Does every ride have fotl?

[nymomof3]

I am going march 23-March28 and wondering what rides have fotl and does tlhe smaller rides for the younger kids have fotl. I thank all you guys for allthe great info you provide

 

[gschmerl]

I am going march 23-March28 and wondering what rides have fotl and does tlhe smaller rides for the younger kids have fotl. I thank all you guys for allthe great info you provide

Pterodon (sp?) Flyer does not have FOTL for anyone. Shrek only has FOTL for hotel guests--no express passes for anyone not staying on site.

 

[nymomof3]

is that ride the only ride without fotl. thanks

 

[wendypooh]

The last time we were there, last Feb. the ONLY rides without fotl, were the pterenendon (sp) flyers and woodys coaster. Both of these are kid rides, but adults can go on them, I went on woody's coaster with my ds.

Everything else had it for resort guest.

 

[phamton]

Yes, Pteranodon Flyers and Woody Woodpeckers coaster are the only rides without FOTL for hotel guests.

 

[nymomof3]

thanks all, that makes me feel alot better about going over the easter week

 

[highlander447]

Woodys coaster had express when we where there in march

 

[goofy!]

Woody Woodpecker had Express a couple of weeks ago. The regular line was posted at a 30 minute wait, but my kids walked right on.

 

[phamton]

Thanks for the info. Scratch Woody off of the no FOTL list. It looks like it still has FOTL.

 

[MAGGIED]

What is front-of-the-line priviledges ?

 

[wendypooh]

FOTL access is for resort guest ONLY. Your room key acts as a FOTL pass, you show / scan it at the rides, and go right on, or have a very little wait. This is a HUGE benefit of staying onsite, especially when it's crowded.

This is different from the express passes you get either with your park entrance ticket or the one's for sale. These print out a time that you can return to ride with express admittance. These do have restrictions - someone else can tell you exactly what, or do a search, there are many threads about this.

 

[Immelman]

thanks all, that makes me feel alot better about going over the easter week

easter's still going to be a heavy week to be there. you'll still have some decent waits in express lines. the whole "FOTL" name is a little deceiving. both parks were pretty busy today, and we broke the 15 minute window a few times in express lines. but it was still a great day.

but you do NOT get to go to the front of the line. you have an Express pass you can you use at your discretion, rather than going within a one hour window. I'm pretty confident UO will be tinkering with your express priveleges during the easter break, as well.

 

[nymomof3]

IMMELMAN, how heavy do you think the crowds will be easter week, do you think heavier the week before or the week after. how are also all the eaterys in us an ioa, do they get very crowded also or are you able to find a place to eat. thanks

 

[Immelman]

Bev, where are you on this one, this will be my first easter since we've lived here, but 3rd in the last 3 years. NYmom, you're well ahead of the curve staying onsite. this weekend was pretty heavy, average waits we saw:

hulk - 60
spidey - 45 to 65
dueling dragons - 45 to 60
the water rides were walk-ons, but it was in the 70's for temps.

mummy - 25 to 55
MIB / BTTF usually 45
ET - 25
Jaws - 20

the longest express waits were spidey and MIB, everyone working MIB was prepping all the riders how to load and use the seatbelts well before the got on the ride aggressively, but usually to no avail.

you'll be fine for easter if simply get to the parks 15 minutes before opening. I can't stress how big this factor is. if you guys get tired, take the ferry back to your resort to recharge and come back after 3:00 when your room keys will be unlimited.

 

[nymomof3]

why were the waits so long, ive heard that even if the hotels are sold out, the lines still should be no longer than 15-20 min, you are making me real nervous about easter week. i have a feeling that easter day might be the busiest but it still should be about the same waits if the hotels are sold out. these times you posted were they for fotl?

 

[phamton]

You should be fine with FOTL. Chirstmas/New Years is the busiest time of year. Magic Kingdom even had to shut the gates to new guests a few days. Look at the calendar: this past weekend was New Years eve and New Year day. We were all packed in like sardines. Jaws went down for several hours on New Years Eve which put an extra burden on MIB and MIB also had its share of technical difficulties that day/night which increased the wait time.

Easter is busy but not as bad as Christmas or New Years. Easter this year is March 27. The week before will be less busy because the next week is April when it seems more schools have spring break.

 

[spewey]

My wife and I just returned from U.S./IOA, and can confirm that despite very heavy crowds (heavier that you will see at Easter, by far), with our hotel cards the waits were very reasonable. The longest, a couple times at mid-day on Spiderman or MIB, was about 15 minutes. Often the Express Line was five minutes or less (Hulk, Deuling Dragons, Cat in the Hat, etc., even at peak times). We waited until near the end of the evening our first day to try the Mummy, and had no wait whatsoever - we rode it three times in under a half hour, and that includes popping into Finnegan's to grab a quick beer.

No, it isn't the good ol' days, back in 2001 when the only express was for resort guests, and it was so new a system wasn't really in place, so most ride ops just sort of looked at your keys, and sent you in the back way, a true Front-of-the-Line program. But it still is the best perk out there, at any park I've been to, by a wide margin ...

 

[highlander447]

Sounds great only a few days to go

 

[Immelman]

I meant standby waits were that long, sorry for any confusion. express waits were around 15 or lower.