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Blackpool Pleasure Beach: General Discussion

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Rick said:
We've been had. I want somebody's head for that.

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What and where is that Rick?
Not on the Beach surely.
That isn't big enough for a mandyfountain.
 
Attendance at Big Blue probably has an impact on the decision to open every day. Along with whatever deal they may or may not have done with the Council.
 
ScottPBE said:
Cost cutting? Is that really a fair assessment?

Big Dipper - Structural and cosmetic work is being done to it near Icon, it also has had heavy machinery working next to it whilst the land for the new hotel car park is flattened out.

Grand Prix - Work men using it from time to time for access to Icon's site (mainly the queuing system).

PB Express - Train is being used to move 'themed set pieces' about the Icon site, also, work men are using the track for access when the train isn't being used to move stuff.

Bikini Bottom Bus Tour, World Voyage, Alpine Ralley, Thompson Carousel and Gallopers mostly appeal to families with small children, did we forget it's not school holidays, so families with small children may not always be able to visit?

I was at Pleasure Beach today, I'd have closed the place at 4pm, it was dead.

If the closure's at Pleasure Beach aren't directly concerning you, do you need to complain about it? Genuine question, because if I am working and I see those rides closed on a day I am working or occupied elsewhere, then I am not going to be fussed about the closures. I can honestly only assume that the heavy complaining is coming from people planning to visit Pleasure Beach on every single day the closures are in place and I can only assume you'll really miss the Bikini Bottom Bus Tour, World Voyage, Alpine Ralley, Thompson Carousel and Gallopers
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These closures did affect my group, hence why I mentioned it. The 3 year old in my group had half as many rides to choose from. I can’t visit at weekends due to my work, so a midweek visit was all I can manage. Yet I am charged full price for a partial product. It’s like going to the cinema and getting two thirds of the film because not enough punters turned up.

I understand the struggles facing the industry, I just think it is a shame that groups like mine leave the park feeling like we spent our money on the wrong thing.

And as for cost cutting, the majority of it is. Big Dipper and Grand Prix could be open if they really wanted, as the weekends prove. The only one I’ll 100% accept is PB Express.

I can see why it is happening and appreciate it may be necessary for the business. But as a punter, it sucks.
 
Incredibly quiet on the park today for a Sunday. All coasters & other rides walk on, everything on one train and no reason for them to run more. Staff friendly, all rides open apart from Avalanche & nice having a pint on the new Coasters outdoor terrace. Genuinely surprised at how quiet it was today. Perhaps people are waiting for Icon now. Or perhaps they decided not to bother as it was a miserable rainy morning. Turned out to be a really nice day though. 5 in a row on Streak early doors as we thought the park would get busy, but it didn’t! Lucky us
 
MiserableMonkey said:
These closures did affect my group, hence why I mentioned it. The 3 year old in my group had half as many rides to choose from. I can’t visit at weekends due to my work, so a midweek visit was all I can manage. Yet I am charged full price for a partial product. It’s like going to the cinema and getting two thirds of the film because not enough punters turned up.

I understand the struggles facing the industry, I just think it is a shame that groups like mine leave the park feeling like we spent our money on the wrong thing.

And as for cost cutting, the majority of it is. Big Dipper and Grand Prix could be open if they really wanted, as the weekends prove. The only one I’ll 100% accept is PB Express.

I can see why it is happening and appreciate it may be necessary for the business. But as a punter, it sucks.
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Whilst there is some cost cutting involved, the majority of the closures are to release staff to work on ICON whether that's cosmetic work in the area or offering a helping hand with something else, in some cases ride staff will work for the maintenance team midweek while the park is quiet.

I fully explained the closure's in my last post tbf.
 
I fully respect that you explained the closures. I just disagree that the majority are just and fair for the paying public.

And you say the majority of the closures are to release staff to work on Icon/help out elsewhere/work for maintenance - this is still cost cutting through using bare minimum staff and closing rides to cover it.

I'm not just having a moan about Pleasure Beach here - many UK parks are at fault for this. I just wonder how much long term damage is being done; how many people are finding other things to do? A business is nothing without happy customers. When parks start closing handfuls of rides, moving the closing times around at last minute and charging top dollar for the privilege, how many people are realistically going to walk away thinking "we must come back here".
 
I just read about BPB and found it to be the only actual theme park I heard of, which also has per-ride payment. Single admission payment (wristband) and multiple levels of speed passes, or virtual queue devices, are rhe other option.

My question: when somebody pays with tickets per ride, which is rather expensive, can the person get in the ride immediately, or in a short queue, or is it necessary to wait in the wristband queue (maybe hours, on busy days)?
 
BPB is not a theme park, its a pleasure beach. I can think of several pleasure beaches and theme park attractions that operate both wrist bands as well as pay per ride.

Yes you would have to use the normal queue line if you are paying per ride unless there is fast track available and you have also paid extra for that on top of you wrist band/ ride ticket.
 
PhantaDad2017 said:
I just read about BPB and found it to be the only actual theme park I heard of, which also has per-ride payment. Single admission payment (wristband) and multiple levels of speed passes, or virtual queue devices, are rhe other option.

My question: when somebody pays with tickets per ride, which is rather expensive, can the person get in the ride immediately, or in a short queue, or is it necessary to wait in the wristband queue (maybe hours, on busy days)?
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Same queue, it's an alternative to buying a wristband, not a kind of fast pass (if you only want to go on a couple of rides in theory it works out cheaper, although they have pushed the per ride price up high enough to try and get everyone on wristbands)
 
As the long as the £6 pass exists I don't think so. Some people that go in might go on one or two rides, and not much else. The charge to get in is to stop trouble in the park I believe. Remember hearing someone on a stag do swung for Bradley Beaver but that might be my imagination.
 
skyscraper said:
Do you think they'll eventually phase out individual ride tickets completely?
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Suppose it depends how many they actually sell, in most cases they must make more money than if the same amount of people had got wristbands... although if they got rid of them (and the £6 entry option) they could get rid of the scanners and not need to have somebody at every ride entrance. Not sure what they'd do about checking people are over the height restriction though...
 
Personally I’m surprised when I see people still using tickets, but it does happen. Just this season I’ve seen it on Big One, Ghost Train and Alice. If people are still using them I’d imagine BPB will keep selling them.
 
My idea was if they handle individual payment like on a funfair: these rarely have hierarchic queues, with a fast lane for an upcharge, or very long queues at all. Single admission payment makes people wait long, and introduction of extra-paid speed passes, fast tracks or whatever it is called, extends the regular queue times even more, up to multiple hours, so people actually get only on few rides. So they could let people into the fast lane, who pay 8 or 10 pounds for a ride; their ride usage will be limited by the money anyway. In my view, par-per-ride is fairer on busy days, than very long waiting and very few ride usages, when rides by regular admission are taken away by the park "nobility".

So thanks for the information!
 
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