People know that they are buying a takeaway though, they aren’t expecting to sit inside at the moment.
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What changes to operations should we expect post Covid-19?
djtruefitt
TS Team
Some of the sit down restaurants are open at towers, woodcutters and fried chicken co are certainly open, as is RCR and I believe burger kitchen. Not sure on pizza pasta as it was closed completely on my visit last week.
Steve74
TS Member
When I went the other week, the queue for Fried/Just Chicken in X Sector was right around the back of the building almost curving round the other side of it. We saw the QR code for the order system and ordered on the website. Picked our collection time (earliest was 20 mins from point of ordering) then went and collected it from the entrance door where a member of staff let you in. It felt like Fast track for food! And the queue was not 20 mins long, easily 30 or 40.
My only gripe was it was a limited menu on the app - but that could've been the same ordering over the counter - and there was nowhere to apply MAP discount that I could see.
So if one good thing comes out of this pandemic, it's ordering on the app and collecting at your chosen time. Perfect if you're in the Smiler queue and you order your food for collection for when you get off it. Or indeed if you're in another area of the park and you order it to be ready when you arrive there.
imanautie
TS Member
They do map discount at woodcutters but you have to show your pass to staff to get given a promo code.
Steve74
TS Member
But then that almost defeats the object of using the app! Surely, the promo code should ideally accept a MAP membership number as a promo code.
imanautie
TS Member
Im guessing they want some way to guard against pretending to have a pass to get a discount.
djtruefitt
TS Team
It’s the only reason I’ve not bothered using the website to order as you can’t get discount, they could add it on there as dragon bar has it, but you have to ask at the bar and the code changes.
also the menu is limited this season in fried chicken, it’s pretty much just a few burgers and boneless chicken meals now.
also the menu is limited this season in fried chicken, it’s pretty much just a few burgers and boneless chicken meals now.
Steve74
TS Member
True, but you have to create an account to use the Just Chicken app, so wouldn't be hard to link a MAP number to that account and get it verified at the point of account creation, then verify it each time an order is placed.
It was too late by the time I realised you couldn't get discount and didn't know about seeing a member of staff for a code, plus I was bl***dy starving!
imanautie
TS Member
From what I've been told previously about the platform they are using(preoday) it's fairly limited on what discounts venues can offer.
I bet it's the cheapest platform they could get setup...
Themeparksandy1981
TS Member
What a joke this 2m rule is on some rides and attractions.
Like on 13 they had 2 crowd control members of staff outside the attraction and asking everyone to keep 2m but by the time u got into the main queue the markers had worn away and cause of the cattle pen queue line there was always someone by the side of you. Couldn’t understand why there was only boarding up to block guests from the fast track and disabled queue but none in the main queue. Then the queue didn’t move cause they took 4 from the main queue and split the rest of the train (minus the 6 seats at the back) between the Fast track queue which is fair as they paid to jump the queue and the disabled queue can’t understand why there not a rule saying a disabled person and 2 helpers only but there was 6 of them.
The sea life centre was the worst. Told the rules at the entrance but there was 2 slow families in front of me which caused a bottle neck with the Skeleton room full of guests with staff having no clue what to do. Many gave up and just pushed past guests. Staff went ahead and just asked the guests in front if they could move more quickly as they were taking selfies and pics of every fish. I thought there a gonna be a fight in there as staff asked a group to split into 2 as there was 8 of them.
Wicker man guests were keeping 2 m apart but was a nightmare at night as you couldn’t see the marking clearly and many groups were talking to each other in the queue to the sides again couldn’t understand why there was only boarding up on the fast track and disabled queue only.
Even getting food at the burger kitchen in mutiny bay ordering food was no problem but the till and mobile orders were just standing next to each other waiting for there food and there was many just waiting in this area eating.
Even when walking to the park everyone was grouped together to we got to the entrance when members of staff put us into groups and told to keep 2m for our tickets to be checked then given a row number for temperature check and bag check then tickets scanned and in.
It was the same walking back people running and pushing past so they could get back to the car quicker. Most of it was down to the guests and may times I seen staff had to tell guests to wear a mask.
Like on 13 they had 2 crowd control members of staff outside the attraction and asking everyone to keep 2m but by the time u got into the main queue the markers had worn away and cause of the cattle pen queue line there was always someone by the side of you. Couldn’t understand why there was only boarding up to block guests from the fast track and disabled queue but none in the main queue. Then the queue didn’t move cause they took 4 from the main queue and split the rest of the train (minus the 6 seats at the back) between the Fast track queue which is fair as they paid to jump the queue and the disabled queue can’t understand why there not a rule saying a disabled person and 2 helpers only but there was 6 of them.
The sea life centre was the worst. Told the rules at the entrance but there was 2 slow families in front of me which caused a bottle neck with the Skeleton room full of guests with staff having no clue what to do. Many gave up and just pushed past guests. Staff went ahead and just asked the guests in front if they could move more quickly as they were taking selfies and pics of every fish. I thought there a gonna be a fight in there as staff asked a group to split into 2 as there was 8 of them.
Wicker man guests were keeping 2 m apart but was a nightmare at night as you couldn’t see the marking clearly and many groups were talking to each other in the queue to the sides again couldn’t understand why there was only boarding up on the fast track and disabled queue only.
Even getting food at the burger kitchen in mutiny bay ordering food was no problem but the till and mobile orders were just standing next to each other waiting for there food and there was many just waiting in this area eating.
Even when walking to the park everyone was grouped together to we got to the entrance when members of staff put us into groups and told to keep 2m for our tickets to be checked then given a row number for temperature check and bag check then tickets scanned and in.
It was the same walking back people running and pushing past so they could get back to the car quicker. Most of it was down to the guests and may times I seen staff had to tell guests to wear a mask.
Steve74
TS Member
Regarding the cattle pen queues, there should never be a situation where you are next to someone who is on the "other side" of the queue because the markings are spread out to avoid this - eg one marker at each end and one in the middle of one of the sides meaning diagonally, you're 2 or more metres apart. I agree that some of the markings are faded and difficult to see in the dark, but we've all been doing this 1m/2m distancing sometime now everywhere else, so how hard is it to keep your distance even if you can't see a marker? It's not that difficult to estimate 2 metres (two large adult paces?) and it's not like at 1.99m you're at risk but 2m you're safe so a good estimate is fine.
End of the day it is common sense; unfortunately many people lack that these days and expect the state, companies and other people to tell them what to do, what is safe and what is not safe etc all the time. I saw a poster in a public toilet the other week (not Towers) saying what you shouldn't flush down the loo. I mean, if you can't work out that plastic bottles shouldn't be flushed down a toilet, should you even be using a toilet by yourself?!
John
TS Member
Lack of visible markings in queues is an issue as people completely forget about keeping distance in all directions and not just forwards-backwards. You'll be standing where your supposed to but then people stand right next to you because everyone on the other side of the fence is guessing how far apart they should be as the markers aren't clear enough. Towers should have thought about night time operation as they really haven't made it easy for people.
I'm not so bothered on paths. I'll generally not get super close to those around but I'm not going to get stressed out about how close someone going the other way gets.
I'm not so bothered on paths. I'll generally not get super close to those around but I'm not going to get stressed out about how close someone going the other way gets.
Steve74
TS Member
Maybe, but other than florescent paint or lighting the areas where there is a chevron I don't know what they could do. Considering every other person is looking at their phone in the queues, it doesn't take too much effort to shine your phone to the floor or put the flash on to see where you're going! Take the Mine Tours queue. The tunnel was totally unlit except for an orange light at the exit. Don't know if that is by design or if a light had failed. But either way, I just put my flash on (as did a couple of others) just to see where I was going; it's not hard.
Yes, Towers has responsibility to encourage social distancing but there comes a point where it also comes down to personal responsibility, much the same as health and safety in general.
Skyscraper
TS Member
Spot on. No matter how many signs you put out it doesn't mean people will follow them.
Swarm Chris
TS Member
Should be worth remembering that businesses now have a legal responsibility to ensure they are COVID Secure, with options for criminal prosecutions available to authorities for those businesses who do not. Making sure all customers are social distancing is one requirement for COVID Secure.
So in the instance of people not being able to see distancing markings within a queue line, I would say that what the operator should be doing is making them visible. If they can't make them visible, don't use that queue.
So in the instance of people not being able to see distancing markings within a queue line, I would say that what the operator should be doing is making them visible. If they can't make them visible, don't use that queue.
Steve74
TS Member
Yes of course companies should be held account should they not be making any things Covid-safe, but I'd like to think a few faded or dimly lit chevrons in an otherwise very good Covid-safe theme park wouldn't be deemed a huge problem meaning Towers ending up in court over it. Seeing pictures and videos from Thorpe from the last few days on the other hand...
Swarm Chris
TS Member
I mean, I take a fairly hard line opinion on this. I would view that they should be doing things everywhere where required - and if there's an area where something doesn't work, fix or close it.
In my hard-line view, it would be like saying, well 3 out of 4 seatbelts work.
imanautie
TS Member
Even in say samurai where the team try very hard to get people to social distance people just ignore staff, I'm not sure if there's a way to remain open legally when people are ignoring staff and causing such a hazard.
I have it nearly every single ride on SAW where even when I'm only rocking very slightly I still end up with someone walking into me...
jon81uk
TS Member
If it is outdoors then the risk is lower and people need to stop being selfish and actually follow the advice and keep 2m apart.
Indoors I think it is on the company to enforce capacity.
imanautie
TS Member
Realistically what can merlin do when people ignore staff, just lowering the capacity doesn't make it covid secure if those allowed in ignore staff sometimes actively so.