The pleasure beach is a prime example of becoming too comfortable and becoming complacent. They have let their guard down and now suffering because of that. They rode on the back of the big ones reputation for far too long. Amanda needs to give it up.
I do think some big changes are needed, and many people have suggested a lot of things like ticket offerings etc. it’ll be interesting to see if we see any changes 🤞
@@coaster_dad Have you done the rides at the Southern and Central Blackpool piers ( Wristband, Pay as you go ) ?. The piers have benefit of free entry / small charge to access to pier; but ££/$$ left over for decent food and drinks, plus grannie / me don't need to pay full beans £ price for few rides we want to do and lot of time we don't want to go on rides; just food & drinks + seeing others on rides.
@dafyddthomas7299 I have in the past yeah. I didn’t do wristband just tickets which I thought was a pain. But great if you’re only doing one or two. For me it was four of us doing three of four rides so counting out the tickets was a pain 🙈
It is so sad to see the deterioration of the Pleasure Beach. With rides removed all over the place, 4 more closed this year and so many not operating during the Scottish summer holidays, it makes you wonder just what the Thompsons are doing.
@@coaster_dad I'm hopeful too. As a Scot also, I was taken to Blackpool every summer as a child and continued to visit with my own children, visiting the Pleasure Beach every time. I've lived through it all from the 60's and have many fond memories. That's why I find it extremely sad now to see what's going on.
Agree - pretty bad indeed; certainly going to save many young Families including lots of Scots who go to Blackpool for their summer Holidays a few hundred £££ not visiting this place. Plenty of decent attractions and rides; plus ( I think ) free admission to Blackpool's 3 superb pier each having good attractions - for pay as you go / Wristband (Central & South has rides), benefit can simply ride up with Grandma to drink, bite to eat whilst other members of our group can go on the rides.
Iceblast is broken, Grand Prix is being removed, and the old water ride is likely being fixed and repainted as well. Don't forget you have Icon, the Big Dipper, Avalanche, and Pepsi Max. It's likely where Grand Prix is will be a new ride. They'll operate to English Half Terms, more than Scottish ones, however.
I'd have to agree with that. Her father fought tooth and nail to keep the place alive.. The minute she started charging everyone for coming in that was the first drip... now hardly anyone I know goes near the place.
A very fair honest appraisal of BPB at present. Where I would always plump for a trip to Blackpool PB, however at the moment I would be inclined to head to Alton Towers. The lack of communication about the non operational rides is unprofessional and unfair especially on pass holders and regulars. Cheers for the VLOG!
Used to go to Blackpool as a lot as a kid (lived in Bolton). The biggest problem now is they don’t do the non rider passes any more. If I took my 7 year old and other half it would cost in excess of £120 and we wouldn’t go on any rides.
I remember just walking in and spending the day in the park and buying a sheet of mixed tickets and going on what I wanted and going on the rides with the shortest ques. The fun house,the gold mine ,uncle Tom's cabin, the monorail,the black hole, the rollercoaster, Noah ark. The grand national,the Grand Prix, the log flume, the river caves, the ghost train, the wild mouse, the octopus, the haunted house, Alice in wonderland, everything was working and running.and if you didn't use all your tickets you just kept them for another day. Plus mum and dad who just walked around watching us go on the rides didn't pay a penny. And when we went around August each year it was always busy . Looks like the pay to enter is really hurting the park as the casual passers-by who before would go in and maybe go on a ride or to. Will now walk past. Such a shame to see my childhood holidays memories of the pleasure beach in such decline.and showing signs of cash flow problems. The same thing happened to Margate. That had a pay to enter ,and it killed the park. If it ain't broke don't fix it . Should be a lesson to the pleasure beach. Bring back the free to enter and the crowd's will return.
As I said in the vid whilst I prefer the one price so I can just do what I want once in, it does mean the park doesn’t need to care about what is and isn’t working. But if it was pay per ride then a broken ride is lost money so they need to keep on top of it!
@@coaster_dad It's lost money anyway. BPB absolutely has a place in my heart, but this is just tragic, I don't even want to go there now as it's like I'm having to watch my childhood decay. I also get the vibe they're going away from the heritage in favour of trying to be more modern and compete with Merlin etc, which I think is a tragedy. Defo it needs modernising, but there's a way of doing that while respecting and embracing their foundation. I don't think the world needs more of the same, BPB was always unique. Also they're really terrible at modernising anyway, for example removing the dogems to put in... nothing, just some paving, they didn't even make it look nice, just the cheaper option. A side by side comparison of the park map between 2004 and 2024 shows a lot of empty spaces
I’m a local have been for 19 years used to have friends come see me and meet them in the park, used to go round with them buy a few drinks have a couple of rides. They even used to send 1 free ride on the big one to us through the doors it was good, same thing I always popped by after work had my free ride picked up a drink and some donuts at least, sometimes jumped a couple of others weather depending. Now I have been twice in the last 14 years and the kids grandmother used to like to go round with us to watch, she feels no longer welcome and used to buy loads if things for the kids treats and arcades.
I don't think Amanda is interested in the park anymore. I've also heard there are offers coming in and turned down. It's only a matter of time now. sad to see the place like this. it has a lot of history too. Good video.
Southport making same mistakes as B/Pool in thinking they are a theme park and they are not; charging ever one full bean ££ on entry; not every one in say a family party want to go on rides, few rides; charging price of £50 for non ride pass is extremely painful and ripoff'ish; hence with other issues raised in videos on Blackpool - is like a soulless Ghost train / graveyard of a park - empty and no vibe / good atmosphere ; they need to ship up, deliver or go broke / sell up
It's been clear that they have been struggling for a while.To be fair they have lots of rides and some are very old and need constant maintenance.The frustration is the silence.I wish they would come out and say what's going on and what their plans for the near future are.
Comms would make a massive difference! Like River Caves and Ice Blast. Both say maintenance but it’s been months. So are they still waiting on parts, do they need to do more renovation (like Towers with Hex), is it game over? Just keep us in the loop.
Amanda Thompson has to sell up I've said it on so many channels when Geoffrey and Doris passed away the park has deteriorated big time this is from a blackpool lad born and bred
My local park is M&Ds. So a trip to Blackpool is a real treat for my 10 year old. She loves it to bits. There seems to be a real love / hate relationship between BPB and RUclipsrs at the moment. I agree BPB needs to improve certain things but at less than £3 a ride, it's still a very good day out
Don’t get me wrong I do still enjoy the park and I’ve visited about 3 or 4 times this year already. But there’s a lot of people saying it’s a rip off. Based on this visit as I said at the end I think it still is value for money. But it’s getting tight with ride closures etc.
Not everyone want to go on the full extreme rides; so the £50 / divide by less no of rides say 7 = £8 and £50 x no of people in party can get extremely expensive indeed
@@steveb5346 Was like this last year ( slightly better) but this is getting worse and should be; especially up charging people £50 (on the gate) per person for a disappointing expensive experience
They did the entry price in Southport, and it didn't work the place shut after a couple of years . I remember going to Blackpool back in the 90s ,and going to the pleasure beach ,and it was packed because people could enter for free ,and if they wanted, they could pay to go on a ride . But people who didn't want to go on a ride still spent money in the park. Now, like every other business ,they have got greedy and expect people to pay just to walk around the place . I will pay £50 to go to alton towers or any other amusement park ,but I won't pay to go to a seaside town spend money ,and then pay another £50 to go to a amusement park on top .
Southport has done the silly mistake like Blackpool thinking they are theme parks when they aren't and upcharging everyone in to the park - the full entry price, e.g.. ,£40 with some groups like children, disabled getting bit knocked off but not all that much The rides and attractions + food / drinks at Blackpool 3 piers seem extremely attractive, much cheaper especially when you factor in a family setup, e.g., 2 Adults, 2 children, Grannie & Grandad, etc
Amanda gutted Pleasureland once the term in her dad's will passed. As soon as she could she took all the best rides from there up to Blackpool and left Southport to rot. I remember going at one point and it looked like one of those travelling funfair. They've had to rebuild the place from the ground up.
@@MrHennoGarvie best having several options to grab as much $$ and visitors in - like Non Rider Pass - Say £5, pay as you ride, light ticket option and full - all day pass. S/Port & B/Pool previously fair grounds based on URL's i've seen for past couple of years; struggling to fill out the park
I used to love just going in and wandering around the park, and if I saw something I wanted to go on we'd buy a book of tickets, as well as food, arcades, merch etc.
So sad to see the park in this state with so much closed. I wish they would do deals with travelling rides to fill some of the empty spaces each year. Bring in a Spinning Mouse where Wild Mouse was. A flat ride where Trauma Towers was. But would that be enough? 😢
Blackpool Pleasure Beach went down hill when they charged an entry fee and I went from yearly visits to visits every 10 to 20 years. It really should be a pay per ride park. I went again this year and was thoroughly disappointed by the quality of rides and staggered opening! Don't think I will be back for another 20 years, then I will be too old!
I worked at BPB in the 80's, 90's. I left in 2002. It was always busy, and rides were always open until midnight or sometimes later in the 80's. My opinion on the staggered openings and closed rides these days is that they have your money, so let's close some rides or stagger opening times in order to save money.
I did wonder that. And if it’s a temporary thing to build the funds for a new attraction then fine. But if this is the way it’s gonna be forever that’s not great. 😔
Hiya mate. New subs here, saw your posts on the history of pleasure beach fb group. Great videos! Will be back regularly 😊 I have a deep emotional connection to the Pleasure beach, always will be a hugely special place for me due to childhood memories, especially with my dear late mum who passed when I reached 16. We visited every single year without fail, rain or shine during illumination season. Probably looking at 1996/7 to 2006. Massive memories made there, with siblings and cousins, grandparents etc. I now have two of my own and sadly not been for many years. I desperately wanted to take them this year but alas, we don’t have the funds 😢 Plus I’m now a larger lady, in a wheelchair and worried about how my much larger bee hind than when I was 15 would fit with an anxious child next to me. Especially rides like National, dipper, avalanche, big one etc. And to be very honest, I don’t feel like we’ve missed out on anything seeing the park so run down, quiet and just… not what BPB should be!! I’m hoping I can get smaller and BPB can get bigger for next year! Also agree, infusion is shocking and should go instead of classic rides like River Caves!! So sad to see that in that state and thinking I may not take my kids on it ever when I used to cozy up to my own mum at their ages! 😢 Anyways! Will be back to watch again! 👍🏻
Glad you enjoyed. I’m the same it’s a park with a tonne of memories for me. I hope you get to visit with your kids soon. It may not be quite what it once was but it’s still a great visit 😀
Yes it looks very tired, i agree with you that they are clearing an area in order to develop a brand new area , so i would say they are in a transition period, they are maybe cutting corners to help pay for it. I think over the next few years we will see lots of the old rides removed to make way for new ones, Amanda did say they were moving away from heritage rides and i am not surprised by that as many of the rides are now becoming life expired and getting more and more difficult and expensive to maintain, plus people want more thrilling rides these days.
You seem like a nice honest guy. I subbed. You deserve to be at a better park. I can't see Blackpool Pleasure Beach (or Pleasure Beach Resort? - inconsistent branding doesn't help!) lasting this way, especially if Universal opens in the UK in 5 years or so. I think by then BPB may be closed. The Big One was my favourite roller coaster for nearly 25 years (I was at BPB in 1994), up until I rode Taron.
No it's not..its scandalous and that's me as a long time season pass holder saying so..today was a very busy day first weekend of school holidays..main rides not open when park does..valhalla and infusion not operating all day today!.. you already know about the 3 other rides now closed ... so with park been so busy with so little rides open the queues were ridiculous and operations crap these days too...don't get me started on state of all the toilets I visited which used to all have cleaners in very regular..did not see one cleaner today..oh and dodgems shut too.. its a joke of a park now I am sad to say
It’s horrible hearing stories like this. Like you I’ve been a season pass holder for years and I care about the future of the park. As I said at the end whilst my visit was worth it, it’s pushing it. And on busier days like you had it easily would swing to not being worth it. Ride availability is a huge issue that needs solved!
I had a great time here, it's always been run down but you can go on great rides with minimal queues, infusion was no queue at all and went on about 8 times, Icon great coaster with 20 mins wait, big one was only 5 min wait. Valhalla is amazing and left it until the end as it's very wet. Didn't manage all the rides even with quick queue times. Great Value but as always could be excellent with some investment.
The quiet days are a mixed bag. As you say great as a visitor cause you get tonnes done but it’s worrying if they’re not pulling in the money can they invest?
I live about 8 miles from the Pleasure Beach so have always been able to time visits with when there’s a higher likelihood of getting decent value for my entry fee, but something I’ve heard more about recently regarding value on the park has related to end-of-term school visits and milking a pretty much captive market. I’d heard a few stories over the past year or two, but got a first hand account last week as my nephew went with his school. My sister paid £30 for park entry and transport (only from Preston), and he got on ONE ride (Infusion) during the day. There were 9,000 kids on park that day, and they were reporting wait times of 3hrs+ for Icon, The Big One and Valhalla (which also experienced down time when one of his friends got to the head of the queue). Granted, it’s likely that a lot of the non-headline rides will have had much shorter wait times, but when the groups are made up entirely of 13/14/15 year olds, they’re all going to want to gravitate to the more popular attractions, so packing 9,000 of them into the park on the day feels like a bit of a cash grab. I’m wondering if this is an issue at other parks too, because I know they’re all popular visit destinations at the end of term.
Ouch that sounds painful. Interesting when you think of the visitor numbers they used to get in the 80s/90s. But I guess you paid only for what you managed to get on back then so that softened the blow.
What is happening to some of our theme parks? Went Light Water Vally last year and I haven't been since about 2017 so my and the wife took our 12 year old and it was the worst spent £90 of my life, I hope the Pleasure Beach isnt going the same way
Our youngest visited with her school back in June. It seemed like every other school in the north west were there too. She only managed to go on 3 rides in the 4 hours they were there and none of those were the most popular rides. As she was upset, I promised her I'd pay for fast track before she went back to school. She held me to that so we visited last week at the end of August. Total cost for me and 2 kids was £205, that included 2 VIP speedy passes. Not cheap it has to be said. Don't begrudge paying that though as they went on virtually every ride in the park, with the except of the rides aimed for the very youngest. The park was busy but not as busy as I thought it would be considering the weather, it was the last Friday before most school went back and the lights were being switched on later than day. Queue time for the popular rides were around 60 min for most of the day. Most of the rides were open soon after 10am. (Ice Blast is not open sadly). The exception being Valhalla which finally opened at 1pm. The app indicated waiting times of 90 min when the kids went to ride it. Of course they beat that by having the VIP speedy pass. They rode The Big One, Infusion and Icon twice. The Avalanche queue time was around 40 min for most of the day. They managed to get on during a quiet period so only had to queue for around 30 min. We even had time for a leisurely lunch and we ready to leave at round 4pm. Overall a very enjoyable day albeit a pricey one.
For me it's the quality of big rides as my main concern for value, icon and Valhalla looks like the only two draws to the park for me personally when grand national, infusion, and The Big One are all rough now
It will take some improvements for me to visit again. Don't get me wrong I think BPB is a fantastic park. However the opening and closing times, staggered ride openings and rides down. The season is too short as it is in the UK. To compete with Alton Towers and Thorpe Park, BPB needs to up it's game, to an advantage.
Seems from what I read (via an interview with Amanda Thompson) is that the plan is for more hotels inside BPB. Certainly one where the White Tower is. Maybe clearing out Grand Prix for a hotel? More hotels might also be behind the name change to ‘resort’…. Btw, we used to go into BPB about 4 or 5 times a year. And spend money on rides which were suitable for our state of health whilst my disabled late Mum could smile and enjoy watching us on those rides. We haven’t been for a long time, just walk past now…
Pretty similar to when we went a couple of weeks back. Valhalla broke down and we got dumped out the queue and 5 other rides gone or not operating (impossible, caves, grand prix, ice blast, dodgems) seems like less value for money. But if you compare it to Towers and Thorpe you get more rides for your buck with shorter queues and walks inbetween. So i dunno. Food wise i dont think its bad. You pay almost a tenner for a decent meal at mcdonalds now so i dont know how much cheaper it could be.
Not been to the park in years, used to go a lot. I just can't justify the prices for what is on offer. I'm an enthusiast, but also a thrill seeker and they just don't have the line up of attractions to justify the price they're charging. Very similar prices to Towers and Thorpe Park which both offer way more for that price so it works out better value to go to the merlin parks.
Sorry to hear that the park is doing so badly is it going to close hope it doesn't many years ago they would put cheap tickets on early season to pull people in and there was no entrance charge you payed for a wristband and if you wanted to go in and not use the rides it was free entrance most people spent money on food and drinks and as the season went on we would come back and pay the higher prices as we had such a great time at the start of the season and the shows were out of this world hot ice fantastic such a shame it's come to this 😮
I’m a Europa-Park pass holder and came over to visit at my birthday (24.of June). I was quite disappointed by the operating hours 10h-17h. I just had time for one ride on all of the coasters plus Wallace&Gromit ,Ghost Train and Valhalla. No time wasted on food or else…! All of the coasters are painful -except the two MACK’s, but it’s more because Avalanche has no rails , Icon is too new and Revolution has no turns. It left me quite frustrated at the end of the day.
At the moment it’s £35 roughly if booked in advance and £50 on the gate. Once in all rides are included with the exception if you want to ride Enso (spinning seats on the back of Icon) that’s £15 a shot. There is currently no non rider ticket and they don’t offer pay per ride.
Im planning, or at least was planning on taking my daughter up for the October half term. Can anyone on here who's been up recently or maybe last October tell me if it's worth it.. I didnt know the place was struggling the way it was. Any help or whatnot would be appreciated
I think it’ll depend on a few things. Half term could be busy so that may impact how much you get on (in any park to be fair). And if it’s planned in advance online and you’re aware of the current ride closures then you should be fine. If you went and paid on the door or didn’t realise a few rides were closed I can imagine you’d be pretty upset. Everyone is different but I still enjoy the pleasure beach. But then again I go often so I don’t mind only doing a few rides because I’ll be back.
@coaster_dad Thank you for that. Suppose it's a risk, anywhere you go. I don't wanna pay for the hotel, train fares, and tickets to get in only to have all the main attractions closed. I'll try and plan ahead in regards to the rides, weather and all that. Thank you!
Many say pretty amateurish state of affairs at Blackpool for staggered opening, limited opening times for rides, state of the park getting worse and lot of real estate boarded up / broken rides / rides that will shut - especially for rip off on gate price of £50 + expensive food prices (also at Southport for pricing) . These two parks should extend opening times in summer ( along with other theme parks UK), flatten the price down bit more and have concessions for Non rider visitors + disabled visitors = generate more income, more visitors and give the place a lively buzz, Blackpool seems flat in terms of nos and atmosphere; extremely bad how it is turning out and heading for in the future.
I never tought id see the park in the current state. I bet Geoff woud never let it get to this state. The park just seems to be in limbo from all the vlogs ive seen. Im going for the first time in Aug in several years. I think the monthly merlin annual pass maybe a small reason bpb is suffering in the numbers going to the park? They badly need to bring back free entry and tickets like in the old days.
I don’t see free entry returning. A lot of people have said it encouraged trouble makers towards the end so they’d need a decent security presence. But the cheaper entry they had pre covid should definitely be reconsidered
Just on your comments on big dipper. Been on it nearly approximately 1000 times. On a day like that hot with rain. Is when it runs fastest. Which in turn smooths out the bumps. 😅
There could be a plan to modernise over the next decade . It would have to be done with sensitivity as we all love the older rides but it gets to a point where its not financially viable to keep them running . If it means we see a 2 are 3 new rides, 2 being coasters in the next 5 years and whatever comes after that id be happy.
The lack of customers is bad for the park, but thanks to that the queues are short (I don't care for an "atmosphere". Don't like crowds.) Last time I was there on a Sunday it was great (the sun was shining), all rides were operating, queues were very reasonable, we went on loads of rides one after another. Perfect day at BPB. I hear that queues at Alton Towers generally take 45 min on average, so about twice as long as during my last visit to BPB (Have you been to the Towers on a Sunday?). For that reason alone I'd pick BPB. And it's a bit cheaper. I'm only starting out on my large theme parks journey, the kids are big enough now to go on the main roller-coasters (and they love them).
Yeah I did Towers on Easter Sunday and was amazed how quiet it was. But then found out it’s because it’s typically the travellers weekend and a lot of people avoid it 🙈 I used my kids as an excuse for years (hence the channel name) but really it was me wanting to go to all the parks 😂😂
@@coaster_dadTbh I had to build up my bravery, I use to be scared of heights and large roller-coasters and I avoided theme parks. When they were little we used to go to Gulliver's World Warrington, the rides there were exciting enough for me, though I've gradually got accustomed to the thrills and progressed onto bigger rides. I wouldn't believe 10 years ago I'll be riding the Big One one day and really enjoy it. I used to be scared just looking at it. But it shows that with the right mindset you get beat your fears. Luckily for me my kids are really brave, so we can go on all the rides together. Well, yeah, I generally organise days out around my interests as well 🙂
@@coaster_dad sure thing, I always organise days out around my interest too, I'm finding out now kids become rebellious when they enter teenage years 🙂, but they are always happy to go to theme parks.
Yeah a lot of people agree. And they still have the ride scanners which are currently pointless since everyone has a full ride ticket! So there should be no reason not to bring back non rider
@@coaster_dad they are definitely losing money by not having non rider. As most people wouldn’t pay £150 just so their child can go to nickeloadeon land. But a wristband for the kid and two non riders. That could be £30/40 quid in there pocket. Plus what you’d spend inside on souvenirs
I mean for me it’s about 190 miles each way and I’ve been multiple times this year. But I’m a season pass holder so for me the cost per visit is basically petrol and food. Whilst I’ve had very quiet visits including this one last week it was before the main English school holidays. So I suspect it’s going to get busier and therefore you may have longer waits and get on less rides. Whether that is worth it is subjective. Some would say yes, others would disagree. But if you’re prepared for potentially long queues then you may be fine.
At the moment my only plans are Efteling, Walibi Holland and Emerald Park. Which ones you thinking? I to me everything is south 😂 (and I did chessington, Legoland, Thorpe etc recently)
The park is in a tragic state. It's really disappointing for me to admit I won't be renewing my season pass next year... unless they pull something special out the bag before the end of season... which I'm very doubtful of.
That’s why I think this “new attraction” will be so important. I mean it’s not gonna happen next year (unless it’s just a flat ride and that would be a disaster).
@@coaster_dad And they've ramped the price up dramatically... This is not the way to do business... Sadly, I think I'm done with pleasure beach, as long as Amanda remains in control, nothing good will come of the place, she just wants our money.
So to be clear, they take your money at the beginning (£50?) and they stagger the opening of the rides? Why would I pay good money to be told you can't ride that until after dinner? Nope, why would I now want to visit this once great park?
Lack of furture planning and investment has really hurt the park. Several rides coming to the end of operating life can't be a good thing, i cant see Ice Blast comming back tbh
Yeah I’m with you on that one. Especially since rumours were circulating last year about the end of ice blast it seems unlikely/unwise to keep it going.
Why do content creators like to ignore that you can book online a few days before for £35? Thats wristband prices from years ago, of course its still value for money
@coaster_dad I think we are in a time when most people do plan their days out and holidays. With so many comparison sites available and voucher hunting sites. Even when I was a kid my dad would be checking newspapers and other things for 2 for 1 vouchers, as then we could do twice as much
I’d love an RMC. But big dipper is listed so they can’t do that one. That said we’re getting at least one new ride and possibly a new coaster so maybe things are looking up.
Ive been today so much was down or shut i was shocked and appalled. I used to work there just be clear i cannot believe the place its dead. Im luckily platinum so doesntveffectvus so much if i paid full price today id be fuming
@coaster_dad I would normally defend the place today is tge 1st time I actually believe the parks in serious trouble. I can only believe they didn't get enough staff to man the rides as I know they struggled early in season but it's summer holidays now staggered opening should not ever be a thing except maybe 1 or 2 that always opened slightly later
I think its still value for money but its a shame so many rides are shut. I definitely don't think they will ever do pay per ride cause on days like that with so much shut i doubt they'd make enough for it to be worth it.
True but that would force them to maintain rides and improve operations. Which is great for us but as you said unlikely as it puts them in the spotlight.
@@coaster_dad Put them in bad spotlight already for ride Availability or lack of it, lack of comms on Is it closed / open River Caves, Ice Blaster, silly staggered ride times and limited opening times of rides X, Y , Z, sky high entry prices & food / prices = less no in park, less good buzz / atmosphere; seems like it is getting more and more into mess
Rides are old and rough 😢 not going again unless the pull some of the rides out. Let's be honest all the Woodies are exactly the same out and back up and down. Keep one!
I Find a lot of Blackpool Pleasure Beaches rides are pretty rough to ride or very worn seeing rides only open for short periods also seem's a bit lackluster maintance should be done early hours and rides should open when park opens apparently though there is something coming maybe a revamp to the big one or mmaybe a new rollercoaster.
I think it’s time for Amanda to go, step down and give it to the next in line. Or if the money isn’t there at all, then unfortunately I have to see them sell it. They can’t close pleasure beach down, it’s too iconic.
Yeah I don’t think anyone wants it to close. I’ve said it a few times now. Whatever this new attraction is will be a tell tale sign. If it’s something small and unimaginative then the problems are clear. However if it’s something major ie a new coaster then they may just be in a transition phase to make space 🤞
It's time for her to sell it to a company that can invest in the park and maintain it properly. All she gives a toss about is the Ice Show. The park isn't doing well at all.
@@coaster_dad we're off there tomorrow and luckily we don't pay anything to get in and we're only going because my partner rode Hyperia and now wants to tick off the rides they were too afraid to ride. As someone who lived behind the park growing up and played there as a kid, it's depressing to see it so run down. 😔
Yesterday at Thorpe park I got on 3 rides all day. Rides kept closing all day had to wait 1 and a half hours for a kebab with a que no more than 20 people. Place is a joke at least at Blackpool you get on a fair few rides
This is where it gets tricky. I was pretty lucky last week with 19 rides. Now that the English schools are off I suspect every park will be a nightmare and people will have experiences like yours yesterday 😔
@@coaster_dad I agree I swerved during the week as I did see the q times were big so thought Sunday would be ok. Hyperia didn’t open until 11 so we fast tracked that. Hyperia isn’t included if you buy the coaster fast track. So we got on saw, swarm and nemesis. We were in the queue for stealth and that broke down. Rides kept breaking down all day. What’s going on with the food at Thorpe, they are so slow.I know this happens but I think people give Blackpool a hard time but it is what it is. Hyperia is to short, with all the hype I was expecting a bit more it’s probably because we have just come back from portaventura. Great videos keep up the good work 🎂
Typical of dirty blackpool It has always been a pocket emptying place .Fortunes taken out over 70 years and some places left to rot .Dirty tackie side streets .Its not for me .
@paulclover2839 I was gonna check that one. I was driving past the other day and it looks reasonably complete (I didn’t go up to look just crossing the bypass) now you’ve said that I’m gonna see if there’s an opening date 🙂
well, i know...but i still think ... it should be free to walk around the park and buy a ticket for the rides you wish to use..... i mean... the grub there for ...£20... did not look the best... looked liked yesterdays french fries re-heated and the fish... small...like two fish fingers .
Wristbands and a small admission charge I have a season pass too gotta do deals for families and grand parents I will get one for 2025 no one knows what is next infusion is horrid White Tower restaurant is ok
The pleasure beach is a prime example of becoming too comfortable and becoming complacent. They have let their guard down and now suffering because of that. They rode on the back of the big ones reputation for far too long. Amanda needs to give it up.
I do think some big changes are needed, and many people have suggested a lot of things like ticket offerings etc. it’ll be interesting to see if we see any changes 🤞
@@coaster_dad Have you done the rides at the Southern and Central Blackpool piers ( Wristband, Pay as you go ) ?. The piers have benefit of free entry / small charge to access to pier; but ££/$$ left over for decent food and drinks, plus grannie / me don't need to pay full beans £ price for few rides we want to do and lot of time we don't want to go on rides; just food & drinks + seeing others on rides.
@dafyddthomas7299 I have in the past yeah. I didn’t do wristband just tickets which I thought was a pain. But great if you’re only doing one or two. For me it was four of us doing three of four rides so counting out the tickets was a pain 🙈
It is so sad to see the deterioration of the Pleasure Beach. With rides removed all over the place, 4 more closed this year and so many not operating during the Scottish summer holidays, it makes you wonder just what the Thompsons are doing.
I’m kinda holding out hope there’s a master plan that we just don’t know yet 🤞
@@coaster_dad I'm hopeful too. As a Scot also, I was taken to Blackpool every summer as a child and continued to visit with my own children, visiting the Pleasure Beach every time. I've lived through it all from the 60's and have many fond memories. That's why I find it extremely sad now to see what's going on.
Agree - pretty bad indeed; certainly going to save many young Families including lots of Scots who go to Blackpool for their summer Holidays a few hundred £££ not visiting this place. Plenty of decent attractions and rides; plus ( I think ) free admission to Blackpool's 3 superb pier each having good attractions - for pay as you go / Wristband (Central & South has rides), benefit can simply ride up with Grandma to drink, bite to eat whilst other members of our group can go on the rides.
@@coaster_dadI’m sure if they had a master plan, they’d be promoting and publicising it 😳
Iceblast is broken, Grand Prix is being removed, and the old water ride is likely being fixed and repainted as well. Don't forget you have Icon, the Big Dipper, Avalanche, and Pepsi Max. It's likely where Grand Prix is will be a new ride. They'll operate to English Half Terms, more than Scottish ones, however.
The down fall of BPB is sad to see. Amanda had ruined it since her dad passed away
It’s not great huh 😔
@@coaster_dad Really isn’t 🫣
I'd have to agree with that. Her father fought tooth and nail to keep the place alive.. The minute she started charging everyone for coming in that was the first drip... now hardly anyone I know goes near the place.
She ruined that and Southport Pleasureland.
@@jazzygeofferz she is like the kiss of death.....
A very fair honest appraisal of BPB at present. Where I would always plump for a trip to Blackpool PB, however at the moment I would be inclined to head to Alton Towers. The lack of communication about the non operational rides is unprofessional and unfair especially on pass holders and regulars. Cheers for the VLOG!
Communication would definitely improve a lot of things 🙂
Used to go to Blackpool as a lot as a kid (lived in Bolton). The biggest problem now is they don’t do the non rider passes any more. If I took my 7 year old and other half it would cost in excess of £120 and we wouldn’t go on any rides.
Yeah I really hope they bring that back.
Very sad to see this happening to The pleasure beach. So many happy memories right from childhood to young adult. They are killing it.
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its already dead....💩💩💩💩💩💩
I remember just walking in and spending the day in the park and buying a sheet of mixed tickets and going on what I wanted and going on the rides with the shortest ques. The fun house,the gold mine ,uncle Tom's cabin, the monorail,the black hole, the rollercoaster, Noah ark. The grand national,the Grand Prix, the log flume, the river caves, the ghost train, the wild mouse, the octopus, the haunted house, Alice in wonderland, everything was working and running.and if you didn't use all your tickets you just kept them for another day. Plus mum and dad who just walked around watching us go on the rides didn't pay a penny. And when we went around August each year it was always busy . Looks like the pay to enter is really hurting the park as the casual passers-by who before would go in and maybe go on a ride or to. Will now walk past. Such a shame to see my childhood holidays memories of the pleasure beach in such decline.and showing signs of cash flow problems. The same thing happened to Margate. That had a pay to enter ,and it killed the park. If it ain't broke don't fix it . Should be a lesson to the pleasure beach. Bring back the free to enter and the crowd's will return.
As I said in the vid whilst I prefer the one price so I can just do what I want once in, it does mean the park doesn’t need to care about what is and isn’t working. But if it was pay per ride then a broken ride is lost money so they need to keep on top of it!
Agree, Southport foolishingly gone through the same route - Every one pays full bean ££ to enter
yes...thats greed for you... greed.
@@coaster_dad It's lost money anyway. BPB absolutely has a place in my heart, but this is just tragic, I don't even want to go there now as it's like I'm having to watch my childhood decay. I also get the vibe they're going away from the heritage in favour of trying to be more modern and compete with Merlin etc, which I think is a tragedy. Defo it needs modernising, but there's a way of doing that while respecting and embracing their foundation. I don't think the world needs more of the same, BPB was always unique. Also they're really terrible at modernising anyway, for example removing the dogems to put in... nothing, just some paving, they didn't even make it look nice, just the cheaper option. A side by side comparison of the park map between 2004 and 2024 shows a lot of empty spaces
I’m a local have been for 19 years used to have friends come see me and meet them in the park, used to go round with them buy a few drinks have a couple of rides. They even used to send 1 free ride on the big one to us through the doors it was good, same thing I always popped by after work had my free ride picked up a drink and some donuts at least, sometimes jumped a couple of others weather depending. Now I have been twice in the last 14 years and the kids grandmother used to like to go round with us to watch, she feels no longer welcome and used to buy loads if things for the kids treats and arcades.
😔
I don't think Amanda is interested in the park anymore. I've also heard there are offers coming in and turned down. It's only a matter of time now. sad to see the place like this. it has a lot of history too. Good video.
I really hope things pick up because as you say it has so much history it would be a shame to lose that and let it completley crumble 😔
Southport making same mistakes as B/Pool in thinking they are a theme park and they are not; charging ever one full bean ££ on entry; not every one in say a family party want to go on rides, few rides; charging price of £50 for non ride pass is extremely painful and ripoff'ish; hence with other issues raised in videos on Blackpool - is like a soulless Ghost train / graveyard of a park - empty and no vibe / good atmosphere ; they need to ship up, deliver or go broke / sell up
It's been clear that they have been struggling for a while.To be fair they have lots of rides and some are very old and need constant maintenance.The frustration is the silence.I wish they would come out and say what's going on and what their plans for the near future are.
Comms would make a massive difference! Like River Caves and Ice Blast. Both say maintenance but it’s been months. So are they still waiting on parts, do they need to do more renovation (like Towers with Hex), is it game over? Just keep us in the loop.
Used to be a day out, take visitors, family or friends. Always packed out until late.
Yup very different nowadays
Love Pleasure Beach but it's such a shame to see it so dilapidated 😢
Agreed 😔
Amanda Thompson has to sell up I've said it on so many channels when Geoffrey and Doris passed away the park has deteriorated big time this is from a blackpool lad born and bred
😔
My local park is M&Ds. So a trip to Blackpool is a real treat for my 10 year old. She loves it to bits.
There seems to be a real love / hate relationship between BPB and RUclipsrs at the moment. I agree BPB needs to improve certain things but at less than £3 a ride, it's still a very good day out
Don’t get me wrong I do still enjoy the park and I’ve visited about 3 or 4 times this year already. But there’s a lot of people saying it’s a rip off. Based on this visit as I said at the end I think it still is value for money. But it’s getting tight with ride closures etc.
Hopefully next year they'll turn it a round
@steveb5346 got my fingers crossed
Not everyone want to go on the full extreme rides; so the £50 / divide by less no of rides say 7 = £8 and £50 x no of people in party can get extremely expensive indeed
@@steveb5346 Was like this last year ( slightly better) but this is getting worse and should be; especially up charging people £50 (on the gate) per person for a disappointing expensive experience
They did the entry price in Southport, and it didn't work the place shut after a couple of years . I remember going to Blackpool back in the 90s ,and going to the pleasure beach ,and it was packed because people could enter for free ,and if they wanted, they could pay to go on a ride . But people who didn't want to go on a ride still spent money in the park. Now, like every other business ,they have got greedy and expect people to pay just to walk around the place . I will pay £50 to go to alton towers or any other amusement park ,but I won't pay to go to a seaside town spend money ,and then pay another £50 to go to a amusement park on top .
It’s a hell of a lot for sure 😔
Southport has done the silly mistake like Blackpool thinking they are theme parks when they aren't and upcharging everyone in to the park - the full entry price, e.g.. ,£40 with some groups like children, disabled getting bit knocked off but not all that much The rides and attractions + food / drinks at Blackpool 3 piers seem extremely attractive, much cheaper especially when you factor in a family setup, e.g., 2 Adults, 2 children, Grannie & Grandad, etc
Amanda gutted Pleasureland once the term in her dad's will passed. As soon as she could she took all the best rides from there up to Blackpool and left Southport to rot. I remember going at one point and it looked like one of those travelling funfair. They've had to rebuild the place from the ground up.
they make less profit on park entry, its a better deal for the customer, pay per ride gets expensive.
@@MrHennoGarvie best having several options to grab as much $$ and visitors in - like Non Rider Pass - Say £5, pay as you ride, light ticket option and full - all day pass. S/Port & B/Pool previously fair grounds based on URL's i've seen for past couple of years; struggling to fill out the park
I used to love just going in and wandering around the park, and if I saw something I wanted to go on we'd buy a book of tickets, as well as food, arcades, merch etc.
A lot of people have similar memories
So sad to see the park in this state with so much closed. I wish they would do deals with travelling rides to fill some of the empty spaces each year. Bring in a Spinning Mouse where Wild Mouse was. A flat ride where Trauma Towers was. But would that be enough? 😢
It’s an interesting idea and kinda how the park used to be in previous decades. Rides came and went frequently!
Blackpool Pleasure Beach went down hill when they charged an entry fee and I went from yearly visits to visits every 10 to 20 years. It really should be a pay per ride park.
I went again this year and was thoroughly disappointed by the quality of rides and staggered opening! Don't think I will be back for another 20 years, then I will be too old!
😔
Okay with a small charge for non riders say £5 - £10 but the full bean price on the day £50 is a complete no - go and rip off
I worked at BPB in the 80's, 90's. I left in 2002. It was always busy, and rides were always open until midnight or sometimes later in the 80's.
My opinion on the staggered openings and closed rides these days is that they have your money, so let's close some rides or stagger opening times in order to save money.
I did wonder that. And if it’s a temporary thing to build the funds for a new attraction then fine. But if this is the way it’s gonna be forever that’s not great. 😔
Hiya mate. New subs here, saw your posts on the history of pleasure beach fb group. Great videos! Will be back regularly 😊
I have a deep emotional connection to the Pleasure beach, always will be a hugely special place for me due to childhood memories, especially with my dear late mum who passed when I reached 16. We visited every single year without fail, rain or shine during illumination season. Probably looking at 1996/7 to 2006. Massive memories made there, with siblings and cousins, grandparents etc.
I now have two of my own and sadly not been for many years. I desperately wanted to take them this year but alas, we don’t have the funds 😢
Plus I’m now a larger lady, in a wheelchair and worried about how my much larger bee hind than when I was 15 would fit with an anxious child next to me. Especially rides like National, dipper, avalanche, big one etc. And to be very honest, I don’t feel like we’ve missed out on anything seeing the park so run down, quiet and just… not what BPB should be!!
I’m hoping I can get smaller and BPB can get bigger for next year!
Also agree, infusion is shocking and should go instead of classic rides like River Caves!! So sad to see that in that state and thinking I may not take my kids on it ever when I used to cozy up to my own mum at their ages! 😢
Anyways! Will be back to watch again! 👍🏻
Glad you enjoyed. I’m the same it’s a park with a tonne of memories for me. I hope you get to visit with your kids soon. It may not be quite what it once was but it’s still a great visit 😀
@@coaster_dad hope so! Will keep an eye on your vids alongside other coaster tubers to keep an eye on things :)
Yes it looks very tired, i agree with you that they are clearing an area in order to develop a brand new area , so i would say they are in a transition period, they are maybe cutting corners to help pay for it. I think over the next few years we will see lots of the old rides removed to make way for new ones, Amanda did say they were moving away from heritage rides and i am not surprised by that as many of the rides are now becoming life expired and getting more and more difficult and expensive to maintain, plus people want more thrilling rides these days.
That’s very true. Although if there are some they could keep it would be a USP (assuming they aren’t a maintenance nightmare of course!)
Its a no from me, sadly every other park is able to offer discounts but not pb. Considering its an amusement park yet it costs more than a theme park
Yeah they used to but I haven’t seen any for a while.
@@coaster_dadThey have been offering early booking discounts & promotions this season.
Big Dipper is not really rough. Much improved on the turn around since the light track work for it's 100th anniversary last year
I love your videos. Your more entertaining than some of the rides. Cheers Coaster Dad.
Ha ha. Thank you 🙏😂
You seem like a nice honest guy. I subbed. You deserve to be at a better park. I can't see Blackpool Pleasure Beach (or Pleasure Beach Resort? - inconsistent branding doesn't help!) lasting this way, especially if Universal opens in the UK in 5 years or so. I think by then BPB may be closed. The Big One was my favourite roller coaster for nearly 25 years (I was at BPB in 1994), up until I rode Taron.
Taron is amazing. I know there are newer Intamin coasters but Klugheim is something else. Absolutely love that park!
And thank you for the sub 🙏🏻
I only live in Leyland near Preston it never enters my head to have a day out there.
😔
dont blame you.
How much is a season pass?
I renewed for £129. But it’s more than that if you buy just now
No it's not..its scandalous and that's me as a long time season pass holder saying so..today was a very busy day first weekend of school holidays..main rides not open when park does..valhalla and infusion not operating all day today!.. you already know about the 3 other rides now closed ... so with park been so busy with so little rides open the queues were ridiculous and operations crap these days too...don't get me started on state of all the toilets I visited which used to all have cleaners in very regular..did not see one cleaner today..oh and dodgems shut too.. its a joke of a park now I am sad to say
It’s horrible hearing stories like this. Like you I’ve been a season pass holder for years and I care about the future of the park. As I said at the end whilst my visit was worth it, it’s pushing it. And on busier days like you had it easily would swing to not being worth it. Ride availability is a huge issue that needs solved!
100% true...its gone to....💩.
I had a great time here, it's always been run down but you can go on great rides with minimal queues, infusion was no queue at all and went on about 8 times, Icon great coaster with 20 mins wait, big one was only 5 min wait. Valhalla is amazing and left it until the end as it's very wet. Didn't manage all the rides even with quick queue times. Great Value but as always could be excellent with some investment.
The quiet days are a mixed bag. As you say great as a visitor cause you get tonnes done but it’s worrying if they’re not pulling in the money can they invest?
I live about 8 miles from the Pleasure Beach so have always been able to time visits with when there’s a higher likelihood of getting decent value for my entry fee, but something I’ve heard more about recently regarding value on the park has related to end-of-term school visits and milking a pretty much captive market.
I’d heard a few stories over the past year or two, but got a first hand account last week as my nephew went with his school. My sister paid £30 for park entry and transport (only from Preston), and he got on ONE ride (Infusion) during the day. There were 9,000 kids on park that day, and they were reporting wait times of 3hrs+ for Icon, The Big One and Valhalla (which also experienced down time when one of his friends got to the head of the queue).
Granted, it’s likely that a lot of the non-headline rides will have had much shorter wait times, but when the groups are made up entirely of 13/14/15 year olds, they’re all going to want to gravitate to the more popular attractions, so packing 9,000 of them into the park on the day feels like a bit of a cash grab. I’m wondering if this is an issue at other parks too, because I know they’re all popular visit destinations at the end of term.
Ouch that sounds painful. Interesting when you think of the visitor numbers they used to get in the 80s/90s. But I guess you paid only for what you managed to get on back then so that softened the blow.
I've read similar stories about school trips to Alton Towers, 2-3 rides in a whole day, they seem like really poor value for money.
What is happening to some of our theme parks? Went Light Water Vally last year and I haven't been since about 2017 so my and the wife took our 12 year old and it was the worst spent £90 of my life, I hope the Pleasure Beach isnt going the same way
😔
Our youngest visited with her school back in June. It seemed like every other school in the north west were there too. She only managed to go on 3 rides in the 4 hours they were there and none of those were the most popular rides. As she was upset, I promised her I'd pay for fast track before she went back to school. She held me to that so we visited last week at the end of August. Total cost for me and 2 kids was £205, that included 2 VIP speedy passes. Not cheap it has to be said. Don't begrudge paying that though as they went on virtually every ride in the park, with the except of the rides aimed for the very youngest. The park was busy but not as busy as I thought it would be considering the weather, it was the last Friday before most school went back and the lights were being switched on later than day. Queue time for the popular rides were around 60 min for most of the day. Most of the rides were open soon after 10am. (Ice Blast is not open sadly). The exception being Valhalla which finally opened at 1pm. The app indicated waiting times of 90 min when the kids went to ride it. Of course they beat that by having the VIP speedy pass. They rode The Big One, Infusion and Icon twice. The Avalanche queue time was around 40 min for most of the day. They managed to get on during a quiet period so only had to queue for around 30 min. We even had time for a leisurely lunch and we ready to leave at round 4pm. Overall a very enjoyable day albeit a pricey one.
Sounds like two very different experiences. Glad you got on everything 🙂
For me it's the quality of big rides as my main concern for value, icon and Valhalla looks like the only two draws to the park for me personally when grand national, infusion, and The Big One are all rough now
Aye they are that.
It will take some improvements for me to visit again. Don't get me wrong I think BPB is a fantastic park. However the opening and closing times, staggered ride openings and rides down. The season is too short as it is in the UK. To compete with Alton Towers and Thorpe Park, BPB needs to up it's game, to an advantage.
I know what you mean. I really love the park but it’s starting to be a tough sell when compared to the rest of the parks in the uk 😔
Seems from what I read (via an interview with Amanda Thompson) is that the plan is for more hotels inside BPB. Certainly one where the White Tower is. Maybe clearing out Grand Prix for a hotel? More hotels might also be behind the name change to ‘resort’….
Btw, we used to go into BPB about 4 or 5 times a year. And spend money on rides which were suitable for our state of health whilst my disabled late Mum could smile and enjoy watching us on those rides. We haven’t been for a long time, just walk past now…
Yeah I posted a vid about the “hotel” does sound like that’s on the cards but hopefully not at the sacrifice of investment in the park. 🤞
First video of yours I’ve watched and I really enjoyed it - I think you’ve shown its value if you buy online and if you avoid the chicken strips! 😂
😂😂
Pretty similar to when we went a couple of weeks back. Valhalla broke down and we got dumped out the queue and 5 other rides gone or not operating (impossible, caves, grand prix, ice blast, dodgems) seems like less value for money. But if you compare it to Towers and Thorpe you get more rides for your buck with shorter queues and walks inbetween. So i dunno.
Food wise i dont think its bad. You pay almost a tenner for a decent meal at mcdonalds now so i dont know how much cheaper it could be.
Yeah they don’t have the capacity to cope if a ride goes down when so many are already down 🙈
Not been to the park in years, used to go a lot. I just can't justify the prices for what is on offer.
I'm an enthusiast, but also a thrill seeker and they just don't have the line up of attractions to justify the price they're charging. Very similar prices to Towers and Thorpe Park which both offer way more for that price so it works out better value to go to the merlin parks.
Yeah I know what you mean. I really hope this new attraction is something impressive and not just a flat ride 🙈
Sorry to hear that the park is doing so badly is it going to close hope it doesn't many years ago they would put cheap tickets on early season to pull people in and there was no entrance charge you payed for a wristband and if you wanted to go in and not use the rides it was free entrance most people spent money on food and drinks and as the season went on we would come back and pay the higher prices as we had such a great time at the start of the season and the shows were out of this world hot ice fantastic such a shame it's come to this 😮
Agreed 😔
I’m a Europa-Park pass holder and came over to visit at my birthday (24.of June). I was quite disappointed by the operating hours 10h-17h. I just had time for one ride on all of the coasters plus Wallace&Gromit ,Ghost Train and Valhalla. No time wasted on food or else…!
All of the coasters are painful -except the two MACK’s, but it’s more because Avalanche has no rails , Icon is too new and Revolution has no turns.
It left me quite frustrated at the end of the day.
That’s not great especially if you’ve travelled for it 😔
Blackpool Pleasure Beach is a case of "Lets screw as much as money as we can out of the visitors".
😔
How much to just get in. And what are ticket prices 😊
Ticket prices for the rides
At the moment it’s £35 roughly if booked in advance and £50 on the gate. Once in all rides are included with the exception if you want to ride Enso (spinning seats on the back of Icon) that’s £15 a shot. There is currently no non rider ticket and they don’t offer pay per ride.
Im planning, or at least was planning on taking my daughter up for the October half term. Can anyone on here who's been up recently or maybe last October tell me if it's worth it.. I didnt know the place was struggling the way it was. Any help or whatnot would be appreciated
I think it’ll depend on a few things. Half term could be busy so that may impact how much you get on (in any park to be fair). And if it’s planned in advance online and you’re aware of the current ride closures then you should be fine. If you went and paid on the door or didn’t realise a few rides were closed I can imagine you’d be pretty upset. Everyone is different but I still enjoy the pleasure beach. But then again I go often so I don’t mind only doing a few rides because I’ll be back.
@coaster_dad Thank you for that. Suppose it's a risk, anywhere you go. I don't wanna pay for the hotel, train fares, and tickets to get in only to have all the main attractions closed. I'll try and plan ahead in regards to the rides, weather and all that. Thank you!
seems like a waste of time they should all open at the same time
I agree. I’m assuming either a lack of staff or a lack of visitors is the reason 🤷♂️
Many say pretty amateurish state of affairs at Blackpool for staggered opening, limited opening times for rides, state of the park getting worse and lot of real estate boarded up / broken rides / rides that will shut - especially for rip off on gate price of £50 + expensive food prices (also at Southport for pricing) . These two parks should extend opening times in summer ( along with other theme parks UK), flatten the price down bit more and have concessions for Non rider visitors + disabled visitors = generate more income, more visitors and give the place a lively buzz, Blackpool seems flat in terms of nos and atmosphere; extremely bad how it is turning out and heading for in the future.
Yeah it’s worrying for sure 😔
I never tought id see the park in the current state. I bet Geoff woud never let it get to this state. The park just seems to be in limbo from all the vlogs ive seen. Im going for the first time in Aug in several years. I think the monthly merlin annual pass maybe a small reason bpb is suffering in the numbers going to the park? They badly need to bring back free entry and tickets like in the old days.
I don’t see free entry returning. A lot of people have said it encouraged trouble makers towards the end so they’d need a decent security presence. But the cheaper entry they had pre covid should definitely be reconsidered
@@coaster_dad yes that should be brought back at least to get the heads in the park :)
Just on your comments on big dipper. Been on it nearly approximately 1000 times.
On a day like that hot with rain. Is when it runs fastest. Which in turn smooths out the bumps. 😅
1000 😳 Jeezo
@@coaster_dad lol I was being paid. Although it was fun.... Lol.
There could be a plan to modernise over the next decade . It would have to be done with sensitivity as we all love the older rides but it gets to a point where its not financially viable to keep them running . If it means we see a 2 are 3 new rides, 2 being coasters in the next 5 years and whatever comes after that id be happy.
I really hope it’s something like that. And rebranding etc does make me think there is a plan we just don’t know what it is. 🤞
The lack of customers is bad for the park, but thanks to that the queues are short (I don't care for an "atmosphere". Don't like crowds.)
Last time I was there on a Sunday it was great (the sun was shining), all rides were operating, queues were very reasonable, we went on loads of rides one after another. Perfect day at BPB.
I hear that queues at Alton Towers generally take 45 min on average, so about twice as long as during my last visit to BPB (Have you been to the Towers on a Sunday?).
For that reason alone I'd pick BPB. And it's a bit cheaper.
I'm only starting out on my large theme parks journey, the kids are big enough now to go on the main roller-coasters (and they love them).
Yeah I did Towers on Easter Sunday and was amazed how quiet it was. But then found out it’s because it’s typically the travellers weekend and a lot of people avoid it 🙈 I used my kids as an excuse for years (hence the channel name) but really it was me wanting to go to all the parks 😂😂
@@coaster_dadTbh I had to build up my bravery, I use to be scared of heights and large roller-coasters and I avoided theme parks.
When they were little we used to go to Gulliver's World Warrington, the rides there were exciting enough for me, though I've gradually got accustomed to the thrills and progressed onto bigger rides.
I wouldn't believe 10 years ago I'll be riding the Big One one day and really enjoy it. I used to be scared just looking at it. But it shows that with the right mindset you get beat your fears.
Luckily for me my kids are really brave, so we can go on all the rides together.
Well, yeah, I generally organise days out around my interests as well 🙂
@@coaster_dad sure thing, I always organise days out around my interest too, I'm finding out now kids become rebellious when they enter teenage years 🙂, but they are always happy to go to theme parks.
i always go to the on site burger king, they have regular street prices
True. But that can be hit or miss in terms of speed. Sometimes the queue can be painful
Hate how the non rider disappeared. We are not paying £150 for two non riders just so our little one can go on a few rides. Insane
Yeah a lot of people agree. And they still have the ride scanners which are currently pointless since everyone has a full ride ticket! So there should be no reason not to bring back non rider
@@coaster_dad they are definitely losing money by not having non rider. As most people wouldn’t pay £150 just so their child can go to nickeloadeon land. But a wristband for the kid and two non riders. That could be £30/40 quid in there pocket. Plus what you’d spend inside on souvenirs
Absolutely worth the money
Certainly was on my visit 🙂
is it worth a 250 mile road trip?
I mean for me it’s about 190 miles each way and I’ve been multiple times this year. But I’m a season pass holder so for me the cost per visit is basically petrol and food. Whilst I’ve had very quiet visits including this one last week it was before the main English school holidays. So I suspect it’s going to get busier and therefore you may have longer waits and get on less rides. Whether that is worth it is subjective. Some would say yes, others would disagree. But if you’re prepared for potentially long queues then you may be fine.
@@coaster_dad think I will give it a miss then 250 miles just about each way from south wales. Maybe try after the summer and hope its quieter.
NO.
Love Valhalla mk2 🌊 but would never want to ride early in a visit 💦
Aye it’s a great ride but feels like it’s made for a hot country not the UK 😂
Love your videos and content; any plans to do any Theme parks in South, South West ?
At the moment my only plans are Efteling, Walibi Holland and Emerald Park. Which ones you thinking? I to me everything is south 😂 (and I did chessington, Legoland, Thorpe etc recently)
Oh and thank you very much. 🙏🏻
@@coaster_dad Paultons Park in Hampshire and Crealy Theme Park & Resort Devon
@@dafyddthomas7299 not been to Paultons in a few years and never done Crealy 🤔 might need to get them on my list
Rather go abroad than holiday in a thied world country like England
🙈
The park is in a tragic state. It's really disappointing for me to admit I won't be renewing my season pass next year... unless they pull something special out the bag before the end of season... which I'm very doubtful of.
That’s why I think this “new attraction” will be so important. I mean it’s not gonna happen next year (unless it’s just a flat ride and that would be a disaster).
@@coaster_dad And they've ramped the price up dramatically... This is not the way to do business... Sadly, I think I'm done with pleasure beach, as long as Amanda remains in control, nothing good will come of the place, she just wants our money.
How was Air Bender this time? Was always one of the better ones... Hopefully they aint turned it into Flamingo Lands version.
Soemthing has changed. It’s still good but it’s not AS good. Can’t quite put my finger on it.
I haven’t been to Blackpool since I was 18, 9 years ago but me and the fam are going in 2 weeks 😊
Have a great trip
So to be clear, they take your money at the beginning (£50?) and they stagger the opening of the rides? Why would I pay good money to be told you can't ride that until after dinner? Nope, why would I now want to visit this once great park?
😔
Lack of furture planning and investment has really hurt the park. Several rides coming to the end of operating life can't be a good thing, i cant see Ice Blast comming back tbh
Yeah I’m with you on that one. Especially since rumours were circulating last year about the end of ice blast it seems unlikely/unwise to keep it going.
Why do content creators like to ignore that you can book online a few days before for £35? Thats wristband prices from years ago, of course its still value for money
I did mention £50 on the day, £35 in advance. But many don’t plan 🙂
@coaster_dad I think we are in a time when most people do plan their days out and holidays. With so many comparison sites available and voucher hunting sites.
Even when I was a kid my dad would be checking newspapers and other things for 2 for 1 vouchers, as then we could do twice as much
Fantastic video!
Thank you. 🙂
They should Rmc big dipper that would be a start
I’d love an RMC. But big dipper is listed so they can’t do that one. That said we’re getting at least one new ride and possibly a new coaster so maybe things are looking up.
@@coaster_dad a never knew that is the grand national listed ? If not rmc that instead 🤔doesn’t cost that much on the grand scheme of things
@_-Tripster2011-_ yeah three woodies are listed riderater.co.uk/6486/blackpool-pleasure-beach-rides-receive-listed-status/
@@coaster_dad gutted 😞 ah well rmc the blooming big one then rmc would make that possibly the best rmc out there imagine 😳
@_-Tripster2011-_ I’ll take an RMC kiddie coaster at this point 😂
Ive been today so much was down or shut i was shocked and appalled. I used to work there just be clear i cannot believe the place its dead. Im luckily platinum so doesntveffectvus so much if i paid full price today id be fuming
It’s worrying huh 😔
@coaster_dad I would normally defend the place today is tge 1st time I actually believe the parks in serious trouble. I can only believe they didn't get enough staff to man the rides as I know they struggled early in season but it's summer holidays now staggered opening should not ever be a thing except maybe 1 or 2 that always opened slightly later
This guy is the real life paul blart 😂
😂
I think its still value for money but its a shame so many rides are shut. I definitely don't think they will ever do pay per ride cause on days like that with so much shut i doubt they'd make enough for it to be worth it.
True but that would force them to maintain rides and improve operations. Which is great for us but as you said unlikely as it puts them in the spotlight.
@@coaster_dad Put them in bad spotlight already for ride Availability or lack of it, lack of comms on Is it closed / open River Caves, Ice Blaster, silly staggered ride times and limited opening times of rides X, Y , Z, sky high entry prices & food / prices = less no in park, less good buzz / atmosphere; seems like it is getting more and more into mess
Whose going on Valhalla at 10am anyway? No one in their right mind.
Ha ha. Fair point 😂😂
That's not really the point though is it?... it would be good to have the option.
Rides are old and rough 😢 not going again unless the pull some of the rides out. Let's be honest all the Woodies are exactly the same out and back up and down. Keep one!
Two are listed so they can’t do much with them 🤷♂️
I Find a lot of Blackpool Pleasure Beaches rides are pretty rough to ride or very worn seeing rides only open for short periods also seem's a bit lackluster maintance should be done early hours and rides should open when park opens apparently though there is something coming maybe a revamp to the big one or mmaybe a new rollercoaster.
Well they said they were closing Grand Prix for a new attraction and I really hope it’s something special and not just a flat ride 🙈
In the 90s was free to get in
Aye don’t see that happening again 😔
then amanda took over.....
JR wouldn't have any of those closed rides closed, get them open, get it open now,
I can’t believe the park went from the best theme park in the UK 10 years ago to the state it’s in now.
Amanda needs to go.
😔
River Caves has been closed for many months
Yup opened for one week and the closed again 🙈
i bet its curtains for the river cave ride.....
I think it’s time for Amanda to go, step down and give it to the next in line. Or if the money isn’t there at all, then unfortunately I have to see them sell it. They can’t close pleasure beach down, it’s too iconic.
Yeah I don’t think anyone wants it to close. I’ve said it a few times now. Whatever this new attraction is will be a tell tale sign. If it’s something small and unimaginative then the problems are clear. However if it’s something major ie a new coaster then they may just be in a transition phase to make space 🤞
It's time for her to sell it to a company that can invest in the park and maintain it properly. All she gives a toss about is the Ice Show. The park isn't doing well at all.
😔
@@coaster_dad we're off there tomorrow and luckily we don't pay anything to get in and we're only going because my partner rode Hyperia and now wants to tick off the rides they were too afraid to ride. As someone who lived behind the park growing up and played there as a kid, it's depressing to see it so run down. 😔
That is absolutely ridiculous, £50 for what?
It’s a pretty steep on the gate price 😔
It looks like a managed decline. Almost as if she’s either selling it or closing it. The under investment is palpable.
😔
Yesterday at Thorpe park I got on 3 rides all day. Rides kept closing all day had to wait 1 and a half hours for a kebab with a que no more than 20 people. Place is a joke at least at Blackpool you get on a fair few rides
This is where it gets tricky. I was pretty lucky last week with 19 rides. Now that the English schools are off I suspect every park will be a nightmare and people will have experiences like yours yesterday 😔
@@coaster_dad I agree I swerved during the week as I did see the q times were big so thought Sunday would be ok. Hyperia didn’t open until 11 so we fast tracked that. Hyperia isn’t included if you buy the coaster fast track. So we got on saw, swarm and nemesis. We were in the queue for stealth and that broke down. Rides kept breaking down all day. What’s going on with the food at Thorpe, they are so slow.I know this happens but I think people give Blackpool a hard time but it is what it is. Hyperia is to short, with all the hype I was expecting a bit more it’s probably because we have just come back from portaventura. Great videos keep up the good work 🎂
They need new managment. They are destroying their business. Any maintenance should be done in winter, when the park is closed.
😔
If universal happens wouldn't they want the nick ip
Good point.
Good video my friend i can see why when i did my video they called the police on me as they did not want people to see how bad it was
😳 really.
@@coaster_dad yes look it up it was bad now i can see why they went so mad
Typical of dirty blackpool It has always been a pocket emptying place .Fortunes taken out over 70 years and some places left to rot .Dirty tackie side streets .Its not for me .
😔
It’s just a dump wouldn’t go again ever.
😔
@@coaster_dad its gone to.....💩
Good blog do ypu sell any merch I like that t shirt
The only thing I have currently is a couple of theme park word searches. But I may look into some merch 🙂
@@coaster_dad any more word on that alpine coster at hillend
@paulclover2839 I was gonna check that one. I was driving past the other day and it looks reasonably complete (I didn’t go up to look just crossing the bypass) now you’ve said that I’m gonna see if there’s an opening date 🙂
@paulclover2839 all I can find is “summer 24” www.midlothian.gov.uk/info/200281/snowsports_centre/586/destination_hillend
@@coaster_dad thanks for link
Amanda needs to sell up fast.
🙈
Did you forget Icon or did I fall asleep? 😂
It’s in there….. (now you’ve got me wondering 😂)
Had a scrub, it is there. But literally a few seconds, think I must have been distracted at that point lol
@@fadeddave 😂
I love bpb I think it’s fab I went to flamingo land last week it was awful never go again
Flamingoland is a weird one. When it’s quiet it can be great but if it’s busy it’s a very different park. And Hero…. Why? 🙈
£50.....its a rip-off...lets be honest..... a rip-off.
It’s not so bad on quiet days if you ride lots. It’s not great on busy days or if you don’t plan to ride much 😔
well, i know...but i still think ... it should be free to walk around the park and buy a ticket for the rides you wish to use..... i mean... the grub there for ...£20... did not look the best... looked liked yesterdays french fries re-heated and the fish... small...like two fish fingers .
Wristbands and a small admission charge I have a season pass too gotta do deals for families and grand parents I will get one for 2025 no one knows what is next infusion is horrid White Tower restaurant is ok
Yup
That food looks awful.
It wasn’t too bad
🤢🤢🤢🤮🤮🤮🤮🤢🤢🤢🤮🤮🤮🤮
I used to love Blackpool as a kid but went there the other day and realised how much of a shithole it is
🙈 I do wonder how much it’s changed vs we didn’t notice as kids. Probs a bit of both