Tell us the ways to beat fast pass+

[Andyman33]

I haven't used FP+ with rider swap but with regular fast pass it worked like this. DH and I would first approach the CM working the FP line (usually the only CM near the entrance to a ride) with our child. I would explain that we wanted to use the Rider Swap feature. CM would give us a ticket that would allow us and up to two or three others to go through the FP line. DH then would ride the ride with his fast pass. I would go off and do other things or hang out. When he got off, I got on. Our oldest children thought this was the best. They would also have FP to ride with dad and then got to ride again with mom!

This is exactly what we did...

 

[glamdring269]

Why is one ride on TSMM or SM not enough? I can't imagine the learning curve of a new visitor hitting Disney now.

OK, if you don't know why riding TSMM only one time is not enough then you haven't been trying for the higher scores. That's part of the fun... to us! Of course most folks who ride once in an entire trip and move along probably have no idea about all of the secrets hidden in that game.

We like strolling around too but we like to maximize our play time. Honestly with paper FPs we would do exactly what you described but we would just weave in the strolling around, listening to whoever sing whatever, etc. as we were waiting for FP windows to open up. I just wish we could get more of those times like we used to with paper FP's that were available to all for pretty much all rides but a select few. Unfortunately those select few are the ones that had everyone crying foul. I'm looking at you TSMM and Soarin'.

 

[999DoomBuggies]

Moved

Where did this thread move to?

 

[mesaboy2]

Someone mentioned "tier" for fast pass, please explain this. Thank you.

See the green link in my signature for an explanation of tiers/groups.

 

[d-r]

I think this will happen.

Consider these things:

When AP holders stay in a resort they get magic bands.

When AP holders get a magic band they can book three fast passes any day up to 60 days out.

When a person with a magic band books another resort stay they send them another set of magic bands. You can link these to your MDE account.

So somebody is going to figure this out. They will sell you their bracelets. You tell them three fast passes you want each day you will visit. They make the fast passes, put them on a set of bracelets and sell them to you. Now you go to the park with two sets of bracelets and six fast passes. You could have one bracelet for one park and another for a park to hop to. It will just take a little slight of hand at the ticket gate to put the second band up to the mickey head, the mickey head turns green, then Oh, I messed up and put your own band up there and turn it green again and put your finger in and you just activated both tickets at the gate.

 

[mom2rtk]

You don't have to rent one--I just help myself whenever Disney tells me to take small children by the hand.

Best line of the entire thread!

 

[lalanik]

First of all, I was using the term "lazy" based off the original post in this thread.
Second, what's wrong with being lazy? Some people's idea of vacation is to be lazy. I'm not using it as a negative term, or at least I didn't intend for it to be taken that way.
Third, my family wanted to ride as many rides as possible so how is getting up early an inconvenience to them when we were able to go on nearly a dozen attractions in the first 3 hours of park opening? They quite enjoyed their time thank you.
Fourth, take a deep breath and smile. If I'm really that ignorant then you must be an exceptional human being because I think I'm a pretty good guy myself.

"The savvy visitor has ridden a ton of rides early while the lazy ones are sipping coffee at the hotel."

You can try to be "smart" but you definitely WERE taking a shot at those who do not make rope drop...

 

[noahdove]

Thank you

 

[Nemo32]

Here's my question though...can the usual RP strategy still apply? If people are FP+ major attractions, they will be lining up at minor attractions earlier, making the RP strategy void, right?

 

[crostorfer]

Vacation at Universal!

This is our last WDW trip. We will get our magic and pixie dust in So Cal from now on, and from this point forward our Orlando vacations will be all about the boy wizard up I-4.

 

[mefordis]

Buck up.

When Disney announces that they are going to offer additional FP+ reservations by tier for a fee, you can purchase more FP+ reservations for each member of your party. That's what I believe will happen and you can pay to play or not. Enjoy your trip.

So we are supposed to be happy to pay for something that 6 months ago was free?

 

[rt2dz]

And hopefully Disney pays attention and closes any of the loopholes that come put. That is one of the big advantages of FP+ over Legacy FastPass. They can automate enforcement and not rely on the CMs to selectively enforce policy like return times.

Trying to catch up, but thought I'd pause to respond. This totally cracked me up! Just returned late last nigh and, guess what, CMs can *totally* choose to selectively enforce. I'm basing this on a couple of things observed/experienced.

(1) The app would very rarely work for us, so I had to endure the FP+ kiosk lines (could use a FP for that). When talking with one CM about it, he kind of looked around, said under his breath, that the app wasn't in fact working a whole lot and they knew it (other CMs were trying to make it sound like an isolated incident when I had to explain the app wasn't working). He went on to tell me that it had started happening just as soon as MK went FP+ only! that Disney's system just couldn't handle the use, and it had crashed totally on their side twice that day.

(2) At AK two people in front of us couldn't get their FP to scan right. The CM told them to go on, she trusts them, to live life and not worry. I looked at her and cracked up as I went scan ours. She told me it was down and the color scan was random anyhow. I then noticed that the second scanner was covered up, and I noticed it at other attractions (at all parks).

(3) after checking and changing a FP+ on another day! we went over to the attraction--immediate window availability. When we got to the attraction, it was blue and the CM said to wait a few minutes for it to get into the system. We did. It was still scanning blue. The CM could see we had a FP+ in the window for that attraction, so he said just scan our bands with the iPad and he could force it through. Next scanner turned green no problem.

 

[DRDISNEYMD]

At this point I could care less whether anyone likes Fastpass+ or not but to label anyone lazy because they prefer to arrive later in the day is wrong.

Just maybe that lazy guest was playing golf, riding horses, gone fishing, rented a boat, or a bike.

It is rude to call them lazy when you know nothing about them. It is a vacation which some seem to forget.

If you would like to say "late arrivals to the park" that is different.

~We're Cedar Point, Kings Island, and Kennywood transplants -- in order to avoid painfully long 2 hour waits for coasters, we arrived at the parks early and were able to ride all the coasters with little to no waits. There was no fp at Cedar Point when I was a child. We love FP+ and Magic Bands, we arrive before the parks open and seize the entire day. To each their own, but this works out better for us.

 

[999DoomBuggies]

Trying to catch up, but thought I'd pause to respond. This totally cracked me up! Just returned late last nigh and, guess what, CMs can *totally* choose to selectively enforce. I'm basing this on a couple of things observed/experienced. (1) The app would very rarely work for us, so I had to endure the FP+ kiosk lines (could use a FP for that). When talking with one CM about it, he kind of looked around, said under his breath, that the app wasn't in fact working a whole lot and they knew it (other CMs were trying to make it sound like an isolated incident when I had to explain the app wasn't working). He went on to tell me that it had started happening just as soon as MK went FP+ only! that Disney's system just couldn't handle the use, and it had crashed totally on their side twice that day. (2) At AK two people in front of us couldn't get their FP to scan right. The CM told them to go on, she trusts them, to live life and not worry. I looked at her and cracked up as I went scan ours. She told me it was down and the color scan was random anyhow. I then noticed that the second scanner was covered up, and I noticed it at other attractions (at all parks). (3) after checking and changing a FP+ on another day! we went over to the attraction--immediate window availability. When we got to the attraction, it was blue and the CM said to wait a few minutes for it to get into the system. We did. It was still scanning blue. The CM could see we had a FP+ in the window for that attraction, so he said just scan our bands with the iPad and he could force it through. Next scanner turned green no problem.

App is consistently down since it went live. Ios users have it the worst.

I agree with inconsistency. I had a similar incident on space mountain when we visited a week ago.

This system is flawed and an exploit will occur. It is not if but a matter of when if it has not already happened.

 

[grossmansr]

Ok, here's what I'm hoping to do, although I'm not sure it will work. We plan to travel with my parents, who have been to Disney a hundred times and don't care to ride many headliners anymore. They simply go for the atmosphere and to spend time with us. My husband and I figure that we will just try to use their FPs.

That's the only way that I can think of to "cheat" the system. Go with people who don't plan to use FP+ and hope Disney allows you to use their selections.

Has anyone tried this?

 

[itchin2go]

Ok, here's what I'm hoping to do, although I'm not sure it will work. We plan to travel with my parents, who have been to Disney a hundred times and don't care to ride many headliners anymore. They simply go for the atmosphere and to spend time with us. My husband and I figure that we will just try to use their FPs.

That's the only way that I can think of to "cheat" the system. Go with people who don't plan to use FP+ and hope Disney allows you to use their selections.

Has anyone tried this?

Wondering this too. I hardly ride anything ever, and I'm wondering if I can schedule FP+ selections and have someone else in my party use them. BTW - we're off-siters if it matters. I'm assuming with MBs, it wouldn't work ....

 

[mefordis]

You'll just have to wear their bands when entering the ride is all. No one checks your name against an ID so you can wear whomever's band you wish!

Ok, here's what I'm hoping to do, although I'm not sure it will work. We plan to travel with my parents, who have been to Disney a hundred times and don't care to ride many headliners anymore. They simply go for the atmosphere and to spend time with us. My husband and I figure that we will just try to use their FPs.

That's the only way that I can think of to "cheat" the system. Go with people who don't plan to use FP+ and hope Disney allows you to use their selections.

Has anyone tried this?

 

[skittlesrock]

I still don't know what to do.. help help help!!!!!!

do I change my fastpass selections so one of us gets a fastpass and the other parents gets a rider's switch pass for our height restricted children???? Are the CM's strict and only allow both parents to have a fastpass selection to obtain that rider's pass??

 

[JDUCKY]

At this point I could care less whether anyone likes Fastpass+ or not but to label anyone lazy because they prefer to arrive later in the day is wrong.

Just maybe that lazy guest was playing golf, riding horses, gone fishing, rented a boat, or a bike.

It is rude to call them lazy when you know nothing about them. It is a vacation which some seem to forget.

If you would like to say "late arrivals to the park" that is different.

Or they're some of the tens of thousands of locals with annual passes who like to come to the parks after work/school during the week.

 

[Eeyore's My Favorite]

Or they're some of the tens of thousands of locals with annual passes who like to come to the parks after work/school during the week.

I'm a local AP holder but Hv a MB linked to my AP & MDE so I just scheduled my FP+ for what I wanted to do yesterday. Worked great.