Fastpass question

[Mickey'snewestfan]

On our trip this August my friend and I were planning on splitting up on Epcot day. She will take her DD for opening and have lunch with the princesses, while DS and I sleep in and enjoy the pool. Then in the evening the four of us will go back for dinner at Marrakesh and a few hours in the park (unfortunately it's a EMH hour so it'll be jammed).

My question is, DS really wants to ride Test Track and I want to ride Soarin, but I'm sure that FP's for both will be gone by the time we get to the park. Can I send our tickets with my friend so that she can pick up FP's for all of us to use that evening? Or do the tickets have to be used to get in the park that day? Is there another strategy we could use?

If we don't get FP's that morning, how early do we have to get there to get them for an EMH evening? If we don't get them, what will the lines be like?

 

[safetymom]

No they can't do that for you. The tickets have to be used for admission before they can be used for fast passes.

 

[2belles'mom]

They actually might be able do it, but they would need to leave EPCOT and then re-enter with your tickets, to activate them. Not sure if it would work with the new finger-measure thing though...

 

[Mickey'snewestfan]

I don't think that would work since we have 3 adult tickets and 1 child. Unless they lied and said the 10 year old was 9 I don't see how they could process DS's ticket.

Could we walk with them to the International Gateway, process all 4 tickets (since we'd have 4 people) and then hand them over and go home? Or do you have to have a ticket to get back out?

Does anyone have a sense of when Test Track and Soarin' are likely to hit, say 8 p.m. for FP's (the latest we'd want to stay) on an EMH night?

 

[safetymom]

Do you have the old tickets or the new Magic your way tickets? If they are the magic your way tickets it won't work because they have to do the finger scan. If it is the first time they are used then the tickets would be tagged to the person who inserted their fingers.

 

[Mickey'snewestfan]

We'll have new tickets (this is our first time ever at WDW which is why I have a million questions) Do they have to do the finger scan to get the FP? Or just to get into the park?

What if we walked to the park with them, used our tickets to enter the park and then immediately turned around and left? Would they then be able to use our tickets to get us FP's for when we joined them later?

 

[safetymom]

They have to use a ticket that was used for admission that day in order to get a fast pass.

You could walk to the park with them, enter, and they could get the Fast Pass. You would have to get your hand stamped before leaving the park so you could reenter later. So everyone that needed a fast pass would need to enter the park.

Just don't forget to get your hand stamped before leaving. Some have reported that you don't need them but the signs are all still in place stating you need a hand stamp for reentry.

When you go to reenter the park later just insert your ticket and they may ask to see the hand stamp and then you can enjoy the park.

 

[Mickey'snewestfan]

What time do you think we'd need to do that in order to get TT and/or Soarin tickets for the evening?

 

[Hieatt]

What time do you think we'd need to do that in order to get TT and/or Soarin tickets for the evening?

Soarin FPs were gone by 2:00 in the afternoon on a relatively light day this past week. Have them get those for you first, then wait the two hours, and get the FPs for Test Track. Remember, while you can't go earlier than the appointed return time, you can go ANYTIME after regardless of the printed time window.

 

[lllovell]

Trying this will be very difficult and for all practical purposes, seems like WAY too much trouble to me. You might get the FP times you want OR you might get there "too early" for you needs and get them MANY hours from now. I also am not sure if things are changing (some report yes, some report no) but how are you going to hold FPs to both of those rides at the same time on the same ticket. In the past, the time frame for one has to "come" before you are allowed to get another. I know they are changing this, but has it officially happened yet?

Also, if you have to go to this much trouble, it sorta seems like you are at least breaking the spirit of the FP and admission systems. If you are going to get there at the opening to scan your tickets, why dont you spend the extra little bit of time and go RIDE Soarin' then? The stand by line will be the shortest of the day if you are there at opening as you plan on being.

 

[taximomfor4]

Soarin FPs were gone by 2:00 in the afternoon on a relatively light day this past week. Have them get those for you first, then wait the two hours, and get the FPs for Test Track. Remember, while you can't go earlier than the appointed return time, you can go ANYTIME after regardless of the printed time window.

Actually, this may not be correct. We had TWO different rides (with different CM's) tell us that once you FP time is over, they will not honor it. We missed out on those 2 rides because of that ... had to get FP again. Some (I will even admit that probably MOST) CM's will let you in after your FP time, but the reasoning was that on the super-popular rides, it really messes up the FP allotment for each timeframe. This results in FP line taking longer as the day goes on (snowball effect). Anyway, just wanted to mention that one should not assume they can come back for a 1:15-2:15 FP return at 8:30pm and be allowed on.

 

[sammax]

I might be wrong here, but don't you still need your ticket to re-enter the park??? If your friend has your tickets to get you FP, how would you get in?Maybe you would have to set up a time to meet your friend outside the gates, and then re-enter?

Sounds like it might be getting complicated!

 

[Hieatt]

Actually, this may not be correct. We had TWO different rides (with different CM's) tell us that once you FP time is over, they will not honor it. We missed out on those 2 rides because of that ... had to get FP again. Some (I will even admit that probably MOST) CM's will let you in after your FP time, but the reasoning was that on the super-popular rides, it really messes up the FP allotment for each timeframe. This results in FP line taking longer as the day goes on (snowball effect). Anyway, just wanted to mention that one should not assume they can come back for a 1:15-2:15 FP return at 8:30pm and be allowed on.

Wow, we have never had this experience. We rode many rides last week on FPs that were hours after the return window, including Soarin, Test Track, Rock-n-Rollercoaster, Tower of Terror, Space Mountain, and Splash Mountain. We even used a couple of FPs on Test Track we still had from a prior trip! Not a single CM ever blinked an eye.

 

[safetymom]

Yes it does sound like it is getting complicated to get these FP's. It would just be easier if they went in and got them.

 

[10drum]

It worked for us in 7/04.

DS and I went to MGM and Epcot while DW and DD slept, and we'd get four FPs (2 for tot & 2 for RnR @ MGM & 2 for TT and 2 for MS @ epcot). Before we'd leave the park we'd get 4 more for DW & DD and they'd come back in the afternoon, while DS & I were at the pool.

They were UPH passes. We got an extra room key just for this purpose.

 

[safetymom]

The difference for then and now is that your fingers have to be scanned to use the ticket.

 

[Mickey'snewestfan]

I'm hearing and believing that my original plan is getting far to complicated. So I'm going to ask, what are other options. Here's my situation:

4 people
Me
DF -- gets wicked motionsick
DF's DD(10) -- little energizer bunny!
DS(6) -- needs his sleep, but doesn't nap

All of us are staying at BC with non-hopping, no-plusses tickets
The day before will have been an exhausting day with a.m. EMH at MK and fireworks dinner at Cali Grill
The day is August 11, it's an evening EMH in FW

DF and her DD: sleep in a little, see World Showcase, attend PSL at Akershus (1:10 p.m.)
Me and DS: sleep in until at least 9:OO a.m., spend several hours at Stormalong Bay, ride Test Track.
All 4 of us: Dinner at Marrakesh (6:00 p.m.), ride Soarin, get to bed by 9 p.m.

In an ideal world we'd also like to: not be in the park at midday when it's really hot, not stand in 2 hour lines for TT and Soarin, each have some time alone with our own child.

How would you schedule the day?

 

[lbgraves]

We just went to MGM & MK last week & were told by a couple CMs that any time after the time frame was fine. We did this all day at each park and never had a problem. It made the days there so much more fun!

 

[10drum]

Send the extra tickets with whoever goes to Epcot, and see if the machine will spit out the FP's, if not, get 2, wait till ride time, and get 2 more, come back in the evening and all four ride TT.

The only problem is....if machine doesn't spit 4 FP's (I think it will), sometimes FP times are past closing time, and won't spit out anymore. Mid-August FP's shouldn't go past closing time until sometime in the afternoon.

Another Idea. You or DF get to Epcot at opening, get 2 FP's go have some coffee or breakfast untill ride time, get 2 more. Walk through WS and enjoy the quiet, crowd free atmosphere, stop and visit with some of the cast members who are opening WS, & be back in time for an afternoon at SAB.

Good luck.

 

[taximomfor4]

We just went to MGM & MK last week & were told by a couple CMs that any time after the time frame was fine. We did this all day at each park and never had a problem. It made the days there so much more fun!

Figures it is just us. I swear, bad luck follows me everywhere! I SWEAR to you all that we had exactly 2 rides, on 2 days, not take our FP that were only about 45 minutes past their times. At the one ride (don't laugh, it was the Jungle Cruise) the CM very carefully explained the reason I stated in my other post. She was nice, and apologetic so we did not argue. The next day, it happened again to dh and ds (at Epcot, though) and dh didn't even question the CM since we had been given reasons the day before. All the other times it happened on my couple of trips, it was never questioned...oh, but one CM did tell me that she will still take them if your window recently closed...not hours later. We had just missed our return window, so she was letting us in no problem.

Not saying that it WILL happen to everyone, just saying that they don't HAVE to let you in after your return window.