My version of a better FP system

[michelle06]

Everyone is debating fastpass. It seems the only options are get rid of it or dole it out in bits whether through FP- or versions of the new system.

Well, what if we scrapped all that and started over?
What if, instead, it was standby only with an assigned time? I know that this would not please everybody and probably in practicality I may not either. But it seems like a better way than all the changes with so many rules.

What if, when you got to the ride, you were told the line is1 hour. So you were issued a return time of 1 hour. You are still standby but don't have to wait in line. So, then you go to the next ride and are told the wait is 20 min, so you are issued a return ticket for 20min from now? That way everyone is standby but yet no lines!

I know, it would probably be a mess. Just seems simpler I guess than pre-planning rides months in advance.

 

[DRDISNEYMD]

Everyone is debating fastpass. It seems the only options are get rid of it or dole it out in bits whether through FP- or versions of the new system.

Well, what if we scrapped all that and started over?
What if, instead, it was standby only with an assigned time? I know that this would not please everybody and probably in practicality I may not either. But it seems like a better way than all the changes with so many rules.

What if, when you got to the ride, you were told the line is1 hour. So you were issued a return time of 1 hour. You are still standby but don't have to wait in line. So, then you go to the next ride and are told the wait is 20 min, so you are issued a return ticket for 20min from now? That way everyone is standby but yet no lines!

I know, it would probably be a mess. Just seems simpler I guess than pre-planning rides months in advance.

~I've said this before, but I think Disney should keep the legacy fp for those who love pulling paper tickets. Then monetize and market FP+ as an add on for anyone with a park admissions ticket to purchase. Magic Bands, MDE and FP+ should be made exclusive and only accessible to guests who purchase it.

~I love FP+ & Magic Bands, so I would be among the first in line to purchase it!

 

[2Tiggies]

I have a great idea for a FP system too. It's one that has been tested and proved very successful and kept most people happy

It was the old one, now referred to as "Legacy FastPass"

If it aint broke, why fix it?

I love the Magic Bands idea. But you don't need FP+ to use MB's

 

[disnut1149]

I have a great idea for a FP system too. It's one that has been tested and proved very successful and kept most people happy

It was the old one, now referred to as "Legacy FastPass"

If it aint broke, why fix it?

I love the Magic Bands idea. But you don't need FP+ to use MB's

 

[wisblue]

The old system made some people happy, and others not so happy, mainly people who visit at busy times and don't get to the park before FPs for the most popular attractions when out.

I think the concept of FP reservations is going to be here to stay, but I wouldn't be surprised if, when the dust settles, there will also be a number of spaces reserved for same day visitors that have to be claimed at the attraction, similar to the current system. But, those FPs will be handled through MB's and not with the old paper machines.

We will see.

 

[MommaBarb]

The old system made some people happy, and others not so happy, mainly people who visit at busy times and don't get to the park before FPs for the most popular attractions when out.

I think the concept of FP reservations is going to be here to stay, but I wouldn't be surprised if, when the dust settles, there will also be a number of spaces reserved for same day visitors that have to be claimed at the attraction, similar to the current system. But, those FPs will be handled through MB's and not with the old paper machines.

We will see.

I think this makes a lot of sense. And especially make the 3 FP+ per day (especially with the tiered system) what you can do in advance, but you can add to that (and maybe even hop) same day.

 

[TitaniumZ]

So this would be almost like giving everyone a Disability Access Service Card?

It would certainly take people out of the queue's and put them into the shops, or restaurants. Maybe too much! If everyone currently waiting in line was out on the walkways, I can't imagine trying to walk around, especially during crowded times of the year.

Perhaps they could do like you propose, but have a queue that would contain a half hours worth of people, and if the line is less than a half hour, no FP at all, and then issue the FP with a return time if the line exceeds a half hour.

 

[michelle06]

So this would be almost like giving everyone a Disability Access Service Card?

It would certainly take people out of the queue's and put them into the shops, or restaurants. Maybe too much! If everyone currently waiting in line was out on the walkways, I can't imagine trying to walk around, especially during crowded times of the year.

Perhaps they could do like you propose, but have a queue that would contain a half hours worth of people, and if the line is less than a half hour, no FP at all, and then issue the FP with a return time if the line exceeds a half hour.

Agree. Those are definitely good ideas!

 

[wisblue]

So this would be almost like giving everyone a Disability Access Service Card?

It would certainly take people out of the queue's and put them into the shops, or restaurants. Maybe too much! If everyone currently waiting in line was out on the walkways, I can't imagine trying to walk around, especially during crowded times of the year.

Perhaps they could do like you propose, but have a queue that would contain a half hours worth of people, and if the line is less than a half hour, no FP at all, and then issue the FP with a return time if the line exceeds a half hour.

Yes, there would have to be a line of a certain length, both for the reason you suggest (too much congestion) and to ensure a steady flow of riders to fill the ride to capacity. I'm just throwing out a concept, not trying to figure out all of the details.

I could also see more things like the play area at Dumbo, or the covered waiting area with seating that they used in the test at RNRC a few years ago. For example, they could use one of the old sound stages at DHS for people to wait until their number is called at TSMM. Instead of winding through the line for 90 minutes or more you could sit in the holding area, or wander around for an hour, and then enter actual line for 30 minutes or so.

I think Disney is trying to do a couple of basic things (1) give more people a chance to experience major attractions at least once, (2) cut down on the amount of time guests spend waiting in line, and (3) make that waiting experience less tedious (note the many interactive queues).

It will be interesting to follow this and see how it all develops.

 

[basas]

Yes, there would have to be a line of a certain length, both for the reason you suggest (too much congestion) and to ensure a steady flow of riders to fill the ride to capacity. I'm just throwing out a concept, not trying to figure out all of the details.

I could also see more things like the play area at Dumbo, or the covered waiting area with seating that they used in the test at RNRC a few years ago. For example, they could use one of the old sound stages at DHS for people to wait until their number is called at TSMM. Instead of winding through the line for 90 minutes or more you could sit in the holding area, or wander around for an hour, and then enter actual line for 30 minutes or so.

I think Disney is trying to do a couple of basic things (1) give more people a chance to experience major attractions at least once, (2) cut down on the amount of time guests spend waiting in line, and (3) make that waiting experience less tedious (note the many interactive queues).

It will be interesting to follow this and see how it all develops.

Hasn't the Dumbo queue been considered a "failure"? I remember reading somewhere that Disney has scrapped the remaining plans for new "interactive queues" (Haunted Mansion, Winnie the Pooh).

If I had it my way, FP would be gone. It would be back to the old days of fast-moving queues that were actually a PART of the experience. Except at the busiest times of year, the wait times were a lot more reasonable too...

 

[karebear06]

I love the new FP+ and would not want to go back to the old system or any other system for that matter. We had a split stay a little over a month ago and the new magic bands and FP+ made it the best vacation to date.

 

[marypoppins81]

I'd like it to be something similar to universal but not unlimited. Perhaps all resort guests get 1 fp per ride per day limited to the first park they visit. If people want to ride more than once they must use standby. For off site they can pay for one time access for a one off daily fee.
3 per day and limiting headliners is just ridiculous and a big downgrade for a lot of people.

 

[Schmeck]

Everyone is debating fastpass. It seems the only options are get rid of it or dole it out in bits whether through FP- or versions of the new system.

Well, what if we scrapped all that and started over?
What if, instead, it was standby only with an assigned time? I know that this would not please everybody and probably in practicality I may not either. But it seems like a better way than all the changes with so many rules.

What if, when you got to the ride, you were told the line is1 hour. So you were issued a return time of 1 hour. You are still standby but don't have to wait in line. So, then you go to the next ride and are told the wait is 20 min, so you are issued a return ticket for 20min from now? That way everyone is standby but yet no lines!

I know, it would probably be a mess. Just seems simpler I guess than pre-planning rides months in advance.

You described the 'legacy FP system', albeit in a very convoluted way. I don't understand how there would be an hour stand by time if no one was in a standby queue though? Would the wait time just be some arbitrary number a CM would come up with, or a complex computer calculation that would crash all the time?

 

[aubriee]

I love the new FP+ and would not want to go back to the old system or any other system for that matter. We had a split stay a little over a month ago and the new magic bands and FP+ made it the best vacation to date.

If you are staying onsite and the bands are working like they are supposed to, I can see where it would be a good trip. On the other hand, I was also there a little over a month ago (Sept 14th-22nd) and had the opposite experience. I was staying offsite at Wyndham Bonnet Creek, so did not have access to FP+ and MBs. As an annual passholder, I go to WDW 4-6 times a year and have never waited in lines as long as they were that week. I have never arrived at the parks and grabbed fast passes that had such later times and have never seen fast passes run out as quick as they were that week. Again I go to WDW several times a year (always at slower times) and have never been as frustrated as I was in Sept. Standby lines were ridiculous and once we got to where the FP people join the line, we found out it was because so many of them had bands that were not functioning right (or they couldn't figure out how to put the Mickey head up against the scanner), so standby lines would sit at a stand still and even the fast pass lines were more crowded and slower than I have ever seen them. It was so bad that I spent alot less time in the parks than usual and looked for things to do offsite. If you weren't there by park opening and didn't have FP+, you were not riding without an hour or so wait, because fast passes were already gone. I came home wondering if it was even worth it to go back in Dec (again staying at Bonnet Creek, so again not eligible for FP+). It was too late to cancel our reservation at BC without a penalty and we also could not cancel our airfare, so we decided to go and just do more things offsite. We had planned on doing two days at Universal and nine days at WDW. Now we are only planning on doing 4-5 days at WDW, two days at Universal, one or two days at Sea World and then a few days doing other offsite things (beach day, swamp boat ride/gator land, Showcase of Citrus, ICE, dinner shows, etc). Going 4-6 times a year, we have always spent about nine-ten days inside the WDW parks each trip (so averaging at least 45 days per year in the parks), but my experience with FP+ (and not being able to use it) in Sept has ran us offsite to do more things. Sept was the worst trip I have ever taken down there. May is supposed to be busier than Sept, but we stood in less lines on our May trip than I did on the Sept trip. As of right now we have trips for Dec and April planned, hoping to get some use out of annual passes, but are planning more offsite things and also do not plan on renewing our annual passes when they come due in May. It will be the first time in over nine years that I won't have an annual pass, but I just don't see the value if we prefer staying offsite and can't ride the rides we want. If WDW is going to treat their loyal annual passholders, locals, and other offsite guests like second class citizens we will just take our money elsewhere.

I say bring back the old fast pass system. It was fair to everyone. Why fix something that isn't broke. We always arrive at the parks for park opening, grab fast passes, then ride standby while the lines are short, saving the FP for later. That touring plan no longer works. Heck in Sept some of the fast passes I grabbed at park opening had return times for like 2:00pm or even later. I'm not even still in the park at that time. I am used to already being out of the park by around lunch time. The old FP system worked fine and was fair to everyone. Everyone had the same opportunity to get up early and competed for the same fast passes. Now most of the fast passes are already being utilized by people that are able to use FP+, plus they can compete for the limited number that might still be available for people who can't use FP+.

 

[rotlex]

My 2 cents. Keep the existing system, or do the new FP+ thing, but STOP adding fast pass to rides that don't need it! I think it's great for coasters, rides like Kali etc., but PLEASE stop the madness of using it on omni movers like Haunted Mansion, Peter Pan etc. All it does is completely obliterate the ability of the ride to move x amount of people in a given time.

Why oh why did they even feel the need to begin adding fast pass to these type of rides?

 

[glassslippergirl]

If you are staying onsite and the bands are working like they are supposed to, I can see where it would be a good trip. On the other hand, I was also there a little over a month ago (Sept 14th-22nd) and had the opposite experience. I was staying offsite at Wyndham Bonnet Creek, so did not have access to FP+ and MBs. As an annual passholder, I go to WDW 4-6 times a year and have never waited in lines as long as they were that week. I have never arrived at the parks and grabbed fast passes that had such later times and have never seen fast passes run out as quick as they were that week. Again I go to WDW several times a year (always at slower times) and have never been as frustrated as I was in Sept. Standby lines were ridiculous and once we got to where the FP people join the line, we found out it was because so many of them had bands that were not functioning right (or they couldn't figure out how to put the Mickey head up against the scanner). It was so bad that I spent alot less time in the parks than usual and looked for things to do offsite. I came home wondering if it was even worth it to go back in Dec (again staying at Bonnet Creek, so again not eligible for FP+). It was too late to cancel our reservation at BC without a penalty and we also could not cancel our airfare, so we decided to go and just do more things offsite. We had planned on doing two days at Universal and nine days at WDW. Now we are only planning on doing 4-5 days at WDW, two days at Universal, one or two days at Sea World and then a few days doing other offsite things (beach day, swamp boat ride/gator land, Showcase of Citrus, ICE, dinner shows, etc). Going 4-6 times a year, we have always spent about nine days inside the WDW parks each trip, but my experience with FP+ (and not being able to use it) in Sept has ran us offsite to do more things. Sept was the worst trip I have ever taken down there. May is supposed to be busier than Sept, but we stood in less lines on our May trip than I did on the Sept trip. We always arrive at the parks for park opening, grab fast passes, then ride standby while the lines are short, saving the FP for later. That touring plan no longer works. Heck in Sept some of the fast passes I grabbed at park opening had return times for like 2:00pm. I am used to already being out of the park by then. The old FP system worked fine and was fair to everyone. Everyone had the same opportunity to get up early and competed for the same fast passes. Now most of the fast passes are already being utilized by people that are able to use FP+, plus they can compete for the limited number that might still be available for people who can't use FP+.

I usually stay away from the MB threads (there are so many), but it has been interesting reading other people's ideas. Like some of you, I liked the old FP system. As a Florida resident, our Disney trips tend to be more frequent and spontaneous, never with 6 months or more planning time. FP worked for our style of touring.

I think that aubriee has hit on the real FP+ issue for many on dis. FP was democratic. When the park opened, FP access was the same for everyone-- one ticket, one FP. Two hours later-- one ticket, another FP. Granted, I haven't read every thread and blog post on FP+, and it is just in the testing phases, but it seems like, in general roll-out, it will be less democratic-- skewed the most toward advance planners who stay onsite.

Now, no one ever said Disney World was a democracy. It is a corporation designed with one main goal--$$$. I always admired them for not going the way of some other parks and keeping FP so democratic. It seems those days may be over. Disney spent so much money on the new system, I doubt they will scrap it for any new idea (which is sad because I've read several good ideas here). I am also sure "legacy" FP is on its way out-- why keep both systems?

As I see this playing out, FP+ will be a boon to those who plan months out and who stay onsite-- admittedly, the people who make WDW the most money. A limited number of day-of passes will be available for the rest. Somewhat democratic, but not as much as the legacy system.

For reasons other than FP+, we are taking more than a year off from Disney. One benefit of this is that we can see the roll-out and how the dust settles. Hopefully, when we go again (probably not until late 2014), the kinks will be worked out, and we will love FP+.

 

[NYDisneyKid]

Better solution,,,Go back to NO fast pass system. or Disney should do like Universal and charge for them.

 

[mom2rtk]

My 2 cents. Keep the existing system, or do the new FP+ thing, but STOP adding fast pass to rides that don't need it! I think it's great for coasters, rides like Kali etc., but PLEASE stop the madness of using it on omni movers like Haunted Mansion, Peter Pan etc. All it does is completely obliterate the ability of the ride to move x amount of people in a given time.

Why oh why did they even feel the need to begin adding fast pass to these type of rides?

2 reasons:

1) They have invested $1B in MM+, which includes the FP+ system. But they knew they didn't have enough capacity on the rides that previously had FP to feed the new system. They had to add something so that when the headliners run out of FP slots they can continue to offer FP slots.

2) They view those second tier rides as underutilized park resources. As park guests we view them as a way to ride something with a fairly minimal wait. The bean counters view them as underutilized capacity. They want to maximize them in lieu of building new costly attractions.

 

[michelle06]

You described the 'legacy FP system', albeit in a very convoluted way. I don't understand how there would be an hour stand by time if no one was in a standby queue though? Would the wait time just be some arbitrary number a CM would come up with, or a complex computer calculation that would crash all the time?

No, it wouldn't be random. It be more like "375 people are already scheduled to ride ahead of you. So, if all 375 people waited in line, then you would wait 1 hour. Thus, here is your ticket to come back in one hour." Or something like that. Kind of like taking a ticket at the deli counter only not having to stand there and wait while the other 375 people have their orders prepared.

Yes, similar to legacy FP, only giving everyone a return time so you don't have lines at all. That way instead of waiting in line, you can always be finding other things to do.