Not impressed with the current fastpass system

[goofyernmost]

Repeat statement...I was at WDW from 3/29 to 4/2. During that time I must have taken at least 6, maybe 7 Fastpasses. After getting them, only two didn't work out, because of a change in touring time/meals and /or activities at the parks. For those two I went back over to the FP kiosk and stood by the machine until I saw someone that was getting the same number of passes that I had already and simply asked them if they wanted to trade their later one for an earlier one. I got immediate positive answers from the two groups I asked. We swapped them, giving me ones that fit my schedule and we both walked away happy.

I used everyone I got and had no problem with easily meeting the window times. I used up about 10 minutes of time total exchanging both of them. No real hassle at all for me.

 

[Hannathy]

Am I the only one who doesn't understand why the FP system is flawed? You get a fastpass, you return at the time you are told to. If you can't make it, don't get a fast pass.

No you aren't the only one. If you read the thread you will see many of us agree with you.

 

[YankeePrincess]

No you aren't the only one. If you read the thread you will see many of us agree with you.

Good deal! I thought I just wasn't getting it.

 

[WillAustin]

Repeat statement...I was at WDW from 3/29 to 4/2. During that time I must have taken at least 6, maybe 7 Fastpasses. After getting them, only two didn't work out, because of a change in touring time/meals and /or activities at the parks. For those two I went back over to the FP kiosk and stood by the machine until I saw someone that was getting the same number of passes that I had already and simply asked them if they wanted to trade their later one for an earlier one. I got immediate positive answers from the two groups I asked. We swapped them, giving me ones that fit my schedule and we both walked away happy.

I used everyone I got and had no problem with easily meeting the window times. I used up about 10 minutes of time total exchanging both of them. No real hassle at all for me.

I'm planning on trading FPs on our trip if I get any that might conflict with our ADRs. Shouldn't be much of a problem.

 

[Missyrose]

Repeat statement...I was at WDW from 3/29 to 4/2. During that time I must have taken at least 6, maybe 7 Fastpasses. After getting them, only two didn't work out, because of a change in touring time/meals and /or activities at the parks. For those two I went back over to the FP kiosk and stood by the machine until I saw someone that was getting the same number of passes that I had already and simply asked them if they wanted to trade their later one for an earlier one. I got immediate positive answers from the two groups I asked. We swapped them, giving me ones that fit my schedule and we both walked away happy.

I used everyone I got and had no problem with easily meeting the window times. I used up about 10 minutes of time total exchanging both of them. No real hassle at all for me.

This might just be my solution instead of standing and waiting at the FP machine, waiting for the return windows to change to something usable.

 

[Senator Tressel]

Good deal! I thought I just wasn't getting it.

You're not getting it. They've changed it from a system of freedom and relaxation to a much less convenient and more stressful system. You'd have to be incredibly obtuse to not get that. The change does not improve the system for anyone. It only makes people who crave black and white in their lives feel comfort that everyone else has to experience the same rigidity that they have always imposed upon themselves voluntarily.

 

[DRDISNEYMD]

Thanks for understanding how it made us feel. The current system may work well for some styles of touring but it was not good for us this trip in this park.

In fact in thinking on it we only got one other FP the entire trip and that was for Soarin' and that return time was fine for us.

We also thought about the cell phone app but our phones do not have that capacity. Acutally it was rather annoying to see so many people stop dead in the traffic so they could check their cell apps. Disney needs a pull over lane for people to step into so they can stop and look at their phone screens!

~LOL! Thank goodness the old FP will finally be gone, it's so dated to me! I am really looking forward to xPass and can't wait to try the new system! I think it would be a much better fit for our family and our touring style. Disney is currently testing xPass and if all goes well, the old FP's will be a thing of the past!

 

[UNCFanatik]

You're not getting it. They've changed it from a system of freedom and relaxation to a much less convenient and more stressful system. You'd have to be incredibly obtuse to not get that. The change does not improve the system for anyone. It only makes people who crave black and white in their lives feel comfort that everyone else has to experience the same rigidity that they have always imposed upon themselves voluntarily.

Should we just ignore the reports of people who have shared how they feel the change has improved the system?

And why do you feel the need to mock those who didnt use late FPs in the past?

 

[ilovemk76]

You're not getting it. They've changed it from a system of freedom and relaxation to a much less convenient and more stressful system. You'd have to be incredibly obtuse to not get that. The change does not improve the system for anyone. It only makes people who crave black and white in their lives feel comfort that everyone else has to experience the same rigidity that they have always imposed upon themselves voluntarily.

It was never a system of freedom and relaxation. The tickets always said that you had a return time between X and Y. They never said after X. The fact that Disney did not enforce the time, most of the time because I did experience them enforcing it, did not mean it was ever meant to work that way.

Not the tickets say a return between X and Y and that you cannot come back after Y.

It makes it easier for many, just not the FP hoarders. We found that we could get hard to get FPs much later in the day when they would normally be gone.

 

[North of Mouse]

What they have right now has worked for the majority of park guests since FastPass was first rolled out so I wouldnt call it "broken".

Other guests have reported back with favorable experiences since the FP change.

We are so glad they finally are enforcing what was the rule all along. We just got back and things went smoother than ever before. None of our fast pass lines were long at all. Don't know what could have happened with the OP, but we are totally happy with the new enforcements. Getting fastpasses for times when you have already planned meals seems to me like one of those "you do not do" things.

 

[Hannathy]

It was never a system of freedom and relaxation. The tickets always said that you had a return time between X and Y. They never said after X. The fact that Disney did not enforce the time, most of the time because I did experience them enforcing it, did not mean it was ever meant to work that way.

Not the tickets say a return between X and Y and that you cannot come back after Y.

It makes it easier for many, just not the FP hoarders. We found that we could get hard to get FPs much later in the day when they would normally be gone.

Exactly and at the beginning they did enforce the time. The only people upset are the hoarders and from what I'm hearing you are able to get fast passes later in the day and when you return later in the day the lines are much better. Which makes sense when only the amount set by Disney and easily handled by the ride capacity is there instead of all the hoarders from the morning plus the ones supposed to be there.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

I was there the first week of May. What worked for me was kind of grouping the areas together.

For instance, I got a Peter Pan fp right away, rode Winnie the Pooh, Snow White, and the Carosuel and then my PP FP was nearly ripe so I walked over to Buzz and got my FP for that because at that point my PP FP was ripe. Then I went back to PP and rode that, went back to Tomorrowland and rode TTA and did CP. Then I did some shopping, got a snack, watched Push and a kid who didn't believe he was being bothered by a trash can and relaxed a bit until my FP was ready for Buzz.
Then I rode Buzz. I then crossed over to Adventureland, got an FP for Jungle Cruise.

I rode Pirates, watched the Jack Sparrow show, walked over to HM and rode that. Then I had lunch at Columbia Harbour House. At that point my Jungle Cruise FP was ripe so I checked my phone for Splash return times but they were only 2 1/2 hours out. Since I was planning on an afternoon break, I went back to Jungle Cruise rode it and then headed out to catch the bus for my afternoon break.

I didn't ride Space Mountain (I don't like it) and when I returned to the park, I decided to save Splash for my 1/2 day at MK later in the trip but I did get another FP for Buzz, ate supper at Plaza since I'd made that ADR, rode Buzz when the FP was ready, rode It's a small World, saw Mickey's Philharmagic, rode Pirates and HM again that evening.

I did some shopping and then it was time to find a spot for the Fireworks. After the fireworks I joined the hoards of people in the Emporium but held off on buying anything since the checkout lines were long and I knew I'd be back to MK that trip. After about 45 minutes of window shopping, I left MK.

So that was my full MK day and it wasn't too bad. I still don't like having to make sure I'm back within my timeframe because I had to clock watch alot more but I managed.

I don't know how well my plan would work on a really crowded day though.

 

[mesaboy2]

You're not getting it. They've changed it from a system of freedom and relaxation to a much less convenient and more stressful system. You'd have to be incredibly obtuse to not get that. The change does not improve the system for anyone. It only makes people who crave black and white in their lives feel comfort that everyone else has to experience the same rigidity that they have always imposed upon themselves voluntarily.

Save your fingers dude. You won't change any minds.

 

[North of Mouse]

You're not getting it. They've changed it from a system of freedom and relaxation to a much less convenient and more stressful system. You'd have to be incredibly obtuse to not get that. The change does not improve the system for anyone. It only makes people who crave black and white in their lives feel comfort that everyone else has to experience the same rigidity that they have always imposed upon themselves voluntarily.

Guess we're some of those that you are calling "incredibly obtuse" It definitely DID improve the system for us, and a lot of other people that have just gotten back and reported. Where was the system of "freedom and relaxation" when you had to wait in long lines in the evening hours because of the hoarders that were all flocking in before you in your own time window?

 

[UNCFanatik]

Save your fingers dude. You won't change any minds.

Doesn't seem to be his intent unless mocking is now a new method of persuasion.

 

[KellyNY]

Save your fingers dude. You won't change any minds.

much?

 

[YankeePrincess]

You're not getting it. They've changed it from a system of freedom and relaxation to a much less convenient and more stressful system. You'd have to be incredibly obtuse to not get that. The change does not improve the system for anyone. It only makes people who crave black and white in their lives feel comfort that everyone else has to experience the same rigidity that they have always imposed upon themselves voluntarily.

Here is a solution....don't get a fast pass if you want freedom.

You'd have to be incredibly obtuse not to get that.

 

[tosha27]

Guess we're some of those that you are calling "incredibly obtuse" It definitely DID improve the system for us, and a lot of other people that have just gotten back and reported. Where was the system of "freedom and relaxation" when you had to wait in long lines in the evening hours because of the hoarders that were all flocking in before you in your own time window?

Incredibly obtuse person right here as well. We never knew you could use a fastpass late in the first place, and there was nothing stressful or inconvenient about using them on time.

 

[Planogirl]

We're a few that just returned during the window. Usually.

For example, we would be at MK at rope drop. We would get FP's for Space Mountain and head over to ride whichever mountain was the least crowded. Then we would ride Peter Pan and by that time we could usually get FP's for the last mountain and ride Space Mountain. Then we would return to Fantasyland and ride whatever we could until it was time to ride the left over mountain. And so on.

This involved some criss cross but we always tour hard in the morning and then leave or relax in the afternoon. It works for us. Again, usually.

 

[Buckeye Princess]

OP, I just wanted to let you know that I do agree, the lines for FP seem longer. I'm at the parks at least once a week, on varying days, varying times of day, and varying crowd levels. Since the change, the FP line wait times have definitely been longer for us across the board than prior to the enforcement change. I would guess that they are perhaps distributing more fastpasses for a given window than before. Maybe they want to see if people are happier waiting a bit longer in the FP line if it means more FP are available and thus they can theoretically get more in a day and the wait time between collection and use is smaller?