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Ride Access Pass and Disabled Access - 2026 Discussion

RIPCorky said:
If they do I assume they'll just lower the amount of RAP for each day. Then people will complain they can't book. I've already seen some people asking (some advising) what else they can say is "wrong" with them to get RAP back.
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Will be a lot of people with bladder issues suddenly appearing I'd imagine.

I do sympathise to those with young children who are affected by the changes. Maybe there is a compromise somewhere but this announcement is a step in the right direction for Merlin. They really had to do something.
 
I’ve had multiple people send me the petition already the past 24 hours.

I have not signed it because whilst i think the way they have gone about it is very poor and was also perhaps not necessary alongside the other changes being introduced, i have always criticised nimbus for their lenient criteria in the past.
 
I doubt they will change things that much. That just sounds like “come to guest services to be told sorry no”.
 
Genuine question - because a person has been diagnosed with say ADHD why would this automatically mean that person is unable to stand in a queue?

I ask because you have to queue to get on the monorail. You queue to get into the park. You queue on towers street to get a pass and you queue to get on the rides. In peak season this can be just as long as the normal queues.

In everyday life you queue in the supermarket, you queue to get a bus/train and queue at the airport.

Please don’t take this the wrong way - but perhaps this is what Merlin are trying to achieve here. There will genuinely be people who cannot stand in a queue, but also a certain number who are able to stand, but maybe use the pass as a means to jump the queues?

I don’t mean this with any disrespect, but many of us who have visited peak season have witnessed the long queues on towers street for a pass and for the rides themselves ….

Surely for those who really are unable to stand in a queue this is a good move. I’ve read many comments from those in wheelchairs for example who welcome the move meaning they won’t have to wait as long.
 
RicketyCricket said:
Will be a lot of people with bladder issues suddenly appearing I'd imagine.

I do sympathise to those with young children who are affected by the changes. Maybe there is a compromise somewhere but this announcement is a step in the right direction for Merlin. They really had to do something.
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I think some people have already cancelled their MAP so if Merlin do go back on it they're going to look rather stupid.
 
Something had to change with RAP because the system was not working as originally intended. With non visual disabilities it is difficult to tell who is being honest and who is lying. The people I feel for the most is the staff that have to deal with the abuse people give when they don't get their RAP pass they are just doing there job. Any change to RAP is always going to be controversial no matter what they did.
 
GaryH said:
Genuine question - because a person has been diagnosed with say ADHD why would this automatically mean that person is unable to stand in a queue?

I ask because you have to queue to get on the monorail. You queue to get into the park. You queue on towers street to get a pass and you queue to get on the rides. In peak season this can be just as long as the normal queues.

In everyday life you queue in the supermarket, you queue to get a bus/train and queue at the airport.

Please don’t take this the wrong way - but perhaps this is what Merlin are trying to achieve here. There will genuinely be people who cannot stand in a queue, but also a certain number who are able to stand, but maybe use the pass as a means to jump the queues?

I don’t mean this with any disrespect, but many of us who have visited peak season have witnessed the long queues on towers street for a pass and for the rides themselves ….

Surely for those who really are unable to stand in a queue this is a good move. I’ve read many comments from those in wheelchairs for example who welcome the move meaning they won’t have to wait as long.
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Disability top trumps really doesn't help anyone, how people don't see this I don't know
 
Islander said:
Not really sure this in any way answers GaryH's reasonable question...
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I honestly didn't even spot that was a question...

GaryH said:
Genuine question - because a person has been diagnosed with say ADHD why would this automatically mean that person is unable to stand in a queue?

I ask because you have to queue to get on the monorail. You queue to get into the park. You queue on towers street to get a pass and you queue to get on the rides. In peak season this can be just as long as the normal queues.

In everyday life you queue in the supermarket, you queue to get a bus/train and queue at the airport.

Please don’t take this the wrong way - but perhaps this is what Merlin are trying to achieve here. There will genuinely be people who cannot stand in a queue, but also a certain number who are able to stand, but maybe use the pass as a means to jump the queues?

I don’t mean this with any disrespect, but many of us who have visited peak season have witnessed the long queues on towers street for a pass and for the rides themselves ….

Surely for those who really are unable to stand in a queue this is a good move. I’ve read many comments from those in wheelchairs for example who welcome the move meaning they won’t have to wait as long.
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No it wouldn't there's hardly any disabilities that are an automatic can't do X.
 
GaryH said:
I’ve read many comments from those in wheelchairs for example who welcome the move meaning they won’t have to wait as long.
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They will wait the same time as they have the past few years as there is no indication the capacity has changed. There seems to be a basic misunderstanding of what these changes are going to achieve. They are reducing the pool of people competing for bookings, not the number of people in the park each day as far as we know.

GaryH said:
Genuine question - because a person has been diagnosed with say ADHD why would this automatically mean that person is unable to stand in a queue?

I ask because you have to queue to get on the monorail. You queue to get into the park. You queue on towers street to get a pass and you queue to get on the rides. In peak season this can be just as long as the normal queues.

In everyday life you queue in the supermarket, you queue to get a bus/train and queue at the airport.
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I can't speak for ADHD specifically and i'm confident it's not a one size fits all as with autism but surely you can see the difference in standing in a supermarket queue for 5 minutes and standing in a noisy confined cattle-pen for 100+ minutes?

Airports make adjustments for people with disabilities. They have priority boarding and security lanes. Trains and buses do not have 100+ minute claustrophobic queues.

Queueing at a theme park is a very specific set of circumstances. The only equivalent would probably be a large sporting or music event. I imagine they offer some kind of accessability but i've no knowledge personally.

But to answer your question, a diagnosis of any neurological condition does not automatically mean somebody is unable to queue... though it does often mean they are unable to queue for long periods.

RIPCorky said:
Should Diabetes be included in RAP? (It is currently) Where do you draw the line? Dementia? Depression? Herpes?
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RAP never should have been by diagnosis. It should always be for those otherwise unable to access the queue. Your diagnosis is part of your eligibility assessment.
 
RIPCorky said:
Should Diabetes be included in RAP? (It is currently) Where do you draw the line? Dementia? Depression? Herpes?
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I don't by diagnosis, I go by need.
Some diabetics will need rap,some won't. Same for autistics, and almost every single disability.
That's what nimbus aim to do, abstract the specific disability and present the needs instead, as it's generally more useful to know someone struggles with crowds and has toileting needs then someone is autistic.
 
Bowser said:
They will wait the same time as they have the past few years as there is no indication the capacity has changed. There seems to be a basic misunderstanding of what these changes are going to achieve. They are reducing the pool of people competing for bookings, not the number of people in the park each day as far as we know.
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I fear there is a fundamental error in your logic here regarding capacity and throughput. You are viewing the RAP daily limit as a target that will always be hit, rather than a ceiling.

If the current RAP daily cap is, for the sake of argument, 500 groups per day, and 2,000 eligible groups are currently fighting for those spots, then yes, the cap is hit every day. The queues remain long for everyone because the system is maxed out.

However, if Merlin changes the criteria so that only 300 groups now physically qualify for the pass, the daily cap of 500 becomes irrelevant. Only 300 groups will visit.

This reduction in the absolute number of RAP users on the park directly improves the queue time for everyone:

RAP Queue: - With fewer users, the "virtual queue" doesn't back up, and the physical merge line is shorter.

Main Queue: - This is the critical part. Ride throughput is a finite resource. Every seat occupied by a RAP user is a seat denied to the main queue. If you reduce the number of RAP users cycling through the attraction, you increase the dispatch rate for the main queue. The main queue moves faster, meaning the advertised wait time drops.

The goal of these changes isn't just to stop the "Scarefest is fully booked in February" complaints, it's to drastically reduce the volume of RAP users impacting the operational efficiency of the rides.
 
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