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Blackpool Pleasure Beach: 2024 Discussion

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I only just learned that Pleasurebeech has one had one brand new coaster since 1994. One! How the park have managed to get away with that while slowly removing other rides and not replacing them is staggering

Hoping or dear leader will besow her wisdom upon us with the hopes of a new ride / water fountain/ giant hot ice billboard
 
The park currently has 10 operating coasters so I'm not sure if just building another one seeing how little an effect on attendance the opening of Icon had would help the park.

If the parks currently missing anything from the line up I'd argue it's the same as Alton, a compete lack of thrilling flat rides. Surely the world's tallest free standing drop tower, and gyro swing would be much cheaper options and garner sufficient publicity.
 
John_P said:
The park currently has 10 operating coasters so I'm not sure if just building another one seeing how little an effect on attendance the opening of Icon had would help the park.

If the parks currently missing anything from the line up I'd argue it's the same as Alton, a compete lack of thrilling flat rides. Surely the world's tallest free standing drop tower, and gyro swing would be much cheaper options and garner sufficient publicity.
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Totally agree about flats but PB also has several of those 10 coaster that are nearing or at the end of thier operating life.

Avalanche is limping along and has poor capacity

Revolution seems to break down frequently

Infusion is getting on, the track looks quite rusty which can't help with the already rough ride

Steeple chase is just pure rubbish and takes up far too much space. It rarely runs on all courses either

The woodies is suspect will outlive them all and I think they will want to keep Revolution going as long as they can but nothing lasts forever. At least one of the above should have been replaced by now.
 
Relife said:
Totally agree about flats but PB also has several of those 10 coaster that are nearing or at the end of thier operating life.

Avalanche is limping along and has poor capacity

Revolution seems to break down frequently

Infusion is getting on, the track looks quite rusty which can't help with the already rough ride

Steeple chase is just pure rubbish and takes up far too much space. It rarely runs on all courses either

The woodies is suspect will outlive them all and I think they will want to keep Revolution going as long as they can but nothing lasts forever. At least one of the above should have been replaced by now.
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I have not been to blackpool, but from what i have read big dipper and grand national are both herratige england listed meaning they have to stay opperational in the same/similar form as currently so they will have to outlive everything due to the law,
seeing the centiment online, I think part of the problem is a lack of awarness of the rides & park from the public, only a couple people i know (not coaster enthusiasts) have heard of bpb but most have heard of alton and thorpe and bpb is about the same driving time from alton to me. I think this is some what made worse due to the push for online prebooked ticket sales, in a town where tourism is quite high and there are many alternaive attractions charging £50 per person on the day dosen't incentivise the impulsive purchases of holiday makers, for instace if it was a cloudy day they may not want to go on the beach, but there is a theme park right next to the beach that could be done.
 
jibbsie said:
I have not been to blackpool, but from what i have read big dipper and grand national are both herratige england listed meaning they have to stay opperational in the same/similar form as currently so they will have to outlive everything due to the law,
seeing the centiment online, I think part of the problem is a lack of awarness of the rides & park from the public, only a couple people i know (not coaster enthusiasts) have heard of bpb but most have heard of alton and thorpe and bpb is about the same driving time from alton to me. I think this is some what made worse due to the push for online prebooked ticket sales, in a town where tourism is quite high and there are many alternaive attractions charging £50 per person on the day dosen't incentivise the impulsive purchases of holiday makers, for instace if it was a cloudy day they may not want to go on the beach, but there is a theme park right next to the beach that could be done.
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You’d think they would have the economic data to back up the move to wristband entry etc but to me having a seaside location as free entry has always made more sense.

It won’t stop people buying wrist bands and annual passes but enables the spontaneous customer.

Adventure and Fantasy Island still seem to thrive on that model and with much more accommodating opening hours.
 
Bowser said:
You’d think they would have the economic data to back up the move to wristband entry etc but to me having a seaside location as free entry has always made more sense.

It won’t stop people buying wrist bands and annual passes but enables the spontaneous customer.

Adventure and Fantasy Island still seem to thrive on that model and with much more accommodating opening hours.
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Please don't kick that hornets nest. We've managed thus far to not have the pay one price/free entry/wristbands/turnstiles merry-go-round conversation in the 2024 thread.
 
Hey, you missed tickets!
I loved tickets!!!
Family books, white knuckle books, single tickets from a booth.
Great for reward systems for well behaved children, chimps and goslings.
And any other species.
Sometimes got handed a dozen tickets on the way in, from a family on the way out.
"They didn't want to do the big rides."
 
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jibbsie said:
I have not been to blackpool, but from what i have read big dipper and grand national are both herratige england listed meaning they have to stay opperational in the same/similar form as currently so they will have to outlive everything due to the law,
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I believe that if they become economically un-viable (or unsafe to operate) the park could apply to remove them. The decision would rest with Historic England, but if they are dead-weight I can't imagine them opposing this. That said, the Dipper and Nash are great rides and fit specific demographics for the park (and the footprints are awkward at best) - so I can't see them going anywhere for a long while. I would love to see extensive work done on Nash though - particularly in the station. The unload/ load parking sensor/ alignment thing is just ridiculous... flatten the track and use drive-tyres to align the trains!
 
Relife said:
Totally agree about flats but PB also has several of those 10 coaster that are nearing or at the end of thier operating life.

Avalanche is limping along and has poor capacity

Revolution seems to break down frequently

Infusion is getting on, the track looks quite rusty which can't help with the already rough ride

Steeple chase is just pure rubbish and takes up far too much space. It rarely runs on all courses either

The woodies is suspect will outlive them all and I think they will want to keep Revolution going as long as they can but nothing lasts forever. At least one of the above should have been replaced by now.
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Is this what they could be imply with regards to modernising and not relying on heritage. Maybe they have clocked onto the fact that a lot of their rides are in a sorry state. Or am i being optimistic?

rob666 said:
Hey, you missed tickets!
I loved tickets!!!
Family books, white Knuckle books, single tickets from a booth.
Great for reward systems for well behaved children, chimps and goslings.
And any other species.
Sometimes got handed a dozen tickets on the way in, from a family on the way out.
"They didn't want to do the big rides."
Click to expand...
Totally agree, it was nice just randomly step in the park and do a few rides, even if you hadn't planned to go there for the day.
 
John_P said:
I'll always say that Valhalla was built for pay per ride were every boat going round was making them £32. Unfortunately by the time it opened the park was already transitioning to wristbands and pay one price.

Should've gotten another big headline coaster to mark the Millennium.
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Why did the park start changing to wristbands instead of sticking with pay per ride? I would've thought the park was making thousands every summer with PPR. Unless maybe at the time for some reason profits started going down...
 
metalhead98 said:
Why did the park start changing to wristbands instead of sticking with pay per ride? I would've thought the park was making thousands every summer with PPR. Unless maybe at the time for some reason profits started going down...
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Antisocial behaviour I believe. That's why the entrance turnstiles and security checks were introduced.
 
metalhead98 said:
Why did the park start changing to wristbands instead of sticking with pay per ride? I would've thought the park was making thousands every summer with PPR. Unless maybe at the time for some reason profits started going down...
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I believe it was, as @Skyscraper states generally down to peoples behavior on park and motivated by insurers. From a business point of view PPR allows for less planning that POP does (ie. a clearer understanding of income and numbers on park) - this is important as the casual staffing PPR relied on (equivalent to zero-hour contracts) isn't really something that can operate successfully today.

Ultimately PPR is just outdated for a park the size of PB with it's operational requierments.
 
Skyscraper said:
Antisocial behaviour I believe. That's why the entrance turnstiles and security checks were introduced.
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I'm not surprised if the park suffered from antisocial behaviour back then. A huge amusement park with free entry on the prom it would obviously become a magnet for trouble
 
The park suffered very large amounts of anti social behaviour...go back a few pages...pickpockets, thug gangs, prostitutes and angry football groups, together with groups of fifty stags/hens.
That is why paid entry, secure gates and security came in.
No reason not to keep paid entry/pay per ride/tickets as options, but the park wanted all of the day trippers money, not their share...combined with the tower and piers.
With their current even more depleted ride offering, and the opening fiasco, they aren't going to be getting any busier are they!
They have lost a grand a year for three years from my household because they scrapped the entry pass...no wife company gets boring after a while.
They lose another grand, extra this year, as I'm skipping a year, because the offering needs something new, not fewer rides.
So they are five grand short....from a single household, because of an inflexible entry policy, no option but full POP.
It is a seaside funfair, in Blackpool, not a theme park or resort, and it is time they realised.
 
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