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Blackpool Pleasure Beach: 2021 Discussion

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shakey said:
You mean the only ride you do in North Park is the worst ride they have got!!

I can see why you find queues a problem if you are limiting what you ride by that much.
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Ice Blast is hit and miss, Valhalla is only good if it's a properly warm day or I feel stupid enough, Alice, Derby Racers and Flying Machines are a very rare ride for me and Ghost Train I just seem to forget is there. I'll have a go on River Caves occasionally and love W+G.
 
rob666 said:
NSANO...love it!
Big One best operated...on a calm day, when it isn't very busy, midweek.
Otherwise, forget it.
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Rob, I said best operating, as in the best coaster currently operating in the UK. Not the best operated. It is far from that!!









Sent from my ELS-NX9 using Tapatalk
 
Imagine if PMBO was the gold standard for ops in the UK. The pubs would need cattlepen queues for the bar.
 
To be fair to the Big One, the queue has always seemed to move quickly whenever I’ve ridden it (at least, relative to some of Blackpool’s other rides). Once they’ve been able to get past the initial sandbagging phase in the early morning, I find that the queue is pretty quick later on in the day; probably right up there with Icon as one of Blackpool’s highest throughput rides, from my experience, and has always seemed very well operated!

To be fair, the park as a whole has always seemed very well operated, but the Big One and Icon seem particularly well operated!
 
venny said:
You placed FY4 above The Star and Magnolia Cafe? Surely a mistake Rob...
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King Bernard (of golden shovel fame) on the bar, perfect spot for the eye candy that is dancing in the fountains, so close to a dead rodent you can smell it, and first in the queue when the Nash reopens.
Good quality bottles of very expensive bitter, with top notch conversation with the staff and random punters.
The upstairs seating is another perfect spot for people watching.
And then there is the human/avian ballet that is Bernard chasing off the gulls from the tables.

And I have had some of the sourest, nastiest pints of my life in the Star.
Only shakey gets a pint of compost at FY4.
 
Out of interest, have we heard any more regarding Valhalla’s refurbishment?

How is it going? Have any of the Blackpool locals heard any rumblings about it lately?
 
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I was just looking at the Pleasure Beach coaster ranking I just posted, and I was thinking about my placement of the Big Dipper and the Big One, next to each other.

Firstly, I decided to swap them round, so that Big One is now #5 and Dipper is now #6, but that's besides the point. In case you don't want to go back to the first page, my BPB coaster ranking is currently as follows (I'll add ratings relative to the rest of my count and overall placements too; for reference, my current coaster count is 74):
  1. Icon (10/10, #2 overall)
  2. Avalanche (7/10, #21 overall)
  3. Revolution (6/10, #33 overall)
  4. Nickelodeon Streak (6/10, #35 overall)
  5. Big One (4/10, #47 overall)
  6. Big Dipper (4/10, #50 overall)
  7. Blue Flyer (4/10, #53 overall)
  8. Grand National (2/10, #64 overall)
  9. Steeplechase Right (2/10, #66 overall)
  10. Infusion (1/10, #74 overall)

Secondly, I was thinking to myself; I know I've only had two visits to Blackpool Pleasure Beach, so it might be unfair to make this judgement, but I think they may possibly have the most temperamental roller coaster lineup of any theme park I've ever visited; from my experience, some of their rides are extremely variable in terms of the experience they offer. I say this because Icon aside, these rankings would have been quite different if they were based purely upon my first visit to the park in August 2018. From memory of how the rides rode when I first rode them in 2018, I'd probably go with something like:
  1. Icon
  2. Big Dipper
  3. Nickelodeon Streak
  4. Revolution
  5. Avalanche
  6. Blue Flyer
  7. Grand National
  8. Big One
  9. Steeplechase Right
  10. Infusion
As you can see, a revisit to the park a year later in different conditions, and the removal of that first timer's novelty that the rides had in 2018, caused a surprising amount of movement that I don't think I've ever seen upon revisiting any other park before. In terms of the most notable ones;
  • I actually rather liked Dipper in 2018, and my 2018 ride was probably worth a 7 or 8/10, but it was quite noticeably rougher in 2019, and I enjoyed it far less, so it dropped down to #6 and a 4/10.
  • Big One seemed pretty slow and surprisingly painful in 2018, so it was very low in my BPB rankings at the time. In 2019, it seemed as though it was running quite a bit better; although still pretty rough and not something I hugely enjoyed, it wasn't as bad as it was in 2018, and it seemed a bit faster and more forceful in places too, so jumped up to #5 and a 4/10.
  • Nick Streak dropped a little in 2019; it just didn't seem quite as thrilling.
  • Avalanche went up by a fair bit in 2019; it just seemed far more fun than I'd remembered in 2018.
  • Out of the rides I rode in both 2018 and 2019, Icon, Nash and Revolution seemed like the most consistent; their general ride experiences seemed fairly similar to how they were in 2018, on the whole. I should point out that I did not actually ride Blue Flyer, Steeplechase or Infusion on my 2019 visit, which is why their placements are broadly the same.
To be fair, this may be down to the type of rides Blackpool has, or the fact that I lack experience with Blackpool compared to some other UK parks, but it was certainly an observation that intrigued me, I'll admit.

While we're analysing Blackpool's coaster selection, I should also say that I think it's rather polarising. For the most part, I think the park's rides generally appeal to those with a very particular type of coaster taste; my personal taste in coasters doesn't really align with this, so I generally rank the individual coasters at the park quite lowly, Icon aside. The only coaster that makes my top 10% (top 7) is Icon at #2, the only coaster that makes my top 25% (top 18) is Icon at #2, the only two coasters that make my UK top 10 are Icon at #1 and Avalanche just sneaking in at #10, and even if I go as broad as my top 50% (top 37), only 4 out of the 9 non-kiddie coasters make it in (for purposes of fairness, I excluded Blue Flyer); Icon at #2, Avalanche at #21, Revolution at #33 and Streak at #35. I can certainly see the appeal of Blackpool's coasters, and the quantity and density of them alone makes the park very appealing, but I'm not sure the park's coaster selection appeals to me in terms of ride experience and personal enjoyment quite as much as that of some other theme parks.

Do you agree with my comments? Do you think the park's coaster selection is temperamental, and do you think it's polarising?
 
The ride offering at Pleasure Beach is certainly polarising. There are basically the wood and steel camps. Many hate one and love the other. I don't subscribe to the idea that steel rides are significantly different depending on the time of day, as is widely claimed regarding Icon. The woodies can significantly vary depending on temperature and precipitation though.
 
Blackpool Pleasure Beach is even polarising to its fans !!

@Matt N - The coasters at Blackpool can be very different experiences every time you ride them, one of the reasons I love the place so much. Some are definitely an acquired taste rather than an instant hit, but almost all coaster's stop being thrilling after you have been on them a few times, after that it's simply down to fun factor. As you visit PB more your opinions will definitely change (not saying it will always be for the better!).

PB is not all about coasters though and it is probably the only UK park I could have a day out at without riding any coasters (if I wanted to do that).

So with that in mind, lets have a top 10 non coaster rides at pleasure beach.

In reverse order..

10. Air Bender - Don't do it very often, mainly due to the company I am usually with insisting they would throw up if riding it.

9. Sky Force - Lost a lot of its appeal when the spin scoreboard was removed. Can still be fun but I find the restraints painful on the shoulders.

8. River Caves - Classic ride, shame they lost the magnolia cafe scene, and H&S put a stop to the squirting Elephant.

7. Wallace and Gromit - Well themed but not as good as gold mine in my eyes, and again the removal of the cafe for the retheme was disappointing.

6. Ghost Train (if we are not counting it as a coaster) - To be honest I usually come off thinking its pants, but nearly always ride it.

5. Valhalla - Rated as of 2019 - Too wet to be placed any higher on the list but hopefully it will be a better experience after the modifications - fingers crossed !!

4. Ice Blast - I do think this ride gets too much criticism. It may not be as intense as it once was but you still get good airtime at the top, and a nice view. Usually has a long queue though unfortunately.

3. Derby Racer - Wish they could restore the racing element, but a fun ride nevertheless.

2. Flying Machines - The grand daddy of rides and stands the test of time. And still no restraints !

1. Pleasure Beach Express - A lovely relaxing ride around the park, taking in all the atmosphere. You can even bring a cup of tea and an ice cream with you. I never have a day on the park without a ride on the PB express.

No place for the dodgems for me - Its just a really poor dodgems - sorry @rob666 .
Alice and Grand Prix didn't quite make it in either but I still like to ride them occasionally.
 
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The prime collecting ground for gossip on what is happening on the Beach during closed season is the Velvet Coaster.
Rumours persist that some vloggers have joined hands and bugged the downstairs tables near the bar, and tapped the free wifi.
Sadly, this year, that source has dried up.
Curse the virus.
 
I haven't been to Blackpool in seven years I think. These recent posts have made me realise the rides I've never actually done.
I've not been on the Flying Machines, PB Express or the Monorail. Don't think I've done Alice in Wonderland either.
Don't want to do Air Race (or Bling or Spin Doctor).

I really miss going on Noah's Ark. I also can't imagine River Caves without the cafe terrace.
 
Some coaster rankings going up here, we've done it before not too long ago, in this topic:

https://towersstreet.com/talk/threads/rank-bpbs-coasters.4879/

Don't think my list from there has changed a lot except I prefer The Big One to Icon really.

@shakey list from Sept 2018:

Out of the coasters that remain.....
1) Big One
2) Icon
3) Avalanche
4) Steeplechase
5) Big Dipper
6) Streak
7) Revolution
8) Infusion
9) Grand National
10) Ghost Train
11) Blue Flyer

@shakey list from the other day

Anyway my top 10 PB coasters....

1. Wild Mouse - yes I know it is currently NSANO but they just need to replace all the wood and track and it will be as good as new. There's a nice space for it where the new Hub bar is that they rarely use.

2. Big One - best operating coaster in the uk
3. Icon
4. Avalanche
5. Steeplechase
6. Nick Streak
7. Big Dipper
8. Revolution
9. Infusion
10. Blue Flyer
11. Grand National

Nash now in last place. I know it's subjective, but. . . How very dare you? Not sure it's my round anymore!
 
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Dipper_Dave said:
Nash now in last place. I know it's subjective, but. . . How very dare you? Not sure it's my round anymore!
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Big Dipper down one place as well

I am definitely getting too soft in my old age, but Nash is an abomination at the moment. I would much prefer to take my chances on infusion than endure Nash on a wheel seat. At least your ears only get bashed for 40 seconds.
 
How rough is Grand National supposed to be? My first ride was 2009 and I remember it being great but rough. I'm not sure I've noticed much of a difference as the years go by but I have probably been on roughly once every couple of years.
 
WillPS said:
How rough is Grand National supposed to be? My first ride was 2009 and I remember it being great but rough. I'm not sure I've noticed much of a difference as the years go by but I have probably been on roughly once every couple of years.
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It is quite rough. I’ve had a few really bad rides on it, on the wheel seats. The middle row of each car (rows 2, 5 & 8) is more bearable. The new trains are supposedly worse than the previous ones. I still love it though. Sadly due to distancing, the best 3 rows have been closed off, so expect a rough ride in any seat until the whole train is open again.
 
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