Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2 3 4 5

Original poster

To ask what you think about ‘fast track’ passes for kids/adults with no special needs

120 replies

hopingforabrighterfuture2021 · 03/05/2021 12:08

Interested in views on this. Talking about the ones you pay for as a extra to the admission price.

YANBU = it’s people’s money, if theme parks want to sell them to make extra cash, let them. If you have the money and want to spend it on getting on rides faster, why wouldn’t you.

YABU = It’s another way of allowing people with more money a better service, and isn’t fair on people who can’t afford to do this.

Or, discuss.

OP posts:

Arbadacarba · 04/05/2021 07:41

I think parks should have quotas of how many people they let in on different days - priced accordingly.

That would be a good idea if customer-experience was important to the parks. But that's not what they are interested in - they are interested in making money, full-stop. Cram in as many people as they can and charge the highest basic cost they can get away with, comfy in the knowledge that some people will pay extra for the fast-track passes.

The only way it will change is if people vote with their feet.

Confusedandshaken · 04/05/2021 07:42

Meh. Some people can't afford theme parks at all. Should we ban them because they aren't universally affordable and therefore unfair?

Pootles34 · 04/05/2021 07:45

We've done it at Legoland, and I wouldn't now without one. It is a bit unfair, bit like first class on a plane - if you can afford it why wouldn't you? I'd rather go less often, but with the passes.

It is a bit embarrassing though - especially when they put you in a carriage with someone from the normal queue ...

BadLad · 04/05/2021 08:03

@UntilYourNextHairBrainedScheme

BadLad hatred? Why does every form of mild irritation/ eye rolling get reframed as "hatred" recently? Everything is reduced to hyperbolic extremes, removing most of the meaning from language. There's no "hatred" - just irritation, annoyance, eye rolling, perhaps frustration.

The first post on one of the threads I linked to talks about being "mortified" had she used a fast pass.

Kimchidreams · 04/05/2021 08:13

Started buying fast track a couple of years ago and now we always buy it. If I can pay so I don’t have to queue for a ridiculous amount of time, then why not? It improves our experience. We live in a capitalist society, so not sure why this particular form of capitalism bothers you.

Kimchidreams · 04/05/2021 08:15

That should say a few years ago(more like 5 or 6).

ThatIsMyPotato · 04/05/2021 08:16

It's a business so I've no problem as long as the people with disabilities get priority over the priority!

ThatIsMyPotato · 04/05/2021 08:17

But really they should be limiting visitor numbers so everyone gets a go on x number of rides during the day.

UntilYourNextHairBrainedScheme · 04/05/2021 08:22

BadLad yep - an equally daft use of hyperbole. If she genuinely felt mortified then she had bigger problems with emotional regulation than theme park etiquette.

DadsTrilby · 04/05/2021 08:23

We went to AT last weekend. The queue for Smiler was advertised at 45 minutes when we joined but it took us over 2 hours to get on the ride as there were so many fast-track holders. Our queue didn’t move at all for over 20 minutes. That was frustrating.
However there are times when the rides are walk-on but people have bought fast-track so they get no benefit and have effectively wasted their money.

BadLad · 04/05/2021 09:24

@UntilYourNextHairBrainedScheme

BadLad yep - an equally daft use of hyperbole. If she genuinely felt mortified then she had bigger problems with emotional regulation than theme park etiquette.

Here's another quote from those threads:

Not cool. I think it's so unfair and puts kids and families in two different categories. The haves and have-nots. Disgusting in my opinion.

So I think actually fair to say that it goes beyond irritation and annoyance, and that I wasn't actually using much hyperbole.

JudgeJ · 04/05/2021 12:00

To argue against it because some can't afford them is facile, there are many who can't even afford the admission tickets, your 'logic' would suggest that no-one should go!

Ariela · 04/05/2021 12:15

We had annual passes to Legoland when mine were smaller - we treated it like the local play park as it's quite local to us, we'd often pop over after school. However we'd generally only go if it was raining/rain was forecast and we'd almost never have to queue.
I think paid queue busters are a money making exercise for the site. Would never pay for one. Just go when it's not busy.

Didiplanthis · 04/05/2021 12:52

I don't like it as I get such awful looks and loud comments about queue jumping when I am there with my autistic who don't look disabled so people assume we are paying. Its really stressful for me anyway so I'm already usually at the end of my tether and it makes me feel awful.

Didiplanthis · 04/05/2021 12:53

Austistic children... that should say. I dont even care if people do pay but I just don't need abuse from people who do object.

Bells3032 · 04/05/2021 13:00

well that's capitalism for you. by the same argument its unfair that people with money can go to the theme park at all whilst struggling families can't afford it. Should we make the theme parks free so everyone can enjoy them? Would that be more fair?

It's making extra money for the parks that they would otherwise add to normal tickets. most have limited numbers a day so the amount extra you wait would be a few minutes at most.

Badgerwood · 04/05/2021 13:01

I feel like this is different to the usual 'pay more and get more'

Somebody compared it to paying more for artisanal bread than somebody pays for a white loaf but it's not the same. You buying an artisanal loaf doesn't decrease the quality of their white loaf. Bring able to pay for fast track increases waiting times for people who can't.

It's more akin to bread being £1 a loaf, but if you can pay £1.50 you get additional slices from somebody else's loaf, while they still pay the original £1. The Baker is getting £2.50 for £2.00 worth of bread by taking from other customers and giving to you.

Orangebug · 04/05/2021 13:11

But Badgerwood as others have pointed out upthread, the money that theme parks make from the fast passes allow them to charge less for the normal tickets than they otherwise would. So using your analogy, the person buying the white loaf would have to pay more than £1 if no one had the option to get some of their bread.

SunflowerOwl · 04/05/2021 13:23

I probably wouldnt go if these weren't available. Certainly not during school holidays/weekends. I hate queuing! I'm not even wealthy I'd just save a bit longer/go without something else to get FPs.

FrankieFox · 04/05/2021 13:34

*@Orangebug
It's a way of allowing people with more money a better service - like so many other things in life! I'm not sure why this would be different?

@Exhausted4ever
OK so you're in the normal queue for say 30 mins, someone with a fast pass joins the queue after you, gets on and wants another go so rejoins the fast queue and you get moved back to be behind them again. Does that seem fair?*

Let’s say you spent a lot of money on an aeroplane ticket. You get at the airport and join a long queue to check in. Then 30 min later you’re barely halfway there, your kids are whining and you realize you won’t have time to get them food before you get on the plane. Then another family saunters in and they walk straight to the counter, check in and on their way. You finally get to the gate and people are queuing up to board when you see the other family walk straight on. Is that fair? Of course it is.

It’s not unfair to get the level of service you’ve paid for.

Badgerwood · 04/05/2021 13:55

@Orangebug perhaps, but they didn't always do a fast-track service at these places as far as I'm aware? Do general entry prices go down when fast-tracks are introduced? Probably impossible to assess.

I suspect the businesses are just trying to get as much money as possible and would make a perfectly healthy profit without fast-tracks, I very much doubt they subsidise general entrance.

Twinsmummy1812 · 22/10/2021 12:57

My sister had an all singing all dancing pass to Alton Towers last weekend. She hasn’t had a holiday in years and said this was her 8 hour holiday this year. Do I resent her for that? Hell no! She said there is a new method of queue jumping though. People with doctors notes saying they had anxiety/autism/ocd which were exacerbated by queuing, so we’re allowed to move to the front. May be legitimate and of course some disabilities are severe but invisible, although I would question how queuing caused problems but 60mph roller coaster in dark with flashing lights didn’t. She said it felt a bit shitty compared against families with kids in wheelchairs etc.

CoalCraft · 22/10/2021 12:59

Theme parks are set up to make money, this is just part of it.

Bumblenums1234 · 22/10/2021 13:05

In the theme parks i have visited, the disabled access queue is through the exit, not the same as priority boarding. I don't understand why this what any impact on disabled riders as they are prioritised over fast pass holders.

NutellaEllaElla · 22/10/2021 13:06

It's not a public service, it has no need to be fair.

Flip

1 2 3 4 5