Fast Pass runner strategy

[Balt ravens fan]

A strategy I employed on this last trip was to be the "Fast Pass runner". Sounds silly but it started like this. After getting to MK very early in the morning, and hitting fantasy land - Dumbo, Carousel, Peter Pan 2x (via fast pass 1), Snow White 2x, Its a Small World, etc... It was about 11:20, the family wanted to eat lunch at the Liberty Tree Tavern. So I took all the park hopper passes (we had 5 of them) and jogged over to Splash Moutain, and got 5 fast passes as everyone else walked casually to lunch got a table and ordered my drink (I was booking over to Splash Moutain.) The time for the fast pass was 12:10 - 1:10. So after lunch we went over to Splash (but I jogged ahead over to the Thunder Mountain to grab another fast pass and met them at SM). Through out the four days we employed this strategy - I would think ahead, run over to that area and grab fast passes and come back and join the party for lunch or whatever area we were in. (I did it for Buzz Light year / Space Moutain / Jungle Cruise / Whirl roller coaster / Dinosaur / Test Track , etc...)

Has anyone else used a fast pass runner? - who held everyone's park hopper tickets and planned out all the times (I really enjoyed doing this.) We would get up to an attraction and I would hand out the fast passes and everyone would go in.

(Our one friend said I could get a job doing this for families who come to Disney - we never waited in a line the whole time we were there and there were long lines for some rides). Maybe I am just type A, but it was fun for me.

Dave

 

[Lewisc]

I've done the same thing. Key to the strategy, get the next FP before using your current one.

 

[donna in Oz]

No runners in our group. Hey, Dave, are you for hire??

 

[rachael95]

Are you allowed to get more than one FP at a time? We're going in Sept. so I don't know if we'll need to use them, but for some reason I thought you could only get one at a time. Or is that one per ride at a time?

 

[disobsessed]

Hey Balt Ravens fan - I am one too! Although not as big a fan as DH who is OBSESSED.

One question - how do you get a new FP before using the old one? I thought you could not get a new one until you either used the old one, or the time was up? Am I wrong?

 

[georgina]

It will say on the bottom of the fast pass when you can get another. Usually you can get one when your time for the first pass arrives (if your first pass is for 10:00, you can get a new one at 10:01, before you use the first one.) Sometimes you can get another sooner. I did discover that you actaully have to use the park ticket to enter the park that day. last summer we kept getting skunked on TT fast passes, so i went to Epcot one day to get 5 FP fot TT while the others headed to cape may for breakfast. I was going to join them for breakfast, then we would head over to TT to ride. Couldn't do it, though. I can't believe we were there 12 days and never got on TT!

 

[rachael95]

That makes sense then, if there is a window of when you can use it then getting another at the front part of the window would let you have two at a time.

Now that is planning. I doubt we'll be that organized.

 

[jjohns]

In my 'commando moments' (which, truth be told, start when I arrive in Orlando ) I am the family 'runner' for Fastpasses.

I've done crazy things like
- Run to Dinosaur from entrance while family walks to Safari
- Run to Dinosaur from Safari while family walks to Lion King
- Run to Buzz/Space from Pooh while family walks to Buzz
- Run to Splash/Big Thunder while family eats at Harbour House

Ouch! I need to relax.... But I truly dislike waiting in lines when I could be doing something better.

Will probably be running to more FP machines next time we go...

 

[KSgirl]

I'm also the Fast Pass runner for our family (well, OK, maybe Fast Pass speedy-walker w/ stroller). While my husband would ride the "big kid" rides with the three older children, the littlest (2.5years) and I would *run* and get another Fast Pass for the rest of the family. Then, occasionally, we would take advantage of the Baby Swap, and I would would ride with a couple of the kids while we waited for our next Fast Pass. Worked out really well, and the kids got to ride several times 2X in a row. I didn't mind at all because it gave me something to do (cause the little one was too small to ride things like BTMR and SM) while waiting for the rest of the family!

 

[BrianD]

One extra tip for using this strategy...don't let a CM see you because it is supposed to be 1person=1ticket at the fastpass machine. Several times on our trip last week I noticed people getting "caught" trying to getting fastpasses for several tickets at one time, and then not being allowed to.

I'm not saying don't do it because it's morally wrong, because we did it all trip long, I'm just saying try not to let a CM see you do it.

 

[jjohns]

Originally posted by BrianD
One extra tip for using this strategy...don't let a CM see you because it is supposed to be 1person=1ticket at the fastpass machine. Several times on our trip last week I noticed people getting "caught" trying to getting fastpasses for several tickets at one time, and then not being allowed to.

This must be another one of those YMMV things @ Disney.

I am always the one carrying all the tickets. I (even when not racing ahead) go to the FP machine and get FP for each ticket. I've even had trouble with one ticket, asked for help, showed the CM the others that worked... All no problem.

Maybe since its soooooo obvious the 4 tickets are a 'family' - 2 child, 2 adult - I've never been challenged. I would probably object if challenged anyway - I'm not going to let my (then) 4 and 6 year old fiddle around with the FP machine...

 

[jimmalru80]

My DS (now 19) has been our FP runner for the past 3 trips. He's a track and field athlete, so he fits the "job description" perfectly. We have never had a problem w/the CM's and he really takes pride in his role. It certainly helps us enjoy the parks even more.

 

[Miscrapper]

When you say "run" do you mean walk fast maybe jog a little? I can't imagine really running through the parks!

Also why wouldn't they let you get multiple fast passes with every family member's tickets? If every single person (including young children) went to get own FP it would create lines there!

 

[OhMari]

This past April I saw people putting tickets in for their entire family for fast pass. Sometimes CM's where there, other times no CM's to be seen. AT TT Fast Pass, it spit out Fast Passes for TT and Honey, I shrunk the Audience. This was Easter Week.

I've seen CM's hand out fast passes, cause some people get them and find they can't use them. The CM told me, if people ask them, they usually have extra's on hand.

When you use Fast Pass and show the first CM when you get on, don't throw it out. You have to show the CM before you can get on the ride. 2 girls did this ahead of us and the where told they could not enter. The busier rides tend to be more strict.

I don't know how many times though I handed back people's original tickets. One guy almost had a heart attack when I handed his tickets back. He was like "Oh My Gosh". I think some people are so new to Fast Pass, they just worry about getting the Fast Pass and forget to grab their ticket when they are done.

 

[InstImpres]

Is this the meeting of type A personalities

I am usually the fastpass person....I'm thinking that is because I make everyone give me back the tickets at the gate. No game playing in our group

 

[Tiggerkeeper]

HA HA HA! I am the fast pass runner in our family! My DH says it is the only way to deal with my "you guys aren't walking fast enough" mentality. He just turns me in the direction I need to go and tells me where to meet the rest of the family and it works out great! He's the one who hates to wait in line!

Glad to hear we have a group!

 

[ktglads]

Finally! Other people whose groups don't walk fast enough for them. I swear, I am always at least 5 - 10 feet in front of them.
It is so much easier to just send one person rather than have EVERYONE trek all the way over there to get the FPs. I find that this is a very good strategy and is the easiest way to keep track of all the tickets and all the FPs. Less of a chance that tickets will be lost or forgotten.

Bonus for us with the FP runner: if you see a character, you can get a pic with them and then brag to everyone else who you saw

 

[funhouse8]

We send my son ahead. His legs are much younger, but beware one time he came back with one pass less. Luckly for him and us when he returned it was still in the machine. CM's say this happens all the time.

 

[Kallison]

My neighbor and I are both Disney nuts. She goes on these huge extended family trips with her sister, and their 7 kids, her parents and maybe other siblings. They refer to her as the Fastass, she gets them for the whole group.

 

[tjmw2727]

Originally posted by BrianD
One extra tip for using this strategy...don't let a CM see you because it is supposed to be 1person=1ticket at the fastpass machine. Several times on our trip last week I noticed people getting "caught" trying to getting fastpasses for several tickets at one time, and then not being allowed to.

I'm not saying don't do it because it's morally wrong, because we did it all trip long, I'm just saying try not to let a CM see you do it.

Humm, this is interesting as I was told more than once the opposite. When entering the area for fp's in April the CM's were advising people to give all the passes to one person and thus avoid all the lines and congestion in the fp area. This happened at the safari at AK and TT at Epcot. I noticed this because I was the only adult with my two young girls and hence, even though I had all the tickets they were with me and I couldn't abide by the CM's wishes in my case.

Not disputing what you were told just another one of those different day different policy moments I guess!

TJ