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2026: General Discussion

Bowser said:
No fast track after 5pm? Is this because of Cbeebies or restricting on After Dark?


From: https://x.com/towersstreet/status/2035028752132927571
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Alton After Dark. A lot of Platinum Pass Holders were using their free one shots at the very end of the evening, specifically for night rides, which caused a bit of an operational headache.

I'm not sure how they didn't predict it, but at least they've learned from it.
 
Hid said:
It may been because last week Wickerman fastrack was all filled up combined with and already 80 min standby thats a long wait for those in stand by
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It almost certainly is, although I did see a comment that said it could be referencing the fact that Cebeebies now has Fastrack and closes at 5pm, which is a good point.
 
It’s appears Merlin created a new role of ‘Global head of Fastrack’ in January which is likely behind the refreshes in packages and rebranding from Reserve n Ride etc we have seen this year.

It certainly shows Fastrack is a business focus as opposed to something being left up to each attraction to manage.
 
AT86 said:
It’s appears Merlin created a new role of ‘Global head of Fastrack’ in January which is likely behind the refreshes in packages and rebranding from Reserve n Ride etc we have seen this year.

It certainly shows Fastrack is a business focus as opposed to something being left up to each attraction to manage.
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So what areas of operation/decision-making do individual parks have control over now? Seems like a good chunk of processes have either been centralised or outsourced at this point.
 
The entrance host on WM told me I was too late to use MAP FT there at 5.40 today. A quick check at box office confirmed that it is now not valid on Smiler, Nemesis or Wicker Man after 5.30. Other rides are still fine.
 
Unsure if this has been an issue since last weekend or it’s new? But I couldn’t get into the park with my MAP today. Was told at the entrance that it was a re-occurring issue for all MAPs and to head to the Box Office for a reprint. When I arrived, I was told that it seemed that reprints had not been working and that they were seeking a solution. Not particularly a problem as the staff were very apologetic but worth others being aware and not necessarily wasting a trip to the Box Office.
 
Are people generally scanning their annual passes instead of their pre-book ticket barcodes? I stopped scanning my pass at some point, but not sure why?
 
I find it so hard to be positive about the towers recently. Been a Thoosie since for as long as I can remember but officially 2006 watching Charlie’s construction.

I walked around the park and struggled to find anything new and refreshed…it all looks so dated, green and dirty. Looking at chessingtons updates on theme park guide compared to here is crazy!

Efteling is one of my favourite parks, when I walk around the lawns, the gardens and in front of the towers. I think to myself why can’t we have something like that here? Magic is seeping away.
 
deathproof69 said:
Efteling is one of my favourite parks, when I walk around the lawns, the gardens and in front of the towers. I think to myself why can’t we have something like that here? Magic is seeping away.
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Efteling and AT are similar in a lot of ways yet perfectly demonstrate the difference in owners who care and prioritise reinvestment versus those who don’t.
 
deathproof69 said:
I find it so hard to be positive about the towers recently. Been a Thoosie since for as long as I can remember but officially 2006 watching Charlie’s construction.

I walked around the park and struggled to find anything new and refreshed…it all looks so dated, green and dirty. Looking at chessingtons updates on theme park guide compared to here is crazy!

Efteling is one of my favourite parks, when I walk around the lawns, the gardens and in front of the towers. I think to myself why can’t we have something like that here? Magic is seeping away.
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Curse at Alton Manor and Nemesis Reborn still looking great with the effects all working. There's a positive and night time light show is great but I take your point there is not much.

Quite clear Towers is not allocated the proper budget
 
Bowser said:
Its rather poor to be selling Platinum passes with Fast Track as a benefit and then changing the terms of use after people have already paid for them.
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WEll Merlin are well known for covering their backsides with "subject to operational requirements" clauses.
 
Hid said:
Curse at Alton Manor and Nemesis Reborn still looking great with the effects all working. There's a positive and night time light show is great but I take your point there is not much.

Quite clear Towers is not allocated the proper budget
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Those are two new rides so will look good by default.

The light show was I think a great example of the issue Merlin has now. All major decision making is now mostly centralised (look at fast track global head). The VP’s clearly have very limited scope these days, so yes they can ask for an almost zero cost light show to be added to an event but they can’t react to their local needs as a park. It’s why you see these little pops of passion but overall the product goes south.

Back in the day the head of the park pretty much made all the decisions and Tussauds mostly just gave them their budget, set their KPI’s and oversaw but didn’t lead on major CAPEX projects.
 
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