Thankfully Winter Weekends have been able to go ahead this year as it was meant to happen last season but due to one thing & another with a lurking pandemic, it couldn’t happen. So, a spontaneous celebratory trip as Ant had some huge & exciting this week we agreed to hop in the car and drive up to Blackpool just like we usually do to celebrate for the day. Unfortunately, local hotels were far too costly therefore we had to do a day trip.
Crowd Levels:
It was busier yet quieter then I had anticipated, does that make sense? A fair few people were knocking about and by all means, it wasn’t the quietest I have seen park yet not the busiest neither. It was the comfortable kind of day for a real fun upbeat atmosphere but also to enjoy the park for all it has to offer.
The Rides:
There wasn’t a restricted as such ride offering. Some rides were down which you can find outside the main entrance. Grand National is undergoing some sort of maintenance work I’d assume it’s the usual winter kind of thing in all honesty. Some of the smaller rides were also closed.
We managed to do all the rides we wanted to do. The Big One was running one train which ain’t something we are a fan of as the queue can be quite prolonged with that kind of operation in all honesty. But the train issue aside it was riding like a real dream and we even waited a little longer for the front row.
Icon was operating on two trains and the queue was pretty much non-existent and it was also like a dream. The Big Dipper is my personal favourite wooden roller coaster at the park currently. Those minor advancements made during the last closed season have made this coaster in my opinion. I’ve always had a soft spot for it but Saturday I just fell so deeply in love all over again. Even River Caves looked brilliant, of course, it still needs a refurbishment but for its age, it looks so well.
I thought the ride offering was amazing. As they are cutting into the usual time they would begin winter maintenance ahead of the following season to have almost a full-ride lineup is outstanding. I can’t applaud the team enough for how smoothly everything ran on Saturday but also how fab the rides are running too.
Park Offerings:
Given the time of year, there were a few food outlets and shops which were kept closed. This isn’t something that I think or felt made an effect on the day at all. I completely understand that we are privileged to have the park open this late as a whole. Therefore you can’t necessarily moan at small bits and bobs remaining closed it is 100% reasonable.
Opening Times:
I feel opening at 11 am is a good call in all honesty. By time we arrived and had our breakfast & parked up we walked straight into the park. However, the closing time feels like a missed opportunity. When we were leaving Blackpool there were streams of people entering, car parks were full and there were people everywhere. If the park continued opened open until somewhere near 9 pm I genuinely think they would pull a huge crowd in. Whether that meant they opened later than 11 am I wouldn’t be mad at that and I genuinely think they could have that park almost as busy as summer peak. I’m not implying both Saturday & Sunday should obtain lengthier hours but I think Saturday needs to be open a little later.
Overall:
I am utterly in love with Winter Weekends. It is so refreshing to be able to visit a UK theme park that has the best part of their ride availability on offer during what usually is a rather awful time for us enthusiasts. I thought Pleasure Beach nailed it on Saturday and it was probably the best day we’ve had here all season. We are now planning our next day trip ahead of closing weekend. It’s an offering I hope returns every season now. Of course, there are minor modifications I’d love to see which is exclusively around the opening hours on a Saturday but I do respect the fact there could be several factors as to why it’s not possible.
If you are stuck for something to do the weekends leading up to the 12th of December. Head to Blackpool Pleasure Beach and show your support during this venture out of the ordinary season. If you like me and would love to see this continue going along there’ll need all the backing they can get to show it’s profitable.
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So, when are you heading to Blackpool Pleasure Beach then?
Thank you for reading & a massive thank you to the staff & team at Pleasure Beach for making these weekends happen, you are all doing an outstanding job!
