Blackpool Pleasure Beach: General Discussion

[Dipper_Dave]

Now...who knows the year they put the ramp and drop in.

Wouldn’t that be when Bond Street split the park in two and Velvet Coaster became Roller Coaster, so 1933 ?

Has The Big One been open this weekend?

 

[rob666]

No.
The concrete overpass went in mid to late sixties, with the log flume concrete pour, I think.
I'm on about the ramp and drop in the river caves...mid seventies I guess.

 

[Dipper_Dave]

No.
The concrete overpass went in mid to late sixties, with the log flume concrete pour, I think.
I'm on about the ramp and drop in the river caves...mid seventies I guess.

I recall the closing Angkor Wat scene with all the monkeys in River Caves being directly inspired by Leonard Thompson’s trip to said place.

It’s referenced in the Peter Bennett book ‘A Century Of Fun’. Leonard had left plans on the drawing board when he died, to create a reminder of one of his last overseas trips, to Cambodia. Geoffrey finished off the plans in tribute to his Father. 1977 I think. Would the ramp & water splash have gone in at that same time do you think?

 

[Unicorns_are_lovely]

@Dipper_Dave Dave the Big One hadn't opened at 3pm today when I headed home ... it was too windy up high (and at ground level!)

Apparently it'll be shut for the next few days due to removal of the monorail track round the back of the new hotel (apologies if this is old news!)

 

[rob666]

Probably so...that makes me about fifteen at the time.
It used to run about three times as many boats before the ramps.

 

[MiserableMonkey]

I was thinking about the lack of guests so far this season despite Icon opening...

I excitedly followed the construction from before it was announced until testing, yet I’m still to actually visit the park and ride the thing - and I live 20 minutes away. And I can’t think why I haven’t been - I just don’t feel compelled too. And the thing is, I probably won’t this season either. Yet I’m clearly still interested as I’m reading this and the Icon thread. If they’ve failed to engage me this season with a huge investment, I wonder what the percentage of the general public is that feel the same - uncompelled.

 

[Dipper_Dave]

@Dipper_Dave Dave the Big One hadn't opened at 3pm today when I headed home ... it was too windy up high (and at ground level!)

Apparently it'll be shut for the next few days due to removal of the monorail track round the back of the new hotel (apologies if this is old news!)

Thanks. I’d heard that the former Ocean Boulevard Monorail station was going this month. Hadn’t twigged that this might affect The Big One. It does go pretty close I suppose !

 

[John_P]

Was rather hoping they could use the station/platform as an roof top bar for the new hotel.

 

[Sm1lingAdvocate]

Am I right in thinking if you pay in advance, you pay £18 or so for an adult ticket. £16.50 in February/March.

Surely parking shouldn't cost more than a wristband/entry?!

 

[Dipper_Dave]

What’s the latest on that ‘Big One Buckle Up’ app thing where if you play all day long you can win free wristbands? I thought they’d stopped it now. Just curious as there is always this seller on eBay flogging loads of them. Seller is called ‘zulse’ and that is literally all he has sold looking at his feedback. Couple of other sellers too (could be same guy?), just wondering where the hell they are getting all these from?

 

[Romeo]

What’s the latest on that ‘Big One Buckle Up’ app thing where if you play all day long you can win free wristbands? I thought they’d stopped it now. Just curious as there is always this seller on eBay flogging loads of them. Seller is called ‘zulse’ and that is literally all he has sold looking at his feedback. Couple of other sellers too (could be same guy?), just wondering where the hell they are getting all these from?

The Big One Buckle Up was massively flawed. It hasn’t been updated in over two years. This meant people were able to abuse the bad coding of the game and exploit it. When they realised it was getting abused, the park shut down the store you redeemed the virtual points for wristbands, whilst they investigated. They don’t seem to have fixed the issue though and it’s incredibly easy for anyone to get thousands of points within 2-3 minutes, and that’s enough for 2 wristbands. You do the maths.

 

[Dipper_Dave]

Thanks. Told upon entry today “The Big One is closed all week.” Icon and W&G on late opening today, wish they could be more specific on times! Grand Prix closed though they don’t tell you that on entry. Park nice and quiet though.

 

[rob666]

With the winds 30 miles inland we will be lucky to get on Icon this aft.

 

[Dipper_Dave]

With the winds 30 miles inland we will be lucky to get on Icon this aft.

Dislike

 

[BarryZola]

Icon's broken now anyway. Luckily I got on 2nd train of the day or I would have been annoyed. Especially with the Big One out of action also.

 

[Dipper_Dave]

Am here didn’t even notice it had opened! Must have been hammering Nash at the time. Staff just said it was “Open for about half an hour” earlier

Nearly new ride shown up by rides around it that are around 100 years old, what’s going on?

Just been told Icon closed for the rest of the day. Poor show for a nearly new ride

 

[IDB]

What’s the latest on that ‘Big One Buckle Up’ app thing where if you play all day long you can win free wristbands? I thought they’d stopped it now. Just curious as there is always this seller on eBay flogging loads of them. Seller is called ‘zulse’ and that is literally all he has sold looking at his feedback. Couple of other sellers too (could be same guy?), just wondering where the hell they are getting all these from?

I played it earlier in the year for four wristbands and then the game got pulled whilst they investigated. Wristbands did become available again shortly after. But to now redeem you have to log into the game and show the redemption on your phone instead of just printing out the barcode.

 

[Spin-Ride-Lover]

Am here didn’t even notice it had opened! Must have been hammering Nash at the time. Staff just said it was “Open for about half an hour” earlier

Nearly new ride shown up by rides around it that are around 100 years old, what’s going on?

Just been told Icon closed for the rest of the day. Poor show for a nearly new ride

This sort of thing is why dark rides are so important in this country, I just wish Pleasure Beach would get another indoor coaster in the future.

So is icon affected by high winds now?

 

[rob666]

Icon runs up to 35mph winds, allegedly.
Today, it was officially broken, advised so by the very nice young man on the entrance gates.
Puter says no apparently.
Lovely afternoon on the park with dippy, just a shame every bloke we spoke to denied that he was BarryZola.
And you did well sir...only four Icon trains all day you lucky man!

 

[Unicorns_are_lovely]

Icon had a broken half hour yesterday necessitating a evac from the first launch and multiple men in blue sweatshirts prodding buttons on the console panel. They sent it half way round, stopped it at the second launch, pressed some buttons, reversed it back a bit and then launched it round the second half. Rinse and repeat with the 2nd train then 2 full test runs before it was back open i quite enjoyed watching the tinkering and did get a nice front row ride when it re-opened!