AstroDan

The problem is particularly bad at Thorpe Park because fastrack sales generally seem far higher than Alton Towers.

I wouldn't say you're in the wrong. Ultimately it IS on sale and Merlin WANT you to buy them. Yes - I have bought a Fast Lane at Cedar Point and similar at Six Flags. But it IS different. Fastrack is here to stay and given how much I visit parks and accept guests cutting in front of the line on a regular basis, I feel it's appropriate to therefore use it myself on the odd occasion - almost as a refund on my patience at the likes of Thorpe Park. Times when I would consider purchasing are being time limited at a major park or having spent vast fortunes on getting there in the first place. However, I still don't agree in limitless annual fastrack use. It makes the passholder almost forget the realities of visiting and pushes the class divide within parks even further. This is why Europa-Park rules.

I have tried to compile a full list of the works going on at Europa-Park for the new season; based on what is currently known from photos/updates from the park: - Hotel Colosseo 'winter garden' outdoor terrace for Bar Colosseo - Bar El Circo new conservatory smoking area (Hotel El Andaluz) - Pathway from Hotel Bell Rock to park entrance now paved - Restaurant Castillo refurbished and now a meat on swords place - Restaurant Don Quijote refurbished (new kitchens and serving areas) - new menus - New stables for horses in Spain - Whale Adventures; 2 dark ride portions being added - Columbus Dinghy - ride stripped out, refurbished and theming re-done - New staff car parks (development ongoing) - Euro Tower - retheme to Moulin Rouge style - Magic Cinema - new 4D film sequel starring park mascots - Express Lane - new travelator from car parks to main entrance - Italian facades refurbishment - Atlantica Super Splash - lake repaint - Poseidon - new walkways/fencing - Greek area - new surprise attraction (rumoured to be 360 cinema of sorts) - New parade - New, bigger park entrance for hotel guests - Camp Resort refurbishments to main buildings - Santa Marian exterior refurbishment - New Beer Garden in Austria - Italian outdoor theatre; modernising - New beach hut themed shelters in Portugal - Car park entrance re-paving of roads by barriers 2015 Admission Prices: Adult 1-day €42.50 (£30.50) Adult 2-day €80.00 (£57.43) Child 1-day €37.00 (£26.61) Child 2-day €69.50 (£50.00) Adult AP €175.00 (£125.62) Child AP €150.00 (£107.68) Car Pak €5.00 (£3.59) For anyone interested, it is worth following each resort hotel on Facebook as they update regularly with updates and construction stuff!

I feel a bit sorry for you Paul, haha - as you are right, no other VIP's post. They don't post on TowersStreet either (where VIP is detested as much as it seems to be here!).

I don't understand why Fury wouldn't be ready. Spinball is quick at Alton Towers and runs in February with 5 cars (7 normally).

Europa-Park certainly have £millions every year just for refurbishment and improvement works. It is private though with no strings attached...

The problem is also that the Merlin parks are becoming so obsessed with upcharge VIP options that normal guests are quickly becoming forgotten.

I would be interested to know what sort of price would deter people from buying them, but still make Merlin a similar amount of money.

The Ultimate Fastrack package at Alton Towers costs £95.00 per day - they sell very few of these. One of the main problem is that the VIP passholders are likely to visit on certain days - e.g. main season opening, peak summer Saturdays and bank holidays, Scarefest peak days and fireworks. On these days it can become a real problem because it effectively doubles (or triples) the quota of ultimate Fastrack for the day - making everyone elses lives more of a misery. The park also have no prior knowledge of the VIP pass holders coming, so can't adjust anyway. Not that they would, because they have Fastrack sales targets to meet.

When people have a VIP pass they are more likely to visit more in order, as you say, to get perceived value from the pass. Thus making the use of Fastrack even worse.

The Fastrack for VIP's is the only thing that really bothers me. It does affect allocations because VIP passholders by definition can use it where and when they wish. Alton Towers could certainly do without extra Fastrack guests on days like Fireworks Saturday - but because the VIP passholders actually don't make them much money at all, compared to actual Fastrack revenue, they still sell the same amount of daily Fastrack. As others have said - Merlin have made a rod for their own back with it. Make it £1000.

I agree. Refurbishment and open rides are a minimum expectation.

Over on Towersstreet (where I mod) the VIP passes are something of a bone of contention!

I agree it is Merlin who created it. The reasons that it is not liked at Alton Towers is because there are individuals who believe that the pass is a sense of 'entitlement' to effectively break the rules. Rightly or wrongly, there is a no re-ride policy at Alton Towers on thrill coasters. However, I am aware of a few occasions where due to the holder being a VIP passholder, they have created issues for ride staff and this has then been taken to guest services. Such complaints then lead to management and ride teams not liking the pass at all. Simply one of a number of issues that the VIP pass has created and I hope the parks have made this very clear to Merlin. My own view is that if you have to pay for VIP treatment, then it isn't truly VIP! If they insist on maintaining this absurd class system of passes, then they should be 'Basic', 'Standard' and 'Premium'. But I maintain that under no circumstances should limitless Fastrack be available. Perhaps a mod wants to make a separate topic for the VIP pass discussion?

It is the limitless Fastrack which infuriates me most about the VIP pass. I don't believe that sort of thing should be on sale, period - to anyone. *muses about parks where everyone really is treated the same.... ahhh... EP * Anyway, we're way off topic...!

Every guest should be a VIP. It is that philosophy which should guide customer service principles at the Merlin parks.

The pass is presumably here to stay because head office are insisting on it. Staff at Lego, Alton and the rest all detest it! I hope they increase the charge to £1000 to really make it limited and put people off buying them. This isn't a dig at you, Paul - by the way. More a dig at the system which I cannot stand.

You are spot on, John! What amuses me is that the staff in the parks literally HATE the VIP passes. From divisional directors to area managers to ride hosts. I haven't spoken to a single member of staff who has a good word to say about them as they only create guests with a massive sense of 'entitlement'. Of course, neither is it the guests fault because they have spent stupid money on them in the first place - but ultimately, they do need something for their outlay. I wish they would stop selling them - it is quite literally two fingers up at the rest of the guests and in no circumstances should limitless Fastrack be available. If they must allow Fastrack to VIP passes, then make it limited to once per each ride per day.

VIP passholders had extra time in the park? Disgusting.

Are there queues of note? How are operations?

Let's not bash. Merlin are wonderful. Loggers looks better than ever!

Hahahaha! Anyone fancy defending this? What on earth is going on?

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: The Ride was developed in conjunction with Falcons Treehouse. Theoretically an inspired company. It isn't an automatic sign of something superb. This is a maze. It's not hard to do a maze well. I mean, some temporary mazes have incredibly good theming - see things like the original Boiler House, or the first incarnation of Carnival of Screams or something like that! I still give little hoot to this attraction as I feel it is a dumbing down of the brands that Thorpe Park could create on its own.

They are probably just arranging an event for it.. Backwards I think not.

I am reasonably confident that Thorpe Park have at least learnt in part from the mistakes of the past - and I am sure that the capacity at the weekend will be limited to a degree. It has to be even more so with so many rides unavailable.