No matter which theme park you visit in the UK, you will find a mix of attractions which appeal to all guests of different ages. Even the parks with the most thrilling rides and rollercoasters will also include family friendly areas for younger guests. But there’s some theme parks which mainly focus on family friendly areas and attractions. Chessington World of Adventures is one of those parks, so today I'll be sharing the reasons why I think it’s the best this country has to offer.
Before I go any further, I just want to mention that these are my opinions. There’s some fantastic family theme parks in the UK such as Paulton’s Park and Drayton Manor. Even the bigger theme parks like Alton Towers and Thorpe Park have areas designed for the younger generation which are brilliant. So although these are my reasons why I think Chessington is the best at what it does, it’s in no way saying that the other family theme parks are bad.
Theming
Theming is something that Chessington does very well. I find that compared to other theme parks around the world, some of the UK theme parks really lack theming. When going from one area to another, you want a completely different experience and I find that with some parks in the UK, there’s a lack of theming, sometimes to the point where you don’t actually know what the theme of that area is!
But with Chessington it’s different. Each area has a completely different vibe and theme but they still do a great job of keeping that overall animal, zoo, safari style theme running throughout the park no matter which area you’re in. Take for example Mexicana. It has the Mexico theme and has the scenery and colour scheme that makes you feel like you’re in a little village in Mexico. You have Rattlesnake, which although is a pretty rough ride (that’s a different story), it still fits in really well in that area. But right next to Mexicana you have the Forbidden Kingdom where you’ll find Croc Drop and Tomb Blaster which both fit the ancient, mythological vibe really well. Two completely different themes, but they transition perfectly. And that’s just two areas, you have Land of the Dragons, Land of the Tiger, Shipwreck Coast to name a few. All different, but all mix together really well.
The brand new for 2023 World of Jumanji has to be mentioned. I can't comment much on the area as I'm yet to check it out (find out my thoughts in July!). However, you have that giant Jaguar shrine, the different animal themed rides such as the new winged rollercoaster Mandrill Mayhem. It looks amazing and I can’t wait to experience it very soon.
There’s not one ride at Chessington World of Adventures that doesn’t fit in with the area that it’s in. I can name a bunch of different attractions at other theme parks around the UK where I’ve gone, why is this here? Why is there a pirate ship in a Forbidden Valley? Why is there a roller disco in a spooky forest? Some rides just don’t make sense, but that is not the case for Chessington. Every ride is themed perfectly for the area that it’s in, another reason which makes it one of the best.
Rides and Attractions
With the rides and attractions at Chessington, I’m sure this is where there will be plenty of mixed opinions. It all depends on what rides and attractions you’re into. Chessington does not have the most intense rides as the park is mainly aimed at families. Alton Towers and Thorpe Park are the places to visit if you’re after the more thrilling rides for sure. But Chessington has rides and attractions that are really enjoyable experiences.
I spoke about the theming already, all the rides and attractions have great theming. The Gruffalo River Adventure is a fantastic dark ride, of course aimed at the younger generation, but the scenery, effects, scents really immerse you in the attraction. And there’s even a little drop in there too which is super fun. Croc Drop, which is one of the newer rides at the park, is family drop tower that drops you inside the mouth of a giant crocodile. Tiger Rock is a simple log flume, but it drops you through the mouth of a giant rock tiger. And then of course you have the huge Jaguar structure at the World of Jumanji.
These are all basic attractions, but with the amount of theming it makes them some of the best. It would be rude not to mention Vampire which is a classic inverted rollercoaster. Not the most intense, but again, it’s just an enjoyable ride experience with a fantastic queue line and station. You have Dragons Fury, which is personally one of my favourite rollercoasters in the UK. I think it’s brilliant. Chessington also have my personal favourite Pirate Ship attraction called the Blue Barnacle. There’s also Cobra, a Zamperla Disk'o ride which again, is just a basic flat ride, but the theming makes it stand out. All these rides are just fantastic, enjoyable family rides.
As I said, everyone has their own opinions. These rides might be too tame for you, and if that’s the case then Chessington might not be the right park for you. But for the variety of attractions available, the amount of theming and the ride experiences, they’re definitely some of the best that the UK has to offer.
Overall Theme Park Experience
The first thing you think of when anyone mentions a theme park will be rides and rollercoasters. But it’s not just rides which make a top theme park experience. You could have the worlds biggest, longest, fastest, scariest rollercoaster, but if everything you experience after you come off that rollercoaster is poor, then that of course makes it a bad theme park. And it’s the overall theme park experience at Chessington World of Adventures that makes it, in my opinion, the best. We’ve spoken about the rides, the theming, they’re both great. But everything else at Chessington really makes this park stand out. Chessington World of Adventures is also a zoo. So you can meet a whole bunch of different animals during your trip to the park. There are lions, tigers, giraffes, rhinos, monkeys, and what’s even better is that Chessington also have a Safari called Zufari: Ride into Africa, so you can get up close to all these incredible animals. On top of that, there’s also various animal experiences you can add on for an additional fee. I’ve personally done the Giraffe feeding experience and it was so much fun. There’s also a Sea Life Centre at Chessington, so there’s plenty to do on top of the rides and rollercoasters, which is why I usually visit for two days.
With the park being a family theme park, whenever I’ve visited I’ve never had an issue with guest behaviour either which is always one of the key things which can make or ruin your trip to a theme park. There’s nothing worse than guests cutting in lines, being loud, smoking in queues. With Chessington being a family park, from my experiences anyway, you never get any of that bad guest behaviour. In terms of food, there are plenty of options available. The restaurants are pretty similar to what you’ll find at the other Merlin theme parks such as the Pizza and Pasta buffet and the burger kitchen, but you’ll find unique restaurants such as Drop ‘n’ chicken which is next to Croc Drop and also the Dragon’s Lair Café. So there are plenty of great food options available at the park.
Chessington is a resort, so there is of course a hotel which I love. The rooms are always fantastic and spacious, themed really nicely. If you stay in the Safari Hotel then you overlook the animals, so you can see Giraffes from your hotel room window. The restaurants inside the hotel are great too for breakfast and dinner. The Temple Restaurant in the Azteca Hotel is really cool, you have a see through ant run which goes all the way round the side of the restaurant which is very different. I have never had any issues with the food too, it’s always been great at both restaurants in the hotels.
So, the overall theme park and resort experience is fantastic. If you combine the three topics we’ve spoken about, the theming, the rides and the park as a whole, this is why I believe Chessington World of Adventures is the best family theme park in the UK currently. Think another park beats Chessington as the best family park in the UK? If so, let me know over on social media @attractionsbeyond!
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