Theme park queue jumpers

[Luckycatyellowsky]

I took the kids to a theme park today. We knew it would be busy as it’s school holidays. One ride the kids were desperate to go on had a 60 minute queue. We joined the end of queue and waited. About 20 mins in three women pushed past everyone behind us and tried to come past us. When I said no she claimed she had to come past as her kids were further up. I said her kids were welcome come back to join her where she was. She swore at me and carried on up the queue to her group of teens about 10 people in front of us. They then spent the rest of the queue time loudly complaining about how I wouldn’t let the pass! ( not that I was able to stop them- I’m not going to physically restrain someone!) Aibu that everyone has to join the back of the queue and wait? Or is sending a teen in to save a place ok? I heard no one else in the queue behind us confront them- although as was about 20 mins worth of queue I doubt would have heard people much further back.
yabu: it’s fine to save a place in theme park queue
yanbu: it’s pushing in and unfair

But as another another poster says, often the staff are inexperienced and make people with disabilities push past the main queue, rather than directing them to a different entrance.

But as another another poster says, often the staff are inexperienced and make people with disabilities push past the main queue, rather than directing them to a different entrance.

Sorry I missed this. We've never had to do that, didn't know it was a thing.

Merlin are clear that queue jumping isn't allowed.

We were at Paultons recently and there's lots of signs (a board type signs in middle of path) saying what queue jumping is - including holding spaces/etc to make it very clear that no form of queue jumping is allowed. Especially saw them near peppa pig section.

We sometimes travel with a relative entitled to a disability pass - we use the access card as proof and to date (Lots of merlin trips!) Have never had an issue. Usually a separate queue or go in via exit.

When we've joined 90+ minute queues in Alton Towers before, we've sent the kids to grab queue sustenance while we're still trailing halfway through the main plaza (beyond the actual zig zag queue area), so that no one dies of thirst. We're all riding and we take up the whole row anyway.

People clambering through the actual zig zag section is generally a no in my opinion. And we'd never "hold" the queue while someone is on another ride.

If I was an hour into the queue and someone in front of me left to go to the toilet, I wouldn't object to them rejoining. I'd object to multiple people joining one queue holder though. I don't think it's fair to expect me to start queueing again, alone, just because I have a weak bladder. If these places didn't let in more people than they can actually serve, we wouldn't have these issues. While we were there the Smiler queue was 2.5 hours long. It got to the point that we wondered if the kids had been abducted.

We've paid for queue jump passes before and people bitch about that too. Apparently it's immoral to pay for, and use, a provided service.

Thorpe park have a specific email address or phone number to report queue jumpers and also have sort of queue ‘police’ - last year when I was there they came charging through and stared at me stood in a (2 hour) queue with my niece and asked the people stood behind me if I’d pushed in! They said I hadn’t, that I’d been in the queue as long as them and we heard someone else shouting ahead of us in the queue about the people who had barged ahead of all of us 20 minutes before!
I say nothing to queue jumpers, what’s the point, everyone will have an excuse anyway. Just accept that some people have valid reasons and others are just chancers, I’m not prepared to ruin my day having an argument.

Don’t get me started with all the Brazilian tour groups at Disney World. God they’re loud, rude and annoying. Queue jumping all the time.

I remember waiting for a little train at a theme park when the kids were little, that probably carried about 25 people each turn. The queue was next to a grassy area with picnic tables. We waited while one train-full got on, then another train-full, and then finally we knew we’d get on the next turn, as there were only a few people in front of us.

As the train pulled up, the man in front of us called over to a huge family sitting at the picnic tables, and about 20 people joined him, filling the train again. I was furious, would have made a scene but I didn’t want to upset my kids.

Not a theme park but here was a huge queue at the top of Snowdon to reach the very top. No rules and no staff up there but anybody obviously queue jumping and was loudly booed and heckled by the queue!

The real question is why the parks cram so many people in that there that there's such stupidly long queues.

It is queue jumping and merlin do have a policy against it.

Fair enough leaving to use the loo and going back (although it's still against the rules according to a merlin passholder fb group I'm part of - this was a very recent discussion), no one begrudges people doing that as they'd have to push past everyone to leave the queue and so people would know they weren't just jumping ahead. But just joining others placeholding in the queue is not acceptable. And so annoying!

Merlin have recently outsourced the ‘proof’ element for their Ride Access Pass to Nimbus, who issue something called an ‘Access Card’.

Basically you submit all your info & documents online to Nimbus and they send you a card with a unique ID number and a selection (for all manner of disabilities - physical, learning, hidden etc) of symbols on your card that apply for you.

These can be used in many different venues and should be accepted at face value as proof. In the case of Merlin specifically, when you apply for your Pass you now link it to your Access card number, so you don’t need to ‘prove yourself’ all over again to Merlin. Once you have your Merlin pass, you join a separate queue for all rides, there’s no pushing your way through.

The Nimbus Access cards are valid for 3 years. No need to keep explaining yourself or carrying multiple documents about with you. They are gaining momentum/ recognition in their own right but still need the word spreading I think, as it’s such a good idea.

(I don’t work for them! I’ve just been to a Merlin park recently and thought it was a good system for getting your queue pass and am now busy discovering all the other things we can use our Access card for - Ticketmaster for example).

Yes paultons uses the access card too. It's brilliant!

I'm with you @Luckycatyellowsky There are rules Merlin ask you to follow and the queue jumping signs are very clear.

However, I think the fault lies with Merlin because they should employ staff to monitor the queues and do what you had to do.

And they should reinstate the free virtual queueing system they had years ago. I remember years ago running the length of Alton Towers at gates open to get virtual timed tickets for Air and Oblivion. But then Merlin realised they could charge for this...🤬

YANBU. As has been said, Merlin has a clear policy against this. But some people are wankers and to be honest I might not have tangled with them. Good on you for speaking out.

I had similar.
the parents were keeping space for the kids in the queue. I kicked off and then the man behind said oh let’s be kind!

they then tried to all get on the ride, BUT the woman who had insisted she wasn’t then tried to get on but was too fat to fit on 🤣😂

made my day

Not at all, queue jumpers are a pain in the neck in any situation. I love how there are always posters on MN who will excuse any anti-social behaviour, as long as they're not on the receiving end.

If her kids were already in a queue, and she was the only one joining them (as opposed to five extra people tagging along) then I think you were being unreasonable (and that's coming from someone who really dislikes queue jumpers and will call it out).

I recall years ago taking grandchildren to a local park with a big climbing/slide thing and a group of scotes were constantly pushing the smaller children to one side so we joined the queue with the chidren and created a wall, there was no way they would be doing it in front of us and they weren't happy.

What I don't understand is why the queues are so bloody long in the first place! The rides never last more than a couple of minutes. Surely there must be a better system eg ticketing or time slots like at DLP?!?

Don’t ever go to Paris Disney OP if you stress about queue jumping. The French are masters at queue jumping, and it drove me insane. They honestly don’t think there’s anything wrong in blatantly just pushing you out of the way. Spoilt the holiday for me…

I've been at Legoland for two days, OP, and it's been exactly the same. People going along the queue saying 'I just went to get ice-creams!', 'my family are up there', or just - nothing - oh, we'll all do that then shall we? It'd be fucking carnage if everyone was holding spaces left, right and centre. In previous times I'd have called the stupid twats out on it but now I have an 8 and 4 year old I feel like they don't need to see their Mum having a stand up row with other humans every five minutes on their holiday. And it would have been every five minutes. That said, now I know it's policy at Merlin I'll just be finding a member of staff...

This!!! Just let less people in you money-grabbing bastards. Over 60 minutes waiting for the most popular rides! Or you could pay £180 - FFS - for a pass to jump the queue. £180?!?!

It happens lots at legoland and no one complains. If its one or two rejoining their family I presume they needed the loo etc. I don't think it's worth spoiling the day getting stressed over it. It's only say person per queue. I wouldn't want to wait 60 mins for a loo break

On the flip side I was with a large group near the front or a large queue that we had already stood in for 45 minutes when DS age 3 desperately needed to wee. I took him quickly to the nearby toilet and tried to get back to our place in the queue and was harassed by numerous people in the queue. I wasn’t very impressed to be honest.

I think u were a bit ridiculous OP! Maybe she needed the toilet and told the others to go on ahead and she'd catch them up. Maybe she had to take stuff back to the car and said she'd catch them up? Maybe she was in a phone meeting and told them to go on ahead and she'd meet them in the queue as soon as she'd finished!

I think it's fine and you were 'that' person.

If one person had been in the queue ahead of you, and 20mins later 6 of their friends rocked up.to join them I might be a bit miffed, but one person catching up with the rest of their group? No issue!