Blackpool Pleasure Beach: General Discussion

[Adam James]

As much as Screamscape is often good for news, this is only a rumour at the moment.
I don't think either the Tea Cups or Grand Prix/Convoy have been confirmed for the chop as yet.

 

[Sam]

The car ride could also be that Eddie Stobart truck convoy thing. Not surprised that the horrible Tetley tea-cup ride is up for a chop, that thing is so awful!

 

[Anonymous]

Out of curiosity is there any particular reason why Holiday Rock FM has left the park? I would have thought it was Holiday Rock that were paying the park for the lease of there hut?

 

[Danny]

Am I right in thinking Holiday Rock's booth was next door to Grand Prix? Which in turn, is next to the Monorail. And with the Monorail facing a departure from the park and the rumours about Grand Prix also leaving, then maybe that entire stretch opposite W&G and the arcades are under the planning board for something in the near future?

Not that I'm in any way hoping for this to happen or even believing it will, but wasn't this where the rumoured "Bigger One" was planned to be located?

 

[Alastair]

Not that I'm in any way hoping for this to happen or even believing it will

Why wouldn't you hope? I'm certainly hoping more than anything that we'll be seeing the wrecking ball on Grand Prix this closed season - it's a horrible relic and it would inevitably mean some kind of big investment for 2014/15!

 

[Danny]

Not that I'm in any way hoping for this to happen or even believing it will

Why wouldn't you hope? I'm certainly hoping more than anything that we'll be seeing the wrecking ball on Grand Prix this closed season - it's a horrible relic and it would inevitably mean some kind of big investment for 2014/15!

Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm more than happy for Grand Prix to be torn down. Yes, it has the memories of being one of the only rides I could have ever gone on when I was younger and had a dislike for coasters, but I'd be more than thrilled to see it knocked down for a future investment.

What I'm not hoping for or believing in however, is for the rumoured "Bigger One" to be plonked down where the Monorail and Grand Prix currently sit. After reading descriptions of it, it sounds like a ghastly thing that would ruin the skyline of not just the Pleasure Beach, but Blackpool itself. I'm just going to hope and dream incredibly hard for a great launch coaster with a fantastic layout to take the current position of the Monorail and Grand Prix.

 

[CGM]

What I'm not hoping for or believing in however, is for the rumoured "Bigger One" to be plonked down where the Monorail and Grand Prix currently sit. After reading descriptions of it, it sounds like a ghastly thing that would ruin the skyline of not just the Pleasure Beach, but Blackpool itself. I'm just going to hope and dream incredibly hard for a great launch coaster with a fantastic layout to take the current position of the Monorail and Grand Prix.

I happen to think the Big One is one of the ugliest coasters in existence. It's quite impressive in its own way but it certainly isn't pretty. So for me at least, there's not a lot that can be done to "ruin" the Skyline in that part of Blackpool.

Besides, Blackpool is known for the tower, the Big One, its illuminations, its piers and its general sense of exuberance. I think the Bigger One would fit right into the Blackpool Skyline which is already full of really tall, illuminated structures. Anywhere else in the UK, I could understand the complaint but not in Blackpool.

In any case, I don't think the Bigger One will be happening any time soon but who knows?

 

[BigAl]

I don't think there's any chance of them doing that any more anyway. As I've said before, I think something like either Fahrenheit, a ZacSpin or a GCI/GG coaster would suit the Pleasure Beach. Considering ball coasters have a tiny footprint, I see no reason why they couldn't slide one into the park where there's little space, as well as another larger coaster for one of the few bigger plots of land that they could make available.

 

[Alastair]

I don't think there's any chance of them doing that any more anyway. As I've said before, I think something like either Fahrenheit, a ZacSpin or a GCI/GG coaster would suit the Pleasure Beach. Considering ball coasters have a tiny footprint, I see no reason why they couldn't slide one into the park where there's little space, as well as another larger coaster for one of the few bigger plots of land that they could make available.

I'd cry if they installed a ZacSpin - they're crying out for a launch coaster rather than a dodgy Intamin contraption that from what I've seen isn't very thrilling anyway.

 

[BigAl]

My point was that they could install one instead of a flat ride or something else as they require very little space, aren't very expensive, have a massive throughput and it'd be unique to the UK, not to mention being a new coaster which the park could market alongside something else that's a bit bigger.

They could easily build a ZacSpin and a wooden coaster for example in the space of one or two years and considering the park haven't installed any new coasters since the Big One, I think they really ought to be doing something. Perhaps these removals are just the beginning of something big? Let's hope so!

 

[Niques]

Well if the Tetley teacups are for the chop, then we'd better find another terrible ride to depress ourselves with on North Meet. That thing feels as though it's about to fall apart every time a cup crosses the turntables.

To be fair, with the exception of a few classics such as Nash & PMBO etc, I don't really care what rides get ripped out anymore. It's been a long time coming for the Pleasure Beach to have some quality investment. Nick land was a good investment for the kids & the first large scale investment that the park has seen in many years. I'm more than happy for it to continue, even more so if it's at the expense of a few rusting forgotten rides.

 

[Anonymous]

The park do-not want a Zac Spin! The throughput is awful! I went on the one in Benidorm, Terra Mitica and with all cars in operation and hardly any que it took around 20-25 minutes to get on and that was literally no que. They are thrilling but capacity is a real big issue with these rides.

 

[BigAl]

Insane at Gröna Lund can get through just 32 riders per hour less than Infusion so the larger ZacSpin coasters are no worse than your average flat ride.

 

[Alastair]

My point was that they could install one instead of a flat ride or something else as they require very little space, aren't very expensive, have a massive throughput and it'd be unique to the UK, not to mention being a new coaster which the park could market alongside something else that's a bit bigger.

They could easily build a ZacSpin and a wooden coaster for example in the space of one or two years and considering the park haven't installed any new coasters since the Big One, I think they really ought to be doing something. Perhaps these removals are just the beginning of something big? Let's hope so!

There's certainly a reason why there's only been 4 installations of the ZacSpin in the past 5 years - and it's certainly not because they're overcome by demand! The uncontrolled spinning is a massive putoff and I certainly wouldn't build one there simply because it's "inexpensive and requires very little space." The throughput, as Zak says, is horrific - 800pph according to the currently existing installations. If there's one thing BPB doesn't need it's another 'coaster' with a dire throughput!

 

[Anonymous]

Surely the park could install one of these booster bike coasters by Vekoma? Im sure they'd be able to blend/extend the footers and supports into the already surrounding area.. surely it couldn't be that hard?

 

[BigAl]

My point was that they could install one instead of a flat ride or something else as they require very little space, aren't very expensive, have a massive throughput and it'd be unique to the UK, not to mention being a new coaster which the park could market alongside something else that's a bit bigger.

They could easily build a ZacSpin and a wooden coaster for example in the space of one or two years and considering the park haven't installed any new coasters since the Big One, I think they really ought to be doing something. Perhaps these removals are just the beginning of something big? Let's hope so!

There's certainly a reason why there's only been 4 installations of the ZacSpin in the past 5 years - and it's certainly not because they're overcome by demand! The uncontrolled spinning is a massive putoff and I certainly wouldn't build one there simply because it's "inexpensive and requires very little space." The throughput, as Zak says, is horrific - 800pph according to the currently existing installations. If there's one thing BPB doesn't need it's another 'coaster' with a dire throughput!

That doesn't mean they're no good. Don't forget that besides the fact that Intamin only started selling them a few years ago, Six Flags opened one at their flagship theme park on the West coast of the US last year.

Also, for ride of its size and nature, offering 800 riders per hour isn't bad at all. As I said, that's no worse than your average flat ride.

There's nothing wrong with building one just because they're inexpensive and compact. Many of the worlds most renowned theme parks take the less expensive rides as they can spend more on dressing them up (Disney love their Vekoma, for example), and don't forget that Blackpool Pleasure Beach need to use their space wisely.

One final note, would Intamin have bothered to go back to their ZacSpin and develop it into a train (shown at the IAAPA event a few days back) for parks wanting a larger 4D coaster if the thing was no good?

 

[CGM]

There's certainly a reason why there's only been 4 installations of the ZacSpin in the past 5 years - and it's certainly not because they're overcome by demand! The uncontrolled spinning is a massive putoff and I certainly wouldn't build one there simply because it's "inexpensive and requires very little space." The throughput, as Zak says, is horrific - 800pph according to the currently existing installations. If there's one thing BPB doesn't need it's another 'coaster' with a dire throughput!

I'd say that 4 installations in 5 years is a pretty good rate of sale. There are some coaster manufacturers out there that would love to be shifting that many coasters full stop let alone just one model.

I think a Zacspin would be perfect for Blackpool. There's nothing like it in the UK, they're very eye catching, it'd be inexpensive, it would meet the space requirements and from what I hear, they're pretty good rides. Yes, the capacity could be better but I don't think it's as much of an issue at a park like Blackpool than at the likes of Alton or Thorpe.

It seems that you've decided you don't like them (even though you've never ridden one?) but that doesn't mean it's not the right coaster for the park. To say that the unpredictable spinning is a massive put-off to parks just isn't true, that's your opinion of the ride based on videos you've seen.

 

[John]

For BPB 800/hour really wouldn't be an issue, in fact it would be the 2nd highest capacity coaster* in the park after PMBO.


*in terms of actual achieved throughput

 

[Alastair]

There's certainly a reason why there's only been 4 installations of the ZacSpin in the past 5 years - and it's certainly not because they're overcome by demand! The uncontrolled spinning is a massive putoff and I certainly wouldn't build one there simply because it's "inexpensive and requires very little space." The throughput, as Zak says, is horrific - 800pph according to the currently existing installations. If there's one thing BPB doesn't need it's another 'coaster' with a dire throughput!

I'd say that 4 installations in 5 years is a pretty good rate of sale. There are some coaster manufacturers out there that would love to be shifting that many coasters full stop let alone just one model.

I think a Zacspin would be perfect for Blackpool. There's nothing like it in the UK, they're very eye catching, it'd be inexpensive, it would meet the space requirements and from what I hear, they're pretty good rides. Yes, the capacity could be better but I don't think it's as much of an issue at a park like Blackpool than at the likes of Alton or Thorpe.

It seems that you've decided you don't like them (even though you've never ridden one?) but that doesn't mean it's not the right coaster for the park. To say that the unpredictable spinning is a massive put-off to parks just isn't true, that's your opinion of the ride based on videos you've seen.

I just wouldn't want a ride like that at the Pleasure Beach, because I'm almost certainly sure it would mean no proper big coaster for many more years. As was mentioned before, it's been 18 years since the last new coaster and 5 since the last coaster. The Pleasure Beach needs a big, expensive thrill coaster right now - and a ZacSpin would unfortunately only act as a disappointing stopgap that would see more stagnation (as more rides would probably have to be removed to accommodate it).

For BPB 800/hour really wouldn't be an issue, in fact it would be the 2nd highest capacity coaster* in the park after PMBO.


*in terms of actual achieved throughput

That's not a plus point. On busy days the Pleasure Beach is too packed and there isn't enough capacity - especially in its current state. It wouldn't be acceptable to add another low capacity ride, a queue eater is needed. May I remind you that the Pleasure Beach and Blackpool attract substantially more visitors per year than Alton Towers - and none of us would accept the installation of an 800pph coaster would we?

 

[Sam]

I hear Phantasialand are selling their ZacSpin due to low ridership and lack of awareness amongst the general public... maybe it's going to Lancashire?!