So how many of us use fastrack?

[Pixie-Ro]

So because I am an enthusiast who uses the system sensibly, that makes me a class war mongering elitist segregating legitimate rule breaking scumbag ;D

Do me a favour ;D haha!

Don't forget rich beyond your wildest dreams.

 

[Sam]

Don't be soft. So we bought a couple of Fast Tracks, I took his nipper on Rita, everyone was happy - we queued together for the rides everyone wanted to do, without having to split the entire group up for an hour. Job done.

And by doing that, you made the proles in the main queue wait even longer, many of whom could also be families with young children who, after being practically mugged at the ticket office, can't bear to hand over anymore cash to Varney & Co. Do you feel even a little bit guilty about lengthening their queue time?

 

[josht]

Never the evil things

 

[Meat Pie]

How is it hypocritical to use free fast-track (unless it's tied to some kind of premium package) when I oppose a pay for system, not fast-track itself? That makes no logical sense.

Besides, I'd say it's hypocritical to claim to be anti-tory whilst using paid-for fast track...

I remember when I was younger and I went to the theme parks with my family. My mum at the time worked 3 jobs. She worked at a school during the working week, at a shop on the weekends, and temporary work during the school holidays. My dad worked hard all year round too. Both of them on very low wages. We didn't have holidays in that period because it was unaffordable with all the crushing debts to pay from an economic system set up to push the poorest onto credit just to afford little luxuries of any kind. What we did do though was go to a theme park about once a year. You could argue we couldn't afford it, but my parents wanted to offer at least something to look forward to for their kids. In what world, I ask you, is it fair that people jump in front us in the queue because they have the money? To us that was our big family day out for the year. Our one major thing outside of christmas.

What made the fast-track users so self-centred that they believed that their time was worth more than ours? Anyone who uses fast-track is personally insulting the rest of the guests on the park. Their actions are conveying the message that they are a better standard of person so shouldn't have to wait the same as everyone else. Just a bunch of nasty snobs.

Think I might start a campaign to boo fast-track users from the standard queue line. Who's in?!

 

[TheMan]

Besides, I'd say it's hypocritical to claim to be anti-tory whilst using paid-for fast track...

Hahahaha!! Touche. ;D

As I explained though, I use it functionally with a consideration mostly of a group dynamic. I think the system is abused generally, and I am very much for the free systems such as Sam mentioned. There is no reason not to bring those in apart from greed. It is not often I actually pay for it either, only very occasionally.

I haven't once said I like the system, what I do object to is the judgement placed upon anyone that uses it, or that some how ride enthusiasts should embrace martyrdom against it.

Also, calling everyone nasty snobs who uses it is a bit OTT. The people you should be aiming your ire at, is those that created a system that encourages it, not those that save their pennies to use it.

 

[DiogoJ42]

Not that I'm trying to defend them, but I suspect the vast majority of farcetrack users have no idea that they are making us plebs wait longer.

Though I was surprised to over hear a family in the queue for Megafobia at Oakwood taking about this, the dad suggested they get fastracks, and the mum said "no, never! That just makes the normal queue longer for everyone else, and that's not fair."

 

[alee298]

I only use them a maximum of twice a year. 1 ultimate for my annual visit to either Thorpe park or Alton for their halloween events as the trip is almost always my only birthday present and usually my only worthwhile trip to a park per year. So we make the most of it as other trips are usually in the summer when either queue takes forever, so I just go on a few rides and leave early.

 

[John_P]

Voted no, only ever used them when I got them as a hotel guest.

I visit the park enough on quiet days to get on the rides i'm not too bothered about the longer queues when I visit on busier days.

 

[Harv]

I'm against the system, but if someone gives me free Fastrack, I'm not going to turn that down. Why would I do that? If the park choose to offer me free Fastrack for whatever reason, I don't see why I should turn them down. It doesn't make criticism of the whole system of paid queuejumping any less valid.

Sorry if this is a silly question, but you oppose the Fastrack system because it worsens the day of non-Fastrack users... Whether you paid or not, you're still making the queue time longer for non-users, right?

 

[Fredward]

Since the people opposed to fast track will still gladly take a ticket if it was given to them for free, I can just theoretically take away that disadvantage, I understand the point of, well if I've got one I may as well use it, but humor me and ignore that point.

Why is it bad for people with money to want to buy a queue jump pass? Clearly the disadvantages of skipping the queue (making the wait longer for everyone else) is irrelevant, because most has already proven that if given free fast track they would still use it and make everyone's queue longer. I do get the feeling it's more of a case, "I can't afford it, or don't think it's worth it so I don't like the people who use it, or laugh at the suckers who use it", rather then "I'm morally against it!"

Now I am just playing devil's advocate, because I don't really care about the rights and wrongs of this situation (just find it laughable when you liken it to segregation!) but I'm just adding fuel to the discussion fire.

 

[Stevie]

What about the money most of us paid on the Scarefest Freedom Passes, with the unlimited fastrack for Carnival of Screams.

What's the justification for that?

I paid for it, and I couldn't give a monkeys about the situation.

Sent from my GT-I8190N using Tapatalk 2

 

[Poisson]

Just to wade in and say, whilst I dislike the system I am a (sort-of) sensible person so I don't hate people who do it. In an ideal world it wouldn't exist but it does.

 

[Sam]

I'm against the system, but if someone gives me free Fastrack, I'm not going to turn that down. Why would I do that? If the park choose to offer me free Fastrack for whatever reason, I don't see why I should turn them down. It doesn't make criticism of the whole system of paid queuejumping any less valid.

Sorry if this is a silly question, but you oppose the Fastrack system because it worsens the day of non-Fastrack users... Whether you paid or not, you're still making the queue time longer for non-users, right?

Absolutely correct. If I was more morally-integral, like Diogo, I'd reject the free tickets. The way I see it, the whole thing is an absurd pantomime. A lunacy. A joke. The Byzantine queueing system for the Swarm is like something dreamed up by Kafka. As far as I'm concerned, if the park occasionally offer me a free ticket to the absurd pantomime, I have no objections about taking that, even if it is ridiculous.

But actually, I can't remember the last time I got a 'free' Fastrack. My Fastracks this year have been one for the Smiler (because I complained about appalling operations on Rita), one for TOTT (because the first time I did it, it was godawful) and one for Carnival (because I got evaced out the queue the first time). As I've outlined above, I have no problem with Fastrack/exit passes being given out to compensate for complaints, breakdowns and mistakes. That's not profiteering at all.

I don't even think my (extremely occasional) use of free Fastrack is that bad. Like others have said, I'm not against Fastrack, I'm against paid Fastrack. At Disney Parks, I'll happily use Fastpass all day because that is a not-for-profit system that anyone can use to distribute queues more evenly. Paying for Fastrack is what I'm against.

 

[Adam]

Paying for Fastrack is what I'm against.

So basically you're against Alton Towers selling things that make it the money needed to operate?

 

[Mike]

Paying for Fastrack is what I'm against.

So basically you're against Alton Towers selling things that make it the money needed to operate?

That's an interesting point actually, and something I hadn't really thought much about until this point. Ultimately, Merlin won't want to scrap Fastrack as it would lead to a substantial revenue drop - and anything to make up for this amount is likely to be far more detrimental to the guest experience than Fastrack - and possibly be something everyone feels more, regardless of queue times.

 

[TheMan]

A couple of the points above really articulate what I am trying to say, I even agree with Sam on the Fastpass system. A "premier" like Alton should be ensuring guest satisfaction en masse.

The lines become blurred though. As Stevie says:

What about the money most of us paid on the Scarefest Freedom Passes, with the unlimited fastrack for Carnival of Screams.

What's the justification for that?

Exactly. You don't have to be for this system to use it. Just be honest with yourself and not judge everyone else or cast aspersions as to their morality. I don't think any enthusiast, or most public who understand it, appreciate the FT system being in place over something far more fair and customer focused such as the "Fastpass" system at Disney for example (not used, but hear favourable things about).

I actually experienced far worse use of the FT system when Smiler went down and a mass of tickets were seemingly given out, I was queuing for Oblivion then suddenly what felt like half The Smiler queue (busy day) suddenly appeared in Blivvy fast track slowing the whole thing down to a crawl. That is far worse than the standard stream was prior.

At times it is really badly managed at AT and as our "Signature" theme park, and a supposed world class park (which in parts it certainly is), really they should embrace the technology available to create a better customer experience.

 

[Joseph]

Only once have I used a fastrack I was given a free one after Sub-Terra broke down and we used it in the disabled queue on Air. But apart from that I haven't used a fastrack anywhere else.

 

[DiogoJ42]

Ah, but an exit pass is not the same as a Fastrack.

 

[Dave]

Yet ironically this year when queues around park have ground to a halt due to Fastrack it had nearly always been due to a ride going down and exit passes being used and not the paid Fastrack.

For me i would stop giving out FT as a compensatory measure except for those who experience a queue evacuation and are within 15 minutes of the front and dramatically reduce the FT quota whilst dramatically increasing the cost of FT.

The GP would hate a park without FT (Europa gets loads of complaints for not offering it) but with the above you still offer the option without and reduce the impact on the queues. Also i would reverse the current trend of slowly reducing throughput on the rides that seems to be occurring!

 

[Alastair]

The main thing they have to do is stop giving out FT when people complain. As has been said previously, it's paradoxical in that the complainers are subsequently causing other people to wait longer.