why do people stand in line for a fast pass ride?

[cats mom]

I wouldn't wait in a 90 minute line for much of anything. But I've certainly stood in lines longer than 15 minutes even when fast passes were available.

Since I'm frequently the designated fastpass runner for our family... I can tell you there are days when I just don't feel like making the trek from splash mt all the way over to screamin' and then back again just to take advantage of one fast pass, so either we stand in line while we're already right there, or we don't ride.

Or sometimes the timing just doesn't work out. What if it's a busy day and the fast pass window is not until 10pm, but you're planning on leaving at 8pm? Again, either you stand in line, or you don't ride.

We do use FP when it makes sense, but as someone who has left the parks with a pocketfull of unused fast passes and legs that are about ready to fall off from the collecting of said fast passes... it doesn't always make sense.

Sometimes we FP, sometimes we wait in line.

 

[VegasMike21]

I waited in a 35-45 minute line for Space because first, I really wanted to ride it and second, because the fast pass return time wasn't until 9:30pm! Which was about 4 hours later.

That's a decent wait time for Space in the middle of the day. I wouldn't wait anything more then 60 minutes for Space or any other ride for that matter.

 

[nick916]

I have a quick FP question actually...
So say I go to Space Mountain at 4:00 PM and its an hour wait. It says FP return time is 7:30 PM. Does that mean I can't get a FP for Indy until after 7:30? I thought there was a one hour limit or something so would I be able to get it at 5:00 or something. Maybe not, I don't really remember.

 

[Danauk]

I have a quick FP question actually...
So say I go to Space Mountain at 4:00 PM and its an hour wait. It says FP return time is 7:30 PM. Does that mean I can't get a FP for Indy until after 7:30? I thought there was a one hour limit or something so would I be able to get it at 5:00 or something. Maybe not, I don't really remember.

You can get your next fastpass either 2 hours after you got the previous one or if the return time for your previous pass is less than 2 hours away you can get your next pass after that return time. So say for example you got a fastpass at 4:00pm and the return time for that pass was 8:00pm you would be able to get your next pass at 6:00pm. However if the pass you got at 4:00pm had a return time of 5:00pm you would be able to get your next pass at 5:00pm.

I hope this makes sense!! If not in the Hydroguy sticky at the top of this thread there is a link to a really good post explaining fastpass use.

 

[HoneyBee06]

Here's how we use fastpasses at Disneyland....

We get as many fastpasses as we can. We get them for the rides we really want to go on....and that usually means Space Mountain. If we get to the park and there is a 30 minute wait for SM...we'll grab a fastpass for later, and then get in the standby line. We'll use our fastpass later.

We love Indiana Jones but it usually seems like fastpasses are worthless. If there is no line outside...I'm not going to waste a fastpass for it. If there's time to get another one....we'll get another one for Space Mountain.

If Indiana Jones has a 45 minute wait....but no line outside....sorry, you're waiting 45 minutes with or without a fastpass.

We never have a clear "plan" when we go to Disneyland (or WDW.) We know certain rides we really want to go on...but other than that...we just walk around and enjoy ourselves without being insane about a plan.

 

[JzeroT1437]

We stand in line for Tower of Terror while waiting for our fastpasses for it to activate. We just like it that much (and the wait is rarely actually longer than 15 minutes).

 

[Donald's Fan in PHX!]

I do not understand why you would stand in a line for a fastpass line unless it was 15 minutes or under help me understand this ?

I can fastpass indy and go on pirates and haunted mansion and pooh instead of waiting in line for indy.

Splash mountain wait times are bad why on earth would you wait 90 min to ride?

Is it to many people are not smart enough to fastpass or they like long wait times?

Lot's of reasons....Some popular attractions run out of fast passes early in the day. Also, how do you know the people standing in line don't already have another fast pass for a different attraction?

 

[keishashadow]

Actually yes, you can have more that one FP at a time. Here's a couple of ways how:

1) When you get a fastpass, not only does it have a window of time that tells you when you can use your pass, it also has another time at the bottom of the pass that tells you when another fastpass is available for you. So even if you haven't used that fastpass, you can get another one (but not for the same ride; you can only have one fastpass at a time for any one ride. For example, you can't hold 2 fastpasses for Indy at the same time.)

2) Another way is to "hop" to DCA while you still have fastpasses for DL you haven't used. The 2 systems aren't connected, so you could actually get a fastpass for Space Mt., then jump over to DCA and get one for Soarin' as soon as you get there.

I use fastpass all the time, every trip, at both DL and WDW. There have been many times that I have held 4 or 5 fastpasses at the same time.

must've missed this in the stickies, will have to reread - thanks

 

[ballarinamom]

I know when my Sister-in-law and her boyfriend went to WDW, she said they were too busy to "do" fastpass!
Another time, while in line visiting with a couple from overseas, they didn't know what FP was.
Also, now at the Six Flags park, you pay for their fastpass type option. And it's fairly expensive based on which of the two options you choose. I know there are so many people who go to Six Flags parks before they trek over to the Land. They may think it's the same type option.

 

[avalon451]

We do use FP when it makes sense, but as someone who has left the parks with a pocketfull of unused fast passes and legs that are about ready to fall off from the collecting of said fast passes... it doesn't always make sense.

Here's a suggestion when you have leftover FPs at the end of the day: "dream" somebody with them.

One of my favorite things to do on our last trip was finding a family with small, tired children in the standby line, and asking them if they would like our FPs because we couldn't use them. Sometimes you have to explain briefly that yes, they're still valid-- but oh, what a kick to see their eyes light up! I just love making somebody's day like that.

I had one FP left for Space Mt. on my way out on our last night-- DH had stayed with the younger 2-- and there was a young man sitting alone on the curb talking on his cellphone on Main Street. He looked tired and a little discouraged, but maybe I was imagining it. I walked up, handed it to him, (he seemed to be at a pause in his conversation) and simply said, "We're leaving and we can't use it--" The slow smile that lit up his face was something to see!

 

[DalGal]

I have also found that all Fastpass lines are not created equally. Some save you a lot of time (Space Mountain) while others may only save you a few minutes (Indiana Jones), so that helps me decide which Fastpasses are a high pririty for me.

Melissa

The best we found was Roger Rabbit. Our Dream Fastpass put us right up to the loading gate (wait time was about 40 minutes). The least time saved was probably Indy...had a 20 minute wait but the stand-by was 55 minutes. Autopia was about the same.

That same day, after the fireworks, we went to use our Space Mountain tab and they had closed the queue...it was up to 100 minutes. Needless to say, that tab went unused.

 

[Disneyland Princess]

I know it suprises me that people dont use fastpasses to. I think people dont use them simply either because they dont know how (even though its not that hard) or there just lazy. My friend is a great example. I told her all about fastpasses and how well they work and even lent her my guide books so her family could have a good time at disney. They had a horrible time becuase they said it was hot, crowded, and the lines were long. I asked if they used fasspasses they said no they couldnt find the place to get them. I almost died laughing when they said that.
Oh well the less people that use fastpasses the more there are for the rest of us!

 

[HoneyBee06]

I know it suprises me that people dont use fastpasses to. I think people dont use them simply either because they dont know how (even though its not that hard) or there just lazy. My friend is a great example. I told her all about fastpasses and how well they work and even lent her my guide books so her family could have a good time at disney. They had a horrible time becuase they said it was hot, crowded, and the lines were long. I asked if they used fasspasses they said no they couldnt find the place to get them. I almost died laughing when they said that.
Oh well the less people that use fastpasses the more there are for the rest of us!

If you read the rest of this thread...you'll see there are more reasons for not using fastpasses than the two reasons you listed.

 

[ironpig70]

i use the come early nap midday and stay late principals. last trip we had a 2, 2 and 8 year old so every ride my wife did with our 8 year old then i did it. we did indy, space, btmrr, hm all walk on after the fireworks. we also did a couple others. i have found that if you cannot get a fastpass cause they have run out then waittill closing time to hit the ride.

 

[JenM]

I know it suprises me that people dont use fastpasses to. I think people dont use them simply either because they dont know how (even though its not that hard) or there just lazy.

That's not really true. I'm a WDW vet and I love FastPass, but I went to DL for the first time last month and I only used FP three times.

Our first day was a Saturday and the park was really hot and crowded. Splash Mountain by noon had an 80 minute wait and the FP return time was 8:30pm. We came back another day to ride it, but it was so hot out that day I almost couldn't blame people for braving the line--it was shorter than the FP wait!

Most of the big rides by midday had FP return times late in the evening. It was easier for us to wait an hour for Indiana Jones then wait 7 hours to use a FP and not be able to get another one during the time in between. We were going to be stuck on lines no matter what we did, so it didn't really make a difference.

One of my friends who I hadn't seen in a long time met us at DL our second day of the trip--we spent the 45 minute wait for Nemo talking and catching up. That wait flew by.

I had a FP for Space Mountain, but I showed up before my return time and jumped on the 30 minute standby line, so when I got off I was able to go right back on with the fastpass. Did the same thing for California Screamin. I learned that trick at WDW.

I find that the rides that are constantly loading are always moving, so when the line is under an hour it usually moves by fast enough. I don't do anything over an hour unless there's some desperate reason to wait for it.

FastPass is fantastic, but it's not always the best option.

 

[DLR29]

Most of the big rides by midday had FP return times late in the evening. It was easier for us to wait an hour for Indiana Jones then wait 7 hours to use a FP and not be able to get another one during the time in between. We were going to be stuck on lines no matter what we did, so it didn't really make a difference.

You could have gotten another FP 2 hours after the first one, but I do see your points. Sometimes a stand-by line, when moving quickly with lots to see, does not seem as long as it really is.

 

[bumbershoot]

i use the come early nap midday and stay late principals. last trip we had a 2, 2 and 8 year old so every ride my wife did with our 8 year old then i did it. we did indy, space, btmrr, hm all walk on after the fireworks. we also did a couple others.

Oh noes! You need to learn about rider switch (aka baby/child swap), so you're not dependent on FP for future trips with kids that aren't quite big enough for everything you want to go on.

....we spent the 45 minute wait for Nemo talking and catching up. That wait flew by.

I had a FP for Space Mountain, but I showed up before my return time and jumped on the 30 minute standby line, so when I got off I was able to go right back on with the fastpass. Did the same thing for California Screamin. I learned that trick at WDW.

I feel the same way about Nemo. I find it to be a pleasant line, easy to chat in. Doesn't mean I want to stand there for more than 40 minutes or so, but it's not unpleasant (like Peter Pan is, for instance).

If you go again, for Screamin' and some other rides, you need to use the Single Rider line! From what I can gather, at WDW there are very few Single Rider lines, but at DL and especially at DCA, they are on some excellent rides, and when there's a wait and you don't WANT to be depending on FP, they are very wonderful!

 

[JenM]

You could have gotten another FP 2 hours after the first one, but I do see your points. Sometimes a stand-by line, when moving quickly with lots to see, does not seem as long as it really is.

But on that day, whatever ride we'd gotten another FP for would still have had a return time late in the evening. We'd done a ton of rides already with short lines and a made good use out of a crowded day, so we finally just started jumping on the longer lines and toughing it out.

You pretty much anticipate long lines at Disney, so it's just part of the process.

 

[JenM]

If you go again, for Screamin' and some other rides, you need to use the Single Rider line! From what I can gather, at WDW there are very few Single Rider lines, but at DL and especially at DCA, they are on some excellent rides, and when there's a wait and you don't WANT to be depending on FP, they are very wonderful!

Oh, I love the single rider lines. WDW has a lot of single rider lines--Test Track, Rockin Rollercoaster, Mission Space, etc. I used it at DL when my dad was working since he doesn't like the crazy rides, but when we were there together we didn't want to split up on the rides.

 

[HoneyBee06]

But on that day, whatever ride we'd gotten another FP for would still have had a return time late in the evening. We'd done a ton of rides already with short lines and a made good use out of a crowded day, so we finally just started jumping on the longer lines and toughing it out.

You pretty much anticipate long lines at Disney, so it's just part of the process.

Exactly right. People should just expect long lines when they go to theme parks. It drives me nuts when I hear people in city hall complaining about lines.