Blackpool Pleasure Beach: General Discussion

[Dave]

Parks shouldn’t close earlier than an advertised closing time unless there is a safety risk. If you can’t be sure you can meet the advertised time don’t make such a promise in the first place.

 

[Temleh]

I can’t believe people are arguing over this.

Pleasure Beach, please, for the love of God change the wording on the website.

 

[Coaster]

@Coaster Jamie, I don't even know how to respond - I disagree with almost every word you said.

Not a problem, life would be boring if everyone agreed on everything

 

[shakey]

I have a works coach trip organised for June. Closing time is scheduled to be 6pm so I have booked the return coach time for 6.30pm

I won't be very impressed if they bring the shutters down at 5pm and neither will anyone else booked on the trip.

Either open as advertised or go back to free entry and pay per ride.

If they have a POP system then opening/closing times should be set in stone. Its that simple.

 

[Camera-Man]

Oh look!... *Points*... The Big Dipper

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[Rick]

The park is pretty dead. Anything affected by the wind is shut.

 

[Coaster]

In what respect is this grounds for closing earlier than advertised? Certainly hasn't ever been the case in the past, it has only been on rainy days before.

Quite concerning that the park is dead in the Easter holidays but in all honesty, it's no surprise considering their attitude to customer service.

 

[Camera-Man]

Yet again ... *Points in the distance* ... Oh look Valhalla

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[Benzin]

Wonder if the empty times is down to people holding off going until Icon opens, I know I'm in that boat...

 

[Benjsh]

There's 2 good reasons why this is happening.

1. Icon isn't open. Simple enough one this. Lots of people will be waiting until it is, myself included and i'm only 45 mins away.

2. The WOW weekends have been massively effected by the worst March weather for 8 years. It's been incredibly cold over March and PB isn't exactly the first place you want to be when the temps are 5 degrees and under. I certainly don't anyway.


Still a shoddy way to treat customers though no question. Towers n PB aren't exactly inspiring confidence so far this season with truly awful customer service levels.

 

[Dave]

Parks should set a minimum close time of 5pm and only confirm the closing time on the day outside of special events. That way no one is promised something that cannot be delivered.

 

[Plastic Person]

It is completely mental that Pleasure Beach sell wristbands and passes in advance, and then shift the closing time back two or three hours midway through the operating day. I'm struggling to believe that anyone can defend that. It's absolutely basic for any business to stay open for the duration of it's advertised hours, and it makes the park look second-rate, no matter what the weather conditions.

 

[Benjsh]

Nobody is defending it. It's plain wrong.

And obviously the park save money when they do this but they also know they run the risk of upsetting guests at same time. However they will probably get away with it if the park really is dead as most people will still get in plenty of rides and re-rides.

Totally agree though its very poor practice and shocking customer service but they are just thinking about staying in the black so to speak so even though i don't agree with it I can understand why they do it.

I don't live far away at all but I'd be annoyed if I had travelled 4 hrs + for reduced service.

 

[Rick]

I suspect there is slightly more outrage about this in the coaster community than among the public at large.

 

[Dave]

I suspect there is slightly more outrage about this in the coaster community than among the public at large.

I doubt it, they just won’t come to this forum to vent their spleen.

 

[Plastic Person]

I suspect there is slightly more outrage about this in the coaster community than among the public at large.

I wondered how long it'd be until you arrived more explicitly with your 'man of the people' shtick. Given your obvious knowledge of the industry and it's practises, it'd be great to see your posts and passive-agressive signature contribute more actively to topics in which their are obviously issues to discuss, rather than popping into the occasional thread simply to lambast enthusiasts who don't understand how normal people think.

(Sorry @Rick, you're one of my favourite members here, and I generally share your more measured approach to enthusiasm, but you've been getting on my nerves a bit recently. )

 

[venny]

Good thing I didn’t decide to make the trip I was contemplating for today. Revenue lost for BPB directly due to their operating practices.

It’s sort of a vicious circle. If they continue lying about opening times, they will, to some extent or other, impact attendance. As attendance drops it almost substantiates the logic of closing early.

As others have said, it’s pathetic for a park who want to be/claim to be ‘world class’.

 

[Rick]

@Plastic Person Like a knife in my heart... and perhaps a little unfair if you care to read the number posts I have made on this subject in this thread. Specifically this one.

I was merely stating that this perhaps is yet another thing that enthusiasts get miffed about that causual visitors (real ones, not plastic ones ) have less strong views about. You can castigate me for sharing that opinion, but that is my opinion.

In my experience, enthusiasts are concerned when hours dip because the number of hours at the park are a key metric when it comes to value. For a more casual visitor it's more about what you experience in the time you spend at the park.

I'm at the park - no one is kicking off. Most coasters are ~10 minute waits and it appears to be considering hoofing it down. But they've just opened the Big One

 

[Plastic Person]

@Plastic Person
I was merely stating that this perhaps is yet another thing that enthusiasts get miffed about that causual visitors (real ones, not plastic ones ) have less strong views about. You can castigate me for sharing that opinion, but that is my opinion.

Fair enough, but I don't think in this case that it is. Perhaps they're not entirely comparable situations, but a quick look at Towers' Trip Advisor page today strongly implies that casual visitors and fans do indeed care about their day.

Actually, I might be a good case study here. I only visit the parks once on a yearly basis these days. Despite having experienced everything on offer at the Pleasure Beach on many occasions (except, it seems, the hidden multi-storey car park behind Ripley's), if I turned up today for my annual trip and found they had taken two hours off my visit, I'd be miffed enough to complain.

 

[venny]

On a slightly different note, here are some pictures of the wierd white cladding they’ve applied to either side of the bridge by the South Gate, so you now no longer have a view of either Big Dipper or PBE through the glass. A strange decision, which couldn’t be blander.