Fast Pass return times

[UNCFanatik]

Can those of you with the Pom poms out supporting this change please provide some reasons why the change improves the park goers experience?

Keep in mind that under the old system you could go on a 9 crowd day and never wait in a line more than 30 minutes.

Let me sit down my Poms Poms for a second here....

Love your sweeping generalizations. It depends on what kind of park goer one is as to the effects on the new enforcement. Even you admitted as such in a previous post when you talked about the jealous more relaxed park goers.

As has been reported, FPs for some more popular attractions are available later in the day. Now, there is some speculation on why that is. This benefits the park goer who is not there at rope drop or comes into the park later in the morning. Previously, they may not have gotten a FP but now they can. In that park goers mind, this is an improvement especially if they were not aware of the non-enforcement of FP windows in the past or they just didnt take advantage of it.

And as stated before, it is too early to really analyze the effect on the FP enforcement on the lines but we have seen reports of people saying they have waited in shorter FP lines than they have in the past. Another benefit to that individual. But of course, we have had reports of people waiting in longer FP lines. Still to early to tell but SOME have clearly benefited from the change.

Another benefit I see and this is admittedly in my selfish point of view is that it cuts down on guests acting as proxy FP distributors.

My question for you is this. If 90% of Disney park goers were in the know and took advantage of the non enforcement of FP windows, would you still feel the same?

 

[donaldsgirl]

I have not been back to DW since they have made the change but I can say that when we do get FP's we ALWAYS try to make it back to the ride within the time frame but that happens only about half of the time. The purpose of the FP is to allow families to experience more of the parks while waiting to ride a popular ride. If they truly enforce the new FP rules they need to at least give a 2 or 3 hour hour window to return or even consider allowing guest to choose a time frame. What happens if you run across the park to get FP's to Toy Story Mania only to have it pop up at your 2 yr olds nap time or have it conflict with your dining reservations???? Having a 4 yr old and a 9 yr old and a 34 yr old who is worse than both the kids combined, it is EASY to get sidetracked by a character or getting tired or going to a show that has technical difficulties..ect. I understand the idea behind the FP rules but I don't believe that it will be a functional option unless you want ALOT of upset parents and kids having a meltdown because the only ride they wanted to go on in not available to them. Disney needs to reconsider this one.

 

[Mister Skellington]

We were there April 10-14 (the week after Easter), and we found that FP enforcement really negatively effected our vacation. We were not able to accomplish nearly what we previously had done, and I have to say, waiting around for a FP window to open just sucks.

The net effect was that we used less FPs because we found it to be really inconvenient. The only saving grace was that the MK was open everyday at 7am for EMH, and we took advantage of the two hours before the park filled.

To give you an example of having to wait around- We arrived at the MK at 7 am, we did everything in Circusland and Fantasyland to our hearts content, and around 9:00 we moved into Tomorrowland. We picked up FPs for Space Mountain for around 10:30. We figured we'd do some rides in Tomorrowland and then use our FP, but remember that the crowds were building. We did Buzz with a 5 minute wait (it was 25 when we got off), and then went over to the laugh floor, and took a spin on the TTA.

By the time we were off we still had a half hour to kill, and really no where to go. So, we stood around and waited, which was boring, and a waste of vacation time. Previously I would have just moved on to something else, maybe the Haunted Mansion, and then lunch at CHH, and then wander over to SM after lunch, when DS was napping in his stroller, and then ride.

This time we really needed to get on right as our window opened, because I wanted to get DS lunch before he fell asleep, and now we have no flexibility with our FP window.

Add in the crowds and the lines, even if I didn't have a nap aged kid, I really couldn't trust getting anywhere, riding something and being back within our window.

I know this is my problem, and the naysayers will just say something like "you should have planned better" or "we all have to make choices", but I find that a little smug. The truth is that our last trips all ran more smoothly and were more enjoyable. I don't understand the glee over this trip being so different. Why are some people on this board relishing others running into vacation snags?

Great post.

 

[donaldsgirl]

That is just the problem with this. No matter HOW much you plan, how detailed you are..you can NEVER predict when a ride will have a difficulty or your baby has a melt down or (a diaper explosion which can take a CONSIDERABLE amount of time) ect..Adjustments really need to be made in this situation or there is going to be ALOT of upset kids and parents.

 

[UNCFanatik]

I have not been back to DW since they have made the change but I can say that when we do get FP's we ALWAYS try to make it back to the ride within the time frame but that happens only about half of the time. The purpose of the FP is to allow families to experience more of the parks while waiting to ride a popular ride. If they truly enforce the new FP rules they need to at least give a 2 or 3 hour hour window to return or even consider allowing guest to choose a time frame. What happens if you run across the park to get FP's to Toy Story Mania only to have it pop up at your 2 yr olds nap time or have it conflict with your dining reservations???? Having a 4 yr old and a 9 yr old and a 34 yr old who is worse than both the kids combined, it is EASY to get sidetracked by a character or getting tired or going to a show that has technical difficulties..ect. I understand the idea behind the FP rules but I don't believe that it will be a functional option unless you want ALOT of upset parents and kids having a meltdown because the only ride they wanted to go on in not available to them. Disney needs to reconsider this one.

The ride, if not shutdown, is always available to them.

 

[AreTwo1]

I will admit I am a lurker, as you can see by my lack of sig and number of posts, so take my comments as you will....

We were at DW last week (04/18-04/22) and the new rules around fast passes seemed to work out great for us.

For instance on Thursday we were at HS just after rope drop, went to Toy Story and were able to secure FPs with a return time of 12:05-1:05 PM which worked out great for us. We went and road RnR (Twice with no FPs, son did it 5 times after going through the Single Rider) and ToT (1x). The park was a little more crowded than we were used to (we normally go during September or after Thanksgiving), but the FP worked like a champ. There were still FPs available for Toy Story when we came out of it as well.

Once we were done at HS, we hopped over to Epcot, keep in mind it is now around 1:30-2:00, went staight to Soarin' and were able to get FPs with a return time of 6:30-7:30, which gave us time to walk around WS and enjoy the Flower and Garden Festival and allowed our son to do the Kim Possible WS Adventure.

Once we were done at Epcot we hopped over to MK and were able to get FP's for Space Mountain with a 10:00-11:00 return time. We were able to go do whatever we wanted, lines weren't too long for most things, but had a great time then went back and used our Space Mountain FPs. By this time the line was shorter so we hung around and road it some more.

On Saturday, we made it to HS by 11:30, went staight to Toy Story, picked up FPs with a return time of 6:30-7:30. We did find HS way to crowded on Sat. (RnR kept going down) ToT had a 120 minute wait, we ate lunch and did a few small things, found a couple coming in the gate at around 1, gave them our Toy Story FPs, made sure they could use them, and headed back to OKW for a quick swim and then on to MK to close it down. We were able to get FPs for Space Mountain again, but it broke down during our FP time, luckily we were able to to ride it a couple of times before our FP window.

Honestly I think for us, it worked out great. It seemed to me to allow more guests to make use of the FP system (All of Toy Story FPs not being gone by say 11 or 11:30 in the morning). The FP lines were very short (as they seem to always have been for us).

Now, with all of that said, we do not normally go during busy season, we avoid WDW like the plague during peak season, you honestly couldn't pay me to go during the summer (May -August), so I cannot speak for how it will work out in during peak season.

So for us, I would say it worked the way it is designed to work. We didn't get stressed about having to be back in a hour or having to criss cross the park just to use our FPs. If for any reason we felt we couldn't use them or make it back in time, we find people that can use them and pass them on to them. My apologies for a quick trip report to respond to the post. Everyone have a great day!

 

[donaldsgirl]

The ride, if not shutdown, is always available to them.

Sure it is. Sometimes it works out fine that way...sometimes there is a 2 hour wait and you wind up missing a ton of other things in the park. Again, The FP idea is an excellent one but it will need to have SOME flexibility to it in order for it to work correctly. I am not saying to get a FP for
10am and show up around 6pm. I am saying that if your FP is for 12:20 and your have a dining reservation at 12:30 ACROSS THE PARK, there isn't a way to do it. If your lucky you can get another fastpass...if they are not ALL GONE!! Either extend the time frame from an hour to 2 or 3 hours or allow guests to choose the time themselves to come back (not really feasible without alot of expense but it is still an option). Keep in mind that I am talking as a mother of two young kids. One missed favorite can kill the day for EVERYONE in the group.

 

[Amirah95]

Another one here who doesn't like it, but will deal with it fine...for now as the little one is still little.

 

[Klassifyed]

reposted, due to lack of response?

Wow---this thread is really all over the place. And I find that some of the responses are unnecessarily catty and RUDE.

Anyway....I havent been to WDW in 2 years for a middle school choir trip. Now I'm doing it again with my younger DD. Quite frankly, I am a bit alarmed, given the info in this thread.

Touring with a school group is quite different from DIY. There are check-in's and other factors that have to be legally met from the local school board that governs such trips. I see that I might develop quite the headache trying to reconcile the two.

The way it worked for me last time? I have a group of 5-9 students with me, and another chaperone. I would go get our FP's for....say ToT.....while they stood in line for RnR. We all know the SB line for that one is ALWAYS long. Under this new system, it doesnt sound like we would be able to do that?? Then, what is the point of the FP now, if we get it and then have to stand around and wait? Unless I am missing something.....

Of course, my "angst" is compounded by the fact that one of my charges is a first timer, and I really wanted to get in as much as possible for her.

I further predict that, if WDW continues to get more stressful and costly (all the pre-planning that goes into such trips far outweighs the level of research I do for other trips---and this is coming from someone that has a slight OCD about planning!! lol), then I will probably not go as much anymore, and NEVER at peak times (well, I'm already THERE).

Any advice, o' knowledgeable Disney mavens?

 

[White_Sox_Fan]

Wow---this thread is really all over the place. And I find that some of the responses are unnecessarily catty and RUDE.

Anyway....I havent been to WDW in 2 years for a middle school choir trip. Now I'm doing it again with my younger DD. Quite frankly, I am a bit alarmed, given the info in this thread.

Touring with a school group is quite different from DIY. There are check-in's and other factors that have to be legally met from the local school board that governs such trips. I see that I might develop quite the headache trying to reconcile the two.

The way it worked for me last time? I have a group of 5-9 students with me, and another chaperone. I would go get our FP's for....say ToT.....while they stood in line for RnR. We all know the SB line for that one is ALWAYS long. Under this new system, it doesnt sound like we would be able to do that?? Then, what is the point of the FP now, if we get it and then have to stand around and wait? Unless I am missing something.....

Of course, my "angst" is compounded by the fact that one of my charges is a first timer, and I really wanted to get in as much as possible for her.

I further predict that, if WDW continues to get more stressful and costly (all the pre-planning that goes into such trips far outweighs the level of research I do for other trips---and this is coming from someone that has a slight OCD about planning!! lol), then I will probably not go as much anymore, and NEVER at peak times (well, I'm already THERE).

Any advice, o' knowledgeable Disney mavens?

I see no reason why you can't be a FP runner now. You just need to return within the designated window.

 

[cluvsdisney]

reposted, due to lack of response?

Fast pass still works basically the same way. When you get the fast pass, there will be a return time on the FP which is now being enforced (until recently guests were permitted to return anytime after the start time on the same day).

You do not have to stand around and wait for the FP start time to go on that ride...you can go on other rides, get something to eat, shop, sit on a bench & people watch, go back to your resort...you just need to get back to the FP line before the end of your ride time window.

 

[mefordis]

Hmmm...don't "Like". My main concern..possible conflicts with ADRs, so we didn't book any. I doubt, Disney will miss my $$$$..just a couple TS per day. Although, it's saving me $400-$500 per day.

Just curious, how is it saving you $400-$500 per day? In two table service meals? They cost that much? Or was this a joke?

Thanks.

 

[Robo]

Just curious, how is it saving you $400-$500 per day? In two table service meals? They cost that much? Or was this a joke?

Thanks.

You need to consider the NUMBER of GUESTS in the party.

 

[mjp12831]

Let me sit down my Poms Poms for a second here....

Love your sweeping generalizations. It depends on what kind of park goer one is as to the effects on the new enforcement. Even you admitted as such in a previous post when you talked about the jealous more relaxed park goers.

As has been reported, FPs for some more popular attractions are available later in the day. Now, there is some speculation on why that is. This benefits the park goer who is not there at rope drop or comes into the park later in the morning. Previously, they may not have gotten a FP but now they can. In that park goers mind, this is an improvement especially if they were not aware of the non-enforcement of FP windows in the past or they just didnt take advantage of it.

And as stated before, it is too early to really analyze the effect on the FP enforcement on the lines but we have seen reports of people saying they have waited in shorter FP lines than they have in the past. Another benefit to that individual. But of course, we have had reports of people waiting in longer FP lines. Still to early to tell but SOME have clearly benefited from the change.

Another benefit I see and this is admittedly in my selfish point of view is that it cuts down on guests acting as proxy FP distributors.

My question for you is this. If 90% of Disney park goers were in the know and took advantage of the non enforcement of FP windows, would you still feel the same?

I couldn't answer your last question - first I have no idea how many of the park goers were in the know prior to the policy change. You're implying that 10% knew you could use late, but no one has that statistic. Maybe 70% of the park goers were in the know already. I figured it out somehow and it wasn't from reading it here. Again, why is it the informed park goer's problem that some people are happily uninformed?

What I do know is that with prior policy I had great trips to WDW and was able to ride every ride I wanted to with minimal waits even at busy times of the year - this is fact and is now subject to change.

A prior poster put a very nice post together detailing added stress to a trip and wasted vacation time because of now having to stay in certain areas of the park. This is clearly a detriment.

More FP available now? That may be the case, but only if they increased the number of FP distributed which only serves to decrease the number of SB riders. This change could have been made independently of window enforcement. You are arguing it as a BENEFIT of enforcement, which is not the case.

In any event, the lax park goer was not detrimented by late useage, and I have seen no evidence that there is a tangible consistent benefit to enforcement. You yourself acknowledge that guests have reported both longer and shorter lines, and if you're an experienced WDW visitor you'd take these reports with a grain of salt. Line conditions change all of the time at WDW, and a longer or shorter line is dependent on so many factors that to take someone's experience and think that it is representative of a new norm is ridicilous.

So a policy change was made. Prior policy allowed me to ride everything and not worry about scheduling my day like I was at work. Current policy makes me walk more, wait more (hanging in areas of the park waiting for FP windows to open), schedule more, think more... Is that supposed to be viewed by me as more fun than I had last year??

I'll give it the college try and despite my pre conceived notions, I'll go into our trip this year with an open mind. I will be quite surprised though if I come back and report that our trip was just as fun as prior years and we accomplished just as much. I hope I'm wrong.

I'll cede your point that enforcement will deter professional FP runners, but I don't think that was exactly a huge problem.

I remain thoroughly confused on why people are so supportive of this change when the prior policy detrimented no one and benefitted many.

 

[UNCFanatik]

I couldn't answer your last question - first I have no idea how many of the park goers were in the know prior to the policy change. You're implying that 10% knew you could use late, but no one has that statistic. Maybe 70% of the park goers were in the know already. I figured it out somehow and it wasn't from reading it here. Again, why is it the informed park goer's problem that some people are happily uninformed?

My point is if 9/10 people knew about late FP use and took advantage of it then it would have negatively affected your trip and change your view.

What I do know is that with prior policy I had great trips to WDW and was able to ride every ride I wanted to with minimal waits even at busy times of the year - this is fact and is now subject to change.

A prior poster put a very nice post together detailing added stress to a trip and wasted vacation time because of now having to stay in certain areas of the park. This is clearly a detriment.

I am not saying this isnt a negative change for those that were use to non-FP enforcement.

More FP available now? That may be the case, but only if they increased the number of FP distributed which only serves to decrease the number of SB riders. This change could have been made independently of window enforcement. You are arguing it as a BENEFIT of enforcement, which is not the case.

Again, I stated it was a matter of perspective to an individual park goer. Some park goers could benefit as where they haven not in the past due to the change. That person would definitely see it as a BENEFIT.

In any event, the lax park goer was not detrimented by late useage, and I have seen no evidence that there is a tangible consistent benefit to enforcement. You yourself acknowledge that guests have reported both longer and shorter lines, and if you're an experienced WDW visitor you'd take these reports with a grain of salt. Line conditions change all of the time at WDW, and a longer or shorter line is dependent on so many factors that to take someone's experience and think that it is representative of a new norm is ridicilous.

Yes, the lax park goer was negatively affected by late usage because late users were pulling FPs for use later in the day and FPs were running out earlier. Now I think we see a combination of factors in play that benefit the lax park goer. Increased FPs distributed + People not pulling FPs

Yes, as i have stated, it is too early to tell of the overall effect of the the new FP enforcement but as evidenced by reports, some people are saying they like the new system because they have seen benefits in their particular case.

So a policy change was made. Prior policy allowed me to ride everything and not worry about scheduling my day like I was at work. Current policy makes me walk more, wait more (hanging in areas of the park waiting for FP windows to open), schedule more, think more... Is that supposed to be viewed by me as more fun than I had last year??

I'll give it the college try and despite my pre conceived notions, I'll go into our trip this year with an open mind. I will be quite surprised though if I come back and report that our trip was just as fun as prior years and we accomplished just as much. I hope I'm wrong.

I'll cede your point that enforcement will deter professional FP runners, but I don't think that was exactly a huge problem.

I remain thoroughly confused on why people are so supportive of this change when the prior policy detrimented no one and benefitted many.

I agree it is a negative change for people that took advantage of late FP use.

I still disagree that no one was negatively affected before. EX. if i was in an SB line that listed a 20 minute wait at 9pm lets say and a large group of people with FPs that were past their window showed up and used them while i was in the SB line then I would be negatively affected.

Lastly, I contend that the reason why you experienced a benefit was because a relatively small number of people used FPs past their window.

 

[ccgirl]

Sure it is. Sometimes it works out fine that way...sometimes there is a 2 hour wait and you wind up missing a ton of other things in the park. Again, The FP idea is an excellent one but it will need to have SOME flexibility to it in order for it to work correctly. I am not saying to get a FP for
10am and show up around 6pm. I am saying that if your FP is for 12:20 and your have a dining reservation at 12:30 ACROSS THE PARK, there isn't a way to do it. If your lucky you can get another fastpass...if they are not ALL GONE!! Either extend the time frame from an hour to 2 or 3 hours or allow guests to choose the time themselves to come back (not really feasible without alot of expense but it is still an option). Keep in mind that I am talking as a mother of two young kids. One missed favorite can kill the day for EVERYONE in the group.

Right...which is why you don't get it. If the FP return time is posted as 12:20 and you have an ADR at 12:30 across the park, don't get the FP. Go to your ADR and then come back to the ride.

They post the times before you even get the FP. If you can't make the time, don't get it. I really don't understand why people think this is difficult. Does it mean you may miss some rides...absolutely, but so do heavy crowds.

FP times are staggered so the lines are staggered. If people do not adhere to their FP times, the lines are no long staggered as they should be.

If there is one favorite ride, I make sure to ride that one first. I have young kids as well so I understand disappointment.

 

[mom2rtk]

Right...which is why you don't get it. If the FP return time is posted as 12:20 and you have an ADR at 12:30 across the park, don't get the FP. Go to your ADR and then come back to the ride.

They post the times before you even get the FP. If you can't make the time, don't get it. I really don't understand why people think this is difficult. Does it mean you may miss some rides...absolutely, but so do heavy crowds.

FP times are staggered so the lines are staggered. If people do not adhere to their FP times, the lines are no long staggered as they should be.

If there is one favorite ride, I make sure to ride that one first. I have young kids as well so I understand disappointment.

But if I was in Tomorrowland and ran across the park to Splash to get a FP, but had an ADR at Tony's Town Square, I have to say I'd be rather perturbed to show up there and find out they were at that moment distributing FP's for my ADR time. Maybe after lunch I had planned to head back to Tomorowlan to use the SM FP I had picked up earlier in the day. Maybe there's no time to make it back to Splash for a FP before it's likely the FP's would be out.

You all make it sound so easy......... "just don't take the FP". "Just don't do the ride". "Just ride SB". Gee, wonder why none of those amazingly appealing options doesn't seem to grab me.

 

[mjp12831]

My point is if 9/10 people knew about late FP use and took advantage of it then it would have negatively affected your trip and change your view.

We're now debating the same point on 2 different threads, but as explained on the other one this would not be a problem because it would fix itself. Even of those who knew they could use late, not everyone did as evidenced by the people on these boards who are accusing the late users of being rule breakers. Further, in an extreme example where everyone uses late than the SB line goes quicker.

Yes, the lax park goer was negatively affected by late usage because late users were pulling FPs for use later in the day and FPs were running out earlier. Now I think we see a combination of factors in play that benefit the lax park goer. Increased FPs distributed + People not pulling FPs

Nope, a fixed number of riders could ride in a given day. Anyone pulling a FP was already ahead of you in line if you get in either line after their window. The fact that you would not have seen that person in line if they used during their window does not mean that they were not ahead of you. On the flipside, you may actually benefit from late usage because when that was allowed people who pulled FP with return times did not come back within their window, and if you got in line in the meantime they essentially let you pass them in line.

FP supply is not impacted by enforcement - if WDW decides to increase supply it is at the sacrifice of the SB rider (fewer). FP demand may be slightly impacted by enforcement, but if your argument is that only 10% of people knew about late returns, and acknowedge that a portion of those who knew still used within their window, then really you've defeated that argument yourself because there wouldn't be enough people deferring use because of the policy change to impact demand.

I still disagree that no one was negatively affected before. EX. if i was in an SB line that listed a 20 minute wait at 9pm lets say and a large group of people with FPs that were past their window showed up and used them while i was in the SB line then I would be negatively affected.

This is wrong - as explained above anyone with a window ahead of when you get in the SB line is already in line ahead of you. If they used in their window then the line you are standing in would be that much longer, you just wouldn't actually see those people. You perceive to be waiting longer but the reality is that you aren't. Those people you see at 9pm would have rode at 4pm taking up ride capacity and pushing the lines out by 20 people.

Lastly, I contend that the reason why you experienced a benefit was because a relatively small number of people used FPs past their window.

Possibly in part, but this cannot be proven. What can be proven is that under the old system you could ride to your heart's content and never wait in lines, and this opportunity was open to anyone in the park.

 

[KellyNY]

I couldn't answer your last question - first I have no idea how many of the park goers were in the know prior to the policy change. You're implying that 10% knew you could use late, but no one has that statistic. Maybe 70% of the park goers were in the know already. I figured it out somehow and it wasn't from reading it here. Again, why is it the informed park goer's problem that some people are happily uninformed?

What I do know is that with prior policy I had great trips to WDW and was able to ride every ride I wanted to with minimal waits even at busy times of the year - this is fact and is now subject to change.

A prior poster put a very nice post together detailing added stress to a trip and wasted vacation time because of now having to stay in certain areas of the park. This is clearly a detriment.

More FP available now? That may be the case, but only if they increased the number of FP distributed which only serves to decrease the number of SB riders. This change could have been made independently of window enforcement. You are arguing it as a BENEFIT of enforcement, which is not the case.

In any event, the lax park goer was not detrimented by late useage, and I have seen no evidence that there is a tangible consistent benefit to enforcement. You yourself acknowledge that guests have reported both longer and shorter lines, and if you're an experienced WDW visitor you'd take these reports with a grain of salt. Line conditions change all of the time at WDW, and a longer or shorter line is dependent on so many factors that to take someone's experience and think that it is representative of a new norm is ridicilous.

So a policy change was made. Prior policy allowed me to ride everything and not worry about scheduling my day like I was at work. Current policy makes me walk more, wait more (hanging in areas of the park waiting for FP windows to open), schedule more, think more... Is that supposed to be viewed by me as more fun than I had last year??

I'll give it the college try and despite my pre conceived notions, I'll go into our trip this year with an open mind. I will be quite surprised though if I come back and report that our trip was just as fun as prior years and we accomplished just as much. I hope I'm wrong.

I'll cede your point that enforcement will deter professional FP runners, but I don't think that was exactly a huge problem.

I remain thoroughly confused on why people are so supportive of this change when the prior policy detrimented no one and benefitted many.

You seriously beleive, looking deep down, not even admitting to board but to yourself that late FPer did not affect anyone? That somehow when late FPer was going infront of SB, time was frosen?
Star Trek material. Remarkable.

 

[mom2rtk]

You seriously beleive, looking deep down, not even admitting to board but to yourself that late FPer did not affect anyone? That somehow when late FPer was going infront of SB, time was frosen?
Star Trek material. Remarkable.

Yes. Because if they had used the FP earlier in the day, the line would have been backed up that much more.