Anyone else miss the challenge of the old fast passes?

[DisneyFive]

Wouldn't it be great if this thread could simply stay on the topic of whether or not you missed the challenges of the old FP's and maximizing that system, rather than comparing the old system to the new? Unfortunately, that's just wishful thinking.

Thinking back to 2010 when I had a fat wallet full of FP's ready to use... I do miss the keepsake aspect of it too, if you didn's use them.


Dan

 

[Angel Ariel]

I dont get the "too much planning" arguement.

Just like FP-, you dont have to use it at all, or book in advance if you dont want to. You can treat it like old FP and obyain them once you arrive.

If you're going to WDW you must have some reason for wanting to go.
Pick 3 things you might think you want to do. Thats it.
And, guess what...you dont gave to use your FP+ reservations.

Most people plan the dates, flight, hotel room, and possibly ADR's in advance.
All of those thingpl require much more "planning" than FP+.

You don't feel the same way, and that's fine. For us, we just don't like planning down to the level of what time to be at a ride.

Eta: yes we do adrs, again because we know we have to. If we could just show up and and have a decent selection of TS meals without ADRs, we would. But that seems to be more DLR's thing than WDW's.

of course we know we don't *have* to do fp+ at all,but we know the potential consequence and prefer not to take the risk. So we adapt and use fp+. But it doesn't change that we don't like thinking down to that level of detail before we arrive in FL.

 

[Eastern]

My husband used to be the runner. It was very amusing seeing him taking off at a fast walk to get the passes. Watching him was sometimes more amusing than the actual ride.

 

[ejdmomma]

We'll be at WDW for spring break and DLR for fall break...so I'll let you know in October if I miss the challenge of the old fast pass system

 

[mom2rtk]

I dont get the "too much planning" arguement.

Just like FP-, you dont have to use it at all, or book in advance if you dont want to. You can treat it like old FP and obyain them once you arrive.

If you're going to WDW you must have some reason for wanting to go.
Pick 3 things you might think you want to do. Thats it.
And, guess what...you dont gave to use your FP+ reservations.

Most people plan the dates, flight, hotel room, and possibly ADR's in advance.
All of those thingpl require much more "planning" than FP+.

I would buy that argument if Disney allocated maybe 10-25% of the ride capacity to FP+. But that's not the case. It's probably closer to 70%, maybe more. Opting to simply pass on using FP+ would relegate you to a small percentage of the attraction capacity in the parks each day, giving the vast majority of the park guests priority in nearly every single line you choose to enter.

 

[amandals2007]

i like not having to run to a ride in the morning to get a fastpass, i also dont miss looking at the app and seeing that a ride all the way on the other side of the park has a FP return time that would work perfect for us and me taking everyones KTTWC and running to get the FP. but i REALLY do miss the flexibility we used to have. i hate how its so planned down to the minute now. i mean, we go to disney for 12 days, so the first 6 or 7 days we know exactly where we are going, but the last ones we kinda use to to see things we missed or want to see again but lets say we had down we were going to animal kingdom and that morning we decided to change and hit epcot, how can we do that now? we wont be able to get a FP for anything we would want to ride =( takes some of the fun away

 

[Sandy Fisher]

Never considered it a challenge, but then we didn't plan our every move every day in every park. Used the old fast passes sparingly and to our benefit. Never felt we had to use them. Don't like the new system and don't expect to ever like it, but I've said that before.

 

[amber_cntrygrl]

NOPE! I hated the stampede to get to the kiosk to get a FP. I do miss the number of FP's I was able to get throughout the day, though.

 

[msp2mco]

I miss the challenge of maximizing the FP- system. I loved seeing my DH plan how to get the next FP and he would volunteer to get them while the rest of the family did another attraction. Or, it was the other way around and I'd have 10 minutes to walk through the parks by myself and meet up with everyone a bit later.

Although I don't dislike FP+, I think it has changed the spirit and spontaneity of the old system. I recently read a thread that someone's FP+ for A&E was cancelled before their trip and replaced with something else. She was upset and trying to figure out how to get a FP+ for what she had signed up for. Under the old system, you would show up to get a FP- and if the system were down, no big deal. No entitlement issues. You would just proceed to something else. With FP+, it has become more a reservation with perceived entitlements attached to it. I wonder if that is what Disney intended?

 

[Laketravis]

I think there's a difference in making an ADR for an experience lasting an hour or more and making a reservation for an attraction that in some cases is over in less time than it took to make the reservation.


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[Dis703]

I don't miss the old system and all. It wasn't a fun challenge to me.

Now the FP+ although it can feel stressful at times is more my kind of challenge. It's like doing a puzzle and it's exciting when I get it all squared away.

 

[minniemous]

Wouldn't it be great if this thread could simply stay on the topic of whether or not you missed the challenges of the old FP's and maximizing that system, rather than comparing the old system to the new? Unfortunately, that's just wishful thinking.

Thinking back to 2010 when I had a fat wallet full of FP's ready to use... I do miss the keepsake aspect of it too, if you didn's use them.


Dan

Keeping to subject.... No I do not miss the old system and the challenges of maximizing the system. Here is why... I had mentioned that back in the old paper Fast pass days we visited Disney a handful of times and like most Disney Patrons had no idea about how to maximize the number of passes and ride with the ease people are talking about. The people on the Disboards are a rare breed of Disney Patrons and they know the ins and outs and how to maximize the system.

This idea that people had a number of fast passes like a stack of cards and could ride whenever they wanted is crazy to me. We were part of the Majority of patrons who had no knowledge of this ability and would wait on very long lines while "people gaming the system" would ride freely all day long.

I find it comical that some have mentioned they loved spreading the "magic" by offering some fast passes at the end of the day to a family and they would look at them with disbelief and it made them feel so good that there were spreading the magic. I mean really? How wonderful!! At least one person said the liked explaining to someone how to get more fast passes. That was the problem. All day long the majority of people are pulling one pass at a time never knowing people are stockpiling passes.

I can see the people "In the know" missing the olds system and the advantages and "challenge". I just find it upsetting, especially when I see people gloating about it.

I mean Keepsake Aspect! That is crazy to people like me who did not know about this and stood on lines.

Perhaps that is why many people feel Disney has "lost the magic". I know there is more to that, I really do... but many really lost the magic when they could not rule the parks any more or at least not as easily.

I hope you can see how some like myself are very glad those paper fast passes are gone and why it is so hard not to chime in.

 

[Angel Ariel]

I find it comical that some have mentioned they loved spreading the "magic" by offering some fast passes at the end of the day to a family and they would look at them with disbelief and it made them feel so good that there were spreading the magic. I mean really? How wonderful!! At least one person said the liked explaining to someone how to get more fast passes. That was the problem. All day long the majority of people are pulling one pass at a time never knowing people are stockpiling passes.

Not everyone who "spread the magic" as you describe was stockpiling FP throughout the day in order to do so.

 

[minniemous]

Not everyone who "spread the magic" as you describe was stockpiling FP throughout the day in order to do so.

I did not mean that they were stockpiling for that reason. That is certainly not what I meant. Actually that might be an even nicer thing to do. I think it was mentioned that when they had there fill and were leaving or did to need the passes anymore.

I could also see if it was simply someone who had passes and were not stockpiling at all and were not going to use it. I am sure that happened as well and nothing wrong with that at all.

 

[Laketravis]

I miss sneaking up on unsuspecting adults and little kids, snatching the fresh paper FP's out of their hands and making them wait another two hours before they could get more.

Those were the days.


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[Hokie2000]

I don't miss the old system and all. It wasn't a fun challenge to me.

Now the FP+ although it can feel stressful at times is more my kind of challenge. It's like doing a puzzle and it's exciting when I get it all squared away.

I feel the same way. As the "runner" and basically WDW tour guide of the family, pulling FPs was a pain. Get through the turnstiles, gather up the cards, instruct my husband on what to do and where to go, then head off to get the FP. (This scenario only applied to Epcot and DHS, really).

I can see how it might be more fun if it was more of a team sport with equal levels of Disney fanaticism in other family members. I'm the only Disney freak in my family, so the responsibility for FPs was all mine.

I like the puzzle aspect of my planning now. Color coded spreadsheets are my jam.

 

[Hokie2000]

I miss sneaking up on unsuspecting adults and little kids, snatching the fresh paper FP's out of their hands and making them wait another two hours before they could get more.

Those were the days.

 

[skier_pete]

While the new system isn't perfect, I don't mind not having to run across the park. I have Planar Fascitis (heel-spurs) and by the end of a Disney trip my feet were always in major levels of pain, partlly due to FP running. While I do miss being able to get more than 3 FP (my record is 9 in a day) I don't miss the "challenge".

For those that miss the challenge, it's time to book a trip out to DLR. They still use the old system - for now. You have the added challenge there that some FP locations aren't linked to the same system, so you can actually hop between parks and get multiple FPs without waiting for your "window" to open!

 

[radev104]

I only miss the old FPs because right now as a CM I can only get FPs for 3 days starting a week. It's hard when you're trying to plan a vacation with 5 other people who can get FPs before you.

 

[BugsDaddy]

Wouldn't it be great if this thread could simply stay on the topic of whether or not you missed the challenges of the old FP's and maximizing that system, rather than comparing the old system to the new? Unfortunately, that's just wishful thinking.

Thinking back to 2010 when I had a fat wallet full of FP's ready to use... I do miss the keepsake aspect of it too, if you didn's use them.


Dan

And that is part of what I didn't like about the old system. It seemed very inefficient to me. While fast passes were running out, there were guests with a wallet full of fast passes, a lot of which may go unused. I know that there may be fast passes today that go unused but at least you can cancel those in the system and return them back to the supply.