Did not use fast pass +

[JayT]

We used all four of ours on Monday. It was a little chaotic getting from the parade viewing to the fireworks viewing, but it was awesome! Views were amazing! I can see how this system could be beneficial to non-rope drop folks. Can't wait to see the final process.

 

[Waddler]

Kaytie, Kelly... I give up! You guys aren't following me.

Everyone would still see the preshow, and they'd have MORE time to shop because they wouldn't be waiting in line.

 

[mjp12831]

In my mind one of the main reasons they would implement + is to gather information on every guest. Disney will know everything about you and how you tour. Everything you do will be tied to your reservation - what parks you visit, what times you arrive, what rides you like...They will then be able to market very specifically to every individual. I wouldnt be surprised if they install readers on the busses (can read your card from your pocket like road races do now for timing). Once RFID is in place they can put these readers anywhere (resort pools, counter service places, ...

The old FP system already held your place in line while you shop and dine. Plus will not change that.

 

[Katems]

So all of you who tested the FP+, were you then able to give Disney your opinion on how it went?? Sounds like it was a bust for most folks and I'd like Disney to know that! I would like to forget this new FP+ and go back to original FPs with no return time enforcement....I thought that worked beautifully!

 

[mjp12831]

So all of you who tested the FP+, were you then able to give Disney your opinion on how it went?? Sounds like it was a bust for most folks and I'd like Disney to know that! I would like to forget this new FP+ and go back to original FPs with no return time enforcement....I thought that worked beautifully!

Hear hear!!

 

[kaytieeldr]

Kaytie, Kelly... I give up! You guys aren't following me.

Everyone would still see the preshow, and they'd have MORE time to shop because they wouldn't be waiting in line.

We're listening. What you expect or desire from FastPas is instant access: you enter the queue, walk through the queue, and don't stop until you get to the load point (whether that's the ride itself or the pre-show). I get it.

The only guests for whom that happens are guests on Wish trips. It was never the intent of FastPass. If there weren't some wait for FastPass users, it would indicate the attraction isn't popular/busy enough to need FastPass. FastPass is available to too many (aka all) guests for immediate access to be reasonable.

 

[Waddler]

We're listening. What you expect or desire from FastPas is instant access: you enter the queue, walk through the queue, and don't stop until you get to the load point (whether that's the ride itself or the pre-show). I get it.

The only guests for whom that happens are guests on Wish trips. It was never the intent of FastPass. If there weren't some wait for FastPass users, it would indicate the attraction isn't popular/busy enough to need FastPass. FastPass is available to too many (aka all) guests for immediate access to be reasonable.

I'm not saying that FP users should have immediate access to the ride whenever they want. They often wait hours to board after pulling their pass (which is fine)! I'm just saying that they should be allowed to wait outside, where they can walk around and buy stuff, not queued up in a switchback.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Yes, that's what FastPass does now. You get the FP. You go walk around and do any variety of things between the time you obtain the FP and your assigned return window. You return to the attraction and enter through the specially designated, accessible only with the persentatation of a valid FastPass entrance. You bypass many, many, many(, many) guests in the standby queue.

You don't get immediate, walk right onto/into the attraction access. That's not how or why FastPass was designed or intended. It's available to far too many people for that to be logistically possible.

 

[softballmom3]

So all of you who tested the FP+, were you then able to give Disney your opinion on how it went?? Sounds like it was a bust for most folks and I'd like Disney to know that! I would like to forget this new FP+ and go back to original FPs with no return time enforcement....I thought that worked beautifully!

Thumbs up!!!

 

[Robo]

So all of you who tested the FP+, were you then able to give Disney your opinion on how it went?? Sounds like it was a bust for most folks and I'd like Disney to know that!



I would like to forget this new FP+ and go back to original FPs with no return time enforcement....I thought that worked beautifully!

Which, for those keeping track of these things,
still remains the policy at Disneyland & California Adventure.

We just got back from a short trip there and the good old "regular FP rules" (FP's good for the rest of the day... CM's encouraging use later in the day) where still in effect and worked great for us.

 

[mom2rtk]

Which, for those keeping track of these things,
still remains the policy at Disneyland & California Adventure.

We just got back from a short trip there and the good old "regular FP rules" (FP's good for the rest of the day... CM's encouraging use later in the day) where still in effect and worked great for us.

I'm hoping that's the case when we head west next year.

 

[Waddler]

Yes, that's what FastPass does now. You get the FP. You go walk around and do any variety of things between the time you obtain the FP and your assigned return window. You return to the attraction and enter through the specially designated, accessible only with the persentatation of a valid FastPass entrance. You bypass many, many, many(, many) guests in the standby queue.

You don't get immediate, walk right onto/into the attraction access. That's not how or why FastPass was designed or intended. It's available to far too many people for that to be logistically possible.

We're on the same page on all of the above, with one exception:

My issue is that during slow seasons, you don't necessarily pass "many, many, many" guests in the standby line. Sometimes, you pass very few.

Take my ToT example. We pulled fastpasses at around 10:30 am and our return time was around 11:45 am. We returned at the beginning of our window. At that point, the standby line was posted at 20 minutes, but there were only a few people in the standby line before the preshow (the line didn't even go out the door of the hotel). After the 5-minute preshow, we still had a 15 minute wait in the boilerroom. We didn't actually board until 12:05 pm.

We were a little miffed that we had pulled fastpasses and waited an hour and fifteen minutes for our fastpass window to open up, only to wait 15 more minutes in line (avoiding less than 5 minutes of waiting). This has happened to us numerous times on our late January trips. They could've made our return time 12:00 pm instead of 11:45 am, leaving enough time for just the preshow and some ushering through the corral.

During slow times, they could make fastpass (and fastpass+) more appealing if they modified the flow of people through the merge point, so those with FP could essentially "walk-on" after their window opens up. This would benefit both WDW and guests.

 

[Magpie]

In my mind one of the main reasons they would implement + is to gather information on every guest. Disney will know everything about you and how you tour. Everything you do will be tied to your reservation - what parks you visit, what times you arrive, what rides you like...They will then be able to market very specifically to every individual. I wouldnt be surprised if they install readers on the busses (can read your card from your pocket like road races do now for timing). Once RFID is in place they can put these readers anywhere (resort pools, counter service places, ...

The old FP system already held your place in line while you shop and dine. Plus will not change that.

I hope this is true! I love it when marketing is targeted to me, rather than having to wade through a bunch of advertising that doesn't interest me.

 

[Magpie]

We're on the same page on all of the above, with one exception:

My issue is that during slow seasons, you don't necessarily pass "many, many, many" guests in the standby line. Sometimes, you pass very few.

Take my ToT example. We pulled fastpasses at around 10:30 am and our return time was around 11:45 am. We returned at the beginning of our window. At that point, the standby line was posted at 20 minutes, but there were only a few people in the standby line before the preshow (the line didn't even go out the door of the hotel). After the 5-minute preshow, we still had a 15 minute wait in the boilerroom. We didn't actually board until 12:05 pm.

We were a little miffed that we had pulled fastpasses and waited an hour and fifteen minutes for our fastpass window to open up, only to wait 15 more minutes in line (avoiding less than 5 minutes of waiting). This has happened to us numerous times on our late January trips. They could've made our return time 12:00 pm instead of 11:45 am, leaving enough time for just the preshow and some ushering through the corral.

During slow times, they could make fastpass (and fastpass+) more appealing if they modified the flow of people through the merge point, so those with FP could essentially "walk-on" after their window opens up. This would benefit both WDW and guests.

What did the standby line look like when you pulled your fastpasses in the first place?

I always take a peek at the line before bothering with fastpass. If it's 20 minutes or less, and looks short, I'll simply hop into the standby line.

I remember once seeing Big Thunder Mountain at 15 minutes... and all these folks are grabbing Fastpasses that are 40 minutes out! All I could think was WHY???

You don't have to fastpass everything, especially during slow times. 20 minutes or less means there's essentially no line. 10 minutes is a "walk-on" (but practically everyone waits about 15 in the TOT's loading room, because they run fewer elevators when it's slow). And if you decide to take a fastpass for something that has a short wait, consider it insurance. You pull your pass at 10:30 because you have no intention of riding at that point, but you want to make sure that there isn't a sudden influx of people when you DO want to ride, at 12:05. If it turns out the lines are short anyway, so what? You're no further behind than you were before, since you didn't want to ride at 10:30 anyway.

 

[mjp12831]

My issue is that during slow seasons, you don't necessarily pass "many, many, many" guests in the standby line. Sometimes, you pass very few.

Take my ToT example. We pulled fastpasses at around 10:30 am and our return time was around 11:45 am. We returned at the beginning of our window. At that point, the standby line was posted at 20 minutes, but there were only a few people in the standby line before the preshow (the line didn't even go out the door of the hotel). After the 5-minute preshow, we still had a 15 minute wait in the boilerroom. We didn't actually board until 12:05 pm.

This example isn't limited to slow season - on our trip this August there were a few times (happened at Space Mountian, Kali and EE that I can think of) where when we returned for our window the SB wait was unusually low (20 minutes). Under the old system we would have pocketed the FP, ridden standby and used the FP at a more beneficial time. This is one way you end up losing out with the new system - essentially you lose a ride on a headliner when this happens and your FP you pulled ends up being pointless.

 

[Feckless]

We were one of the first people to test a sort of + system at the beginning of May in MK. We used two of the four FPs we got for the day. I found it to be annoying because when we actually got to the park, the needs and wishes of our party changed from days before when the times were selected. Although I do use TPs, and have a general idea of what to do when, I think our day at MK would have been 100 times better not using (or feeling the pressure to use! I felt like it was such a WASTE when I didn't use the 2 remaining FPs) this system.

 

[Waddler]

What did the standby line look like when you pulled your fastpasses in the first place?

I think it was right around 20 minutes. Yeah, it isn't very long, but we had some non-riders that had to wait for us, so we would've taken a later return time if it meant that we could get through the queue faster.

The ToT example is on one extreme end. TSM is the same way, to a lesser extent. During slow times, the FP maybe saved us 15 minutes of standing in line when the standby was 30.

We now have a baby in our party, so 15-20 minutes apart here and there makes a big difference (especially when you're using rider swap and two groups have to wait).

I guess I just see some inefficiency in their system.

 

[CMLDisney12]

We were selected but didn't get to use ours either.
What time was this rain storm everyone is talking about? We have been here since Sunday and the first rain we have seen is yesterday's storm.

 

[Robo]

What time was this rain storm everyone is talking about? We have been here since Sunday and the first rain we have seen is yesterday's storm.

General info about Orlando weather-

It can be pouring buckets at, say, MK and, at the same time,
the sun could be beaming at any or all of the other parks.

 

[Magpie]

I think it was right around 20 minutes. Yeah, it isn't very long, but we had some non-riders that had to wait for us, so we would've taken a later return time if it meant that we could get through the queue faster.

The ToT example is on one extreme end. TSM is the same way, to a lesser extent. During slow times, the FP maybe saved us 15 minutes of standing in line when the standby was 30.

We now have a baby in our party, so 15-20 minutes apart here and there makes a big difference (especially when you're using rider swap and two groups have to wait).

I guess I just see some inefficiency in their system.

I'll take a 15 minute wait over a 30 minute one any day!

As for the system, I think it's working exactly the way it's designed to. It's not intended to allow you to skip the queue. It's simply supposed to keep your waits down under 20 minutes - ideally 10 or 15.

It's the rare ride that you can literally "walk on", and in those cases the line is so short you probably won't need Fastpass anyway. (Like when I happily walked on to Primeval Whirl one October... the lines were only four or five families deep and FP was no advantage at all.)

I suspect the 10 minute wait minimum is a deliberate exercise in crowd control. Disney probably wants to ensure you spend a minimum amount of time in each attraction, before they release you back on the streets to join the crowd. That's why it sometimes feels more crowded in the park when ride times are short... there are more people wandering around, instead of confined in lines.