"Marshall, Rubble, Chase, Rocky, Zuma, Skye, yeah they're on the way" are lyrics that my fellow toddler parents will no doubt be familiar with. Merchandise, books, Tonies – you name it, we have it in our house. Ryder and his team of pups are everywhere.
So when a new PAW Patrol-themed land at Chessington World of Adventures was announced, it felt inevitable that we'd find our way there. Opening to the general public tomorrow (Sunday 3rd May), we were given a glimpse at what awaits families earlier today – and I took the experts (my son, age four, and daughter, age two) with me to try it out.
© Jonathan Hordle / INhouse imagesWhat's in store for visitors?
Chessington World of Adventures (part of Merlin Entertainments) spent £15 million on the land which features four new rides, a play area, meet-and-greets with the pups, a gift shop and a themed food outlet – all inspired by Adventure Bay.
On entering World of PAW Patrol, your eyes are drawn instantly to the pup's lookout tower and then to Rubble & Rocky's Play Zone beneath it. The latter has plenty of small slides for younger kids as well as Cap'n Turbot's boat (The Flounder), and Rocky's green recycling truck on springs.
The four rides include the UK’s first ‘Drifter’ ride Zuma’s Hovercraft Adventure, Chase’s Mountain Mission (mini rollercoaster), Skye’s Helicopter Heroes (balloon tower) and Marshall’s Firetruck Rescue (a junior flying carpet).
© Jonathan Hordle / INhouse imagesWhat's the verdict?
The land is – as you would expect – brightly coloured, fun and filled with statues of the pups for the kids to enjoy. There's a slightly taller tube slide to the side of the lookout tower, and the floor is the rubber safety surfacing that's every parent's favourite part of a good playground. The food stand is more aligned to Chessington's on-the-go spots, selling crepes and sandwiches for kids. My advice would be to pack your own lunch (a children's ham sandwich is £5) and make use of one of the nearby picnic benches.
Of the four rides, Zuma's Hovercraft adventure was the biggest hit with my four year old. There's a handbrake-style lever in the middle of the two seats that you pull and the car swings out to the side at speed as it goes round. He also loved Chase's Mountain Mission and I was relieved that it went round twice considering the wait that many people are likely to face.
My only criticism of the PAW-themed land is the height restrictions: for each one of the four rides, children have to be a minimum of 90cm – even if riding with an adult. That meant that my two year old had to sit on the sidelines and watch as her older brother enjoyed the fun.
She did get to meet four of the pups – Chase, Skye, Rubble and Marshall – but for a theme so perfectly suited to the toddler demographic, it does seem like something of an oversight. Especially when compared with somewhere like Paultons Peppa Pig World, which has almost no height restrictions for small children when accompanied by an adult.
It feels like a missed opportunity to make Chessington more fun for really little kids: there are 11 'rides' accessible to children smaller than 90cm across the park, but of those, I would argue that only six or seven could really be called rides (the others are soft play areas or walkthroughs).
This is perhaps a direct result of the fact that those under 90cm enter the park for free (standard tickets from £32pp for taller guests). Thankfully, this limited offering includes the Gruffalo River Ride Adventure and, after leaving World of PAW Patrol more than a little envious of her brother, my daughter got to ride it three times, screaming "again" excitedly every time we disembarked.
World of PAW Patrol is incredibly aesthetically pleasing (especially if you're a small child) and has a couple of really great rides that older toddlers and young children will love. It just sadly fails to cater to its youngest punters, who also love the pups and the thrill of a ride.
The new PAW Patrol-themed hotel rooms
by Ainoha Barcelona
Those looking to extend the adventure can check into the new PAW Patrol-themed rooms, which launched last autumn. I stayed overnight with my family, including a three year old and a one year old, and I'll admit, it really is every toddler's dream. The fun starts quite literally as soon as you walk through the door, when short catchphrases from the show boom through the speakers. It's great for getting into the spirit, but not so great if you're trying to wind the kids down at bedtime.
On entering the room, we were all impressed at the décor and my children were mesmerised by the bright picture of the pups above our bed, the periscope, control panel and comfy beanbags in the corner, not to mention the PAW Patroller bunkbed that they immediately gravitated to. I was amazed by the attention to detail; there was even a picture of the pups in the shower. Each child received a PAW Patrol toy on their pillow, and the chance to solve a fun riddle that unlocked the safe containing two chocolates inside.
The PAW Patroller bed was a real hit and the chance to "drive" it felt like a novelty. Overall, the themed room is done brilliantly, and the view of the giraffes and zebras grazing on the Wanyama Reserve is an additional treat.
Is it worth the price?
It seems there is high demand for the PAW Patrol rooms, given there are only a handful in the hotel. At the time of writing, a one-night weekend stay in July starts from a whopping £663 for a family of four (although the rooms can sleep two adults and three children – the bunkbed has a pull-out).
This price includes a car parking space, hot breakfast (which was actually decent for a theme park hotel), complimentary one-hour access to the Savannah Splash Pool when pre-booked, Early Rider Time for one hour (which is worth it when you want to beat the queues for the most popular rides like Room on the Broom and The Gruffalo River Ride Adventure), plus a second day free entry to the theme park – although the first day is not included and you have to purchase this at an additional cost.
At nearly £700 for one night, it's a big extravagance for many families – especially when entry tickets to the theme park are not included (you could rent an apartment abroad for a week for the same price). You will also likely end up paying for dinner at the hotel, and the Zafari Restaurant that we ate in served average food at rather inflated prices.
What about non-themed rooms?
In comparison, a Standard Room – King with Bunk Beds for one night on the same July weekend is just half the price at £303. For this, you get the same benefits. The only things not included are the Wanyama Reserve view and free use of the Savannah Splash Pool (you can pre-book this for £3pp instead). That means that, effectively, when booking a themed room, you're paying for the PAW Patrol décor; it's is brilliant, but perhaps not double-the-price brilliant.
If your heart is set on a PAW-themed room, my top tip when navigating the booking system is not to be afraid to pick up the phone. Otherwise, those with flexible dates can expect to waste time randomly inputting dates to see when one is available.
While the adults may wince at the price, the children are likely to have no such reservations. My daughter (age three) still has vivid memories of the room and continues to ask if the next hotel we're staying in will be PAW Patrol-themed.
