by ricardobugsy » 02 Oct 2008, 13:24
I don't know if it is greed but it is definitely very sad.
If business dictates that BPB go down 'the theme park' route then so be it.
It is just a shame that the Freedom Pass could not have been included in the October deal. £5 for 'non-riders' is not great but £20 is outrageous!
I wonder how many families have booked wristbands unaware of this. It certainly has not been well-advertised and was decided with only a few weeks notice. It is poor PR, cos it is gonna split people up and I bet it leads to a few major rows at ticket booths.
Fortunately for me, I was there for the final weekend of free entry otherwise my family would have been stuffed, as my son and I, had pre-booked wristbands, but my girlfriend who does not like thrill rides but wanted to ride with my son on some kids rides, did not.
Even then, we had to hunt around for individual ride tickets so my partner could accompany my 4 year old son on some rides. Most of the ticket offices said minimum of 20 tickets. It was only by chance that we discovered a machine that did a minimum of 2 tickets and by speaking to a ride operator who said there was an office by the Zipper Dipper that also did the same. Maybe this was designed to make people buy 20 tickets, who knows? Anyway this system is history now.
Having said that, as a rider, it is still IMO the best park in the country, a great mix of the best of the vintage rides and modern rides. Something that Alton Towers and Thorpe Park will never have.