Theme park queues

[Haenow]

We spent the day at a theme park aimed at children up to the age of 12. In these sorts of places, it’s not unusual for kids to nip in and out of the queues with an adult. Inevitably, you get to the front of the queue and your 4 year old needs the toilet! I noticed people were in larger groups, probably due to change in restrictions, which is to be expected. We went with friends, so I’m certainly not complaining or criticising. What I did notice was that people were sending 1 or 2 people to wait in the queue with a bunch more joining them later. As the theme park is small and compact, it was easy to see one adult holding place in a queue and the rest of the group hopping off another ride and suddenly adding an extra bunch of people to the queue. This happened a lot and it wasn’t always small children, which is more understandable because they often need the toilet or a drink at the last moment. We’d chose a ride, without a ridiculous queue, only to find it was made longer by people joining in front of us. I would never comment and we had a fun day but I’ve never seen this before and wondered if this was common place.

YANBU

If we leave the queue for the loo I never expect to enter at the same point. I think it’s rude.

Most theme parks surely have channelled queuing so no-one can slip in?

Yes this happens all the time. It’s queue jumping.
When we went to Alton towers, a nan queued while her grandchild when on a different rides with his mum and grandad and another child, and when they had finished would join the nan.

It happened a lot, adding more time to your wait

@Mitchellernie

Most theme parks surely have channelled queuing so no-one can slip in?

Usually, yep, but this set up was a bit stranger, there was more sort of free queuing. It was Gulliver’s - smaller and not and channelled as bigger theme parks. Nice place for small kids though. I’d go again, despite the queuing system. :)

We go to Duinrell in Holland & I've also been to Phantasialand in Germany. Their queues are really quick. UK theme parks seem like a waste of time. I don't understand how it's so different in UK compared to European theme parks.

I'm a Childrens face painter and get this all the time.
Il have 30 minutes to go, close the queue, get speed painting look up and the line would have doubled.
I now have a huge sign. No queue jumping, children have to be in the queue for painting, if I see a lone adult, il ask if they are wanting painting and if they say no then I politely say, kids have to be in line to be painted, it's not fair on the kids that have stood in the queue patiently. It works. Iv only had a couple of parents argue with me that there child can't wait in the line. And I reply that if they really want painting they will wait like the other children.
I have a child with ASD and will sometimes pick up on a kid in the queue really struggling to wait and will quickly bring them up quickly and paint them but most kids hear me and wait there turn.
There's nothing more off putting to my concentration then hearing my queue getting shuffled and the kids that have waited frustrated Little faces.
Or thinking great Iv got 8 faces to go and then all of a sudden you have 16 !

Disneyland Paris had grannies holding places for photos with characters but not on rides

I genuinely have no issue with a small child leaving a queue to use the toilet. It’s not uncommon at an attraction aimed at younger children. It’s more when there are people who’ve clearly been on other rides or doing other fun stuff using one person to hold a place for a group.

@orangesnapples that must be so frustrating for you! I agree it’s different if a child has additional needs and is struggling with waiting. I think many theme parks and similar have procedures for this sort of situation which is good. Theme parks in the USA handle it really well.