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Ride Access Pass and Disabled Access - 2024 Discussion

One thought, we're now 12 months past the introduction of Nimbus taking over so in theory a lot of the legacy Access cards will have expired. Obviously there's no way of us knowing the actual impact they have had but you'd think Merlin at least would have knowledge of the numbers in circulation relative to previous seasons.
 
I think this more-or-less confirms the murmurings that ride ops and queue lines were being overwhelmed by RAP's for a while now. Whilst this system [from what we know] is still far from perfect it does mean that genuine RAP users who reserve their slot will get the support they deserve on the day. It should also help make sure rides and op's are not swarmed by RAP users. This system also partially closes one of the loopholes/ benefits of having the RAP by limiting reservations.

Whilst it will help on the day, I feel that this misses the main issue of being able to determine who should have a RAP and who shouldn't. That is an issue that is far less easy to resolve and I don't actually think there is a workable solution for. Hopefully the new limitations will make the pass less attractive to those who are potentially mis-using the system.

I do accept that there will likely be genuine RAP users who are unable to secure a slot - this is very unfortunate and hopefully will make anyone thinking of misusing the system to reconsider.

I know there will be a lot of criticism about the new procedure, I do feel that Towers are trying to resolve an issue that has likely ballooned out of control in recent years and congratulate them for doing this.
 
Chaos would ensue no matter what the parks decided to do to combat the problems with the system. There was a massive furore when Legoland changed to Q-Bots.

Hopefully this does the job intended. But it's going to need a big response from the parks when the kick-back happens. Will be interesting to see what the caps are and how the system behaves on those busier days.
 
Let's be honest. If the numbers are capped in any meaningful way, Saturday's and school holidays, at the very least, are going to be a problem with people not being able to access rides. People with passes are going to keep a rolling block of 3 or 5 bookings going, if we're honest.
 
Leigh said:
Looks like pre-booking is coming to RAP starting this season. Taken from the MAP Facebook group:

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Don’t know about other people but I see this as fantastic news.
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Bit late on this one but why is the date from 2nd March? Which park is opening that early
 
Ethan said:
Bit late on this one but why is the date from 2nd March? Which park is opening that early
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Legoland is open from Half Term next week but presumably they don't want to initiate it during school holidays.

ScottishChris said:
Whilst it will help on the day, I feel that this misses the main issue of being able to determine who should have a RAP and who shouldn't. That is an issue that is far less easy to resolve and I don't actually think there is a workable solution for. Hopefully the new limitations will make the pass less attractive to those who are potentially mis-using the system.
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This has been theoretically addressed by moving the qualification criteria to Nimbus, though i'm not aware of any transparency in the impact that has had. As i said earlier they've been in place for over a year now meaning previous "legacy" access cards which i believe had a 2 year expiry date will be out of the system.

Although this doesn't resolve the issue of qualified RAP holders giving their passes to their friends and family which anecdotally i find to be the biggest issue, especially at AT and Chessington.
 
Bowser said:
This has been theoretically addressed by moving the qualification criteria to Nimbus, though i'm not aware of any transparency in the impact that has had. As i said earlier they've been in place for over a year now meaning previous "legacy" access cards which i believe had a 2 year expiry date will be out of the system.
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I have mentioned previously that I completed a mock Nimbus application using mostly factual information (sometimes slightly exaggerated, but 'provable') about myself and despite being physically and mentally able to queue I was eligible for a Nimbus card which would have made me eligible for the RAP. I understand why the criteria is so loose, but I am sure there is a surprisingly high percentage of people on this forum, who if the applied would be eligible. That is the true issue with the system, in my opinion.
 
ScottishChris said:
I have mentioned previously that I completed a mock Nimbus application using mostly factual information (sometimes slightly exaggerated, but 'provable') about myself and despite being physically and mentally able to queue I was eligible for a Nimbus card which would have made me eligible for the RAP. I understand why the criteria is so loose, but I am sure there is a surprisingly high percentage of people on this forum, who if the applied would be eligible. That is the true issue with the system, in my opinion.
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Were you given a Nimbus card with the queuing logo plus number and asked to provide any evidence?
 
Bowser said:
Were you given a Nimbus card with the queuing logo plus number and asked to provide any evidence?
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I don't know what you mean by "queuing logo plus number"... it was a while ago. I was asked to supply evidence, which I could easily do through my NHS and medication record. I vaguely recall a statement that a Doctors note would be acceptable... having worked in HR I can tell you that getting a suitably vague certificate regarding a condition is fairly straight forward (and a money maker for GP's)

The issue with the system (if I recall) is that most 'complaints' be it mental health, cognitive or physical etc populate the "trouble standing/ quining" box by default with little qualification. Again, if I remember correctly you need to deselect it - surely it would be better to have it unselected and required people to select and then qualify the request.
 
ScottishChris said:
I don't know what you mean by "queuing logo plus number"... it was a while ago. I was asked to supply evidence, which I could easily do through my NHS and medication record. I vaguely recall a statement that a Doctors note would be acceptable... having worked in HR I can tell you that getting a suitably vague certificate regarding a condition is fairly straight forward (and a money maker for GP's)

The issue with the system (if I recall) is that most 'complaints' be it mental health, cognitive or physical etc populate the "trouble standing/ quining" box by default with little qualification. Again, if I remember correctly you need to deselect it - surely it would be better to have it unselected and required people to select and then qualify the request.
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Sounds like the process has changed somewhat since you did this.

The current card has a number of logos on it which indicate what your specific requirements are. To qualify in the context of theme parks, you need one with the queueing logo (which obviously indicates you have difficulty queueing) and then the number indicates how many carers you require (although i don't think the theme parks acknowledge this part as they set their own limits. If you require 2 carers and a park only allows 1 then potentially you can override it but not relevant in regards to Merlin).

As part of the process you have to go through each category to demonstrate what you qualify for.

You're saying you have evidence through your NHS and medication record, which i can't really comment on without knowing what that is and certainly am not prying but you definitely required more than a GP note saying "this person has difficulty queuing", which previously was deemed adequate.

Ultimately most of this is speculation as we don't know the details of the approval process, only the current mechanism. I suppose you could attempt another mock application and see what happens!

Here are a list of the icons and their definitions:

 
I was accepted with the new system last year through Nimbus etc and the only evidence I gave was a copy of an occupational health report from work when I was off sick with symptoms relating to anxiety.
 
Sounds like it's a bit of a lost cause, likely Merlin (and others) wanted to hand off responsibility to a third party to minimise their own responsibility.

Still, let's see if there is any noticeable change with the new system.

It is somewhat odd that the problems tend to be so magnified at Merlin parks. How are people's experiences elsewhere? The only other system i've used is Paulton's, which as mentioned works very well for a variety of reasons. Planning to visit Drayton for the first time this year.

Have heard Disneyland Paris works very well from a friend.... i did note their requirements online seem very strict in comparison, though conversely they also accept Nimbus.
 
Bowser said:
Sounds like it's a bit of a lost cause, likely Merlin (and others) wanted to hand off responsibility to a third party to minimise their own responsibility.
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Checking every application is very resource intensive yes, but crucially the employees at Merlin aren't experts or specialists.

Nimbus are a social enterprise run by disabled people, for disabled people. They're more likely to have better understandings of an individual's needs and better able to empathise. Absolutely the right move in outsourcing RAP screening to them.
 
GooseOnTheLoose said:
Checking every application is very resource intensive yes, but crucially the employees at Merlin aren't experts or specialists.

Nimbus are a social enterprise run by disabled people, for disabled people. They're more likely to have better understandings of an individual's needs and better able to empathise. Absolutely the right move in outsourcing RAP screening to them.
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There wasn't much to check on the old system, it was blue badge etc so no specialist knowledge was required beyond checking the name on the application matched the documentation.

I agree it's ethically right but not convinced the decision was based on that. Doesn't matter at this point, it's done but i suppose the lack of transparency is slightly concerning. If anything, if the examples given on this page are representative then the qualifications for RAP have actually been lowered meaning not only will there be more holders but they will have longer validity on their passes too.

Personally i'd be interested to know if this is correct and Merlin will definitely know the answer but i can't imagine will be forthcoming with it. The fact that after only a single year with Nimbus they are now introducing a numbers cap would arguably support the theory.
 
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