I’m very torn on this topic and thought I’d air out my two points which are of course yes & no on whether the throughputs matter all that much. Of course these are just my opinions & I do understand not everyone may agree but would love to hear your thoughts too!
No;
Okay hear me out none of us like to stand in queues that’s just a fact really. But a few selective rides on paper have awful throughputs but their queues never feel all that bad. Let’s talk about Revolution at Blackpool Pleasure Beach. It’s one train (of course) so technically you’d imagine the operations to be quite poor. Also not forgetting the fact the restraints are a foot pedal to lock & release. Yet the queue seems to shift quite well. There’s a handful of coasters & rides which on paper shouldn’t be all that good on operations. Yet they seem to move the queues pretty well and you barely notice much difference. Not to forget many non enthusiast wouldn’t even think of the operations. They wouldn’t question why a selected ride is on half it’s potential capacity with an hours queue. Simply due to the fact many see theme parks as places filled with lengthy queues anyway & wouldn’t be any wiser what’s full capacity to half. Whereas we know and are aware of these rides full potential which makes us perhaps a little harder when it comes down to the impact of throughputs.
Yes:
Of course, faster the queue the better. The quicker that line goes down the more you’ll be able to experience during your day out. That’s common sense. But I feel rides like Icon is a huge treat for the UK. The throughputs are immense the queue may look massive yet the amount of time you had expected to queue for has been halved. It’s insane. Rides like Nemesis at Alton Towers are the exact same. For us enthusiast it simply means more do able re-rides and minimum queues for rides which we’ve experienced many times before. I think throughputs make everything a lot more enjoyable for all guest. Those who suffer with health conditions like my fast love fast queues.
Overall:
I think it really depends on the ride when it comes down to throughputs. If you know the ride well enough to be aware of the queue end to the time you’d be at the station then it’s a win. But like us when we first visited Thorpe Park we ended up queuing 90 minutes for Colossus and it felt as if we barely moved. Whereas we’ve queued 60 minutes for Nemesis before and the queue moved at a steady pace making it more bearable. It really does depend on the movements whilst queuing. But good throughputs are often a win for sure.
What’s your thoughts on this topic?
