Line cutting and fast pass problems...

[seashoreCM]

In one sense the Fast Pass lines maintain a family atmosphere in most of the park. We could very well put up a sign at each standby line entrance: "Welcome to Disney's Animal Kingdom". Next would come arrays of iron bars perhaps with hidden mickeys here and there, separating the fast pass line lane from the zig zags and curlicues of the adjacent stand by line area. Where space permits, they could do it the real DAK way, with no acrylic windows or iron bars but instead a lawn or savannah area separating the two queues, landscaped so you do not see a chasm or moat or other non-traversable space within said area.

 

[carmiedog]

And you're missing his point as well. He's talking about looking at a line and estimating the wait time based on the number of people he sees only to discover that the wait is longer due to people who left for whatever reason before he joined the line now returning.

And as for you and your toddler not increasing anyone's wait time: Perhaps not. It's you and the twenty other people with their toddlers that will.

Oh, and this happens regularly? 20 kids from ONE line all go to the restroom? um, I admit I haven't been in the busiest seasons, but I just don't see this happening. Statistically speaking, I would think the number of kids leaving the line to go to the bathroom compared to the number of kids at the park would be pretty small. I NEVER saw it happen my entire last trip (*I* was the only one who had to leave to potty ).

 

[castleri]

Since many rides like Pooh, teacups, IASW, Pirates etc. a family will be sitting together if the mother/father and bathroom child do not get back in line there is simply an empty seat in a ride car. How does this affect anyone's wait? The ones with only two to a ride vehicle are of course the exception. I do agree with not letting entire tour groups or even just 3 or more people
push through the line to catch up with the one person who got there first.

As annoying as it may be to have someone getting multiple fast passes it is really not much different than if they had the entire group standing in the lines to each get their own unless you got behind the person getting them instead of getting in a line where one member of each family ahead of you is only getting four at a time.

At Christmas the only time we ran into the 9/50 ratio of stand by to FP was at Buzz Lightyear. One CM was following that number faithfully. He went on break and the new CM seemed to change it to about a 25/50 one. There was definitely a steady stream of FP at that ride. With strategic use we were able to ride everything we really wanted to and yes sometimes the lines were an hour or more but it was Christmas week and we planned accordingly.

 

[CPer'sMom]

Gosh, this thread is just too funny! There certainly are a lot of self-righteous people who would never do anything *wrong* or rude at WDW!!
And they sure don't mind telling us just what those things are!

I go to Disney often and I go to have fun. I don't go to monitor the lines and the people in them ~~ way too much stress that I don't need to get upset if I see someone leave the line to take their child to the restroom and then re-enter the line with their family. If the line is THAT long that something like that would bother me, I'm for sure not standing that line!!
Best way to avoid those lines? We go very early in the mornngs and utilize fast-passes.

Yes, I realize that some of you are talking about going in the summer when everyone else is there too and the lines are horrendously long. It's hot & humid, crowded and people get really grumpy. Why add to all that by making yourself crazy by getting upset by things you can't control? And for those of you who do 'block' the line and try to control it ~ Doesn't that just further stress you out?

 

[a Really Bad Egg]

There certainly are a lot of self-righteous people who would never do anything *wrong* or rude at WDW!!
And they sure don't mind telling us just what those things are!

Isn't that the truth?! And the only thing worse is the self-righteous who have the opportuninty to go in the off-season tell those who don't how trivial their frustration is...

 

[bubba's mom]

We were not pleased AT ALL to find out we had to pay so much money for a single shot "express pass" on certain rides at Universal. We paid it only because we visit US/IA only about once every five years and we were really only there for the new rides that were the busiest ones. I certainly hope Disney doesn't go to this elitist system. As for the special priviliges for US/IA hotel guests, that will disappear if and when US/IA has enough hotel guests to clog the system (maybe when the Harry Potter area opens.) I know I have to get to a park early to get into the most popular attractions without a long wait. I'm okay with that, since we usually hop to other parks only for dinner or evening shows.

The hotels are already full at peak times...we stayed at Royal Pacific Resort this past June and it was full to capacity at our time...most of the month of June was sold out as a matter of fact. When they build HP, they will be putting up another hotel, but unsure if it'll be a Loew's hotel and capable of offering FOTL...maybe the new hotel will be more "budget", therefore, may not offer the FOTL.....still in the "rumor" stage.

As for getting up early and hitting the parks, that's not for me (personally). I am on vacation and get up early at home, on vacation I want to sleep in....therefore, we prefer to pay extra to stay onsite strictly for the convenience and FOTL.

Disney just can't offer the FOTL to their guests...there are just too many resorts It's a shame, and unfortunately, a reason DH won't visit Disney at peak time....not saying we don't go to Disney....we just went in January....off peak.

 

[Principessa Alba]

sorry double post

 

[mickeymousemom]

I guess I really don't understand the problem with this ~~ The announcement is made to "fill in all available space" and people continue to stand in a line. I'm sorry they don't understand the concept, but maybe when they see others "go past" them to stand in the empty space they'll get it for the next time at another attraction!! The CM is perfectly correct in telling people to move up and "fill in all the space".

AMEN! If we are told to fill in "all available space, and the people in front of me aren't, rest assured that my family and I WILL walk right past you to fill it in. I don't "sneak" as a PP mentioned. I am blatant about it. If you stop in the middle instead of going forward, I'll take your space. Sorry, but this is just common sense. I never cut in line, but I will move ahead of you to fill in the spaces if the opportunity is there.

 

[Principessa Alba]

Why add to all that by making yourself crazy by getting upset by things you can't control? And for those of you who do 'block' the line and try to control it ~ Doesn't that just further stress you out?

Actually, I'm a lot more calm and happy at WDW when my wait time isn't increased by a bunch of low lives that think they deserve to get ahead of me in line when I've been waiting. Really, not letting them through makes me much calmer.

I can only control myself and don't care whatever anyone does, but if I've been waiting in a long line I will try to control the situation. If you've got extra time on your hands and don't care about letting people have your turn, then that's your decision.

And I don't see how it's any less "self righteous" to tell people they are stupid for feeling the way they do.

 

[Padric]

Oh, and this happens regularly? 20 kids from ONE line all go to the restroom? um, I admit I haven't been in the busiest seasons, but I just don't see this happening. Statistically speaking, I would think the number of kids leaving the line to go to the bathroom compared to the number of kids at the park would be pretty small. I NEVER saw it happen my entire last trip (*I* was the only one who had to leave to potty ).

Perhaps not. But let's take you and your toddler, the four people from that family who sent mom to get a spot in line while they were off riding something else, the ten tour group teenagers, etc, etc. So are they all "bathroom emergencies"? No, but different reasons still increase the numbers.

 

[Praying Colonel]

I'm shocked--shocked--that a line-cutting topic has generated 10 pages of responses.

I'll add this:

--When we had little ones we didn't take their word for it that they didn't have to go. We had them try, anyway. I think that's a good approach generally, not just at WDW. It helped avoid "mistakes."

--I'm the designated FP runner for our family. Before our last trip DW and I discussed whether we thought it would be OK for the family to go get in line for, say, Safaris while I go get EE FP's. We agreed that it just wouldn't feel right. So they wait on me at the entrance while I get the FP's and then meet up with them.

--DW has TB (tiny bladder). She usually has to go after the first attraction. I guess we 4 could get into line for the next attraction, then DW could use the "family/bathroom" loophole and go do her thing and then get back in line with us farther up, but again, that just doesn't feel right to us. So we wait for her and then we all go to the next attraction together.

--This whole discussion is why I hate stand-by lines so much now. Everybody's got to do what's right for them, but there are very few attractions I'll wait more than 30 minutes for, and our schedules force us to go at a relatively busy time of year (August). That includes parades, too. We saw a very bad scene waiting 60 minutes for Spectro one time and we said "never again." We'll catch the parade wherever we can see it, and if that means we don't have as prime a viewing spot as we would've had if we'd scouted out our position an hour before the parade started, well, so be it--our stress level is much lower as a result, too.

 

[nooneshome]

AMEN! If we are told to fill in "all available space, and the people in front of me aren't, rest assured that my family and I WILL walk right past you to fill it in. I don't "sneak" as a PP mentioned. I am blatant about it. If you stop in the middle instead of going forward, I'll take your space. Sorry, but this is just common sense. I never cut in line, but I will move ahead of you to fill in the spaces if the opportunity is there.

AMEN to that!!!!

 

[Principessa Alba]

AMEN! If we are told to fill in "all available space, and the people in front of me aren't, rest assured that my family and I WILL walk right past you to fill it in. I don't "sneak" as a PP mentioned. I am blatant about it. If you stop in the middle instead of going forward, I'll take your space. Sorry, but this is just common sense. I never cut in line, but I will move ahead of you to fill in the spaces if the opportunity is there.

That kind of line can really stink though, because there may be room for one person. but a party or 10 moves in and you get shoved back. I'm not a shover, so I end up getting shoved.

In order to "fill in every space" you literally would have to have your nose in someone's back if you don't want people squeezing in ahead of you.

 

[tasha99]

I despise line cutters as much as the next person, but I would be ashamed of myself if I told a child that I wouldn't let them back in line because they had left to go potty. Line cutting is certainly rude, but THAT is far worse, IMHO.

I agree with this--I would have a hard time looking at myself in the mirror if I couldn't let a toddler and his mom back in line after a bathroom emergency. To me, that's not even line cutting since they were in line before and leaving to take care of business made it better for everyone in line (
Who wants to be crammed next to the kid who tries to hold it and can't? Not me!)

 

[werfamily]

I agree and when I said I don't move for cutters period I never said I threw punches! You don't need to You just need to not move. believe me 3 people can block a line quite well without resorting to violence!

Last summer we were at California Adventure with a niece who has diabetes. Apparently all of the extra walking at the park caused her blood sugar to fall and she started to feel a bit dizzy - which of course happened when we were in line for Soarin' Over California. We had left our bag with her ‘emergency’ candy in the stroller (this was our 4th day of Disney, with no sugar problems, so I admit we were becoming a bit lax), so she and I left the line to grab the bag. On the way back to rejoin our group (mere minutes later), we were blocked by two large men who felt it was there duty to control the line. Instead of turning around, we simply went under the chain to the adjoining line (the one going the other direction, since it was a back and forth type queue), and those people happily let us through. So, if someone tries to block your way, look around for an alternate path as an option.

 

[Mickeys_n_me]

Werfamily,

THis is exactly why I have no problem with people rejoining a group. Somethings happen beyond our control, no matter how well you prepare. Good for you for not letting the self appointed line police intimidate you.

I just would rather have someone leave the line for 5 minutes rather then getting my feet peed on or listening to a whining child scream that she/he is thirsty for however long I am there. Or God forbid worse, in your case a medical emergency.

 

[HockeyChick]

The words self-righteous and entitlement seem to keep coming up. IMO, it goes both ways. One may feel those who think it's OK to leave and rejoin the line have a too highly developed sense of entitlement, but if one feels they somehow have more of a right to their spot in line (which isn't being affected by someone who was already there returning), enough to physically block the path of others, that's entitlement, too.

BTW, those speaking of eyeballing the line and guessing the wait....why would you ever need to do that? Is the estimated standby line wait time not posted by Disney, who knows who has left the line momentarily and I daresay has a better idea on how fast a line moves than any of us eyeballing it?

Oh well. We each have to do what's right for us. What's right for me is not to leave and rejoin a line, and also not to begrudge those who find themselves in the situation where they need to. And not to stress about any of it while I'm on vacation, lol.

 

[EMom]

This is EXACTLY what I am talking about. A mom and a child coming back to their original places after an emergency wee or in your case, a woman who needed to take a diabetic child to get something to alleviate a blood sugar problem, are usually discernable from a pack of teens trying to line cut. What is wrong with a showing a little compassion? Isn't living with diabetes hard enough on a child, without people making it harder? I don't know if you gave a quick explanation to those two "men," but if you did and they still refused to let you and your niece pass, they should be ashamed of themselves. But you did the right thing by avoiding a confrontation in front of your niece and finding another way back to your group.

Last summer we were at California Adventure with a niece who has diabetes. Apparently all of the extra walking at the park caused her blood sugar to fall and she started to feel a bit dizzy - which of course happened when we were in line for Soarin' Over California. We had left our bag with her ‘emergency’ candy in the stroller (this was our 4th day of Disney, with no sugar problems, so I admit we were becoming a bit lax), so she and I left the line to grab the bag. On the way back to rejoin our group (mere minutes later), we were blocked by two large men who felt it was there duty to control the line. Instead of turning around, we simply went under the chain to the adjoining line (the one going the other direction, since it was a back and forth type queue), and those people happily let us through. So, if someone tries to block your way, look around for an alternate path as an option.

 

[BigGreen73]

Wow, read your post back to yourself out loud. You sound like you have earned some great entitlement because you have children.

You are missing the point completely. If you bend the rules for potty breaks then you bend the rules for everyone....there is no way to enforce it partially. So cut down on the drinks and hit the restrooms in between rides.

When my wife and I went to WDW back in 05, my wife was having some "issues" and every so often had to make unexpected bathroom breaks. But here's the thing, it was nobody's fault that she had to go and I didn't believe it was fair to cut back into line and we didn't want to inconvience other as they had to wait just as long as we did so we both got out of line. We either grabbed a FP ro just came back later.

Stuff happens. Their is always another time, another ride, or a fast pass so sometimes you just need to deal with it and move on.

 

[MickeyNicki]

I do think that Universals pass is better than the fast pass. We were there a few weeks ago and the parks and resorts were not full at all. If you think about it, Universal has 3 onsite resorts and WDW has way to many so the pass for the room key would not really work too well at WDW so that is why they have FP instead.

IMHO