Blackpool Pleasure Beach: 2024 Discussion

[b2311e]

Personally I'd rather it be busy with excellent operations. Unfortunately, neither of those things have been true in recent years. It was shockingly empty today, considering the perfect weather.

As happens on nearly every visit, I was talking to two women who were interested in Enso. One asked was I taking the... when I said it's £15. Obviously they did not ride.

Multiple food stalls closed as usual now. Not that it matters, as everyone goes to Velvet or Mcdonalds.

In slightly more positive news, the construction work on the entrance arcade appears to be nearing completion. The fences are down and the site has been cleared, and the side facing into the park has new doors/windows (suspect they're folding doors). There weren't doors originally, it was just shutters

Ghost train still has broken stuff, but I note they've reverted the recent sound effect change for the train horn. The crossing lights now illuminate again also.

Bizarrely, Big One has a pair of brake fins (not sure what you call them!) on the catwalk, just before the train enters the station. They're held on with what appears to be paracord. Not sure if they're ready to be fitted, or perhaps they're the an old set removed, just thought it was utterly odd to see. I look forward to seeing them on the online shop shortly

 

[shakey]

All that passing trade...Forty quid???
Sod off.
Simple.
There is no secondary spend, if there is no initial admission.

It's £50 on the gate.

So passing trade is doing exactly that. Passing by!


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[MarkR77]

It's £50 on the gate.

Its becoming a very expensive hobby !

Looked at BPB for this weekend but didn’t go … looked at Mingo wasn’t paying £45 to £56 either

off to New York in a few weeks… Coney island is $65 for a four hour wristband. Google tells me thats £52ish. Has the industry in general gone completely mad ?

 

[John_P]

off to New York in a few weeks… Coney island is $65 for a four hour wristband. Google tells me thats £52ish. Has the industry in general gone completely mad ?

When I went in 2019 it was $10 to ride the Cyclone, can't remember how much the wristband was but I certainly made sure to get my monies worth just on that.

Completely off topic but don't forget Deno's Wonder Wheel and amusement park which is somehow surrounded by Luna Park but is a completely seperate park.

 

[Mark84]

I don’t think the price for Enso can change. When you think a one shot speedy pass for icon is £10 which people pay without even thinking about it when it’s busy. So you are basically paying £5 for the different experience and £10 for skipping the normal icon queue( even if virtually). Any less than £10 and it would make the Speedy pass for icon kind of redundant as how can that be priced same/higher than Enso. I’m not saying it’s cheap or necessary value for money but everything is expensive these days or at least to many people seems it with many people struggling. It’s just one of them that will always be whether each individual thinks it’s worth it. Only thing they could maybe do is offer a discount if 2 people ride in same car

 

[Quantum]

Nearly £200 for a day out for a family of 4 is just silly. They never do promo offers either, Drayton is are offering £35 tickets ATM which seems a good deal considering.

No wonder they don't get any passing trade

 

[rob666]

I don’t think the price for Enso can change. When you think a one shot speedy pass for icon is £10 which people pay without even thinking about it when it’s busy. So you are basically paying £5 for the different experience and £10 for skipping the normal icon queue( even if virtually). Any less than £10 and it would make the Speedy pass for icon kind of redundant as how can that be priced same/higher than Enso. I’m not saying it’s cheap or necessary value for money but everything is expensive these days or at least to many people seems it with many people struggling. It’s just one of them that will always be whether each individual thinks it’s worth it. Only thing they could maybe do is offer a discount if 2 people ride in same car

Nope.
Icon booked and wait is £15.
To walk straight on it is extra on top as well isn't it?
At least it was when it first opened.
People pay ten pounds to jump a half hour queue, that is a massive convenience, fifteen pounds on top of expensive paid entry to sit in a spinny seat is a rip off on top of rip off.
The seats for enso are empty 95% of the time...waste of investment if punters refuse to pay the price, which is precisely what the punters are doing.
The price can change, no reason for it not to...just mandy, again.

 

[danlouislucy]

Nope.
Icon booked and wait is £15.
To walk straight on it is extra on top as well isn't it?
At least it was when it first opened.
People pay ten pounds to jump a half hour queue, that is a massive convenience, fifteen pounds on top of expensive paid entry to sit in a spinny seat is a rip off on top of rip off.
The seats for enso are empty 95% of the time...waste of investment if punters refuse to pay the price, which is precisely what the punters are doing.
The price can change, no reason for it not to...just mandy, again.

25 for Enso ""VIP"" , 15 for Enso with a virtual queue the same time as normal queue

 

[shakey]

Does anyone actually use the one shot speedy passes ?

£10 to jump not much of a queue is definitely wasting your money.

Maybe on a few days a year when Icon gets a big queue , but you can count those days on one hand.

 

[rob666]

Yup.
And very naughty schools often dangle them at kids for a hundred percent attendance.
The rotters.
I bet the Beach flog them to them at half price too...there were bloody hundreds one year.
Ban em all.

 

[Ares]

I'd have loved to visit the park on Sunday when the weather was lovely. Im only 45 minutes away, but there's zero chance I'm ever paying £50 on the gate out of sheer principle. I miss being able to just go on a whim, especially when you wake up early in summer and you can tell it's going to be a hot day as opposed to booking in advance and having to check the weather and even windspeeds too. Why is Amanda so stupidly stubborn. If it was £35 on the gate, sure id have gone. Money lost and all of those people on the front missed too, there is no FOMO / Emotional purchase when booking in advance.

 

[rob666]

The hot weather was very well forecast, in advance, for a week.
So with a little bit of planning, you could have had your day, in glorious sunshine, with very short queues.
I know what you mean about losing spontaneous visits though.
And with such a clear good forecast, one of the first warm weekends of the season, the Beach should have been packed...first very busy weekend...just didn't happen.
The Beach is heading towards bankruptcy the way it is going...more staff than visitors most days...make that work on a routine basis...you simply can't.
Mandy is heading to the exit doors, she has lost interest in the business, she just wants everyone to dance on ice, but nobody does that anymore.

 

[shakey]

I'd have loved to visit the park on Sunday when the weather was lovely. Im only 45 minutes away, but there's zero chance I'm ever paying £50 on the gate out of sheer principle. I miss being able to just go on a whim, especially when you wake up early in summer and you can tell it's going to be a hot day as opposed to booking in advance and having to check the weather and even windspeeds too. Why is Amanda so stupidly stubborn. If it was £35 on the gate, sure id have gone. Money lost and all of those people on the front missed too, there is no FOMO / Emotional purchase when booking in advance.

You can currently book on the day up to 9am to get the online price.

Admittedly they usually put the online price up as the day gets nearer but tomorrow for instance is £36.25 and that price will probably be available up to 9am tomorrow.

I am guessing the park want people to book so they know how many people will be on park and therefore how much they can cut the staffing and operations.

So I can sort of understand why they do it but with the big price hike on the gate they are effectively just shutting up shop once they have the online bookings and saying "go away we don't want you because it will mess with our numbers."

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[rob666]

If they did have tenner entry as it used to be, with a few bits thrown in, and a ticket/pop option like other seaside funfairs do (which is all the Beach is), I wonder just how packed the Beach would have been on the first decent weekend of the year?
I know Sunday was quietish, but Saturday, the parking in town was pretty much full.
They do seem to be beating themselves up very well with the single option entry.
Isn't it time they admitted defeat?

 

[shakey]

If they did have tenner entry as it used to be, with a few bits thrown in, and a ticket/pop option like other seaside funfairs do (which is all the Beach is), I wonder just how packed the Beach would have been on the first decent weekend of the year?
I know Sunday was quietish, but Saturday, the parking in town was pretty much full.
They do seem to be beating themselves up very well with the single option entry.
Isn't it time they admitted defeat?

Getting Amanda to admit defeat is a bit like getting the black knight from monty python to admit defeat...


From: https://youtu.be/ZmInkxbvlCs?t=40


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[Quantum]

I've said this before but let a child get in for £10 with every full priced adult ticket. It suddenly becomes and affordable and attractive day out.

The concept of having more people in the park spending money seems alien to them. People want the park to do well but they are really hurting themselves at this point.

 

[rob666]

And mum doesn't ride, ever.
Just shot your value down.
Just go back to paid entry, and optional tickets, or pop, like it used to be.
Or just go bust.

 

[shakey]

Looks like by sticking with P.O.P they could be going Pop !!!

 

[rob666]

So, the Beach is dead, even on sunny weekends, but things are really beginning to pick up...
HOT ICE...HALF PRICE TICKETS!
Contain your excitement.
For one week only.
Book early.
Or late.
Or not at all.
The show doesn't even start for two months.

 

[Mick]

The place hasn’t even posted a single tweet in the month of May, what the hell are they doing? A perfect case study in how to run an institution into the ground.