To think the fast track queues at Thorpe park are unfair?

[NameChangedSummer]

Disagreement with DH.

we have an annual pass for Chessington and I don’t mind waiting there as we can easily go another day. However on a busy Saturday there are so many RAP users and Fast Track that the main queues can take 2 hours and move very slowly. As I say i don’t really mind as are annual pass holders but the young DC get quite impatient! DH does get annoyed that people can pay to literally queue jump.

However, DS has just reached 1.4m and is desperate to go to Thorpe Park in the Easter holidays for his birthday (the ticket being his main 10th bday gift). It will be his first time, the only time he goes this year, we won’t be buying annual passes. I’ve looked and for £200 (x2) we can buy a ‘ultimate’ pass that would allow fast track to every ride and very little queueing. We can afford this and I think it would just make the whole day so much more enjoyable and special for DS’s 10th Birthday, rather than queuing all day and getting on a handful of rides.

DH however thinks that people who pay to queue jump are dicks and it just makes it worse for the main queue on busy days, so is very reluctant and just wants to get a normal ticket and deal with the queues. And put the money towards a Merlin pass next year when the younger DC is taller and we can just do more often.

is DH being unreasonable to say they are unfair?

I think you need to view this through a different lens. It’s not queue jumping, it’s paying extra for an enhanced service. I pay for priority airport security and I’m in a different, shorter queue. There’s no moral imperative. Like a pp I’d pay purely so I got better value for my money by not spending half the day in queues.

I don’t see anything wrong with paying for fast passes. If you can afford to, why not? 🤷‍♀️

They are brilliant, I would rather go half as often but with a fast pass. It is a bit awkward when they seat you on a ride with people who have queued normally though!

Yeh it's not going to alter their policy if you don't get the passes. Let your husband not get one and wait in the longer queue if he's so passionate about it.

Why? They are paying for the privilege.

i don’t do it as I hate rides so don’t go to theme parks. But if it is offered then people choose to pay.

Life isn’t ’fair’ - I also can’t afford a mansion or fancy car. I don’t think it is immoral that other people can and do

6

Makes me think about this episode of Blackish

You get what you pay for - some people can afford fast track, some people can only afford basic tickets, some people can't afford a theme park ticket of any description.

While there are people willing to pay £200 for a fast track ticket, the parks will sell them - it's about profits, pure and simple.

If you don't like it, vote with your feet as a fall in profits would be the only reason for them to change the system.

I saw this happen in Legoland last summer. It was quite fun watching the fast trackers chafing with impatience in the long fast track queue.

Why was it fun?

If your going to book fast passes do it soon as they increase the price depending on demand.
Have you looked up the merlin or Thorpe fb pages as last couple of years had loads of complaints due to paying and still waiting longer than expected due to increased use of Rap passes.

I used to work at Chessington WOA back in the 90s and the queues were ridiculous then. I don’t think paying to queue jump was a thing though. I would definitely do it if I could. Especially after reading the pp whose family only got to go on 4 rides all day!! I’d be so annoyed so I’d just pay the extra.
In my day it cost 70p for a small cup of coke! I shudder at what everything costs now!

Yes, we all get that they’re paying for it. But it feels inherently wrong, and I say this also as someone who could afford the fast passes.

I agree with your husband actually about the fast track
I don't think it's right that you can do this

If I'm driving for hours with kids to an amusement park, I'm getting fast track, I'm not going to queue under the sun or rain for hours, I'm saving the time for a nice meal after the rides. Much prefer to have a great day out. If saving money is a priority, why go there in the first place?

You do get the whole performance, but sometimes you are standing (and for a four-hour performance that's not nothing), and/or sometimes you are behind a pillar, and/or sometimes can only see half the stage.

Poulton do, but only for disabled

You are not queue jumping. You are paying to join a shorter queue.

Life is unfair and full of occasions where you can pay for privilege. E.g. Why is it OK for you to pay to go to a theme park when others can't afford it? Why can you drive there when others take the bus or walk? Will you be able to buy the overpriced food?

We all draw the line somewhere between what we think is acceptable or not but it's usually quite arbitrary And highly subjective. As far as unfair is concerned this is quite low on the list, I think especially considering thst if you don't buy the fast track pass the advantage to the other visitors will be totally negligible.

Pay for the fast pass. Theme parks and generally awful places if you don’t pay for the extras.

The second to last time I took my children to Chessington it was an INSET day and they still only got on 4 rides. Last time we went I paid for the cheapest queue jump option (where you book a time to go on one ride at a time and queue for others in the meantime) and they went on everything.

It does feel unfair but equally overall we got so much more for our money - going to a theme park is a special treat so when we spent £200 to go on four rides that felt like a colossal waste of money versus paying a bit more and actually getting value from it.

It is insane to me that people queue..with kids...Two hours !!! Even 30 mins is too much

Stop.giving these awful companies your business

The other problem with it is that at some places the fast track queue is the same queue as for those with additional needs who are less able to queue, and it increases queue times for those people

Your DH is the dick.

People are just upgrading and paying for a quicker service.

selfish and immoral 😆

That’s just life ! I chose to always glamp at music festivals now cus I can’t be fucked to carry a tent and all the stuff and have to pitch the thing and find a spot ! That could be seen as unfair that I get a nice cosy place to sleep each night and lovely showers etc - but I chose to spend my money on that

we got past track passes at Disneyland Tokyo too cus I just couldn’t cope with the queues

some people pay for fast track at the airport,or to board the plane first 🤷‍♀️

There's absolutely no way I'd be going to a theme park on a Saturday or a school holiday. Just go on a random Tuesday in May.

i do wonder how this works, if they can fill every ride with fast track and disabled (i assume both get equal priority access whether merged or separate) , does that mean the main queue would never move....