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Blackpool Pleasure Beach: Icon - 2018 Mack Double Launch Coaster

Dipper_Dave said:
Yeah, there’s a lot, perhaps it’s whole year groups. Can someone explain to me why they get a trip to a theme park just a couple of days into the school year when they’ve just had 6 weeks or more off? I thought the whole point of these trips were that they were end of year rewards. Absolute ball locks
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Maybe they're on a physics trip or something?

In our school, theme park trips have always been end of year rewards for good behaviour.
 
rob666 said:
Doesn't Icons queue crawl on one dippy!
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It certainly does. As I walked off Icon I spotted a couple of guys joining the queue, then I went on Steeple and when I came back they had just got off Icon. So not bad really at that point, but when I rejoined the queue then it was only just past the scanner, by the time I got off the ride it was halfway back to the steps!
 
@Ash84 thanks for the info on what would be closed in the rain. The rainy day guarantee was activated on Saturday, so we re-juggled our weekend and got back in on the Sunday for free. This was a nice bonus as Valhalla was open on the Sunday after its little hiccup on the Saturday.

Maybe this should be in the unpopular thread but I got my first ride on Icon over the weekend and I couldn't get past it's good but not great. For reference I didn't care all that much for Blue Fire initially, but it really grew on me with repeat rides. The biggest issue for me was that it seemed to creep home from the Immelman. Shame as I enjoyed it up until that point of the ride.

The trains and the lights in heavy mist look amazing and I enjoyed the interactions with the other rides. Operations were fantastic, 2 trains all weekend and we never queued more than 15 minutes. The only blip was forcing people to remove ponchos, had the staff member been proactively telling people to remove them, then it would have solved the waiting at the station.
 
Just rode Icon for the first time. Train reminds me of Swarm, ride feels like a Eurofighter with less inversions and the station looks like a cheap bathroom. Not in my top ten.
 
Ancient said:
Just rode Icon for the first time. Train reminds me of Swarm, ride feels like a Eurofighter with less inversions and the station looks like a cheap bathroom. Not in my top ten.
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Haha the aesthetic is a bit of an acquired taste, which IMO ranges from quite neat to utterly naff (did we really need posts with management's names on them?). I certainly thought it's a step up from a Euro-Fighter though. I'm curious what is in your top ten?
 
Coaster said:
Yeah, the wooden posts are a nice touch, I actually really like the aesthetic of Icon even if there are a few things I'd personally change.
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I think there metal rather than wood Jamie, I also really like the red posts and the red total poles:)
They give Icon's location much needed vibrancy, Especial when the track supports and station etc have Are gray!

I also like the rock fountain round by PMBO:)
 
I get the feeling Dan was being sarcastic ;)

Yesterday I headed up to Pleasure Beach and dared to ride Icon for the first time. After chatting to a couple of people I had been advised to ride it in the afternoon and that the best seats were the front and back.

At 3pm I joined the queue which was outside the entrance but only took about half an hour. I waited behind a few others for the front row (no attitude from any staff unlike at Alton Towers) and soon had my first ride. The ride was smooth, there was a bit of airtime and a little bit of G but overall I found the experience disappointing. The launches were weak and the layout was nothing special either. It was actually pretty dire and was not worthy of any of the credit it had been given.

I shared my thoughts with a few people who'd ridden it and they suggested I tried it again later, so at about 6pm I joined the queue again with low expectations. This time I waited for the back and my god, the experience was so different. The airtime on the first hill and into the second tunnel were crazy, and it certainly seemed to pack more of a punch than earlier. I was actually impressed by it and felt Icon had redeemed itself somewhat.

So it was very much a tale of two halves... I just now have to muse over it a bit to work out where it sits for me.
 
Alsty said:
I get the feeling Dan was being sarcastic ;)

Yesterday I headed up to Pleasure Beach and dared to ride Icon for the first time. After chatting to a couple of people I had been advised to ride it in the afternoon and that the best seats were the front and back.

At 3pm I joined the queue which was outside the entrance but only took about half an hour. I waited behind a few others for the front row (no attitude from any staff unlike at Alton Towers) and soon had my first ride. The ride was smooth, there was a bit of airtime and a little bit of G but overall I found the experience disappointing. The launches were weak and the layout was nothing special either. It was actually pretty dire and was not worthy of any of the credit it had been given.

I shared my thoughts with a few people who'd ridden it and they suggested I tried it again later, so at about 6pm I joined the queue again with low expectations. This time I waited for the back and my god, the experience was so different. The airtime on the first hill and into the second tunnel were crazy, and it certainly seemed to pack more of a punch than earlier. I was actually impressed by it and felt Icon had redeemed itself somewhat.

So it was very much a tale of two halves... I just now have to muse over it a bit to work out where it sits for me.
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Yep this is similar to my feelings on Icon. It isn't top 10 for me as the ride experience varies too much.

Front/middle, morning - 4/10
Back row, afternoon - 9/10

In fairness that first hill really does offer one of the very best air time moments in Europe.
 
rob666 said:
Oops...definitely trimmed.
Unmistakable...going into 2nd launch with very wet track.
Anyone else felt it?
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As in, trim brakes? There aren't any on Icon, are there?

I did notice there looks to be an awful lot of trims on this new Mack hyper, I hope it isn't a new trend going forward.
 
Going into the second launch, there was a definite pulling back, clear as anything, never felt it before, but (incredibly for Blackpool) I've never ridden it in the wet before.
Something slowed it down...maybe the launch couldn't quite kick in quickly enough or something.
 
rob666 said:
Going into the second launch, there was a definite pulling back, clear as anything, never felt it before, but (incredibly for Blackpool) I've never ridden it in the wet before.
Something slowed it down...maybe the launch couldn't quite kick in quickly enough or something.
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That's a shame if true, you'd hope they would let it fly round in the rain!
 
Maybe the puter says no, then decided at the last second to say yes.
Clear as anything, only did it the once, but the track had all dried out by my next ride.
And before certain members ask...yes it was before my first vodka and sarsparilla.
Good afternoon, all the big coasters and dodgems, with 3 goes on Icon, chips and beer, in two and a half hours, with free parking by the Velvet Coaster.
 
The posts remind me of my favourite theme park anyway so I ain't moaning!

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