Main Attractions
For those with younger children, Chessington World of Adventures offers something for all the family. Within this theme park is a selection of thrill rides including Vampire & Combra, a Zoo, a Sealife Centre and an array of younger rides. For the low down on all the discounts, deals and top tips to make the most of your day at Chessington World of Adventures, use this insider guide.
Deals
Book online: if you do nothing else, check out Chessington World of Adventures online offers which generally offers discounted tickets by up to 25%. For further details, visit online deals at Chessington World of Adventures.
Parent & Toddler deals; Chessington World of Adventures is keen to offer young families deals off peak. On selected days during the year, look out for the parent & toddler offer for a combined entrance of only £13.50. To download a voucher and further details, go to online toddler deals at Chessington World of Adventures.
Vouchers & discounts. Many retailers, discount websites and newspapers run 2 for 1 vouchers or 50% off entrance prices. To keep abreast of these offers, why not sign up to topdogdays . We will then do the the hard work for you and let you know where all the current deals are.
Kobra
Loyalty cards: both Tesco clubcard reward vouchers & Sainsbury’s nectar card offer deals with Chessington. Tesco clubcard vouchers offer value for money as your entrance token costs just £9.50 in vouchers. To get even more for money, go for a Merlin Annual Pass for £40.00 in vouchers. With Nectar, you can now redeem £5 off entrance charges for every 500 points you have accumulated.
Groups; You do not need to be in the Cubs or Brownies to take advantage of group discounts. If you can club together 10 or more of your friends or neighbours, there are about 40% discounts to be had! Group discounts need to be booked in advance, for more information, go to Chessington World of Adventures deals & discounts for groups.
Come back deals: there are usually plenty of offers on to entice you back for a second day. Chessington currently offer a come back deal for the following day for £5 or for anyday in the season from £15. Check out the posters by the exit/entrance for offers available on your day of visit.
Come back deals
Annual cards
If you intend to visit Chessington regularly an annual pass can offer value for money, (depending upon your choice of pass). Further to unlimited access to the park, there are many other additional benefits that tend to be forgotten. These added extras can substantially reduce your spend on each visit.
There are three options available: a Theme Park Annual Pass, a Merlin Annual Pass or a Merlin Premium Pass. When choosing between the Annual Passes, it would be wise to consider your families future plans as well as price. Listed below are some of the main benefits attached to each Annual Pass.
Theme Park Annual Pass;
- Access to Chessington World of Adventures throughout the year,
- 20% reduction on all purchases at Chessington World of Adventures outlets, (food, drinks, ice-creams, souvenirs)
- Valid for a full twelve months, (if purchased wisely, this can last you two seasons!)
- 20% off Ultimate Express Passes
- Sunstantial deals on Holiday Inn located within the park
- Prices start at £70 online
Dragon's Fury
Added benefits for a Merlin Annual Pass;
- Access to all UK Merlin Attractions; Alton Towers, Thorpe Park, Legoland Windsor, London Eye, Madame Tussauds, SeaLife Centres & many more, (some restrictions on use)
- 20% off refreshments & shopping at Alton Towers, Thorpe Park, London Eye, Warwick Castle, Sea Life & the Dungeons.
- Early Ride Time at Alton Towers
- Prices start from £150 although look out for half price deals for this pass
Added benefits for a Merlin Premium Pass;
- Access to all UK Merlin attractions without any restrictions during the season.
- 50% discount at Merlin attractions abroad.
- Priced at £200 per person.
Top Tip; you can upgrade on the day and the price of your admission will be refunded as long as you can produce your original tickets.
When to go to beat the queues
Choose your day carefully, there are particular days & months that historically have been quieter than others;
- Teacher training days are especially quiet if your children are off but the rest of the country is still at school!
- If you don’t have children, avoid the park at peak times during the school holidays. How quiet it can be just after the children have gone back to school.
- Especially quiet times have historically tended to be March/April, (avoid Easter) & September/early October
- Fridays tend to be busier than any other weekday.
How to Beat the Queues
It may seem obvious but to make the most of your day, get there early!! Ensure you are parked up & ready to go the moment the park opens. The first 60/90 minutes of the day is the best time to get round the main attraction rides before the queues start to build. There is a preferential entry gate for annual pass holders that is marginally quicker.
Wild Asia
For thrill seekers, there are six main rides: Vampire, Kobra, Dragon’s Fury, Rameses Revenge, Tomb Blaster & Dragon Falls, (a water ride). If these are for you, head straight to the back of the park and work round these rides in quick succession as these are where the queues build quickly. My advice is to start with Vampire as this is the largest rollercoaster at the park.
If you are staying at the Holiday Inn on site, you can access the park 30 minutes before general opening times on weekends and school holidays. Selected popular rides will be available to you offering you a great way to beat the queues.
Express Passes: this is effectively a fastrack ticket that offers you a way to bypass the queues, however they are not cheap. Your options are A Shot, an Express Pass and an Ultimate Express Pass.
Express Pass at Chessington World of Adventures
A Shot offers you a solo fastrack on one of the main rides for around £4. A selected shot for say Vampire, (one of the most popular), allows you to concentrate on the other main attractions and slot a fastrack in when the park is busy.
The Express Pass offers you one ride on each of the following; Kobra, Dragon’s Fury, Vampire, Dragon Falls & Tomb Blaster & Bubbleworks for around £10. Be aware that Bubbleworks is a young child ride NOT a thrill ride.
The Ultimate Express offers you unlimited access to 11 of the main rides in the park but at £40 a person, it’s not a cheap option!
Last Few Hints
Make use of the electronic board located in Market Square for accurate queue times.
Take a sandwich and have an early/late lunch -this way not only do you avoid the food queues but manage to take advantage of shorter queue times!
Not many people realise that it is the ride queue that closes at the stipulated closing time not the actual ride! As the park begins to empty, it gives you a chance at the main rides with generally shorter queue times.
Tomb Blaster
Have a break
Picnics are welcome at Chessington World of Adventure and this is an easy way to make some savings whilst also avoiding lengthy queues for lunch! There are lockers available throughout the park for £1, (non refundable).
A soft drink refill costs around £6 and allows you to refill as often as you like. Remember to use your Annual Pass to receive your 20% discount too!
There are a number of picnic spots around the park; try the grassed areas around the Zoo or, for younger children, the Dragon’s Playhouse for cover in wetter weather.
Places to Eat
Market Square Pizza & Pasta Buffet: try the all you can eat pizza, pasta, salad and drink deal for about £8 adults & £4 children under 12. Remember your 20% discount for passholders.
Holiday Inn: this newly opened hotel on site offers fantastic views of the African Savannah Experience and is open to non-residents for lunch, (just remember to have your hand stamped for return entry to the theme park.)
African Savannah Experience
Invest in an Ultimate Express Pass for £40 per person that allows you unlimited fastrack entrance to 11 of the most popular rides at the park.
Pick up some edible insects from the Maharaja’s Market in Wild Asia for a souvenir with a difference!
Edible Insects at Chessington
Brought the kids but not interested yourself?
There’s more than just rides at Chessington to keep you amused. Whilst the zoo is looking a little out-dated, there’s a fantastic Sealife Centre, (air conditioned!), closeby. Keep an eye out for information talks and feeding times running throughout the day.
The African Savannah Experience is also worth a closer look. If you can leave the site, the best views to be had are from the verander of the Holiday Inn. The bar is open to non-residents and offers a comfy retreat from the theme park!
Childrens Zoo at Chessington
Free child ID wristbands; Available from Guest Services for that extra piece of mind. They provide secure wrist bands that has your mobile number on the band. If child is lost, a member of staff will contact you on the number given.
Parent Queue Share Passes: If you have a child under 1.2m you can have a queue share pass, free of charge from guest services. This allows the first parent to queue and ride with the subsequent parent using the Express Pass entrance. This works particularly well in groups of adults and children as you can still enjoy the thrill of the rides together.
Height checking service: for those children on the border for height restricted rides, you can have your child measured at Adventurers’ Services in Market Square. If they are eligible, a wristband is placed on your child to confirm their height to avoid differences of opinion with ride attendants.
The Land of Dragons is a lovely area for younger children. Within lies an indoor play area, a children’s theatre, an interactive rope walk and even a small splash zone. Another ideal location is the children’s zoo that allows the petting of rabbits, goats and even a couple of pot bellied pigs!
Parking is currently free of charge. However with parking charges in place at Alton Towers & Thorpe Park, it may only be a matter of time before Chessington follows suit.
Holiday Inn at Chessington
Check out the newly built Holiday Inn on site that has been decked out safari style. Residents are offered early ride time prior to opening times on weekends and school holidays.
Chessington World of Adventures have introduced new USB wristbands that allows you to download photos as you wish. Once your have purchased the uSB wristband and first photo for £10, subsequent photos will cost you £5 and will hold up to 40 photos at a time!
Passholders get an even better deal; the initial puchase is just £5. For subsequent photos, why not purchase a 4 photo deal for £16 which you can use to buy successive photos on the USB wristband. This not only saves you a £1 a download, it is valid all season so you can space out your photographic memories!
USB wrist band
