Fastpass Enforcement coming?

[estherhead]

No you shouldn't have to beg a CM to ride a ride. However if your Fastpass window states you need to ride between 5 and 6 then you need to ride between 5 and 6. Sometime stuff happens and you miss your window. Life goes on.

Or you can simply choose to not use Fastpasses and instead wait in line. If you have a child that is completely incapable of waiting in line, then a trip to a place where waiting in lines is a huge part of what you do, may not be the best trip choice.

Disney has never ever promised you could ride every ride exactly when it was most convenient.

Hmmm.... as a business owner, which Disney is running a business, this bothers me. I never want to tell a customer, "That's the policy, bummer for you." I realize that it does happen from time to time but I don't make policies that force me to say it often.

And WDW has purposefully reached out to families with disabilities. Purposefully gone out and said, "don't eat gluten? We'll accommodate. Have babies? We'll accommodate. Have a complicated illness? We'll accommodate." So I do have a problem if there isn't a solution to the op of this comment's issue.

It's true that Disney hasn't promised you could ride every ride exactly when you want. However, they will alienate many if this isn't the beginning of making standing in lines better for those who can't wait in long lines, not worse.

However, the fact of the matter is WDW can try to make it better on families with disabilities and young ones, but really there are sometimes when a kid vomits, or has to pee, or starts screaming and you miss out. That's just being a parent. The 4 year old sometimes doesn't get to ride TSM because the 1 year old vomited. That's how goes. If you are part of a family you are bound to be disappointed due to your irritating sibling. There is no amazing company with it's "arms wide open to everyone" policies on earth that can stop that from being a truth.

 

[rt2dz]

and sorry to be cruel but I don't feellike I should have a systemed clogged because your children need nap time.

See unfortunately one of hte joys that comes with parenthood is that kids are inconvenient and yes I am a mom of 3. Yes some times it sucks but with little kids you do miss out. Life does happen and as a parent you roll with the punches life throws at you.

The rest of the guest do not have to be inconvenience by our kids.

If you promise them they will ride tsm then you either stand in the standby line to keep that promise or you make it a point to return during the correct time.

So I guess if you promise them a movie and life happens the theater should hold up the show because you brought a ticket?

I know that sounds rude and that's not what I mean to be but Disney has an obligation to all it's guest and to put systems in place to make it run more efficiently and effectively.
The promise you the opportunityto have a great time and fp is one tool to do that but there is no guarantee that they some how are required to make it easy and convenient when "life happens".

When life happens plans change.

I don't mean to sound harsh or unsympathetic, I am neither but Disney has an obligation to run the parks effectively and efficiently and they are putting in systems to do just that. No, I don't know what the problem was but evidently there was one in the current running of fp.

You do get that she is a SPECIAL NEEDS mom? Look, families that have special needs kids CANNOT plan things well like that. You never know from one minute to the next what life will bring. That is why the divorce rate among parents of special needs kids is higher. It is why their stress levels tend to be among the highest of all segments of populations. No, I can not (will not) get you those many, many studies, but feel free to google for them. It's not a secret and a well documented fact.

Now, I do agree that if Disney does start to enforce the window, well, so be it. It is what it is. It's not like we have a choice in the matter. If it does effect the way some families are able to enjoy the park, I'm sure they will spend their vacation dollars elsewhere. While we did visit the parks prior to FP, it increased the ability to enjoy the parks. IF if does lessen the current experience, well then, there are many other place to go. Especially for families with kids with special needs. Disney is possible because of how helpful they are. If that changes, they move down the list while other places move up the list. Do you realize how many hotels are promoting themselves as autism friendly? It really does increase the choices.

 

[maxiesmom]

Hmmm.... as a business owner, which Disney is running a business, this bothers me. I never want to tell a customer, "That's the policy, bummer for you." I realize that it does happen from time to time but I don't make policies that force me to say it often.

And WDW has purposefully reached out to families with disabilities. Purposefully gone out and said, "don't eat gluten? We'll accommodate. Have babies? We'll accommodate. Have a complicated illness? We'll accommodate." So I do have a problem if there isn't a solution to the op of this comment's issue.

It's true that Disney hasn't promised you could ride every ride exactly when you want. However, they will alienate many if this isn't the beginning of making standing in lines better for those who can't wait in long lines, not worse.

However, the fact of the matter is WDW can try to make it better on families with disabilities and young ones, but really there are sometimes when a kid vomits, or has to pee, or starts screaming and you miss out. That's just being a parent. The 4 year old sometimes doesn't get to ride TSM because the 1 year old vomited. That's how goes. If you are part of a family you are bound to be disappointed due to your irritating sibling. There is no amazing company with it's "arms wide open to everyone" policies on earth that can stop that from being a truth.

I really hope that Disney does give their CMs a bit of leeway in allowing people to ride a bit late or early. But I also hope that is for people who are really late because of something like a sick child, and not to accomodate those who want to collect FastPasses and ride at their leisure. To me there is a big difference in letting a family who is running a bit behind ride and letting a family ride 4 hours after their FP window.

 

[tink1953]

Why is Disney doing this change anyway?? Will it really make a difference and what kind of difference is Disney looking for??

I don't see where it would matter when you used the pass...either you walk right on or wait a little while or maybe as long as stand by...not sure what this will do for the system??

Once when we were thinking about asking to go on toy story mania an earlier time then our FP , we walked up to the CM and she was telling this young mom and her child that their FP was not until 3 mins and wouldn't let her in yet...I couldn't believe they wouldn't let her in...this is the only ride I think really enforced the FP rules all the time.

BArb

 

[doconeill]

Why is Disney doing this change anyway?? Will it really make a difference and what kind of difference is Disney looking for??

I don't see where it would matter when you used the pass...either you walk right on or wait a little while or maybe as long as stand by...not sure what this will do for the system??

BArb

The reason being reported is it is a preparatory move for an increase in the number of users that are expected from the introduction of the X-Pass system (the system that will allow pre-booked ride times) further down the road.

 

[maxiesmom]

Once when we were thinking about asking to go on toy story mania an earlier time then our FP , we walked up to the CM and she was telling this young mom and her child that their FP was not until 3 mins and wouldn't let her in yet...I couldn't believe they wouldn't let her in...this is the only ride I think really enforced the FP rules all the time.

BArb

I thought that was pretty standard throught WDW. I know I have seen the same thing happen at Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, and the Safari.

If they let one family in 3 minutes early, then the next family would complain that they were only 5 minutes early and should get on. And the next family would say 10 minutes isn't really that big a deal, and on and on and on..........

 

[KellyNY]

Why is Disney doing this change anyway?? Will it really make a difference and what kind of difference is Disney looking for??

I don't see where it would matter when you used the pass...either you walk right on or wait a little while or maybe as long as stand by...not sure what this will do for the system??

Once when we were thinking about asking to go on toy story mania an earlier time then our FP , we walked up to the CM and she was telling this young mom and her child that their FP was not until 3 mins and wouldn't let her in yet...I couldn't believe they wouldn't let her in...this is the only ride I think really enforced the FP rules all the time.

BArb

Why would they let her? Majority of Disney guests have little kids, so why her and not next 10 families?

 

[doconeill]

Enforcement of the start of return times has never varied that I know of. Part of how Fastpass works is that it requires you to come back later. If you could then just show up earlier, then it would simply be a way to "cut the line" so to speak.

 

[vicki_c]

And just looking at the poll posted yesterday, almost 40% of participating DISers had anwered that they purposedely get FPs with late return in mind (midday or late). And almost another 40% say they happen to be late. That's a 70 to 80% of guests who do not meet the return time. So it's not just marginal, it's rampant.

40-80% of DISers who felt like answering the poll has nothing to do with the actual % of guests who use FPs late, which is most likely in the single digits.

 

[mom2rtk]

40-80% of DISers who felt like answering the poll has nothing to do with the actual % of guests who use FPs late, which is most likely in the single digits.

And of course the percentage of DIS folks who even KNOW about the late acceptance policy must be astronomically higher than the general public.

 

[KellyNY]

And of course the percentage of DIS folks who even KNOW about the late acceptance policy must be astronomically higher than the general public.

I said it on another thread so I will just repeat, info was pretty open and not exclusive to Dis, or any other fan site, so how many actually knew and used it we have no idea. 13 years is a long time.

 

[TLSnell1981]

It's a fact, not speculation, come March 7th, Disney will enforce FP windows. Disney knows, they can exact a price for this benefit. Now, we can sit back and speculate.. How much will the XPass cost? Will it be available only to a select few? Maybe, it it will be part of a package?
.

 

[doconeill]

I said it on another thread so I will just repeat, info was pretty open and not exclusive to Dis, or any other fan site, so how many actually knew and used it we have no idea. 13 years is a long time.

And I have also said that I believe that the DIS is a reasonable sample of the usage patterns of those in the know, regardless of how they learned about it.

I never claimed it would be about a true cross-section of guests, and I firmly believe that regardless of all the channels, and all these years, that the number of people who new about the policy vs. the overall number of WDW guests is in fact relatively small.

 

[mom2rtk]

I said it on another thread so I will just repeat, info was pretty open and not exclusive to Dis, or any other fan site, so how many actually knew and used it we have no idea. 13 years is a long time.

It's not that the information was some closely guarded secret there on the DIS. I knew about it years before joining the DIS. It has more to do with the selection of folks that hang out here. There is a FAR higher concentration of hard core planners more prone to seek out insider tips (and really use them).

 

[KellyNY]

And I have also said that I believe that the DIS is a reasonable sample of the usage patterns of those in the know, regardless of how they learned about it.

I never claimed it would be about a true cross-section of guests, and I firmly believe that regardless of all the channels, and all these years, that the number of people who new about the policy vs. the overall number of WDW guests is in fact relatively small.

Just as good guess as mine, point is we have no idea, only Disney knows true numbers so no assumption is correct.

 

[KellyNY]

It's not that the information was some closely guarded secret there on the DIS. I knew about it years before joining the DIS. It has more to do with the selection of folks that hang out here. There is a FAR higher concentration of hard core planners more prone to seek out insider tips (and really use them).

There are plenty of planners who plan without going on Dis. I am one of them, 12 years in Disney, only few years on Dis and nothing really new. There are plenty of planning tools and sites and today you do not need to be part of any board to come out with a perfect plan. Many planners do not even seek boards anymore, most questions can be found in books and number of sites. Most of us here are because we like to talk about Disney and many planners do not want talk at all just to get info.

 

[eliza61]

You do get that she is a SPECIAL NEEDS mom? Look, families that have special needs kids CANNOT plan things well like that. You never know from one minute to the next what life will bring. That is why the divorce rate among parents of special needs kids is higher. It is why their stress levels tend to be among the highest of all segments of populations. No, I can not (will not) get you those many, many studies, but feel free to google for them. It's not a secret and a well documented fact.

Now, I do agree that if Disney does start to enforce the window, well, so be it. It is what it is. It's not like we have a choice in the matter. If it does effect the way some families are able to enjoy the park, I'm sure they will spend their vacation dollars elsewhere. While we did visit the parks prior to FP, it increased the ability to enjoy the parks. IF if does lessen the current experience, well then, there are many other place to go. Especially for families with kids with special needs. Disney is possible because of how helpful they are. If that changes, they move down the list while other places move up the list. Do you realize how many hotels are promoting themselves as autism friendly? It really does increase the choices.

And I truly understand and sympathetic. I really am. I can't speak to the trials of raising a special needs kids. I do have a son who is a asperger kid but I'm sure that's not the same.

So here is what I was saying in my convoluted way is just that.

Disney is famous for being accomadating, they are also famous for really not enforcing a lot of their policies. So imo (and my opinion only) is that for disney to really crack down and let cm's know to start enforcing this policy some thing went wrong or a great majority of folks began to complain.

It's actually a good thing that more and more vacation places are make themselves "special needs' friendly, like I said I can't imagine the stress that must surround those issues

 

[Mich Mouse]

Would somone please put the new information 'in a nutshell'? What is this policy that has 70 pages of discussion? When is it beginning?

I usually only utilize the DIS when planning a trip- We are leaving next week! And we have used FP at a later time than scheduled. Will this impact our trip?

Any clarification/help would be much appreciated.

 

[doconeill]

Would somone please put the new information 'in a nutshell'? What is this policy that has 70 pages of discussion? When is it beginning?

I usually only utilize the DIS when planning a trip- We are leaving next week! And we have used FP at a later time than scheduled. Will this impact our trip?

Any clarification/help would be much appreciated.

Already nutshelled in the other thread you asked in, but I'll repeat here - and since you are going next week, it's not a problem:

Starting 3/7, no late FPs allowed, period. There is talk of a grace period but it is not 100% certain.

 

[TLSnell1981]

Well, if Disney is beginning to enforce rules... Maybe, there's hope, DCL's "no shorts' policy will be upheld.