And at this point it’s fair to say the complaint is with Merlin and not those with VIP passes, Merlin sell an unlimited fastrack product and people buy them. If all 1000 VIP wanted to re-ride then that’s up to them but it’s Merlin who allow it by the product they sell.
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2018: Wicker Man - General Discussion - SPOILERS! - Part One
- Thread starter ThemeParkCrafter
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AT86
TS Member
Was the VIP pass even a thing when The Smiler opened? I suspect even if the park didn’t want to offer any fastrack for the initial launch they may have been overridden by the powers that be in order to keep the vocal element of VIP pass holders quiet.
Andrew
TS Contributor
You're right, Merlin shouldn't sell these passes to begin with but they're a capitalist corporation who know they'll have the demand regardless of the price which please their pockets.
However, when it comes to a new ride like Wicker Man, the holders should have some decency or morals in not abusing the system. It's not fair on families who are paying however much for a day out if they only get one ride when you have VIP passholders who constantly run past them riding as much as they desire just because they have spare cash to flash on the thing
imanautie
TS Member
You know there are some VIPs who save up for months to afford the passes right?
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Andrew
TS Contributor
Yeah I do but there's also families out there who can't afford to save up for months because they have a family to support. Not everyone has the luxury of that.
Anyway, this is getting vastly off topic again from Wicker Man. I'm not even at opening day so I don't know what I'm chatting
Honestly this hole VIP thing is getting on my wick
I am going to be brutally honest here. Good for you if you have a VIP pass. What bugs me is the whole way it’s put across as if to say ‘these people are better’ just because they pay more.
Sums up everything that is wrong with Merlin
This is far from a dig at you so please don’t take it that way, although it has been thrusted down the necks of us ‘poor people’ somewhat
I think the whole classification of guests though is disgusting but hey ho
Vloggers, bloggers etc
If being a “daddy blogger” equates to “press” these days it says everything
Matt.GC
TS Member
I'm sorry but in a couple of your posts you've let your mask slip there! Are you seriously implying that a so called "VIP" pass holder should stick 2 fingers up to decent paying guests stood in a queue just because of the views of a few people on a forum most guests, "VIP's" included, have never heard of?
Let's get real here. So called "VIP" pass holders don't have a problem with views expressed on this forum. Neither do many of them appear to have some fascination with getting unlimited fast track on a ride that NO terms and conditions state they have any right to. YOU do appear to hold those views however, but let's not pretend that you are representing an entire pass holding community and that what you are presenting here is fact.
The facts are simple.
People who own a so called “VIP" pass are NOT in fact Very Important People, they are people who have paid £700 or whatever it is to a company for a product. Something which many of us, me included, could do tomorrow quite easily. If I wanted to, I have enough disposable income to do so right now as I type this, but I wouldn't be buying importance, I would be buying a product. I don't have a problem with that, but "VIP" is the (irresponsible) BRAND of the product, and not it's descriptive definition. So let's not get carried away with thinking a holder of a certain pass can just make up the rules as they go along shall we? There is no "attitude" towards "VIP's" on this forum, rather an attitude toward the product itself, its vendor and the observed behaviour of SOME of it's customers. A so called "VIP" pass holder isn't some kind of oppressed ethnic or religious creed or breed of people, just customers who have bought a product! Which leads me neatly to my next fact....
Until Merlin confirmed it (as has been rather smugly pointed out in my view), NO so called "VIP" pass holders had any rights to unlimited fast track on Wickerman WHATSOEVER. That's because before this announcement, no fast track was available on Wickerman, a fact that has been pointed out a number of times in this thread. So I fail to see where this sense of entitlement to it comes from. There are no T&C's anywhere that entitle anyone to unlimited fast track on a ride where no fast track option is available. I'm afraid that in my view, this is evidence of the whole "Very Important Person" thing going to people's heads, so much so that they feel they are elevated to some powerful position where they can make up the park rules for themselves because they paid a few hundred notes for a public limited company to brand them "Important".
Thirdly, "most" so called "VIP's" will not "literally" reride wickerman because of this forum, something which, reading this back, I'm sure would agree should probably be retracted. I really wish people would stop abusing the world "literally" as you have done, you can't use the word to then go on to state something which is (literally) then NOT literal.
Dar
TS Member
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Literally couldn't agree more with your whole post, except that the first use of literally to mean figuratively is from 1769, so it's literally one of the definitions.
Is it just VIPerks that get fasttrack? I can see there being a bit of kerfuffle if the proles can't buy fasttrack as well
Merlin have set a precedent on VIP getting fastrack for rides that don’t offer fastrack to the General Public, CBeebies land doesn’t have fastrack yet VIP do - DBGT didn’t have GP fastrack but did for VIP. The VIP team know they need to keep this exclusiveness going to get sales so it happens.
VIP fastrack on Wickerman was 100% going to happen from day one as it provides a selling point to new sales “look here you get exclusive fastrack to our new rides and attractions”
As @Rob said VIP pass comments should be in this thread https://towersstreet.com/talk/threads/the-merlin-vip-annual-pass.4563/page-4
@Dar yes for the moment only VIP get fastrack but can’t see it staying like that for too long. Reckon Merlin will want to cash in on Fastrack ASAP.
Themeparksandy1981
TS Member
I think the average day guest vs Vip guest is less than 5% per day. I talk about theme parks all the time on forums but since the Smiler crash at work and between my friends and co workers no one talks about theme parks anymore.
I brought up about the new coaster at work the other day and many said they didn't know about the new coaster or stupidly said I value my body parts thank you so it's still very raw in the minds of the general public. I even found going last year with my 5 year old daughter that C beebies rides had double the queue time of any of the coasters.
Anyway onto the coaster I'm really looking forward to riding this in the summer months but can you really see Alton Towers having all the effects working during term time?
I brought up about the new coaster at work the other day and many said they didn't know about the new coaster or stupidly said I value my body parts thank you so it's still very raw in the minds of the general public. I even found going last year with my 5 year old daughter that C beebies rides had double the queue time of any of the coasters.
Anyway onto the coaster I'm really looking forward to riding this in the summer months but can you really see Alton Towers having all the effects working during term time?
KingNemesis
TS Member
Also noticed that Fastrack Gold / Platinum has been updated on the Alton Towers website when booking a room at one of the hotels (Screenshotted the Gold but Wicker Man is included as Unlimited rides on Platinum):
Which is very misleading if they are not offering this Fastrack from day one unless it is a hotel package perk.
Seems a very bad idea on the first day of the rides full operation that fastrack is allowed. They have no idea how much this is going to slow down the queue etc. Seems very unwise...
Which is very misleading if they are not offering this Fastrack from day one unless it is a hotel package perk.
Seems a very bad idea on the first day of the rides full operation that fastrack is allowed. They have no idea how much this is going to slow down the queue etc. Seems very unwise...
KingNemesis
TS Member
Seriously though, This project is starting to slowly unravel. The project planning team have done a fantastic job getting the ride ready for the start of the season, a real credit to them as well as all those construction workers from the various companies involved building the ride up despite hot summers mornings and rainy autumn afternoons (A part of the project we often overlook).
However, everything else is starting to crumble, all that hard work to get the ride open as early as possible so more guest can ride it tarnished slightly by huge overselling of fastrack from the get-go and crazy, overpriced merchandise. I'll admit it is not a terrible travesty but it does put a dampener on what has been a fantastic achievement compared to previous attempts.
I reckon the addition of Wicker Man in that list was added by mistake, they state 13 rides but there’s 14 on the list and the price hasn’t increased but this being Merlin it’s bound to go up at least £10 for a new addition.
Anyone who buys make sure you screenshot it and then argue on the day.
Anyone who buys make sure you screenshot it and then argue on the day.
imanautie
TS Member
I suspect they will add a note just before order confirmation
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jon81uk
TS Member
Also noticed that Fastrack Gold / Platinum has been updated on the Alton Towers website when booking a room at one of the hotels (Screenshotted the Gold but Wicker Man is included as Unlimited rides on Platinum):
Which is very misleading if they are not offering this Fastrack from day one unless it is a hotel package perk.
Seems a very bad idea on the first day of the rides full operation that fastrack is allowed. They have no idea how much this is going to slow down the queue etc. Seems very unwise...
At least that means the VIP pass is consistent with the Platinum Fasttrack, feels more unfair if a VIP passholder can get Fasttract when it isn't available for purchase. I wouldn't expect too many people to purchase on day one anyway but that Gold Fasttrack seems cheap to me.
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