Can't help thinking this is like my wife's gym. Sunday yoga, fully booked by Friday. By Sunday 8am, 10 free slots as people decide they're not going. If there's no requirement to buy a ticket/pay anything, people will just book on spec and decide later. Completely selfish, but once a few do it everyone does!
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Ride Access Pass and Disabled Access - 2024 Discussion
I have some in-ear monitors (headphones) that are moulded to fit my ears (you have to "twist" them into the ear). You can buy ear plugs the same e.g. https://www.alienears.com/ear-plugs . I'm sure your audiologist can get similar.
Otherwise silicon ear plugs (could be trimmed down so they don't stick out). The kind you warm/roll to thin them before insertion.
Otherwise silicon ear plugs (could be trimmed down so they don't stick out). The kind you warm/roll to thin them before insertion.
NuttySquirrel
TS Member
Loops are meant to be pretty good. I don't use them as I can't have anything in my ear canal but I've heard other people speak highly of them: https://www.loopearplugs.com/
Bowser
TS Member
Yeah came across these and will probably give them a go as looks like we'd be able to assist with putting them in and out. They're for my son and he hasn't let us put anything in his ears in the past so was wondering if there was some other type of option i was missing. In theory something connected to glasses and banded round the head would be ideal!
Not noise cancelling but wonder if bone-conducting headphones - eg https://uk.shokz.com/ - would help distract. I think the loops would require a band or something to stop them from falling out on-ride.
Rowe
TS Member
I swear by my many pairs of Loop earplugs (even the ones I've lost), they've massively helped me cope in audibly overwhelming environments when I can't listen to my music earbuds.
They come in many different types and the delivery box includes different sized ear tips. BUT I don't swear by the Link cords they sell (they're ironically responsible for a pair I lost
) and recommend using glasses strap chains with the little loop ends instead. The metal loop end can cause sensory annoyance though.
There are other brands like Alpine, Bollsen, Flare and VIBES out there. The latter two I bought prior to Loop and don't like as much.
They come in many different types and the delivery box includes different sized ear tips. BUT I don't swear by the Link cords they sell (they're ironically responsible for a pair I lost
) and recommend using glasses strap chains with the little loop ends instead. The metal loop end can cause sensory annoyance though.There are other brands like Alpine, Bollsen, Flare and VIBES out there. The latter two I bought prior to Loop and don't like as much.
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pluk
TS Member
It's been said a thousand times, but it would be really quite simple to have ticket/wristband/app scanners at queue entrances which only allowed entrance to the queue line you qualified for. It would take some implementing, but considering how much RAP has been utterly breaking park ops it'd be a worthwhile investment and would instantly stop people being in two places at once. Removing the advantage would remove the demand, so should give those that truly need it a fairer chance at getting it.
Would also allow the sale of non ridder tickets which could be good for some and potentially open a new revenue stream for gardens and ruins visitors at a much lower get price.
Bowser
TS Member
Isn’t this what people on here constantly complain about Blackpool having? Then you’d have to implement it on a larger scale. Imagine the confused customers dawdling at every entrance creating a queue to join the queue, additional staff required and so on. It would inevitably be an expensive disaster.
I don’t know if this is true anymore. It certainly hasn’t been my experience on multiple Chessington visits since the capacity was introduced.
pluk
TS Member
It's certainly a lot better, unless you want to actually book a ticket! It will always be the only way to reduce the demand is to remove the advantage.
People complain about the pointlessness of it at BP because it doesn't do anything, or didn't until they started offering the non rider tickets again. I think you are rather overstating the issue a turnstile with a scanner would cause.
A NFC-enabled wristband or phone would suffice. But a simpler solution is RAP wristbands for all in the party - RAP band means you can't join the regular queue. Of course you can "cover them up" but the risk of "having the bands removed" if abused should sort that one out.
I heard on the news that 2.5m are likely to have ADHD (not all diagnosed). But if that were the case (and add in all the other RAP users and their guests) and you're at 20% of the population.
I heard on the news that 2.5m are likely to have ADHD (not all diagnosed). But if that were the case (and add in all the other RAP users and their guests) and you're at 20% of the population.
Matt N
TS Member
But it’s worth noting that some rides don’t have RAP (admittedly not many, but some). You can’t just kick anyone with an RAP wristband out of the main queue when that ride may not have RAP enabled. Also, as has been mentioned, it’s very easy to hide the wristband if need be. It’s not like the staff are going to be checking bags at ride entrances or asking people to unroll their sleeves.
You’d need a more complicated solution of scanning everyone in some capacity and checking their queue type, which I think would be a bit like trying to crack a nut with a sledgehammer in a park like Alton. I personally would not want to see the faff of scanners come to the Merlin parks after having experienced BPB recently.
Easily managed, but yes there's always ways to "game the system". I guess there's a perception (from me at least) that the RAP system is often gamed. Many disabilities (like ADHD) are invisible, and so RAP makes it inclusive for those who cannot queue - but then you see RAP users in the main queue, so obviously they can! Even if the RAP user is unable to queue, it doesn't stop the rest of their party whilst they're waiting.
The more it is abused, the more people abuse it.
Bowser
TS Member
What if the group wish to do some rides together and split up for others?
It doesn’t matter if 30m are technically “eligible” if parks have a RAP capacity . Well it would matter for other reasons but not those being discussed.
I think people are looking for a solution for a problem that no longer exists. The only remaining issue is the various parks poor ride availability and capacity which is a problem regardless of RAP but seemingly one that is slowly being addressed.
Benzin
TS Member
RAP is technically available on all attractions. Just some might not have a queue or need to sign it off. Those rides like that at Towers are in the minority.
Forcing the entire group to wear wristbands would mean great confusion. If I'm taking lil one on (for example) Bugbies without Mrs that system would have me banned for using the normal queue (lol like theres ever one on that) even though the RAP user isnt going on. Also what if a 1.1m child is the RAP user then does that mean the parents can't go on rides the child isn't big enough for?
Over complicating the system isn't the answer and never has been.
Forcing the entire group to wear wristbands would mean great confusion. If I'm taking lil one on (for example) Bugbies without Mrs that system would have me banned for using the normal queue (lol like theres ever one on that) even though the RAP user isnt going on. Also what if a 1.1m child is the RAP user then does that mean the parents can't go on rides the child isn't big enough for?
Over complicating the system isn't the answer and never has been.
Matt N
TS Member
Anecdotally, it does seem as though RAP is a less contentious issue than it was a few years ago.
I don’t know whether the system changes or the pre-booking has made it better, but it does roundly seem to be less of a problem area than it was a few seasons ago!
I don’t know whether the system changes or the pre-booking has made it better, but it does roundly seem to be less of a problem area than it was a few seasons ago!
