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Paultons Park: General Discussion

Enter Valhalla said:
I do think that Paultons claiming to only have one queue is a bit of a stretch. Last time I went (admittedly on a peak day), quite a substantial ride access pass queue had formed at the exit to Pterosaur, and the main queue was moving very slowly indeed.

This very much goes against what they are saying in their Facebook post about the queues moving quickly.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not anti-ride access pass, all I’m saying is that it’s a slightly inaccurate claim.
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I've never seen more than 1 or 2 families in any RAP queue at any one time at Paultons. That scenario sounds like a massive rarity.
 
Based on the volume of RAP holders at Merlin parks, if they only let one group on per cycle, then the RAP queue would be out of control. Vampire for example frequently let full trains of RAP holders on to prevent the RAP queue from backing up on to Trail of the Kings and blocking access to the Trail.
 
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Maybe they should also only allow one ride on RAP as a reasonable adjustment to not grind the regular queue to a halt
 
Something like Vampire should be throwing them RAP down the FT queue and then not having FT. If the staff are booting trains out, the queue from merge to station would be 5 mins or so.

Sounds like Paultons are closer to having it right than Merlin are
 
Jb85 said:
Just ban RAP queues full stop. Ban it all.



What's with a good old fashioned free for all in the queue
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The Disability Act mainly.


Don't remember pre-booking it at Paultons but it's been a while since last visited. Maybe they've changed it. Good on them if so as it prevents the mess that you see at Merlin parks.

The 1 ride per group may or may not count all the time. We certainly did 2 goes on Storm Chaser last visit, although when in a wheelchair things tend to be slightly different compared to ambulant visitors.

Vampire as an example needs revisiting, but there in lies the issue of a ride built in the 90s with no thought as to accessibility requirements.
 
Benzin said:
Don't remember pre-booking it at Paultons but it's been a while since last visited. Maybe they've changed it. Good on them if so as it prevents the mess that you see at Merlin parks.

The 1 ride per group may or may not count all the time. We certainly did 2 goes on Storm Chaser last visit, although when in a wheelchair things tend to be slightly different compared to ambulant visitors.

Vampire as an example needs revisiting, but there in lies the issue of a ride built in the 90s with no thought as to accessibility requirements.
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I think it’s this season they changed it when they started using the access card scheme, with online applications to book your carer ticket / accessibility scheme.
 
At Chessington, you also now have to prebook your RAP 7 days in advance.

Don’t get me wrong, Merlin’s RAP system has its issues, but to reference a small park like Paultons with significantly smaller gate figures than Merlin, as a shining example of what all parks should be doing in regards to guests with disabilities, simply isn’t fair. You’re not comparing like for like. Merlin parks have much higher gate figures and subsequently their RAP systems get way more demand, meaning that a different process to the ‘one RAP guest per ride’ has to be adopted.
 
Enter Valhalla said:
At Chessington, you also now have to prebook your RAP 7 days in advance.

Don’t get me wrong, Merlin’s RAP system has its issues, but to reference a small park like Paultons with significantly smaller gate figures than Merlin, as a shining example of what all parks should be doing in regards to guests with disabilities, simply isn’t fair. You’re not comparing like for like. Merlin parks have much higher gate figures and subsequently their RAP systems get way more demand, meaning that a different process to the ‘one RAP guest per ride’ has to be adopted.
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I think the significant difference here is that Paultons limit the number guests with RAP passes per day, unlike Merlin who don’t.

From the Paultons website:

To ensure that Paultons Park can provide you and your family with a high quality experience, we need to limit the number of groups who have access to the Queue Assist Scheme each day. In doing this, we ensure that during your visit you are given the best possible day out at the park, with minimal queuing. As such, the Queue Assist Scheme must be pre-booked.
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Jb85 said:
Just ban RAP queues full stop. Ban it all.



What's with a good old fashioned free for all in the queue
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😂 We are RAP users and it really isn't possible for our family to use the main queue for many reasons. The wait somewhere else and ride system seems the fairest and works well

Paultons Park has by far the best RAP experience; for the last couple of years, we've had to book in advance, provide a photo and evidence, when you pick up your RAP, they make it identifiable so it can't be passed around and we've never experienced more than one other RAP family waiting at the same time. (Reasonably frequent visitors as it's the closest park to us). Legoland was good too for the most part, the last time we went, it was really understaffed and the RAP queues did end up being ridiculous for some of the low throughput rides so we didn't get to go on.

Enter Valhalla said:
You’re not comparing like for like. Merlin parks have much higher gate figures and subsequently their RAP systems get way more demand, meaning that a different process to the ‘one RAP guest per ride’ has to be adopted.
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This is very true!

Do you think that the absence of 'true' fast track helps operations?
 
I would agree that the fact Paultons has no fastrack system does allow them to operate RAP in the way which they do- that together with the much lower gate figures.

However, again, we aren’t comparing like for like. Enthusiasts always typically have a dislike of fastrack systems, which I get. But parks like Paultons and Europa, again are very different to Merlin parks, or many other parks in the world.

Paultons has low enough attendance that they can get away with not running a fastrack system so queues never get to move than about 30-40 mins. Europa obviously has much higher attendance but they have so many high throughput rides and enough land to fill up the park with support rides that it’s easier for them to keep the queues moving quicker.

Imagine a park with a Merlin attendance, let’s use Chessington as an example, only offering main queue on low capacity rides like Vampire and Rattlesnake. Whilst we enthusiasts usually hate fastrack, many guests would complain that a fastrack system wasn’t available, especially if they have limited time in the park.

Admittedly CWOA don’t help themselves by making their new coaster low capacity too, but you get what I’m saying. A lot of guests these days expect fastrack to be available when queues are an hour or longer and would moan if it wasn’t available.
 
@Coaster i have an autistic son so believe some form of access is needed.

However my current view on the way Merlin handle this is a free for all.



I'd have no issues myself queuing in the whole queue, if say, there was some way my wife and partner could join when it was my turn to ride.

I just feel the current system, with fast track as well, limits the rides your general visitor will get.

The principle is correct, just not well executed.
 
Coaster said:
This is a very ignorant thing to say. What about people who cannot queue, such as wheelchair users who can walk or stand for a few minutes, but not a longer period of time?
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In theory main queues should be designed so that wheelchair users who cannot stand just join the queue sat in the wheelchair. Disney have done this with many rides, the queues are either flat or properly ramped and have wide enough corners for wheelchairs. Then the only people who need to get a return time are those who cannot queue for neurodivergence reasons where its the environment that is the issue.
 
jon81uk said:
In theory main queues should be designed so that wheelchair users who cannot stand just join the queue sat in the wheelchair. Disney have done this with many rides, the queues are either flat or properly ramped and have wide enough corners for wheelchairs. Then the only people who need to get a return time are those who cannot queue for neurodivergence reasons where its the environment that is the issue.
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That would be ideal, but sadly in the UK pretty much every queueline would need totally rebuilding and redesigning.
 
Coaster said:
That would be ideal, but sadly in the UK pretty much every queueline would need totally rebuilding and redesigning.
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Although at places like Paulton where they have added new attractions on flat land there is no reason why it couldn't have been done for recent additions. It solves a part of the accessibility issue, as those who can't stand just sit in the wheelchair while queuing.
 
Paultons are at it again with the making digs at Merlin on their socials.

They’ve done a 10 reasons to visit Paultons, and the first two reasons, clearly both a dig at Merlin are: Short queues with no need for fastrack, and Free Parking.

I like Paultons and I’m by no means a Merlin fan, but I really dislike this style of marketing. It’s deplorable.

It’s also short sighted. Now that’s they’ve said this, they’ll never be able to bring in fastrack or charge for parking. I think it’s very unwise for any theme park to make such a bold statement.
 
They are just pointing out how they differ from their competitors and offer extra value for money by not having extra charges on top of the ticket price? Can't see an issue with it myself.

Just because they have mentioned free parking now, doesn't mean they can never bring in charges in the future. Alton Towers advertised free parking for over 20 years.
 
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