jzoole Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 Ah touche. I forgot about Chaos. But why do you think the wipeout and carousel were used? I assumed they were new because they went in at the same time as a whole batch of other brand new rides also from Chance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterphotos Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 I believe Wipeout and the Carousel are both used rides (refurbished by Chance). They were installed after Ike along with the drop tower from Larson (which was new). I think several of the rides installed in 2004 (Avaitor, kids rides, Observation tower, Inverter) were used as well. I remember being told where some of them came from...but I didn't take notes. The only ride I know 100% that was used was Chaos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coastercrazy216 Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 I know that the observation tower was new, but I don't know about the other rides. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jedimaster1227 Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier's official Facebook page features some new construction photos for the upcoming park. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deathbydinn Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 The first rides have gone up! Link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megamatt Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 Beautiful update! I'm so happy this place has sprung back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharkTums Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 Did we find out, can these rides be moved if a hurricane is on the way? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jps294 Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 The final details of the park will be released on Monday January 30, 2012! On some news articles they have released information on the new Gerstlauer roller coaster Iron Shark and other attractions and names! Most of the rides will be unique to Southeast Texas, said Mark Kane, regional director of Landry's theme park division.High-profile rides at the new Pleasure Pier will include the Iron Shark Steel Roller Coaster, a 100-foot-tall structure offering four 360-degree inversions and a back stretch that cantilevers over the water; the Texas Star Flyer, which will swing riders over the water 230 feet above the Gulf; and a 100-foot-tall Ferris wheel called Galaxy Wheel with programmable LED lights, Kane said. http://www.chron.com/business/article/Historic-Galveston-amusement-pier-to-rise-again-2792498.php#photo-2205969 The track and loops for a roller coaster already are in place, a ride called the Sky Shooter already stands tall, and the framing for the various amusements, games and eateries are taking shape on the 1,130-foot pier at 25th Street and Seawall Boulevard. http://galvestondailynews.com/story/288954 I like the name alot and can't wait tell Monday for more information! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cal1br3tto Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 I'd completely forgotten this was supposed to be a good-sized coaster. For some reason I'd had the idea of a wild mouse in my head. I like the sound of a wild shark much better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
niiicolaaah Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 Very cool to see something being built from the ground up like this. I hope the place does well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrygator Posted January 30, 2012 Author Share Posted January 30, 2012 (edited) Did we find out, can these rides be moved if a hurricane is on the way? Based on the quote (in Red) in this Houston Chronicle article it sounds like the answer is no. http://www.chron.com/business/article/Historic-Galveston-amusement-pier-to-rise-again-2792498.php Historic Galveston amusement pier to rise again By David Kaplan Updated 10:52 p.m., Saturday, January 28, 2012 As a boy growing up in Galveston, Tilman Fertitta rode his bike up and down the Seawall. He went to fairs and carnivals when they hit town and had a season pass to Sea-Arama Marineworld. In high school he worked as a lifeguard at the Flagship Hotel and engaged in another beach town tradition - flirting with out-of-town girls. Now Fertitta, who built a fortune with a showman's flair, is resurrecting one of Galveston's most iconic tourist attractions - the Pleasure Pier. The $60 million project will put a roller coaster and Ferris wheel over the Gulf of Mexico and is expected to encourage visitors to extend their trips to the island. It's the latest waterfront venture in Fertitta's dining and entertainment empire. "Subliminally, Galveston has had a huge impact on me," Fertitta said in his first detailed public comments on the project. "I realized how people flock to the water. You are always going to do a lot of business by the water." Construction is under way. After its scheduled late-May opening, the Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier will jut out 1,000 feet over the surf at 25th Street, where the original Pleasure Pier stood from 1943 until it was destroyed by Hurricane Carla in 1961. More recently, it was the site of the Flagship, an over-the-water hotel built in 1965 that was demolished after 2008's Hurricane Ike. The project will feature 16 rides, carnival games and souvenir shops. Food vendors will offer sausage-on-a-stick and other tourist favorites. And it will house the state's first Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., which Fertitta owns through his Houston-based Landry's. Fertitta said he aims to make the Pleasure Pier a first-rate waterfront tourist spot on par with the Navy Pier in Chicago and Santa Monica Pier in Southern California. Most of the rides will be unique to Southeast Texas, said Mark Kane, regional director of Landry's theme park division. Historic precedents The area around Seawall and 25th has historically been a tourist hub. Before the original Pleasure Pier, there was another amusement venue across the boulevard: Electric Park, built in 1906, featured vaudeville shows, rides, trinkets, a restaurant and a man covered in tattoos. The rides lit up at night, said Dwayne Jones, executive director of the Galveston Historical Foundation. The original Pleasure Pier featured rides, an arcade, an aquarium, concessions and fishing at the end of the pier, Jones said. High-profile rides at the new Pleasure Pier will include the Iron Shark Steel Roller Coaster, a 100-foot-tall structure offering four 360-degree inversions and a back stretch that cantilevers over the water; the Texas Star Flyer, which will swing riders over the water 230 feet above the Gulf; and a 100-foot-tall Ferris wheel called Galaxy Wheel with programmable LED lights, Kane said. Visitors will have to pay an admission fee, not yet set, to enter the amusement area. But diners at Bubba Gump won't have to pay to enter, said Jeff Cantwell, Landry's senior vice president of development. Fertitta acquired the 33-unit Bubba Gump seafood chain soon after taking Landry's private in 2010. Many of the Gump restaurants are in tourist spots internationally, from Bali to Times Square. Despite Galveston's history with severe tropical weather, the threat of another hurricane doesn't seem to bother Fertitta, known as a bold businessman who has accumulated a vast assortment of restaurants, hotels, gaming and entertainment venues that took in around $2 billion last year. "Doesn't even faze me," he said. "The best developments in the U.S. are on the waterfront. That's why you pay high insurance premiums, and you just don't worry about it." Filling a void The Pleasure Pier should boost tourism on the Seawall and encourage visitors to extend their stays in Galveston, Mayor Joe Jaworski said. Fertitta said it will fit with existing attractions such as the beach, Moody Gardens, The Strand shopping district and Schlitterbahn water park. John Gerner, managing director of Leisure Business Advisors, a theme park consulting firm in Richmond, Va., sees the Pleasure Pier as poised to thrive. The closing of Houston's regional theme park, Astroworld, created a void in the area for amusement parks, Gerner said. The Landry's-owned Kemah Boardwalk filled some of that void, he said, and so will the Pleasure Pier. "Landry's is very well regarded in the leisure industry," he noted. Schlitterbahn and Pleasure Pier will likely complement each other and help make Galveston more of a destination, Gerner suggested. Fertitta owns the pier and several blocks on the other side of Seawall Boulevard that will be used for parking and retail. His Fish Tales restaurant is already open there. Boardwalk memories At his Houston headquarters a few days ago, Fertitta had on blue jeans and a button-down, untucked Lacoste shirt while munching on sticks of diet cheese. He recalled living in an apartment near the pier when he was very young, and working at the Flagship as a teenager. "The Flagship was a magnet for out-of-town girls," he said, "so that's where I made sure I was." Asked if the Pleasure Pier might draw business from the well-established Kemah Boardwalk, Fertitta said he expects people will go to the boardwalk on some days and other days they'll visit the pier. What it's about, he said, is giving people more to do in Galveston County. Last May, island residents voted to charge for parking on the Seawall to pay for landscaping, lighting, safety features, bathrooms and other improvements, Jaworski said. Fertitta has not asked for any tax breaks or other incentives from the city, the mayor said. Fertitta is heavily invested in Galveston. He owns Seawall Boulevard property between 50th and 57th Street and operations on that stretch, including the San Luis Resort, Rainforest Cafe, Hilton and Holiday Inn hotels and Landry's Seafood House. Jaworski said Fertitta's newest project will help Galveston as it continues to rebound from Hurricane Ike 3½ years ago. Last summer's tourist season was the city's second-best ever, based on hotel occupancy, he noted. "The Flagship Hotel was a show of strength after Hurricane Carla," Jaworski said. Likewise, he added, the new Pleasure Pier will attest to the city's post-Ike vitality. Edited January 30, 2012 by larrygator Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stewhoutx Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 This project keeps looking more interesting as it goes on! If we here in Houston are ever to get another full fledged theme park, somehow Fertitta will need to be involved. He has the money on his own, would require really no financial backing other than his own company. He's filling out the coastal destinations nicely between Kemah and the Pier....here's hoping he'll some day have plans for something a bit more grand cross his desk that he likes to be built on a good chunk of land somewhere north of Houston! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shavethewhales Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 This G-fighter is really going to be the 'dark horse', so to speak, of 2012. I keep hearing little tidbits about it here and then, but it always surprises me when I hear how large and unique it will be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jedimaster1227 Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 And it will house the state's first Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., which Fertitta owns through his Houston-based Landry's. Forget the new credit. This piece of news has just kicked my interest in this pier up a few notches! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jps294 Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 The ride names have been announced! GALVESTON, Texas -In four months, Galveston will have a brand new, major tourist attraction that will change the island's landscape. Big plans were unveiled Monday for Galveston Island's historic Pleasure Pier. Located on Seawall Boulevard at 25th Street, the Pleasure Pier will extend approximately 1,130 feet over the Gulf of Mexico. Quick Clicks Slideshow: Galveston's Pleasure Pier Flagship Hotel To Be Torn Down The Landry's project will be home to family-oriented attractions, such as rides, games, food vendors and shops, officials said. The rides will include a 36-foot-wide, double-decker carousel, 100-foot-tall Ferris Wheel, and a steel roller coaster with a 100-foot vertical climb. "You like tall? The towering Texas Star Flyer will be the tallest swing ride in Texas. It's going to take you 230 feet over the surface of the Gulf," said Mark Kane with Landry's. "That's going to be very exciting." The Pleasure Pier originally opened In May 1948 and was the largest of its kind in the country. It was destroyed by Hurricane Carla in 1961. The Flagship Hotel was then built on the site. Hurricane Ike destroyed the Flagship in 2008. The $60 million tourist attraction is slated to open in late May. The pier will hold between 6,000 and 7,000 people, officials said. More than 600 jobs will be created. "It will be a project that will totally change Seawall Boulevard and not only because of the way it's going to light up the boulevard," said Tilman Fertitta, owner of Landry's. "It will continue to be an economic boom for Galveston, along with all the other tourist attractions. It will be a great family destination. This pier will have some amazing rides on it." "People are going to see a shine and a glow on the Seawall that has been missing for a long time," Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski said. "Galveston is back and better than ever, and the Seawall is leading the way." Landry's Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. will be the main restaurant on the pier, with other food outlets available. Fertitta said the Pleasure Pier will be similar to Chicago's Navy Pier, Santa Monica Pier and Coney Island's Luna Park. The concept of the Pleasure Pier was developed by Fertitta, a Galveston native. "We have a proven track record for projects of this magnitude and complexity, and understand what is required to convert today’s battered pier into a world-class venue," Fertitta added. "Much of our plans for redeveloping the pier are inspired by the people and places that define Galveston's rich heritage. We intend to perpetuate that vision with Pleasure Pier and create a lasting legacy for future generations." http://www.click2houston.com/news/Pleasure-Pier-returning-to-Galveston/-/1735978/8564402/-/12jjldq/-/index.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beatle11 Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 http://www.coaster101.com/2012/01/30/galveston-pleasure-pier-details-revealed/ Developer and restauranteur Tilman Fertitt held a press conference today to reveal more details about the Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier which is schedule to open Memorial Day weekend of 2012. Construction is progressing as scheduled on the 1,200-foot-long pier that is expected to cost $60 million. 3 million guests are expected to visit the pier in its first year of operation. KHOU.com reports more details about the pier’s entertainment offerings: “The pier will feature a number of traditional rides, including a 36-foot double-decker carousel and a 100-foot tall Ferris Wheel. For the more adventurous, visitors will be able to ride a 200-foot tall swing, considered the highest ride in Texas. There will also be a retail center called Shops at Pleasure Pier on the north side of Seawall Boulevard, Fertitta said Monday at the company’s Houston headquarters. And a Bubba Gump Shrimp restaurant will be built to go along with the rides and games.” Uh...yeah, I know the park will likely be open all year round, but isn't that shooting a bit high? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gigalyte Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 The ride names have been announced! Wow I had no idea it would end up looking like that!!! That looks like it will be an awesome place to visit to visit one day. I had in mind that it would end up looking like a cheap carnival on a pier boy was I wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmicha Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 Man, this thing is packed with rides and attractions. I wish this was here when I was in Galveston a couple years ago. I've always loved the idea of amusement piers (never been to one unfortunately) and in this day and age where they only seem to be closing I'm happy to see a new one going up. Hopefully this turns out successfully as I'd love to see more of these pop up around the country's coastlines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterfreak101 Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 Wow, that looks fantastic! Hope it turns out great and they get the business they're projecting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cal1br3tto Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 From early reports, this reminded me of Steel Pier, but it looks like it'll be more polished and have more action-packed rides. There'll undoubtedly be some picturesque views from a number of the attractions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-Edge of Beast- Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 ^ It DOES look like Steel Pier!! This is very exciting news! It looks like a pier on steroids basically. Not sure how they crammed all of that..stuff.. into a pier of that size. But then again, it's not too small. Can't wait for more construction updates on this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXthrills2010 Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 The Pleasure Pier was on the Houston news earlier this afternoon, there are already lots of rides on the pier right now. I'll be taking a trip to Galveston this thursday! I'll try to get some pictures up on here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chadster Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 With all the excitement yesterday there are a TON of questions. So we will be posting and answering questions we've seen asked a lot! 1. What restaurant will be on the Pleasure Pier? Answer: Bubba Gump Shrimp Co and Gump on the Run, Quick Service To - Go. 2. Food on the Pier will include items like funnel cakes, ice cream, hot dogs, pizza, turkey legs, cotton candy, popcorn, etc. 3. Bubba Gump is situated outside the Pier entrance ticket gates. So if you'd like to eat there and not go on the pier - there is not a ticket fee. 4. This is the first Bubba Gump in Texas! Some of the other awesome locations are in Times Square, Santa Monica Pier, Bourbon Street, Cancun, Mall of America, we could go on and on! Check them out: www.bubbagump.com More: 1. When will the pier open? Scheduled to open in May...here's to hoping mother nature helps us stay on schedule. 2. Pier Pass 'walk on' ticket – yes there is a fee to get on the pier if you just want to walk around and not ride the rides. If you pay this and decide you want to ride some rides - you can upgrade to an all day pass or buy individual ride tickets. 3. All Day Ride Pass – if you want to ride rides you can buy an All Day ride pass - this will get you on the pier (you won't pay the walk on fee). 4. Family Four Pack (2 adults/2kids) ranging from $85-$90 - this is for all day ride passes. 5. Season Passes - probably not 6. Final pricing - not set yet 7. Group ticket pricing - yes there will be discounted rates for large groups and school groups 8. The Pleasure Pier is basically an amusement park – so yes there will be tickets to get on. Once we get final ticket prices we will post them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpengeist04 Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 1. When will the pier open? Scheduled to open in May...here's to hoping mother nature helps us stay on schedule. I'm very excited by the news. I just happen to be passing through the area the first week of June, so here's hoping mother nature does cooperate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chadster Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 My best guesstimate would be opening the week before Memorial Day to help iron out the kinks, regardless of when it opens, I'll be there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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