Get a load of this! A reader's comment about Fastpass to AAA Home and Away magazine

[arminnie]

Originally posted by time101
Isn't complaining that FP'ers have an unfair advantage the same as saying that guests who have made PS's at popular restaurants have an unfair advantage? "Look at all those diners going ahead of me to their tables!!"

Exactly the same!

 

[drogerstn]

As already noted in some of the posts, while people with FP’s are not physically in queue, they are “electronically” in queue. The waiting time for stand-by guests is not any different than if those people with FP’s were in stand-by and FP’s didn’t exist. I have to keep the above in mind when I’m next in line in the stand-by line and have to wait for FP users who keep appearing out of nowhere and are allowed to go ahead. FP’s allow guests to do “other things” while waiting in this electronic queue. Being able to do these “other things” makes the visit more enjoyable and less tiresome….and allows the guests to spend money that they couldn’t spend while physically waiting in line.

FP users are guaranteed no longer than a 10 minute wait, so I sometimes think they should make them wait a few minutes; however, if they followed this routine all day long, the waiting time for the stand-by guests would not be improved.

I’m sure many of the guests in the stand-by lines making comments about the FP users are only joking and having fun; they have FP’s with them to be used when their time window comes up.

I have heard that FP’s can often be used even though the time window for use has expired. This would seem okay only if its due to the ride being down during someone’s showtime and if the number of FP’s distributed later in the day is reduced to compensate for the additional expected demand.

 

[w8ting4pooh]

Is the original article online somewhere? I'd like to read all the 'tips' that the article offers.

We belong to AAA but I must have missed this article somehow.

FYI - FP are GREAT! However, we did get several dirty looks as we ran past people suffering in line at Splash Mountain in July.

 

[dpuck1998]

I think this has already been beat to death, however I feel the urge to comment. I was at Disney this summer and spent 2 days at Universal Studios. If you want to see the worst FP system in action goto Universal Studios. They start by giving hotel guest free FP to all the rides once. They can go on any ride at any time into the fast pass system once. That creates a strain on the FP system because who knows when they are going. Next they give you the option to pay extra for the same rights. So after buying your ticket if you fork over more cash you can get on each ride once at anytime. More strain on the system for the same reason as above. Now that I am in the park I can get a fastpass even though I didn't pay extra. However, they are all gone!! or the times are very late because they have already sold them all. Even if I do get one or two I wait in line at the FP because they have no idea how many people will be in the FP line at any given time. I was there in the summer when the FP system would have been the most in demand and it worked horribly. I would stand in line with 4 tickets and try to get 4 passes for a ride. This was easy enough...I could choose 2-3 different times...but whoops I'm on ticket number 4 and the time for my other 3 tickets is no longer available for my 4th ticket!! What a mess!!! I will never go to Universial Studios during anything close to busy time again. Those 2 days of my 8 day Disney vacation were horrible, I was never more thankful for how well Disney is run!

I have to echo the thoughts about reservations and Disney Fast Pass. All you are doing in making a reservation for your time on the ride. Everyone has the same chance at doing this and even if you arrive late Fast Pass tickets seldom are gone until late in the afternoon. Any talk about being unfair is unfounded. This summer I would go get a fastpass for a ride with a 30 minute wait and the fastpass was available right now. I think "hmm...wait for 30 minutes or get right on" tough choice!

 

[NotUrsula]

They start by giving hotel guest free FP to all the rides once. They can go on any ride at any time into the fast pass system once.

That's not actually true. The on-site guest access at USIOA is *unlimited*; you can bypass the line on any ride at either park as many times as you like for your entire stay; we rode Spiderman 8X in a row once. The extra-cost "Express Pass Package" that you can buy at each park in the morning gives you one-time Express access to each ride in that park at any time that day.

Otherwise, you're right. The free version of the Express Passes go very fast. We were there in at the slowest times of year, and all of the machines for the free Express Passes were hooded by 11 am in both parks; I can't imagine how fast they would go at peak season.

WDW can't give onsite guests unlimited head-of-the-line access b/c WDW just has too many onsite rooms. I think that USIOA's onsite guest capacity is around 6K even if every room is full. WDW's onsite guest capacity is around 130K. One thing I do think would be nice for WDW to do for onsite guests, though, is to allow what is sometimes done at Disneyland; give out one "use-it-anywhere" FP per *stay* per guest. A FP like this can be used at any time on any ride, but once it is used, it is gone.

 

[leighe]

Wow - this thread is cracking me up ! We used FP a lot during our last trip and I had no idea it was so controversial. I never heard anyone say anything negative about people using FP.! Clueless me!

 

[dpuck1998]

I have to second that last thought by leighe...
I have never heard anyone complain about it while waiting in line as Disney, perhaps I'm just too busy with two boys to notice!!

 

[TraceyL]

Originally posted by drogerstn
As already noted in some of the posts, while people with FP’s are not physically in queue, they are “electronically” in queue....

That's a good description.

iirc before FastPass was introduced, 'WDW' visited Alton Towers in the UK where they already had their own system - it's called a 'Virtual Q' - and runs on the same principles. The idea was then reborn as FastPass.

FP works much better than VQ and I've never heard anybody complain about FP users

 

[disneyjunkie]

I think Universal's system is great if you're staying on site.

As much as my son and I would love to see both parks, I don't think it will happen anytime soon. We only vacation during peak times; summer, Easter, Christmas. I have not been able to get a great price at their resorts during those times. I'm not willing to visit those parks during peak times when onsite guest have front of the line perk ALL day. I'm not complaining about the system or think they should change it, I think it's great. It just won't work for us. (unless they open a value resort)


FP treats everyone the same.

 

[RescueRanger]

Disneyjunkie... don't always believe everything you read. We have been to Universal when it was very crowded and were always able to get express passes to the rides that we needed. We were not staying onsite at the time and had no problem whatsoever. Get there at opening and you will get to do everything. Remember, there aren't alot of rooms at Universal resorts and then the guests are divided between the 2 parks. Sometimes when there are conventions, the majority of the guests aren't even in the parks. I wouldn't let FOTL stop you from going.

 

[Bill Foster]

I really hate ignorance When I see somthing like that, I feel for there kids. Just look what it put them through. All they had to do was ask a C. M. Or read an article in AAA mag.
BUT, when it comes to FP or a touring plan for one of the guides, for me, ignorance is bliss.

 

[madthemouse]

Hey! I believe that story is about my parents and kid brother and I. I don't know what all the fuss is about......Fast Pass, Fast Track whatever you call it.

Now that my brother and I have are own families... we're going to continue stand in this line to catch the next sub at 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea! With or without Fast Lane...Fast Trac

The umbrella is for all that other stuff....being tossed around.

 

[Suzflee]

Seashore CM
thanks so much for the link to the explanation of how and when to get a fast pass. The examples were great!

 

[TroubledStitch]

The FastPass system does seem to confuse people. People get an idea lodged in their heads about how it works and you can't dislodge it. Like the idea that you have to pay extra for it. Maybe they should call it Free Pass, that might encourage more people to go for it.

I realize that I may be opening myself to abuse here, but it seems to me a particularly capitalist mind set to think that you have to pay for it, or if you do pay for it (as with Universal) that this is "better". Maybe the caste system of "those-who-can-understand" and "those-who-don't" is unfair, but its an unfairness I can live with.

I cannot understand how you can see standy times of an hour or more when there are still FP's available for an hour later. Unless they all have FP's for something else. I mean you are not getting on for at least an hour you might as well go eat an icecream or something even if you don't do another ride.

I remember sailing along the FP line at Splash Mountain and a woman in the standby line asked me what we were doing. We explained that we had FP's. It turns out that dispite waiting what must have been 45 minutes in the standby line she had FP's but had joined the wrong line.

Then there was a guy trying to get FP's for Space Mountain whilst he was still holding FP's for Buzz. I told him three times he had to wait two hours or until the time on his FP's but he still tried feeding his tickets into the machine.

 

[momof2inPA]

During busy Christmas season a couple years ago we visited Universal and got fast passes to all the rides at the beginning of the day. The computer system was messed up and eliminated the waiting time for each new fast pass. DH and bil ran around the whole park getting fast passes before they shut down all the machines.

 

[Sammy]

Well, I'm just going to jump in here and join the fray. We just returned from a 5-day mini-vacation to the World. We were at MK on Monday and it was more crowded than we're used to (used to traveling only during Value Season, in September). The posted wait times for Splash, BTMRR, and Space Mt were <i>at least</i> 45 minutes. The wait time for Jungle Cruise was even over 45 minutes. I cannot imagine waiting in those lines and NOT using fastpass!!!!!! We get them whenever we can and the dirty looks people gave us were amazing. LISTEN UP PEOPLE....these fastpasses are for EVERYONE!!! The information about the fastpasses is posted on the park info brochures, and in the info sheets you are given at the resorts. It is posted in every guide book and AAA brochure. I just don't get it! There were CM's posted at every fastpass area we saw....why don't people just ask questions?

Sorry to rant, but the dirty looks and under-the-breath comments we heard this week just really got to me.

Ranting done.