I think Disney should start enforcing end times on fastpasses

[DonaldTDuck]

Doesn't matter what any of us think, Disney has made their policy clear and aren't going to change it over a post on here. And we are quite split on this. In a park as large as Epcot, it is difficult to get back in time without just hanging around. Changing this policy might have made your Soarin' ride quicker, but overall, it will cause many fastpasses to expire, defeating the whole purpose of getting them.

 

[distech]

Doesn't matter what any of us think, Disney has made their policy clear and aren't going to change it over a post on here. And we are quite split on this. In a park as large as Epcot, it is difficult to get back in time without just hanging around. Changing this policy might have made your Soarin' ride quicker, but overall, it will cause many fastpasses to expire, defeating the whole purpose of getting them.

Agreed. I don't think Disney is as dumb as some people might think. I would image they have a sophisticated park management system that tracks all sorts of things, including wait times. Several times we've been handed those little electronic tracking devices that they hand out at the ride entrances and you turn in before you get on the ride, both in standby and FP lines, which I am guessing not only help update the wait times just outside the rides, but also report back to some central computing system. I am sure they have all sorts of tracking reports. They probably periodically reviews these reports and cross reference them with their policies and procedures, such as for FP expiration times, to determine what is and isn't effective.

 

[LilyWDW]

Anyone want to start a petition to the mods requesting a FastPass-only FAQ sticky? My glass-half-full mindset wants to believe it would reduce the sheer volume of FP repetitive threads.

Bah, people don't read stickies. We would have just as many FP threads then as we do now. I like the idea, but it won't help.

Here is my problem with the OP. I highly doubt he spoke to every person in the FP line in order to see how many were using expired fastpasses. As such, there is no way to see if there is a statistical significance or correlation.

 

[ses1230]

I know this will probably get some discussion going but after having just waited 30 minutes in the fastpass line for soarin I really think Disney should start enforcing the end times. Especially on the more popular rides like soarin and TSM. When you start waiting 30 minutes in fastpass then it really defeats the purpose. Many of the people I was in line with had expired fastpasses.

How long was the standby line??

What is the purpose then? It is not a FOTL pass, it's to make your wait shorter.

Please. Make. It. Stop.

 

[Colleen27]

I'll chime in here and say that Soarin' is one of those rides that loads in bunches, rather than continuously. I don't know the particulars, but a 30 minute wait in the fast pass line is pretty typical of our experience during most of the day. I think it's totally unfair to judge the fastpass system by Soarin'.

I agree. The FP return for Soarin' is by far the slowest of any attraction and is often a 20-30min wait.

I have had moments where it has crossed my mind that Disney should enforce FP return times, but then I stop to think about all the reasons that's just not practical. You don't get any say in what your return time is, and when you showed up at rope drop and waited 20 min just to get a FP for TSM you're not going to be content to miss the ride because the return happens to be at the same time as your dinner ADR or during Fantasmic.

 

[mom2rtk]

Please. Make. It. Stop.

LOL! Aint' that the TRUTH!

It's deja vu ALL OVER AGAIN!!!!!!!!

And WHY OH WHY do scenes from the movie "Groundhog Day" keep playing in my mind..............

 

[Sandisw]

I am glad that they do allow people to come back and use the FP's at a different time.

For years, we did not know that was possible and would spend the first 90 minutes at HS just waiting to use up FP's so my DD and DS could get in all their rides at RNR and TOT.

Now that we know we can come back, no worries about having to criss cross the park or simply wait and do nothing else.

I also know there are FP's that get handed out that never get used (we have done this ourselves) in which return time was much later and we decided not to stick around. Sometimes, we have given them away and other times, not.

I do think that Disney monitors this and when/if it becomes a problem, they will adjust it. But, it must work in a way that they feel is the way it should be.

 

[KellyNY]

Is May a FP Awareness month?

 

[mom2rtk]

Is May a FP Awareness month?

If it wasn't before..........I think it is now!

Anyone know if I can bring my refillable mug from 5 years ago and use it in the resorts or parks??????

ANYTHING has to be better, right???????

 

[ses1230]

ANYTHING has to be better, right???????

Should I take the stroller for my 6 year old?

Oh wait... that might be the end of civilization as we know it!

 

[seashoreCM]

(Am I going around in circles?)

If you get there and the fastpass line is long, just go away and try again later when the line is not so long; you may still use your fastpass.

 

[cinabug]

I was thinking about starting a thread that involving parents who try to pass their 8 year old's as under-3 but make them ride in stollers and then take them into the opposing sexes bathroom all while reserving lounge chairs and reserving spots in line so that their children, who wear go-go boots so they meet the height requirement for every ride, can take flash photography on rides.

If it wasn't before..........I think it is now!

Anyone know if I can bring my refillable mug from 5 years ago and use it in the resorts or parks??????

ANYTHING has to be better, right???????

Should I take the stroller for my 6 year old?

Oh wait... that might be the end of civilization as we know it!

I'm pretty new here, and I've seen a ton of these posts, but I will admit that I had no idea how to work the fastpass system the first time I went to WDW in 2003. I think we managed to use one fastpass. Yep one. I'm so happy to know the score now, so I really can't complain about these repetitive threads.

 

[720L]

The FP return line for Soarin is always long for some reason.

 

[kirasaurus]

Edit: Meh. Pointless post. Move along

 

[mesaboy2]

The FP return line for Soarin is always long for some reason.

It seems to me the FP/standby queue merge point is further away from the ride entrance than most others. Add to that a fairly long cycle time between films, and only about a 100 people or so per film in each of the two sides. Those are my guesses.

 

[Andyjo0930]

We have used fast passes for lots of rides and you know what? What nerve of some lines that we don't wait at all! We go in the fast pass line and we should wait at least 10 to 15 minutes and instead we walk right on that ride!! Instead, we get to bypass all those people waiting in the standby line and get right on. How fair is that.... if our fast past time says come back at a certain time, they should make sure that there is a line for us to wait in!!!

 

[csharpwv]

OK - I rise for a point of clarification -

Are you referring to the Fastpass system that only RESORT guests can use - or are you referring to the Fastpass system that anyone with a park ticket can use?

Or is this the other Fastpass system that is only available for use by those in wheelchairs?



I have heard so much Fastpass talk while in line - I am rarely surprised at anything I hear people spreading in line.

I think as a solution - Disney should stop printing an END time on the Fastpass tickets.

Walt Disney World needs more single rider lines!

Disneyland has more single rider lines, and it really seems to help things move along.... especially for single riders!

Disney would have absolutely nothing to gain from enforcing the end time/expiration time for Fastpass. Disney would only have tired, angry, cranky, and upset guests to deal with.

Mickey likes to play the good cop far too much to start playing the time cop.

Time is money - and the longer a guest is in the park, the more the guest is going to spend.

 

[gojoe]

Last year we were plagued by Brazilian tour groups of kids. Nice kids but some one in there group would get fast passes for everyone, 30 or more. I'm sure that after 30 fast passes plus people at other machines got fast passes times changed. Not all of those 30 people got the same fast pass times. Here is my point fast pass and standby lines got swamped when these groups got in the fast pass line. I think fast pass works when times are used correctly.

 

[stargazertechie]

and you don't know when you put your card in necessarily what time the return window will be.

yes you do- there's a sign telling you the return time. It's normally safe to assume that your return window will be within 10 minutes of that posted time.

 

[simba20]

I guess I add to the pot stirring of users of "expired FastPasses" because when I am in the park -- sitting on a bench, sitting near the exit of a ride waiting for my husband, o rin a restaurant and hear a family fret about makign it back to x ride so they can make their FastPass time, I tell them not to worry, that FastPasses can be used all day. I've taken 8 trips in the past 3 years, and never have I ever been turned away. We grab Space Mountain FPs at rope drop, and come back at 8 p.m. and use them. Never any problem with it at all. When I have Fps that I don;t plan on using, I'll give them away and reassure the people that I am giving them to, that they are still useable. Sometimes I get a "Oh, I know that in response."

Anyway, I am just one of those park babblermouths that tries to dissuade the frets of other families.

In MK we have a pattern we follow, just because of the fact that FPs can be used later, past their "end time." I'd really hate to have to schedule my park plans (which usually follows a pattern but allows to account for return times. for flexibiliy).