To think 2 hours queuing times is wrong at Merlin?

[ToBeOrNotToB]

We went to Chessington Howl’oween. The queues for most of the big ticket rides were 2 hours long all day. Some were 90mins. We went on 3 big rides in total. Shouldn’t theme parks limit number of visitors to guarantee better value for money? (It costs over £100 for a family of four to visit).

@WahineToa have you been to the park?

You can post all the images you like about the 1990s and 2000s, but it is not my experience that the queues were more than 45 minutes.

And yes, Paulton's Park is brilliant and just how theme parks should be. We went there so often when the kids were younger and have given them far more of our money than to the wallet-robbing, execrable Legoland.

Yes. Before and after we lived here, we get free tickets now but we barely use them.

Similar with other places for children. It’s absolutely ridiculous and I will think twice before buying tickets. It’s not worth it.

I have memories as a child of queuing at our local theme park... I hated it!
All I remember is being bored, to hot, thursty, hungry and feeling utterly sick at the end of the day ...
(Disclaimer: we had food and drink but it went fast due to bordem!)

We took DC once to Chessington during school holidays and had same experience as OP - that was 2016.
Our added bonus was a parent pulling out a potty right in front of us for their toddler to use while waiting 🤮🤮🤮.

It's inhumane, vote with your feet - NEVER AGAIN.

@WahineToa is that because your children have grown up?

You can post all the images you like about the 1990s and 2000s, but it is not my experience that the queues were more than 45 minutes.

so what you’re telling us is that no making of evidence would convince you that your recollection of your experiences may not be entirely accurate.

As I said, that’s exactly how the ‘it wasn’t like that back in the day’ process of misremembering works.

I don't know if you were aware of it but they might have qualified for a disabled access pass due to not being able to queue?

@Iknowforsure1 yes I feel for anyone booking Santa’s grotto tickets these days. They’ve shot up like theme park attraction prices and also, the price of winter wonderland lights. I’ve seen £50 a ticket to walk through some trees with lights on.

People are posting about Paulton's Park and saying it's just how a theme park should be but again, it's like comparing apples and oranges.

It's a children's park for little kids and their parents - it's not remotely on the same scale as Chessington or Thorpe Park or Alton Towers.

For starters, it won't cost anywhere near as much to run as the rides are much more basic. The audience is totally different too.

My DD went up with school as a treat. Cost £35 as they got a large group deal on tickets The coach got slightly delayed in traffic so weren't there too after 11, they got on 2 rides all day with all the white

For £35 off peak day during school

Never ever again

It is such a rip off , all the theme parks are

That's 17.50 per ride

When we've been and paid for our individual tickets we've barely managed 4 rides £10 pp per ride

It's such a waste of a day too - a miserable one quieting doe 2 hours at a time for a 4 -5 minute ride

I used to have Merlin tickets but stopped buying them after my second year as they were miserable days full of hope but the reality was lots of whining and exhaustion

@MavisChunch29 and the Vampire went round twice in the 90s. It’s once now.

With all the queues not the 'white' !
My phone randomly autocorrects

Come on people, this is nothing new

I went to universal studios, Orlando in 98 and two hour queues for every ride

I've been to all of the merlin parks (have passes) in the last year and only once have we queued for two hours.
We don't choose the busiest days. We get there before it opens, run to the first ride and can usually get on three of the biggest rides in the first hour. We usually go on between 10 and 15 rides in a day, sometimes more, less if we only go for a few hours.

😂

2 hours queuing is ridiculous. I would be peed off too.
I agree they should limit numbers but I guess its not in their interest to do so.
I think 60 mins queue is long enough, have occasionally done a 90 min queue but 2 hours is outrageous. Only managing 3 rides in a day when it's around £50 to get in is awful, costs £100s for a family to visit.
Would recommend going on a grey/ rainy weekend and/ or getting there when park opens and going on the biggest rides further away from entrance first.
But really they need to limit numbers!
Having said that we went to London dungeons and they had sold out so no tickets were available on the day, think thats run by merlin so they do limit numbers for some attractions but I guess only the ones that are inside. Having said that it London dungeons cost £30 for a 90 minute visit so not cheap either but at least didn't spend hours queuing.

How much are you willing to pay to ensure queues are under an hour?

You could say that about lots of things. Better seats at the theatre? First class and business class travellers boarding first? It’s life!

Well, it is life thanks to people continuing to accept poor customer service and such poor value for money.

Theme parks are just a microcosm of everything being really expensive yet totally shit today - energy, trains, air travel, cars, restaurants, council tax, supermarkets, you name it. This is not a case of buying cheap and getting tat. This is a case of paying first class prices for a third class service. This is a case of the very wealthy trousering more of our money while they throw a few beans for the plebs.

Not exactly cheap either. Even without the huge rollercoasters.

I just think whinging about the price and the queues afterwards is part of the theme park experience for most people.

@MavisChunch29 my sentiments exactly. For example, you pay over £100 for one ticket to see Matilda and someone is scoffing popcorn in your ear and rustling sweet packaging so you can’t hear.

I went to Butlin's Minehead half term week and queued for everything 20 mins for a toilet break , 50 minutes for coffee 2 hrs to get into shows I was at the end of my tether come the time to leave !
I read some where at full capacity the park holds 10,000 people but have one proper coffee shop ! Blew my mind

This is correct.

Also re those old photos about queues. Sorry but if you had only gone on 3 rides all day that would have cause for a refund. Just accepted as “well don’t go when it’s busy” now.

I think what struck me recently is the unpredictability of queue times. I would expect the Halloween days to be busy, and I’d expect school holidays to be busy.
But this year we went to Alton Towers in August and the queues were averaging 20-30 minutes! We were in one that was 45 minutes, the rest were sub-30 mins. I was fully expecting an awful day of 2-hour queues, but actually it was great. Not sure whether I would take the risk again though!

It's what Inset days are for. Went to Alton Towers on our random October inset day.....was empty. Longest queue was 15 mins on Wicker Man. Just takes planning.