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Ride Access Pass and Disabled Access - 2024 Discussion

Really is sad that Alton can't implement a rap system where the younger people are unattached to the older people my daughter is only 5 and not tall enough for any of the big rides she loves Cbeebies and scarefest but now she has started school she will not be able to attend this year as there isn't any availability on the weekends. I haven't done a pre book for the rap as i didn't want to take up a space because we wouldn't know until the morning of our visit if we are coming she is autistic and non verbal with Global development delay she doesn't sleep well at all so it's so hard to know when we can come but this system now makes it nearly impossible and it's so sad when she absolutely loves this park. Have now took on annual passes for paultons and drayton manor as the access pass is easier to get but understanding there not as busy as Alton.

We are in a similar boat. It’s worth checking the day before or even when you wake up as people do cancel slots.

I’ve actually noticed Paultons are becoming increasingly more difficult to obtain. Only usually booked up a week in advance but as you say for people in our situation that doesn’t work.
 
Fab news for visitors with leg prostheses as, via Looopings, Efteling has been reportedly testing a orthopedic company's new product on Baron 1898:
New product should allow roller coaster rides with leg prosthesis: 'Happy faces'

A new product for people with a leg prosthesis is tested in Efteling. In many roller coasters, leg prostheses are not allowed because of safety. An orthopedic company from Utrecht wants to change that. Last week, a test took place at Baron 1898, the dive coaster of the Efteling.

The High Street Orthopaedic technique develops a tool that must make wearing a prosthesis during a ride safe. Such a provision is necessary, because visitors with a leg prosthesis are currently often told at the entrance that they have to dispose of their prosthesis - something that is experienced as painful and humiliating for many involved.
Monique van Bezouwen writes about it on LinkedIn. Her daughter was one of the test subjects. “Away one step closer to inclusivity!” said the woman. "In no time, we walked in Efteling to start the day with a ride in the Baron. The girl had the opportunity to try out the new product.

A very annoying question
“People with a leg prosthesis are not allowed to be in all roller coasters. They are asked to turn off the prosthesis at the start of a ride, in connection with the safety rules, which is a very annoying and hurtful question for all kinds of reasons." With this new product, a ride in the roller coaster would fit within the safety agreements, Van Bezouw explains. The Kaatsheuvelse amusement park cooperates in the tests, the results of which are positive. According to the mother, the prosthesis remained well in place after several trips.

Choose your own
“It was a successful morning! All prostheses after various trips still with their owner and many happy - and nauseous - faces." The Hoogstraat Orthopaeddietechniek has now entered the final phase. "Over time, prosthetic users themselves can choose: whether or not in roller coasters. Just as it should be!”
 
Can I check what you mean here? Do you mean stopping the ride from spinning? The fear of feeling motion sick is what stops me riding spinball

On Spinball you usually board and exit whilst the cars are moving through the station. What @Vicki means is the staff ask if they would like the car to be stopped in the station for easier boarding.
 
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We are in a similar boat. It’s worth checking the day before or even when you wake up as people do cancel slots.

I’ve actually noticed Paultons are becoming increasingly more difficult to obtain. Only usually booked up a week in advance but as you say for people in our situation that doesn’t work.
Thank you I do check in the mornings and haven't been lucky enough to get anything yet. I could risk booking in advance but I would feel bad if on the day we couldn't go and someone else missed out i have cancelled a rap before and we looked through the day to see if it returned so someone else could pick it up but never seen the day go live again. What baffles me is how is Disneyland paris system so amazing and ours is shocking we went Christmas day last year the park was sold out but the access pass worked amazing
 
Thank you I do check in the mornings and haven't been lucky enough to get anything yet. I could risk booking in advance but I would feel bad if on the day we couldn't go and someone else missed out i have cancelled a rap before and we looked through the day to see if it returned so someone else could pick it up but never seen the day go live again. What baffles me is how is Disneyland paris system so amazing and ours is shocking we went Christmas day last year the park was sold out but the access pass worked amazing

I’ve cancelled Chessington and AT bookings before and they’ve appeared in real time so I think generally that works. I don’t think you need to feel bad either, you’re not doing it intentionally and these are the parameters of the system. If the slot hasn’t appeared it’s not on you.

Disneyland works for a multitude of reasons, but predominantly because they have infinitely superior ride capacity and availability.
 
Can I check what you mean here? Do you mean stopping the ride from spinning? The fear of feeling motion sick is what stops me riding spinball
As Skyscraper mentioned, Spinball is usually loaded with the ride vehicles still moving. Now I can load this way if needed, but I prefer them to stop the ride, just to give me that extra moment to step in (dodgy depth perception thanks to visual impairment).
 
Efteling and Vekoma are developing a wheelchair that will be able to go on rides:

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Together, the companies developed a seat-on-wheels system: a certified wheelchair seat that can be safely secured in various types of rides.

The concept was developed in collaboration with experts and experienced professionals from Zonnebloem, a volunteer organization dedicated to helping people with physical disabilities. The idea is that wheelchair users can now share the ride with their companions without having to transfer to a separate seat.

According to Vekoma CEO Anne-Mart Agerbeek, the design is intended as a new standard for inclusivity within the attractions industry. "This is more than a technical solution. We want to invite the entire sector to contribute their ideas and help build a future where experiences are a given for everyone." Efteling communications manager Femke van Es calls the initiative a key component of the park's sustainability goals. "

28 percent of the groups that visit our park include someone with a disability. By working together, we hope to make a real difference." Alexander van Zijp of De Zonnebloem calls it a valuable step toward full participation in amusement park visits. The initiators are calling on other suppliers and parks to join the project so the concept can be further developed and eventually implemented in attractions.
 
I can scarcely believe that a company like Vekoma has entertained an idea this daft for long enough for it to reach this point.

This is probably extremely difficult to integrate into existing attractions, so any park adopting it would need to commit to using it long term on all new attractions moving forward. The infrastructure cost would surely be pretty substantial. In the UK at least we have parks that consider 'infrastructure' to be a dirty word, and won't even spend money on providing adequately sized toilet blocks. Then what happens when the tech moves on and there's a newer version?

Besides, if as an able bodied person, you were offered the chance to sit in a coaster seat all day, would you actually want to do it? They tend to be comfortable for a few minutes while you're on the ride, but not for sitting in for longer periods. Now remember you can get out of the thing. This is being proposed for use by people who sometimes can't, or at least not very easily, for the duration of their visit.

I could see a potential use case for it within an attraction where enormous capacity is needed. Disabled guests transfer/board before the station, train rolls in, chair rolls out and docks within the time needed to check restraints on the rest of the train. Even so, alternative solutions already exist for that.

The Efteling connection here is quite appropriate for this level of flight of fantasy!
 
This 'certified wheelchair seat' concept perplexes me in ways I never imagined, and I don't mean it in a positive way. It's all well and good of Vekoma to create a chair for disabled visitors to use without needing to transfer, however I have so, so, SO many questions:
  • Would a disabled guest even feel comfortable in the chair? Would a disabled guest have to pay a deposit and hire fee? What are the chair's dimensions? Would this be self propelled or too heavy for someone to push themselves or be pushed by a companion? Or instead have mobility scooter functions with steering or joystick controls? If it has scooter functions, then will it be capable of running during long opening hours and up/down steep inclines?

  • Would the chair comfortably fit a small child who normally uses a pediatric wheelchair, or an adult who uses a bariatric wheelchair? Will there be space on the back for a backpack with a feeding tube or an oxygen cylinder? Would disabled guests with such conditions even be allowed to use them?

  • How would this even navigate the sometimes questionable sanitary facilities that said theme parks offer? So many theme parks in Europe offer the bare minimum hand rails with no adjustable sink and bins in the transfer space? How would someone even transfer with such high seating onto a toilet? What if a disabled visitor falls and they can't find a red alarm cord? At least Efteling's toilets are decent enough to potentially accommodate these.

  • How would this chair behave in different weather conditions: Rain, snow, wind, heat? Would rain, snow or heat inhibit the chair's mechanisms, or tread water into areas they shouldn't go into? Would disabled guests even be allowed to use it during bad weather?

  • Will existing Vekoma attractions be retrofitted at Efteling? Will they just have to create new trains/cars to accommodate them? Would it work with OTSRs? How will staff be trained to handle them and will Vekoma offer specialist training and technicians when there's an issue? What will the height be like with those giant tyres? Or will the chair have to come off the tyres to be attached? What weight will this chair add to the train/car? Would they want to include it on suspended attractions? How will attaching the seat to the train or car affect throughput?

  • Heck, how would EVACUATION work when so many attractions require guests to climb down staircases or ladders and a disabled guest is paraplegic?

  • And which parks outside Efteling would even implement this? Phantasialand sure wouldn't. They have several Vekoma attractions, yes, but this chair would be absolutely useless there because, guess what, guests with walking disabilities are prohibited from riding every Vekoma attraction as per their 'special appraisal' usage and waiver agreement.

  • Theme parks housing these potentially retrofitted Vekoma attractions will have to overhaul their sliding scale of 'bare minimum to decent' accessibility infrastructure too. Disabled visitors already have to go up step free exits and dodge train loads of people to get on attractions. Does this mean the exits will be widened to accommodate this? Or would they install wide enough step free entrances/exits exclusively for this? Will there be enough space on the station platform to allow for three point turns? And what about door thresholds? So many are uncomfortable to across and wheelchairs/scooters can and will get stuck on them. Also, what about Vekoma attractions that have a broken lift on the day a disabled guest is visiting? How much use would be the chair be then?
The questions are never ending and I could go on and on about this chair and how it's simply not fit for this industry at this time.

And we have so many more issues to be thinking of right now that aren't this. Like how there are no active accessibility regulations within the industry keeping theme parks and attraction manufacturers consistent in what they offer to disabled guests even within the same country. Disabled guests are still going to be treated with antipathy and asked invasive questions over their health conditions. People are still going to question whether those they see in the disabled queues are 'cheating the system'. And we still have a whole can of worms over the changed safety rules to Mack coasters and Universal Orlando Resort attractions post-Stardust Racers' incident in September and what disabled guests with spinal injuries can/cannot ride etc ectetera.

So, as a disabled theme park enthusiast with mobility issues, I would genuinely love to hear what other disabled theme park enthusiasts with mobility issues have to say about this 'certified wheelchair seat' and whether anyone would seriously consider using it over their existing wheelchair/mobility scooter. Pray tell, please.
 
Didn't the Vekoma Roller Skaters at Universal have a dedicated wheelchair space once upon a time? Separate car at the back that wheeled onto and strapped in if I'm remembering correctly. As seen in https://rcdb.com/563.htm#p=5862

So no surprise Vekoma are involved with this.


For @Rowe:

Probably be as comfortable as some of the chairs already on offer in some of the parks. Think the best park we've done with a rented chair was Liseberg's, if only for the fact it had a consideration towards the escalators. Similarly with deposits that are already in place and I'd imagine it would be self-propelled so have the same issues that those devices already have. Maybe a few charging stations in the parks for that particular issues but it's stuff we've already had to deal with.

Don't think it has those who require additional things like oxygen tanks and other requirements in mind because most rides aren't suited for people with those disabilities. Just an unfortunate fact.

Again same issues that already plague the lacking accessibility infrastructure. Oh no companies will have to spend their money on things that don't return investment.

Again weather conditions are already a problem for existing chair users. Mrs' electric one has a plastic cover for the controller but can't help the battery behaviour in different weather. Again all about providing infrastructure to suit.

I can see it working as per the aforementioned extra car they have/had on the Roller Skaters. See also how a London black cab attaches wheelchairs down to the floor. The technology is there for it. How they decide to implement will cause questions as it would change the reach envelope amongst other things.

Evacs would be tricky but look at the B&M Dive Machines (i.e. Griffon) having those big box lifts. Or just a few stair lifts instead.

Other parks (and the world in general) need a kick up the rear about accessibility. Daft an idea as this is (and very blue sky thinking based on the artwork) it gets the discussion going on it. A lot of places have managed to get away with a lack of bother through dodgy excuses and old time thinking. Its 2025 people, even if most of the current political spectrum want it to be 1925.

Broken lifts are already a problem. How long did Thorpe not care about Saw and Inferno's ones?


I don't think there's many full time wheelchair users on here who are the target for this. As we can transfer we don't need device but for those who cannot it could change those that do need it for the better.

Did initially think it was an April Fools style one too. But Efteling are clearly very pro-accessibility drive atm with the alternatives on Dreamflight, Danse Macabre and Villa Volta, so can only be a positive even if this particular vision doesn't come to total fruition.
 
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Looks like Towers is finally going digital.

However this looks awful, why aren’t they using the Chessington and Lego system???


From: https://x.com/_lemonily_/status/1976692361888419912?s=46&t=0gSA6DB3t11tFWJ4xv8eFA

At least they will be avoiding the usual accusations of using AI to write copy within the app:

"Looks like the ride you where on has closed."

I sense that poor @Zeock is rocking back and forth in a corner somewhere, crying.

For those of us who haven't seen the Legoland or Chessington system, could you please explain how it differs? I'm genuinely curious. Off the top of my head, it could be down to licensing. This looks as though it was possibly developed in house, it could be that the previous system was developed externally and licenced.
 
At least they will be avoiding the usual accusations of using AI to write copy within the app:

"Looks like the ride you where on has closed."

I sense that poor @Zeock is rocking back and forth in a corner somewhere, crying.

For those of us who haven't seen the Legoland or Chessington system, could you please explain how it differs? I'm genuinely curious. Off the top of my head, it could be down to licensing. This looks as though it was possibly developed in house, it could be that the previous system was developed externally and licenced.

Hard to say what all the differences are without actually using it but from what is being said it seems:

- The existing one you can log in without having to visit guest services, which is a big plus considering the queues and locations. Unclear if the AT version only applies to initial visit.

- The existing one you select your ride within the app rather than having to physically visit the attraction entrance to join the "virtual queue". Again this is unclear from the explanation but seems particularly problematic at a park the size of AT. People have mobility issues. Facilities are limited in some areas. If you have a 90 minute time out for example then you might need the sensory room but have to spend 30 minutes trekking in the opposite direction if you want to join a queue first? It's going to add a lot more planning to some peoples visits and result in a sizeable decrease in the number of attractions they can use in a day.

Facilitating ride closures and additional queue times are excellent new features though, as is the digital identification.

I expect some people will argue it's unfair under the existing system that "travel" time between rides is included in the time out but personally i think this is a reasonable accommodation for people who typically spend most of their lives facing disadvantages and obviously not something that could realistically only be allocated to specific RAP users.

As you point out, the fact it features basic grammatical errors doesn't inspire confidence that RAP users have been adequately consulted but hopefully this testing and feedback phase irons things out.
 
Would be nice to see these images rather than having to go back onto the cesspit Twitter now is. Can only see the initial post without an account.

It's a trial period anyway so things could change. But why they wouldn't just use the Chessie/Lego ones is... baffling to me.
 
As you point out, the fact it features basic grammatical errors doesn't inspire confidence that RAP users have been adequately consulted but hopefully this testing and feedback phase irons things out.
To be fair, a lot of what Alton churns out for mass consumption has basic grammatical errors (there’s a whole thread of Alton/Merlin typos in General Discussion somewhere!), so I don’t think this should exactly be interpreted as RAP users being cast aside compared to everyone else!

It is odd that they aren’t just using the Chessington/Legoland system, though. It seems to work well, and I’d have thought Merlin would be wanting to centralise things like IT as much as possible.
 
Would be nice to see these images rather than having to go back onto the cesspit Twitter now is. Can only see the initial post without an account.
Aren't I a helpful and clever little goose?

The posts and images below were originally posted by _Lemonily_ on X. They are reproduced in full for those who are unable to view posts on X.
Today at Alton Towers, while picking up RAP at guest services, they told us they were testing out a new app to get feedback. I assume this is the system they will roll out next year...(Below is how it currently works)

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After registering to the app with guest services and adding our pre book to the appAll attractions RAP can be used are listed with the current queue time or if the ride is closedAfter selecting the ride and how many guests are joiningIt then prompts you to find+scan the QR

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Once finding and scanning the QR it starts a timer (which is hidden for now) that is equal to the current queue time. Once scanned a green screen with your name picture and rap details appears which you then show to the staff at the RAP entrance and you are free to ride.

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On said green screen there is a button to press after you are done riding with an "are you sure to confirm" screen And if you press yes, you return to the ride list where the timer is now visible where it counts down to your next ride

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Heres the how to use shown in the app

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Also if a ride closes or takes longer to get on than advertised it negates the timer and allows you to go on another ride immediately You can also leave the queue after selecting a ride incase you change your mind

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As you point out, the fact it features basic grammatical errors doesn't inspire confidence that RAP users have been adequately consulted but hopefully this testing and feedback phase irons things out.
Whilst I can understand your concern, this small roll out would suggest a public beta and consultation. I would also imagine that access to the app from Guest Services is also temporary, whilst they explain the new system and it is being tested.
It is odd that they aren’t just using the Chessington/Legoland system, though. It seems to work well, and I’d have thought Merlin would be wanting to centralise things like IT as much as possible.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, the only thing I can think of is that they're licensing the existing system (for Chessington and Legoland) from a third party developer (which is more than likely). Merlin have been making moves to bring a lot of their IT systems in house, they understand the importance of owning their own data at least. If this new RAP system for Towers works well, it could be rolled out to the other parks instead.
 
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