12 years and over £29.00 Under 12 years £19.50 Disabled £14.50 Senior £18.00
Don't forget your map on entry to the park!
There is a bus stop right outside the entrance.
Annual Pass: ------------------
Annual pass is £255 for a family of four or £85.00 per person. This entitles you to go to other attractions too. These are: London Eye, Alton towers, Thorpe Park, Madame Tussauds in London and Warwick Castle. You can also get a discount off of food, drink and gifts at Chessington. After 5.00pm the annual pass entitles you to express entry on two selected rides of the day.
Why Go? ------------
Having three children it is hard to find something that all ages will enjoy. This is perfect for the children, 3, 6 and 8, and they always have a lovely time
and never tire of going here.
Entering ------------
I would recommend entering from the 'North/Main' car park as you will get a better feel for the place. This is the main entrance to the park. The other car park is towards the top left hand side of the park and you feel as if you are entering through the back gate.
Best Time To Go? -------------------------
Coming in through the main entrance you are faced with a beautifully well kept flower bed. We have been here in October for Halloween and the flower beds all over the park are amass with pumpkins. The Hocus Pocus Hall is covered in 'cobwebs' and there are large pumpkins on top of the shops in the Market Square that light up with smoke coming out of their mouths. I have never seen so many pumpkins, couldrons, cobwebs or bats in all my life!! Superb!! It isn't too busy this time of year and easier to get on the rides as queues are shorter.
What Is There? ---------------------
Animal Land:
To the left and right on entry is Animal Land. Ideal for all ages including toddlers. Lots of sheep, goats and guinea pigs to touch. There is soap to wash hands with afterwards too.
Other animals are otters, capybara, squirrel monkey, bird garden, penguins, creepy spiders, snakes, sea lions, lions and many other animals to look at.
Transylvania:
This is where the Bubbleworks is. A slow indoor water boat ride ideal for all ages, little ones under 1m must be accompanied. My son thinks this is magical. It's a journey through a lemonade factory with loads of plastic ducks. The whole place used to smell of lemonade, but now more like soap as it's now sponsored by Imperial Leather.
Also in this area is the Vampire Ride. More for teenages. You hang underneath the roller coaster with legs dangling as it roars around the McDonalds roof.
There is also gift shop, hotdogs, refreshments and Mcdonalds.
Pirates Cove:
This is a small area with a fish and chip shop and a merry go round style boat ride. My son of three loves this one.
Toytown:
There is the Jumbo Elephant ride where big pink elephants go up and down in a circle. I hate this as I always have to go on it with the kids. It's a merry go round type thing suitable all.
We also have a car ride suitable for smaller kids, the carousel suitable for all, and berry bouncers - a ride sponsored by Ribena that is a long seat that goes up and down, suitable for 5 years +.
Also here is cadburys shop, toyshop and nero cafe.
The rides are for the smaller children and the family are Dragon's Tale Theatre, Dragon's Playhouse (like a big indoor play centre that ventures outside too), Canopy capers, sea dragons, dragons fury, and griffins galleon.
Beanoland:
Mainly for 5 years plus I would say. We have here Dennis's Madhouse - an indoor ball shooting play area. More for slightly older kids. There are also some swings that go round, dodgem cars, and bash street bus ride (suitable for 3+).
The refreshments here are fresh fruit smoothies, beanoland shop and a cafe.
Mystic East: ----------------
More for 5+ or braver younger ones. My son of three loves the Dragon Falls log flume. You can pan for gold £3 extra charge but all can take part and you get a medal at the end of it. There is also a big wheel here - also more for over 5 years.
The refreshement shops are oriental chinese food outlet, hotdogs and nachos and donuts.
Forbidden Kingdom: ----------------------------
More for older children 5+. These is a dark tomb raider ride and rameses revenge. This is for teenagers.
There is also a salad and roll cafe.
Mexicana: -------------
More for older children. There is the runaway train which my six year old goes on, but also good for teenagers. The rattlesnake which is a roller coaster spinning thing for teenagers.
The refreshments are an authentic mexican diner.
You can also have your photo taken dressed in western clothes and photo yourself in a wild encounter. There is a vertual reality theatre aswell.
Market Square: ---------------------
There is an events stage where they have shows with well known tv characters such as scooby doo. (People dresed up). Suitable for all ages. There is Hocus Pocus hall - like a tame ghost house - little ones may get scared of dark. 4+ I would say. Safari Skyline which is a train that goes around the park at roof height. Great if you like heights, quite tame and suitable for 3+.
We also have KFC, pizza hut, Greedy Goblin pub, waffles and ice creams, sweet shop, joke shop, chessington shop and donuts.
And we are back at the entrance having gone round in full anti clockwise circle.
On the map it shows clearly where there are:
Disabled toilets, toilets, lost children, medical centre, buggy and wheelchair hire, guest services (any queries you may have like the old man), lockers, no smoking in queue lines, vegitarian meals, credit cards, ride photos, fuji film photo trail - good photo opportunities, baby change, nursing mothers rooms, cash machines, showtimes, games, queue line information board, annual pass kiosk, bus stop.
The map also has numbers by the side of the rides listed to show what ages the rides are most suitable to.
There are also many arcade outlets throughout the site which do cost a small fortune and are not free.
I'm sure there are a few rides that I have missed.....
My Opinion: ----------------
We have been to Chessington many many times and have always had an excellent day out. The kids come home tired and exhausted after a hectic day racing around on rides.
The whole family love it. Even then you need some time out you can mooch around the animal land area, which is more sedate watching the animals. You could make an afternoon out of this alone.
We do miss out the arcade games and just go on the rides instead. If you did everything it would cost you a small fortune.
A thoroughly enjoyable and exhausting day out.
(Next year (2007) they are building a hotel and water park, so it's going to be MASSIVE!!!)
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
NH Hotels, the hotel chain leader in Europe, with more than 300 hotels in 20 countries in Europe, Latin America and Africa. Enter into our web site and find the best available tariff at all times
Aug 18th, 2006
exceptional by (15%):
very helpful by (85%):
