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Queueing is a major part of any Theme Park trip. Sometimes guests spend hours queueing for what is essentially a 2 minute ride. Across a whole day at a Theme Park, you could be spending around 8 hours queuing for just over 15 minutes of ride time!
Thankfully there are ways to reduce this queue time - and we don't mean by queue jumping! Be aware that Park rules state that "anyone found or seen queue jumping may be ejected from the Park". Thankfully Thorpe Park has in place a number of legitimate ways in which you can beat the queues:
Fastrack is probably the most well known method of beating the queues. For an (unfortunately ever increasing) fee, you can get priority passes to all of Thorpe's major rides and attractions - meaning that you skip the queue and get rides in without the waiting. If purchased, guests receive an slip that allocates a time that they can ride the ride(s) on the ticket without queuing.
Every Fastrack ride has a dedicated entrance (sometimes the ride exit) for Fastrack ticket holders, ensuring that ticket holders can board their ride efficiently. Each ride on the ticket can only be Fastracked once (unless you opt for the Fastrack Unlimited ticket); ride attendants will either take your slip or mark on it to enforce this rule. For an example Fastrack ticket for Storm Surge, see below.
For current Fastrack prices, take a look at Park Info.
Single Rider is a system used on Stealth and Flying Fish only, that allows guests who don't mind riding on their own to beat the queues. If this applies to you, then you can queue up at the special "Single Rider" entrance - it will usually be the ride exit. If there are any spare single seats on the ride, you will be allowed on. Single Rider works especially well on busy days - whilst there is a 1 hour queue for say, Stealth, you can get on within 5 minutes due to the odd spare seat on a train. And best of all, it's free!
However, sometimes, people abuse this system, and use the Single Rider queue when they are in a large group - this really slows everything down. Single Rider is just that - for "Single Riders". If you are in a group of more than 2-3 people - this facility is not for you. We also wish that Thorpe Park would extend the Single Rider service to more than just Stealth and Flying Fish - many of their headline attractions could support this initiative!
This system is ideal for families: Parent Swap can be used by parents who want to ride the big rides, but have children that are not old enough to ride the big rides yet. Ask at Guest Services, and staff will give you a Parent Swap Pass. This entitles one parent to ride an attraction, whilst the other looks after the children. Following the first parent's ride the parents swap, and the other parent can look after the children whilst the second parent has their go on the ride. Essentially under this system one parent has queued on behalf of both.
It's a facility designed to allow parents to go on the big attractions, taking into account that the children have to be looked after. Parent Swap is only available on selected rides.
If the above 3 options aren't viable, then guests can join the main queues. On quiet days, Thorpe's queues are fast moving and bearable. On busier days, have a look at the electronic boards dotted around the Park to see which rides have the shortest queues. But, as mentioned in the Thorpe Tips section - these boards are not always 100% accurate. Always have a look at the queue yourself and judge its length before you join it.
For further information on any of these methods of queueing, just ask at Guest Services on Park. |
