Ok Valhalla is probably one of the best water rides this country has to offer. It's a water ride, so getting very wet is the aim, and it certainly fulfils that. Is is without theme, but more than makes up for it in the unique backwards drop and some excellent forwards drop. Included are the senses of cold in the frozen room and the fire that erupts around you near the end. I agree that the guys hoovering the boats need something more powerful, but this again adds to the fun. The music on the ride is somewhat annoyingly good! I strongly recommend this ride for those who have not been!

Martin Purham

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I have been on Valhalla 4 times and I absolutely loved it. Yes many things on the ride are a little cheap but that's part of the fun. And you have to be really sad if you spent the ride looking for the faults and not enjoying the ride. I hate people moaning about the fact you get wet, get over it its a water ride that's the point.

Emily Katchur

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I went on Valhalla for the 1st time yesterday (1st Aug '06) and I was amazed by the quality of this ride. It was so much more than I expected and easily the best dark ride I've ever seen, I don't know how people can fault it. What more do u want? I was totally amazed by the big, scary, dark plunge you take into those fires, the whole place just bursts into flames and doesn't let up, with more big huge fireball explosions as u leave the wall of flames. I came off it soaked through to the skin which I didn't like, but i was so amazed by Valhalla that I had to go on it again. The effects on this ride are superb. People who fault this ride can't be pleased.

Anthony W

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I am just back from Blackpool. I rode the Valhalla ride 4 times over the past 2 days and I want to hit out at all the critics who slate this ride. Its bloody amazing. Me and my mates have common sense, we save the water rides til the end of the day so that when we get wet, we get absolutely soaked. The slogan on at the entrance is, "You Will get wet, you may get soaking wet", anyone who doesn't want to get wet should NOT go on it. Its a water ride, there is a dryer at the end of the ride.

In regards to the special effects, people should remember that Valhalla is a good few years old now and is not quite state of the art. The music is loud and clear, the drama of the ride is immense and although it may not be as technically advanced as its counterparts in other parts of the world, it provides great entertainment for all those in the pleasure beach. It has attracted people in their thousands each year and remains the second biggest attracted in the pleasure beach after the Pepsi Max and until the new ride opens up next year it will remain in that position.

How wet do you get on this ride?! I know its a water ride and your suppose to get a bit damp....but I was drenched and I had a poncho on too. The boat was already half filled with water before we'd even set off so my trainers were soaked through before we'd moved! What's with the cold air part of the ride too - no need for that!!

I have been on Valhalla 5 times and I love it. It is my favourite ride at Blackpool Pleasure beach. In fact it is the best water ride I've ever been on! I have been to many theme parks (all the Disney Orlando parks, Universal Studios, Bush Gardens, Gardaland, Port Aventura, Alton Towers, Drayton Manor) and it has yet to be beaten. Getting soaked is the best part!

Jonathan Anton

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I agree about some of your thoughts on here [e.g lack of theming in some places, faulty props etc, etc] and I know the ride is called Valhalla, so you expect it to be absolutely amazing, but really, it's a water ride, and what you go on it for is the water, and there's plenty of that. Yes it could do with a bit of sprucing up but I think it's the best water ride I've ever been on.

Jade Wright, 14

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I'm sorry but I totally disagree with your views on Valhalla. I think it has done Blackpool proud. Every time I go to Blackpool I ride it several times and I must say the novelty has NOT worn off. Although there are some scarier rides at Blackpool, Valhalla is one of the best. I think Valhalla is excellent - there are some really good special effects inside such as the room of ice and the room of fire. I do not really care about the effects though as it is the ride I came for not the effects. I think you have been a bit harsh.

Jonathan Ralph

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I've ridden this ride 4 times now and although I enjoyed it, it was not as good as I was expecting.

The special effects all appeared to be working when I visited and although they were good they were not spectacular. After all the hype I had heard surrounding this ride I expected it to be a lot better than it was. That being said I will probably go back on when I am in Blackpool next month, I will just make sure it's the last ride I go on so I can go back to the hotel and get dried off!

Dani

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I ride Valhalla 3 or 4 times whenever I visit the Pleasure Beach (normally once or twice a year) so it's obviously doing something right! Having said that, in my view there are a few issues with this ride, some down to poor design, others down to poor maintenance / housekeeping:

1. Audio levels poor at some areas e.g. don't hear message properly at beginning of ride due to it being in the open, time to turn up the volume there perhaps? Screams when going up lift hill also not loud enough.

2. Waterfall that switches off just in time at start of ride should be a surprise for 1st time riders, isn't because it's visible from all around.

3. Both lift hills under-exploited in terms of theming, suspense building etc.

4. The 'big blue face' (at least I think it's blue!) on the wall to your right near the start of the ride looks cheap and has no effect on riders, should be something better in that area.

5. Barking dogs look cheap, plus you can see the back of the device so takes away any supposed illusion of them being real.

6. The face that pops up and lights up at the end of one of the straight runs look like a giant version of the cheap masks you buy in joke shops, plus you see the bottom of it which again takes away from the illusion.

7. The lightning was working when I visited this time, however the illusion was taken away from somewhat by two or three boxes lying in that area!

8. The sets e.g. in freezing zone look like they've been lifted from the River Caves (circa 1904 or thereabouts!), their effect is no more impressive. should be at least a few animatronics here and there.

9. Fan blowing area is fair enough, but should be additional effects here, be it Viking voiceover or whatever.

10. Effect placement / activation is poor. barking dogs appear too late for riders to really notice them. skull chandelier looks very impressive but the angle of the boat when it reaches the top of the lift hill means you're past it before seeing it.

11. Logs that swing out then back (as if to crush boat) aren't lit enough, some riders miss that effect.

12. The rubber / plastic doors between zones are cheap and nasty. the doors should have been themed and should open/close in a more impressive way.

13. The guys at loading/unloading should be taught how to use the hoover better so you're not up to your ankles in water before you even start. I have no problem with getting soaked but don't want the sensation to start until the ride does.

14. No theming at all at top of lift hill where the boat stops, turns, then moves backwards down hill. you do have an authentic plastic garden chair to look at though!

I could go on but won't. Someone posted an earlier message saying 'you guys are being too critical' and 'you should allow yourself to be lost in the fantasy' etc (or words to that effect). I would agree IF Valhalla was close to faultless but it isn't for so many reasons, only some of which I've detailed above. To 'lose yourself in a fantasy', the fantasy has to be presented in a high quality, realistic (in terms of effects etc) and coherent way. Valhalla isn't. An enjoyable ride? Yes. A great ride? No. The poor / cheap / tacky effects may be down to cost cutting when the ride was being designed, however the park doesn't help the riders believe the fantasy by leaving a plastic chair on view, or cardboard boxes in the lightning zone!

(Last rode Valhalla 16th July 05)

I totally disagree with your thoughts on Valhalla. You've given Blackpool's other rides the benefit of the doubt, passing off the moment when river caves goes through the restaurant and meets up with the goldmine trains as being characteristic of Blackpool's tacky charm. Surely the outside turntable also falls under this category - it may not be in-keeping with the theming but it is entertaining - especially when you think you won't stop!

The entire ride is brilliant. I didn't think once about the lack of a storyline, just enjoyed it totally for what it was. The drops, darkness, water and incredible jaw-dropping special effects were impressive enough and created an amazing atmosphere.

Fear, fun, awe and adventure. This is a unique and impressive ride.

Ride Valhalla for what it is. You'll love it!

Andy Roberts

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Firstly, let's deal with the wetness issue. If you ride a water ride that has signs stating that you will get wet, do not complain when you do get wet. If you do not want to get wet, do not ride, simple as. Saying that the amount of water that is sometimes unceremoniously dumped on you could have been better thought through, but like I say, if you don't want to get wet....

Although being a bland facade, Valhalla does look spectacular in a park that has nothing similar. You can ride Valhalla in two minds, one is to be critical and attempt to follow the non-existent plot. The second is to appreciate its features as they come. Being in Blackpool you aren't going to get many stories to follow during rides, so I went onto the ride in the latter frame of mind.

I'm now taking the opportunity to state that I have ridden Valhalla on the rare occasion that the majority of the effects were working.

As you enter the first cavern, first impressions are reasonable. This is obviously a blockbuster ride and the Plesh hasn't taken shortcuts when it comes to effects (obviously they focused on this, rather than any coherence or plot). Rather than run through scene by scene I'll outline the main features. Barring the unceremonious trip outside, the different effects seem natural, well that's because most of them are real. The fire is spectacular, the lightning is awesome, the water tunnel surreal and the cold room....well cold. Interspersed between these are several other effects that hold no coherence, but are a spectacle when appreciated on their own. The drops too are surprising and full of airtime.

So really, what is wrong with Valhalla? Well, bar there being no story, which is a glaring omission I can't see anything major apart from some intrusions like the turntable outside. The single best thing that could be done to improve Valhalla is to add a soundtrack that is dramatic and thunderous. The effects, when working are spectacular and unique to the country. Take it as is and ride in the right frame of mind and you will be reasonably impressed. If you ride expecting an intricate plot with well timed effects you may as well not bother.

Venny

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Valhalla is great. You are warned about the water, and not many people would expect to get in a boat surrounded by water and come off dry! It's simple, you don't want to get wet, you don't want to go on. Let's face it, if you didn't like going upside down, you wouldn't go on a looping coaster to enjoy the atmosphere!

Even when some effects aren't working, the darkness creates a more scary ride as you can't see what direction or what is going to happen next.

Damian

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For those who don't understand what Valhalla is about it's really simple - the ride is taking you down the hall of Odin (Valhalla) it's said that you have to pass through it in order to get to so-called heaven in other words you have to prove yourself that you are a warrior to Odin by passing all of his challenges. If your soul survives you get to heaven. The Egyptian people though the same (the after life).

Anyway as far as water for some people is a problem DON'T GO ON - it does say before you get on the ride you will get wet!!! As far as water on the ride cart i.e. water filling up to your ankles, well that's down to the staff not pumping the water out every cart that comes back should be pumped so that no vast amount of water is left.

And yes I agree that some affects aren't working but again that's down to staff no doing the job right i.e. the first stage of the ride as you go up after a 2 headed dog swings put at you there should be a projector image of Odin the Norse god telling you your task but for some reason it isn't working. If it was you would understand the ride more...

Matt

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Charlotte Taylor

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Stop giving Valhalla so much crap, yes you get soaking wet because its a WATER ride and it does say "you WILL get wet, you may get soaking wet" so its your own fault for ignoring the sign!

Also they sell rain mack things to keep you dry if your scared of water, and when its finished you can use the people dryer, its only £1!

And if all else fails just nip across to the Playstation, you will get dried instantly!

For me, Valhalla fails on whatever basis you try to rate it on.

Is it a good dark ride? No. You can't enjoy the scenes without getting hopelessly wet thus ousting the idea of re-riding it. If you try to cower from the water, you miss the scenes. If you concentrate on the scenes, you get very very wet - and this is before it start blowing cold air at you. The story doesn't make sense and the effects that the scenes hinge on don't work.

Is it a good water ride? No. The boats are badly designed with water pouring in over the edge, water not being able to drain out of the boat meaning that back seat riders have water up to their ankles whilst going up lifts, bashing through rubber doors, hitting the sides of the channel and just being generally ungraceful.

Riding is far more hassle then it's worth whatever you are riding it for. Poncho's ricochet against your ears during your fans, blow off during the drops. Fine, forget the ponchos. But then you get unfeasibly wet, which might be forgivable if it were just the drops, but irritates when it is effects dumping bucketloads of the stuff over you, and when the boat capsizes to one side and water flows over the edge into your lap.

I think the ride is deeply unpleasant and any positive features it may have are greatly outweighed by the hassle of riding. There are better water rides out there, and there are better dark rides out there. You can combine the two and have an excellent ride (Pirates of the Carribean, River Caves, Professor Burp's Bubbleworks) or at the other end of the scale, you can put the two together and end up with Valhalla.

Lewis Cox

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I'm glad I bought a poncho before riding this, it allowed me to enjoy the ridiculous special effects Blackpool throw at you on this soggy voyage. Without the fear of getting soaked, I found Valhalla fairly enjoyable. The special effects are completely different to anything else in the park, or in the country really, and were entertaining in their overblown way. The cold room was rather unpleasant though, but at least it was short.

I found the drops to be a nice thrill, especially the double dip which is really good in the front seat.

Unfortunately there are some things will always distract from the enjoyment of this ride, poncho or not. First of all it's very rare that all the effects are working, and even when I rode first thing in the morning some effects weren't on. Secondly, what precious little plot there is, is hopelessly muddled. Are you on a voyage to Valhalla, are you in Valhalla, and where the hell are the Vikings? For £15 million, an animatronic or two would be nice.

If you have a wristband and a poncho Valhalla is definitely worth a spin, but I'd think twice before spending £6 to have a go, especially with another £1 or so to get the poncho.

Click here for page 2 of your Valhalla reviews...
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