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Blackpool Pleasure Beach: General Discussion

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rob666 said:
Edit...try the east entrance for quickest entry, but 9.30 at the main entrance should be ok on a Sunday. You should be able to get round all the main rides and multi ride Icon if you crack round the rides listed above first.
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In all my years of visiting BPB i never knew about the east entrance until reading this post!
 
We usually hire an apartment in Lytham in the school holidays....always take the train to the station and walk round to the main entrance!

I was actually going to try to go through the big blue hotel entrance this year as i kept a door card from the opening day of Icon but i'll not bother risking it now:)
 
Chose a fantastic day to visit! Icon near walk on all day (2 trains), peaked at 10 minutes mid afternoon and Big One seemingly the same. Amazing weather as well.

Got in just past 10 and went straight for my first ever ride on Nick Streak, which was good fun, and it gets bonus points considering its age. This was followed by a quick ride on Blue Flyer.

We then went over to Big One which I'd previously rode once about 15 years ago whilst hungover. Sat back row with a slightly loosened seat belt and went absolutey flying out of my seat down that first drop, genuinely quite terrifying. The rest of the ride is incredibly dull and uncomfortable, but the drop makes it unmissable.

Had a go on Revolution, again back row, and getting dragged down the drop into the loop was a highlight. Forgot how weird it feels going through a loop backwards.

Then went over to Icon. Wow people weren't joking when they say it warms up. It was initially underwhelming but after 5 or 6 rides it got better and better.

Skipped Big Dipper as the queue looked pretty big all day. Infusion is crap, but the 'waterfall' near miss into the inversion on the front row was cool. Grand National: yes it's a rough ride but it's brilliant. It's so uncomfortable it almost makes it more enjoyable if that makes sense?

Had a couple more goes on Big One and Icon throughout the day and finished with Valhalla. Just as good as I remembered - a world class water ride with brilliant themeing and effects.

I'd previously not been too fussed about BPB, operations were tediously slow and it felt tacky and dated, but the queue-guzzling Icon has added a modern touch which nicely compliments the classic attractions.
 
I have another question regarding my visit here on Friday. Do all rides open at 10? If not, what opens at what time? Thanks

Expecting it to be busy so hopefully the rides eat through the queues fairly fast!
 
Danscott22 said:
I have another question regarding my visit here on Friday. Do all rides open at 10? If not, what opens at what time? Thanks

Expecting it to be busy so hopefully the rides eat through the queues fairly fast!
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I think Valhalla and Grand National are 11am openings but pretty much everything else will be open at 10 for park opening. You should be ok for queues but it's school holiday/trip season so it may be a bit busier than normal. Big Dipper and Nick Streak can be a little slow on the queues and also Steeplechase can take a deceptively long time to eat it's queue! Icon is a queue muncher though so don't worry about rushing straight on :)
 
Ooo ok thanks good to know! I believe it’s the last day of the term for most schools so I don’t know whether that will be a positive or not!
 
On Sunday, despite an advertised ride opening time of 10am, I didn't see a single ride operating at this time.

Certainly Valhalla and Grand National were advertised as opening at 11am, as seems to be standard, and as mentioned above. But also Icon was advertised as a 10:30 opening at the ride entrance and certainly The Big One, Infusion, Big Dipper and Avalanche were not operating until after 10:30 either (like I said previously I didn't see a single ride operating with guests before half 10 - was standing in a pre-queue for Icon).

Staggered opening was poorly communicated and it was shocking that the park was advertising a 10am opening when clearly it wasn't ready on time. They'd be better off just sticking to 11am openings and having everything ready, in my opinion. Don't know if this was standard practice but it was poor.
 
D4n said:
On Sunday, despite an advertised ride opening time of 10am, I didn't see a single ride operating at this time.

Certainly Valhalla and Grand National were advertised as opening at 11am, as seems to be standard, and as mentioned above. But also Icon was advertised as a 10:30 opening at the ride entrance and certainly The Big One, Infusion, Big Dipper and Avalanche were not operating until after 10:30 either (like I said previously I didn't see a single ride operating with guests before half 10 - was standing in a pre-queue for Icon).

Staggered opening was poorly communicated and it was shocking that the park was advertising a 10am opening when clearly it wasn't ready on time. They'd be better off just sticking to 11am openings and having everything ready, in my opinion. Don't know if this was standard practice but it was poor.
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I got on Nickelodeon Streak and Blue flyer before 10.30am on Sunday. But yes it was noticeable most rides opened after 10.30.
 
Hopefully we can try and get a fair few rides in then! Been about 11 years since I last visited, new rides for me will be Icon, Skyforce, Infusion, Revolution and Wallace and Gromit. I know Infusion and Revolution were both there last time but just never got round to them!
 
Plenty of rides open for 10am, Flyers, Iceblast, Derby Racer....not sure on Infusion, certainly the Streak (it's a good time to hit it, but as I said a while back, make tune for a reride later, it runs a lot better)

If in doubt the rides all have opening/closing times at the entrance and it takes about 5 minutes to walk from Iceblast to Steeplechase, it's not like you have a massive site to negotiate that you can literally only get round once during the day.
 
We’ll probbaly just do the rides in the order we get to them then, providing the queues look short enough
 
10am - Nickelodeon Land (including Streak), Ice Blast, Flying Machines, Derby Racer, Alice Ride

10:30am - All other rides (except Grand National and Valhalla)

11am - Grand National and Valhalla
 
Coaster said:
10am - Nickelodeon Land (including Streak), Ice Blast, Flying Machines, Derby Racer, Alice Ride

10:30am - All other rides (except Grand National and Valhalla)

11am - Grand National and Valhalla
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Are these times pretty reliable currently?

@Danscott22 Be aware that there can be some discrepancy, for example recently as I got my wristband I was told "Grand National and Valhalla are closed all day", I then entered the park and could see that both were running. Also, at times they'll tell you that The Big One and Valhalla are on 'late opening' but won't actually specify what time they mean by this. It can be worth going straight to the back of the park to get on The Big One before the queue builds, it seems quite random whether there are two trains or just one on a given day. Plenty about this going back a few pages if want to understand this more. I would hope that this time of year they have 2 trains on.
 
Blackpool Pleasure Beach offer for smoking mums-to-be
Stock image fail - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-44857702

Pregnant women are to be given incentives including theme park vouchers in a scheme which aims to encourage them to quit smoking.

The project is part of a wider drive to reduce smoking in Blackpool, and has been backed by councillors.

It will see support workers monitoring women's carbon monoxide levels to prove they have quit.

Recent NHS data showed the Lancashire seaside town has the highest rate of smoking during pregnancy in England.
 
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