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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Theme park queue jumpers

137 replies

Luckycatyellowsky · 14/04/2023 16:20

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

OP posts:
Bagpuss2022 · 15/04/2023 21:47

It’s a pain but also on the flip side my son has type 1 diabetes and a stoma bag, we went to Alton towers last year and he refused to get the “disability pass” as wanted to be like everyone else
he had to leave the queue to empty his stoma bag as the ride length was 120 mins the abuse he got trying to get back to us A fully grown woman and elderly man screaming at him and grabbed him.
Needless to say after that we went and got a “disability pass” and had no qualms getting one in Disney world last year.

PrincessHoneysuckle · 15/04/2023 21:50

Not the point but fucking hell the vampire ride a CWA is scary as shit.Never again!

Changechangechanging · 15/04/2023 21:50

Hmm….my child went to a theme park this week and we unfortunately didn’t have the correct paperwork to hand to prove his disability (they had changed what they required since his last visit and required a 7 day lead in to sort it and he decided to go the day before he actually went). So yes, he did this with his friends and was shouted at for it by one man. Fortunately, the staff member was fab when he showed them his tech and realised that he would have had a fast pass if he’d thought ahead of time so he sorted it (which the people on the entrance had refused to do, I might add).

Whilst I understand your frustration, OP, I am afraid not all conditions or situations are understood by the general public (said man told my son people with disabilities had no place in a theme park) and even if they were, people shouldn’t have to explain themselves to strangers nor potentially open themselves up,to further abuse.

L1ttledrummergirl · 15/04/2023 21:51

That happened to us at Thorpe park bit with students, one of whom knew the law as he was "a first year law student". I objected and they got mouthy.

I complained to every employee we passed and when we got to the ride they were made to disembark having just settled in. They also said that they hoped I would die and leave our dc as orphans so the staff offered to have them escorted from the park (I said no, just for them to stay away from us).

Yanbu.

randomfemthinker · 15/04/2023 21:52

I would be fine with leaving a queue to go back into it over people there already from the same family/group as people might need to use the loo or get a drink during the wait? I mean what would happen during The Queue at the time over the Queen or any other event were people stood in line or camped out for hours or whatever? Surely it's okay just to let people back in? Or over family who got in line a bit faster?

woodhill · 15/04/2023 21:56

Yanbu

I remember being in animal kingdom in Florida and queued with my8 year old son for a ride that was only a couple of you at a time, a group of teenagers pushed past. There had been one of them queuing which isn't right imo

Weedoormatnomore · 15/04/2023 21:58

Luckycatyellowsky · 14/04/2023 16:37

It was a merlin place- Chessington world of adventures. Vampire ride to be precise. I couldn’t see anything about it in their online terms and conditions though.

We did that ride and had 2 hr queue. By park rules they where queue jumping. And could have been evicted from park.

StepAwayFromGoogling · 15/04/2023 22:00

randomfemthinker · 15/04/2023 21:52

I would be fine with leaving a queue to go back into it over people there already from the same family/group as people might need to use the loo or get a drink during the wait? I mean what would happen during The Queue at the time over the Queen or any other event were people stood in line or camped out for hours or whatever? Surely it's okay just to let people back in? Or over family who got in line a bit faster?

Well, yes, but what if everyone started doing it?! Every other person in the queue would be popping out for a wee or a coffee or some food or a fag or... I was busting for a wee waiting for the titting flying lion ride yesterday so... I held it. Appreciate a 3 year old can't but then surely you just go down the queue saying 'needs a wee!' and come back again? So everyone who saw you go sees you come back? We'd been queuing for over 20 or 30 minutes before some of the CFs turned up to queue jump. They hadn't 'popped out' for anything.

LotsOfBalloons · 15/04/2023 22:00

Merljn/paultons are strict about not letting people back in the queue because if they aren't everyone starts to claim "I'm just catching up with my kids/going back to my spot."

So they have a clear blanket ban which makes sense and is why the OP and other posters have said this is how it works at Merlin. No queue jumping of any form.

StepAwayFromGoogling · 15/04/2023 22:03

L1ttledrummergirl · 15/04/2023 21:51

That happened to us at Thorpe park bit with students, one of whom knew the law as he was "a first year law student". I objected and they got mouthy.

I complained to every employee we passed and when we got to the ride they were made to disembark having just settled in. They also said that they hoped I would die and leave our dc as orphans so the staff offered to have them escorted from the park (I said no, just for them to stay away from us).

Yanbu.

Oh I WISH you'd had them escorted from the park. The karma.

LotsOfBalloons · 15/04/2023 22:06

Here's a photo. They're everywhere at merlin. Wish I had one of paultons ones. They had boards everywhere too!

Theme park queue jumpers
BettyOBarley · 15/04/2023 22:11

It hasn't changed! Still terrible there for it.

BettyOBarley · 15/04/2023 22:12

BettyOBarley · 15/04/2023 22:11

It hasn't changed! Still terrible there for it.

Sorry, that was supposed to quote the person who mentioned queue jumping at DLP!

randomfemthinker · 15/04/2023 22:21

Everyone doing it at the same time would be chaotic but mostly I think it's good to rely on trust or over a lot of people being in the same queue the same time, we just take note of who is in front or behind and not mind them needing to pop to the loo or whatever. I have found it rare everyone does it the same time. Social acceptance would be better over waiting even longer over people who HAVE waited and needed to step out for some reason for a while?

AliceMcK · 15/04/2023 22:34

I’d ask on the merlin pass holders fb page, if it’s definitely not the norm/acceptable they will definitely tell you how to deal with people like this.

Personally I’d be pissed off. I think in some circumstances it’s fine, someone nipping to the loo, especially kids. I’d be ok with one person having a place saved or it was obvious to everybody around there were places being saved, example, my kids getting tired after a long day at a comic con, wanting to sit down, something to eat, needing a pee, kept running between me & dad who was staying with our youngest who was too little for the experience. All the others in the queue were in similar situations, we were all chatting, parents tag teaming and kids only joining in the queue at the end where the situation was visible. That I don’t mind, but several people pushing through a group of people willing to patiently wait an hour for a ride would probably piss me off.

Bluehasnoclue · 15/04/2023 23:07

I actually used to work there & in the rides team when I was a lot younger & worked for the parent company more recently. Space saving/queue jumping is against the rules.

Easier said than done but in the future if you make a member of staff aware (with a description of the queue jumpers) they can call/radio security or refuse to allow the people on the ride. I used to operate Vampire and called security plenty of times when this was reported, especially if the people doing it were being aggressive/rude. Appreciate you may not want to do this & shouldn’t have to but it can be done.

I hope it didn’t ruin your day too much!

Whatevercanbedone · 15/04/2023 23:13

When I read title I thought the theme park was selling jumpers in the queue.

'I came to Thorpe park and all i got was this waiting in the queue Jumper' type thing

Phantomime · 15/04/2023 23:19

Livelovebehappy · 15/04/2023 21:30

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…

That’s the complete opposite of my experience a few weeks ago. There was only one instance of attempted queue jumping all week and it was on the Buzz Lightyear ride. The two girls who’d tried it were firmly put in their place by the French family behind us.

DD has done AT today and said it was hell on earth (I did warn her). Apparently the disability access lines were almost as long as the general lines and there were many complaints.

Blahdeblahaha · 15/04/2023 23:35

Just want to say as a single parent of young kids, it used to drive me nuts when people would leave the queue with their children citing 'they need the toilet/drink' etc as I couldn't leave my DC in the queue if I wanted to go anywhere or leave one of them in the queue if the other did so why should others...if you are that disorganised that you can't go/get what you need before joining and that be sufficient for the duration, then you have to leave the queue rejoin as I would have to.

Frabbits · 15/04/2023 23:49

YANBU.

Once you leave the queue you fucking rejoin at the back. If you need to rejoin people further forward they go back in the queue.

No ifs, no fucking buts.

SoCalLiving · 16/04/2023 05:04

We currently live near to a Disneyland and go often. Queue jumping is sadly a fairly common thing at theme parks and I think it’s really rude. It’s one thing if you/your child needs to leave the queue to go to the bathroom and I think that should be allowed, but it’s very rude to have less than 50% of your party join a ride queue and the rest of the party hop the line later!!

For me I think a thing that could help is if you leave the queue an attendant gives you a ‘pass’ that means when you come back they’ll let you ‘jump the queue’ and join your party.

I’m honestly really glad and envious you stood up to them and said something. People will keep doing it if they think they can get away with it!

Judgyjudgy · 16/04/2023 05:08

I think this is a tough one, in some ways I think it's ok. It's like when you save the place, it's slightly dubious but not all out unethical. I've done it before, and it doesn't bother me when someone else does it. If someone actually pushes in though, then I will get annoyed and say something

Phoebo · 16/04/2023 05:10

SoCalLiving · 16/04/2023 05:04

We currently live near to a Disneyland and go often. Queue jumping is sadly a fairly common thing at theme parks and I think it’s really rude. It’s one thing if you/your child needs to leave the queue to go to the bathroom and I think that should be allowed, but it’s very rude to have less than 50% of your party join a ride queue and the rest of the party hop the line later!!

For me I think a thing that could help is if you leave the queue an attendant gives you a ‘pass’ that means when you come back they’ll let you ‘jump the queue’ and join your party.

I’m honestly really glad and envious you stood up to them and said something. People will keep doing it if they think they can get away with it!

I haven't been, but I think you can buy passes like this at Disneyland.

SoCalLiving · 16/04/2023 05:31

You can get a Disability Pass if you’re not able to physically stand in line and they do Rider swap if you have multiple kids including some that can’t ride but nothing (at least not the one by us no idea about the other parks) like a pass if you need to leave and re-enter. Maybe you’re thinking of their Fast Pass/Genie+ thing where you pay for a shorter line?

But honestly if I’m wrong forgive me!

Imisssleep2 · 16/04/2023 05:50

Well done for confronting them, i dont think i would have had the balls although i would have been pee'd off by it. The only reason i could think would be okay for this in my eyes is due to the large queue length they may have needed the toilet and just gone thete quickly and didnt think many people would have joined after their kids in order to rejoin? Serious benefit of the doubt there tbh