Chessington World of Adventures 2014 Review
Chessington World of Adventures
Reviewed by Patricia Shaw
On route and the kids (aged 5 and 9) had no idea where they were going for the day. They were told to look at the brown road signs to see who could work it out first. The park is very well signed from the M25 and as we turned off at junction 10 we had 2 extremely excited children. We arrived very early and had no trouble parking. The park opens at 10am and we headed straight for the Scorpion Express, the new ride for 2014. This is a family rollercoaster and was a great introduction to the park for my 5 year old; he was a little wary as we sat down in the carriage! The train on route, we were soon circling round the scorpion that was lying in wait to squirt water at the unsuspecting passengers. An enjoyable first ride although my advice to parents would be to sit to the left of the child to avoid squashing them!
We headed on up towards market square where Dragon’s Fury caught my eye and we set off in search of the entrance. The queue was not too long and after about 20 minutes our ride began. It was touch and go as to whether this was the best idea for the novice rollercoaster rider among us, but fortunately he loved it and we were set for a thrilling day ahead.
There are 10 themed lands and over 40 rides and attractions – far too much to be able to cover everything in one day even though we had the Explorer Fastrack tickets which enabled us to avoid the queues once each for: ‘ZUFARI: Ride into Africa!’, Vampire, Bubbleworks, KOBRA, Dragon Falls, Dragons Fury, Scorpion Express, Tomb Blaster, Flying Jumbos, Tiny Truckers, Toadie’s Crazy Cars, Sea Storm and Monkey Swinger!
We loved the rides so much that we joined the queues for a second go on Dragon Fury, Vampire, and Bubbleworks, and the children had numerous turns on Monkey Swinger and Sea Storm. Other rides that we enjoyed which weren’t included on the Explorer Fastrack were Rattlesnake, Tuk tuk Turmoil (aka the dodgems) and the Carousel which gave us a total of rides throughout the day in excess of 20. The one ride which was not working when we visited was the Safari Skyway, which was a real shame as it is a great way to see lots of the animals especially the lions and tigers.
As the day was drawing to a close, whilst my husband waited to collect our photos, the children and I had a quick wander around the children’s zoo. They could neither decide what they had enjoyed most nor which was their favourite ride.
The park was not particularly busy and the weather was on our side – not too hot to make queuing unbearable and not so cold that we needed to lug coats around. We had a fantastic day and are certainly looking forward to returning very soon when we will be making a beeline for our favourite rides from this visit before spending time at the zoo and Sealife centre and hopefully going on some of the rides that we didn’t get to do this time.
A wonderful day out which saw the whole family happily exhausted!
More about …..
The Rides
There are so many rides to choose from: the gentle ones for the little adventurers, family orientated rides and the big scary rides for the brave adventurers. There really is something for everyone and far too many to do all of them in one day. Many of the rides have a water feature and if you do get soaked there are haystack driers which will dry the whole family for £2. You can see the full list of rides here.
Ride Restrictions
Children under 0.9m have free entry to the park however there are not many rides that they can go on. From 0.9m to 1.1m they often need to be accompanied by an adult and there are still a number of rides which are not suitable for them. Once they reach 1.2m the whole park opens up to them except for 2 rides (Rameses Revenge and Rattlesnake) which have a minimum height restriction of 1.4m. Other restrictions for certain rides include maximum height of 1.96m and maximum chest of 51” so be sure to check this out if it is likely to affect you. As expected some of the rides are unsuitable for those who are pregnant or who have back or neck problems.
Photo
Smile, you’re on camera! On lots of the rides you have your photo taken and then have the option to buy the image as either a framed picture, a magnet or a keyring. There are various packages available and we chose the 4 images for £25. When you buy your photo you also get a code to download the image when you get home.
Lockers
Lockers are available in various locations around the park which provide a more secure place to leave valuables during the day. However for the rides where bags and loose items cannot be taken on areas are provided for you to leave these at your own risk. You also have the option to return to your car during the day.
Queueing
If your child is close to the height restriction it is worth getting them measured at Adventurers’ services in Market square. Here they will be measured and given a wrist band indicating their height and this will help you avoid a long wait only to be turned away at the end.
For those who are unable to physically queue there is a Ride Access Pass which is a sort of virtual queuing system. There is not a lot of information available on this but you need to have medical evidence of your entitlement such as a letter from the doctor. If you think this might be for you check out the website and visit Adventurer Services on arrival at the park.
The Parent Swap Pass, also available from Adventurer Services, ensures that both parents can enjoy the height-restricted rides without having to queue twice.
Chessington has worked hard to ensure queuing does not become too arduous. There are clear electronic signs at the entrances to the rides which give an indication of how long you are likely to be waiting as well as reporting any other issues which have arisen during the day. The big rides have well designed queuing areas with snack kiosks part way round in both Vampire and Dragon’s Fury. Each land has a theme and the scenery around the queues fits the theme giving everyone something more interesting to look at while waiting. During our visit the worst queues we encountered were for the Scorpion Express (1 hour) and the Vampire (45 minutes). The smaller rides had minimal queues.
The Animals
Chessington Zoo was founded in July 1931 and despite its transformation into the family adventure park which was fully opened in 1987 the animals are still an important part of the day out. The African animals have been fully integrated into the Zufari ride giving you close up views of the giraffe and rhinos. The children’s zoo has all the usual suspects but we were surprised to see the skunks. Elsewhere in the park you will find a variety of animals and there are numerous presentations as well as meet and greets throughout the day. The children particularly enjoyed feeding the Lorikeets in Lorikeet Lagoon. This cost £2 a pot and the birds happily landed on their outstretched hands. The new Amazu treetop adventure allows children to explore, play and have fun near the monkeys. There are plans to add more to this in the summer and we look forward to seeing how this turns out.
In addition to the general presentations my favourite animal, the meerkats, are one option for a meet greet and feed with the xtra adventures on offer.
We really did not have enough time to fully explore the zoo and we didn’t even make it as far as the Sealife centre.
Tickets
There are a wide variety of options for entrance tickets but the best option is to book online at www.chessington.com/booking. There are a limited number of early bird tickets available for £24. If you want to visit regularly then the Chessington Pass may be just what you need or if you would like to visit a number of the Merlin Group attractions the Merlin Annual Pass is certainly worth looking at. For more information on both these passes visit: www.chessington.com/plan/chessington-annual-passes.aspx.
Fastrack
Fastrack tickets have to be bought in addition to the park entry and there are a number of different options: One shots where you choose a specific ride to Fastrack, or packages ranging from £4 for the Young Adventurer, £30 for the Explorer Fastrack up to £60 for the Ultimate Fastrack which gives unlimited Fastrack all day. Whilst I was very glad to be able to beat the queues I am not certain I agree entirely with the concept which is in effect “pushing in”. I felt quite bad walking past people who were queuing normally. On some rides the Fastrack takes you straight to the front of the line and onto the very next turn, on others you still have to queue for a little bit. You can buy the Fastrack tickets in advance online or from the Fastrack kiosks on site. The number of Fastrack tickets available each day is limited and the website suggests that you should consider buying them in advance.
Car Parking
To leave the car park you have to scan your parking ticket which costs £2 for the day. The car park ticket is available to buy as you leave or you can buy it with your entrance tickets. There are 2 car parks which have different exits so be careful to return to the right one!
The Park in General
The general facilities around the park were kept clean and tidy. Toilets were plentiful and easy to find. Paper maps to help you find your way around are available in addition to the large maps located throughout the park. Most places accepted credit / debit cards but in case you find yourself needing cash there are cash machines in various locations, although you will be charged for using them. The staff whom we encountered were all very friendly, polite and helpful. All around the park you will find a variety of games and sideshows where if you are lucky you can win one of a wide range of prizes. All of these sideshows cost extra and you pay for them as you go.
Food
There is an excellent range of places to eat from snacks such as burgers and hotdogs to fish and chips, pizza and pasta or a sit-down meal in the Zafari Bar and Grill. Eateries can be found throughout the park and in some of them children can eat for free after 3pm. My daughter chose the hot dog meal whilst the rest of the family decided to sample the chicken meals from the Fried Chicken Co. A meal and drink each cost us a total of £20.45. The chicken and chips, although not perhaps the healthiest choice, were very nicely cooked and quite tasty. Drinks and snacks throughout the rest of the day included ice creams, doughnuts, tea and hot chocolates. The cost of these is about average for this type of venue; e.g. 4 drinks came to £8.75 and 4 ice creams cost £8
Shopping
A variety of souvenirs and gifts can be bought from the various shops around the park. In Transylvania there was also the opportunity to have your hair braided and your face painted.
Hotels
Whilst we were there I took a quick peek at the Chessington Safari Hotel. Clean and modern with fantastic views over the Wanyama village and reserve I can only imagine what it must be like waking up and seeing the animals from your bedroom window. They are currently building the new Azteca Hotel which is due to open in August this year. The website gives details of the rooms and prices and the perks for guests staying at the hotel. Having browsed the site and looked at the offers available I am really tempted to book a short stay.
Day out: 5 stars
Value for money: 3½ stars
All prices are accurate for 5 April 2014 but subject to change.
Rating: 4/5
Tickets start from £24 (by booking online). For up-to-date prices and offers click here. To book tickets online visit www.chessington.com/booking.
Chessington World of Adventures, Leatherhead Road, Chessington, KT9 2NE
