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Blackpool Pleasure Beach: 2021 Discussion

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Coaster said:
This wouldn't work, as the Grand National is a Mobius loop meaning that the trains arrive back on the opposite side of the station each time.
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Yes it would! As I pointed out in my previous post, I have seen it done on the Mobius loop woodie at Chapultepec in Mexico.

On the day I visited, the ride started with just one train and one side of the track in use.

The host loaded guests on, then put the batching gate across, checked all the bars, then sent the train. The train then returned on the other side of the station and he repeated the same process, just with boarding guests on to the other side. Simple.

Later on in the day, it got busier (and by busy I mean that the queue was over 15 mins) so a second train was added, so that both sides of track were used.

Now if BPB is really as quiet as everyone is making out that it is during the week, then I see no reason at all why the same system could not be put in place on Nash. The person batches, then goes and checks the bars. Why not? It would be slow but everyone keeps posting about how dead the park is during the week. So, as I say, why not? It worked fine in Mexico.
 
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Does anyone know where we go now to get our season pass cards, as I believe The Globe isn't always open for it, beyond those first few days anyway. Are Guest Services handing them out?
 
My guess would be back at the ticket centre, either the big line of tills or the information desk.
Had my pass from both, but never from "Emberton's".
 
If a park cannot break even on a given day, they should probably not be open. Especially if, because they cannot break even, they are not opening all rides yet the admission charge remains high.

If these were "Super £20 Weekdays", then it would be OK. But they're not. Guests are still paying £33 a day. Maybe BPB should go "Adrenaline Week" style on these quiet weekdays?
 
Rick said:
You would rather prefer that the park was closed on days you weren't visiting, so others don't have the option of visiting and riding 95% of the lineup?
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As I guest I'd rather know 100% of the park is closed so I can plan to go on a day when 100% should be open. Rather than plan and turn up to find rides are closed. Or if the park was honest and stated we won't be operating Nash on Tuesdays during April or something. Its the uncertainty of what you are getting thats the issue.
Especially for the price being charged.
 
So options they have as far as I can see
1. Close on some weekdays, this puts people into fewer weekdays so the park can get a slightly smaller income but with a greatly reduced cost. The downside would be that if a guest is only available on closed days then they can't come.
2. A more honest ride closure system (e.g. putting off peak closures on the website), whilst this means that people can't complain if a ride is down, this could put people off buying tickets.

I'm guessing that because the park is in a situation where they are doing unadvertised ride closures, they must be struggling financially to some extent. (Hopefully by June they will have put their financial report in and we will have a better idea of their financial state) so opening all rides on all days probably isn't an option. From a customer's perspective it would be nice if the park was more honest about ride closures, Paultons does quite a good job of this.
 
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The park doesn't have many good rides, so it's not good if they close one of the few good ones. The park closing on say Wednesdays outside of peak would work well if money is an issue.
 
Rick said:
You would prefer that the park was closed on days you weren't visiting, so others don't have the option of visiting and riding 95% of the lineup?
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Yes. Closing on some weekdays when they aren’t even breaking even makes absolute perfect sense.

Closing the park on just some weekdays (eg just Mondays and Tuesdays off peak) is unlikely to lose them many guests. You might get one or two that only have those days off work, but the vast majority will be able to visit on other days, thereby boosting attendance on remaining days when they are open.

This is a very standard practice across most medium and small sized parks, so I’m not sure why you’re acting like it’s such an unreasonable suggestion. I’d love it if the parks were open 365 days a year but I appreciate that it isn’t financially viable for them to open on days when only a handful of people want to visit.
 
Nash, Dipper, Streak, Rev, Wallace, errr? So that's 5 by my count. Steeplechase, Icon and PMBO are acceptable. So yes not a huge amount to start closing them?
 
Poisson said:
Nash, Dipper, Streak, Rev, Wallace, errr? So that's 5 by my count. Steeplechase, Icon and PMBO are acceptable. So yes not a huge amount to start closing them?
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I'd say all of these are excellent rides;

Big One
Grand National
Big Dipper
Nickelodeon Streak
Revolution
Steeplechase
Avalanche
Ghost Train
River Caves
Derby Racer
Alice
Flying Machines
W&G

It is of course all down to someone's personal opinion, but I'd say that PB has the biggest and broadest selection of really good rides out of any park in the UK. Then there are loads of additional decent rides, PB Express, Icon (which most would put in the higher category) etc.

I agree that closing any ride off peak for cost saving reasons is wrong, and if they are having to do this, questions need to be asked as to the viability of having the park open on those days and if so, better ways to manage costs rather than making rides unavailable. However, I don't think the quality of rides at PB is an issue at all.
 
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@Coaster 's list above plus Icon, Nickodeon Streak, Ice Blast, Pleasure Beach Express, SkyForce and Avatar Airbender (bog standard disco ride but still decent). Even Grand Prix is worth a ride if there isn't much queue.

That makes 19.

And I haven't included @rob666 favourite, dodgems.

So 20 rides worth going on. Some better than others but plenty of veriety there.

EDIT: forgot infusion (I wouldn't put it in the good category but if you don't mind bleeding ears its fine)

And Vallhalla is back next year too
 
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Great day today with the rest of the local goons, sunshine and short queues...
Just a shame some bloody idiot left his hazard lights on all afternoon.
Cheers for the mobile loan dippy...
Green Flag mechanic promised in an hour, turned up in two minutes, with a tiny magic box that charged up the battery in ten seconds.
Edit...and everything open!
 
rob666 said:
Great day today with the rest of the local goons, sunshine and short queues...
Just a shame some bloody idiot left his hazard lights on all afternoon.
Cheers for the mobile loan dippy...
Green Flag mechanic promised in an hour, turned up in two minutes, with a tiny magic box that charged up the battery in ten seconds.
Edit...and everything open!
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Hilarious that we all broke down. What is more embarrassing though? You walking out of your car with your hazards still on, or the Grand Prix car of two grown men @Rick refusing for a few minutes to move up the slope under Avalanche with the Icon queue looking on and laughing ?
 
I'm hearing reports that Big One closed half an hour early today... to get it ready for tomorrow? I presume by this, it meant putting the second train on during Friday's hours rather than having to pay staff to do it after park close.

I just... I want to enjoy PB but that is the most nonsense thing I have heard in a long time. Arranged an off-peak visit next week a while back but regretting it a bit now, sounds like a nightmare for actually having the main rides open.
 
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