Some very fair points I agree, though it can be viewed from another angle. Long post warning....
Most of the time we do queue, in fact Ive not used a fast pass at all with the kids yet. Key word being "yet". I can see it coming though.
During our visit to Alton Towers this week the longest queue was probably 20 minutes or so. Which was fine for all of us. However had they been approaching an hour then I would have been looking to buy fast passes.
The queues at Legoland a couple of weeks earlier for Ninjago and a couple of others were quite a bit longer, but they had entertainment for the kids n the form of lego pits for them to play with whilst the parents queued round the outside of them. I thought that was quite good, and if there were entertainment in the queues at Alton Towers for small children then I expect queues approaching an hour would pose no problem there either.
Its been many years since I last visited disney, but I recall that there was entertainment in the queus there, and immersive environments and storyline build ups etc which made the queue part of the experience. Obviously thats possible with Disney budgets, but perhaps stuff on a smaller scale would suffice for queues at Alton Towers. It certainly seemed to do the trick at Legoland.
However, I fear that the business model at Alton Towers is geared toward selling fast passes. Whilst I agree that in general the ability to jump in front of others just because you can afford it is quite an ugly concept, its also a very real one.
Moreover its the concept that Alton Towers seem to be pushing, and I expect that any investment in making the queues more entertaining and less likely to part parents from their cash to skip them, will be pretty far down the priority list. It truly is a "if you cant beat em' join em" scenario. You are left with the option of trying to instill life lessons and stand in a queue with two children aged 6 and under for an hour, or spend a few quid and skip it.
They will learn the value of money, and to be fair my little lad who has just turned six is already surprising me with some of the things he says. "I dont want to spend my money on that extra track for the trainset daddy, it wont make it much longer and its still the same toy", he's even brought me close to tears by saying he wants to buy a toy for his sister instead because he has lots of toys already and "Emma always likes new dollies". He even told me yesterday that because he gets quite a bit of money from the tooth fairy he thinks maybe after the next tooth he will start giving it to charity. He's six going on sixty! I think becase I like to do and have done bits for charity with things like garden parties, supercar drives and christmas lights etc he is picking up on it.
When the time comes to consider a fastpass for a ride for the first time, he will have the choice of getting on the ride/s quicker or having something from the toy/gift shop to remember his day out and keep forever. I already know he will choose to stay in the queue, but he will make the decision at that time.
However later in life when they fully understand the value of money and they are able to go on all the rides, then it will be me buying fast passes for all the family. I am fortunate enough to be able to afford to do this, and as Ive said before, spending money on getting on more rides with my family will not be on my list of regrets. It will be lumped in with all the other frivolous stuff that I spend money on in order to give us more family time together. Robot lawnmowers being the latest example. The wife rolled her eyes as its "another bl00dy gadget", but now its mowing weather we can enjoy the few hours it used to take each week, playing in the garden with the kids, having a beer on the patio in the evening. Just like the hour out of the queue would be spent on a picnic, or sit down lunch instead of a rushed burger etc.
Thats really why I dont like the merlin branding of the VIP pass. I don't want them because they are for "Very Important Persons". That sort of crap breeds this holier than though attitude from the sort of monied irks that I don't like. "Do you know who I am"....
It also generates preconcieved impressions of people who hold the VIP passes that they are automatically one of the aforementioned irks. When in reality I would like to think Im just trading money for the ability to spend time with my family in a way that better suits us rather than queueing.
Yes it disadvantages others, and that is a shame. But its not an entirely unique concept where spending money jumps you up the queue or puts you in a better position than others. Front row tickets at concerts, theatres, sporting events, priority boarding at airports, next day delivery.
Life is full of examples where money affords you benefits over others. Its a sad truth, but a truth none the less. The key is to recognise this whilst remaining humble and without lording it over others. Which is why if I was fortunate enough to obtain Merlin VIP passes, the first thing I would do is put some sort of sticker over the bit that says VIP. Having that pass would not make my children more "important" than anyone elses, and I wouldn't want them thinking they were. I'd also explain as much to any member of staff who asked why we had a sticker over them.
I hope the above, whilst very long winded, gives you an insight into my motives for asking about the VIP passes.
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