Theme parks are ruined if you don't pay for a fast pass?

[Twoweeksinaugust]

AIBU to think it's hardly worth even going to a theme park on a sunny day unless you want to pay the £300 extra for a fast pass?
The queues are absolutely awful, and it's very hard for the dc to understand that although it looks like we'll be on the next turn, a dozen people come through woth a fast pass and teh queue doesn't move at all.
It just feels beyond the reach of a normal (but expensive) day out, and is now in the realms of a once every two years thing if you want to buy the passes?

That’s life I’m afraid. Money gets you places!

I don’t think they should have these fast passes.
Feels unfair and adds to the cost of an already expensive day out.
They purely exist to make the parks more money.

They'll never stop now that they're introduced them, looking around today I'm guessing they've made an extra 10k from passes today alone.

Yes but also the rap passes for largely minor disabilities...
I think thats worse because it means they buy season tickets and couldbe there constantly...

You are overdramatic. Do some planning, watch the queues on the apps and watch some shows when it’s busy. Or don’t go in August. Nobody is forced go on the weekend in the summer holidays.
recently went to Legoland, managed 8 rides, max time queued was 40mins.

Yes, try going on your schools inset day, that’s what we did.

Well yes. They aren’t charities

I totally agree with you - we’ve stopped going tbh because if you have children in school then weekends and school holidays are a nightmare. Even a fast pass usually allows you one fast go on each or some rides so that’s it. It’s extortion and the parks are over full. They are expensive to run and lost millions over Covid though so they are stuck too. A friend took my DS to Thorpe park the other weekend and so many rides kept shutting too. I know they can’t help it but it’s just another blow on top of an already very expensive day.

I have a really poor view of them these days. We used to go when I was a child and whilst there were queues they weren't hours long. We only went at weekends in the summer too.

I took my kids to one in May half term and it was a waste of time. Nothing was working properly and the queues for the ones that were were ridiculous.

I think it's only worth it on a weekday during term time but then I can't take my kids so they miss out.

There is a solution but it won't be happening because it won't make as much money so they will continue to fill the parks to capacity and advertise the fast passes knowing that frustrated people with money to spend will spend it.

Personally don’t think they are fair. Up the price for everyone and everyone queue the same.

It's a very expensive day out without any passes.
I think they should cap how many they let in. But ofcourse it's all about money.
We planned in term time rain day in April. Still mega busy still lots of queuing and some rides we just couldn't get on. It doesn't make it worthwhile spent money when you can only access a small amount of the park.

We prefer smaller theme parks like pleasure wood Hills far better value for money because you can get a chance to go on everything with manageable waiting times.

Of course they will cap. Safety.

It’s the August summer holiday. They have to leverage this being their busiest month to make up for the tumbleweed of other months

Never bought a pass. We do mostly go to European theme parks but was at Alton Towers one Sunday in July. Queues seemed fine. Walk on for a few things. Did 8 different rides and had multiple goes at Wickerman and Nemesis. Dc1 and his cousins packed even more in as they were just focusing on the big rides whereas me and dc2 also did the aquarium.

I can't see them rolling back on them now though. I imagine they bring in too much money.

Was at an amusement park in Finland recently and talking to a family that had come over from Britain, they said they much prefer to come here to go to amusement parks precisely because you don't get those issues here, even the most popular ride only had a 40 minute queue (and was only 40 minutes because we wanted to get the front seats which had a separate longer queue), everything else was 5-20 minutes, some we walked straight on. There was a fast pass system but it was only in use for a couple of rides and doesn't seem to be used much, only saw one couple come up on the fast pass line while we were waiting for the most popular ride. But the parks are smaller, not so many big rides, so its a trade off.

I remember we went to one park once during covid times when visitors were restricted and it was bloody brilliant, basically no queues for anything.

I took DD to Pleasurewood Hills when we were in the UK a few years ago, was brilliant, we went on the Cannonball Express, got off and ran back around to go back on again about 10 times in a row, didn't have to queue at all

Kindly, OP, these places are businesses and it’s long been the case that those with the deepest pockets tend to be those who prosper the most.

Yes we do this it's an excellent day out if you go as soon as the doors open you almost get the park to yourself till it gets busier.

Op many amazing theme parks don't need them. Europa park in Germany has amazing queue times 40 mins max mostly ,without using any special passes. It's far superior to any other then park in the UK and some say it's better than the huge us ones.

Other amazing theme parks are efterling in Netherlands /phanstia land Germany and Tivoli gardens Copenhagen

Go to efteling! Fantastic park, never queued more than 30 minutes even in August. I agree about UK parks in school holidays, they are also concrete deserts filled with wasps (I love a rollercoaster btw)

Lower the cap is what I mean so it's more enjoyable for all.

I've just looked at the list we kept for the two days (Friday and Saturday) at Legoland in June and we went on 31 rides plus time in the splash area and other non-ride activities like the clubhouse. No fast pass involved, and we had a wonderful time - I think 35 minutes was the longest queue. It's a once a year treat for us so we want to make the most of it.

Queue times at places like Disney put me off completely. A friend went to Disneyland and only managed a few rides because each had over an hour to wait.

Lots of people saying that’s just life and how it is but other countries manage to run theme parks without the same money grabbing mentality we have here. I’ve been to parks in several other countries that are clean, fun, busy but not hideously so and everything is much quicker. I don’t understand why ours are so shit in comparison!

UK Theme Parks are absolutely rubbish, been so disappointing to see Alton Towers run into the ground over the past 30 years. Long queues, rides breaking down, theming is terrible, food and drink options are shocking. I can just about tolerate it on an inset day.

We have visited a few European parks and they are worlds away...amazing theming, so many places to eat and drink reasonably. Loads of little fun filler rides. So mych cleaner! We went to europa park in peak August season in 35 degree heat. Was so shady, ice cream stands all around and about 3 euros for a cone and the longest queue for a big ride (silver star) was 40 mins. Highly recommend Europa Park, Phantasialand and Hansa park in Germany, Plopsaland in Belgium and liseberg in Sweden .

When you compare them to how Merlin runs Alton Towers and Thorpe park it is worlds away and I can't understand why Merlin cannot run them in the same way.

Yep.
We went to a theme park in Spain a few weeks ago on holiday. Waited in the sunshine for over an hour to discover the reason the queue hadn’t moved was because for every 1 person put through the “normal” queue, 10 people from fast pass were given.