Croc Drop (ride)

Last updated

Croc Drop
CrocDrop.jpg
Chessington World of Adventures
AreaForbidden Kingdom
StatusOperating
Cost£900,000
Opening date12 April 2021;2 years ago (2021-04-12)
Replaced Rameses Revenge
Ride statistics
Manufacturer SBF Visa Group
DesignerMerlin Magic Making
ModelDrop'n Twist Tower
ThemeSobek
Height25.6 m (84 ft)
Height restriction120 cm (3 ft 11 in)
Chessington reserve ride.jpg Reserve and Ride available
Wheelchair symbol.svg Wheelchair accessible

Croc Drop is an SBF Visa drop tower flat ride, which opened in April 2021 at Chessington World of Adventures Resort in southwest London, England, forming part of the park's Forbidden Kingdom section.

Contents

History

Following the closure of Rameses Revenge at the end of 2019, plans were soon spotted for a multi-million pound replacement drop tower. Two years on, it opened alongside the Blue Barnacle for the 2021 season in Forbidden Kingdom. The ride is manufactured by the SBF Visa Group and is the third model of its type in Britain, after Skyraker 001 at Flambards and Magma at Paultons Park. Croc Drop marks the first significant new ride hardware at Chessington since Zufari and Kobra.

In 2020, the ride's name was opposed by the American footwear manufacturer Crocs. The opposition was not upheld by the UK Intellectual Property Office and the ride's name was retained. [1]

Description

As with all rides of its type, a gondola with 16 seats is lifted to the top of a large vertical structure, then released to free-fall down the tower. Brakes slow the gondola as it approaches the bottom of the ride. This design expands on this concept with features including rotating gondolas and several bounces before coming to rest. The total weight of the ride is around 26,000 kg and it rotates at 6 rpm. [2]

The ride's soundtrack has been composed by Nick Hutson alongside Kieron Quinn.

Riders plunge 25m into the giant jaws of a crocodile, Sobek, the ancient Egyptian Crocodile God and protector of the Nile, who has been possessed by evil spirits, transforming him into a cruel deity. With the once fertile Nile laying stagnant, riders must take part in a ceremony to banish the evil spirits from Sobek, plunging into the crocodile's soul and freeing the waters back into the Nile. Chessington ran a teaser campaign throughout 2020 for the new attraction, with mysterious clues posted on their social media channels for people to solve.

Those between 1.2m and 1.3m must be accompanied by an adult over the age of 16, while those a minimum height of 1.3m can ‘drop’ alone.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pirate ship (ride)</span> Amusement ride

A pirate ship is a type of amusement ride based on pirate ships, consisting of an open, seated gondola which swings back and forth, subjecting the rider to various levels of angular momentum. A variant where the riders must pull on ropes to swing the ride is known as a swing boat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chessington World of Adventures</span> Theme park in England

Chessington World of Adventures Resort is a 128 acres theme park, zoo and hotel complex in Chessington, Greater London, England, around 12 miles (19 km) southwest of Central London. The complex originally opened as Chessington Zoo in 1931; the theme park aspect was developed by The Tussauds Group, debuting on 7 July 1987 as one of the first combined animal-amusement parks in the UK. The theme park, which features over 40 rides, is now owned by Merlin Entertainments, following its merger with The Tussauds Group in 2007. Under Merlin, Chessington has been increasingly developed into a resort and tourist destination, including two on-site hotels, swimming pools, a campground, spa and wellness amenities, and fitness facilities, including a high ropes course.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drop tower</span> Type of amusement ride

A drop tower or big drop is a type of amusement park ride incorporating a central structure or tower. Drop towers vary in height, passenger capacity, lift type, and brake type. Many are custom-made, although there are some mass-produced designs. The most widely sold drop towers have been manufactured by Intamin and S&S Sansei, however Larson International and Funtime have their own drop tower models available as well. Riders initially experience a sense of weightlessness via free fall, followed by rapid deceleration, after which a magnetic brake system brings the ride to a stop. The entire experience generally lasts less than one minute.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UFO (ride)</span> Amusement park ride

The UFO is an amusement park ride designed by HUSS Maschinenfabrik in 1978, based on the company's Enterprise and Skylab amusement rides. Numerous carnivals feature this ride which is known as Alpha One Peeters and Vertical Limits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park</span> Adventure park on a mountaintop

Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park is an adventure park located above Glenwood Springs, Colorado, about 160 mi (260 km) west of Denver. Prior to 2003, only cave tours were available until a major expansion took place. The park is unique because it sits at an altitude of 7,100 ft (2,200 m) on a mountain above Glenwood Springs. Today, the park features numerous attractions in addition to the cave tours. In December 2023, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland designated Glenwood Caverns and Iron Mountain Hot Springs a National Natural Landmark.

<i>Tomb Blaster</i> Dark ride

Tomb Blaster is a dark ride that opened in 2002 at Chessington World of Adventures Resort in London. Riders travel in trains through a series of crypts, shooting laser guns at targets for high scores.

<i>Rameses Revenge</i>

Rameses Revenge was a Top Spin ride at Chessington World of Adventures Resort theme park in southwest London, England, introduced in 1995. It was the world's first top spin ride to feature a drown-upside-down element.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Acrophobia (ride)</span> Drop tower at Six Flags Over Georgia

Acrophobia is a free-fall tower ride located at Six Flags Over Georgia in Austell, Georgia. The attraction was designed by Intamin of Switzerland, and is marketed by Intamin's Liechtenstein-based subsidiary Ride Trade. When Acrophobia opened to the public on May 12, 2001, it became the first free-fall attraction of its kind in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saw – The Ride</span> Steel Euro Fighter roller coaster

Saw – The Ride is a steel roller coaster located at Thorpe Park in Surrey, England. Manufactured by Gerstlauer, the Euro-Fighter model opened to the public on 14 March 2009 as the steepest freefall roller coaster in the world, with a drop angle of 100 degrees. It is themed to the Saw franchise, featuring an enclosed dark section and queue theming which makes numerous references to the film series as well as actual props used in the films and other Saw related media.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lex Luthor: Drop of Doom</span> Drop tower ride

Lex Luthor: Drop of Doom is a drop tower located at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California. The ride is integrated onto the existing Superman: Escape from Krypton tower structure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West African crocodile</span> Species of reptile

The West African crocodile, desert crocodile, or sacred crocodile is a species of crocodile related to — and often confused with — the larger and more aggressive Nile crocodile.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ripsaw (Alton Towers)</span> Closed Top Spin flat ride

Ripsaw was a Top Spin ride at Alton Towers in Staffordshire, England. It opened in 1997 and closed at the end of 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nemesis: Sub-Terra</span> Drop tower ride at Alton Towers

Nemesis Sub-Terra is a drop tower dark ride located at Alton Towers theme park in Staffordshire, United Kingdom. The ride opened to the public on 24 March 2012. Its theme is focused on the discovery of a nest of eggs in a network of caves, an extension of the theme and concept of the park's Nemesis roller coaster that opened in 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Baron (ride)</span> Amusement ride

Red Baron is an amusement ride that is primarily intended for small children. It's a common kiddie ride at many amusement parks, carnivals, and fairs. The rider can move the gondola up and down manually. Many ride manufacturers make this type of ride; the Zamperla's "Mini Jet" is a common model of this ride. The "Mini Jet" ride comes in various themes such as bees, dragons, elephants, airplanes, helicopters, spaceships, etc. Some of the Red Baron kiddie rides are restricted to only children under 54 inches tall, such as the ones in Cedar Point Amusement Park and in Kings Island Amusement Park, or the one in Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo, California. In quite a few other "Red Baron" type kiddie rides, adults and parents are allowed to ride on the rides, such as "The Busy Bees" and "Amazing Flying Elephants" at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, or at the Red Baron Ride at Funderland in Sacramento, California. Another place where adults can ride on a Red Baron type ride is at Disneyland and Walt Disney World, where Dumbo the Flying Elephant has been a perennial favorite of not only toddlers, preschoolers and young children, but teenagers, adults and seniors as well, for many years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Falcon's Fury</span> Drop tower attraction at Busch Gardens Tampa amusement park

Falcon's Fury is a free-standing Sky Jump drop tower attraction at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay amusement park in Tampa, Florida, United States. Manufactured by Intamin subsidiary Intaride, the ride reaches a maximum height of 335 feet (102 m), making it North America's tallest free-standing drop tower. Riders experience about five seconds of free fall, reaching a speed of 60 miles per hour (100 km/h). The ride's name was chosen to invoke a falcon's ability to dive steeply at high speed to capture prey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom</span> Drop tower amusement ride

Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom is an amusement ride located at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson Township, New Jersey. The 415 ft (126 m) attraction is attached to the Kingda Ka roller coaster and opened as the tallest drop tower ride in the world in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue Barnacle</span> Swinging pirate ship ride

Blue Barnacle is a Metallbau Emmeln swinging pirate ship which opened in April 2021 at Chessington World of Adventures in southwest London, England as a replacement for the now defunct Black Buccaneer. The ride forms part of the Shipwreck Coast section of the park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lost Island Theme Park</span> Theme park in Waterloo, Iowa

Lost Island Theme Park is a theme park in Waterloo, Iowa. The 90-acre (36 ha) park includes five themed lands, which feature numerous attractions; including three roller coasters. Lost Island Theme Park is owned by the Bertch family, who operate the Lost Island Waterpark, which is located next to the site of the theme park. Construction on Lost Island Theme Park began in August 2019, it opened on June 18, 2022, and it cost an estimated $100 million.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giant Drop (Six Flags Great America)</span> Amusement ride in Illinois, US

Giant Drop is a drop tower ride located at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois, United States. Manufactured by Intamin, the ride opened to the public on April 26, 1997, as part of a three-phase plan for the park's Southwest Territory area. The attraction opened alongside Dare Devil Dive, a skycoaster attraction, in the County Fair section of the park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mandrill Mayhem</span> British roller coaster at Chessington World of Adventures

Mandrill Mayhem is a launched, steel shuttle wing coaster located at Chessington World of Adventures in Chessington, United Kingdom. The ride was designed by Swiss rollercoaster manufacturers Bolliger & Mabillard, and is located in the World of Jumanji section of the park, themed to the Jumanji film and book franchise. A consultation for the ride took place in May 2021, and the coaster opened two years later on the 15th May 2023. The last row faces backwards.

References

  1. Croc Drop: Chessington ride name approved. RideRater. 13 December 2020. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  2. "DROP'N TWIST 28mt. - Family Rides - Towers - SBF Rides". www.sbfrides.com. Retrieved 17 March 2021.

51°20′56″N0°19′07″W / 51.34895°N 0.31861°W / 51.34895; -0.31861