Playland/PNE (Vancouver) Discussion Thread

Nrthwnd · May 10, 2019

^ Well, it's a tiny bit of a video, but at least we now know it's testing.

Evan-500 · May 10, 2019

^ Well, it's a tiny bit of a video, but at least we now know it's testing.

Have fun riding it tomorrow!!

Nrthwnd · May 10, 2019

^ Noted and will do my best. And by the way, I just noticed on that video - the new Swinger goes opposite to how the old Swinger went ~ Counterclockwise (new) vs. Clockwise (old)....

Huh.

...For now, I think Playland has wanted to up their flat ride assortment, with newer more colourful rides, like this one. That, and since Haunted Mansion opened in 2009, they have actually added six new family-friendly flat rides, including the new Swinger. And two thrill rides as well (AtmosFEAR~2011 and The Beast~2015). So now, with Corkscrew finally up For Sale, and off the main Playland Map, I figure their next project will be a Coaster to take Corkscrew's place/footprint. Plus the future work to be done on the "transition area" between the old Playland (upper) and the new part (lower).

Fixed with new info.

July 28, 2009. After I returned from my first TPR Scandi Tour. Happy 10th Birthday, Haunted Mansion!

Nrthwnd · May 12, 2019

"You Can Fly, You Can Fly!"

Beautiful sunny day today at the park. Very crowded, but that was okay. And the new Swinger was testing as I entered the park. And it did so for another couple of hours, before they finally decided to open it up to the public.

And I got the first ride on it woo hoo! But... it - was - so - freakin' - FAST! Twice as fast as the old one, I felt. And I'm sure a few of the kids on it weren't expecting it to be that speedy, either. The outer circle are single seats, while on the inner circle, it's two seaters available, which was nice to see. The single seats are not that "deep" to plant your butt into. I could have used a couple of inches more under my things, but still. Great fast ride and I'll be sure to ride it again. Just not as often as I thought I would.

One of the people who works at Playland, and who I've known from the last couple of seasons, told me they took some photos of me (and others) on the ride, and she asks me, "Would I like them sent to me?"...... Cool, I thought! And "Yes Please!", I said. So, I'll post those when the pix are emailed to me.

I also picked up a couple more Info Flyers, to photograph and show.

The Season Pass booth is still going strong.

Testing, testing...

A coaster brake.

A coaster to brake.

Testing, testing...

Whee!

Another info.sign on the West Coast Wheel.

Yay, they got Crazy Beach Party going!

Purple train's up there.

At the Lemonade Stand.

Like I posted before, between the palm trees and the woodsiness of the buildings,

I'd say they're trying to go "tropical" in this area of the park. Just a guess. (o;

I see you.

Really? And it's not even open yet???

2:45pm ~ We're in line, we're in line! And most of this entire queue got on the first ride!

Something I hadn't seen on it before. Dolphins.

If you need Info.Flyers, Guest Services is where to find them.

Front and back of the new flyer.

"We're Number 12! We're Number 12!"

The map is better to read at the park's site. www.pne.ca

What's all on it.

Nrthwnd · May 12, 2019

Mother's Day Was A Day, Like Any Other Day....

I thought it was actually more crowded than yesterday, AND way more crowded that Mother's Day last year. I think mothers need to demand more of their spouses and/or kids and NOT go to Playland. IMhO. Unless they really REALLY want to go to Playland. The skies were overcast, ready for some rain by Tuesday (they report), so no mountain views today. But no rain either, so it was alright.

P.S. I still keep thinking, that it would be a great idea (and great PR for the PNE/Playland) to go out, buy a few dozen roses, and have a couple of people hand them out to mothers (one per mom) as they come into the park with their families (usually).

Actually, for any park to do this, would be really cool.

By the way, is there any park that does this? If so, good for them!

Surprise? They forgot to add Gladiator, but later did, as I found out, exiting the park.

They started with the yellow train, but switched to the purple train an hour so so, later. She looks happy in front.

"Dummies. It had to be dummies."

Hope 'they' had fun.

Ready to drop.

"HEY MOM! Thanks for bringing us here!"

Bug Whirled's real live "landscaping" is starting to 'green' a bit. Looks "Tim Burton-ish" to me.

Double-Double Whee! Whee!

No mountains to view, today. )o:

Where other flat rides usually show up, during the annual PNE.

Last park shot, from the Wheel, viewing downtown Vancouver in the distance.

Edited May 14, 2019 by Nrthwnd

bert425 · May 13, 2019

down on the 2nd day?

it seems to go pretty high tho, and as you said, fast. . . so glad it is a thrill ride!

Evan-500 · May 14, 2019

down on the 2nd day?

it seems to go pretty high tho, and as you said, fast. . . so glad it is a thrill ride!

I also found it odd that they had it open Saturday then water dummy testing Sunday? Maybe issues came up?

Nrthwnd · May 16, 2019

^ & ^^ Yeah, well this is nothing new. In previous years, when The Beast and AtmosFEAR had their respective openings, they went down almost immediately. For "one thing or another." Usually technical, but I think the ways the Unions work here, they (PNE) actually have not that much time, after a new ride is built, to test it as long as some U.S. chains (or other parks I suppose) do. So after all that's said, it still is frustrating to see it down - and it was also down this entire past weekend, so.... there ya go!

Retro Playland Non-Event: 2014. The "Final Season" for Crazy Beach Party never happened.

It was just moved to the north side of the park, and The Beast took up it's spot, in 2015.

ytterbiumanalyst · May 17, 2019

Sea to Sky Swinger looks nice at least.

I love the bragging, #12 best coaster and Vancouver's favourite amusement park. That's great.

Canobie Coaster · May 18, 2019

I never realized how far Coaster's lap bars rested from your lap. Now I know why that thing has crazy airtime.

Nrthwnd · May 18, 2019

^ Yeah, it's pretty sweet with that lap bar NOT resting on your lap, LOL!

Every so often when I am boarding a train, I overhear someone suddenly say

"There's no seat belts?" or "It's not coming down all the way!", heh heh. Love it.

And that's why she's smiling.

She's not stapled, into the seat!

Nrthwnd · May 20, 2019

~ Victoria Day Weekend at The Park ~

The Commonwealth countries (like Canada) celebrate Queen Victoria's birthday, even though she was actually born in another month. It's a stat holiday, like the upcoming memorial Day is for the U.S.A. Many banks are closed, no snail mail delivery or garbage pickup. A lot of retail stores stay open, and have big sales. Just like Memorial Day in the U.S.A.

Saturday and Sunday were packed, which surprised even some of the rides ops. During this weekend, a big rodeo happens in the Fraser Valley, and has as well, it's own huge midway to enjoy. So a lot of us figured the crowds would be there, in Chilliwack. Not so. There was apparently enough crowd to go round, including Playland.

And for today - today it was overcast, light rain from time to time, and hardly any people at all at the park. Go figure. And once again.... yeah well, eventually the swings will be swinging with riders in the seats! And I got four rides on Coaster.

The first five photos were shot on Saturday (in the sunshine), and the rest were taken today with grey skies overhead...

Sunny and almost cloudless on Saturday.

Whee!

Air Conditioner Grafitti.

Today, it's overcast, but not pouring down on the yellow train.

It's moving! But..... no riders. )o:

The sign's finally up.

Crazy Beach Party Butt!

Hardly anyone down there.

No mountain views today.

One more shot, and I'm done.

Nrthwnd · May 20, 2019

I did take a short video, of the Sea-to-Sky Swinger.....uh....swinging.

Rough around the edges, but it at least shows the thing in action....

MVI_9090.MOV

Evan-500 · May 20, 2019

I did take a short video, of the Sea-to-Sky Swinger.....uh....swinging.
Rough around the edges, but it at least shows the thing in action....

Looks speedy and fun! Still confused how they had it open to the public for one day and now it’s back to testing?

Saw PNE tweet they closed earl today due to the weather.

Nrthwnd · May 21, 2019

^ It wasn't open at noon, but they were running it during the hour or so I was there, w/o riders. And it certainly wasn't weather-related on Saturday, when it wasn't running. I think they're having technical hiccups for one reason or another. But the rain did pick up later on, after I'd been there.

And Playland did tweet, around 2pm I'm guessing...

Due to inclement weather and associated ride closures, we will be closing at 4:00pm today. Playland will re-open on Saturday at 11:00am. Thank you for your understanding as we work to provide guests with fun and safe experiences.

Ah well. Eventually, everything will be up and running, including the Swinger.

Eventually.

Evan-500 · May 23, 2019

Summer Night concerts announced / entertainment lineup for the fair.

Saturday, August 17th: Blue Rodeo.

Sunday, August 18th: ZZ Top – 50th Anniversary Tour.

Tuesday, August 20th: 98 Degrees.

Wednesday, August 21st: Burton Cummings and Band.

Thursday, August 22nd: Vince Neil the Legendary Voice of Mötley Crüe.

Friday, August 23rd: Smokey Robinson.

August 24th: Now's the Time Tour — Collective Soul and Gin Blossoms.

Sunday, August 25th: STYX.

Tuesday, August 27th: UB40 – 40th Anniversary Tour.

Wednesday, August 28th: Colin James.

Thursday, August 29th: I Love the '90s featuring Vanilla Ice, Montell Jordan, Biz Markie, Rob Base.

Friday, August 30th: Hammer's House Party: MC Hammer with special guest Bobby Brown.

Saturday, August 31st: Billy Idol.

Sunday, September 1st: The Beach Boys.

Monday, September 2nd: TLC – 25th Anniversary.

Nrthwnd · May 23, 2019

^ Thanks for posting the list *. A few of the concerts were announced last night on tv news, too. As well, they finally said something on air about Corkscrew leaving, and that it would be "5-10 years" during which the expansion of Playland would start/continue, etc.

Also, besides the concerts, all exhibits and attractions for

this summer's PNE were announced, too. Here's where to find them....

https://www.pne.ca/exhibits-attractions/ https://www.pne.ca/fair/

*PNE Summer Concert tickets go on sale tomorrow (May 24th).

FYI, for those who actually don't know... "PNE" stands for Pacific National Exhibition. (o:

SoCalJasonland · May 24, 2019

Does the expansion plan include any new rides or has that not been announced yet?

Nrthwnd · May 24, 2019

^ No that probably won't be announced till (literally) several years from now. The Corkscrew is actually sitting on the actual "middle section" that will connect the upper current part of Playland, and newly created lower part. The old map below listed every possible new coaster available back then. Which makes it totally incredible, if they actually got every - one - of those coasters, LOL. Very doubtful. But then, who knows between now and then?

But for now, they're selling Corkscrew, and then going on from there. Again, the proposed map below is already outdated, as the Wave Swinger has changed into Sea-to-Sky Swinger, Crazy Beach Party is moved, with The Beast in it's place, etc.

To add to that, where Corkscrew was, they have on this map a "Driving Track" which I assumed was a driving school type attraction for children. But, it's known they did want to replace Corkscrew with another coaster, around that same spot.

So we all wait. And hope. And find out, eventually, in the coming years. In the meantime, here's one of the articles from 2016 that made the announcement of the expansion.

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/pne-playland-redevelopment-vancouver-theme-park

In this thread, the whole announcement thing started on page 31. Near the bottom of the page.

https://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=45028&start=300

North of that small double row of trees is the New (eventual) Expansion of Playland.

Evan-500 · May 24, 2019

Not gonna lie. The PNE lineup leaves me a bit cold. The exhibits this year aren’t all that interesting... don’t know if I’ll attend this year.

Nrthwnd · May 25, 2019

^ Yeah, I must admit. When I first looked at this lineup, no one act really caught my eye. The only act I was a bit interested in, was Colin James. And although I am not really a big fan of his... on the radio, I love his blues music, besides the pop songs. But - I would rather see and hear him in a much smaller setting than the Concert Nights. I've seen Huey Lewis & The News, and Boy George in the past few years, but that's with loud huge crowds (see below), including some who have been drinking a weeeeee bit too much, heh.

So - I'm taking a pass on this year's line up, and enjoy the music,

what nights I'm there at the PNE, from outside of the concert area.

Photo provided by PNE.

Evan-500 · May 25, 2019

^ Yeah, I must admit. When I first looked at this lineup, no one act really caught my eye. The only act I was a bit interested in, was Colin James. And although I am not really a big fan of his... on the radio, I love his blues music, besides the pop songs. But - I would rather see and hear him in a much smaller setting than the Concert Nights. I've seen Huey Lewis & The News, and Boy George in the past few years, but that's with loud huge crowds (see below), including some who have been drinking a weeeeee bit too much, heh.

So - I'm taking a pass on this year's line up, and enjoy the music,

what nights I'm there at the PNE, from outside of the concert area.

I mean. I’m kind of interested in TLC... but I meant more the exhibits this year. Nothing really screams to me. I loved the Game of Thrones, and Genghis Khan exhibits.

But these are a bit meh.

Nrthwnd · May 25, 2019

^ Understood. I was just commenting on the Concerts, separately from this year's PNE Exhibits.

Speaking of which... first of all I don't own a cell phone of any kind , so the Snap Happy exhibit (A Do-It-Your-Selfie Experience!) could be a useless visit for me. Unless they lend you phones, LOL! Wouldn't that be crazy if they did? Probably not, but you never know with the PNE...

And Game Changers (Evolution of Video Games) I can take or leave. The only screen games I usually play, are card games, and most of the time, Hearts. But it could be an interesting exhibit to check out, all the same. And I did enjoy my Q-Bert, back then.

Never say never, when checking any of these PNE exhibits out, I believe. Like 2017's Hockey Exhibit. Not for me, but I was still interested in how they presented the exhibit, etc. And it was fine to walk through and photograph. No Hockey-Gasms though.

And they're bringing the Dinosaurs back to "roaring life." Fine.

And the perennial Superdogs show. And a Big Magic Show, too.

And the food, don't forget The PNE Food! And my upcoming (now) annual "Corn Dog Challenge", too!

(EEP - Just bought my online PNE Fair Pass: two weeks

of awful food, corny entertainment...and manure. I love it!)

P>S> I'm also 66 years old, so most of my RANT is crap, anyway.

And "The Love of Drag" Show should be an interesting

addition, to what's now called the REVEL DISTRICT,

(look the R word up) formerly Celebration Plaza.

Nrthwnd · May 26, 2019

Sunday, Sunday...

Yesterday was wet, but today was sunny with some clouds here and there. The park was busy, I got only two rides on Coaster, but that was enough. Also indulged myself in a capsule machine....thing. And $1 refill of popcorn, of course.

Here's the few photos I took today...

And by the way, Happy Memorial Day Weekend, USA! USA!