull this off at a larger park though as you'd block access. Whether or not you like the colour scheme is a bit irrelevant (although personally, I find it a bit drab as well; my experience of Asia has always been of vibrant colour and smells, which don't really come across here).
 
Re: Chessington to make drastic impovements for 2012

I work on two levels with Chessington. "Enthusiast" and "Family".

Personally, I find Chessington a little bland and dull. I can't work up any excitement for the place at all. I think in terms of theming it's perfunctory, if a little lacking in places. There's some decent effort made here and there, but it's lacking. Rides I find "meh" in the extreme.

Going with the family though and the place changes completely. It's such a superb family park, and they think the place is wonderful. They love the interactive elements, they think it looks wonderful and they love all of the rides. I have a great day there with them because the joy is infectious. However, the same can also be said of Paultons, Gullivers and Flamingoland.

I think that Chessington are excellent at hitting their target market within the budget and restraints they work with. I think outside of their target market, it's as you would expect. I don't have any "I grew up with the park" love or anything to make me misty eyed - so like Gavin, I probably see it more critically.
 
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