Multiple Fastpasses??

[jojo0612]

Okay, I had the notion that you could only have 1 fastpass and then once you used it, you could another? But I've read where people have a stash of fastpasses and then go back to parks in the evening and use them when the lines are long. How is this done and is it considered rude?? Thanks!!

 

[imthatgirl]

you can get a fastpass after your last passes"window" has expired. on the pass it will tell you when you can get a new one. you dont have to use the old one. some people will try to use it after its expired. it used to be that the cm's would let you through. that is no longer always the case. if you miss your wondow by lets say an hour, yes they arent going to give you a hard time, they under stand that other rides have ques and then there are adr's, etc...but if you try to come back 6 hours later, they may just say no. if you try to use it the next day, they are now being told to turn you away.

yes it is considered a no no.

 

[harleyquinn]

that is no longer always the case. if you miss your wondow by lets say an hour, yes they arent going to give you a hard time, they under stand that other rides have ques and then there are adr's, etc...but if you try to come back 6 hours later, they may just say no.

Since when? We've almost always used our FP outside of the window. Only on the same day.

I know they are cracking down on passes that are not for the same day, but hadn't seen anything about ones that are just outside of the window.

Not that I don't believe you--I just haven't been paying attention.

 

[MichelleVW]

Since when? We've almost always used our FP outside of the window. Only on the same day.

I know they are cracking down on passes that are not for the same day, but hadn't seen anything about ones that are just outside of the window.

Not that I don't believe you--I just haven't been paying attention.

We were just there in March and almost all the FP's we used were past the window and no one gave us a second look. We were probably 2 or more hours late for our Soarin FP and were waved on through.

Oh and Edited to say, GO BUCKS!!

 

[MollyMoo]

They are "cracking down" to some extent ... especially on rides like Soarin which are wildly popular and FP's are often "gone" by mid-day. We watched people getting turned away in droves when they showed up at all early or much past their original window of time!

 

[imthatgirl]

We were just there in March and almost all the FP's we used were past the window and no one gave us a second look. We were probably 2 or more hours late for our Soarin FP and were waved on through.

Oh and Edited to say, GO BUCKS!!

like i said a little late, yes youll still get in. but after 6 or more hours you may or may not get in. they are cracking down. no where did i say you wouldnt get in. but its a gamble, where in the past it was sure you would get in.

 

[mef78]

We've never had a problem using fastpasses later on the same day--even at night if we got the FP in the morning. It would be quite sad if they shut down that option.

 

[harleyquinn]

We were just there in March and almost all the FP's we used were past the window and no one gave us a second look. We were probably 2 or more hours late for our Soarin FP and were waved on through.

Oh and Edited to say, GO BUCKS!!

woot!!

like i said a little late, yes youll still get in. but after 6 or more hours you may or may not get in. they are cracking down. no where did i say you wouldnt get in. but its a gamble, where in the past it was sure you would get in.

We all knew it was only a matter of time before that happened. I think it's fair and makes sense to do it. There's nothing worse than having to wait in the FP line for longer than you should.

I'd love to hear from other people who have been turned away.
I've ALWAYS seen them turn away early people, but never late.

 

[vicki_c]

like i said a little late, yes youll still get in. but after 6 or more hours you may or may not get in. they are cracking down. no where did i say you wouldnt get in. but its a gamble, where in the past it was sure you would get in.

I think this is still totally not true. Rare exceptions, yes. A crackdown, no. We just used EVERY FP we had hours and hours late (like 6-9 hours late) in June and no one gave us a second glance. This includes all the most popular rides - Toy Story Mania, Soarin. It was no different last month than on the 8 or 9 trips I've taken since they started FPs.

Of course, you cannot use them even 1 minute early - they'll make you wait, but that's always been the case.

 

[Alesia]

You will be able to get a new fast pass either when the window for the first one opens up or 2 hours after you get the first one. Whichever comes first.

 

[The Three Cabs]

I was just there last week and I don't think we ever used a single fast pass within the window. We were late every time and never had a problem once. Even when Soarin' and Test Track had 90 minute waits.

 

[Mr. & Mrs. Smith]

We've never had a problem using fastpasses later on the same day--even at night if we got the FP in the morning. It would be quite sad if they shut down that option.

It's not really an option. While they may have been accepting FastPasses at WDW after they had expired as a courtesy, you are technically supposed to use them within the time frame outlined on the FP itself. This is different than in Disneyland where they do not expire until the park closes each day.

I too have heard lots of things about WDW starting to enforce this rule more strictly, especially since they have been having so many problems with people buying and trying to use expired FPs on eBay.

 

[dburg30]

I think this is still totally not true. Rare exceptions, yes. A crackdown, no. We just used EVERY FP we had hours and hours late (like 6-9 hours late) in June and no one gave us a second glance. This includes all the most popular rides - Toy Story Mania, Soarin. It was no different last month than on the 8 or 9 trips I've taken since they started FPs.

Of course, you cannot use them even 1 minute early - they'll make you wait, but that's always been the case.

I doubt they will crack down on using them late. BUT, if you would get turned away outside your window, just remember that you cant whine and complain about it .

 

[mef78]

I doubt they will crack down on using them late. BUT, if you would get turned away outside your window, just remember that you cant whine and complain about it .

Good poing.

 

[darlak]

Sorry guys, not trying to be difficult here, but I gotta say that I hope they will start more strictly enforcing the time window on fastpasses.

Having people show up to use them outside of that window sort of defeats the whole purpose and is exactly why the fastpass line can now sometimes be almost as long as the regular line. I just don't think it's fair to all the people who are using their fastpasses within their window.

As I said, not trying to be difficult or start an argument here. Just my .02 worth of opinion.

 

[PrincessTiffany]

you can get a fastpass after your last passes"window" has expired. on the pass it will tell you when you can get a new one. you dont have to use the old one. some people will try to use it after its expired. it used to be that the cm's would let you through. that is no longer always the case. if you miss your wondow by lets say an hour, yes they arent going to give you a hard time, they under stand that other rides have ques and then there are adr's, etc...but if you try to come back 6 hours later, they may just say no. if you try to use it the next day, they are now being told to turn you away.

yes it is considered a no no.

Who considers this a no no?

On our last trip we uses our Fastpasses past the last return time pretty much everytime. How did I know that they would be accepted? I found out here on the DIS. ROBO and Knox, The Canadian Guy (Theme Parks Planning Moderator) laid it out plain as day in some other threads about this subject and I have copied them here for you. Also, when we went to WDW last September I specifically asked a CM working Space Mountain about using Fastpasses late and he said it was fine to use them late, never early, but they would always be accepted late, until closing at that park. So, Knox the Theme Parks Moderater has stated that it's Disney policy to accept late fastpass, Len Testa, who writes The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World states that it's Disney policy to accept late fastpasses and an actual Disney employee told me it was policy to accept late fastpasses. So, at this point I have no reason to believe that I'm comitting some kind of "no no" offense. Here's a quote from Knox, from another fastpass thread:

(Quote)I read a very interesting internet article musing on the Fastpass system that analyzed how it works from someone with a background in economics and that whole "supply-demand" thing... he actually looked at this all from an scientific perspective... He used big words and talked about the 'supply-curve' and such. Of course I can't FIND it now that I need it.

In the article, he indicated that something like fifty percent of all fastpasses were used within their listed time window. Thirty percent were used "late" and twenty percent were never used at all. If what's being reported here is true, that I suspect those percentages might have shifted.

He further explained that using a Fastpass late really wouldn't affect the system because if you didn't use your FP during the alloted 1 hour window, then that meant that at least one rider from the standby or fastpass line (or depending on the size of your party - BOTH) got to ride "sooner" than they would have, had you been there to take your spot. And then everyone in line BEHIND them got to ride sooner too.

It's a zero sum game. It's worth noting that they don't send around an empty ride vehicle just because you didn't show up.(You're not royalty you know.. only Cinderella gets that treatment.)

So.. regardless if you show up or not, the ride still runs at full capacity.

Therefore.... for example, if your family of five wasn't there between 11:05am and 12:05pm .. then there are five people who FOR SURE got to ride sooner than you did.. and an untold number of people who were behind them in line who ALSO got to ride sooner than they would have otherwise... up til the moment you arrive to redeem your FP.

Another way to think of it is this .. Think of the queues like a clock... If you aren't there to fill your spot, the clock starts running fast. We don't perceive it as running fast because we don't see the numbers to tell us that "X" number of FP holders SHOULD have redeemed their rides by now but haven't. When a FP is used late, the clock starts to correct itself.

To the untrained eye standing impatiently in the stand-by line -- it might appear that those darned late-arriving FP users have delayed their riding... when in reality the standby folks would have likely ended up on the ride at the exact same time had the people used their FP's within the alloted window -- they just would have PERCEIVED it differently.

When you followed the math to its logical conclusion -- the Fastpass system doesn't really break down unless every FP holder on a given day wants to use their FP's at the exact same 15 minute window at the exact same attraction.

Perhaps that has been happening around meal times, parades and park closings?

Disney had made no secret of their liberal policy on return times.. so much much so that I think that the change to a firm return time policy might be very problematic for them in the near term.

Anyway you look at it.. it's certainly not worth name calling and such. Let's just take this opportunity to remind ALL posters to treat each other with respect and courtesy. Thanks.

Knox (End Quote)

 

[PrincessTiffany]

Sorry guys, not trying to be difficult here, but I gotta say that I hope they will start more strictly enforcing the time window on fastpasses.

Having people show up to use them outside of that window sort of defeats the whole purpose and is exactly why the fastpass line can now sometimes be almost as long as the regular line. I just don't think it's fair to all the people who are using their fastpasses within their window.

As I said, not trying to be difficult or start an argument here. Just my .02 worth of opinion.

This is a quote from Robo from another fastpast thread and I think it kind of sums up why no one is getting cheated.

(Quote)Most guests get a FP because the want to ride SOONER rather than later.

A late FP'er delay guests more than an earlier user?

That's so logical that it seems like it MUST be true... but


Later in the evenings, the guest numbers tend to naturally fall on many of the attractions.

Lots of times (BTM, in my example) they stop using the FP line altogether and cover the FP machines. The gate CM for BTW, will take your FP, if you offer it, but there is actually no FP line and you will just join the Standby guests and enter as one group.

There are certain rides... Soarin', EE, Test Track, ToT RnR, maybe Space Mtn and Peter Pan... that maintain their heavy crowds status throughout the day.

But on THOSE attractions, most guests either USE the FP within the window or -in some extreme cases- the gate CMs might refuse a late FP.

The point of my numbers (and again, feel free to change them, I just "ball-parked" them anyway) is that MOST guests do NOT "hold" the FP.

Guests GET the FP because they WANT to RIDE the attraction, and most times, the SOONER the BETTER (it creates the classic gaggle of guests waiting for their return-time at the FP entrance.)

I'm not PROMOTING holding FP... I'm pointing out that its not really a PROBLEM if a small percentage of guests decide to use them late.
There's not a lot of them who WILL do that on a regular basis, anyway.

WHY?
Because if they HAVE a valid FP in their pocket for a popular attraction... they will tend to USE it.
And when they do, its gone.
They are no longer subject to clogging the line later.

"Late" FP returns are not the overwhelming reason for "slow" FP lines.
Its just not mathematically the case.
The chance that "everybody" (or even MOST) who got FP earlier in the day but didn't use them, all showing up at the approximate "same time" is actually very small.

What slows down the FP line is RIDE POPULARITY and the overwhelming number of guests in the STANDBY LINES.
That's the part of the equation that everyone forgets.

The late afternoon/early evening is when many of the lines are very long... about the time the most number of standby guests are clogging the queues.
The CM's don't just load the FP line... they also load a LOT of guests from Standby.
If they DIDN'T load great numbers of Standby guests, those lines would virtually swell to several hours wait-time... and they can't let that happen (especially after the FP have "run out" so early in the day at the few most-popular attractions.)
So by filling the attractions with larger numbers of Standby guests, the FP lines naturally slow by an analogous amount.
Are the FP lines "slowed" by those using "expired" FP's... well, sure, but not enough that it really matters more than a few minutes one way or the other.

Robo (End Quote)

 

[darlak]

Knox makes several good points, as he does from time to time. However, I will continue to use mine within the window and to hope that WDW will soon begin to enforce those windows.

Until that time though, certainly use your fastpasses however your conscience dictates. Hope everyone has a great vacation!

 

[PrincessTiffany]

Knox makes several good points, as he does from time to time. However, I will continue to use mine within the window and to hope that WDW will soon begin to enforce those windows.

Until that time though, certainly use your fastpasses however your conscience dictates. Hope everyone has a great vacation!

Let my conscience dictate how I use my fastpass? If I'm having to use my conscience to dictate how I use my fastpasses then that would mean that I would be in some way having a moral or legal conflict of some kind. Using fastpass late is neither a moral or legal conflict - it is Disney policy that they be accepted late. Therefore I use my common sense to tell me when to use my fastpasses.

 

[catne]

we had no problems using FP later than the "window" in late May 2008, even on Saturday of Memorial Weekend. The only people I saw getting turned away were those showing up too early. THAT was strictly enforced. And I've heard CMs at the FastPass return lane telling people they could come back later than the window. People concerned that they wouldn't make it back in time due to dinner reservations & such are always asking about late returns.

I personally do not see any problem with the late returns...as others have said, if I'm not there in the FP lane during my "window", somebody in the stand-by lane got to ride earlier.