Bucket List item checked off! Bert does the UK with Theme Park Review (a photo trip report)

[PKI Jizzman]

bert those boots and glasses slay! another awesome trip report. keep it up! thanks for sharing the experience!

[bert425]

Day 6:  Drayton Manor

it was pretty overcast, and a bit chilly, and there was a chance of drizzle in the forecast.

But everyone was still excited to continue on the trip and to check out Drayton Manor - even tho we had been told that most of the big thrill rides had been taken out over the years and they had targeted more towards families, with a large Thomas Town section, and lots of family rides.

so after eating breakfast and checking out of our 1 night hotel, we climbed onto the bus, and after a shortish drive, we pulled up to the signs for the next park on the itinerary.

it really looks like it's in the middle of a nice neighborhood. . . LOL. .you just come upon the sign noting it's there.

this is apparently the "new" entrance, which feeds you into the Viking section of the park - which is apparently also fairly new.

not super packed prior to opening, but a few dozen folks out and about on this day (I believe it was a weekday, and with the forecast, it surprised me to see as many people there as there were - even tho it wasn't that many)

 

I don't recall us having any kind of early admission or fast passes for this park (not that we'd have needed them), so most of the group followed Robb/Elissa's lead, and headed to the newest coaster in the park - a Vekoma family boomerang, called Accellerator - to get that out of the way as it was probably the lowest capacity coaster in the park.

(of course, I had to stop and snap pictures along the way)

the theming and LOOK of Accelerator are really well done, even if the ride is really not too exciting.

the indoors queue is kinda cool too

Noted!

happy, and a little chilly, TPR folks mixed in with GP

I see Jack and Jackie, and Andrew and April on this train.

and further back, Nick, Doug, Hawk, David, John, Chris, and Ryan

and here's Andrew, Stacy, me, Nick, Doug, Brad, Jere, and Eric (and his son)

I think this pic is thanks to Elissa?

 

Hi Dad, I'm in Jail!

this wasn't quite ready to open, so we'd have to come back in a bit. . . it was a walk thru haunt experience, tho I can't recall if there was an actual "ride" or if it was just a guided tour kind of thing.

next door, this indoor shooter was open tho.

so we took a spin on this.

That's Larry & his Niece there.

this wasn't open today, tho I do love these kinds of rides. . . . so snapped a couple of pics

 

we missed this one by only a few weeks - this is the park's new for 2024 coaster, that is called Gold Rush.

it's an Intamin tire launch family coaster with multiple switch track.

they had it mostly ready to go, and a lot of the theming was in place.   but it hadn't started testing yet, and they hadn't yet announced the name yet when we were there.
so the big walls were still up around it.

heading back into the main park.. you can see how non-busy it really was today.
tho  to be fair, it seemed a lot of the folks who were here, were in Thomas Land .  . which is where we were gonna head next.

Troublesome Trucks is a Gerstlauer Junior coaster (with a creepy ass face on it) over in Thomas Land.

I mean. . LOOK at that face on the front of the train.

LOL. . .but it was a fun coaster and actually had some speed and pops of air.

what I found most interesting is how the queue for the coaster runs right along side the back of the Thomas the Tank Engine Train ride.

so you get a really great view of how the engine detaches from the front of the train when it returns to the station, spins around, then comes back around and attaches to the back of the train, making that the front.    so they don't need a big "turn around" track for the whole train.

and yes, the Thomas Engine has creepy ass eyes that move around as it chugs along.

almost our turn on the coaster tho.   I do think this one might have been the longest line of the day for us at this park.

but I think most of the TPR folks did ride it.

 

is this something to do with Harry Potter?

 

Hand to G-d, I swear this man introduced himself to me as Mister Top or Bottom.

I thought it was hysterical and posted about it.

i was corrected by several friends online who told me that his name is Mr. Toppan Hat.      but he used to be called something more offensive.

and sure enough, when I went to upload this trip report?   I actually DO have a picture of a statue of him that says Sir Toppan Hatt.

I think "Mister Top or Bottom" is way more amusing of a name tho

nothing else in Thomas Land was anything else I was interested in, so I wandered out to check out the remaining areas of the park.

we had passed this cute Carousel so did I stop and ride it now?

You Betcha!

a Map of the park - the entrance we came in is at the top over the lake.

you can tell it's not a HUGE park, and a big chunk of it is dedicated to the Zoo and Thomas Land (basically everything on the left).

despite the low crowds, they did have a show running, with a few participating

Mr Sequins there did try to get me to participate, so I shook my butt for a few moments to make him happy

and then we went back to the Haunting.

I say again, I REALLY don't remember much about this experience. . I *think* it was mostly acting and set pieces they walked us by.   but the theming was well done in the queue area.

it was getting ready to rain, and a light drizzle had started - so we headed over to the only other coaster that was open today (the "thrill" coaster, the Wave, hadn't opened yet today).

Jormungandr is Zamperla powered coaster.

and from it's queue line location, we were able to get some more looks at the new coaster that hadn't opened yet.     So that was an extra benefit for riding on this - and we bumped into a bunch of TPR folks while in this queue, so it was a mini-TPR-takeover

ohhhh. . a pony express ride next door?  yes please!

some different views of the new Gold Rush coaster

Happy TPR riders!

 

the pony express type ride next to it was called Sleipnir. . and Adults were allowed to ride (yay!)

close enough to a Carousel horse that these always excite me and I try to ride them if they allow adults.

in the Viking section, the park also has a Nebulaz.

I didn't even attempt to ride, as I know the seats are very snug. . and this one seemed to be taking forever to load/unload.

it's looks great in this section tho with that design

Stacey wanted to ride the Disk-O (a ride type I generally don't care for) so I sat and waited for her - which was a good call, as the chilly rain started during her ride.

can you spot her all bundled up and freezing her butt off ?  

at least she enjoyed herself.

meanwhile, I found a nice throne to wait on.   I love me a good throne.

while waiting for the Disk-O to finish, an announcement came out via the group messenger that the Wave had opened.

the Wave was at one point (up till 2023) called "Shockwave" and was the only Intamin Stand up coaster with a zero G roll.

in 2024, they swapped out the stand up trains for sit down trains, and renamed the coaster "the Wave"

it's still pretty intense, at least to me, and so was a 1 and done.   but it's the big thrill ride in the the park.

 

there's a nice flume/chute the chutes ride too, but it was already pretty moist so I didn't go on that.  Those that rode it said it was fun tho.

it offers a nice photo op.

 

oh, and a backwards big drop.

Besides the Thomas train ride, there's also another train here at the park, that brings you around the perimeter.

Stacey and I took a ride on that.

it really is a lovely park in places.   it's odd to have so much unused space in the middle of the park tho.   Wonder if they sometimes have paddle boats out here?

the big loop on "the wave"

there's also a pretty moist Rapids ride here at Drayton Manor

and an Air Race. . . for those looking for the more "adult rides"

it was getting close to time for the bus (we didn't spend more than 5 hours here, if I recall correctly), so it was time to get some shopping done, and I wanted to check out some of the zoo.

but first?  another photo op.    No idea who this character is. . but he's a Daddy, so needed a pic with him.

it's a fairly large zoo, but I didn't want to chance getting stuck way near the back and then having to run to the bus.   So I just checked out a few animals towards the front of the Zoo.

a few birds

and some monkeys

and whatever these are. . . otters?   merkats?

and with that it was time to meet back at the bus. . we still had a bit of a drive ahead of us.

we were off to yet another bucketlist park for me. . . a multi day stay (on property!) at Alton Towers.

 

to be continued. . .

[michaellynn4]

I would've liked to have visited Drayton Manor, but I fear if I tried to cram one more amusement park into our honeymoon while in Great Britain (already had BPB, Alton, and Thorpe on the schedule), my wife would've sought to annul our marriage the moment we landed on the tarmac at JFK. Mind you we also already did Efteling and Walibi Holland in the Netherlands during the trip, as well.

Looks like you had a great time!

[Garet]

It is sad to see all those thrill rides leave the park but Drayton Manor have handled the conversion to families while keeping the park interesting and themed much better than places like Lightwater Valley.

[Nrthwnd]

Drayton Manor was an interesting park. From the skyride, that took you "there and back", to the well hidden Haunted Swing attraction (UFO theming, back then). But there was that (then) stand up coaster. Ugh. Very hurtful to tender parts of the male body. Great TR of what you experienced there, Bert. Not bad for only five hours' visit. And ....

Yeah, I liked him. too! TPR 2006 UK Tour.

[bert425]

Day 7. . . checking into Alton Towers resort (for 3 night stay!) and ERT in the waterpark this evening.

apologies for the long delay (travels, illness, and injuries contributed), but trying to get back on track!   

upon leaving Drayton Manor, we drove the rest of the way to Alton Towers, and arrived in the evening for check in.    We had missed the park for the day, but that was no problem as we had gotten tons of riding in at Drayton earlier.    besides, Robb and Elissa had surprised us with an offer for after hours ERT / dinner at the indoor waterpark on site!

so here's images from the hotel, the room I had, and the ERT at the Waterpark:

 

after a drive, we pulled into the Alton Towers resort. .

a view of the other resort (themed to the kiddie properties) that was across the way from us, but still closeby to the monorail station to get to the park.

it's a large, and themed hotel. . tho the themes seemed to be a bit all over the place.

still. . they were all in tho.

 

lobby theming. .

the restaurant downstairs (and bar) were themed too

 

and the steampunk pirate ship that's in the center atrium also served as a stage for musical performers, and a magic show each night.

the rooms heavily leaned into the "steampunk" / "Pirate" theming. . .except when they didn't and parts of it were "steampunk" / "Outer-space"

still. . it was an incredibly lovely room.

with a big, separated bunk-bed area that could sleep even more

the bathroom is where it really went into outerspace

but at least you had a robot buddy on the back of the door so one never has to poop alone

 

changing into my swimwear, I headed back down to the lobby area, and snapped some pics as I made my way over to the other hotel - where the waterpark was located

a giant chair?  sure, I'll attempt a pic

the fountain outside the main entrance to the hotel

and a look at said main entrance

I suppose the British folks knew who these carvings were of. . I had no idea, but thought they were rather cool.

most of the walkway between the hotels was covered. . . tho as seen above, we did have to go outside to go to the connecting hotel.

lots of oversized props. . . but I guess since this hotel is geared towards the kiddie stuff, it makes sense that things would be giant to the patrons.

a peek down at the waterpark from the walk way.

the waterpark is in the center of the hotel, and tho it was open for us, it had closed already to the public.   so we were surrounded by folks looking out windows and wondering why there were people in the closed waterpark.     it felt very "zoo-y". . .LOL

the layout of the waterpark (and even tho it was pretty chilly outside, the outdoor stuff was open for us.  I felt bad for the lifeguards that had to stand out in the cold, but they were pretty talkative, and fun and seemed to be enjoying our fun)

Stacy and I are ready to have a splashing good time!

it's not a large waterpark, but as noted, there are some outdoor things too.   and what they have offers quite the fun variety.

the food was delicious too. . . took way too much (as hadn't eaten much today). . but everything was great.

heya Adam & Nick.

Group photo, courtesy of Robb, before we got in the water!

and this seems to be the aftermath of the giant dunk tank tipping on us. . somewhere I have that pic, but not finding it at the moment.

I believe this hot tub was off the lazy river, and was called "Bubbly Wubbly". . so of course, had to soak in it.

thanks Elissa for this pic.

to be continued. . .

[bert425]

and two random pics that found their way in (out of order)

 

this one is sad to share, as Oakwood just announced it's shutting down. . but here's on the bobsled slide at Oakwood

 

and I THINK this might be the Wave at Drayton Manor?  anyone know for sure?

[bert425]

day 7, full day at Alton Towers:

 

the next morning, got up in time for breakfast (they had to split us up into groups, so several of us met in the lobby to head over to the park together after eating something)

 

view from where I sat at breakfast:

and then headed out to the monorail station, that would bring us around to the front of the park.

we were on our own for most of the day today, meeting up later for some ERT on Smiler.   

ready for a full day at this park that had also always been on my bucket list.

at the front gates, we're met by a monument to a Vekoma Corkscrew that I guess used to be at the park.

I was just glad we had so many other coaster options (some of which I had heard of for decades, and always wanted to ride).

 

park map. . this place is HUGE.   the Map really doesn't give the full size of the place.

our hotel is way up there on the left, and park entrance is way over there on the lower right.   So the Monorail brought us thru the park and to the front gates.

 

from the main entrance, you get an amazing view of the castle ruins (which can be toured as part of the Gardens. . but also is home to Hex (sadly closed for refurb during our visit)

 

CBeebies land is the WTF kids area, that has some "never in America" characters. . .

looking back at the Monorail we had just gotten off of.

interactive squirting frog fountain in the main entrance area

better view of the castle / ruins/ gardens from the end of the main street.

nothing quite opens with the park, but it's so large, we headed in anyways to get to near what we wanted to hit up first.

there are a lot of coasters here, but most are very spread out.  

Mutiny Bay area has a bunch of rides, including teacups, splash battle, the rapids ride, an electric mine train, and is also home to the sealife aquarium here at the park.

lots of interactive stuff all over the park too.

I believe this button on the scull activated the parrot - who interacted with guests.

not open yet, but we'd be back!

possibly my most looked forwards to ride here (tying with 13), the Wicker Man wooden coaster.

people were already lining up to get on it when it opened.

and this was *before* all the smoke and fire effects that are in use during the ride were turned on!

spoiler. . it's an amazing coaster.   I loved it.

no water in the rapids (yet), but they would be up shortly.   that track next to it on the right is the Mine Train

it's a really long train, and they send it around a couple of times - in our case, we got the "Australian" 3-peat. . so got to go around 3 times, because Nick was riding with us.  

and they really love saying "choo-choo" as the train passes under the station.

another coaster I was very much looking forwards to!

this section had a recently re-imagined dark ride that is total WTF, and was my favorite flat at the park.

so fantastic effects, and a truly whacko storyline.

the "Curse of Alton Manor"

not sure what's up with the "Giant chairs". . but sure, I'll sit in this one too!

it's haunted mansion, crossed with a ghost train, and a bit of Tower of Terror mixed in.

LOVED it.

and the castmembers were having a ball.

it's kinda "hidden" in the middle of the park, in it's own section.   so it never really had a line.   I think I rode it at least 10 times, and ended up with a couple of T-shirts and magnets from it.

if you continue on the pathway towards the back of the park, you come to the section that Nemesis is located.

and is heavily themed, as an area that the Nemesis lifeform has invaded and the Government is trying to keep under control

tons of actors in character back over here.. .

and this is a separate ride off by itself, but also themed to the Nemesis creature in the area.

won't spoil it, but it has live acting, and a pretty "jumpscare" ride that you won't see coming.      

apparently it doesn't operate too often - I can see why, it takes a lot of cast members - so I'm really glad I got to experience it.    Pretty scary for a non-halloween themed ride!

rapids now full and ready for riders!

and the aquarium was open now too. . so time to go take a look!

 

oooo. . .pretty!

 

cast members out in this area too. . . love how well they had this park staffed!

I even got to meet the Alton Towers mascot bear. . tho never caught his name

some of the folks I was hanging around with today wanted to ride EVERY coaster. . and that included the kiddie one over in CBeebies land). . .so we headed over there next

I STILL have no idea what the hell these things are.

yellow boogers?

ahh.. a daisy I recognize!

ok.. I'm absolutely coming back to ride this tomorrow (and I did)

here's the kiddie. . I believe it was basically a roller skater?

tho the theming was adorable.

 

several TPR folks on this train

whoops. .I've been seen!

 

lol. . I already saw you, can't hide from me, Doug!

Stacy wanted to ride too.

I stood in line, but actually didn't ride (just wasn't feeling it). . .   but I'm glad she had fun.

right next door was Spinball Wizzer tho.. and that I really wanted to ride.

it's an extreme spinner, with some great theming. . . very good ride.

to be continued. . .

 

[bert425]

day 7 (full day at Alton Towers) concluded:

continuing our way around this side of the park, the next thing we came to was Smiler

yeah. .this 14 (!) inversion coaster looked really intense.   I was wary of it, but since we had the fast passes, we figured we'd try to ride everything.

it broke down while we were in line tho, so denied (for the moment)

it really is sensation overload. . even just in the queue - the blasting giggling over the loudspeakers gets into your head!

the employees didn't look thrilled with their outfits, but one of them did confide in me that "at least they are warm"

what a gigantic mess of track!

with Smiler down, we went over to the world's first dive coaster, Oblivion.

I'd heard about this one for ages. . but didn't realize it's really just a drop.   there isn't much to this coaster, but being the first of it's kind meant that it was a must ride.

and ya know what?  it gives a hell of a thrill still.   I quite enjoyed it.

Smiler was still down, so we headed towards the forbidden forest area - the only part of the park we hadn't explored yet, and home to the last two coasters here.

cutting thru the ruins at the center of the park along the way

it was a shame that Hex was down - as I love madhouses, and I'd heard this was a good one.

but hey, a reason to go back at some point!

whoops. . we'd taken a wrong turn and totally missed the forbidden forest area, and ended up in the world of David Walliams.

as a fan of Little Britain, I knew who he was, even if I wasn't familiar with his kid's books.   But the Gangsta Granny ride sounded great - and it was a fun , stupid, dark ride, that I think I rode a 1/2 doezen times.  so well worth the stop over in this section.

it even had a photo op!

 

why yes, I'm the Queen

this was apparently a building they used for a show that was not running at the moment.

but next to it was a sizzler . .

and a small carousel.

 

on site in the park, there was also an Alton Towers Dungeon - which one of the workers told us was about to shut down, so we made sure to do it the next day.
glad we did too, as they seem to have removed it from the park, so I got to experience my first ever "Dungeon" (in talking to others on the trip, the Dungeon experience is very similar in different locations, but typically do include a ride of some sort - in this case, was a boat ride in the middle of it).

we finally found our way over to where we had been headed earlier tho:

home to Rita and 13  the last two coasters in the park we hadn't seen yet.

I did enjoy Rita for what it is. . . but found it to be really rather short.   Just when I thought we were gearing up for another launch, we pulled into the station.

it was fun tho, and I believe i did ride it a couple of times.

13 (Thirteen) is 100% a family coaster, but I truly don't understand why some are disappointed in it.   for what it does?  it does very, very well.

and I enjoyed it.

but my favorite coaster in the park? 

Wicker Man.

we had ERT on it tomorrow night. . but that didn't stop me from riding it several times during the 1st day.   I absolutely loved the layout, the fire/smoke effects, and that double down / double up lift/drop.   so, so good.

even the station was kewl!

and the exit thru the gift shop offered lots of great swag!

making a face, but seriously, I loved this!

and some Rita pics

and the mine train. . .

Nick had photo pass, and he must have shared them all with us at this point, since all are together in my pics

 

Oh, I was incorrect. . we hadn't been to all the coasters yet.   We had come back to this area earlier, but only rode sub-terra. . we hadn't actually gone into the main area, and ridden Nemesis or Galactica. .   so we headed back over that way.

Nemesis looks amazing. . and that giant eyeball in the center moves to follow the trains!  and it blinks. . . really rather creepy.

more characters out, patrolling the area

(there were also a group of "freaks" out, protesting to protect the creature from government prodding).

 

it's good!

Galactica is a B&M flyer. . and yeah. . it knocked the wind out of me.   a bit too intense!

I liked it. . but yeah, 1 and done for me.   way too intense.

it was almost time to head back across the park for Smiler ERT. . . but we swung past Nemesis again for a few more pics (and another ride)

 

to get back over to Smiler, we decided to cut thru the "Gardens" section of the park.

it's hard to believe we're still in the middle of a theme park  (tho to be fair, I think if the skyride had been operating, instead of in refurb mode - now back open I hear - it wouldn't have seemed so "forrest-ry"

back at Smiler, which was now back up and running.

Group pic before ERT.

I'd be danged if I didn't ride it at least once. . even tho I KNEW I wasn't gonna like it.

(and I didnt' care for it. . the 14 inversions were just a bit too much for me. . so I was one and done,and then took pics of others riding it).

it's a great looking ride, just too much for me, but i know a lot of folks on this trip LOVED it.  and they were yelling out inversion counts as it went.

the photo must be early on, as I was still enjoying the ride at this point.   not sure about how Colin felt tho. . LOL

the track is so long, they can operate multiple trains. . . which with the twisted up track, really gives the impression they might hit each other!

I did make it to the end of ERT, even tho only rode that one time, and then we headed back to the hotel to grab some food and crash after a long, exciting, and exhausting, day.

I wasn't too hungry tho. .  perhaps Galactica and Smiler back to back had my stomach in knots. . . so I stuck with a desert.

and no, I didn't share  

 

and with that, it was off to shower, and bed.   Tomorrow was another full day at the park, and there were a ton of things I wanted to ride, and re-ride.

 

[Nrthwnd]

Awesome TRs of Alton Towers, Bert! And I love that perfectly placed DONUT SHOP in front of Oblivion's drop, heh. And I would love getting one of those models of the Wicker Man coaster cars. Very kewl looking.

[Garet]

13 hours ago, bert425 said:

13 (Thirteen) is 100% a family coaster, but I truly don't understand why some are disappointed in it.   for what it does?  it does very, very well.

and I enjoyed it.

I think this is why so many people are disappointed in it. It is a perfect 'first big' roller-coaster for younger kids wanting to try a bigger ride and should have been marketed as such.

 

Instead for whatever reason the marketing went with 'World's scariest roller-coaster' and their viral stunts included a more adult trailer advertising it after 9 P.M. on TV, and news reports released by the park claiming it was so scary that only riders 16+ could ride and you'd have to sign a waiver before riding.

So instead of getting excited families and their kids for what I agree is a great family ride, you got teenagers and thrill-seekers lining up for hours for something that wasn't what they expected.

[michaellynn4]

The Smiler theme in the queue music is still an earworm in my and my wife's ears 7 years later. 

[bert425]

day 8 - 2nd full day at Alton Towers, checking out CeBeebes land, the gardens, the Alton Towers Dungeon, WickerMan ERT and the rollercoaster restaurant for dinner!

after a good night's sleep (and a brilliant 1st day at Alton towers), was up and ready to go at park open the 2nd day.

but first stop?  the coffee shop in the Hotel.    Not quite a Starbucks, but really the closest I found on our UK trip!

the big chair photo op had no line this morning (and Andrew had joined me in getting coffee - so there was someone with to snap a pic).

I DO love me a good throne!

 

Andrew does too

meeting up with Stacy in the lobby we headed to the Monorail station.

today, we got to ride on Strawberry!

wheee

we had hit every coaster yesterday, so today I was determined to do all the silly, stupid stuff (ie: the stuff I really love to do), and first on my list was that elevated railway, over in CeBeebees land.    

told ya yesterday I was gonna ride it damn it

Stacy was willing, since I had waiting in line with her at the kiddie coaster yesterday, so we stood in the 20 minute line for our ride (it's a fairly long ride, and only seemed to have 5-6 cars).

Spinball Whizzer hadn't been running yet, but if I recall, the park did open at 9, and most of the rides don't start until 10.

but we got a view of it from the Treetop adventures queue

I mean. . look at this silly thing!    of COURSE I wanted to ride it.

yay!!  

as noted it's a fairly long track, and high enough you get a decent view of most of the land - which is actually quite large.   over the fence was a Bluey show that was going on, and we figured if we timed it correctly, we could catch the end of it.

(by the way, it was here that I learned that Bluey is a girl. . I had no idea!).

it's a LIFT HILL !!!      (well, I'm gonna count it as one)

seriously. . WTF are these things?

and they were among the LEAST F-ed up things in this land.    I'm shocked British kids don't end up way more damaged if this is what they are watching instead of Bozo, Captain Kangaroo, Romper Room, or Sesame Street.

 

noted!

the land really is quite large. . with tons of stores, shows, and indoor attractions

my brain wanted badly to ride this. . .but even I realized that this one is for the little kids, and I likely couldn't get my fat ass into the seat. . . LOL

Take the tunnel !!!

 

look at all these bunny hops!   it IS a coaster !  

ah. .there we go. . .as we were getting off the ride, Spinball Whizzer started testing over the fence next door.

we made our way over to the theater, and had just missed the Bluey and friends show. . . but they were out doing a meet and greet (and the ducks were out too)

I had no idea who any of these were other than Bluey, but oh I learned  .. . .

and this weird little guy was driving around (and managing not to run over any of the little kiddos)  

he was interactive with the guests too.

I discovered this nightmare of a ride by looking at a park map and saying to Stacy . . "is that a ride????"

 

it looked like it was part of a store, but it was actually next to the store (exit thru the store), and was the theme of the other resort hotel - the Night Garden, magical adventure ride.

again, HOW can kids sleep with this nightmare fuel all over the hotel room??

turned out it was a boat ride, which got us both excited.   silly, and on a boat?   complete win!!!

the operator looked quite amused that we were so excited about it.

ok. . starting off a little bit dark. . but into the woods we go.

aww. .how cute. . a little "train". . . I guess?

and Peter Rabbit themed frog hoppers next door (that you shouldnt' be able to see from the boat ride, but ok, it's still rather decent theming)

Um. . . whut?

trolls?

with cream puff hair???

WHUT the AKTUAL F are these????

Gahhhhh!!!!

a starfish infected with measles???   a gay sun?

 

sheesh. . ok, back to reality (or at least other kiddie rides we can see from the boat ride)

this SEEMED to be an interactive experience where one can go pet puppies and cats.  . but we never made it back over here to be certain.

oh no. . . back into the dark forest for. . . um. . I dunno what these are?

it's got a bike.  i think?

this TERRIFIED me. .and I wish I could remember her name, as apparently she's one of the best known characters from the kiddie shows in Britain.

 

she's known for hiking up her skirt.

no, really

 

and the animatronic does it!!

I was laughing so hard, that I almost didn't get a pic, and I still managed to catch part of it, if not the full pantie reveal

tiny fairie guardsmen?

cue Whodini:
 

the fever dream was over :(. . . .

I loved every moment of it. . . Stacy was done with the kiddie section tho

bumped into the Alton Towers bear again tho. .so my day was fantastic thus far.

hadn't noticed this yesterday, but the splash battle has sharks circling

we headed towards Wicker Man and grabbed a ride, and then we popped into one of the Taverns in this section to try out the drinks.

we had planned to do the Dungeon with a bunch of TPR folks as a group, so we headed that way after the beers.

we had a great time!

and thanks so much for the photo pass, and sharing this pic with us!

we then headed over to 13 for another ride, and saw a bunch of TPR folks on ride just in front of us.

hi Colin, Adam, Ryan, Jonathan, Shane, Chris, Barry & Steve (not looking)

we debated what to do next and Stacy and I decided to tour the "ruins" in the center of the park. . so we headed over there (I think Andrew joined us too)

not sure if this is part of the queue of "Hex" - which was down for refurb - but it certainly looked like these were emergency exit options.   or perhaps ride exit.

regardless. . it's very cool that these structures, are just in the center of a theme park.

they do such a fantastic job "hiding" the rides. . you'd never know there are rollercoasters all around you

of course we decided to take the lakeside walk path to get to Haunted Hollow (had to ride Curse of Alton Manor again!). . and so glad we did

the pathway is just littered with all kinds of interactive sculpture and atmosphere that trigger when you get close to them.

different scare actors out in front of the attraction today, but they too were having a ball.   they all really seem to love their jobs.

like the Donut shop in the middle of Oblivion, the Curse of Alton Manor has a sweet shop across from the main entrance.

with some really delicious looking special treats

Stacy got the black ice cream with eyeballs

 

to be continued. .. .

[bert425]

Day 8 concluded:

 

we wandered around for a couple of hours, ,getting re-rides on things we wanted while we prepped to meet up for Wicker Man ERT at park close at 5.

over in the Nemesis section, more anti government "protesters" were out demanding fair treatment for the creature.

and I happened to notice this sign over on the rapids.

I really do wish the US parks would enforce something like this. . . would make it such a nicer experience than riding with rowdy teenagers.

eventually it was time to meet up in front of Wicker Man. .so we headed over that way

as you can see, was an absolutely gorgeous day.

remember that donut stand in front of Oblivion?  someone (I think Colin?) had gone over and gotten donuts including the Oblivion themed one.

so Robb took a picture of it with us, as he hadn't brought enough to share!

are we ready for Wicker Man ERT?

YES!

one more time. . are we ready??

YES!!!

 

as mentioned, I absolutely LOVED this coaster.   I think it's one of very few that I rode every single train available during ERT.

and because it was at end of day, and the park had been running two trains?  we were able to do "zen rides". . here's Kristen all alone in front row of Wicker Man

and I believe I have Elissa to thank for this pic of me on my zen ride!

wheee!!!!

'

they even kept on the fire and smoke effects for us the whole time.

easily my favorite coaster at Alton Towers (tho Nemesis is a very close 2nd, followed by 13, and Spinball)

 

Stacy's got some "hair time"

nothing better than getting eaten by the Wicker Man.

SO good!

 

once ERT was over, we headed over to the back of the park for our evening reservation at the Rollercoaster Restaurant.

ok.. so if you've never been to one?  the concept is pretty neat, but the food tends to be pretty mediocre (and expensive).   That was the case here too, but if you've never been to one?  I'd say it's worth it just to experience once.

and if you go with a group of friends?  you can have a fantastic time, even with so-so food.    which again was the case here

before they dim the lights, you can see the mess of "tracks" overhead - that they use to serve the main meals to each table station.

you order at the kiosk once seated. . . "Nemesis Reborn" was a burger option.
 

so yeah, theme park pricing. . .

part of our table station. . once the lights went down.

the other half of our table:

people watching the tracks as food starts coming out.

in the center of this pic (by the pole) you can see one of the food deliveries coming

we're all happy as we think our food is coming

but nope.. went to the next table over.

that's ok tho, as the waiter brought over our drinks (not delivered via coaster track)

ok. .here comes our food!

 I mean. .it's a burger

and it was an OK burger too. . .

tho I didn't care for how the purple lighting made all the food look.  LOL

still. .it's an experience to try out if you've never done one of these RollerCoaster restaurants.

 

and with that, we headed back to the resort thru the back entrance of the park (the prior day, we had left from front gate and had to walk around the park to get back to resort, but this time we were able to use the resort exit since next to the Rollercoaster Restaurant).

we had to pack, as tomorrow was check out day, and we were headed towards what really was my main "bucket list" park:  Blackpool Pleasure Beach!  (and Steeplechase).

but we were gonna hit a surprise park along the way first, so had to get everything ready to go, and get rested for the adventure to continue.


(I'll try to get next update up fairly soon. . but got to update the Oktoberfest report before another update here ).

hope you've enjoyed seeing the park thru my eyes.

[teacherkim]

Hmmmm, interesting on them dimming the lights at the Rollercoaster restaurant, they did not do that at Foodloop in Europa when we were there! I think Joel loved that place as much as any coaster, lol. If/when we make it to Alton Towers, Wicker Man is definitely my most anticipated coaster so happy to hear it was really good.

[bert425]

10 minutes ago, teacherkim said:

Hmmmm, interesting on them dimming the lights at the Rollercoaster restaurant, they did not do that at Foodloop in Europa when we were there! I think Joel loved that place as much as any coaster, lol. If/when we make it to Alton Towers, Wicker Man is definitely my most anticipated coaster so happy to hear it was really good.

Oblivion was really good too (tho very short).

honestly, there wasn't really a bad coaster in the park, tho a couple of them were way too intense for me (Smiler and Galactica)

[bert425]

I looked it up. . the character who shows off her panties is named "Upsy Daisy"

no. . really

and apparently that's her bed that follows her around. . . .  

Bwaaaa-haaaa-haaaaaa


 

[bert425]

Bonus video from Alton Towers, as I finally found where I stashed the video Robb had filmed of us at the Waterpark on night one.
 

 

and a couple of pics of the resort at night.

 

[bert425]

Day 9 - travel day (to Blackpool) with stop at Surprise extra park along the way:  Gulliver's World!

tho I was already missing Alton Towers, I was excited to be headed to my #1 park on this trip: Blackpool Pleasure Beach.

I didn't know much about Gulliver's World, so I daydreamed about Blackpool as we went thru the lovely UK countryside, and quaint small towns.

 

 

Eventually, we turned down a narrow road into the fields and came upon the front entrance to Gulliver's World. 

Gulliver's World is a "smaller" park, part of a chain of Gulliver's that are spread thruout the UK (I think there's a total of 3 parks).   They have a large outdoor park, and an indoor waterpark.

it's not exactly a kiddie park, but it IS intended for younger folks.  and I believe typically an adult must be with a child to attend.   We had an invite from the park tho, so a whole bunch of adults were descending on a park intended for the younger set.

it DID feel a bit odd, and we got a few looks from the school teachers leading their classes thru the park for their fun day. . . .but it was during the week, so not very crowded otherwise.

Robb's group photo before heading in.

it really was much larger than I thought it was going to be.   and at first glance it's quite lovely.

as you look closer at things, you do notice some wear and tear, but for the most part, it's a nicely kept park.

and they DO have a roller coaster here - a decent sized woodie called "Antelope"

as noted. . decent sized coaster

but most of the rides were for older kids / younger teens.

Adults were permitted to ride (if they fit) tho! 

very quiet day, but we were visiting on a weekday.

lots of indoors "hidden" rides too. . tho most of them were really of the small kiddie variety.

the other coasters the park had were basically Wacky Worms type.

such as "the Wriggler"

tho this one I DID ride

Gully's Grand Prix was one of two (or three) - tracks with self driving cars type rides they have here.

were we allowed to ride? 

Yes!

interesting color in that pond!

but nicely landscaped.

and with props.

that looked like it was a carousel building behind me - but was actually a restaurant themed to a circus.

and despite it being a slow weekday?  the park did have characters out and about to meet.

so of course I wanted to meet the prince and princess!

ooooo a princess ride?

and I can get on it??

yes, please!

the individual trains are FABULOUS!

it's a dark ride, with lots of neon paint and black light.

seemed to have been built in house, but was actually pretty fun in an "I found this WTF ride at a creepy old carnival" way.

sorry for the blur. .but really wanted to share these pics to show the inside of the ride.

LOL. .at least the kid looked like he enjoyed it.
the Dad's expression says it all. . . "WTF did I just ride?"

next to the restaurant, there was a small carousel. 

So small they called it a merry go round.

I wasn't expecting a yes, but asked if adults were allowed, and the operator shrugged and said "sure"

I mean. . it was really small.

but he said OK. .   look at that smile!

my happy place.

heading down the path to the back end of the park into the "Western Area"

this side seemed to have once housed a boat ride (a lake and queue line remained. . so I'm guessing that's what was there), but the main attractions over here now were a climbing/play area fort, and a raft ride.

these figures SEEM to be leftovers from a discarded queue that looked like perhaps it went to paddle boats or rafts?

no idea on this one. . no sign, or explanation. . it was just . . there?

maybe a petting zoo (that wasnt' open today)?

inside the Main Fort tho is the raft ride

it was short, but actually was pretty fun.  with the perfect amount of wetness (just a spritz)

was getting hungry. . so headed back to see what the food offerings were.

but OF COURSE, had to pop back in and ride the Princess ride again

everyone enjoyed it!

 

the inside of the Circus restaurant.. . it was basically a quick serve burger/fries place.   Ok food for the crowd they typically get.

and then we headed over to Antelope (as we were passing it for hte other side of the park) and decided to take a ride on it - even tho we were going to have some ERT on it later that afternoon.

ummm. . .that's a LOT of padding.

never a good sign.

I asked why it's called Antelope, and it was explained to me that "the Antelope" is the ship that Gulliver was sailing on when it got attacked by a giant squid and that's how he became shipwrecked in Lilliput.

the operator told me there used to be a sign explaining that, but he didn't know why they had taken it down. . .

but it explained why a ride themed to ships and Octopus' was called "the Antelope"
 

yah. . wasn't exactly "smooth" in the back car.

LOL

 

to be continued. . .

[bert425]

continued. . .

LOL. .this pic was clearly taken before we left the station on Antelope. . we look so happy compared to the onride

 

for some reason - didn't seem to fit with the *idea* of the crowd for the park - they had a pretty great inhouse built Haunted Mansion walkthru

 

continuing on to the right side of the park - which again, was much bigger than I had first thought, there was a smaller section called "Gully's Gears" which had a small steel coaster that was themed to drag racing (tho was still basically a wacky worm or roller skater).    I believe there was also a swing ride in this section - that for some reason i have NO pictures of in this area.    The pics must be mixed up and in another file.   I'll post em later if I can find them.

and then you get to the largest area of the park - a huge section themed to Africa/ Jurassic Park / Lost World.

this circular maze was interesting.

and this appeared to be a small boat ride that was down for refurb (tho luckily the flume ride close by to it was open)

there was Mini Golf over here too with tons of animal sculptures

and a shooting dark ride.

and then suddenly?   no more Africa, but lots of Dinosaurs!

whee!

we were literally the ONLY people over here, and the operator still insisted that we all ride together (for "capacity").

so we just shrugged and climbed aboard.

I don't recall if these were regular slides, or water slides.   but I know I didn't do them, so I'm guessing they were water slides.  (the kind you sit in a raft to go down)

 

gahhhh!!!!!

what in the name of gawd is this?   a Sabertooth Thing????

 

Noted!

oh. . I did get a pic of the flyers from across the lake.

not a great pic, but at least I have one.

Andrew enjoying the log flume.

it didn't seem TOO wet. . so I got a ride on it too.

it was getting to be almost time for the Antelope ERT, but I had noticed the train that went around the perimeter of the park, and wanted a quick ride on that.

so I headed over there before meeting up.

you know it's Klassy when there are rainbow lights in your train compartment!

it really does give you a nice view of the grounds of this lovely park.

passing rides that didn't really stand out when walking by them.

and random stuff - like a giant head in the woods.

I did make time to go into the gift shoppe to try and find a fun magnet (which I did. . one with princess and jewels floating. . will post in the Swag thread after done)

but found other interesting stuff too:
 

heading over to Antelope, I discovered a second carousel in the park - this one more adult friendly.

So, I mean, I had to stop and grab a ride.

and then it was time to meet up with the group to ride Antelope!

I know this is supposed to be a bag of chips eating itself. . but WTF???

it DID ride smoother towards the front.. not near as bad as the back row had been earlier.

hence the smiles.

so many tapped out due to roughness, that those that loved riding got near zen rides on the coaster for part of the ERT

but then Robb called all the "big" folks up - for SCIENCE!

we ran a "fat train". . with all the heaviest riders, filling every seat (and of course it started raining, cold rain too, that's why so many are bundled up in these pics).

if we filled the train with heavy riders, would it run faster??

for Science!

(I'll answer that question shortly)

here's regular train.

and "Fat Train"

 

it was great, we all chanted "Fat Train, Fat Train" as it ran the course.

If someone had Robb's video he posted on Insta of the Fat Train, would love to have it added to this report.. as it really was a great time!

 

and yes, we ran faster than the "regular" train. . by a good 7 seconds! 

*(they timed it. . told ya, it was for Science!)

and then it was time to head out.

we had to get back on the road to head to Blackpool Pleasure Beach.  

So we said our goodbyes to Gulliver's World - which really is quite the charming place - and continued on our journey.

 

[bert425]

Day 9 (evening) arrival in Blackpool, and checking into the Big Blue hotel, and checking out the pleasure piers! 

 

although I don't recall how long the drive was from Gulliver's World to Blackpool, I do know we departed Gulliver's around 5:30, and I think we got to Blackpool a few hours later?

it was too late for the park to be open (the UK parks all seemed to close pretty early), but there was still plenty of sunlight as we got towards the area.

I know for sure that my excitement skyrocketed when I spotted the famous "Blackpool Tower" off in the distance:

and this giant Blackpool Sculpture - that I'm sure if in the perfect spot, can line up the tower with it.

before too long, we pulled up to our Hotel for the next 3 days.   Actually on site, and overlooking the park (the arrangements here were incredible - HUGE thank you to both Robb & Elissa for this planning as well as the fantastic staff at the hotel !).

we were going to staying at "Big Blue"

very quickly we got our room keys and headed off to our rooms - tho a bunch of us had planned to meet back down in the lobby in about 40 minutes to go walk along the sea-shore to check out the pleasure piers, and what kind of dinner we might be able to find in Blackpool.

my room was pretty amazing, and I remembered to actually take pics of it upon arrival.

looking back from the end of the main entrance hall towards the door.
that blue area on the right?  a separate kids area!

with bunk beds

and even video games to keep the kiddos occupied

now facing towards the room. . on the left is the bathroom and straight ahead is the large bedroom area

 

I'm just too uncoordinated to use these 1/2 shower designs. . I always end up spraying water all over the bathroom!

but otherwise, a beautiful bathroom.

and a large room

how was the view? 

as I mentioned above. . HOLY CRAP !!!

and overlooking my holy grail too, Steeplechase.

I simply cannot express enough thanks to Elissa and the universe that I ended up in this room.

 

in this view there are pieces of EIGHT coasters (10 if you count each of Steeplechase's tracks):
Infusion
Big One
Big Dipper
Icon
Avalanche
Steeplechase
Revolution
& Nickelodeon Streak

looking to the right to see more of the hotel. . tho we're in the "middle" section, which has best views of the park.

it was overcast and quite windy - no impact today, as the park was closed for the day already.  but it worried me a little bit for the next few days.

what a view. . .if I hadn't had to go to the lobby to meet up, I would have stood here for a long, long time.

meeting up, about 7 of us headed out to walk around the outskirts of the park, and along the seawall, to check out the 3 Blackpool Pleasure Piers.
(it ended up being way, way further than it looked, LOL. .and I did end up taking a taxi back later after dinner instead of walking back)

the park is on our right, but all along the "ground level" of the parks, are related tourist attractions and things that were quite interesting - even if none of them were open

one of the park entrances from the Seawall side.

Hot Ice was the show that was opening on our 1st day in the park, and we'd been invited to go watch it after park close.
it was. . . . interesting.     

more about that tomorrow.

peeking past the closed gates, that's the main park entrance, and the down for refurb drop tower right at the park front.

looking across at the SeaWall was the Blackpool indoor waterpark.

we crossed the street over to the seawall side, but looking back across at the Blackpool Pleasure Beach, main entrance.

never did see that Casino they are advertising open but we did have dinner in the tower restaurant noted there on the 2nd night.

a peek at the park map for the indoor water park.

it looked like a pretty decent one, but since I was there for the theme park, I didn't even consider taking any time from the park days to go to the water park.

next to the waterpark, however, was another casino. . and this one was open (and ended up in there a couple of times, to play some slots or grab a late night snack).
it's nothing at all like a USA Casino - I don't think it was 24 hours - but the food was decent and served late.  and the handful of slots and table games were acceptable. . tho more along the lines of what you'd see at a small off strip casino in vegas, with just a handful of options.

I believe this was an "adult entertainment" bar, but loved the name "the Velvet Coaster"

pics of businesses across from the seawall side of Blackpool

coming up to the South Pier, you can see the Blackpool Tower off in the distance.

not a whole lot open on the pier, as I think it was just too windy (and a bit too early, as this seemed really targeted towards teenagers and young adults who wanted to party)

the tide was pretty far out at this point too.. that's the back of the waterpark, and behind it (and across the street) is the lift and 1st drop for the Big one.

further out on the long pier and you can get a great view of the Big One.

later, ALL that sand would be under water as the tide comes in

some really classic carnival rides were on the pier. . tho as noted, not many things were open just yet.  I think they were waiting for it to get a bit darker so the lights would really advertise the rides.

tho some things were open, and had people riding them - despite the cold wind.

the main draw to the South Pier is this Spinning Wild Mouse, all the way at the end of the pier over the water.

too windy and was told it wouldn't operate tonight - tho it did run the next day and a bunch of TPR folks made the trek across to get the credit.

this freaked me out a bit, but I did it.. . the wild mouse is placed on grating at the end of the pier.

so, yeah.. you can walk out over the open sea beneath you. . .    I did it - it goes all the way around the mouse and comes out on the other side

from the end of the pier a look towards the Central pier, that was further North, going towards the Blackpool Tower.

the Central Pier has a Ferris wheel on it, that WAS operating, despite the wind.   but it was way too shaky for me to attempt - tho really, I would have gone on it if anyone else had wanted to.

photo op with the two Nicks ?   

yes please!

back onto the seawall, and moving towards Central Pier

hmm. . .doesn't really look "fun". . looks perhaps a bit sad?

but nearer the Tower, and by the Central Pier, it certainly got more festive, with way more "touristy" stuff. . such as Ripley's, and Madame Trussaud's, etc. .

the entrance to the Central Pier

not sure if there was a festival coming, or they had just put up some more art installations, but this was rather cool.

stepping onto the Central Pier. .this one had a bit more traffic.   

just look at those waves tho.. yeah, it was windy!

looking back towards Blackpool Pleasure Beach. . even I was surprised how far we had walked.

the rides were reasonably priced here.  . tho they were much more family friendly rides than the more extreme ones that had been on the South Pier.

as said, these Ferris Wheel cars were really swinging in the breeze. . it just didn't seem safe enough

ooo. . a "Grease" related diner?

(but the actual food looked . . um..  . not great - so didn't eat there).    Loved the advertising for it tho.

that's the North Pier over there. . . but by now my feet were starting to hurt (it had been a long day), so I decided I didn't really NEED to go down to that pier.

but "KandyLand" across the street?

yeah. .that I could manage.

yes, I bought a bunch of stuff at KandyLand.

and it still amuses me greatly that the "Fudge for a Fat Bastard" was being sold right next to "a Present for my Beautiful Grandma". . .Bwaa-haa-haaaaa

oh my. . I was Sooooooooooo tempted!

LOL. . but I behaved.

we wandered towards what seemed to be a tourist center near the tower base, that also had St Johns Church - a beautiful church dating back to 1821 (and I believe it was Nick who enjoys photographing churches and pointed it out to us).

"THE Chinese Buffet" wasn't gonna be a choice for dinner, as it looked like it hadn't been open in a while. . but someone had discovered there was a Nando's nearby where the church was, and we agreed that would be a good place to head.

turned out they were packed, but we went ahead and made a reservation for 45 minutes later (and said hi to the group of other TPR folks that were already there eating) and went to check out the church / area until they had a table ready for us.

most everything over here was closed already, as it was kinda late.

some great graffiti here.  (tho I wasn't about to go down an alley to get a better pic)

the Church really is beautiful. .and the way the sun was lighting it up really made it worth the visit.

eventually we went back to Nandos and had a great meal.     Some were gonna head back along the seawall, but I was so wiped, I opted for a cab, and Nick rode with me.

so we made it back to the hotel relatively quickly.

a hot shower, and laying out clothes for my first big day in the park tomorrow, and I was ready for bed.

but not before spending some time looking out at my view again in the evening shadows

as I was finally about to turn off the lights, Andy (I think) sent back these shots he had taken from the walk back along the seawall during sunset.

these are spectacular shots. . so I saved them to my phone and am sharing here too:

look how much the tide has come in!  it's actually lapping those steps now!

very very windy.

and because Big One is in the background?  this must be a shot taken of the Central Pier from the North Pier (the one I didn't go to)

yeah. . look how rough that sea is. . and how high the water has gotten!

 

and with that?  I was off to bed. . and said a little prayer that it wasn't too windy tomorrow to impact our day.

I will try to get up 1st day at Blackpool Pleasure Beach within the next 36 hours!

[bert425]

Day 10 (pt 1) full day at Blackpool Pleasure Beach - and getting to ride my holy grail.

tho I was so excited I had some trouble sleeping, I actually did wake up before my alarm (and well before park open).     Checking the weather, it said overcast (and windy - oh no!).. but a quick peek out the window jumpstarted everything - there was an Employee walking the track of Big Dipper!   that was an excellent sign, that they were planning on opening things.

as I started to get dressed for breakfast, I heard some commotion outside the window, and looking out again, Icon was testing!
(that was our ERT coaster for this morning.. . so I giddily snapped some pics to send to the group - for those who hadn't been in the rooms to hear/see it).

a peek out the windows at breakfast confirmed it was really windy today still. . . just look at those waves.

and there was no movement at all on "the Big One" - a coaster that is often closed due to winds apparently.

but at least we had two full days at the park. . . so I was hopefull, and dug into breakfast.

the group met our "park guide" at the back/resort gate (which wasn't really open, but they opened it for us which was great), and we headed into the empty park and towards Icon.
you can tell how bundled up everyone is, that the day started out a bit chilly.

I love going into a park before it's open, as lots of opportunities for pics without a lot of people in them.   (so yet another reason I love going on trips with TPR)

great sign, Big Dipper was now testing.
(as well as ICON, as you can see the train behind Big Dipper's train)

it really is quite a lovely park, and they crammed so much in!   it's hard to believe there were a few big rides that had been removed (the Wild Mouse, the Motorway) or were down for refurb (an indoor tunnel of love type ride thru caves, the drop tower) during our visit, as there was so much still to do.

swimming Jockys ?    I have no idea but it was interesting scenery.

since everything is built in and around (and thru) other things, the queue lines too weave a lot.

this is part of the Icon Queue, but you can also see Infusion (blue track), Big Dipper (wood track), and Big One (red track) in this pic.

fairly non-descript station on the outside - they let the ride speak for itself.

parts of Avalanche, and the loop from Revolution are visible from the Icon queue line.

Nick and Jere ready for their back seat ride. 

this is train 1.   On the other train, they have replaced the last car with two spinning seats, and they consider this a separate ride, called "Enzo" (it's an upcharge)

TPR train, ready for launch.

for a coaster with multiple launches, this coaster really doesn't have a lot of speed. . .it really feels like it's just "meandering".. . but it somehow really WORKS for this ride.
adding a ton of hang time, and making the coaster incredibly re-rideable.

I liked it a lot.

on the bridge after I rode a few times, I snapped pics  from over the 1st launch, and managed to catch the other train with the "Enzo" spinning seats in the back car.
(those that rode it that way said it was fun)

I liked it best in the front row. . .but as noted, it was an enjoyable coaster regardless and a great way to start off our day

this pic is courtesy of either Elissa or Jack Crouse.

happy train of TPR riders

by the time we finished our ERT, the grounds were open and folks had started to show up - even if none of the rides were open.

but I was about to get a surprise when we were informed we were now headed over to Steeplechase for some pre park opening rides (I seriously was so excited I was afraid to go to the bathroom in fear of missing something)

seriously. . holy grail.

a ride I *never* thought I'd ever get to see, let alone ride.

and it turned out that Elissa & Robb had mentioned to the park folks that for a couple of us on this trip, we had come on the trip *specifically* for Steeplechase (that would be me and Jonathan).  

and the park responded by opening all 3 rails for us!    From what I was told, typically they only run 2 rails, and the Gold one rarely operates.

so.. apologies for all the Steeplechase pics. . . I actually culled them and am only posting a few, relative to how many I tool. . LOL

at only 2 riders per horse, and nothing underneath you for most of the ride.. it truly is both an exciting AND terrifying experience.

I think most of the folks liked it tho.

I was absolutely giddy, and even tho I think I only "won" once?  I rode it a LOT. . . not just today, but tomorrow too - when the operators recognized us at the SteepleChase superfans from the prior day and let Jonathan and I do solo rides on the horses for a few laps without having to go back thru the line

 

but yes, I was able to get at least 10 rides, across all 3 rails, during our surprise pre-park open rides today.

again, the below pics are courtesy of either Elissa or Jack.

once I got my excitement to calm down (and after a bathroom break, finally), we split off for the rest of the day.

we didn't have any evening ERT, so the day was ours to do with as we pleased (some people went across to the South Pier to ride the spinning mouse), although the Resort was hosting an opening night gala for the "Ice on Fire" ice skating show, and the park had offered us all tickets if anyone wanted to go.

I planned to go, cause why not?, and then headed to explore the park with a smaller group of about 5-6 folks.

first stop was Revolution, an Arrow shuttle loop from 1979.  yup, one of the classics, where you have to climb the stairs to the top so the train can make the loop

what's nice, is from this tower, in the center of the park really, you get some crazy nice views
(yeah, that's one of the park's 3 carousels behind us).

looking towards the water. . directly in front of us is the Big One's station - with the first drop way back in the distance behind Avalanche.  

it was, indeed, closed today - too windy for the Big One.    (fingers crossed for Tomorrow for some ERT on it)

Nickelodeon Streak - the orange woodie that rings the Northern part of the park also runs right along Revolution's queue tower

a beautiful view of Steeplechase station, and some of the track, and the Big Blue hotel - where we're staying.

Nickelodeon Streak's turnaround, and looking over the town of Blackpool

with the clouds burning off, it really was quite lovely here.

continuing our way counter-clockwise around the outer perimeter of the park, we came to Nickelodeon Universe area next.

and there were characters out for photo ops.

I asked the handlers if they could take a pic for me, and this cheeky bastard said sure - then flipped the camera and took a selfie

(gotta wonder how often he does that to folks.. but he didn't realize that I was there for two days, and when I saw him the next day would embarrass him so badly in front of his co-workers (who thought it was hysterical) that I doubt he does it much again).

anyways. . here's the pic he took that he thought I wouldnt' notice.

and here's the real pic, after I handed him the camera back, making sure it was pointing the correct way.

I think this is from Avatar?  hell if I know. .it's a character photo op!!  

in this section before you get to Nickelodeon Streak, you come across Blue Flyer - a PTC junior coaster, that's been in the park since 1934

adults were welcome to ride, so we got in line.

and saw that several other TPR folks also had the same idea

hey Jonathan, Shane, Adam, and David

it was adorable, and actually had a few pops of airtime.

and I love that the pic says "my first rollercoaster" 

lookie. . Bert is the filling in a Nick Oreo Sammich cookie.

looking around Nickelodeon land, most of the rides seemed to be of the "spin and puke" variety or "get wet" variety. . tho the Streak coaster loomed large over everything.

they only had one train on this, so this was probably the longest line we stood in today.

and unfortunately it was crammed full of teenagers who were acting up almost the whole time we were in the line.

this is also one of the oldest coasters in the park, as the lift hill and turnaround were originally part of "the Velvet Coaster" that was built in 1909. . but it was rebuilt and christened "Roller Coaster" in 1932, before being renamed the Nickelodeon Streak (slime streak?) in the 2010's.

that's a long way of saying it's a bit of a rough thing, and even tho we waited for it, it was one and done for me.

the kids (with the pliable bodies) seemed to love it tho.

I LOVED this operator. . she was "take no shit" from the teenagers, and yelled at them for throwing water - and would not let them ride until they apologized to us for splashing us with water while in line.

so of course, I wanted a pic with this wonderful woman.

Andrew and Stacy were in the train behind mine. . so was able to get a pic of them as they went by.

leaving the area. . this is another one of the 'wet" rides

I liked the Rugrats theming. . but seemed a bit too chilly to get wet - at least at the moment.

 

day 1 to be continued. . .

[bert425]

Day 10 (pt 2) full day at Blackpool Pleasure Beach

as we came up the stairs from the Nickelodeon section, I saw Wallace (of Wallace and Grommit) out and went to say hi and get a pic, only to be informed that if you want a picture of them, you must purchase the opportunity.  

I politely declined, and we continued past the Wallace & Grommit ride (I'd ride it tomorrow. . long line at the moment) and headed towards one of the park's other classic woodies:

the Big Dipper, a PTC built in 1923

I *love* the classic feel of the thing.

and it's right next to Infusion and the Big One in the middle of everything.

the inside of the station is charmingly retro. . and hey, look. . there's Stacy and Andrew in line up ahead of us.

Bert, Nick, Doug, Nick.

the windows in the queue for Big Dipper give one a fantastic view of Infusion's 1st drop thru the windows.

too bad it's a Vekoma SLC. . but hey, it LOOKS good

almost our turn. .

a bit rough, as one would expect from a coaster this old, but really quite a decent ride and I enjoyed it.

pic is courtesy of Andrew I believe.

since we were RIGHT NEXT DOOR to it. . we gritted our teeth and headed over to Infusion.

as noted. . at least it *looks* fantastic.   Especially built over a water feature.

already dreading this decision. . . but at least there's not much of a line.

smiling BEFORE we ride it. . . .

oooo. . .a train?   where is the station for that?  

made a mental note to look for it.

yeah. . it rides like a Vekoma SLC.

one and done. . . but I rode it.

having ringed the outside of the park, we headed into the center, where the Avalanche Bobsled is located.

charmingly themed over here.

 

'

and you get really close to Revolution's loop feature.

 

aha!  . . crossing over the bridge to get to the Avalanche entrance, I discovered the train station. . in an odd place, with an entrance from the actual bridge.

noted for later!

this was closed today, and tho it was small, it was quite lovely.

sadly, I think this is one of the 3 smaller rides the park announced has been removed to make space for a new ride coming in.
(come to think of it. . all 3 smaller rides they said they were removing, never opened the two days we were there, and were closeby the shut down car tracks.. so must be something big coming into this area)

I'm ready for a bobsled ride!

it was among the smoother of the bobsleds I've ridden.

and I did go back and ride it the next day too.

Lots of Photo Ops spread among the park. . even of many of them didn't make a lot of sense.

I got Nick to pose too, after being my photographer.

I believe I had reached out to Stacy and she and I made our way to the train station - as she loves this kind of stuff too.

the train really does weave all in and out of everything at the park, and gives some really interesting views/perspectives of things.

well worth a ride, if you go to this park.

you get REALLY close to some of the coasters too. . .

and it passes right in front of our hotel (and spoiler. ..  right there is that wonky as hell transition on the Big One that WILL mess up your back if you aren't prepared for it. . . every time we rode the next day. . right THERE).

looking up. .there's my room!   LOL. . with the curtains open on the top floor.

the tunnel at the end of Big One, where it dives underneath Nickelodeon Streak's structure

after a wonderful, relaxing, train ride, I was ready to hit the grouping of Dark Rides (Alice's Wonderland, Ghost Trains, and the park's Racing Derby are all right next to each other in an area of the park).

Alice in particular is sorta/kinda like the Disneyland ride, but there are many differences.

great photo op, even if it looks like I'm creeping out the Mad Hatter

 

while the March Hare is tickling Andrew's armpit.

no one wanted to be the Caterpillar.. but I wasn't gonna pass up being Alice!

or riding a horsie on the Derby Racer

I LOVED this. . . but I will admit that tho it ran faster than Cedar Downs?  I don't recall these horses moving back and forth.   So between the two?   Cedar Downs takes it as the better ride.

but still, I'll ride this over almost any other ride, any day.

Hey Stacy!

stopped to watch the racing trains on Grand National. . .another PTC coaster from 1935.

this one looked very very rough, and tho i did ride one side of it today, it bothered my hurt rib (damaged at Barrie Island), so never did go back to ride the other side.

the suspended ships are near the main entrance tho. . and those were a lot of fun.

back to Alice for another ride  (of course).

hmmm. . per this sign, this ride opened in 1962. . Disneyland's opened in 1958.   Maybe the similarities aren't such a coincidence?

and then it was time for Ghost Train! 

I'd held off on this, as I'd heard it was a good one, so was saving it.

it was SO good, y'all.   I rode this at least 10 times during my visit to the park.   just kept going back to it.   I loved it.

the themed benches over here are great too!

so good. .and so many pops of air!

no idea who to thank for this.   Stacy?

it was getting towards the end of the day, and so it was time to ride the infamous "Valhalla"

I don't want to ruin it, so all I'll say is that it's a very, VERY good dark ride, and a very, VERY wet water ride all at once.

yeah. . even completely covered with a TPR rain poncho, still soaked completely thru. 

but we knew we were in trouble when they were using a wetvac to suction out water from every boat as they came back thru the station. . LOL

SO good tho.   actually rode it again the next day too.

we were so wet from Valhalla, we went and rode Derby Racer a few times in an attempt to dry off (and it worked, since it spins so fast)

since Stacy is in this pic with me, assuming this pic is thanks to Andrew?

and with that (and slightly drier) our first day at the park was over, as it was time to shut down.

it was still early. . maybe 5pm?

but we went around to the front of the park, and I got this pic of the main entrance.    From what I was told, this park used to have a Noah's Ark (like Kennywood has), but it was decommissioned many years ago.  instead of destroying it tho, they moved it over the main entrance.

so it's no longer an attraction one can walk thru, but the Ark does still "float" up and down, and most of the figures from it are around the base.

so that's rather cool that they kept the history.

waiting for the reception area for "hot ice" to open.

it was a lovely set up, with a coffee shop, and bar in the outer entry area.

it was opening night, so some folks did dress up - and I felt a little bit under-dressed - but enough of the TPR folks went that I didn't really stand out.

TPR representing at the "Hot Ice Show" at Blackpool Pleasure Beach opening night.

I have to imagine that we had been asked to take no pictures (as it was opening night), as I don't seem to have a single picture from the performance (and yes, they really DID set the ice on fire, and there was a lot of skating tricks done).  

there clearly was also an issue as the intermission seemed to talk almost an hour between acts, and when act II did start there was suddenly an odd number of women vs men skaters - so I think someone must have gotten hurt during the 1st act, and that's why the delay in act II starting.

for what it was, it was enjoyable, and it's always fun to hang out with TPR folks.

(and as Stacy and I are showing, they DID serve alcohol. . so it was a nice enough way to spend the evening before heading back to the hotel for shower, and sleep.. .. tho I'm almost 100% positive, we DIDN'T go back to the hotel, but instead went across the street to the casino for food and some gambling)

 

but with that, Day 1 of Blackpool Pleasure Beach was done, and I had fulfilled a quest.. I was gonna sleep well tonight.

 

[bert425]

Day 11 - a 2nd full day at Blackpool Pleasure Beach!

 

it had stayed windy thru the night, and I heard the wind blowing against the window (helped me sleep) but a large metallic clang woke me up.
Peeking out the window?  The Big One was testing!   

Grabbed my phone to snap some pics of proof, and excitedly got dressed and headed down to grab something light to eat, as testing was a great sign we'd get our ERT on this coaster today.

LOVE this view. . .

we met up in the lobby and headed into the park, and were informed that they were indeed testing, and hoped to have it open for us.  but no guarantees.

TPR group hung out with our Park Guides by the gates, while they kept running trains - to ensure it wasn't too windy for it to operate.

and then they opened it up for us and ushered us into the station.

it was such a last minute decision, that the 2nd train still had all the sandbags in it for the morning test runs.

very cool to see that this is how they test it out on mornings they are concerned it might valley due to weather.

all maintenance hands were called on deck to remove the sandbags, and we were ready for our ERT.

these pics, I believe, are courtesy of Elissa.

 

what did I think of "the Big One" ?

well. . it's an Arrow Hypercoaster (that opened in 1994) - and as such, it's got a couple of janky / not so smooth transitions.    In particular, there is one transition right in front of the Big Blue Hotel that will *really* mess up your back if you aren't braced for it. . . .but my oh my, does that first drop make up for it.

a Diving steep turn to the right, and it truly does feel like the coaster has come off the track and you are hurtling towards the beachfront.  

so yeah, I rode it a bunch during ERT, even with that one painful spot that reminded us it's an Arrow coaster.

after our ERT, we were set free in the park as it was about to open.

Directly across from the Big One entrance is the park's classic carousel.  it wasn't open just yet, so I made a note to come back to it later.

but since we were right across the park path from SteepleChase, Jonathan and I headed over there to get a few rides.

as I mentioned yesterday, the ride staffers remembered us from the prior day (and what big fans we were of the ride) and let us stay on to bypass the line a few times.

they even took this wonderful picture of us - look how damn happy Jonathan and I are !    (and no, the third track wasn't operating today, and they told me it rarely does.. so I felt even more blessed that had gotten the opportunity to ride all three rails the prior day).    

much love and thanks to Robb, Elissa, and Blackpool Pleasure Beach Resort for that lifetime top 10 memory.

Jonathan and I decided to hang together for a bit, and headed towards the dark rides portion of the park - since they tend to be all gathered together in one area.

passing thru Nickelodeon land, the same "handler" who had been out yesterday with the Avatar character (and had taken a pic of himself instead of just me and the character) was out.. so I called him on it - in a playful way - and embarrassed the heck out of him in front of his coworkers (who laughed hysterically).

all was good. . he even posed with me for this selfie when I handed him to phone -  to prove I really was just teasing him.

and he took this great pic of Jonathan and I with Spongebob.

 

I do remember that Wallace and Gromit were out too, but for them, there was an additional fee, so we didn't do that. . .but I'm guessing this is the car (shoe?) from the ride, as we did ride the dark ride that morning.

before heading back to Alice in Wonderland for more rides on that today.

here's that sign in the queue that talks about when the ride opened at the park.

from the Alice line, you get a nice view of the Flying Machines, and the final stretch of Grand National's track as it races back into the station.  

that's the front gates of the park on the left, under the Noah's Arc on top.

we got lucky on our 1st ride with Jonathan scoring the back seat with the White Rabbit.

whee!

Valhalla wasn't quite open yet for the day *was open from 1-5 only), but in the TPR chat thread, there was talk about meeting up later to ride as a group.

so instead we headed over to the Flying Machines, a classic ride near the front of the park.

some lovely views from the load stations up here too.

 

the Big One's lift hill from across the park.

and the turnaround near the front of the park.

hey. . there's Nick!   a few other TPR folks had come upstairs while we waited for our cycle.

so we climbed into one rocket together.

under the Flying Machines sits a restaurant and a gift shop.

and in a very neat touch, there are windows that allow one to look into the workings of the ride - that's been operating since 1904 !

I was headed back to Derby Racer for more rides (I love these things), and so the guys came with to ride.

and tho I was wary about how rough this might be, the only coaster I was missing was Grand National.

we had ERT on it later that night, but I wanted to try it early so I could see how much "wooden coaster trembling" was on this classic coaster (built in 1935).
Great view of the lift hill from the station area.

short answer?  it's pretty rough.    not terrible, especially for it's age, but rough enough that I was concerned about multiple rides with my rib injury from earlier in the trip at Barrie Island.

needless to say, I never rode the right side (from station entry), only riding the Red Train from the left side.  so 1 and done for me (or is that 1/2 and done, since it's a racing coaster and only did one side)?

splitting off to do things that only I was interested in, this caught my eye across from the Grand National exit.

I wasn't sure what exactly it was, but it turned out to be a Museum of Illusion.   and was really rather fun.

and next door was a play area fountain for the kids (tho it was a bit chilly still) and a bunch of food kiosks. 

So I decided to grab a quick bite.

 

of note, and the reason I took this pic, those string lights behind the Picture Center?   

I was told that is where the classic (and crazy) wooden Wild Mouse had been located. 

It had been removed before the 2018 season, and the space was now being used as bar seating, and special event venue.

reminders that we're right off the beach:

folks were chatting about riding Valhalla, so I finished up lunch and headed over there to meet up.

a happy (and dry) group of TPR folks ready to take on Valhalla! 

(pic courtesy of Jonathan)

that same boat, not quite so dry, coming back into the station after our ride. . .LOL

I think this might be courtesy of Brad?

 

I needed to dry off a bit - Valhalla will *absolutely* soak you.    like getting dipped into a bathtub soak. - so I headed over to Racing Derby to spin dry (hey, it helped)

the River Caves ride was down, and was told it was getting refurbished (this was recently announced as getting a major overhaul, so perhaps tearing out the classic "tunnel of love" theming?).

looks like an indoor raft/log flume ride

but a reason to go back as this was one of a few rides down on the days we were there - tho this was likely the "biggest" of the rides that were down, as most were for kids that weren't operating.

it did seem to have a bit of a splashdown to end the ride ...

despite the wind, the park kept the Big One open the whole day.

going towards the Asian Mandala walking garden I had spotted yesterday underneath Nickelodeon Streak, I discovered near the bumper cars (also not running today), a small section of celebrity handprints 

hey.. I even recognized one of em

the Asian walking maze was lovely.  tho small, it was still nice to discover something like that tucked away in a corner of the park.

and best part?  since I was over here, I remembered that I needed to ride the classic Carousel.   I had missed it yesterday since it closed before the rest of the park.

there was only one other rider, but the operator wished me a "wild ride" and I had a blast.

I rode "Miles"

there's also a nice viewing are over here, where you can watch the Steeple Chase horses go up the mid course lift hill.

and the "handprint" of the horse made me giggle.

gift shop near the front of the park (where I bought my "I rode the Big One" boxer shorts)

in the front of the park, just past the entry gates but before you enter the park proper, is Pasaje del Terror.

there had been some "characters" wandering around near the front of the park handing out coupons.   and upon checking with a few employees, they all said it was decent and worth checking out.

I messaged in the group chat that I wanted to do this, since I had these 1lb off coupons (I had asked for a handful and was given them) and multiple TPR folks said they were interested and so I sat down by the main entrance to wait and see who would show up.

it turned out to be about 15 of us, and they split us into two groups to go thru. 

here's Stacy and I with one of the folks that had been handing out the coupons.

the entrance to it looked very promising!

and this lady - who gave us the rules spiel was hysterical.   and creepy as hell.

no pictures were allowed in the actual attraction.     but I can say it's highly recommended.

the entire thing is underground, so it's way bigger than you think it's going to be.  And filled with movie level quality set pieces and special effects.    I think this might be the best looking haunt that I've ever been to.      It didn't "terrify" me, but I was blown away at how good all the set pieces were.      tons of detail, and some brilliantly made up scare actors.

oh. . and it ends in a bar.   yup.   

pics were allowed in here:

I don't recall if there was actually a drink minimum. . . but we did drink while hanging out and waiting for the other group to come thru behind us.

the snack area wasn't' open (the blue grate). . but the figures here show the level of quality of this place.

our group. . relaxing while waiting for the others.

ah. .here they are!

turns out one CAN visit the "Horror Bar" without going thru the attraction (just enter thru the exit steps), but I'm still glad I did it.

very recommended, even with the separate charge.

did I mention there are tons of photo ops here at Blackpool Pleasure Beach?

why in the world would I come to the UK and want the "sweet taste of the USA" ?

but I was curious what they thought it would be. . 

lots of tootsie rolls and gummy candies.

the Park's Grand Prix motor car ride, had closed a month or so before our visit. . so they still had much of the station still untouched and looking like it could operate with just a quick sweep  (I took the pics over the fence they had up in front).

it's a really large ride, and with this gone, as well as the three smaller rides they announced are going, the park has a lot of space to put in something rather large for 2026 - as they have announced.

I was still hanging with Stacy after the Haunt, and she was interested in getting a reading from this "Spiritual Advisor to the Stars" that had a storefront set up in the park, near the closed Grand Prix.

I wasn't interested, but was happy to wait (and I did briefly meet the spiritualist, and she was a lovely woman).

and hey, she read for Johnny Marr!

the inside of her storefront was very cute. . .and very "traveling carnival"... I mean that in a GOOD way.

she took Stacy back thru those double doors, and I waited for her out in this area.

she was very satisfied with the reading.

it was time to meet up for our Grand National ERT. . so we quickly made our way thru the now closed park, over to the Grand National station.

I grabbed this pic of the Wallace and Gromit ride, as we passed by, since I had forgotten to take one earlier.

as noted earlier, I was worried about my rib injury, so I chose not to ride during ERT - instead just taking pictures.

Green won!  and Barry looks very pumped about it.

racing back into the station.

this is what I rode for the rest of the ERT. . I did love the "devil tail / snake" designs on the benches.

just hanging out (and it had gotten cooler, so put my hat on), as we were headed as a group into the fancy Blackpool restaurant for dinner to end our day.

you can tell that this is a fancy place. . it was quiet (I guess we were visiting sorta off season?) as we were really the majority of whom were in the restaurant, tho there were other customers there.  (I'm guessing that's why I didn't take any pics of the food or the restaurant itself).

I do remember the food being pretty good tho.

decoration in the cloak room

after dinner we headed outside and Robb gathered us all for a group picture under one of the (closed gates) to Pleasure Beach entrance.

pic courtesy of Robb

then we realized that the face was hungrily eyeing us. . so we took another pic reacting as such:

and with that, our days at Blackpool were over.

again, I'm pretty sure I swung by the casino for some slots before heading back to the room.

tomorrow was a travel day back towards London, the trip was almost over . . . . so  had to pack things up and be ready to head out in the morning.

but as the sun set, I knew that it had been so worth it to come. . . met every dream I'd ever had about it.

 

and with that?  off to bed.

[bert425]

before I went to bed tho, I download some shots that Robb had shared from his camera to the TPR chat for the trip.

these are amazing pics, and courtesy of Robb:

Icon and the park layout from the Big One's lift hill

 

that incredible diving first drop on the Big One:

coming back from that turnaround near the front gates

same turnaround from the back seat.