Stealth

[electricBlll]

Do people with fastracks get a red carpet and a personal butler to lower their restraint or something?Sounds like an awful rip off to me, but one that is going to make a hell of a lot of money.

[Dan9]

Let's face it, were Stealth fastrack's ever worth it in the first place? People can argue better services all they want but they charged 50p for maps in 2008 or 2009 because apparently it would help fund 'cleaning' the park up, and it was always still a rubbish dump. Merlin have always been money-grabbing p****s ever since they took over so nothing they do really surprises me anymore, everything's just a matter of time instead.

[AstroDan]

Not really, you pay more you get better services.

Are you totally up Thorpe / Merlin's rear end or do you genuinely believe £6.00 for a Stealth Fastrack is good value? Of course, Thorpe Park is a business like any other - and if people are going to pay it, then so be it - but if you like seeing the UK's best theme parks charging such tremendous figures, and are happy to see a 20% rise in the cost of such a fastrack, then obviously a cut in your spending power is something you revel in!I find it astonishing that you couldn't agree that £6.00 for a one ride fastrack is anything other very expensive?

[DanMn]

For the sort of person that goes once a year and doesn't want to wait in a 2 hour queue it's a small price. If people don't want to wait and can afford it then they will pretty much pay however much is asked by the park they could easily charge much more.

[tomathy]

I only go once a year and I wouldnt pay that on top of the entrance price, its a rip off.

[Ricky]

Are you totally up Thorpe / Merlin's rear end or do you genuinely believe £6.00 for a Stealth Fastrack is good value? Of course, Thorpe Park is a business like any other - and if people are going to pay it, then so be it - but if you like seeing the UK's best theme parks charging such tremendous figures, and are happy to see a 20% rise in the cost of such a fastrack, then obviously a cut in your spending power is something you revel in!I find it astonishing that you couldn't agree that £6.00 for a one ride fastrack is anything other very expensive?

I can think of worse things! Like 14 odd quid for a choclate bar or maybe the current train prices? Like I said you pay more you get better services - identicle to the same train without restraints known as South West Trains, you pay a few more quid you get a comfy seat and quiet surroundings, in this case you pay a few quid more, you skip a queue and can be boarding a train in the space of two minutes, if that. No-ones pressuring you into buying First class train tickets, or a Stealth fastrach ticket. Stop complaining and grow up, I'd like to see you in the real world.

[A-Kid]

Its a good thing... there's **** all value in it for that single person, but it looks like they are trying to put people off buying it, yet still get a decent amount of (if not more) money comming in from the fastrack...if that makes sense? Less people - still loads of pennys flowing in by putting the prise up.

[RobD]

Its a good thing... there's **** all value in it for that single person, but it looks like they are trying to put people off buying it, yet still get a decent amount of (if not more) money comming in from the fastrack...if that makes sense? Less people - still loads of pennys flowing in by putting the prise up.

If you ask me, this isn't a reasonable way to run your business. What ever happened to good customer service? As far as 'putting people off' goes, I highly doubt this is their motive, probably more just to squeeze people for all they can. I also think it's disgusting that they blame a very obvious price rise on the VAT, the prices on the website as excluding VAT are last years prices, which included VAT at 17.5%. As it is, a typical customer pays £40 (near as damn it) it get into the theme park, then has to queue all day getting as a conservative estimate, 6 rides, without the use of fastrack. That means a ride for ride value of approximately £6.67. I hardly think this is a fair price, and would argue if people realised they incurred such a cost would not visit. A fair that charges £6.00 per ride, even for good ones, certainly wouldn't get the number of riders many of Thorpe's rides do. Unfortunately, I think Merlin's are reaching the point where they are pricing a lot of people out of visiting them. A day for a family at Thorpe Park, paying on the gate, with food< parking and all other expenses< will probably cost the average family in excess of £200. This, in my opinion, is totally unreasonable, and I'm afraid to say I will favour my local theme parks over the penny pinching giants this season.

[Kevin]

Not really, you pay more you get better services.

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha WOW.Post of the year Ricky, this is a totally different level of narrow mindedness - I totally agree with Astro.I think this prices going up is good - it's going to start pricing people out of buying fastrack, past the point of where it is value for money.And until then the park will continue to expand on already high revenues.

[Ricky]

If you ask me, this isn't a reasonable way to run your business. What ever happened to good customer service? As far as 'putting people off' goes, I highly doubt this is their motive, probably more just to squeeze people for all they can. I also think it's disgusting that they blame a very obvious price rise on the VAT, the prices on the website as excluding VAT are last years prices, which included VAT at 17.5%. As it is, a typical customer pays £40 (near as damn it) it get into the theme park, then has to queue all day getting as a conservative estimate, 6 rides, without the use of fastrack. That means a ride for ride value of approximately £6.67. I hardly think this is a fair price, and would argue if people realised they incurred such a cost would not visit. A fair that charges £6.00 per ride, even for good ones, certainly wouldn't get the number of riders many of Thorpe's rides do.

TBH, The vast majority use coupons and other bargains to get into the park, and thers certainly a lower percentage that pay the full entry price to get in, then we go into food prices, when you compare a service station KFC to TP's theres a large difference, Services are always more expensive, TP do have a great offer of 2 for £10 in the glass house with a very generous portion to accompany the low prices. Then we go into the gift shops, nobodys holding a gun to their heads to buy it, they buy it because they want to, whther it be for themselves or there children, it just gives a memory of a happy day out with the family, so they are prepared to pay so much for it. You would actually be surprised what people would pay on a day out. Then we go to tourists from around the globe, who obviously probably will only visit the park once, they would obviously not care about paying so much amounts in the park because its their first time and likely to be the last due to the overseas travel.As for the fastrack side such as £6 for Stealth, People dont care, if you have the money they will splash it to give a good day.

[Deleted Users]

I find it funny that people were complaining about ride prices at Winter Wonderland and yet Fasttrack prices are getting close to those levels and some people don't think anything bad of it. Merlin are trying to find the maximum profit they can make off them so the prices won't stop rising until people stop buying. The only good thing about the prices is hopefully less people will buy them.

[JoshC.]

Are you totally up Thorpe / Merlin's rear end

Quoting this because it is true. Why Thorpe are going to this extreme price in the first place is a bit mind boggling, but hopefully it acts as a deterrence.

[Kevin]

Are you totally up Thorpe / Merlin's rear end

Double quoting for truth.

[Dan9]

People dont care, if you have the money they will splash it to give a good day.

This would have stood a few years ago, but even last year it got to the point where my family and two other families I know well decided not to go at all in the year because it's simply too expensive to be worth it now, and I'm sure many others are going to be waking up to it as well. There are many other 'memories' to be found for a much cheaper price.

[RobD]

And just to put this into perspective; PortAventura, by FAR a better attraction, which offers 10am - midnight openings, a spectacular fireworks show every evening, professional quality shows, multiple rides that are leagues above Thorpe Park and a level of themeing and atmosphere that makes you think you are literally walking through different parts of the world, charges the equivalent of £37 to enter, and then £37 for their equivalent of Ultimate Fastrack, or £19 for 9 rides fastrack admission. This park manages a daily gate figure that averages at around 13,000. They have a much bigger market and (I imagine) will make much greater turnover than Thorpe Park, yet they still don't scam people for all their worth.

[AstroDan]

Ricky, I assure you I am in the real world. I work in public sector, currently enduring a 2-year pay freeze, a rise in my pension contributions and less money in the pot to spend at work. Therefore, forgive me when I see the likes of Merlin rising prices far above VAT/inflation - meaning my spending power gets less. I also apologise to you, who appears to think everything the park does requires universal praise and celebration.Hopefully, as others have said, this will indeed act as a deterrant and the price will soon get to a stage where people will not buy them - I am sure the average teenager arriving at the park isn't going to spend £10.80 on a fastrack ticket. It's a lot of money when a BOGOF to get in makes it only about £20.

[Fred]

It is entirely a deterrant - and quite rightly so.The service is a privilidge, not a right, therefore comes at a cost. Plus, as it is, the demand for fastrack is too high and they do sell out, causing complaints anyway.The higher it is, the better imo. The less people who buy fastrack, the happier the entire world - the main queue goes quicker for it, and the fastrackers get a quicker fastrack queue.At the end of the day, its up to you to secondary spend. Moan all you like about entrance prices though .(In the case of towers, dunno if its more than thorpe or not, they hand out a LOT of free entry tickets and have a LOT of annual pass holders.. so rely on fastrack as secondary spend, and the fastrack should be high enough to still be a kind of value for them, but not too cheap for everyone to wanna use it).

[AstroDan]

Towers fastrack is similarly priced to Thorpe, although Towers don't have flat rides on fastrack. Last season it was £9 for Air, Nemesis and Oblivion for example. Second to that was Adventurer, £5 for Charlie, Runaway Mine Train, Flume and Rapids. Then Rita, like Stealth, was £5. Some single ride fastrack was available on certain days after 3pm only I recall too. £2-£4 per ride depending on the ride. After that it was all ultimate and platinum, when you start talking about silly money £80 etc.Towers seem to sell less though - perhaps a lower limit than Thorpe.

[RobD]

It is entirely a deterrant - and quite rightly so.The service is a privilidge, not a right, therefore comes at a cost. Plus, as it is, the demand for fastrack is too high and they do sell out, causing complaints anyway.The higher it is, the better imo. The less people who buy fastrack, the happier the entire world - the main queue goes quicker for it, and the fastrackers get a quicker fastrack queue.

On what grounds do you claim it's a deterrent?Thorpe Park have had the ability to deter people from buying Fastrack, it's called a limit. They have not enforced it, so I don't for a second believe they have raise prices to sell less. Do you believe they raise the entrance price to deter people from paying on the gate? No, they don't. Did they add a car parking charge to deter people from driving to the park? No. Not only this, every price increase comes with an excuse, park maps to fund cleaning, parking to fund car park costs, and now Fastrack increases due to VAT. It's all just profiteering in it's purest form.

[JoshC.]

and now Fastrack increases due to VAT. It's all just profiteering in it's purest form.

Excuse me!? I do not see how you can say that at all...2010 season, cost was £4 (with 17.5% VAT). Pre-VAT, that works out as about £3.40. With 20% VAT, it works out at about £4.10. If you check here: http://www.thorpepark.com/prices/tickets.aspx?tabname=fastrack you can see that prices have risen before you even take into account VAT. Take Stealth again, 2010 - pre VAT was £3.40, now it's £5.00. Just shows how much the prices have gone up - nothing to do with VAT at all.

[RobD]

Excuse me!? I do not see how you can say that at all...2010 season, cost was £4 (with 17.5% VAT). Pre-VAT, that works out as about £3.40. With 20% VAT, it works out at about £4.10. If you check here: http://www.thorpepark.com/prices/tickets.aspx?tabname=fastrack you can see that prices have risen before you even take into account VAT. Take Stealth again, 2010 - pre VAT was £3.40, now it's £5.00. Just shows how much the prices have gone up - nothing to do with VAT at all.

Your missing my point, I was getting at the fact that Thorpe Park make out on their website that the prices have risen as a result of VAT, when in fact, they have just whacked the cost up. Accelerator fastrack cost £9.00 with VAT at 17.5%, the increase to 20% would justify a new price of £9.19, not £10.80. However, if you look at the way they structure their table on the fastrack prices page on the website, it leads you to believe the VAT is entirely responsible for the price increase.

[Fred]

Well, no it doesn't. It doesn't talk about fastrack being raised due to VAT whatsoever.Yes, its a deterrant. If its cheaper like £2 per people, it'd be available to more people. Selling out quickly, there'll be more problems - more problems with higher queues, more problems with too many fastrack people at once, too many problems with people cant getting fastrack due to selling out.They do sell out. You see it often.It's simple bloody economics. Supply and demand. Include that talking to and knowing sales & info staff and management, kinda suggests I know what I'm on about?Park entrance tickets run on a different system, different ploys etc. Secondary spending is completely different to getting people in the first place. Godsake, you may as well moan about burger king prices affecting people entering the gate.

[Ricky]

I remember hearing SAW -The Rides fastrack kept selling out before 11am just an hour after the park had opened!

[Deleted Users]

Well, no it doesn't. It doesn't talk about fastrack being raised due to VAT whatsoever.

On January 4th 2011 the rate of VAT in the UK increased by 2.5% to 20% - and our 2011 prices reflect this change. However, in order to provide complete transparency to our visitors, THORPE PARK has also taken the unprecedented step of in future showing all our admission prices net of VAT ie the real charge we make.Tax will then be added at point of sale as a separate entry and the final price you will pay will be the addition of these two costs. This form of pricing is very common elsewhere, in the USA for example, and we believe will not only demonstrate the significant value for money THORPE PARK etc offers, but also highlight the extraordinary impact that VAT has on the cost of a day out in the UK.Vote For ChangeIf like us you believe that VAT on visitor attraction ticket prices should be reduced in line with other European countries (between 5-8%) please support the industry campaign to reduce the VAT rate by visiting BALPPA.org where you will find a simple opinion poll – the results of which will be fed back to Government; as well as a standard letter to your local MP which you can download and send. Thank you.

The bit which annoys me the most is that they are complaining about the price trying to make the Government the villain. Basically, they say that slightly under 2010s prices are the new untaxed prices.

[Ricky]

Not really because this years untaxed prices are what, £20/£23 quid? Last years entrance prices where £35?