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Blackpool Pleasure Beach: 2024 Discussion

siralgenon said:
I'm sorry but what the bloody hell is this Pleasure Beach Lancashire crap.
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A confused, pathetic, dare I say torified attempt at a rebrand in typical Pleasure Beach fashion. No clue what it wants to be, aims higher than it ever should and even then somehow misses.

After visiting today, I dont think I will ever go again. Quite frankly, what a dump. No pride in the product, unless its the merchandise where staff are seemingly instructed to behave as if its Harrods which results in the most bizarre environment one can imagine.



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Benjsh said:
She will still be pushing the Ice Show that literally nobody cares about though.

They can stay on as owners perhaps but they need to go and employ someone who knows what they are doing to run the park for them. Mandy hasn't got a clue let's be brutally honest and never really has. That's not a dig either. Not everyone is cut out for that job.
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Or, when they have paid, experienced consultants brought in, they might actually follow some of the advice given.
Allegedly.
From two different very good sources.
 
IDB said:
Followed opening day over on Twitter / X. I think this was my favourite post and sums the place up currently.


From: https://x.com/koshercoasters/status/1763904393177354641?s=46&t=C4S93gpPJYxZrbkyZ1lCuw
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Wallace and Vomit.

My friend's son is desperate to go to BPB in the Summer and I'm doing all I can to persuade her to trot down towards Towers instead. I haven't been since about 2013 but even Icon hasn't inspired a visit. Doesn't look like that will change this year!
 
I've only skipped through this but Your Experience Guide's vlog shows many of the blunders of opening day


From: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kL1-8_1I5IQ


Some timestamp highlights from the above:
6:58 Rev being pushed up to the second launch
8:40 Avalanche fails to make the brake run
21:25 PB Express doesn't make it to the platform


and something I've just noticed, the word 'you' is missing from the subject line of the welcome email. "We can't wait to see!" 🤭
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Do you ever get the impression they weren't ready to re-open...
 
cloudburster said:
Wallace and Vomit.

My friend's son is desperate to go to BPB in the Summer and I'm doing all I can to persuade her to trot down towards Towers instead. I haven't been since about 2013 but even Icon hasn't inspired a visit. Doesn't look like that will change this year!
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Let her take him to Pleasure Beach first. And after visiting PB then Towers, even with Towers' faults, it'll make the place feel like Disney in comparison!

I rode Icon once and found it mediocre at best and like you I have no real inclination to go back. I think even Thirteen's launch into the station is more forceful than Icon's, and its not even a launch feature!
 
Steve74 said:
Let her take him to Pleasure Beach first. And after visiting PB then Towers, even with Towers' faults, it'll make the place feel like Disney in comparison!

I rode Icon once and found it mediocre at best and like you I have no real inclination to go back. I think even Thirteen's launch into the station is more forceful than Icon's, and its not even a launch feature!
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She's a single Mum so I don't want her wasting her money on BPB when Towers, for first-time visitors, is a metric ton more magical and memorable. I have NO IDEA why he wants to go so badly, but I'll continue with my efforts to send them down the road instead haha.
 
cloudburster said:
She's a single Mum so I don't want her wasting her money on BPB when Towers, for first-time visitors, is a metric ton more magical and memorable. I have NO IDEA why he wants to go so badly, but I'll continue with my efforts to send them down the road instead haha.
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Ah that's a fair point, let us know what they decide and what their day was like at either park!
 
cloudburster said:
Wallace and Vomit.

My friend's son is desperate to go to BPB in the Summer and I'm doing all I can to persuade her to trot down towards Towers instead. I haven't been since about 2013 but even Icon hasn't inspired a visit. Doesn't look like that will change this year!
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Do the beach as well as the Beach, and throw in a tramride, donkeys and a couple of piers, and you can have an absolutely stunning time (once) with young kids in Blackpool.
 
just came out of pleasure beach today and overall much better in terms of operations, avalanche issues are sorted and rev seems to be doing great too! weather also massively improved (obviously not the parks fault)

i think yesterday was a massive wake up call
 
I've had bad days at towers with breakdowns and poor ops but always went back even though we've to travel from Northern Ireland. Didn't go this past 2 years because of other commitments and said we weren't going this year either. The lure was too strong, booked to go in August.

Went to BPB once a few years ago (after a 3 day trip to towers) and I described it to my wife as a glorified funfair. We wouldn't return if the entire trip was free. Just couldn't warm to the place at all.
 
I have fond childhood memories of it. We only ever seemed to be there in the dark (we’d go down for the illuminations) which added to it and it was always heaving. Doesn’t sound like those two things happen much anymore.

Being able to just go in, wander round for a couple of hours and have a few rides made it feel special too.

All of the above seem to still serve Adventure Island very well, sounds like BPB lost their identity along the way.
 
Opening day at most parks doesn't go well. We see similar posts every year and we all like to moan about the same things. It is like those people that like to go on inaugural cruses - why would you? Things haven't been run in yet, the staff are new and they are trying to get things up-to-standard.

I don't think PB has done itself any favors. Communication is poor and it's not even like they have entertainment anymore to compensate for lack of rides. There is, however, a very easy fix for the repeated chaos of opening weekend... change it's name:

Pleasure Beach Season Preview Weekend. "Join us for a preview of our attractions for the 2024 season. Attractions may operate sporadically, and some not at all, as we get everything working well for the up-coming season. For this weekend only, there is 25% off all food and soft drinks in the park". Add a fan event at 4pm to placate the thoosies: Meet our Maintenance Manager and Operations Manager who will talk through some of the work that happened during the close season with your opportunity to ask questions."

None of this is complicated stuff. It always astounds me how wrong our parks [not just PB] get it.
 
Well looks like Saturday was a complete and utter farce for the park. And Amanda Thompson being so bullish on social media in the morning doesn't exactly paint a pretty picture.

From looking at what was not available, the state of the park and some of the other going ons from the day it does look like a cash strapped park just trying to limp on when really they shouldn't.

Let's be honest, Thompson needs to hand of the reigns to someone competent.
 
ScottishChris said:
Opening day at most parks doesn't go well. We see similar posts every year and we all like to moan about the same things. It is like those people that like to go on inaugural cruses - why would you? Things haven't been run in yet, the staff are new and they are trying to get things up-to-standard.

I don't think PB has done itself any favors. Communication is poor and it's not even like they have entertainment anymore to compensate for lack of rides. There is, however, a very easy fix for the repeated chaos of opening weekend... change it's name:

Pleasure Beach Season Preview Weekend. "Join us for a preview of our attractions for the 2024 season. Attractions may operate sporadically, and some not at all, as we get everything working well for the up-coming season. For this weekend only, there is 25% off all food and soft drinks in the park". Add a fan event at 4pm to placate the thoosies: Meet our Maintenance Manager and Operations Manager who will talk through some of the work that happened during the close season with your opportunity to ask questions."

None of this is complicated stuff. It always astounds me how wrong our parks [not just PB] get it.
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There is the usual opening of seasons cock ups at the Beach, but this year seems twice as bad as usual.
Two ride closures...for good probably, whatever madam says, and the Big One closure only announced on the very morning of opening to shelter advance sales.
Then the majority of coasters closed over the day, and a recent record of five failures (at least) to return by the Rev!
This years effort if far worse than previous years, by some distance.
 
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