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Blackpool Pleasure Beach: General Discussion

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It's a pretty sad set of events when people are still milling around and wanting to go on Icon and a bloke slams the gates shut on them on a nice summer night with the place busy. They really want to treat the customers well (yeah right! )as soon as it hit six the operation team were just watching their watches and just errr wanted to go home just pushing everyone through. At least when I've been to Alton Towers this year and got into wickerman queue for 6 the team are still in good spirits to an extent. Customer service is poor and believe me when the questionnaire email that comes through after we buy wristbands online . I will make my views clear. How the heck are they going to persuade customers back and more next season? ? Not giving customer service like that!! That place should have been open till 7 tonight. I understand if weather is poor to close earlier, but on a pleasant warm summer evening! Like I said before the forecast is poor tomorrow but they will have everything running and then be giving free tickets away to go back. Where is the business sense in that?
 
Burbs said:
Ahhh, there's always the classic BPB approach of "accidentally leaning on the E-Stop button" 5 minutes before closing time. Sorry guys, rides broken, everybody out! Gotta get to the pub!
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I wouldn't be surprised if that appears in the SOP next year on the advice of the business consultancy firm. Bring it forward half an hour each year! Before we know it, it will be 2 o'clock close. You will have to visit a few times a year to experience more than 4 rides! That's a 2 to 3 times increase in footfall in their theory. But in the real world decrease because everyone has pi**ed off elsewhere
 
shakey said:
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

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" !!


I was thinking myself walking to icon yesterday that the ride is good and smooth (especially after you have been shaken to pieces on dipper and Nash ) but it just doesn't stand out looking at it! I guess that was always going to be difficult with big one in the background but a bigger top hat over big one lift Hill or bigger lòop after second launch might have been more awe inspiring but with the size of the place impossible.


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Now you see, you aren't taking the correct historical perspective here.
Do you think the place has only just started ripping people off?
They have a long history of rip offs and fibs...going back half a century in my own memory.
First instance...the cold tap in the toilets mysteriously running dry in the fun house when it got busy...orange squash at 6d (2.5p) a glass was available though.
My mum worked out the mark up on the cordial was around 1,000 %...not bad.

Short measures in the bar with thick heads...until legislation was made, was routine...and early finishing in wet weather started in the seventies! It rains late afternoon, the punters leave, they close a couple of hours earlier than planned...even in the summer holidays.
Tickets, then wristbands, came in because of cash/ticket fraud on a large scale...I saw it happen repeatedly.
Same stuff, different year, but nothing new at all, apart from the (genuine) grumbles being spread more efficiently through t'internet.

"They want two bob to get in the Tower...then rip you off another tanner to go up in the bloody lift"...my gran, around 1970.
Valhalla closed at six on its opening day...couple of hundred people locked out at the gates...I was one of them.
The customer always gets ripped off at the seaside, and has for at least three generations to my personal knowledge.
The next generation arrives with fresh money, every year, the parents and grandparents come back for the nostalgia of being ripped off in the years before.
 
I'm actually starting to feel somewhat disheartened Pleasure Beach are just selling off their heritage. They're now listing a car from an original Roller Coaster train for £500.

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Are they really that strapped for cash or they just not give a toss about their heritage anymore?
 
I think those RC cars have been up for sale for a while. They are looking worse for wear. But it does appear they’re being stored outside! I want to know where the original Velvet Coaster car went that used to be in one of the Ocean Boulevard buildings (education centre?) before they knocked them down for the new hotel. For years before that it was proudly on display in the Roller Coaster station. Sad
 
I think they must have cared about their heritage at one stage, there used to be all the historical marker signs and workings of rides on show, it seems to be within the last 5 - 10 years that they've tried to remove every historical reference, stripping the park of its depth and charm and turning it into a dull atmosphereless mess. In my opinion of course!
 
djtruefitt said:
A place like PB could easily make some kind of museum for all its bits and bobs, a bit like parks abroad do and like EP have/had with the entrance bit to Historama. Sure they have plenty of old parts and photos they could display.
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Yes, they could, and there was once talk of a grand new entrance area at North park, with a heritage museum under Noah's Ark. Some were convinced it would happen but I've heard nothing on it for well over a year. The fact that they removed the National Historic Markers, covered over the Flying Machines workings with t-shirt displays, are selling off ride cars, etc, and worst of all demolished the best and most fun, unique coaster in the park, does appear to indicate that they care little about their heritage. There are small reminders of the past here and there; Log Flume boat / Gold Mine cart planters, a few Mr Funshine appearances, a few heritage videos in the ride queues, etc.
 
There was a bit of a museum once, in the upstairs bit of the Globe building.
Had the model show in there once as well, and a photo display of Litchfields photos.
Rarely if ever open...like the Globe building itself now.
 
Dipper_Dave said:
I want to know where the original Velvet Coaster car went that used to be in one of the Ocean Boulevard buildings (education centre?) before they knocked them down for the new hotel. For years before that it was proudly on display in the Roller Coaster station.
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It's in another Ocean Boulevard building. As cool as it was, it certainly wasn't original. The Velvet Coaster was side friction ride and the car on display was built on a (relatively) modern PTC chassis in 2001.
 
Any tips for late night riding next weekend? Would like to try and get a after dark ride on the Big one if possible. I only get to go to pleasure Beach about once per year and this is my first late night event
 
Doublethink said:
Any tips for late night riding next weekend? Would like to try and get a after dark ride on the Big one if possible. I only get to go to pleasure Beach about once per year and this is my first late night event
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Consider getting a speedypass.

If the weather is decent then the place will be rammed. It should be one of the busiest days of the summer with it being bank holiday weekend.

Get there early and probably look at doing ice blast, streak then avalanche before the queues start.

Ice blast and streak should open when the park does, most of the other big rides are 10:30 or later.

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Doublethink said:
Any tips for late night riding next weekend? Would like to try and get a after dark ride on the Big one if possible. I only get to go to pleasure Beach about once per year and this is my first late night event
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Oh boy. Start queuing in good time for that. It’s been known to have huge queues for dark rides and has even been on one train at times
 
John_P said:
Have to say the platinum pass has paid for itself this year via the parks partnership with other theme parks. I've visited both Liseberg and Efteling using my pass.
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Yep half the reason I will get the PB pass next year is for this. If you have RCGB membership you can get a free day at kolmården too making a Sweden trip very inexpensive
 
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