Fastpass + seems to be ruining many posters trips to WDW.

[cygnusx1jg]

Hmmm. I'm confused. Based on this thread and others, there sure seem to be a lot of people that don't/won't stand in a line more than 30 minutes or at all.

Then why do I continue to see tons of people in the stand by lines when I go to the Disney parks?

Also, I guess none of you have ever gone on the Astro Orbiter. It never had Fastpass- and seems to always be at least a half hour wait.

Everyone with an average (4-5) size family that buys multiple day passes and stays on property for a week spends the same multiple thousands of dollars that your families do.

I guess some people just have more patience than others.

 

[EMom]

Hmmm. I'm confused. Based on this thread and others, there sure seem to be a lot of people that don't/won't stand in a line more than 30 minutes or at all.

Then why do I continue to see tons of people in the stand by lines when I go to the Disney parks?

Also, I guess none of you have ever gone on the Astro Orbiter. It never had Fastpass- and seems to always be at least a half hour wait.

Everyone with an average (4-5) size family that buys multiple day passes and stays on property for a week spends the same multiple thousands of dollars that your families do.

I guess some people just have more patience than others.

I have plenty of patience for certain things. I went through infertility, multiple IVFs and adoption. Yes, I have patience. I taught junior high and goodness knows you must have patience for that. I have incredible patience when it comes to my DD.

Waiting in line for a ride? Not so much. Especially when you are waiting with fidgety, unhappy, tired, hungry people who will make the time spent seem less than magical. It is a waste of my time. I look for waits less than 20 minutes. If I see a 30 minute wait, it must be a favorite attraction or I won't bother. I'll move on to something else.

Waiting in line means I am missing something else more interesting. I choose to move on to the "something more interesting." Waiting in long lines for attractions does not earn anyone a gold star. It does not make them a better person. It doesn't even make them a more patient person. It makes them a person who sees value in waiting in that long line. I'm not one of those people.

 

[Shaden]

That's the thing, you can. Just wait in line. The time can be well spent talking with your family.

Lol, its a TROLL !!!


NO no see I have a BETTER idea. Just stay home for your vacation and that time will be even MORE well spent, you can talk to your family all you want AND save the thousands of dollars you were going to spend to stand in line in Florida.

 

[skriegerjr]

I have plenty of patience for certain things. I went through infertility, multiple IVFs and adoption. Yes, I have patience. I taught junior high and goodness knows you must have patience for that. I have incredible patience when it comes to my DD.

Waiting in line for a ride? Not so much. Especially when you are waiting with fidgety, unhappy, tired, hungry people who will make the time spent seem less than magical. It is a waste of my time. I look for waits less than 20 minutes. If I see a 30 minute wait, it must be a favorite attraction or I won't bother. I'll move on to something else.

Waiting in line means I am missing something else more interesting. I choose to move on to the "something more interesting." Waiting in long lines for attractions does not earn anyone a gold star. It does not make them a better person. It doesn't even make them a more patient person. It makes them a person who sees value in waiting in that long line. I'm not one of those people.

I couldn't agree more, especially when you consider you're waiting in line sometimes for 90 minutes, say on Soarin', for a ride that lasts a couple minutes.

Now maybe it's because I've been so many times, maybe I'm just impatient. But I can't be bothered to wait in line. It's rather skip it, or try and come back later and see how the wait is. For instance, we went on Soarin' using our fp+, while there was a 90 minute wait in standby. By the time we got off, and then had an early lunch, the standby was less than 30. minutes

Sent from my rooted Samsung Galaxy SIII using the DISBoards app

 

[kerplop]

Let's face it, if people wanted to wait in lines sites like EasyWDW, Touring Plans, and RideMax would not be so popular. No one wants to wait. We wait because we have to, but if we don't have to then we will find a way to do it. I think Disney's shooting themselves in the foot here with the tiered FP+.

 

[KatieCharlotte]

Hmmm. I'm confused. Based on this thread and others, there sure seem to be a lot of people that don't/won't stand in a line more than 30 minutes or at all.

Then why do I continue to see tons of people in the stand by lines when I go to the Disney parks?

Also, I guess none of you have ever gone on the Astro Orbiter. It never had Fastpass- and seems to always be at least a half hour wait.

Everyone with an average (4-5) size family that buys multiple day passes and stays on property for a week spends the same multiple thousands of dollars that your families do.

I guess some people just have more patience than others.

Yep, those people in the long lines are just more patient than me. I have never been on Astro Orbiter, and if I was just more patient, I would have gotten in that 40 min Astro Orbiter line, instead of spending those 40 min having fun talking to the trash can, riding the TTA, and letting my kids use FP- to walk on Buzz again to beat their times.

I never rode Dumbo as a child because my parents said the line was too long but my kids have many times thanks to rope drop.

Attendance has greatly outpaced increases in popular ride capacity, so the lines get longer every year. It would have been nice if Disney had addressed the root of the problem instead of just shifting it around and pretending they were offering something amazing. I admit that we were using knowledge, effort, and early-waking children to wait in shorter lines than many guests. Some people accept that waiting in long lines is part of the Disney experience, while others vow never to return. We have never had to see which camp we fall into, and I'm not eager to now.

 

[alan_renfroe]

Hmmm. I'm confused. Based on this thread and others, there sure seem to be a lot of people that don't/won't stand in a line more than 30 minutes or at all.

Then why do I continue to see tons of people in the stand by lines when I go to the Disney parks?

Also, I guess none of you have ever gone on the Astro Orbiter. It never had Fastpass- and seems to always be at least a half hour wait.

Everyone with an average (4-5) size family that buys multiple day passes and stays on property for a week spends the same multiple thousands of dollars that your families do.

I guess some people just have more patience than others.

That's a legitimate statement. The truth is that we (the educated DISers) are about 1% of the WDW guests. I went to the MK for the first time in 2005 with my wife and two small kids. I had NO IDEA what to expect. No planning or anything. The result? We rode minor rides all day long, then stood in a very long line for Splash Mountain. That's about it.

However, we loved WDW and wanted to do a full-on, stay-on-property and do ALL the parks in 2008. We did our research and found the DISboards. Being that I am an event planner for a living, I learned SOO SOO much. Therefore, the 2008 trip (and all trips thereafter) was perfectly planned! On our last trip, my son really wanted to ride Astro Orbiter, so we hit it late in the evening on a day where it was rainy. Otherwise it would've been a huge standby wait. That being said, I think those who plan ahead CAN and DO avoid long standby waits with good planning!

 

[lauran cameron]

I look for waits less than 20 minutes. If I see a 30 minute wait, it must be a favorite attraction or I won't bother. I'll move on to something else.

Waiting in line means I am missing something else more interesting. I choose to move on to the "something more interesting." Waiting in long lines for attractions does not earn anyone a gold star. It does not make them a better person. It doesn't even make them a more patient person. It makes them a person who sees value in waiting in that long line. I'm not one of those people.

I share the same philosophy. The magic is what you make of it. Luckily we have been able to go multiple time so I have seen the park with no lines and 120 minute wait times on IASW. But no matter what we always try and be flexible and to go with the flow.

 

[Planogirl]

I've always tried to beat the lines. I started out following the Unofficial Guide touring plans and they worked very well. However even before we used any kind of touring plans we made it a rule to get to the parks before they opened because that strategy works just about anywhere.

 

[aubriee]

This. I won't willingly pay to spend hours in line each day.

We have been able to enjoy WDW and ride all the rides we want using FP over the past several years without ever waiting in a long line during busy times. I realize some people will say lines are part of going to WDW, but we've always managed to avoid them. Any decrease in our ability to do that is significant for us. YMMV.

I agree! I live out of state, but am an AP holder who works for the state so gets lots of vacation and comp time. I usually choose to spend alot of that time going to WDW (4-6 times a year). I also choose to stay offsite at Wyndham Bonnet Creek, because I can't see any reason to pay more to stay in a tiny Value room when I can get a fully equipped condo for less money and still be closer to the parks than alot of the WDW resorts. However, that means that for the time being we don't qualify for FP+, (which I think sucks for Disney's loyal AP holders). We have always been rope droppers and have always utilized alot of fast passes every day, gathering them as fast as we can and so know how to avoid the long lines. I was there in Sept when only some of the resorts were testing FP+ and I experienced how FP- ran out sooner, had later return times even early in the mornings, and how both fast pass and standby lines were longer than I am used to at that time of the year (low season). We are going back in Dec and again are staying at Wyndham Bonnet Creek, but are refusing to let that happen again. We are going to concentrate on the Christsmas decorations instead of the rides (even though we are normally ride people--riding the headliners over and over) and we are spending less time in the Disney parks. We had originally planned to spend 9 days in the WDW parks and 2 days at Universal. However, we also have annual passes for Universal and then last week I bought Sea World's Fun Passes that allow entry from now through Dec 2104, so will be spending at least two days over at Universal and also a day or two at Sea World and we will also be doing a beach day, plus checking out other things in the area. Instead of our usual 9-11 days in the Disney parks, we will be spending probably only 4 days and the other 7 days of the trip doing other things. Not being able to tour WDW the way we are used to, has finally made us decide not to renew our AP's next May (for the first time since 2004) and has finally made us check out other Orlando options. We also have an Orlando trip planned for early April. Right now, even though we have WDW annual passes so it wouldn't cost us anything to go to the parks and we will again being staying within the WDW gates at Wyndham Bonnet Creek, we don't know if we will even bother going into a WDW park at all. We are not happy with the way WDW is currently treating their loyal annual passholders who choose to stay offsite (or the way they are treating their local fan base for that matter). Right now the locals are the ones I'm feeling really sorry for.

 

[mom2rtk]

If you are there on an extremely slow day, you will be OK. But even if the old fastpass system is still in effect, and it appears it will be...be aware that there are not very many actual paper fastpass times left at the headliner rides...and ALL of the rides and shows now have fastpass (even the ones that never had fastpass before.) BUT many rides have fastpass+ but no fastpass paper ticket machines, so you're just out of luck there...like Pirates of the Caribbean had 30 minute standby on a slow day because they're now running a fastpass line there too. But there is no fastpasspaper ticket machine for it so if you don't have fastpass+ you have no chance to get Pirates fastpass and there are now built in waits because of the fastpass+ line. The crowds that day I would have guessed walk-on for Pirates, but not now because the fastpass+ is redistributing the crowds much more effectively (for Disney anyway.)

And we were at Epcot in mid-October on a medium-slow day (it was rated a "4" on the crowd calendar) but guesstimating the actual crowd early in the day, it was more like a 3. Maybe getting to be a 4 by the time we left around 1:00 PM that day. We arrived at Epcot 45 minutes before the park opened, we were 4th in line at the ticket turnstyle. They opened the park about 10 minutes before 9:00. I was on a scooter, and went directly to the Soarin' Fastpass machines...arriving there at 8:55 AM. There were only 3 people in the room ahead of me. Pulled 5 fastpasses with our park tickets--the return times were 12, 2:00, 2:10, 2:10 and 2:15. While waiting for my family to get to Soarin for a stand-by ride, the fastpass return time jumped to 5:30 PM at 9:00 AM. When my family joined me to get in the stand-by line, at 9:05 AM...the fastpass return time was 8:00 PM. When we left the land building about 9:30 AM and went by the electronic times sign both Soarin' and Test Track said fastpasses were gone for the day. This was in the early morning, before the crowds arrived!

As for the tiered fastpass+ system...that makes for interesting touring issues. That same day at Epcot...at 9:30 in the morning on a slow morning, Journey into Imagination had a stand-by wait time of 40 minutes! Because there was a whole bunch of people who actually booked fastpasses for Figment. Later in the morning Figment was back to normal walk-on...but that first hour it was very busy. Crazy.

WOW. That certainly is eye-opening. And now we know what happens with FP+. And that was a slow day. WOW again.

Did I say WOW??????

 

[mom2rtk]

Hmmm. I'm confused. Based on this thread and others, there sure seem to be a lot of people that don't/won't stand in a line more than 30 minutes or at all.

Then why do I continue to see tons of people in the stand by lines when I go to the Disney parks?

Also, I guess none of you have ever gone on the Astro Orbiter. It never had Fastpass- and seems to always be at least a half hour wait.

Everyone with an average (4-5) size family that buys multiple day passes and stays on property for a week spends the same multiple thousands of dollars that your families do.

I guess some people just have more patience than others.

So because some of wait in line for SOME things means we should be happy to just start waiting in line for a lot more things?

I really don't get that.

And I've only done the Astro Orbiter once in the last 4 or 5 years. Wanna guess why?

Oh...... and that one time? We had an "any attraction" fastpass.

 

[bcrook]

So because some of wait in line for SOME things means we should be happy to just start waiting in line for a lot more things?

I really don't get that.

And I've only done the Astro Orbiter once in the last 4 or 5 years. Wanna guess why?

Oh...... and that one time? We had an "any attraction" fastpass.

When I brought my kids on their first trip in 2004 the very first ride we went on was Astro Orbiter. We waited in line for over thirty minutes. In the ten trips since then we have never been on it again. Wanna guess why?

We wouldn't even use an any attraction fastpass!

I do understand that there are plenty of people who ate willing to stand in standby lines of 45, 60, 75, 120, 150 minutes. I don't understand why they do it. They must have more tolerance. They are always there.

 

[mom2rtk]

When I brought my kids on their first trip in 2004 the very first ride we went on was Astro Orbiter. We waited in line for over thirty minutes. In the ten trips since then we have never been on it again. Wanna guess why?

Hmmmm...... give me a minute......... still thinking.........

We wouldn't even use an any attraction fastpass!

Yeah, it does seem like a waste of a great opportunity. But it was our departure day and we had almost no time. We really went back to ride BTMRR and ..... shocker...... it went down just as we were about to load. They gave us that pass, and I let my daughter choose our last ride. I think she was trying to pick something we hadn't done yet on our trip.

I do understand that there are plenty of people who willing stand in standby lines of 45, 60, 75, 120, 150 minutes. I don't understand why they do it. They must have more tolerance. They are always there.

They are probably just better people than I am.

 

[WillAustin]

I do understand that there are plenty of people who willing stand in standby lines of 45, 60, 75, 120, 150 minutes. I don't understand why they do it. They must have more tolerance. They are always there.

I don't understand it either. We aren't willingly paying for opportunities to test our patience.

They are probably just better people than I am.

Me too.

 

[Mkrop]

Hmmm. I'm confused. Based on this thread and others, there sure seem to be a lot of people that don't/won't stand in a line more than 30 minutes or at all.

Then why do I continue to see tons of people in the stand by lines when I go to the Disney parks?

Also, I guess none of you have ever gone on the Astro Orbiter. It never had Fastpass- and seems to always be at least a half hour wait.

Everyone with an average (4-5) size family that buys multiple day passes and stays on property for a week spends the same multiple thousands of dollars that your families do.

I guess some people just have more patience than others.

Why did I join the DIS and read the Unoffical Guide etc...oh yeah that's right so I could learn to NOT stand in line...sigh. Why would I stand in lines if I did not have to. I do the same no matter what park I go to, WDW, Hershey etc. I learn the best strategies for not standing in long lines...why cause long lines stink!!!!!

 

[bcrook]

Why did I join the DIS and read the Unoffical Guide etc...oh yeah that's right so I could learn to NOT stand in line...sigh. Why would I stand in lines if I did not have to. I do the same no matter what park I go to, WDW, Hershey etc. I learn the best strategies for not standing in long lines...why cause long lines stink!!!!!

Good post.

It seems Disney has decided to read the unofficial guide, read touring plans, and started keeping up with the DISboards and then decided to use that information to create a master plan for every single guest. It's not going to work for all 17 million guests at MK.

I guess the question is, will a brand new touring strategy emerge from this? Other than go during non peak times.

 

[rt2dz]

Hmmm. I'm confused. Based on this thread and others, there sure seem to be a lot of people that don't/won't stand in a line more than 30 minutes or at all. Then why do I continue to see tons of people in the stand by lines when I go to the Disney parks? Also, I guess none of you have ever gone on the Astro Orbiter. It never had Fastpass- and seems to always be at least a half hour wait. Everyone with an average (4-5) size family that buys multiple day passes and stays on property for a week spends the same multiple thousands of dollars that your families do. I guess some people just have more patience than others.

E-Mom covered it very well on why not to wait in lines. A lot of people just don't know any better. It's why I'm here--to gave better knowledge and strategies.

We very rarely ride Astro Orbiter. Lines are long and it's just another spinner. If we do ride it, it's at the end if the night when there is no wait.

How people choose to spend their time and money is up to them. When someone says "they can't afford that" it means it's not a priority. I know people who buy $80K cars, but "can't afford" to travel. I prefer experiences over things. It's choices. All valid. It's like how they say everyone negotiates their own relationships. Well, Disney is laying down some terms to our relationship I'm not sure I can accept. It might be time for me to move on after close to 40 years.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[clsteve]

Good post.

It seems Disney has decided to read the unofficial guide, read touring plans, and started keeping up with the DISnoards and then decided to use that information to create a master plan for every single guest. It's not going to work for all 17 million guests at MK.

I guess the question is, will a brand new touring strategy emerge from this? Other than go during non peak times.

And that strategy will have to change once again when FP- goes completely away and all are on FP+

I'm getting more concerned about RD with each thread or blog post on EasyWDW. Once everyone is on FP+ : for TSMM, or TT, or Soarin', etc., isn't being at RD the only way to ride more than once or with a short standby? And, isn't everyone going to think that?

And, isn't Disney starting reserved FP+ times from Park opening? I'm beginning to wonder if RD will still be any advantage to us RD'ers....

 

[bcrook]

And that strategy will have to change once again when FP- goes completely away and all are on FP+

I'm getting more concerned about RD with each thread or blog post on EasyWDW. Once everyone is on FP+ : for TSMM, or TT, or Soarin', etc., isn't being at RD the only way to ride more than once or with a short standby? And, isn't everyone going to think that?

And, isn't Disney starting reserved FP+ times from Park opening? I'm beginning to wonder if RD will still be any advantage to us RD'ers....

If it works like Disney is planning, rope drop would lose its advantage. It will be interesting to see if they are successful in changing crowd behavior. I can see the time period that rope drop is an advantage shrinking even further though.

1. Rope drop will be appealing to those who love it.
2. Some who don't like rope drop but show up for rides or a FP will schedule FP+ for later and skip rope drop.
3. Some will have to show up because that is the only FP+ available (will that balance out #2?).
4. Others will realize that getting there early or staying until close is the only way to experience the rides multiple times. Will that group over-populate the rope drop scene?

Another question is when does crowd level drop to make a park experience a true non-peak season. If FP are gone on the major rides at 9:30 am even in September - rope drop is still important. I wonder if there will be any times to visit where there will be plenty of FP on the day of visit?