Did Fastpass change?

[JennCa]

Ok, I am used to the old Fastpass where you can get one and then get another once the window opens again tegardless of whether you've sactually used it or not. Is that still the case?

Someone in one of my threads said something like used to like Fastpass when you could hold more than one, but that it had changed and now you had to use the fastpass first. I was at WDW in November and that was not the case.

Anyone use Fastpass recently?

Jenn

 

[DangerMouse]

you were advised wrong. The FP will clearly state on the bottom when your next FP will become available. It has nothing to do with whether you have used the previous FP or not.

BTW, the FP is good through the end of the day in which you acquire it. You can ignore the expiration time and use it anytime until park closing.

 

[Hound 109]

DangerMouse is correct.

I saw the other post as well (mentioning not being able to hold multiple FPs). That poster (unless something changed in the last couple of weeks) hopefully was mis-informed or mis-stated.

An effective (& intelligent) method of touring is to collect 3-5 FPs at DL prior to noon during morning touring. Hopping to DCA or napping (or both). & returning to DL in the evening with the 3-5 FPs in your pocket to use when DL is usually more crowded in the evening.

 

[mystic_path]

An effective (& intelligent) method of touring is to collect 3-5 FPs at DL prior to noon during morning touring. Hopping to DCA or napping (or both). & returning to DL in the evening with the 3-5 FPs in your pocket to use when DL is usually more crowded in the evening.

This is exactly what we do and it works FANTASTIC! It is so fun to go on rides like Soarin 3-5 times in a row with like 5 minute waits

 

[JennCa]

Glad to know! I know the old system and was hoping it hadn't changed.

Jenn

 

[DoomBugger]

It has chnged, you just can't "stock up" anymore. You can get another once the window has opened for the one you hold but that's it, no more banking FP cards in droves like you used to be able to.

I was just there a few days ago and my girl didn't believe me either so I stood there while she tried to get more and she came back disappointed.

I feel your pain but you can no longer hold a bunch of FP cards, the system does not allow it anymore.

 

[DoomBugger]

I see what some might be saying by getting them all early and not using them until later in the day. The system might allow this as the windows for the first card would be early and then you could get another one with an early window and wait for that window to open and get another early and wait for the window and so on and so forth all while banking all the cards and using them in succession later in the day. Is this the technique some are talking about? If so are you suggesting that the FP restrictions change between the early hours and afternoon?

If so it still sounds like a bunch of work, almost defeating the FP concept with all the planning and multiple visits. There was a time when you could just grab them at will yes, but no longer.

All I know is you used to be able to just go to the FP kiosks for each ride that has one and anytime you could just grab pass after pass and now you just can't do that anymore. The only restiction was that you could not get another for the same ride until you used it but you could go to each different FP ride and bank them all at anytime. Now you can only hold one FP period and you have to wait until the window opens for that one to get another and to get a third you would need to wait longer until the window on the last FP you got opens.

Also, it seems to me that the hours are more spread out now, like in the past you could get a FP for SM at 12:00 and the window would open in an hour or so and now we'll walk up and at the same time for example and the SM FP will now have a window that doesn't open until 3 or 4 PM which makes it hard to "bank" an inventory of FP cards.

They have tweaked the system to make it harder to manipulate. It is not nearly as cool as it was and it is so much more restricted that I honestly just grab them leisurely now without any plans to have an army of them anymore, which is what they want.

 

[bumbershoot]

OK phew.

The way I have used it (and is explained in hydroguy's sticky) is, say, you are walking past Indy on the way to POTC, you run and grab FPs. You can either wait until the window and then get another, or if the window is beyond 2 hours, after 2 hours you can get another FP. So since DL is pretty nice about using FPs well after the window is closed, if I'm not back to Indy to use it, or if the 2 hours is up, I'll run and get a FP for Space Mountain so I'm holding two. Then I'll go to TT and grab one for Roger Rabbit, since it's not connected to the system so then I have three.

Obviously this is just an example, is a bit random, and I'd be very tired. Especially b/c next I'd run over to DCA, grab one from Grizzly b/c it's not connected to the DCA system, then grab one for Soarin' b/c DCA isn't connected to DL. So now I have 5 and I need to go take a nap b/c of the random running around I'm doing.



Anyway, the way it's used now does involve some waiting, but you don't always have to wait until the window, since they introduced the 2 hour thing.

 

[DoomBugger]

OK fair enough. The point is they have altered the system from it's original format but they probably figured out everyone was doing the same thing so especially later in the day the FP line simply became a "come back later for a slightly shorter" line.

FP is supposed to assist with efficiency but if we all manipulate it the system no longer can be the fast pass line it should be. I kinds sucks when you wait to go on something and you realize the FP line is really not much shorter than the normal line.

FP is great but it is just not as cool as it once was, that's all.

 

[bumbershoot]

Oh definitely!

I think we were each just having different definitions of when it changed and what the exact changes were.

I remember starting to plan for our first one-day trip, and at that time AAA still had their special FP thing. We were only going one day and so we couldn't get in on it, and I *think* they didn't have the 2 hour thing at the time...but even then FP still worked well for us.

Of course, our last 2 visits, of something like 11 days total, I'm not sure we've used a collected FP once! No, hubby used ToT fast passes, one time, I think...but other than that they just came home as souvenirs. We would have gifted them but I didn't want to get into the "no, DL is cool about expired FP windows, really, you can use them" thing with someone who might not know that past-stated-time FPs are generally OK.

So I guess we help contribute to LOWER FP lines, b/c we grab them but don't use them. There is some balance in the universe.

 

[blackjackdelta]

OK fair enough. The point is they have altered the system from it's original format but they probably figured out everyone was doing the same thing so especially later in the day the FP line simply became a "come back later for a slightly shorter" line.

FP is supposed to assist with efficiency but if we all manipulate it the system no longer can be the fast pass line it should be. I kinds sucks when you wait to go on something and you realize the FP line is really not much shorter than the normal line.

FP is great but it is just not as cool as it once was, that's all.

Never had that problem during mid August. The FP lines were always infinately shorter than the regular line. Saves many hours for us.

Jack

 

[mareed]

I think what some are remembering in "the way it used to be" was a AAA enhanced fastpass ticket that let you get unlimited fastpasses during the day (still only one for a specific ride though). This way, you could go around and collect fastpasses for all rides first thing in the morning and then use them throughout the day whenever you liked.

Another thing was that there used to be several "disconnected" fastpass machines. Pirates, Haunted Mansion, & Star Tours used to be disconnected from the network, and wouldn't count against your fastpass availibility. The only current disconnected rides are Grizzly River Run in DCA and Roger Rabbit in DL.

I think it's one of these 2 cases that others are remembering where they could collect multiple fastpasses at one time.

 

[SANDIEGOFAN]

I second what mareed stated, and stated so well.

 

[DLR29]

I think what some are remembering in "the way it used to be" was a AAA enhanced fastpass ticket that let you get unlimited fastpasses during the day (still only one for a specific ride though). This way, you could go around and collect fastpasses for all rides first thing in the morning and then use them throughout the day whenever you liked.

Another thing was that there used to be several "disconnected" fastpass machines. Pirates, Haunted Mansion, & Star Tours used to be disconnected from the network, and wouldn't count against your fastpass availibility. The only current disconnected rides are Grizzly River Run in DCA and Roger Rabbit in DL.

I think it's one of these 2 cases that others are remembering where they could collect multiple fastpasses at one time.

Agreed. I don't think there was EVER a time where you could get a FP whenever you wanted (other than the above mentioned). Too bad they discontinued AAA Enhanced FP before I got a chance to use it.