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Ride Access Pass and Disabled Access - 2026 Discussion

BarryZola said:
you'll potentially have wheelchair bound people sitting at home because they couldn't get a slot
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All those who qualify for RAP will be in the same position, not just wheelchair users.

BarryZola said:
This then begs the question, why have Merlin not cancelled the bookings if they've basically shut down peoples RAP accounts
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As i said, people are appealing so presumably if they are successful their access will be restored and they will have their slots. If Merlin cancelled those peoples now they’d have another uproar on top of things.
 
GooseOnTheLoose said:
First of all, a very big welcome @Petals! Thank you for sharing your experience, though I was genuinely appalled to read of your particular situation.

Whilst I appreciate that you're feeling a lot of strong emotions at the moment, it's not Merlin who have forgotten you. In fact, the new RAP system is supposed to cater exactly for people in your position. It's Nimbus who have forgotten you.

This absolutely goes back to something I attempted to bring up yesterday, regarding Nimbus's flawed and opaque recategorisation process.

Nimbus claims that they have reassessed every Access Card holder, using the information that they originally submitted, to assign them new symbols. They've done this despite claiming that they also only retain medical information for 90 days.

Nimbus have decided that you, as someone who is visually impaired, and has documented physical access needs, qualifies only for the "Difficulty with crowds" symbol, which is frankly preposterous.

This is precisely the danger of outsourcing critical access decisions to a system that appears to prioritise categorisation over individual circumstance. I would strongly urge you to appeal this decision with Nimbus directly, citing the clear physical barriers you face which make the standard queue line not just difficult, but unsafe for you to use. This isn't about crowds, it is about physical access, which is exactly the situation which Merlin now exclusively accommodate for with RAP.
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Thank you for this, @GooseOnTheLoose - I think it's a really important point about Nimbus. I've looked back through my emails and I think it was 2023 that I applied for an Access Card via Nimbus, so it's coming up to three years. I'd be very interested to know what data of mine they've kept since then, and how that was used to reassess my eligibility recently.

I've emailed Nimbus as many of you have suggested - I'll post an update when I hear back (though I imagine they have quite a full inbox at the moment so it may be a while!). Thanks all for the support.
 
The nuance being missed in this coverage is the lack of ride capacity and resulting queue lengths. I'm assuming this would have had less backlash if queues, especially during school holidays, were shorter. I wonder if this will finally be the encouragement the park needs to have consistently good operations and uptime and build some more high capacity rides.
 
Pharaoh said:
The nuance being missed in this coverage is the lack of ride capacity and resulting queue lengths. I'm assuming this would have had less backlash if queues, especially during school holidays, were shorter. I wonder if this will finally be the encouragement the park needs to have consistently good operations and uptime and build some more high capacity rides.
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It has been discussed on this forum in the past, probably just not in the last week or so. I think most people agree with what you say, but on the other side of the coin lower queue times would lead to less Fastrack sales for Merlin so the cynical side of me thinks that they're not in a massive rush to substantially lower queue times.
 
Merlins comms on this have been atrocious, like they really hadn't thought through the messaging at all.

A glance through social media, most people perception of the real issues and numbers involved is way way off, there is no understanding of what they have tried with time slots, there's no acceptance that even one of those who have had the pass didn't really need it or haven't abused it.

A couple of clear infographic sheets, some usage and queue time stats, some data on the attempt to limit slots, an acknowledgement and evidence of previous abuses that take away access from the most needing. Some acknowledgement that initial implementation might see some with need disadvantaged and will be reviewed following a trial period.

It would have got ahead of all this, but now they are firefighting with public opinion against them. I've been advocating for a sweeping change for years, and believe it is both right and achievable, but this implementation is just asking to fail.
 
My experience on X this morning was refreshing. Hundreds of people who actually have ADHD in the comments agreeing they shouldnt be entitled to the pass and not who it was intended for.

I really hope Merlin dont buckle. ADHD should never have been on the list to start with and I have said that from day one.
 
I'm not sure sharing more detailed usage and queue stats would go down well. That's giving more data to the press and social media who are unlikely to charitably interpret it.
 
Benjsh said:
ADHD should never have been on the list to start with and I have said that from day one.
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I feel compelled to correct this narrative because it is based on a fundamental misunderstanding of how the Nimbus Access Card (and disability accommodations in general) actually works.

There never was a list of accepted ailments. You didn't walk up to a counter, whisper "ADHD", and get handed a wristband. Eligibility was, and still is, based on the specific functional impact of a condition, not the name of the diagnosis itself.

Merlin has not banned people with ADHD or Autism from qualifying for a Ride Access Pass.

If an individual's ADHD or Autism presents with co-morbidities such as hypotonia (making standing difficult), dyspraxia (making navigating uneven surfaces dangerous), or severe gastrointestinal urgency (requiring immediate toilet access), they still qualify under the Difficulty Standing, Level Access, or Urgent Toilet Needs symbols respectively.

The reason you see "hundreds of people on X" saying they don't need it is precisely because neurodivergence is a massive spectrum. For many, it is a manageable trait that does not prevent queuing. For others, it is a debilitating disability with physical manifestations that make a standard queue line impossible to navigate safely.

The system isn't filtering out ADHD; it is filtering out those whose condition does not result in the specific mechanical limitations that Merlin has decided to prioritise... at least it would be doing so, if Nimbus hadn't unilaterally borked the reassessment of their card holders.

It's not about the label, it's about the impact.
 
GooseOnTheLoose said:
I feel compelled to correct this narrative because it is based on a fundamental misunderstanding of how the Nimbus Access Card (and disability accommodations in general) actually works.

There never was a list of accepted ailments. You didn't walk up to a counter, whisper "ADHD", and get handed a wristband. Eligibility was, and still is, based on the specific functional impact of a condition, not the name of the diagnosis itself.

Merlin has not banned people with ADHD or Autism from qualifying for a Ride Access Pass.

If an individual's ADHD or Autism presents with co-morbidities such as hypotonia (making standing difficult), dyspraxia (making navigating uneven surfaces dangerous), or severe gastrointestinal urgency (requiring immediate toilet access), they still qualify under the Difficulty Standing, Level Access, or Urgent Toilet Needs symbols respectively.

The reason you see "hundreds of people on X" saying they don't need it is precisely because neurodivergence is a massive spectrum. For many, it is a manageable trait that does not prevent queuing. For others, it is a debilitating disability with physical manifestations that make a standard queue line impossible to navigate safely.

The system isn't filtering out ADHD; it is filtering out those whose condition does not result in the specific mechanical limitations that Merlin has decided to prioritise... at least it would be doing so, if Nimbus hadn't unilaterally borked the reassessment of their card holders.

It's not about the label, it's about the impact.
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Fair enough but I think you're probably reading too much into 'shouldn't be on the list' there.

On a list, on a form, over the phone or face to face.....People with ADHD should have been refused the pass from the start. That's the whole point. There's only controversy now because they've gone from accepting it as a reason to saying they no longer do.

Sorry if that wasn't clear.
 
Benjsh said:
Fair enough but I think you're probably reading too much into 'shouldn't be on the list' there.

On a list, on a form, over the phone or face to face.....People with ADHD should have been refused the pass from the start. That's the whole point. There's only controversy now because they've gone from accepting it as a reason to saying they no longer do.

Sorry if that wasn't clear.
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That still misses the point, the condition as labelled is pretty different to the need.
Some do some don't.
 
My issues are more to do with Merlin’s ride ops rather than RAP and Fastrack ques as such.

I visited AT with my kids one weekend last September. We had fastracks on the Saturday but failed to get on Galactica because even the fastrack queue was moving at a snails pace (joined, waited 20+ mins, didn’t move).

On the Sunday, we were down by Toxicator keeping an eye open and as soon as Galactica opened, we joined the main queue and were immediately very close to the front where the queues merge. It’s a painfully slow dispatch on one train, and the RAP/fastrack queues built up quickly. For some reason the operative in charge of the queue completely cleared RAP and fastrack queues twice without taking anyone from the main queue. Then the operative changed and the new operative again cleared the two other queues, at which point some people in the main queue (not me!) were getting pretty vocal about the situation!

It’s a pretty simple thing that shouldn’t have happened with some basic ride ops professionalism/training/communication. Bit of a sour note really.
 
imanautie said:
That still misses the point, the condition as labelled is pretty different to the need.
Some do some don't.
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'Some do and some dont' is the reason we are where we are though. That way of thinking simply doesn't work clearly hence the changes.

If somebody has ADHD plus other complex issues simultaneously then thats slightly different. I can understand the reasons more then.

You have to draw the line somewhere though. Im just glad lots of ADHD sufferers are agreeing with my view. They go to work 50 hours a week, queue at shops, for buses and trains and at airports etc.

Merlin need to hold firm. I sense they will buckle though.
 
Benjsh said:
'Some do and some dont' is the reason we are where we are though. That way of thinking simply doesn't work clearly hence the changes.

If somebody has ADHD plus other complex issues simultaneously then thats slightly different. I can understand the reasons more then.

You have to draw the line somewhere though. Im just glad lots of ADHD sufferers are agreeing with my view. They go to work 50 hours a week, queue at shops, for buses and trains and at airports etc.

Merlin need to hold firm. I sense they will buckle though.
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I think the middle ground of this discussion is that when Nimbus initially took over assessing the need for RAP, a diagnosis was generally adequate to obtain one with a queuing symbol in place of compelling evidence of need. This was always my gripe with the system.

Diagnosis from a professional and witness statement from the applicant were the general requirements.

If you applied and said you struggle with queues but have no diagnosis, you wouldn't get one.

If you applied and said you struggle with queues and have a diagnosis of ADHD, you likely would.

Nimbus had no reason to decline access. I presume the pressure for change has come from Merlin.
 
I haven't seen many solutions proposed by those objecting to the changes.. 😟 Merlin could:
- just double the entry price, which would reduce the queues for all including RAP guests
- allow all RAP guests at all times, making the RAP queue even more unfit-for-purpose
- restrict further the number of RAP slots available each day
- steal underpants???? 😁

They've chosen one course that doesn't seem wholly unreasonable. Theme parks are by definition crowded, noisy, sensory-explosion experiences, and there's only so much accommodation Merlin can make.

RAP wristbands would solve some of the abuse. No queuing in the normal lines - get caught and you're ejected from the park. It would at least make it less attractive for those wanting to abuse the system. Call it "ExclusiveRAP"™️
 
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