Blackpool Pleasure Beach Review

Overall Rating

Visiting Blackpool Pleasure Beach with friends in August, peak time, we found ourselves having no trouble finding parking, as some have. However, this may have something to do with the fact that we arrived just at opening time.

We also had no problems getting wristbands, due to pre-booking. The entire party having wristbands, we found it greater value for money than buying separate tickets, as having purchased a wristband, it is then possible to spend the entire day in the park, going on rides as many times as you wish.
We found it excellent value.

The queue to get in with these was also short and we were glad to see search machines and staff as it made us feel safer.

There are rides suitable for all. Even those who do not like thrill rides will find something they enjoy.
Examples of this include the Alice in Wonderland ride, a brightly coloured, slightly psychaedelic trip through Wonderland in Cheshire Cat themed carts.
Also, the Gold Mine, as the name suggests, a mining themed ride, with some small drops. Also good for children, but a few atmospheric noises and the ride being quite dark may put off smaller or more nervous children.

The Ghost Train was good, classic fairground fun, and is not too scary for the younger market, being scary in a more 'Scooby-Doo' sense.

There is also an 'illusion house' called Impossible in which there is a mirror maze and a hall of illusions and puzzle games which is ideal during a 'sun and showers' day.

The finest example would be the River Caves, an exciting trip through history and continents. Travelling on a gentle blue river through themes such as dinosaurs, courts of far-eastern emperors and steaming jungle ruins, there is one small drop at the end, however, the splash is not a soaking one. This will please everyone from small children to die-hard white-knuckle lovers.

The roller-coasters are numerous and varied. The Grand National is a stomach plunging terror which lulls you into a false sense of security with its gentle start and nostalgic appearance (having served the public thrill-wise since the 30s) rattling your teeth on a series of violent plunges and hills. A must for thrill seekers.
The Avalanche is no-where near as terrifying as it looks. It is, once you have left the ramp, a fairly smooth, thrilling yet not-so-scary experience.

Steeplechase is a hilarious, if slightly worrying ride in which you race companions on horses running on brightly coloured tracks. The reason that this is a worrying ride is that when turning corners, it tends to lurch, alarmingly, usually when high above the ground. A good rollercoaster to start with if coming with older children and young teens (or just the young at heart).

The Beaver Creek contains rides suitable for young children. The pirate boat ride is recommended for children of all ages.The is a classical carousel next to the steeplechase ride, which would would be good for calming the nerves of a scared child or even a scared adult.
Slightly faster is the Darby Racer by the main entrance. Almost a carousel, it is a gentle yet thrilling in a non-frightening way.

All in all, it was a good value, fun day out and i would reccomend it for anyone. Don't be put off by prices, it is better value that larger parks, queue-wise as the longest we were in a queue was 45 minutes at peak time for a popular ride. We were there for 8 hours and on different attractions (repeating some, as some were not visited) over 25 times.
Also, in terms of walking time, it was manageable.

Good value, very clean park, clean facilities and effective staff.