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After visiting the park last Saturday on the 29th September leading up to Fright Nights, I feel now is a good time to voice some big concerns I have with the way several rides are being operated not just across Thorpe, but other Merlin parks such as Alton and Chessington. This problem has been getting worse and worse as 2018 has progressed and up until the start of 2017, this was never an issue before until now. But last Saturday demonstrated this system has now gone too far, and this is regarding the use of priority or disabled passes by guests. Now, I understand this may be a discussion which can be quite sensitive to some readers and I am not criticising or demeaning those who use these passes that have a genuine disability, but I am going to pick at the way the parks manage this system because it has reached boiling point after my experience last weekend and here's why with some examples I've experienced this year and indeed last weekend. Used spoiler tags for each example to keep this post shorter: (Saturday 29th September - Colossus) (August Bank Holiday - Th13teen) (Every visit in 2018 - Derren Brown's Ghost Train) (September 2018 - Vampire) (Opening day 2018 - Wicker Man) Before 2017, this system never really posed any problems or frustrations in the past at any of the Merlin parks, but every time I visit any of the parks now, the number of people I am seeing using these ride access passes has increased dramatically, so much so that in most cases, they are in fact longer than the Fastrack queues and this poses a huge problem. All the main queues for every ride across every park are moving so slowly now that it makes Spinball Whizzer's queue look like nothing these days. What should be short & quick queues on quiet days are now doubling in length for the most part across the majority of rides at Thorpe, and I have noticed this on every visit I have made this year. Staff on most attractions are allocating far more seats to those with a priority/disabled pass to the point where as highlighted with Colossus above, they are now filling entire trains of these people in order to keep the length of them down. With Fright Nights soon approaching where queues will hit their maximum lengths, I am deeply worried many attractions are going to have some horrendous queueing experiences for guests not only in the main queue, but also the disabled and Fastrack ones where they will need to also wait longer because of the quantity of people that are now using these passes. I'm unsure what solution I can suggest to prevent this getting further out of control, but this needs to be brought to attention because the situation is getting worse and worse every visit I make and nobody else is talking about this ever-growing problem shockingly. I need to be careful with how I word this, but something needs to change with the allocation of these passes because right now, I am seeing the disabled entrance as nothing more than just another Fastrack queue given many people through my eyes don't look like they have a disability. And for those with a genuine disability such as being in a wheelchair, I find this incredibly unfair for them, just like the father at the example with Th13teen I mentioned above. I can only ever dream of a queue system similar to the likes of Phantasialand and Europa Park, but understand this will never happen sadly. As it stands, not one of the three queues at Merlin parks is a win for guests, so something needs to change to keep this from degrading and getting worse.

For the past 2 seasons (2017/18) I’ve had a RAP due to anxiety which at times is really bad. I guess I “look” “normal” but then so do a lot of other RAP users so in that respect, you can’t just assume someone is not disabled if they aren’t in a wheelchair. However I agree with a lot of what has been mentioned here - filling up trains with RAP users is a complete joke and something I experienced on Vampire a couple of months ago - it shouldn’t get to the point where they fill and entire train up while people from the main queue who have been physically queuing have to stand and watch and probably quite rightly get annoyed. Also in the event of a breakdown or evacuation, a train full of RAPs would potentially be a nightmare, hence why it SHOULD be just one RAP user per ride. Another issue is that not all staff will sign the RAP card and put a time on it, essentially making it equivalent to fast track in a way. Some staff are really on the ball and others just don’t bother - the point of RAP is that it is a virtual queuing system but if cards aren’t being signed then you can essentially go straight from one ride which may have a 90 min queue onto another ride and that is extremely unfair on those in the main queue line. I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if they changed the rules around obtaining RAP and also the amount of helpers - currently you can have up to 3 helpers on one pass but I can see this changing to just one helper which I personally wouldn’t have a problem with but I’m sure a lot of RAP users would kick off. The park I think are generous allowing up to 3 helpers but maybe if they adopted a +1 helper maximum it would make a difference to the lengths of the queues. Currently they accept a doctors note as long as it states specifically that the person has problems queuing etc - the problem with this is what’s to stop someone from literally forging a doctors note? Due to patient confidentiality there is no way that Thorpe (and the other parks) could find out a persons medical problems and I do wonder how many people would actually be ok in getting a RAP deceitfully - probably quite a few. The only thing I can think is to ask for a doctors note and proof of disability (PIP etc) but then not every disabled person gets PIP so it’s a tricky one. Since using RAP I’ve witnessed a couple of things which really peed me off - one occasion being Galactica at AT - not only did the staff member not sign the RAP card but the RAP user took 5 people on with him (2 more than should be allowed) so there was a RAP on the back row with helpers and the other 2 joined a different row which is pretty much queue jumping. Another time a woman was with 2 kids, got the RAP card signed (she was wearing the wristband) and then she walked off and the kids went on the ride?! Another thing is merging RAP and fast track which I think is unfair on both parties - it extends the queue which most RAP users struggle with and, on the flip side you have people who have PAID to get on a ride quicker being put in the same queues as RAP users which extends their wait. Wow I’ve typed an essay ?

I think there is a huge problem with the RAP, and no, its not people who 'look normal', ADHD/Autism/ECT are all conditions that in some cases are viable and do need the RAP, though the way the system means it very easy to get one and abuse it! I had a friend who had epilepsy and got a doctors note a few years ago, since then she has had the all clear- when she last went to Thorpe she simply changed the date of the note and got a RAP.. Another issue is staff, when I last used a RAP the staff didn't sign once! There was two hours queue on Colossus that day so they really should of signed it, but no, they CBA.. I think group numbers should be capped too.. I have seen groups with 1 rap user and 5 friends tagging along.. The system really needs a shakeup..

Wheelchair users only make up around 15-20% of Disabled people and to only consider those with a disability is just ludicrous. Not all disabilities all visible, there are plenty of invisible disabilities such autism/Aspergers, ADHD, learning difficulties etc. I do think something desperately needs to change with the park’s RAP systems though as the queues for it have become considerably longer during the last couple of years and it begs the question whether some are abusing the system for what it is. At times I have seen as many as seven people with a group of 1 RAP which is quite a lot. Whatever the system currently is, it needs changing to system which becomes something a guest needs, not wants and analyses whether the user 100% needs the service. Despite the high number of current users, some who need the system still to fall below the lines. I once spoke to a woman with an autistic son and was shocked to learn they hadn’t been given RAP as he certainly looked like he needed it. Changing the system may not be an easy job though, especially at a time when things are so sensitive and fragile on this subject. At least a quarter of people would likely resort to noisy complaints through social media, to the point the daily fail are contacted. It is not an easy one.

Another excellent post @Marhelorpe. It's a bit of a "hot potato" to discuss but it's clear the system is broken and/or being abused/flouted beyond what it was intended for - that group of TWENTY people on one pass being a perfect case in point. I understand people have needs and reasons, but I can't help but think the popularity of the internet and therefore awareness of RAP's on groups such as the MAP group means they are being abused for the very slightest reasons purely to maximise the number of rides and minimise the queuing time vs. non RAP users. It wouldn't surprise me if Merlin are scared to refuse a RAP to a guest for fear of reprisals on social media, the press etc. which is a sorry state of affairs but that sums up the grabbing, want-want-want and superiority complex that an increasing number of the population seem to have. Did someone say VIP MAP lanyard? *cough*

Certainly sounds like a combined number of issues making the problem worse... general conclusion thus far seems to be better staff awareness/checking so cards are signed and secondly reducing the number of helpers per RAP. I think these two factors corrected would make a massive difference Of course what also doesn't help is when guests complain, the normal "compo" (sic) procedure is to give them a Fast-track pass or 5... which compounds the problem. Perhaps try and push some free food or drink vouchers instead if they can instead (and if they will accept them).

Nighttime robbery ?

Haha, wait until you see the starting price for the stargazing sheds at Towers!

I saw exactly the same thing recently at Chessington on Tomb Blaster. It was a very busy day and fastrack has been oversold. Everyone was queuing from the exit and the operators did exactly the same thing. Two full trains of fastrack & RAPs were dispatched. I agree it should never happen. When the normal queue is effectively closed off for priority only, there is a real problem with the system.

Just to point out Colossus fastrack through the exit is far from the normal - I also rode it Saturday and there was a batcher at the normal point with the normal fastrack queue in use.

I did notice the queue for RAP had gone up massively over my last two visits. Just gives me another excuse to never touch Colossus, ever, once I get on Stealth and Saw. Jesus Christ... This is new, usually it's only two and they only use three if one group has three people. I've never seen any of this even as a RAP user. Yeah no. As far as I know, you don't decide who does and who doesn't have a disability or how 'genuine' their disability may be. Someone with, say, autism may look 'fine' to you at that point, but you don't see what goes on at every other point in their life. Not every disability is visible, there's signs at the park that'll tell you that. Let's focus on these people: rather than people that, in your eyes, don't look like they have a disability, who most likely genuinely do.

Had 3 goes on Saw Alive on Saturday and the first time the person giving safety instructions never mentioned hands on shoulders so half of our group ended up way behind - noticed that on our second and third go he specifically said to keep hands on shoulders of the person in front so I’m just guessing that people got split off from their groups and potentially caused a bit of a hold up. I would prefer if it was free flow as I hate doing the conga line and shuffling along - even worse if the person in front is walking too fast! Lucky! We had 2 really not scary actors - hopefully he returns full time in the first bit - last year the actor/s playing that role were really good and it was a fab start to the maze Cant remember if I mentioned in my waffly post but we did Platform once in the light and once in the dark. On our “light” go there were just 6 of us in our group and I could see where all the actors were before they jumped out - this maze is definitely one to do in the dark. Also on our first go, at the end of the tunnel (in a tent room thing) we had to form a circle to “summon” the spirit of a bride who then jumped out screaming which I thought made a better ending than just...walking....through.....a......tunnel.... with nothing at the end and it felt more like a story - also scared the ? out of everyone. But when we went through in the dark there was no summoning and it was just walking.....through.....a.....tunnel - I love P15 but it definitely needs a proper ending

Indeed. Rooms from £125... nice little money spinner for Thorpe there ?

Rather than repeating all the problems I and others have with this attraction, I'll just leave here one extremely major flaw I had with this yesterday on the preview event for Fright Nights (29th September 2018). The fake shop at the end of the attraction wasn't working and so the entire group walked through it without the demon jumping out in front of guests because......... *drum roll*

No creds or parks to report on in this blog post, but there'll be a few visitor attraction things. So yeah, still give it a read... Monday morning came and, for whatever reason, no parks seem to open on Mondays in Poland during off peak (Legendia only opened Friday-Sunday, Energylandia closed on Mondays). So, in an unusual twist for my trips, we planned a full day of non-theme park stuff and culture. The first stop of the day was Auschwitz, which was just over 30mins away from Legendia. We didn't go for a guided tour, instead opting to tour the area ourselves. I won't really go into any more details, as I don't think I need to explain just how harrowing of an experience that is. We spent a couple of hours there. We then made the hour long drive into Krakow, where we were going to general touristy stuff, bit of sightseeing, eat at the Hard Rock etc. A bit of research the night before gave us some really interesting-attractions to visit: Lost Souls Alley - a horror maze / escape room style experience Krakow Pinball Museum - a 'museum' where, for a small fee, you can play over 40 different pinball machines and classic arcade games as much as you like After a bit of wandering round, we found a third attraction of interest - Exit Room, an escape room. Exit Room https://www.exitroom.pl/ We stumbled upon Exit Room whilst trying to find Lost Souls Alley, and decided to book a room. They had 8 to choose from, and we opted to go for the Wolfenstein themed room. Not related to the video game series, bit sharing the same story. You are locked in a room, have an hour to escape, and the way to escape is to find the pieces of a gun to shoot an animatronic Hitler(!). It also started out quite nicely, as we were blindfolded at the start to disorientate us, and one of us was locked in a separate room to escape from as well. We didn't escape, and sadly there was no timer to give us the encouragement, but it was a very well presented escape room, and staff spoke excellent English! Krakow Pinball Museum http://www.krakowpinballmuseum.com/aboutus.html This place is a real fun little gem! For about £8, you get unlimited access to lots of machines and arcade games (some classic, some new). It's a really chilled out, relaxed atmosphere, not busy, etc. Drinks were also cheap as well (everything in Poland is cheap, but in comparison to the rest of a city centre, the drinks were cheap too!). The best part was you were given a wristband, and could pop in and out throughout the day. We really got our money's worth! It's a little bit geeky, maybe a guilty pleasure for some, but it's definitely something I'd recommend looking into if you're spending the day round there. Lost Souls Alley http://www.lostsoulsalley.com/index-en.php I don't even know where to start with this. This is an experience which will probably stay with me for the rest of my life, and not in a good way. I didn't want to write a dedicated thing about it, but I think I'm going to have to. It requires so much explanation and set up to truly understand what this attraction is, and why it haunts me so much. So yeah, suffice to say I didn't like this. Standby for more details; I'll link the thread when I've written it... Krakow was a wonderful city to explore in general though. Lots of pretty buildings, the people were brilliant and the food was ace. The day we visited happened to be the anniversary of the Soviet Union invading Poland in the lead up to WWII (1939), which is also when the country's President and Prime Minister fled the country. There were memorial services throughout the day in various locations, which again were pretty hard hitting. Another standout feature of Krakow, which sadly I didn't get a decent photo of, was a fire-breathing dragon statue by the river. Completely random, but very cool. We left Krakow in the evening to go to our nearby hostel, which was very nice and simple. As I've said, it's a wonderful city, and it was nice and different to for me to spend a fully doing non-theme park stuff on a theme park trip... Coming soon, Energylandia, with it's 10000000 creds, and other random stuff.