Fun has a price tag (Chessington World of Adventures)

Member Name: karalouk

Product:	Chessington World of Adventures
Date:	06/03/09 (266 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Theme park and zoo in one, great for all ages

Disadvantages: Overpriced

As a kid I used to love visiting Chessington World of Adventures and rather sadly I still do. The last time I visited was last summer and that is what I'll be basing this review on.

Chessington World of Adventures is a theme park and zoo in one. It is based in Surrey, just 12 miles from London. The park is well signed up if you are driving. The park is just 2 miles off the M25. The best way to find it is to use a RAC or AA route planner before you set off (that's if you haven't got a sat nav). Trains from London run to Chessington South Station and the park is just a 10 minute walk away. You can also get the 465 bus from Kingston, London or the 467 from Epsom, London to Chessington. We went by car and there were plenty of parking spaces.

We arrived at 10am and paid £33 per person for entry (£23 if you prebook online). My daughter was free because she was under 1 metre. Children over 1 metre and under 12 cost £22 (£16 if you prebook online). You are given a map (use it otherwise you'll get lost!).

There are 9 different 'lands'. First of all we went to Transylvania which only had 2 rides - The Vampire Ride (for older kids and adults) and Bubble Works (for all the family). The bubble works is a really cute wet ride which seats up to 8 people and the vampire ride is a pretty tame rollercoaster. There was a souvenir shop, burger king and a couple of snack places.

Pirates Cove was next up where again there were only 2 rides - Sea Storm (for all the family) and Black Buccaneer (for older kids and adults). Both boat orientated but no water. There was a fish and chip shop called Chips Ahoy!

Then we made out way through Toytown and Beanoland. Toytown was for infants and Beanoland was for slightly older kids and was Beano themed. Even though my little girl was only 1 at the time there were plenty of little rides to take her on - flying jumbos, toadies crazy cars, tiny truckers and of course the corousel. A Caffe Nero and The Toy Box shop were here.

We then found ourselves in Land of the Dragons and took a ride on Dragons Fury (for older kids and adults), Griffins Galleon (for all the family) and Sea Dragons (for all the family). There is also a Dragons Playhouse which is an indoor padded play area for younger kids and an outdoor play area called Canopy Capers for all ages. There is also a Caffe Nero and ice cream stand here.

Next we went to Mexicana where we had a Mexican Meal at the Mexican diner. It was lush but stupidly overpriced (I can't remember the exact price, sorry). The Runaway Train and Rattlesnake (for older kids and adults) were both here. The Rattlesnake was a good ride but was a total neck breaker!

We moved onto The Forbidden Kingdom which had 2 rides in - Tomb Blaster (for older kids and adults) and Ramesis Revenge (for older kids and adults). Tomb blaster was a ride where you sit in a cart and shoot laser guns at things - it sounds pretty good..but it's really poor. Kids probably enjoy it more than adults. Ramesis Revenge is one of the best rides but don't ride it if you have just eaten! You will also get wet. There is an ice cream stall and cafe here.

Mystic East was next. This is a Japenesse theme land with a log flume called Dragon Falls (for older kids and adults). There's also a big wheel for all the family to ride. Food here consists of a doughnut stall, hotdog stall and oriental resturant.

Lastly we visited Market Square which is full of souvenir shops, sweet shops, doughnuts stalls, hotdog stalls, ice cream stalls and resturants. This is the part of the park where you end up spending a fortune as everything is totally overpriced. If you don't want to be out of pocket I suggest bringing your own lunch with you. There is also a Safari Skyway here which is worth a ride. It's a monorail in the air which takes you around the park and zoo. It's really relaxing and good for all the family.

There is now a Sealife Center at Chessington. You don't have to pay to enter as it is one of the few things that is included in the park entry fee. Although it seemed relatively small it is actually the home to 20 marine displays.

We ended our day by visiting the farm and then the zoo. They have everything from sheeps and skunks to lions and gorillas. We all enjoyed the sea lions the best and my little girl absolutley loved walking around the farm amongst the animals.

All in all Chessington World of Adventures is an entertaining day out for all the family, just make sure you take a packed lunch if you don't want to be seriously out of pocket.

Summary: a great day out for everybody