fastpasses run out in Disneyland???

[krueg66]

I've been reading some of the posts and it sounds like the fastpasses at Disneyland actually run out? My wife and I are coming over on Wednesday for out first DL trip! I've never experienced fastpasses running out at WDW. Does this really happen? Are there rides we should concentrate on first being that it sounds very crowded there this time of year? I would hate to miss out on the Matterhorn or Indiana Jones...

Thanks for the help DL people!!!!

 

[Califgirl]

Yes, fast passes really do run out.

Space Mountain, and Soaring are the two that I have experienced running out the most.

The Matterhorn doesn't offer fast passes so you are always at the mercy of the line - which can move surprisingly quickly.

Wed. is the best day to go to the park - have a great time.

 

[HydroGuy]

Yes they run out at DLR, but they also run out at WDW.

Here is what happens at Space Mtn (similar at WDW but some different details):

Let's say you go on a day when DL opens at 8AM. Those who get the first SM FastPasses (FPs) will have a return window of 8:45-9:45AM. There will always be at least a 45 minute delay until the return window. As more and more people get SM FPs, the window gets pushed out. On a busy summer day some time around 9AM the window will start being more than 45 minutes away. By the time it gets to maybe 10AM the window will be over two hours away. By Noon the window will be maybe 6 hours away. The final FPs given out (at maybe 2PM on a busy day) will be for near park closing - 9-10 hours away.

So even if you can get a SM FP at say 1PM, the return window may not be until 9 or 10PM that night which may or may not fit your schedule that day.

Bottom line? Get to the park early and get your SM FPs first thing.

I wrote up a guideline to DLR FP and it is a very popular link around here:

See "Getting the Most Out of FastPass During High Season" http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=885132

Here is another link on how early FP collecting can affect your day:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1107718 - check out my post #4 in that thread.

One extremely useful tip about DLR FastPass. They have a policy to not enforce the end of the FP window. So if your SM FP window is for say 1-2PM, you can use it any time after 1 PM that day. To drive the point home, one day last summer I got a SM FP right after 8AM. The return window was 8:55-9:55AM. We did not use it until 11:45PM that night - 12 hours late. And the standby line at midnight was 100 minutes long. 100 minutes!

I have used late FPs at DLR dozens of times without ever a question.

Finally, if you feel like you need help getting a smart ride schedule, invest $15 in RideMax (www.ridemax.com ). I use RideMax itineraries from time to time myself.

 

[krueg66]

Thanks guys! We'll be in Disneyland on Thursday so wish us luck!!!

 

[Amy&Dan]

Have a great trip, read then reread Hydroguy's post, it will make your life and visit easier and more fun! And like Hydroguy, we have used Space Mountain fastpasses literally 12 hours after the return time came up, in fact we did this last Tuesday night and it saved us waiting in an 85 minute line at 10:00 p.m. For our visit last week, Space Mountain fastpasses were gone each day before noon, so get one early. Splash Mountain didn't open up their fp machines until closer to 9:00 or 10:00 a.m. and they didn't usually run out until mid afternoon. Buzz and BTMRR had fastpasses even as late as 8:00 p.m. so get those later, they will still have them. And yes at WDW they do run out too, I have experienced this each and everyone of my six visits there. Expedition Everest is the hot fastpass right now, it ran out each day we were there in late April/early May which is an "off" time of year to go.

 

[dletz]

We were there last tuesday. It was crowded at 10 am space mountain FP was for 9:30. By the time we got to other areas of the park, Splash, Grizzley River Run, Soarin, were all out. In fact I think by early evening most fast passes for most rides were out.

 

[Amy&Dan]

We were there last tuesday. It was crowded at 10 am space mountain FP was for 9:30. By the time we got to other areas of the park, Splash, Grizzley River Run, Soarin, were all out. In fact I think by early evening most fast passes for most rides were out.

I was there too and it was nuts! Just getting from one end of the park to another was a challenge. Buzz and BTMRR had fastpasses but that was about it by afternoon. Did you see Diane Keaton? We saw her over at DCA, I'll bet she didn't need to worry about getting fastpasses!

 

[bellelinus]

We were there last week -- FPs were definitely running out by mid to late morning, especially on Space. Also, no FPs were ever being given out for Indy. It was really, really crowded.

 

[HydroGuy]

Have a great trip, read then reread Hydroguy's post, it will make your life and visit easier and more fun! And like Hydroguy, we have used Space Mountain fastpasses literally 12 hours after the return time came up, in fact we did this last Tuesday night and it saved us waiting in an 85 minute line at 10:00 p.m. For our visit last week, Space Mountain fastpasses were gone each day before noon, so get one early. Splash Mountain didn't open up their fp machines until closer to 9:00 or 10:00 a.m. and they didn't usually run out until mid afternoon.

Amy, do you think the reason Space ran out faster was because Indy FPs were not available? I wasn't there like you were, but it seems a likely explanation. If so, then when Indy FP becomes available again (this week some time I think) then Space Mtn FPs will last out until 2PM again. What do you think?

 

[Amy&Dan]

Amy, do you think the reason Space ran out faster was because Indy FPs were not available? I wasn't there like you were, but it seems a likely explanation. If so, then when Indy FP becomes available again (this week some time I think) then Space Mtn FPs will last out until 2PM again. What do you think?

I think that is a very safe assumption. Due to the fact that the walkway near Rivers of America in Frontierland/New Orleans Square was blocked off, that whole end of the park became a nightmare. I know my family spent way less time in Frontierland and New Orleans Square than normal, meaning we spent a lot more time in DCA and Tomorrowland, both of which seemed more crowded than I can ever remember. One day there was a 45 minute wait for Star Tours, I don't think I have ever seen that before! Since Splash wasn't opening their fastpass machines until later in the morning, Space was the obvious choice for that. I chatted with one of the cm's that works at the 50th anniversary movie/display and he told me that Indy may not get their fp machines back and that in fact all of Disneyland may lose them. Heaven forbid! I will be anxious to hear if they open Indy back up again. We have been this same time before and it was so much more crowded this time. Thank goodness we had the fp technique down pat, if that had been my first trip I don't know if I would have evolved into the Disneyland addict I am!

 

[HydroGuy]

I chatted with one of the cm's that works at the 50th anniversary movie/display and he told me that Indy may not get their fp machines back and that in fact all of Disneyland may lose them. Heaven forbid!

I think the CM was misinformed so rest easy. As you know very well, DLR has committed a lot of resources to FP and it helps a lot with customer satisfaction. I would be surprised if they ever took it away entirely. If they do it will not be for a number of years yet.

 

[tlovesdis]

I just got back from a 4 day trip over the weekend and fastpasses were running out early in the morning. On Friday we were in line for Buzz at about 8:30 and we heard people saying that Indiana Jones fastpasses were all gone for the day already! It was crazy packed this weekend and hot as can be!

 

[DenverVal]

Amy, do you think the reason Space ran out faster was because Indy FPs were not available? I wasn't there like you were, but it seems a likely explanation. If so, then when Indy FP becomes available again (this week some time I think) then Space Mtn FPs will last out until 2PM again. What do you think?

I was there with dletz last Tuesday, and when we arrived at the parking structure around 10, there were two long lines of school busses entering beside us. We wondered if maybe the busloads of kids contributed to the fast passes running out early. I know if I had 40 kids to watch, I'd head for the fastpasses first thing. The crowds were shoulder to shoulder through the walkways in New Orleans Square and Adventureland. We never even got to Frontierland. Was Big Thunder Mountain even open? When we turned in our VMK quests, they weren't giving out fast passes for it that day. The line for Space Mountain was still long right before closing, but we were able to walk onto Buzz Lightyear twice in a row.

 

[CaliforniaDreamer]

The word is that the current Disney regime does not like the fastpass and is clearly phasing it out. That is why POTC does not have it and Nemo sub has no provision for it. They've taken away fp for most days of Indiana.

We need to mail/fax/phone Disney and let them know we want the fastpass.

 

[bellelinus]

I just got back from a 4 day trip over the weekend and fastpasses were running out early in the morning. On Friday we were in line for Buzz at about 8:30 and we heard people saying that Indiana Jones fastpasses were all gone for the day already! It was crazy packed this weekend and hot as can be!

When we were there last week, we went right to Indy at 8 AM (park opening), and the sign was posted that the FPs were gone for the day -- however, when I talked to a cast member about it, he said that they weren't going to do Indy FPs anymore because the standby line could exceed a 2 hours wait by mid-morning when FPs were available. Hopefully he is wrong, but that is what I was told.

 

[Califgirl]

When we were there last week, we went right to Indy at 8 AM (park opening), and the sign was posted that the FPs were gone for the day -- however, when I talked to a cast member about it, he said that they weren't going to do Indy FPs anymore because the standby line could exceed a 2 hours wait by mid-morning when FPs were available. Hopefully he is wrong, but that is what I was told.

So, how is taking away the fast passes going to help the line be shorter?
I don't understand this thinking. The Indy ride is a 15min wait even with no line, just because the queue line is so long, and it takes about 15 min to walk it and watch the little movie.

Hydroguy, you seem to understand the mechanics of fast pass better than most anyone - why would taking away the fast pass machines make the stand by wait better? And in general, make the Indy ride a better experience for the most people?

 

[iceskatejen]

Actually, when they took FP away from POTC a couple of years ago, it did make the lines shorter (I don't think anything would have helped with the lines yesterday). Stand-by with FP at POTC was an average of 30-40 minutes. When FP went away, the average wait went to 15-20. It'll be some time though, before waits go down to that again.

 

[HydroGuy]

So, how is taking away the fast passes going to help the line be shorter?
I don't understand this thinking. The Indy ride is a 15min wait even with no line, just because the queue line is so long, and it takes about 15 min to walk it and watch the little movie.

Hydroguy, you seem to understand the mechanics of fast pass better than most anyone - why would taking away the fast pass machines make the stand by wait better? And in general, make the Indy ride a better experience for the most people?

Everyone seems to have their theories and none of them are convincing to me. So I do not know. Some people theorize why the standby lines will get longer with FP and some why they will get shorter. And then when Disney adds or removes a FP machine the actuality of what happens does not conform to any theory.

The original idea with FP was two-fold to my understanding. First, the number one customer complaint DLR/WDW received pre-FP was long lines for rides. So FastPass was/is a line reservation system of sorts and helped address that concern. Now when anyone complains about long lines Disney can point them to FP. And it is my understanding that these complaints did in fact go down after FP was installed.

Second was the idea that if people were not standing in line (because they had a FP) they would have more time to shop - and spend money - at the resort. This has never proven out from what I understand. I know in our case we just go on other rides when we have our FPs collected and it does not increase our shopping.

Everything I read about FP makes me think that the occasional wild rumors that Disney is either going to A) remove FP, or B) start charging for it, seem baseless. I was just reading yesterday that they are taking out the Star Tours FP machines - which have not been used for about a year now - but specifically told the workers to leave the FP wiring in place. Why would they do that if FP was going away? The speculation was that Star Tours is going to be upgraded based on the recent string of Star Wars movies and that FP would/might be coming back to ST at that point.

Further, Disney has applied for a whole bunch of patents on FastPass in the last couple years.

The Cast Members at DLR and WDW are a lot less informed about things than you would think and I would not put much stock in what they say in this regard. From what I understand the Indy FP machines will be up and going tomorrow June 28. Hopefully we'll get some feedback this week and find out.

 

[krueg66]

If we want to ride Indiana Jones (the #1 thing we want to ride) we should go there first thing and grab a fastpass? Sounds like we picked the worst possible time to go to Disneyland...it's going to be crazy.

 

[HydroGuy]

If we want to ride Indiana Jones (the #1 thing we want to ride) we should go there first thing and grab a fastpass? Sounds like we picked the worst possible time to go to Disneyland...it's going to be crazy.

That is really hard to answer. I think the overall answer is "yes", and from there you can think about exceptions when it might be "no".

Are you going for one day only? Will you be able to arrive early (i.e., can you be at the DL gates before the park opens)? If it is Thursday that will be an Early Entry day which means there will already be people in the park (FantasyLand and TomorrowLand) even if you arrive at regular park opening.

Not knowing your details I would say go to Indy first if that is your #1 priority. If the FP machines are up then get one and go ride something else. If you cannot get a FP (because the FP machines are still down), then get in line and live with the standby wait. If you can get to the gates early then the standby wait will be very short. If you arrive 1-2 hours late, the standby line will be longer but still not as bad as mid-day.

You will be helped by the fact that the POTC ride has just re-opened and people will not be rushing to Indy but POTC. On the downside many people will walk past Indy on the way to POTC.