Chessington World of Adventures with Children

If you are planning on going to Chessington World of Adventures Resort with children, read the post below! It includes:

• Arrival at Chessington – when to get there and where to park.
• Things to do in advance of your visit
• The rides to enjoy at Chessington World of Adventures
• What there is to do other than rides
• What shows there are to see at Chessington
• Where to eat – picnic or buying food
• Fast Passes
• Everything else!

Where is Chessington World of Adventures?

Chessington World of Adventures is in Chessington, in Surrey – about 35 miles from central London. The postcode is KT9 2NE. For full details on how to get to Chessington by Car, Train or Bus click here.

We live near to Chessington World of Adventures so I often take the girls there for a day of family fun. I think I love it almost as much of them! As we live so close we sometimes just pop there for a few hours. But often we spend the whole day there.

We can be flexible as we have Merlin Passes, which means we have paid a one off fee to get into over 30 attractions around the UK. Chessington is owned by Merlin and Merlin passes are brilliant. We got ours using our Tesco club card points we feel like we got them for ‘free’! You can also get a Chessington Annual Pass for entrance to Chessington only.

We often visit Legoland Windsor as well, see our blog post here for more on our trips there. Thorpe Park is also another local theme park that is part of the Merlin pass.

Another popular choice with the Merlin Pass for us is Alton Towers, as it is further away we make a weekend trip of it each year. Read about our most recent visit here.

All about Chessington World of Adventures with Children

Chessington World of Adventures has been around since I was a child (and probably before that!) and is a fantastic day out for all the family. With around 40 different rides ranging from the Gruffalo River Ride Adventure to Scorpion Express and Tomb Blaster, there is easily enough to keep you busy for a few days. There are a number of themed lands and they frequently update new rides, the most recent of which is Croc Drop.

As with most theme parks it does get busy (and there can be massive queues during busy periods) so this blog post should give you some hints and tips as to how to avoid the queues and make the most of your day out at Chessington World of Adventures with children.

Chessington World of Adventures Tickets

Tickets MUST be pre-booked due to Covid-19 protocols. You can, however, still book online on the day. It’s much more expensive though so a bit of pre planning is worth it.

1 DAY TICKET

Online from £34 On the Day £48

• Includes entry to Theme Park, Zoo & SEA LIFE Centre
• Pre-booking is essential for entry
• Limited capacity
• Rainy day guarantee – get a free return visit

ALL INCLUSIVE TICKET

Online from £47 Purchased separately £65.50 on the day

• Entry to Theme Park, Zoo & SEA LIFE Centre
• Standard Meal Deal Voucher for use in Vampire’s Burger Kitchen or Drop’N Chicken
• Refillable quencher – unlimited soft drinks!

Under 3s go free.

Currently there is an adult and pre-schooler deal which costs £25 for joint entry during the week in term time. It’s a fantastic time to visit with youngsters (4 years and younger) as it’s usually a lot quieter.

Getting to Chessington World of Adventures

The opening hours vary depending on time of season, but what ever the opening time is I aim to get there for it. This would be especially relevant if you needed to buy or collect tickets on the day as the queues do get long. If you have a Merlin Pass like us you can skip most of the queue and get straight in.

If you are visiting Chessington World of Adventures with children I would recommend trying to get into the first car parks as it makes your walk to the park much shorter.

However they have improved the parking recently so that even on the busiest of days the walk isn’t awful (nothing like Alton Towers for example), probably around 10 minutes.

The best option however, is for Premium pass holders who can park in a dedicated car park at the entrance. If you have a premium pass you will have to flag the attendant at the car park entrance to see if there is space available. It is THE BEST place to park.

If you need to buy tickets look in advance for buy one get one free offers on confectionary packets or cereal boxes. There are often deals to be had and it makes the price much more reasonable! Click here to see where you can find these promotional offers for Chessington World of Adventure tickets, they make a HUGE saving.

What should I do in advance of my visit to Chessington World of Adventures?

Visiting Chessington World of Adventures with children is great as it has a real mix of rides, attractions, shows, the Sea life centre and Zoo. There is something for pretty much everyone!

This means that no two visits to Chessington are the same – I think it would be impossible to see it all in one day.

Depending on the age of your children I would suggest having a look in advance as to what’s on offer. It’s good to have a rough idea of what rides you want to go on and shows you want to see etc before you get there.

Having a plan makes it SO much easier and less stressful. There is an app that will help you plan and also gives you directions to where you want to go next. I’ve been going for years and still get confused so it’s worth having!

It’s also worth having some idea as to how tall your children are before you go. This dictates what rides they can go on, whether they can go on them alone, or have to have an adult with them.

Chessington World of Adventures website is also excellent and is a handy guide to look through in advance.

I still find the good old paper map handy, even with all the other tools available. These get handed out on arrival or you can ask at Guest Services.

What age range is Chessington suitable for?

One of the most common questions I’m asked is ‘Is Chessington suitable for my 3 year old?’ or ‘Is Chessington suitable for my 6 year old?’ I can confirm absolutely yes!

At the time of writing (Summer 2018) our children are 4 and 1 so what they enjoy does vary from the big kids (but there’s plenty for them too!). However firm favourites with our girls include Toadies Crazy Cars (this has now changed to Jungle Rangers and is brilliant), Adventure Tree (a carousel) and Flying Jumbos.

Our 4 year old has started to enjoy Treetop Hoppers, Scorpion Express (a children’s rollercoaster) and the Jungle Bus. I could go on and on. Especially for our 4 year old (who is 1.10m high), there are loads of rides.

UPDATE JULY 2021

My daughters are now aged 6 and 3 and there’s still so much to entertain them. They love the slow rides still but for my eldest there is the Vampire, Croc Drop and Dragon’s Fury amongst others. I’m really impressed that there’s not been a time where they’ve not had a huge selection of rides to enjoy at Chessington World of Adventures.

The crucial decider on what they can go on however is their height. So be sure to measure them before you go and have a quick look on the website or app and use the handy tool to see what they’ll be able to go on.

What rides are there at Chessington World of Adventures

For the Park map click here.

Little Rangers:

Jungle Rangers

River Rafts

Elmers Flying Jumbos

Treetop Hoppers

Jungle Bus

Temple of Mayhem

Canopy Capers

Griffins Galleon

Dragon’s Playhouse

Sea Dragons

Tiny Truckers

Adventure Tree Carousel

Amazu

Family Explorers:

Tuk Tuk Turmoil

The Gruffalo River Ride Adventure

Tomb Blaster

Scorpion Express Runaway Mine Train

Room on the Broom; A Magical Adventure

Seastorm

Zufari Ride into Africa

Lorikeet Lagoon

Sea Life

Trail of the Kings

Sea Lion Bay

Penguin Bay

Yoohoo and Friend Children Zoo

Wanyama Village

Rhino Lookout

Brave Explorers:

Croc Drop

Blue Barnacle boat ride

Kobra

Monkey Swinger

Tiger Rock

Dragons Fury

Vampire

Rattlesnake

Fast Tracks at Chessington World of Adventures

Being Merlin Pass holders and going to Chessington often we rarely feel the need to get fast track tickets BUT on a recent trip in School Holidays, just with my eldest (so we wanted to go on some of the faster rides, which tend to have the bigger queues) it was very very busy and really the only way to get on rides without a long queue was to purchase fast track tickets.

They do individual fast track for the popular rides, priced between £8 and £6 each and these are allocated a time slot (see below for the list). There are only a certain number available per day only available in the park and not online so if you want them, get there early! There is a booth just inside the entrance, expect to queue though on busy days.

ONE SHOT FASTRACK TICKETS (updated July 2021)

Croc Drop £8 (Available at The Hub)

The Gruffalo River Ride Adventure £8 (Available at The Hub)

Vampire £8 (Available at The Hub)

Dragon’s Fury £8 (Available at The Hub)

Rattlesnake £8 (Available at The Hub)

Tiger Rock £8 (Available at The Hub)

KOBRA £8 (Available at The Hub)

Blue Barnacle £7 (Available at The Hub)

ZUFARI: Ride into Africa £7 (Available at The Hub)

Scorpion Express £7 (Available at The Hub)

Tomb Blaster £7 (Available at The Hub)

Seastorm £6 (Available at The Hub)

Elmer’s Flying Jumbos £6 (Available at The Hub)

Room on the Broom – A Magical Journey £6 (Available at The Hub)

They also do fast track packages which group together popular rides and you can buy these online or on the day. You can pay anything from £13.50 (online) to £63 for these options. MULTIPLE FAST TRACK PACKAGES ARE CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE DUE TO COVID. Check the Chessington Fast Track section of their website for up to date details.

What is there to do other than rides?

If you are planning to visit Chessington World of Adventures with Children there is plenty to do which doesn’t even involve going on rides! This is one of the best things about going to Chessington World of Adventures with Children under 3, as there’s so much to entertain them even if they aren’t in to rides yet.

Whilst there are less rides for our 1 year old there are loads of other things she can enjoy. A particular highlight for her is the Children’s farm, where sheep and goats roam free and the children can walk amongst them giving them a pet. There’s also a meet and greet at 10.45am (check the website or app for up to date times) which is great.

We don’t always make it to the Zoo (as you could almost spend a day here just in itself). But if we do they both enjoy seeing the Lions and Gorillas as well as all the other animals.

The Sea Lions show at Midday (check the website or app for up to date times) is a great place to eat a picnic whilst watching the keepers do their magic. The Penguin enclosure is also great and the show is popular so get there early!

The Sea Life centre isn’t huge but it’s worth a walk around, even if it’s just on a rainy day. There is the usual array of fish and sea life, and the girls always enjoy it. The otters just outside get a laugh from the children too.

There are also the Zufari animals, which, even if your child is not big enough for the safari itself, you can walk along the walkways and hope to see them. We’ve seen giraffes, white rhino and Oryx plus many more on strolls around this area.

Most of the animals at Chessington have a daily show or feeding session, you can find out times on their website or app. This can change due to Covid-19 so be sure to check in advance.

What shows can I see at Chessington World of Adventures?

There are always live shows at Chessington. In Summer 2021 the new show at Chessington is The Wiiiild Adventure Show at the Gruffalo Arena where there’ll be lots of singing and dancing and a special visit from the Gruffalo himself. This show will be running from 17th May to 19th July and the 5th September to 15th October.

There are also character Meet and Greets scheduled for 2021 at Chessington World of Adventures so again I’d advise downloading the app to see what is planned for the day you visit. They also do lots of seasonal events there which add something special, so check here if you’re going around Halloween or Christmas.

As well as this there are all the shows in the Zoo, and at the Sea Life Centre (as mentioned above). All the details can be found on the app which is really useful for planning your day.

What to eat and drink at Chessington World of Adventures with Children

There are endless options for food for a day at Chessington World of Adventures with children. The options include full meals such as at Adventure Point Pizza Pasta which is an all you can eat buffet. There is also the Vampire’s burger kitchen which is a huge fast food restaurant serving your typical burgers, chicken etc. They also have a good veggie option. If you have a Merlin Pass you get 20% off at all shops and restaurants which is a great discount.

We often take a picnic if the weather is nice. Then we either eat on one of the green areas or whilst watching the Gruffalo show.

What else?

If you don’t have a Merlin Premium Annual pass, you will need to buy your car parking ticket before you leave. Don’t forget! The booths are as you leave the park.

Try to plan ahead as much as possible. This will mean you can get the maximum amount of rides and shows in to the day. Don’t overestimate how much you’ll be able to do and you won’t be disappointed. We have had days where we’ve managed to do almost everything, and days where we’ve only managed 2 rides. See above for Fast Track options.

There is also the option of booking a Short Break so you can spread out the fun over a couple of days. The Hotel has themed rooms and or you can opt for Explorers Glamping. There is a book with confidence guarantee as well. Find out more here.

As with most places during the covid pandemic there are some covid checks in place such as face masks, temperature check at the entrance as well as the other usual security of having your bag checked. Please check here for the latest news regarding covid measures.

Above all enjoy yourselves, have a roarsome adventure and please let us know how you get on or if you have any questions! 🙂