Coaster

Sounds horrendous, no 3D glasses in the 3D walkthrough... are their standards of guest experience really THAT low?! Shocking...

Footage of the first half testing including the top hat & roll has just been uploaded to BPB's Facebook page! https://www.facebook.com/blackpoolpleasurebeach/

No Calypso/Bush BBQ?! Biggest loss to the lineup if true ?

I'd like to see a wooden coaster (would be open to an RMC) as Thorpe's next coaster. Of course a B&M hyper would be fantastic, but I think that considering the recent focus on short-term developments and gimmicks, an investment as huge as a hyper (bearing in mind there isn't really a "USP" attached to these, just quality) doesn't feel like a possibility IMO.

How terrible does Tomb Blaster look this year?! No music at the start, boulder not working, audio jumping in the axe scene, light not switching off meaning you can see the effect resetting, STILL no mummy audio at the end?! How can they let it get as bad as this? Absolutely shameful.

Icon's train minus the lead car, I really like the "BLACKPOOL PLEASURE BEACH" text on the front - looks smart! Image courtesy of Theme Park Updates on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Coolcabbage43/

Annual pass building is being refurbished;

Really impressed with what I've seen so far. The station interior looks stunning. To think this is the park that brought us the whitewash concrete mess of The Smiler's station, this is a huge step up from that. The soundtrack is okay, though doesn't really have anything unique or memorable (from the snippet anyway) - I imagine it'll create a nice atmosphere around the ride anyway. Fire effects are a bit of a letdown IMO considering they were a focal marketing point for the ride; the overall effect is nice, but no fireballs! Of course, as others have said, I highly doubt this will be outstanding as a coaster, but it's still exciting to have a new wooden coaster opening and going by the pictures released, the presentation of the ride looks fantastic.

I don't see how a graffiti wall and train with the logo ripped off can be classed as impressive, personally.

Oh wow. Literally just X with some barbed wire chucked in front of it.

Oh joy...

I thought Colossus's trains have always been red?

Shocking!

There's footage of the transfer track testing and a lot of photos on this Facebook page; https://www.facebook.com/Coolcabbage43/ (Does anyone know how to embed Facebook posts?)

In all the years visiting BPB I've never had any real issues with guests inside the park, it's very secure and the atmosphere is generally nice - mostly families visiting. It's certainly nothing compared with Fright Nights at Thorpe, the behaviour I've witnessed from guests on numerous different ocasions there is atrocious. I've encountered a few idiots in the town (mainly up at the Tower end) but it's very rare and no different to any major town/city really, there are always a few morons who choose to deride people they don't even know but they aren't worthy of anyone's time.

Welcome to Valhalla in 2018, where a projection, two audio tracks and two trommel tunnels have been replaced with... a DISCO LIGHT?! Here's the same scene back in 2010; "Progress."

Rita?! Whilst I strongly believe in not overhyping Icon until I've ridden it, I struggle to see how a bland and clumsily executed figure of eight layout can be assumed to be better than a much longer and more creative coaster involving two launches, interactions with other coasters, a few inversions and what appears to be a vastly superior train design. The point about speed is interesting, but Rita's layout is far more drawn out than Icon's so I don't really see this as an issue. Launch speed will of course not be Icon's strong point, but with such a strong layout it doesn't need to be. As for Stealth, it's a good ride... all 12 seconds of it.

First image of Icon's trains, posted by Amanda Thompson on Twitter; Source: https://twitter.com/MandsThompson I think they look absolutely stunning, but a shame they don't have the PB logo indented anywhere.

JR was a legend, BPB needs someone with that mindset there now!

The six-part Pleasure Beach TV series is an amusing watch!

Hmm, weird, on my visits I don't recall there being any parking staff and as a result cars were much more spread out around the car park.

Have they brought back the car parking staff to justify the increase as I believe they were cut last season?

Flying Fish is a kiddie coaster rather than a "for all the family" coaster. But regardless of who the park is targeting, X just isn't a thrill coaster. It's a family coaster and marketing it as anything more will only lead to disappointment from thrill seekers expecting a thrill ride, and families who cannot ride a coaster designed for them in mind. It's madness really considering the trains were redesigned just a few years ago to make the ride accessible to a wider range of people. If Thorpe are aiming to be the "thrill park" then why did they install Angry Birds Land, I'm a Celebrity, the tacky flats near Loggers etc... They literally have no sense of long-term investments and seem to decide everything on a whim whilst completely neglecting customer experience. In addition, thrilling does not mean that everything has to be a dark, drab grey theme. There are plenty of thrill rides with much nicer and more creative themes than just giving everything the same old boring "scariest ride ever" tosh. Thorpe is such a depressing place these days with Saw, Derren Brown, Swarm and now this all with horror themes. They market themselves as "the island like no other" but it looks like a derelict wasteland. 100% agree. There are so many better things Thorpe could invest in which would benefit the park in the long run, and would have been far more beneficial than throwing money at flash-in-the-pan stuff like this.

Stupid decision to make the only family friendly coaster inaccessible to families. Seriously, what on earth were they drinking when they thought of this?! Thorpe Park is in such a mess, it seems that nobody has any sense of direction for the park and the short term decisions like this show that all too well.

I actually really like the aesthetic of Wicker Man going by those photos, fits in with the nature of the coaster perfectly and looks well finished.