Bypassing Lines

...Is it fair that because you have more money than me that you can mosey up after me, pay more, and go in ahead of me?.... Hell yeah it's fair! Welcome to the wonderful world of capitalism, and survival of the fittest! Those who have the cash can afford not to waste time! Those who don't, can wait in line (oops I mean queue) and work on their sun tan! If in the 21st century it's okay for European royal families to sit on their but all day and be pampered for doing nothing, then anything goes! If you don't like it, go live in some communist utopia like Cuba or North Korea where you and your fellow comrades can stand in line all day for a loaf of bread. Greed is good! But seriously:) Are you referring to folks who make a reservation on the web and bypass the regular line like at the Anne Frank House? Or other museums which have an express line for folks who posses the city card like in Paris. If so, they set up the system....I'm simply taking advantage of it. By doing so I'm not breaking any "rules", had the others been more savvy, they'd be inside as well. Are express lines at the supermarket also "wrong":)

Nigel, It's difficult to comment on this without knowing which "attractions" you're referring to? I don't think this as much a question of people who have more money being "queue jumpers", as much as one of knowledge. Some travellers don't bother checking Guidebooks or doing their "homework", so they have no idea there are ways of getting past queues. I doubt very much that I have more money than you (especially since I'm on a Pension), so this seems more like a situation of "knowledge" rather than "wealth". If I bypass queue's, it will have to be done cheaply! One example that comes to mind is visiting the Colosseum in Rome. If I hadn't read the RS Guidebook, I probably never would have known that one can obtain tickets on Palatine Hill, and bypass the ticket queues. It's not necessary to be wealthy to use that option. Could you elaborate on where you've observed "queue jumping" by those who can afford to pay more? Cheers!

I am not aware of any attractions where paying more allows one to skip the line. Can you provide some examples? Like Ken, however, I am aware that pre-purchasing tickets or purchasing something like the Paris Museum Pass can allow one to skip the ticket queue, which is often the longest step to entry. It's not really a matter of paying more or less, its a matter of knowledge and planning.

" ...I am not aware of any attractions where paying more allows one to skip the line. Can you provide some examples?..." To expand on this, there are some attractions (like Madam Taussand in London) where you actually pay less when you book on-line, and get to use the "priority access" entrance to avoid the regular line around the block. On the flip side one can pay more (fast track ticket)at the London Eye, to avoid waiting on the regular lines. Come to think of it on the discount airlines one can pay more to board the aircraft first. That's capitalism for ya;)

You're definitely British...

The ones I see are buying your ticket in advance or getting a reservation so you can skip the line. Sometimes it's just knowing there is another entrance without lines. I don't see anything wrong with allowing travelers who plan ahead to skip lines while others wait. There's a great book called the Unofficial Guide to Disneyland. It's all about how to get around lines and see the most during your trip. I grew up an hour an a half drive from Disney. The first time I used the book I experienced more than I ever thought possible in one day. The morals here: Planning ahead pays, and Vacation time is valuable, don't waste it.

Rik, if he's 'definitely British' then he would see no problem with queuing. It a national past time. I do have a problem with folk queue jumping at supermarket checkouts though. We avoid queues at attractions by hiring a wheel chair from the Red Cross at very reasonable rates.

Okay, I don't know about that wheelchair thing.... You don't necessarily have to pay more to skip the line. As others have said, if you plan ahead, buy tickets online, you don't have to wait in line for tickets. I don't see that as unfair, it's just better planning. There are places, like Six Flags here, where you buy a fast pass and can skip the lines. There's capitalism for 'ya. If I'm already paying $40 to get in the park, you're not getting an extra $35 for me to buy one of those things, thank you very much. I'll just get there early and go on the big rides before you show up with your fat wallet.

Sorry Maureen, bad taste joke. Although one year my father did need a wheelchair in Paris, which we hired from the Red Cross for £1.00 per day, and we were ushered to the front of every queue. Quite a service they provide and worth knowing if you have elderly, sick, slow or just lazy travel companions.

I've stood in line to get into St Marks in Venice; now I know how to simply walk in. For free. I go to bunches of museums and attractions in Paris when I'm there, so I've always bought the Museum Pass...Pricey, yes, but not when you divide it by the number and prices of admission for all of those museums. Ditto for Florence. If I'm willing to pay a few (literally) Euro more for a guided tour of Versailles to shave off 1-2 hours of standing in line - you betcha! I buy - AND READ! - guidebooks. They guide me through my vacation ;-) ...When there are LEGIT passes/advance purchase tickets and reservations/two-for-one deals offered by the museums themselves, I take advantage of them when possible. That kind of information is AVAILABLE TO ALL. It's not like we're talking about, ahem, 'fancy' tax breaks that only the super rich can take advantage of because that info is only available from super high-priced 'tax attorneys to the Rich and Famous'. I'll do ANYTHING to bypass all of those Brits clogging up the lines, wearing their hankies on their heads...;-) KIDDING!!! OK - Tell us what happened...;-) (I'm sending barbeque to you - STAT!)

Kind of off topic.... Rick says in his books that a lot of the time the lines are for ticket booths to buy the tickets. You can usually buy your tickets online, you can purchase them at a less trafficked location, or buy them ahead of time in a bundle package.

I don't know if this is still the case, but at Universal Studios in Orlando, if you stay at one of their hotels, your ticket is a fast pass to every ride. Since the hotels are very expensive, this seems to be the kind of think Nigel is talking about. I can understand why Universal would do it to fill their hotels and I don't think it should be illegal, but it does bother me. Would it bother me enough me enough to boycott the park or refuse to stay in one of their hotels no. I guess I would feel less uncomfortable jumping the lines than I would standing in them.

All, Thanks for your insights. (and the BBQ - Sliced Beef, piece of sausage, sauce on the side, potato salad, coleslaw, roll, ranch beans, pickle - thanks ) . I think about getting into the Vatican Museums. Wait in the long, long line or pay somebody to show me around and skip most of the line? So everybody who goes first makes those who were there before them wait longer? I don't know if it is still the case at Versailles but again it used to be wait in line and watch those who paid more go first. I think it is also true in the Kingdom of the Mouse. To me it just didn't seem fair that if you have more money you can make others wait even longer. Am I British? Yes. Is it Capitalism? Maybe. Certainly for those companies who seek to gain extra money beyond the stated ticket price. They certainly come out ahead. Is it good for those of you with a bigger breadbasket than me? Possibly. I just don't think its fair. Any more thoughts?

There is nothing like this at any Disney park I have been in, at least that I am aware of. I understand how you feel, Nigel. I kind of feel the same way. But then I think, people with more money can stay in more expensive hotels, eat better food, buy better cars and bigger houses... it goes on and on. It's good to be rich! What is the alternative? Show me where that has ever worked. I'll stick with capitalism, flaws and all.

" ...There is nothing like this at any Disney park I have been in..." Disney does have a fast pass (open to all) scheme whereby one can come back as a later time to bypass the standby line. On some rides they also have "single rider" line which also by passes the main line. Resort guest on some days can enter the parks an hour before the official opening.

Eileen- "I've stood in line to get into St Marks in Venice; now I know how to simply walk in. For free." Can you tell me more? I'm going to Venice in 10 days. I have a ticket for St. Marks but I may want to go again at a different time.

No, it is not a matter of money. It is a matter of planning or not planning. Let's take Disney: Family A: Mom has planned. They get to the park 30 minutes before it opens. By 10:30 this family has ridden all the rides in Fantasyland, Frontierland as well as Space Mountain. Each member of this 5 member family also has 3 or 4 fast passes each . ( You can get one after your 30 minute window. So I collect them every thirty minutes or so for the headline attractions.) We are eating lunch at 11 am at a place in the park and there are no lines. We might even go back to the hotel to rest and come back in the evening when it is cooler. ( I am this mom.) Family B. Everyone sleeps in because after all they are on vacation, right!! The park opened at 8am, but they showed up around 10. They have never heard of fast passes and don't know why people are going in this other line. Oh, they must have paid extra!! They stand in line and ride most of the Fantasyland rides. By now it is 12 and everyone is hungry. But the lines in the food places are out the door because that is when everyone else goes. They have only ridden 4 or 5 rides and they are already cranky. See the difference?? I'm not sure about Europe. I mean the Paris museum pass saves you money. You don't pay more for it. Every vacation seems to go better if you go early and plan. I know that I overplan and believe it or not I can go with the flow. HOWEVER, if I have a plan and I know all the options, then when hubby says, "Hey let's do this instead," I can say, "Sure!! Let's go." or "Ok that's fine honey but this closes at such and such a time and won't be open tomorrow, so that means we won't see it. Is that ok?" We always deviate from my plans, but my hubby really appreciates how smoothly things go. Plan. Plan. Plan. Christine

BTW fastpasses don't cost anything at all. If you know how to use them they work well. I didn't even stay on site. ( Early entry is a bad idea anyway. IT is really crowded at those parks on that day. Always go to a different park. It will be much less crowded.) We always spent our afternoons using our fast passes to ride attractions again. You do not have to go during your "window" to ride them. You can do it at anytime. I guess I just don't get WHY someone would wait in a line at Disney. There is absolutely no reason to. No one HAS to.

I've used the Paris museum pass to bypass lines. I've also figured a way to avoid lines at museums by arriving when they open or waiting until the last hour or so before closing and going then. This may work better off-season than at the peak of tourist season. I had the Accademia in Venice to myself one day by entering as soon as they opened. In Florence I was able to pay and walk right in to the Uffizi late in the afternoon. What a difference it makes in viewing art or anything else when fewer people are in the rooms.

If I buy an admission offer...at a higher price that includes faster entry I see absolutely no dilemma. Like economy or business class. And the advice for elderly applies to airports as well. Dad was 90 and mobile as it gets, but a kindly agent got us a wheelchair..big difference. On the other hand, I knew a guy and his wife who traded off pushing the wheelchair to jump the lines at Disney. Now THAT is low.

Eileen- "I've stood in line to get into St Marks in Venice; now I know how to simply walk in. For free." Lisa, I don't have a RS "Venice" or "Italy" book handy, but the info is in his books - BUT, I think there's an hour limit on storing your bag...although I don't remember keeping a frantic eye on my watch while I was there. I suppose one could make the argument that if it weren't for the affluence of Traveler A to be at the Vatican in the first place, that in itself would move you up in the line, excuse me, queue ;-) Nigel - excellent choices; I'm going to throw in some turkey breast AND both regular and spicy sauce! And lots of Dr Peppers ;-) BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, have you selected your hat for The Wedding yet?!? I hope you don't wait until only the ugly ones are left behind... 8^D

I'm not really interested in the topic of the post, but am offended by the first reply. My grandfather (WWI & WWII), father and uncle (WWII) along with millions of others fought and died for King and Country. Others are currently fighting for Queen and Country, do not demean them. The British and Commonwealth find value in their royal family it's their choice, don't insult them. Oh and by the way a side ways smiley face does not excuse boorish comments.

Bravo Peter - THANK YOU!!!

Michael, I hope you are as proud of your father as I am of mine.

Ah, but 'Winky-Smiley Faces' fix everything ;-) Nigel, we need you...QUICKLY ;-) We've already had one post deteriorate needlessly this week. ALTHOUGH, (back on topic), I think I'd sell my firstborn to get ahead at Versailles...even if it meant waiting another year to afford the extra entry fees ;-)

Moral and fair? Weren't those twentieth century terms? I'm afraid they have lost all meaning in the 21st.

I paid over $100 a few years ago for the VIP pass for Universal Studios. I got a tour of the back lot and to a TV show set, plus VIP (no wait) access to all the attractions. Without it, I would have had to spend hours in lines and I only had the one day free. It seems that the program was mostly used by foreigners, as I was the only English speaking person in my group. Oh, except for one Japanese person who spoke English and translated for his group. I highly recommend paying a little extra for the pass. ;) Heck its not really that much when you compare to the prices of stuff in Europe. Over $25 to enter a small gallery/museum in Italy. How many of those have I been to! $22 for the Heineken Experience in Amsterdam. It's a brewery, right? Whatever.

I was making a joke Peter....lighten up. Are seriously suggesting no comedian in the UK, Canada, or elsewhere in the Commonwealth has ever made fun of the royal family? Time for a reality check:) BTW, my father fought along side British soldiers during WWII. Immediately after the war he moved to Palestine to help the movement for the creation of the state of Israel. He was arrested by the British Army, and spent a year in a British Army prison on the island of Cyprus. So if you want to get all sanctimonious about your Kings and Queens.....they haven't been kind to my family. So there you go;)

Michael Schneider - ha! There are no shortage of UK comedians doing jokes about the royal wedding and I know as many Brits who couldn't give a monkey's about the royal wedding as ones who do! The queue thing doesn't bother me at all. I don't really get the argument about it being unfair because wealthier people can skip queues. Wealthier people will always have more freedom to choose when they travel. That's just life. I do think this system can make queues quicker in some cases. I have been to places where the pre-booked ticket queue was large, but was managed by just one attendant because he/she only had to look at each ticket. If all those people had to queue up to pay for tickets too the other queue was have taken twice as long.

It may be a bit off-topic, but for those who think the Brits don't enjoy a good spoof of the Royals:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vY0OHQwhiq8