We wouldn’t usually visit Chessington on a Saturday any time of the year let alone in August and this visit was a pleasant reminder of why! Let’s have a chat!
Getting In:
We arrived just shy of midday and were rather surprised by how long-winded the queue was to get into the park. Entering the park by Dragons Fury was an intriguing experience one of which I definitely think needs to improve. We were waiting for around 25-35 minutes as large groups scanned their tickets with only two members of staff on. The poor staff were doing their utter best to get everyone through as quickly as achievable and couldn’t have done much more. When using this entrance all gates need to be manned in my opinion to make getting in as smooth as possible.
The Queues & Availability:
It’s a Saturday in August and the queues will be lengthy that’s not a problem at all. We didn’t manage to get on any rides as we were doing the 3 parks in 1-day kind of visit. We saw queues going from 40 minutes to 120 minutes. But if you’re heading to Chessington during the Summer Holidays is exactly what to predict. It’s a place for all the family to enjoy and it’s great to see it’s pulling in the crowds clearly the new area is a hit. It seems that Scorpion Express remains closed, unfortunately. It’s been closed for over a year now so hopefully it’ll be back sooner rather than later to help the surrounding queue times.
Wilderfest:
It’s always delightful to see an event at Chessington as they do a splendid job every time. It’s another park which doesn’t have the event in one space specific but spread across the entirety of the park. The photo ops are just *chefs kiss* the number of shows to catch is also great! The number of characters with fab costumes is also brilliant. Again, it’s an event that can be appreciated by a vast range of ages
Overall:
I love Chessington it’s a wholesome and heartily park to visit with so much to see and do. Away from the rides you have the zoo, events & Sealife all of which are brill. It’s a family park & rightfully will always be busy during the holidays. We knew this upon visiting and it didn’t affect the time we spent at the park at all. It was always going to be a fly-by visit to check out the event. The park is looking lovely as it always does with the flowering & greenery all blooming. The main thing I think the park needs to do better is simply getting into the park if it was that busy close to midday two hours after the park opening what was it like at opening? There should definitely have been additional staff on to help the two who were working exceptionally hard to keep everyone’s wait to a minimum. Also, as guests try and help them too by simply being prepared and having your tickets to hand and be kind.
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Have you been to Chessington during the Summer Holidays before?
Thanks for reading!