Anyone there now that can comment on FP enforcement

[seashoreCM]

Is there a number you can dial from a plain cell phone (or from a pay phone) and they will tell you the current return times for fastpasses?

 

[WDSearcher]

I will indeed take them to task - gifts given and then taken back do not reflect well on the gift giver. Let's face it, the "rule" was that the return time has NEVER mattered. Make no mistake - they have taken away a significant portion of the benefit of FP... and it has negatively impacted our trip in a material way... so much so it may tip the scales against coming back. Here's hoping this is just a transition phase to a better system... we'll be planning our trip to Universal next Spring Break... unlimited fastpass at any time sounds a lot better, and Harry Potter looks fun.

Well ... if that's really true, then write a letter to Disney and tell them that the recent change they made in the way they run their parks has caused you to look more favorably on Universal, and that you will be going there next Spring Break. If losing the option to use FP after the stated window so negatively impacts any other "magic" or enjoyment that you get from your trips to WDW, then ... well ... maybe your love affair with WDW is over.

There are tons of people who vist WDW and use FP within the window, simply because they were never aware that they could show up late. And based on just the small sample of those folks on the DIS, a stress-free, happy and magical vacation is possible even without the freedom to pick your own return time. Everyone's knee-jerk reaction is to be angry at change and to take their toys and go home. But if you've never planned a trip with this new FP policy in mind, you might want to try, just to see if it truly is as much of a negative as you think. And if it is, then ... well ... have a great time at Universal.

 

[mesaboy2]

Really members come on, You have a set 60 min time to return and enter the line. Whats the issue? Do you want to come back at any time and come and go as you please? Do you believe that's your right for paying you days ticket? Rules are the rules, change is change, work with it or get buried under it.

Now enjoy your vacation

Why the heck did you choose me for your petty lecture?

 

[WDSearcher]

Thanks for posting your experience. Just wondering at MK when they gave you the "stern" warning, was it within or after the 15 minute grace period? Or was it just a tad over time, like your Safari 20 minutes late but allowed to ride.

It sounds like you were lucky with the mgr at EE to get the rider switch tickets - I'm only guessing here but the CM probably couldn't make the exception due to the amount of time past the window & was only following "orders".

It doesn't matter but I agree with you, the time is too restrictive. Suggestions to go do something else, don't take the FP, etc. etc. though well intentioned advice, doesn't always provide the solution you seek.

As excellent a job as Disney IMO does with customer service, hearing reports that CM's are now "stern" or turn away guests from riding an attraction makes me wonder how great genX really is going to be, so great that it is necessary to have CM's handling guests this way

Things happen and they're going to happen, difference now being there won't be the exceptions. I think you posted later about writing Disney about what you think about the policy and that's probably a good thing to do. It may change nothing, but then again, nothing will change for sure if they don't hear from the guests. If enough guests express an opinion, who knows, maybe they might consider extending the window. Anything really to cut back on the blisters you get walking those parks!

Hopefully we'll hear some more encouraging news of FP lines not being as long & CM's not having to be "stern" with guests. Those of you leaving in a few days, please come back to post your experience

I think "stern" is in the eye of the beholder. Most people don't hear the word "no" and instantly think, "Well ... didn't they sound happy as they said that!"

From a CM standpoint, it's hard to say "no" to people -- particularly at the start of a change like this, when you're saying no over and over and over -- without it coming out as less magical than "yes, of course!" And if every person you say no to then starts trying to convince you that they are the exception and can't we please and oh, come on, just this once, etc etc, it gets a little trying.

Those FP CMs must be really happy when break time rolls around.

 

[serenitygr]

Why the heck did you choose me for your petty lecture?

I don't know for sure Mesaboy2, but I'm thinking maybe she quoted you by mistake? That didn't make sense to me either!!

I don't care, really, about the fastpass issue- I'm sure when we go back to Disney we'll be just fine with whatever the rule is. But I'm curious about something- I apologize if it's been answered before, but there is NO WAY I'm reading through this whole thread! If your fastpass return time is 1pm-2pm- where is the person who validates the time when you get there? Are they up by the actual attraction, or do they stay at the end of the line? (whereever it is) Example- you get to the attraction at 1:45(within your time) but the line is really long and slow, so you don't actually get up to the attraction until after 2:15. Have they already checked you fastpass time, so they know you came back in time, or would you be sent to the standby line?

 

[mom2rtk]

It has become apparent to me that it's more important than ever to go during a slow crowd time. Too bad those are dwindling. But it is now my life's mission to find the best week........

 

[mom2rtk]

One thing I think we can ALL agree on this week (and that's hard to find here on the DIS).......... whatever those FP CM's are paid....... they deserve a lot more this week.

 

[BNM]

The CM checks FP at the entrance to the FP return, and they verify the time before you enter the line, if there is one.

 

[andrews_dad]

Really members come on, You have a set 60 min time to return and enter the line. Whats the issue? Do you want to come back at any time and come and go as you please? Do you believe that's your right for paying you days ticket? Rules are the rules, change is change, work with it or get buried under it.

Now enjoy your vacation

You've not been to the Worlf Xmas week, have you? Can't wait for this year. We do it annually as I am there for college bowl games. It is not possible to walk from one land to another in 1 hour at times when park is closed for capacity.

 

[Anal Annie]

I think the problem would be solved if the fastpass return time was just made to be a 2 hour window. The parks are BIG and crowded, and I don't think anyone will have a problem with a 2 hour window. Spell it out in large letters on the fastpass that no late arrivals will be honored. I was in Disney in late Feb and noticed a few stern and pretty unfriendly CM's at the fastpass return lanes. The magic is slipping a bit for me.

I agree - a longer window would be helpful - esp. when the parks are at or near capacity like they will be during the 2 weeks surrounding Easter. I heard that the MK was at 58,000 one day & 68,000 another day this week. Capacity is 85,000 I think and the last time we went over spring break 2 years ago the MK was AT capacity & closed by around 10:30 AM. It was a nightmare. You couldn't WALK. It literally took us about 45 minutes just to cross the park. We finally gave up & took the railroad from Splash Mountain back to the front so we could get out. It was shoulder to shoulder. As excited as I am to be returning to Disney for the first time in 2 years I am now dreading what the parks will be like with BTM down and with this new enforcement so I am praying the temps are in the 80's so we can at least hang out at the pool instead.

 

[andrews_dad]

It appears some of those rude, pushy, opinionated, entitled people that I see while standing in line at the World are the some of the same people that post here.. makes sense!

 

[WDSearcher]

You've not been to the Worlf Xmas week, have you? Can't wait for this year. We do it annually as I am there for college bowl games. It is not possible to walk from one land to another in 1 hour at times when park is closed for capacity.

But even if you've never been to the world during Christmas week, you likely also know that you have to assign more time to get somewhere than you would during a rainy day at the end of January.

During busy times, you simply plan your trek across the park so as to get to the ride at the START of the FP window instead of starting across the park when the window opens and hoping to make it over there in an hour (and 15 min). Backtime it that way, and you'll probably discover that you can make it from point A to point B in plenty of time.

People do it all the time to get to ADRs or make it to RD or whatever. "What time do we have to leave our resort to get to RD?" or "If I go to the first Fant!, can I make it over to MK for the last night parade?" -- these kinds of things are common questions on the DIS. And the replies almost always include recommendations to "leave extra early because busses can be slow" or "make sure to leave earlier because that's Spring Break week". People are used to backing up their schedules in order to make it to things -- like RD and parades -- that don't have any wiggle room in when they happen.

So ... now ... just apply that same principle to FP windows.

 

[magicbob]

.....unless the next gen of fastpass offers acquiring fastpasses via a smartphone, avoiding machines completely, and you simply show the fastpass on your screen at the attraction?? Just a thought

That little "PDA" looks exactly like the one Six Flags uses for their "Flash Pass." We're discussing that on another thread. Some people don't like the idea of having to be responsible for the little device. Also, hopefully, they do not use the same method. At Six Flags, you can only make one ride reservation at a time. Once you get in that line, then and only then can you make another reservation. Reservation might not be an accurate word. You don't select a specific time. You pick which ride you want to use Flash Pass for next and it tells you how long you have to wait until you can ride.

I hope Disney's next-gen system will allow you to select specific time windows for specific rides. That way, those who are inclined to do so, can plan their X-pass rides around ADRs, etc. As others have pointed out, this seems to be a factor in enforcing FP time windows now, and we've seen phrases like "reserve a time" for your ride coming from Disney (although maybe not from official sources).

 

[maxiesmom]

I admit, the experiences of the new FP enforcement are not encouraging and are pretty much in line with what I imagined. I encourage people to not only write to Disney guest communications and let them know how you feel, but stop by guest relations and tell them about how the new policy negatively effected your day.

Disney will not know about guest dissatisfaction if we don't tell them.

I encourage everyone to be polite, but constructive criticism, even if it is negative, is helpful for Disney to understand how the new policy is working.

From my experiences in the parks this past week, the new policy is working great! The lines for returning fastpasses are back to being shorter than the lines for standby, instead of just as long. We could pick up fastpasses later into the day, instead of them all being gone early on. All in all, we were able to ride just about everything we wanted to ride, even with the parks being pretty busy.

 

[mesaboy2]

Again I say, it is WAY too early to deduce any patterns from a mere 7 days of strict enforcement. Any meaningful and thoughtful conclusions are months away, if not longer.

 

[magicbob]

Again I say, it is WAY too early to deduce any patterns from a mere 7 days of strict enforcement. Any meaningful and thoughtful conclusions are months away, if not longer.

Agreed. But it's at least good to see positive reports. It may be too soon to draw conclusions, but we can at least be hopeful and optimistic that these positive reports will continue. Because, to tell you the truth, the first reports were downright frightening!

 

[A Mickeyfan]

But even if you've never been to the world during Christmas week, you likely also know that you have to assign more time to get somewhere than you would during a rainy day at the end of January.

During busy times, you simply plan your trek across the park so as to get to the ride at the START of the FP window instead of starting across the park when the window opens and hoping to make it over there in an hour (and 15 min). Backtime it that way, and you'll probably discover that you can make it from point A to point B in plenty of time.

People do it all the time to get to ADRs or make it to RD or whatever. "What time do we have to leave our resort to get to RD?" or "If I go to the first Fant!, can I make it over to MK for the last night parade?" -- these kinds of things are common questions on the DIS. And the replies almost always include recommendations to "leave extra early because busses can be slow" or "make sure to leave earlier because that's Spring Break week". People are used to backing up their schedules in order to make it to things -- like RD and parades -- that don't have any wiggle room in when they happen.

So ... now ... just apply that same principle to FP windows.

and may I ask, not being nasty that is, how do you apply that principle when you just get off a ride that you were online for say 90 minutes but the wait time said 60. You thought you were going to be on time, now you may not be because you are going to run into parade traffic, and it is jam packed with shoulder to shoulder guests? It isn't like you are leaving your room so that you "can" plan on leaving 30 minutes earlier... you were on another attraction whose time was off... just giving an example of what can and will happen here... can you give us an example of how those guests can handle that situation when they arrive late for their FP return, or do you just propose that they do nothing but stand around waiting for their FP return time to avoid any unexpected situations again, not being nasty, but would like to hear how to handle this????? tia for your response....

 

[ftballfan7]

Why the heck did you choose me for your petty lecture?

I was wondering the same thing.

 

[maxiesmom]

and may I ask, not being nasty that is, how do you apply that principle when you just get off a ride that you were online for say 90 minutes but the wait time said 60. You thought you were going to be on time, now you may not be because you are going to run into parade traffic, and it is jam packed with shoulder to shoulder guests? It isn't like you are leaving your room so that you "can" plan on leaving 30 minutes earlier... you were on another attraction whose time was off... just giving an example of what can and will happen here... can you give us an example of how those guests can handle that situation when they arrive late for their FP return, or do you just propose that they do nothing but stand around waiting for their FP return time to avoid any unexpected situations again, not being nasty, but would like to hear how to handle this????? tia for your response....

At least in my experiences this past week, Disney overestimates the wait time to get on rides, they don't underestimate it.

And if you get stuck in a line that is longer that listed, or longer than you thought, you can always leave. Not the greatest option, I know, but it is an option.

 

[KellyNY]

I am happy to hear good reports but I think we should wait and see untill summer at least. Right now not everyone adapted yet, many missed their rides and therefore it is difficult to say anything. Lets wait till everyone will learn new ways and then we will see how change actually affected lines.