Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach Disabled Access Review

image of iona sat in a rollercoaster photo op with text reading great yarmouth plesure disabled access review
Join us on the first day of the Great Yarmouth road trip as I experience a brand new park Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach!! Of course exploring all the disabled access.

Table of Contents

Facilities and Services Available for Disabled Guests

Here is a quick overview of the facilities and services available for disabled guests at Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach, so that you can decide if this attraction is able to meet your access requirements. Please note: some of the services are listed below and a full explanation is available later on in the blog post. In order to quickly navigate through the post you can use the table of contents.

  • Discounted Wristbands for disabled guests and carer: Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach offers discounted rate on their ride wristbands with disability proof. Full information can be found in the ‘before your visit’ section of this blog post.
  • Free entry for disabled guests unable to access any rides and their carer: Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach offers free entry for disabled guests and their carer that are unable to access any of the rides due to their disability.
  • Radar Key hire: In order to use the accessible toilets you need a radar key these can be hired from merchandise kiosks, the food court or pleasure beach inn. A £5 refundable deposit is required to hire a radar key.
  • Assistance Dogs: Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach welcomes assistance dogs but they will need to be left with a member of your party at the loading point of rides. It is worth noting that Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach is a bog friendly park so there will be dogs on site that aren’t assistance dogs.
  • Disability Policy: Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach have created a informational and clear guide on their disability policy. This includes full information on carer responsibilities. You can find the guide by clicking here Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach disability policy.
  • Ride accessibility information guide: Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach have created a guide detailing the ride accessibility restrictions for each of their rides and attractions including transfer restrictions. You can find the ride accessibility information by clicking here Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach disabled access ride guide.
  • Physically disabled entrance: A number of rides and attractions have separate entrance or an exit for people with physical disabilities who may not be able to get through main queue line. This is not a queue assist scheme and only to make it easier for guests with physical disabilities to get onto rides. There was no queue during in our visit in October half term. You can find out where to enter each ride if your are physically disabled in the ride accessibility information linked in the built point above. In my experience due to how quiet it was I found it easier to use the main queue as some of the Physically disabled entrance had stairs or we couldn’t find the entrance
  • Step Free Access: A number of rides at Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach have step free access. To quickly identify if a ride in this blog post has step free access please look for the step free symbol as seen below this text.
The image shows two symbols on a light yellow background. On the left, there is an icon of a person in a wheelchair using a ramp. On the right, there is an icon of a person walking up stairs, which is crossed out with a red "X". This shows that that the area is step free.

Before your visit

Before visiting Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach there are a few steps you must take in order to ensure you have the correct access available to you so you can enjoy your day.

Booking Tickets ticket

Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach offer ride wristbands and fun card. In order to enter Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach you need to purchase a fun card with £5 on or a ride wristband.

Fun Card

A fun card pre loaded with at least £5 gives you unlimited entry into Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach for the full season. Of course you will need to pay extra for rides and attractions you would like to go on. You can pre book fun cards online or purchase them from the sales kiosk on the day of your visit. You can pre book your fun card by clicking here Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach buy a fun card. In order to pre book a fun card select day entry click on the day you want to visit and then select fun card.

Free entry fun card for disabled guests unable to access any rides and their carer

Guests unable to access any rides and attractions due to their disability can get a free entrance only fub card for the disabled person and carer. Disability proof is required and you can collect your entrance only fun card from the sales office.

Ride wristbands

If you are wanting to go on more then a couple of rides and attractions then it is probably worth purchasing a ride wristband. Ride wristbands on off peak dates start from £23 for people 7 years old and over. Disabled and carer discounted wristbands are available to buy on the day of your visit with disability proof as explained in the paragraph bellow. All of ride wristband types including under 3 can be booked online for a £2 saving by clicking here buy ride wristband. In order to pre book a ride wristband select day entry click on the day you want to visit and then select ride wristband option.

Disabled and carer discounted ride wristbands

Discounted ride wristbands are available for disabled people and their carer from the sales kiosk. The price for disabled and carer wristbands on off peak dates is £16.50 and £19.50 on peak dates. Both the disabled person and the carer need to purchase a discounted wristband. Disability proof is required to get the discounted ride wristbands the access card is accepted. A full list of accepted disability proof can be found by clicking here disabled and carer ride wristband accepted proof of disability. If you have an access card with the +2 symbol on then your second carer is also able to get a carer ride wristband. For information on purchasing the wristbands please see the ‘arrivals’ section of this blog post.

Arrivals

In this section of the blog we detail what will happen when you arrive at Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach so you know what to expect and can get on the rides as quickly as possible.

blue badge parking

Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach offers all day parking for £6 in there car park. The car park is about a 10 minute walk from the Pleasure Beach. However, it is all level ground and no need to cross roads as seen in the images below. You can find out full details and address for the Pleasure Beach car park by clicking here Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach Car Park.
There some closer parking options opposite the entrance to Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach but it was quite expensive with one being £7.50 for 4 hours.

gate to Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach with a clear sign directing visitors to the sales and information point
Sign on a fence at the Pleasure Beach car park stating “£6 all day car park,”
Wide pavement and road alongside the green fence at Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach,
Allocated Blue Badge/disabled parking bays at the Pleasure Beach car park, featuring clear markings on the level ground.
sign in the parking area showing “£6 All Day Car Park” with accessible spaces nearby
car approaching the entrance barrier of Pleasure Beach car park

entering the park

Located by the main entrance to Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach is the ticket sales where you can purchase your fun card or wristband and collect them if you ordered online. I showed my access card with the +1 symbol and was then able to purchase a disabled wristband and a carer a wristband we visited during off peak so it cost £16.50 per wristband with the disabled and carer discount.

In order to enter the Pleasure Beach you simply tap your wristband or fun card at the turnstile. As you can see in the images below there was gates available for wheelchairs.

entrance to Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach showing the Sales & Online Collections building
View of the main entrance to Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach, with a large Pleasure Beach sign and visible entrance gates
Close-up of the wheelchair accessible entry gate at Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach, marked with blue wheelchair symbols.

Using fun card or ride wristband at rides

In order to go on a ride all you have to do is simply scan your fun card or the blue bit of your ride wristband on the scanner that is located at each ride as shown in the images below. If you have a fun card then there was plenty of stations throughout the park to top up or purchase fun cards so you don’t have to walk all the way back to the ticket sales. In the images below I have included a list of each ride and how many credits it costs each credit costs £1. I did find it hard with my lack of coordination to get my wrist to the scanner and make sure I was scanning the blue part of the wristband. However, staff were helpful and when purchasing a wristband the staff did check if I was happy to ware it. Where a child needs a adult to ride with them for hight restriction reasons the adult still needs to pay to go on the ride.

A red self-service kiosk labelled “Fun Card” stands outside an amusement park cinema called "Pleasure Beach 4D Cinema." This kiosk is where visitors can buy or top up their Fun Cards.
A close-up shows a ride access scanner with a pink display reading “credits: 5” located on the Rollercoaster ride. The scanner has instructions to tap your fun card or wristband on it.
A sign lists all the rides alongside the number of credits each one costs, with each credit priced at £1. The heading reads “Fun Card Credits,” and smaller text guides visitors on how to recharge their card.
great Yarmouth pleasure beach wristband with a blue square saying tap here red wristband and park mascot

Our day at Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach

Now we’re in the park and have sorted all of our access out it’s time to enjoy the park and get on some rides. In this section you will find a write up of our day at Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach including all the accessibility information of course. So come and enjoy the day with us!

Yo-Yo Ride

Located near the entrance is the Yo-Yo Ride swing ride. This ride is a mini flying chair ride that doesn’t go to far of the ground making it perfect for anyone who is to nervous for the bigger flying chairs at other parks. The Yo-Yo rider has no maximum hight restriction and no minimum hight restriction as can sit up by themselves and are accompanied by an adult. Anyone 1 meter or over is able to ride by them self.

In terms of access, There is no steps to get onto the Yo-Yo ride and wheelchairs can be taken right up to the ride seat. There was no music or sensory effects on this ride just a genital spin.

entrance to the Yo-Yo Ride at an amusement park, featuring a sign with the word "YOYO" and colorful circular patterns in red, orange, yellow, green, and purple. Brightly colored fences surround the area.
lose-up of the Yo-Yo Ride entrance signage, displaying ride rules and information, with a green fence and part of the ride visible in the background.
The Yo-Yo Ride itself, showing several suspended swing chairs decorated with large, colorful circles, arranged in a circle
The image shows two symbols on a light yellow background. On the left, there is an icon of a person in a wheelchair using a ramp. On the right, there is an icon of a person walking up stairs, which is crossed out with a red "X". This shows that that the area is step free.

Disko

also located very close to the entrance was the Disco so of course I had to give it a try. This type of ride has a restraint that comes up once you are sat down and this modal also had a seatbelt. This ride takes you up and down the curved track and spins. The Disco was a thrilling flat ride with some good rotations and a 1.2 meters hight restriction.

In terms of access, there is a small number of stairs with a hand rail to get up to Disco ride platform and then a step up to the ride seats. The restraints can be very tight and sometimes unconfutable on Diskos so something to bare in mind sensory wise.

safety information board for the Disko ride, showing ride rules, warnings, and a 1.2 meter height restriction at the ride entrance.
Stairs with a handrail leading up to the Disko ride’s platform
he Disko ride in motion, featuring a colorful spinning platform with outward-facing seats set on a curved track, enclosed by yellow railings

Lightning 360

Lightning 360 was a very unique flat ride with a hight restriction of 1.3 meters that like any ride I have been on before. This is because you can control if you like to spin or go upside down using the lever. When the ride gets to maximum hight you can even pull the leaver up to make your ride vehicle go higher.

In terms of access, it is level in order to get on the ride and the seats are a little high off the ground. This ride is a really good choice for anyone who struggles with the unknown of going on rides as you can control if you would like the ride to spin or go upside down yourself. The over the shoulder restraint was wide enough for ear defenders.

A safety instruction sign for the Lightning 360 ride, displaying rules, warnings, and height requirements.
View of the Lightning 360 ride entrance and queue area, surrounded by a light blue fence, with the ride structure behind
The image shows two symbols on a light yellow background. On the left, there is an icon of a person in a wheelchair using a ramp. On the right, there is an icon of a person walking up stairs, which is crossed out with a red "X". This shows that that the area is step free.
The Lightning 360 ride elevated high, with several arms and ride vehicles spinning in the air
Distant view of Lightning 360 spinning rides and surrounding fairground, with food stalls and benches in the background

Big Apple Coaster

Of course we had to get all the coaster creds so we headed on the big apple coaster a wacky worm roller coaster where you even went inside the apple. The big apple coaster is a great first rollercoaster for little once with just a 90cm hight restriction when accompanied by an adult an 1 meter to ride alone.

In terms of access, there is a small number of stairs with a hand rail to get up to the ride station for the big apple coaster. The ride does feature a couple of sharp twists and breaks.

White and red-themed entrance tower with Big Apple Coaster ride restriction signage
Big Apple roller coaster track with bright yellow rails, and a large sign featuring apple illustrations in front of the ride.
Big Apple Coaster ride structure with train going around track.

Sky Drop

The Sky Drop is a large drop tower with some good air time and bounces. The Sky Drop shoots and drops a number of times and has a 1.2 meter ride restriction. It is worth pointing out that the Sky Drop is a more intense drop tower then the family once that look very similar just smaller.

In terms of access, there was a couple of stairs with a hand rail to get onto the ride platform as seen in the images below. There was no audio on this ride and the over the shoulder restraint was wide enough for ear defenders.

The Sky Drop ride platform with purple fencing, bright lights, and the ride tower in the background, showing how guests board the drop tower
close-up of the stairs with a blue walkway and pink handrails leading up to the Sky Drop ride platform
The Sky Drop boarding area from the side, featuring the stairs, handrail, and riders seated with over-the-shoulder restraints.
A wide view of the amusement park area around the Sky Drop ride, with the drop tower visible among other attractions.

Reverse Time

Reverse Time was a flat ride that started slow but then got very intense. Reverse Time has a hight restriction of 1.2 meters and spins around in a cercal as the ride goes it tilts up sideways creating a more intense spin.

In terms of access, there was a small number of stairs with a handrail in order to get onto the ride platform for reverse time as well as a big step up with no hand rail to get into the ride seat. This ride has a few lights around the ride that you could see when spinning. The over the shoulder restraint on the Reverse Time ride were very wide meaning ear defenders fitted well.

entrance sign for the Reverse Time ride, showing safety instructions and ride branding.
metal stairs with a handrail leading up to the Reverse Time ride platform.
View of the ride platform and seats for Reverse Time, showing safety restraints
Wide shot of Reverse Time ride in action
Wide shot of Reverse Time ride

Family star

The Family Start is a wild mouse style rollercoaster with a hight restriction of 1.3 meters. It was a good and more genital wild mouse coaster with no bad trim breaks.

In terms of access, there is a few stairs with hand rails in order to get up to the family start ride station. Each ride cart has 4 seats with two sears sharing a lap bar making it a good option for people that need carer next to them.

safety restriction sign detailing ride restrictions.
Family Star wild mouse rollercoaster with yellow tracks, entrance stairs, and a few people nearby.

Food and Drink

There was a couple of food and drink stalls available near the front of the park and plenty of seating. There was lots of picnic benches located around the park and you are able to take your own food and drink into Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach.

Raft Ride

Raft Ride is a fun children flat ride very similar to the airplane or flying elephant style rides. You control the ride via a button that allows you to move your ride vehicle up and down. The ride goes around slowly in a cercal. Raft Ride has a minimum hight restriction of 90cm when accompanied by an adult and 1.1 meter to ride alone.

In terms of access, Raft Ride has level access to the ride with a step up into the ride vehicle . It is a good ride choice for people that struggle with the idea of being out of control as you can decide and control how high or low to the ground you would like to be.

children’s amusement ride shaped like small rafts moves in a circle, with each raft attached to a long arm. The ride is surrounded by a white fence, and there are people riding in the rafts.
close-up view from a rider's perspective on the Raft Ride, showing their legs, part of their lap, and a hand on the ride’s black control button.
The image shows two symbols on a light yellow background. On the left, there is an icon of a person in a wheelchair using a ramp. On the right, there is an icon of a person walking up stairs, which is crossed out with a red "X". This shows that that the area is step free.

Pendulum

The Pendulum is a more incense flat ride with a hight restriction of 1.25 meters. The Pendulum swings all the way upside down and even holds you upside down giving a very unique perspective of the Pleasure Beach.

In terms of access, there is a step up to the ride platform and then another big step with no handrail to get to the seats. The Pendulum ride has a number of different coloured lights that you can see when swinging around. The over the shoulder restraint were to tight to fit my ear defenders however, I recon you would just be ok with some slim fitting ear defenders.

A close-up photo of the Pendulum ride’s safety information sign. The sign is brightly colored with the word "PENDULUM" at the top and lists important safety instructions
shot of the Pendulum amusement park ride showing its large swinging arm, colorful support beams, and circular seating area. The ride is at the station platform, surrounded by safety barriers,
The Pendulum ride in mid-swing with riders held upside down at the highest point. The massive arm and structure are clearly visible

Snails & Fairy Tales

Snails & Fairy Tales is a lovely general family friendly ride with some indoor sense as well. The Snails & Fairy Tales has snail themed ride carts that you sit in whilst going through and seeing some classic fairy tail sense like Snow White and Alice in Wonderland. The full family can ride the snail and fairy tale ride as when accompanied by an adult and able to sit there is no minimum hight restriction. People 1.2 meters and over can ride alone.

In terms of access, the snail and the fairy tales is fully ramped to get up to the ride station and there is a step up to get into the snail. The ride features sensory effects throughout the ride this includes music though out the full ride and in one of the indoor sense flashing lights. In one of the indoor sense there is also that UV glow in the dark lighting. If you have additional sensory needs then I recommend riding with another person for your first tine encase you get sensory overload as it is a long ride layout.

close-up of a blue snail-themed ride car
Outdoor scene of the Snails & Fairy Tales ride, showing snail ride vehicles traveling along a winding track bordered by colorful decorations.
indoor fairytail sense
View from inside the ride with a bright yellow snail car entering a darkly lit, glowing section of the attraction.
A UV-lit indoor scene with glowing fish
Vibrant fairy tale room filled with colorful decorations, resembling a classic storybook environment
The image shows two symbols on a light yellow background. On the left, there is an icon of a person in a wheelchair using a ramp. On the right, there is an icon of a person walking up stairs, which is crossed out with a red "X". This shows that that the area is step free.

Roller Coaster

The highlight of our trip was getting to ride the parks most iconic coaster a wooden rollercoaster with the very creative name of Roller Coaster. The Roller Coaster is a unique coaster as it has an on ride ride operator that controls the breaks. I was very shocked that Roller Coaster only has a 0.9 meters hight restriction when accompanied by an adult and 1.1 meters to ride alone as the Roller Coaster has some great sharp turns and air time.

In terms of access, the Roller Coaster has a ramp up to the main entrance and steps down to the exit. The lap bars on the ride relies as you can back into the station meaning many people will get off when the ride still moving however, the Roller Coaster does fully stop in the station for you to get off without the ride moving. There is no noticeable sensory effects on this ride however due to it being an old wooden coaster it is quite loud so I would recommend ear defenders.

Roller Coaster entrance, with blue and white fencing visible.
Roller Coaster station entrance with signage and ticket window.
wooden ramp leading up to ride station
Stairway and “NO ENTRY” gate beside the Roller Coaster station, painted in blue and red.
Wide yellow ramp inside the station, with people waiting to board the Roller Coaster.
Side view of Roller Coaster train on the track with riders seated.
Outside view of the large, blue circular Roller Coaster building with decorative windows.
image of yellow rollercoaster cart in motion
View of the Roller Coaster entrance with the “Roller Coaster” sign above

Twister

The Twister was a fair ground style sizzler with a minimum hight restriction of 1.2 meters to ride. I was very excited to go on as it was included in our wristbands and I’m to tight to pay for them when I go to the fair. It wasn’t to intense compared to a fun fair one but a lot more intense the sizzlers I have been on in other theme parks.

In terms of access, there was a small number of steps to get up to the Twister and you could fit 2 riders per car. I can’t remember if there was any music on this ride apologies.

Twister ride safety information sign with colorful graphics, attached to a metal barrier at a fairground. The sign displays important safety details for riders.
Wide shot of the Twister fairground ride with several brightly lit spinning cars

Polar Express

Polar Express is a fun and thrilling flat ride with a minimum hight restriction of 1,2 meters. the Polar Express goes around fast in a cercal and tilts up with a pretty long cycle. The Polar Express even had a surprise of a blue hood/cover that comes over your ride cart during part of the ride so you can’t see around you.

In terms of access, the Polar Express has ramp to to get up to the ride platform with a step up to the ride cart. The ride carts are slightly on an angle so can be trickly to transfer into. The smallest person must sit on the inside but they seemed happy to let us sort this between our selves. It does get dark and you can’t see the person sat next to you when the blue cover goes over the ride cart this is only for a short part of the ride.

Polar Express ride with a safety information board displaying important rules and guidelines
Front view of the Polar Express flat ride, showing the circular ride with a colorful canopy, fenced entrance area, and the name sign above the ride

Whirlwind

The last cred of the day to get was the Whirlwind a fun family spinning coaster with a minimum hight restriction of just 1 meter when riding with an adult and 1.2 when riding alone. The Whirlwind is almost like a junior less intense version of wild mouse so a good started coaster before doing the Family Star coaster.

In terms of access, Whirlwind had a small number of stairs with handrails at the ride entrance and exit. The Whirlwind has no sensory effects just some spins around a curved track. The Whirlwind rollercoaster carts are slightly tilted from the ride station that can make it hard to transfer into especially at the font or back of the train.

"Whirlwind" rollercoaster signage close-up, showing bright swirls and ride information
image of ride platorm for coaster with ride carts visable in station
image of ride layout for Whirlwind

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, I was very impressed with Pleasure Beach Great Yarmouth and couldn’t believe how quiet it was. From reading lots of reviews and speaking to staff it does not seem like it gets big queue lines even during school holidays so doesn’t really need a queue assist scheme we went during October half term and all rides were walk on. The park didn’t feel to compact or close together and there was plenty of seating around the park making a nice family friendly atmosphere. As you can see from all the rides we went on and we did some of them more then once we most definitely got our money worth with our ride wristbands. It is worth noting that the accessible toilets were quiet small.

In terms of access improvements I would really like to see Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach change the ticketing structure for disable and carer ride wristbands by getting rid of the disabled person discount and adding a free carer as for those of us with paid carer it gets very complicated even if both of us get discount. Anyway, that’s all from me today, thank you for reading I hope your enjoying all the rides on our Great Yarmouth road trip so far thank you for coming. See you at the next stop on the road tip by for now.

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Disclaimer​

The information provided on this blog about theme park accessibility is based on my experiences and the details available from the attractions’ official websites at the time of my visit. Please note that facilities and services for disabled guests may change, and the information may not always be up-to-date. I strongly recommend checking the accessibility section on the respective attractions’ websites for the most current information. The comments and opinions expressed in this blog are solely my own and are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or representative of any other organisation.