Blackpool Pleasure Beach: General Discussion

[BigAl]

Re: Pleasure Beach, Blackpool: General Discussion

Well if any of their wooden coasters are to be removed then I'd rather wait until at least one park in this country has installed a GCI or GG coaster to make up for the loss. After all, the last wooden coaster to be built in the UK was Megaphobia. It'd be nice to have at least one modern woodie somewhere.

 

[Scott]

Re: Pleasure Beach, Blackpool: General Discussion

Well if any of their wooden coasters are to be removed then I'd rather wait until at least one park in this country has installed a GCI or GG coaster to make up for the loss. After all, the last wooden coaster to be built in the UK was Megaphobia. It'd be nice to have at least one modern woodie somewhere.

What would be your opinion if one of the woodies were to be removed for a new woody from GCI or Gravity?

 

[Michael]

Re: Pleasure Beach, Blackpool: General Discussion

Well if any of their wooden coasters are to be removed then I'd rather wait until at least one park in this country has installed a GCI or GG coaster to make up for the loss. After all, the last wooden coaster to be built in the UK was Megaphobia. It'd be nice to have at least one modern woodie somewhere.

What would be your opinion if one of the woodies were to be removed for a new woody from GCI or Gravity?

I wouldn't mind one of the woodies to be replaced with a ride like El Torro

 

[BigAl]

Re: Pleasure Beach, Blackpool: General Discussion

Realistically, the only woodie at the Pleasure Beach that takes up a large enough footprint for a modern woodie is the Grand National and I'd rather they kept that as most on here at least agree that GN is a more important woodie than the Big Dipper. I feel the Dipper is just too narrow and interacts with too many other rides to warrant removal at the moment. Although, as myself and others have pointed out, there's more than enough space for big new rides with out requiring the removal of any major attractions.

 

[CGM]

Re: Pleasure Beach, Blackpool: General Discussion

Of every old woodie in this country i would say the Big Dipper is the least historically significant with little to no uniqueness and has been altered significantly in it's history. If it doesn't need to go for the development of the park of course it should stay. But at some point hard decisions are going to have to be made at Blackpool about their space and i think people are just nailing their flag to the coasters they think deserve the greatest protection.

As the only Miller designed coaster left in Europe I would argue that it is very historically significant. If it were to go soon, ten years down the line we would be kicking ourselves for letting it go. Believe me, I love new and exciting developments but I don't think that there's any case for removing BD any time soon. As others have highlighted, there is space and even when space at the park does get short, some of the best rides and coasters of the world are born out of compromise.

People on here seem to be aggressively against its existence for some reason and this is the community that practically wept at the loss of a Vekoma Corkscrew! A terrible coaster clone found all over the world should be preserved but other park's classics are fair game it seems.

If we removed and replaced everything that we felt was outdated and a waste of space we would have no items of historical interest left. Sometimes it's important to push on through the outdated-ness and let it become an antiquity. Some things do, obviously, have to go but for me, BD is past this stage and should be untouchable.

For a while Gothic Revivalist architecture was thought of as out-dated and embarrassing. What would we have thought of the people of the early 20th century if they had torn down the Towers and replaced it with something more modern?

 

[Dave]

Re: Pleasure Beach, Blackpool: General Discussion

Actually not many on here miss the Corkscrew, there was some sadness and a bit of acknowledgement for her sentimental value and then put simply we moved on. As you say she was a coaster found in many locations around the world.

I'm not altogether sure the designer warrents protection and has said the BD was significantly redesigned. I dont think anyone has suggested it goes (and certainly not agressively) until it needs too which shouldn't be for many years but there isn't anything from with discussing the future and considering the hard choices that may have to be made. Saying a ride doesn't deserve protection also doesn't thankfully have anything to do with the quality of the ride experience. Its just historically the least significant and as already said EH dont require every historic structure to be protected as its impracticle and achieves nothing.

Anyway as said its simply some discussion on the hard choices they may have to make. People are hardly sending begging letters to Mandy to have the ride torn down.

 

[Michael]

Re: Pleasure Beach, Blackpool: General Discussion

I don't usually go on the Big Dipper when I visit unless it has a very small queue but if it was to go I would miss it.


Would also like to say a huge congratulations to Pleasure Beach Experience for becoming the official club of BPB

 

[Adam James]

Re: Pleasure Beach, Blackpool: General Discussion

I am slightly puzzled by the forum getting given the privilege, but nonetheless it's better than Club Pleasure Beach disappearing completely off the radar.

In other news, Amanda opened the new High Diving Show on Saturday and I manage to snap the moment as it happened. (This involved me running down the grandstand in which I was seated, nearly tripping over a wooden beam, and then getting into position with a faulty iPhone. Still a decentish photo anyhow..)

 

[Martin]

Re: Pleasure Beach, Blackpool: General Discussion

PBE who from time to time come here in organised attempts to spam are now the official fansite of PBB. I find this so funny.

 

[Scott]

Pleasure Beach, Blackpool: General Discussion

PBE who from time to time come here in organised attempts to spam are now the official fansite of PBB. I find this so funny.

To be fair to them they've never done that here.

 

[Michael]

Re: Pleasure Beach, Blackpool: General Discussion

I am slightly puzzled by the forum getting given the privilege, but nonetheless it's better than Club Pleasure Beach disappearing completely off the radar.

In other news, Amanda opened the new High Diving Show on Saturday and I manage to snap the moment as it happened. (This involved me running down the grandstand in which I was seated, nearly tripping over a wooden beam, and then getting into position with a faulty iPhone. Still a decentish photo anyhow..)

Is the diving show any good?

 

[Martin]

Re: Pleasure Beach, Blackpool: General Discussion

PBE who from time to time come here in organised attempts to spam are now the official fansite of PBB. I find this so funny.

To be fair to them they've never done that here.

Give it time, the awful shouts of 'Awful Flowers' will be back.

 

[Adam James]

Re: Pleasure Beach, Blackpool: General Discussion

Is the diving show any good?

It's not too bad actually Michael. One negative would be that the script is exactly the same as it was 15 years ago, but saying that most of the dives are quite impressive, particularly the fire dives in the last performance of the day.

If you want to watch it though, I'd advise sitting down at least ten minutes prior to the show, otherwise you won't be able to sit for girls and hen parties wanting to gawp at divers in their speedos.

 

[Blizzard]

Re: Pleasure Beach, Blackpool: General Discussion

I feel the Big Dipper is an iconic monument for blackpool, I have seen many post cards & old films featuring the ride, and it would be very sad if it went.

It does need a BIG makeover though. The refurbishe station & trains are fine, but the track could really do with being painted all white. I imagine it would look beautiful then. Its true that paint can do a lot for rides (and many other things).

The arch over the south entrance is beutiful piece of architechture, but just needs a good paint.

Talking about the south entrance, I do wish it could be made back into an entrance, as it still looks so obvious that it is meant to be an entrance. People still mistake it for one now!

 

[Rowe]

Re: Pleasure Beach, Blackpool: General Discussion

Where is this former South entrance you type of? It's likely I've missed it on the last two occasions I've visited.

And congratulations to PBE, wishing them good luck and a very healthy relationship with the park

 

[Spike]

Re: Pleasure Beach, Blackpool: General Discussion

Where is this former South entrance you type of? It's likely I've missed it on the last two occasions I've visited.

Where the Big Dipper goes over the path just at the side of the Big Blue.

 

[Stelios]

Re: Pleasure Beach, Blackpool: General Discussion

What would be a recommended route around the park from a first time visitor enthusiast point of view?

 

[Michael]

Re: Pleasure Beach, Blackpool: General Discussion

It's not too bad actually Michael. One negative would be that the script is exactly the same as it was 15 years ago, but saying that most of the dives are quite impressive, particularly the fire dives in the last performance of the day.

If you want to watch it though, I'd advise sitting down at least ten minutes prior to the show, otherwise you won't be able to sit for girls and hen parties wanting to gawp at divers in their speedos.

Cheers I was only 2 the last time the show was at PB so have no memory of it whatsoever I'm looking forward to see it.

 

[AstroDan]

Re: Pleasure Beach, Blackpool: General Discussion

Drayton had a similar show in 2011.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk

 

[Sam]

Re: Pleasure Beach, Blackpool: General Discussion

What would be a recommended route around the park from a first time visitor enthusiast point of view?

Everything is so close to everything else, that you can pretty much get from any ride to any other ride within 5 minutes!

I'd recommend starting with the Flying Machines for a good view over the park. Then on to Ice Blast, before it gets long queues. Followed up by Nick Streak, for the same reasons. It's probably time for PMBO now, Steeplechase and Rev. Get Infusion and the Dipper done on your way to the Nash and Mouse - make sure you do these reasonably early in the day, as you'll almost certainly want re-rides later. Then get everything else done in any order really, but make sure you don't miss Avalanche, River Caves, Alice, Valhalla and Zipper Dipper (for the cred!)