Photo TR's: JordyC's Theme Park Adventures

[JordyC]

Wildlands Adventure Zoo Emmen (Tweestryd) - May 2018

 

Hello everyone!

 

On May 21th 2018, I went to Wildlands Adventure Zoo Emmen to check out their new-for-2018 Vekoma Dueling Family Boomerang coaster, called Tweestryd. It was also my first time at this park. Wildlands isn't really a theme park, it is more of a very well themed zoo, with a few rides and, as of 2018, with a coaster.

 

I am normally not a massive fan of zoo's, but I was really impressed with Wildlands. Most areas were very well themed, and I really loved the atmosphere in the park with themed music playing in every area. Of course, the main reason for visiting this park was Tweestryd, the new Dueling Family Boomerang. But Wildlands has much more to offer: there are shows, a few solid rides and, obviously, the animals. Also, the animal enclosures were gigantic, and there were barely any fences. Everyting looked natural.

 

The weather that day was absolutely perfect, but crowds were very light, despite it being a holiday. Serenga Safari, the park's Safari Jeep ride, had the longest wait in the park, topping out at 20 minutes. Tweestryd was a walk-on, every single time.

 

Welcome to Wildlands Adventure Zoo!

Let's start in the Nortica themed area.

This one's really enjoying the sunshine,

while the other sea lions are having a nice swim.

Arctic 1 was the first ride of the day. It is a 4D simulator themed to a Nordic mission, but - you guessed it - gone wrong. I am not a fan of these kind of rides. The movement of the seats was very jerky, but the visuals itself were one of the best I have seen. But still, it is not my kind of ride.

Like all the animals, the penguins have a massive area. This is about a fourth of the whole area.

In case you were wondering: yes, penguins yawn too.

You could literally walk between the penguins. They came so close, you could even touch them.

It is time for the Nortica show.

It's a sea lion show that was pretty okay, nothing special. The stage looked nice, though.

Terra Explorer was next. It is an educational ride where you step in an elevator that takes you down into the earth's crust, telling you about the history of the animals.

One of my favorite animals; the polar bears.

Seems like he's really enjoying his meal.

Let's explore Serenga.

It is the area themed to the savanna and desert.

"I prefer to mate with donkeys over humans!"

You can get real close to all the smaller animals.

I really liked the look of this area.

Also, the park is home to lots of play equipment for the kids.

Even the hippo's are having a sleep.

This is the enclosure for the lions, complete with Pride Rock. But sadly, no lions today..

Serenga Safari is the most popular ride at Wildlands.

It takes you around all the major animals in Serenga, so you can get really close to ...

the ostriches, ...

the zebras, ...

and even the giraffes.

The safari also takes you to the desert and the camels.

And if you're lucky, you can get very close to them!

That are a whole lot of baboons.

These two were having a small discussion about who would get the piece of fruit.

The rhino's were enjoying the beautiful weather.

There are lots of places where you can eat at Wildlands, all very well themed.

 

Tweestryd (6/10)

Tweestryd is the second Family Boomerang I've done, the first one being Raik at Phantasialand. While Raik has the better theming, Tweestryd wins at every other category; the layout is much better, you get more airtime and it duels. It is also a very smooth ride, probably one of the smoothest family coasters I have experienced. I definitely prefered the front, because you get some good pops of floater air and you travel all the way up the spike before starting the backwards journey, while the airtime in the back is almost non-existent. Overall, Tweestryd is a very fun family coaster and a great addition to this park.

 

It is finally time to ride Baron 1898! I mean, Tweestryd..

It's a very fun family coaster.

You can either choose red or blue, each representing a different charity. Money will be donated to the charity of the winning side.

I definitely prefer Tweestryd over Raik.

And the fact that it duels makes it even better.

The front gives you some nice floater airtime.

Going up its lift hill, backwards.

You get some great interactions with the other train.

Tweestryd is one of the smoothest family coasters I have done.

It is a great addition to this park.

Lots of theming everywhere you look.

The last themed area to explore - Jungola.

Which is home to a baby elephant!

All of them are enjoying a nice cold shower.

What is this little boy looking at?

Really focused on getting that branch.

I love random theming like this.

The entrance to Rimbula, where you go deep into the jungle.

The jungle is home to lots of beautiful birds.

And some Madagascar favorites.

The last ride of the day was Rimbula River - a boat ride that takes you on a journey through the jungle.

The entrance to the ride.

Lots of great theming everywhere you look.

One last look at the baby elephant to end the report.

 

So overall, I had a great time at this park. The highlight of the day was clearly Tweestryd, followed by Serenga Safari. Like I said earlier, I am normally not a big fan of zoo's, but I really enjoyed Wildlands. The big animal enclosures and great theming makes this a must visit if you are in the area and really like animals (and there are two credits as well).

 

Thanks for reading.

[jedimaster1227]

Thanks so much for sharing! I honestly hadn't heard of this park before I saw construction photos of Tweestryd hit the net, so it is neat to see how much more to the park there is than just this new set of coasters!

[JordyC]

You're welcome. To be honest, before Tweestryd, I had also never heard of this park. But I really enjoyed Wildlands, and not only because of the coasters, but because of the park in general. So I understand why they build that ride; to let more people know about Wildlands and, possibly, visit this great zoo/park.

[Canobie Coaster]

Just getting caught up on this thread now. All the reports are great! I love all the photos and detailed ride reviews.

 

Parque Warner Madrid looks to be a really well themed park. That flume really has my attention along with the coasters. I too love the B&M loopers with straight drops like Hydra and Medusa and wish more had them. Out of curiosity, did you see Stunt Fall run in the rain? SFNE doesn't run their's in rain (granted it often doesn't run in the sun either).

 

Walibi Belgium's coaster collection didn't seem all that impressive, but the addition of Pulsar, Tiki Waka, and the additional coasters coming make it a park I want to hit someday. That flume looks really odd too (in a good way).

 

I had never heard of that zoo, but dueling family boomerangs look pretty cool. I'm just glad they didn't try dueling the regular ones.

[JordyC]

Just getting caught up on this thread now. All the reports are great! I love all the photos and detailed ride reviews.

 

Thanks!

 

Parque Warner Madrid looks to be a really well themed park. That flume really has my attention along with the coasters. I too love the B&M loopers with straight drops like Hydra and Medusa and wish more had them. Out of curiosity, did you see Stunt Fall run in the rain? SFNE doesn't run their's in rain (granted it often doesn't run in the sun either).

 

Parque Warner surely is a very well themed park, even better than I expected.

Rio Bravo (the flume) is the best non-coaster at the park. If the weather wasn't that bad that day, I would have ridden it a whole lot more. And I still can't get over the fact that I almost flew out of the boat on that "special element" after the first drop..

All the coasters were running all day, so also Stunt Fall. I even had my first two rides on it when it was pouring it down. Here in Europe, we don't shut our coasters down for a slight drizzle

 

Walibi Belgium's coaster collection didn't seem all that impressive, but the addition of Pulsar, Tiki Waka, and the additional coasters coming make it a park I want to hit someday. That flume looks really odd too (in a good way).

 

I completely agree with you. The coasters at Walibi Belgium are all okay, but with Pulsar and Tiki-Waka they are going in the right direction. All eyes are now on the 2021 hyper coaster!

 

I had never heard of that zoo, but dueling family boomerangs look pretty cool. I'm just glad they didn't try dueling the regular ones.

 

Now, that would've been something!

[Canobie Coaster]

^ Running rides in the rain is one of the things I loved about European parks. Six Flags New England actually does a good job keeping things open even in downpours (Superman rides are borderline painful when this happens), but Goliath can't run if it's as much as a sprinkle. Interesting to know it's not inherent in all giant inverted boomerangs.

[JordyC]

^It certainly is very interesting that Goliath doesn't run in the rain, because the first part of the day it was absolutely pouring it down, and Stunt Fall was still running fine.

[cfc]

The zoo looks nice (well themed), and Tweestryd does look like an improved version of Phantasialand's Raik.

[MartinNL]

Great to see a report from Wildlands, I was there that same day!

This park is almost in my backyard.

 

Sad to know that the park struggles with a lot of criticism and disappointing visiter numbers.

It is a brand new park, opened in 2016, as a 'replacement' of the old beloved zoo "Noorder Dierenpark".

They wanted to create a Dutch "Animal Kingdom", not just an ordinary zoo but an adventurepark with animals in big natural habitats, themed area's and rides. As far as I know, they have plans to build more coasters and rides in the future.

 

Tweestryd opened just this april and is a great addition tot the park! It is one of the quietest coasters around and a great ride for families, but it is very short, a ride only takes 39 seconds...

[JordyC]

The zoo looks nice (well themed), and Tweestryd does look like an improved version of Phantasialand's Raik.

 

I was pleasantly surprised about the zoo itself, the theming was much better than I expected it to be.

While Raik has the better theming, I prefered Tweestryd in every other way. It's a better than average family coaster.

[JordyC]

Sad to know that the park struggles with a lot of criticism and disappointing visiter numbers.

It is a brand new park, opened in 2016, as a 'replacement' of the old beloved zoo "Noorder Dierenpark".

They wanted to create a Dutch "Animal Kingdom", not just an ordinary zoo but an adventurepark with animals in big natural habitats, themed area's and rides. As far as I know, they have plans to build more coasters and rides in the future.

 

Yeah, I heard about their expansion plans as well. But with the disappointing guests numbers, they probably won't be adding a major ride anytime soon. Which is very sad to be honest, because I really liked this park and it deserves to get more attention.

 

Tweestryd opened just this april and is a great addition tot the park! It is one of the quietest coasters around and a great ride for families, but it is very short, a ride only takes 39 seconds...

 

I agree that Tweestryd is an excellent addition to this park. It is indeed a bit short, but so are the other Vekoma family boomerangs. At least you got two of them at this park!

[JordyC]

Thorpe Park - June 2018

 

Hello everyone!

 

From June 23th to June 26th 2018, I went for my first ever time to the United Kingdom to visit the major theme parks the country has to offer. I spent my first day at Thorpe Park, my second day at Blackpool Pleasure Beach and South Pier, and my third and fourth day at Alton Towers.

 

On June 23th, I visited Thorpe Park. I heard some fairly good reviews from this park, but like always, I try to keep my expectations at a normal level until I visit the park myself, to avoid disappointment. But I really enjoyed this park. Most of the rides are well themed, even though most of them have a dark theme. I would have liked some more "happy" theming at this park, if that makes sense. But I guess dark themes adds to the thrill factor of the rides, and that is definitely what this park is: A thrill park. Granted, there are a few family rides, but the main focus at Thorpe Park is clearly the big thrill rides and coasters. Also, I loved the audio that was playing around the park! Definitely one of the best park soundtracks I have ever heard. Of course, the main reason for visiting this park - like I mentioned earlier - are the coasters. But Thorpe Park has much more to offer: they are home to an awesome collection of flat rides, a unique dark ride and one of the wettest water rides I have done.

 

The weather that day was absolutely perfect. Combining the beautiful sunshine with it being a Saturday in June, it resulted in the park being very busy. Queue times exceeding 60 minutes were not an exception. And yes, that was for all the rides, not just the main coasters. So I decided to buy the Unlimited Fastrack. With the Fastrack, the longest I have waited was about 30 minutes for Derren Brown's Ghost Train. Most of the other rides were a 10 minute wait.

 

Welcome to Thorpe Park!

Depth Charge may well be the first ride you notice when you exit the dome.

First ride of the day - Rush.

I am usually not a big fan of flat rides, but I gladly make an exception for this one. They are awesome!

Thorpe Park is also home to an enterprise, ..

.. and a magic carpet ride, called Quantum!

Sadly, Colossus was closed all day..

I was really looking forward to riding this.. Oh well, a reason to come back!

No quadruple heartline rolling today.

And even more flat rides!

Saw - The Ride (7/10)

Saw - The Ride is one of the better Euro-Fighters I have done. It starts with a little dark ride section, where you are welcomed to "Play a game". Then it suddenly drops you straight down into an in-line twist (that provides excellent hangtime), something I was not expecting at all. Next, you come outside and prepare for the vertical ascent, after which you drop straight down into various different inversions. After the inversions, there is also a massive airtime hill that gives some strong ejector. This coaster was full of surprises for me; I didn't know about the indoor section nor about the awesome airtime hill. Also, the ride was pretty well themed. I am not a big fan of horror themed rides, but I guess it worked out. I would have rated this coaster a lot higher, if it wasn't such a headbanger. This really took away from the experience, which is a shame, because the layout is very good.

 

It is time to face your fears on Saw - The Ride.

There is a really good near-miss element on the bottom of the vertical drop.

It is one of the better Euro-Fighters I have done.

After the vertical lift hill, you drop straight down into various different inversions and an ejector airtime hill.

It is such a shame that this ride isn't the smoothest one out there.

The coaster was very well themed, though.

Prepare to drop!

I am still surprised about the indoor section that I wasn't expecting.

The Walking Dead - The Ride (5/10)

Adding a horror theme to a family coaster to make it a thrill coaster. It certainly is one way to do it. But let me be honest, I wasn't a big fan of it. Seriously, the scare maze to the exit of the ride was better than the coaster itself. There were some cool effects during the ride and the theming was well done, though. Apart from a few minor jolts, it was also fairly smooth. The ride had some airtime here and there, but it was mostly just 'escaping the zombies' in the dark.

 

If only the coaster were as good as the scare maze to the exit..

Thorpe Park is also home to a little kids area.

Tidal Wave was next.

It looks nice and quiet now, but not for long.

You will get absolutely soaked on this ride. It is one of the wettest water rides I have ever done.

There are some nice areas around the park.

Storm Surge had a 100 minute wait for the regular line. The Fastrack queue was completely full, so sadly I gave this a miss.

The weather was beautiful that day, so I can see why the water rides were so popular.

Get ready for the splash!

I'm a Celebrity - Get me Out of Here! was closed all day.

I love theming like this!

Next up was Derren Brown's Ghost Train. I won't spoil this for anyone, because there are quite a few 'unique' things that happen during this ride. But let's just say that I wasn't a massive fan of this. Granted, the VR was something different, but I prefer a normal dark ride, if that makes sense.

At least it was something different, and in my opinion the only way to use VR at a theme park!

Nemesis Inferno (7/10)

Nemesis Inferno is probably my least favourite B&M Invert. It is still a very good one, but all the other ones I have done are just better. But this one has a funky pre-lift hill section, though. The ride itself has some fairly good forces, mainly during the inversions and the final helix. The interlocking corkscrews were probably the highlight of the ride. It is also a very smooth coaster and the theming is decent.

 

Next, Nemesis Inferno.

It is a very good ride, but probably my least favourite B&M Invert that I have done.

The coaster does have some good positive forces.

Some random people enjoying their ride on Nemesis Inferno.

The interlocking corkscrews are the highlight of the ride!

The park is also home the a land themed to Angry Birds (not the two birds on top of the sign)..

Detonator was a fun drop tower. Nothing too special.

The rapids were closed all day, but it was testing.

Stealth (8/10)

I was really surprised with how much I liked Stealth. It is my second favourite coaster in the park. The only similar coaster to this that I have done, is Red Force. I prefer Red Force over Stealth, mainly because of the lap bars. But Stealth definitely has the better launch, because it has that 'initial kick'. The top hat provided some unexptected airtime, and you are out of your seat during the whole vertical decent -- Awesome! Stealth is also very smooth. It has some theming, but it is probably one of the least themed coasters at the park.

 

The next ride was Stealth.

Stealth's launch is one of the best that I have done.

Going straight up!

You get some floater airtime on the top hat.

You are out of your seat the whole way down!

I really love the look of the colours that change on the top hat.

Stealth was much better than I expected it to be.

Flying Fish (2/10)

A Mack powered coaster that was pretty smooth, but had absolutely no theming. It's just not my kind of ride.

 

Flying Fish was next.

It is a fun ride, but not quite my cup of tea.

The Swarm (8.5/10)

The Swarm is clearly the best coaster in the park. It is a very intense ride, especially for a wing coaster. After climbing the lift hill, the ride starts with a typical dive drop, found on almost every wing coaster. I really love the feeling of slowly turning upside-down before plunging towards the ground. Next, you enter multiple forceful inversions. About halfway the ride, there is a very intense turn that caused me to grey out every single time. To end the ride, you have an in-line twist over the station, that gives you some excellent hangtime. Also, throughout the ride, there are a lot of near-miss elements that really adds to the overall experience. I liked the ride more in the front, because of these near-miss elements, but it is clearly more intense in the back. The Swarm was also very smooth and I really liked the theming! It is definitely the best themed coaster at the park. I have only ridden one other wing coaster, Flug der Dämonen, and I prefer The Swarm over that one, without a doubt. Overall, it is a fantastic coaster that I would rank just inside my top 15.

 

The time has finally come to ride The Swarm!

I really love the typical wing coaster drops!

The Swarm climbing its lift hill.

There is lots of awesome theming on Swarm Island.

The inversions are all very forceful.

Don't lose your head!

One of multiple near-misses during the ride. This really adds to the overall experience.

The hangtime before you drop is one of the highlights of the ride.

It is clearly the best themed coaster at the park.

More hangtime over the station.

This turn caused me to grey out every single time.

Paradise or not, I'll say yes to a flight on The Swarm any day!

While the back is more intense, the front is the place to be!

The Swarm making its path of destruction over the station.

The Swarm is clearly the best coaster in the park.

One last look at The Swarm to end this report.

So overall, I had a great time at this park. The highlight of the day was clearly The Swarm, followed by Stealth. There are a lot of other good rides, but like I said before, I would love to see a ride with a more happy theme. And why not make it a family thrill coaster, right away? A GCI would fit in really well, in my opinion.

 

Thanks for reading!

[ThemeParkJunkie51290]

Amazing report! I want to visit this park so badly! Seems like you had a great time!

[JordyC]

Amazing report! I want to visit this park so badly! Seems like you had a great time!

 

Thanks! Thorpe Park has always been pretty high on my bucket list aswell, and it certainly did not disappoint. I hope you will get out there someday!

[Canobie Coaster]

Great report!

 

I actually liked Derren Brown but that doesn't seem to be the popupar opinion. Glad you enjoyed the coaster lineup. They really have a nice mix.

[JordyC]

Great report!

 

I actually liked Derren Brown but that doesn't seem to be the popupar opinion. Glad you enjoyed the coaster lineup. They really have a nice mix.

 

Thank you!

 

The main issue I had with DBGT is that for basically 90% of the time you are watching a horror movie through a VR headset. They could have made this ride so much better in so many ways, in my opinion.

 

The coaster lineup is indeed very good at Thorpe Park. Such a shame I wasn't able to experience Colossus, though..

[JordyC]

Blackpool Pleasure Beach (Icon) - June 2018

 

Hello everyone!

 

From June 23th to June 26th 2018, I went for my first ever time to the United Kingdom to visit the major theme parks the country has to offer. I spent my first day at Thorpe Park, my second day at Blackpool Pleasure Beach and South Pier, and my third and fourth day at Alton Towers.

 

On June 24th, I visited Blackpool Pleasure Beach. This was a park I wanted to visit for a very long time, mainly because I have always had a soft spot for classic parks. And the fact that it is located right next to the seaside, put it even higher on my bucket list. And guess what, I absolutely loved this place! It probably is my favorite classis amusement park. Most of the rides have barely any theming, although there are a few exceptions like Nickelodeon Land and - of course - Valhalla. But the atmosphere in the park more than makes up for that. Of course, the main reason that made me visit this park this year was Icon - their brand new Mack Double Launch Coaster. But Blackpool Pleasure Beach has much more to offer: they are home to an awesome collection of classic wooden coasters, some classic and unique dark rides and one of the best and wettest water rides I have ever done.

 

Much like the day before, the weather was absolutely gorgeous. Despite it being a Sunday in June combined with the beautiful sunshine, the park was fairly quiet. Normally, whenever I am going on a foreign trip, I always buy the skip-the-line passes the park has to offer. But I didn't need it at Blackpool, because the longest I have waited was about 20 minutes for Avalanche. Yes, you read that right! The longest line was not for their brand new coaster. Icon never had a queue of more than 15 minutes. Seriously, it is a capacity monster. Most of the other rides were a 5-10 minute wait.

 

Welcome to Blackpool Pleasure Beach!

What an impressive view when you enter the park.

I really liked the entrance plaza of the Pleasure Beach.

Derby Racer is an awesome classic carousel, that also happened to be the first ride of the day.

Next up was the oldest attraction in the park, from 1904 - Flying Machines.

Ice Blast was next.

It is just a standard S&S Shot Tower, but you get some great views of the sea.

Valhalla was probably my most anticipated non-coaster of the trip.

This ride is absolutely stunning. It has awesome theming, fantastic music, a backwards section and loads of fire. When I say loads of fire, I mean a massive amount of fire! Seriously, I have never seen so much fire on ride. On top of that, Valhalla will also make you soaking wet, but like absolutely drenched. It is by far the wettest ride I have ever done!

All of this makes Valhalla my new favorite log flume, beating both Chiapas at Phantasialand and Rio Bravo at Parque Warner.

Valhalla has lots and lots of fire and water!

That might be an understatement.. You *will* get drenched!

This ride blew my already high expectations completely out of the water. It ended up being my second favorite ride at the park.

Grand National (6/10)

Grand National is probably the most iconic wooden coaster at the Pleasure Beach. It is actually one big Möbius loop, so you start for example in the left station, then make your way around the track duelling with the other train before ending your ride in the other station. To be honest, I wasn't a massive fan of Grand National, mainly because it has some very rough spots and it is very, very shaky. And that is a real shame, because the airtime is phenomenal. On almost every hill you get some serious ejector airtime, which I was not expecting at all. The ride has no theming, but the trains were very comfy. I would have rated this coaster a lot higher if it just was a more enjoyable experience.

 

Time for a ride on the park's iconic wooden coaster - Grand National.

I really wanted to love this coaster. The airtime is amazing, but it was just a bit too rough for me.

Alice in Wonderland was my first dark ride of the day.

I really like these classic rides.

The Ghost Train was awesome! It is my favorite dark ride at the Pleasure Beach.

Wallace & Gromit Thrill-o-Matic was great, but is likely the weakest dark ride the park has to offer.

Revolution (5/10)

This coaster was better than I expected it to be. The loop had some pretty good G's to it going forwards. Going backwards, it was even better. Revolution also provided some unexpected airtime after the launches, and who doesn't like that?! The ride was also very smooth. Like almost every coaster at the park, there wasn't any theming. But the views from the station at the top more than made up for that.

 

Revolution - a classic Arrow coaster.

You get a nice pop of airtime going down into the loop.

I will always prefer a backwards loop over a forwards loop.

A three train shot, only at Blackpool.

Time to explore Nickelodeon Land!

It is the best themed area in the park with lots of rides for the kids and two coasters.

Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?

Some more Nickelodeon themed rides.

Blue Flyer was our next ride.

Blue Flyer (4.5/10)

Blue Flyer was probably my least favorite wooden coaster at Blackpool Pleasure Beach. It is still a very fun ride, but it is more a kiddie coaster. It did have a few pops of floater airtime, though. There was also a tunnel, which was probably the highlight of the ride. Blue Flyer didn't have any theming, but it was a surprisingly smooth ride.

 

It is a small, but fun wooden coaster.

I wasn't expecting much from Nickelodeon Streak, but I really enjoyed this coaster.

Nickelodeon Streak (6.5/10)

Nickelodeon Streak is the park's big orange coaster. I wasn't expecting much from this ride, just a normal classic wooden coaster. But this was the biggest surprise of the day. It is full of awesome floater airtime and it is very smooth, considering its age. The ride also had some good forces at the bottom of the drops. The trains were again very comfy. Nickelodeon Streak ended up being my second favorite wooden coaster at the park.

 

You get some great airtime on these hills.

For it being over 80 years old, it is a very smooth ride.

It is one of my favorite wooden coasters at the park.

Even Avatar has his own ride at Blackpool Pleasure Beach.

Steeplechase (5.5/10)

I was very excited to finally ride Steeplechase, because it is a very unique coaster. The seating position was surprisingly comfortable. The ride itself was very fun. It doesn't have massive drops or airtime, but it doesn't need that. The main aspect is the fact that you are racing. It is likely my favorite racing coaster I have done. Steeplechase is also very smooth and it even has a bit of theming around the track. I heard that most of the time the park only runs two of the three sides, and that was exactly the case the day I visited - only the green and the yellow side were open.

 

It is the only one of its kind left in the world, so I was really looking forward to riding Steeplechase.

It is one of the best racing coasters I have done. It is so much fun!

Big One (7/10)

It was finally time to ride the coaster that Blackpool is famous for - Big One. It certainly is big, very big. It really dominates the skyline of the park. The climb on the lift hill provides some amazing views of the Pleasure Beach and the sea - it was stunning! Before you know, you are whipped out of your seat while you are going down the epic first drop - awesome. But sadly, the views and the first drop were the best part of the coaster. The ride does pull some very good G's at the bottom of the hills. But let's be honest, for a coaster that big with such massive hills, you'd expect it to have at least some airtime. At most, there were two or three minor pops of airtime. On the plus side, the ride is very fun and fairly smooth. Also, the back seat is definitely the place to be. The drop gets even crazier. If have to rank Big One in terms of other Hypers I have done, it would probably be at the bottom of that list. But like I said earlier, it is a very fun ride. The main reason to ride Big One is probably for the views.

 

Big One is clearly a big one.

Feel on top of the world!

The first drop is the clear highlight of the ride.

The views that you get during the ride are breathtaking.

It looks like an airtime hill, but you get none.

The ride dominates the park's skyline.

Big One does have some good forces to it.

Big One is a very fun ride that you should definitely ride just for the views alone.

It is time for Sky Force. I really like these kind of rides.

Avalanche (5/10)

Avalanche is the best themed coaster at the park, although only the station is themed. I have ridden a lot of bobsled coasters and Blackpool's version is clearly the wildest and best one. There is even a little pop of airtime halfway through the ride! Avalanche just keeps going faster and faster and it swings more and more in the turns. It has some very good focres near the end of the ride. While bobsled coasters are very fun, they are not really my type of ride, though.

 

Avalanche is the best themed coaster at the park.

It is a very fun ride and the best bobsled coaster I have done.

Big Dipper (7/10)

I wasn't expecting much from this classic wooden coaster, just a nice and relaxing ride. The pre-lift section was a bit funky. After the climb on the lift hill, you make a very tight turn that almost seems impossible to do. Next, you drop down and you get some crazy ejector airtime. This was something I was not expecting at all. The next hill also provided some crazy ejector airtime. Wow! Then you hit the turnaround and the ride suddenly became a whole lot tamer. The airtime is still good, but not as crazy as the first two moments. The ride was also a bit shaky, but not as bad as Grand National. Big Dipper was much better than expected. So much so that it is my favorite wooden coaster at Blackpool.

 

That is one very thight turn after the lift hill.

I really love the station of Big Dipper.

Infusion (4.5/10)

Infusion is quite possibly the best looking SLC out there, with its placement over the water and all the fountains underneath the ride. But that is all the love this ride gets from me. It is not the smoothest SLC I have done, but also not the roughest one out there. I always thought that the layout of these SLC's are pretty good, but it is the head banging that makes this ride so horrible.

 

Next up was Infusion.

The ride was quite visually pleasing.

It even has awesome water effects!

Lots and lots of steel at Blackpool.

There are some good positive G's during the ride, but because you are holding on for your life, it is almost impossible to enjoy.

It does have a fairly good layout, it is just poorly executed.

River Caves was our next ride.

It is another classic dark ride where you visit displays of "around the world". I liked it, but it was nothing too special.

Icon (9/10)

I absolutely love Blue Fire, Alpina Blitz, Star Trek: OE and Helix, so my expactations for this ride were pretty high. And guess what, it exceeded all of them! This coaster is awesome from start to finish! Granted, it is not the most intense coaster in the world, nor are the launches the most powerful out there. But this coaster doesn't need that. Icon is a very enjoyable coaster experience. Would it have been better if it was more intense? Probably. But I don't mind. This ride is just pure fun, and that is what it is all about. The hangtime in the first inversion is just phenomenal, just like the hangtime in the Immelmann after the second launch. The airtime is also outstanding. Probably just a bit better than the airtime you get on Helix. Also, I really love the interaction with the other rides on Icon. It really adds to the overall ride experience. The second part is definitely my favorite part of the ride, mainly because of all the twisty sections and crazy airtime. Of course, the ride is butter smooth and the trains are as comfy as they can get. The ride has a very modern Japanese look to it, which I really liked. I also loved the soundtrack of Icon. The back seat was definitely my favorite. The airtime on the first hill is better in the front, but the rest of the ride is better in the back.

 

I really, really enjoyed Icon. I loved it so much that I would rank it inside of my top 10. I still prefer Helix, but I'll take Icon over Alpina Blitz, Blue Fire and Star Trek: OE. Overall, it's a stunning ride and the reason to visit Blackpool Pleasure Beach. Icon is the new icon for this park!

 

The moment you have all been waiting for - Icon!

Icon is not the most intense coaster out there, but this ride proves that a coaster doesn't have to be forceful to be awesome.

The hangtime on Icon is fantastic!

The ride has a really modern feel to it.

You also get some great hangtime in the Immelmann after the second launch.

Icon is just pure fun, and that is what it is all about.

The airtime hill after the first launch gives some great airtime in the front.

The second half is probably my favourite part of the ride.

I really like the Japanese style theming.

Launching!

The modern feel of this coaster fits in really well with all the classic rides at Blackpool.

There is also lots of fog after the first and before the second launch!

Even more hangtime!

Icon is definitely the best coaster in the park.

The airtime on the first hill is better in the front, but the rest of the ride is better in the back.

You get real close to the track underneath when you are going through the in-line twist.

Who doesn't love some gorgeous Mack curves?

One last photo of Icon to end the report.

 

So overall, I had an excellent time at this park. The highlight of the day was clearly Icon, closely followed by Valhalla. There are a lot of other solid rides, but Icon really is the modern coaster this park needed. It fits in really well between all the classic rides the park has to offer. Blackpool Pleasure Beach really is a park to keep your eyes on in the near future.

 

Thanks for reading!

Edited July 6, 2018 by JordyC

[indyv]

Great report! I really need to visit these parks!

[JordyC]

Great report! I really need to visit these parks!

 

Thanks! Just book your trip, you won't regret it. That is how I do it

[Canobie Coaster]

Great report! I loved Blackpool Pleasure Beach last year, so glad to see you enjoyed it as well. It really does have an excellent mix of dark rides and coasters, particularly now that Icon seems to have given them the home run coaster they needed.

 

I'm glad someone else appreciated Big Dipper too. I too had no clue how much airtime it would give in the back row. That first drop seriously is one of the best out there.

[JordyC]

Great report! I loved Blackpool Pleasure Beach last year, so glad to see you enjoyed it as well. It really does have an excellent mix of dark rides and coasters, particularly now that Icon seems to have given them the home run coaster they needed.

 

Thank you! Blackpool Pleasure Beach is an awesome park that deserves a lot more attention, in my opinion. Icon may very well be the first step for a very bright future for this park.

 

I'm glad someone else appreciated Big Dipper too. I too had no clue how much airtime it would give in the back row. That first drop seriously is one of the best out there.

 

Big Dipper certainly has excellent airtime on the first half of the ride, that I was not expecting at all. The airtime on the second half is still good, but nothing in comparison with the airtime you get on the first two drops. I wonder why there is not enough talked about Big Dipper as it should, because it is my favorite wooden coaster at Blackpool.

[Canobie Coaster]

I think a lot of people are willing to look past the bumpiness of Grand National because of how much airtime that ride provides. I did prefer Grand National too, but it was close.

[JordyC]

I can definitely see why someone would prefer Grand National over Big Dipper. For me, the shakiness just took away too much of the experience, so I simply could not enjoy the ride as much I would have liked to. If Grand National would have been as smooth as Big Dipper, then it would also be my favorite wooden coaster at Blackpool.

[jedimaster1227]

Blackpool Pleasure Beach has always intrigued me and reports like this continue to make we want to finagle a visit in a future trip!

 

 

I can't help but stop and stare at this photo. The inspiration of the ride it pulled from is really obvious in a neat and funny kind of way!

[JordyC]

Blackpool Pleasure Beach has always been a park that I wanted to visit, too. The great selection of classic rides and wooden coasters alone, make it worth the visit. Now that they have Icon, it should be very high on everyone's to do list.

 

I really liked the Alice in Wonderland dark ride. Like you said, it is very, very obvious, but that makes me love this ride even more.