ANyone at Animal Kingdom? Fast Pass Machine locations?

[Sandy321]

My wife just made another good point. Now everyone is going to get FPs for attractions they may not have before since it will be much less of an effort to get them (they don't have to make the effort to actually walk to the attraction to get them).

exactly - as well as creating a HUGE traffic jam and FP will run out MUCH much sooner imho
(basing it on the Toy Story and Soarin FP experiences anyway)

 

[redheadx3]

I always thought that the Soarin fastpass machines should have been outside the land pavillion. It just seems to me it would so much easier to have the mad-dash crowd outside the building as to the current dash through the building and down the stairs.

 

[maroo]

I was wondering if anyone had started a thread looking for this information yet?

 

[doconeill]

I haven't seen anyone post that they've seen it yet to know how it works...if they are using the existing kiosks, I'd expect that they'd have to dedicate one kiosk per attraction since there is no way to select what attraction you want. Imagine the line for the sole EE machine just after rope drop, blocking the way to actually GET to EE...

I wonder if it would actually make that much of a difference, assuming you are still required to wait the same amount of time before getting another Fastpass. You'd still have to keep returning to the kiosks - anyways...whether it is a shorter walk or not depends on your location relative to the next attraction you want to get a FP for...

 

[WilsonFlyer]

Another potential fundamental flaw in this design:

I know a lot of people run to the FP machines and get one and just go back when their FP return time comes up, but many of us go to the attraction first to see if we need one or if we can just get on in a reasonable amount of time and ride. I suspect intentions are to ultimately remove the FP machines at the attractions proper if this system works. This, again, goes against the principle with which many of us use the FP System to begin with.

Conceptually, the new deal sounds fine on the surface but when you drill down (at least in my mind), the logic is just fundamentally flawed (centralizing it).

It's the old "if it ain't broke, why fix it?" thing. I don't understand what's broken.

 

[g-dad66]

Just got a tweet from Jason Garcia of the Orlando Sentinal

Disney testing new fastpass system at Animal Kingdom. Passes distributed from central location rather than at individual rides.about 1 hour ago from TwitterBerry

Apparently started two days ago.about 1 hour ago from TwitterBerry

Today is Tuesday July 21...

Nobody been to AK yet to check this out??

We plan to be there August 5, so if no word by then, we will report back on the FP situation.

 

[fla4fun]

I didn't see this posted anywhere, so pardon if it was, but there was a blog on the Orlando Sentinel's website about a test currently being run at AK with a centralized fastpass distribution site.

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/fe...kingdom-fastpass-test-expedition-everest.html

I think this would be great, especially at Epcot, where the fastpass rides are on opposite sides of the park. Plus, it would give two places for fastpasses to each ride, at the centralized spot and the attraction.

What do you think?

 

[Robo]

Current thread about this-

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2235588

 

[Robo]

I know a lot of people run to the FP machines and get one and just go back when their FP return time comes up, but many of us go to the attraction first to see if we need one or if we can just get on in a reasonable amount of time and ride.

I think it could work well, if the TIPS BOARD was located in the FP Distribution Center.

Guests could look at the current Standby wait times and make their FP choice and head for another attraction based on the standby wait time.

Also, with the various wireless systems and apps (iPhone and others) coming on-line that
offer current wait times and FP info (basically, Tips Board Info) there will be more and more
guests with "Instant Access" to the attraction info, even before they reach the parks.

I suspect intentions are to ultimately remove the FP machines at the attractions proper if this system works. This, again, goes against the principle with which many of us use the FP System to begin with.

I don't see that as necessarily being a given, but, who knows?
Time (and testing) will tell.


.

 

[bleeps]

It's funny, it a heartwarming kind of way, that so many of us first respond negatively to change at WDW; we get how the systems work and how to use them, and the idea of change makes us uncomfortable.

I think that despite the long lists of negatives we could put together here about the mis-steps that WDW management has made over the past -- oh, say 10 years or so (or even just within the last couple) -- at least they understand the need to keep innovating, and to keep trying to improve guest experiences. Since the bottom line depends on getting more guests in the parks, it makes good sense to try to figure out how to optimize the experience for the greatest number of guests. (Oh sure, we'd like to have the parks to ourselves when we go on our vacations , but that's not going to keep the parks up and running as profit makers.)

I have faith that the testing is just that -- testing -- to see if this kind of approach helps ease the problems inherent in the current FP systems.

 

[MinnieGirl33]

I did see the Sentinel article. My personal opinion, fast passes will be gone MUCH earlier in the day. Not sure yet what I think about how it may/will affect lines.

If they are going to add a 2nd pick up location, I think I would rather see them in the resort lobbies.

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

Since we get there early, this doesn't bother me. I don't think that it will change much for us (as long as they still have FP machines at the rides, themselves).

If all FPs are given out at a central location, the lines and congestion there will be absurd...

 

[Disneyadore]

Since we get there early, this doesn't bother me. I don't think that it will change much for us (as long as they still have FP machines at the rides, themselves).

If all FPs are given out at a central location, the lines and congestion there will be absurd...

And that I why Disney is looking at the possibility s to give out FP to on side guests in advance. IMHO it all eds up.

On site guests FP before entering the parks and day guests at one central point.

 

[HallGirl]

I was there on Thursday. We went to ittbab at opening but the machines weren't open yet. We rode Dinosaur, got fastpasses at everest, came back and then the machines were open. (9:15 ish) I think they delay opening them so that the crowds have been dispersed and the machines are not overwhelmed. As soon as our everest time came up we got some for the safari. There are 2 machines for each: everest, safari, Dinosaur. There are pictures on the machines so you know for sure which attraction you're getting. We didn't know the return time till we got the passes but it was less than an hour away, even with large groups in the park. CMs have a lot of work explaining it to guests, though because people don't realize you can only get one at a time.

 

[ParrotBill]

Here's a test I would like to see.

Don't put FP Distribution for Safari in front of Safari. Put it in front of, say, Dinosaur. Put FP Distrbution for Dinosaur in front of Everest. Put Everest FP in front of Safari.

Encourages crowd flow, spreads things out. Gives us super planners something else to worry about for 10 months before our trips!

 

[Smile4Me]

eh. I sorta like the system they have. it helps distribute the crowds throughout the parks. I imagine that the centralized system would cause more centralized congestion. I hope Disney never charges extra for Fastpass or gives preference to onsite guests. I like that its equal opportunity for everyone.

 

[Smile4Me]

I don't like the idea that you don't know the return time until after you get the fast pass....

 

[Robo]

I don't like the idea that you don't know the return time until after you get the fast pass....

If that is the case during the test, (which I'm not too sure IS or WILL BE the case during the entire testing time) it would not HAVE to be that way during actual implementation.

 

[PrincessAtta]

I don't like the idea that you don't know the return time until after you get the fast pass....

You could just ask a person in front of you what return time they're distributing. Not perfect, but for the time being, and in the absence of addressing this issue, there's a way around the lack of info. I agree, I want to know the time on the FP before I take it, especially for the big draws.

 

[rt2dz]

I remember reading back a year or two ago (?) that they had applied for some type of permit/patent for doing this. They also applied for one to put some in the resorts for onsite guests, if I remember correctly. I guess this shouldn’t come as too big of a surprise.

I see a lot of problems with this system, most of which have been mentioned: Much larger crowds in the fast pass area, longer lines for the fast passes, constantly needing to return to one location to get a new fast pass when you can only get one at a time, confusion from people when they can only get one at a time but they are all in the same location, people grabbing fast passes when they might not be needed, fast passes running out much earlier in the day, not knowing return times to make an educated decision about which fast pass to grab, and probably a few I haven’t thought of.

However, this is testing. All sorts of things can be tweaked. Return times could go up in post, more machines could be added to the centralized location, more centralized locations could be put in so that there are several areas that hold fast pass machines for all the rides, etc. I’ll wait to hold off final judgment until I hear a bit how it works and get a chance to try it out myself.