What was your, and your family’s, overall experience of your day at Chessington?
In a word: disappointing!
What did your grandchildren think about the Octonauts activities and exclusive meet and greet?
This was the highlight of my three year old grandson’s day. There was only a short time of queuing and he had plenty of time for cuddles and photographs.
Did you or your family go on the new ride ZUFARI: Ride into Africa? If so what did you/your DGCs think about the ride?
We were informed by staff that my grandson is not tall enough to go on the ride.
What were your/your DGCs highlights of the day?
For me the whole day was an exercise in frustration; no highlights (see below). For my grandson it was meeting the Octonauts.
Which, if any, attractions/ shows/ rides would you most recommend to parents with young children?
We found it difficult to navigate the park (the map was the worst example of its kind that I’ve seen) and as a consequence relied upon catching staff members and asking directions (they were all helpful and cheery), however this meant that for some of the time we wandered aimlessly. When eventually we did find and try one of the rides (Little Trucker) the cabin was too small for me to accompany my grandson in the cab and, much to his disappointment, we had to ride on the top. This was the only ride we went on. Because of various delays (see below) we missed the Penguin and Sea Lion shows which I’m sure my grandson would have enjoyed.
Overall, would you recommend Chessington World of Adventures to your friends and family if it came up in conversation? If so, why? If not, why not?
Sorry, but no, I would NOT recommend CWoA. We had all looked forward to our day at Chessington and had driven up from Devon the day before and spent a night in the (very expensive) Resort Hotel. Unfortunately there was a party being held on the ground floor (we were on the second floor!) that kept us awake due to thumping music, which continued late into the night despite a complaint to reception. As a consequence of this we all started the day overtired. After meeting other Gransnetters (the highlight of MY day) and an opportunity to meet a few animals we had a briefing and made our way over to Seaworld to begin our ‘Chessington Adventure’. We had a double pushchair with us that made Seaworld impossible for my daughter to explore, so she left and I took my grandson around. He enjoyed that very much, but was fretting about where his mum and baby brother had gone, so we hurried through. When we left Seaworld we walked along a path that we were unable to negotiate with the pushchair because of steps and had to turn around (some paths are NOT easily negotiated with a double pushchair). We walked towards the monkeys and stopped to admire some turtles by a pond that had very large fish in it. Imagine my horror when my grandson leaned against the fence only to find that it was in fact the gate that had been left unlatched and only by grabbing him by the scruff of his neck and hauling him back (frightening him half to death in the process) was I able to prevent him from falling into the pond!!!!! Another visitor helped me to secure the gate temporarily and I dashed off (leaving my daughter and grandsons waiting) to find a staff member to inform and was then left guarding the gate whilst further help was summoned. By this time we were all thoroughly disenchanted and a few minutes later when I caught my top on a protruding nail that was at the height of a child’s face I was ready to call it a day. I am a parent who encouraged my children to run, climb, get muddy etc. so I’m not a health and safety fanatic, but it was obvious that there are real issues that need to be addressed by CWoA.
Do you think you'd be likely to revisit Chessington World of Adventures Resort again in the future? If so, why? If not why not?
No, I wouldn’t visit again so please don’t enter me for the prize draw. I think my grandson summed up the day when I suggested that perhaps it was time to go home. He responded with, “Oh goody".
On a positive note, it was really good to meet the other Gransnetters and for that alone it was worth the expense and the four hour journey.