Coral Island Blackpool

Coral Island

AD * Blackpool is a great day out for all the family, and Coral Island has so much on offer.

We were invited up to Coral Island to have a play on some of the arcades and to see what fun we could get up to.

On our journey, I realised that this was actually the first time we had taken the kids to Blackpool. I mean, as the most quintessential British seaside resort, why hadn’t we done this sooner?! The kids loved walking along the beach, watching the roller coasters as we made our way down the promenade towards Coral Island.

Coral Island is located just a stones throw from Blackpool Tower and is the biggest free admission indoor attraction in Blackpool. Unmissable for it’s huge signature skull and crossbones, the kids were excited to see what awaited us inside the treasure trove.

First Impressions

We entered and were actually very surprised at how clean the arcade was. After claiming our VIP goody bags (gifted) we headed straight for the 2p machines. Molly loves these and gets hooked very easily! The boys took to a few different types of these as some were giving out tickets and others weren’t. They were desperate to get as many tickets as they could.

After playing on a few of these machines, plus the basket ball throwing game, and the Vortex (think the Crystal Dome from the Crystal Maze!) we headed to have a look at what the Ghost Train and the Pirate Flyer were all about.

Ghost Train

Letting the boys go together on the Ghost Train was probably not the best idea. When Molly and I had finished our scream inducing turn, Oliver was trying to calm down Finley who was shaking his socks off!

Oliver and Dicky enjoyed it and went for another go!

Pirate Flyer

The Pirate Flyer was better, giving sky high views of the arcade and allowing us to source any new games we wanted to have a play on. Molly enjoyed playing with the guns and shooting at her dad who was waiting below for us.

Camel Derby

The kids heard the commotion on the Camel Derby and wanted to have a go, so we took our seats and waited our turn. The kids had so much fun trying to get their camel to go the furthest, a simple process of rolling balls upwards into coloured holes. It was quiet enough that we won a few games between us and the kids were ecstatic about choosing their winnings.

Bingoooo

Next we tried the prize bingo, which was located up a small staircase by the Island Slots. It is quieter in here and only 30p a go. We sat down and had 5 games, even the kids had a go too! All they had to do was press the screen whenever a number was called and it would mark off automatically. It wasn’t too hard to think about and we won 4 games out of 5! The prize tickets were shared between the kids who picked the most ginormous lollies I have ever seen!

The Buccaneer

Hungry and excitable, we thought we should try and calm the kids down, so we took them in the Buccaneer for something to eat. Conveniently located inside Coral Island, we didn’t have to go back out into the rain to access it. The Buccaneer is quirky with staff wearing pirate clothing. The hanging decorations such as cutlasses and guns kept Oliver amused. But, best of all, any child under 10 eats free with a paying adult.

We ordered the Jack’s Combo platter to share and the trio of garlic bread to start. Finley couldn’t get enough of the sticky drumsticks!

I had the chicken burger with extra bacon and Dicky had 12oz rump steak with beans for our mains.

Oliver inhaled a kids carvery twice the size of his Dad’s head, while the other two settled for nuggets and chips. The meals were served pleasantly and there were no complaints.

Dessert was heavenly in the form of chocolate fudge cake, and Buccaneer Bob’s ice-cream all round for the kids. Everybody enjoyed their meals and we left feeling suitably stuffed for a fraction of the normal price due to the Kids Eat Free offer.

Virtual Reality

Back to the arcades and the boys had a go on the VR ride, which they found absolutely hilarious. For £3 a go, they were totally immersed in a virtual rabbit run! We could see on a screen above their heads what they were seeing and it did look fun!

On a mission to win more tickets they got the most from playing a game called Dragon Hunter.

Molly and I went on the virtual roller coaster, which was a little hard hitting; a cushioned seat would have been appreciated, but it was a fun experience!

The kids were allowed £10 each for the day and they knew there would be no more once it had all run out. There is so much to see and do at Coral Island, and we could have easily spent a fortune. But, they were happy with their amount and used it wisely! Once we had all exhausted the games and our pennies, we went to total our tickets.

Claiming Our Winnings

All the tickets are fed into a machine that counts them all up. We shared the points out equally between the children. Altogether we got some LOL jewelry, bows and arrows, Nerf type guns, Fortnite goodies, and sweets to pad out the rest. I think that was a pretty great haul to end the day!

Coral Island is a fantastic day out. The kids thoroughly enjoyed themselves, and despite being busy due to the rain outside, the staff were very pleasant and helpful with all of our queries.

We will be sure to return to Coral Island when we next come to Blackpool. I have promised the kids the Illuminations so it may be sooner than expected!

To read about more of our days out and adventures, have a look at our Zoo escapades or an Iron Works sculpture park visit.

*This visit was gifted to us by Coral Island Blackpool for the purpose of review. All words and opinions are my own.