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Coaster

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  1. Coaster
    After a gruelling 5-hour drive from Six Flags Great Adventure the night before, the third day of our USA trip was spent at Kennywood.
     
    The park has appealed to me since seeing Phantom’s Revenge on an “extreme rides” TV program and with the promise of historic rides and coasters, plus an old-style hyper coaster I was already very excited for this park.  But would it deliver?
     
    I am pleased to say that Kennywood is one of the most amazing parks I have ever visited.  The place is full of historic rides such as a Turtle Chase, a working Noah’s Ark as well as three wooden coasters, plus lots of historic flat rides.  The atmosphere was incredible with everything painted in vibrant colours, and it was so lovely to see how proud the park is of their history.
     
    As we were dispatched on the Whip (yes, a functioning whip!) a pre-recorded announcement proudly told us the ride was over 90 years old and had been in three locations during its time at Kennywood; every historic ride was the same with signage and announcements proudly telling us that it was the last of its type, this many years old etc.  Racer even had a reference to the National at Blackpool for being another Mobius loop.  As a long-standing fan of BPB who is not happy with the way the park has changed, the pride that Kennywood takes in their history resonated very well with me.  Despite building a huge new coaster they haven’t forgotten (or tried to hide) their heritage, in fact they’re very happy to acknowledge that it’s what makes the park special.
     
    The way the park is landscaped is brilliant with it making the most of the hillside and rides intertwining making for such a unique charm that you just don’t find anywhere else.  The wooden coasters all had strip lights on them, I would have loved to stay at the park after dark but it unfortunately wasn’t possible.
     
    The staff at Kennywood were all fantastic however I didn’t feel that operations (in terms of through-puts) were anything to write home about.  They weren’t terrible, but when you have Phantom’s Revenge and Thunderbolt running one train until the afternoon with fairly long queues, as well as Racer loading both trains with one member of staff (?!) it got a bit tedious.  Things did pick up in the afternoon, but dispatches on Phantom’s Revenge were still very slow when it was running two trains.  On balance however, Jack Rabbit ran very efficiently with two trains and a queue that we expected to take an hour only took us 15 minutes!
     
    As a result of the operations plus limited time we sadly missed the Bayern Curve, my biggest regret of the trip is waiting 20 minutes for the awful Garfield ride but missing this!
     
    I would like to emphasise that the operations in no way put me off returning, but had they been better (and if there hadn’t been a few ride closures) Kennywood would now be my number 2 park.  Everything else was so good it outweighed this and the place left us all on such a happy note, I would definitely return and look forward to hopefully getting on Steel Curtain one day.
     
    Onto the ride reviews;
     
    Phantom’s Revenge
    This ride is INCREDIBLE.  After the classic lift-hill you go down a much smoother (and IMO less impressive) version of PMBO’s first drop, but the second drop is when this coaster really gets going.
     
    You crest the hill at moderate speed, but are then launched out of the seat and don’t land until you reach the dip at the bottom.  Bearing in mind you’re going down the side of a hill and also encounter a near-miss with the wooden coaster whilst being out of your seat, it made for one of the best moments I’ve ever experienced on a coaster.
     
    Following this, you go into a very forceful (and smooth) turnaround before hitting absolutely insane bunny hills.  The ride’s restraint system is very unrestricted which really works to its advantage here, as you’re launched up into the restraint without any hint of discomfort and the force of the turns work well to pin you back down before the next bout of airtime.
     
    Phantom’s Revenge is just an incredible all-round coaster, it’s exactly how a smooth coaster should be; it throws you around and has variety in its elements, but never slows down or feels like it’s dragging on.  10/10.
     
    Thunderbolt
    A very good wooden coaster with a unique layout; you start with a drop down the side of the hill (again making very good use of the terrain) before starting the main lift-hill.
     
    The ground-level turns combined with the fact that there are no seat dividers make for an interesting ride experience if you’re sat on the left, it’s worth bearing in mind that they do not allow single riders (meaning that we saw people waiting on the platform for an odd-numbered group before they could ride) due to this.  It’s just a proper classic wooden coaster and feels as though it’s been very well maintained.
     
    Racer
    Racer is a very good racing wooden coaster, but not a patch on the Grand National IMO.
     
    It runs much smoother and the ride feels like it’s in much better condition, the trains and restraints are also much better.  The layout however doesn’t produce much airtime aside from one drop, but it’s still a very enjoyable heritage wooden coaster and I’m appreciative of the fact that Kennywood have kept it in near-perfect condition.
     
    The ride’s station has a plaque proudly displaying that it was restored to its original 1927 appearance; it’s just amazing that they care about details like this.
     
    Jack Rabbit
    This ride made very good use of the terrain like Thunderbolt and contained an insane moment of airtime.  The ride doesn’t have lap-bars as such, but instead has a seat-belt and a static bar which partially covers the seats.  Operations on this were very quick and the staff were fantastic at interacting with guests etc.
     
    Exterminator
    Exterminator is a standard spinning mouse but with it being inside and having some decent effects, it’s by far the best of the ride type that I’ve been on.  A good example of taking a standard layout and turning it into something special.
     
    Whip
    Just incredible.  Having never got the chance to ride Pleasure Beach’s, it baffles me that they decided to rip it out and replace it with the world’s worst set of Dodgems?!  It’s a disgrace to be honest, what were they thinking?
     
    Anyway, onto the ride itself, we were dispatched with the spiel telling us about the ride’s history and on we went, the force generated on the turns was substantial and it was just a huge amount of fun.  So, so good.
     
    Kangaroo
    Another classic flat ride and once again they were proud to tell us it was the only ride of its type left, it basically consisted of hydraulic arms going around with a “jump” part-way round the circle.  A very simple but effective ride, and again just bags of fun.
     
    Rapids
    I think we got soaked on these but can’t remember 100%.  I’m sure they were good though, because Kennywood.
     
    Noah’s Ark
    Incredible, amazing, a piece of history that’s been kept up-to-date whilst not losing its charm.  So many cool effects and UV scenes in there, it was lovely.  *Insert standard dig at PB boarding theirs up and using it as an entrance here*
     
    Turtle
    As above, a very fun piece of history and the only one left in the world.  Going around on this with Thunderbolt and Phantom’s Revenge flying past around us, you could just feel the history of the place and I had a “moment” of appreciation for just how amazing the park is.
     
    Also, the announcement is brilliant, “Turtle!  Turtle!”
     
    Garfield’s Nightmare is a disgrace.  From my understanding, it used to be a historic River Caves style ride but they’ve turned it into a terrible 3D Garfield thing with the weirdest scenes and nonsensical audio ever.  Horrendous.
     
    Ghostwood Estate was a decent enough shooter-style dark ride, but had probably the most terrifying dinner table in the world.
     
    Swing Shot (like Rush at Thorpe) was decent, unfortunately the Black Widow was closed as was Sky Rocket.  As mentioned above I’m gutted we didn’t do the Bayern Curve, but all the more reason to go back, I guess!
     
    Overall Kennywood is absolutely incredible and I would 100% recommend visiting, particularly if you have an appreciation for historic rides.  Everything from the atmosphere and vibrancy to the sound of the rides, the pride they take in the park and the hillside location, it’s just such a special place.
  2. Coaster
    We left the Express hotel on Wednesday morning following our first day at Cedar Point to make the trip to Kings Island.  The day didn’t get off to the best of starts with bad traffic and road closures, but we finally made it to Kings Island to find that the park was rather quiet.
     
    Past the ticket kiosks the park’s entrance area is stunning with the Eiffel tower structure in the distance, fountain and brass band music (The dam busters march was playing as we entered).  It’s one of the grandest and most unique park entrances I’ve ever seen, just really nice.
     
    The park had a nice clean aesthetic with minimal theming scattered around where appropriate, it was also fairly easy to navigate.  Operations were absolutely super across the entire park with all coasters running full capacity with minimal queues; Vortex for example was still running three trains even though it was walk-on.  Just amazing.
     
    I did find the atmosphere seemed to lack but I’m not sure if this is just because it was a quiet day; the park felt quite flat and soulless which may have been more noticeable due to the charm and vibrance of the two parks we had visited previously (Kennywood and Cedar Point).  Kings Island may have just been “normal” rather than particularly dull.
     
    One thing to mention is that the Eiffel Tower is a fantastic feature and the view from the top is stunning, definitely make time for this if you visit IMO.
     
     
    Onto the ride reviews;
     
    Banshee
    Banshee is a relatively new B&M inverted coaster and much larger than the others I have ridden, whilst also featuring the vest restraints.  This ride seems to receive a fair amount of criticism from enthusiasts but I’m really not sure why, I thought it was brilliant.
     
    The ride is on a much larger scale to most B&M inverts so you miss the quick changes and transitions, but the sheer force of this thing was incredible.  At the bottom of every drop or inversion you hit a dip which just had the most incredible sensation of speed and power, the helixes were great and I just thought it was a fantastic ride overall.

    My only criticism is that the heartline roll was awkward and didn’t fit in with the rest of the ride at all.  If it wasn’t for that, Banshee would be my favourite of the B&M inverts.
     
    Vortex
    This is the park’s Arrow Dynamics multi-looper and I was excited (and slightly nervous) to see how it rode after hearing lots of different things.
     
    I found the ride to be smoother than I expected, but there were a few interesting transitions and moments of discomfort; with that said, I found it much more comfortable than, for example, Colossus, and the moments of roughness feel like part of the ride’s character rather than a negative.
     
    The batwing element in particular was insane and produced some very good forces.
     
    The Beast
    I was aware of The Beast’s legendary status before riding, but had very mixed expectations.  I absolutely love rides like this, that are a bit different from the ordinary formula, with The Ultimate being one of my favourite UK coasters as an example.
     
    The Beast unfortunately is let down by harsh trim brakes on almost every single hill.  The disappointment upon hitting the first set of brakes was huge because the ride was just picking up speed and starting to throw us around like a wild runaway mine cart.  I’d go as far as to say it’s an absolute disgrace that a coaster with as much potential as The Beast is completely and utterly ruined by awful trim brakes dotted everywhere around the layout.  Every time we picked up speed, we’d be slowed down almost to a standstill, meaning that moments which would have been relentless and intense were merely “okay.”  Such a disappointment.
     
    With that said, there was one amazing moment on The Beast.  The helix in the tunnels after the second drop were incredible and one of my favourite moments on any coaster anywhere.  If the rest of the ride was allowed to run at full speed, I’d imagine that’s how most of it would feel.  Unfortunately, as it is allowed to run it’s a very long one-trick wonder which did nothing but frustrate me at the thought of what could have been.
     
    Diamondback
    My expectations for Diamondback had diminished somewhat after riding Nitro a few days prior, but I was still looking forward to seeing how it compared and my first experience of the more unique seating position.
     
    Diamondback felt soulless and boring, devoid of any character or variation.  The ride feels almost too smooth with no stand-out moments, I hardly got any airtime over the hills and even the splashdown wasn’t noticeable from on-ride.  The Arrow hyper-coasters are, IMO, far superior to this and Nitro.
     
    The Bat
    Definitely the best of the Arrow suspended coasters I’ve done; the drops were bigger meaning there was much more swing on the corners.
     
    Not a favourite, but the best example of its type that I’ve ridden.
     
    The Racer
    A very fun classic wooden roller coaster with a good amount of airtime, interaction with the other side and each of the two tracks had a slightly different layout.
     
    The ride felt slightly bumpier than the other classic wooden coasters we rode in America, but nothing that took away from the ride experience too much.
     
    Mystic Timbers
    Just pure quality, top tier GCI from start to finish.  I love what this manufacturer has done with wooden coasters, keeping the frantic out-of-control nature of them the same whilst improving comfort and adding in some crazily banked turns.
     
    One of my favourite rides at Kings Island, though I wasn’t sure why we were left sat in a shed listening to Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of The Heart” for almost 2 minutes.  Made for a good karaoke at least!
     
    Invertigo
    Not as painful as it looked, though the restraints were poor with no room to move your head at all; my ears literally felt clamped between the cushions.
     
    Woodstock Express
    Woodstock Express was a hidden gem at Kings Island, a classic wooden coaster with some brilliant moments of airtime.
     
    Unfortunately, in a recurring theme at Kings Island, they decided to ruin the last section by slowing the ride down almost to a standstill with a trim brake.
     
    Backlot Stunt Coaster
    Strange upwards helix followed by a mediocre layout and predictable fire effect, not a favourite.
     
    Flying Ace Aerial Chase
    Ouch.  Very uncomfortable for a family coaster.
     
    Adventure Express
    A fantastic Arrow mine train with the signature strange transitions and added themed lift-hill back to the station.  Very fun.
     
    Flight of Fear
    Wow, this ride was incredible.  The themed queue-line was fantastic and the ride surprised me in every way.  Bearing in mind I had no idea what it would do before boarding, I was left almost speechless and thoroughly enjoyed it.  Brilliant coaster.
     
    White Water Canyon
    From the ridiculously big waves to staff members using the controls to trap us in the path of huge water jets on more than one occasion, I felt as though I’d jumped in the sea, then ridden Valhalla before standing under a cold shower for 10 minutes.
     
     
    Overall, Kings Island was a nice park with good presentation and superb operations.  There was just one main issue I had; the rides.  I felt underwhelmed by most of the coasters, and those which could have been good were ruined with trims.  The atmosphere also felt flat, but as mentioned above this could be due to other factors such as tiredness and/or enjoying the two previous parks hugely.  I wouldn’t advise against visiting Kings Island by any means, it was a good park just not a stand-out for me.
  3. Coaster
    We left Kennywood in high spirits and made the three-hour drive to Cedar Point, the most anticipated park of the trip and one that I’ve been waiting to visit for years.
     
    Since I started enjoying coasters, Cedar Point has always stood out to me as the ultimate “bucket list” park and one that I never envisaged I’d actually get the chance to visit.  Yet here I was, in a car on the way to Cedar Point?  It just felt so surreal.
     
    Driving into the park at night was an incredible experience as all the coasters were lit up despite the fact the park had closed hours ago, there were coloured chaser lights on the lift-hills and the skyline was just incredible.  I really have never seen anything like it and I was giddily excited despite having been on the road for 3 hours and being tired from the previous days.
     
    We stayed at the Express hotel and whilst it was very nice with excellent rooms, we would book earlier and stay in Hotel Breakers if we visited again for the convenience.
     
    (One thing to mention is we spent three days at Cedar Point with a visit to Kings Island after the first day, this review will cover the general park and I will write a separate review in due course for Coaster Mania).
     
    Onto the park itself;
     
    Cedar Point is unlike anything I’ve ever seen, it’s difficult to describe but I was in a state of amazement walking around taking in all the huge coasters around us.  Everything feels like it’s placed perfectly, the rides all look spotless and the park atmosphere is great with the parkwide music playlist and some rides having their own audio.  Of course, there isn’t a lot in the way of theming, but as it’s an amusement park we weren’t expecting this.  I was surprised by how well themed some areas were, actually!
     
    The roller coasters are what Cedar Point are famous for, but to me they aren’t what makes it (IMO) the best amusement park in the world.  The thing that stood out to me, and that makes Cedar Point the best, is that despite having some of the world’s biggest coasters, they still take care of their older attractions.  There’s a steam train, numerous vintage flat rides and an old-style cableway, all in perfect condition.  In all the reviews of the park I’ve read nobody seems to talk about this, but I found it incredible that a park with so many huge rides and coasters still cares enough to look after their old-style rides like this.  UK parks would do very well to take a leaf out of their book with regards to this, in my opinion.  Much like Kennywood, they were happy to tell you how old the rides were with signage outside many of them.
     
    Another thing I loved was the collection of Arrow Dynamics coasters.  With Arrow being my favourite manufacturer, it was fantastic to see five operational coasters and other rides throughout the park and again, they all looked in near-perfect condition.  For Magnum to run the way it does when it’s 30 years old is just amazing.
     
    Operations were fantastic for the most part and you feel as though the staff all have genuine enthusiasm for the job they’re doing.  Even towards the end of long days they were still talking enthusiastically through the microphones, checking restraints as fast as they could and it was just incredible to see a park that puts so much effort into guest experience.  Magnum’s operations were particularly fantastic, it ran three trains on the Friday and they were dispatching one after the second had reached the bottom of the first drop.  No faffing in the station, no Speedy Pass slowing things down, it was fantastic and highlighted to me how an Arrow hyper-coaster should be run.
     
    Onto the ride reviews;
     
    Magnum XL 200
    After years of holding The Big One in high regard I was incredibly excited to ride Magnum.  It holds a sentimental spot for me for being the ride that inspired Geoffrey Thompson to build a hyper-coaster at Blackpool, but I also think the importance of Magnum in the industry is often overlooked.  It was the world’s first hyper-coaster, kickstarted the “height-wars” across parks and inspired so many parks to build bigger rides.
     
    Onto the ride experience itself, I absolutely loved it.  The first drop has an amazing “floaty” feeling in that it keeps getting gradually steeper, meaning you float further and further out of your seat as you descend.  It’s very effective and much better than it looks on pictures/videos.  After a forceful dip the crest of the second hill provides a moment’s pause before you dive into the tunnel, into the third hill which provides another incredible floaty sensation as you’re “not quite” in the seat throughout the entire hill.
     
    The turnaround was very forceful (especially in the morning and night rides with no trims!) and felt very smooth for a 30-year-old Arrow coaster, following which you enter the airtime hills.  These hills are MENTAL.
     
    The first few provide moderate airtime, as you would expect, but after you’ve turned to face the station you hit hill after hill with the airtime getting more intense and prolonged with each one.  By the last three we were literally standing up in our seats, which is then combined with a “special effects tunnel” for the last hill.  It’s unlike anything I’ve ever ridden before and the restraints allow for such unrestricted airtime, it beats any modern coaster IMO.
     
    Magnum is my favourite roller coaster and I think it’ll be very difficult for anything to top it now for me.  It’s just perfect for what I enjoy in coasters, it has a lot of character, isn’t glass smooth (yet I never found it uncomfortable), has varied styles of airtime, force and Arrow-ness.  From the float-y hills at the start to the insane airtime at the end it never fizzles out and just feels like a perfect, well-rounded coaster.  A special ride.
     
    Millennium Force
    I thoroughly enjoyed Millennium force and think it’s a fantastic coaster as long as you don’t expect too much.
     
    The cable lift-hill is cool and it certainly felt strange to ascend the first hill so fast, cresting the hill is also amazing as it feels as if you’re never going to level out with the change in angle (to a steeper drop) being so gradual.  There isn’t much time to prepare for the drop but instead you get a surreal feeling of it being a continuation of the speed you already have, before getting faster and faster as you continue to drop.
     
    The ride is essentially 2 minutes of travelling at 90 miles per hour, and it’s one of the biggest rushes I’ve ever experienced.  There isn’t lots of airtime but it didn’t feel like it was missing anything, the ride is about height and speed and it achieves this perfectly.
     
    The force on some of the turnarounds was fantastic and I found there to be an amazing floaty sensation over the hills if you sat towards the front of the train.  I did prefer the first drop in the back, however.
     
    The last small hill (alongside the station) gives an unexpected pop of airtime before you enter the final turnaround and then hit the brake run.
     
    I really liked the futuristic feel of the ride and it has such a huge presence in the park.  The station audio is great and it’s probably my third favourite ride at Cedar Point.
     
    Steel Vengeance
    This ride is insane.  I was unsure after my first ride but after a fair few rides after three days, it’s my second favourite coaster at CP.
     
    It’s difficult to describe every element but the first drop and hills that follow provide some incredible prolonged airtime, following which you reach some inversions, some quick moments of intense airtime and then the second half which is just pure insanity.
     
    Diving through the structure you get intense airtime, overbank, inversion, overbank with airtime, inversion, and then the last few airtime hills which are just crazy.  It’s such a brilliant sequence of elements and seems to just go on-and-on, truly a magnificent ride and I can see why it gets so much praise.
     
    There was however unfortunately a downside to the ride, which was that I absolutely hated the restraints.  I tend to get achy legs anyway, so having my lower legs forced into an awkward position with clunky clamps and the lap-bar forced heavily onto me felt very uncomfortable; especially on a ride with so much intense airtime.  It’s a shame as I was very aware of the discomfort when going around the layout, it took away from the ride so much for me and ruined what might have otherwise been my favourite ride.  I can’t accept a brand-new coaster having such terrible restraints when a 30-year-old Arrow hyper-coaster has far superior and more comfortable trains.  A shame.
     
    Operations were also very slow on this, who’s idea was it to have the phone and wallet holder on the trains?!
     
    Maverick
    WOW.  Incredible.
     
    This ride puts any modern multi-launch coaster to shame, the fast pace of the turns, the force, the airtime and everything else is far superior.  Some of the highlights were the first few turns after the first drop, the two inversions which are taken very quickly and don’t feel drawn out or sickly, the second launch and the two Stengel dives.
     
    It’s just such a ridiculous ride and the restraints make it very comfortable despite throwing you around like mad.  So, so good.  In any other park I’ve visited this would be the best ride without a doubt.
     
    Top Thrill Dragster
    A fantastic coaster and the best of the three of these style rides that I’ve been on (this, Kingda Ka and Stealth).
     
    The launch feels so much more forceful than the others with it being an instant acceleration rather than phased, ascending the tower is unnerving with the lap-bar restraints as I found you felt as though you were falling backwards, then you just float down the twisted drop before landing in your seat.
     
    I actually found the sensation of being slowed down by brakes on a straight piece of track was better than having an airtime hill, it really highlights the sheer power of the speed you’re travelling at when you gradually slow down rather than it being over an airtime hill (without any airtime because you’re being slowed down).
     
    The ride ran 5 trains which was crazy, I really like the lap-bar restraints and the “ready to go” song was amusing.  If you’re going to make a coaster short, this is how to do it.  Brilliant ride.
     
    Raptor
    I enjoyed this but I much preferred Batman at Six Flags Great Adventure.
     
    Raptor felt like it had some very good elements such as the corkscrews, the final helix was also incredible with so much force.
     
    I found however that there were some awkward moments where not much happened throughout the layout, there was also a horrible jolt as you turned into the final brake run where the entire train seemed to shake.  Almost felt as though B&M had taken the last day off construction so Arrow or Vekoma had stepped in to finish the last turn.
     
    Not a bad coaster, but one of my least favourites at CP.
     
    Valravn
    This was one of the rides I was least excited for because the pacing looked fairly slow off-ride, but I really enjoyed it.
     
    The ride is more about prolonged force than anything else, however the views from the top are incredible with you getting to see the skyline from a unique viewpoint.  The drop is incredible, the force on the dips is great and the overall ride was much better than I expected.
     
    My only criticism is that it didn’t feel right having a dive coaster without a tunnel!
     
    Blue Streak
    A fantastic classic wooden coaster with airtime, speed and it felt very well maintained.  The layout was great with some of the hills being much lower than others and therefore full of airtime, it had the right amount of bumpiness without feeling painful and the trains are good.

    It’s one of the best rides at the park IMO and it’s great that they have kept it operating alongside their newer coasters.
     
    The ride had a fantastic lighting package with the chaser lights across the beams, it’s almost as though the parks over here are actually proud of their classic woodies rather than stripping them of their charm and “modernising” them like we do back home?
     
    Gatekeeper
    Much better than I expected, very forceful and the keyhole element was great.  It wasn’t one of my favourites at the park but that’s more telling of how good everything else is rather than Gatekeeper not being a good ride.
     
    I did find that the last helix felt a bit slow, though.
     
    Rougarou
    Quite good with some very different elements, it definitely felt bumpier that most B&M’s but I didn’t find it uncomfortable.
     
    I think with this it’s a case of it being overshadowed by much better rides at Cedar Point, if you put it in a UK park it’d be one of the best rides.
     
    Iron Dragon
    Plus; it’s an arrow.  Minus; it’s not a very good Arrow.  Still keep it though because the mist is cool.
     
    Gemini
    Gemini is brilliant and an extremely underrated coaster, IMO.  I absolutely loved this ride.
     
    The ride is incredibly smooth for an Arrow and the retro style of the trains/station is brilliant.  There is a lot of unexpected airtime depending on which row you sit in; the racing element is fun and it’s just an all-round great coaster.
     
    The last helix made me chuckle, after a perfectly smooth ride they couldn’t resist adding in an Arrow-style square corner at the end!
     
    Corkscrew
    A fun ride, not my favourite Arrow coaster but it’s visually impressive with the corkscrews taking place over paths and looked really well lit up at night.
     
    The paint job on the trains was fantastic and like everything else at Cedar Point, it looked perfectly maintained.
     
    Wicked Twister
    I had been intrigued by this type of ride for years and it was good fun, not a stand-out ride but there wasn’t anything negative to say about it either.  Just fun.
     
    Wind seeker
    Terrifying, a “get me off this now” type of ride.  Not even the views of Magnum made up for the sheer terror of this.
     
    I enjoyed hearing the Harry Potter and ET film scores though.
     
    Cedar Creek Mine Ride
    This ride had hilariously square corners, awkward hills and it’s strange that the lap-bars run on the same mechanism per carriage (meaning it has to be in the same position across three rows).
     
    But, it’s an Arrow, so that makes it great.  Keep it.
     
    Skyhawk
    Similar to Rush at Thorpe but much better.
     
    Snake River Falls
    Wet.  Fun though.
     
    Thunder Canyon
    Possibly the most ridiculous rapids I’ve been on, rivalled only by Kings Island’s.  You essentially either come off dry, or end up completely engulfed by one of the waterfalls meaning you come off looking like you’ve had 10 rides on Valhalla.
     
    Then they had this weird exit path with water running down it (that looked intentional) meaning you had to walk through a puddle and get wet shoes (or step on the sides and avoid it)?  Why would anyone want that?  Weird.
     
    Cedar Downs Racing Derby was good, it was nice to see that the racing feature of the horses still worked.  I prefer having an organ to the commentary, though.
     
    The park had many classic rides such as the Antique Cars, Cableway and the Scrambler alongside many others.  We enjoyed these however there were others we didn’t have time to do, unfortunately.
     
    Overall, it’s difficult into words how much I loved Cedar Point.  Driving into the park is breath-taking with the skyline coming into view, it’s an amazing enough experience in itself.  The big coasters are incredible and that combined with the park’s respect for their older rides is what makes the place, for me, the best park I’ve ever visited.  It feels as though there’s depth to the place and it’s definitely about more than just coasters.
  4. Coaster
    The second day of our USA trip took us to Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey, my first Six Flags park.  Having heard a lot about the park over the years I was expecting El Toro and Kingda Ka to be the stand-out rides, but wasn’t expecting too much in terms of overall park presentation and operations.
     
    As it turns out, the park was presented very well for the most part with a nice plaza (past the entrance), lots of greenery with some moderate theming and there was a viewpoint looking across to El Toro with Kingda Ka in the background which was absolutely stunning.  I would say that some of the more recent coasters felt shoehorned in and that perhaps the park doesn’t put the same level of quality into their more recent attractions in comparison with some of the older ones.
     
    The park was fairly quiet on our visit with fantastic operations for the most part which surprised me.  All coasters were running two/three trains, staff on Bizarro were literally giving people seconds to enter through the gates before closing them and rushing the trains out even with a 5-minute queue.
     
    Now, onto the ride reviews;
     
    Kingda Ka
    This ride has been on my bucket list since becoming an enthusiast, purely for the fact that it’s the world’s tallest roller coaster.  I wasn’t sure what to expect in terms of how it would differ to something like Stealth, but in my opinion it was incredible.  The launch was strange as it felt like it was broken up into phases.  It launched to a speed, then stayed consistent before having one final burst just before you reach the end of the launch track; it was unexpected and surprised me a lot the first time.
     
    In terms of the height and speed, it was everything I expected really and justifies being short through how impressive it is (a merit I can’t give to something like Stealth or Rita, for example).
     
    Overall a very good coaster, I did prefer Top Thrill Dragster (it’s worth mentioning that I hadn’t ridden Top Thrill at this point in the trip) but Kingda Ka is still fantastic.
     
    Zumanjari: Drop of Doom
    Possibly the best single drop tower I’ve ridden, it was quite unnerving being attached to the side of a coaster and it felt as though it just kept going and going, as I was thinking “we must be about to hit the brakes” it just kept dropping.
     
    It is a bit of a farce that it affects Kingda Ka’s operations, though.
     
    El Toro
    One of my most anticipated coasters due to the promise of insane levels of airtime and yes, it delivers.  The first three hills are absolutely MENTAL.
     
    The ride delivers incredible airtime, the turns have force and whilst there are some tamer sections, they feel needed before the next moment of crazy airtime/fast paced turns.
     
    One particular hill dropping into the ground level turns provided crazy levels of unexpected airtime, the coaster then meanders its way into the brakes at the end.
     
    Overall, I really liked El Toro but I didn’t enjoy it as much as most people seem to.  It suffers from the same issue I have with Balder, which is that it doesn’t feel like a natural wooden coaster.  The turns don’t flow with the hills in the same way that a GCI does, for example, and it feels very much a case of “airtime, airtime, airtime, turn, airtime”.  With that said, there’s no question that it has some of the best airtime around and is overall a very good coaster.
     
    I found it strange how the ride had obviously been fitted in around Rolling Thunder, only to remove that ride a few years later.  There are random gaps in the supports (and even a part where track from RT remains in place!) – weird.
     
    Bizarro
    A very good, solid B&M multi-inversion coaster.  It wasn’t a stand-out ride for me but did everything it needed to; the fire effects added a lot too as you could actually feel the heat from them.
     
    Runaway Mine Train
    I mean, it’s Arrow, so it’s already a winner in my books.
     
    Of course, it had strange transitions, funny square turns, but it was good fun and there was one airtime hill which came from out of nowhere which nearly ejected us into the lake below!
     
    Skull Mountain
    A family coaster in the dark except that there were gaps in the building and a weird coloured laser.  The queue line and station were well themed, the ride not so much.
     
    Nitro
    I’m not sure what to say about this really, it was my first experience of a B&M hyper coaster and whilst I enjoyed the ride, it wasn’t a stand-out for me.
     
    Everyone raves about the floaty-airtime on these but we didn’t really get that with Nitro, there was some airtime but I was in the seat going over the top of most hills, the ride lacked character and whilst there was some force in the dips, it just felt like a standard smooth B&M coaster but on a larger scale.
     
    Not a bad ride by any means, but I’d take the charm and rattle of an Arrow hyper over this any day.
     
    Batman: The Ride
    WOW.  This ride absolutely blew me away, the force and combination of elements in the layout was fantastic, the “pullover” of some of the corkscrews in the back few rows was just insane.
     
    It’s just proper old school B&M, an incredible ride.
     
    The Dark Knight Coaster
    I really enjoyed this, standard layout but the theming and effects made it something special IMO.
     
    Superman: Ultimate Flight
    Dull and boring but the signature inversion was good.  Better than Air.
     
    Green Lantern
    Amazing layout with some different elements to most B&M coasters, awful stand-up trains ruined it.  Ouch.
     
    The Joker
    Yuck, yuck and more yuck.  I’m not sure why people like these but it felt as though I’d been put in a blender.  Disgusting coaster, the only jokers are the people who decided to build it.
     
    The log flume and rapids were good fun and we ended up soaked, the park also had some decent flats and a good Marvel themed dark ride… definitely worth making time for if you’re there.
     
    Overall Six Flags Great Adventure exceeded my expectations massively in terms of park presentation and operations.  The coasters were excellent for the most part, the park had a good atmosphere and I’d definitely return if I did another America trip in the future that covered that area.

  5. Coaster
    Cyclone at Coney Island has been a bucket list ride for me since seeing it on a documentary called “The Ultimate Top 10 Thrill Rides” over 10 years ago.  At the time I had recently visited Blackpool for the first time(s) and with the memories of the coasters there fresh in my mind, it seemed so exciting that I could one day travel out to America and ride this famous coaster.
     
    Arriving at Coney Island and seeing the ride in person was surreal, I never thought I’d actually get to be there standing in front of it.
     
    Having heard lots of contrasting things (some people calling it rough, some saying it’s much smoother now etc) I wasn’t really sure what to expect, but my word… this thing is incredible.
     
    Firstly, the operations were fantastic.  The ride hardly built up a queue because it was taking around 20-30 seconds to get people on and dispatch the train.  It was amazing watching staff hurrying people onto the train and rushing around to get it sent, very different to over here.
     
    The ride has kept its old-style trains, braking system and still has the character of an old wooden coaster (rather than being “modernised”) which brought back lots of memories of old style PB.  The trains were very padded and the lap-bar had to go down very tight in some rows, whilst leaving us with room for airtime in others.  One thing that struck me was how well maintained it was, there wasn’t one bump in the track and the ride ran absolutely relentlessly.
     
    The first drop provides some incredible floater airtime towards the back, whilst the slam into the next corner was amazing in the front.  There was lots of unexpected airtime throughout the layout, however the biggest surprise for me was the force generated by some of the turns; especially towards the end of the ride.  It's just a brilliant classic wooden coaster and even after 11 rides on it, I came back into the station grinning from ear to ear each time.  Also, night rides on it were amazing.
     
    Cyclone is incredible.  If you like old-style wooden coasters, go and ride it!
     
    Luna Park
     
    The rest of Luna Park was fun; despite the other coasters not being the best, the park had a fantastic amusement park atmosphere and we were lucky enough to get to speak with the Coney Island History Project who were immensely proud of the Cyclone and the history of the park.
     
    Thunderbolt is the worst roller coaster I have ever ridden, the Volare seemed nice in comparison.  The way it forces your shoulders onto those straps when you reach an inversion, the awful trimmed first drop (again forcing you painfully into the restraint), the rattle (forcing you into the restraint) … just AWFUL.
     
    I enjoyed the flat rides and overall park atmosphere, the fact it was open until midnight too was incredible.  The wristband provided us with good value at $48 online, bearing in mind that Cyclone would have cost $10 per ride using the park's token system.  It's 100% worth visiting for Cyclone alone but we made good use of the wristbands on most of the rides.
     
    Ridecount:
     
    Cyclone x11
    Thunderbolt x2
    Soaring Eagle x1
    Astro Tower x1
    Steeplechase (not that type of steeplechase unfortunately!) x1
    Booster x1
    The Tickler x1
    Circus Coaster x1
    Wild River x1
  6. Coaster
    The third and final day of the Pleasure Beach Experience European park event took place at Phantasialand, where we were expecting a 30-minute ERT on Black Mamba and lunch included.
     
    Before I review the park itself, can I just say what incredible treatment we had from their corporate/events team.  Having expected the above, we also got a night time ERT on Taron (joining the hotel guests) followed by 2 PBE group rides, early morning rides on Maus au Chocolat and Chiapas (before the park opened) as well as both cycles on Mystery Castle at the end of the day.  In addition, we were given four fast passes each and of course the lunch, it was truly incredible and the park went above and beyond to make sure we had a good day.
     
    Onto the park itself, I was absolutely blown away by the scale and detail of some of the theming, it puts anything in the UK to absolute shame in that respect; from the dark tone of Klugheim to the vibrant areas elsewhere, and queueing for Talocan felt more like watching a show!  The landscaping, theming and audio truly sets this park apart from anywhere else I’ve ever seen in terms of a themed experience park.
     
    The park was incredibly busy on the Saturday however operations were slick meaning we managed to ride most things, unfortunately River Quest was only using one of the two elevators and the queue moved extremely slowly as a result but apart from that, everything else was run very efficiently and queues were always moving.
     
    Saturday Ride count
    Taron x11 (10 during night time ERT)
    Black Mamba x8 (ERT)
    Chiapas x2
    River Quest x1
    Talocan x1
    Winjas Fear x1
    Winjas Force x1
    Raik x1
    Colorado Adventure x1
    Mystery Castle x1
    Maus Au Chocolat x1
    Geister Rikscha x1
     
    TOTAL: 30
     
    Sunday Ride count (non-event day, in park 10:30 – 4pm)
    Taron x1
    Black Mamba x1
    Raik x1
    Winjas Fear x1
    Colorado Adventure x1
    Talocan x1
    Feng Ju Palace x1
    Temple of the Night Hawk x1
    Hollywood Tour x1
    Wurmling Express x1
    Geister Rikscha x1
     
    TOTAL: 11
     
     
    Onto the rides!
     
    Taron
    Taron is truly an incredible coaster in every respect, from the landscaping, theming through to the coaster itself it’s near-perfection.
     

     
    Entering Klugheim the twisted metal track becomes visible through literal mountains of rockwork, with the audio blaring out, it’s just stunning and features such as the waterfall, launch audio and night-time lighting all add to the experience.
     

     

     
    The queue-line starts well but unfortunately goes through to a poorly-decorated cattlepen area, a shame really as all the work building that immersion into the area is lost the moment you enter that.
     
    Queue aside, you enter the station, board the train and the launch audio kicks in… following a short corner you’re launched forcefully into an overbank, followed by an incredible airtime hill (it looks tame but is crazy!) and a sharp turn then snap to the right; following a few more meandering turns, you’re dropped down into the second launch which is INCREDIBLE.
     

     
    The surrounding walls and nearby theming adds to the sensation of speed as you enter the second launch, and the sound is just amazing… following this you’re thrown up (getting splashed slightly by the waterfall if you’re on the left) and into a fantastic second half; it has all the qualities of the first and more, with closer interactions with the theming, sharper transitions and some very forceful turns.  The only criticism I have is the trim brakes on the final airtime hills.
     

     
    Overall, Taron is an absolutely spectacular roller coaster.  I actually like the fact that it isn’t flat-out intense all the way through, with some of the turns offering breathers before you enter the next section.  The theming is incredible for the most part, audio is fantastic and the coaster holds its own and would be amazing even without everything else.  10/10.
     
    Black Mamba
    A very fun B&M invert, again the theming is incredible and some of the near-misses are terrifying, I’d go as far to say it’s the most effective use of near-miss elements I’ve ever seen on a coaster.
     

     
    I really enjoyed not knowing where the layout was going next due to all the theming, and the spiral section at the end adds a lot to the ride IMO.
     

     
    The queue line and station are very atmospheric, with the station area being in near-darkness until the train enters the station.
     
    Very fun coaster.
     
    Chiapas
    A fantastic log flume, I loved the catchy music and it’s clear the ride system is very smart and manages to do a lot very efficiently.
     

     
    Much like everything else the theming/landscaping is just incredible, walking over the bridge with the drop on one side and the splashdown on the other feels quite surreal with all the decoration.
     

     
    River Quest
    River Quest is absolutely insane, having not done much research my reaction upon exiting the elevator and seeing what followed was basically, what the...?!
     
    Good ride, came off drenched, only downside was the capacity issues.
     
    Winjas Fear and Force
    How haven’t I heard about these before?  They look like standard Maurer spinners in a building on first approach, but caught me completely off guard with all the surprises.  Absolutely excellent coasters.
     

     
    Mystery Castle is absolutely amazing IMO, the queue theming is stunning but the ride itself is just so much fun, without ruining too much I’ll just say it’s become my favourite drop tower ride by a country mile.
     

     
    Talocan is a topspin, but with the added thematics it's transformed into a really good experience; with the audio, fire and water, it feels more like watching a show from off ride!
     

     
    Colorado Adventure is decent enough, the pitch-black section was fun and the capacity excellent.
     

     
    Raik is okay, but much more about the theme than the ride experience itself IMO.
     
    Temple of the Nighthawk – how can you do so little in so much time?
     
    May be an unpopular opinion, but I really enjoyed the dark rides Geister Rikscha and Hollywood Tour – definitely in the “so bad, it’s good” category but IMO parks need rides like this to fill a gap, and they were great examples of how dark rides used to be.
     

     
    Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Phantasialand, from the rides themselves, theming and of course the way the park treated us, it has instantly become my number 2 park.
     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     
    Thanks for reading
  7. Coaster
    The second day of the Pleasure Beach Experience European park trip took place at Toverland, where we had a full day at the park followed by 30 minutes ERT on Fenix, and then a behind the scenes tour of the ride.
     
    Toverland is a lovely theme park located in the Netherlands with lots of nice theming/landscaping, an indoor area of the park and some really unique attractions mixed with a few exceptional coasters.  The park has lots of extra features such as the fountain show, assault courses and it’s clear that they put a lot of effort into the quality of the overall park.
     

     
    The park was quiet during our visit meaning that one train operations was all that was needed – in addition, the queueing areas are all incredibly well presented meaning you never felt like you were waiting around for too long.
     
    Ridecount:
    Fenix x11 (9 on ERT)
    Troy x8
    Dwerlvelwind x2
    Booster Bike x2
    Djengu River x2
    Expedition Zork (log flume) x1
    Maximus’ Blitz Bahn x1
    Toos-Express x1
    Merlin’s Quest x1
    Villa Fiasko x1
     
    TOTAL: 30
     
    Onto the rides!
     
    Fenix
    Approaching the ride’s area, the landscaping is beautifully done with lakes, fountain features and low fences meaning fantastic views of the ride are possible.  As you approach, smaller features (such as a stream running down the path?!) become noticeable, and the effort that has gone into the area becomes evident.  This place is stunning!
     

     

     
    Entering the queue-line you find yourself navigating dimly lit passageways with spiral staircases, tunnels and terrifyingly steep stairs into and out of the station.  There are a few areas once the ride starts that feel incomplete, but I believe the park are planning to add to this over the winter.
     

     

     
    Passing through a mist effect you begin ascending the lift-hill, before taking a turn and entering the first drop.  This felt a lot more forceful than Swarm’s, with there being much more of a “pull-over” at the back despite the shorter trains.  You then enter an excellent airtime hill, diving through a near miss before going up, over and into an incredibly forceful helix.
     

     

     
    Out of the helix you enter a zero-g-roll taken at a ridiculously fast pace, and then dive into the last few turns.
     

     
    Fenix is an incredible coaster, and (IMO) infinitely better than The Swarm.  Where Swarm takes elements slowly and crawls over the top of inversions, Fenix throws you into them at a much faster pace whilst still retaining the smooth nature of a B&M.  This, combined with the incredible landscaping makes Fenix a truly fantastic coaster.  My only criticism would be that it’s fairly short, but even then, it packs a punch so you don’t feel short-changed.
     
     
    Troy
    Oh.  My.  Word.
     
    As someone who holds wooden coasters in very high regard, I was excited to ride Troy but also conscious that I didn’t want to overhype it.  Similar to most rides at Toverland it’s very well presented, with the queue-line and surrounding area offering stunning views of the ride’s imposing structure.
     

     
    Navigating the first corner and lift-hill, views of the ride’s obscene layout come into view, but before you realise you’ve reached the first drop.
     
    Plummeting down the twisting first drop is incredible, and what follows is an extremely fast banked turn, then two minutes of pure joy.  I won’t even try and go through the layout because it’s taken at such a pace that it makes it impossible, but you’re thrown side-to-side, out of your seat on occasion (though airtime isn’t really the focus of the ride) and the station fly-through is awesome.
     

     
    The ride is just utterly relentless from start to finish, yet still manages to retain a sense of comfort whilst throwing you around and really bringing a new meaning to the “out of control” sensation associated with wooden coasters.
     

     
    I think it’s become my new favourite coaster.          
     
    Dwerlvelwind
    A really fun family spinning coaster with some surprising force in places, and the onboard audio is fantastic.  With it being compact I’d say one of these would be perfect for a UK park with limited space, and of course with it being Toverland it was fantastically decorated both inside the station and around the ride’s area.
     

     
    Booster Bike
    A fun coaster, the launch is more forceful than I was expecting and the turns/hills at the end are good fun; also, the unique seating position adds to it.  Probably not quite as good as Velocity, but still good.
     
    Merlin’s Quest was a little bit of a disappointment as it was taken far too slowly, and felt like an ordeal waiting to get back into the station.  With that said, the indoor section is excellently themed though I didn’t appreciate the bugs on the outdoor section!
     
    Maximus’ Blitz Bahn is a unique ride, and a lot of fun.
     
    The rapids were a bit terrifying in a full boat, and the log flume was good (though very weird!)
     

     
    During the behind the scenes tour of Fenix we were treated to a walk along the brake run, as well as a look into the ride’s control panel, a walk round the first turn after the station and a long look into and walk round the maintenance shed (it’s huge!) with the second train in storage – we were only allowed to take pictures on the brake run and in the station.
     

     
     

     

     
    Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Toverland; it’s a lovely family owned park and they clearly put a lot of pride into everything they do.  With investments such as Fenix I think it’s definitely one to watch.  A few more photos below
     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     
    Spot anything strange about this picture?
     

     
    Hmm...

     
    There were YouTuber's filming a stunt show of some sort at the park, earlier on in the day they jumped onto our boat on Merlin's quest and then back off again whilst being filmed by the park!
     
    Thanks for reading  
  8. Coaster
    Day 1 of a three-day event with Pleasure Beach Experience took place at Efteling Theme Park in the Netherlands, where we had an hour’s ERT on Joris en de Draak before park opening as well as a full day at the park.  First and foremost, the park was very accommodating to us, and the staff were all excellent and friendly.
     
    With it being my first visit to Efteling I wasn’t too sure what to expect, but I’d probably describe the park as very quirky and unusual.  There are a lot of nicely themed attractions and some fun coasters, and I really liked the large spanning lakes, exceptional use of audio and some weird and wacky features around the park.
     

     

     
    Operations seemed very good aside from Baron, with multiple trains running and queues moving fast.
     
    Unfortunately, on my visit Bob was closed (to then open a week later – spite!) as were Fata Morgana and Villa Volta.
     
    Ride Count:
    Joris en de Draak x17 (ERT & a few afternoon rides)
    Flying Dutchman x3
    Python x2
    Rapids x2
    Baron 1898 x1
    Rogel Vok x1
    Carnival Festival x1
    Droomvlucht x1
    Symbolica x1
     
    TOTAL: 29
     
    Onto the rides!
     
    Joris en de Draak
    Joris en de Draak is a fantastic racing wooden coaster with some incredible moments of airtime, strange banking and a very fun layout.
     
    Similar to Wicker Man, the ride’s queue line is landscaped around the ride well with some good viewpoints of the ride and interaction over the lake.
     
    I really enjoyed the racing element of the ride, with the trains breaking off from each other and then joining back side-by-side for the final section of the race.  There were some fun interactions throughout the layout, too.
     

     
    The sweeping turns at both ends of the ride’s layout were great fun and felt very forceful, especially the first one where you dive suddenly to the right-hand-side – brilliant!
     
    Whilst both sides were brilliant I marginally preferred the blue one, due to an insanely brutal airtime hill that seems to appear out of nowhere… absolutely fantastic.
     
    I liked the features the ride has such as the flag announcing the winner, cheering/booing in the station and the flags being draped for the winning train; fun little extras which the park didn’t have to do, but they make the experience better.
     

     
    Baron 1898
    Having enjoyed Valkyria I was fairly confident that Baron would at least be a fun coaster, but unfortunately, I just didn’t enjoy it.
     
    The theming is excellent.  The way the music outside differs to that inside, the station building, pre-shows and everything else are just incredible, and it’s clear that a lot of detail has been put into the attraction.
     

     
    Ascending the (incredibly well themed) lift hill with the ghostly singing ringing in your ears, you approach the top.  I found the drop was too small to achieve the freefall sensation, and the ride that followed fairly weak; the inversions didn’t feel overly forceful, the helix felt a bit awkward and the airtime hill didn’t produce any airtime.
     

     

     
    Baron 1898 is a visually impressive ride and a good themed experience, but that’s as far as it goes for me.
     
    Flying Dutchman
    Wow!  What a brilliant attraction.
     
    From the incredible theming in the queue to the highly detailed station, the presentation of this ride is superb both internally and externally.
     
    Giving a false sense of security, you deport the harbour and things soon take a turn for the worse… I really liked the use of atmospheric lighting and audio here, and the mist screen effect is so well executed.  The indoor section had a few surprises, and the outdoor section was good fun too.
     

     
    Python
    Really enjoyed this, despite it being a fairly short coaster.  The inversions were forceful, as were the helix’s, and the entire ride was very smooth (I’m guessing due to the recent re-track).  I wasn’t a fan of the vest restraints though, they felt very restrictive when compared with B&M’s version.
     

     

     
    Vogel Rok was awesome, a really fun indoor coaster with some interesting visual effects, fun audio and a really good sensation of speed.
     

     
    Symbolica has a really clever ride system and I enjoyed it, even if I didn’t fully understand what it was about!  External presentation is fantastic here also.
     

     
    Other attractions included Droomvlucht and the Rapids, both of which were done to a very high standard with some surprises.  Also, that rapids music is so catchy!
     
    Overall, I really enjoyed Efteling.  It’s a big contrast to parks in the UK, and offers something different to any other park I’ve visited.  I did feel that one day wasn’t enough to take everything in, as there were a few other attractions I’d have liked to experience.  A few more photos below
     

     

     

     

     

     
    Thanks for reading
     
     
  9. Coaster
    Liseberg caught my attention in 2014 with the launch of Helix, and has since been very much on my agenda to visit.  With it being my first non-UK park, there were high expectations and I was extremely excited to visit.
     
    Firstly, looking at the park itself, it’s absolutely beautiful.  The location in Gothenburg is amazing and I like the fact that many of the rides are built into the hillside, whilst also entwining between each other; it’s very Blackpool-on-a-hill ish.  Helix has a fantastic presence and I really like the way it entwines between Lisebergbanan, the log flume and various other rides.  In turn, Valkyria stands out and the view looking down from the top of the hill is fantastic.
     

     

     
    Another thing that struck me was that the park must have a fantastic landscaping team; the gardens were all spotless, as were the buildings, queuelines and surrounding areas.  It really puts UK parks to shame in terms of presentation.
     
     
    Unfortunately, I was disappointed with the operations at the park after hearing great things.  Helix runs three trains but has terribly slow dispatch times, it was stacked on all three trains every time I was on the ride and/or watching from elsewhere in the park.  I feel a lot of this is caused by the (unnecessary) seatbelts, as Icon at Blackpool doesn’t really have this problem.  In addition, operations on Valkyria were equally slow with the ride stacking all 3 cars on almost every occasion.
     
    On a more positive note, Lisebergbanan is a fantastic queue shifter, as are the Flume Ride and Rapids.  Furthermore, the park was extremely busy on Saturday and Sunday, and I feel the park held together well with minimal breakdowns and generally a well organised feel, even if some of the throughputs were lower than I would have hoped for.
     
    Finally, before looking at the rides, catering let the park down massively in my opinion.  The Max burger outlets all had queues out of their pens, meaning we ended up queueing 45 minutes for “fast food” – the other more upmarket options are pricey but the wait times are generally lower.
     
    Onto the rides!
     
     
    Valkyria
    Approaching the ride, it has an intimidating presence with fantastic landscaping allowing you to get really close to the ride’s drop, and a forced-perspective of the ride station at the top of the steps.  The queueline is standard cattle pen for the most part, but there are some theming elements throughout and the theme music plays.
     

     
    Inside the station, two faux fire plinths create a fantastic effect, as does a projection of a Valkyrie on the wall at the far end.  The music plays louder in here, and the atmosphere is very dramatic.
     

     

     
    Onto the ride itself, the fast lift hill is followed by a wide turn with fantastic views of Gothenburg and the surrounding rides at Liseberg.  You’re slowed down before the holding break is used; I found it holds you for significantly longer than Oblivion, and the views over Liseberg are followed by a sudden plunge into a mist-filled tunnel.  The effect is very good here, as the angle you enter the tunnel mean it acts as a head-chopper; at night, the mist is lit in blue which adds further to the effect.
     
     
     
    Following the drop, you enter an Immelmann before taking a fast-right-hand turn into a zero-g-roll.  I found the roll provided a strange sensation, as it’s taken much faster than most yet feels as if you “float” through it.  The turns which follow are fun, with a small moment of airtime offered depending where you are sat.  Following this, I found the final heartline roll to offer another floaty-sensation.
     

     

     
    My verdict on Valkyria is that it’s a very fun and floaty coaster, but lacks high levels of G-Force.  Whilst I prefer Oblivion’s first drop due to the restraints, and longer tunnel, I feel that Valkyria is a much better attraction with it being a full-length coaster, and the theming is solid.
     
     
    Helix
    Helix was the main reason for my visit to Liseberg, and with a similar ride being introduced to the UK it was finally time to go and ride its main inspiration.
     
    I find the ride’s presence around Liseberg absolutely stunning, it feels like it’s carved into the hillside and fits in perfectly around the park’s other attractions, whilst also maintaining a stature of its own.  At night, it looks phenomenal with the light only coming from the ride’s trains.
     
    Entering the queueline, the ride’s soundtrack immediately becomes audible as you navigate (or queue!) through a high-tech feeling metallic queueline.  It reminded me of a classy version of G-Force’s queueline, but MUCH better.
     

     

     
    The ride’s station is fairly standard, but the ceiling dispatch lighting adds a lot; especially once night falls.  The theme music plays loudly in here, but is sadly interrupted by the seatbelt announcement each time the train loads.
     
    Dropping out of the station into the first inversion, some hangtime is experienced before turning into the first launch.  With a small burst of acceleration, you are thrown into a zero-g-roll, then a turn/airtime hill before entering the next two inversions.  I found the ride picked up some good force here, to then throw you into the airtime hill.  I didn’t experience much airtime here, however the sensation on the next zero-g-roll felt oddly jerky, as if the train is constantly catching up with itself; I think this is due to the track profile, but I actually really liked it!
     

     

     
    The next section was my favourite of the ride, as you are thrown into a mini-airtime hill before entering a “helix” with extremely high g-forces experienced!  The turn that follows this was very weak by comparison, though the tunnel makes it more fun I guess.
     
    Entering the second launch, you enter the ride’s tallest inversion.  I found this quite weak, and much prefer Icon’s Immelmann as you experience a lot of airtime coming down from it; whereas on Helix, you turn whilst inverted meaning there isn’t any.  After exiting this you are thrown into a huge airtime hill, which produces fantastic ejector on the back row.  Entering another high-g turn, you navigate some S-turns before entering the final heartline roll, which had some amazing hangtime.
     

     
    Overall, I found that Helix is a very good, solid coaster with a decent length.  With that said, I don’t rate it as highly as many others do.
     
     
    Balder
    Balder was much anticipated by myself, being a fan of wooden coasters.  The ride’s queueline is a horrible mess of mesh and cattle pen but putting that aside, it’s a really awesome ride.
     

     
    I was surprised with how steep (and fast!) the lift hill is, and much like the other rides at Liseberg, fantastic views are offered.  The first drop is fantastic and provides some fantastic airtime, a trend that continues throughout the ride.
     

     
    The bulk of the ride’s layout is made up of airtime hills taken very quickly, meaning that there’s insane ejector in almost every hill.  A particular highlight for me was the hill taken fully in a tunnel, as it feels like you’re being thrown up towards the ceiling.  In addition, there are a huge number of VERY close head choppers throughout the layout, which combined with being thrown out of your seat at the same time genuinely made me feel uneasy!
     

     

     
    Overall, Balder is a fantastic wooden coaster.  It’s much smoother than other woodies I’ve ridden, but the airtime is sublime.  The ride experience improves massively at night, with the tunnel providing a moment of pitch-darkness.
     
    With that said, I did find it very formulaic and the layout feels methodical as opposed to out-of-control, making it an entirely different experience to rides like Megafobia.  It’s great fun, but I couldn’t help feeling on the last few hills, “it’d be great if the ride did something different now.”
     
     
    Lisebergbanan is a fantastic coaster which makes use of the terrain, much like Helix.  A lengthy ride is experienced, with plenty of force on the corners.  I also loved the three turns taking you down the hillside through the tunnel, though the brake run is brutal!  The ride station is one of the best I’ve ever seen, as is the ride’s capacity.
     
     
     

     
    Atmosfear is a brilliant drop tower, whilst not as forceful as some the views are impressive and the height fantastic, and I liked the fact that the drop feels much longer than similar drop towers.
     

     
    Loki is an incredible flat ride, and may be my new favourite (was previously Slammer at Thorpe).  The ride’s restraints mean that incredible airtime is offered, as well as a huge amount of force on the way down.  Close interactions with Balder also improve this.
     

     

     
    The biggest surprise of the visit for me was Mechanica.  I absolutely adored Bling at Blackpool, like I remembered it being amazing.  But Mechanica was (to put it as politely as possible), utter rubbish.  We had two rides on it and only experienced one good moment, the rest was awkward shuffling from side to side and aimlessly swinging.  The noise it makes is amazing though.
     
    Flume ride is amazing, my absolute favourite log flume.  It’s taken at a very fast speed, and the hillside location makes for stunning interactions with the coasters.  I found the last two drops to be a lot of fun, with just the right level of wetness to be fun but not stupidly wet.  Similarly, the rapids were also brilliant fun, and it was nice to see that they still use all their water features unlike UK ones.
     

     
    Overall, I found Liseberg to be a really nice amusement park.  It’s clear that they prioritise quality in everything they do, with the rides all being comfortable, well presented and fun.  A very easy abroad park to do for the first one, too.  A few more photos below
     

     

     

     

     

     

  10. Coaster
    Wicker Man.  I think it’s fair to say that I had very mixed feelings during the construction and build-up process for this ride.  Whilst I was happy to see a new wooden coaster finally grace the UK line-up, I had reservations about how good it would be; there weren’t any huge drops in the layout, so would it pick up enough speed to be thrilling?
     
    On approaching the ride, the excitement builds from the moment you see the hugely impressive Wicker Man structure and entrance signage come into view with the music droning in the background.  I couldn’t quite believe what I was seeing – it’s such a compelling sight, nothing looks out of place and everything just ‘works’.
     

     

     
    Moving into the queue-line, the design is fantastic with so many vantage points for the ride – small items of theming are expertly placed creating brilliant photo opportunities.  Throughout queuing there are many good places to watch the coaster from, and it’s so pleasing to see that everyone seems to be enjoying it.  I really like how the smoke effect is pulled around the corner by the train after exiting the second tunnel, in particular.  Being surrounded by the roar of a wooden coaster combined with the soundtrack, theming and screams of joy is really something quite special.
     

     

     
    Onto the preshow, I enjoyed this and found it delivers a lot in a short space of time.  The transition is clever and the show lasts just long enough to stay interesting whilst not becoming a burden after a few rides.  I found the theatrics and changes in atmosphere particularly impressive, however it was a shame on one of the rides I had that the automatic doors at the back of the room kept opening.  Exiting into the station, the lighting and dispatch/unload audio keeps the theme consistent and is very impressive.
     
    With the thematic elements done to a very high standard, how well would the coaster itself hold up?  After five rides on two separate occasions, I absolutely love it.
     
    Dispatching out of the station, the pre-lift section is very Nemesis Inferno-esque (with the mist-filled tunnel) and sets the scene for the ride very well.  Ascending the lift hill, the views of the ride are excellent and the audio helps to build anticipation throughout.
     

     
    The first corner and drop help to build up the speed, and the tunnel adds a level of disorientation, as you exit already facing the ground.  The section that follows is truly sublime; after going over the second hill in the tunnel, you emerge blinded from the light to be thrown (yes, THROWN) first to the right, then to the left and into a ground-hugging turn.  This is my absolute favourite section of the ride; the forces are much better than I expected and the transition from right-to-left is just so much fun.
     

     

     
    Diving through the Wicker Man structure and up into the turnaround, this offers a nice view of the queue-line and theming structure before hitting the two small bumps (which are much better than they look!) and then plunging to the right through the structure into yet another fantastic and unexpected sideways-banked drop.
     

     
    I found that the flat corner goes a long way to making the ride feel longer, as it gives you time to process the elements you’ve been through before heading into the next section.  The straight drop which follows provides a nice feeling of weightlessness, however on the back row at the end of a rainy day there was some incredible airtime there!  Following this is a sharp right-hand-turn through the structure, before turning left under the lift-hill and into the brake run leaving the clank of the lift chain ringing in your ears.
     

     
    After some time to think it through, I can say in full confidence that Wicker Man is genuinely one of the best roller coasters I have ever ridden.  Firstly, it’s the first time Alton have delivered a fully complete theme under Merlin, with no obvious corners cut and nothing looks out of place.  I could nit-pick, but it's the best we've had in the UK for years - so I won't.  The coaster itself is great fun and is a superb example of a wooden coaster.
     
    Combined, it’s a masterpiece.
     
    My only concerns going forward are the reliability issues the ride is currently having, and maintenance of effects.  The fire, smoke and audio add a lot to the overall experience, and with the fire already broken, I only hope that Alton can manage to maintain them to a high standard.
     
    Thanks for reading, a few more photos below.
     

     

     

     

     

     

     
    Wicker Man = AMAZING. 
  11. Coaster
    Wow, what a fantastic week! We spent 8 consecutive days in Blackpool Pleasure Beach, arriving at just after 10am and staying until park close every day. This equates to a total of 76 hours spent in the park! In fact, the only break we had from the park was one morning to visit the Tower and watch the Circus.
    Blackpool Pleasure Beach was nearly faultless all week, it was being run the best I have ever seen it with all coasters on maximum capacity every day (aside from Nash on two one day and Steeple having a bit of trouble with the yellow lane at some points). One thing that I always find amazing about the park is the sheer range of ages of the rides. There really is nothing that can match seeing 100 year old rides run next to newer rides, it's just brilliant!
    The park is maintaining it's clean image and I saw loads of cleaners around the park getting rid of any little bit of rubbish, it was brilliant to see them making an effort and I can't fault them at all with this, especially when you see rubbish strewn everywhere at many other parks.
    The coasters were running brilliantly, obviously they have their off times but by the evening they were going like the clappers! The Grand National in the rain at gone 8pm is one of the most insane experiences possible on a coaster! :twisted:
    Valhalla is in a much better state than it was at Easter in terms of effects (and it was good then), although some of the effects broke halfway through the week and were not fixed (or didn't stay fixed for long). However, the ride itself seems to be struggling as it was breaking down quite a lot - although I cannot fault the park's efforts at all as they had it back open again within 15 - 20 minutes every time. A plus point is that I got five breakdowns whilst on the ride so got to see most of it with the lights on which was fab! (Not for the staff though I bet!) No evacuation though
    However, on one particular day a certain water effect that usually misses the boat decided not to switch off, but more on that further down.
    It is still my favourite ride and I am yet to come across anything else like it.
    Leaving the park has never been easy, but it was more difficult for me than it ever has been in the past, possibly because it is the first time I have gone to Blackpool more than once in a year however we have ordered 2015 season passes - in our opinion it is unbeatable as the quality of rides, history & charm and ever improving operations of the park makes it the UK's number one.
    Highlights:
    - Park was looking great, very clean and fresh. Also a really great atmosphere!
    - Dark rides are looking great, it is clear that a lot of time has gone into maintaining them. Ghost Train has seen a lot of paint since April, River Caves looks really good and Wallace and Gromit was still all working (aside from one effect) and I noticed new smell effects in the bread scene.
    - Getting back on Valhalla
    - Getting back on all the coasters.
    - Capacity the best I have ever seen it.
    - BPB at night time.
    - Trevor on the PMBO has got to be the best staff member I have ever come across - so into his job and recognised us every time we went into the station, also joking about my brother's Smiler hoodie.
    - Seeing Valhalla with the lights on
    - The Big One nearly stopping midway around the course due to the ridiculous winds it was battling with. Seriously, it was great fun and the first time I have been scared on a coaster for a very long time.
    - Valhalla's waterfall in the skull mouth not switching off and drenching everyone! (This was NOT a highlight at the time!) It was leaving huge puddles in the bottom of every boat yet I had to tell the staff as they hadn't realised. My feet were nearly a foot deep in water!
    - A night ride on PMBO in torrential rain at gone 10:30pm, plus seeing the faces of the staff who had joined us afterwards!
    Lowlights:
    - Leaving!
    (There were a tiny number of annoyances but they were vastly outweighed by the positives, and unless being picky I can't really find anything to moan about!)
    RIDECOUNTS:
    We may have done a few more rides than this as I usually forget a few when I'm adding them up.
    Saturday 25th October 2014
    Valhalla x3
    The Big One x2
    Big Dipper x2
    Infusion x2
    Wild Mouse x1
    Grand National x1
    Nickelodeon Streak x1
    Avalanche x1
    Wallace and Gromit's Thrill O' Matic x1
    TOTAL: 14
    Sunday 26th October 2014
    (PMBO was closed from lunchtime onwards due to high winds, sadly we didn't go on it in the morning but to be honest I didn't miss it as I knew I would have a week to ride it).
    Valhalla x9
    Grand National x7
    Wild Mouse x6
    Big Dipper x3
    Nickelodeon Streak x1
    Revolution x1
    Avalanche x1
    Steeplechase x1
    Infusion x1
    Ice Blast x1
    Avatar Airbender x1
    Wallace and Gromit's Thrill O' Matic x1
    Ghost Train x1
    River Caves x1
    TOTAL: 35
    Monday 27th October 2014
    (We were only in the park for the afternoon as we went to the Tower and Circus in the morning.
    The Big One x2
    Horror Maze x2
    Valhalla x1
    Grand National x1
    Revolution x1
    Ice Blast x1
    Blue Flyer x1
    Wallace and Gromit's Thrill O' Matic x1
    TOTAL: 10
    Tuesday 28th September 2014
    The Big One x8
    Valhalla x3
    Ghost Train x3
    Wild Mouse x2
    Grand National x2
    Big Dipper x2
    River Caves x2
    Nickelodeon Streak x1
    Avalanche x1
    Steeplechase x1
    Infusion x1
    Alice in Wonderland x1
    TOTAL: 27
    Wednesday 29th September 2014
    (Park was packed, great to see it so busy! Also, they were coping really well with crowds).
    Valhalla x3
    Grand National x3
    Revolution x3
    The Big One x2
    Wild Mouse x1
    Big Dipper x1
    Nickelodeon Streak x1
    Avalanche x1
    Wallace and Gromit's Thrill O' Matic x1
    Ghost Train x1
    River Caves x1
    Pleasure Beach Express x1 (Had never been on this before!)
    Horror Maze x1
    Impossible x1
    TOTAL: 21
    Thursday 30th October 2014
    (Another busy day)
    Valhalla x3
    The Big One x3
    Infusion x2
    Wild Mouse x1
    Grand National x1
    Big Dipper x1
    Avalanche x1
    Wallace and Gromit's Thrill O' Matic x1
    Ghost Train x1
    Pleasure Beach Express x1
    Horror Maze x1
    TOTAL: 16
    Friday 31st October 2014 - VAMPIRE BEACH
    The Big One x5
    Valhalla x3
    Grand National x3
    Horror Maze x3 (Scaring people in this was fun!)
    Big Dipper x2
    Wallace and Gromit x2
    Wild Mouse x1
    Nickelodeon Streak x1
    Revolution x1
    Steeplechase x1
    Avatar Airbender x1
    Ghost Train x1
    River Caves x1
    TOTAL: 23
    Saturday 1st November 2014
    Valhalla x6 (Some of these were hilarious! Two were no poncho or waterproof as we were already soaked from the Skull mouth!)
    The Big One x4
    Grand National x3
    Wild Mouse x2
    Big Dipper x1
    Nickelodeon Streak x1
    Avalanche x1
    Revolution x1
    Blue Flyer x1
    Wallace and Gromit's Thrill O' Matic x1
    River Caves x1
    TOTAL: 21
    Overall Ride Count:
    Valhalla x31
    The Big One x26
    Grand National x21
    Wild Mouse x14
    Big Dipper x12
    Wallace and Gromit's Thrill O' Matic x8
    Ghost Train x7
    Horror Maze x7 (Usually just before joining the PMBO queue)
    Nickelodeon Streak x6
    Revolution x6
    Avalanche x6
    Infusion x6
    River Caves x6
    Steeplechase x3
    Ice Blast x2
    Avatar Airbender x2
    Blue Flyer x2
    Pleasure Beach Express x2
    Alice in Wonderland x1
    Impossible x1
    OVERALL TOTAL: 169
    Photos (all taken by me).

    Valhalla;





    You WILL get soaked!

    91 years old and still standing proud;




    Headchopper!


    The Big One - still my favourite coaster.



    Where else can you find a 20 year old coaster and a 91 year old coaster running side by side?





    All lit up!

    Wild Mouse, one of the most intense coasters around;



    Grand National, yet another brilliant coaster;



    Nickelodeon Streak, in my opinion the best family coaster in the country.



    Imagine living in those houses!

    Avalanche;


    Revolution packs a huge punch considering how innocent it looks;



    Some general park shots:


    Strange orbs in this picture...

    Took it again without orbs but I prefer the angle of the first one.


    Easy question but does anyone know where you can find this in the park?



    Exciting times!

    VAMPIRE BEACH:

    BPB seems to be one of the only parks that still bothers with parkwide theming;



    Bring back Trauma! And Noah's Ark!


    Horror Maze;







    I must admit this one did make me laugh, possibly because it had moved every time we went through the maze!

    I'm sure these two were in the Ghost Train years ago;


    (These pictures were taken in the day, the maze was better in the dark and with actors).
    You cannot beat Blackpool Pleasure Beach at night!





    Thanks for reading/looking, comments welcome.
  12. Coaster
    A cryptic wheel cover and demolition of a bridge, followed by markings on the ground.  A pIt of concrete footers.  Then a coaster.  Even after watching the project for well over two years, it feels surreal standing next to the twisted metal track of Icon and seeing the trains swish around what was previously a lake.
     
    Visible from many locations within the park, Icon makes its presence known simply by being there.  It may not be tall, but in terms of land covered it’s HUGE.  First impressions heading up the ramp seeing the Immelman looming up ahead are impressive, but the approach from the ride entrance side is the money shot.  It’s such an impressive sight with the huge entrance structure, glorious soundtrack playing and the smart gold trains whizzing around you and other rides at the park.
     

     
    The queue line is fantastically landscaped with amazing vantage points to watch the ride, and whilst relatively short manages to catch various sections of the ride’s amazing soundtrack.  It really is sublime standing there, hearing the launch audio, and seeing a train full of excited riders slowly exit the station before the train is hurled through swirling mist and into the tunnel.
     

    Yes, they have finished the fence now!
     
    Decorated in style, the ride features various elements of theming such as a garden with named posts of those involved in the project, a small water feature, mist effects and a nice entrance area/viewing platform.  Given that Pleasure Beach is an amusement park at heart, I have to give them credit for putting so much effort into the overall experience of Icon, it has really paid off and creates a unique atmosphere around the ride.
     

     
    Entering the station, the soundtrack hits you like a ton of bricks and does a great job of building the hype - alongside the class decoration, lighting and mirrors, it’s one of the best atmospheres I’ve ever felt inside a coaster station.
     
    But… is it any good to ride?
     
     
    The excitement builds as you dispatch from the station, with the launch audio gradually getting louder before launching you towards the mist-filled tunnel with “IIIIIIIIIICON” ringing in your ears.
     

     
    Flying through the misty tunnel, an almost dream-like moment of obscured vision is followed by entering the top hat element completely disorientated, before cresting the hill and being treated to one of the best airtime moments I have ever known on a coaster.  On the back, you crest the hill slowly before being thrown out of your seat on the way down, whilst there is some ejector as you crest on the front.
     

     
    Diving through the garden for the first time, you enter the inclined loop before swerving to the left, right, then diving underneath Steeplechase and Big Dipper.  Whilst I didn’t feel the near-misses on-ride as much as I expected, it’s an engineering masterpiece to fit the track there and the S-turns provide some fun forces before you are taken back over Steeplechase into what I found to be one of the best elements of the ride.
     
    The heart-line roll offers a completely different sensation to the beginning of the ride, creating a stark contrast.  From fast-paced ground hugging turns, you are taken into some ridiculously comfortable hang-time – the amazing Mack restraints are really used to their potential here, allowing you to hang freely (but comfortably) for a second before “catching” you and throwing you into two small and sudden moments of airtime.  Leading you back through the tunnel of mist, I found the two small airtime hills followed by the second launch to be a highlight of the ride.
     

     
    With the station and surroundings a blur as you fly past them, you enter the Immelman.  It’s quite something seeing The Big One essentially turn-over, and the element is a lot of fun at the front – at the back, it’s quite simply one of the most insane moments on any coaster.  You’re taken from ascending what feels like the start of a loop to hang-time, then ridiculous “sideways-airtime” as you come down the drop, before being thrown into a steeply banked Stengel dive and then into the turn.  This is one of the perfectly executed moments of Icon.
     

     
    Coming out of the over-bank and into the airtime hill, you are thrown yet again out of your seat before twisting onto your side into a tight helix.  I found the force to be decent here, with a good view of the theming if you’re sat on the left-hand side of the train.  Forcing you out of your seat yet again, you twist over to the right to take a majestic dive over the ride’s entrance area before entering yet another unique element.
     

     
    Wonky-airtime.  Yep, Icon has it.  You’re taken into an off-banked airtime hill, giving the impression that you’re going to be thrown into the totem poles (a fantastic throwback to the park’s past for those who remember, btw!) before meandering into the high-five element and slithering back into the brake run.  The high-five element felt quite weak to me; it’s very clever and a true engineering feat, but it didn’t have the impact or sensation I thought it would as a ride experience… although with the Icon exit music becoming audible as the train hits the brake run, I soon forgot about that!
     

     
    After my initial rides on Icon I was unsure but having let the coaster properly warm up, it has become a firm favourite.  To me, it’s the definition of a perfect coaster; it’s long, has a number of unique elements, isn’t inversion focused (yet still has two perfectly placed and impactful inversions in the layout) and the airtime is second-to-none.  Every element serves a purpose, and the ride is taken so comfortably yet isn’t afraid to throw you around.  The decoration is excellent, and the soundtrack is pure bliss; easily some of the best audio I have ever heard at a theme park, The Notable Stranger has done an excellent job.
     
    My concerns going forward are the maintenance of audio systems, and effects; the train lighting and mist has already proved unreliable, and the ride has only just been open a week.  Pleasure Beach are historically not the best with keeping audio systems in check, but I hope Icon changes this trend. 
     
    Thanks for reading, a few more photos below
     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     
    Icon is incredible, and offers something that the UK has been missing for some time.  Pure quality. 
  13. Coaster
    Yet another brilliant week was spent in Blackpool, and as we have BPB season passes we spent most days in the park, which was great fun despite a few negatives which I will get to later in the trip report.
    BPB is still my favourite park, purely because it has my favourite rides, and the history and charm adds to it - my top three coasters are The Big One, Wild Mouse and Grand National as well as my overall favourite ride being Valhalla, so to have these and a fantastic collection of wooden coasters, steel coasters and dark rides is just amazing! There isn't one ride I get bored of (I don't go on Grand Prix, Dora or Impossible much ), they are all brilliant and in my opinion it still definitely has the best ride lineup in the UK.
    Big Dipper deserves it's own mention in my opinion. I have always enjoyed it, but this week it was running the best I've ever known it to! Never before have I actually been nearly standing up due to the fantastic airtime on the first two drops, add to that the battering the back row was getting on the turnaround and it was absolutely brilliant!
    Grand National and Wild Mouse are still superior to it however IMO, both were running well most of the time, and the airtime on the final drop on Mouse is probably my favourite of any ride!
    The Big One, nothing much to say that I haven't said in previous trip reports, still our favourite coaster and it was much enjoyed as usual. The first drop in the back is the highlight IMO.
    Valhalla was a mixed bag this time, but good overall. One day there was no fire whatsoever, and for the last three days the final explosion was off, as well as no projected face on the first few days, but we still really enjoyed it. Wish they'd turn the audio up in some places though!
    Once again we did the "no poncho challenge" on one of the days, which was just as hilarious as usual!
    I always say that you haven't had a good day out at BPB unless you have bruises to show for it, and after a week of riding the coasters we definitely do, I'd be disappointed if I didn't to be honest!
    The negative bit:
    There were however negatives to the trip this time. I'm not going to hold back, so if you don't want to read the negative comments then skip this section.
    Park operations were absolutely dire most days. On the Sunday, it closed at 5pm despite being advertised as a 6pm close on the website, this was still the case after it had closed. This is not acceptable, if people have paid for a 6pm close then it is wrong to change that. Further to this, on the following Sunday (19th) the park gates didn't open until 10:45am, with nothing open until 11am. Even then, both Wild Mouse and Grand National opened late. Add to this a 5pm close, I would not have been impressed if I had paid to get in or driven there for that specific day!
    On the first Saturday of our trip, we weren't allowed on Infusion or Nickelodeon Streak until 11am because the RCCGB were on them. This is not on, ERT events should take place outside of park opening hours. Guests who have paid for tickets (or season passes) and made the effort to visit should not be told they can't ride, yet the coasters are clearly going round in front of their eyes. Unacceptable.
    On some days this week they really let us down in terms of their attitude to ride capacity. A few examples are:
    - Avalanche running one train with a full queue round the extensions on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
    - The Big One running one train with a full station (apart from in the mornings and just before it closed), and often all the way down the ramp as well. To add to this, dispatch times were two and a half minutes (between the train stopping and dispatching again), which meant that even on one train it could have shifted the queue more than it was if the staff could be bothered.
    - Big Dipper on one. This wouldn't have been a problem, but when added to all the other coasters not being on capacity it was yet another slow moving queue.
    - Steeplechase only on two lanes unless the queue got down to the bottom of the stairs, at which point they would put three lanes on for a short amount of time and then go back down to two.
    - Incredibly slow dispatch times on Grand National, even when running four trains, there was a good five minutes sometimes between the trains arriving and the next ones being dispatched, even though they had been checked and were ready to go.
    - Only six boats on Valhalla until the final hour most days, leading to queues building up much earlier in the day.
    The only day ride capacity was what it should be was on Saturday 18th. The park was busy, and the atmosphere was fantastic with a great selection of songs from Holiday Rock FM, people just sitting enjoying the sun and most rides operating as they should be, aside from The Big One which was stacking on two trains far more often than it should have been. Furthermore, Grand National and Valhalla both opened at 11am, half an hour earlier than usual which was great! However Infusion opened half an hour late so not all good.
    The first Saturday was also quite good for capacity, but PMBO was on one due to wind (which was not the case the rest of the week, the wind didn't get above 11mph on some of the days it was running one).
    Whilst I have had much worse days at other UK parks, this is not the standard I expect from BPB, they have been much better in the past few years so I was quite disappointed by this.
    RIDECOUNTS!
    Saturday 11th April 2015:
    Valhalla x5
    Grand National x4
    Big Dipper x3
    Wild Mouse x2
    Avalanche x2
    The Big One x1
    Revolution x1
    Nickelodeon Streak x1
    Steeplechase x1
    Infusion x1
    Wallace and Gromit's Thrill O' Matic x1
    Ghost Train x1
    River Caves x1
    Alice in Wonderland x1
    Blue Flyer x1
    TOTAL: 26
    Sunday 12th April 2015:
    We only spent the last hour and a half in the park today, as we had done the Tower Dungeons and Circus as well. We would have had two and a half hours as planned if they hadn't closed an hour early!
    The Big One x2
    Wild Mouse x2
    Big Dipper x2
    Infusion x2
    Grand National x1
    Valhalla x1
    Ghost Train x1
    TOTAL: 11
    Monday 13th April 2015:
    Valhalla x7
    The Big One x6
    Wild Mouse x2
    Revolution x2
    Nickelodeon Streak x2
    Wallace and Gromit's Thrill O' Matic x2
    Ghost Train x2
    Ice Blast x2 (This was about the only "thrill" ride I could cope with at the end of the day).
    Grand National x1
    Big Dipper x1
    Avalanche x1
    Steeplechase x1
    Infusion x1
    Avatar Airbender x1
    River Caves x1
    Alice x1
    Pleasure Beach Express x1
    TOTAL: 34
    Tuesday was spent in the Yorkshire dales which was really enjoyable once again.
    Wednesday 15th April 2015:
    The Big One x4
    Valhalla x3
    Wild Mouse x3
    Grand National x2
    Big Dipper x2
    Nickelodeon Streak x2
    Revolution x2
    Wallace and Gromit x2
    Avalanche x1
    Steeplechase x1
    Infusion x1
    Ghost Train x1
    Lost River x1
    Alice x1
    Dora x1 :lol:
    TOTAL: 26
    Thursday 16th April 2015:
    We went in from 1pm onwards after spending the morning in Sandcastle Waterpark.
    Wild Mouse x2
    Big Dipper x2
    Valhalla x1
    The Big one x1
    Grand National x1
    Revolution x1
    Wallace and Gromit x1
    Ghost Train x1
    River Caves x1
    TOTAL: 11
    Friday 17th April 2015:
    Valhalla x7
    The Big One x4
    Grand National x2
    Big Dipper x2
    Steeplechase x2
    Infusion x2
    Wild Mouse x1
    Nickelodeon Streak x1
    Revolution x1
    Avalanche x1
    Wallace and Gromit x1
    Ghost Train x1
    Avatar Airbender x1
    TOTAL: 25
    Saturday 18th April:
    Grand National x6 (The park was packed but for some reason this had quite a short queue at times, and it was running well!)
    The Big One x5 (Today was a case of OMG it's on two trains!! )
    Wild Mouse x4
    Big Dipper x4
    Valhalla x1
    Nickelodeon Streak x1
    Revolution x1
    Avalanche x1
    Infusion x1
    Steeplechase x1
    Wallace and Gromit x1
    River Caves x1
    Flying Machines x1
    Ice Blast x1
    TOTAL: 28
    Sunday 19th April 2015:
    We just had a few rides and a Gourmet Burger before a long drive home. We wanted one last go on National but it hadn't opened by the time we left sadly.
    Big One x2
    Wild Mouse x1
    Big Dipper x1
    TOTAL: 4
    OVERALL RIDECOUNT:
    Valhalla x25
    The Big One x25
    Grand National x17
    Big Dipper x17
    Wild Mouse x16
    Revolution x8
    Infusion x8
    Wallace and Gromit x8
    Nickelodeon Streak x7
    Ghost Train x7
    Avalanche x6
    Steeplechase x6
    River Caves x4
    Ice Blast x3
    Alice Ride x3
    Avatar Airbender x2
    Flying Machines x1
    Blue Flyer x1
    Pleasure Beach Express x1
    Lost River x1
    Dora x1
    OVERALL TOTAL: 167
    PHOTOS!
    All photos taken by me.
    Valhalla;



    Tom Sawyer Bridge shots;





    The old and new(ish);




    It looks so simple, but packs a huge punch;



    Cheese Gromit!

    Would you like to see this receive a facelift, or does the ageing look add to the charm?

    Time for vertical reality!





    The tunnel does look very narrow when you see it from the PBE!




    Ice Blast does seem a bit more forceful in the launch this season, but sadly it still lacks airtime at the top most of the time;

    Infusion, I do enjoy this coaster despite most people hating it;


    The life and soul of the Pleasure Beach, the wooden coasters!

    This drop had much more airtime then I've ever had on it in the past!

    Wild Mouse, in my opinion the best wooden coaster in the UK when it's on form;


    Grand National, another amazing coaster and my second favourite woodie;




    Streak is good although I did prefer it as Roller;


    Finally, some random park shots;

    Skyforce;

    Still my fave;

    Steeplechase, a unique ride to BPB and lots of fun!

    Two photos overlooking the Big One/Skyforce area;

    This was taken on Saturday 18th, it felt like summer and the atmosphere was fantastic!

    Thanks for reading/looking, comments welcome.
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