Ride Access Pass and Disabled Access - 2024 Discussion

[rob666]

So from looking it seems this is actually a fast pass system for a selection of rides that you had to pay extra for with various tiers and thus would only work with limited capacity versus everyone in the park using it across all rides.

I think there’s a reason that the parks have limited the universal virtual queuing option to a single ride each, that being it’s not achievable at scale.

No, there was a wait of the current queuelength, no fastpass...as I already said, we waited the precise queuelength at the bar.
On that day it was no fastpass, it was qbot full wait only because it was not very busy.
You could pay a good deal extra on top on busy days to reduce the wait by 50% or even more for a 90% reduction, but the system still put you in the basic queue relative to other queuejumpers using the bots within the system.
What I have tried to make clear...the technology is now there to put every ride and every customer on such a system, including rap and fasttrack, so an individual could not be in two queues at the same time to abuse the process overall.
What others have made clear is that the network ain't up to it yet...or isn't financially viable or acceptable planning wise.

 

[Bowser]

What I have tried to make clear...the technology is now there to put every ride and every customer on such a system

I understand but it only works by limiting user and attraction numbers, hence why no park on earth has made it universal. It’s not down to lack of technology, it’s about logistics.

You’d create a lottery system where people would be completely unable to access the most popular attractions. A good example would be Universal Osaka where you often have to pre-book time slots to the Nintendo World in an attempt to spread the numbers across the day.

I’ve experienced it myself at Chessington and Lego having to wait 6 hours for one attraction. The best part is when you see the ride going round with empty seats.

 

[danlouislucy]

Mobile signal, they'd probably have to get the various mobile companies to install equipment and masts in the park, probably going to struggle to get that one past planning. They appear to have rolled out a new wireless network across most of the park recently though - a decent number of high quality access points lining most of the paths and areas near the rides, so it's perfectly feasible for them to improve their network backbone and upgrade their site's Internet connection.

2022 closed season 5G backbone was improved to an extent because I have frequently got 7-800Mb plus on a 5G connection in the park

 

[Alexsniff7]

Kinda off topic but I have the merlin RAP (the card you pick up from guest services on your first visit) yet the barcode on that isn't recognised when I go to book it, do I really need the full nimbus card to use an RAP now?

 

[Bowser]

Kinda off topic but I have the merlin RAP (the card you pick up from guest services on your first visit) yet the barcode on that isn't recognised when I go to book it, do I really need the full nimbus card to use an RAP now?

Are you using the long number under the barcode rather than the shorter one above it?

Have you selected the correct colour type (red or yellow)?

Has your card expired by the date you're looking at?

 

[imanautie]

Are you using the long number under the barcode rather than the shorter one above it?

Have you selected the correct colour type (red or yellow)?

Has your card expired by the date you're looking at?

Accesso passport as it's configured in merlin EU only checks if it's valid on the date you are making the booking NOT the booking for date.

 

[Alphe86]

Merlin have emailed people asking them to get in touch with proof of booking if they missed the RAP booking window.
Looks like backing down / caving in. Which isn’t the answer long term.

 

[Dave]

Merlin have emailed people asking them to get in touch with proof of booking if they missed the RAP booking window.
Looks like backing down / caving in. Which isn’t the answer long term.

I don’t think that’s the case, it’s not unreasonable to honour the people who had a ticket booked before RAP changes went live considering merlin messed it up.

So long as long term they stick with the cap then I think this is reasonable.

 

[Blackhole_Sun]

Merlin have emailed people asking them to get in touch with proof of booking if they missed the RAP booking window.
Looks like backing down / caving in. Which isn’t the answer long term.

Yeah they can’t really not allow RAP bookings if they already booked a theme park ticket.

I doubt anything will strictly change just yet but the moaning about it on social media is still intensifying.

 

[Dave]

Yeah they can’t really not allow RAP bookings if they already booked a theme park ticket.

I doubt anything will strictly change just yet but the moaning about it on social media is still intensifying.

Merlin won’t care about the moaning on social media so long as it doesn’t hit the main media to hard.

 

[Mick]

Surely there has to be a way when booking your park ticket you specify RAP at that point, rather than two separate bookings?

All this is going to mean is there’s way more RAP than their new limit on the opening Saturdays. As much as I’d love to do some rides in the dark, I’m glad to be giving these early Saturdays a miss, has potential to be hellish.

 

[Alphe86]

That’s my point - all your doing is satisfying people upset they couldn’t get RAP with others who were expecting a better experience and asking “why am i still in a 60min wickerman queue?”

Everything about this has been a massive mess

 

[Bowser]

We are going on 23rd, expecting a mess now. Somewhat glad my son is too small for nemesis as that’s bound to be a disaster.

 

[Ash]

Merlin have emailed people asking them to get in touch with proof of booking if they missed the RAP booking window.
Looks like backing down / caving in. Which isn’t the answer long term.

When their queues are through the roof for the rest of the season people need to complain.

I recommend trip advisor

Surely another sensible solution would be a limit of two rides using RAP system?

 

[Bowser]

Surely another sensible solution would be a limit of two rides using RAP system?

People with disabilities paying full price and only being allowed on 2 rides doesn't seem the best solution.

 

[pluk]

People with disabilities paying full price and only being allowed on 2 rides doesn't seem the best solution.

Two goes on any one ride, to spread demand. Other parks do similar, some allow one RAP use per ride. I'm personally jot abfan, makes it too restrictive, the return time length should be enough to smooth demand from the more popular rides.

 

[Ash]

People with disabilities paying full price and only being allowed on 2 rides doesn't seem the best solution.

Why?

There’s a limit for everyone else.

Its called a queue

 

[Ash]

Two goes on any one ride, to spread demand. Other parks do similar, some allow one RAP use per ride. I'm personally jot abfan, makes it too restrictive, the return time length should be enough to smooth demand from the more popular rides.

I agree, but the abuse of the system is absurd.

Limiting the number of people per day to make it sane.

Ensuring people can only access one pass/ticket item is a must, this has to change

I have no idea why groups can’t be issued a phone/tablet that staff enter the current time on and then is the only thing that can be used on return. Or built in to the AT app.

Am I right in thinking skyride access is basically let RAP on and everyone else waits until it isn’t a queue? That’s a farce too.

 

[Mick]

Why?

There’s a limit for everyone else.

Its called a queue

Exactly, and if it’s a quiet day then people could ride as many times as they want as surely they’d have no issues using the normal queue as the wait times would be low anyway? Lower than they spend waiting in the RAP queue on a busy day for sure.

 

[Bowser]

Why?

There’s a limit for everyone else.

Its called a queue

Even on the busiest day i think people get to go on more than 2 rides.

I have no idea why groups can’t be issued a phone/tablet that staff enter the current time on and then is the only thing that can be used on return. Or built in to the AT app.

This is the system in place at other Merlin parks (Chessington and Legoland), it's not a solution in itself. Fraudulent use of time cards is only a small problem and hopefully is resolved by the new ticketing system until they can also go digital.