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So how many of us use fastrack?

Do you use fastracks?

  • Occasionally

    Votes: 31 41.9%

  • No

    Votes: 36 48.6%

  • Yes

    Votes: 7 9.5%
  • Total voters
    74
D

Dan.B

TS Member
Favourite Ride
Colosuss
So, for me fastrack is a pain. But for many it makes their day.

How many of us use fastrack?

Vote and then elaborate below!
 
I've only ever bought Fastrack once in my life - and that was this year for The Smiler (living so far away from the park I didn't want to spend 3+ hours to wait given I wanted to get on all the rides).

Apart from that though, I've only ever used Fastrack when its been given to me for free (such as hotel freebies). Parks in the UK you can generally get on all rides within a day (as long as you plan well). Abroad it can be a bit harder to get everything done so quickly. So I've never really seen the point of Fastracks in UK parks. Even on busy days it is easy to get on all the main rides!
 
As much as I'd love to say "no", I'm not about to lie to save face, so I wholeheartedly answer "yes". I live hours and hours away, and when I've spent £300 on a two day trip, I'm more than happy to pay a sixth again to secure that I get on everything I need to in order to call the trip satisfying.
 
Any enthusiasts who regularly used paid queuejumpers should be ashamed of themselves.
 
I would never buy them for a park in the UK. However if I'm going on holiday to a park abroad at a busy time then yes. I've done this at Six Flags, BGW and PA. I find when reasonably priced they help you to make the most of a new park.

:)
 
I've used them. Specially for The Smiler.

Heap scorn upon me if you like, it's a fast track ticket, something I use to get on rides I either A) don't desire to wait 3 hours for, or B) am not that fussed about, but enjoy once a trip, so don't wish to waste over an hour queuing for it.

I by no means use them frequently, but on busy days if I can, then yup I use them.
 
No, but that's not due to some uppity moral high ground and political debate about how it's treating people with more money better, I think that's a load of bull, in all honesty. It's due to the fact I don't care enough for the rides to pay extra...

I've used them in the past though, last time probably at EP last October.
 
I've used them before and don't buy this whole cringey moral high ground hatred for the people who do buy them that you get from certain people on here either.

:)
 
Used to use Fasttrack fairly frequently some years ago when I could scarcely visit the park more than once a year. As of now, I visit often enough for me to feel that it isn't necessary any more.

Nothing wrong if people wish to pay extra for the priveledge, especially if they're not able to visit the park as often as say, some of this forum does, and wants to be sure that they get their moneys worth for their day out.


Sam said:
Any enthusiasts who regularly used paid queuejumpers should be ashamed of themselves.
Click to expand...

I hate to be one to potentially cause some kind of negative atmosphere, but isn't that a very 'holier than thou' attitude to have? I mean 'paid queuejumpers'? Really? In what respect should these people be ashamed about for using a perk that they paid for, and the park is offering to anyone?

I don't want this to be a thing of me calling people out on what their personal opinions are, but I do have a problem when people are effectively likening these guests to actual, rule breaking queuejumpers for using a service that anyone is allowed to use. I mean... They're not violating any of the park's policies, are they?
 
I have only visited the park around 6 times in the past decade... I have to travel quite far to get to Alton Towers. I would and have never considered buying Fast-track, even if I could afford it.

It's a disgusting abuse of wealth and anyone who thinks they deserve to skip queues on the basis that they are lucky enough to have the money to do so have partaken in a classist and elitist action for which they should not be proud of.

JonoD said:
I don't want this to be a thing of me calling people out on what their personal opinions are, but I do have a problem when people are effectively likening these guests to actual, rule breaking queuejumpers for using a service that anyone is allowed to use. I mean... They're not violating any of the park's policies, are they?
Click to expand...

How can you not make that comparison? You are not allowed to queue jump if you are poorer and can't afford a ticket that allows you to do so, but if you have an excessive amount of cash to throw at the park you can bribe your way into jumping the queue.
 
The massive difference between Fastrack and other types of perk is that pay-extra perks don't usually detract from everyone else's experience.

If you use Fastrack, you make everyone else wait longer. Upgrading to first class on a train doesn't make standard class worse.

It's ridiculous to argue about labelling it as paid queuejumping. That is an exact, dictionary definition of what it is. You are paying to jump the queues.

Sent from my HTC One V using Tapatalk
 
Sam said:
It's ridiculous to argue about labelling it as paid queuejumping. That is an exact, dictionary definition of what it is. You are paying to jump the queues.

Sent from my HTC One V using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Yes, it is paid queue jumping. The management of fast track tickets is something for debate, as is different systems of use - which could, and indeed have been used before.

I would far rather they had a better system, but they don't. Alton Towers trips are the equivalent of my holidays, if I go on a busy day & I can afford it, I will buy one or two for the day, it makes a big difference. I am not saying it should be a free for all, it most certainly should not.

And by the way, first class does make a difference to everyone else's service. On a plane, you get less leg room or space, the same on a train. You do not cause a longer wait, but you do infringe upon quality levels.

Meat Pie said:
It's a disgusting abuse of wealth
Click to expand...

I am not wealthy, there are people on this forum worth more than I am no question, what you should be saying is, it is a disgusting use of choice. People on this forum regularly pay more in a day for food/beer than I spend all season on Fast Tracks.

My choice is not to spend it on alcohol. It is not an elitist matter, or one of wealth. It is one of choice.

I think there are extreme levels that FT is taken to that need addressing, but on the whole when it is well managed (like The Smiler limited tickets) - even in a queue, I couldn't give a monkeys.
 
Rubbish. The fast-track is a system of social segregation along the lines of wealth that is vastly different from retail. It doesn't matter if you buy the budget products or the luxury products in a supermarket, everyone has to wait their turn at cheque-out, together.

The fast-track system which is out of the financial reach of most families, creates a two-tier system. The rich who don't have the wait with the rest us plebs, and the standard poorer customer who has to suffer the penalty of waiting longer than the selfish queue-jumper for a product that they already paid for.

It is unacceptable.
 
Only if I go abroad and it is stupidly busy otherwise I avoid it at all costs.

Although if someone bought it for me as a present or given to me for free then I would obviously not turn it down.
 
Generally speaking, I would never pay for Fastracks in the UK - however I will do without hesitation if I am at parks abroad and would otherwise not get on everything I would like to within the duration of my visit.

Flipping this round the other way, I can see the value of Fastracks to families (or indeed tourists coming from overseas to compare exactly like-for-like) who only visit the park once per season, or even every couple of seasons, and want to make the most of their day. As such, I morally have no issue with Towers selling Fastracks as such.

My issue is where they are not quota controlled appropriately - and Towers have historically been not particularly good at this (although I think have got better this season), combined with giving Fastracks as compensation for just about anything! I personally am of the opinion that (paid-for) Fastracks should be time-controlled, within a 2 hour window perhaps - to spread them evenly through the day also.

Meat Pie said:
Rubbish. The fast-track is a system of social segregation along the lines of wealth that is vastly different from retail. It doesn't matter if you buy the budget products or the luxury products in a supermarket, everyone has to wait their turn at cheque-out, together.

The fast-track system which is out of the financial reach of most families, creates a two-tier system. The rich who don't have the wait with the rest us plebs, and the standard poorer customer who has to suffer the penalty of waiting longer than the selfish queue-jumper for a product that they already paid for.

It is unacceptable.
Click to expand...

Meat Pie, what would be your thoughts on free Fastracks being given out as competition prizes, for example? Would you still be against these? :) (genuine question, I'm curious - as it takes out the wealth component)
 
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