The Fast Pass improvement suggestion thread

[wilbret]

All of the pay-for-cuts systems should be abolished. I won't use them out of principle alone.

A lot of people would agree with you. I certainly would in most cases, as well. However, there are times when I will gladly pay it. For example, Halloween Horror Nights. I only go once per year, if I'm lucky. I will gladly, happily, swiftly, pay for the express pass to avoid those ridiculously long lines, and ensure that we can cram in all the houses plus more in a single night. We've done it without, and it can be done, but it really makes the night so much more fun to not have to sprint ahead of the crowd, etc etc.

 

[Hutt]

The system works extremely well for the super planners. It is terrible for someone who is a complete rookie to Disney. I wish they gave out fewer fastpasses in general to give the standby lines a fighting chance. I also wish they dropped way more fastpasses on the day so that people who haven’t had their FPs booked for 60+ days have a chance to get on some of the big rides. Lines aren’t profitable for Disney; people aren’t spending money when they are standing in a 3 hour line. They should make it so that everything is more easy to comprehend and more equal and accessible to all, so that the super planners aren’t the ones who get on FOP 3 times a day while the rookie planners get shut out.

 

[Hutt]

One thing I would really love for them to do: add the “if your FP is more than 3 hours away, you can get another one” that they used to do under the old system. If the only FP you can get for RNRC is at 10 and MFSR is at 6, it feels like you’re punished for Disney’s lack of availability. Let the people ride rides.

 

[JETSDAD]

One thing I would really love for them to do: add the “if your FP is more than 3 hours away, you can get another one” that they used to do under the old system. If the only FP you can get for RNRC is at 10 and MFSR is at 6, it feels like you’re punished for Disney’s lack of availability. Let the people ride rides.

I would love this but think it would make it worse for the rookies that you mentioned in your last post. I could then sit on a hard to get FP and continue to get additional FP's in the meantime? Right now I would have to decide whether or not to keep the later FP, leaving one or the other for someone else to get.

 

[wilbret]

The system works extremely well for the super planners. It is terrible for someone who is a complete rookie to Disney. I wish they gave out fewer fastpasses in general to give the standby lines a fighting chance. I also wish they dropped way more fastpasses on the day so that people who haven’t had their FPs booked for 60+ days have a chance to get on some of the big rides. Lines aren’t profitable for Disney; people aren’t spending money when they are standing in a 3 hour line. They should make it so that everything is more easy to comprehend and more equal and accessible to all, so that the super planners aren’t the ones who get on FOP 3 times a day while the rookie planners get shut out.

I couldn't agree more. Let me check into a line, and I'll go shop, buy a beer, eat food, spend spend spend... at least you know I'm in the park. If I leave the park, I lose my place in line. (maybe)

 

[wilbret]

I would love this but think it would make it worse for the rookies that you mentioned in your last post. I could then sit on a hard to get FP and continue to get additional FP's in the meantime? Right now I would have to decide whether or not to keep the later FP, leaving one or the other for someone else to get.

Maybe there a list of options where the park needs to move people from one part of the park to another? "While you wait, would you like to ride X ride?" Maybe it's not a choice of rides, or it's a small set, but it helps keep the park crowds spread out.

 

[Lumpy1106]

Let me throw this out there - how about NO fastpasses? I know Fastpass absolutely killed standby for some rides. Roger Rabbit's in Toontown, DL is one - the standby line just...barely...crawls. I can't remember the last time I rode RR's and Fastpass is the reason why. Monsters Inc. in DCA is reportedly just as bad now too (fastpasses were just added to that one). I remember the big e-ticket lines being bad before FP but not THAT bad. I will say that, particularly with E-tickets, FP has saved our day. My wife won't ride things like Space Mountain and I have a hard time breaking away on my own to devote an hour plus to it, leaving her on her own. If I get a fastpass I can be back in 5 minutes (roughly).

Huh...seems like I just talked myself out of it. I do think there are FAR too many rides and shows with FP's that just aren't needed though.

 

[Lumpy1106]

Maybe there a list of options where the park needs to move people from one part of the park to another? "While you wait, would you like to ride X ride?" Maybe it's not a choice of rides, or it's a small set, but it helps keep the park crowds spread out.

Pretty sure MDE does this? I think it's supposed to send you push notifications anyway.

 

[Hutt]

Maybe there a list of options where the park needs to move people from one part of the park to another? "While you wait, would you like to ride X ride?" Maybe it's not a choice of rides, or it's a small set, but it helps keep the park crowds spread out.

They used to do that in the old system. You’d get your FP slip and it would spit out a second one to say “here, try philharmagic in the meantime!”

 

[Kestryl]

I loathe paid express passes.

Cedar Point one-day tickets are currently $46 (it’s a pre-season sale). Fast Lane tickets last year ranged from $65 to $155 depending on the type and date. Weekends were more, and not every pass included every ride.

Universal Express starts at $70 for one park, one time each on “qualifying” rides (so not Hagrid’s). One day tickets are $120.

Knott’s Berry Farm has any-day tickets for $64. For $130, you can get a ticket with Fast Lane.

A one-day Disney World ticket is around $115 (I realize it changes per day). Would the paid FastPass be $67 per day (proportional to Universal)? How about $119 (like Knott’s Berry Farm)? Or $163-$388 (like Cedar Point)?

 

[AmishGuy91]

I generally like the current system. The only change I would like to see is being able to secure more than one additional FP+ (after the initial 3) at a time, after a 60-90 minute interval like in DL. If it's noon and I want to get a 4th FP+ for 8pm, that cripples me for the rest of the day.

 

[wilbret]

Pretty sure MDE does this? I think it's supposed to send you push notifications anyway.

Not the way the poster was wishing for, the ability to add a new FP in a big gap of time between FP's

 

[wilbret]

I loathe paid express passes.

Cedar Point one-day tickets are currently $46 (it’s a pre-season sale). Fast Lane tickets last year ranged from $65 to $155 depending on the type and date. Weekends were more, and not every pass included every ride.

Universal Express starts at $70 for one park, one time each on “qualifying” rides (so not Hagrid’s). One day tickets are $120.

Knott’s Berry Farm has any-day tickets for $64. For $130, you can get a ticket with Fast Lane.

A one-day Disney World ticket is around $115 (I realize it changes per day). Would the paid FastPass be $67 per day (proportional to Universal)? How about $119 (like Knott’s Berry Farm)? Or $163-$388 (like Cedar Point)?

I'd wager if they did it and priced it at $70, it would sell out quickly. I don't loathe them, I don't like them, but they do address a problem where demand has exceeded supply.

 

[Kestryl]

I'd wager if they did it and priced it at $70, it would sell out quickly. I don't loathe them, I don't like them, but they do address a problem where demand has exceeded supply.

It’s a trade-off- a small percentage see the problem as fixed, while a large percentage will see it get worse. Increasing the number of people with express passes just makes the pass near or totally worthless.

 

[Renarr]

Last year, when DW and I stayed at one of Universal's Premier tier hotels, we got to enjoy their Universal Express Unlimited pass, and one of the major differences I noticed between Universal's parks and WDW's parks are that each park simply had more "I have to ride this" kind of rides. If you had a Universal style pass at EPCOT, you're essentially going to see significantly longer lines at the Tier 1 rides, because who gets excited about too many of the Tier 2 rides (except for perhaps Mission: Space)? I mean, I'll ride a lot of them, but The Seas with Nemo and Friends often functionally has an Express Unlimited Pass, it's called, "Go back to the entrance and walk through the mostly empty queue again."

At least under the current system, if you want to FP more than one of those rides, you have to spend multiple days in EPCOT, or you have to hope that one of them is available day of. The Universal Express pass just wouldn't work there.

You might be able to work it at other parks, like Animal Kingdom, where much like Hagrid's ride is restricted at Universal, Flight of Passage would have to be restricted at AK. But from that point of view, I wonder if having that kind of system restricting access to FoP as stand-by only would lead to increased DAS requests if there weren't a FP route in...

I don't hate the idea of a virtual queue, but I don't have much experience with it. It seems like a concept that should be workable.

 

[wilbret]

It’s a trade-off- a small percentage see the problem as fixed, while a large percentage will see it get worse. Increasing the number of people with express passes just makes the pass near or totally worthless.

That's why Universal caps theirs at a certain number, WDW would have to do the same. And I think the cost would be more like $200. It's nuts, I know, but I think people would pay it. Devil's advocate.

I'm more in the ballpark of an in-park virtual queue, making more day-of passes available somehow, and making the available options more transparent so it's not a challenge to find something (or maybe even get on a waiting list). Of course, ultimately... it would be great if they would just let fewer people into the parks, and that "premium" would just be built into the ticket price already.

 

[MJJME]

The problem with MaxPass is that there is no guarantee that you can get on a ride. If I am booking a room at the Grand Floridian for $700 a night and flying 1500 miles and staying for a week, I want to know that I can get on Flight of Passage, Mine Train, Slink Dog, etc.........Why would i pay all that money to travel and stay at an on site hotel and not get on the good rides that my kids want to get on (and the reason we are going to begin with) because i have young children and cannot wake up to be in the parks by 7am? We don't usually go to the parks until after lunch time and by that time all the old FP's or MaxPasses are gone. I would never pay that for a hotel without guarantees and that is the reason that Disney needs to have some form of guaranteed ride for resort guests or else they wont sell all those expensive hotel rooms that they make most of their money on

 

[wilbret]

The problem with MaxPass is that there is no guarantee that you can get on a ride. If I am booking a room at the Grand Floridian for $700 a night and flying 1500 miles and staying for a week, I want to know that I can get on Flight of Passage, Mine Train, Slink Dog, etc.........Why would i pay all that money to travel and stay at an on site hotel and not get on the good rides that my kids want to get on (and the reason we are going to begin with) because i have young children and cannot wake up to be in the parks by 7am? We don't usually go to the parks until after lunch time and by that time all the old FP's or MaxPasses are gone. I would never pay that for a hotel without guarantees and that is the reason that Disney needs to have some form of guaranteed ride for resort guests or else they wont sell all those expensive hotel rooms that they make most of their money on

I couldn't agree more. There have been times where we not only don't get to ride the main ride, we don't ride ANY of the main attractions.
On the inverse, every single trip to Universal, when staying at one of the big 3 hotels with express pass, you can ride everything you want. It is a superior experience. (from my perspective... fending off arguments here... everyone can like different stuff)

One thing Disney did last year that we liked was opening HS at 6:30am to guests. We were able to ride everything before the other guests even arrived. Magic Hours used to be magical, but for various reasons, they have become less so. We used to plan our trips based on them.

 

[MJJME]

I couldn't agree more. There have been times where we not only don't get to ride the main ride, we don't ride ANY of the main attractions.
On the inverse, every single trip to Universal, when staying at one of the big 3 hotels with express pass, you can ride everything you want. It is a superior experience. (from my perspective... fending off arguments here... everyone can like different stuff)

One thing Disney did last year that we liked was opening HS at 6:30am to guests. We were able to ride everything before the other guests even arrived. Magic Hours used to be magical, but for various reasons, they have become less so. We used to plan our trips based on them.

I read some rumors that they wouldnt be returning along with FP+.....I wish Disney would give an update.......Our spring trip is going to be based on whether or not Disney returns FP+, EMH, fireworks, shows, etc.............If they have no plans to bring them back, II wish they would come out and say it.........We have a Disney trip planned for April (which we prefer to do) and also a Universal trip planned for the same week (just half the time) and if Disney doesnt return those features, we will be cancelling and going to Universal

 

[Jrb1979]

I detest all of the pay-for-cuts systems. Reason being, it costs the park NOTHING to give it to you - the people who really pay for it are the other guests who now have to wait in longer lines. I was at Great America one time and they had a "pay $5 to spin the wheel for a cut-the-line pass" set up at the entrance to the Gold Striker. What do you know? Everyone who spun the wheel lucked out and got a cut-the-line pass - what luck! Great America made $5, and our wait got longer, every time someone spun the wheel - how is that right?

I like DL's fastpass system best - I will give a pass to the DL maxpass system (that you do have to pay for). Even though maxpass users are getting more fastpasses, it is because they don't have to traverse the park to get them. Otherwise, other guest have an equal shot at just as many fastpasses. Second place is WDW's FP+ system. Yes, you have to plan 2 months ahead of time (1 month if staying off-property). That may seem like a pain, but not a big deal considering you booked the room 11 months ahead, and meals 6 months ahead. I really don't know how else you would give an incentive to staying on property without it. I haven't used the ROTR BG's yet, but it makes as much sense as rope drop IMHO.

All of the pay-for-cuts systems should be abolished. I won't use them out of principle alone.

I get where you are coming from. As someone who travels across th US visiting amusement parks for vacation I love the skip the line system. Especially for parks I rarely visit. It gives me a chance to ride just about everything in a day or two.

Now my home park I never buy it as I go often enough and know which rides to hit first and avoid going on weekends.

As far as FP goes the thing I hate the most about it is having to schedule times to ride attractions. I love being able to pick what I want to ride when I want to ride it.