Just Back; Few tips etc...

[2boyshere]

We just returned from 2 days Universal and 5 at Disney parks. Some things:
1. We were at Port Orleans Riverside for first time. Nice hotel, mousekeeping was amazing with animal setups! We had a room with a trundle and I brought a twin size air mattress. One teen slept on the bed and one on the air matress on top of the trundle. Worked like a charm, would do again.
2. Not one problem with late fastpasses. We were at the park at opening EVERY day and was able to have no waits longer than 15-20 minutes. We were there 2/16-2/20. Parks were very crowded, hard to maneuver the walks in the afternoons. We used a fastpass runner and got one every allowed time. We saved all of them for the afternoons when the parks were crowded. In the am we rode everything we wanted with very minimal waits. We were able to ride the big rides more than one time.
3. We got dreams almost every day. VIP seating at Lights Motor action, family to count down at the Backlot tours. Those great dream hats at the exit of Peter Pan for all 9 of us (we were with my sisters family of 5), Certificates at a Animal Kingdom store for the 5 & 7 yr old doing a matching game. Certificate for the 5 year old who answered a correct question at EE.

I heard the Disney Fastpass worker at Pan telling other guests that they could only get 1 fastpass at a time and had to use before getting another ( I was off to the side waiting for my time to get my f-passes). A family at the jungle cruise f-pass machines were upset because the return time was going to be during their dinner and the stand by wait was 60 min. I told them to get them and come after their dinner and ride then.

Disney was defintely not accurate with some stand by wait times. Soaring had 150 minutes on Monday (not us of course, we rode twice with f-passes)
There was no way that it was that long, the line was not that much longer that f-pass (yes, a wider path but no way that long). Nemo had a 45 min time and we were on the ride in 20 minutes.
Any questions???

 

[2boyshere]

One more thing,
I wore crocs for the first time at Disney (have had them for a while) and it was the best my feet had ever been! We went 12-13 hours a day and my feet were GREAT, I wore socks. I will always wear crocs to Disney, I never even took my sneaks out of the platic bag!

 

[coolbeans]

we are going back next year and DH wants to do Universal too. How did you get from Port Orleans to Universal..drive?? or other transportation? I already know we are staying at French Quarter..that's my part of the decision making.

 

[2boyshere]

We rented a minivan, we always rent a car as that is what we prefer. We stayed at Portofino Bay on the Universal property for the first 2 nights which gets you the express pass for the rides that have it (most do). We were only going to stay one night but went a day early to get out before the storm hit last week.

 

[Disney Fanatic]

You would think I would know the secret to fast passes now but I have to admit I don't.

We are really going to need to take advantage of them this trip because we are travelling with our 8 month old twins and won't be able to wait in many long lines.

Can you please explain to us the best way to take advantage of the fast pass.

Thanks very much

 

[2boyshere]

DisFan: Get to the park before opening which will help alot! Send a runner to the first ride you want a fast pass for. The rest go to the other rides that you want to do with no waits. I went and got the Space F-pass and they all went and rode Thunder 2X and Splash once. Then we went to Fantasy land and rode Pan, Snow White, etc with small waits. On the bottom of the f-pass it tells the time you can get the next one. So at 9:50 am I went and got Buzz. We then rode more like Pooh, small world and got the next fast pass around 11:30 for Jungle. You can continue this all day until the f-passes run out or the times are later than when you will be in the park. We saved all the fast passes till the PM when the ride lines were long. As long as they were passed the beginning window time we were able to use them anytime that day. Worked like a charm. There were so many people there that were not holding any fastpasses didn't know what they were or had no plan. We had a 2, 5, 7 and my 2 teens plus the 4 adults and we did everything we wanted to and the big rides many times. The ones who wanted rode EE 5 times on Pres day weekend. We sat for eery lunch and had ADR's for every dinner and were done with the parks by 7pm or so. Lots and lots of preplanning. My husband used tour guide Mike and Ridemax for planning and info.

 

[septdwn]

toboyshere:

It's good know that all the info you got worked...I also am a TGMer and am looking forward to trying in April.

 

[Ibelieveinfairies]

We saved all the fast passes till the PM when the ride lines were long. As long as they were passed the beginning window time we were able to use them anytime that day. Worked like a charm.

So, you can come back after the end time of the Fastpass? Say your window is for 10:50 am to 11:50 am...you can go back at 5:00 PM?

I didn't know this before and have always stayed in that window!! Can anyone verify this?...not that I don't believe you, 2boyshere...just want some back-up before I venture forth and try this one on my own. I am planning for extended family and I would be embarrassed to tell them something and then have it blow up in my face...they think I am a Disney God (what they don't know is that I just have a bunch of well-informed friends on the DIS) and I don't want to lose my standing! lol

 

[kaybird]

So, you can come back after the end time of the Fastpass? Say your window is for 10:50 am to 11:50 am...you can go back at 5:00 PM?

I didn't know this before and have always stayed in that window!! Can anyone verify this?...not that I don't believe you, 2boyshere...just want some back-up before I venture forth and try this one on my own. I am planning for extended family and I would be embarrassed to tell them something and then have it blow up in my face...they think I am a Disney God (what they don't know is that I just have a bunch of well-informed friends on the DIS) and I don't want to lose my standing! lol

Sometimes it depends on the attraction, the CM's at Soarin' did not accept our FP late after the window had expired. (we were held up at dinner) On the other hand we have had a number of CM's who take them and just nod us through.

 

[Teyedoubleguhrrrr]

Sounds like you had a wonderful trip! That is the best thing!

Thanks for some of the tips on the FP's, too. I have never used them at WDW, but had at DL - nice to get some "strategy" as the two systems work differently.

Did you feel that Universal was worth it? This is an ongoing debate in our house...

 

[Tasmen]

I haven't been to WDW since the inclusion of the fastpass system, but I can tell you at DL, fastpasses are good ANYTIME that day after their start time. It's an unspoken policy at DL that CMs will take fastpasses even after the 'expiration' time. They will not, however, take fastpasses before the valid start time on the pass.

 

[mtmbyck]

I am confused. I have been using the fastpass for years but you can only get one fast pass at a time for the admission tickets you have?? You have to use the fastpass you have before you can go and print another with your admission ticket?? Has this changed??

In other words, I have a fastpass for 10:20-11:20 on Space. I cannot get another until 11:20. So has this changed??

 

[2boyshere]

Tey:
Universal Parks are very good. They are not Disney parks but we do like to go there every few years. We stay on property which gets you the "express pass" on every ride. This would be a must during a busy time. They also sell this option at the park. There are many fun rides at the 2 parks.

Mtmbyck:
You can most definetly hold more than one fast pass with each admission ticket. If the return time is late in the day, look at the bottom of the fastpass and you will be eligible for another fast pass about 2 hrs when you got the first one. If you use late fast passes (not a written policy at WDW) you may be holding many fastpasses at one time. This is what we did. We got the first one as soon as the park opened and then every time we were allowed to get the next one one of us was waiting at the machines for our time. We saved the fastpasses until the afternoon when the wait times were long. 70 min Pooh, 2 hrs Space, 50 min Pan etc.. Then.........we went to those rides that we had fast passes for and rode them. We were not denied late fast pass entry ONCE in 5 days straight. We were there before Pres weekend, Pres weekend, Pres day and the day after. I knew that there MAY be a possibility that we would be denied but I never even had to plea my case once. There was 9 of us doing this as we were a big group. If I went in a busy time again I would do exact same thing so I had no long waits. 120 minutes for Space, 150 minutes for Soaring, etc etc etc. No thanks not me.

 

[Tasmen]

In other words, I have a fastpass for 10:20-11:20 on Space. I cannot get another until 11:20. So has this changed??

Newp

Some examples:

* Have fastpass for 10:20-11:20. You can get your next fastpass at 10:20 (note: this will be noted on your fastpass. They mark the passes with when you can get a fastpass).

* Have a fastpass for 6pm-8pm and it is 10am. You can get another fastpass at noon.

 

[SmallWorld71]

2boyshere -
Thanks for the advice. I was at Disney last President's Week when it was very busy. I did know of fast pass and used them when I could, however, I was afraid of even being one minute past my experation time! I love the idea of the runner. I know my kids are going to insist on the simple rides like Dumbo and the thrill rides like Space Mountain. You have given me some great ideas on how to accomplish this without standing in long lines in the heat this August.

 

[mtmbyck]

shhhhhhhhh - don't tell anyone else!! LOL. Thanks!

 

[englishrose47]

Hi 2 boys here ..on the FP thing you can get more than 1 ? I thought you had to wait till the time to get another printed on the FP?What is VIP seating at Lights?? Tell me how you get it??

 

[2boyshere]

English Rose: You can only get one at a time, every 2 hrs. Look at the bottome of your fast pass and it will tell you when you can get the next one. You may be holding more than one at a time because you are going to use a late fast pass or your return time is that night.
LMAction we got VIP seating as a dream perk. We were acutally going into the backlot tour and the CM asked if we were going to the show later that day. She then called someone and told us that we would be on the VIP list and to arrive 10 min. prior to show. We were then ecorted (others too) to special saved rows. View was good but really all seats are good there. I guess the biggest advantage was not having to go 1/2 prior to assure seats.

 

[Sleeping~Beauty]

I know my kids are going to insist on the simple rides like Dumbo and the thrill rides like Space Mountain.

SmallWorld, Dumbo doesn't have a fastpass. Space Mtn of course does.

 

[SmallWorld71]

Sleeping Beauty, I did actually know that somewhere in my brain. Guess I just wasn't thinking. Thanks