We have been before, but this time we were going to see Poppy Cat and this made our children even more excited than they already were. A trip to Nickelodeon Land at Blackpool Pleasure Beach is always good fun. In fact, we have never been when it has been raining or poor weather. I was slightly dubious that this might change. It was bank holiday Monday and the weather leading up to that day was awful, cold and wet. Waking up at home to overcast and grey, we packed the ponchos and headed to the seaside. It was a huge surprise to find that Blackpool was bathed in glorious sunshine. Not a cloud in the sky. Absolutely perfect.
Nickelodeon Land has rides for all ages and is great fun, but this year my daughter was tall enough for far more rides and it made the whole trip far more enjoyable. This also meant that my son was big enough for some of the really big rides, including the Nickelodeon Streak, which we have never been on before. We made the most of the fact that we were some of the first inside the park and started the day on the Streak! There was no queue and usually there is a huge one all around the corner, so we jumped straight on. It was so fast and really turned my stomach! My son adored it though and as soon as we got off he ran to get his daddy to go on it again!
The Krusty Krab Order Up is still a firm favourite with both children. It makes me squeal and scream, but they sit next to me laughing and giggling as they get dropped towards the ground! My son (aged six) is tall enough to go on this without us, but my daughter still needs an adult with her. Luckily my husband went on with them the first few times, to spare my squealing embarrassment!
The Backyardigans Pirate Treasure Ride was fast enough for my daughter's need for speed, and she was surprised when it started going round backwards. It does go surprisingly fast, and I realise now why small children need to go on the inside, they would slide out otherwise! We were prepared for the Rugrats Log Flume this time as I had bought a poncho for £1 each from Morrisons the day before. I still somehow managed to get totally soaked, with the water going straight down my sleeve!
At 12.00pm the main attraction arrived, Poppy Cat. She came out dancing and proceeded to entertain the group of star-struck children with stories. It was very inclusive, encouraging everyone to join in with the actions and to dance along. After the stories, the children had their photos taken with Poppy Cat and came away very happy indeed. There's something addictive about the Poppy Cat theme tune and I ended up humming it for the rest of the afternoon!
After a lunch of pizza and pasta, we went on the last few rides in Nickelodeon Land. Dora the Explorer is a nice calm ride with plenty to see on the way around. My daughter really enjoyed it, and my stomach was relieved not to be thrown around for a few minutes!
Usually we spend most of the day in Nickelodeon Land, but as there were so few queues, we decided to explore the rest of the Pleasure Beach. The carousel was an instant hit and a lovely touch and a beautiful historic ride, especially as it was right next to The Big One.
The last time we went on the Wallace and Gromit Thrill-O-Matic we queued for around an hour. This time we waited for around seven minutes, perhaps less, before jumping onto the ride. I had forgotten that my son didn't enjoy it last time and he was scared of going around in the dark. My daughter loved it though, especially the twist at the end! I ended up going on it twice more with her! It was so nice not to have to queue for long for anything. In fact, the longest wait was for the cars which my son and husband waited for about 20 minutes to get on. It was so different from when we have been in the middle of summer and the queues are huge!
The day was topped off very nicely with Fish & Chips from The Plaice, inside the Pleasure Beach. The fish was absolutely delicious and some of the very best I have tasted in a long time. The chips went down well too! As we left the Pleasure Beach, we finished off our day with candyfloss on the seafront. A perfect end to a fabulous day!
Here is a vlog of our day, with a brief appearance from Poppy Cat!
Poppy Cat will be appearing throughout the day in regular shows at Nickelodeon Land until the 22nd of May, so there is still plenty of time to visit! For more information about Poppy Cat, check out the website, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.
I have also been given the opportunity for one lucky reader and their family to win a family ticket (two adults and two children) to Blackpool Pleasure Beach to meet Poppy Cat. To enter, simply fill in the rafflecopter widget below.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Terms and Conditions
The prize is one family ticket (two adults and two children) to Blackpool Pleasure Beach.
UK entries only.
Winner will be chosen within two days of the end of the giveaway.
The prize will be posted out to the winner by the company
Giveaway ends at 12.00am on 06.06.15.
You need to leave a blog comment for any of your following entries to count.
Entries which are not fully completed will be removed from the giveaway.
You can only enter via Twitter once a day.
Duplicate tweets will be removed from the giveaway.
Prizes are non-transferable and there is no cash alternative.
The decision is final and will not be entered into.
This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook.
Disclosure: We were provided with tickets to Blackpool Pleasure Beach and food wristbands for the purpose of this review. This had no impact on my post, which is honest and fair.
