Rainforest at Chessington

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Rainforest at Chessington

Chessington's era of retheming and refurbishing rides and areas has continued. The Rainforest is the parks newest area replacing Africa and Toadies Crazy Cars. Here is what I think about the area after visiting on the 20th of March. 

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Images in this blog are from @the_theme_scene on Twitter as well as myself. Thank you very much for letting me use these photos. 

Overall-
What used to be a huge plot of land just holding the 1987 attraction Toadies Crazy Cars, which has been in dire needs of TLC for several years. The area has now been opened up, with a path now going through the middle. The area feels very isolated compared to others and is very contained. Inside consists of River Rafts, Jungle Rangers and Treetop Hoppers. There are no facilities in the area but it is located near others so that is not a problem. The theming is strong for the budget they were working with. My favourite part of the area is the entrance portals which look very cool and are well themed. There is a good amount of planting throughout to help get across the theme.

Jungle Rangers-
ImageEnthusiasts speculated this would be the third retheme of the Toadies system but is actually a whole new ride system, which will hopefully boost the reliability. The layout is much shorter, almost half as long but is now much better themed. The story of the ride is now about spotting animals around the layout, with kids being able to press buttons and turn the steering wheel. The finale scene building has remained and is surprisingly well themed. The mix of fake and real animals is good for the ride and the whole attraction is quite immersive. I also really like the new ride vehicles. The only downside to the attraction is the fact that the throughput is quite low which could be a problem later in the season. Overall Chessington have created a great attraction and is a great ride to be the highlight of the area.

River Rafts-
ImageFormerly at Sealife Weymouth this small log flume is the perfect step up for the younger visitors before going on Tiger Rock. The ride has similar theming to Jungle Rangers, with fake animals dotted around the layout. The ride lasts for around two minutes and has one drop. The drop although small, is surprisingly wet and gets you more wet than a ride on Tiger Rock. The boats are themed like crocodiles and a very small, meaning it is only one adult per boat. The problem with this ride is the throughput as even on the day I visited, a quiet day, the ride reached 25 minutes. This could be a major issue on a hot day in the summer. Overall this is a good filler attraction for younger visitors and adds to the huge family ride collection the park has.

Treetop Hoppers-
ImageThis Zamperla drop ride, which has been at the park since 2001, has been turned around to face into the area, rather than towards Africa before and in my opinion really adds to the area. The fact the ride is themed to trees works well in the area due to the real rainforests having high trees. The ride itself has received no changes but does not really need to due to the theme the ride already had. Its a good filler to the area and adds to the theming. 

Conclusion-
This area is a great addition and has transformed a dead space into a vibrant and well themed area with a lot of character. The two new rides are added are good additions and I cannot wait to see more people ride them and enjoy them when the park reopens. The only downside I can see is the fact that the throughputs are very low on all attractions but I'm sure the ride team at the park will get it running as quick as possible. Overall a great area and one I highly recommend visiting when the park reopens.

Thank you for reading!

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