I think Disney should start enforcing end times on fastpasses

[Paging Tom Morrow]

If I use my 11:00 AM to 11:20 AM FP at 12:30 PM, isn't it just as likely that a person holding a 12:30 PM FP uses theirs later as well, thus making it a zero sum game for those waiting in the old fashioned queue?

In fact, the people in the queue at 11:10 AM have a smaller wait because of my delay in using it....

Bottom line, WDW is aware of the statistics of who is using what FPs when. I'm sure they account for the normal late usage in their FP distribution schedule, thus making this a huge non-issue.

Yes, I just used the word "thus" twice (or now thrice) in one post...

 

[skater]

But nobody cares how short the line was earlier. They care about the line they are in now. The purpose of the window is to space people out so they dont all converge at once.

But arguing about following the rules on this board is clearly a waste of time, whether its fp or pool hopping or mugs or photography.

That is probably the most untrue thing I've ever read here! Most people on the DIS are all about following the rules. Using a FP after the written return time is not against the rules as far as I can tell .

 

[LilyWDW]

That is probably the most untrue thing I've ever read here! Most people on the DIS are all about following the rules. Using a FP after the written return time is not against the rules as far as I can tell .

We have CMs on these boards and in the parks that have said, on more then one occasion, that they are told that late fast passes are okay. I have yet to see a CM post or reply otherwise.

And I have to agree with your assessment. Many Disboard members are very into people following the stated and understood rules at Disney (myself included, just look at my post history lol). We even have a rule on these boards against discussing ways to get around Disney policy. However, some people will simply never change their minds on things and will hold on to what they believe is true.

 

[JennyMP03]

OP's edited first post cracked me up!

 

[Legaleen]

Okay, a story from my trip this last week. We got out of the first Fantasmic Show and, with it being early, decided to stick around. Upon walking over to Tower of Terror we saw a 20 minute wait time and hopped in line. After wating forty minutes we were still not in the door, but could now see it and feel that lovely air conditioning. The stand by line had not moved in some time. A party behind us asked a passing CM, very polietly, what she guessed the our wait time would be from then on, as they were hoping to catch the second Fantasmic showing. The CM told us that the FP line was actually longer than the stand by line at this point in time so the progress of the stand by line would be little to none. She then told us that her best guess was that the wait time for us, where we were, would be about thirty minutes factoring in the FP line. Let me just say I don't think the FP is working as well as it could when the FP line ends up longer than the stand by line.

I am against using expired fastpasses. We were there for ten days and never left a fastpass unused and always returned during our time window because I feel that it is the polite thing to do for waiting guests, nor did we ever just sit around and wait for the time to come around. There was not a single time in which we used our fastpass within the first ten minutes of being able to use it either. If you know you have a dining reservation, don't get your fastpass for that time, and yes, you know about what time will be spit out when you get your fastpass.

I am all for them making the window larger, even four hours because no dining or show or parade lasts four hours, but I also think they should not allow someone with a time between ten and eleven in the morning to redeem the fastpasses at ten at night. Sorry if something happened, I know it sucks, but think about the other guests.

Now, the above Tower of Terror expirence is the worst I've had, by far, and after leaving the line to see the second Fantasmic myself I would have no believed how much longer the FP line was than the stand by line, but I have had other, similar, moments on other attractions. When the wait time you're given says twenty minutes (and, seeing the line, I would have guessed about twenty as well) and then waiting what would have been seventy due to people using expired fastpasses I think is a little extreme and should be cause to pay more attention, and a little more respect to people with differing opinions.

 

[prettyblueskies]

OP's edited first post cracked me up!

Me too! I skipped through all the pages of arguing just so I could comment on how much I like it

 

[seashoreCM]

Okay, a story from my trip this last week. We got out of the first Fantasmic Show ... Upon walking over to Tower of Terror we saw a 20 minute wait time and hopped in line. After wating forty minutes we were still not in the door,... The stand by line had not moved in some time. A party behind us asked a passing CM, very polietly, what she guessed the our wait time would be from then on, ... The CM told us that the FP line was actually longer than the stand by line at this point in time so the progress of the stand by line would be little to none. She then told us that her best guess was that the wait time for us, where we were, would be about thirty minutes factoring in the FP line..

How much longer did you have to wait?

 

[hookedonears]

Johnny come lately here, sorry I haven't read a single post, but the Podcast team was completely wrong on this one and the OP is completely right. There are as many excuses for missing FP return times as there are people in the TSM standby line on Saturday at noon. I'm sorry, but FP return times need to be strickly enforced period No excuses.

 

[rie'smom]

I regret starting this thread and wish it would die.

Press the little triangle under your name and ask a mod to close the thread.

 

[rie'smom]

Johnny come lately here, sorry I haven't read a single post, but the Podcast team was completely wrong on this one and the OP is completely right. There are as many excuses for missing FP return times as there are people in the TSM standby line on Saturday at noon. I'm sorry, but FP return times need to be strickly enforced period No excuses.

No they don't.

 

[skater]

Johnny come lately here, sorry I haven't read a single post, but the Podcast team was completely wrong on this one and the OP is completely right. There are as many excuses for missing FP return times as there are people in the TSM standby line on Saturday at noon. I'm sorry, but FP return times need to be strickly enforced period No excuses.

Why?

 

[larryz]

Respectfully, I disagree with the premise that line apps significantly affect wait times (or park crowd levels). Even the ones who make the apps believe a very small % of guests are using them, and an even smaller % make park choices and attraction choices based on them.

Thanks for the thread quoted - however, that discussion was more about parks as targets, and not individual rides.

Here's my reasoning. say there are 10,000 people in a park, and only 10 percent of them have smart phones with line apps (1,000). Of those thousand, only half notice that the stand-by line time for Splash Mtn is posted at 20 minutes at 1100 am. Of those 500 people, only 250 decide to act on that information. That means a surge of 250 people in the stand-by line within a relatively short time span.

That can't but stretch wait times well beyond the 20 minutes advertised. Conversely, when that updated 40 minute wait time gets posted, people who might have gone there will delay, waiting instead for another slacker period later in the day.

Meanwhile, random returns of FP holders can also skew wait times; case in point, immediately after a parade or show, when a surge of "expired" (post-window) FP holders hit the FP line, further slowing the stand-by line.

I'd love to see if the actual ride figures bear this out...

 

[mmmagique]

I regret starting this thread and wish it would die.

*lol* I haven't read this thread, but as soon as I read the title I went "ruh roh"....

 

[DonaldTDuck]

But arguing about following the rules on this board is clearly a waste of time, whether its fp or pool hopping or mugs or photography.

Disney gets to make the rules and they state clearly that fastpasses can be used past the stated time. We are following the rules.

Johnny come lately here, sorry I haven't read a single post, but the Podcast team was completely wrong on this one and the OP is completely right. There are as many excuses for missing FP return times as there are people in the TSM standby line on Saturday at noon. I'm sorry, but FP return times need to be strickly enforced period No excuses.

One excuse. Disney says it's fine. Only excuse needed. Just because you don't like it doesn't make it wrong.

 

[Tara922c]

Well I think Disney should start letting me vacation for free, but that "ain't never gonna happen". We can want all we want, but what it boils down to is the Disney Big Wigs call the shots, and what they say is, "you can use expired fast passes".

They don't advertise it because they know 99% (estimate) of park guests have no idea you can use fast passes after the window time. I did the Disney College Program, have been to Disney several times, and it wasn't until I joined DisBoards, that I knew you could use expired fast passes. I would be at least 25% of the 99% percent of people who don't use expired fast passes, don't even know that the whole fast pass thing is free. What it boils down to, is Disney wants to keep folks happy, and keep them back. Many times people miss their window time because they are held up at an ADR that took longer than expected, or in a line that was longer than expected. Disney isn't going to ruin the day of a person who waited 5 hours until their fast pass window to tell them, nope sorry, too late.

My thing is, for crying out loud you are at disney!!!! Do what you want! IF you dont believe you should be able to use a fast pass late, don't, but don't be uspet because other people do.

What's next, someone is mad because a person got a fast pass, but decided to use it? Oh no! they took a fast pass another person who wanted a fast pass, but didn't get one, could have had!

 

[tony609]

In all my Disney trips I never even thought of using an expired fastpass(past the return time). If the return window didn't fit for us do to an ADR or whatever we passed and just did it later. I may take advantage of this next trip.

 

[twooley2]

I have never went past my fast pass time. Hmm now I may consider it if my dining interferes with it as that is impossible to plan accordingly.

 

[gojoe]

Okay, a story from my trip this last week. We got out of the first Fantasmic Show and, with it being early, decided to stick around. Upon walking over to Tower of Terror we saw a 20 minute wait time and hopped in line. After wating forty minutes we were still not in the door, but could now see it and feel that lovely air conditioning. The stand by line had not moved in some time. A party behind us asked a passing CM, very polietly, what she guessed the our wait time would be from then on, as they were hoping to catch the second Fantasmic showing. The CM told us that the FP line was actually longer than the stand by line at this point in time so the progress of the stand by line would be little to none. She then told us that her best guess was that the wait time for us, where we were, would be about thirty minutes factoring in the FP line. Let me just say I don't think the FP is working as well as it could when the FP line ends up longer than the stand by line.

I am against using expired fastpasses. We were there for ten days and never left a fastpass unused and always returned during our time window because I feel that it is the polite thing to do for waiting guests, nor did we ever just sit around and wait for the time to come around. There was not a single time in which we used our fastpass within the first ten minutes of being able to use it either. If you know you have a dining reservation, don't get your fastpass for that time, and yes, you know about what time will be spit out when you get your fastpass.

I am all for them making the window larger, even four hours because no dining or show or parade lasts four hours, but I also think they should not allow someone with a time between ten and eleven in the morning to redeem the fastpasses at ten at night. Sorry if something happened, I know it sucks, but think about the other guests.

Now, the above Tower of Terror expirence is the worst I've had, by far, and after leaving the line to see the second Fantasmic myself I would have no believed how much longer the FP line was than the stand by line, but I have had other, similar, moments on other attractions. When the wait time you're given says twenty minutes (and, seeing the line, I would have guessed about twenty as well) and then waiting what would have been seventy due to people using expired fastpasses I think is a little extreme and should be cause to pay more attention, and a little more respect to people with differing opinions.

I completely agree. This has happened to us over and over again.

 

[hotdeidrenehring17]

Hi Everyone
I'm new to This forum
it is great to join this Forum, hope i'm welcome in

 

[Praying Colonel]

Thanks for the thread quoted - however, that discussion was more about parks as targets, and not individual rides.

Here's my reasoning. say there are 10,000 people in a park, and only 10 percent of them have smart phones with line apps (1,000). Of those thousand, only half notice that the stand-by line time for Splash Mtn is posted at 20 minutes at 1100 am. Of those 500 people, only 250 decide to act on that information. That means a surge of 250 people in the stand-by line within a relatively short time span.

That can't but stretch wait times well beyond the 20 minutes advertised. Conversely, when that updated 40 minute wait time gets posted, people who might have gone there will delay, waiting instead for another slacker period later in the day.

Meanwhile, random returns of FP holders can also skew wait times; case in point, immediately after a parade or show, when a surge of "expired" (post-window) FP holders hit the FP line, further slowing the stand-by line.

I'd love to see if the actual ride figures bear this out...

My guess is it does not. In the example you cite, I think you're low on the # of people in the park and high on the # who use line apps. But assuming you're correct on those, you still have 25% of all those with line apps checking an attraction's wait time and hitting that attraction all at the same time based on that information. I think that's way high.