DL FastPass being scaled back?

[DisneyKidds]

I agree.....if a ride doesn't need FP it shouldn't have one. If the line without it is shorter than the standby line with it, and the line is a reasonable length, then don't bother. FP is counterproductive in such circumstances. Sure, there will be a segment of guests with a FP who have a shorter line than they might have had without, but if it creates longer standby lines it isn't such a good thing. It seems the best way to determine if the standby line will be shorter without FP is to shut it down for a while and see. Seems like a worthwhile thing to do.

One could ask the question "What is a reasonable length?" for a line, and that could lead to much debate. I think anything 30 minutes or less is reasonable. THat is why I think FP should only be used on rides like Splash, Space and Thunder, and things like Pooh and Pan at WDW. THese rides often got lines of 45 to 120 minutes pre FP. Yes, the standby lines aren't any shorter now, but they aren't any longer AND you have a large segment of riders who have little to no wait. That is where the FP system shines.

Get rid of fastpass for Pooh. It's the middle of summer and it has a 5 minute line.

Pooh at DL must be very different from Pooh at WDW. The WDW version hardly ever has a five minute line.

 

[Peter Pirate]

What a nice and informative discussion this is.

Thanks Leftcoaster for the detailed explanation. If you're finding those facts to be true (15 min & less waits) then it seems a no brainer especially coupled with the poor planning of FP kiosk locations and over use...These were issues I hadn't factored in and am not familiar enough with (at DL) to have recognized.

I hope yo (and other 'lefties') will keep us updated on weekend results.

 

[LeftCoaster]

Originally posted by DisneyKidds


Pooh at DL must be very different from Pooh at WDW. The WDW version hardly ever has a five minute line. [/B]

If only the ride was half as detailed as the gift shop. ::sigh:: They basically took WDW's version and tried to figure out how to do it with half the budget. The sad thing is that if they spent just a little more money, they could've done something pretty cool.

 

[LeftCoaster]

Originally posted by Peter Pirate
What a nice and informative discussion this is.

Thanks Leftcoaster for the detailed explanation. If you're finding those facts to be true (15 min & less waits) then it seems a no brainer especially coupled with the poor planning of FP kiosk locations and over use...These were issues I hadn't factored in and am not familiar enough with (at DL) to have recognized.

I hope yo (and other 'lefties') will keep us updated on weekend results.

I'm sure those rides will be more crowded but, I don't anticipate the line being more than 30 minutes.... Which I have to say a 30 minute wait on a summer weekend, I'd have no problem with.
The only other fastpass issue I'd like to see them address is better routing of some of the queues. They spent millions on amazing, detailed queues for Indy & Roger Rabbit yet, people are stuck waiting outside. Star Tours has the same problem too. (Just not as expensive of the queue.) If these people are waiting INSIDe the queue, then there is less crowding outside.
Here's the best way I can explain it. Even if people are waiting 10 feet outside the normal building lines, it's going to affect traffic flow. Think of the ripple effect on a freeway. Someone's zipping along at 65 mph and has to slow down. Eventually, because of that one person, you may end up with a bit of a traffic jam. Think of theme park "movement" as the same way. How many times have you "dodged" a stroller or an errant child? Well, when you dodged that person, someone else may have had to dodge you and so on and so on.
With Disneyland's compact space, they need to think about the unintended consequences with regards to traffic flow. I think Fastpass has contributed SOME to this problem as well as all of the ODV carts. In the past, I'd say that Disney has been genius with the way they've been able to work with their space. Lately, they're not shining like they used to.... However, I'll give Ouimet credit with addressing these issues now. It IS getting easier to move throughout the park and that is a good thing.

 

[Bork]

I'd just like to add the overseas parks to this disussion. Paris has 5 Fastpass attractions and Tokyo has 6.

Disneyland had 9 before the changes. After the proposed changes and with the re-opening of the 2 attactions in TL, they will be at 7.

MK has 9 and soon will have 10 with Stitch.

All 4 parks are in the 12-14 Million range for attendance. Each parks handles crowds differently, but I think there is a point were there are too many Fastpass attractions for a park. Disneyland obviously passed that point and appears to be pulling back to a better number.

The MK can obviously handle more crowds than DL, but I think it has reached the point of too many Fastpasses (especially if the Speedway gets it). FP seems to work best with 1 FP attraction per land or area. The problems begin if there are too many in one area. If TL ends up with 4 FP attactions, you'll have all these people with FP's standing around looking for something to do. The area will get more congested.

By the way, I don't dislike FP because I don't know how to use it. I use it to the fullest since you have to go with the system (at both WDW and DL). My wife and I got the unlimited FP at DL last year, so we could basically walk on most rides. But I preferred the pre-FP days, when you didn't have to plan where you needed to be at a certain time. I never waited more than a 1/2 hour for anything except for space mountain. Now you are forced to use FP if a ride has it because it increases the Standby time.

 

[Sarangel]

All 4 parks are in the 12-14 Million range for attendance.

I hope you mean that as an annual number.... I can't imagine any of the parks being able to take that many people in a day.

Sarangel