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Blackpool Pleasure Beach: 2021 Discussion

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Blackpool always did offers when it was tickets/cash.
Now there are few offers in peak season, and not a chance this year with the focus on staycationers.
 
Seems like every day is Peak this year. Looked at September midweek and it's somehow peak??!
 
Blackpool has become significantly poorer since Mouse went. Another element was that you could always say that 'well, BPB just doesn't get the queues that Alton does'. This differential has also diminished in recent years. Rides like Ghost Train I rarely bother with now, as an example, whereas historically it was never missed.

I've not even been yet in 2021. It used to be twice or three times a year for me.

Mouse definitely the biggest factor.

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It is the point I've mentioned before. Usually stood atop Watson Rd Bridge and you look and go "Nothing worth going on is there?" I love the place despite not being a regular but have often given up for a couple of hours due to busy simply as the lack of rides and space make queues and paths horrid. Tom Sawyer bridge is sorely missed when the park is busy too.
 
Poisson said:
It is the point I've mentioned before. Usually stood atop Watson Rd Bridge and you look and go "Nothing worth going on is there?" I love the place despite not being a regular but have often given up for a couple of hours due to busy simply as the lack of rides and space make queues and paths horrid. Tom Sawyer bridge is sorely missed when the park is busy too.
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With regard to the bolded, doesn’t Blackpool actually have the most rides of any UK park?
 
AstroDan said:
Blackpool has become significantly poorer since Mouse went. Another element was that you could always say that 'well, BPB just doesn't get the queues that Alton does'. This differential has also diminished in recent years. Rides like Ghost Train I rarely bother with now, as an example, whereas historically it was never missed.
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Agreed. Most of what BPB used to do better than Alton at, they now don’t do better at… at all.
 
In rather sad news, it would appear that Barbara Thompson, Geoffrey Thompson’s wife and a director of Blackpool Pleasure Beach, has died aged 82:

My condolences go to all the Thompson family.
 
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Nice little throwback to 1979 via an image on eBay, the lack of foliage and railings make things look rather stark. Wonder what the op was doing ...

s-l1600.jpg
 
Couldn't find the original posts, but our shakey had a personalised Beach board game made up, and copies delivered to the old and deserving.
This clip from a local conversation just creased me up...

"Had a really crap go at the game the other day. Got thrashed by Mrs & young lad. It didn't help that I got 4 non-photo rides at the start, they were well away before I'd picked anything up. The only decent ride I had at the start was Dipper, which soon closed and remained so for a while. Looking back, I should have missed a turn early-ish to pick up a couple of ride cards, or just gone to buy the character photo for 6 as I wasn't getting any for ages. I finally got a photo ride and it was bleeding Blue Flyer so I only got 1 back in change! Spent most of game with hardly any money and picking nowt up, was just hoping for some good action cards but they didn't salvage my abysmal performance.

Later on I built up some money but it was too late as only the expensive merch was left and the others were already miles ahead and working their way to Kentucky Derby. Mrs had final ride, Valhalla, to do on way out, and it got closed, so the lad won it on his first try. I finished with a Turtles key ring, one lousy photo and some Funshines I hadn't managed to spend. A really poor show!

In other game news, I found some novel storage solutions for the cards, pieces, etc, to stop them rattling around the box and getting dog-eared. I also upgraded the flimsy little die to a proper one. Will send pics. Rob, did you have any luck in finding alternate playing pieces that don't look like sex toys?!"

Ten out of ten shakey mate.


"
 
Popped in mid afternoon yesterday. Park relatively quiet for a Summer's weekend. Even closure of The Big One (genuine high winds) only had the Icon queue halfway from the station to bottom of the steps on 2 trains. Grand Prix and Steeplechase had the usual busy-ish day long, slow queues. Avalanche & Infusion queues not out of stations. Busy enough that I couldn't be bothered queueing for much, but not heaving like in May half term. Perhaps the novelty of being allowed to have fun again has worn off!

Perhaps it would be fun to open a can of worms and get @shakey going by suggesting that the park would have been way busier in pay per ride summers! <lights blue touchpaper> Just for some context though, I did pop into the town centre beforehand, and the town / prom seemed very busy. Parked in the long narrow car park on the left just after the football ground because the entrance sign said 'Council car parks ahead full - park here'. I still drove up to see for myself, then turned back at the roundabout and went into that first car park. So the huge car park (Central?) was indeed full, with cars hanging about waiting for spaces.

I do wonder if the pricing system puts people off visiting, as it's a silly price to go in and just do a few rides, but also people might not want to be there all day long so don't want a wristband. Blackpool itself was busy, but there were nowhere near as many as you'd expect at the Pleasure Beach on a Summer's day.

Also, I don't think I saw more than about 5 masks across the entire park. I felt like a weirdo for wearing one in the shops / toilets / Crevettes as nobody else was doing so. Surely they might as well remove the 'One way' signs on the ramps now, nobody takes a blind bit of notice!
 
RoyJess said:
Is this the post you are trying to find?
https://towersstreet.com/talk/threads/blackpool-pleasure-beach-general-discussion.147/page-468
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I made some improvements since the prototype. (Added ride closures and speedypass - Removed game stalls)

Hopefully we can have a Pleasure Beach Board Game World Championship in September. - The game can be played with 5 so there's at least one potential seat at the table available :)

And now you can even download the accompanying pleasure beach sounds app - (if you have an android device).

All the sounds of the pleasure beach at the touch of a button....

Link to APK file (so you will need to allow apps from unknown sources)
https://appsenjoy.com/es7fn

I managed to get hold of 13 different sounds from you tube and put them into the app.
( What a geek I am :))

Icon - Music Snippet
Big One - Lift Hill and drop sound
Avalanche - Music Snippet
Laughing Man - Sound Snippet
Revolution - Announcement
Derby Racer - Music Snippet and Announcement
Ghost Train - Sound snippet
River caves - Sound track snippet
W & G - Sound track snippet
Dora - Sound Track Snippet
Kentucky Derby - Song
Alice - Outside Music Snippet
Valhalla - Soundtrack Snippet
 
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Hello all - first time poster and returning visitor to Pleasure Beach after almost 30 years.

I've been granted a rare solo overnight stay by the wife for Friday 1st to Saturday 2nd October, so I plan to visit Pleasure Beach on the Friday (plus Illuminations) and do a couple of other things on the Saturday (local parkrun, Madame Tussauds, Black Pool Tower).

A couple of questions I have:

- Friday preferable over Saturday?
- Does Pleasure Beach offer a 'come back tomorrow for half price' deal or similar like some other themeparks do?
- Does Speedypass operate on Fridays/is it recommended on Fridays with a limited opening window?
- Best strategy for any given day, or just wing it based on what's open and available?

My concern is if I'm really unlucky, I'll encounter late opening/closed rides on the Friday in conjunction with a shorter opening day. I'll be traveling up from Birmingham early on the Friday morning, so will easily be able to be ready and waiting for when the park opens at 11am. I'm more than happy to devote both days to Pleasure Beach to get everything and more done, but what would be the most cost effective option? I'm not precious about the Tussauds stuff on the Friday, as they would mostly be filler if I was able to complete everything on the Friday.

Thanks in advance for any advice!
 
mrandyyu said:
Hello all - first time poster and returning visitor to Pleasure Beach after almost 30 years.

I've been granted a rare solo overnight stay by the wife for Friday 1st to Saturday 2nd October, so I plan to visit Pleasure Beach on the Friday (plus Illuminations) and do a couple of other things on the Saturday (local parkrun, Madame Tussauds, Black Pool Tower).

A couple of questions I have:

- Friday preferable over Saturday?
- Does Pleasure Beach offer a 'come back tomorrow for half price' deal or similar like some other themeparks do?
- Does Speedypass operate on Fridays/is it recommended on Fridays with a limited opening window?
- Best strategy for any given day, or just wing it based on what's open and available?

My concern is if I'm really unlucky, I'll encounter late opening/closed rides on the Friday in conjunction with a shorter opening day. I'll be traveling up from Birmingham early on the Friday morning, so will easily be able to be ready and waiting for when the park opens at 11am. I'm more than happy to devote both days to Pleasure Beach to get everything and more done, but what would be the most cost effective option? I'm not precious about the Tussauds stuff on the Friday, as they would mostly be filler if I was able to complete everything on the Friday.

Thanks in advance for any advice!
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Welcome to Towers street talk @mrandyyu ! I'm a recently new member as well. We have a thread were you can introduce yourself to feel free to post in here is you want :): https://towersstreet.com/talk/threads/welcome-new-members-introduce-yourself-here.3/
I'm afraid I don't know much about pleasure beach but I'm sure someone else on hear can help.
 
I'm visiting on the Saturday hopefully. PB aren't usually too bad with ride offerings (Grand National aside).
Strategy? I usually go PMBO first and then wander from there. Park is small so it's hard to go wrong really. If you're after the illuminations I'd say to PMBO last as well, you get a great view up them from the top of the lift and it should be just dark enough by 5. With short hours, I'd head up from Brum early and go to the Spoons opposite the entrance on the front and then no need to worry about having to get a big meal during park opening times.
 
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