FP - allowed returns later than 1, 2 or more hours??

[UNCFanatik]

It just sounds to me that if there is an issue like an emergency or a delayed Disney "caused" situation, that exceptions are being made to Fast Pass enforcement.

I definitely think it is a little much to expect someone to "plan" to spend 2.5 hours for a meal or to "plan" for a 1.5 hour boat ride that should only take 30 minutes even on a busy day. (I have done that launch ride between HS and the World Showcase dozens of times, and NEVER took more than 45 minutes). That IS Disney's fault, plain and simple, and Disney should cover missed fastpass windows. While it is a pain to have to run to guest services, I don't think CM's at the rides should have to be put into the position of having to make judgement calls.

Disney does not "cause" anyone to return to their hotel in the middle of the day. Again, it is a CHOICE made by a guest. Yes, problems with transportation can happen. Is it Disney's fault if some unruly child does something stupid to cause injury to himself on one of the forms of transportation that slows down normal transportation times? It is not always Disney's fault for delays in transportation. When a visitor CHOOSES to leave the park in the middle of the day then they assume risk that something could happen to cause them to miss their FP return time.

 

[brymolmom]

Wanna hear something weird? Before Fastpass, you could go to dinner, take whatever time you wanted or needed and then ride the ride. Then they decided that folks could make ADR's (or have to make ADR's) six months in advance. This happened around the same time as Fastpass. One bad decision snowballed into two bad decisions and now look at the quagmire everyone is in. When they made that decision to not enforce the end time, I'm sure that what they were thinking is that it would be just a few people that would need that. Then it became a way of life for seasoned Guests.

Everyone forgets that it is possible to ride every ride without a Fastpass, might be a little longer but not only can it be done, it had been done for many, many years.

Disney years ago decided that they wouldn't enforce the back end of the Fastpass window. They also, I'm sure, did not know just how complicated it was going to become. It completely reinforces the old saying about how a good deed never goes unpunished. I attempted to warn them about the pending doom swiftly coming to the surface...but what did I know.

Disney only has a handful of rides that really seem to need a Fastpass, my guess is that the ones that were already cancelled out, will be joined by others before too long.

The moral of this story is that people need to eat to maintain energy and keep everything in balance. People do not physically need to ride a ride. If one has to choose, it should be a pretty simple decision.

I like your correlation between ADR's and Fastpasses - interesting thought that some of the stress from this change might be alleviated if the ADR crunch wasn't so tight and they allowed/had room for 'walk-ins' again.

I have to respectfully disagree about your comment 'might be a little longer' for riding rides without FP's. We went in January - went to parks for 7 days - only two Extra Magic Hour nights, rode everything we wanted, rode our favorites 3 - 4 times. And the longest line we waited in was about 30 minutes - which we did maybe 3 times on the trip. The rest of the time it was 20 minutes or less. And I believe, although I haven't seen enough people reporting back to know for sure, that if I did that same trip today and rode the same rides - I likely would have to spend hours longer in line...My total guess would be maybe 14 - 20 hours longer in line (guessing at least 2 hours per day longer). And, because of the increased time wasted in lines, I'm guessing we would have done at least 5 or so fewer rides/attractions per day (but I actually think it would be closer to 10 depending on the park). So, not having experienced the new enforcement yet, my guess is that I'll spend way more time in lines and ride significantly fewer rides. And definitely need to stick to all the headliners to one ride only, except for maybe the very first FP of the day where I can ride it once and FP it once later. The days of my kids riding RNR 5 times are likely a thing of the past. So I hope I'm wrong - but it is looking to me like a huge negative on my future trip.

I wonder if the people who say they won't be impacted too much - maybe they are already used to waiting in hour long lines frequently? Maybe they don't come at rope drop and have to make due with one or two FP's for the day and suck it up and do other things they want to do with a long standby line?

Yes, everyone points out that you can wait in the standby line. But is it really so surprising that after a bunch of trips without having to wait for more than 30 minutes here and there that it's very difficult to spend just as much money for hanging out in lines for hours more? Or, alternatively, skipping a bunch of stuff we used to enjoy.

My best Disney girlfriend is going in a few weeks. We tour very similarly. I am extremely anxious to hear her feedback when she returns. I hope I'm wrong and she can ride just as much stuff even with the new system. I just can't envision how that could happen.

 

[mesaboy2]

It's like h-o-e's twin or something. I bet that's a fun party.

 

[Mom-2-2Princesses]

Wowee! And here all I was hoping for was a report from someone on what the procedure is for dealing with unusual circumstances (that is, do the restaurants have a protocol in place to stamp the FP's or something, do I try to explain to the CM at the ride, or do I go to guest services).

I agree with everyone that it's important to note the FP return times and make sure they won't conflict with ADR's, etc. IMO, a FP window that closes 2.5-3 hours after my ADR time should be reasonable. What is not reasonable or could have been reasonably anticipated (again, IMO) was that we would not be seated until an hour after our ARD time, and that it would also be 45 minutes AFTER we finished eating before our server brought the bill (and yes, we did ask for it several times, from several different servers). I confess that we DID spend 45 or so minutes actually eating. Had either of the 2 Disney-controlled incidents (the late seating or the delay in getting the bill) not taken place, we would have had ample time to return within the FP window. But neither of those were in our control, and we (IMO) could not have reasonably anticipated both delays occurring.

Hence, my hope is to hear actual experiences from those who run into similar circumstances (either with a ride delay or a restaurant delay outside of the park guest's control) so that I may learn the proper procedure for handling the situation. I am aware that the FP enforcement is a new development and that there is a lot of uncertainty as to how things will be handled... which is why I am interested to hear actual park experiences.

 

[kaytieeldr]

If you combine the FP penalty with the 10$ penalty, this could end up hurting attendance at the Sit Down restaurants. Which might not be bad for those of us who really enjoy the sit down restaurants .

The FastPass penalty? What penalty?

 

[WDSearcher]

I see your point. And "case by case" is fine if it works. But I'm referring to more than the FP issue here. The CC hold on character meals has been in effect and the reports back for a while have been that people were told they could not be released from their credit card hold to eat elsewhere even after waiting for an hour.

I said early on that they needed to institute a CC hold on many of these restaurants. So I'm glad it's there. But there needs to be some reasonabloe give and take on this piece of the issue.

I agree. But without knowing any details of why someone was waiting for an hour at a Character meal (was the restaurant overbooked? were the Characters late arriving? were the guests late?) it's hard to know whether allowing a CC release was appropriate or not. If it's truly a Disney problem (overbooking, kitchen issues, etc), I imagine that getting a deposit back is a lot easier than if it's a guest issue (tried to get on one more ride before lunch, lost track of time, etc).

If it becomes a major issue and FP times are consistently smashing up against Character meal times with lots of complaints, Disney will develop whatever sort of "FP forgiveness" stamp or ticket or whatever is needed. And they may already have that in a contingency plan somewhere. I don't, however, think they necessarily need to announce that such a plan exists at this point.

 

[LilyWDW]

Disney is going to have to really limit the "exceptions" or they will have a mess on their hands. Plus, they will need a way to "prove" that an exception should be made. A way to mark a fastpass or the ability to give out another fastpass would be a way to have proof. It will not work if Disney just takes people's word for why they are late. That will lead to way too much abuse.

 

[Balt ravens fan]

I give up fighting with UNC .. we will agree to disagree. I say Disney should honor it's guests when their Service is bad, UNC says tough luck you should have thought it would happen.

I guess in UNC's mind you should hang around the attraction until your FP time comes back, otherwise too much risk involved. What happens if you take a couple of steps you might trip and fall, have to go to first aid and miss your FP time. You should have thought of that before you decided to take 2 steps away from Soarin... What were you thinking going on a walk? That was an unecessary risk! You will have to go Standby now - Have a magical day!

 

[scion5220]

I like your correlation between ADR's and Fastpasses - interesting thought that some of the stress from this change might be alleviated if the ADR crunch wasn't so tight and they allowed/had room for 'walk-ins' again.

I have to respectfully disagree about your comment 'might be a little longer' for riding rides without FP's. We went in January - went to parks for 7 days - only two Extra Magic Hour nights, rode everything we wanted, rode our favorites 3 - 4 times. And the longest line we waited in was about 30 minutes - which we did maybe 3 times on the trip. The rest of the time it was 20 minutes or less. And I believe, although I haven't seen enough people reporting back to know for sure, that if I did that same trip today and rode the same rides - I likely would have to spend hours longer in line...My total guess would be maybe 14 - 20 hours longer in line (guessing at least 2 hours per day longer). And, because of the increased time wasted in lines, I'm guessing we would have done at least 5 or so fewer rides/attractions per day (but I actually think it would be closer to 10 depending on the park). So, not having experienced the new enforcement yet, my guess is that I'll spend way more time in lines and ride significantly fewer rides. And definitely need to stick to all the headliners to one ride only, except for maybe the very first FP of the day where I can ride it once and FP it once later. The days of my kids riding RNR 5 times are likely a thing of the past. So I hope I'm wrong - but it is looking to me like a huge negative on my future trip.

I wonder if the people who say they won't be impacted too much - maybe they are already used to waiting in hour long lines frequently? Maybe they don't come at rope drop and have to make due with one or two FP's for the day and suck it up and do other things they want to do with a long standby line?

Yes, everyone points out that you can wait in the standby line. But is it really so surprising that after a bunch of trips without having to wait for more than 30 minutes here and there that it's very difficult to spend just as much money for hanging out in lines for hours more? Or, alternatively, skipping a bunch of stuff we used to enjoy.

My best Disney girlfriend is going in a few weeks. We tour very similarly. I am extremely anxious to hear her feedback when she returns. I hope I'm wrong and she can ride just as much stuff even with the new system. I just can't envision how that could happen.

You can probably still do most of that...in January. And just to confirm, you were able to have all those multiple rides only by late FP use?

 

[UNCFanatik]

Wowee! And here all I was hoping for was a report from someone on what the procedure is for dealing with unusual circumstances (that is, do the restaurants have a protocol in place to stamp the FP's or something, do I try to explain to the CM at the ride, or do I go to guest services).

I agree with everyone that it's important to note the FP return times and make sure they won't conflict with ADR's, etc. IMO, a FP window that closes 2.5-3 hours after my ADR time should be reasonable. What is not reasonable or could have been reasonably anticipated (again, IMO) was that we would not be seated until an hour after our ARD time, and that it would also be 45 minutes AFTER we finished eating before our server brought the bill (and yes, we did ask for it several times, from several different servers). I confess that we DID spend 45 or so minutes actually eating. Had either of the 2 Disney-controlled incidents (the late seating or the delay in getting the bill) not taken place, we would have had ample time to return within the FP window. But neither of those were in our control, and we (IMO) could not have reasonably anticipated both delays occurring.

Hence, my hope is to hear actual experiences from those who run into similar circumstances (either with a ride delay or a restaurant delay outside of the park guest's control) so that I may learn the proper procedure for handling the situation. I am aware that the FP enforcement is a new development and that there is a lot of uncertainty as to how things will be handled... which is why I am interested to hear actual park experiences.

So what time was your ADR? What time did you arrive at the restaurant? how large was your party? What was the FP return time?

And the one thing that I would disagree with is the time it took to get your bill. You had control over that. If you were planning on being somewhere at a certain time and you didnt do more like go to the manager to get your check, then I would say you share in the blame.

 

[mom2rtk]

The FastPass penalty? What penalty?

You didn't hear? You have to insert your credit card in the FP machine. Nothing is charged unless you miss your time. Then you're charged $10 per ticket.

I think they meant loss of use of the FP.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I guess in UNC's mind you should hang around the attraction until your FP time comes back, otherwise too much risk involved. What happens if you take a couple of steps you might trip and fall, have to go to first aid and miss your FP time. You should have thought of that before you decided to take 2 steps away from Soarin... What were you thinking going on a walk? That was an unecessary risk! You will have to go Standby now - Have a magical day

Your sarcasm is showing.
In your example, get the Soarin' FastPass (presuming the time doesn't reasonably risk conflicting with any dining reservations). Depending on the return time: grab a bite at Sunshine Seasons; check out Living with the Land, Circle of Life, Nemo, Turtle Talk, Journey into Your Imagination, Innoventions, shopping.... or any combination of the above, until your Soarin' window opens.

 

[UNCFanatik]

I give up fighting with UNC .. we will agree to disagree. I say Disney should honor it's guests when their Service is bad, UNC says tough luck you should have thought it would happen.

I guess in UNC's mind you should hang around the attraction until your FP time comes back, otherwise too much risk involved. What happens if you take a couple of steps you might trip and fall, have to go to first aid and miss your FP time. You should have thought of that before you decided to take 2 steps away from Soarin... What were you thinking going on a walk? That was an unecessary risk! You will have to go Standby now - Have a magical day!

hyperbole is such a wonderful thing....

You are right, I should be ashamed for advocating that people take personal responsibility.

 

[kaytieeldr]

You didn't hear? You have to insert your credit card in the FP machine. Nothing is charged unless you miss your time. Then you're charged $10 per ticket.

I think they meant loss of use of the FP.

I wonder if that's what the rumored NextGen really is - pay as you go FastPasses?

 

[Balt ravens fan]

hyperbole is such a wonderful thing....

You are right, I should be ashamed for advocating that people take personal responsibility.

I guess I should be ashamed for advocating that DISNEY take personal responsibility as well.

Case by Case. And use a stamp or issue you a FP that doesn't expire!

 

[WDSearcher]

To be honest, I'm rooting for this change to be a disaster to the point where they reconsider the strategy of enforcement. I'm thrilled with reports of long FP lines. Math has already told me that this would have NO impact on SB lines.

Although ... since the "strategy of enforcement" is in preparation for other new policies down the road, Disney isn't likely to go back to "use your FP anytime". So, long FP lines or not, I'm thinkin' it stays. And honestly ... once all of the initial shock is over, it'll probably be just fine.

Remember that the CMs aren't used to the strict enforcement policy either, and they need a bit of time to rethink how to bring the FP and SB lines together to keep everything moving. Guests need to get over the panic of showing up at the very beginning of their FP time (or rushing in at the very end) and remember that they have an hour (and 15 min) in which to show up. Once everyone starts using that whole hour (and 15 min), the ridership will spread out as it should.

 

[Balt ravens fan]

Your sarcasm is showing.
In your example, get the Soarin' FastPass (presuming the time doesn't reasonably risk conflicting with any dining reservations). Depending on the return time: grab a bite at Sunshine Seasons; check out Living with the Land, Circle of Life, Nemo, Turtle Talk, Journey into Your Imagination, Innoventions, shopping.... or any combination of the above, until your Soarin' window opens.

I totally agree with this approach It is the approach that I use.

But I also use the approach of grabbing a FP before an ADR, and it is reasonable to get a FP for 2 hours later. If the restaurant can't get you in and out in 2 hours - then Stamp my FP, or give me a non-expiring one.

 

[WDSearcher]

I can work around this change. I just will miss giving passes we did not use to others in the park. I love being able to spread a little pixie dust.

That option still exists. If you pull a FP for a time you know you can't make -- ADR, other plans, you'll have hopped to another park by then -- you still have the ability to give them away. You'll just need to remind the recipient to use them during the time listed.

 

[RMulieri]

hyperbole is such a wonderful thing....

You are right, I should be ashamed for advocating that people take personal responsibility.

How DARE you?? just kidding..We need "little men with pitchforks and torches" smilies

 

[scion5220]

I guess I should be ashamed for advocating that DISNEY take personal responsibility as well.

Case by Case. And use a stamp or issue you a FP that doesn't expire!

Just curious as to why it should be a FP that doesn't expire? You already had a fast pass for a particular time that...at least in the scenario most are using...you missed because a dining "experience" took longer than anticipated. You (not you specifically, you a general Dis'er) were planning to go when you got through with your meal and now your meal ran late. So why wouldn't you just get a stamp or something that extends the fast pass to one hour past the stamp? Non-expiring FPs are what started this whole thing!