Merlin Ride Access Pass
Ensuring accessibility for all
How much does Merlin Ride Access Pass cost?
Prices are current as of 9 Oct 2026.
Merlin Ride Access Pass has no in-app products on record in the United Kingdom.
10+ alternatives to Merlin Ride Access Pass
| Merlin Ride Access Pass |   Kids Pass |   Chester Zoo |   OVO Arena Wembley |   Marwell Zoo |   Whipsnade Zoo |   London Zoo |   Pleasure Beach Resort |   Drusillas Park |   Jigsaw Interactive |   Kiddy Cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rating / 5 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 4.8 | 3.8 | 4.8 | 4.9 | 4.8 | 2.5 | 4.7 | 3.2 | 2.1 |
| Reviews | 953 | 4K | 3.9K | 3.4K | 922 | 472 | 263 | 130 | 44 | 37 | 14 |
| Released | 2025 | 2014 | 2021 | 2017 | 2022 | 2023 | 2023 | 2022 | 2023 | 2018 | 2022 |
Merlin Ride Access Pass reviews
4.3 out of 5, based on 953 reviews.
What people like
- Makes the whole day much easier for families
- Lets you skip long physical queues
- Feels fair and accessible for disabled visitors
- Easy to use even for tech novices
What they complain about
- Hard to get passes because of low limits
- App crashes and has major bugs
- Staff often rude or unhelpful with access needs
- Connectivity issues stop you from joining queues
Huge improvement too my last visit
The last time i went the ride access pass system was awful (using this app too do it) as i got glitched out of the app midway during my visit too the park. This time i had no issues using the app and everything went smoothly while booking all rides.
Discriminatory
Literally just discrimination
Good but connectivity issues
Easy to use but some glitches saying I had connectivity issues and I kept having to restart app
I love when my phone opens settings a hundred times
Man I just want to enjoy a theme park while disabled. Why the hell does this app have a bug that opened settings when you click ANYTHING. The app would be functional if not for opening my settings app. Want to book in? Settings. Want to get in a que? Settings. Want to select a ride? Settings.
Poor EOD information
We got my son in the virtual queue at 6.30 with a 7.35 return time. Walked around the park for an hour, returned and told ride was closed and could not ride
Fantastic
Makes the day so much more easier for the little one best thing ever invented
Caused so much hassle
My wife and I are disabled. My wife is completely blind and I lack cartilage in my hips and knees. I bought a season pass for my wife so we could attend Thorpe Park for two days, since we live in West Devon. I have a Merlin Ride Pass since I can’t stand for long. If I keep standing still, I get shooting nerve pain in my legs. The website stated that the Merlin Pass can be collected at guest services for £10 or you can use the digital pass for free. So we arrive, and we try to get on a ride. I’m asked by the chap at the ride whether I have “step free” access because I don’t look disabled, which came across rather rude, but he let me on anyway. The second ride had a gruff young lady. She said I had to go back to guest services to book the day; you know, because you can only be disabled on specified days. So I went back, booked, then arrived back at the ride. Still, that wasn’t enough. She asked why I didn’t get a wheelchair. Not sure how that works. If I had a manual wheelchair, how does my wife know where to push me (she’s blind)? If I get a motorised one, how do I guide my blind wife? The app wouldn’t go online. I could browse the online YouTube based tutorials, read the online instructions, but not book the ride. So she said to go back to guest services (again) to get a sheet of paper. The kind that doesn’t update in realtime. The app stated clearly I had a nimbus pass and was booked in for the day, but that wasn’t enough. In the end, my wife and I left early. We aren’t going back tomorrow. We are never going back. Thorpe Park clearly don’t provide adequate accessibility training for its staff and they clearly have no common sense. I’ll chalk this down to Merlin themselves being inaccessible and not complying with the Equality Act. I’ll be recommending all my disabled contacts (we are trustees of a blind charity) to avoid this park.
Better than Expected
I was a bit skeptical about this having read the reviews and had really positive experiences at legoland and Disneyland where it seems less complicated. However we got approved and then by being in the queue at 10am 48hrs before visit i got a pass for a Sunday of a bank holiday weekend. I didn’t like that as a family of 5 we couldn’t all use it (limited to 3 extras) but if you have a fast track you can all ride together. We got on rides quickly with it and over a day used it to help manage the queues. And having had a great day at chessington we would use it again and come back. Top tip be tactical about the queue length you use it for!
Sub optimal
This app is super annoying and or its interaction at Thorpe Park. When things work ok it gets the job done however this is generally not the case. Prime example it’s told me just now to update however now it’s stuck in a loop of saying it needs an update after just updating. Also despite being on the TP wifi several times the app was unable to verify that I was near enough to be able to join the queue. I had to kill the app reload it and then generally I was able to get RAP working. I was able to get around most of these issues however I feel a lot of parents would not be able to resolve these and it would negatively affect their experience.
RAP pass
The RAP pass was good on most rides, but there were a few that queuing for 30-45 minutes was difficult. As a RAP pass holder that finds it difficult to stand for long periods of time this made it hard to enjoy those rides.
Rap app.
Surprisingly easy to use coming from somebody that is tech illiterate
Awful system
Continuously tried to get a RAP at the times given by Merlin but didn’t manage to get a pass. Encountered multiple errors and finally got a RAP at 3pm on the day of our visit. A very poor system which made our day at Thorpe Park extremely difficult
needs improvement
Constantly has queues of 100 minutes+ just to view available dates for a Rap.People can also reserve the Rap without tickets to a merlin park which means people who actually have tickets cant book as they get fully booked really quickly.
Amazing rides staff and attractions
Had the best day and lasted all day which was exceptional as he normally lasts a few hours max
Bad system to book RAP
Accessing RAP passes to begin with is very difficult, I got these on a very very lucky off chance! No longer able to use my Merlin pass randomly, days out now needs a lot of forward planning, hope and a lot of luck ! And along time on my phone
Brilliant app to support accessible needs
Merlin have really improved the Ride Access system to make it really fair and accessible for both those with access needs and those without. The app is fairly easy to use and works well with an easy check in process. Highly recommended. Thanks Merlin
Uninclusive
I have two children with additional needs that have access cards with +1s. We used to frequently visit theme parks as the sensory input they received from the rides would really help with regulation. Unfortunately, Merlin have made what should be a fun day into a really stressful day. We feel really excluded and unwanted by the restrictions in place around the limited places available. You need to know 3 months in advance to stand a chance of getting a pass. Having two Sen children also doesn’t work well with the app. I was told that really I needed the two children on separate accounts and devices. The queues today at legoland were about 30 mins mainly due to the amount of people buying fast tracks. I bet Merlin don’t limit those! This system has made the Merlin theme parks inaccessible to my family and will stick to Drayton Manor and hope Universal are more inclusive.
Outstanding
Excellent service, so easy to use. Wonderful day out, waiting outside of queues for ride times was so pleasant. Thank you Merlin for making this possible.
Discriminatory & demeaning
The entire concept of this app is discriminatory and demeaning towards people with disabilities. Merlin only allow a certain number of people to use their so called “Access Pass” per day and it’s done on a first come first serve basis. If you don’t book early enough, you cannot get it, despite having a valid Access Card. Imagine what the reaction would be if they applied the same concept to people of a certain race, colour or religion - “Oh sorry, you can’t come in because we’ve hit our maximum capacity of [x] coloured people”… This is bang out of order Merlin! You should allow as many disabled people to get an Access Pass as needed! I think the word that correctly describes this proposition is “disablism”. I’m considering reporting this to the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).
Great app
Really helpful and feels fair. Just a real shame there is nothing to help with the monorail
Does not work
I visited the park today and all day it said I was not connected to the network I tried resetting app, turning phone off, switching from WiFi to network. We left and went to the hotel early. Very disappointing considering the last 2 releases of RAP wasn’t able to secure a visit to Alton towers for September or October despite us visiting 1-2 scarefest every year one for a birthday start of October and once for Halloween, it’s not accessible we can not book in advance despite others being able to book multiple and then like today I attend check in and it doesn’t work we arrived at 1pm due to parent working in the morning and left at 3:30 giving up, we entered by Galactica and was advised to go customer services at the entrance taking more time out of our day. Very disappointed with the RAP lately can’t book slots then today couldn’t use it once despite having booked and due to the terrible lottery of ticket release likely last visit of the year.
So easy to use
I was a little worried about using this as I am not great with technology but it’s been amazing and the staff are so helpful
Not great
Still waiting in queues and don’t see how this is helpful for children with SENs. So far not a great experience on my first visit using the ride access pass.
Very Good
Happy to get RAP however it took ages in the Q and then error message and had to re start App and re Q. Managed to get on a few good rides and my son was very happy.
Don’t bother
Useless app
.
Ride access is terrible and inaccessible nowadays, can never get any passes, those who can’t stand for long and need step less can never plan a last minute trip
Merlin Ride Access Pass FAQ
- Is Merlin Ride Access Pass free?
- Yes. The app is free, in all 2 countries it sells in, and it sells nothing inside it.
- Does Merlin Ride Access Pass have a free trial?
- No. None of its offers (GB) come with a free trial.
- What are the best alternatives to Merlin Ride Access Pass?
- Kids Pass (4.4 from 4,047 reviews), Chester Zoo (4.8 from 3,913 reviews) and OVO Arena Wembley (3.8 from 3,413 reviews).
Merlin Ride Access Pass download
Last updated 1 month ago.
Merlin Ride Access Pass sells in 2 countries. It was released 10 months ago, on 17 Nov 2025. It holds a 4.3 rating from 953 reviews.
Supports 1 language: English.
How much does Merlin Ride Access Pass make?
Third-party estimates for the last 30 days, worldwide — not the store's own figures, which Apple publishes for nobody.