News Knotts will have boarding pass with wait times for the disabled

[Jerryp49]

https://www.knotts.com/plan-a-visit/guests-with-disabilities

Is Disney`s GAC next?

[SanDiegoAl]

Re: Knotts will have boarding pass with wait times for the disabled

Yea Knotts for doing it right!

[DisneyIPresume]

Re: Knotts will have boarding pass with wait times for the disabled

It happened before with the transition of the ticket books to an all day pass and again now. Once again Disney is showing it can sometimes lag behind Knotts.

I tell you Knotts continues to improve and appears to be offering so much more for a reasonable price while Disney just rests on its laurels and assumes people are going to continue to pay exorbitantly for it. Continue in this direction for too long and Disney could find itself in a hole too difficult to dig out of so easily.

[flynnibus]

Re: Knotts will have boarding pass with wait times for the disabled

The arguments against it are always fun... but Kudos for Knotts for taking this lead. Hopefully Disney will follow suit when it can hope it's not the lightning rod.

I would love to have a face to face with some of these advocates and inquire about places they visit that don't offer 'immediate gratification'. Or how they even get to the park without a wait.. or how they get INTO the park without a wait.. etc

[moregumboplease]

Re: Knotts will have boarding pass with wait times for the disabled

Here is the low-down...

At Knott's Berry Farm we are proud of our reputation for accommodating guests with disabilities through our Ride Admission Policy. To continue to provide equal access for all guests, be aware that all guests with mobility impairments or ASD will now receive a Ride Boarding Pass with wait times. The Ride Boarding Pass Program allows guests to access rides at specified times via the exit ramp in order to avoid crowds and waiting in the regular queue lines.
There are two options available for guests who are in possession of a Boarding Pass:

1. Rides with lines – Guests will obtain a boarding or “ride” time on the Boarding Pass that is equal to the anticipated wait time for a particular ride from the ride employee at the Alternate Access Entrance. Guests can then choose to rest comfortably away from the queue area or enjoy another ride that does not have a line, visit a shop, see a show or play a game until their boarding time.

2. Rides with no lines – Guests may ride at any time via the Alternate Access Entrance (usually the exit) and be seated on one of the next available cycles.

For a complete listing of guidelines when using the Alternate Access entrances, please download and review our Guest Assistance Guide.

---

Here’s How it Works:

The guest with a mobility impairment or ASD should visit the Information Center at the Front Gate upon his/her arrival at the park to express his/her inability to wait in the regular line. Some questions are asked to ensure that the rider has the required physical criteria in order to safely experience rides, and a Boarding Pass is issued for the guest in question and up to 3 riding companions.

In addition to a Boarding Pass, the guest with a mobility impairment or ASD will receive a “Rider Access Sheet” that has the rides that the guest with a disability can safely enjoy.

For rides that do not have lines, the Guest and his/her party simply takes the Rider Access Sheet with them through the ride’s Alternate Access Entrance and they will be boarded on the next available cycle.

For rides that do have lines, the Boarding Pass will be required. The rider (or a member of their party) obtains a boarding time from the ride employee at the Alternate Access Entrance, equivalent to the length of the ride line. The rider is able to ride other rides that do not have lines while waiting for the boarding or “ride” time issued on the Boarding Pass.

The guest listed on the Boarding Pass must be present as a rider when a Boarding Pass is being utilized.

[KiMcHeEfOrLiFe]

Re: Knotts will have boarding pass with wait times for the disabled

1. Rides with lines – Guests will obtain a boarding or “ride” time on the Boarding Pass that is equal to the anticipated wait time for a particular ride from the ride employee at the Alternate Access Entrance. Guests can then choose to rest comfortably away from the queue area or enjoy another ride that does not have a line, visit a shop, see a show or play a game until their boarding time.

Maybe I'm reading this wrong, but isn't this like a FastPass?

[kirstenh]

Re: Knotts will have boarding pass with wait times for the disabled

Maybe I'm reading this wrong, but isn't this like a FastPass?

Not really. With a FastPass you bypass part of the line but still have to wait in a little bit of the line. Maybe a 10-15 min wait from entry to boarding. With this, you get on right away.

Also, unlike FastPasses, the wait before you can board is always the same as Standby, whereas with a FastPass your return time might be 3-4 hours out. Additionally, they are not metered out like a FastPass - in other words, they won't "run out".

Lastly, it is available only for guests with disabilities and is done as a way to accommodate them while discouraging abuse by people whose only goal is to skip lines.

[The International]

Re: Knotts will have boarding pass with wait times for the disabled

Kind of, although it's meant for people who can't physically wait in line. Also it looks like you can only be in one "line" at a time ("previous ride must be crossed off") so the potential for abuse seems pretty low.

[KiMcHeEfOrLiFe]

Re: Knotts will have boarding pass with wait times for the disabled

Not really. With a FastPass you bypass part of the line but still have to wait in a little bit of the line. Maybe a 10-15 min wait from entry to boarding. With this, you get on right away.

Also, unlike FastPasses, the wait before you can board is always the same as Standby, whereas with a FastPass your return time might be 3-4 hours out. Additionally, they are not metered out like a FastPass - in other words, they won't "run out".

Lastly, it is available only for guests with disabilities and is done as a way to accommodate them while discouraging abuse by people whose only goal is to skip lines.

Sorry I should've clarified. I meant to say, isn't the idea like a FastPass but only restricted for those people with disabilities? Cause they'd be able to get a Boarding Pass with a return time, and go do something else while they "wait" for their time. It seems like they would still have an advantage over other people who are waiting in the Standby line who can only wait in one line while those with the boarding pass will be able to wait in two lines. I think they should modify it so they'd have those with disabilities wait in a waiting area and when their time is up, the person with the disability and their party will be able to ride. If they leave the waiting area, they have to forfeit their waiting pass, and get a new one if they choose to come back to ride at another time.

Kind of, although it's meant for people who can't physically wait in line. Also it looks like you can only be in one "line" at a time ("previous ride must be crossed off") so the potential for abuse seems pretty low.

Okay, that was my worry. It just seemed like this concept could still be abused but glad to hear there is some sort of way to combat abuse.

[DisneyIPresume]

Re: Knotts will have boarding pass with wait times for the disabled

I think Knotts would rather give people the opportunity to buy stuff while they are waiting for their time to come up, rather than sitting for an hour doing nothing.

And if Disney had this policy they would do the exact same thing.

[flynnibus]

Re: Knotts will have boarding pass with wait times for the disabled

Sorry I should've clarified. I meant to say, isn't the idea like a FastPass but only restricted for those people with disabilities? Cause they'd be able to get a Boarding Pass with a return time, and go do something else while they "wait" for their time

The difference is a FP is based on a schedule to distribute load... this is based on the current wait. So a FP will put you out at least 45mins.. usually a few hours. This pass would only make you wait the same as the standby line's current wait.

I think they should modify it so they'd have those with disabilities wait in a waiting area and when their time is up, the person with the disability and their party will be able to ride

But wouldnt that also be an 'advantage'? Basically any flexibility these guests have can be seen as an 'advantage' but one has to think wholistically about it. The waiting area is the fairest of them all.. but can also be too restrictive for some (think the autistic child example). This return pass is the best alternative out there for accommodating the needs without giving away too much to invite abuse.

[toonaspie]

Re: Knotts will have boarding pass with wait times for the disabled

This is a far better idea than having the disabled person wait in a chair for their able-bodied party to go through the standby line.

In many ways I think this might be even better than Fastpass but I'm getting ahead of myself. Disney should definitely give this a try.

[macfamily88]

Re: Knotts will have boarding pass with wait times for the disabled

Brilliant!

[KiMcHeEfOrLiFe]

Re: Knotts will have boarding pass with wait times for the disabled

The difference is a FP is based on a schedule to distribute load... this is based on the current wait. So a FP will put you out at least 45mins.. usually a few hours. This pass would only make you wait the same as the standby line's current wait.

I understand that. I was just saying the concept was similar where you receive a pass with some sort of return time (i.e. come back in XX minutes), the person can do whatever they want during that time frame (i.e. go on other rides, buy food, shop, etc.), and then come back when your return time has approached.

But wouldnt that also be an 'advantage'? Basically any flexibility these guests have can be seen as an 'advantage' but one has to think wholistically about it. The waiting area is the fairest of them all.. but can also be too restrictive for some (think the autistic child example). This return pass is the best alternative out there for accommodating the needs without giving away too much to invite abuse.

You know what, you're totally right. I was only thinking about one or two specific cases and wasn't thinking about it overall. A waiting room would only work for some, but not for others. While I think the concept of the boarding pass can still be improved, the boarding pass may be the best solution to accommodate all types of disabilities. It can still be abused, but the abuse may not be as severe as it is in other parks.

[CassiefRN]

Re: Knotts will have boarding pass with wait times for the disabled

I just recently got a Knotts SP and also had major knee surgery that makes me unable to do stairs still so I have used this pass. The only issues is that the worker down on the main level is apparently unable to give out boarding times, so IME, they have to call down a worker to give you a time. It seems like quite a waste of time for the employee. They also have all elevators locked and someone has to come down and escort you other. Otherwise, it's great since I can go sit somewhere instead of standing in the line at disneyland, which allows me to leave my walker in the car!

[johnlawwhiskey]

Re: Knotts will have boarding pass with wait times for the disabled

I don't think this would ever work at Disneyland. I love the concept of it, but the execution leaves a lot of room for improvement.

My mom visited Knott's Berry Farm on a Saturday and used the boarding pass on the rides that offered it. It turned into a game of "who to ask". There were two types of employees: some who were educated about the system and some who weren't. At most rides she would ask for the boarding pass, and they would then call to someone in a booth for the ride and get a time to put on the boarding pass. This is so that they do not have to print out boarding passes with every available time all day long (something they couldn't do). They then had to give you the actual time which they put on your pass. Each ride was a repeat of this. Then, she would get to some rides and ask about the boarding pass and they would say that they did not know what a boarding pass was. She would explain it, they would call to someone in a booth and then she would get the pass.

The positives of the system were that she was able to not stand in line, and it avoided the need to rent an ECV for the day (like she does at Disneyland). The other positive was that she got to "wait in line" like everyone else, so she was not bypassing the lines. The other positive for her, is that when it was a popular attraction she would get a bunch of boarding passes in a row and use them as fast passes essentially. She went to Boomerang when the wait was an hour and ten minutes and got a boarding pass, the boarding pass time was actually to return an hour and a half later, rather than the hour and ten minutes. She went to Jaguar and the wait was forty minutes, she got a boarding pass that said to return an hour later. She went to Ghostrider, the wait was 30 minutes, and the boarding pass had her return 40 minutes later. In the meantime, she used boarding passes from earlier in the day to knock out three rides back to back, then did three coasters back to back. They have no way to verify if you already have a boarding pass, so you can essentially create your own fast pass system.

There are a lot of reasons why I don't think this will work at Disneyland, one is the sheer number of people who use the GAC at Disneyland vs Knott's. They would need an extra employee at each ride that offered the boarding pass to hand them out, put times on them, check return times, etc. I actually think it would increase abuse of the system at Disneyland should they choose to initiate it because they can be used as fast passes essentially. Knott's still has a relatively low attendance compared to Disneyland (not even in the same ballpark) and they can have the ride operator do two different jobs, load the ride or unload it and issue the boarding passes.

I also think of the confusion at Disneyland when you are waiting for say Dumbo and the ride operator cannot even remember to unlock the gate until a guest yells "the gate" and I think that they would never be able to handle such a complicated system.

I love the fact that you wait as long or longer than everyone else in line, rather than get instant access, but I think Disneyland's system is tried and true for the number of guests that they have, and it's working, so I can't see any reason why they would change it. For people who think a GAC card at Disneyland is instant access, watch the disabled lines next time you are at Disneyland, chances are you will find yourself done with Small World or the Jungle Cruise before the person at the end of the line even gets half way through the line.

[Jerryp49]

Re: Knotts will have boarding pass with wait times for the disabled

I don't think this would ever work at Disneyland. I love the concept of it, but the execution leaves a lot of room for improvement.




There are a lot of reasons why I don't think this will work at Disneyland, one is the sheer number of people who use the GAC at Disneyland vs Knott's. They would need an extra employee at each ride that offered the boarding pass to hand them out, put times on them, check return times, etc. I actually think it would increase abuse of the system at Disneyland should they choose to initiate it because they can be used as fast passes essentially. Knott's still has a relatively low attendance compared to Disneyland (not even in the same ballpark) and they can have the ride operator do two different jobs, load the ride or unload it and issue the boarding passes.

I think Disney could make this work with Nextgen.

[flynnibus]

Re: Knotts will have boarding pass with wait times for the disabled

They have no way to verify if you already have a boarding pass, so you can essentially create your own fast pass system.

Most of what you describe are simply teething problems... easily solved, especially at disneyland.

1 - All Disney rides have wait time boards (classic fantasyland is on the edge of this..) - so the 'calling to get a time' is not an issue
2 - Most Disney attractions (again.. sans classic fantasyland) already use greeter positions.. who can facilitate these needs without extra manpower except on the busiest days
3 - the stacking of passes like you describe is easily solved by not giving out another pass until the previous one is used or canceled. Done via electronic or via the pass sheet shown elsewhere

[DannyLand]

Re: Knotts will have boarding pass with wait times for the disabled

I don't understand this. Can someone explain with an example and how it works???

[KellyMcG86]

Re: Knotts will have boarding pass with wait times for the disabled

Maybe I'm reading this wrong, but isn't this like a FastPass?

I was thinking the same thing. I've read some of the points others have made about what makes it different, and it's still an advantage over waiting standby (since you can ride other rides). That being said, I think it's a step in the right direction!