• ℹ️ Heads up...

    This is a popular topic that is fast moving Guest - before posting, please ensure that you check out the first post in the topic for a quick reminder of guidelines, and importantly a summary of the known facts and information so far. Thanks.

Blackpool Pleasure Beach: General Discussion

Status
This topic has been locked. No further replies can be posted.
Two years ago Dreamland charged £5 entry which could be redeemed against either a drink or a ride, I think that would work at Blackpool because
1. It would keep criminals away from the park (I remember someone saying there were worries about safety when there was free entry which put off school trips).
2. It would be an attractive offer for those who just want to watch their children/grandchildren ride the rollercoasters while they sit in a café having a drink.
 
I just think there are so many things that they could try to get more people through the gates. They certainly can't afford to keep losing money every year.

As Albert Einstein once said... "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result"

Perhaps it's time to try something different while they still can.

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk
 
One might suggest using Dreamland as an argument for getting to a point of economic sustainability is interesting.
 
I think it’s hard enough to get people to go to Blackpool nowadays as it looked run down in the town centre area in the late 00’s not sure if there’s still boarded up pubs and clubs now but it didn’t look like the Blackpool in the 90’s.
 
I feel like BPB would benefit from hiring some sort of brand consultant. Hot Ice is always presented well, but the parade of psychics, Greatest Showman cash-ins and sub-X-Factor dirge that fills the Paradise Rooms or The Horseshoe these days looks excruciating in 2020. Similarly, while some of the merchandise is well presented, and at least gives the impression that the park care about their heritage, sometimes their actual branding and marketing materials are forgettable and repetitive. To be blunt, I don't think Amanda's taste is in line with that of the general public these days.

One thing that hurts me a little as somebody who vividly remembers the park's nineties glory days, was its ability to exist in different capacities for different audiences. Long before anyone stuck the word 'Resort' onto the end of a name, it felt like the park marketed for the Big One crowd, the Beaver Creek families, people who wanted to see shows and visit the Casino complex, and then, before the downturn, The Big Blue Hotel. Of course, this was because Blackpool was a destination, and BPB was unmissable as part of that destination. Now it feels like a mess.

Dreamland has been up and down in terms of operations and profitability, but I feel like they more successfully connected the idea of an old-fashioned, working class seaside amusement park with a contemporary day out, and they don't have the benefit of the enviable ride hardware at BPB. They do, however, have the benefit of being an hour from London, perhaps closer to a crowd with more disposable income and more flexible tastes. Before this post, I was idly browsing the Facebook page of the park, and saw a nice chap asking if the park were going to introduce more vegetarian and vegan options in the future. The public responses from fellow BPB fans were largely along the lines of, "Why don't you eat just the bun and lettuce from a burger, you picky sod?" It made me chuckle, but food has actually gotten worse at BPB over the past decade or two.

I should clarify, I don't think the park should become some bouji middle class concern, and the park looks better than ever, even if it's lacking kinetic energy in parts. Yet, sometimes, it feels stuck in 1992 in all the wrong ways.
 
Last edited:
Thameslink Rail said:
2. It would be an attractive offer for those who just want to watch their children/grandchildren ride the rollercoasters while they sit in a café having a drink.
Click to expand...

I understand this, however at £10 entry with a few rides available it's also one of the best value spectator tickets at any park.

Look at parks like Chessington, Gulliver's, lightwater and Towers. All charge full whack for adults whether they are just supervising kids or not.

I realise it will turn some folks away, and perhaps it is a different market, but aren't families supposed to be the cash cows?
 
I meant a commitment to POP and scrap PPR, not the other way round. The only use PPR has is if you're like me and want to go somewhere, smash and grab the creds and leave
 
Weather predictions have slightly improved for the weekend. Rain is now improved but still 40mph winds. Can any pleasure beach rides run in these conditions? I know that Ice Blast and Big One will be no goes but how about icon and the woodies?
 
Poisson said:
I meant a commitment to POP and scrap PPR, not the other way round. The only use PPR has is if you're like me and want to go somewhere, smash and grab the creds and leave
Click to expand...

I think you would be surprised how many people would use a PPR system if it was reasonably priced.

But the future does look like a full POP system so I suppose this is a pretty pointless discussion.

I just hope they consider shifting back their opening/closing times at some point - 11 or 12 opening and 9 closing during peak times, then offering discounted evening entry on the gate.
 
Doublethink said:
Weather predictions have slightly improved for the weekend. Rain is now improved but still 40mph winds. Can any pleasure beach rides run in these conditions? I know that Ice Blast and Big One will be no goes but how about icon and the woodies?
Click to expand...
What forecast have you seen?
Local forecast very poor, 70% chance of very heavy rain, winds 40 to 50, and a weather warning!
Had a message from a senior member of staff taking the mickey...little chance of the bigger rides operating for any length of time because of the expected weather.
So don't expect a decent ride count.
Like every other opening day.
 
rob666 said:
What forecast have you seen?
Local forecast very poor, 70% chance of very heavy rain, winds 40 to 50, and a weather warning!
Had a message from a senior member of staff taking the mickey...little chance of the bigger rides operating for any length of time because of the expected weather.
So don't expect a decent ride count.
Like every other opening day.
Click to expand...
I have been watching the BBC one. Heavy winds still on but rain has so say droped from very heavy to light with sunny spells
 
Not what the local BBC forecast said, and online looks dreadful.
I shall be there, last time I looked Crevettes had a roof.
 
32cmHXF_d.jpg
 
Read the weather warnings though!
One for wind, one for rain, both from noon.
We will find out on Saturday, but I think Icon has a 35mph wind speed limit, which will halt it from around noon, probably.
Sunday looks drier but windier.
Not really a coaster weekend, more beer and promenading in the breeze.
Did we decide whose round it is?
 
rob666 said:
Read the weather warnings though!
One for wind, one for rain, both from noon.
We will find out on Saturday, but I think Icon has a 35mph wind speed limit, which will halt it from around noon, probably.
Sunday looks drier but windier.
Not really a coaster weekend, more beer and promenading in the breeze.
Did we decide whose round it is?
Click to expand...
Ah yes cheers only spotted the wind one before. Thanks for putting up the icon wind speed- sounds like we probably won't have any coasters open but will depend on the conditions on the day.

Think we may be in the velvet coaster for the day! Luckily one of the enthusiasts I'm meeting up with is doing a USA road trip with me this year so we will spend the time fine tuning our itinerary and intermittently checking if any rides are running!
 
Status
This topic has been locked. No further replies can be posted.
Top