AIBU to think Merlin Ride Access passes are unfairly judged?

… They’re not called headsets.

And as the owner of a headset kid… if we’re queuing then we’re queuing, and if you’re in front I wouldn’t expect to be let in front.

If we have a queue jump or pass; we’re not queuing, and whether you “let” us or not doesn’t really come into it.

I don’t think I’m the only one.

Would I let a child in a wheelchair go ahead of me in a queue? Without a shadow of a doubt.

A kid wearing a headset? No chance.

my husband has Crohn’s, my SIL had a colostomy bag- they defo have server bowel conditions! Are you really thinking they shouldn’t be able to taken their kids to a theme park? Obviously if he was in a flare we wouldn’t go, but the urge to use the bathroom can come on quick, especially if it’s a hot dog and he’s drank loads.

And also you can get away from people such as yourself who like to give the disapproving looks and stares.

Oh yes would 100% bet there’s a strong overlap between the people begrudging passes and those who give disapproving/judgemental looks and stares.

My autistic DS constantly flaps and stims, and makes repetitive high-pitched noises. You can bet they would think it ‘selfish’ to have to stand next to him for 60 minutes. Also probably think they could undo this autistic behaviour with ‘parenting’ and ‘firm boundaries’, despite having no experience of ND children.

Lots of people do go on other rides though, they stand in the physical queue for one ride while they’re in the virtual queue for another.

I’m with you, but you have to be honest.

While you’re virtually queuing, you can go to the toilet, eat your lunch sat at a bench, go into the shop etc. Those in the queue have to just stand there for an hour.

You are 100% being obtuse and disingenuous with this post

you know full well you can go on rides with little/no queues in that time & do other activities that don’t require you to use the rap pass.

people would be more agreeable with you if you were honest

Appriciate what you’re saying but this isn’t a flare up, it is my daily life. I can limit drinks and I take daily medication etc but it rarely helps. I already plan my days out around the closest toilet, it shouldn’t mean I’m unable to access an attraction.

It’s often hard to know who has a RAP because they have a disability and who has a Fast Pass they’ve paid for, and you do see the kids in the shorter queue (and sometimes adults) act superior.

The faster queue system is out of control and I think many people vote with their feet.

Money. Pure and simple. It is in Merlin's interests to have long queues so that people pay for fast passes (I don't mean RAPs, I mean the paid for ones). It wouldn't surprise me if they deliberately shut down popular rides for periods to make the queues worse and stoke up the demand for fast passes.

Some people are rich enough that paying £200 on top of all the other entry costs for a fast pass for each of their party, is a drop in the ocean, so they pay it. Others aren't rich but they're prepared to save up for them and go once a year with fast passes rather than three times without.

While people do this, Merlin (and other operators) will never change the tech to remove physical queueing, even though the tech exists. There would be a cost to them - so they would effectively be paying to remove a revenue stream (fast passes).

They'll only do it if people stop going because it's too crowded - in which case if the park was half-empty, it wouldn't be needed. So it's not going to happen.

There is a difference between being out in the open with lots of people and being in the main queue which is usually an enclosed space. You are very close to people so smells and noise is increased and the acoustics/noise pitch. The lighting is artificial and people touching you.
And frankly the stares and muttering from others if there is strimming or tics,
All that can cause sensory overload which makes queuing difficult.
But being outside there is more space even when busy.
And also you can get away from people such as yourself who like to give the disapproving looks and stares.

Go and do your own research.

It’s means tested now - in our area you have to be low income, or on UC and the parent of a disabled child.

We qualify through various areas of their disability “qualifiers,” but wouldn’t get past the means test.

Which in fairness, is fair enough. But it’s certainly not open to all.

Thank you, you don't sound like a dick. I do have a very light folding chair type thing, which isn't dissimilar to that, although requires a little less balance, that I take when I know I'll need to be in one place for a while. They're not all that practical for shuffling along on in queues either (although I acknowledge probably more dignified than sitting on the floor).

That was the point wasn't it? That disabled children get other opportunities to go to these places. I was pointing out as a parent of disabled children, we had access to lots of support from council and family fund. We weren't low income when my ex was here but afterwards we were. Either way, we qualified for everything.

Not quite...
Our local council will only help lower income families or if your DC has a disability.

@VerityUnreasonble without meaning to sound like a dick (will probably fail) have you considered getting a walking cane with a seat on it like one of these
https://amzn.eu/d/014Sq2KJ

Society offers so little support for those with disabilities that I find it hard to get too mad about one of the few areas where there is support.

On the other hand, I just don’t go to theme parks anymore. I do have a connective tissue disorder (which qualifies as a disability) and stops me doing all of the hobbies I used to love (I used to be very sporty). Theme parks used to be a day out I love and would do several times a year. But I cannot stand waiting in the queue for so long while watching the ride fill up with people from the fast pass/access queue so I don’t go. Giving out so many passes does make it inaccessible for others. I don’t have the answer but while I do support the principle of making it accessible for those who are genuinely unable to queue, I think it does need to be acknowledged it has a significant impact on those in the standard queue.

Perhaps as a starting point the fast pass tickets ought to be restricted to prioritise RAP customers while balancing fairness to the standard queue but obviously they won’t do that due to money

Ha, fair. I recognise there are many times in various public places my health makes me look like a bit of a twat (although less of a twat shuffling than passed out?). Probably best I continue to avoid places with queues on the whole.

I imagine the "everyone is a faker" crowd would get all sorts of upset though if I did just use a wheelchair for queues then strolled off without one.

My child is physically disabled. He also has autism and ADHD. In his case it is by far the latter two which create issues with regards queuing.

Just because you can’t see a disability doesn’t mean it’s not there. Sadly though many people do think like you. When DS is in his wheelchair, or obviously connected to a feeding pump people are much more considerate than when he is walking someone and not obviously disabled.

In Scotland they require you to be on a low income and have a child with 1 of a limited number of "qualifying" disability (what classes as a qualifying disability seems to depend on whos deciding that day and how much of their budget is left over (thanks SNP))

So physical disability holds some sort of trump card over cognitive impairment?

Okay.

Thankfully the parents of disabled children don’t often rank them in some sort of bizarre hierarchy.

3 DC, one with AuDHD who can't queue (safely). I've never bothered applying for a nimbus or similar because we live so rurally that there's nowhere we could use them within a sensible radius.

We got free tickets to light water valley (tiny theme park) 3 weeks ago and this thread makes me so pleased that none of them particularly want to visit another.