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Blackpool Pleasure Beach: 2023 Discussion

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b2311e said:
Icon has just been closed for an hour or so. Curiously, it has reopened with the top of the queueline fence covered in gaffer tape, the whole length, covering the spikes. They weren't there this morning
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What did they look like before? If that is a handrail and they had spikes on that is usually a really big no no. You should not have vertical points below eye level in case of trips. Spikes in the eye are not great!
 
They aren't sharp but the corners potentially could be. The tape has been heavily vandalised already, nearly entirely off. Get the impression it wasn't thought through and was a bit of a panic response
 
RCDB has a whole bunch of shots showing the fences, this one is probably the clearest:

Icon - Pleasure Beach Resort (Blackpool, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom)

Looking for statistics on the fastest, tallest or longest roller coasters? Find it all and much more with the interactive Roller Coaster Database.
rcdb.com

They'll probably go along and weld a flat plate across the top of them all as a more permanent quick-fix. I'm sure I've seen that done in a Merlin park somewhere but I can't quite figure out where...
 
Dipper_Dave said:
@shakey was just about to post about the £139 Platinum Pass for next year. It's generally been a fair bit more for first time buyers, I'd like to think it will still be a fair discount for renewers, otherwise £40 is a big jump in one year. No renewal email received yet.

Edit: Email here. Renewal price is £129.00. About £30 more than we paid for this season. No new ride to look forward to. Humbug.
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I haven't had the email.
They don't want me back.
No surprise.
 
John said:
RCDB has a whole bunch of shots showing the fences, this one is probably the clearest:

Icon - Pleasure Beach Resort (Blackpool, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom)

Looking for statistics on the fastest, tallest or longest roller coasters? Find it all and much more with the interactive Roller Coaster Database.
rcdb.com

They'll probably go along and weld a flat plate across the top of them all as a more permanent quick-fix. I'm sure I've seen that done in a Merlin park somewhere but I can't quite figure out where...
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They don't come to a point so they should be fine. I guess something has happened and they've done this pending a proper review.
 
Tale from the season after Icon opened.
A manager I have known for years was doing job supervision with one of the ops.
I was sent away for smirking.
Then a shout goes up...a young lad has managed to twist his leg through the airgate for the front seat, turned round, and got it stuck, and panicked.
The manager managed to calm the lad down, and slowly rotate the kid around the right way and get his foot out the way it had gone in, much to the amusement of everyone around.
A bit like those metal twisty puzzle things, but with skin, bone and metal.
Very strange queue delay...but no injuries.
 
John said:
They'll probably go along and weld a flat plate across the top of them all as a more permanent quick-fix. I'm sure I've seen that done in a Merlin park somewhere but I can't quite figure out where...
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Vampire’s queue line railings.
 
I have a possibly unanswerable question. There's a chance I might head to Blackpool later part of this week. Weather looks a bit crap. I think its the light switch on Friday. What's the Beach likely to be like? Does it get crazy around light switch on? Have the Scots gone back to school? Does the weather this time of year override it being the end of the holidays?

I wasn't initially considering it but was surprised how reasonable some of the accommodation was so thought maybe the season dies off a bit.
 
Last time I visited switch on day was when the park tried doing the evening opening 4pm til 9pm and I've never seen the place emptier.

Just renewed my season pass for 2024, usually visit about 10 days a year so will easily get value for money. Will hopefully get back to Europa and visit Emerald Park for the first time as well so it'll be great value.
 
Lights on day is indeed usually quiet on the Beach.
All the "fun" is up by the Tower.
September is traditionally "Granny month"...lots of pensioner specials.
You often see the evening "switch on" celebrity...I got to tell Jonny Ross off for queuejumping on the Big One.
Worth the effort mate at this time of year...come on up, I'll get you a beer and donut.
 
Haven’t made great use of my season pass this year, but a visit to Europe Park next month offsets this.

Will probably renew, as even if we do only visit 3 or 4 times again next year. I’ll do at least one of the partner parks.

It’s just shame there’s not even a sniff of anything new coming to the park in 2024.
 
I’m pretty sure there were some other explanations proffered for that gondola and when you think about it, why would they deliver a “trial gondola” to Big Blue’s reception of all places?

Other than that and the trademark registration I’m not sure what constituted said proposal, other than a load of rumours.
 
danlouislucy said:
It was proposed and there was a gondola or 2 parked in front of Big Blue for a little while I think, but for whatever reason plans cancelled
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The gondola was a prop from a trade show stand and it could have quite simply being the reps had popped into Blackpool once the show had finished. I don't think the Thompsons needed showing a dummy carriage in order to decide whether to purchase/hire a wheel.
 
IDB said:
It’s just shame there’s not even a sniff of anything new coming to the park in 2024.
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I think the lack of any new attractions is going to become a problem for park attendance soon, if it hasn't already.

I don't think there has been a longer period in the parks history (other than maybe around WW2), where there have been zero changes to the ride line up for such a long period of time. Six years next year and it very much looks like it will be seven or eight years or even more before we get anything new.

I know some people don't like the idea of the park adding what are seen as travelling rides (including the parks MD), but it is an amusement park after all so I don't see a problem with it. The green patch of astroturf on the old Trauma Towers site is perfect for a cheap but effective thrill ride, even if it is a temporary measure. It would definitely liven that area up a bit.

If somewhere like Great Yarmouth can change the ride line up on an annual or bi-annual basis then I am sure Blackpool can. Stagnation is not good for any park.
 
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Matt N said:
In fairness, the park have spent £4m on Valhalla in that timeframe, which is probably about the price of a mid-to-upper tier flat ride.
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Yes, that is true but ultimately the ride line up is exactly the same now as it was in 2018. Even the changes to Valhalla are quite minimal in terms of ride experience.

You could probably get 3 or 4 flat rides for £4m
 
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