Blackpool Pleasure Beach: General Discussion

[AstroDan]

Re: Pleasure Beach, Blackpool: General Discussion

Why does everything get totally twisted? People like the Pleasure Beach. It is fun. The sculpture garden is far better than the dodgem ride previously but the park needs new rides as far as I am concerned.

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[Squiggs]

Re: Pleasure Beach, Blackpool: General Discussion

Sorry Dan, I've removed your quote from the start of my post... my point was originally more linked to what you said, but it somewhat got away from me.

I think part of my original point was that my perception is that there's a hell of a lot less attractions to enjoy at BPB these days than there was 10 years ago, partly due to lack of new additions, but also due to a large amount of removals. I mean my above post didn't even start to saunter towards the more modern removals such as Spin Doctor and Bling.

 

[Adam James]

Re: Pleasure Beach, Blackpool: General Discussion

Just thought i'd do a quick summary of the last ten years in terms of removals and additions...

Progress Summary (2002-2012)

Removals/SBNO:1001 Troubles, Alpine Dodgems, Alpine Golf*, Black Hole, Caterpillar, Clown Coaster, Gold Mine, Haunted Swing, Helicopters, Log Flume, Lunar Carousel, Magic Mountain, Millennium Bug, Mini Dodgems, Mini Whip, Motor Boats, Noah's Ark, Safari Ride, Space Invader, Superbowl, Swamp Buggies*, Trauma Towers, Turtle Chase, Vikingar, Whip. = 25 Rides.

Come and Gone: Big Apple, Bling, Spin Doctor, Wild Earth* = 4 Rides

Additions: Airbender, Dodgems, Fairy World Taxis, Impossible, Infusion, Spongebob Splash Bash, World Voyage, Rainforest Rescue, Circus Bounce, Bus Tour = 10 Rides

(* designates an extra charge attraction/ride, not included on wristbands)

Summary - The park have removed slightly just under three times as many rides than they've added since 2002, ten years ago.

 

[Rowe]

Re: Pleasure Beach, Blackpool: General Discussion

Removals/SBNO:1001 Troubles

Could you please explain to me what this 1001 Troubles is? I've never heard of such an attraction!

 

[Adam James]

Re: Pleasure Beach, Blackpool: General Discussion

Removals/SBNO:1001 Troubles

Could you please explain to me what this 1001 Troubles is? I've never heard of such an attraction!

Basically it was what is now the pre-show for Impossible - the mirror maze portion but larger in size. It was opposite Wild Mouse where the Goalstriker game is now.

I never had the opportunity to sample it myself, but it's one of those quirky 90's attractions that is rarely talked about. Luckily, it survived the Bean Street fire in 2004 which was directly next to it when it went up .

 

[Anonymous]

Re: Pleasure Beach, Blackpool: General Discussion

Removals/SBNO:1001 Troubles, Haunted Swing

You can't justify putting them in removals, neither were removed, they were combined as one attraction to make Impossible, just as the Tagada and the Haunted Hotel were combined to bring us Trauma Towers.

You also ignore the fact the Goldmine is being replaced.

As I keep saying, check the history books, PB build coasters when the time is right, not every other year.

 

[AstroDan]

Re: Pleasure Beach, Blackpool: General Discussion

Removals/SBNO:1001 Troubles, Haunted Swing

You can't justify putting them in removals, neither were removed, they were combined as one attraction to make Impossible, just as the Tagada and the Haunted Hotel were combined to bring us Trauma Towers.

You also ignore the fact the Goldmine is being replaced.

As I keep saying, check the history books, PB build coasters when the time is right, not every other year.

But why is this? Honestly, I love visiting the place but unless you're a die-hard fan, it becomes less and less appealing the longer time goes on with nothing decent new being added. On a personal level, the addition of Infusion was of no interest whatsoever (although I appreciate for the general public and the parks marketing, it was presumably a great move).

I know you love the Pleasure Beach, Scott - for its timeless and unique atmosphere, but even you would surely rather they invested in decent new attractions on a more regular basis?

 

[Oli]

Re: Pleasure Beach, Blackpool: General Discussion

Blackpool... Reasons I hate this park

- Lack of themeing (Fountains don't count)
- Poor ride quality
- Location / People there

Still rates higher than Flamingo Land.

 

[AstroDan]

Re: Pleasure Beach, Blackpool: General Discussion

Blackpool... Reasons I hate this park

- Lack of themeing (Fountains don't count)
- Poor ride quality
- Location / People there

Still rates higher than Flamingo Land.

See, I detest this kind of post too. Maybe you do hate the park, but it's that sort of generic "Blackpool is rubbish" which makes those defending the place all the more militant.

I would far rather have some reasoned debate, than just generic "rubbish rides, theming and crowds" comments. As for the theming - well it's not a theme park for a start, and in any case some areas have some reasonable theming (Nick Land, Valhalla) whilst the location - well, that's a little harsh. Blackpool has been quite a depressed town for a while owing to cheap flights abroad etc. And as for rides, well I agree that many of the rides aren't brilliant but then again, it's part of the charm the fact that so many are old and classic.

 

[Rowe]

Re: Pleasure Beach, Blackpool: General Discussion

You also ignore the fact the Goldmine is being replaced.

Surely it does count as a removal in terms of theme despite the system/hardware still remaining? The same essentially applies for The Simpsons at Universal Orlando.

 

[Adam James]

Re: Pleasure Beach, Blackpool: General Discussion

You also ignore the fact the Goldmine is being replaced.

People keep on referring to the last ten years, so that's what I've done. As yet, no future investments have been announced by the Pleasure Beach, so therefore any 2013 additions aren't not on the list.

You can't justify putting them in removals, neither were removed, they were combined as one attraction to make Impossible

Both experiences were shortened extensively when put together, so they count as removals. You may have noticed I put Impossible in the new attractions list as a result of this.

Either way Scott, you can't possibly deny that rides are being taken away at a more rapid pace then they're being replaced. Although, last year did see some top quality replacements for tired junior attractions in the form of Nickelodeon Land.

Blackpool... Reasons I hate this park

- Lack of themeing (Fountains don't count)
- Poor ride quality
- Location / People there

When was the last time you visited Oli? I know for certain the park has some of the best themed dark rides in the country (River Caves, Valhalla) - and the clientèle aren't radically different from those that visit Alton Towers. As for poor ride quality, that's down to opinion so fair play.

 

[Blizzard]

Re: Pleasure Beach, Blackpool: General Discussion

As much as I too love playing RollerCoaster Tycoon, it is not like that in real life. In RCT you can just throw your money away on new attractions & take the consequences, as its just a game. You cannot do this in real life.

We should put more trust in Amanda's management & see what they come up with. Times are difficult at the moment for most businesses & none of them can afford to loose much money.

For all we know, pleasure beach could have plans fore something as monumental as the big one, so saving expenses for it through not adding any large attractions.
What attracts the gp more is one BIG ride, not a small/flat ride every year. People visit parks for mainly the coasters. End of.
The park already looks a lot better than it did 10 years ago, this is from removing old/un-popular attractions & replacing some of them with more green space (such as the dodgems). PB needs this as if it wants to make its self more of an "Amusement Park" than a fair groud, it needs to have open bublic spaces & things to look at other than rides. Think about what made AT popular.

My point is, lets just wait & see what happens. We can't assume, but we can speculate.

 

[Martin]

Re: Pleasure Beach, Blackpool: General Discussion

You also ignore the fact the Goldmine is being replaced.

People keep on referring to the last ten years, so that's what I've done. As yet, no future investments have been announced by the Pleasure Beach, so therefore any 2013 additions aren't not on the list.

You can't justify putting them in removals, neither were removed, they were combined as one attraction to make Impossible

Both experiences were shortened extensively when put together, so they count as removals. You may have noticed I put Impossible in the new attractions list as a result of this.

Either way Scott, you can't possibly deny that rides are being taken away at a more rapid pace then they're being replaced. Although, last year did see some top quality replacements for tired junior attractions in the form of Nickelodeon Land.

Blackpool... Reasons I hate this park

- Lack of themeing (Fountains don't count)
- Poor ride quality
- Location / People there

When was the last time you visited Oli? I know for certain the park has some of the best themed dark rides in the country (River Caves, Valhalla) - and the clientèle aren't radically different from those that visit Alton Towers. As for poor ride quality, that's down to opinion so fair play.

Lack of theming doesn't bother me at Blackpool. In fact, quite the opposite. It's an amusement park, not a theme park, theming just isn't what it's about.

Personally I wish they'd stop the pretensions of being a theme park and go back to fully embracing being a classic, traditional seaside amusement park gone huge. I'm not even a huge fan of the modern, chromed, clean image they're wheeling out. Go back to being bright, vibrant and a bit cheesy, I say!

As much as I too love playing RollerCoaster Tycoon, it is not like that in real life. In RCT you can just throw your money away on new attractions & take the consequences, as its just a game. You cannot do this in real life.

We should put more trust in Amanda's management & see what they come up with. Times are difficult at the moment for most businesses & none of them can afford to loose much money.

For all we know, pleasure beach could have plans fore something as monumental as the big one, so saving expenses for it through not adding any large attractions.
What attracts the gp more is one BIG ride, not a small/flat ride every year. People visit parks for mainly the coasters. End of.
The park already looks a lot better than it did 10 years ago, this is from removing old/un-popular attractions & replacing some of them with more green space (such as the dodgems). PB needs this as if it wants to make its self more of an "Amusement Park" than a fair groud, it needs to have open bublic spaces & things to look at other than rides. Think about what made AT popular.

My point is, lets just wait & see what happens. We can't assume, but we can speculate.

We don't trust Merlin, why should we trust Mandy? The whole argument for having nice places and things to look at, fountains, the sculptures, etc went out the winder when hey started charging for entry. If I'm paying to go to an amusement park, I want amusements. Or more specifically, rides. Not fountains. Rides.

 

[Blizzard]

Re: Pleasure Beach, Blackpool: General Discussion

We don't trust Merlin, why should we trust Mandy? The whole argument for having nice places and things to look at, fountains, the sculptures, etc went out the winder when hey started charging for entry. If I'm paying to go to an amusement park, I want amusements. Or more specifically, rides. Not fountains. Rides.

Blaze, would you be happy if all the theming was stripped from all the rides at AT?

...

 

[Oli]

Re: Pleasure Beach, Blackpool: General Discussion

Blackpool... Reasons I hate this park

- Lack of themeing (Fountains don't count)
- Poor ride quality
- Location / People there

Still rates higher than Flamingo Land.

See, I detest this kind of post too. Maybe you do hate the park, but it's that sort of generic "Blackpool is rubbish" which makes those defending the place all the more militant.

I would far rather have some reasoned debate, than just generic "rubbish rides, theming and crowds" comments. As for the theming - well it's not a theme park for a start, and in any case some areas have some reasonable theming (Nick Land, Valhalla) whilst the location - well, that's a little harsh. Blackpool has been quite a depressed town for a while owing to cheap flights abroad etc. And as for rides, well I agree that many of the rides aren't brilliant but then again, it's part of the charm the fact that so many are old and classic.

So my post was a little to the point, and I apologize.

However, I stand by what I said. Every time I visit the park I just think "Man, I can't wait to leave" It's not a feeling of having a horrible day... More of boredom. I don't enjoy any of the rides there (except maybe Infusion, but that's only because it has a place in my heart from when it was "Traumatizer" At Southport)

Having said that, I do get the feeling of "Man, I can't wait to leave" When I'm at Towers with non coaster geek friends. So I'm not sure if it's just the people I go with, or the park. But, like I said, it still rates much higher than Flamingo Land... Every second I'm at that place I want to leave.

 

[Martin]

Re: Pleasure Beach, Blackpool: General Discussion

We don't trust Merlin, why should we trust Mandy? The whole argument for having nice places and things to look at, fountains, the sculptures, etc went out the winder when hey started charging for entry. If I'm paying to go to an amusement park, I want amusements. Or more specifically, rides. Not fountains. Rides.

Blaze, would you be happy if all the theming was stripped from all the rides at AT?

...

No. Because Alton is a theme park. It's supposed to be themed and many of the rides are built around their theme. Blackpool is not a theme park. Obviously themed rides like Valhalla, River Caves depend on theming, and I'm not saying remove the theming. I'm saying that an amusement park feels more authentic and enjoyable when it acts like one. Blackpool can't really be a theme park because all of the rides are on top of each other, rather than spaced and in separate areas. And in no way am I saying amusement parks are intrinsically inferior to theme parks. Some parks work as theme parks. Some parks work as amusement parks. Just like Alton were wrong to build amusement style rides like Spinball and Rita, Blackpool shouldn't try and be something it is not.

 

[Blizzard]

Re: Pleasure Beach, Blackpool: General Discussion

We don't trust Merlin, why should we trust Mandy? The whole argument for having nice places and things to look at, fountains, the sculptures, etc went out the winder when hey started charging for entry. If I'm paying to go to an amusement park, I want amusements. Or more specifically, rides. Not fountains. Rides.

Blaze, would you be happy if all the theming was stripped from all the rides at AT?

...

No. Because Alton is a theme park. It's supposed to be themed and many of the rides are built around their theme. Blackpool is not a theme park. Obviously themed rides like Valhalla, River Caves depend on theming, and I'm not saying remove the theming. I'm saying that an amusement park feels more authentic and enjoyable when it acts like one. Blackpool can't really be a theme park because all of the rides are on top of each other, rather than spaced and in separate areas. And in no way am I saying amusement parks are intrinsically inferior to theme parks. Some parks work as theme parks. Some parks work as amusement parks. Just like Alton were wrong to build amusement style rides like Spinball and Rita, Blackpool shouldn't try and be something it is not.

I get your point blaze, but what exactly do you want at pleaseure beach. What is your 10 year plan?

There's only so much you can do with pb, other than tearing down countless attractions & re-building. But pb is loved for its classic rides, so thats out of the question. Adding a new coaster now, as the park stands would be a tough job & make the park even more cramped.
The park needs to slownly free up more space until there is enough to build a new big-thrill ride.

 

[MiserableMonkey]

Re: Pleasure Beach, Blackpool: General Discussion

Additions: Airbender, Dodgems, Fairy World Taxis, Impossible, Infusion, Spongebob Splash Bash, World Voyage, Rainforest Rescue = 8 Rides

Shouldn't Bikini Bottom Bus and Wonder Pets Circus Bounce be included in that too?

Not that it changes the fact 25 rides have been removed, and 10 put back in.

As I keep saying, check the history books, PB build coasters when the time is right, not every other year.

And I think the point everyone keeps making is that is your opinion Scott, yet you flout it as fact.

All parks build rollercoasters when the time is right, not just Pleasure Beach. There is a large percentage of the population that do like a new rollercoaster every now and then - not every other year. In fact, I'd like you to name me just one theme park that does build a new rollercoaster every other year, because I doubt you'll be able to name one. Even the likes of Alton Towers and Thorpe Park build them every a minimum of every third season apart.

And in terms of a new rollercoaster, I don't think the park needs one. But I'd like one, to tempt me back.

 

[Adam James]

Re: Pleasure Beach, Blackpool: General Discussion

Additions: Airbender, Dodgems, Fairy World Taxis, Impossible, Infusion, Spongebob Splash Bash, World Voyage, Rainforest Rescue = 8 Rides

Shouldn't Bikini Bottom Bus and Wonder Pets Circus Bounce be included in that to?

Not that it changes the fact 25 rides have been removed, and 10 put back in.

Good point - can't believe I missed them off. (Perhaps because I never ride them myself...) Cheers MM

In fact, I'd like you to name me just one theme park that does build a new rollercoaster every other year, because I doubt you'll be able to name one.

Hmm.. Flamingo Land possibly? Going off their recent track record - pun intended...

Zooom (2011), Mumbo Jumbo (2009), Runaway Mine Train (2007), Kumali (2006), Velocity (2005).

 

[Dave]

Re: Pleasure Beach, Blackpool: General Discussion

There is a genuine difference between amusement parks and theme parks and i think unfairly some people assume theme-parks have more quality. I think that the best of both theme parks AND amusement parks can be amazing and the worst of both can be horrific.

Pleasure Beach is one (if not) the best amusement park in the world and i love it, being an amusement park doesn't lessen it's quality but trying to be a theme park wont work for Pleasure Beach and i think Mandy gets that. Just look at the ArtDecor style branding they use at the moment... it's wonderfully British

But i do think they need a new thrill ride soon after Wallace and Gromit!