Fastpass Disappointments

[bellesbeast2]

We just got back from our first trip to Disney World since 1999, and it was wonderful overall. There were just two disappointments for us, and they both involved the fastpass system.
First, throughout our week I kept running into these tour directors holding 200 to 250 theme park tickets at a time. It appeared the directors' only job was to go from attraction to attraction, run all 200 tickets through a fastpass machine at a time, and then wait an hour and do the same thing at another location. These guys, and they were always guys, by the afternoon had at their disposal literally thousands and thousands of fastpasses. To me this goes against the spirit of Disney.

The second is the late night extra magic hours. When we went in 1999, they called it E-Ride Night, and I remember the fun of riding Space Mountain 15 times between 12:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. just because we could do it.
It's not that way any more at the Magic Kingdom- in fact, quite the opposite, and it is all because of fastpasses. I don't remember reading anywhere, and I read thousands of pages in books and here on the disboards, where they revealed that the fastpasses continue to be honored during the extra magic hours. Well, we went to the Magic Kingdom extra magic hour and tried to ride Space Mountain, of course by that time all the fastpasses were gone, but there were hoards, literally hoards upon hoards, of people using fastpasses and actually making the wait times during the extra magic hours horribly worse. We used up nearly an hour and a half of our precious extra magic hours to ride Space Mountain only once. We got in line at 12:15 a.m. and got on the ride at 1:45 a.m. I counted 3,500 fastpass users (many of them the same people with multiple fastpasses) rushing past us as we waited. What is the good of having the extra magic hours if the fastpasses trump them? Maybe Disney, if they want to reward those of us who stay on Disney property, should consider not accepting any more fastpasses once the late night extra magic hours begin. Or maybe start enforcing the ending times on those fastpass slips. We had been so looking forward to the extra magic hours, and this experience totally ruined it.
Once again, I love Disney, as all of us on the Disboards do, but this abuse of fastpasses is very, very hurtful.

 

[goofyernmost]

A very wise man made it a point to say, more than once, that Fastpass was not what they thought it was going to be and they would have been way better off to never have started it. Fastpass causes more unhappiness then joy. I don't care what kind of spin you put on it, it is not in the best interest of Disney. It is more of a negative then a positive. Always has been, always will be until it is gone.

 

[dqpowell]

I couldn't disagree more, but then you are "goofyernmost."

Certainly there are flaws in the fastpass implementation, as described by the OP. However overall I believe the fastpass system is a big improvement over the previous situation, in which there was little hope of visiting some attractions without hours spent waiting in line. My first trip back to WDW after the implementation of the fastpass system was a revelation, and I think it would be a big mistake to eliminate it.

That said, the problems mentioned by the OP could be solved pretty easily with a couple of changes to policy, without eliminating the benefits of the system.

David

 

[Mariposa]

A very wise man made it a point to say, more than once, that Fastpass was not what they thought it was going to be and they would have been way better off to never have started it. Fastpass causes more unhappiness then joy. I don't care what kind of spin you put on it, it is not in the best interest of Disney. It is more of a negative then a positive. Always has been, always will be until it is gone.

Wha? Huh?

Ya know, that's one opinion I've never seen expressed here- and I've seen a lot of opinions. Hmmm...


We LOVE Fastpass.


To the OP- I understand being upset about the second situation, but I'm not sure what was wrong with the first one? Presumably, the guides are only getting FPs for all the members of their group, for rides the group wants to go on?

 

[I'mNoPrince]

We also love fastpass and just can't see 3500 people going through when the machines have been cut off.

I understand the fustration of the OP and I'm sure those numbers were thrown out to make a point but come on.

I would not and have not ever waited that long in a line and I go during Peak times as well.

I think these past few weeks more and more people are hitting the waterparks during the day with the heat and then loading up the EMH at night.

 

[Chuck65]

We just got back from our first trip to Disney World since 1999, and it was wonderful overall. There were just two disappointments for us, and they both involved the fastpass system.
First, throughout our week I kept running into these tour directors holding 200 to 250 theme park tickets at a time. It appeared the directors' only job was to go from attraction to attraction, run all 200 tickets through a fastpass machine at a time, and then wait an hour and do the same thing at another location. These guys, and they were always guys, by the afternoon had at their disposal literally thousands and thousands of fastpasses. To me this goes against the spirit of Disney.

The second is the late night extra magic hours. When we went in 1999, they called it E-Ride Night, and I remember the fun of riding Space Mountain 15 times between 12:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. just because we could do it.
It's not that way any more at the Magic Kingdom- in fact, quite the opposite, and it is all because of fastpasses. I don't remember reading anywhere, and I read thousands of pages in books and here on the disboards, where they revealed that the fastpasses continue to be honored during the extra magic hours. Well, we went to the Magic Kingdom extra magic hour and tried to ride Space Mountain, of course by that time all the fastpasses were gone, but there were hoards, literally hoards upon hoards, of people using fastpasses and actually making the wait times during the extra magic hours horribly worse. We used up nearly an hour and a half of our precious extra magic hours to ride Space Mountain only once. We got in line at 12:15 a.m. and got on the ride at 1:45 a.m. I counted 3,500 fastpass users (many of them the same people with multiple fastpasses) rushing past us as we waited. What is the good of having the extra magic hours if the fastpasses trump them? Maybe Disney, if they want to reward those of us who stay on Disney property, should consider not accepting any more fastpasses once the late night extra magic hours begin. Or maybe start enforcing the ending times on those fastpass slips. We had been so looking forward to the extra magic hours, and this experience totally ruined it.
Once again, I love Disney, as all of us on the Disboards do, but this abuse of fastpasses is very, very hurtful.

You make some good points. The first part of your statement involves the Brazilian Tour Groups. All I can say is, good luck on getting Disney to fix that problem. The second point is also getting Disney to fix a problem. If they would enforce the return times and start denying people entrance to a ride, the FP system would work like it's supposed to.

 

[HockeyChick]

So, are you saying park guests who were not resort guests were being allowed to stay and use their fastpasses after EMH started? Because if not, I don't see what the gripe is that the EMH isn't rewarding resort guests. They're just rewarding resort guests who planned ahead more.

 

[briar_rose_59]

We also love fastpass and just can't see 3500 people going through when the machines have been cut off.

I'm a bit of a fastpass fan too lol. But anyways, methinks OP was exaggerating, since that would mean just under 40 people were going through per minute for the entire hour and a half they were waiting.

 

[BroadwayGirl]

So, are you saying park guests who were not resort guests were being allowed to stay and use their fastpasses after EMH started? Because if not, I don't see what the gripe is that the EMH isn't rewarding resort guests. They're just rewarding resort guests who planned ahead more.

I think there may be a glitch in that there isn't a way to allow just resort guests to use the FP machines once they turn them back on when EMH begins. However, I can attest from personal experience on multiple occasions that guests who DO NOT have EMH wristbands (or in some very extenuating circumstances) are not allowed into the queue line after EMH begins, even if they have gotten FP.

Also, at the MK EMH have started at 11pm or 12am most of the summer. Trying to get onto a marquee attraction so early during EMH just begs for waiting in longer lines. That is to say, at 10:59pm just before EMH begins the queue is usually around 60 minutes long. Disney does not go in and say, "oops, sorry, you didn't get on the ride yet so we are kicking you out of the line" to the guests who don't have wristbands. So it does take time to cycle through the existing queue and bring down the wait times. IMO it makes much more sense to enjoy the 2nd Spectro parade and some of the less popular attractions during the 1st have of EMH and then head to the "E-ticket" rides during the 2nd half of the 3 hours. Generally, this will result in shorter wait times and even almost walk-on queues for attractions like Space Mtn, Splash Mtn and Big Thunder Mtn.

 

[BamaFan121s]

E-Ride nights and Extra Magic Hour nights are a bit different. With E-Ride nights, you had to purchase a wristband and there were only a limited # given out--there were fewer people in the park on those nights. With EMH nights, anyone staying on property is allowed to stay in. And regardless to if they have a fastpass or not, when the normal park hours end and the EMH hours begin, fastpass or not, if they don't have a wristband, they won't be allowed on the ride.

(And for what it's worth, I LOVED the E-Ride nights and would gladly pay if they would bring them back! Wishful thinking, I know...)

 

[KorieDWnut]

We just got back from our first trip to Disney World since 1999, and it was wonderful overall. There were just two disappointments for us, and they both involved the fastpass system.
First, throughout our week I kept running into these tour directors holding 200 to 250 theme park tickets at a time. It appeared the directors' only job was to go from attraction to attraction, run all 200 tickets through a fastpass machine at a time, and then wait an hour and do the same thing at another location. These guys, and they were always guys, by the afternoon had at their disposal literally thousands and thousands of fastpasses. To me this goes against the spirit of Disney.

The second is the late night extra magic hours. When we went in 1999, they called it E-Ride Night, and I remember the fun of riding Space Mountain 15 times between 12:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. just because we could do it.
It's not that way any more at the Magic Kingdom- in fact, quite the opposite, and it is all because of fastpasses. I don't remember reading anywhere, and I read thousands of pages in books and here on the disboards, where they revealed that the fastpasses continue to be honored during the extra magic hours. Well, we went to the Magic Kingdom extra magic hour and tried to ride Space Mountain, of course by that time all the fastpasses were gone, but there were hoards, literally hoards upon hoards, of people using fastpasses and actually making the wait times during the extra magic hours horribly worse. We used up nearly an hour and a half of our precious extra magic hours to ride Space Mountain only once. We got in line at 12:15 a.m. and got on the ride at 1:45 a.m. I counted 3,500 fastpass users (many of them the same people with multiple fastpasses) rushing past us as we waited. What is the good of having the extra magic hours if the fastpasses trump them? Maybe Disney, if they want to reward those of us who stay on Disney property, should consider not accepting any more fastpasses once the late night extra magic hours begin. Or maybe start enforcing the ending times on those fastpass slips. We had been so looking forward to the extra magic hours, and this experience totally ruined it.
Once again, I love Disney, as all of us on the Disboards do, but this abuse of fastpasses is very, very hurtful.

I am not a huge FP user. I mean I use them when I need to but I am not someone who runs around the park collecting them. I am glad they have FP tho because the times I have used them, they saved me SOO much time and aggravation. When used properly, the system is wonderful. The only complaint I have, and really it is a small one, is that I think CMs need to enforce the return time more because if they just let everyone with a FP ahead of standby, expired or not, eventually that FP line is going to get just as long as the standby line, which I have seen a handful of times.

 

[midge3426]

(And for what it's worth, I LOVED the E-Ride nights and would gladly pay if they would bring them back! Wishful thinking, I know...)[/QUOTE]



BamaFan I agree with you 100 percent. Bring back E-Ride nights!!!! I would be more than happy to pay the $12 extra per person to enjoy an empty park. EMH at the park is way too crowded.

 

[Northstar]

(And for what it's worth, I LOVED the E-Ride nights and would gladly pay if they would bring them back! Wishful thinking, I know...)

BamaFan I agree with you 100 percent. Bring back E-Ride nights!!!! I would be more than happy to pay the $12 extra per person to enjoy an empty park. EMH at the park is way too crowded.[/QUOTE]

$12 per person??? What a deal that was. If they DID bring them back, I'm guessing they'd be charging close to what they do for the special-event parties... maybe $40 per person... and would increase the number of tickets sold. So let's be careful what we wish for.

 

[marivaid]

We just got back from our first trip to Disney World since 1999, and it was wonderful overall. There were just two disappointments for us, and they both involved the fastpass system.
First, throughout our week I kept running into these tour directors holding 200 to 250 theme park tickets at a time. It appeared the directors' only job was to go from attraction to attraction, run all 200 tickets through a fastpass machine at a time, and then wait an hour and do the same thing at another location. These guys, and they were always guys, by the afternoon had at their disposal literally thousands and thousands of fastpasses. To me this goes against the spirit of Disney.

I'm not a big fan of the tour groups however they are Disney guests who paid for their tickets and they should be able to get FPs exactly like everyone else. No, I don't like it when I'm behind the tour guide at the FP machine and have to wait them to get the fastpasses for the whole group, but I sure prefer that to having to queue behind all 100 of them each getting their own FP !

Not sure how it is "against the spirit of Disney" to have every guest enjoying the same advantages.

As for FPs during EMH, the few times we went to evening EMHs at MK in December, the FP lines were closed and everyone had to go through the regular lines.

 

[Allison]

I hear the tour groups are quite the presence in the parks. But, they are ticketholders and are entitled to a fastpass just like everyone else. I also agree it is better to have one person gathering those fastpasses than each individual.

 

[goofyernmost]

A very wise man made it a point to say, more than once, that Fastpass was not what they thought it was going to be and they would have been way better off to never have started it. Fastpass causes more unhappiness then joy. I don't care what kind of spin you put on it, it is not in the best interest of Disney. It is more of a negative then a positive. Always has been, always will be until it is gone.

Wha? Huh?

Ya know, that's one opinion I've never seen expressed here- and I've seen a lot of opinions. Hmmm...

Oh my goodness...this topic has been discussed more than almost any single topic on the boards. I understand that those that refuse to see past today, feel that Fastpass is great. Heck, I use it myself out of necessity but I know that it will ultimately be costly to all of us.

I returned and have returned to Disney multiple times based primarily on my first impression of the place. Back then in PFP time, (pre FastPass) the lines existed but they flowed steadily. We all groaned about waiting in line but mostly we just chatted with strangers and waited our turn without any feeling of anger.

Check it out now and listen to the comments of the people waiting in the standby line when they stand in the sun for ages while others pass in front of them and make them wait. It wouldn't hurt for Disney to listen either. Anger does not make for a happy experience. An unhappy experience does not make for a desire to return. No desire to return means the "magic" is gone for many.

BTW, please don't start up with the "everyone can get one" argument. That has been proven wrong more times then George W. Bush.

 

[Callas]

Wrong as many times as Clinton has used women and taken credit for what congress did: ) (Parents turn around and say... "dont make me stop this thread kids")

deleted I wrote it light harded but after reading felt it read to mean...


Callas

 

[Allison]

Fastpass is a wonderful invention. It makes my trip much more enjoyable and will continue to do so.

 

[disneyfantotheend]

From what i remember there is more than one FP machine at each attraction. Were there tour groups at each machine? The tour group leader was doing nothing wrong by getting fps for his group. And many individual people also go from fp to fp as the window opens. It is each park attendees right to do it while the fps are still being disbursed. But I would try to avoid getting my fp from a machine that a person was standing in line in front of me with a stack of tickets.

I think there are many things they can do to improve the fp system. Honoring the return time only (no late fps), maybe dispursing less (sure this gives you less of a chance to get one, but first come first serve) and closing down the fp line during EMHs are a few. But I would not want them to do away with fps all together. We use them. We do go back within the window given to us and we do not run around all day grabbing them, but if we see a long line and don't want to wait we grab one and come back later.

If there are no more fps and lines are extremely long, we usually decide whether or not that ride is worth the wait. If not we move on and go back to ride another time.

 

[goofyernmost]

Why bring politics into it, but since you did I think this is a perfect time to frame what the left means.

I like the fast pass but can also see the other side of the story. Life is not fair and the advantage goes to those who prepare... this is true with and with out the FP system

For heavens sake it was a joke. Lighten up! I could have said that about anybody liberal or conservative, scientists or clergy, teachers or weathermen. GWB was just more topical.

As for life not being fair...I agree. The main difference is that I go to Disney to get away from "life". I expect all things within the confines of the Disney property to be fair. If not, I can get the same experience at home. Why spend all that money when I can be frustrated at home for free.