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Ride Access Pass Systems and Disabled Access (pre 2024)

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Dave said:
The main change whether electronic or paper based that would work is that you go to the ride entrance to get your return time rather than given a time for the next ride at the exit of the previous one.

The reason is at the moment 400 RAP pass holders can come off rides during fireworks at 5pm, they get their return time for 6pm but now go wait for the fireworks. At 7.30pm 400 RAP groups now all go to Wickerman and chaos reigns.

If all 400 RAP users had to get their return time at 7.30pm then the RAP demand would be more evenly spread out.
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I guess the R&R system would do the same though right? as that has time slot allocations with a maximum RAP capacity for each slot, forcing demand to be spread out? Unless I am misremembering - it was a few years back and my wife was in charge of it.
 
Nick🎢 said:
I guess the R&R system would do the same though right? as that has time slot allocations with a maximum RAP capacity for each slot, forcing demand to be spread out? Unless I am misremembering - it was a few years back and my wife was in charge of it.
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Lo queue like pretty much every accesso product has a lot of flexibility in how it runs, one way is more time slot based.

Chessington rap for example still has different capacities compared to the paid product.
 
Originally in our case a current DLA letter which Merlin converted into a photo card that you use to collect and with the rap card.

DLA (and pip) can cover a wide range of challenges which I suspect is some part of the problem. There are 1.4m people in the UK entitled to DLA.
 
Benjsh said:
So could anyone go on there fill it out and not have to prove any type of disability?
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You still have to upload supporting documents during the application, but it focuses more on the needs of the applicant so you have to explain in writing why you find queueing difficult.
 
Benjsh said:
Out of interest....do you have to provide any documentation at Guest Services in order to get the RAP?
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Guest services *can* still issue it on a temporary basis in person, but In general on the day to via a priority queue via merlin, for short notice not on the day applications it goes through online via merlin, applying for longer then 7 days you go via the nimbus flow.
The via merlin queues are just the older apply online via merlin process (same pre nimbus proof accepted)
 
Dave said:
I have seen both sides of this argument and it’s not an easy nut to crack.

I myself am not disabled (dyslexic but that doesn’t stop me from queueing), but my partners sister is very disabled (both physically and neuro divergent) and she loves theme parks.

Now as much as some would like to suggest there is limited abuse of the system unfortunately there is. As people point out a lot of the people who use RAP are regular attenders so you start to recognise them. My biggest frustration is you will see people with RAP get their one hour return time on their card and then spend thatUltimatel time in another queue, get off the ride they queued for normally, go jump straight on another ride with their RAP, get their next return time then join another main queue whilst they wait. These people are queueing in the main queues, ergo they don’t need RAP.

Personally I couldn’t care less whether I get on rides at Towers as I go so often it’s not the end of the world, but these people then extend the queue time for people who genuinely need RAP like my partners sister. If we tried to get her on Wickerman after dark at scarefest we would have no chance as she couldn’t tolerate the physical wait in the overinflated RAP entrance. So she misses out!

That said people are very quick to assume everyone with a hidden disability is playing that trick when they are not. Ultimately it’s the system that needs changing.
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I agree with everything you're saying.

One solution to the 'using an RAP to do two queues at once' issue is to give all guests a wristband, which then must be removed (or deactivated) in exchange for an RAP card. Although tbh it's so rare that I see RAP cards being filled in it's somewhat academic how much of a problem this is.

The whole scribbling on a piece of card and zero management of guests arriving in RAP is untenable, it's not fit for purpose and it should have been automated long before now.

Ultimately my belief is the destination with all this stuff is physical queues being eliminated and replaced by q-bot or similar, at least on peak days.
 
WillPS said:
I agree with everything you're saying.

One solution to the 'using an RAP to do two queues at once' issue is to give all guests a wristband, which then must be removed (or deactivated) in exchange for an RAP card. Although tbh it's so rare that I see RAP cards being filled in it's somewhat academic how much of a problem this is.

The whole scribbling on a piece of card and zero management of guests arriving in RAP is untenable, it's not fit for purpose and it should have been automated long before now.

Ultimately my belief is the destination with all this stuff is physical queues being eliminated and replaced by q-bot or similar, at least on peak days.
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I think all parks would like virtual queuing, but there is a problem with it.

At the moment you can have a busy day at towers with 15,000 people on park but at any given time 8,000 are in a queue, therefore they are not impacting any of the other facilities in the park. If you move the extra thousands of people out of the queues and into the park you can get a lot of chaos.

Ultimately I think this is why parks are trying to reduce numbers and increase spend so they can get to a point where virtual queuing can be managed. The sad thing is this makes theme parks somewhere only those with some disposable income can enjoy. Speaking as someone who learned to love theme parks because they where the leisure option for those who couldn’t afford foreign holidays as a kid that seems a little sad… Anyway that’s a little off topic.
 
Dave said:
I think all parks would like virtual queuing, but there is a problem with it.

At the moment you can have a busy day at towers with 15,000 people on park but at any given time 8,000 are in a queue, therefore they are not impacting any of the other facilities in the park. If you move the extra thousands of people out of the queues and into the park you can get a lot of chaos.

Ultimately I think this is why parks are trying to reduce numbers and increase spend so they can get to a point where virtual queuing can be managed. The sad thing is this makes theme parks somewhere only those with some disposable income can enjoy. Speaking as someone who learned to love theme parks because they where the leisure option for those who couldn’t afford foreign holidays as a kid that seems a little sad… Anyway that’s a little off topic.
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I totally agree once again. Another drawback will be that the ability to just do what you feel will end up being diminished, and you'll have all the gamification that goes on with FastPass+/Genie making it miserable for anyone not involved.
 
The best change they could do literally tomorrow would surely be to change the system so you get the return time before going to the ride. So if you rock up to Wickerman, and the line is 60 minutes, you come back to Wickerman in 40. That makes sure that the flow of guests is regulated and the 20 minute buffer accounts for any queues that could build due to breakdowns etc
 
tayspru said:
The best change they could do literally tomorrow would surely be to change the system so you get the return time before going to the ride. So if you rock up to Wickerman, and the line is 60 minutes, you come back to Wickerman in 40. That makes sure that the flow of guests is regulated and the 20 minute buffer accounts for any queues that could build due to breakdowns etc
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Absolutely - the only reason I can think of as to why this doesn’t happen is because it would require a host at the ride entrance for all attractions that issue return times, which the vast majority don’t.
 
AT86 said:
Absolutely - the only reason I can think of as to why this doesn’t happen is because it would require a host at the ride entrance for all attractions that issue return times, which the vast majority don’t.
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I think it would be fine to implement it just for the coasters, and keep the others as they are.

Say for example Hex has a 20 minute wait, you ride Hex and then are frozen out for 20 minutes. After that time has elapsed you can go and receive a return time for Thirteen
 
AT86 said:
Absolutely - the only reason I can think of as to why this doesn’t happen is because it would require a host at the ride entrance for all attractions that issue return times, which the vast majority don’t.
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It also got a hell of a lot of kickback when LEGOLAND used that mode of lo queue, funny enough mostly by parents not rap users themselves
 
Islander said:
It did, and this seemingly was mostly ignored by the park, the system remained as it was... and it worked.
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If Reserve'n'Ride is working so well at LLW, I wonder why it seemingly hasn't had the same effect at Chessington, and also hasn't yet been adopted at Alton and Thorpe?
 
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