The Sandcastle - Great Fun On a Rainy Day! (Blackpool Sandcastle)

Member Name: LAURALILIA

Product:	Blackpool Sandcastle
Date:	05/08/09 (217 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good value family fun if you stay all day .

Disadvantages: Could do with a bit of clean

***THE SANDCASTLE - GREAT FUN ON A RAINY DAY!***


***The Sandcastle Water World Blackpool***

I have just returned from a mini holiday to Blackpool and one of the days was spent in The Sandcastle Water World. We had a great time and I thought I would give a few hints and tips as to what to expect.

***Admission***

You can either pay on the door, but you do get a 10% discount if you plan ahead and book more than 24 hours ahead. I checked the weather forecast and planned to go on of the days which looked rainy and generally dreary. Booking ahead is definitely to be recommended - we arrived around 11.30am and the queue was horrendous, but having online ticket confirmation meant we went straight to the front of the queue and went right in!!


The website is easy to navigate and gives plenty of information as to what to expect and all the prices. There are generally two tiers of admissions. The first is basic and gains admission to the majority of the rides. If you go up one step to include the hyperzone, then you can go on the two major rides as many times as you wish. When you arrive they put wristbands on you which signal what you are entitled to.

Tickets can either be bought individually or handily they save you a little bit of money for a family or 3, 4, 5 or 6. The only downside is that booking online means that you have to be specific with the day you wish to visit, so you would be unable to be flexible with you plans. Tickets can be bought up to 3 months in advance and they also do children's parties. The prices are as follows (the first column shows admission to only the waterpark, the second includes the hyperzone rides):


Single (14 yrs and over) £9.76 £12.78
Junior (8-13 yrs) £7.96 £10.66
Junior (6-7 yrs) - NB The Hyperzone price is for admission and Sidewinder only as you need to be 8 and over to ride Masterblaster
£7.96 star £9.76
Child (2-5 yrs) £6.16 star
Under 2 years FREE
Senior (60+ yrs) £5.26 £7.96
Guests with disabilities £5.26 £7.96
Family of 3 saver (max 2 adults) £23.85 £31.95
Family of 4 saver (max 2 adults) £30.60 £41.40
Family of 5 saver (max 2 adults) £37.80 £51.30
Family of 6 saver (max 2 adults) £45.00 £61.20

There are also discounts for groups of 10 people or more. It is open all year round, but for much reduced opening hours in the winter - again this is all detailed on the website.

***Location***

The Sandcastle is in a pretty good location, it is situated right opposite the Pleasure Beach, although as far as I could see, it did not have it's own car park. We parked behind the Pleasure Beach in a secure car park, which was manned until midnight and payed £7.00 for the whole of the time we were there. It is much more expensive if you park in the official Pleasure Beach Car Park. There is also a Pizza Hut just a little way down the street, opposite which is handy when you come out starving!!!

***Changing Rooms***

There are both male and female changing rooms and also a family changing room provided that they child is under 11. There were an adequate number of showers and toilets, though I felt they could have done with some more care and attention. There were also numerous lockers that you could use costing 50p which was refundable. The keys were designed to be worn around you wrist. Someone has already commented saying the showers were a little hot and I would agree with this. Having said that they were not unbearable and my son who is 9 years could cope with it fine. I did have a few problems with my locker though and they were on the point of breaking into it, but eventually managed to tweak it open. There was plenty of space and I though we came out at quite a busy time, as we stayed until nearly the end.

I think that it is time for a bit of an update and a lick of paint though, because these things become dated very quickly. The waterpark is not directly outside the changing rooms, there is a small walk up a ramp, which doesn't sound like much, but when you are continually going back and forth to your locker for money etc, it feels like a bit of a distance.

***What's it like?***

~Rides~


The temperature was something I was dreading, because I first visited two years ago in the October and it was FREEZING!!!! Maybe being July it was different this time, the temperature was fine - not boiling - but comfortable enough to spend all day in the water and to sit and eat food in your swimsuit without getting cold. I wouldn't call it tropical exactly, but ok for spending along time in the water.

We pretty much went on all the rides and here I have an issue. Although my 9 year old son was old enough and tall enough, the hyperzone rides were just too much for him. In particular he hurt his back on the Master Blaster and they took him to first aid to apply a cold compress. He was literally flung out of the inner tube at the end of the ride with force and he wasn't the only one. I saw other children who hurt themselves at the end. My daughter too hurt herself and she is nearly 12. I think that rather than age or height you should perhaps bear weight in mind, because if you are like you could be pushed about as my son was. I will definitely wait until they are older before they attempt anything like this again. The Master Blaster does claim to be the longest indoor water roller coaster in the world and you do actually go outside of the building at one point (although you can't see through the tube - a shame really!)


The Sidewinder is a similar story - if you don't hold your bottom off the ground you get friction burns!!!! Yet, it is hard to hold yourself up because you fear falling out. I think that perhaps we should stick to the milder rides in future. If you do wish to go on these rides, then the queues really do go down alot by 4.30 in the afternoon. So wait until then and you will still get to go on them loads, but won't waste lots of time queueing up.
The Lazy River ride was a big hit though - my children loved it! This was a river what swirled around an island and the current took you along. There was also water canons and chutes taking aim at you as you swam through. We went round and round so many times we got dizzy!! It was nice and gentle but such good fun. There were also some floats around too, so that you could use these as well.

There was also a wave pool that I think activated every 30 minutes or so to the sound of Hawaii Five O. You should stay in the shallow end if you are not a good swimmer as it does get a bit forceful in the deeper part. There is also a Caribbean Storm Treehouse - which is like a kind of big cooking pot on high, constantly filling with water. Every 15 minutes or so this empties out onto people standing underneath below. Again, beware this isn't a gentle drip drip, - it is FULL FORCE water gushing and would probably be a bit of a shock for a young child.

Other favourite rides were blue and yellow slides which could be made fast and exiting if you were lying down or reasonably gentle if you sit up. You splash into a pool of water at the end. Again, the queues were non existent after around 4.30pm. Traditional slides were you can race each other were suitable for most ages. There were also some gentle slides and a pirate ship for younger children and toddlers. Manually operated water cannons offered some good fun for younger children keen to splash their parents or friends! I noted that some of the rides allowed adults to accompany their young toddlers so that they could enjoy the fun.

It says on the website that there are 18 rides, I didn't count them all, but there was plenty to do.

~Staff~


I could not fault the staff, they were friendly and interacted well with the children. They seemed to be mostly students I think, but they were kind and when my son hurt himself they noticed and took us along to first aid. They were attentive without spoiling anyone's fun and at times they joined in with the children splashing them and generally making it more pleasant. Sometimes when you go to places like this the staff are miserable, but here no - they were a credit to the company and have either been well trained or have been well recruited.

There were plenty of staff about, so if you had any queries, there was always someone there to help. The attendants also regularly changed their posts so that they remained fresh and vigilant.


~Food~

The food is generally of a fast food standard, with fries, burgers and hot dogs etc. The queues aren't too bad if you avoid peak times and the prices are a bit expensive, but so is most fast food. It was difficult to find somewhere to sit, as people reserve seats with towels and leave them there all day GRRRRR! This is really annoying when you just want somewhere to sit and eat your food. We eventually found a table high up, but beware there is a bit of a 'towels by the pool' mentality. They also sell tea, coffee, coke and slush puppy etc. Again the staff were really polite and friendly.

~Overall~

I felt this theme park offered good value for money, especially on a rainy day and especially if you can stay for a long time. There is a gift shop on the way out, but if you are quick enough, you can rush through there as my children were tired out by that time! My children and I enjoyed it but next time I think we will take up the lower priced tickets, as they enjoyed so much without the hyperzone. I think it is also a warmer and better trip going in the summer months. Yes, there are improvements that could be made, but I would recommend coming here for a day trip if you live close enough. If you have to come for a short break you are in danger of being sucked into the Pleasure Beach money drainer, which is a review for another day...

Summary: In comparison to laser quest and indoor snow venues - this offers good value for a day out.