Dave
TS Founding Member
Have you asked any other entrance host why a ride has been closed in the past?
Interestingly the wind speed limit has reduced since the 90’s as it used to be 50mph westerly.
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Blackpool Pleasure Beach: Icon - 2018 Mack Double Launch Coaster
- Thread starter Rob
- Start date
Have you asked any other entrance host why a ride has been closed in the past?
Interestingly the wind speed limit has reduced since the 90’s as it used to be 50mph westerly.
themeparkfan
TS Member
Usually they just smile and say they are not sure when the ride will be open. Try another attraction etc....
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themeparkfan
TS Member
It's probably after the smiler stalling due to high winds.
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JackFitzy
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- I once went on a Go Gator that was pretty cool I guess...
A completely different ride in a completely different location made by a completely different manufacturer with completely different operating guidelines? The Smiler stalled in winds higher than Gerstlauer's set limit for the wind speed, if the wind speed was under the limit it wouldn't have stalled. BPB will have a knowledge of how to operate their rides and will have worked with the manufacturer (Who would they work with now? S&S? Vekoma?) and industry experts to find a safe limit that their ride can operate in. There's no way they would operate the ride if there was even a fraction of a possibility it would stall due to the wind.
Poopoohead
TS Member
MakoMania
TS Member
Katy
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Wildfire (Kolmården)
It's been 30mph or so since well before the Smiler incident, the way I see it is back in pay per ride they had more incentive to run it (so were more likely to risk the cost of rescuing a valleyed train vs the pay per ride income).
Really though, been on it in touching 30mph westerly a few times and it's sooooooo slow it's not worth bothering with.
Really though, been on it in touching 30mph westerly a few times and it's sooooooo slow it's not worth bothering with.
themeparkfan
TS Member
To be honest I have to take my hat off to BPB. My wife went and bought wrist bands for yesterday (Sunday ) before checking out the weather online ( oops ) However when we arrived yesterday to make the most of a rainy day the lady giving us our wrist bands announced that with the rainy day promise we could come back tomorrow for free. We entered the park and got a few rides in the rainy weather but by 4;30 decided to head home. On exiting the park an employee reminded us about the rainy day promise so they didn't try to get out of the deal (which I'm sure some other companies which I won't name would try to) we went today with the wristbands and tickets and the guy checked we wanted to use them today because the big one might not be running but we chanced it hoping the wind would reduce down ( but it didn't :-( .) However we still got a load of rides in with the family 16 in total and the staff were very friendly and helpful, even the guys at pmbo entrance explained why it couldn't run. I even discovered the haunted swing at the end of impossible which was impressive compared to hex considering when it must have been made. I can see why the park is number 2 on trip adviser.
Also why does icon not need such a big queue pen? One answer good operation with fast loading and dispatch it eats the queue! even when big one is down. My kids prefered it to smiler and had 3 rides on that alone (we would be lucky to get 1 on the smiler these days with its wait times and slow operation)
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Also why does icon not need such a big queue pen? One answer good operation with fast loading and dispatch it eats the queue! even when big one is down. My kids prefered it to smiler and had 3 rides on that alone (we would be lucky to get 1 on the smiler these days with its wait times and slow operation)
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Burbs
TS Team
- Favourite Ride
- Steel Vengeance
I think the queue is a design flaw on BPB’s part. Even when running only 2 trains the queue when full can only hold 30-40 minutes’ worth to the entrance, and only 30 ish when running 3. When the queue is out the entrance it puts people off joining as they assume the wait will be long, so the ride categorically won’t get a queue of above 40 minutes or thereabouts.
shakey
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Wild Mouse - Blackpool - :(
I think 30-40 minutes to the queue line entrance is pretty standard for most of the rides at PB.
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Burbs
TS Team
- Favourite Ride
- Steel Vengeance
Possibly, though some are significantly more. PMBO, Avalanche, etc. Considering this is a brand new, major £16m investment though... I wonder if it is partly due to space however, that the queue line is no longer.
Dave
TS Founding Member
I feel you may have some anti-Merlin retoric going on here which I often share but just a couple of points.
1) Icon queue, the operations are nothing stela it’s getting a similar (if slightly lower) throughput to most rides Merlin have installed in recent years (only exception is Smiler this season). The queue is just blatantly too short to deal with crowds. I think you are overegging the operations effect due to the fact Blackpool isn’t actually getting any crowds.
2) Thorpe and Chessington have rainy day deals (can’t remember if Towers do) and post on social media when they activate it so i think they would struggle to hide the fact.
As I say Merlin are a terrible company running their parks into the ground but let’s not get carried away. I agree Icon is overall better than the Smiler. opening year Smiler was a better coaster as it actually has some force but it’s aged horrifically and the “theme” is so badly executed it doesn’t compare.
That said Icon is incredibly average, I can’t say I’m overly inspired by the ride hardware of U.K. parks in 2018, though theming and stylisation have improved.
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shakey
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Wild Mouse - Blackpool - :(
I think avalanche is also about 30-40 mins from the start of the queue pens if it is running 2 trains.
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The whole PR is the same, they obviously thought OMG Mack ride people will come regardless of if we advertise it or not.
It’s curious why they’ve gone with the approach they have it’s as if they didn’t want the park busy
Spin-Ride-Lover
TS Member
No park would want it to be quiet deliberately, now you're just being silly Lol
It's just the advertising hasn't been that great that's all.
Hopefully the advertising will be a dam site better for it next season.
It's all well and good wanting better advertising, but assuming that works, the result is more people on park. You don't want that until the park in is a position to cope with extra crowds.
Yesterday the queue for the Avalanche was well out of the pens and running towards the Rev loop.....on 2 trains.
The Streak was at the Base of the lift hill....on 1 train. For me, the Avalanche should be on 3 and the Streak on 2 before we start wanting extra people, otherwise you will have a rammed park with almost everyone kicking off that they can't get on the rides.
Yesterday the queue for the Avalanche was well out of the pens and running towards the Rev loop.....on 2 trains.
The Streak was at the Base of the lift hill....on 1 train. For me, the Avalanche should be on 3 and the Streak on 2 before we start wanting extra people, otherwise you will have a rammed park with almost everyone kicking off that they can't get on the rides.
Plastic Person
TS Member
The public have no idea who Mack are, they need to sell it on something stronger than that!
Dave
TS Founding Member
It’s almost chicken and egg though, if they don’t get the crowds then they don’t have the income to increase capacity on other rides.
Not really the case, they have just spend the money to refurbish the second train and hAve it proudly located on the transfer track....where is now gathering dust.
As for the Avalanche, it was built for 3, can run 3 ando it costs no more to run 3.