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Blackpool Pleasure Beach: General Discussion

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You can enter the South gate for I think the first 90 mins of the day if you're staying in Big Blue. You can also have your wristband fitted in reception so you are straight in. I've been on Steeplechase at 11:01 on an 11am opening day!
 
Let's face it, who actually goes to the LNR events for the fireworks? ;)

I'd rather they ditched the fireworks so the rides can stay open later.

And I'm not going to lie, I'm a little bit disappointed that there's only 8 again, they increased a lot from 2016, and the 4 I went to this year were just so popular, I just had high hopes that they would continue to increase them. I'm just still crying out for the old 10pm closing to return in summer (if the likes of Adventure Island, Skegness Pleasure Beach, GYPB, South Pier and Fantasy Island can do it, well....)

And with regards to this new hotel, their ratio of new ride per new hotel is still significantly better than Merlins, and it's making use of dead land so it's all good really.

Ocean Boulevard used to be a high of activity when all the entrances were in use (as well as the monorail station). Again that's another fond memory of mine, entering BPB through any gap you could find XD

Obviously needs must and the entrance fee was a good idea, but it would be nice now though to see them open up the south park entrance again, for regular guests too. The current set up just can't handle how many people visit the park. (Earlier this year I arrived at 2pm (5pm close) and still had to queue for around 15 mins to get a ticket...)
 
Lordy said:
Let's face it, who actually goes to the LNR events for the fireworks? ;)
I'd rather they ditched the fireworks so the rides can stay open later.
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I can see why they do it, as it keeps people in the park to the bitter end. Without them the park would be far emptier in the last hour. They must feel that they get more than enough extra revenue to cover the cost of the fireworks than simply opening later without them. But it is frustrating that half the rides shut at 9pm and unless they come up with a very different location for the fireworks next year then that will mean Icon shutting at 9pm also.

Lordy said:
And I'm not going to lie, I'm a little bit disappointed that there's only 8 again, they increased a lot from 2016, and the 4 I went to this year were just so popular, I just had high hopes that they would continue to increase them. I'm just still crying out for the old 10pm closing to return in summer (if the likes of Adventure Island, Skegness Pleasure Beach, GYPB, South Pier and Fantasy Island can do it, well....)
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Totally agree, they have 4 late finishes during the main summer school holidays so why not just make every Saturday during the main holidays a 10pm finish ?

Lordy said:
Obviously needs must and the entrance fee was a good idea, but it would be nice now though to see them open up the south park entrance again, for regular guests too. The current set up just can't handle how many people visit the park. (Earlier this year I arrived at 2pm (5pm close) and still had to queue for around 15 mins to get a ticket...)
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Yes, south entrance needs to be re-opened and at the very least as a full time entrance/exit for hotel guests. Perhaps the addition of the 2nd hotel will see some progress with the south entrance in 2019.
 
Oh yeah I can totally see why they do the fireworks, that's never in doubt. There'll be loads of people that visit just coz of them. It's just a shame for us geeks that things close early (PMBO queue was closed when I went to go on just before 8pm)
 
Yes, the park are coining it in on these events. I personally couldn't give a monkeys about the fireworks and would sooner the rides ALL stay open til 10pm on these nights, even til midnight like they did up to a couple of years ago. I think the posters are somewhat misleading people by promising 'LATE NIGHT RIDING.' I guess it grabs the attention and is more catchy than 'INTO MID EVENING RIDING', but really, would anyone consider 9pm to be 'late night', as so many rides close at that time?

Shakey, as regards 'it keeps people in the park til the bitter end', people will leave whenever they've had enough. I must be getting old but I retired to the Big Blue hotel around 9 to watch the fireworks (yes, the very ones I just said I don't give a monkeys about!). I simply couldn't be bothered with one more hour in the park with most of South park area rides shut, Wild Mouse shut, Flying Machines shut in the wind, and having already been in long queues for Nash & Dipper night rides, couldn't face them again (to be fair they were moving fast other than breakdown on Dipper when we were about to board).

I get the tactic from a business point of view: Close half of the rides, thus making the queues huge for the remaining ones, making people give up and flock into the outlets buying food, drink and merch whilst they wait to watch thousands of pounds being blasted high into the Blackpool sky never to be seen again. I'd just rather see all rides open to the end.

Perhaps I'm now ready to join the Grumpy Old Obstinate Network (GOON) along with Rob and Shakey :)
 
Dipper_Dave said:
Yes, the park are coining it in on these events. I personally couldn't give a monkeys about the fireworks and would sooner the rides ALL stay open til 10pm on these nights, even til midnight like they did up to a couple of years ago. I think the posters are somewhat misleading people by promising 'LATE NIGHT RIDING.' I guess it grabs the attention and is more catchy than 'INTO MID EVENING RIDING', but really, would anyone consider 9pm to be 'late night', as so many rides close at that time?

Shakey, as regards 'it keeps people in the park til the bitter end', people will leave whenever they've had enough. I must be getting old but I retired to the Big Blue hotel around 9 to watch the fireworks (yes, the very ones I just said I don't give a monkeys about!). I simply couldn't be bothered with one more hour in the park with most of South park area rides shut, Wild Mouse shut, Flying Machines shut in the wind, and having already been in long queues for Nash & Dipper night rides, couldn't face them again (to be fair they were moving fast other than breakdown on Dipper when we were about to board).

I get the tactic from a business point of view: Close half of the rides, thus making the queues huge for the remaining ones, making people give up and flock into the outlets buying food, drink and merch whilst they wait to watch thousands of pounds being blasted high into the Blackpool sky never to be seen again. I'd just rather see all rides open to the end.
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It's quite possible that icon could shut the queue line before 8pm if it has an exceptionally long queue and it's closing before the fireworks, which would be ridiculous on an advertised 10pm close.

I would be more in favour of some sort of Disney style parade than fireworks to be honest but not sure how they could do that logistically if the park is heaving.

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk
 
I think part of the trouble is that the area that gets closed off for the fireworks includes 97% of the rides that are worth re-riding. It's really only Mouse and Nash that aren't in the firing zone.
 
Agree it’s a shame they have to close rides but I’d suggest the GP do in the majority come for the fireworks. When you compare the attendance throughout the day generally and particularly into the evening there are a significantly larger amount of guests than there were on the late nights with fireworks than the previous late rider nights without the fireworks.

Call it sacrilege but I like the fireworks personally. It’s different for a UK park to see a late night show like this and I’m prepared to sacrifice ride availability for it.

As this seems to be a long term thing perhaps we’ll see a revised launch site which effects less rides. However it is tricky in such a congested site to find a large enough launch area andlarge enough fall out area, which both align with enough space for people to watch the fireworks and has good enough access/egress.
 
Dipper_Dave said:
I get the tactic from a business point of view: Close half of the rides, thus making the queues huge for the remaining ones, making people give up and flock into the outlets buying food, drink and merch
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Funny you should say that, at the last LNR riding event we couldn't find anywhere to actually get hot food after 8:30pm that was an actual BPB outlet, didn't fancy burger king or the pizza place. The outlets along by Infusion were either closing up or had staff standing at the back of the queue to stop people joining it.... must say I found that very odd.
 
Lordy said:
Funny you should say that, at the last LNR riding event we couldn't find anywhere to actually get hot food after 8:30pm that was an actual BPB outlet, didn't fancy burger king or the pizza place. The outlets along by Infusion were either closing up or had staff standing at the back of the queue to stop people joining it.... must say I found that very odd.
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Can't be bothered with food in the park when its heaving. On the Nov LNR event, we went to Velvet Coaster not long after 4PM and got our food within minutes. On the top floor, all inside tables were full, people were going up, looking inside & then going back down to the other floors. We braved the cold and sat on the outside tables, then were back in the park in no time at all. Sure, I'd support the park if there were more options. Get Trauma Towers / Bowladrome knocked down and more food places open! Velvet Coaster are very efficient, I've never waited long for food however busy they've been. They must have loads of staff.
 
Rob, next time you are peeking on your ladder, tell us if the 'maintenance' that the Wild Mouse was shut for months for is actually happening!
 
Did you know you can actually spot the top of the Mouse through the entrance gates when driving down the prom...not that I was looking.
And yes Dippy, I will observe and report.
Pinball, 'spoons and coaster hunt geekery on a stormy thursday in closed season.
Might get to play in Velvet Coasters lift.
 
Lordy said:
And I'm not going to lie, I'm a little bit disappointed that there's only 8 again, they increased a lot from 2016, and the 4 I went to this year were just so popular, I just had high hopes that they would continue to increase them. I'm just still crying out for the old 10pm closing to return in summer (if the likes of Adventure Island, Skegness Pleasure Beach, GYPB, South Pier and Fantasy Island can do it, well....)
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From what I heard, the additional events did bring in additional people, but I think the park are aware that there is a limit in terms of the number of people you will attract - you run the risk of having the same number of people over a larger number of events which really eats into your margin.

The cost bases of those parks are very different and the split between admission and pay per ride is a huge factor in what is profitable and what is not. The Pleasure Beach is a very expensive park to operate and maintain. In part because of existing circumstances and in part how they choose to operate it.
 
A new food and drink site has been much mooted, overlooking the fountains.
The FY4 side is nothing more than four shipping containers...sorry, merlin boxes.
And yes Temleh, Trauma Towers seems to have suffered much trauma.
 
Not one of my favourites, but happy memories of bouncing around in the Tagada ride back in the day. . . a comedy ride and no mistake! Still, good to see something done with a long-standing empty building. Rob, perhaps you can retrieve the word 'Trauma' from the sign in the skip and offer counselling to the suffering, traumatised souls if Wild Mouse doesn't reopen! :grinning:
 
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