| Product: |
Blackpool Pleasure Beach |
| Date: |
02/10/08 (123 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Great family day out
Disadvantages: none
---History---
1896-1920s
Alderman William George Bean founded Pleasure Beach, Blackpool in 1896 and bought the forty two acre site on which the Pleasure Beach now stands. Various rides, including the still popular Sir Hiram Maxim Flying Machines, were introduced to the area. The First World War curtailed further development of the site until 1921 when it became possible to import new rides from the USA.
1930s
In the 1930s, Leonard Thompson succeeded his father-in-law to become Managing Director of the Company. This decade saw the introduction of many new rides, including The Rollercoaster, The Pleasure Beach Express, and the world-famous twin track coaster, The Grand National.
---Facilities---
The site has really good facilities for the public - disability access, wheelchair hire (deposit is taken from a credit card), assistance animals are allowed (guide dogs, funnily enough they tell you that you can't take them on the rides, aww that's no fun!), first aid, baby changing facilities, cheque cashing/bureau de change, toilets, cash machine, 5 car parks, left luggage and public telephones.
---Accommodation---
There are no actual hotels inside the Pleasure Beach, but there is The Big Blue hotel which backs onto it, funnily enough the hotel is painted blue and is really big so it's not hard to miss. The only draw back is that the prices for staying for one night are really expensive. I have never stayed there so I can't really rate this.
---Opening times---
Times vary that the park is open, depending on the month etc.
I have listed the times that the park is closed, this is much easier than when they are open.
Closed all of January, closed all of February - mid march except from Saturdays and Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays mid April until mid May, closed November only open Saturdays and Sundays, closed all of December. The earliest the park opens is 10am and the latest that the park closes is 10pm. For more accurate times please see www.blackpoolpleasurebeach.com
---Prices---
Wris tband prices range from £20.00 - £30.00 depending on the time of the year that you go. The wristband is unlimited rides for one whole day, for one person, the advantage is that you can leave the Pleasure Beach and come back and ride again as long as it is within the same day.
Tickets are also available if you only want to have a go on a few rides, you but these in either book form, or as many individual tickets as you are after. You can buy these either from a machine in the park or at the front desk when you enter the park. Each rides has a set amount of tickets required to get on, but please be aware that not all rides except tickets or wristbands, some are money only.
---Rides---
Major rides - minimum height restrictions apply.
Avalanche- this is where you are in your own bobsled, going round a track, this is a really good ride and children are also allowed on when accompanied with an adult.
Big dipper - a rollercoaster that really does make you feel ill!
Bling - this ride has about 6 arms that spin you round, upside down.
Grand National - 2 roller coasters race against each other side by side, will you be on the winning one?
Ice Blast - you are shot up vertical at a very fast speed, without warning.
Infusion - this is the newest ride to the Pleasure Beach. It is a rollercoaster that you are suspended under the tracks, rather that riding onto of the rails.
Irn-Bru revolution - this is a loop the loop ride. This goes one way then brings you backwards the other way.
Pepsi Max Big One - the most popular ride in the whole place, you really need to have guts, or you have be a bit silly to go on this one but it's great!
Roller coaster - this is another great ride, but the only thing that put me off it was that it is all wooden, and it really sounds like it is going to fall apart.
Space Invader 2 - is a roller coaster in the dark.
Steeple chase - there is 3 tracks that each have horses on them, that race each other, with jumps and a lot of corners. This ride is very fast when you are on it, but looks really tame when you are watching.
Valhalla - one of the best rides in the park. You are taken through a story about the Vikings. This is a water ride that is guaranteed to get you soaked.
Wild mouse - this is a small rollercoaster ride, but you are in a carriage that holds two people at the most. This ride is really fast.
---Family rides ---
Adventure Golf, Alice ride, Alpine Golf, Beaver Creek the ride, Chinese puzzle maze, the convoy ride, derby race, Ellie's caterpillar, flying machines, galloper, ghost train, go karts, gold mine grand-prix, griffins magic dragons, Helicopters, Impossible, lunar carousel, magic mountain, mini dodgems, mini scooters, monorail, Morgan's circus clown coaster, motor boat ride, Noah's ark, pirate ride, pleasure beach express, river caves, super bowl dodgems, swamp buggies, Tetley tea cup ride, Thors turnpike, trauma towers, veteran carousel and zipper dipper.
There are also a lot of restaurants/ food bars inside. The prices are not too bad for it being an attraction venue.
You can also visit one of the shows that change every year, I have seen a few and they are really well performed. The Pleasure Beach is kept really clean and tidy, which is always a good thing. There is even a Burger King!!!
Blackpool Pleasure Beach, is one of the best places I have every visited. It is a large theme park that is full of lots of different rides, for kids and adults of all ages. I've been going to Blackpool since I was five, that's 18 years! Wow that makes me sound old. I tend to go twice every year, sometimes just for a few days, others for a week.
I would definitely advise that if you haven't been, at least give it a try, and I bet that you will be hooked.
Summary: excellent
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