One of the mysteries of Walt Disney World...

[Magpie]

My husband is the same way. He cant explain why he hates FP, he just DOES. He hates having to "punch a clock" to ride a ride. He would rather go do something else and not worry about what time it is, and is it time to go on that ride that is now on the other side of the park? He hates ADRs and planning. He wants to just show up and walk around and just do things as they come because that is how it was done back in the day. I keep telling him..things are different. We used to go during very slow periods where you could just walk up to 10 min lines and before the Dining PLan. those days are GONE GONE GONE!

We did things his way this last trip, except we did have ADRs. ANd while I always have fun, it was not my "favorite" trip. There were lots of things missed and lots of bickering.

I can understand! We picked up Fastpasses for Toy Story Mania, and found ourselves on the opposite side of the park when they came due. Beauty and the Beast was just starting, and we'd never managed to see it in all our trips to the park. So we decided we'd rather do that than ride TSM.

I suppose you could say we wasted those Fastpasses, but... One of the BEST parts of our last trip was trying to find someone to take our two TSM fastpasses. The first two families we approached turned us down. One because they were following a strict plan, the other... seemed to think we were trying to trick them somehow. But then we bumped into two adorable young people who just lit up in smiles when we offered them the passes. "Seriously???" said the young man. "For Toy Story!? That's awesome!"

We felt like we'd just gone and played Santa for someone. It was the best feeling!

So even when you don't use them, Fastpasses are never wasted.

 

[kris4360]

I don't think there's any "research" required at BTMRR to look to your left, see the fastpass return time, and then look to your right and see the standby time. Put two and two together and realize that if you go standby you'll be spending more time in line if you go standby, than you would if you grabbed a Fastpass.

That's not a trick, that's plain common sense.

On the other hand, as others have said, perhaps they're waiting on another fastpass, and don't mind standing for awhile in line.

If it's their first time there they may not "get it" Doesn't mean they have no common sense.

 

[WILDERNESS FAN 55]

WOW. Lots of fire from what seemed like an innocent small rant by OP. Couple of really good stories in here too. I also know people who think they need to spend extra for FP. This is because in the Chicago area Great America makes you spend more for the "front of the line pass" they offer.As for planning a trip many people I know come to me for advice but then they never right anything down For me it was easy because my first visit was 72 and so I have grown with the parks as they have expanded.For someone coming 1st time it has to be overwhelming and they are gonna need some time to master the FP system.
By the way I also am a grab a FP then get in line guy for many of the "big " rides. Anyway I really enjoy reading the differences of opinions and strategies on these boards. See you all in line !!!

 

[Albytaps]

Maybe they like a wild west looking queue line?



There has been one ride where I would have liked walking through slower and that was FJ in IOA. Best... Queue... EVER!

 

[Princess on the Run]

My husband is the same way. He cant explain why he hates FP, he just DOES. He hates having to "punch a clock" to ride a ride. He would rather go do something else and not worry about what time it is, and is it time to go on that ride that is now on the other side of the park? He hates ADRs and planning. He wants to just show up and walk around and just do things as they come because that is how it was done back in the day. I keep telling him..things are different. We used to go during very slow periods where you could just walk up to 10 min lines and before the Dining PLan. those days are GONE GONE GONE!

What's funny is that I am as anal retentive and OCD of a planner as you can get. I have a color-coded spreadsheet with our ADRs (which I made first thing when they opened on 180 days prior). I have our next 5 Disney trips planned and love every minute of it. Maybe part of it is not wanting to commit to be back at a certain time because it throws off the rest of our route? I don't know, but I think I just don't like the concept. I feel like people should wait in line. And it's stupid because obviously me not using FP doesn't prevent anyone else from using it, so I am still going to have to wait for them to go in front of me. It really just makes no sense outside of my own ridiculous mind.

 

[PrincessMe]

What's funny is that I am as anal retentive and OCD of a planner as you can get. I have a color-coded spreadsheet with our ADRs (which I made first thing when they opened on 180 days prior). I have our next 5 Disney trips planned and love every minute of it. Maybe part of it is not wanting to commit to be back at a certain time because it throws off the rest of our route? I don't know, but I think I just don't like the concept. I feel like people should wait in line. And it's stupid because obviously me not using FP doesn't prevent anyone else from using it, so I am still going to have to wait for them to go in front of me. It really just makes no sense outside of my own ridiculous mind.

This makes me smile (and I mean that in the nice way). I love the way minds work. :smile:

 

[larryz]

That is what I would do.

...and what I have done as well. Grab a FP and ride SB, then immediately reride FP.

 

[larryz]

I have a color-coded spreadsheet with our ADRs (which I made first thing when they opened on 180 days prior).

I have one too, but I'm not any of those other things you said...

 

[bumbershoot]

I figure the person already has a FP, really wants to ride that ride, or just doesn't have a clue.

I said, But the Fastpasses are free. She said No, there was a spot to insert your credit card. I tried to explain it to her but she was sure I was wrong.

That is so tremendously painful.

Many reasons, but basically, you cannot grab FP for everything.

Sigh...if only you could.

Been there as as well. I once had a guest who was standing in the standby line say to me "It must be nice to afford fastpass". I didn't say anything in return, I just kept walking all the way to the front of the line

I truly think that if I ever hear someone say that I'll hand them my map and point out the FP info on it.

I've asked this before. The only thing I can come up with is that people have a FastPass already and can't get another yet. Still, I'd do something else with a shorter line in the meantime.

But what if you actually WANT to ride that ride at that time? We've done that. At DLR, that is, but still, we've done the 50 minute line for Space because we can't get a FP, we're there, and heck, why not?

To us it's odd to see people rushing around getting FP's. They spend a day at the park and miss out on all the little things.

But you're not going to ever see the SAME people running around getting FPs ALL day long. It's impossible. So you see someone rushing to get a FP, and then they slow down. I know that for us, it's a tradeoff; do we all go to get a FP and see everything together, or does one of us rush while the others slow down? Do we see *this* thing slowly, or *that*? Do we get a Star Tours FP and then spend some of the time with DS playing on the speeder bikes, or do we skip the speeder bikes and just spend the time in line? That sort of thing.

My kids swore up and down that Goofy's Barnstormer was the worst ride ever after we waited 45 minutes one hot day for it. But it was actually pretty fun as a walk-on.

My son decided he "hated" small world after waiting an HOUR for it at WDW. He had loved it at DLR until then, and that was his first time on it at MK. This negative feeling lasted for a year and a half, when I finally got him back on it at DLR. DH and I had the same experience, though not with that long in line and it was simply not enjoying it *as much*...small world is my absolutely fave ride, but having a long line at MK for it really messes with even my enjoyment of it. (I don't mind a longer line for it at DLR, oddly)

Maybe part of it is not wanting to commit to be back at a certain time because it throws off the rest of our route? I don't know, but I think I just don't like the concept. I feel like people should wait in line.

Maybe you don't like backtracking? I don't, either, and while doing errands around town I'll try to make the route as circular as possible, without backtracking. Back before the parks started talking about not allowing you to use a FP late (remember that DLR doesn't yet forbid it), we gave away or took home (for scrapbooking) so many FPs, because either our feet were tired or we just didn't want to go *back*. (now that WDW forbids using them late, we are going to only grab FPs we KNOW we are going to use...I can think of TWO experiences where I enjoyed giving FPs away...all the other experiences involved people who didn't know what we were offering...so we're not doing that)

Remember, you're waiting in line...just not IN the line. There are many people who get to enjoy the ride in between the time when you pulled the FP and when you use it. You're not enjoying that ride during that waiting time. It's still a sort of a line.

 

[Angel Ariel]

Also, we tend to stay for a week at a time, and hit the parks at opening, then nap, and return for late hours. When the parks are busy we visit the unpopular attractions (Carousel of Progress, anyone?) or check out the street entertainment.

We'll have 4 park days and will be getting there at opening and leaving for a nap, but with an 8 month old I'm not sure about the late hours. My parents may watch DD in the hotel for a while at night so DH and I can go back to the parks, but we won't know really til we get there.

For us, a day in which we spend most of our time standing in line, only to ultimately ride two or three rides, is not at all fun.

2 or 3 rides? If the lines are 2+hrs long, maybe. Waiting in standby for 30-45 mins on an occasional ride (b/c rarely are *all* of them that long) is hardly going to result in only riding 2 or 3 rides.

But, if it works for you, more power to you!

No idea what's going to work for us yet, as it's our first trip with DD. We used to get to the parks in the morning and pretty much stay all day (with maybe a short afternoon break). I highly doubt we're going to be able to keep up that pace with DD, nor do I think I even want to try.

 

[Angel Ariel]

...and what I have done as well. Grab a FP and ride SB, then immediately reride FP.

We've done it too...got to ride ToT 3 times in under an hour (granted there was short standby at the time as well, but it was still awesome)

 

[Princess on the Run]

I have one too, but I'm not any of those other things you said...

 

[kerplop]

I think a lot of people don't understand how FP work. We were waiting for a family in front of us to get some and another family walked up behind us. The dad was like oh no we can't get those, you have to pay for them. And I told them they didn't, that it was free, and the mom looked at us like we were nuts!

 

[Csaks]

We usually get a Fastpass for either SM or BTMRR and then go wait in line for the one we don't have a Fastpass for. You wait for one ride but get to ride two for the same amount of time in standby. Most of the time it works pretty good. Do the same at Studios for RRC and Tof T.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

But what if you actually WANT to ride that ride at that time? We've done that. At DLR, that is, but still, we've done the 50 minute line for Space because we can't get a FP, we're there, and heck, why not?

I never want to ride a ride enough to spend more than 20 minutes in line.

 

[kris4360]

That's pretty much what I did! Seriously, you have no idea how many people go to Disney without doing any planning. I didn't get it until I worked there. It is unbelievable to me that people would spend that much money, and no time researching or planning.

You're obviously not a world traveler, it doesn't cost that much to go to Disney!

 

[pookybean]

i havent read all the pages, but my son (17) never gets fastpasses, unless we are all together and i want them . when he is around the parks alone he has a plan...im going to ride thunder. period. he gets in the line and enjoys the moment. when hes done with that he picks the next thing. drives my dd 12 insane when she is with him! sometimes he will only go to a park for one ride, like everest. then he will leave and go to epcot.

he has said that he likes to see whats going on and talk to people. so i guess for him the line is part of the ride!

 

[Pumbaa7287]

i havent read all the pages, but my son (17) never gets fastpasses, unless we are all together and i want them . when he is around the parks alone he has a plan...im going to ride thunder. period. he gets in the line and enjoys the moment. when hes done with that he picks the next thing. drives my dd 12 insane when she is with him! sometimes he will only go to a park for one ride, like everest. then he will leave and go to epcot.

he has said that he likes to see whats going on and talk to people. so i guess for him the line is part of the ride!

Whenever we're going on a ride we've never been on before we like to go on standby line and take our time to learn the story of the ride. That's why I love some of the newer FP lines because instead of just skipping you immediately to the front, you still get to enjoy some of the theming (Like on EE, they have a display case with all the yeti stuff in it that they also have in the standby line).

 

[oasispaul]

When I worked at Disney as an Advanced Sales Associate for the DVC, a family walked up to me at my kiosk at one of the All Star Resorts, and said, "okay, we're here!" I was like, okaayyy. She looked at me expectantly. I said "how can I help you?" She said they just arrived, and now, what do they do next. I was dumbfounded. She had no idea about the Disney bus system, how to get to the parks, nothing. I still can't believe it.

As crazy as that sounds, it seems like half the people I see in the parks fit this description. More power to them - it's their vacation. I'm just surprised there are so many people willing to spend thousands of dollars on a vacation without doing any research/prep work. I realize disboarders are a different breed, but is it really that uncommon to research a destination before you visit? Especially when you're dropping so much money?

 

[KellyNY]

I never want to ride a ride enough to spend more than 20 minutes in line.

Probably because you went many times and do not mind to miss a ride. It is different for those who go on one and only trip.