Well, no it doesn't.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?

It's not simple economics, it's getting as much profit as you can. The fact is, whichever way they spin it, it's bad customer service. Pricing people out of a product is discrimination, making as much money as you can at the expense of the consumer is just unethical. There is a reasonable boundary between the two, for example, making a reasonable profit, while still being fair to the customer.The way to work this so it's fair, is to correctly manage fastrack. Time allocate all tickets, avoiding peak hours of the day, and have an accurate system displaying what is and isn't available. It's simple.Just to put this into perspective, Portaventura Express balances out at just over £2.11 per ride, Universal Florida at £1.52 per ride, and Thorpe Park at between £2.70 - £6.00 per ride. The park is not in line with other theme parks, and it's also very fair to add that almost every theme park in all other country's offer some type of Express/Fastrack for free, even if it's just on the single ride.If all these other parks can pull off Fastrack at a reasonable cost, why can't Thorpe Park?

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

No Ricky, just no. Last years price pre tax was £30.64, this years pre tax price is £32.17. (On the gate)The pre tax price as displayed on the TP website, refers to the price you pay pre tax, online, not on the gate.

When ever I go Thorpe Park I never need to buy fastrack because the queues are never that long, I never had to queue longer than about and hour for a ride maybe colosuss in the summer once but very rarely, so I never understand why people buy fastrack....

I have paid £4 for a saw fast-track once, but out of sheer desperation and refusal to wait 2 hours for the ride the first time I went on it. Other than that, I don't find queues that bad,.

It's not simple economics, it's getting as much profit as you can

No. If people didn't buy the product, it would not be that price. Especially as it costs them nothing to supply this service (essentially anyway). It's up to demand as to whether it costs much or not.

Pricing people out of a product is discrimination

I don't get benefits because I earn just a little bit too much. Is that discrimination as well? Because I cant?Or lets say, I don't get an exit pass because I'm not in a wheelchair? That's discrimination.Dont. Be. So. Stupid.

Making as much money as you can at the expense of the consumer is just unethical

No, yet again. Dumping rubbish in rivers is unethical. Stealing from old people is unethical. Offering an OPTIONAL add-on product at whatever price you so wish, is not unethical.

The way to work this so it's fair, is to correctly manage fastrack. Time allocate all tickets, avoiding peak hours of the day, and have an accurate system displaying what is and isn't available.

That's how it works to a point. They allocate them.Allocation does not work at all times anyway, people ALWAYS turn up at the beginning of that time, or try and get in earlier or later. It's bad customer service to simply shoo them away. Avoid peak hours of the day, there's no point in having the ticket. Accurate system.. ask any Sales & Info person, their computer shows absolutely everything you'd want to know, even stuff you don't need to know.

If all these other parks can pull off Fastrack at a reasonable cost, why can't Thorpe Park?

Because thorpe is a different park? Because thorpe is smaller and their rides cant cope with high amounts of people, let alone loads of fastrack as well? Let's remember, this is not the government, not a necessary service which people have a right to. This is not like comparing hospitals.

I dont see the big upset, its not about being up anyones rear end, Ricky is right in what he says, you pay more you get a better service and this is in everything in life, from train tickets to broadband, the person whos willing to spend more money with the particular company will get a better service or product and I dont see why anyone thinks this is wrong.Theres no denying £6 IS alot of money, but why would they charge say £4 if people are willing to spend £6, what sense would this make to a money making business.

Theres no denying £6 IS alot of money, but why would they charge say £4 if people are willing to spend £6, what sense would this make to a money making business.

HMV thought the same.... not looking so hot at the moment. Why spend £20.00 on a dvd when you can look around and get it for £4.00. Merlin have it lucky that they own most of the market. Problem is, it will get to a point when all the costs and little "extras" will come and bite them in the arse and people may start to look elsewhere. £6.00 is a heck of a lot of money for one ride.. ok it's a pretty iconic and good ride but asking for 20% of the parks own entrance fee for one ride is a bit.. well... odd. People keep comparing to the train thing; thing is the parks run express pass like they are the absolute priority and whilst that is sort of the point, they sell the things like hot cakes, with seemingly no restraint on numbers so instead of fastrackers being able to waltz onto the ride, they often end up queuing 10/20 minutes as well. This results in trains and trains worth of fastrackers whilst the main queue look on miserably wondering if they may as well buy a second home in Colossus's queueline. Trains do offer first class seats as has been noted but the difference is for instance, Southern, South West and Southeastern don't make 9/10's of the train first class so the rest of the third class citizens are kept at the back of the train or left on the station. And realistically, unless you plan to use the trains in rush hour, you will always get a seat. With Thorpe's current mentatlity, unless you are a fastracker, you're practically worthless.

I personally couldn't justify spending more than £4 for any ride's fast-track. Stealth's queues,except from in the summer and fright night, are never that bad. They're quite good actually, because sometimes the ride dude gets a hose out and sprays people in the queue.

People keep comparing to the train thing; thing is the parks run express pass like they are the absolute priority and whilst that is sort of the point, they sell the things like hot cakes, with seemingly no restraint on numbers so instead of fastrackers being able to waltz onto the ride, they often end up queuing 10/20 minutes as well. This results in trains and trains worth of fastrackers whilst the main queue look on miserably wondering if they may as well buy a second home in Colossus's queueline.

I'm not so sure, people seem to think there is no restraint but most times I've walked past this season the vast majority of fastrack packages are sold out by early afternoon.

The problem with fastback is that it is so close to the others systems within the park. I have regularly been working on a ride where you have three trains running, nearly 1000pph but there are so many people using the ride exit system either through exit passes or disability assistance, then you have a main queue of people and then on top of that a fastrack system. This is when you have issues and dilemmas. Do you stop letting main queue past merge point until the fastback queue is gone? Do you stop letting people into the fastrack queue and tell them to come back later? Do you stop onload side to fill trains full of exit riders?There is a bigger picture to all of this and I hope a company wide increase for cost of fastrack - it's turned into a service rather than a privilege.

I noticed someone saying earlier than you spend the extra money on Fastrack to have a good day.Does this mean, without fastrack, you'll not have a good day? I think that's a big shame.

I noticed someone saying earlier than you spend the extra money on Fastrack to have a good day.Does this mean, without fastrack, you'll not have a good day? I think that's a big shame.

Judging by my past experiences... Yes it does seem true... Especially when you have stupid merge people allowing about 5 normal queue people every 10 minutes...Sigh...

I noticed someone saying earlier than you spend the extra money on Fastrack to have a good day.Does this mean, without fastrack, you'll not have a good day? I think that's a big shame.

Totally agree with this!The last time I used Fastrack was in 2009 (a friend gave me her complementary pass for Saw because they wouldn't return before it expired). I have had... one, maybe two, bad trips out of nearly 50 since then. The last time I bought Fastrack was, oh, never. Simply put, not using Fastrack hasn't meant I have had bad days. Yes, I've haf bad days, but not because of Fastrack...

Hopefully pricing will improve this overall feeling though, its about getting the right balance which is always difficult

Just thought I should mention that, since last week, fastrack prices have now been reduced. Stealth is now £5.00, and the packages £10.50, a little bit more reasonable. Did this have anything to do with us? Don't know, but it's only a good thing I suppose.

Good. They obviously realised £6 for Stealth was shocking. Obviously some people think £6 would have been better, mind you.

Obviously some people think £6 would have been better, mind you.

I dont think anyone said they did they?

Tongue in cheek... but it's obviously testament to the parks lowering of the cost that they considered it to be too high. Some people were backing the hike.

Still not paying £5 for something thats free....

Well its not free, its £5

Still not paying £5 for something thats free....

How do you work that one out :S

Because I can just jump into the Main Queue, which is free?I'm not paying £5 for Stealth so I can save 10 minutes of my life.

Because I can just jump into the Main Queue, which is free?I'm not paying £5 for Stealth so I can save 10 minutes of my life.

Yes the main queue is free, but with fastrack you are cutting this queue and saving time.You'd have to be pretty dumb to get a Stealth fastrack when the main queue is at 10 minutes..

Time is money, and some people would rather pay than waste their time. There are some pretty dumb people, Ive seen people buying individual flying fish fasttrack when the ride had a queue under 5 minutes, I'm surprised the park would even sell them to people when its quiet.

I'm not paying £5 for Stealth so I can save 10 minutes of my life.

90 minutes... Or 10 minutes...FIGHT!