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Blackpool Pleasure Beach: General Discussion

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ringo said:
The messing about with the hours is one reason people don’t return visit. It’s one of the reasons I haven’t visited since last year and won’t return for a year or two.

Thorpe reducing hours is pretty much an unprecedented move, Merlin parks haven’t reduced hours after the calendar has been published in the past and points to bigger issues at the park (once again).
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Yeah, i agree.

I love BPB and i go twice a year, because i live a long way away and i always stop overnight, so it's not cheap with fuel and accomafation.

To get the last minute closing time changes does make it a bit of an issue. Yes, the weather may turn bad, but at least you know with the Merlin parks that any changes to the published opening hours are only ever to make them longer
 
ringo said:
The messing about with the hours is one reason people don’t return visit. It’s one of the reasons I haven’t visited since last year
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They are a business though and show all the signs of trying to make it more successful; Icon for example. They will be constantly weighing up the cost of losing potential return custom against the cost of running an empty park when the weather is shit.
 
@Coaster - I get what you’re saying, honestly I do - what I don’t get is the extreme response, I guess that’s just a personal thing. Some people would try and make the best of what is available to them, some people decide it’s going to suck before they do it and don’t bother.

The talk of the 2004 period is interesting, as at that time all the talk I recall was about how midnight closings were now a thing of the past and 10pm was way too early for the park to close. Those that were your glory years were someone else’s period for looking back and thinking how things have change and how it’s just not as good. New Years Day 2000, riding the Big One at 2am - stuff like that just doesn’t happen anymore.

The truth is, I think the park is trying to do what they can to remain profitable and to reduce some of the cost pressures that they have. Doing something that you’ve always done isn’t the bedrock on which you build your business, you react to things accordingly. To make things more complicated, they’re not only responding to what’s going on in the park, they’re responding to what’s going on in the town as a whole. It’s no coincidence that other parks in this country have reduced operating hours also.

The park used to open long hours because number of hours operated would typically broadly correlate with revenue - but that’s not the case now. More operating hours = more cost against flat revenue. There are earnings opportunities in those extra hours of course, but a month’s steady trading can be wiped out by a very poorly attended weekend.
 
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Great Yarmouth was just as bad yesterday with attractions closing before the advertised time. For the pas 10 years Jess and I been visiting Yarmouth on a Summers (every) Wednesday come rain or shine. We see the car meet, visit the model village to see it illuminated in the dark, do the fireworks. Plus the pleasure beach opens until 10pm, however we don't visit the pleasure beach on an evening.

Yesterday, yes it was a miserably day weather wise, but not the worse that we have seen on a summer Wednesday. Actually the weather was really nice before 2pm and the rain wasn't what I called torrential when it did came. It basically rained on and off until 7.10pm and then the evening was lovely.

Yesterday the Pleasure Beach closed at 6pm, we got turfed out of the model village at 7pm despite the fact that they have been advertising and telling customers that the illuminations were on at 7.30pm. Apart from the arcades, most of the business shut shop. Plenty of holidays makers out and about with nothing to do, fireworks went on as planned at 10pm. Like I said, in all the years of doing Summer fireworks at Yarmouth, despite bad weather in the past, I've never know Yarmouth to shut so early. Seriously these day, this country can't take bad weather (and like I said, last nights weather was lovely from 7.10 on wards).

Upsetting your customers is certainly the quickest way to lose them.
 
Theme parks are simply going out of fashion, people spend much more of their leisure time at home with their technology and interweb.
Brexit, the threat of possible world recession looming, lower disposable incomes, and crap weather, means adapt to survive.
Or go bust.
 
rob666 said:
Brexit, the threat of possible world recession looming, lower disposable incomes, and crap weather, means adapt to survive.
Or go bust.
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But are PB adapting? Or are they entrenched in the belief that the park should be operated as if it was located in the middle of nowhere with a completely captive audience?

I am sure the park aren't trying to lose money but I have no doubt that the weather will once again be blamed for what seems like an inevitable loss this season, just as it was last season (despite the fact the weather was very good last year).

What I can guarantee won't be flagged up as a reason, is the ridiculous decision to increase the walk round price to £10, or the massive increase in car parking charges.

I think the £10 entry charge has had a real impact on attendances this year.

EDIT: oh, and of course they also removed the best coaster in the park !!! But that can't be a reason for people staying away..... can it ?



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How is this for a buisness survival plan? On a decent summer day close at 6pm with most of the rides having queues upto the entrancce or even past them. Have one of the biggest rides closed because of a 20 mph wind. Then on the day after on a heavy rainy day open said ride and invite everyone back for a free day? What wind speed did they close big one on when it was pay per ride?
 
Someone please make a decision! Open the queue line to the big one. Or just announce that the ride won't be opening so the queue going back to nickelodeon land can disperse! Mandy answer the phone! Where is JR when you need him? I guess management will probably think it will relieve pressure from the other overbursting queues! Believe me from overhead conversationso around you are pi**ing alot of people off ! I doubt they will want to come again! ! ( ANOTHER GREAT BUSINESS STRATEGY )
 
The way Mandy runs things, it honestly wouldn't surprise me to hear over closed season that suddenly bulldozers have moved in and started trashing the whole park.
... Soon to be an exciting develpoment of luxury one room apartments full of investment oppertunities!
 
themeparkfan said:
And after the decision to open comes the next great decision to open on one train. Great thinking guys guess you want overtime till 7 to clear that queue!
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Considering its the park's flagship ride, The Big One can be a right royal pain in the arse at times, with the whole 'Will it or won't it open?' thing in anything more than a slight breeze. Then we get single train operation on busy days, or a train and a half, with sandbags. Factor in speedy passers waltzing up the exit ramp like they own the place, and its really not that simple ticking the ride off on a given day, especially a busy and/or windy one. On two full trains, the queue does disappear quickly once in the station, with up to 30 getting on at once, its just that doesn't seem to happen often.

What cheeses me off is when you arrive and they say "The Big One is on late opening" but they just will not specify a time. We didn't have these shenanigans with Wild Mouse. Just a very slow moving queue!
 
RoyJess said:
Great Yarmouth was just as bad yesterday with attractions closing before the advertised time. For the pas 10 years Jess and I been visiting Yarmouth on a Summers (every) Wednesday come rain or shine. We see the car meet, visit the model village to see it illuminated in the dark, do the fireworks. Plus the pleasure beach opens until 10pm, however we don't visit the pleasure beach on an evening.

Yesterday, yes it was a miserably day weather wise, but not the worse that we have seen on a summer Wednesday. Actually the weather was really nice before 2pm and the rain wasn't what I called torrential when it did came. It basically rained on and off until 7.10pm and then the evening was lovely.

Yesterday the Pleasure Beach closed at 6pm, we got turfed out of the model village at 7pm despite the fact that they have been advertising and telling customers that the illuminations were on at 7.30pm. Apart from the arcades, most of the business shut shop. Plenty of holidays makers out and about with nothing to do, fireworks went on as planned at 10pm. Like I said, in all the years of doing Summer fireworks at Yarmouth, despite bad weather in the past, I've never know Yarmouth to shut so early. Seriously these day, this country can't take bad weather (and like I said, last nights weather was lovely from 7.10 on wards).

Upsetting your customers is certainly the quickest way to lose them.
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Didnt get on a single ride!
Couldn't be arsed waiting from the entrance for Icon, Dipper queue up the stairs, National down the stairs on single service, even got rained on at Crevettes.
Who are these people?
How dare they!
Three weeks and counting, I will even tolerate the Monday Tuesday closures...just get rid of the people.
Nothing new in the shops dippy...
Exciting big one bridge news...
They have put "slow down fences" half way across the path so you can't run over it. Slalom fences if you will.
See the thrills you have missed today folks.
 
Yup, the park was pretty busy when I left around 3.
Not many speedypassers about.
Last week of Scottish holidays for many.
 
It goes on from what I said last week the uk businesses like the government with austerity have got obsessed with cutting the cost base! That then decreases customer service , and then guess what....... people don't come back so you can forget about any growth the year after and a probable downturn in business. Then said businesses pay these people who come up with said decisions a probable obscene wage to then come up with a list excuses like weather , brexit , video games and box office takings and conveniently forget to mention themselves as the reason! However let's see if Boris's decision to reverse austerity has any bearing on how these people think and work.
 
I wouldn't be surprised if we see next years peak closing times all scheduled to 6pm (apart from fireworks nights).

It's a real shame as it's only 4 years ago that 8pm was the earliest close on all peak nights.

I have to assume that the park are in a bit of a pickle financially. But that's all the more reason for them to try something different next season. Unfortunately the only change i can see is a further reduction in operating hours.

I wonder if Amanda is happy with the icon investment ? It was a lot of expense for pretty much zero results in terms of people through the gate. In that respect Icon has been a massive failure. Time for "The Bigger One" !!





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