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Blackpool Pleasure Beach: 2023 Discussion

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Something to consider in the whole saving the park armchair Amanda game. The hotels.

By my fag packet math, assuming a 50% occupancy (which is low) based on median prices they are turning over about 10m a year on rooms. This was a pessimistic approximation. It's interesting because it makes up about a third of the group's turnover if you take their precovid 35m figure.
 
WillPS said:
I think it makes sense. My initial concern is are they going to be able to staff the place sufficiently with such limited hours available though?
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I can’t imagine staffing the place would be a huge problem, as many others seaside amusement parks as well as inland theme parks only open on weekends in school term time and seem to get enough staff to have everything open.

I think this is now the only way forward for term time. Open 4-10pm on Fridays, 10am- 8,9,or 10pm on Saturdays depending on crowd levels, and open 10am- 6pm on Sundays.

By being closed on weekdays, they can put all their effort into getting ride maintenance done ready for a full opening on Fridays and weekends, where money has been saved through not opening in the week.

Sounds like weekdays are only getting a couple of hundred in anyway, so closing on those days will be nothing but a money saver.
 
Normally quiet weekdays are around the thousand paying punters I reckon, plus the pass geeks.
A couple of hundred is a very poor day, but there haven't been many of those recently with covid around.
Lights night, god help the lecky bill, it's like the bloody illuminations in here.
 
It must cost them so much money to maintain these older rides. And the sad thing is with many of them it's sadly not worth the time or money anymore to do so.

No wonder their finances are always a mess. Woodies on their own cost fortunes to keep operating.
 
Benjsh said:
It must cost them so much money to maintain these older rides. And the sad thing is with many of them it's sadly not worth the time or money anymore to do so.

No wonder their finances are always a mess. Woodies on their own cost fortunes to keep operating.
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That’s the thing though, Pleasure Beach has lots of older rides that must cost a lot to maintain, yet it’s those older rides that give the park a lot of its charm and make it unique.

You’ve got four woodies there, a couple of very old dark rides, and things like the Flying Machines and Derby Racers and it’s these rides that make the park very different to any other amusement park or theme park in the UK. Even rides that are somewhat more recent, such as Revolution, Avalanche, and Steeplechase are ones that have their charm and history and it would be sad to lose them. Obviously the park have made decisions to remove old rides in the past (such as the dearly departed Wild Mouse) but it is a somewhat tricky position they find themselves in given the age of some rides and maintenance costs. I do wonder though if Blackpool were an American park if a few rides would have, you know, accidentally burnt to the ground by now.
 
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It’s all about finding the balance. I think it’s right that they maintain some of the classics, but I hear people still mourning for the turtle chase, the whip, goldmine and log flume, but the reality is that most of the public aren’t bothered about being in a heritage park full of classics, and the rides which I just listed have all been replaced with newer, more relevant rides which I’ve no doubt are more popular with visitors than if they’d kept what was there previously.

Keep Big Dipper, keep Alice and the Ghost Train, and keep the Flying Machines and Derby Racer. These are classics which I’d argue are worth spending the money preserving.

I’m sorry to say though, that I think it’s got to the point where it isn’t worth keeping Grand National, despite its listed status, the ride seems pretty much beyond repair and just isn’t enjoyable to ride anymore. I’d remove Streak and Blue Fire, replacing them with more modern family coasters with better capacity (Streak’s capacity issues are dire), and this also sadly leads me on to Grand Prix which I’d also say needs removing due to its capacity being completely substandard.

Modern, more thrilling coasters could fill the spaces left by these rides, and would be far more popular with the vast majority of park visitors.

Oh and for the record, I think they were wrong to ever remove Wild Mouse, but that’s irrelevant now anyway.
 
Well this is interesting, Pleasure Beach are now selling a Hot Ice season pass!

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They used to sell show season passes up til 2008, then in 2009 they scrapped the shows that year and have never brought them back.
 
John_P said:
They used to sell show season passes up til 2008, then in 2009 they scrapped the shows that year and have never brought them back.
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But I wonder though if this could be viewed as the first sign that they might be considering bringing back some kind of non-rider entry ticket for 2023 or am I reading too much in to it?
 
Enter Valhalla said:
It’s all about finding the balance. I think it’s right that they maintain some of the classics, but I hear people still mourning for the turtle chase, the whip, goldmine and log flume, but the reality is that most of the public aren’t bothered about being in a heritage park full of classics, and the rides which I just listed have all been replaced with newer, more relevant rides which I’ve no doubt are more popular with visitors than if they’d kept what was there previously.

Keep Big Dipper, keep Alice and the Ghost Train, and keep the Flying Machines and Derby Racer. These are classics which I’d argue are worth spending the money preserving.

I’m sorry to say though, that I think it’s got to the point where it isn’t worth keeping Grand National, despite its listed status, the ride seems pretty much beyond repair and just isn’t enjoyable to ride anymore. I’d remove Streak and Blue Fire, replacing them with more modern family coasters with better capacity (Streak’s capacity issues are dire), and this also sadly leads me on to Grand Prix which I’d also say needs removing due to its capacity being completely substandard.

Modern, more thrilling coasters could fill the spaces left by these rides, and would be far more popular with the vast majority of park visitors.

Oh and for the record, I think they were wrong to ever remove Wild Mouse, but that’s irrelevant now anyway.
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I would agree with most of that. Although if they had spent money refurbishing the log flume then I think it would still be a very popular family attraction. Everyone loves a log flume and it's the best one I've ridden.

I would also keep streak and blue flyer, both very popular and streak doesn't really take up much space. Would be good if they could get it back on two trains though.

Nash is on borrowed time I think , although the partial re-track has helped (on non wheel seats at least).

I still enjoy Steeple but I think that will probably go in the next decade or so.

I am not going to mention dead rodents!!

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Benjsh said:
Don't all rush at once guys!!!
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So you would need to go 4 times to make it worth while compared to just paying per visit.

Who wants to go and see the same show 4 times in the same season?

I am sure they will sell a handful to the big fans of the show but someone somewhere is going to get a very disappointing Christmas present !!

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Alsty said:
What's special about the 6th July and 9th September?
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Could be some sort of press/gala night?

Anyhow, that is a very strange thing to sell. Not sure who'd want to see it more than once, if at all!
 
Probably first and last nights.
There are a few sad skate freaks, they will lap this up and attend most weekends.
Don't think they will sell more than a couple of dozen.
 
rob666 said:
Probably first and last nights.
There are a few sad skate freaks, they will lap this up and attend most weekends.
Don't think they will sell more than a couple of dozen.
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You could say the same about us all buying season passes for the park even though the rides are the same all season (and last season etc) at least the ice show will be slightly different next year.
 
I go every few weeks, tend to ride a different selection of rides each time, chat with many staff and punters, and enjoy a cheap drink with fresh strangers...(the fresher the better).
Can't do any of that at the ice show.
I have enjoyed the show many times, and always suggest newbies go and see it if they can, it is just such a ring fenced drain on resources for a small family park.

Anyway, next question.
Next year, the season pass starts a month later, mid March.
Do you think they might sneak in a "pre season" paid only wow weekends offer?
Just to mop up the freaks and geeks...
Pre season preview rides on the big coasters, fiver each or a twenty quid "valentines"wristband for half term?
They need to keep those tills tinkling.
 
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