The summer holiday period is under way and some of us might be thinking of a day out at a theme park. It can get rather busy at theme parks though and some return home at the end of the tired and in some case frustrated at having spend hours queueing up for rides that are over in just a few minutes. Some theme parks offer a so-called 'FastPass'. By paying an additional charge on top of the normal entrance fee the FastPass allows you to at theme park attractions. The price of a FastPass ranges between 5 euro and as much as 100, depending on the number of attractions you do not wish to queue for.
In VRT News’ consumer podcast 'Mens erger je niet', the VRT Radio2 presenter Ann Reymen expressed her displeasure about the FastPass system. "To my mind everyone should follow the same rules and it is not ok that you shouldn’t have to wait because you have more money".
A lot of theme parks offer a range of 'FastPasses' or 'Speedy Passes'. Visitors pay a supplementary charge on top of the ticket price to avoid queuing at one or more attractions.
Although not free, there are a lot of conditions attached to the use of a FastPass or SpeedyPass.
“Not ok”
In VRT News’ consumer affairs podcast the VRT Radio 2 presenter Ann Reymen said that she doesn’t like the principle behind the FastPass.
"I spent between one and two hours queuing with my children at an attraction. Just before it was our turn a group was allowed on the attraction without waiting. My children asked me why that was the case. Then I had to say it's because their parents had paid more money."
Ann Reymen does not think it is acceptable that people who have more money should not have to wait. "To my mind everyone should have to follow the same rules. I don’t think that it’s ok that because you have more money, you are allowed to push in. It is perfectly acceptable that exceptions are made for children living with disabilities. But just the idea of saying 'I pay more, so I'm allowed more', is not good and this is something that I don't want to teach to my children”.
Prices vary, a of conditions attached
The prices of a FastPass or Speedy Pass varies a lot, and theme parks each have their own system. At Bobbejaanland, for example, you can buy a ticket to jump the queue once at 1 attraction. This will set you back 4.90 euro. However, not all the attractions at the park are included so it is best to check first whether the attraction you want to go on is on the list.
At Plopsaland you can pay 35 euro extra to gain "almost immediately" access to some of the attractions at the theme park. Here too, there are conditions: you can only use the pass on around 9 attractions. Each pass is worth 9 points, with 1 point being deducted per attraction a visitor gains rapid access to. However, 2 points are deducted for fast-track access to the rollercoaster.
At Walibi a pass costing 100 euro is available. The pass offers unlimited fast-track access to various attractions at the park. He too the price of the pass comes on top of the standard entrance fee and is only valid on some, but by no means all the attractions at the park. It is always best to check before you buy a pass.
No FastPass
Not all theme parks offer a FastPass. For example, the Bellewaerde theme park at Ieper in West Flanders and the Efteling theme park in The Netherlands don’t. Efteling says that selling fast-track passes is against the park’s principles “We don't wish to give anyone preferential treatment."
What the Efteling theme park does do though is help visitors avoid queuing in other ways. "For instance, we are experimenting a lot with a virtual queue function in our app. This enables you to take your place in the queue by registering in the app rather than having to physically stand in line. Testing of the virtual queue function is still ongoing."