Guide for Guests With Special Needs
The downloadable information guide gives guests with special needs information regarding the accessibility of all rides on the park.
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If further information is required please speak to a member of staff.
If you are the carer reading this for or on behalf of a guest, please note; that the decision whether or not they should ride or if they should be accompanied on the ride is yours.
Our staff are not trained to judge the physical suitability of an individual. We will assume that if you allow them to go on to a ride (accompanied or otherwise) they are physically capable of doing so.
Please visit our Concessions page for more information on discounted entry rates and eligibility.
Matlock Bath - Park Terrain: For visitors to Gulliver's Kingdom in Matlock Bath, owing to the natural hillside on which the theme park is built, both manual and electric wheelchair users must be aware that mobility may be difficult or restricted on steeper slopes. Please ask at the Main Gate if you are unsure, as we may be able to arrange alternative access to some of the areas.
Ride Access Pass
Guests with particular additional needs who are unable to queue may be eligible for a ride pass. This would allow them and up to three accompanying helpers to access the ride via the ride exit area for ease of access.
Ride passes can be requested from a member of park management or at guest relations. Proof of entitlement is required in the form of a diagnosis letter from a GP or medical professional, which demonstrates that the guest is unable to queue. Ride passes cannot be pre-booked.
Please note that the concessions rate and the ride access pass are two different reasonable adjustments requiring proof of eligibility for either or both, as indicated.
To clarify, concessions ticket holders are not automatically eligible for a ride access pass.
Equally, those eligible for a ride access pass may welcome this reasonable adjustment as sufficient, with no desire for discounted concessionary entry.
We understand the varying needs of individuals and it is entirely up to you to request either the concessionary rate OR the ride access pass OR both.
Approximately 1 in 40 of our young visitors are on the autistic spectrum and it is at the request of their parents that proof of eligibility for the ride access pass is required. This ensures that those who experience emotional distress when queuing receive the maximum benefit from the pass. We fully understand that we cannot determine the needs of any individual based upon a visual assessment nor can we assume that every guest with autism or a developmental disability will experience difficulty queuing. A DLA letter is insufficient to qualify for a ride pass.
Note that owing to the family nature of our theme parks, Gulliver’s is a particularly popular choice for guests with special needs. If there are lots of guests eligible for a ride pass on any one day, then access to the ride via the exit may still require some queuing time.
Please also note that we do experience some very busy days, and it is important to remember that the ride access pass is designed to lessen your queuing time, not to eliminate it, nor to entitle any person to 'next rider' status.
Please therefore respect other ride pass holders too, expect to wait at least 1 ride cycle (sometimes more on busy days) and only use the pass where necessary. Our ride operators will balance the loading of riders from each queueline for maximum efficiency and equality.
A ride access pass does not guarantee access to every ride at the time of any persons choosing, nor access to a greater number of rides than any non-pass holder. It only lessens the queue time, it does not increase the number of ride possibilities.
On quieter days you’ll find that the need for such a pass is not even necessary, making your family day out even easier!
And remember that Gulliver's have NEVER offered fast-passes for sale. We're proud to only be providing ride access passes to those with genuine additional needs.
Please Note: We strongly advise that all guests with special needs are accompanied whenever possible on every ride. For more information please call Gully's Hotline on: 01925 444 888
