Priority queues at theme parks!

[Bridget1983]

Who does this?! Cause I’m looking and thinking I would be mortified to be the person pushing in front of a 6 year old who has just queued an hour and a half for a ride!!

I pay. I don't feel guilty. I work hard and can spend my money how I choose. My DS and I love theme parks, but dislike spending a day queuing. The theme park provides a service and I'm happy to pay for it.

Proper queue jumping is against the rules in theme parks but the staff usually do naff all about it which is even worse!

I know. Its so frustrating, and very rarely challenged. Not that would be something to complain about. They really are pushing in!

This hasn't changed, in our experience, since priority was made more popular. The displayed time is usually a fairly accurate indicator.

They generally get the times right, yes. But when all the queue times say 2 hours, you haven't really got a choice, but to queue. For us, priority passes have changed the queues.

Just one example, is Toadie's Cars at chessington. Main queue, can be up to an hour. For a tiny kids ride. We saw the queue, thought it looked really small (it was) and decided to join. But as only 2-4 people at a time (i.e one family) and the cars moving very slowly, then every time a person walked up the fast track, they were next on. This kept happening, to the point the main queue did not move at all. Lots of people left, and were complaining it was taking so long.

At thorpe park, some of the fast passes don't go via the exit, they go by joining the main queue, and anyone who is about to be 20 minutes away from queuing, is now 40 minutes away from queuing because a group of fast tracks have joined it. So it does affect the main queue, whether it tells you that or not, if the fast passes weren't there, your queue time would be 20 minutes better (for example).

I've had the Q bots at Legoland, and had the best day ever, and have also had no Q bots, and not got on one single ride all day because we couldn't queue for over 2 hours for a piddly little 2 minute ride.

I can see both sides.

At Paultons Park, which is an amazing theme park, better than Legoland/Chessington any day. There are no fast passes there, and I realise that the visitors there are not as many as at Legoland (but it's getting bigger) and the queue times are amazing. Even on a packed day in Summer.

They aren’t really queue jumping as they have paid to use a different line. I don’t like the concept though if I am honest it seems a bit of a money making scam as you already pay a lot to get in.

Disney have the right idea. 3 fast passes for all. Next year we are going to universal. We are staying on site so will make the most of the privilege of early starts. Can’t justify the extra cash for fast passes though.

For uk theme parks we try to go on an inset day when it is less busy.

Some of the Universal hotels include the Express passes, although not all. It'd be daft not to use them when they're given to you for free!

Even the Disney passes (well the ones in Florida) have their faults if you think about it too though. You can book them in advance. If you pay more to stay in a Disney hotel you can book them 60 days in advance (and thats for the whole of your stay so actually around 60 days + 14)
If you don't pay to stay there its 30 days and by then many have gone for the most popular rides. If you just decide to show up - your chances of getting a fast pass for the biggest most popular rides are minimal.

In Paris there are proper priority passes too - but only if you stay in some of the very best and most expensive suite rooms. Or you can get VIP packages.

”I am able to see both sides of something unlike the arseholes who attacked my parenting with comments like you should be ashamed making your dc queue in extreme heat etc 🙄😂”

I’m guessing that’s directed at me. Not sure what’s so funny about that really? You said you could afford the fast passes, just chose not to purchase them. And therefore, made your 6-year-old queue for an hour and a half in the heat for no apparent reason at all that I can see. To make a point, perhaps? Don’t know.

My comment was simply an observation as to what you chose to do. It’s up to you to determine whether that’s good parenting or not. I never said it wasn’t. I simply observed (or rather asked you to confirm) what you’d done.

The thing is when you buy your theme park ticket you might not realise that there will be people paying even more than you who will be able to access the rides ahead of you, meaning you won’t be able to go on many rides.

Who actually doesn't realise that though? Most theme parks have fast pass queues. And even if they didn't realise, it's not the fault of the people who do choose to buy fast passes that they didn't bother to research where they are going/check the website of the theme park(buying fast passes is quite prominent on websites of theme parks in my experience).

My point TacoLover is that in my day there wasn’t an option to pay more and queue jump/ legitimately go to the front of the queue. I’m not blaming the blessed people who do pay more for this new two tier system. I’m just stating it can make a day out at a theme park even more crap then you were expecting and make it feel like you’ve wasted your money if you couldn’t or didn’t get a fast pass. I would never visit theme parks again in the peak season because of this however apparently other people don’t mind this two tier system and are happy to give the theme parks £50 quid a day to stand in a queue while other people legitimately going ahead of them.

I don’t go to a theme park often- maybe once every couple of years? Factoring in travel and hotel costs I want to get the most out of my time at a park so yes I will use fast passes. I don’t feel guilt. The same way I don’t think if I’m in a normal queue with a child with me that those using fast pass should feel guilty for walking in ahead of a child.

This thread reminds me of this:

2 DC with SEND here. You won't know we haven't paid for fast track as alot of the ride access (RAP) queues now use fastrack lines. We hate it but its how theme parks are doing it to free up a staff member. We get the looks and groans (and nasty comments) off the main queue when we rock up but its often not as good as it seems. As someone who uses RAP often I would say 50% of a fast track queue is RAP, often more. So 50% of those your calling queue jumpers are far from it.

We have to queue first thing for the passes. This line is often long and the most challenging which sets us up for a tricky day. Queue in fast track/RAP lines. Then get timed out for the regular queue time and then ride in specified seats. Lots of rides only allow one RAP holder/family so you can be held back a few cycles when near the front too. Some parks we can queue for 20 minutes and then get timed out of another ride for the main queue time of 20 minutes. So we are waiting 40 mins for a ride regular users are only waiting 20mins for.

My DC can pass as 'normal' and skip on to the ride looking like those 'entitled little brats' but in reality are far from it.

FirstNameSurname But isn’t that just what the problem with these paid for fast tracks is? It means people like you who have a legitimate need to not have long queues are being stuck in a queue because of people whose only real reason is they have the money to pay? Without paid for fast track your queues would be 50% shorter AND you wouldn’t get the looks from members of the public (well you would from some but less). I really DO think the paid for fast track system is unfair (especially as I know it’s not actually ‘simple pimple’ to get an SEN one) and I hate it. But that’s different to blaming those who use it for doing so... I can understand why they do.

I agree nosquit the fact that RAP means same queue for those who have (understandably) chosen to pay for them and for those who get the pass because their needs mean they can’t queue (clue is in the reason!) is why I can no longer take ds to places like that because we do still end up having to queue and at Legoland last time we went still some fairly long queues given the system to avoid them.