Blackpool advice please?

ml2008

Hi everyone

Desperately trying to arrange a summer holiday for myself and 3 kids this year, kids will be 16, 13 and 10 at time of travelling.

I was looking abroad and cheapest coming out at about £1500 for the week half board, I then looked at Blackpool can rent a holiday apt for £300 for the week but flights are costing about £500 for us (from Belfast). A friend who visited Blackpool years ago told me that when she was there the prices were through the roof and she spent more there on herself and 4 kids than she did in Spain.

Realistically I do expect to spend a fair amount when we are away, eating out, normal touristy type things and don't expect to get it for next to nothing but do any mse'rs have any recent experiences of Blackpool and can advise what to expect?

Thanks in advance

argamemnon

We found Taxi's very expensive at the time there were no trams running ( relaying tracks) & last year when we went trams were running but still about £2-3 each per journey think you can get a metro ticket but only read something about it afterwards.. Found the Tower good Value sorry can't remember how much but you only pay once & that included aquarium ( not much kop) ball room tower 3d cinema etc spend most of the day there & food at the ballroom was not over priced, but the tower is closed at the moment reopens later this year i think memory like a sieve.

ml2008

thanks I'm still looking into it at the moment, wondering whether I'd be better off taking flights to somewhere else in europe for admittedly not much difference in £ and almost guaranteed the weather

Eagle_1

Having been to Blackpool in the last couple of weeks id say most deffinately get a flight somewhere else !
Blackpool are having major works done along the front and when we went there were diversions all along the seafront area. It doesnt look very nice at the moment and I think its going to take them quite some time to get the area tidied up (im sure when its finished it will look nice tho).
I love Blackpool so am no knocking it, but if you have never been before id leave it till all the work is complete.

alec_eiffel

Eagle_1 wrote: »

Having been to Blackpool in the last couple of weeks id say get most deffinately a flight somewhere else !
Blackpool are having major works done along the front and when we went there were diversions all along the seafron area. It doesnt look very nice at the moment and I think its going to take them quite some time to get the area tidied up (im sure when its finished it will look nice tho).
I love Blackpool so am no knocking it, but if you have never been before id leave it till all the work is complete.

I agree, depending on when the holiday is it might be better to hold fire for a while. At the minute the place looks really bad - but that's because they're doing so much work, it makes sense to try to get it all finished at the same time. The estimated finish date is the start of July. It should look fabulous when everything's finished, the new trams are running and all that stuff though so will be well worth a visit then. And of course a short wander down the coast to the very wonderful Lytham St Annes is a must!

dtaylor21184

the work is set to finish next june

i live in Blackpool (born and bred here) so any questions about the area i can do my best to answer for you

THE PROM - is currently closed one side and like i said is planned to finish next summer

THE TOWER - no longer has the aquarium in it instead they are in the middle of building a dungeon which is due to be completed in Sept 2011. They are also building a tower eye. In the tower is also a huge jungle jims for the kids.

THE ZOO - is a great day out they have just had a new sealion enclosure build along with a penguin enclosure, they offer a 10% discount if booked online i think.

THE SANDCASTLE - again you get 10% off if you book online in advance. Its now the UKs largest indoor waterpark

jafsie

It would be cheaper to take your family to the south sea islands than Blackpool, it is literally the biggest rip off sithole on the planet.

Carcon

I'm actually heading down to Blackpool this Friday for the weekend!

Taking a client for work (i'm a support worker) I'm not having to spend anything so i'm not really that bothered about the money side of things but by the sounds of what i've just read there won't be much to spend my money on!

I was down last year around the same time and they were working on the tramlines then, i thought they would be finished by now...is there any running at all?!

Obviously most things are closed at this time of year so i was thinking about maybe heading into the town centre...? getting away from the front and all the touristy stuff...just for a look around the local shops and stuff.

Any suggestions from any locals on where to head to? Would rather avoid the big shopping centres, have enough of them here in Glasgow!

Cheers

ml2008

thanks everyone! we haven't been to England before at all...shameful I know and to be honest I thought it would have saved the hassle of getting passports sorted etc...we were thinking about the end of July/start of August this summer 2011 but might hold off now.

Thanks again!

dtaylor21184

Carcon wrote: »

I'm actually heading down to Blackpool this Friday for the weekend!

Taking a client for work (i'm a support worker) I'm not having to spend anything so i'm not really that bothered about the money side of things but by the sounds of what i've just read there won't be much to spend my money on!

I was down last year around the same time and they were working on the tramlines then, i thought they would be finished by now...is there any running at all?!

Obviously most things are closed at this time of year so i was thinking about maybe heading into the town centre...? getting away from the front and all the touristy stuff...just for a look around the local shops and stuff.

Any suggestions from any locals on where to head to? Would rather avoid the big shopping centres, have enough of them here in Glasgow!

Cheers

don't think any trams are running at the moment but i'm not 100% sure on that as i dont use them

the town centre itself should be fairly quiet as its out of season at the moment so really shouldnt be that busy.

dori2o

We went last May, and are going again this May.

Trams were running last year but on a reduced schedule (unless that's because we went out of season?) They were only going as far a Cleveleys though as they were relaying the track into Fleetwood.

If you have no car then I expect with taxi fares/tram fares it could be expensive but you can get a bus ticket for a week that seems quite reasonable. Saving that walk the prom, thats what we used to do as kids.

With regards to expense for food etc, it depends where you go. There's a lot of little cafe's around which are much cheaper than the mainstream places to eat.

Entertainment- Pleasure beach is good, we always make a full day of it, even if it means repeating the rides and Tesco clubcard vouchers give us a day out for free. Plus brand new rides this year with the opening of Nickelodeon Land.

Sandcastle, again a good days worth of fun, but the drinks/food is overpriced as it is at the Pleasure beach (we take a packed lunch).

Tower, unfortunately I think it's closed till later in the year but is great when it's open.

Zoo- A great day out, but again take a packed lunch.

Stanley Park. Not masses to do but great if the weather is nice, you're bored of the beach and just want to relax.

There's plenty of Markets both indoor and outdoor, a big one at Fleetwood.

As for flights, could you not get the stenna from Larne to Fleetwood? Possibly hire a car?