Our Family Trip to Chessington - And how to save money on your visit!
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Our Family Trip to Chessington – The Inside Scoop, the Best Bits and a Hidden Trick to Save Big
A few days ago, we packed up the car, loaded in the snacks, and set off for what turned out to be one of our favourite family getaways yet – a two-day adventure to Chessington World of Adventures, complete with a stay in the magical Gruffalo Room. If you’re thinking about booking a trip (especially with little ones in tow), read on. I’m sharing all the highs, a few honest bits, and a sneaky tip that saved us £40 without even trying!
🦁 Day One: Rides, Roars & Rookie Mistakes
We visited on a Thursday and Friday (outside of school holidays), which was a great shout – much quieter than a weekend. Queue times were totally manageable, ranging from 5 to 20 minutes. We came armed with snacks to survive any long waits, but honestly? We only had to break them out once. Most of the queues moved quickly, and the kids were too busy pointing at everything to notice the time.
We didn’t realise it, but when we checked our booking, we had 1 preloaded Reserve and Ride. This meant we didn’t have to queue for Jungle Rangers the first time we went to it. The queue time said 20 minutes so we just clicked to reserve, and about 20 minutes later it pinged up to say it was ready so we headed over, showed the QR code and went straight on! I wouldn’t say it was worth us purchasing any more as it was fairly short queues on the days we went, but if you’re trying to squeeze everything in on a busy day, especially if you only have 1 day in the park, it might be worth splashing out on some if you can afford to.
With a 2-year-old and a 3-year-old, we were mostly in the little explorer zone. Elmer’s Flying Jumbos (5/5)and Tiny Truckers (4/5) were instant hits. Our eldest also LOVED the Zufari ride (4/5)– a safari-style adventure on an ex army truck through wild terrain with real animals – but sadly, our youngest wasn’t tall enough, and they’re very strict on the height limits. One to plan for in the future!
One of our favourite rides by far was the Gruffalo River Ride (5/5). It was the perfect mix of relaxing and fun – just right for little legs and big imaginations. The kids absolutely loved spotting all the animals from the story, and we found ourselves reciting bits of the book out loud. There’s a tiny incline and a gentle slide – just enough to give the kids a little thrill without being scary. We got a tiny splash and a light sprinkle under the water features, which the kids thought was hilarious. It’s one of those rides you’d happily do twice - and we did!
Now, let’s talk about the rides we’d probably skip next time. The Room on the Broom experience (2/5) sounded right up our street, but we went in with a group of school kids, and the mix of noise and close quarters spooked our kids a bit. And then there was Tomb Blaster (3/5 from us, 0/5 from the kids) – they were not fans! Although it says they can go on with an adult, it was really quite scary for them. At one point a mummy jumped out and they were both in absolute floods on tears! I thought they might never forgive me!
🐠 Zoo & Sea Life Centre – The Perfect Breather
To break up the rides, we headed into the on-site zoo and Sea Life Centre. The Sea Life bit is small – we were in and out in about 25 minutes – but it gave the kids a breather. They loved watching the fish, and it’s a good option if you need a bit of quiet.
The zoo was actually smaller than I expected. We stumbled across a couple of quick 5-minute talks about gorillas and lions which were interesting! The kids didn’t catch all the facts, but they were glued to the animals!
🍕 Food in the Park – Budget Buster Alert
Here’s where it gets real: food inside the park is PRICEY. Like, eye-wateringly so. Day one, we naively rocked up to the Pizza & Pasta Buffet (3/5) thinking, "Kids eat free? Bargain!" But two adults came to £42 for basic pizza, two pasta options, and a mini salad bar. We used our Blue Light Card and got it down to £36, but still... oof! Another thing we weren’t a massive fan of was the only option for drinks were fizzy pop. We’re not a fizzy pop drinking family so we had to ask for an alternative, which was just tap water.
If you wanted to fill up water bottles on the park they were really hard to find. We asked one staff member who sent us to the first aid bay to use their water dispenser, but otherwise, we couldn’t find any of the onsite water fill stations anywhere… There are plenty of fill up stations for the fizzy drinks though if that’s what you prefer!
Day two, lesson learned, we thought... We decided to grab a sandwich and a couple of paninis from Costa (2/5) instead, sat by the stage area (which was showing Room on the Broom on a big screen), and just relaxed. Still £31 with the Blue Light Card discount! And the kids were constantly asking for snacks. Honestly, I was grateful for every single packet of biscuits I’d stashed in the bag.
Big Tip: Bring ALL the snacks & packed lunches with you! Between the walking, excitement, and fresh air, their appetites go wild!
🛏️ Staying in the Gruffalo Room – Worth It?
Absolutely. This was the cherry on top for us.
We booked the Gruffalo Room (6/5!) as part of a second-day-free package through MyFamily Rewards, and it was just magic from the moment we arrived. Our parking space had our name on it = VIP vibes!!
Although check-in was listed as 3pm, we got a text just after 12 saying the room was ready. When we opened the door, a huge Gruffalo voice boomed: “You go ahead, I’ll follow after!” Cue 2 very nervous children (and a slightly startled parent moment).
The décor was spot on though – a giant Gruffalo above our bed, a huge mouse next to the kids’ beds, and themed everything- even the shower screen! There was even a secret hatch in the wall with a free Gruffalo book inside (which we all read before bed, of course - see really cute photo below). Add to that a chocolate bar and a Gruffalo teddy for each child on their pillows, worth about £16 in the shop, and they were totally smitten. My two-year-old hasn’t slept without her Gruffalo teddy since.
The room had separate TVs for adults and kids (hallelujah) and even one in the bath tub - although the taps were the other end so there was no way you could actually sit back and relax to watch TV in there!
We had an incredible view overlooking the safari area. We could see giraffes, zebras, and ostriches from our window. The kids spent ages glued to it shouting, “Look, Mummy! A donkey!” (It was a zebra, but we’ll let it slide.) I’ll pop a full video of our room on social media so check it out here - Facebook / Instagram. Don’t forget to follow to see videos of our upcoming Alton Towers and Pepper Pig World trips too!
💸 The Big Money-Saving Trick Nobody Talks About
Now here’s where it gets interesting – and could save you a chunk of cash.
When I first priced up the stay, I used the main ‘Book Your Stay’ page. A few days later, I happened to click through from the Pre-Schooler Tickets page instead, with the same dates and details… and it came up £40 cheaper.
Same room. Same people. Same everything.
I have no idea why this worked – it must be something to do with how tickets are bundled. But if you're booking with younger kids, try going through the toddler tickets page first. It literally took £40 off our booking without any effort. See if it works for you!
🎟️ Find more Chessington deals here
🎠 Or browse all our family day out offers here
🧳 Final Thoughts
Would we go again? In a heartbeat. The memories, the excitement, the pure joy from the kids – it was everything you want from a family trip.
But we also learned a lot: bring snacks, plan your food budget, check the ride heights in advance, and if you can, book the Gruffalo Room – it's a proper experience. Oh, and don’t forget that sneaky booking trick!
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