Annual Pass line

[newarknut]

I did a search but came up empty on this one...

Every time my family gets in a line for the parks and wait on people who don't understand how the whole "put your finger here" thing, we say "there ought to be a separate line for those with annual passes". Anyone else ever think that this would be a nice perk? There isn't a separate line for annual passes and we just don't know about it, is there??

We're heading down the first week in August and would love to hear that they've just opened up dedicated entrance points for annual pass holders.

Thoughts anyone.....

 

[guillotmgmt]

Im with you

 

[TheTXTaylors5]

That is a great idea! However, I don't think they have a separate AP line at the entrance at this time. Maybe, send a suggestion to Disney?

- Jennifer

 

[DisneyKT]

Annual Pass holder here, Umm I know how to use it. But sometimes it doesn't take. Sorry.

 

[DVC Mary]

That's a wonderful idea. They have separate CM lines. They could put it right next to the CM line.

 

[kileybeth]

but don't you have to do finger scans as well? It's not stupidity that keeps the thing from scanning, often it is mechanical error or in my case pregnancy! no kidding, the bio metrics is thrown off I was told and sure enough, next time I used up a day off an old non expiry and was no longer pregnant, it worked fine! Never did work once the entire trip I was expecting! Is that nuts or what? So, may be a nice annual pass holder perk but please don't think us lowly 10 day pass holders aren't doing something right!

 

[mikoiv]

Often the ap card has been demagnitized, very sensitive to cell phone or any magnetic device.
Six Flags has a passholder line, I for one would like to see Disney give a little more attention to AP holders.

 

[LadyDuchess]

Also, even the cast member line often gets opened to regular guests as well, so even we have to wait sometimes. So I bet even if Disney instituted one, on busy days, it wouldn't really matter. They'd most likely open it to everyone just to ease congestion at the gates.

But I do agree, it would be a good idea.

 

[MinnieGirl33]

Absolutely!

Yes, I understand that the scanners can be tempermental with AP's just as well as regular tix but I think APers know how to handle this (ie, not be as confused & waiting for CM help as often) & will still move faster.

 

[Bobbybear68]

Don't give Disney any ideas. Sounds like a good reason to raise the AP price.

 

[disneymyway]

I don't think that would solve the problem anyway. I just wish I could visit WDW once without having my AP not work - it never fails that at least one of us have a problem with the thing working.

We've had to reset them many times and I never keep it near other credit cards - it's always in it's protective sleeve.

 

[doconeill]

My DFiL got stuck at a turnstyle (and me with him) not because he couldn't handle it, but because a CM screwed up and failed to put his park hopper on his KTTW card properly (and in fact, not at all - we don't know who they gave his entitlements to, but the original park hopper was cancelled and there was nothing on his key - that was a fun day)

So it isn't always lack of guest understanding. I also don't think the CMs at the turnstyles do very well at helping those who do have issues. They have often been rather curt with guests and will give one or two word directions that can barely be heard when it is obvious that a guest could use a little more help, resulting it in taking longer than it would have if they actually helped them.

 

[pfp258]

We seem to always have problems with the annual passes when we travel to WDW as well. I don't think the finger placement really has anything to do with reading your fingerprint as we often put one of our kids through with our AP and then we use their AP just to see what happens. It has never stopped us from coming in the park. I think it is just a deterrent to prevent others from "sharing" AP's. (People think is reading your fingerprint therefore not as likely to use someone elses AP.)

 

[disneymyway]

)

So it isn't always lack of guest understanding. I also don't think the CMs at the turnstyles do very well at helping those who do have issues.

I have to agree - they always act like it's us who have done something wrong when all around me, every time I'm entering I see people with problems and I know it's just kinks in their system that are causing the problems.

I always want to say, "How can you act surprised about this? Am I like, the 800th person today this has happened to?"

 

[TheRustyScupper]

1) It is not always the fault of the guest.
2) Even CM's have trouble getting through.
3) Even AP holders can have a problem getting through.
4) Let's not start trying to make separate provisions or separate treatment.

5) I can see it now
. . . separate lines for AP
. . . separate lines for DVC members
. . . separate lines for adults
. . . separate lines for kids
. . . separate lines for US citizens
. . . separate lines for Green Card holders
. . . separate lines for foreign visitors
. . . separate lines for resort guests
. . . separate lines for

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Not to get too off topic here, but you remind me of a frustrating time I had once.
I was standing in line when someone in front of me was truly clueless. It took forever!

So this #$%^& comes up next to me with a stroller, tries to cut in front of me by scooting up beside me (in main line) so that he's standing in front of the handicapped gate. I happened to have my sister's stroller, so I stuck it out in front of him before he could get there, and said, "Excuse me" quite clearly. Hey, I was there first and would have to go through that gate, too. I was not the one slowing things down...

So he gets all huffy and vocal about how I cut in front of him, and going on about how he has to go through that gate to get in with his stroller...Huh? CM starts to take his side, and I say, "Huh? I was here first, and I have a stroller too. Why does he get to cut ahead of me?" CM let's me through, but gives him that sympathetic look. ARGH! So we get though the gate and he contiues huffing loudly to his wife about it. So I huffed loudly too.
I felt bad for the folks behind me who were in line ahead of #$&^, but they also seemd kind of clueless.

 

[disnut8]

While it sounds like a good idea (and I'm a passholder who has had the same idea), I don't think it would work. For a variety of reasons.

How many passholders go through a particular park's turnstiles at the same time? So just a few would trickle through and everyone would look and start asking why a perfectly good turnstile was "reserved" when theirs was backed up.

Setting aside one turnstile at the entrance of parks that already have very long lines (like Epcot's main entrance, especially when a monorail just arrived), will only make those lines longer.

Not everyone who knows how to use the turnstiles have annual passes.

If annual passholders are there with non annual passholders, they would either have to split up or all go through the non passholder line anyway.

And finally, personally, while it seems like it's taking a long time for someone in front of you to get through, it's only a few minutes. Maybe we all just need to slow down a bit. Disney World will still be there.

Reminds me of the time two women in front of us were getting FastPasses. One got a FastPass for five minutes earlier than the other one. The second one complained to the Cast Member. It's five whole minutes! Which is what the Cast Member told her nicely.

 

[glitterkittyy]

Not to get too off topic here, but you remind me of a frustrating time I had once.
I was standing in line when someone in front of me was truly clueless. It took forever!

So this #$%^& comes up next to me with a stroller, tries to cut in front of me by scooting up beside me (in main line) so that he's standing in front of the handicapped gate. I happened to have my sister's stroller, so I stuck it out in front of him before he could get there, and said, "Excuse me" quite clearly. Hey, I was there first and would have to go through that gate, too. I was not the one slowing things down...

So he gets all huffy and vocal about how I cut in front of him, and going on about how he has to go through that gate to get in with his stroller...Huh? CM starts to take his side, and I say, "Huh? I was here first, and I have a stroller too. Why does he get to cut ahead of me?" CM let's me through, but gives him that sympathetic look. ARGH! So we get though the gate and he contiues huffing loudly to his wife about it. So I huffed loudly too.
I felt bad for the folks behind me who were in line ahead of #$&^, but they also seemd kind of clueless.

I had the exact same thing happen. Someone from clear back in the line came up and managed to nudge in front of me. I said "excuse me, there's a line here" and wedged myself between her and the turnstile. She had the gall to nudge in between me and my daughters! I had to step slightly to the side and usher my daughters through in front of me, and she tried to go in after them. That woman had some guts. I felt like drop kicking her. So she finally cut in line behind my family. Some people!

 

[doconeill]

We seem to always have problems with the annual passes when we travel to WDW as well. I don't think the finger placement really has anything to do with reading your fingerprint as we often put one of our kids through with our AP and then we use their AP just to see what happens. It has never stopped us from coming in the park. I think it is just a deterrent to prevent others from "sharing" AP's. (People think is reading your fingerprint therefore not as likely to use someone elses AP.)

Well, it is true that it is not reading your fingerprint - at least not a detailed one.

It uses a simplified system that matches some key points within your fingerprint, which has a much higher probability of a false-positive (you are more likely to have a "match" with several other people in the park, as opposed to maybe one or two in the entire country - I don't remember the exact numbers). This should make it more tolerable of issues, yet they seem to have so many.

Kids passes do not use or require finger scanning, so in theory anyone could use a kid's pass. However, I would expect that the display shown to the CMs would say it is a kid's pass (I have not seen this, it would just make sense - I know firsthand it says whether the card was good but didn't have any entitlement to entrance as opposed to a bad scan), and if it was an adult they may question it. Then again, if its obvious that you are with a child and may have swapped passes, they may not care as much just to keep the line moving.

Another thing that came up with DFiL on this trip was that when we finally DID get a park hopper re-issued (they had to give him a whole new one, on a separate card that looked just like his room card, but they couldn't combine them now for some reason, so that just made it more confusing) was that he had used his middle finger instead of his index finger the first time. So, later in the week when the scan was giving him trouble (he knew and was still using his middle finger) the CM kept telling him to use his index finger, which definitely did NOT work, but they wouldn't listen to US, who knew what we were doing - which just further delayed us and everyone behind us.

 

[fall08CP]

That's a wonderful idea. They have separate CM lines. They could put it right next to the CM line.

Yeah but unfortunately this is only for CMs going to work.. we CMs who don't work in parks still have to wait in the regular line.. booo.