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Quick Questions

Skyscraper said:
There is a side entrance to Forbidden Valley, for hotel guests only. It's not big enough to be used as a general second entrance though.
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As Merlin is always looking for opportunities to upsell, maybe they could allow regular (non-hotel) guests to use this side entrance for an additional fee? (e.g. £30). There probably wouldn't be that many takers, and so the number of guests might be manageable - although this may possibly be offset by the staffing costs of manning the entrance.

Then again: as they already allow people to park in front of the main entrance for £20, perhaps there would be no point, and maybe it would cost Merlin money anyway due to the lack of shops et cetera in Forbidden Valley (thus potentially fewer impulse purchases) - plus I'm not sure if there are potential issues regarding the lack of toilets near the entrance, et cetera.
 
Whilst it's not particularly well publicised, they already allow anyone to exit via FV. Given that people are probably far more likely to buy something on the way out of the park than on the way in I don't think potential loss of revenue is a particular consideration.

The FV entrance can struggle to cope with demand from hotel guests at peak times already. Many years ago pass holders were allowed to use the old woodland walk (entering the park behind Blade) but that was before the days of security checks so there'd just be one staff member with a handheld ticket scanner at the entrance and it wasn't an issue. This was also during the days of ERT for both hotel guests and pass holders, which probably helped to spread out arrival times.

This is all going to become a bigger problem when the monorail eventually dies completely.
 
I can also remember showing my annual pass to the person on the desk in the hotel and telling them I was on the way down to the gate to the Woodland Walk, then them buzzing me through when they saw me at the turnstile on camera. Also remember being down there in a group with the 1 staff member and scanner too. Different times.
 
BarryZola said:
I can also remember showing my annual pass to the person on the desk in the hotel and telling them I was on the way down to the gate to the Woodland Walk, then them buzzing me through when they saw me at the turnstile on camera. Also remember being down there in a group with the 1 staff member and scanner too. Different times.
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Can you remember roughly what year this was?
 
John said:
Whilst it's not particularly well publicised, they already allow anyone to exit via FV. Given that people are probably far more likely to buy something on the way out of the park than on the way in I don't think potential loss of revenue is a particular consideration.

The FV entrance can struggle to cope with demand from hotel guests at peak times already. Many years ago pass holders were allowed to use the old woodland walk (entering the park behind Blade) but that was before the days of security checks so there'd just be one staff member with a handheld ticket scanner at the entrance and it wasn't an issue. This was also during the days of ERT for both hotel guests and pass holders, which probably helped to spread out arrival times.

This is all going to become a bigger problem when the monorail eventually dies completely.
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Given the current state of things, the lack of permanent security booths in both the entrance plaza and at FV are a damning indictment of the lack of long term planning and focus on “guest excellence”. I’ve seen festivals look far more professional. Never mind the mile long switch back queue.

Bring back the huts and festoon lighting
 
I had another quick question: AT86 has mentioned in the Scarefest thread that Alton Towers has apparently sold out today, as the website is not allowing people to buy any more tickets.

My question is: does anybody know the maximum number of tickets that AT are allowed to sell in a given day?

For comparison, does anybody also know the maximum number of tickets at other Merlin parks as well?

I assume the restrictions are due to congestion, and health & safety? (e.g. toilets, food, drink, et cetera)

(I remember overhearing a Thorpe Park employee say on Monday 12th August 2024 that the attendance that day was lower than it had been during the school trips period a few weeks earlier; I can't remember the exact figures that she quoted, but I think the 12/08 figure was around 7,000, and the June/July figure was around 10,000 or 12,000?).
 
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The figures vary depending what is on. Fireworks for example has a much lower capacity.
 
Poisson said:
The figures vary depending what is on. Fireworks for example has a much lower capacity.
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Why is there a lower capacity during fireworks nights?

Is it because people need to be kept away from the explosions and so there is less space available within in the park? (this is just me guessing)
 
Plus, they simply cannot cope with the crowds they once did due to cuts in food outlets, rides, and attractions. I think there were a few years when the crowds during Fireworks were unbearable.

It’s not unusual now to see Scarefest days as the busiest days of the year due to their higher capacity compared to Fireworks, whereas it used to be the opposite.

Capacity used to be around 28,000 a few years ago. I have no clue what the cap is now, but I would imagine it's a few thousand less. As said, though, capacity will fluctuate depending on the time of the year.
 
James said:
Plus, they simply cannot cope with the crowds they once did due to cuts in food outlets, rides, and attractions. I think there were a few years when the crowds during Fireworks were unbearable.

It’s not unusual now to see Scarefest days as the busiest days of the year due to their higher capacity compared to Fireworks, whereas it used to be the opposite.

Capacity used to be around 28,000 a few years ago. I have no clue what the cap is now, but I would imagine it's a few thousand less. As said, though, capacity will fluctuate depending on the time of the year.
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I also beleive that Bianca stated somewhere she wanted a lower cap to try and make guest experience better.

But I can’t for the life of me remember where I read that?
 
AltonLover123 said:
I also beleive that Bianca stated somewhere she wanted a lower cap to try and make guest experience better.

But I can’t for the life of me remember where I read that?
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Doesn't sound like Merlin.... 😁 I'd imagine more for crowd control, as there may be larger crowds leaving as soon as the fireworks are over..? And perhaps that it's dark.
 
Just a quickie,
Our merlin passes have expired but it allowed us to book some tickets for AT for after they expired. Has anyone tried these ‘expired tickets’ and have they worked for you? We have the actual barcodes and things.
 
Hi first time post!
Im travelling with my son tomorrow. As a one off we have purchased ultimate fasttrack tickets. With all the long queues I was just wondering if anybody could tell me how long the fastpass queues are on average for the coasters? Just a bit concerned that I may have wasted my money???
 
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mattrad88 said:
Hi first time post!
Im travelling with my son tomorrow. As a one off we have purchased ultimate fasttrack tickets. With all the long queues I was just wondering if anybody could tell me how long the fastpass queues are on average for the coasters? Just a bit concerned that I may have wasted my money???
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Busiest time of year - definitely worth it!! On some rides the FP and RAP queues combine, or join with the main queue at some point, so your 2 hour queue might be down to 30 mins or less depending on ride.
 
mattrad88 said:
Hi first time post!
Im travelling with my son tomorrow. As a one off we have purchased ultimate fasttrack tickets. With all the long queues I was just wondering if anybody could tell me how long the fastpass queues are on average for the coasters? Just a bit concerned that I may have wasted my money???
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Just be aware that some Fastrack queues can get big in the evening as everyone wants a night ride, Wicker Man especially.
 
How do parks calculate queue times before a new ride opens?

The new ride at Efteling has just opened on 180 minutes main queue, 90 minutes single rider. Obviously they know the throughput but beyond that? Is it likely to be quite inaccurate initially till points of reference are created?

Edit: someone in the Efteling thread said they queued for 50min so guess I was correct 😂
 
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Previous experience in running the ride?
I know if I do the Beach on a Sunday morning, the only ride with a queue will be the Big One.

The parks know the visitors like shepherds know their sheep, they all get hefted in the end.
 
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