⭐ Twice The Fun Offer! ⭐

If you’re planning a theme park day out this spring, Merlin currently has a fab offer running where you can visit two Merlin theme parks for the price of one. Simply book one qualifying ticket and you’ll unlock a second visit to another park, with options including Alton Towers, Thorpe Park, Chessington World of Adventures and LEGOLAND Windsor!

The offer runs until 19th April, with visits valid through to 15th May, and both visits need to be booked in advance.

Just click the links for your chosen park above or hit the button below.

As a family, we’re always on the lookout for theme parks that offer a good mix of excitement, variety, and accessibility for all ages. Chessington World of Adventures ticked all those boxes for us! We recently spent a day there, staying overnight at the resort hotel, and here’s our honest family review of the park’s facilities, rides, and overall experience.

Staying at the Chessington Hotel (Azteca): The Perks

We stayed at the on-site resort hotel, which brought with it a few fantastic perks. One of the biggest bonuses is the exclusive early access to the park, with a dedicated entrance for hotel guests. This allows you to enter the park one hour before the general public, giving you a quieter, less crowded experience for that first hour.

That said, in typical family style, we didn’t actually make it out of the room in time to take full advantage because we were slow getting organised! But it’s a great feature that’s worth planning around if you’re staying on-site. I have written a full review of the Chessington Azteca Hotel, you can access it through the button below.

Chessington World of Adventures Welcome

Once we did make it into the park, we were met with smiles and a genuinely warm welcome. Staff were stationed throughout the entrance area, offering help and directions. Some were also selling photo passes for £20, which seemed like a great deal for families planning to do lots of rides. It covers your photos for the whole day, so you won’t miss out on any of those fun mid-scream snaps. We decided to skip it this time, but would definitely consider it in future.

Starting Off Cool: Sea Life Centre

We arrived to a beautiful – albeit hot, day. Knowing the sun would only get stronger as the day went on, we made the smart decision to head straight for the Sea Life Centre and this turned out to be a great call. It was lovely and cool inside and wasn’t too crowded that early in the day.

We spent around 45 minutes exploring the aquarium, and there was plenty to see, from colourful tropical fish to jellyfish, rays and sharks! There were a few interactive elements which the kids enjoyed, and it served as a great start to our day before heading out into the heat.

Treat Time: Ice Creams & Birds of Prey

After exiting the Sea Life Centre, we grabbed an early ice cream treat. Prices were about what you’d expect for a theme park – around £3.50 for an ice cream and similar for a bottle of juice or a fizzy drink.

As we were enjoying our cool treats, we noticed the Birds of Prey show was just starting nearby. We found some shade and settled in to watch. Because of the heat, the show was shorter than usual, but still impressive. We got to see a few birds flying around and interacting with the trainers, which always manages to entertain both kids and adults alike.

Julia Donaldson Rides: Not Just for Little Ones

This area of the park is also home to some of the Julia Donaldson-themed attractions, including Room on the Broom – A Magical Journey and The Gruffalo River Ride Adventure. Even though our kids are all over the age of seven now, these rides held a lot of nostalgic value. We’d read these stories to them when they were younger, and we were all keen to see what the rides were like (especially me!)

These attractions aren’t just visually charming – they’re also interactive and imaginative, making them engaging for older children and adults alike. I was pleasantly surprised by how much we all enjoyed them.

Land of the Tiger: Splash Fun and Family Thrills

Next, we headed over to the Land of the Tiger, home to one of the kids’ absolute favourites – the Tiger Rock log flume ride. This area is well-themed and includes actual tiger enclosures, which adds an extra layer of excitement.

The log flume was a hit (and a welcome cool-down in the heat), and we went on it more than once. It’s one of those classic water rides that brings out the giggles in everyone.

We also enjoyed the River Rafts – a mini log flume in Land of the Tiger. Be aware: we all got soaked on this one!

Adventure Point: The Heart of the Park

Adventure Point is a central hub where you’ll find many of the restaurants, snack stands, gift shops, and a lovely traditional carousel. It’s a good place to stop for lunch or to rest in between more intense attractions. You can also grab doughnuts here if you fancy a fairground-style treat.

We had planned to visit Pizza Pasta for a late lunch, but unfortunately the restaurant was closed for a VIP event when we were there.

Wild Woods & The Vampire Ride

From there, we made our way into Wild Woods, home to the iconic Vampire rollercoaster. It’s a suspended ride that zooms through the trees and has a bit more thrill factor than my older children were looking for, who aren’t huge on high-speed rides. My daughter was nervous at first, but she decided to give it a try and ended up loving every second.

Forbidden Kingdom: A Family Favourite

One of our absolute favourites of the day was found in the Forbidden Kingdom: the Tomb Blaster ride. It’s an interactive laser-shooting dark ride where each rider gets their own laser gun and competes to shoot targets as you ride through Egyptian-themed scenes. The ride lasts a decent amount of time. The competitive element made it so much fun that we went on it twice to try and beat each other’s high scores!

It’s a great one for families with mixed ages because it’s exciting without being too scary, and it brings out everyone’s competitive side.

Forbidden Kingdom is also home to Croc Drop. After gaining some confidence on the Vampire rollercoaster, my daughter gave this one a go too – and it turns out that she’s becoming quite the little thrill seeker!

Whilst waiting for my husband and daughter to return from Croc Drop, I took the boys to grab another treat. We picked up some Krispy Kremes (more doughnuts) which were £6.99 for a box of 3.

Zufari & Quiet Corners

Chessington also offers a Safari-style ride, where you hop into a themed truck and travel past enclosures with giraffes, ostriches, and other safari animals. It’s a calm, slow-paced ride that’s perfect for children or when you need a break from the faster rides.

While heading to the Zufari ride, we discovered a hidden gem; a quiet playground in the Trail of the Kings area. This part of the park felt more relaxed and had fewer crowds, perhaps because it’s on the outskirts. It was a lovely place to take a breather while still being surrounded by monkeys, birds, and other animals.

Food, Facilities, and Final Thoughts

Throughout the day, we found that the park facilities were well-maintained, with plenty of clean toilets and seating areas. Given the exceptionally hot weather on the day we visited, it would have been great to have more shaded areas around the park to escape the sun. There was a good variety of food options, though we mostly bought ice creams and drinks because of the heat! Refillable drinks cups are available for £18 per day, with refill stations located throughout the park. There are also free water fountains where you can top up your own water bottle.

Note: if you’re a Blue Light card holder, you’re also eligible to get 10% in the gift shops!

Whilst we were there, we also spotted a variety of other attractions, including fairground games such as Hook-a-Duck and Basketball, where you could win prizes – these started at £4 each. In addition to that, there were £1 activities where children could use remote control boats or cars, and arcades were dotted around the park as well.

We only had one day in the park, and while that was enough to cover the majority of the main attractions, staying at the resort made us wish we’d had two full days. With two days, you could go back and re-ride your favourites or visit any areas you may have missed.

Chessington World of Adventures Reviews – Our Travel Mum rating

Our visit to Chessington World of Adventures was a fantastic family day out, full of variety, excitement, and memorable moments. The mix of rides, live shows, animal encounters, and interactive attractions meant there was something for everyone – from thrilling rollercoasters like Vampire to calmer experiences like the Sea Life Centre and Zufari ride. The resort hotel stay added a touch of ease and extra magic, especially with the option for early park access (even if we didn’t quite make the most of it!).

While the heat made us crave more shaded areas, the park’s well-kept facilities, friendly staff, and wide range of food and drink options helped keep the day running smoothly. With nostalgic favourites like the Gruffalo ride and exciting new experiences like Tomb Blaster, it’s clear why Chessington remains a top choice for families. If you’re considering a visit, we’d highly recommend staying in the resort hotel and having two days to fully enjoy everything the park has to offer.

Travel Mum Score: 4.5/5

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