Interesting-re FP new rules

[Simba's Mom]

Today I was at DHS and got a FP for TSMM. When I went back to use it at 12:40, surprisingly there were still FPs available. The CM told me that since they started enforcing the FP return times, FPs are lasting longer, that maybe fewer people are using FP. Interesting!

 

[goofyintoronto]

wow that is interesting! i suppose thats good news right? im still bummed out about the new rule thou. lol. I liked the flexibility.

 

[Mister Skellington]

There is also speculation that Disney is messing around with the number of FP distributed on a given day. So it may have been that there actually WAS/IS more FP. Not a result of the enforcement but due to tweaking.

 

[doconeill]

Doesn't this week essentially start the post-Spring Break lull? If so, I wouldn't be surprised if they lasted until 2pm...

Do you remember what time you got the 12:40pm FP?

 

[pixarmom]

Today I was at DHS and got a FP for TSMM. When I went back to use it at 12:40, surprisingly there were still FPs available. The CM told me that since they started enforcing the FP return times, FPs are lasting longer, that maybe fewer people are using FP. Interesting!

We just returned from WDW less than two weeks ago, and we used FP much less than we did before. We just arrived early, took advantage of low early-morning crowds, went to our lunch ADR and headed back to our resort in the afternoon. We went to Epcot most evenings and planned to go on rides with short lines, like Three Caballeros, Nemo, Imagination, etc.

We had a great time and never waited in line more than 10-15 minutes, even though it was peak Easter season and the crowds were supposed to be 9s and 10s! We were very surprised how little we used FP now with the new rules. Over five days, we only used FP for Test Track once and TSM once. From now on, we'll continue to rely on EMH and early arrival and not worry so much about FPs.

 

[AppleSister1]

so...dare I say it....is it possible the new rule has started redistributing crowds and made waits shorter? That would rock!

We go alot, and mostly Christmas week, which is nuts, so we always use FP, but generally used the one hour window listed on the pass. We don't feel the need to see it all (cause we've seen it before) so we did AM EMH, had a FP plan, and got our headliners done in the am and headed out for lunch, rest, etc, when it got nuts. My fear was that the new rules would result in longer FP lines....but it seems not so much??

 

[cinderella'smommy]

We were at HS on April 16, and there were still TSM fastpasses available at 1:30 or so. I remember being a bit stunned. We were headed back after our lunch at Sci-Fi to ride it with our fastpasses, and the machines were still open.

 

[cm8]

so...dare I say it....is it possible the new rule has started redistributing crowds and made waits shorter? That would rock!

We go alot, and mostly Christmas week, which is nuts, so we always use FP, but generally used the one hour window listed on the pass. We don't feel the need to see it all (cause we've seen it before) so we did AM EMH, had a FP plan, and got our headliners done in the am and headed out for lunch, rest, etc, when it got nuts. My fear was that the new rules would result in longer FP lines....but it seems not so much??

I would think that as well, but who really knows

 

[flyergrad09]

That is fantastic news! It makes sense if you think about it. Before, anyone who had a FP from the morning could use it all afternoon, plus all of the people who were returning during their assigned time. I'll definitely pay attention to this when I go in a couple of weeks.

 

[aubriee]

We just returned from WDW less than two weeks ago, and we used FP much less than we did before. We just arrived early, took advantage of low early-morning crowds, went to our lunch ADR and headed back to our resort in the afternoon. We went to Epcot most evenings and planned to go on rides with short lines, like Three Caballeros, Nemo, Imagination, etc.

We had a great time and never waited in line more than 10-15 minutes, even though it was peak Easter season and the crowds were supposed to be 9s and 10s! We were very surprised how little we used FP now with the new rules. Over five days, we only used FP for Test Track once and TSM once. From now on, we'll continue to rely on EMH and early arrival and not worry so much about FPs.

As someone who absolutely hate the new rules of enforcement, this is what I plan to do too. I'll be using fast passes alot less. I've always been an early morning person making every rope drop. I'd then ride all the headliners stand by, gathering fast passes as I went. I then leave the parks as it starts to get crowded (or right around lunch time), using the saved fastpasses on my way out or else give them away. If I was planning on returning to the same park that night, I'd save the fast passes to use then. Since alot of fast passes will not have afternoon return times I won't be able to use them. I'm pretty much always back at the resort in the afternoons. I also don't like the idea of having to rush all the way across a park, just to use a fast pass. No way am I running all the way from say Italy just to use a fast pass for test track. If I do happen to have one that comes due and I'm in another part of the park, I just won't be using that fast pass.

 

[mjallemand]

I never understood the complaining about Fastpass enforcement times. The times are there on the ticket for a reason.

If you had a 9AM doctor's appointment but just bopped in around 12PM you can't expect to just be taken right away.

 

[flortlebap]

I did wonder if that would happen! For us, if the FP time was inconvenient, we'd just come back later and hop in the stand by line, so I'm not surprised other people are doing the same!

 

[flortlebap]

I never understood the complaining about Fastpass enforcement times. The times are there on the ticket for a reason.

If you had a 9AM doctor's appointment but just bopped in around 12PM you can't expect to just be taken right away.

Hope you've got your flame suit ready

We never knew we could go outside the FP window, so it hasn't made a difference to us. I would have gone outside the window if I'd have known, though.

 

[jhaig]

I never understood the complaining about Fastpass enforcement times. The times are there on the ticket for a reason.

If you had a 9AM doctor's appointment but just bopped in around 12PM you can't expect to just be taken right away.

Here we go...

 

[valeriemouse]

I never understood the complaining about Fastpass enforcement times. The times are there on the ticket for a reason.

If you had a 9AM doctor's appointment but just bopped in around 12PM you can't expect to just be taken right away.

I for one am not going to flame you. I agree with you.

I am always just so anxious to ride whatever ride I get a FP for, I will usually be there waiting 5 min before my time window opens staring at that big clock until they let me in

 

[BigGreen73]

I never understood the complaining about Fastpass enforcement times. The times are there on the ticket for a reason.

If you had a 9AM doctor's appointment but just bopped in around 12PM you can't expect to just be taken right away.

Well said. I think it's funny hearing about the "new" FP rule. It's not a new rule, it's an existing rule that WDW is just enforcing now. Before it was more laid back and even then it was hit and miss depending on the CM's, time of year, crowd levels etc. They didn't always let guests in late, a lot of the time they did, but not always. Oh well, never ending conversation.

Anyway, it's good to hear that the enforcement may be having a postive affect on the situation. More FP's being available later in the day would be great.

 

[TJDisneymama]

interesting.... we were there smack dab in the middle of April school vacation and the TSM FPs didn't run out until much later either. We rode it first thing and then wanted to get a FP for end of the day (like 5pm). We figured we'd be able to get that timeframe by like 10:00-10:30. Nope, we had to wait 'til around 1-2:00 to get a 5:00 return time.

 

[River Country]

I am confused

Isnt there still a wait time between obtaining FP's its not like you can run from place to place and obtain FP's at the same time. IDK i was always one that returned on time bu thats just me. Especially TSM. I would be there for rope drop because i just ate at H&V go get FP's and then return at my designated time and to be honest when i returned there was not alot of people waiting on the FP line. One time i was really early and i guess it was close to an immediate FP so we went right in that was nice. I think its good that the rule is now enforced.

 

[LaurenT]

I never understood the complaining about Fastpass enforcement times. The times are there on the ticket for a reason.

If you had a 9AM doctor's appointment but just bopped in around 12PM you can't expect to just be taken right away.

Just couldn't resist going there, lol.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Doesn't this week essentially start the post-Spring Break lull? If so, I wouldn't be surprised if they lasted until 2pm...

Do you remember what time you got the 12:40pm FP?

About 9:30-9:45. Then I popped in line for a 15 minute wait (advertised as 50 minutes). Got out and the wait was 20 minutes.
And mjallemand, I'll endure those flames with you. What you said makes perfect sense.