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Blackpool Pleasure Beach: General Discussion

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Rick said:
Exactly... :rolleyes:
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So should I get more rides done on a summer Tuesday at BPB than I would on the same day at Alton or Thorpe, for example? Or even Drayton, where I got on 6 rides during the duration of the day?
 
Matt N said:
So should I get more rides done on a summer Tuesday at BPB than I would on the same day at Alton or Thorpe, for example? Or even Drayton, where I got on 6 rides during the duration of the day?
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Easily yes.

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Matt N said:
Thanks for the reassurance @shakey and @Dipper_Dave! Is this because queues are typically shorter, or is it because the rides are closer together, or is it for another reason entirely?
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A combination of both really. And the fact that they are pretty reliable. In terms of the size of the park, you’ll be amazed how quickly you can get from one ride to another. Totally opposite to Towers in that respect
 
Dipper_Dave said:
A combination of both really. And the fact that they are pretty reliable. In terms of the size of the park, you’ll be amazed how quickly you can get from one ride to another. Totally opposite to Towers in that respect
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Thanks @Dipper_Dave! Also, my parents struggle to see how you guys estimate the queue times from where in the queue people are, so would you mind explaining how you do that so I can explain it to them?
 
Matt N said:
Thanks @Dipper_Dave! Also, my parents struggle to see how you guys estimate the queue times from where in the queue people are, so would you mind explaining how you do that so I can explain it to them?
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That just comes with visiting parks more than a few times and knowing 'how long' the queue is based on its length and the number of trains they are running. With few exceptions, you can typically 'see' BPB queues from the entrances. I am sure people will be able to give estimates, but I am not sure how helpful that will be.

It's probably fair to say that 'long' queues on Ghost Train and Grand Prix are really long waits, whereas if the Icon queue is within the gate, it's likely not going to exceed 30 mins whatever happens.

Doing Valhalla last is a good idea, but it's also the most popular way to do it, so do expect a longer wait at the end of the day.
 
It all depends on how many trains are running and the length of the queue.
If they are on two, the queues shift well, but from recent weekdays, you will get round all the coasters, dark rides and Valhalla easily in one day.
Get a few in early on and you will be fine.
Grand Prix...just don't do it.
Capacity of about fifty people per hour, or thirty after speedypassers!
There has not been much speedypass use recently either, so the coaster queues have shifted well.
 
Assuming all rides are on full capacity then you shouldn't be facing much more than 30-40 minute queues for anything.

The main exceptions to this are...

Nickledeon Streak which could hit an hour if the park is really busy, which is why you should do that early.

Grand Prix. Notoriously awful throughput so avoid it if the queue starts before the bridge.

Big One if they are running one train, which could happen if the wind is any more than a breeze. If the queue goes to the bottom of the ramp on one train then you are looking at an hour or more but if it stays on 2 trains it shouldn't get too bad.

Regarding Vallhalla, I like to ride it earlier in the day in decent weather then I have time to dry off during the day but whenever you ride it helps if you buy a poncho, keep your feet off the floor if you can and try and avoid the front left seat.



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Thanks for the advice, guys! I'm sure we'll have a wonderful day, and that we will get on everything that we want to ride!
 
Matt N said:
Thanks @Dipper_Dave! Also, my parents struggle to see how you guys estimate the queue times from where in the queue people are, so would you mind explaining how you do that so I can explain it to them?
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It's simple: It's called experience.

Pic a passtime your dad is in to, for example fishing. Now ask him how he knows what kind of bait will catch what kind of fish, or what line or float to use etc. Then point out that you cannot understand how he could possibly know that.

If you know how long the overall queue line is, and you know your current location in said queue, and you can see how many trains the coaster is running, and you know how many seats are on each train, and you can see how often trains are dispatched.....
 
@Matt N Yep, some of us have been visiting BPB for 20 / 30 / 40 + years. You get a pretty good idea over that time how long a queue is by looking at it and spotting how many trains are on each coaster. Hard to try and explain for many individual rides, but I’m sure you’ll get on everything you want to.

I was bored enough to look back in the topic and find out when we last gave you a load of good tips, it was 4 months and over 1,000 messages ago that we enlightened you on a day out at BPB. Check pages 178-180 and have a good read of it all again before your trip. Have fun!
 
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Thanks everyone! I'm sure I'll have a great first visit! Also, sorry to keep bothering you about tips, it's just that the reality is finally sinking in that I'm actually visiting BPB for the first time on Tuesday; I've wanted to go for so long, and I want the first visit to be as awesome as it possibly can be!
P.S. One final question; what low throughput rides should I do early?
 
Matt N said:
P.S. One final question; what low throughput rides should I do early?
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I think we answered that not long ago? Streak, early or late in the day. Or head for Big One quickly before the queues build. I was there on Tues and despite Icon being the newest, The Big One is still the flagship ride which gets the biggest queues. See previous comments about Grand Prix & Ghost Train
 
Disappointingly Grand National closed before 9:30pm today despite being advertised as 10pm - very frustrating as we planned a night ride on it after Icon closed.

Even worse considering National is one of the only coasters able to operate past 9 (due to the fireworks exclusion zone) :(

Fireworks were nice though.
 
Dipper_Dave said:
I think we answered that not long ago? Streak, early or late in the day. Or head for Big One quickly before the queues build. I was there on Tues and despite Icon being the newest, The Big One is still the flagship ride which gets the biggest queues. See previous comments about Grand Prix & Ghost Train
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Ah right, sorry about that. Thanks @Dipper_Dave; I probably think I'll do the Nick Land woodies, Big One and Steeplechase first, then, as I've heard that Steeple has pretty low capacity, too. I'll probably only do 1 side of Steeplechase unless I have a lot of time to kill (and I mean a lot!) because there are many other unique, non-coaster attractions that I'd like to try at BPB, and I'd like to try and squeeze in some rerides on things I like (although my parents said we're not staying for rerides).
 
@Coaster Grand National closed due to a technical issue, it was closed much earlier than 9:30pm.

On a more positive note, BPB was awesome today. Operations mostly excellent throughout the park. We managed 21 rides (including 7 on Icon) without really trying, plus we went out of the park for food and watched Hot Ice as well. It really shows that even on a busy day you can get loads done at the park :)
 
Re the Streak, while I am all for hitting it early to 'get it done' it's also when it's at its worst in terms of ride quality. It can be slow and sluggish, later in the day it fly down the back straight and gives a lot better airtime. Question is do you want to 'say you have been on' or want a decent ride from it?

I'd advise hitting it in its final hour of business at the front of the train
 
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