AIBU to think Merlin Ride Access passes are unfairly judged?

People report all sorts of things on here just because they don't agree with it, it's ridiculous.

Anyway, I think that the system is crap even though I benefit from it. I am one of the people "pretending" (ie have a pass but don't really need it). There will be thousands of people like me. The RAP criteria is far too loose. As are my bowels as far as Nimbus are concerned 😉

oh for crying out loud. It's not about thinking a queue isn't worth it for the activity. 🙇🏻‍♀️🙇🏻‍♀️

your children are choosing (or thus far you have chosen for them) not to go to theme parks, no doubt they get enjoyment from other activities. Many disabled children are very limited in being able to get enjoyment from other activities & love the rides. Their inability to queue is a medical issue, not a choice one.

since I have become disabled I haven't been to a theme park, I'm not bothered enough about it to do what it would take to go. But for people who have disabled children (or partners/friends) who can go, they deserve it to be made as easy as it possibly can be.

able bodied people need to be less fucking intolerant & insensitive & pray they don't ever have to fully understand what it's like.

I think the difficulty with this is that life is multi tiered.

We have to try and explain to a complex needs 9 year old why he couldn’t take all of his clothes off in a playground, other parents don’t have to do that. We have to change the toileting pad of a child who is 9, but weighs 9 stone. Other parents can leave nappies behind them when their children are toddlers. Medications, feeding, consistent lack of sleep.

Life isn’t fair, and there’s no better group than the disabled to tell you that.

I think those who don’t have to manage those additional challenges could use some empathy and accept that in terms of “fairness,” they’re not getting the short straw here.

Disabled people should be able to access the rides (I'm hoping that's a given, but some need it to be said).

It's ultimately a numbers game. Even if there are only 100 people in the park that day holding a RAP pass, there are an additional 300/400? people who can also avoid the queuing times by virtue of people the RAP's friends or family. Plus all the fast pass holders - of which they sell too many.

If it's a busy day, and queues are long, all the people without RAP or fast passes who have still paid a significant amount for entry get annoyed at watching (seemingly) large numbers of people leaping ahead of them in the queue time after time. It's understandable. I believe Alton Towers reduced the number of fast passes they sell for each day for the reason it was causing issues.

It can feel 2 tier.

Virtual queuing sounds like a really good idea. Getting rid of fast passes also. And certainly tightening up who can get a RAP pass - my friend is hearing impaired and gets one. He thinks its hilarious - why should that stop him queueing? But I admit I don't know how you manage that one, short of having a Dr on the gate assessing everyone as they come in... (And no, I am not being serious.)

To the person with complained about free carer tickets to venues. I could never take DS (16) to a theme park even with a RAP as he wouldn’t cope with the set up as much as he loves rides. But for a “day” out at one of his favourite places it looks something like this.

Get up and prepared early, make sure all the feeding supplies are right (tube fed), and all the medication for the day is set up make sure I have had something to eat and drink myself because his needs means he can’t cope in cafes at places. Not too much to drink though as being out on your own with a disabled 16 year old who needs constant supervision creates obvious toilet issues!

leave early enough we are there for opening time in the hope it’s not too busy for him to cope. Get there and set him up on his feed and in his wheelchair. Make sure things like ear defenders are at hand.

plan the way around the location well so he can see what he wants to before he gets to the point of complete overwhelm and has to leave. Stop regularly to sort his feeding tube and give medications.

if we manage two hours out it’s a good day. As much as I love taking him to places and seeing him enjoying his passions it’s hard work, you can’t relax and enjoy the place properly because you always need to be one step ahead looking for the next potential trigger point.

I am confused about this thread for 3 reasons:

1. the 4 eligibility criteria don't make sense. Difficulty standing, level access and toilet needs, yes. But how is the 4th one not difficulty queuing rather than difficulty with crowds. Nearly everyone I've known with an access pass has had it for difficulty queuing and surely nobody who has difficulty with crowds would volubtarily spend a day in a theme park.

2. I thought anybody could join the fast queue if they paid for it? I'm not a theme park person but went to Thorpe Park last year with a friend and her autistic son. They were sold out of RAPs for the day we wanted to go so she just bought us passes instead and they worked the same way? In which case it isn't disabled people causing the issue, it's being able to pay for better access. I don't remember a virtual element to the queue either, just that it was short.

3. I might be going mad but I'm sure I remember going to Alton Towers in the late 90s on a school trip and there was virtual queuing? We had coloured bands with time slots. Maybe just for Nemesis. It must have been decided it dodn't work if that is a real memory. But maybe it's not.

Anyway, it's never the fault of a person with a disability seeking a normal day out that others don't get something they want.

Fucking pass, your daughter should get the place to herself with her chosen friends & family!

how old was she when it all started?

Poor, poor girl 💕💕💕

& you 🥰

@Miniaturemom I also have MS and really rely on using systems like the RAP on days out to places like theme parks. Not sure how if works at Disneyland Paris but we went to the Florida one in the summer.
I found them really unhelpful tbh. Their only solution was for me to hire a wheelchair which I did not want to do. High chance one day I will need one and I’m not getting in one a moment sooner !

We tried to take my son to a playground and children’s farm on Monday. Not a theme park, no big rides, no burger to queue for (not that he’d eat it anyway), just a park essentially.

He sprained my ankle when I held him back as he tried to run away from a crowd that was surrounding the rabbit pen.

So yeah, you take those huge social anxieties away from him, and I’ll pass over our Access Card, and our DLA. But the grown up toileting pads and meltdowns are coming with them.

my 'something else' would be another trip to the toilet, eating my food brought from home (as nothing suitable for my health conditions at most theme parks) so I can take my medication & sitting down as I can't stand/walk a lot.

So anytime you'd like to have the disability I have, I'd be more than happy to give my pass to you in exchange for my able body back.

no, I thought not.

Whereas if you qualify as having a disability you get a free carer ticket and free virtual queuing. Seems very unfair

oh wow. Where to start? Theme parks - as with everything else - are required, by law, to ensure the service they provide is accessible to all. By far the easiest way of doing this is allowing a carer in for free. Job done. Or, as I just said, are you suggesting disabled people should just stay at home and rot?

It would work like it used to work before Merlin monetised it.

The theme park doors would open at 10am. You'd race to the rides you'd want to go on. Scan your ticket and then be issued with a "come back at x time"

You could only get one virtual queue ticket per big ride.

Then Merlin decided to charge for queue jumping, and it went downhill from there...

He doesn’t mind as he also knows he can eat lunch during a wait when those queuing can’t.

But I don’t see why he should miss out on a theme park with his friends just because he’s in a wheelchair. If they made everywhere level access (accessible) then those who don’t have to use a wheelchair wouldn’t feel they are missing out.

Bet they don’t don’t wish to be wheelchair dependent though 🙄

It’s not just about noise, crowds or queues though is it? Or just about ASD. There are literally hundreds of conditions where standing and waiting is problematic. Or are you suggesting that people with disabilities shouldn’t go to theme parks?

My child is type 1 diabetic. When on his own out and about, he used to refuse to ‘queue jump’ until the time he had a hypo and ended up missing his turn having to come out of the queue to recover. He’d been waiting over an hour at that point. People with disabilities have enough to contend with - which you surely know - it’s not unreasonable they have the opportunity to virtually queue to make things a little easier.

Thank you.

its making me feel quite sad reading some of the jealous responses on here. it’s really disgusting.

Ah yes, you're probably right. I went in 2022 so my memory is a bit hazy. We had Genie+ and just seemed to spend ages on the app trying to book rides. So, in answer to the PP who suggested virtual queues for everyone, I would probably find this annoying and not the answer to the problem (which is overcrowding).

But I don’t really see the issue with that tbh. They’re still queuing. And most people with a RAP have different needs that mean their access to the world is often restricted/lessened anyway - so a few extra rides seems fine for the few that do use it.

for those who don’t will use that time to find some quiet, eat lunch which they may need extra help with (tubes, arfid etc) use accessible toilets (that take much longer and some are less dignified), regulate, maybe have a moment of distress….maybe have their pads changed by a carer. Parents/carers may often need to swap around for breaks, first aid, toilet breaks, record daily logs and notes (those in care/supported settings).

Hilarious that you're telling me to behave.

I didn't report your post which has now been deleted, so obviously not just me who thought it was nasty accusing people of pretending & MN agreed.

Can speak for all Merlin parks but we used this when we went to Legoland with severely autistic DS. Just thought it was worth pointing out-

• The ‘fast’ queue also includes all those who purchased fast passes, so you don’t necessarily know how many are disabled people using ride access, and how many have simply paid extra.

• when you purchase fast-track tickets at Legoland, there are different ‘packages’ to chose from. The most expensive lets you fast-track every ride with no limits. With the access pass you basically get the cheapest ‘package’ for free which meant we could only use it for a certain number of rides, and every now and then it would ‘freeze’ so there were intervals of time (think it was 30-60 minutes) where we were unable to use it.

i would also add I think the queue situation with Legoland is pretty disgusting on weekends/school holidays anyway. I understand they are a business but
charging people extortionate amounts for tickets whilst selling so many that people are going to get on 3 or 4 rides at most. I really think there should be a limit.

I don’t think a poster would help much. Because the fact remains there are a lot of people (not everyone no) that do use the “wait time” to go on other rides. I’ve seen it myself. It does happen. So in theory a family with a RAP could go on Nemisis, get timed out for an hour, then use that hour to queue normally to go on Smiler, then go to Galactica to use the RAP again, then get timed out for 1.5 hours, use that 1.5 hours to go on the runaway train etc etc etc.

So in theory, a family with a RAP could go on double the amount of rides. Again, before anyone starts, I’m not saying everyone does this, but SOME people absolutely do.

You can’t use the pass without the disabled person also going on the ride.

Im just curious about what’s unfair about being disabled?

I'm sure there any many disabled people that will happy swap places at the very least to not have uneducated and ignorant people staring and commenting things they don’t even understand.

let’s not forget it’s not disabled people using rap passes causing you to wait in long queues it’s Merlin over selling tickets and too many people on site. A lot of other sites manage access passes without all the complaints.

You want to coral all the people with disabilities into a pen? And you can’t see any issues with this? 😂 And stop them eating or drinking anything because heaven forbid they get any enjoyment at all during this time.

The whole point for those with ADHD is that they don’t have to be still in one place just waiting - it’s not the standing up part of queuing that’s a problem, it’s the just waiting with nothing else to do! As well as the crowded, overwhelming nature of it (which presumably your holding pen would also be as it would be full of people!).

Some of the comments on this thread are disgusting.

Those with access cards aren't skipping the queue, they wait the same time (sometimes more) but without the over stimulation of people being too close, noise and smells. Or people with bowel conditions can ride without having to hope they don't soil themselves while standing in the line.

Having an access pass makes life a little bit easier to experience the activities in theme parks etc.

Have some compassion/empathy.

Sorry not read the whole thread but maybe some people don’t understand how it works. TBH I didnt until I read it on here that it’s a virtual queue but you wish the same time.

maybe there needs to be more education about it for those who don’t get it? A poster near the queues or something.

I think they’re great for people who need extra help to access things. It allows them to take part in the same things as others but in a way that supports their needs. Allows us all to take part in things we love.

What?

how do you think you know better why I'd need the pass than I do?

im certainly not able to be dashing off to other rides.