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?

A lot of disabled people use RAP passes so, just for that, your husband is being a dick. Those particular people will have been given a return time so have waited elsewhere and then come back. Whilst it looks like they’re skipping the line, the queue time has been altered accordingly to accommodate for this. Yes, there will be people who will pay but that’s their choice.

Ultimately, the only way round it is to go on a random term time day. I fondly remember going to Alton Towers one day and we rode all the big ones at least 5 times and left after only about 5 hours as we’d had enough 🤷‍♀️ Literally the only ever time we’d done that!

Some people can't afford to go to Thorpe Park at all. Is it unfair for you to go and not them?

Well, yes, it is, but that's a capitalist society for you. The only difference is the people who can't afford to go don't hang around by the gates staring at you and making you feel uncomfortable. Capitalism is largely made viable by the fact that they don't.

Basically is it unfair? Yes, of course, the same as everything is unfair. Why does he have a Mercedes and I have to ride a bike? I don't see any reason to single this out.

We did fast track for a birthday one year and it was well worth it - we’ve had passes on and off for years .

my advice for Thorpe would be to get there early to get through all the security queues before 10 so you get to the rides quickly at 10 and can probably get on 2/3 rides before the queues start building . Thorpe is quieter in the morning .

Also the first week of the summer holiday is normally quite quiet in my experience.

And would you think that's fair?

I can't afford to go to theme parks at all (not that I'm bothered, I don't do big rides and would rather pick my own eyeballs out with a rusty spoon than go) but you can be damn sure if I was going, I'd buy the fast passand wouldn't give a monkeys if someone wanted to judge me for that. Who wants to spend a fortune to stand in a queue?

In every area of life, including education and healthcare, housing and holidays, cars and clothes, restaurants and theatre seats, those who pay more get a better experience. Are the people who pay £150 per seat to see a big west-end musical "selfish and immoral" for chosing the seats in front of those who have paid less and get a less good view? Purveyors of these services and experiences tend to offer different grades to experience for different budgets, having estimated the size of the group of people likely to be willing to pay at each price point. A trip to an amusement park is not part of your inalienable human rights, so you have the freedom to either choose to pay for the level of experience you want, or to choose not to go. People who are richer than you are mot "selfish and immoral" for choosing something nicer than someone poorer than you can afford. There is no virtue worth admiring in those who choose not to, unless you decide to spend the money you could have spent on upgrading your experience to instead buy basic tickets for some deprived kids who otherwise wouldn't be going at all - if you spend the money saved on something else for you that you value, that's not one microjot more or less "selfish"

I doubt one fast pass person walking past you and your DH queuing in the normal line is picking up on your disapproval of a fast pass 😂
we got fast passes at Disneyland and it worked out to be more cost efficient, as we got to go on all the rides we wanted to in one day. If we’d not have done this, I reckon it could have taken three days to do it properly.

I agree with your husband.

I think it's pretty sad wealthier kids effectively push in front of kids who are less well off - or their parents at least. Particularly as ticket prices are super expensive.

It's sad. We should all just queue unless disability etc.

For context, RAP as distinct from Fast Track are only issued to disabled visitors, and the threshold to prove eligibility is high. The disabled person has to submit highly sensitive information to Nimbus Disability as a third party who will assess what, if any, adaptations the person is entitled to. This has to be done for every visit unless you are willing to pay for an access pass. It's one of many, many admin tasks that disabled people and their carers have to undertake in order to be able to access everyday places.

Frankly, it's completely inappropriate that OP brought RAP into this at all. Merlin cap the number of RAPs to ensure that there isn't a disproportionate impact on queues. The issue here is with paid for fast track.

If he thinks fast track is unfair, then he’d be horrified at the VIP tickets at universal studios in LA. We knew this was a one and done visit in our lifetime so decided to spend the money. There isn’t always a separate fast track queue. You have a guide who literally pushes through the queues to get you to the front. Was part comedy, part awkward as we just skirted past all the adults and children. Totally worth it though as we got to do all the rides.

Perhaps it’s better to reframe it as:

”people who only go the once for special occasions can afford the money to pay for fast track”

and “people who can afford an annual pass and live close enough can afford the time to go frequently”

different ‘affords” but equally fine

I agree. We tried to go to a theme park last year, no fast track as it was extortionate and it was a total waste of time. It was really hot, only managed about four rides across the whole day, the kids were miserable, never again 🤣

This is a distinct possibility on a busy day. It's like the fast track boarding passes that Ryanair and other budget airlines sell. I've seen them call those passengers forward and everyone except about 6 people step forward and join.. the same sized queue it would have been anyway. Imagine that when you've paid £200 extra.

Why is it any more immoral than paying for access to the park in the first place, when some people can’t afford to do the same?

We all decide what we choose to spend our money on - the people judging you for paying for fast track at Thorpe Park could have a bigger TV than you or more expensive holidays, or they could send their children to private schools. I don’t see it as being any different from an airport. I always pay for fast track through security, but don’t care about priority boarding as I always take check in luggage.

A friend and I were once the only two people on a Ryanair flight NOT to have priority boarding. We sat trying not to laugh as everyone else queued at the gate, and then after they’d got on, we boarded and sat together on the half empty flight.

So with that thought process..

I can't afford to take my kids at all, so it's pretty sad that wealthier kids go at all and is unfair...

Or, we could accept that's it's a premium service offered and people are going to rightfully use it.

I think you can tell people's true politically leaning from their views on theme park queues. Lean to the left everyone pays the same to get in so should have equal access, lean to the right people who can pay more can get a better experience.

My teen LOVES Thorpe Park and has been many times on the busiest days (e.g Frightnight) and she always gets the fast track and gets to do everything several times. Although some rides have single rider queues which are also good. I think it's silly to spend the day queuing endlessly for a small number of rides. It's really not an enjoyable experience.

But is your son quite a daredevil as the rides in Thorpe Park are quite scary! Too scary for me anyway.

We used fast track last year for my son's birthday at Alton Towers and they were worth every penny. We were in a different queue to people with RAPs and they took priority which I would expect. You did have to queue sometimes as they were good at not just filling the ride just with fast track tickets, for example on The Wicker Man each carriage had 6x fast track tickets allowed on and the rest was from the main queue. I wasn't aware of anyone judging us for using them, and I don't judge others either it's not like you are just pushing in. I pay for security fast track in airports and it's no different.

Also Thorpe Park has many deals on (2 for 1 tickets and discounted tickets). Have a look for those.

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.

Please don't equate disabled people with a RAP with disability-less people choosing to pay for a fast pass. RAP users still have to wait the same amount of time as the standard queue, they just don't have to do it while standing in the queue itself. It's not a fast pass you still have to wait the same time between rides.

And Merlin now restrict how many RAP users can book in a day, so it's not RAP users who are causing the long queues. A family member has autism and rollercoasters are his autistic special interest. The family have paid for the most expensive Merlin annual passes so they can go for the maximum amount of visits, but still can't go if the RAP passes have sold out on a given day as he wouldn't be able to cope with queueing.

I feel your pain with being gouged for more ££ after paying out for tickets, but it isn't disabled people causing the issue.

I think it's the act of children seeing other children jump the queue. I guess I find the inequality sad at such a young age. It's so prevalent in every other area of life.

It's a premium service but it's at the detriment of others.

If I could choose I would remove fast track all together. Children queue together. Families queue together. Everyone has a nice time. Queuing.

Except for those with disabilities.

But some people live nearly so can visit often. Other have the annual passes so can pop in when they feel like it and don’t worry about having a full day out. Others it is a once in a lifetime day out so they only have that one day to do everything. It isn’t as simple as wealthier people pushing in front of others.

Not everyone who lives near has an annual pass. If they do I'd say that they are in the wealthy camp.

I think everyone should get to go on circa 10 rides a day, wherever you live, whatever ticket you have as opposed to some 4 and others 16.

That being said I'm not that passionate about this 😂 So I am going to duck out of the thread 😊