Pleasure Beach Blackpool located in the North West of England is an amusement park full of rides from rollercoasters to a flat rides. Opened in 1896 the park has been around for a few years now and has has gained classic rides over the years such as The Pepsi Max Big One and The Ghost Train. Originally park admission was free however however the past few years and entry fee was added. The park runs on both a token system for rides or a ride all day unlimited wristband. Ride tokens cost £1 with rides ranging from 1-8 tokens for the most thrilling rides. With some parts of Blackpool being quite run down and in some places tacky we thought the park would be follow suit, however we found this was completely wrong! It is very obvious the park has put in lots of effort over the past few years with theming there attractions and upgrading sections of the park. Just a few years ago the facade to Valhalla was redone.
To buy tickets into the park you have to go to the ticket hall just across from the entrance into the park. Over the past few years we’ve seen some small and large ticket halls for theme parks however we where impressed at how slik and professional the ticket centre was for Pleasure Beach Blackpool. Staff where friendly and directed you to the next available cashier and sorted us out with our VIP wristbands in seconds. The entrance into the theme park hasn't changed much over the past few years however the modals on the top of the rocks where a cool feature. Upon entry into the park you have to go through metal detectors, something we haven't had to do before to enter a theme park! Thorpe Park have metal detectors in the entrance however they are no longer used.
Once through the gates to the park you have the option to go left or right, left to go to Valhalla and Ice Blast or right to the Grand National and the rest of the park. The park has a large selection of rides and attraction from the rollercoasters to fantastic dark rides.
Opening 25th May 2015 is the parks newest ride, SkyForce. Luckily during our visit the ride was open for rehearsals and we had to chance to try out the ride two times. To control how much the ride spins you have two paddles to the side of you with joysticks. To get a good spin going you have to rock the car left to right the ride works on the wind so the more you cause the car to catch the wind the more chance you have of getting a spin going. During our first ride we didn't have much luck of getting a spin going, however in our second go on the ride we knew what we where doing and we where spinning the whole way around! Its fair to say we couldn't walk straight after! The ride is fantastic and is sure to be a great hit when it opens in a few weeks time.
A few of the other rides we came up to Blackpool to try in particular where the Big One, Valhalla, Alpine Rally, Infusion and Revolution. All of these rides are very different but are all must ride rides when you visit the park. We started off our visit on the Big One. We had seen photos and videos on the ride online however nothing could really show how tall this thing really is! Climbing up 213ft the ride lasts for around 3 minutes and goes the full length of the left hand side of the park. We had high hopes for the rollercoaster and it absolutely smashed them. Revolution was a must ride due to the fact it goes forwards and backwards with a loop in the middle something you don't see very often these days.
Infusion is very similar to the Vampire at Chessington World Of Adventures in the fact that you sit in groups of two and you sit under the track. However this version goes upside-down and you spend half your time upside down. With some reviews of the ride being quite ruff in some places we completely disagree, we sat at the front to get the best view whilst riding however we love it. Alpine Rally was our first bobsleigh coaster so we didn't really know what to expect however we think its a nice little addition to the park. The station to the ride is fantastically themed with owls, clogs and themed music.
Valhalla is the best themed water ride we have ever been on and is also the wettest ride ever! We had been pre warned by other guests before entering the attraction to buy a poncho and we didn't quite understand why until we got off the ride. Valhalla’s ride station is fantastically themed along with the rest of the ride. The ride features effects such as Air, Water, Fire and Cold rooms. Throughout the ride was where thinking oh no thats not gonna happen, for example theres a point in the ride where two hammers come down and get you drenched. We thought it would be a small water effect… but no! Scene by scene we where impressed throughout the whole ride. Valhalla is amazing and is a must do when you visit the park.
Pleasure Beach Blackpool isn't all about fast and thrilling rides, it has a area dedicated to kids. Nickelodeon Land has 14 rides and attractions themed around the TV station Nickelodeon. Not only is there this area for kids but theres also a Wallace & Gromit dark ride! We where a bit skeptical when we went on it however its one of the best IP based rides we have ever been on. The theming and effects throughout the ride where spectacular.
For the price of a ticket to Alton Towers or Thorpe Park you can get two wrist bands to Pleasure Beach Blackpool (if you book in advance.) It might not be as big and grand as Merlin theme parks but we have to say its a very good value for money. We went to the park on Bank Holiday Sunday in May so we thought we would be greeted with long queues however everything was walk on. Al staff around the park where very friendly and some staff members asked you for feedback on sales of photos and buying items from shops. It would seem that the park are very hot on customer service. Rides management from a guest point of view was absolutely flawless, queues moved very quickly and breakdowns where almost non-existent. A fun day out for the whole family!
