March 8, 201510 yr comment_204430 Make it £1000.You'd probably have to double that, the VIP member I spoke to said she'd definitely be renewing even if they tripled the cost, it was worth the value for fasttrack alone.I said she must use it a lot and she said yes, every weekend.
March 8, 201510 yr comment_204432 It's a crazy concept. When I visited Thorpe loads I didn't feel the need to buy Fastrack because if I didn't get on something I knew I could the next time. You work out when are good times to visit as well. Also, I'd have to visit with someone else with the VIP pass or the Fastrack perk would be wasted. I guess people are buying it though. Unlimited Fastrack or a trip to Europa? Hmm.
March 8, 201510 yr comment_204440 You'd probably have to double that, the VIP member I spoke to said she'd definitely be renewing even if they tripled the cost, it was worth the value for fasttrack alone. I said she must use it a lot and she said yes, every weekend. That's something a lot of us have been saying and the fact that you actively make sure you visit more places to get even more value. For Thorpe I'd often pop in on way home from work, get a few goes on Stealth and then back home.
March 8, 201510 yr Author comment_204451 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.
March 8, 201510 yr comment_204455 The fastrack issue though isn't pass exclusive, if no VIP's turned up you'd still have people buying fastrack.
March 8, 201510 yr comment_204457 True people would still be buying fastrack but they are not going to be buying a fastrack that lets them use it over and over again.
March 8, 201510 yr comment_204459 Ultimate pass? Or even if they have the rights for it, disability pass? I've been aware that some celebs get into parks for free, can close off whole rides, and get given a foot massage from the park manager whilst at it.
March 8, 201510 yr Author comment_204460 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.
March 8, 201510 yr comment_204461 Pass holders are supposed to use the booking system, this lets the park know how many are coming and times of arrival so they can be ready for us. Also making a booking on the site triggers a process where the park is supposed to phone you to confirm parking etc but your right even if a park has issued its allowance for the day they aren't going to turn away people willing to pay. It's just the fact of the Merlin, as long as people are willing to pay fastrack or even priority entry (London attractions) then they will keep offering them.
March 8, 201510 yr comment_204465 There were lots of VIP pass holders today queue jumping despite the fact that rides were walk on. It's just wrong, the Storm Surge main queue was virtually at a standstill because they were just letting the VIP people go back on again and again!
March 8, 201510 yr comment_204468 There were lots of VIP pass holders today queue jumping despite the fact that rides were walk on. It's just wrong, the Storm Surge main queue was virtually at a standstill because they were just letting the VIP people go back on again and again!If they were queue jumping I hope you reported them to the ride hosts?! If what you mean is they were using their fastrack then obviously that's not an issue as that's what they're entitled to do regardless of the normal queue. Obviously the case of Storm Surge is a staffing issue, report your feedback to guest services.
March 8, 201510 yr comment_204469 If they were queue jumping I hope you reported them to the ride hosts?! If what you mean is they were using their fastrack then obviously that's not an issue as that's what their entitled to do regardless of the normal queue. Obviously the case of Storm Surge is a staffing issue, report your feedback to guest services. No it was fastrack but it's still queue jumping, just authorised. And the batching on Storm Surge is a regular occurrence at Thorpe on most rides/attractions, those who pay more get priority whilst the main queue gets ignored.
March 8, 201510 yr comment_204472 No it was fastrack but it's still queue jumping, just authorised. And the batching on Storm Surge is a regular occurrence at Thorpe on most rides/attractions, those who pay more get priority whilst the main queue gets ignored. Storm Surge I do agree with you on even though I am one who uses fastrack, they do automatically just try to empty the fastrack line before the other queue and it is one ride where you do feel slightly embarrassed as you see people glancing at you but that's down to either staff making wrong choices or how the team have been instructed to operate the queue.
March 8, 201510 yr comment_204481 Most of the time today, the VIP holders were fastracking a walk on queue which was utterly pointless; however their unlimited fastrack is likely to become seriously fustrating for the GP on peak days along with the overselling of fastrack and unlimited priority passes given out.
March 8, 201510 yr comment_204485 It's worth balancing that out though as your unlikely to see 100's of VIP's other than when there are events or meet ups etc. Normal days the most I've ever seen in a queue with us was 12. Free priority passes though you see far more of them than any paid or VIP pass. If only Guest Services actually put the effort in to resolve issues instead of trying to get people out.
March 8, 201510 yr Author comment_204489 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.
March 8, 201510 yr comment_204490 Guests would like the problems fixed but it takes time and the guests are expecting an instant solution. So priority passes are given out to compensate for the problem and encourage you back. It costs Thorpe nothing to give them out apart from printing costs so business wise they are a good choice. The problem with VIP passes is that everyone in the main queue ends up hating the pass holder. I'm going to be honest here and say I don't care how much someone has paid there should be no option to use fastrack unlimited times, regardless of if that's a VIP pass or not. With the system they have it should not be an option. If fastrack worked like Cedar Fairs fastlane then I would understand VIP pass holders having that perk but we don't have that system and I doubt merlin would ever change to it because it would loose them a lot of revenue. Merlin need to pick a ratio and stick to it by making the batchers count instead of trying to keep the fastrack queue empty. Fastrack is reduced waiting not instant boarding as many like to think, including the staff themselves.
March 8, 201510 yr comment_204491 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. Me personally if the pass stays as it is then anything over £1000 per pass would probably be a no. Given that you get 4 tickets which have a combined value of £580+ and worldwide access and unlimited fastrack it is a fantastic product (if you put personal view on pass tiers and fastrack aside)
March 8, 201510 yr comment_204494 Merlin need to pick a ratio and stick to it by making the batchers count instead of trying to keep the fastrack queue empty. Fastrack is reduced waiting not instant boarding as many like to think, including the staff themselves. That's part of the issue which as you point out makes other guests hate it. Some staff make their own rules, then when they do some pass holders expect it more which is wrong. I have no problem waiting the reduced time, after waiting 90+ for the Smilier before getting the passes I do know how it feels.
March 8, 201510 yr comment_204496 I don't think its fair to call VIP pass holders queue jumpers... regardless of if you agree with the pass or not, if you buy fastrack your entitled to a shorter queue, I'm sure at some point we've all used some form of means to a sorter queue be that fastrack, priority pass, I don't think that makes any of us queue jumpers now!
March 8, 201510 yr comment_204522 Interesting topic. Here are my observations / comments. Before I start, I am a vip pass holder. Not that I think it should be called vip (I have commented to Merlin about this), as this does cause certain problems with people thinking they are better than others. As a pass holder, I have followed every rule which has been laid out by the parks / management. For example, at every park I go to, when I get my wristband, I ask the staff about the current fastrack procedures. What happens if the fastrack queue is closed? Where do I go? I personally have never demanded anything from staff, or indeed even today when staff on Stealth asked me what row I wanted to sit on, I just offered to fill any empty seats. I dont want front row, back row or 3rd row from the front. My pass doesnt get me that, its gets me fastrack. So I was very happy to do my bit today for throughputs and fill up spaces. If there is no main queue on a ride I want to go on, I will not use the exit or fastrack (whatever is applicable on that ride), I will use the main queue. Detonator today being an example. No queue, so I just entered the main line. When I went to Alton for Feb half term, I barely used fastrack at all. Twice on Nemesis (and again filling in rows), everything else was walk on apart from Spinball, which I used once and then as it was raining, I kept on walking round and using the single rider queue, which again didnt impact on anyone. Yes, some vip holders really do the experience to the letter. I saw some vip'ers using the exit on Rocky Express, when there was no queue (which I was in by the way). I have also witnessed some truly awful behaviour by pass holders in the past, but that is tarnishing us all as aholes. As mentioned, I have never asked for anything. So there you go, thats my thoughts.
March 9, 201510 yr comment_204537 As normal a minority give the majority a bad name, kudos to you for your common sense approach, I too saw VIP people queuing at the exit gate when there was no queue, but we kind of got the last laugh in that case because the ride operator didn't see them and set the ride going, so they had to wait for the next go, when if they'd just walked around to the proper entrance, they'd have got on with us lol.
March 9, 201510 yr comment_204564 Whilst I don't doubt there are some people who abuse it, it's worth noting that until October there was no actual official information on where to queue up, until that point attractions did different things, even on the same day with different staff you'd get told different things which made things even worse (you'd go to fastrack and then be told, oh you can use the exit - then of course if you get that a few times people think it's the norm and just instantly go to the exit instead, then creating issues when the person at the exit refuses) Now it's fully known by pass holders whether it's the Fastrack, exit or disabled entrance and the only change in that can be if the fastrack entrance is closed or if instructed by staff. The whole debacle of the above was again created by Merlin by not thinking the whole product out before launching it but hopefully all staff have been made aware of the procedures now for the new season so there shouldn't be any issues.
March 9, 201510 yr comment_204604 The fastrack issue though isn't pass exclusive, if no VIP's turned up you'd still have people buying fastrack. This has probably been covered, but it's not as simple as that. Fastrack have allocations (well, at parks where they care...), VIP can't come out of that. I heard Alton actually removed sale of their platinum fastrack over Fireworks just because of VIP fastrackholders. So they lose potential revenue to ensure fastrack isn't that bad? It also all depends where you go - obviously chessington will have less VIP holders each day than Lego or Alton. Hopefully merlin will ruin their parks so noone wants to visit, then it'll all be okay
March 9, 201510 yr comment_204614 This has probably been covered, but it's not as simple as that. Fastrack have allocations (well, at parks where they care...), VIP can't come out of that. I heard Alton actually removed sale of their platinum fastrack over Fireworks just because of VIP fastrackholders. So they lose potential revenue to ensure fastrack isn't that bad? It also all depends where you go - obviously chessington will have less VIP holders each day than Lego or Alton. Hopefully merlin will ruin their parks so noone wants to visit, then it'll all be okay I'd be surprised if it was solely down to VIP pass holders that it wasn't for sale because the park were giving hotel guests combi fastracks over the 3 days and also VIP fireworks (not passholders) were given untimed fastrack bundles as well, infact we gave ours to strangers in the box office who were made up by it. Legoland was where I've seem the most passholders and what surprised me is the amount of children as young as 5 who have passes!
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