Not impressed with the current fastpass system

[DisneyFive]

When was this? We were there in April and they turned some away at Soarin' while we were there. The FP line was "short" for a change, as were the others that we were in - great for us that never even realized there was a past option of returning at a different time

I think she's talking about a trip they made before disney changed to the new FP enforcement.

Dan

 

[mesaboy2]

If the fastpass time does not work for you, then don't get a fastpass. If a specific attraction is a priority for you, then you have to have a plan. If you want a Soarin' fastpass for before lunch, then you may have to get there at rope drop. That is what I do and it has worked every time. I think many people are blowing thing out of proportion and are making it seem more difficult then it really is.

This is, of course, what we all must do now. But it is not what we all had to do before. Like it or not, CMs verbally espoused you could return late that same day if you preferred--that is not in dispute. As this useful little flexibility-adding tip came from CMs, many of us took that as acceptable practice. I know!!! Crazy, right? Obviously, and most shamefully, what we failed to do is run the idea by a lot of posters here first.

 

[KellyNY]

Those of you who live close enough to attend Disney regularly and often have to understand that it's a different matter from people who can only get there once a year or even less. To folks making a rare trip, saying "just don't get the FP" sounds like crazy talk. To someone who will be back in a few months, it's an entirely different matter.

Speak for yourself please. We go once a year or less and yes we do not take FP if it does not work for us. We also do not feel we are too good for SB and use it often.
You say it like FP is the only way to get on a ride, which is BS. Unless ride is broken, you have your chance.

 

[DisneyFive]

You know thinking about this, the new FP policy is going to make us totally reconsider standby times.

Remembering our first time to Disney in 2010 we did a LOT of standy in addition to using FP's (sometimes during and sometimes after the time window). We rode standby a lot because if a ride had a low standby time and were were near it in the park, we just hopped on since we had never ridden anything before and wanted to try everything. It was a very fun and spontaneous was to enjoy the parks. I remember doing a lot of big attactions on standby (Splash, BTMRR, SM, EE...)

Fast forward to our second trip, 2011, hardly used standby at all. We had found out which rides we liked and didn't like from the first trip, so mainly only focused on ones we liked, most of which were FP attractions. We really used the FP system to the max (including using them after the time window). But thinking back, I think we could have done more standby instead of focusing so much on FP.

I think this year we'll start looking more at the standby times again, even for the popular rides. If the time is short, hop on! It will be a change versus last year where we focused so much on FP and would automatically grab a FP and just use it when we wanted (during or after the time window).

Dan

 

[Colleen27]

When was this? We were there in April and they turned some away at Soarin' while we were there. The FP line was "short" for a change, as were the others that we were in - great for us that never even realized there was a past option of returning at a different time

Years ago, on our first family trip, before I became a DISer, read the Unofficial Guide, or otherwise brushed up on the insider tips and tricks.

 

[mom2rtk]

This is, of course, what we all must do now. But it is not what we all had to do before. Like it or not, CMs verbally espoused you could return late that same day if you preferred--that is not in dispute. As this useful little flexibility-adding tip came from CMs, many of us took that as acceptable practice. I know!!! Crazy, right? Obviously, and most shamefully, what we failed to do is run the idea by a lot of posters here first.

LOL! Apparently!

 

[mom2rtk]

We go in August so we need to do World Showcase at night to avoid the heat. But every time we attempt to do that, there are no FP's available EVER for anything we want to ride!
I am hoping because of the enforcement in policy we can actually ride Soarin and other favorites in the evening without having to wait in stand-by.

Honestly, I never knew people were hoarding until I started reading these FP threads, and now looking back on all of those trips when we were bummed out about all of th FP's being distributed so early, I realize it was due in part to hoarders! That makes me angry.

Honestly, the stories about fastpass hoarders are really just urban legend, devised by people angry that they never learned that insider tip..... upset that they weren't one of the cool kids using late fastpasses. I wouldn't be surprised if it's on snopes.com by now.

 

[KellyNY]

And The Drama King and Queen goes to... cool kids on a block...

 

[LilyWDW]

This is, of course, what we all must do now. But it is not what we all had to do before. Like it or not, CMs verbally espoused you could return late that same day if you preferred--that is not in dispute. As this useful little flexibility-adding tip came from CMs, many of us took that as acceptable practice. I know!!! Crazy, right? Obviously, and most shamefully, what we failed to do is run the idea by a lot of posters here first.

If you recall, in the same post you quoted, I said that I knew about it AND had no issue with anyone doing it. I believe it was an acceptable practice, I agree with people who used it, and I would never fault anyone for doing so. I, personally, never needed to do so, but I understand the benefits it had.

As such, I am stating that it is 100% possible to ride everything you want to even with the new fastpass rules. It will just take a bit more pre-planning.

 

[mesaboy2]

If you recall, in the same post you quoted, I said that I knew about it AND had no issue with anyone doing it. I believe it was an acceptable practice, I agree with people who used it, and I would never fault anyone for doing so. I, personally, never needed to do so, but I understand the benefits it had.

As such, I am stating that it is 100% possible to ride everything you want to even with the new fastpass rules. It will just take a bit more pre-planning.

I know. I only quoted your post as a reference. I would put you in the "like it" category in my "like it or not" statement. Sorry if that was not clear.

Yes, I'm so Mr. Drama. Goes well with all that crazy logic I use.

 

[stashbin]

Honestly, the stories about fastpass hoarders are really just urban legend, devised by people angry that they never learned that insider tip..... upset that they weren't one of the cool kids using late fastpasses. I wouldn't be surprised if it's on snopes.com by now.

I disagree. After reading this thread and others like it, it is apparent that lots of people took FP's and returned after the time allotment. As far as being upset because we didn't take advantage of the system (like the "cool kids" do)...well that isn't true either. I am upset that the "cool kids" took FP's when they had no intention of using them for the correct time causing lots of people like us (the uncool kids) to not get one at all.

I am super happy that all of those "cool kids" will have to follow the rules now or else they will be waiting with all of the "uncool kids"!

 

[mommyof2boys1girl]

Personally, I loved the old system. We never tour during peak times (spring and fall) and have never actually done WDW before, but have done 3 separate 7 day or more trips to DL, and we would "collect" FP's in the morning to use in the evening. But instead of hoarding those we couldn't use (kids got tired and we turned in early) I would spend our walk back through the parks handing out our unused FP's to anyone at the end of the standby line. Because we are a family of 5, I would try to pick out groups of 5 or less and hand them a FP. I don't know how many times I heard stories like "it's our last night and the kids really wanted to ride this one more time" etc... and the fact that I could save them a 1hr standby wait really added to the whole magic of the trip for me. I wouldn't consider myself a hoarder, but we often had a couple of FP's left at the end of the day, especially if we left a park early.
Now that the new system is in place, I guess we will just have to plan a little better. I'm glad I read this now though, as my touring plans were based on the old system of being able to use FP's after the return window. As my DD (5 yrs) likes to say "you get what you get and you don't complain about it!"

 

[mom2rtk]

I am upset that the "cool kids" took FP's when they had no intention of using them for the correct time causing lots of people like us (the uncool kids) to not get one at all.

LOL! I better email snopes and have them add this to the urban legend. I love how this story has morphed into people taking fastpasses they never even intended to use. I guess since they spent no time waiting in line for rides, they had nothing better to do than criss cross the park collecting something they knew they wouldn't use. Cuz that would be a great use of time.

 

[stashbin]

Personally, I loved the old system. We never tour during peak times (spring and fall) and have never actually done WDW before, but have done 3 separate 7 day or more trips to DL, and we would "collect" FP's in the morning to use in the evening. But instead of hoarding those we couldn't use (kids got tired and we turned in early) I would spend our walk back through the parks handing out our unused FP's to anyone at the end of the standby line. Because we are a family of 5, I would try to pick out groups of 5 or less and hand them a FP. I don't know how many times I heard stories like "it's our last night and the kids really wanted to ride this one more time" etc... and the fact that I could save them a 1hr standby wait really added to the whole magic of the trip for me. I wouldn't consider myself a hoarder, but we often had a couple of FP's left at the end of the day, especially if we left a park early.
Now that the new system is in place, I guess we will just have to plan a little better. I'm glad I read this now though, as my touring plans were based on the old system of being able to use FP's after the return window. As my DD (5 yrs) likes to say "you get what you get and you don't complain about it!"

The first bolded statement: This is why lots of people could never get afternoon passes if they chose not to brave the heat during the day.

The second bolded: Not all people do this though and so although YOU had nice intentions, it still helped to flaw the system.

 

[stashbin]

LOL! I better email snopes and have them add this to the urban legend. I love how this story has morphed into people taking fastpasses they never even intended to use. I guess since they spent no time waiting in line for rides, they had nothing better to do than criss cross the park collecting something they knew they wouldn't use. Cuz that would be a great use of time.

I am not saying that people took them without the intent to use them. They took them without the intent of using them at the correct time thus causing lots of other people to not get any at all! Lots of FP's have been wasted because ofp people gathering them for later use and then something happens and they can't make it back etc. Not everyone who gathers for later use comes back or passes them on to people who can and will use them. Be sarcastic all you want, but it is what it is. I do not feel sorry one little bit for those who abused the system just because they COULD.

 

[KellyNY]

LOL! I better email snopes and have them add this to the urban legend. I love how this story has morphed into people taking fastpasses they never even intended to use. I guess since they spent no time waiting in line for rides, they had nothing better to do than criss cross the park collecting something they knew they wouldn't use. Cuz that would be a great use of time.

Did you somehow missed part "for the correct time" or you just try to change her words, you know like "cool" kids sometimes do in first grade to ...

 

[stashbin]

Did you somehow missed part "for the correct time" or you just try to change her words, you know like "cool" kids sometimes do in first grade to ...

Thank you KellyNY. Glad I am not the only one that caught that!

 

[linskypens]

The fact is those of us who collected for use later in the day, did so because we could, and it made our lives easier.I am among those who either used them and or handed them to people in line who could if we couldn't.
Does it suck for us who did that now we can't?
Sure.
Still beats paying for this service or not having it at all. Suck it up peeps.

 

[LilyWDW]

I know. I only quoted your post as a reference. I would put you in the "like it" category in my "like it or not" statement. Sorry if that was not clear.

Yes, I'm so Mr. Drama. Goes well with all that crazy logic I use.

That is what I get for reading when tired and after a hard workout! No more posting until I get a chance to eat after those workouts...

I disagree. After reading this thread and others like it, it is apparent that lots of people took FP's and returned after the time allotment. As far as being upset because we didn't take advantage of the system (like the "cool kids" do)...well that isn't true either. I am upset that the "cool kids" took FP's when they had no intention of using them for the correct time causing lots of people like us (the uncool kids) to not get one at all.

I am super happy that all of those "cool kids" will have to follow the rules now or else they will be waiting with all of the "uncool kids"!

I honestly doubt that statistically that it had THAT much of an impact on Fastpasses. Perception, maybe... but I do not believe that there was enough of a issue to mathematically show an problem.

 

[KellyNY]

Thank you KellyNY. Glad I am not the only one that caught that!

Not the only one