Fastpass Enforcement coming?

[mcd2745]

You have the wrong view of why some people might stop going to WDW. My own reason (and I'm guessing at least some others) has nothing whatsoever to do with advantages being taken away. It has to do simply with the fact that WDW has spoiled me to the point where I go for a week and rarely wait in ANY lines. We just went for a week in January and the longest waits we had were maybe one for 20 minutes and another for 30...and that was for the entire week...going all day long most days and riding everything we wanted (multiple times when we wanted). It is due in a large part to the fact that we get there at ropedrop and fully utilizes FP's to their current ability.

I'm not entirely sure how FP end time enforcement will impact us...but my guess is that we will end up having to wait in more standby lines and that the days of almost entirely 10-15 minute waits for your entire vacation are a thing of the past (at least until they offer it for more $$ in the future). And, if it means waiting 45, 60 minutes plus for multiple rides during my vacation, that would take a lot of the fun out of it for me. And I don't want to spend my vacation dollars on something less fun than it was a year ago. So I might decide not to return - or at least not as often, might still go during the slowest times. I would be interested in hearing from those who already do return before their FP end time whether or not they are able to see/do everything they want multiple times without waiting in any significant lines. Who knows - maybe it is possible. And obviously a lot of people in this thread already know that answer, since it's how they tour currently.

It's similar to Free Dining...Disney has spoiled me. I've never paid for the Dining Plan. If they took away free dining...while it likely wouldn't make me stay away completely...I certainly wouldn't pay for it. And if I did, it would make it less enjoyable for me, so I might not return as often.

That's what it comes down to for me. I don't do lines almost entirely. I am used to not having to wait in lines....If I have to do so it might make me think twice about paying the same amount of money for a vacation only to spend twice as much time in line.

Why is everyone assuming that all of a sudden now, you'll be waiting in long lines all day? You're still going to have FPs.

 

[nytimez]

I read this and it does say if a guest missed their time let them in, this is not the same as deliberatly ignoring it for your own pleasure.

Weird. I can't find where it says that. All I see is "A guest has missed the return time window" followed by "Honor the FASTPASS ticket and allow the Guest(s) to enter the FASTPASS Return Queue."

Is there some fine print I'm missing?

 

[dvcdisney]

Well I didn't read the whole 86 pages, but I agree with a lot of the posters in that this is being done in order to make the FP system that much less attractive when compared with the new system that you will have to pay extra for. It's been explained numerous times that returning after your FP window has very negligible ramifications, so there really is no good reason for Disney to change their policy unless it is to help drive more demand towards something they can make money on.

Exactly.

 

[WillAustin]

I read this and it does say if a guest missed their time let them in, this is not the same as deliberatly ignoring it for your own pleasure.

But a CM using the phase, "they are good until the park closes," seems pretty definitive to me. I've heard that personally more than a dozen times from different CMs in different parks.

 

[cm8]

But a CM using the phase, "they are good until the park closes," seems pretty definitive to me. I've heard that personally more than a dozen times from different CMs in different parks.

,why is it okay and acceptable to believe in what a CM say when it came/comes to late fast passes but their credibility is shot to the bowels of earth when it pertains to something else Who knows maybe I'm comparing apples to oranges and some lemons

 

[maxiesmom]

,why is it okay and acceptable to believe in what a CM say when it came/comes to late fast passes but their credibility is shot to the bowels of earth when it pertains to something else Who knows maybe I'm comparing apples to oranges and some lemons

I would only believe the CM who was standing at the ride you wanted to go on. But I blame Disney for their lack of training and for not sticking to the rules. What is a CM supposed to say is THE answer, when the answer changes, depending on what manager is in charge or who is running things at the time? Same sort of thing happens where I work. Makes you crazy.

 

[scion5220]

But a CM using the phase, "they are good until the park closes," seems pretty definitive to me. I've heard that personally more than a dozen times from different CMs in different parks.

I'm thinking you won't be hearing that anymore.

 

[Alesia]

,why is it okay and acceptable to believe in what a CM say when it came/comes to late fast passes but their credibility is shot to the bowels of earth when it pertains to something else Who knows maybe I'm comparing apples to oranges and some lemons

It's mostly just phone CMs that tend to be completely unreliable.

As far as CMs who actually work at WDW, they're pretty much reliable when it comes to matters concerning their own departments. Transportation CMs will give you good info concerning transportation, ticketing CMs will give you good information regarding ticketing policies, Ride CMs know the policies regarding rides and attractions, etc.

However, if you ask a ride CM about ticketing issues, or a resort CM about bus issues, all bets are off.

 

[nytimez]

,why is it okay and acceptable to believe in what a CM say when it came/comes to late fast passes but their credibility is shot to the bowels of earth when it pertains to something else Who knows maybe I'm comparing apples to oranges and some lemons

You're comparing apples to ancient aliens. Without letting us know what the "something else" is it's hard to have any idea what you're talking about.

However, in general, I think most of us know that while CMs are often a source of great information, they're not always the best source of information either.

Case in point: Telephone CMs who tell people every year that they won't be let into MNSSHP or MVMCP until 7 pm (and I'm waiting for the threads on those to start popping up any minute now).

 

[ppony]

I haven't read this whole thread (I don't have a week to devote to it ) but the little I did read in the beginning where a few people said it was going to clog the FP lines I wanted to respond to. Before they started being lenient w/ return times, they did enforce the return times. YES, people took it out on the CMs ( I was a not so thrilled by-stander to a few of those altercations) but the lines never "clogged up" as people said they will. This isn't an unknown quantity like people are speculating about, it's how it was before, it's just going back to it. I personally would prefer it go back to limited to one ticket at a time (not that that's been addressed at all, but I would).

My two pennies:

I find it very amusing to see some of the reactions in this thread (and I haven't even come close to reading the entire thread). Enforcing FP time will make you stop going to WDW? Really? It is similar to reactions I've seen on the restaurant board if you sugggest the ADR window should be drastically reduced or (like Disney recently did) try to get people to show up for the ADRs they've made. This seems to be be because there are so many DISers/regular visitors who believe they have all these advantages (real and/or perceived - doesn't matter) over all the first-time visitors and the "uninformed" repeat visitors - such as knowing you didn't need to adhere to the time printed on your FP or that you need to make ADRs so far in advance. Introduce anything that even gives the appearance that it may chip away at these so-called advantages and put them on a bit more of a level playing field with the masses and these people throw hissy fits. It's quite comical actually. These people truly believe that the only things Disney should be doing are the things that benefit only their specific touring style and preferences and everyone else be damned. Self-absorbed much?

I LOVED your post!
The basic thought behind it can apply to SO many things on this board and beyond. me me me me me me me me As long as the crane is gone by the time I get there, I'm OK w/ it... as long as the attraction is up by the time I get there, I'm OK w/ it... etc.

 

[brymolmom]

Why is everyone assuming that all of a sudden now, you'll be waiting in long lines all day? You're still going to have FPs.

Cool...So you're saying that you return within the window and don't wait in any significant lines throughout the day? I hope that's the case. Like I said, I don't know what to expect yet. I'm just fearful that it will mean more lines, but if people who adhere to it now are saying they don't wait in lines, then I guess it's possible it won't negatively impact line waits.

There are a lot of people on here who say they adhere to return times already...and granted, I'm sure I've missed some pages in this thread - but I haven't seen one of them say that they are able to stick to that, ride everything they want multiple times AND avoid waiting in any significant standby lines. I am hoping that is the case, but I've never tried it and the fact that people are silent on that fact in this type of thread makes me suspect it is not the case.

I'm just having difficulty picturing what exactly we'll be riding from 3:00pm - 8:00pm when almost all lines are enormous and we only have one measly FP return in that timeframe. What we usually do is use that one FP, plus at least 2 - 3 others, plus go to 1 - 2 shows. Maybe we'll end up just doing shows and hanging out and waiting around the rest of the time. I guess that's what Disney wants is us to hang out and 'waste' time until our next FP return time in a shop.

 

[mom2rtk]

Anyone who thinks this is going to have a significant impact on lines is kidding himself. It's a zero sum game. There will still be the same numer of fp's issued (maybe more at some point, but I think it's safe to assume no less). If that line later in the day is 3% shorter, then it's going to be 3% longer earlier in the day.

 

[mcd2745]

Cool...So you're saying that you return within the window and don't wait in any significant lines throughout the day? I hope that's the case. Like I said, I don't know what to expect yet. I'm just fearful that it will mean more lines, but if people who adhere to it now are saying they don't wait in lines, then I guess it's possible it won't negatively impact line waits.

There are a lot of people on here who say they adhere to return times already...and granted, I'm sure I've missed some pages in this thread - but I haven't seen one of them say that they are able to stick to that, ride everything they want multiple times AND avoid waiting in any significant standby lines. I am hoping that is the case, but I've never tried it and the fact that people are silent on that fact in this type of thread makes me suspect it is not the case.

I'm just having difficulty picturing what exactly we'll be riding from 3:00pm - 8:00pm when almost all lines are enormous and we only have one measly FP return in that timeframe. What we usually do is use that one FP, plus at least 2 - 3 others, plus go to 1 - 2 shows. Maybe we'll end up just doing shows and hanging out and waiting around the rest of the time. I guess that's what Disney wants is us to hang out and 'waste' time until our next FP return time in a shop.

Look...no one knows EXACTLY how this will all play out, but a lot of people seem to be assuming the worst for some reason. I'm thinking back a few months and how upset people were (and some still are) about the credit card guarantee for certain ADRs. But now as the effects of the policy are starting to be seen, many people are reporting how pleasntly surprised and happy they were with the added availability in a lot of restaurants. How about seeing how this change plays out before claiming you are never returning to WDW again as a result of this change?

What I wonder is this: All the people who liked to "hoard" FPs for use at the end of the day...what did you do during the day besides collect FPs? What did you do in between when you got your first FP and the few hours until you can obtain another one?

 

[White_Sox_Fan]

What I wonder is this: All the people who liked to "hoard" FPs for use at the end of the day...what did you do during the day besides collect FPs? What did you do in between when you got your first FP and the few hours until you can obtain another one?

Hit the other attractions, eat lunch, go back to the resort.

A typical MK trip would be:

Rope drop
SM
SM FP
Astro orbiter
Buzz
Mad Hatter
PP FP
HM
BTMRR
Pirates
Jungle Cruise (Or FP for later if line is crazy long)
Lunch
Splash Mtn FP
Break
Return
Buzz FP
in no particular order use the FP's, grab another for BTMRR or SM, Philharmagic, Dinner & Wishes.

There are variables depending on line lengths we may hit some of the other Fantasyland rides, FP's depend on when we are capable of getting another.

MK is where we most utilize FP's

In Epcot we will normally go:

Rope drop
Soarin'
Soarin FP
Nemo
TT single rider (grab a TT FP as soon as available)
See whatever we want at our leisure. We don't FP anything else and we use our FP's when we get back to the front of the park.

In AK we FP EE (but utilize the single rider line more) & the safari. Maybe Primeval Whirl if there is a line. At AK we rarely use late FP.

In DHS we ride TSMM once at RD, then RnR FP, ride ToT, then work our way around the park at our leisure returning to get maybe a RnR or ToT FP. Again we don't usually use late FP's at DHS

 

[WillAustin]

I'm thinking you won't be hearing that anymore.

No, we won't, but I was backing up the point concerning past usage. It never was breaking any rules until this change takes effect.

 

[cm8]

Look...no one knows EXACTLY how this will all play out, but a lot of people seem to be assuming the worst for some reason. I'm thinking back a few months and how upset people were (and some still are) about the credit card guarantee for certain ADRs. But now as the effects of the policy are starting to be seen, many people are reporting how pleasntly surprised and happy they were with the added availability in a lot of restaurants. How about seeing how this change plays out before claiming you are never returning to WDW again as a result of this change?

What I wonder is this: All the people who liked to "hoard" FPs for use at the end of the day...what did you do during the day besides collect FPs? What did you do in between when you got your first FP and the few hours until you can obtain another one?

From what I gather, they nap, go watch shows, attend a few parades, ride other rides, eat their ADR, and have emergencies if I left anything else out, I'm sure they'll be along to correct me

 

[monkyby87]

I think people are acting as though new fastpass enforcement is going to ruin fastpasses altogether and that they'll no longer work. Like others have said, fastpasses will still work great and still be a great way to go about riding on rides. Honestly the only time I used a fastpass later in the day was when I got busy doing something else and just missed my window in the morning. I never got fastpasses planning on using them later in the day.

 

[danimaroo]

FWIW, I don't think this isn't going to cause major line backups because MOST people in the parks don't even realize that you're allowed to come back after the hour!

In fact, I had an extra FP for EE one night while standing in the standby line, and I actually had a hard time giving it away because I kept having people ask me "Well what time is it for?", not realizing that it was a good FP for the rest of the night.

They were nervous because it was "expiring" by the time we got off of EE. I finally found a family who could use it.

We actually used our FPs I'd say 95% of the time during the correct allotted time during our trip a few weeks ago... and it really wasn't a big deal. We'll just be a little more careful in the future about making sure we get back to the attraction.

On the flip side, I only go during January, so that has a pretty big effect on me not being too worried about it.

 

[mattsdragon]

From what I gather, they nap, go watch shows, attend a few parades, ride other rides, eat their ADR, and have emergencies if I left anything else out, I'm sure they'll be along to correct me

That made me L OL.

 

[Sammie]

Can we keep this going until March 7, I really think we can.