I really don't understand the hate for Phantom Spire. With the idea that it would have been themed to a decrepit, deserted, supposedly-haunted lighthouse looming off in the distance but visible from the pier, I think it's gold. And as a standalone name with zero theme context at all, I think it's still really strong.
I'm impartial between the teased sea monster theme vs the rumored haunted lighthouse theme, but I think Phantom Spire is a great name and I think Gargantuan Vertical Vengeance is easily one of the worst coaster names ever proposed.
"Sucks" was probably too strong of an adjective. My dislike for the name is actually pretty much this, spot on:
One issue is that Phantom Spire is just spooky tower. Generic theme and generic name
Another issue is that the spire part is metareferential in a way that "insists upon itself" as peter griffin would say. as I'm thinking about it, it seems pretty rare to hear the structure itself referenced in a coaster name. I guess mystic/shivering timbers count, the towers of terror, vertical velocity as a tagline maybe. but a coaster name usually is something. some kind of journey, maybe a flight, or an animal, or a spooky creature. a spire is just an inanimate thing, and not one that has a ton of identifiable qualities to link with a theme. like yeah it's spooky tower but it's also bad ramp
I don't have any issue with a lighthouse theme being incorporated into this- the idea of track (tentacles) wrapping around a lighthouse was mentioned earlier in the thread, and that sounds great to me.