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Blackpool Pleasure Beach: 2023 Discussion

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The park was completely dead today, they must have lost money just from opening (a bit worrying for the park for a sunny day in May). You can’t blame them for cutting costs by limited the opening times for Valhalla. What they should do is let people know at the start of the day what time it will open. It does also seem that they over staff some rides - on quiet days do they really need a ride operative and 2+ attendants?
 
MAC said:
It does also seem that they over staff some rides - on quiet days do they really need a ride operative and 2+ attendants?
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I imagine there is a minimum number of staff required for evac purposes, possibly related to the number of boats in use too.

Having just watched the TPW media day video I am frankly astounded that the end product is so good. I was next to certain the majority of the real fire would have been cut, but no. The ring of fire is probably one of the best individual moments on any ride I've experienced anywhere, and the onslaught of explosions after thrilling.

I will absolutely forgive them limited opening for 25% of the day on dead days, certainly the preference over running it all day with 75% of the effects turned off for the same cost. Just please be honest about it and post those opening times.

This is probably enough to get me driving the 5 or so hours to get there for the first time in a long time...
 
A couple of other observations from yesterday now I am not racing to the pub.
  • PB engineering are absolutely phenomenal sometimes. During media day they were replacing all the cables on Ice Blast - that is an absolute pig of a job, but it's back open on a dead Friday a couple of days later.
  • As I half expected, the food outlets on the promenade side of the casino are slowly dying. With everyone being funnelled out through the shop, people won't naturally walk past them because of the circular nature of the building. Last week Donuts and something else was open, yesterday they were all closed. Furthermore, the doors to the atrium/ticket/reception area are closed so if you want to get to the Horror Bar you need to leave the park via the Casino or Arcade and then reenter the casino through the Horseshoe entrance.
  • Pasaje doesn't seem to be as affected - I think it's enough of a staple/destination and it's in view when you leave the park (it's £12 this season).
  • Anecdotally, I haven't seen a ton of people buy stuff in the shop - you're sent through it as a corridor and people seem to treat it as such, although I did pick up a Funshine car air freshener yesterday which is frankly so over powering I may leave my Valhalla shoes in the boot from now on.
 
Haven’t ridden new Valhalla but I would say on quiet to medium days IF they can guarantee as much as is possible to have all the effects working, then opening the ride for a short period wouldn’t be a problem. It is clearly expensive to operate and it would be better for everyone to get a good ride in a shorter period than start cutting effects over a longer period.

I would suggest opening later and closing with the park rather than a period in the middle of the day though:
 
MAC said:
The park was completely dead today, they must have lost money just from opening (a bit worrying for the park for a sunny day in May). You can’t blame them for cutting costs by limited the opening times for Valhalla. What they should do is let people know at the start of the day what time it will open. It does also seem that they over staff some rides - on quiet days do they really need a ride operative and 2+ attendants?
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There were rail strikes yesterday which most likely accounted for the low attendance.
 
The majority of riders (apart from the four times idiots) ride Valhalla at the end of the day anyway, so they aren't soaking all day...just all the way home.
 
It is a slightly mad logistical decision to drive everyone through the shop. I understand they want to drive sales, but as you say it doesn’t do their own food outlets any favours and dumping you out into the car park at the end of the day, rather than the promenade is just odd. They seem to be entirely focused on the shop with no consideration for any knock-on effect. Not that I’d expect anything else.

I can’t imagine Pasaje are thrilled.
 
Now that they’ve got Valhalla sorted isn’t it about time that Pleasure Beach remembered that they were taking applications the “job offer” of Ride Tester and announced the winning applicant? It’s been a little while hasn’t it.
 
Every visit since that shop opened, I've seen guests looking confused on the outside of the main gates. There aren't always staff there to direct
 
Shaggy_Dog_ said:
Now that they’ve got Valhalla sorted isn’t it about time that Pleasure Beach remembered that they were taking applications the “job offer” of Ride Tester and announced the winning applicant? It’s been a little while hasn’t it.
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I have told you before...
I got the job some months ago, but I've been busy with the gardening job.
Come on, I'm busy in spring.
Please exit through the gift shop.
Hardly original.
And at least one of those frontage stores is a concession...
And being the Beach, the seafront stalls often close with the park!
Stuff that sudden passing trade.
 
So would I mate.
That's why I go at the end of the day.
I know I will soon have to get used to it again, but I hate nappy rash....and you tykes just want to get value for money.
 
Opening Thursday is well sold, the Friday and both Saturday showings are pretty much untouched.
 
Large numbers of opening night tickets are given away by the family to make sure of a full opening night.
We have been offered freebies on the day because we happened to be on the park that day in the past.
I will not be indulging my weirdo pleasure of checking the bookings every few days this year.
No no no.
 
Genuine question. I know we talk about the finances of Hot Ice quite flippantly, but I wonder what the budget of that show is vs. something like Peter Rabbit or Webmaster back in the day at Alton - those were free to enter shows and did multiple performances on some days. Hot Ice is produced by SWWP who do a myriad of other things - i.e. they have people on the payroll for other things, but I am sure Hot Ice is a core part of what they do.

With Hot Ice, you get a free matinee ticket with your E-Ticket so up to that point - it's the same thing as any other show in an amusement park - a cost centre that you absorb as part of admission.

The evening performances will attract a cost of some kind - but one imagines not a vastly inflated cost because everything has already been built, people have been employed - you're just sweating the resource more. Furthermore, they also attract some revenue, large or small.

It is curious. I've booked. In for a penny, in for £14 each.
 
Rick said:
With Hot Ice, you get a free matinee ticket with your E-Ticket so up to that point - it's the same thing as any other show in an amusement park - a cost centre that you absorb as part of admission.
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But they don't really promote the matinee performance to park guests. I am pretty sure most park visitors will not be aware of the free show. They don't even have a board outside informing people about it. I am not even sure if you can just rock up or if you still need to book even though it's free ?

I don't know how long the matinee performance lasts but I am guessing it will be at least an hour out of your day. Most theme park shows or no more than 15-20mins so I think an hour is probably a bit much to take out of your day, especially if its busy on the park.
 
I think most of the comms are now done via the app / welcome email. I can't recall seeing an advertising board - maybe there isn't. Pleasure Beach not promoting something well ... shocker !

On the duration, I think the matinee I went to last year was 50 minutes. It depends what you're there for, I guess. I enjoyed it
 
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