AIBU to get my DD a fast track pass for a school trip to a theme park?

[Coconutmeg]

She's so excited to go, never been before, she's a bit of a thrill seeker and watches ride POVs on YouTube etc. I can't do spinning etc at all anymore. This is her opportunity to get on some rides with her friend.
Her friend has asked if she can get a fast track pass as her mum has said she can get one.
I am thinking of saying yes. But I'm uncomfortable about if that then becomes a bit of a haves and have nots with it being with the school trip.

In my experience the parks are the busiest at this time of year. Far busier than in school holidays. They are absolutely packed with school groups. Having accompanied a lot of these trips in June/July over my 15 years in teaching, it’s very common for students to only manage 2-3 rides because the queues are so long. If you can afford fast passes and they don’t have to go around in a group I would do it. They will have a much better day and I don’t see what harm it does if they would have been going round in a pair anyway and don’t have a less well off friend that they are excluding.

I will always pay to queue for less time if it’s an option, and I can afford it. I’ve never before considered it to be any sort of character flaw- I just don’t like queueing.

It is queue jumping. Essentially it says that if you have more money, you can push in in front of other people. I do think that's a character flaw. Worse, I think it's buying into the stupid parks being able to rip us off twice. What they are saying is, "this park is shit and overcrowded and you spend more time queuing than riding. We chose that for you, even though you've paid a shit ton of money for this shitty service. Give us more and we will give you a service that means everyone else has to wait longer". It's batshit but we all swallow it.

Since you’ve confirmed it’s Thorpe. It will be heaving, every school round here runs trips as end of term treats. Even fast track will be busy, especially as most rides share the same disabled fast track entrance. You may find they get more annoyed having wasted their money.

They won’t be supervised as such. Staff will tell them to meet back at the dome at a certain time. They’ll go off in their own little groups.

Absolutely pay for the fast passes. Theme parks will be busier now than in the holidays as so many schools will be doing trips.

Definitely get the fast pass do she can actually go on more than a couple of rides especially given your previous child's experience.

Do it. I've run a few theme park trips in activities weeks and the parks are rammed. Loads of kids buy them on our trips. They go off in small groups so it'll be fine.

I think you are right and a fast pass will be fine, but best to run it past school first of all.

DD went last year to Alton Towers and only got on 2 rides it was so busy. If she went again I would definitely get her a fast pass. She was disappointed with the queues and only managing 2 rides.

This would never have occurred to me but it does seem quite divisive.

Find out the rules the school will put on them. Eg if they have to stay in groups of 4+ then all 4 would need them.

It's not a character flaw to pay more for something to get a better service. I do it all the time if I believe it's of value to me. Everything else pretty much works on that basis too, first class seats on planes/trains, better seating at concerts etc. Others don't want to, fine, but I don't want to queue two hours for a ride when I can pay more and get on in 20 mins.

Anyway Op. TP will be heaving. If school say yes then go for it, just make sure they aren't leaving someone else in the group out (ie there are three friends and only two will have passes etc).

Find out why size groups they can go in, we used to say a minimum of groups of 4 that way if something happened injury etc. One person could stay with the injured person and two can walk to the staff liaison spot. Having only 2 fast passes wouldn't work in that case, if it's pairs then go for it.

Not with 7s and 8s. They'll turn feral at best, but at worst, that's exactly how kids have horrific accidents in theme parks.

DC1 went to a theme park with school this time last year and got on 1 ride. The park was rammed, it took ages to even get in and the queues were ridiculously long.

I'd definitely be tempted by a fast track pass should they ever go again with school.

I would totally do it if her friend had it. Unfortunately life isn’t fair and some kids might not have it but that doesn’t mean that I can’t buy it for my kid 🤷‍♀️

That's exactly how secondary school trips to theme parks work. The kids won't be any more feral than if they were taken round by a staff member.

They will have meet up points and specific times to check in but otherwise they will be free to go around unsupervised.

They won't have to be in groups of 3/4. They'll have a meet point and be turned loose. No teacher will be going around checking they're in their allotted groups even if they were meant to be in 3s or whatever! Def get fast pass, everywhere will be heaving for the next few weeks.

I will always pay to queue for less time if it’s an option, and I can afford it. I’ve never before considered it to be any sort of character flaw- I just don’t like queueing.

You're not a child, asking Mummy to fund your impatience, while the kids whose parents can't afford to fund theirs, have to learn to deal with it.

No-one turns up at a theme park and thinks 'Oh goody, a queue, that's wonderful'.

Queuing is part of life kids have to learn to deal with. Most kids would just be grateful to be going in the first place.

I’d let her get one. Just tell her not to be boasting about it.

We went to a theme park a few weeks ago which has a toddler theme park inside and there were loads of coaches with school kids on arriving and at the entrance. It didn’t affect us as we went in the toddler part but with the number of school kids there I’d imagine they’d have a lot of queuing to do for the bigger rides.

And now I'm thinking, what if I tell her "no" out of some sort of moral compass and a load of the other kids have them?
I will try and ask someone at the school. Thank you

My DS went to Alton Towers on an end of year trip. Literally every school in the north goes in the last two weeks of summer term. He got on one ride all day. I presume Thorpe Park is the same. I’d get the fast pass.

You're not a child, asking Mummy to fund your impatience, while the kids whose parents can't afford to fund theirs, have to learn to deal with it.

Ah? Parents fund everything their kids do, that's how parenting works. Are you one of those people that wants everyone to get a medal on sports day?
Life isn't fair, that's what they need to learn to deal with! I would quite like all the privileges that come with flying first class (so would my kids 😂) they won't be stamping their feet about it and crying it's not fair though 🤷🏽‍♀️ Same would apply if it was a school trip; your mates got designer luggage and loads of spending money and you haven't? Oh well!

I always pay for queue jumps, no point going otherwise. If you don't agree with the way a business is run, vote with your feet and don't go.

Are you one of those people that wants everyone to get a medal on sports day?

No, just someone who thinks kids should learn to queue at a place where queuing is expected, instead of breezing past the poorer kids who have to learn to do it anyway.

But it's the OP's call obviously 🤷‍♀️

You never pay for priority boarding at an airport then? Or a nicer hotel room? Or first/business class on a train? Paying extra money for stuff generally gets you a better experience. It might be unfair, but it’s pretty much a universal thing the world over.

I don’t earn a huge salary. I am very unlikely to have more money than someone who I might be ‘queue jumping’ at Thorpe Park (which is an expensive day out in itself), I’m just choosing to spend it on different things.

So you think her child should queue and just let others breeze past her instead, because that's what will happen.

These trips are extortionate as it's why would the OP pay so much to have her child ride potentially 1 or 2 rides if she could instead make the trip more enjoyable.

Life isn't fair, let's not pretend anyone would refuse to pay on principal for their child if they could afford it. You don't have to turn everything into an opportunity to try and teach them some sort of moral lesson.

This is such a dumb idea. And it's not about morality. She'll be there with her school friends and going on rides as a group. Unless she's happy spending the day essentially by herself, don't buy her a fast pass.

It's got nothing to do with being on an even playing field as you say..that's life some have more and others have less. The issue is only that the school will need to supervise the kids and keep them in their groups there will be no going off on your 'fast track'
@Coconutmeg are you really this silly to think a school trip is the time for fast track? Please ppl stop being so utterly ridiculous.