Blackpool Pleasure Beach: 2023 Discussion

[venny]

I’d rather not rely on vloggers to form my own opinion. It’s then not my own opinion.

 

[Connor98]

What’s the price of a pint nowadays at Pleasure Beach? Last time I was up there is was quite reasonable for lager compared to the merlin parks, and a lot nicer too.

 

[venny]

£4.50 for Carling/Carlsberg, £4.95 for San Miguel/Poretti.

 

[pjanvil]

I understand that I should visit the park first but in all honesty nothing has really changed from last year and though I had a good day most of the rides ride terribly and looking quite run down. That plus a lot of the negativity in regards to Valhalla and such from vloggers its quite easy to form an option

I would say the reviews on Valhalla have been a lot better since it came out of technical rehearsal. My ride on it was fantastic with all effects working including ring of fire. I accept it's still hit/miss but compared to 2019 your far more likely to get most effects working. At least right now.

 

[b2311e]

On my second ride (final drop) I was hit by a wall of water from the right, which connected to the side of my face with such a force that it hurt

This is horrific from the front or second row, it's worse when the boat has heavier people sat in it. During the early days of tech rehearsals, they were sitting kids on a particular side (wonder if it was with this in mind)

I'm wondering whether it's to do with how close the boats are

I think it's this. Sometimes you can see the first section's lighting resetting as your boat approaches the first lift


I've had enough of Valhalla for now, I think. My shoes are absolutely ruined... Maybe another go in the summer with more suitable clothing

 

[Tom]

Just seen the recent Vlog from Your Experience Guide who are very pro BPB...

With respect, I think that's in danger of being massively out of date. There seemed to be an epic fallout with the park in the run-up to the re-brand from PBE to YEG, coincidentally at a similar time to when the park moved to run fan events more directly via the new official fan club.

I've heard a few people say "if YEG are saying it it must be bad" or similar a few times recently and it needs calling out. If anything, there's likely to be an axe to grind, so criticism is probably less credible now than it ever was before.

 

[Matt N]

With respect, I think that's in danger of being massively out of date. There seemed to be an epic fallout with the park in the run-up to the re-brand from PBE to YEG, coincidentally at a similar time to when the park moved to run fan events more directly via the new official fan club.

I've heard a few people say "if YEG are saying it it must be bad" or similar a few times recently and it needs calling out. If anything, there's likely to be an axe to grind, so criticism is probably less credible now than it ever was before.

Out of interest, where has it been said that Your Experience Guide fell out with Pleasure Beach? From what I gather, the only reason Scott changed the channel name was because it had expanded to cover more than just Blackpool Pleasure Beach, so the name "Pleasure Beach Experience" was limiting their scope.

Scott hinted that the decision to rebrand had been a few years in the making and Pleasure Beach were fine with it, for what it's worth.

 

[JT01]

Did you watch it? what they was saying seemed pretty creditable

 

[Rick]

Did you watch it? what they was saying seemed pretty creditable

Haven't watched it, but been on park 7 times and ridden Valhalla 2.0 more times than my Converse care to remember, if that counts for anything in this bonkers conversation.

 

[rob666]

Not knowing anything in detail, I would say it is pretty obvious that there has been some sort of falling out of love between Scott's lot and the Beach.
What/why/where/when and by who?
Who cares.
And Rick, your positive reviews are a little flawed, they see you coming, and start flicking the on switches.

 

[QTXAdsy]

Actually, regarding how the park looks, I do have a story that is funny with hindsight and that is back when Southport closed and Cyclone was demolished, Mandy Thompson was the most hated person in the UK coaster community over this (likely more so than when the Wild Mouse got the chop) and how many felt she was running PB into the ground but not in the way you might think.

How so? By the crime of adding those fountains and making the place look cleaner round 2007/08 with many lamenting that they miss the days back in the 90's under GT's rule when the park was grimy which give it an atmosphere which sounds crazy to say but swear on my Grandmother's grave this is true. Ultimately in the end if the park is as grimey and run down as it is being said then those who missed the days of a dirty and grime PB have gotten their wish. Honestly, I don't know what to say about the presentation of many UK parks with the exception of Paulton's, it seems that much of the British coaster community just have a zero tolerance for anything dirty, likely brought on by how Merlin run their parks which I think is the root cause of this though I'd argue compared to the Merlin parks, PB seem to being doing a better job on the upkeep side of things which might seem laughable to some but then again we are comparing to Merlin where the bar is set pretty low.

 

[Plastic Person]

I don’t think it’s true that BPB was ‘grimy’ in the 90s. It was certainly less stylised than now, perhaps gaudy is a better word. WGT couldn’t resist cramming the park full of stuff, whereas Amanda’s vision, which she had begun to execute before her father’s death is a little more sparse and streamlined. For example, the way the North park’s aesthetic adapts from the art-deco design of the Grand National’s station is a canny touch that completely changed the atmosphere, but as the years have passed, as rides have disappeared and the crowds have grown sparser, the result is a lack of atmosphere. But the park has always been relatively clean and well-maintained in my eyes, the ‘funfair’ reputation it was often burdened with was completely unjustified.

 

[Coaster]

How so? By the crime of adding those fountains and making the place look cleaner round 2007/08 with many lamenting that they miss the days back in the 90's under GT's rule when the park was grimy which give it an atmosphere which sounds crazy to say but swear on my Grandmother's grave this is true. Ultimately in the end if the park is as grimey and run down as it is being said then those who missed the days of a dirty and grime PB have gotten their wish. Honestly, I don't know what to say about the presentation of many UK parks with the exception of Paulton's, it seems that much of the British coaster community just have a zero tolerance for anything dirty, likely brought on by how Merlin run their parks which I think is the root cause of this though I'd argue compared to the Merlin parks, PB seem to being doing a better job on the upkeep side of things which might seem laughable to some but then again we are comparing to Merlin where the bar is set pretty low.

I would actually argue that the park looks more grimy now than it used to in places.

FY4 for example used to be a hive of activity with a vibrant roller coaster rushing round, the cool facade of Trauma Towers, and now there is a dirty wall and the back of a warehouse on full view to guests. The fountain is almost redundant now with a backdrop that awful. River Caves' facade used to look great with the waterfalls rushing down, now it looks like a dilapidated ride.

I feel that BPB reached a stage in its 'refresh' where it did look great, around when the fountains were added in, but now it has lost so much of its vibrancy and colour, and one of the most central areas in the park looks and feels awful.

 

[JT01]

Couldn't agree more Coaster. Maybe its because a lot of the oldish rides were newer back then. But The park defiantly had a more vibrant atmosphere in the 90s

 

[venny]

There’s definitely truth in many of these views. There has been an attempt to renew the park’s aesthetic with a cleaner look, but some would argue that has been at the expense of a lot of character. The reputation for Pleasure Beach being grimy in the 90s only partly reflects the truth - elements of the park were much better maintained back then (think freshly painted woodies and well-tended scenes on the Pleasure Beach Express), but there were also issues with litter and vandalism as a result of the crowds and free entry policy.

Elements of the park are really quite well maintained and the toilets tend to be far better than the Merlin parks, they even regularly wash down the paths. At the same time, there are older and poorly maintained areas in corners of the park. The back of Alice’s warehouse and River Caves are two excellent examples of downgrades from what was previously there. I’m actually astounded at how long the warehouse has been visible from FY4. It also seems the upstairs seating area has just been mothballed now due to lack of maintenance. The state of the arcades is pretty appalling and the Millennium Bug arcade was almost totally derelict before its closure, whereas the new Store in the Casino building is absolutely lovely.

I suppose my conclusion is the park probably has more extremes than it has in the past - from the sleek modern interior of Coasters restaurant, to the derelict animals of the Pleasure Beach Express. That’s perhaps why there are such differing views on the park’s overall condition at the moment.

 

[rob666]

Don't ever remember the park being grimy, and that is with visiting lots, every year.
Bits get run down...look at the dome and train route, but upgrade stuff happens regularly.
Always look forward to the minor cosmetic changes each year.
It had a far better atmosphere when the entry was free, but often it was impossibly crowded in the holidays.
Bringing back a non riders ticket would improve the atmosphere, and fill the bars again.

 

[rob666]

What’s the price of a pint nowadays at Pleasure Beach? Last time I was up there is was quite reasonable for lager compared to the merlin parks, and a lot nicer too.

Could I add that you can top up in the Velvet...with Ruddles, one of my youth favourites, at £1:79 a pint.
A fiversworth of that with a spoons breakfast, followed by a silly scrap with random strangers on the dodgems.
Quality Sunday morning.

 

[Blackhole_Sun]

It’s in Blackpool……

What are people expecting exactly?

 

[Connor98]

Could I add that you can top up in the Velvet...with Ruddles, one of my youth favourites, at £1:79 a pint.
A fiversworth of that with a spoons breakfast, followed by a silly scrap with random strangers on the dodgems.
Quality Sunday morning.

Sounds like a lovely start to the day, however I’d rather have my scrap in the river caves! Joking aside I’ll give it a try next time I’m there.

 

[shakey]

I forgot to mention that I had my annual ride on infusion at the weekend, and it seems to have gotten worse. Even the first part was rough and that usually isn't too bad !!

I noticed in YEG's (PBE) vlog from the weekend that they said the purple train on Nash has a sign saying "unserviceable" on it. I didn't see it but does that mean Nash is now down to two trains permanently do you think ?