WTF Merlin?

[Hixee]

New awful logo registered for Merlin and interestingly they are dropping entertainments from their name.

https://x.com/attractionsc/status/2014243132095795566?s=46

Maybe the implication being their experiences are not always very entertaining?

Following the trend from Thorpe, Drayton Manor, Lightwater Valley etc. for logos to just be the name of the park/company written in a particular font. Why are actual logos falling out of fashion so much?

I think legibility on small devices is a big one here - you see similar trends across all companies looking for something that works well as an app icon, etc.

There will obviously be a bunch of graphic designers on my case for this, but... seems pretty easy to me. I'm in the wrong job...

 

[spicy]

Maybe the implication being their experiences are not always very entertaining?

A very on brand redesign to be fair to them

There will obviously be a bunch of graphic designers on my case for this, but... seems pretty easy to me. I'm in the wrong job...

And in 10-15 years time when it comes full circle and they all need new improved logos someone has an even easier job

 

[Tonkso]

Following the trend from Thorpe, Drayton Manor, Lightwater Valley etc. for logos to just be the name of the park/company written in a particular font. Why are actual logos falling out of fashion so much?

En****tification. Everything is designed around app icons on a phone now. The merlin 'm' would be an app logo, which could indicate Merlin's willingness to put the passholder booking system on an actual app, but who knows.

(genuinely, this is across the entire graphic design field, and it sucks)

 

[JoshC.]

From a pure visitor perspective, the logo doesn't bother me. I don't see it around that much (and I honestly don't pay any attention to it if / when I do). It's a company, not an actual attraction, so I just don't care.

The implied dropping of 'Entertainments' from the name also doesn't bother me - 99% of people call it Merlin and know what is meant by that.

The bigger thought that comes to my mind is why they're doing it. Yes, updating a logo for a more modern feel and to fit with changing digital landscapes can be enough. But a logo change / rebrand is usually done with more of a reason, and it's not a quick or cheap process (not to say it is long and costly for a company of Merlin's size). My point is, it's not really something that's done for the sake of it. So I wonder what their reason was.

 

[bob_3_]

The bigger thought that comes to my mind is why they're doing it. Yes, updating a logo for a more modern feel and to fit with changing digital landscapes can be enough. But a logo change / rebrand is usually done with more of a reason, and it's not a quick or cheap process (not to say it is long and costly for a company of Merlin's size). My point is, it's not really something that's done for the sake of it. So I wonder what their reason was.

TBH, Merlin hadn't changed their brand identity in a long time... if ever? And if you look at the logo in isolation it is quite dated, the serif font, the "M" swoosh, it doesn't translate or scale down and doesn't look modern at all.

I'm surprised there's any negativity to a new logo, similarly with Thorpe Park.. their old logo was BAD and was decades out of date, the new one looks great.

I think the new logo has enough whimsy, pays homage to the old logo and seems far more functional. I'm interested to see it in context, it's hard to fully judge a new logo just stood on its own. Hopefully there's a whole new colour palette and visual language.

 

[Peet]

Merlin are currently getting absolutely blasted on social media for updates to their Ride Access Pass eligibility meaning that people who are certified as having "difficulty with crowds" no longer qualify for the RAP.

Obviously this is frustrating for people in this category, who may well be put off theme parks completely if they struggle with queues, I mean imagine standing in that Smiler cattle pen for an hour plus if you have difficulty with crowds. The flip side is of course that increasing numbers of people are being diagnosed with neurodivergent conditions meaning that more and more people were becoming eligible for the RAP, resulting in significant delays to the main queue.

 

[MackMan]

I kind of take a middle ground view on the change- the system is definitely collapsing, and with Nimbus things might be getting more legitimate, but obviously more diagnosis means more RAP users, which is strangling the system and ratio.

I do think though some people will be excluded and Merlin perhaps are being a little harsh.

 

[spicy]

I mean imagine standing in that Smiler cattle pen for an hour plus if you have difficulty with crowds. The flip side is of course that increasing numbers of people are being diagnosed with neurodivergent conditions meaning that more and more people were becoming eligible for the RAP, resulting in significant delays to the main queue.

That’s the problem really, if the barometer is finding it difficult to stand in that awful Smiler queue for an hour or longer i’m sure 99% of the people in that queue needs the RAP as no one’s particularly enjoying it?

The problem is the people in these situations that genuinely need the passes are the ones to lose out as a few are chancing it and getting the pass when they don’t really need it, the problem though is differentiating between the two without discriminating.

 

[Jamesss]

I work with kids quite a lot, and I have noticed it's getting to a point where there are more kids being diagnosed with neurodivergent conditions than without. The other day, I was working with a boy who told me that of the 30 children in his class at school, 21 of them were diagnosed.

I'll be honest I have no idea how RAP works, but surely if there are more people with conditions than without, then the system becomes a bit pointless?

 

[Tonkso]

That’s the problem really, if the barometer is finding it difficult to stand in that awful Smiler queue for an hour or longer i’m sure 99% of the people in that queue needs the RAP as no one’s particularly enjoying it?

The problem is the people in these situations that genuinely need the passes are the ones to lose out as a few are chancing it and getting the pass when they don’t really need it, the problem though is differentiating between the two without discriminating.

This is another problem, Merlin seriously needs to rethink its queues. A queue doesn't need to be a terrible place to be, but there's nothing pleasant about Smiler's queue.

 

[JoshC.]

This is a very layered and delicate issue, but one which Merlin had to sort out.

I'm going to ramble on a bit now...

The current RAP system was unsustainable. In the past, it had too many people faking evidence to use it. Then it had too many people using it. Then it had to become a pre-book system which people missed out on. And on park, it was wildly impractical for people on some occasions (the length of the RAP queue at rides like Hyperia and Vampire could be 30 minutes long, after having to have waited virtually). It wasn't working.

I'm aware that Merlin currently require people to have a Nimbus card to get a RAP, and it must meet certain requirements. The big uproar seems to be that 'Difficulty with Crowds' is now not enough to get a RAP. I will freely admit I know little about the Nimbus cards and how they work.

One of the biggest issues to my understanding is that every time Merlin have changed the RAP requirements, anyone who had already qualified for a RAP didn't have to meet new requirements. And that is the same in the current changes. That means that any changes don't address the current strain on the system, just slow down how much more strain it is put under.

Long long ago, the RAP system was a lot tighter than it is now for people on rides. You could only have one RAP group on a ride, and they would have to be sat in a specific row / seat. This was so staff could prioritise their evacuation in case of an emergency. Now that was really only necessary for guests with difficulty moving, so that could be relaxed. It was also not a sustainable way to do it with the increase in RAP users. That system is a far cry from the current system, where you can get several groups of RAP users be batched into a station.

As @Jamesss said too, neurodivergence is more commonly diagnosed and recognised now. That's not to say it's more common now, simply that we are better at recognising, diagnosing and addressing it. Which is a great thing. I'm a secondary school teacher, and there's plenty of kids I teach who are neurodivergent; that presents itself in many different ways and has varying affects on students.

I've seen many arguments on social media treat neurodivergence as something which automatically means someone must be able to qualify for a RAP. Which is very very wrong. It's such a broad, umbrella, term which people are using wrongly. Any argument I see of people saying that the changes "stop neurodivergent people getting a RAP" I see as immediately invalid, as those people do not understand the terminology they're using, but think they do.

Now, here's the thing. If someone who is neurodivergent has "Difficulty with Crowds", that is someone who finds "crowded environments or queues overwhelming or distressing". As I say, I'm unfamiliar with how Nimbus cards determine that, but if someone gets diagnosed with, say, ADHD, and they don't like large crowds, could they qualify for having the "Difficulty with Crowds" mark?
If so, that doesn't quite match up - standing in a queue is very different to being in, say, a concert crowd, which might be the only example where they don't like large crowds. Yet they would qualify for a RAP if Merlin accepted "Difficulty with Crowds".
If it is harder to qualify for that mark, how is that judged? Is a conversation with a medical professional? How do they make the judgement? How regulated is that? Could one medical professional be convinced with a story, whereas another would make someone jump through hoops?

As I say, I don't know how it all works. But my concern there is, however it works, it's open to interpretation, a struggle to verify and something that is completely out of Merlin's control.

So now they're left with two options.
First is to accept "Difficulty with Crowds", which brings forth a large number of people on the system. It makes it unusable for them and creates further issues.
Second is the reject "Difficulty with Crowds", which is leading us to the situation we're in now.
By using the Nimbus card, they can't differentiate between people in that group, it's all or nothing.

I've seen people through social media suggest that by not accepting "Difficulty with Crowds", it is illegal as they're not making reasonable adjustments under the Disability Act. I don't know enough about that, but who knows.

Obviously there's wider issues here. Lengths of queues being high. Queueing experiences being not great. Address those and it is a net positive for all guests.

In my opinion, Merlin did have to do something, as the system was unsustainable. And whatever they did would cause backlash, and it's something they'd have to ride out. Whether this is the right thing I don't know, but it's a thing.


The biggest question I have though: Why is disabled access only an issue at the UK Merlin theme parks?
Other UK parks manage fine. Other Merlin parks, fine. Parks with worse operations, fine.
Yes, some parks are less disabled-friendly than others, but I've heard very very few negative experiences of similar RAP offerings at any other park around the world.

That can't be because 'Merlin operate badly' or 'They're too popular' or whatever, otherwise we'd see these issues somewhere else, surely? So what is it? Is it that UK Merlin have a much broader, open remit than anywhere else? Is it a societal thing present in the UK? Does the UK have a higher level of diagnoses compared to anywhere else? There must be something.

 

[Nicky Borrill]

About time...

Now the people that are genuinely unable to stand in queues might actually find some value in the RAP system.

On a side note, if your difficulty is with crowds, is there any difference between the main queue, and the RAP queue at times when it's long? Or what about pre-shows? What about most of the loading stations in general? Actually, what about theme parks in general... Are they not all crowded places?

For me, choosing to go to a theme park but expecting RAP because you have difficulties with crowds is no different to choosing to attend a concert at Wembley but expecting a private box upgrade because you have difficulties with crowds...

(I know this will go down like a lead balloon with some, so I'm just going to slip away and hide for a few hours. )

 

[spicy]

About time...

Now the people that are genuinely unable to stand in queues might actually find some value in the RAP system.

On a side note, if your difficulty is with crowds, is there any difference between the main queue, and the RAP queue at times when it's long? Or what about pre-shows? What about most of the loading stations in general? Actually, what about theme parks in general... Are they not all crowded places?

For me, choosing to go to a theme park but expecting RAP because you have difficulties with crowds is no different to choosing to attend a concert at Wembley but expecting a private box upgrade because you have difficulties with crowds...

(I know this will go down like a lead balloon with some, so I'm just going to slip away and hide for a few hours. )

It’s a fair point though, if you find crowds so difficult that it has been medically diagnosed as a condition and you know it will cause you to experience anxiety, panic attacks etc.. Why are you wilfully putting yourself into a situation where you’re going to be surrounded by many people and put into busy crowds?

 

[Coastiesaurus]

About time...

Now the people that are genuinely unable to stand in queues might actually find some value in the RAP system.

On a side note, if your difficulty is with crowds, is there any difference between the main queue, and the RAP queue at times when it's long? Or what about pre-shows? What about most of the loading stations in general? Actually, what about theme parks in general... Are they not all crowded places?

For me, choosing to go to a theme park but expecting RAP because you have difficulties with crowds is no different to choosing to attend a concert at Wembley but expecting a private box upgrade because you have difficulties with crowds...

(I know this will go down like a lead balloon with some, so I'm just going to slip away and hide for a few hours. )

I’m a member of several Facebook groups offering travel tips to Efteling, Phantasialand, Europa Park etc - you would not believe the amount of posts along the lines of ‘my child has SEN/ADHD, do they offer access passes?’ Sometimes it seems like my feed is just a constant stream of them. I don’t want to be this type of person, but I find it very very hard to not be cynical sometimes. Let’s face it, nobody really likes to queue for a long time and it does seem convenient for some people to have access to something that means they can avoid that. *Of course* there are genuine examples, but it’s like anything in life, those that take advantage of the system eventually ruin it for people who might actually need that service.

Anecdotally, I know someone who visited Longleat recently with my sister and because he has a neurodivergence they were able to skip the queue for the Jungle Cruise boats that go out on the lake. Now, knowing that person quite well I can, with a high degree of confidence say that that was absolutely unnecessary and there would have been no problem with that individual queueing.

I know this post comes across as cynical, but I think it’s a reality that people do abuse these systems.

 

[Nicky Borrill]

I’m a member of several Facebook groups offering travel tips to Efteling, Phantasialand, Europa Park etc - you would not believe the amount of posts along the lines of ‘my child has SEN/ADHD, do they offer access passes?’ Sometimes it seems like my feed is just a constant stream of them. I don’t want to be this type of person, but I find it very very hard to not be cynical sometimes. Let’s face it, nobody really likes to queue for a long time and it does seem convenient for some people to have access to something that means they can avoid that. *Of course* there are genuine examples, but it’s like anything in life, those that take advantage of the system eventually ruin it for people who might actually need that service.

Anecdotally, I know someone who visited Longleat recently with my sister and because he has a neurodivergence they were able to skip the queue for the Jungle Cruise boats that go out on the lake. Now, knowing that person quite well I can, with a high degree of confidence say that that was absolutely unnecessary and there would have been no problem with that individual queueing.

I know this post comes across as cynical, but I think it’s a reality that people do abuse these systems.

There are people that genuinely need it, there are people with Autism and ADHD who genuinely need it. But for every one that does, there are many more abusing it, and ruining it for them.

Just mathematically speaking it couldn't go on much longer...

1 in 7 people in the UK are now recognised as neurodivergent... Now if that figure is true (I pulled it from Google, Edinburgh Uni... One site actually suggested 15-20%!!!) And each one of those people can take 3 (presumably neurotypical) family members / friends on their RAP pass, that meant that we're getting very close to the point where more people could be entitled to use RAP, or accompany a RAP pass holder, than are not using one. (Up to 4 in 7 people.)

It was obviously not sustainable long term, it actually went on way longer than it should have done. Limiting numbers daily with pre books was the first step back to common sense. But I'd argue that was actually more discriminative. It meant people who genuinely could not experience a theme park day without RAP would miss out, due to there being no prebooks remaining.

 

[Nicky Borrill]

By the way, looks like they may well back peddle... (If that wasn't already obvious given the mainstream media coverage.) They're claiming this is now a trial period before the main season in March.

In the email they do highlight, in a roundabout kind of way, that the number of people 'needing' support is starting to outweigh those not needing it though.

Dear all

You will have received our most recent update, which we know has generated some concern within the Ride Access Pass (RAP) community, and that’s why we’re getting back in touch.

We recognise that this communication was not as clear as it could have been, and we’re genuinely sorry for this. We want to provide some further clarity, reassurance and guidance ahead of February half-term. We are also asking for direct feedback, so we can hear from the voices that really matter on this topic - yours.

Over the past year, we’ve worked hard to improve the RAP experience, by tackling pre‑booking issues and making the virtual queuing system easier to use, more accurate and reliable. Even with these improvements, demand for RAP has continued to grow to a level that is now affecting the very reason it exists – helping to reduce queue times for those who need it most.

Last year, we know that many of you were unable to secure RAP availability when you wanted it – and those who did often faced longer than expected wait times during peak periods. This is not the experience we want for you. Our intention has always been -and will always remain - to provide a positive, supportive experience for those who need RAP. This hasn’t always consistently been the case, and it needs to be addressed. Getting this right matters and we’re working hard to find solutions.

Over February half‑term, at the three parks which are briefly open, we are trialling changes to RAP eligibility criteria. More information about and the trial can be found in updated information on our resort websites ( Alton, Chessington and LEGOLAND). We’re sorry that the trial nature of this change this wasn’t clear enough.

While we know there is always more we can do, we’re proud of the range of support we offer guests. Over the years we have broadened our focus beyond queueing alone and have introduced a number of adjustments and support measures across the whole attraction to better support guest in their specific needs throughout every part of their day. Detail of these adjustments can also be found on our resort websites.

This trial gives us the opportunity to listen, learn, and review these support measures, and to explore whether we need to do more ahead of the main season opening in March. Your feedback is genuinely important to us, and we would really appreciate you sharing your thoughts through this survey.

Your voice matters to us and this input will play a key role in our review over the coming weeks and shaping next steps. We remain committed to ensuring our attractions are as welcoming and inclusive as possible. We won’t get everything right first time, but we will keep listening, learning and evolving our approach.

We want to thank you for your patience, and we will be back in touch ahead of season opening.

Merlin Accessibility Team

 

[Fleetwood_Mack]

This is unfortunately becoming quite a common issue, not just with RAP but also with other systems designed to help disabled people. I've been a member of the blue badge brigade since I was around 12 years old. In recent years they've cast the net so much wider in terms of who qualifies for them that trying to find a disabled bay to park in can often be a nightmare. Getting accessible tickets for concerts is also a headache these days. Accessible spaces/seats are incredibly limited, and it's become impossible. There are far too many people gaining access to these systems on technicalities.

I'm definitely not alone in feeling that us physically disabled people are being increasingly shut out of things. Try bringing this up on social media and you'll be immediately dismissed and called all kinds of bigot. The people who have been up in arms about this change don't give a about us, and won't entertain this discussion for even a second.

Fortunately I've not experienced the horrendous RAP queues at Merlin parks, because I always go off-peak. My last visit to Thorpe Park in early October '24 we pretty much walked straight onto everything. I would however welcome this change, for the sake of those who like me wouldn't be able to physically cope with standing in these mile long "accessible" queues. I've actually declined more than one invitation to Thorpe Park in the summer holidays/at weekends over the years because of this.

 

[Robbie]

The biggest question I have though: Why is disabled access only an issue at the UK Merlin theme parks?
Other UK parks manage fine. Other Merlin parks, fine. Parks with worse operations, fine.
Yes, some parks are less disabled-friendly than others, but I've heard very very few negative experiences of similar RAP offerings at any other park around the world.

That can't be because 'Merlin operate badly' or 'They're too popular' or whatever, otherwise we'd see these issues somewhere else, surely? So what is it? Is it that UK Merlin have a much broader, open remit than anywhere else? Is it a societal thing present in the UK? Does the UK have a higher level of diagnoses compared to anywhere else? There must be something.

I took a quick look at a couple of other parks and it seems they allow one essential carer to accompany the Access Card holder, whereas Merlin allow 3 people to accompany the disabled person. I guess that's because they don't want to split up families but that's obviously going to have an effect on throughput. Surely a first-step easy solution would be to limit the number of companions? I wonder why they haven't done that.

 

[MackMan]

I took a quick look at a couple of other parks and it seems they allow one essential carer to accompany the Access Card holder, whereas Merlin allow 3 people to accompany the disabled person. I guess that's because they don't want to split up families but that's obviously going to have an effect on throughput. Surely a first-step easy solution would be to limit the number of companions? I wonder why they haven't done that.

I feel like a lot of it is down to mass complaints from that too.

When the RAP queues weren't limited and a little long, people mass complained and threatened to sue.

When they did limited slots, but moaned and claimed discrimination and actually tried to sue them.

So if they make it one carer, people will start saying that it's splitting up their family and it's discrimination, against the equality act ect. I do feel like Merlin can't win sometimes with RAP.

 

[Robbie]

So if they make it one carer, people will start saying that it's splitting up their family and it's discrimination, against the equality act ect. I do feel like Merlin can't win sometimes with RAP.

The Access card specifically says ONE essential companion - Merlin should just stick to that.

But it is hard to say no to disabled people. I run a theatre, and trying to find the balance between access customers and actually turning a profit can be difficult. I'd say the number of people applying for access nowadays is over 10 times what it was last decade.