Access Card Holders can still use their Access Cards to apply for a Ride Access Pass

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It’s the news we’ve all been waiting for: theme parks will begin to open in the upcoming months and we will be able to enjoy the well-loved attractions once again*.

Back in March, last year, we announced our partnership with Merlin Entertainments & added 4 of their theme parks to our directory.

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Alton Towers	Thorpe Park
Legoland Windsor Resort	Chessington World of Adventures Resort

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How to use your Access Card at these theme parks

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Standing & Queuing

Do you have difficulty with standing and queuing for a significant period of time? There’s a symbol for the Access Card that communicates this access requirement with providers. Access Card Holders who have this symbol on their Access Card can now apply for a Ride Access Pass with Merlin Entertainments using their cards. 

What is a Ride Access Pass?

“A Ride Access Pass is a virtual queuing system designed to make reasonable adjustments to assist guests who do not understand the concept of queuing, have a physical disability that prevents them standing for extended periods of time or permanently non-ambulant guests.”

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How to apply for a Ride Access Pass

We have put together some useful guides to help you apply for a Ride Access Pass** with Alton Towers, Thorpe Park, Legoland Windsor Resort & Chessington World of Adventures Resort.

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Essential Companions

Do you require a substantial amount of support from an Essential Companion when you’re out and about in order to access a venue’s facilities? There’s a symbol for the Access Card that communicates this access requirement with providers. Access Cards with this symbol are accepted as proof for a free Essential Companion ticket with Merlin Entertainments. 

How to access your free Essential Companion ticket

To access your free Essential Companion ticket, simply present your Access Card, including the ‘+1’ symbol, and a copy of photo ID of the named recipient at the ticket kiosk*** when you buy or collect your tickets. 

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For full details about the access facilities in place at Merlin Entertainments’ Attractions, please refer to the websites for each of the individual theme parks. 

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Apply for your Access Card today so that you’re one step ahead for those long-awaited attraction-opening announcements! 

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*All four attractions have their own individual dates for reopening, so please refer to the website of each attraction for up-to-date information, including Covid-19 rules & regulations. 

**You do not need to apply for a Ride Access Pass every time you visit a new attraction. The Ride Access Pass is valid for 2 years and will grant you access to each Merlin Entertainments’ attraction. Simply complete one application with a theme park of your choice.

The Access Card is not a prerequisite for obtaining a Ride Access Pass and other reasonable adjustments.. Visitors can apply directly to Merlin Entertainment to be processed within their internal registration scheme.

The Access Card is an alternative form of documentation used to communicate a disabled person’s access requirements. With an Access Card, disabled people are able to communicate their access requirements in a more simplified and discrete way, removing the need to present personal or sensitive documentation when visiting over 1,000 different venues and attractions across the UK and beyond.

***Please refer to the websites for each of the individual theme parks for more information.

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