Just back ~ disappointing trip

[~Tinkerella]

Just returned from a 5 day trip with my sister just to get away for a break. I will say that NYE at DHS was spectacular and we had a terrific time but otherwise things were just not what we expected.

Have been to WDW many times in the past and we knew going in that it would be crowded since it was the week between Chritmas and NYE ~ that was not the issue.

The main issue was the ride maintenance!!!!!!!!!!! During our stay, at one point or another, Rockin' Roller Coaster, Space Mountain, Expedition Everest, Soarin, Buzz Lightyear, and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad were all down at least once. It's so disappointing that all of these major rides experienced issues over a 4 day period (first day we just resort hopped to see the Christmas decorations).

On top of that the Fastpass needs to be discontinued and they just need to run two lines for the rides. Too many times, the Cast Members would let 50, 60 or even 70 FP holders through the que and then maybe, if we were lucky, 5 (and most times only 2 or 3) through the que from the stand-by line. They need to have a better ratio for this. Not everyone can get to the park early enough to get to the FP machines and we shouldn't be penalized because of it. And when the rides break down and they tell you that you can then use the FP at anytime rather than the posted time it makes things even worse.
We heard so many complaints while in line about FP. There was an issue while we were in line for Soarin ~ one of the theatres was down and they let only FP holders through the que for the other two theatres. No one knew what was going on until finally someone in the line went to the front and asked. There is a serious lack of communication. At the very last a Cast Member should come through the line to let everyone know there is an issue and give them the option of leaving or waiting.

And speaking of lines ~ how upsetting when you are standing in a line for an hour and then here come 3 or 4 people to "join their famiily" in the line. I would NEVER think to butt in line in front of others who have been waiting. Go to the restroom before you get in the line; join the end of the line as a group and wait together like everyone else ~ it's just not fair to those who have been waiting. At one point in the line for BTMRR 9 people joined their family (2, then 3, then 2, then another 2) ~ that's almost a train full of people at once!!!!


My DH and 2 DD's and I are booked for a trip in May and I'm seriously considering cancelling. With all the money Disney makes it's upsetting that they can't keep ride maintenance up to par. It's not a cheap vacation and at 80$ plus per day, being able to ride only 2 rides during the course of a day due to breakdowns isn't worth it!!!!

Sorry for the venting but I'm sure a lot of the disers understand what I'm saying. I have been reading other threads about these types of issues. I had been so looking forward to this trip ~ all of our past trips were great but this one sure wasn't up to par.

 

[Robo]

the Fastpass needs to be discontinued and they just need to run two lines for the rides.

Sorry, but running two simultaneous standby lines into one attraction track would do no good at all.

Too many times, the Cast Members would let 50, 60 or even 70 FP holders through the que and then maybe, if we were lucky, 5 (and most times only 2 or 3) through the que from the stand-by line. They need to have a better ratio for this.

70 FP to 3 Standby?

Are you sure, or are you exaggerating a bit?

Sorry that you had such a frustrating time in line.

 

[mattsdragon]

I don't really want to piddle in your post toasties, but what did you expect? This is the busiest time of the year, and so every little hitch is magnified, so if a ride goes down, its affect is exponential.

Don't cancel your May trip because it was busy at Christmas, night and day.

 

[mousermerf]

Sorry, but running two simultaneous standby lines into one attraction track would do no good at all.




70 FP to 3 Standby?

Are you sure, or are you exaggerating a bit?

Sorry that you had such a frustrating time in line.

The OP's post is exemplifying why they're going to FP+... This experience has become the norm. Most guests do not arrive between 9am and 10am (when FP for peak attractions either fully distributes of leaps to the late evening hours).

 

[mousermerf]

And for the record, two simultaneous standby lines for one attraction was a normal method of operation for YEARS at Walt Disney World. The implementation of FP eliminated this practice because of queue size restraints, with the FP line taking over one of the two original queues.

 

[Jenny-momof3]

I posted earlier about my experience being there over Christmas and New Years. We had a great time and were able to ride plenty of things everyday....and this was with hauling 4 kids through the parks. And we don't stay all day...we go for a few hours in the mornings and few hours in the evenings.

But I will agree with you on the rides being down waaay too much! We also go to Kings Island and Cedar Point which has major roller coasters and they aren't down anywhere near as much as the Disney rides!

 

[Wendimn]

The OP's post is exemplifying why they're going to FP+... This experience has become the norm. Most guests do not arrive between 9am and 10am (when FP for peak attractions either fully distributes of leaps to the late evening hours).

Will it eventually only be FP+? Will those be available to everyone?? TY

 

[minnie mum]

Will it eventually only be FP+? Will those be available to everyone?? TY

Egads I hope not!!

 

[mousermerf]

Will it eventually only be FP+? Will those be available to everyone?? TY

A) Yes. FP+ only eventually.

B) Not sure, but there are hints that it would be available in some form to all park guests. Tiered, limited, etc.. is unknown.

 

[Wendimn]

A) Yes. FP+ only eventually.

B) Not sure, but there are hints that it would be available in some form to all park guests. Tiered, limited, etc.. is unknown.

Thanks for the reply. Should be interesting,.

 

[SyracuseWolvrine]

But I will agree with you on the rides being down waaay too much! We also go to Kings Island and Cedar Point which has major roller coasters and they aren't down anywhere near as much as the Disney rides!

Kings Island and Cedar Point also both close for 4 months out of the year. That gives them a chance to perform major maintenance on their rides, as well as avoid operating them during the coldest months of the year.

Disney typically runs the rides 365 days a year, taking it down for refurbishment maybe once every 2 years. Plus, even though Florida doesn't get as cold as Ohio, there were some days last week when it was in the 30s overnight, and 40s during the early part of the day. That's hard on a ride system.

When I worked in attractions, the majority of the times we had mechanical problems, it was on the colder days.

 

[deakam]

What exactly is fastpass+? Am I going to need one of those ridiculously priced cell phones? I don't own one so I can save my money to go to Disney.

I will be at Disney the first week of February. Sure hope they get the maintenance issues worked out.

 

[Jenny-momof3]

I'm sure cold does play some factor into it. But we also go during spring break and 4th of July and see just as many issues then. Obviously this doesn't stop us from going multiple times a year...but I am surprised how often the rides are down. But operating 365 days would take it's toll I'm sure.

 

[DOOM1001]

Even though the OP says crowds were not the "issue",crowds were a big part of the "issue".Basically all the problems they encountered were influenced by the huge Christmas crowds if they realize it or not,everything from rides being run at capacity breaking down more frequently to huge amounts of people going through FP causing the standby line to not move.

 

[pigletto]

You know what. I am not going to join the "What did you expect?" crowd because I had similar experiences in May.. during a NOT busy week. On our Epcot day Soarin' went down several times but every time it went back up we were warned the fastpass line was over an hour long due to the backlog. We gave up in the morning, pulled new fast passes in the afternoon and the same thing happened AGAIN. Never did get to ride it that day.
Headed directly from there to Figment. Waited in line for 20 minutes while they told nobody the ride was down. Luckily I could see close enough to the front to see they were having a maintenance issue and got out of line. Okie Dokie.. lets head over to Nemo. Oh what's that? It's down..

So that's Soarin', Nemo, and Figment down, and Test Track closed for Refurb.

Sometimes it's just a perfect storm of maintenance issues and it is frustrating. I don't expect everything to work perfectly all the time, but its not just the busiest weeks of the year that this can happen.

 

[Peter Fan]

I have to laugh when people go at Christmas and then complain about it. Especially when they did the research.

 

[Allieran3]

Rides being down will happen anywhere! I was at Disney from Nov 27- Dec 6 and of those days. Splash was down for 15 mins, POTC was done during EMH on the 3rd, and The Magic Carpets were done for an hour on the 3rd.

And as for the fastpasses and standby line, it is what it is during busy times fastpasses will be let in first and then a fee standby.

 

[linzbear]

May is about the opposite of Christmas. Christmas is going to be stressful, even if you're well versed and plan everything, so then when something goes wrong, it sticks in your mind because you're stressed about it. Chances are, those rides go down about that often normally, but it doesn't matter so much when you don't have 100 people on your back trying to get in to that ride, and you can just hop over to the next ride to wait out the first ride getting fixed. May is a slow time, you'll be much more relaxed, and you'll be able to enjoy things without having to worry about a plan.

 

[mad madam mim78]

I remember disney before fastpass.

I don't think I would go back to disney if they went back to the old ways. The number one piece of advice on the DIS is during peak crowd levels ALWAYS arrive early and work the fastpass system. If you go during those times and you don't heed this advice you should accept your fate and not blame the system. Early bird gets the worm, ounce of prevention and all that jazz.

 

[mickeymom55]

Last year while waiting in a standby line, out of frustration and boredom, I counted how many FP guests were allowed in ahead of those waiting in line - 42. The standby line was out the door and winding through the outside queue. As we exited the ride, I spoke with a CM and asked for a supervisor. A very nice supervisor listened to my concern and said that sometimes the CMs do take the FP line to an extreme. When I have a FP in hand, it's like gold, but when waiting in the standby line, it's an aggravation - haha! Seriously though, there needs to be a reasonable formula for the CMs to follow. We now have the ability to visit during moderate to slower times shoulder to shoulder with crazy crowds are not appealing.