AIBU to think Merlin Ride Access passes are unfairly judged?

[Festivalfanatic]

We went to one of the Merlin parks Easter weekend and over the years I’ve seen many people get angry at Ride access lines and nothing has changed it seems.
this particular day it seemed everyone was on their high horse about it. Including one man exclaiming to his wife “ they let too many specials in “
then social media the last few days now the parks are open have loads of videos about RAP “ queue Jumpers “.

My DD has a RAP card and we wait just as long as everyone else sometimes longer than others to get on rides. It’s not instant access.

the pass times out for the length of time that the main line states and then you can’t use it again until it times back in. Then when it does time back in you have to go and scan in the ride you want and then there is also a line ( ok not as long as the main line ) but we will have to wait that amount of time anyway. Plus the waiting time in the RAP line. They do not let all the RAP line in its usually 1-2 at a time per ride. The rest is from the main line and then we get timed out for the length of time the queue indicates on top of the time we have already waited.
how would removing it or it not existing help the main line ? It would just actually make it longer so you would still be waiting averagely longer to ride anyway !
why do people judge it so much ?

what is the alternative ?

I have no idea, I haven't tried but I was looking into it when I needed a letter for my son and his GP was being slow. Fortunately, I got one off his GP in the end but I was considering just paying online. They do talk to you for a few minutes I think. My children all have diagnoses so it's not been an issue for me but as I said, I taught them to queue and to cope with life as best they can. Sometimes you just have to get on with things and you are doing them a disservice not teaching coping mechanisms and patience.

@TeenagersAngstthey just need to let fewer people into parks so they are not so ridiculously crowded.

👏 As someone who attended Legoland Windsor yesterday (hottest April day for 80 years) I absolutely couldn’t agree more! It was totally outrageous and extremely stressful (tho I suspect I’m autistic).

Bigger picture tho: in November 2019, a consortium comprising Blackstone, KIRKBI (the Lego family's investment vehicle), and CPP Investments acquired Merlin Entertainments. I suppose, by this stage, we should be accustomed to private equity firms exploiting us all (see also veterinary practices and the parlous state of the UK’s water industry). #latestagecapitalism, amirite?

Yeah. This..why can't you log into a ride, it tells you the length of time then it either issues you a time slot, and/or texts you X minutes before your slot so you can go queue. If you're not there in time then you get bumped back to the end. Or you have to re-log into that ride.

Behave. I am allowed to comment on the shitty system without you taking it as a personal attack, which it obviously wasn't.

I think that’s part of the issue.

I really struggle with being in crowds and it triggers a lot of panic for me and it’s not nice. But I would never dream of applying for a RAP.

For DS he can’t cope with crowds at all and it would lead to self harm and massive meltdowns. As much as I know he would love the rides even with the RAP as it is it would be pointless for him.

i don’t know what the answers are but a lot of people who really need it are exculded by the system as it is

Oh look, it's @Sirzy with a balanced view. 🤗💕

You're right in that you have no idea.

Private doctors cannot tell blatant lies no matter how much they charge for a letter.

To be honest I think this is the answer and we have a RAP

It definitely benefits those with conditions like ADHD more not to have to stand in a physical queue, as they basically can’t do this. But kids with this condition are massively drawn to places with rides as they have this dopamide deficiency which means they really crave this kind of excitement.

However it would shut up the moaners and make the whole experience better for everyone if they just rolled it out universally- I can’t see why this wouldn’t be possible.

They don’t do it because they make money from fast passes of course

Absolutely- any diagnosis from a dr will be genuine. You just pay to get it sooner.

💕some people are just nasty.

your DS shouldn't have to wait 1.5x the length of the main queue xx

It is enough. I know people who have done it specially for theme parks!

It's not hard to know what to say to get a diagnosis of anxiety.

DD wouldn't go to a theme park if you paid her! She hates crowds, has POTS, anxiety, and other issues. So she actively avoids any situation likely to cause issues. She is not disabled, just a bit challenged. I think too many people DO milk the systems in place for access things put in place for genuinely physically disabled.

She did try the sunflower badge for airports and undergrounds, but gave up, as noone gives a shit anyway. C'est la vie. You have to learn to get on with it, she has to commute, so it is, what it is.

This is from a thread in February. The evidence required is minimal.

A discharge letter from a hospital admission would have the correct info.
so not really sure I understand.

Sure you do, you're ignoring the rest of the post. A waiting list letter? Really? What if you end up diagnosed with nothing?

I didn't say that did I? I literally said they'd probably just say 'patient reports...' and I think that would be enough for a lot of things.

Did you read that at all? Take it in?

Wow.

Going to a crowded place and getting a pass to queue jump by saying you can’t stand crowds?!
is this correct?
how could you prove this?
why would everyone not just get a pass?

Exactly. There is no physical evidence for anxiety, especially not with a remote GP accessed by something like your Aviva health or BUPA cover. If you say you have panic attacks in crowds, what are they going to say? No, you don't?

Could you go and wait in a cafe or go have lunch somewhere whilst on site, or do you have to stand at the ride? I think if you are elsewhere but virtually queuing and then you walk up and straight on (if that’s how it works?) I can understand why people think you are queue jumping

My experience when ds was diagnosed with adhd ( he's also got asd) by the NHS, as a young teen, is that in his report it states he needs help in queueing, and that this can be used to prove disability in this.
We can, but never have, produced that for an access because he can queue. One of the reasons he can queue is because I worked really hard with him learning at Legoland from when he was tiny and we had an annual pass.

That certainly isn't saying every child could learn to do this, I have a friend whose dc is in her twenties and you still would not want to be next to her in a queue, but by extending it to people like my ds, they have made it harder for my friend's dc to access the rides.

So I do think it needs looking into as because too many people can use it, it's excluding the children for whom it was designed.

Edited to add: I don't think anything about queueing was mentioned at ds' assessment, and we certainly did not ask for it.

I think a lot of people assume you would need DLA/PiP paperwork or a blue badge but it's not stringent enough so you don't. And you can take up to three people on the ride with you. The family I know got one for their daughter so they can all use the system.

The thread is about why people are funny about the RAP and it is because it's abused (not by everyone obviously).

When @Festivalfanatic said "A GP is not going to forge documents".

You replied

"You can pay online for a GP letter. £50"

Thus heavily implying that they could infact forge documents...

Great minds have been wrestling with this issue for years. If the Disney company can’t solve it, no one can!

The problem, of course, is numbers. Seeing one disabled child plus family “jump the queue” so to speak - fine. There but for the grace etc etc. But if 50 families are brandishing passes, then - no matter how genuine each case may be - the people in the regular queue are going to be a bit hacked off.

Disney did crack down somewhat, reducing the number of people allowed to ride per access pass and making various disabilities non-qualifying.

I think the “anxiety” issue is what annoys people the most. An otherwise well adult who has got themselves - even driven - to a theme park and is happily going in restaurants, shops and less popular rides suddenly needing a favourable adjustment for a headline ride should not command a pass.