Coaster

I did some research into Aramark; https://medium.com/hope-in-the-dark/aramark-the-not-so-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-9a603b9a05a4 https://mcquad.org/2020/09/01/the-contract-and-the-controversy-aramark-comes-to-campus-community-reacts/ They don't sound like a good company.

In my opinion, if you enjoy classic wooden coasters it's worth visiting for Cyclone alone.

Yeah I can definitely see the need to increase, and I also think it needs to happen if we want to keep seeing improvements. I just think the value of the change for the February weekends is too much; February 2020 - £19.50 for a full ride-lineup apart from Valhalla February 2022 - £39.00 for a line-up minus two headline coasters, and no Valhalla Somewhere around the £25 mark would be fair for these weekends in my view.

Pleasure Beach are doing a lot of good at the moment. There is a lot to look forward to this year; Valhalla 2.0. Yes, it's taking ages, but it needed doing - back in 2019 it was so poor, I commented at the time that it would be better off closed than open in that state. So, the fact they are finally doing something with it is very exciting. Grand National - I have seen photos over the last few days, and it seems to be getting the Big Dipper treatment (a complete re-track in places) which is excellent. Station is also getting work as we saw at the end of last year. Big One - every year for the last 3 years they have re-tracked significant amounts of it with brand new specially manufactured track, this can't be cheap to do and it's great to see it being looked after so well. Going back to last year, they did; Big Dipper - first drop re-track and work on the turnaround by Big Blue made a huge difference. River Caves & Alice – significant lighting and scenic presentation improvements. Steeplechase – brand new sign in the original style. Avalanche bears completely refurbished and full soundtrack restored. Mr Funshine back on the arches, a more vibrant brand image, 125 anniversary effort made across the park. The year before we had an upgrade to some Ghost Train scenes, etc. They are investing a lot into improving/sustaining what they have, much better than they were 4 years ago in my view. It's just unfortunate that the benefits of this year's investment & changes won't be felt by those paying £39 in February. As season pass-holders we can be patient, but it's a different outlook for 'once a year' guests. I think the biggest annoyance for me (as a season pass holder) this year is potentially having to wait until summer for Valhalla. It's adding another half a year on top of the two we have already waited - but if it's worth the wait in the end, then fair enough. To conclude though, I do feel that PB are making much better long-term decisions for their existing rides now than they were in 2018/19. And that's great.

I think mine are quite similar to @Martin Doyle Roller coasters I like more than most The Big One - Obvious first choice is obvious. It has mixed opinions across enthusiasts, I've been told so many times that I "shouldn't" like it, but after hundreds of rides on it I'm still buzzing and grinning from ear to ear when it hits the brake run. I adore this coaster because it has so much character. Everything about it from the sound of the lift hill, the raucous nature of it, the 'unconventional' transitions, the way it slams you about, it's just incredible. The first drop is still the best first drop I have ever ridden and I love the rest of the layout because it whizzes along at height and slams you into the turns, dips, banked hill crests, and I love the dives under its own and other ride's structures. Going over the hill behind Skyforce then diving under Big Dipper and being slammed out of your seat into the MCBR is one of my favourite compilation of elements of any coaster. Also - for better or for worse, the experience changes so much depending on the weather. In 2021 it seemed to run better than ever, to the point where on a late night riding it was running so fast and wild, that it was the best ride I've ever had on it and one of the best I've had on any coaster. It genuinely felt like they'd put an engine in the back of the train or something, it was absolutely wild. So with all of that in mind. I appreciate why it's not for everyone - to some people it's an archaic coaster with old tech - and that's fine! But to me, it's an incredible feat of engineering, represents Geoffrey Thompson's amazing ambition and is a staple of the roller coaster industry. Most importantly though, to me, it's still a phenomenal ride when pitched against modern coasters. I'd describe it as 'timeless.' Grand National - Again, predictable one from me. Grand National is one of my favourite roller coasters of all time and like The Big One, still firmly sits in my top 10 despite me having been to various parks worldwide. It's an absolutely wild coaster, packed full of insane amounts of airtime, laterals, unpredictability and really has that wild out-of-control feeling. I love the layout of this ride, the way it gets more and more intense as it goes - the first big turnaround is quite calm, but by the last few you get these insane forces that really throw you across from one side of the seat to the other. I have never, ever found this ride rough, it's absolutely mental but in the best way possible. On top of that, factoring in its age and incredible history, it's a ride I have such a massive appreciation for and again - still stands up as one of the most intense, extreme rides out there. Steeplechase - A ride that I feel doesn't get the credit it deserves. It's not the most thrilling or big ride out there but it's so unique and different. Being able to race two other lanes, sat on a horse on roller coaster track is just brilliant fun, and I also like how well the first half is landscaped and integrated with its surroundings. Then the second half is fun with the interactions with Big Dipper, The Big One and Icon, and again it's just a ride that's so different and fun. Nemesis Inferno - I joke that it's the only coaster at Thorpe I enjoy but I do enjoy it a lot. It doesn't have to be "as good as Nemesis" to be good! Inferno is decent in the morning but by the evening it's a wild, raucous blitz through inversions, forceful dives and turnarounds, and I just hit the brake run absolutely buzzing every time. An extremely underrated ride in my opinion. Roller coasters I like less than most Icon - again, similar to above. Icon is a ride I tried so hard to appreciate when it first opened at BPB, it had so much promise and the layout is very cleverly integrated with the park's other rides. Also being a PB fan it was something I wanted to support. Having ridden it enough times for the "new factor" to have worn off, I just really don't like it. I don't think it's a terrible coaster so to speak, but it just doesn't do anything for me. I find the pacing of it to be terrible, and a couple of decent elements don't save that. Perhaps if the layout was taken faster it would be much more effective, but as it is, it just seems to meander round and also has the worst "finale" of any modern coaster. It's also a huge shame that the elements that elevate it - mist, soundtrack, lighting - don't always work. Almost every other major coaster at BPB slams into the brakes and leaves me grinning, Icon crawls into the brakes with a couple of boring s-turns, a dodgy airtime hill and the least effective near miss of the ride. It's not even in my top 5 rides at Pleasure Beach, let alone the UK. Such a bitter disappointment, but I'm glad that others seem to enjoy it more than me. Oblivion - It's a masterclass in how to build up suspense through its theming - oh wait, no it's not, because the theming is broken and tampered with beyond repair. It has a great first drop, but they forgot to build the rest of the layout. It's like if Big One had its first drop and then went into the brake run, and it was built after?! No, I appreciate elements of it were good, but those elements are knackered and the ride just doesn't hold up for me. As much as the drop is good, a drop and a turn into the brakes do not make a good coaster. Stealth - Similar issue to above, it's half the height of rides that existed before it and doesn't do anything ambitious or new. It's like a diet Top Thrill Dragster and didn't even beat UK height records when it was built.

One that came to mind after how both rides have been running this year. I'd say that Infusion is much more intense, fun and thrilling than Icon. It also looks cooler and delivers a much higher throughput based on both rides' performance this year. The only thing that holds it back from being better outright is inconsistency and the fact it's sometimes horribly rough. If it ran at its best, all the time, I'd genuinely consider it a "better" coaster than Icon.

Wild Mouse was easily the best "thrill per footprint" coaster out there imo. In terms of still existing coasters, I'd probably go with Revolution. In terms of big coasters that waste their size, I'd say Oblivion, because it has a good first drop and then that's... it. 😂

Sorry 😂 I... I like the real plane under Swarm. That's cool that plane. It's real you know.

I've noticed the smell of weed around Thorpe Park which is a really authentic Easter egg. It's so realistic, which is clever as of course, that would never really happen in a theme park!

Exciting new Valhalla info, including a synopsis of the new experience and another promo image. Source: https://www.visitblackpool.com/latest-news/destination-guide-2022/

I have a sinking feeling that it won't be a splashdown, but a trim brake? Given the height difference between the elements before and after it, I can't see how else it would work.

Isn't the idea of building a tall hyper coaster to actually use the speed gained from that height for a long and adventurous layout? I think this looks like it will have a couple of fun elements, but will hit the break run before it really has a chance to do anything. It looks like a post-lift duration of less than 30 seconds, which is unfathomably short for a hyper coaster. It looks like a hyper coaster by definition, but really, not a hyper coaster. It's compact, doesn't take you anywhere outside of its self-contained area, and very very short. I was hoping for a ride that actually takes you somewhere, on a journey, with a decent length and some tall hills. As well as it not really fitting the bill of a hyper, the other issue is that Thorpe really needed a long and impressive coaster to balance the short coasters already at the park. This adds to the problem as it will potentially have a shorter duration than even Swarm? It feels like this is the bare minimum Thorpe could have gotten away with to get the UK's height record. It looks like a layout that's been designed just to get the height record, rather than to be a decent coaster.

That looks.. short.

Big One will be closed this weekend at BPB. https://www.blackpoolpleasurebeach.com/planned-maintenance/

The Big One, Revolution and Steeplechase - the three Arrow coasters - ran brilliantly at Pleasure Beach today despite snow and the temperature being below 0 degrees at points during the day. Big Dipper, Nickelodeon Streak and Infusion were also running very well. Meanwhile, Icon and Avalanche, the Mack coasters, were closed all day.

Latest Valhalla previews from BPB; Source: https://twitter.com/Pleasure_Beach It's not a lot to go off, but nice that they're starting to build a little bit of hype. I do hope they go big on the marketing for its reopening - time will tell I guess.

Icon has been a disaster operationally this year in terms of throughputs, it's a joke when Infusion is doing double the number of riders per hour (no exagerration).

Whenever I'm at a park and see queue jumpers, people smoking in queues, or smell weed, it's referred to as "the Thorpe Park special." Truly cemented in theme park lingo.

New Valhalla promo image released today; Source: https://twitter.com/MandsThompson

What're they up to now...? https://fb.watch/954PSlWvCM/

Haven't actually gotten round to posting my Fright Nights thoughts yet. Here goes; Trailers is good fun, I liked some of the special effects and references but it lacked in atmosphere and scares for me. 6/10 Creak Freak Massacre - I had a dire run-through, hardly any actors, only 2 chainsaws, lacked in intensity and well... anything really. A shame as back in 2019, it had 3 chainsaws and didn't cost £10! 2/10 Enjoyed the Crows walk thingy, didn't do Platform 15, parkwide lighting was dreadful, fire/light show was okay I guess but nothing special. Did enjoy the night rides a lot though, was fortunate enough to be able to visit on a quiet day. My leaving thoughts were, as my first visit to Thorpe since 2019 it was okay, but it will probably be another couple of years before I have any reason to return. Distinctly average.

Grand National is closed for the remainder of 2021 for planned maintenance. I don’t like the look of this, the last time a coaster closed towards the end of a season for “maintenance” it was torn down during the winter without warning. https://www.blackpoolpleasurebeach.com/planned-maintenance/

Potential X retheme if the Walking Dead sponsorship has come to an end?

Good; this poster. Bizarre; Valhalla winning this year's Golden Ticket award when it has; a) been closed for almost 2 years. b) not deserved to win best water ride for at least 5 years. Plus side though - I do really like this promo image.

Registration days were optional, you could still pick it up on the first visit (as I used to do).