Fastpass going away???

[MoniqueU]

This s why we go to IOA when we go to orlando, front of the line while staying on site and the hard rock hotel is so much fun and the rooms are super nice. My DH went the week before spring break started and there was a 4 hour wait for FP on Space mountain. It was so mobbed tjat je told me to not botjer meeting him tjere.I cant handle frowe well so I would of been miserable. My DH just did botj parks with the kis. We use to start at dl then move over to DCA to avoid tjje frowed gut jhas been infcreasingly busy.

 

[SeattleRedBear]

OP, if your description of what the CM said was accurate, I believe he may have only been referring to the fact that the FP option would continue to be available for the rides in which it is currently offered, but that the company is making no plans to include FP machines on any new or additional rides/attractions....

What I quoted was literally what the CM said (I was just so shocked by his referring to "the direction the company was going in" that I remembered it word for word as it sounded like such an un-Disney-like thing to say). It didn't sound like he was talking only about TSMM, but I didn't have time to follow-up to clarify (actually we had plenty of time but by the time we got to the end of the line, the CM was out of sight) but I'm assuming his intention was what others here have mentioned, no new FP systems. I can understand DLRs change in policy given the number of existing FP systems that are rarely used, but I would hope they wouldn't completely discontinue FP as a whole. What was odd about the whole interaction was that it seemed like the CM was trying to convince me that FP wouldn't save me any time. Really odd.

I was only asking the question to know if there had been any official statements about changes to the system.

Also, I agree with the other posters that it would take very little for TSMM to incorporate a FP line and that the waiting area across the walkway would serve as a good location for FP distribution. As for the comment, about SLR, that's great for you, but many of us want to experience Disney attractions with our family and friends (although if the choice is between going single-rider or not going at all....)

 

[ballarinamom]

As I said, I would not be surprised if they go in the pay for FP direction. It has been successful at the Six Flags parks. All you would have to do is use a paid for card instead of the parkhopper. There has been talk of this on other boards as well. I think Disney is sitting back and watching what happens at Seaworld and Six Flags
We would hate it but would probably add it to our tickets as we really use FP.

 

[Gisele]

No more additional costs please .....

 

[Boo Bear]

Lets just hope that future attractions have super fast loading times anyway, with or without FP. I didn't mind waiting 45 min for Nemo at WDW just because the queue area was so fun and interesting.... and air conditioned! I find it hard to believe that Disney is trying to budget cut with FP machines. Somehow I can't see it being that expensive to maintain. If they can make room in the budget to spend millions of dollars on an attraction then the FP machine is spare change. Oh well I'm not going to get worked up about it. If it happens, it happens but I doubt they'll go to the length of removing current FP machines.

 

[HydroGuy]

Disney may or may not do away with FP. Just like anything.

Those with long enough memories recall that every 6-12 months a thread like this (FASTPASS is going away) gets started often based on comments from CMs.

CMs do not know much more than we do and often less (because most of them do not read Disney forums ).

If FP is going away because of TSMM at DCA, why did they install FP at TSMM WDW?

I have not read the MiceChat threads on this but I am sure there are those who point out that FP continues to be very popular with Disney park guests. Disney is aware of this. I doubt FP will go away anytime soon if ever. Will it morph into a for pay system? Maybe but I doubt it. Will it morph into a perk for Disney hotel guests? That is more likely than a for pay system, IMO.

The problem here is that WDW has a much better infrastructure set up for hotel guest perks while DLR does not because there are so many local day trippers and way less hotels.

My two cents from having seen numerous threads like this over the last four years.

 

[Gisele]

I just hope that FP stays put, and is available for everyone. Good pp's too.

 

[Huff]

Fastpasses are handy but they don't get people on more rides. They do not increase the rides capacity in any way. At the end of a day the same number of people rode the same number of rides without fast passes. They are a convenience to allow me to make the day flow better and I like them for that reason but its an illusion to think it somehow magically increases ride capacity. They'll keep them around because the public wants them!!

 

[HydroGuy]

Fastpasses are handy but they don't get people on more rides. They do not increase the rides capacity in any way. At the end of a day the same number of people rode the same number of rides without fast passes. They are a convenience to allow me to make the day flow better and I like them for that reason but its an illusion to think it somehow magically increases ride capacity. They'll keep them around because the public wants them!!

I thought this for a long time. Most of the arguments I have seen which disagree with this I find unconvincing. But I read a thread on MiceChat a year or two ago that convinced me otherwise.

I do not want to get into a long debate about this here, but will summarize the line of thought for anyone interested.

If all rides run at capacity all day then the above statement is true. But many rides run at reduced capacity some or most of the day. FP allows some people to ride these reduced capacity rides rather than stand in line for the full capacity rides and this increases overall ridership at the park.

Let me give you an example using two rides for simplicity. Space Mtn and POTC. On busy days Space Mtn runs pretty much at capacity all day. If there was no FP then I and others would ride this first thing. But with FP I get the FP and go to POTC and ride it first. Early in the day many of the POTC boats are sent out partially full of people. Since I rode POTC in an otherwise partially filled boat, I did not take up any more space there. But later in the day when the boats are running full I will not ride POTC (because I already did) which means there is one more space for someone else. Hence one more person got to ride POTC that day and Space Mtn had the same number of people riding it since it runs at close to full capacity all day. So overall ridership increased at DL by one.

Not all FPs are used in this way. But of those that are, overall ridership increases each time.

 

[fairycat]

As I remember back in the days the FP system was divised there was this thought people would go out and eat and shop more if they were not in line. Well that didn't work the way they thought (funny they ever thought it would ).

Since it was decided that FP is not always the way to go you do se adjustments to the system. PoTC as mentioned lost its FP, HM has theirs opened very rarely (height of summer and HMH), and they have to debate if its worth it for new rides.

Honestly I think TSMM didn't get the FP system for several reasons, one of them is a balanced wait time. While 40 minutes seems outrageous to most of us (ask me how much I loved that wait this past weekend ) it's nothing like the wait times you hear at WDW. Also as more rides are renovated and Little Mermaid Arrives a fast loader like TSMM will see even lower wait times. With limited space and as Disney decides what works best for them and crowds we will see where they are going to take the FP system.

I also wanted to add obviously Disney is not dumping the whole FP thing or WDW would not have gotten a system for TSMM. Clearly it was decided that it would be the best for them, while we got a Single Rider line. So I wouldn't worry about the loss of the system, but I would expect to see changes and adjustments in the system in all parks as Disney deems them needed.

 

[ballarinamom]

Fastpasses are handy but they don't get people on more rides. They do not increase the rides capacity in any way. At the end of a day the same number of people rode the same number of rides without fast passes. They are a convenience to allow me to make the day flow better and I like them for that reason but its an illusion to think it somehow magically increases ride capacity. They'll keep them around because the public wants them!!

I have to disagree about getting on more rides. When you utilize the FP process properly, your wait time can be cut considerably, especially if it is peak time. A 60 minute wait can be reduced to 15 minutes or less. Therefore you can hop on an additional ride within the next 45 minutes that you would be waiting without the FP. Granted, as you said, the number of people riding the rides are not increased. But a person can ride more rides by eliminating the wait time by using the fp system

 

[Huff]

If all rides run at capacity all day then the above statement is true. But many rides run at reduced capacity some or most of the day. FP allows some people to ride these reduced capacity rides rather than stand in line for the full capacity rides and this increases overall ridership at the park.

Your argument only holds true if there are 0 wait times and ride cars going with empty seats. I very rarely see that although there have been a few times. I still say at the end of the day if you add up all the passenger rides completed throughout the park it remains unchanged. What it does allow is for me to make better use of my time and less actual waiting in line. When I'm waiting for my fast pass I eat, shop, walk, see shows (I suppose thats part true for your argument).

Where it can increase rides I suppose is when I collect FP's early at DL, go to DCA for the day, then return to DL for night and use the FP's. But my doing so adds to the wait of those without FP's. So the total number of riders in a day remains unchanged. It only changes who waits and who doesn't and what you do in between rides.

 

[WonkaKid]

I don't believe that Disney would get rid of FPs. They're popular and eliminating them would upset many people, something, I think, that Disney strives to avoid.

Rob

 

[HydroGuy]

Your argument only holds true if there are 0 wait times and ride cars going with empty seats.

Yes, that is the point. Under capacity rides get utilized at a higher capacity if people ride them when they otherwise would not because of FP.

I very rarely see that although there have been a few times.

Early and late in the day I see it all the time. Partially filled boats on POTC, JC and IASW. Some DoomBuggies on HM sent out empty. Empty seats on BTMRR. When I was at DL a few weeks ago we rode Alice in Wonderland and the Tea Cups with many unused vehicles/cups about an hour after park opening and two hours after Magic Morning started.

I still say at the end of the day if you add up all the passenger rides completed throughout the park it remains unchanged.

Think of it this way. Assume for a moment that DL increased the number of FPs issued. It is common knowledge that operators run many rides purposely at reduced capacity early and late in the day. Instead of five trains running on BTMRR they run two and then ramp up to five as the lines build.

What if so many FPs were issued that people grabbed them and ran to HM such that all Doombuggies were filled and to BTMRR so that all trains were filled from park opening until closing? What if all rides that start the day at lower capacity had to do this to handle the earlier crowds? Don't you think that would increase overall ridership at DL? It has to.

All I am saying is that this is what happens now but at a lower level. FP causes people like me to grab FPs in the morning, skip Space Mtn and Splash Mtn until mid-day, and go on rides running at under capacity. When I do this I am not riding those rides when they do get to capacity which frees up a seat for someone else. If not for FP I would be getting in the Space Mtn and Splash Mtn lines first thing and not going on Alice or Tea Cups. With FP more total riders can go on rides in a given day.

OK, I promised to not get into a long debate. Unless Huff or someone else brings up something new I will let this die out... Hope I have not bored anyone to death!

 

[bumbershoot]

When I'm waiting for my fast pass I eat, shop, walk, see shows (I suppose thats part true for your argument).

Ah, see? If I get a FP for TOT, I'll go ride Monsters a few times, maybe see Muppets, etc etc. Instead of standing in line for that hour or whatever, I'll get a few rides done, rides that wouldn't get done (along with TOT) if I were waiting in line that whole time.

 

[WonkaKid]

I think that FPs also indirectly help DL's attendance. When park visitors return from their trips, typically they tell their friends of their adventures. Many are likely enthusiastic about getting to ride two or three rides in the time that they'd otherwise be waiting in line, were in not for the FP. In short, FPs raise park revenue. I believe.

Rob

 

[Mike_M]

I have to admit that I would support the removal of FP at DL. On my Spring Break trip it was all too obvious to me the negative affect FP has on the lines at DL. The queues were not designed for FP and the standby lines are considerably longer and slower than they should be as a result. Indy's incredible queue experience is ruined by the FP line metering location and Space Mountain's queue is way slower than it should be. BLAB is also one of the slower queues in the park and it shouldn't be since that ride uses the very high capacity Omnimover ride system.

TSMM, FNSV and Pooh are good signs that DLR mgmt has abandoned the concept at DLR on attractions going forward. One can only hope that it will be phased out of the few attractions that currently use it.

WDW seems to like FP and that's OK. It's a different resort with different guest trends and attendance numbers. Let's allow DL to return to the way it was designed; No FP.

 

[jason417]

People like to discuss whether or not FP increase ride capacity but that discussion is somewhat pointless. The fact is that most people (especially the AVERAGE park attender) believe that FPs allow them to get on more rides in a day than what they'd get on if FPs didn't exist. Whether that's true or not is kind of irrelevant because their perception is what drives the decision-making. I fully believe eliminating FPs would reduce attendance... maybe not by a lot but there are people out there (such as myself) who live a few hours away and make multiple trips per year because of the FP existence. If there was no FP I wouldn't go in the summer at all and probably would only go in October every 3 or 4 years rather than every year.

 

[HydroGuy]

I have to admit that I would support the removal of FP at DL. On my Spring Break trip is wall all too obvious to me the negative affect FP has on the lines at DL. The queues were not designed for FP and the standby lines are considerably longer and slower than they should be as a result. Indy's incredible queue experience is ruined by the FP line metering location and Space Mountain's queue is way slower than it should be. BLAB is also one of the slower queues in the park and it shouldn't be since that ride uses the very high capacity Omnimover ride system.

Yes, some of the pre-FP rides have queues not designed for FP and it can be awkward. With Indy the best example. Even with FP people can take their time in the Indy queue. We usually slow down to revisit the gags. But truthfully once you have been thru the Indy queue 10-20 times you just do not want to slow down and see it again.

It is my understanding that the number of FPs given out are such that one in five riders will use FP. In the worst case when all FPs are used and are used in the one hour window, it will slow down the standby queue by 25%. The reality is that it normally will be less than this. Your bottom line assetion of a slower standby line is of course true.

TSMM, FNSV and Pooh are good signs that DLR mgmt has abandoned the concept at DLR on attractions going forward. One can only hope that it will be phased out of the few attractions that currently use it.

You might be right but I do not think these are good examples. FNSV is a low capacity ride - 900 riders per hour. Not sure if FP would have worked well on this ride. Pooh just did not have the demand so FP was removed. TSMM may be an indicator about how DLR feels about FP. Some have said TSMM has tight space constraints and that was a reason for no FP.

I guess we will know a lot more about FP and DLR as the DCA refurb continues. Will Little Mermaid (2011) have it? How about the Test Track implementation in Cars Land (2012)? If neither of these have FP I think it will be strong indication that DLR is ramping back on FP. My guess (and it is purely a guess) is at least one of these will have FP.

Whether Disney will phase out FP is hard to tell. FP is popular among Disney visitors and there would be some backlash if they removed it.

 

[pixiewings71]

I jsut wanted to say LEAVE FP ALONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We love FP and use it all the time, we use it well and it really does help. I can honestly say we would stop getting APs for DL if there were no more FPs. Seriously, and with the amount of trips we make that would seriously hurt DL. Not like we are single handedly keeping them in business but they would notice the loss of our revenue.