FASTPASS Thread

[g-dad66]

Did you have any trouble with connecting to Mobile Magic during your trip? I read a report somewhere about someone not being able to use it because of the heavy crowds tying up the system?

I would occasionally be disconnected, but only for a couple of minutes at a time, so that was never a serious problem.

A bigger problem was that our last morning at Hollywood Studios, the app kept telling me that "No attractions are open." What a shock when we went to Tower of Terror, expecting to do standby (just as we had done our first Hollywood Studios afternoon three times in a row with 10 minute waits) and discovered the Standby Line was 150 minutes! (CM told us that only one elevator was operating, and the wait should be shorter if we came back later. Sure enough, in the early afternoon, the wait had dropped to 140 minutes... While touringplans' Lines app was working, it told us the Standby Wait was 37 minutes, and it gave a Fast Pass return time that was off by 3 hours...)

At any rate, when Mobile Magic isn't working right, it can be problemmatical. On a previous trip, I remember that it didn't work during morning EMH.

 

[KellyNY]

I've read that the new adherence to the FP window is in preparation for the next generation Fast Pass, but why? What about adhering to the window "now" prepares for next gen in the future?
The only thing I can think of is that maybe Disney needs data on line times, return windows etc when they don't let people in late. Otherwise, why not just wait until they put next gen in place and make the change all at once?

Any other ideas?

They can definitely collect data right now. On the other hand, they can just run simulations to get all the answers they need for NextGen, no need to change anything just for that.

 

[doconeill]

They can definitely collect data right now. On the other hand, they can just run simulations to get all the answers they need for NextGen, no need to change anything just for that.

Simulations don't account for human idiosyncrasies...and that's a big part of what will affect the results

Why now? Well, who knows. There was some internal scuttlebutt that they wanted time to get guests and CMs used to the new enforcement rules. And also likely to figure out how to deal with conflict issues that will inevitably arise (like keeping the receipt from an ADR, etc.)

 

[seashoreCM]

They will want to get data on standby line demography and behavior as well as FASTPASS line behavior (and also FASTPASS fetching behavior) with the enforced time windows in effect.

It's a lot easier to do this in the field as opposed to constructing and running simulations.

You cannot predict the no-show rate while FASTPASSes continue to be accepted after the time window. In addtion, accepting FASTPASSes late will change the fetching behavior. With Next Gen or XPass competing for ride slots with FASTPASS and standby, it is important to get a handle on the no-show rate and also take advantage of the no-show rate.

 

[WillAustin]

They can definitely collect data right now. On the other hand, they can just run simulations to get all the answers they need for NextGen, no need to change anything just for that.

As someone else brought up on another thread, if it was about being "fair" to everyone, they'd certainly be enforcing it at DL as well, but they're not.

There has to be another reason.

 

[KellyNY]

Simulations don't account for human idiosyncrasies...and that's a big part of what will affect the results

Why now? Well, who knows. There was some internal scuttlebutt that they wanted time to get guests and CMs used to the new enforcement rules. And also likely to figure out how to deal with conflict issues that will inevitably arise (like keeping the receipt from an ADR, etc.)

I understand, however how much time you need to figure out holes in system and how to handle then and how much time they need to adjust CMs. Unless NextGen is to start in 2 months I do not see why they need it.

 

[doconeill]

I understand, however how much time you need to figure out holes in system and how to handle then and how much time they need to adjust CMs. Unless NextGen is to start in 2 months I do not see why they need it.

What we see is irrelevant. It's what they feel the need to do.

There are a number of different seasons that attract different levels of guests with different plans. It's conceivable they want a whole year's worth of data.

Right now, you've got spring-breakers. Then it's flower and garden, then a bit of slow time followed by the normal summer rush, then the dog days where they entice the people who for free dining, then the food and wine snobs , then the costume wearers, then the early holidayers, then the x-mas-to-new-years crush, then slow time again...

Each caters to a different crowd, who may strategize differently. So it is conceivable they need ALL that data.

 

[buffettgirl]

AND it's also possible that it's being done purposely to "annoy" people (that sounds bad) so that when the next gen system comes out people will start to say WOW what a "GREAT IMPROVEMENT, I don't have to dash to get a FP anymore, I can reserve my times in advance". If people think it's THAT much of an improvement, they might even be able to charge for the system. Accounts that I read are back and forth on that, as are reports on who exactly will be eligible.

With the old non-enforcement system in place it was a very easy way to tour. And any change to the newest system later on might be met with a lot of resistance because it just didn't seem to be needed. The enforcement makes it a bit more difficult, and I really think the newest system will really make it easy for the minority of us (all of you here too) who would really have no trouble having our "big" rides lined up in advance.

But, who knows.

 

[Mamiamjo]

AND it's also possible that it's being done purposely to "annoy" people (that sounds bad) so that when the next gen system comes out people will start to say WOW what a "GREAT IMPROVEMENT,

But, who knows.

 

[Day-Day]

... For example, after riding Space Mountain, we would typically get Fast Passes for later use in the day, but now the return time was too early for us to make it back to Tomorrowland in time to use them. So they went to waste (it was sad that we could no longer give away unused FPs for someone else to use), and I made an extra cross-park trip in the late morning to get FPs for afternoon use.

...

Why could you no longer give unused FPs away? (Didn't pull them to start with?)

 

[magicbob]

Why could you no longer give unused FPs away? (Didn't pull them to start with?)

I'm guessing because they are no longer valid after the time window. You can still give them away if you decide early enough that you're not going to use them. For example, you have a FP for later in the afternoon or evening, but decide to park hop somewhere else. In that case, you could still give the unused FPs away and they would probably get used. But in a lot of cases, people will intend to use them, but not decide until it's almost too late (i.e., window closing) that they either can't or won't use them. If there's still a few minutes left, you could give them away, but the person you give them to will then have to rush to the attraction and hope they make it on time (not quite as magical as in the past). But in many cases, the decision not to use them will be made too late. As long as the FPs are still valid, people are likely to continue entertaining the notion of using them, but as expiration time closes in on them, they realize they can't make it back in time, they got interested in a show or some other activity and don't want to leave it, or they just don't want to have to run across the park to get there. The FPs will expire and then giving them away is pointless.

 

[linzmot]

The worst two I have ever seen are Toy Story Mania and Soarin'. You really have to get someone that can run ahead for those tickets!!!

 

[Day-Day]

I'm guessing because they are no longer valid after the time window. You can still give them away if you decide early enough that you're not going to use them. For example, you have a FP for later in the afternoon or evening, but decide to park hop somewhere else. In that case, you could still give the unused FPs away and they would probably get used. But in a lot of cases, people will intend to use them, but not decide until it's almost too late (i.e., window closing) that they either can't or won't use them. If there's still a few minutes left, you could give them away, but the person you give them to will then have to rush to the attraction and hope they make it on time (not quite as magical as in the past). But in many cases, the decision not to use them will be made too late. As long as the FPs are still valid, people are likely to continue entertaining the notion of using them, but as expiration time closes in on them, they realize they can't make it back in time, they got interested in a show or some other activity and don't want to leave it, or they just don't want to have to run across the park to get there. The FPs will expire and then giving them away is pointless.

That's sums up pretty much what happened with us; we have a few FPs left over that never got used. The poster could give them away like in the past but the logistics mess up the opportunity.

 

[g-dad66]

Why could you no longer give unused FPs away? (Didn't pull them to start with?)

Because they had expired.

In the past, if we had Fast Passes we decided not to use, we would give them away, explaining that they could be used any time later in the day.

But now "expired" Fast Passes are useless.

 

[mbrittb00]

Are the return windows still only 1 hour long? I had heard a rumor that they had had expanded them to 2 hour to allow for a little flexibility since they were no longer going to accept them late.

 

[mesaboy2]

Are the return windows still only 1 hour long? I had heard a rumor that they had had expanded them to 2 hour to allow for a little flexibility since they were no longer going to accept them late.

False rumor--still one hour.

 

[mbrittb00]

Too bad. The 1 hour time window will either cause you to cris cross the parks a lot, you will have to micro-manage your vacation in order to prevent doing so. I'm worried that the 1 hour time limit will make your vacation a slave to the FP return windows. Maybe I'm wrong. We'll see in late April.

 

[grecorj]

I thought a Disney exec mentioned that in the "future", you could plan your whole vacation before leaving home; meaning the "NextGen" FastPass would be something you could reserve ahead of time. That way you could book X # of rides at a park and could coordinate with ADR's, etc. Enforcing the 1 hour window now, as some others have mentioned, allows them to get a better sense of ridership/demand leading up to NextGen rollout.

 

[Robo]

I thought a Disney exec mentioned that in the "future", you could plan your whole vacation before leaving home; meaning the "NextGen" FastPass would be something you could reserve ahead of time.

That way you could book X # of rides at a park and could coordinate with ADR's, etc.

Enforcing the 1 hour window now, as some others have mentioned, allows them to get a better sense of ridership/demand leading up to NextGen rollout.

This concept is in "full dissection mode" in another current thread (16 pages, so far) found HERE.

 

[mrsbert]

This concept is in "full dissection mode" in another current thread (16 pages, so far) found HERE.