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Blackpool Pleasure Beach: 2023 Discussion

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Where are these recent adverts?
Only seen Hot Ice ones, sorry!
Honestly, the cost of running the thing properly, every day, even if just for a few hours on off peak days, would bankrupt the park within months.
Extra staff for fixing it and running it properly, increased energy costs in running all the effects, all from a massive ride designed and built in the days of pay per ride, but actually run in the days of "pay one price".
Shed flume in the dark with extra wet...it is an unforgettable experience regardless for most punters.
Feel free to discuss this further in Crevettes tomorrow lunchtime mate...
Shakeys round.
 
Coaster said:
Disagree, I think you're giving people too little credit.

When you have a huge facade like that, and you have the ride advertising special effects and a theatrical experience, I think it's obvious that it's meant to be more than just a log flume in the dark.

Again I come back to, if you were Pleasure Beach surely you would want people to see it at full potential and be absolutely amazed, rather than seeing it half-baked and it therefore being forgettable. Surely they would want people telling everyone how amazing it was seeing real fire, explosions, etc.
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I use to go Blackpool with friends who really wasn’t into theme parks (most were more interested in the Blackpool nightlife afterwards) and the comments I got from them was how soaked you got on the ride none of the them spoke about the effects in the ride as it meant nothing to them.
 
rob666 said:
Where are these recent adverts?
Only seen Hot Ice ones, sorry!
Honestly, the cost of running the thing properly, every day, even if just for a few hours on off peak days, would bankrupt the park within months.
Extra staff for fixing it and running it properly, increased energy costs in running all the effects, all from a massive ride designed and built in the days of pay per ride, but actually run in the days of "pay one price".
Shed flume in the dark with extra wet...it is an unforgettable experience regardless for most punters.
Feel free to discuss this further in Crevettes tomorrow lunchtime mate...
Shakeys round.
Click to expand...
www.blackpoolpleasurebeach.com

Valhalla - Brave the Adventure - Pleasure Beach Resort

Valhalla - Brave the adventure as you travel through the best water ride in the world and experience fantastic special effects and extreme elements like no other. Dare you attempt the journey to Valhalla?
www.blackpoolpleasurebeach.com www.blackpoolpleasurebeach.com
 
Coaster said:
www.blackpoolpleasurebeach.com

Valhalla - Brave the Adventure - Pleasure Beach Resort

Valhalla - Brave the adventure as you travel through the best water ride in the world and experience fantastic special effects and extreme elements like no other. Dare you attempt the journey to Valhalla?
www.blackpoolpleasurebeach.com www.blackpoolpleasurebeach.com
Click to expand...
I mean real adverts...like for Hot Ice...posters on bus stops, flags on the stilt road etc, not subsections on websites!
And even that one specific site doesn't actually list what happens...apart from real fire that often isn't.
The ride hasn't had much publicity since reopening at all.
They know it is a crap failure, they just had to get over the reopening.
 
rob666 said:
I mean real adverts...like for Hot Ice...posters on bus stops, flags on the stilt road etc, not subsections on websites!
And even that one specific site doesn't actually list what happens...apart from real fire that often isn't.
The ride hasn't had much publicity since reopening at all.
They know it is a crap failure, they just had to get over the reopening.
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It had loads of adverts around the town... last year, when it wasn't open.😂

The most recent video they posted to their YouTube shows a lot of the effects too, effects which in my experience since the refurb do not always work.

Plus, the fact they ensured stuff worked for press day meaning that vloggers are raving about the ring of fire, for everyone else to then go on the ride and it not be there.
 
rob666 said:
Only just spotted this...
Is this official Rick?
I would have guessed summer holidays or the century party.
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That's what I was told. I think that they had expected it to be already open, but alas not. They've had folk up on it 7 days a week so are wanting it done now I think.

I don't have the energy to debate Valhalla again. That ride has been inconsistent from day one and will always be ... even on media day. Scott's POV has no fire blasts, at all.

 
Right, today's review of Valhalla, now I've had time to dry my thoughts:

Zero mist in the station. Zero mist anywhere, with exception of a slight wisp in the pretend fire after the first lift hill.

Turntable effects are broken, the graphic on the wall has its light flash about four times. None of the drums or any other audio. The mechanical sounds of the turntable could be heard. No audio whatsoever for the remainder of the ride, unless you count the hanging bells.

From the top of the second drop, all the way around to the top of the second lift hill, it is entirely darkness. I liked the fact the drop was therefore completely unexpected for some people in the boat. The vortex was raining in, but I couldn't see it, as it was pitch black. There is a slight glow just after it, I had too much water on my glasses to work out what it was.

Hammer and rolling log are working. Rounding the corner, there are three err... I don't know... ghouls perhaps, on a rail. They are clearly supposed to come towards you, but only one of them moved. Never noticed these before.

Considering the queue was only this long...
IMG_20230611_154056672_HDR.jpg
...I foolishly went in for round two. On the second drop, despite wearing a poncho for the first time in years, I got the wettest I've ever got on the thing. I can only imagine it was another boat parallel; it was as if a tsunami had struck.

The fire worked on my first voyage, but only slightly worked on my second. These rides were within 10 minutes of each other.

Good news, though - I didn't see a single e-stop in half an hour's loitering. Not sure if related, the boats were spaced as equally as possible, and they were keeping the station track speed consistent.


Elsewhere in the park: It appears there aren't any obstructions to Dipper's track now, bar a small set of hand tools near Infusion. The only scaffolding I can see is on the 'onion' section.

Observing this from PB Express, I was pleased to see the return of the mist:
IMG_20230611_115141696.jpg
 
Thanks for the update @b2311e

Surprised the queue was that short, we were going to go today but figured it would be busy and headed up to the Lakes instead ... which was alway way quieter than I expected. The forecast has been pretty changeable all week - perhaps that harmed it.

Were you riding in the front when you got your soaking ? There is something very tsunami like on the last run out that affects the front row, particularly the right hand side - I did think it could be a parallel boat, but it seems to happen to often for it to be that.
 
So on Saturday I went to pleasure beach for the first time, I can safely say I've never been to a theme park with a more unique (and often painful) set of rides. I will never ride Steeplchase again, I still have bruises, that contrabtion needs binning no matter how nostalgic it might be. Grand National is in an awful state too, horid thing, get it sorted out.
Big one was shut all day but due to Blackpool pride prominard closure they gave us free return tickets for today so I popped in to do the Big One before going home. Not massivly painful, although shaking in places. It's tall and that;s about it, not really much else to say.
Disappointed not to see a wild @rob666 so he could offer me a pint or a magnum.
 
Rick said:
Thanks for the update @b2311e

Surprised the queue was that short, we were going to go today but figured it would be busy and headed up to the Lakes instead ... which was alway way quieter than I expected. The forecast has been pretty changeable all week - perhaps that harmed it.

Were you riding in the front when you got your soaking ? There is something very tsunami like on the last run out that affects the front row, particularly the right hand side - I did think it could be a parallel boat, but it seems to happen to often for it to be that.
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Back row on both occasions today. The last one is water being scooped into the boat from the trough, god knows what managed to get me in the back on the second drop today!


The park was a bit busier than the average Sunday, but Big One had a queue to the bottom of the ramp all day. It had only just tailed off when the door was shut at 5.
 
b2311e said:
The park was a bit busier than the average Sunday, but Big One had a queue to the bottom of the ramp all day. It had only just tailed off when the door was shut at 5.
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Operations on the big one today really weren't that good, queued probably 30-40 mins, with it on one train, really don't know why it wasn't on two unless there was a problem with one of the trains, leading to the closure on Saturday or something. That queue was so hot with no shade today.
 
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