Croc Drop has officially dropped at Chessington World of Adventures. With a fresh layer of snow on opening day, the ride raised guests to the height of 25 meters and dropped them into the laws of the crocodile Sobek. Croc Drop is a breath of fresh air for the park, replacing Rameses Revenge which closed in 2018 to make way for the new SBF Visa Drop Tower.
The theming for Croc Drop is unlike anything we've ever seen before at a UK theme park. Since the addition of The Wickerman at Alton Towers, Merlin has been getting better and better at theming rides and attractions and this sets a new standard for flat rides and theming in general. We never thought a new flat ride would have theming so detailed as it is at Croc Drop. Just like Wicker Man, Croc Drop has its own language which can be seen around the ride and inside the drop tower shaft.
From the second you step into the queue line you see the word "Brave the drop, release the curse" written on the walls. Unlike other queue lines at Chessington, all of the fence panels are custom made with symbols engraved into them to make them fit in. Along with items of theming located around the ride, such as tombstones and old buckets and ladders.
Unlike other rides, the experience begins when you get batched into the holding pen. Where once the doors open a mist effect turns on with a sound effect welcoming you into the temple of Sobek. At the bottom of the drop tower, lights can be seen pointing up and mounted on the walls, so this ride at night is going to be beautiful. It doesn't appear that lights have been installed around the area, but we cant wait to see what it all looks like at night.
Croc Drop appears to have two ride cycles for those lucky enough to visit the park on a busy and quiet day. The difference between them is the longer one has 2 more full drops and slightly longer background music. The main cycle that most guests get on a busy day is still quite long though, taking guests up to the top of the 25m tower you're then spun around to see the great view of the park and then plunged into the jaws of the crocodile. The ride is long enough that if you've just queued an hour for it you won't be disappointed. After riding it a few times on the opening day and a few times since we're a big fan of Croc Drop.
Music for the ride and around the area fits in really well and complements the ride nicely. Some sections of the rides music sounds very similar to Tomb Blaster and now the whole area feels more put together and it all fits in. Whereas Rameses Revenge was quite loud and didn't have any themed music or background noise.
Exiting Croc Drop takes you via the Croc Drop Shop, your one place to see all of the Croc Drop merchandise. Such as pin badges, hoodies, T-Shirts and other items. The shop looks a little under themed compared to the rest of the ride but we expect some more items of theming will be added as the year goes on.
We thoroughly love Croc Drop and it's a great addition to the park, with it having a height restriction of 1.2m it's a great replacement for Rameses Revenge. It was a shame to see it be removed but Croc Drop is more family-inclusive but the viewing area where guests used to watch Rameses spin and entertain passers-by continues with Croc Drop with guests stopping and seeing people enjoying themselves. Some would even say Croc Drop is better than Rameses Revenge! We think Merlin Magic Making and Chessington have done a fantastic job with this project and we cant wait to see what comes next!