Ride Availability/Operations 2022-26

[Poisson]

Right I have a question on RAP. If RAP was 90 minutes (which has already been disputed), how are the people who require the pass being able to queue for so long despite not being able to queue in the main queue?

This is why they wanted to change RAP criterion but they bottled it. There's 2 options to make it work, crush the cap down even further on daily RAP allowance whilst the park is so under capacity or actually fix the system by changing the criterion.

 

[Ares]

No RAP was an "extended wait".

Whilst they prioritise Fastrack because "there's too many".

Can really tell the current ones in charge are from Thorpe.

My apologies. My brains marmalised today

Single rider only took 55 mins for me.

 

[Ares]

The Smiler main queue has basically stopped moving - trains are constantly going round but I’ve probably moved forward about 20m in half an hour!

I'm not surprised. Where the queues merge inside the flashing room, the guy in charge was just sending fast track only through for 5 minutes straight whilst I was in there, with the majority of people being sent through fast track or ambient.

 

[Matt N]

@Matt N i know we have disagreed on this matter in the past but as we enter the second consecutive weekend of dismal queue lengths, i can only reiterate this is why for many AT has the reputation it does. If you can only visit on peak days, the expectation is for there to be very long waits and poor availability.

Will this be reflected at Thorpe from next week? We shall see. It hasn't been the case for Chessington and Legoland so far this year.

Multiple attractions in the red, multiple attractions down on top of the already advertised closures.

I’m not denying that this is a pretty dismal picture.

However, I would deny that this picture necessarily represents an average weekend or holiday day. Alton After Dark is on, which has become a special event in its own right and is likely to attract an extra influx of crowds, and we’re also only in the second weekend of the season, and early season has never been a bastion of perfect reliability, rightly or wrongly.

Granted, this year’s early season does seem particularly bad for getting things going late in the morning, even if the up-and-down effect from previous years seems to have improved, but I don’t think we can extrapolate the picture from a special event day on the second weekend in the season as the “average” weekend or holiday picture. I’d want a non-event weekend in at least April before we can do that. Alton After Dark has likely attracted an extra influx of crowds compared to a “typical” weekend or holiday day.

 

[coasterenthusiast]

Because the alternative is 2 hour + in the standby queue.

No sorry, what I meant was, on an off-peak day, where queues are roughly 20-30 minutes, why do they need RAP, if they can queue for 90 minutes in a RAP queue?

 

[Bowser]

No sorry, what I meant was, on an off-peak day, where queues are roughly 20-30 minutes, why do they need RAP, if they can queue for 90 minutes in a RAP queue?

Well if we're working on the premise that the RAP line is actually 90 minutes (which i very much doubt), how would anyone entering said line know how long they will be waiting?

If there is an extended wait, at what point do they leave? 10 minutes? 25 minutes? When the pain becomes unbearable or they lose bladder control? Are you policing the RAP line and witnessing not a single person leave in 90 minutes?

I'd imagine most genuine RAP users who have had to endure a prolonged and unexpected wait will have decided they are too far in to give up but will subsequently have to leave the park exhausted, overwhelmed and suffering.

If any of the physical RAP lines are longer than say 10 minutes then the new system is an utter failure.

 

[coasterenthusiast]

Well if we're working on the premise that the RAP line is actually 90 minutes (which i very much doubt), how would anyone entering said line know how long they will be waiting?

If there is an extended wait, at what point do they leave? 10 minutes? 25 minutes? When the pain becomes unbearable or they lose bladder control? Are you policing the RAP line and witnessing not a single person leave in 90 minutes?

I'd imagine most genuine RAP users who have had to endure a prolonged and unexpected wait will have decided they are too far in to give up but will subsequently have to leave the park exhausted, overwhelmed and suffering.

If any of the physical RAP lines are longer than say 10 minutes then the new system is an utter failure.

Yes you’re right, I’m not trying to put down those using RAP. I think I may come across that way reading back on my post but that wasn’t my intention and I apologise. I more meant that surely there is a better way of controlling the RAP queue, leading to a better experience for both RAP and general queue users. For example, a digital app, or reduced RAP availability. Also, the usage of RAP quoted by you I fully support as it is unavoidable and in your words a ‘genuine’ reason to have it. I more meant those who claim they need RAP but would queue that length as long as it’s shorter than the general queue. Again, no offence to anyone intended, I’m just curious to find out how the system could theoretically be improved as it clearly isn’t at the mo.