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2014: General Discussion

No, don't worry :) not huge ques at all, just longer than we would like. We were just spoiled walking straight through previously. Obviously it depends when you arrive too, you could be unlucky that you arrive the same time as a big group of TS MembersMAP Holders. You're talking 10 mins max. It's just annoying when you are in a hurry to get your nemesis fix ;)
 
To be fair, I've never had my pass checked at Towers, whereas my one visit to Thorpe this year, one of the welcome staff had to check it.
 
Tom.B said:
To be fair, I've never had my pass checked at Towers, whereas my one visit to Thorpe this year, one of the welcome staff had to check it.
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It has only been implemented for the last couple of weeks. :)
 
I know, I'm just saying how easy Towers were compared to Thorpe and the like.
 
But Thorpe has a fraction of the amount of turnstiles so it's much easier to staff these than at towers. All merlin parks (that I know of) have occasionally had periods of extra scrutiny. This time it came from merlin themselves though I believe.
 
For years at Towers you were able to use the turnstiles for Annual Passes, but this was stopped a year or two ago due to the problems of abuse. They seemed to go through several phases with the system over the last 2 years.

At one time when you scanned you pass at a turnstile some people had their photo and name bought up on the screen, presumably so staff could see at a glance wether the person scanning was the passholder. However, this never seemed to be rolled out across the whole pass scheme, and only ever happened to certain users.

There was talk once upon a time of adding additional screens on the back of the units facing the welcome staff so that it was easier to see. If you ask me, this would have been an ideal solution. A screen with your photo, name, and pass expiry date. It would allow everyone to use the turnstiles, whilst also keeping staff informed on passes. They could perhaps even have included some sort of audio cue, to alert them to a pass being scanned (Self service tills at supermarkets for example make several different subtle sounds to keep staff informed of what's going on).

I think it was last year when they locked down the turnstiles and forced pass holders to use the side gates (Originally the far left one had a sign advertising it as a dedicated Pass Holder Entrance). It was only recently this season that they reverted back to using the turnstiles, and clearly it's only been another short stint as they've since reverted back.

A long term fix needs to be found really, but in an ideal world I think that the whole plaza area needs a re-think to improve the flow of guests into the park. At times it can become quite a free-for-all, with long queues at the turnstiles. I think the issue is that once guests leave the ticketing booths they can move all over the place, either hanging back and creating bottle-necks, or just all merging into one scrum trying to get through any open gates. It would be good if there was perhaps some Tensa fences they put out in the mornings to channel people from the windows into the nearest set of gates, just to make it a little more controlled and flowing.

I also don't rate the barcode readers on the current turnstiles either. They can be very hit and miss as to wether they read, and often the ticket/pass needs waving around a lot to make it work. It least with the older Skidata units like Pleasure Beach have the ticket is put in a slot, ensuring it's always at the correct focus point to be read quickly.
 
I was going to say "hasn't it been this way for a few years now? But I think Ian's covered it pretty well.
 
thorpe have a higher proportion of people on the doorstep, e.g., the whole of london. its easier to market too them. a single sign in a busy tube station could be seen by 50000 people a day. its know wonder they get more people and money. alton is in the middle of sodoffsville.
 
We did post this as news a few days back, but seems it got lost with the news of Scarefest!

From tomorrow ERT will be changing again for the remainder of the season (until Scarefest kicks in), with the following rides:
- All rides in CBeebies Land
- The Runaway Minetrain in Katanga Canyon
- Nemesis, Air and Blade in Forbidden Valley.
 
Why have they never had Thirteen or Rita on ERT? These usually get long queues during the day!
 
Thirteen needs a minimum number of riders to dispatch, meaning a lot of the time it was just sat in the station waiting for riders.
 
Meh, fair enough. :p Still, something like Rita would be nice, or Spinball.
 
Rita was ace on ERT!!

Actually did so many runs first thing I had to stop, about 7 I think. Though it annoyed me they had the WHOLE QUEUE open and made us walk around it whilst sending near empty trains.
 
TheMan said:
Rita was ace on ERT!!

Actually did so many runs first thing I had to stop, about 7 I think. Though it annoyed me they had the WHOLE QUEUE open and made us walk around it whilst sending near empty trains.
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7 rides plus walking through the queueline between them? Man up! (irony intended) Try 8 consecutive rides on Xcelerator without getting off the train at all!

*awaits someone to say they've ridden Kingda Ka 10 times in a row* ;)
 
Alastair said:
7 rides plus walking through the queueline between them? Man up! (irony intended) Try 8 consecutive rides on Xcelerator without getting off the train at all!

*awaits someone to say they've ridden Kingda Ka 10 times in a row* ;)
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Hahaha! It was first thing, and I know, I was quite disappointed in myself but I'm older than you so sod off!
 
I did enjoy it the other year when oblivion and Rita was on, I would have a few rides on oblivion, then a few goes on Rita including front row as it had no queue. Then at 10am straight to th13teen before that got a queue.

The only ride now would doing would be air as that does get queues, yet we are now going to the quiet season before Scarefest so ERT is not always needed. Plus with Sub-Terra and Ripsaw opening at 11am you will have to return to the valley later in the day to do the whole area.
 
I miss Rita being on ERT as I hardly ever ride it unless the park is very quiet - the queue is just an absolute misery and I'm not prepared to wait more than about 20 minutes for it. I liked Spinball being on as it was generally possible to get a couple of rides done within the first 10 minutes or so (usually whilst the rest of TS are mingling around waiting for others to turn up). Having Air and Nemesis on it convenient if nothing else - much less running round than Nemesis/RMT/Oblivion, but it's not as useful to beat the queues in FV as it is in X Sector
 
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