Blackpool Pleasure Beach: 2021 Discussion

[Craig]

Don’t know where this insanity has come from that £40 is expensive for a 12 hour day in a theme park


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Thing is it's not just 12 hour days. £38 is the advance price for many Saturdays currently advertised as 10-5 or 10-6. At present there's Saturdays in September listed as 10-6 yet the online opens is currently £44! Yes opening hours may change (and let's not forget may get shorter not just longer!), but those prices have seriously put me off visiting this year. £34 for 4 hours night riding is certainly not good value either.

Even if previous prices were cheap, they had set a benchmark with them. It'll be difficult for previous visitors to swallow such a sharp rise in prices so quickly. When you're talking £140-£164 for a family of 2 adults and 2 kids under 11 on Saturdays and no option for diamond passes, it really could backfire for them if those prices continue.

 

[shakey]

Prices went up to around £40 for the back end of the summer last year, a jump of about £15.

It makes my £48 season pass for this year extremely good VFM

They are currently selling season passes for £125 which seems reasonable given the current day prices.

As has already been said they are probably banking on a busy season and trying to cash in, can't blame them for that I suppose, but at those day prices they really need to be on the ball and providing a premium product. No CBA operations !!!

 

[Matt N]

In fairness, I think they can justify a price increase because they’ve been shut for the best part of 7-8 months when you combine the effect of the 3 lockdowns (the park was planning Winter Weekends before the 2nd lockdown struck), so they must have lost a lot of money. This is merely their way of recouping some lost profits; if they hadn’t done this, they may not have been able to survive, what with their precarious financial position even pre-COVID.

With COVID also exerting capacity limits upon them until at least 21st June, this will help them make more money per guest, which is important at the moment.

Higher pricing will also arguably help with demand, which should be quite high this year what with the forecast staycation boom in the UK due to the travel restrictions. Airlines operate on a similar principle of raising prices during high demand times.

 

[Dipper_Dave]

With COVID also exerting capacity limits upon them until at least 21st June, this will help them make more money per guest, which is important at the moment.

BPB’s COVID related ‘limit’ is smoke and mirrors. I believe Amanda or someone high up in the park stated in recent years that their capacity was circa 50,000. Pre COVID they were getting nowhere near half of that on a really busy day. A couple of seasons ago I think school trip busy days were bringing in around 7000 - 9000. For all we know, their daily limit right now could be 15,000. So all this stuff about pre-booking due to numbers, I can’t imagine they will get anywhere near whatever this limit is anyway

 

[venny]

I only recall one, maybe two, sold out days last year. Whatever they’d set the capacity at, the park got a lot of stick for being too busy and it being very difficult to social distance.

Perhaps most shockingly, the queue to see Bernard stretched all the way back to the fountain. It was the busiest I’d seen the park in a long time, including pre-Covid.

 

[AstroDan]

I know it 'sounds' a lot, but 12 hours of rides for £40 still feels like pretty good value to me.


They have stayed the same for long periods too, wristbands were £25 in 2002, that's £42 in 2020/21 with inflation.

It's Pleasure Beach. That's the thing. The socio-economic factors which affect visitor groups into the park make £40 much more of a figure there than it would, say, at Legoland.

I don't think any UK park has ever crossed the £40 online threshold before. I sure didn't think it would be BPB.

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[Matt N]

I only recall one, maybe two, sold out days last year. Whatever they’d set the capacity at, the park got a lot of stick for being too busy and it being very difficult to social distance.

Perhaps most shockingly, the queue to see Bernard stretched all the way back to the fountain. It was the busiest I’d seen the park in a long time, including pre-Covid.

Out of interest, who’s Bernard?

 

[Rick]

It's Pleasure Beach. That's the thing. The socio-economic factors which affect visitor groups into the park make £40 much more of a figure there than it would, say, at Legoland.

I don't think any UK park has ever crossed the £40 online threshold before. I sure didn't think it would be BPB.

I still think £40 is fair, especially with limited capacity, the number of people that you need to find the price palatable is way down. Plus, I think they're working on two other assumptions:

• With foreign travel vastly reduced, the number of people seeking a day out to do something of this ilk will be vastly increased - either as short break, or a day trip. Increased demand, compounded with limited supply allows them to charge a premium. I think British seaside resorts could perhaps have their best year for a long time.
• If you're in Blackpool on a break, there are some staple things that you'll do whatever and perhaps scrimp somewhere else if things are tight. I think for a lot of families, the Pleasure Beach is one of those - there is no real comparison or alternative on the doorstep. It might be that people then spend less in the park, but I think that's a risk worth taking because the margin is far healthier on entry (100%) vs. F&B (~40-60%).

The 'theme park day out' product has been massively undervalued for so long in this country, largely to Merlin's 'credit' - feels like a real opportunity to make amends.

 

[rob666]

Out of interest, who’s Bernard?

Bernard is the chief "bar steward" on the park.
He is usually on the FY4 bar, and has been on the park since early youth, we both hung around the FunHouse back in the sixties.
He got in trouble during the Icon rumours, he had a golden shovel, and every time the bar was quiet, he was sent out into the Tom Sawyer lake with his shovel to dig out foundations. But he kept leaving his shovel out, and thats how we found out about the new coaster.
He also likes to ballet dance with gulls around the FY4 tables.
Looks uncannily like Trooper in W&G, and is a true gent.

 

[djtruefitt]

I imagine out of most parks, Blackpool probably gets a large amount of people will will turn up and pay on the day, due to its location. Whilst on holiday in Blackpool you’ll probably just wait for a nice day to visit the park with less planning involved as to when you might go on park.

compared to Thorpe or towers where you are more likely to plan and book in advanced.

 

[AstroDan]

I still think £40 is fair, especially with limited capacity, the number of people that you need to find the price palatable is way down. Plus, I think they're working on two other assumptions:

• With foreign travel vastly reduced, the number of people seeking a day out to do something of this ilk will be vastly increased - either as short break, or a day trip. Increased demand, compounded with limited supply allows them to charge a premium. I think British seaside resorts could perhaps have their best year for a long time.
• If you're in Blackpool on a break, there are some staple things that you'll do whatever and perhaps scrimp somewhere else if things are tight. I think for a lot of families, the Pleasure Beach is one of those - there is no real comparison or alternative on the doorstep. It might be that people then spend less in the park, but I think that's a risk worth taking because the margin is far healthier on entry (100%) vs. F&B (~40-60%).

The 'theme park day out' product has been massively undervalued for so long in this country, largely to Merlin's 'credit' - feels like a real opportunity to make amends.

Thing is I totally agree with you about the UK park products being devalued for a long time - the MAP price increase being something I welcome.

I guess the proof will be in the pudding with whether BPB has a good season.

I never thought I would see a BPB ticket more expensive than an ATR one, that's basically it. Shocked, more than anything else. I guess it wouldn't be so bad if there was a big new ride, as some parks tend to save their larger hikes for when there's something new and shiny.

Alas. Who cares - I only go to BPB once a year anyway. And the regulars get their pass.

 

[Rick]

@AstroDan What would the price have to hit to make you reconsider your annual visit?

 

[AstroDan]

@AstroDan What would the price have to hit to make you reconsider your annual visit?

I am a middle-income earner. I wasn't specifically posting about my own finances vs. the admission fee. That said, as a sort of 'take it or leave it' kind of guy with the park, I wouldn't particularly feel "comfortable" paying the thick end of £50 for a trip.

My main thoughts are relating to the park's wider visiting demographic.

 

[jon81uk]

Don’t know where this insanity has come from that £40 is expensive for a 12 hour day in a theme park


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Most people would really think about the number of hours and just see it as a day in the park. Alton Towers has the reputation of being the UKs main theme park, so the perception isn’t right if BPB try to position themselves as worth more than a day at Alton Towers.

 

[Rick]

My main thoughts are relating to the park's wider visiting demographic.

I don't know what the core demographic is these days, I feel like I should given it's 20 minutes from me, but it never feels particularly different to that of Alton, but perhaps I'm not looking close enough / am not wired that way.

Most people would really think about the number of hours and just see it as a day in the park. Alton Towers has the reputation of being the UKs main theme park, so the perception isn’t right if BPB try to position themselves as worth more than a day at Alton Towers.

I am not convinced people are as clinical as that ... but maybe ? If people are doing a 1 - 2 hour journey, buying fuel & food, paying to park, picking up a couple of souvenirs and perhaps even paying for a hotel, the extra £5 on admission quickly disappears into a much bigger number.

It's like that cocktail for your mate's missus in the round ... who cares - if you're spending three figures on a night out, anyway.

Even if previous prices were cheap, they had set a benchmark with them. It'll be difficult for previous visitors to swallow such a sharp rise in prices so quickly. When you're talking £140-£164 for a family of 2 adults and 2 kids under 11 on Saturdays and no option for diamond passes, it really could backfire for them if those prices continue.

Do people keep tabs like that, year by year? Genuine question.

 

[jon81uk]

I am not convinced people are as clinical as that ... but maybe ? If people are doing a 1 - 2 hour journey, buying fuel & food, paying to park, picking up a couple of souvenirs and perhaps even paying for a hotel, the extra £5 on admission quickly disappears into a much bigger number.

But when booking in advance the price paid is a lot more obvious and it’s easier to compare with other places. For a Saturday in August, Blackpool is £40, Alton £38 and Drayton £29 for adult tickets. BPB probably is offering longer hours for that extra £2 but for some people they might consider AT as the more premium day out and therefore why pay more for the “seaside” park instead of the “proper “ theme park.
Then for some people saving £10 and going to Drayton instead will be the even better option!

 

[Rick]

But when booking in advance the price paid is a lot more obvious and it’s easier to compare with other places. For a Saturday in August, Blackpool is £40, Alton £38 and Drayton £29 for adult tickets. BPB probably is offering longer hours for that extra £2 but for some people they might consider AT as the more premium day out and therefore why pay more for the “seaside” park instead of the “proper “ theme park.
Then for some people saving £10 and going to Drayton instead will be the even better option!

Yeah ... some people might, so much personal preference comes into it - not least where you live and more importantly, what you want from a day out. If you're coming to Blackpool to spend a day on the park, drive through the illuminations and eat fish & chips on the beach, the comparisons with Alton are less important.

Equally, "going to Drayton instead" isn't worth a £10 saving if you're looking for a day riding coasters. I think it's tempting to create an equivalence between parks irrespective of what they offer and compare on price, but that's not practical, or sensible.

 

[Craig]

Do people keep tabs like that, year by year? Genuine question.

I think if you consider it from a family's point of view they'd certainly notice. Even just on wristbands alone that's a very noticeable increase for a family of four.

If you then further think about how parents might've just purchased a diamond pass for them and then wristbands for the kids, that's a really substantial increase. I hope I'm wrong, I want the park to do well this year, but I do fear families will be put off.

 

[shakey]

If people are doing a 1 - 2 hour journey, buying fuel & food, paying to park, picking up a couple of souvenirs and perhaps even paying for a hotel, the extra £5 on admission quickly disappears into a much bigger number.

I think it's about a £10-£12 price hike per person compared to the 10 day advance price they were doing pre covid. Pretty sure for our works trip in 2019 it was £27 per person for a Saturday in June.

That's quite a big jump in price if you are paying for a family of 4.

It's like that cocktail for your mate's missus in the round ... who cares - if you're spending three figures on a night out, anyway.

Don't get me started on that!!!



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[jon81uk]

Equally, "going to Drayton instead" isn't worth a £10 saving if you're looking for a day riding coasters. I think it's tempting to create an equivalence between parks irrespective of what they offer and compare on price, but that's not practical, or sensible.

Yes Drayton is definitely not comparable to Blackpool. But for families with younger kids then it would be a sensible thought to compare Thomas and Cbeebies Lands.

persononally I would never pay more for BPB compared to AT even if the day is longer, my perception of the park is just that AT is more premium. But then I currently only go to AT for fireworks anyway!