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 said yanbu. For a long time I thought attitudes towards the disabled were improving, but a lot of people seem to have had an empathy bypass nowadays- it isn't just RAPs it's reasonable adjustments in the workplace, disability benefit, spaces on trains or buses for wheelchairs.

Having said that, I do think far more people are applying for and getting RAPs than the providers ever expected. Hence why Merlin were looking to tighten eligibility. This isn't to suggest people are playing the system, but I think eligibility is so wide that the providers struggle to manage it.

There should be virtual queues for everyone for all the main attractions, that would solve the problem immediately, PLUS they would most probably make more money as you'd most likely be doing other stuff eg lunch, gift shop, paid-for attractions, while waiting. I think that would massively off-set what they're currently making on the fast passes.

I personally have no problem with the RAPs, as I understand how they work ie the person has been waiting, just not lining up in the queue, and I'd rather someone who finds that difficult doesn't have to do it, but can still enjoy the ride.
Of course, the system is open to abuse, which is annoying and unfair.

I have occasionally bought the fast passes for us when we've gone on really busy days, especially if we're with friends who haven't been before, and each time I've thought this really should be how all the rides are managed, it just makes so much more sense.

To the people who are saying just don't go - wow. Just, wow. They're not making the queues any longer for anyone else, and life is harder in so many ways for them, who the fuck even cares if they are? Disabled children deserve some enjoyment in the very difficult life they lead.

But not only does that look like queue jumping it actually is queue jumping.

People without passes can't go and do something else while they are waiting in the queue - they have to stay in the queue.

(I'm not saying passes are a bad thing but it is queue jumping)

i can’t see they’ll ever introduce virtual queuing for all, though I’m sure they quite easily could. They make too much money on fast passes.

i was at Legoland last week and waited almost 2 hours for the sky lion (queue was advertised as 70 mins). I think roughly 70 people get on every 8 minutes or so. The reason rhe main queue was so long was literally half of each ride was made up of fast track/RAP. Fast passes were £16 per person for that one ride (and I reckon even fast passes were waiting 15-20 mins). I don’t know what % were RAP but if it’s half, that’s 15-20 people every 8 minutes paying £16 each, just on that one ride. Theres no way they’ll just create a way of everyone queuing virtually and lose this income.

As for the adult with ‘time blindness’ who couldn’t possibly manage if everyone queued virtually, presumably they have this same issue with RAP as it stands as you have to register then go away and come back later? Are all these adults missing these slots? Do they have phone alarms they could set to help them manage to get back to the ride they desperately want to ride on time?

You don’t register and come back later at the moment.

you enter park

choose first ride on app - example dragon fury. You click it and go to the ride. You then scan at the front of the ride which registers your ready to ride. The app has the current waiting time for that ride. You go on said ride then and then the app times out for the length of time you should have lined up for so say the line 60 minutes. You then not use the pass again for 60 minutes. When the 60 minutes is up the app resets and you pick your next ride.

Same. Queuing probably affects you once or twice a year. The well-being of your child affects you every day.

I am hoping to take my 2 to Disneyland Paris. I have MS and if I have a bad day I won’t be able to do it without the virtual queuing. I’m already stressing about the looks we’ll get it does put me off. The list of conditions they allow to use it with just a doctors note and it does seem pretty long… (lots of people in the world with type 2 diabetes- I’m totally ignorant re how disabling it is)
I think it’s worth remembering many of us don’t actually get any benefits at all, and would much rather not need the help.

Yes my DD doesn’t have a pass due to autism / anxiety or adhd etc

she has complex medical disabilities that just this year left her fighting for her like on a ventilator.

I would 100 percent trade a line pass for a cure

Disney land Paris have diff passes ( coloured )

that give diff levels of access.

They are given out much too freely now, on Disneyland Paris groups people are claiming them for all sorts of spurious reasons, they are rarely declined once applied for, reasons include diabetes, anxiety, OCD and ADHD. I really question why people are given passes for these reasons. My niece who has cerebral palsy and mobility issues was unable to get a pass at Alton Towers last year as they had already reached the maximum, so the use of the passes by people who don't really need them has a knock on effect on people who really do need them. Before anyone says but OMG they might have a hypo in line, so carry supplies, my mum is diabetic and it wouldn't even occur to her to apply to skip queues!

It might, or alternatively people are waiting around other areas spending money while they wait.

People would complain if RAP people got a fancy waiting room too. People complain. Most will mainly think that RAP people just jump the queue anyway. The issue is the physical queuing system is ridiculous. That's what needs fixing, not taking away accomodations.

You don’t get time slots with RAP at the moment. You just get timed out for the length of the queue but you can go to the next ride whenever you want after that time. You don’t have a designated time slot so you can’t miss anything.

What?

how do you think you know better why I'd need the pass than I do?

im certainly not able to be dashing off to other rides.

Sorry not read the whole thread but maybe some people don’t understand how it works. TBH I didnt until I read it on here that it’s a virtual queue but you wish the same time.

maybe there needs to be more education about it for those who don’t get it? A poster near the queues or something.

I think they’re great for people who need extra help to access things. It allows them to take part in the same things as others but in a way that supports their needs. Allows us all to take part in things we love.

Some of the comments on this thread are disgusting.

Those with access cards aren't skipping the queue, they wait the same time (sometimes more) but without the over stimulation of people being too close, noise and smells. Or people with bowel conditions can ride without having to hope they don't soil themselves while standing in the line.

Having an access pass makes life a little bit easier to experience the activities in theme parks etc.

Have some compassion/empathy.

You want to coral all the people with disabilities into a pen? And you can’t see any issues with this? 😂 And stop them eating or drinking anything because heaven forbid they get any enjoyment at all during this time.

The whole point for those with ADHD is that they don’t have to be still in one place just waiting - it’s not the standing up part of queuing that’s a problem, it’s the just waiting with nothing else to do! As well as the crowded, overwhelming nature of it (which presumably your holding pen would also be as it would be full of people!).

You can’t use the pass without the disabled person also going on the ride.

Im just curious about what’s unfair about being disabled?

I'm sure there any many disabled people that will happy swap places at the very least to not have uneducated and ignorant people staring and commenting things they don’t even understand.

let’s not forget it’s not disabled people using rap passes causing you to wait in long queues it’s Merlin over selling tickets and too many people on site. A lot of other sites manage access passes without all the complaints.

I don’t think a poster would help much. Because the fact remains there are a lot of people (not everyone no) that do use the “wait time” to go on other rides. I’ve seen it myself. It does happen. So in theory a family with a RAP could go on Nemisis, get timed out for an hour, then use that hour to queue normally to go on Smiler, then go to Galactica to use the RAP again, then get timed out for 1.5 hours, use that 1.5 hours to go on the runaway train etc etc etc.

So in theory, a family with a RAP could go on double the amount of rides. Again, before anyone starts, I’m not saying everyone does this, but SOME people absolutely do.

Can speak for all Merlin parks but we used this when we went to Legoland with severely autistic DS. Just thought it was worth pointing out-

• The ‘fast’ queue also includes all those who purchased fast passes, so you don’t necessarily know how many are disabled people using ride access, and how many have simply paid extra.

• when you purchase fast-track tickets at Legoland, there are different ‘packages’ to chose from. The most expensive lets you fast-track every ride with no limits. With the access pass you basically get the cheapest ‘package’ for free which meant we could only use it for a certain number of rides, and every now and then it would ‘freeze’ so there were intervals of time (think it was 30-60 minutes) where we were unable to use it.

i would also add I think the queue situation with Legoland is pretty disgusting on weekends/school holidays anyway. I understand they are a business but
charging people extortionate amounts for tickets whilst selling so many that people are going to get on 3 or 4 rides at most. I really think there should be a limit.

Hilarious that you're telling me to behave.

I didn't report your post which has now been deleted, so obviously not just me who thought it was nasty accusing people of pretending & MN agreed.

But I don’t really see the issue with that tbh. They’re still queuing. And most people with a RAP have different needs that mean their access to the world is often restricted/lessened anyway - so a few extra rides seems fine for the few that do use it.

for those who don’t will use that time to find some quiet, eat lunch which they may need extra help with (tubes, arfid etc) use accessible toilets (that take much longer and some are less dignified), regulate, maybe have a moment of distress….maybe have their pads changed by a carer. Parents/carers may often need to swap around for breaks, first aid, toilet breaks, record daily logs and notes (those in care/supported settings).

Ah yes, you're probably right. I went in 2022 so my memory is a bit hazy. We had Genie+ and just seemed to spend ages on the app trying to book rides. So, in answer to the PP who suggested virtual queues for everyone, I would probably find this annoying and not the answer to the problem (which is overcrowding).

Thank you.

its making me feel quite sad reading some of the jealous responses on here. it’s really disgusting.

It’s not just about noise, crowds or queues though is it? Or just about ASD. There are literally hundreds of conditions where standing and waiting is problematic. Or are you suggesting that people with disabilities shouldn’t go to theme parks?

My child is type 1 diabetic. When on his own out and about, he used to refuse to ‘queue jump’ until the time he had a hypo and ended up missing his turn having to come out of the queue to recover. He’d been waiting over an hour at that point. People with disabilities have enough to contend with - which you surely know - it’s not unreasonable they have the opportunity to virtually queue to make things a little easier.