To think the fast track queues at Thorpe park are unfair?

offering to take a friend with a RAP is very cheeky IMO

Yes, it is. How is it going to make the friend feel? Getting invited to theme parks by all sorts of acquaintances who are not in the habit of inviting them on other day trips, just to take advantage of the RAP - they'll know what is going on!

It's no different to any other service where you pay more for something better or quicker. We went last year, a long drive and much anticipated by our teens and it was super busy so if we hadn't paid extra we'd have driven all that way just to stand there looking at other people having fun.

For some popular restaurants you have to leave a deposit when booking to secure the booking.

Time is money. If I can pay to ride as much as possible in as little time as possible of course I will!

14 year old who doesn't understand queuing is also obviously disabled. That NOT the majority.

@LickyAbleist nonsense! Absolute proof has to be shown, in the form of a letter from a Doctor ffs. My child uses one because of a bone disease if that’s ok with you?! You cannot see it, child looks perfectly normal but the reality is if we had to queue then my child wouldn’t be able to go or would need to be in a wheelchair and with most queue lines this is impossible.
I also have a relative with a child with Autism and she simply doesn’t UNDERSTAND queueing even at 14 years old because her brain isn’t developing as it should. Why should either of these children miss out? Just because you think “But, it’s not fairrrrrrrr”

So many of the responses on here are emblematic of a ‘society’ of individuals. The ‘fuck you, I’ve got mine’ mindset. Let’s see how that works out for everyone over the next 10 years or so.

I just think there comes a point where money should not be able to be the decider, and that markets should not be the default assumption for how things operate. Skipping queues should be one of these! (Yes I am a hypocrite).

I accept, however, that most people are happy that market forces should operate for fast passes.

I just wonder where people think that line should sit - should it only be absolute essentials to life that should are not subject to market forces? I don’t think they should be the default assumption.

I'm still not sure how paying £60 per ticket to watch those that can afford an extra £175 per ticket to go on all the rides is fair. £60 is expensive enough for a ticket. The fast passes is just pure greed (unless they are for medical reasons) by the theme park owners.

How many restaurants charge for reservations?! I’ve never come across one.

I agree with others, I book at restaurants, rather than do walk in, I prep, plan and pay extra if I can afford it, for better service. What's the difference?

I see it differently. We've always had TP passes because we live close and in the past ds1 went after school many many times. Now ds2 uses one a lot and goes often. I've paid £80 for unlimited fun so seems ok. In the past I've used my Tesco clubcard to get one, For free. So getting fast pass was cheap easy and essential. Both say it's worth it and makes a big difference.

I’m not keen on these theme parks but organised a family weekend at one to celebrate a major milestone in a way that the ‘littles’ could enjoy. The more usual long dinners are much less fun for them and it’s hardly their fault they are still too young to enjoy.

bought fast track to make the most of the short time we were there together. DC were delighted, their parents less do as they could predict that nothing less than fast pass would be acceptable.

Happy unexpected outcome, the young members of the family prefer to go much less often and include the fast passes.

not the outcome their parents had hoped for. But a big vote for fast passes.

There is a key difference in that theme park fast pass users (with the right 'level' of pass) can use it as often as they like, so a fast pass user might use the ride two or three times while a standard user is still in the queue, creating a higher number of 'n'. With an airport queue you can only board the plane once, so this doesn't happen.

It’s the same, it’s a different set up. It’s just that they pass in front of your eyes in the line so you consider it differently. At the end of the day is n. of people vs n. of workers/attractions. They wouldn’t change the n. Of workers/seats if they created two lanes,
you’d just have fewer people and therefore the same time for queues

I wouldn’t go without fast passes tbh. I have before but it’s a trek for us and makes little sense to go all that way and then not get on stuff. I’ve not been for about seven years though so probably unlikely to happen at this point.

Airport security has different lanes and fast track, far from delaying those who don’t buy it, makes the queue shorter for those who don’t. The fast track tends to have fewer fuckwits who hold everyone up too.

Sigh. It's not 'easy' to get a RAP, you have to send private and personal proof about the nature of your disability to Nimbus to be assessed. And Merlin limit how many RAP users can come in a day. On a non school day it's hard to get a place.

Of course it’s the same as theatres. If no one bought the expensive tickets and all just stayed up high behind the columns/with restricted views the company would
have to sell the expensive tickets at a discount. At the airport it’s the same thing: if I buy fast track and you don’t you will be delayed by me.

i agree, fast track are unfair

Yes, it’s a total con. Amazing how people afford it too. Money under the mattress. I suppose he is worried that if you do it, you’re part of the problem. But really, more needs to be said about this - perhaps he should contact the Trading Standards Office. It’s a terrible business model because the price for a day out isn’t a fair reflection of the value you get - i.e. no value!

I hope he has plenty of time queuing to reflect on his moral high ground.

Meanwhile, everyone who has paid for one is busy enjoying their day and thinking 'lifes too short to be the righteous queuer'.

I agree to an extent but I disagree with you referring to RAP and fast track in the same breath - they are VERY different things, even if they sometimes have to queue up in the same queue:

However on a busy Saturday there are so many RAP users and Fast Track that the main queues can take 2 hours and move very slowly.

RAP isn't a privilege for wealthier people in the same way fast track is. It's a way to enable people with disabilities to access the theme park's rides.