Adam_C Posted March 31, 2007 Share Posted March 31, 2007 Hello everyone! My first photo TR! Woo! As some of you may know, Im somewhat a coasterphobe... or rather I dont like drops and inversions, I loved Big Thunder Mountain in Disneyland Resort Paris for instance... Anyway, enough about that. My boyfriend Phil and I decided to make use of an offer of £10 wristbands, and go to Blackpool to hopefully battle this coaster fear of mine, having been on here and become more interested in coasters... even Phil knows what Vekomas are now! Hehe. Anyway, here are the photos! All comments welcome! Not the kind of sign you want to see whilst lining up for your pre-paid wristband eh? A couple of them opened late, but not many. Noah's Ark has always been one of my favourites! This is Phil. ...and Noah, but Noah didnt join us for the rest of the trip. The waiting line for the chiropractor. Blackpool had a Big Blue Hotel long before the ones you guys stayed in! Trauma Towers! No Flash in the Trauma Towers Lounge Flash, in the Trauma Towers Library. Doesnt everyone keep their giant red-eyed gargoyles in the library? Yeah... Cuckoo... time to try your first coaster, fraidy cat!! I made the Grand National my first proper coaster... Sadly I *REALLY* didnt like it. I didnt see the point in having a plastic partition down the middle of the cars, so my fat ass didnt fit in properly, I was sat on a tilt, and ironically the "safety" sign inside the car ripped a layer of skin off my knee! I now know what airtime is, and I *SERIOUSLY* dont like it! The drops were too big for me, and that feeling of coming out of your seat I find really unpleasant! So I guess Im a coaster wuss still! It almost made me say "ok, no more coasters today!" The Whip is still there, SBNO. Phil actually really enjoyed the Wild Mouse! Next stop, The Chinese Maze! Its chinese because of these two dragons, thats about it. Where DO we go? So after that, we went for a "Big One" meal at Magnolias (formerly Bean St), doesnt the drink just shout "Big One" to you? Overenthusiastic Phil says "Weeee!" Adam approves of Space Invader 2, but couldnt help thinking, "what the hell was that?" "No Captain, we should attack from the right!" Do *all* theme parks have the obligatory photo-point stocks? Phil makes friends so easily. Gold Miiiiine! I forgot how LONG this ride is, its quite surprising! Aww poor Phil. "Never believe Sailor's Tales!" Best Ghost Train ever, an utter classic! Woooo! Derby Racer was closed, and seems to have a new roof, I hope they paint it though! Inside Derby Racer they've added a disco ball and were testing the lighting. Maybe it'll work better with a bit of darkness. Anyway, yes I know I got a bit photo happy, but ah well! Part 2 will be following immediately probably, heh. I felt that I really "failed" when it came to the Grand National... I really wanted to like it, but just didnt Still a wuss!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam_C Posted March 31, 2007 Author Share Posted March 31, 2007 Okay, let me get the rest of these photos uploaded for you... Next stop was Beaver Creek, which I love cos it's so weird! Like this weird... mouse... thing In command of their leader, ZOMBIE MOUSE! Hooray for Tetleys! Mr Tetley convinced us to go on his TEACUPS OF DOOOOOM!!! ...which were more fun than we thought! Chewits Monster approves of the fatness. OMG!!! TRASH!!!! I hadn't been on Magic Mountain in 20 years... I forgot how Small World-ish it is! Although the big Log Flume had been removed due to Infusion, the kiddy version was still standing! And it soaked Phil more than he expected! Juggling is just another of "Phil's Skills" This is what happens when Derby Racer is closed! Gallopers! Ok it was kinda fun, I admit! Mad Hatter never approved of my relationship with Rabbit. Although you cant see it, Phil is shaking his head vigorously here... Next was "Roller Coaster". I wasn't going to go on because Grand National scared me, and this looked tall... (Did I mention it was a quiet day?) However I DID go on, and I really enjoyed it! Two thumbs up! The dips were enjoyable ones, that didnt have airtime or make your stomach go flip, so that was me happy , although at the top of the ride, it felt so old and ricketty than I thought it was gonna fall off! Good fun though! The coasters in Blackpool tend to group hug a lot! It was odd seeing this where Id so often seen the Log Flume... If this is by Vekoma, lets hope that red triangle sign isnt describing the ride! Phil went on Revolution... liked it, but came off shaking, and said that the whole inversion front/backwards thing felt like "your face was falling off!". Phil was a Viking, and so feeling quite brave... And so went on Valhalla for his first time. "OMG!" He came off drenched, but said it was "absolutely brilliant!" He didn't think I'd like the drops though. I remember these ticket booth thingies since I was a kid, they're really weird but really well done. Im glad they're kept in good condition. Uh... Six Flags over Blackpool? Also, Avalanche was closed, because it CRASHED during testing, and ran into the back of the other train. Grand National Op told me this... which was nice of him, knowing I had coaster-fear. Phil rode the Steeplechase... only the red line was running. His verdict was uncertain, it was fun but rough, and the corners were scary! ...oops Although loads is going into the new stuff, a lot of Blackpool's older things are showing signs of decay and wear... but although literally half-through, it looks as though they've realised this, and started getting out the metal paint! You can see the difference it will make on this stork alone... All the animals on Noah's Ark looked like they were being re-done, some finished, some not. Anyway! That's about it! My first TR, a bit camera-happy I know, but I hope you liked it! I didnt combat my fear of coasters as such, but I *did* go on for my first time, on 2 wood and 1 steel coaster, and would be happy to go on at least 2 of them again! I need to thank you guys for your encouragement to give them all a go, I couldnt have even done it without you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
niiicolaaah Posted March 31, 2007 Share Posted March 31, 2007 Great TR! I'm really glad you liked Space Invader and Roller Coaster. And it was great to see lots of pictures and commentary about stuff all around the park. Blackpool is still my favorite park because of all the dark rides and quirky theming like that ticket booth guy. Nicely done! Just so you know, you can upload pictures directly onto TPR, so you don't have to host them yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Divv3k Posted March 31, 2007 Share Posted March 31, 2007 Glad you had a good day out there! Well done on giving some coasters a go, even if you didn't particulary enjoy Grand National. Did you give the Big Dipper a go? Noah's Ark is in a bit of a state these days, which is a shame since it's such a classic attraction. At least it looks like they've started some work on restoring it. Blackpool's my favourite park in the UK so I'm always happy to see new trip reports from there. Think I'll be visiting myself within the next month or two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam_C Posted March 31, 2007 Author Share Posted March 31, 2007 After Grand National, "Big Dipper" with a name like that was ruled out almost instantaneously. Airtime isnt pleasant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam_C Posted April 1, 2007 Author Share Posted April 1, 2007 Aw, not as many people interested in this as I was hoping. Ah well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted April 1, 2007 Share Posted April 1, 2007 Adam! For someone that doesn't like too many coasters, that was a really great Photo TR! I missed it yesterday since so much was going on, but I'm glad I caught it today. Thanks for sharing! --Robb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shockwave Posted April 1, 2007 Share Posted April 1, 2007 Great photos Adam! Glad you had a good day at the Pleasure Beach. If you're looking to get over a fear of coasters, Blackpool isn't the first place I'd recommend going, as they're mostly quite violent things. Rollercoaster and Space Invader are the expections to prove the rule. Grand National has been made worse by the new train theyb put on a couple of years ago which do have no room for anyone bigger than I am. The crazy airtime has always been there though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam_C Posted April 1, 2007 Author Share Posted April 1, 2007 Adam! For someone that doesn't like too many coasters, that was a really great Photo TR! I missed it yesterday since so much was going on, but I'm glad I caught it today. Thanks for sharing! --Robb Thank you! Im glad you liked it! I was determined to have a try! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam_C Posted April 1, 2007 Author Share Posted April 1, 2007 Great photos Adam! Glad you had a good day at the Pleasure Beach. If you're looking to get over a fear of coasters, Blackpool isn't the first place I'd recommend going, as they're mostly quite violent things. Rollercoaster and Space Invader are the expections to prove the rule. Grand National has been made worse by the new train theyb put on a couple of years ago which do have no room for anyone bigger than I am. The crazy airtime has always been there though! Yeah I noticed the train size thing... ouch! And my knee still hurts! Space Invader and Rollercoaster were the non-violent ones, and also the ones with the comfiest seating! Getting to other parks is hard for me, especially financially, our wristbands were £10 each so we could just about afford, but going to another park where its £20 each to get in etc can be tricky, especially if I dont end up going on anything! But yeah... Airtime frightens me! I cant see how anyone could enjoy feeling like they're gonna come out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shockwave Posted April 1, 2007 Share Posted April 1, 2007 Yeah I noticed the train size thing... ouch! And my knee still hurts! Space Invader and Rollercoaster were the non-violent ones, and also the ones with the comfiest seating! Getting to other parks is hard for me, especially financially, our wristbands were £10 each so we could just about afford, but going to another park where its £20 each to get in etc can be tricky, especially if I dont end up going on anything! But yeah... Airtime frightens me! I cant see how anyone could enjoy feeling like they're gonna come out! Well I used to be terrified of Pirate Ships until I learned that even though you float out of your seat at the very back, it's almost impossible for you to fall out. I just kept on going on them untill I felt happy. The way I look at it is that as long as you're safely secured, you won't come out. You'll still get the adrenalin rush without the feeling that you know you're going to end up hitting the ground with a sickening thud. Rides are incredibly safe, because every aspect of them is checked over every day to make sure they work and the they are safe. I don't know anyone who checks every part of their car every day, or checks their house to make sure nothing is dangerous each morning. That's how safe they are. I could go on and on about Blackpool and their rides, but that's another point. But a lot of their rides don't feel as secure as others, because of what they are. Put it this way - I drive to a lot of theme parks. Now with the way I drive, I probably shouldn't be here talking to you because you're far more likely to get even a minor injury just getting to a park than whilst you're actually in a park. Last weekend when I went to Alton Towers, I nearly ran into the back of 5 cars (all at roundabouts), I took a few bends a bit too fast, and I didn't swerve when a grey squirrel appeared in the road. But that moved out of my path to live another day. If you wanted a day out to go to a park with many different rides, a few big rollercoasters and lots of other gentle attractions, I would put Alton Towers top of my list. It's not cheap, but there's plenty of offers floating around to take advantage of. And none of the rollercoasters there will violently shake you to pieces like a lot of Blackpool's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bubba83 Posted April 1, 2007 Share Posted April 1, 2007 "I cant see how anyone could enjoy feeling like they're gonna come out!" ^ Probably because you don't actually come out but you get the sensation you will. =P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spaceace12 Posted April 1, 2007 Share Posted April 1, 2007 I love airtime, Voyage's air time is great. Sheikra had some nice airtime too. As for the seat dividers, they are a little bit tight for us big people. I am okay getting into all the coasters I been on, but I would like to lose some weight, say 50 pounds or lost my belly I have so I can enjoy them more. I have figured out a way to get into most coasters, hold the seat belts out and then slide down into the seat then seat belt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam_C Posted April 1, 2007 Author Share Posted April 1, 2007 "I cant see how anyone could enjoy feeling like they're gonna come out!" ^ Probably because you don't actually come out but you get the sensation you will. =P Yeah, but its still the feeling that you're going to, which isnt nice! To me thats the same as saying "it FEELS like Im going to vomit, but I wont!" or "It feels like my leg is going to break but it wont!" etc. Its just not very nice. I guess I'll always be a big girl's blouse when it comes to coasters! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bubba83 Posted April 1, 2007 Share Posted April 1, 2007 I don't feel that way at all. I think it would be fun to fly out of a roller coaster, you'd basically be flying. The only bad part about it is what happens next, hitting a solid object and probably severely injuring or killing yourself. That's why it is fun for me, you get the benefit of feeling like you're flying out of the chair without the disadvantages of getting hurt. If you throw up or break your leg, I don't see any advantages to either of those, because there is no moment of sensation or fun during either of those events. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IceDragon Posted April 1, 2007 Share Posted April 1, 2007 the more coasters you do, the more you'll like it. Just try things you know you'll like, take the occasional leap ahead, but then go back to doing other rides. NEVER do a really small ride before a huge one, it'll scare you big time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted April 1, 2007 Share Posted April 1, 2007 What's great about Blackpool is that you don't have to be coaster fan to have fun--the dark rides and Valhalla definitely make it worth a visit, as well. Glad that you had a good time. I missed Space Invader during the TPR UK tour because it broke down. Oh well--just another reason to visit again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darklingscribe Posted April 1, 2007 Share Posted April 1, 2007 I have a feeling that you'd really like Pepsi Max Big One if it didn't have such a steep first drop. The ride has no airtime on it what so ever besides the first drop. Great trip report, you should really give a coaster with inversions a try. Maybe something smooth with only one loop. Inversions happen so fast on many of the coasters that they are over before you know it. Even though I went on the TPR UK trip I'm at a loss to recommend an inverting coaster for a first timer. If you were in California I'd say maybe, California Screaming, the trims are on so much now that you barely ever get airtime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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