Is Fast Track worth it at Alton Towers?

[@awesomepig99w]

Worst part is walking past all of the people in the normal queue who stare at you as if you are some sort of low life criminal. However it is absolutely worth it on busy days, especially during holidays.

[@coaster_dad]

Aye I can relate

[@adamblackedition5529]

added to that, if you wear an item of clothing thats Smiler related, such as a hoodie and do it, they will hate you even more... theres some psychological reason behind it, but it has to be smiler related and people will get more annoyed

[@suf-star7866]

The worse are RAP queues when they can't see anything "physically" wrong

[@AdamGreet-g9o]

I went in half term. Did unlimited fast track for the family. 4 of us. It took us 6 hours to travel to the Alton towers hotel. Is it worth it? Yes as we don't go to the park very often and have to go during holidays. We went on 20+ rides also Nemesis reborn 5 times which saved us well over an hour each time

[@coaster_dad]

Yeah it can definitely save a ton of time especially if you don’t visit often 😀

[@AdamGreet-g9o]

@coaster_dad most queues were 70 mins plus even run away mine train! If we did it your way of calculation. Then we saved well over 20 hours of queue time. It is expensive but my kids are teens and it is their favourite break. Must mention the roller coaster cafe which is fantastic and you get your MAP 20% discount 😀

[@coaster_dad]

@user-of2qy5eg8z you know I did the roller coaster restaurant a few years ago and thought it was over priced and basic. But I’ve seen a lot of great reviews lately so they’ve obviously sorted it out 😀

[@A4RON245]

I used gold fast tracks in scarefest 2023 and it was really worth it my brothers friend from college came without fast racks and by the time we got off spinball his friend was still queueing worth it on busy days

[@coaster_dad]

It certainly saved me a lot of time on my trip 😁

[@Anna-c3w4b]

Fast track is good when you think it'll be busy as for me standing ages in a queue I'm not a fan. But for groups and families it works out so expensive. The only thing I'd say that needs to change with fast track is if a ride is not available all day you purchased the fast track for then Alton Towers should compensate for that, either as a % back for the fast track lost eg lost one or two depending on ride availability or at the very least a fast track for the closed ride on another day of the persons choosing. Doesn't seem fair at the moment if you pay for fast track and rides are down/closed AT do nothing to compensate for it. Fast track is expensive so when people decide to do it they do so on the basis of the value for how many rides the bronze l, silver, gold, platinum etc have. If rides then reduce you can use them on the person may have opted for a different choice or individual rides on the day.

[@coaster_dad]

Yeah I was lucky most things were running because that’s rare!

[@zombiemosher1139]

I've only ever used a fast track once at Disneyland Paris & it was purely cause we had young kids then & both myself & the missus wanted a shot on Space Mountain & couldn't go together. I would consider it if it was super busy & definitely wanted on something but I've found on the late park times you can get on all the big hitters just queuing

[@coaster_dad]

Indeed you can. And now they have single shot it means you can just do the one ride you may be struggling with 😀

[@joeplatt4036]

Great idea for a video.I went to the Nemesis reborn event this year and tried a similar experiment .My fast pass saved me approx 7.5 hours queueing. Did 11 fasttrack rides and sub terra, longest queue was wicker man at 30, most time saved 90 minute smiler queue reduced to 5 min.

[@joeplatt4036]

If my next trip to Alton towers is that time of year again I would def. Invest in fast track but probably the cheaper silver tier which gets you most of the main coasters.

[@coaster_dad]

Yeah it's not something I want to spend a lot of money on often, but on busy days it definitely works!

[@emmawilkes8300]

I got platinum fast pass the other week and did all the big roller coasters in a couple of hours where they would have been queuing an hour ish

[@coaster_dad]

Nice

[@emmawilkes8300]

Ive told my daughter for her birthday next year i will be getting her and her friend platinum fast track .

[@coaster_dad]

It’s invaluable on a busy day so I hope they enjoy 😀

[@adamtrue7691]

fast track is a must at Alton towers alas as they have not many flat rides or crowd pullers other than coasters.

[@coaster_dad]

On a busy day it can definitely make a huge difference as it did when I filmed this. But equally I was there last week and everything had a 5 minute queue. So really depends on the time of year and weather 🙂

[@mattwright6281]

Just done halloween night on platinum pass for me and son-£310 but 60/90 wait times-longest wait we had was on wicker man and still only 7/8 mins-alot of money but would do again-but once a year thing and only for night hours

[@coaster_dad]

It can be super effective on busy days. But as you say it’s not cheap!

[@mattwright6281]

@coaster_dad no but if u know going in,and off set price for 30+ rides and the 11 hour opening-i can just about justify it-keep up the good work

[@andywylde]

I’m going September 16th. Hoping for a quiet day with the schools going back. Willing to pay for fast track if I have to

[@coaster_dad]

Have a great trip 😀

[@mcravercore8731]

😊

[@joemay5]

Doing this on your own it would be interesting to see a comparison between fast track and single rider

[@coaster_dad]

Indeed. Although not all rides offer single rider sadly

[@MVP691]

Me and my mrs came for scare fest stayed over and did 2 days first day we had ultimate fast passes we did wickerman 20 times with rides shuting at 9. second day queing was horrible 😂

[@coaster_dad]

Ha ha yeah that sounds rough.

[@ElaineDenton-mg7tp]

They are worth it but I think they are too expensive compared to bpb they are £50 but £130 each are a rip off

[@coaster_dad]

So normally I’d agree. But I did a video about Genie+ at Disney and my take was that because it was relatively cheap and affordable more people bought it. Which then makes the normal queue slower. So in a way a higher price point helps all the queue move.

[@pancakesgo7995]

I would use FastTrack because the older I get, the more I absolutely detest long waits in queues to the point I would rather not do it. However, it is a system that favours the privileged at the expense of the unprivileged, which in itself is so very wrong. On the other hand, I can well remember the insane 3 hour queues 20 years ago before FT was even a thing. It has always been a problem and I would like to have seen ways of reducing queue times that doesn't involve making life better for the privileged only.

[@coaster_dad]

It’s interesting. I’ve just been to Efteling which does not offer fast track meaning there is no merge points and the queues just moved so quickly

[@kirky100_themeparks]

is sub terra not in the deal ?

[@coaster_dad]

It is not 😔

[@Energyflash1979]

If everyone bought fast track would it be worth it? Would they then come out with a fat track gold? Its really unfair for those on a low income

[@coaster_dad]

I did a video on the Disney fast track and my thoughts on that were either scrap or make it really expensive like Universal. That way for most people it’s unattainable and only a handful can use it meaning the main queue isn’t impacted. The problem when it’s cheap is too many people use it and it kinda defeats the purpose.

[@Energyflash1979]

@@coaster_dad I love your dedication unlike myself who can't bear to queue anymore so I don't bother going to any of these theme parks. I remember missing a day from school in the mid 90s and going to Alton towers and it was great because you didn't have any queues at all. I'm guessing their marketing these days fills the park even on school days

[@coaster_dad]

@Energyflash1979 it is rare but possible to get a quiet day at towers

[@louieharris8696]

Sit back and enjoy the ride Choo Choo 😏😏😏

[@coaster_dad]

I love how they leaned into that with the sign on the ride op station 😀

[@N0RM0jn]

i was expecting it to be more than that so i would worth it.

[@coaster_dad]

Definitely on a busy day! 😀

[@CyberSurge_]

i think if people are willing to spend the money, fast track is definitely worth it

[@coaster_dad]

Fair

[@clareriley]

I don't think the cost is worth it if you can't plan a quiet day. If you HAVE to go on a really really busy day then maybe.

[@coaster_dad]

Yeah I’d pick a quiet day whenever possible. But it definitely helps if you end up there on a busy day. But it’s not cheap.

[@CheesyChipzRs]

No, it's shit and ruins it for everyone.

[@coaster_dad]

That’s the double edge sword. If you’re the one using it it’s great. But it makes the experience for everyone else much worse 😔

[@iiRodeoclownii]

fast track shouldnt be a thing imo. you pay to get in the park anyway, and just cause someone cant afford to pay the extra they have to wait for hours in line like cattle. worst thing theme parks ever done, but i get its a business and they are all about the $$$

[@coaster_dad]

I hear you. There are parks that don’t do fast track and yeah it usually helps the main line go quicker. I’ll be honest I’ve used fast track in the past when travelling internationally. Basically if it’s not somewhere I can get back to easily I want to maximise my visit. But it can be expensive. And in a way I think it’s better when it is expensive. I did a vid on genie+ and I think the problem there is it’s cheap and people feel compelled to buy it. So then it’s an absolute mess. If it’s expensive then it puts many people off and means less people use it.