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Paultons Park: General Discussion

We used fast tracks at Towers many years ago but I guess as I've gotten older my opinions and politics have changed and now the idea of paying extra to go ahead of other people just doesn't sit right with me. I feel I'm repeating myself now so I'll zip it.
 
Enter Valhalla said:
Like I keep saying, a well implemented fastrack system can have a positive effect on guest experience.

... I never said that fastrack has a positive effect on the majority of guests.
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I'm not really sure what you're arguing here then?

I don't think anybody here is saying that people *with* fastrack (well implemented or otherwise) ever have a worse experience because of it.
 
Enter Valhalla said:
Like I keep saying, a well implemented fastrack system can have a positive effect on guest experience.

In some parks, fastrack queues are basically next to the main queues and people literally jump on to the ride ahead of those in the main queue. This of course is very bad for perception and I agree is not good for guest experience.

However a well implemented fastrack system involves smaller allocation of fastrack and the type of batching or merge system that allows fastrack ticket holders to merge on to the ride platforms or into the queues without guests in the main queues even noticing, let alone being put out by it.

Believe me I have seen both types of system and many which are somewhere in between. I never said that fastrack has a positive effect on the majority of guests. However I believe that a well implemented fastrack system has a positive effect on the guests who use it and very little effect and those waiting in the main queue. With a well implemented system like I saw at USJ, the vast majority people in the main queue barely even noticed that fastrack ticket holders were being merged in. The effect in the queue time, as mentioned before, was also minimal as the allocation was low.
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The only positive example I can think of is at the Disney parks where it works pretty well. But that's only because their rides are double the capacity of most parks. I'd assume that's the same for USJ.

Using it on the likes of SAW or The Smiler is completely moronic.
 
D4n said:
I'm not really sure what you're arguing here then?

I don't think anybody here is saying that people *with* fastrack (well implemented or otherwise) ever have a worse experience because of it.
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In that quote, you’ve cut out the next sentence where I explain what I meant by that. It has a positive effect for those who buy it and little or no effect for those who do not. You’ve deliberately mis- interpreted my point and I think you know full well what I was saying.

I will put my point simply.

Fastrack is a welcome addition at a park where you only have the opportunity to visit once.

I’ve never purchased fastrack at a U.K. park as I have the opportunity of returning, not everyone has this option. And I don’t have this option at many of the parks I visit abroad. I am therefore happy to pay extra for this service if I know that it will make my one and only visit more enjoyable, especially if I am visiting at a peak period. I really don’t think that’s such a crime.
 
Enter Valhalla said:
I am basing this on my experience at USJ, as I explained in the original post.

I suggest you go back and actually read what I originally posted rather than telling me I’m wrong.
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You posted a stand-alone fact, that stands with or without previous posts :p.

You clearly state that fastrack has little to no effect on those that don't use it. Whether referring to one specific park, or all parks, this is categorically incorrect lol.
 
Islander said:
You posted a stand-alone fact, that stands with or without previous posts :p.

You clearly state that fastrack has little to no effect on those that don't use it. Whether referring to one specific park, or all parks, this is categorically incorrect lol.
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Wrong again.

I was responding to a specific post where a quote that I made had been chopped short. If you’d bothered to read the whole conversation you’d know that.

But to clarify for you, I said that a well implemented fastrack system has little impact on guests in the main queue. A poorly implemented fastrack system has a negative effect on guests in the main queue.

I have said all of this already and if you’d actually bothered to read what I’d said, you’d know that. I’m getting pretty bored of repeating myself now.
 
Enter Valhalla said:
Wrong again.

I was responding to a specific post where a quote that I made had been chopped short. If you’d bothered to read the whole conversation you’d know that.

But to clarify for you, I said that a well implemented fastrack system has little impact on guests in the main queue. A poorly implemented fastrack system has a negative effect on guests in the main queue.

I have said all of this already and if you’d actually bothered to read what I’d said, you’d know that. I’m getting pretty bored of repeating myself now.
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Unless fast-track is severely limited so only a handful are sold, it will always have an impact on the main queue.
If a ride can handle 600 people an hour, then without fastrack if 600 people turn up then the person at the back will wait an hour. But if they sell fast track and 300 fast track customers turn up, then the person at the back of the 600 standby people will wait 90 minutes. The only way to prevent this is to limit sales significantly or to offer timed tickets like Disney FastPass so that people are staggered throughout the day.
Even the best implemented solution, if one person has a shorter wait, another one has a longer wait.
 
jon81uk said:
Unless fast-track is severely limited so only a handful are sold, it will always have an impact on the main queue.
If a ride can handle 600 people an hour, then without fastrack if 600 people turn up then the person at the back will wait an hour. But if they sell fast track and 300 fast track customers turn up, then the person at the back of the 600 standby people will wait 90 minutes. The only way to prevent this is to limit sales significantly or to offer timed tickets like Disney FastPass so that people are staggered throughout the day.
Even the best implemented solution, if one person has a shorter wait, another one has a longer wait.
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Well obviously. I know how fastrack and throughputs work.

My point is that, with some systems, a small number are sold, thereby only increasing the main queue by around 10%.

Like I said, if the system means that fastrack ticket holders blatantly walk past people standing in the main queue and are visibly seen to be taking seats where the main queue could have been placed, this will have a negative impact on their experience. I know I keep using the example of USJ, but here the fastrack ticket holders queue was in a separate place and they were merged in a way whereby the main queue barely noticed. The rides had high enough throughputs that the main queue still moved quickly despite the presence of fastrack.

The example used of a ride with a 600 per hour throughput is a ride with what I would consider to be a throughput too low to comfortably support a fastrack queue.

I have seen bad fastrack systems and I have seen good ones. To make the blanket comments that all fastrack systems are detrimental to guest experience is a massively sweeping statement and not true in all cases.
 
Not their most interesting coaster to do it with, but glad to see them giving it a go. Probably kicking themselves they couldn't do it with Storm Chaser.
 
There could be something quite amusing about watching stuffed people riding roller coasters, depending on who the people were.
 
D4n said:
If Paultons actually manage to pull this off then there will be no real excuse why Merlin couldn't do the same.

More proof (not that it was needed) that Paultons is the most forward thinking park in the UK.
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Paultons are however getting a lot of complaints because they've capped pass holder tickets too low and are selling day tickets while they are out of season pass slots.
 
Will be interesting to see what procedures they put in place on Cobra, as the cars only seat 4 guests and they can only load one at a time (only one air gate).
 
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