PTR: The NEW London Dungeons Preview (26-02-13)

[StealthFan]

WARNING! This trip report contains multiple spoilers about the New London Dungeons. If you wish to keep what happens a surprise please do NOT read further into this report!

 

Recently Theme Park Review was invited to attend a preview event at the New London Dungeons which are located next the London Eye. The tour was conducted by the marketing department for the Dungeons and consisted of a light on tour of the new Dungeons/Q&A session. The managment explained all about new effects, the comparision of old to new and the complications and challenges they have had during the construction process among other things.

 

A few notable things that we were told that do not relate to the photos you will see I will post below.

-Venagnce is not in the new Dungeons but has been stored in shipping containers and is now living at Thorpe Park while Merlin decide what to do with it.

-The Extremis drop tower from the old Dungeons was dismanteled, sold back to the manufacturer and they are refurbishing it to sell on.

-All scenes in the old Dungeons are still there and they are now Network Rails to do with as they wish.

-For a while there will be a temporary ticket booth at the London Bridge Dungeons to allow people to buy tickets for all Merlin attractions and to direct them to the new Dungeons.

-All staff members in the new Dungeons will be in costume. This includes sales staff in the shop, admissions and PicSolve.

-All scenes have new scripts.

-There will be an actor in every room you go in.

-If for any reason a scene/ride is out of order they have designed the layout of the new Dungeons to ensure you can pass that scene without ever knowing it is there.

 

Now below is over 100 photos from the new Dungeons and more information about the New London Dungeons.

First we take a look at what remains of the old London Dungeons located at London Bridge.

This is where the admin offices used to be located. Soon Network Rail will be gutting everything.

The old exit has been boarded up and Network Rail will be starting construction on the new station in the near future.

There are big signs up to direct people to the new Dungeons and staff members outside the old Dungeons with leaflets to inform people about the move.

 

Now we will head over and begin to take a look at the new Dungeons.

The new entrance I think looks fantastic. It really hard to miss. Everyone walking past it was talking about it saying how much they wished they could go in.

The entrance looks even better when it starts to get dark and creates a great atmosphere with the fire and creepy music playing.

There are two of these towers with screens in that will show of advertisements for the Dungeons and possibly other things as well.

County Hall really lends itself to the Dungeons and it does look fantastic.

 

Now it’s time to head into the Dungeons!

This is one of TWO of the classic Dungeons photo op. There is one for the normal admission queues and now there is also one for priority ticket holders as well!

How many of you would love to chop my head off?

With its new location Merlin are very much pushing the multi attraction tickets.

I think 25% off for 4 attractions if a pretty good deal personally and if they ever do buy one get one free offers in the paper or something you could save a LOT of money.

All of these attractions are within less than a minutes’ walk of each other. Merlin now pretty much owns the Southbank!

Here is poster showing the route you take through the new Dungeons. This is located behind the admissions desk.

They gave us free alcohol! This is just full of win!

There are lots of posters like this around the queue and the Dungeons themselves to add to the atmosphere of the place.

This was something a lot of us thought was a very good idea. Themed tickets! You can show these too staff members at a kiosk in the Dungeons and get your own personalised Pardon or Warrant printed.

While you are waiting for your photo to be taken in the stocks you can brand you or your friends with UV ink then later in the queue line there is a UV light you can see what you have been branded with!

This is my personal favourite I have to say!

There are multiple ones to choose from in the queue but I will leave the others as a surprise for those who visit!

These new axes will be used to chop off multiple visitors heads!

Does think make me fancy?

As we start to head into the Dungeons this is where anyone who refuses to pay tax is locked up!

This is the pre queue area in the new Dungeons. It’s very different to the one that you had in the old Dungeons before Labyrinth of the Lost as you can see and is also much more interactive!

The flooring was something the Dungeons put a lot of thought in to. Not only did they want you surroundings to make you feel like you were in a Dungeons they also wanted all the floor to feel like you were somewhere specific. For example this cobble stone floor for a hallway or street then wooden decking around the Boat Ride station.

There are stones like this throughout the pre queue area that contain questions about London’s history.

There are also prison doors like this in the queue which have screens in showing murderers trying to kill you and stuff. We were told the video they used in this they are not happy with and will re shoot it as they felt it looked too modern!

There are small touches like this candle holder all throughout the Dungeons and they add greatly to the atmosphere.

Everything in the Dungeons has been thought about and themed very well. They have ensured everything is authentic. For example if something is meant to be made out of wood they made it out of wood.

This is the toilet they made specifically for me as I am a Knight!

This was one thing I was not expecting I have to say, not only have they themed they exterior of the toilets.

They have themed the interior of them as well!

We were very lucky to be allowed to take pictures inside as normally it is not allowed!

There are still a lot of finishing touches that are being done to the Dungeons. This for example is to notify contractors where a specific sign needs to be put up.

We now arrive at the first scene of the Dungeons which is "Decent". This is a 140 person lift that you will enter to "Descend into the heart of the Dungeon"

 

(Note you will only be going round in groups of around 40. They have assured me they will not try and cram 140 people into the lift!)

If you are waiting for the lift you will see these cogs turning as if they were raising the lift up.

As the lift was still in the process of having all its effects finalised and finished being commissioned we took the stairs. These are also themed to ensure that if the lift is unavailable for any reason you still get the Dungeons experience as you descend down into the Dungeon.

When the house lights are off and the show lights are on this should look really good, which is great for a part of the Dungeons they hope people will not see very often.

This is the interior of the lift which as you can see if huge!

 

The 2 ropes hanging from the ceiling are for some gags that will happen during the descent.

When you exit the lift you will arrive at the docks to board the first ride in the Dungeons. Formally known as Traitors Gate it is now known as "Henry's Wrath".

It is themed to Henry VIII's love of chopping people’s heads off!

You can see from this not only the flooring I was on about earlier but the quality of work that have gone into all the theming.

Here is one of the boats sitting in the transfer table from off load to on load. These boats are very similar to the ones in the old Dungeons.

This is the batching area for the ride. Also note the "You may get wet" sign at the top of the picture. We were told that you will get wetter on this ride than you did on the old one.

This shows up the warrant for the execution of Anne Boylen!

Here is a look at the control area for the on load operator.

And here is a close look for all you nerdy people! (Yes that does include me!)

When you exit the boat ride you will arrive at "The City Gate" where you will meet a new character the Dungeons called Gong Farmer

Gong Farmer is a poop collector! We are told there is a smell machine in this area and as you can guess it STINKS!

Here is a close up look at the off load control panel located in "The City Gate".

This picture shows a bit better how the boats will return to on load from off load.

As you leave "The City Gate" you head through "Conspirators Walk". Here you are part of a gang planning something underneath the Palace of Westminster! What could it be?

"AHHHH rides nerds! SAVE ME!"

This is now where you wait to be summoned in to meet another new character in the Dungeons. Guy Fawkes!

Can anyone guess some of the effects that can be expected in this scene from the picture?

All the rooms have been themed all the way round. Even in places you won’t really look in there is something just to help create the atmosphere.

There is something special about this floor! Does anyone know what it could be?

This is the secret entrance in the Dungeons that allows you to enter the Chocolate room in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

After Guy Fawkes we enter another Dungeons favourite. The Torturer!

The layout of this room is very different to the old one and has lots of new "toys" for the Torturer to play with!

If you are unlucky you will be locked inside this cage!

And if you are REALLY unluck you will be streched!

After being tortured you are very kindly given the plague!

I think its safe to say the plague is not a nice thing to have!

Even this dog caught the plague!

It really wouldn’t be the Dungeons without this plague guy!

After surviving the plague you come to a new scene called "Coughin' Coffin". Here the two coffins will open and you will hear this couple arguing with each other.

The next part area you enter in the Plague Doctors place of work! This is much bigger than the previous one and I am told is a lot more like the Warwick Castle one.

As you can see the area is a lot more open and there are lots of details on the walls. There is also a nice new corpse to be explored!

One of the big differences with this version of the Plague Doctor is you will be seated instead of standing!

Who would like to make the first sausage joke?

Some poor victims will be "explored" in this seat!

If you are all lucky enough to have survived the doctor’s experiments you will make your way through "Bazalgette's Sewer" which features this rate infested trommel! Or should I say washing machine element?

It should also be noted that the rats from the old Dungeons have I’m glad to say found a new home in the new Dungeons. I didn’t mange to get a good picture of them but I can promise you they are there.

Remember the masking tape from earlier, this is the sign we believe will be going there at some point.

By this time you will be starting to get a bit hungry. So where in the Dungeons could you get something to eat?

Mrs Lovetts Pie Shop of course!

There is something wrong with these pies. I can’t quite put my finger on it though.........

Once you have filled up on all those lovley pies its time to go and visit fleet street for a hair cut!

Luckily for us Sweeney Todd has plenty of room for all of us.

All these seats are the ones that were located at London Bridge but were sent back over to the manufacturer for upgrades and refurbishments.

What did this seat do to me? Visit the new Dungeons to find out first hand!

After your close shave you head off to Mitre Square where you get to learn about Jack the Ripper and his gruesome murders.

As you can see they were still working on things while we were there. This included programming effects, final installations etc. We are told this is a process that will go on for the next few months or so.

Never turn your back on Jack!

 

After this scene you will enter the Whitechapel Labyrinth which is the new version of the Labyrinth of the Lost. We are told there will be a lot more effects inside the maze this time round.

After all that I think I need a drink. This seems like a good place to go.

This has to be one of the nicest looking strobe effect warnings ever!

It wouldn’t be the Ten Bells without this very special lantern would it.

Sorry there is not a very big spirits collection. It’s a shame because we all need a stiff drink when Jack is on the prowl!

KKK drink..........

 

We are told this scene is longer than the previous one and Jack might appear more times than every before!

After a few drinks we are sent to court to be sentenced for our crimes!

 

We are told the 2 guys in wigs may not be there for opening as they haven’t signed off on them yet because they don’t live up the standard they want from the new Dungeons.

Is this the last coat of arms you will ever see?

These buttons will be used by the actors to trigger effects. Unlike the old Dungeons all effects will now be controlled by the actor which removes the issue they had before where if an actor was off time the effect would go off anyway and it would feel a bit weird.

Oh dear it seems this judge has sentenced us to visit the Newgate Gallows to learn the art of a good death.

Dont worry there are plenty to go around so you wont miss out!

It seems Newgate have told us to all go and "Drop Dead" as long as we meet these criteria obviously!

Okay so here is the brand new top level loading drop tower. It is the tallest Dungeons drop tower to date and the first top level loading one.

 

A lot of the work they did to this ride was actually helped by all the feedback Nemesis Sub-Tera at Alton Towers.

 

Then next 9 pictures are for all you nerds!

This is a very special floor but you will have to ride to find out exactly why!

This gentleman is a very nice guy as he is your executioner!

 

(I have reached the maximum amount of photos for a post. Continued below!)

Edited February 26, 2013 by StealthFan

[StealthFan]

Photos continued.

DONT PUSH THE RED BUTTON!

This is the main operators control panel.

Is this nerdy enough for you all?

Lap bar hydraulics! How are you all holding up? Theres more to come!

Oh wires, cables, steel, chains! Do most of us know how this works? No! But we do love it!

I promise this is the last one!

Okay sorry this is the last one!

When you ride Drop Dead this is what you become!

I HATE CLOWNS!

You will be able to buy severed hands which are very similar to the wax hands you get at Madame Tussauds. (The sign will be getting changed soon)

Okay that’s all from the NEW London Dungeons at County Hall. The Dungeons open on March 1st and a highly recommend you visit if you get the chance.

 

I hope you all enjoyed my report and I would like to thank the London Dungeons for holding a very well organised and informative event. I can’t praise them high enough for the quality of the event they threw and I wish the new Dungeons the best success in its new home.

 

If anyone has any questions feel free to ask and I will answer as best I can.

 

-Craig

[kidcoaster 2]

Thanks for the look! Hopefully I get a chance to check it out next year.

[EricaKaese]

So exciting! I can't wait to visit in the future! I'll miss Tooley Street though, hopefully this one will still have the traditional charisma and humour, the Blackpool and Warwick ones are pretty good but sadly feel a bit too manufactured by Merlin.

[Hilltopper39]

Awesome update, I remember visiting the original London Dungeon when I was kid and it was amazing. I would love to check this version out one of these days.

[David H]

For visitors to the area, you can save a lot of money by buying a Merlin annual pass. It's good for Alton Towers, Thorpe Park, Legoland Windsor, and Chessington Park, plus tourist sites, The Dungeons (all of them), Madame Tussauds, The London Sea Life Aquarium, and the London Eye. It also includes line cutting privileges at the Dungeon and Tussauds (or at least it did,) which makes a huge difference, with the long lines that both can get! I managed to get a coupon for a big discount on the annual pass from someone on E-Bay.

 

I probably wouldn't have done the Dungeon or Tussauds, if it weren't for the pass, but I really enjoyed both more than I expected to. The Dungeon wasn't actually at all what I was expecting, but it was nice that it was quite different from typical haunted house attractions. It's a shame that they got rid of the Vengeance 5D attraction, though, since it was pretty cool, if brief. But it definitely backed up the queue through the entire attraction, so I could see why they got rid of it when they moved.

[cfc]

I've only experienced the Edinburgh Dungeon, and that was about nine years ago. I thought it was fun, and London's looks even better.

[StealthFan]

it's a shame that they got rid of the Vengeance 5D attraction, though, since it was pretty cool, if brief. But it definitely backed up the queue through the entire attraction, so I could see why they got rid of it when they moved.

 

The reason we were told was they actually got rid of it because it doesn't fit in with the new style Dungeons. As i said previous it is in a container at Thorpe Park while Merlin decide what they want to do with it.

 

Reviews that I have heard from the Annual Pass preview day have been mixed so far. Most people were complaining about the many teething problems they are experiencing at the moment. The problems are to be expected but I still personally belive that over the next month or so it will end up being a world class attraction.

 

-Craig