FastPass

Jacca5660 · Post by **Jacca5660** » Mar Mon 09, 2009 9:20 am

I also LOVE the fast pass system. I don't understand why people are against it. Now if it was like the front of the line system they have at IOA, I would be totally against it. IMHO I think the Disney fast system is great. Much of what I've read against it just seems like sour grapes. Disney doesn't need to do a thing to Fast Pass. Hey they got something right, leave it alone.

Guy · Post by **Guy** » Mar Mon 09, 2009 9:45 am

I think the current system is great. I am very concerned by the people above who think that the system is confusing to tourists or forces the guest to plan out their day. My view is that if as a guest you are intelligent enough to read a sign, you should not be getting confused by the FP system! Even if there wasn't FP you would still have to plan your day to some degree otherwise you would miss things you wanted to see. When we went to WDW we picked up FPs for rides that had long queues and then went on and did other things to return to those attractions.

Future Guy · Post by **Future Guy** » Mar Mon 09, 2009 10:19 am

I really don't know how I feel about this. On one hand, Fastpasses can be convenient. But on the other hand, they also impose a schedule on your vacation, and it's easy for it to get out of hand. You get a Fastpass here, and a Fastpass there, and of course you also have a dining reservation to keep, and so you end up racing around the park like a crazed squirrel to meet all these arbitrary deadlines. If, while hurrying madly to a ride before your Fastpass window closes, you end up behind a slow-walking group of fellow tourists who clearly did not get the memo that Disney vacations should be rigidly structured affairs, you get irritated and begin to feel a familiar kind of anger, an anger exactly like the one you feel when you're hurrying to get to work and you end up driving behind some old lady who's puttering along in her 1987 Oldsmobile at 23 miles per hour.

My point is that we go to Disney World for a vacation, to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life. To impose more hustle-and-bustle upon ourselves once we get there subverts the whole idea of being on vacation in the first place. Instead of taking a break from our daily annoyances (many of which are imposed by others) we're just trading them for a whole new set of annoyances that we impose upon ourselves. Of course, if people really want to do that to themselves, then who am I to stop them? But I've been one of those people, wide-eyed, Fastpass-clutching, actually running to get to the ride in time and nearly leaving my wife behind in the process (it's her fault, she runs like a girl

) and it really isn't worth it. Not for Soarin', or the Tower of Terror, or Peter Pan's Flight, or even Mickey's Orgasmatron. (Perhaps you are not familiar with Mickey's Orgasmatron. It's located right between the Nuclear Flute Orchestra and the Great Underwater Robot Hairdresser Adventure)

Of course, if Disney ends up turning Fastpass into a caste system that favors people who spend the most money (and they will, because they're an Evil Corporation, not an operator of not-for-profit Happy-Candy-Fun-Lands) then the point will be mostly moot, I guess.

So I vote for leaving Fastpass as is, because I really hate caste systems, and because I feel for the poor CMs who would surely be torn limb from limb by irate customers should Fastpass ever go away.

theBIGyowski · Post by **theBIGyowski** » Mar Mon 09, 2009 10:29 am

I love FP because it caters to people that like to be on the move. It's also nice if you have someone in your party who cannot stand or walk around as much. My dad injured his foot a few months before our last trip and my sister and I were able to run and get his FP for him while he and my mom took it easy. It also allowed him to not have to stand in lines all day long. The only thing I can't stand...and it made me irate this last trip...was when the giant 1,000 people groups from other countries would send their designated person to get FP for everyone. I saw this a few times...the worst one at TSM. There were a few people...each with 1,000+ tickets...getting FP and inflating the return times. I was very, very upset with this and think that Disney needs to work something out with these kinds of groups because it is not good for the other 99% of vacationers there.

Jacca5660 · Post by **Jacca5660** » Mar Mon 09, 2009 10:59 am

Future Guy wrote:I really don't know how I feel about this. On one hand, Fastpasses can be convenient. But on the other hand, they also impose a schedule on your vacation, and it's easy for it to get out of hand. You get a Fastpass here, and a Fastpass there, and of course you also have a dining reservation to keep, and so you end up racing around the park like a crazed squirrel to meet all these arbitrary deadlines. If, while hurrying madly to a ride before your Fastpass window closes, you end up behind a slow-walking group of fellow tourists who clearly did not get the memo that Disney vacations should be rigidly structured affairs, you get irritated and begin to feel a familiar kind of anger, an anger exactly like the one you feel when you're hurrying to get to work and you end up driving behind some old lady who's puttering along in her 1987 Oldsmobile at 23 miles per hour.

My point is that we go to Disney World for a vacation, to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life. To impose more hustle-and-bustle upon ourselves once we get there subverts the whole idea of being on vacation in the first place. Instead of taking a break from our daily annoyances (many of which are imposed by others) we're just trading them for a whole new set of annoyances that we impose upon ourselves. Of course, if people really want to do that to themselves, then who am I to stop them? But I've been one of those people, wide-eyed, Fastpass-clutching, actually running to get to the ride in time and nearly leaving my wife behind in the process (it's her fault, she runs like a girl ) and it really isn't worth it. Not for Soarin', or the Tower of Terror, or Peter Pan's Flight, or even Mickey's Orgasmatron. (Perhaps you are not familiar with Mickey's Orgasmatron. It's located right between the Nuclear Flute Orchestra and the Great Underwater Robot Hairdresser Adventure)

Of course, if Disney ends up turning Fastpass into a caste system that favors people who spend the most money (and they will, because they're an Evil Corporation, not an operator of not-for-profit Happy-Candy-Fun-Lands) then the point will be mostly moot, I guess.

So I vote for leaving Fastpass as is, because I really hate caste systems, and because I feel for the poor CMs who would surely be torn limb from limb by irate customers should Fastpass ever go away.

It's still better then spending forever in a que! Our vacations are very unstructured and fast pass helps us. Remember all because you've got a FP doesn't mean you have to use it. When we get FPs, it just a suggestion, it's not a law. You can always give them away to someone else. It can be a random act of kindness!

purple figment · Post by **purple figment** » Mar Mon 09, 2009 11:13 am

I LOVE the fastpass systerm. I understand how people could view this as a have and have not situation, but it just isn't true. Disney makes the Fastpass as equitable as possible: they allow everyone to get them, they limit the number that you have, and they spread out the times for return, so the burden isn't too great at any one time.
My husband and I recently went to DL and Universal in one trip. Talk about the haves and have-nots--Universal has a very unequitable system. They make the guest pay for the privilege of the front-of-the-line opportunity. ALOT of money! They can use this pass whenever they want to and as many times as they want to. Not only does it create a real "class system" in the park, but it seriously messes up the lines. We waited for over an hour for an attraction whose line and size indicated that it would be about 35 minutes because of so many privileged line jumpers.
I don't mean to go off on a tangent here, but Disney really has a great system. It avoids Universal's problems, but still allows guests to not spend all of their time in huge lines. (Giving them more time to spend shopping and eating--to Disney's benefit.) It is really win win that way.

annafab · Post by **annafab** » Mar Mon 09, 2009 11:53 am

theBIGyowski wrote:The only thing I can't stand...and it made me irate this last trip...was when the giant 1,000 people groups from other countries would send their designated person to get FP for everyone. I saw this a few times...the worst one at TSM. There were a few people...each with 1,000+ tickets...getting FP and inflating the return times. I was very, very upset with this and think that Disney needs to work something out with these kinds of groups because it is not good for the other 99% of vacationers there.

VERY good point. They should do something with these groups. Someone send an email!

Post by **js3901** » Mar Mon 09, 2009 2:10 pm

personally, I feel the same as both sides - those who believe that the system is fine, and those that think it takes away the spontaneity of the parks/experience. it really depends on the attraction.

for example, Soarin' - good, don't change it. while there in 2006, we used the Soarin' fastpass quite a few times, as the standby lines were long, and the queue is fairly bare. The only saving grace was the trivia questions on the TVs and the queue music...

But, I think that fastpass at attractions like Peter Pan, the Jungle Cruise, or Test Track can take away from the themeing that is in the queue. there's too much to look at, or listen for, or the standby line moves quickly enough as it is that something like fastpass is just useless...

theBIGyowski · Post by **theBIGyowski** » Mar Mon 09, 2009 3:15 pm

I think it's good to stand in the regular lines for Disney attractions at least once. After that you can FP till your heart's content. One example of this is TSM. You definitely want to go standby the first time you ride this because the queue is amazing and worth the wait. After that you can take the short route...but you really don't want to miss out on some of the great imagineering in some of these Disney queues. Same thing can be said for Space Mtn. When it's hot outside...that long line inside can be worth the wait...but when you are tired of standing the FP line looks like a great idea. It is a genius concept...you still wait...you just don't wait in line. Just keep the lady with 1,000+ tickets away from the machines because she's cheating the system!

dwellsbct · Post by **dwellsbct** » Mar Sat 14, 2009 11:16 am

I would like to see some Fastpass perk for onsite guests, perhaps something similar to Universal has, if you are staying onsite you get to go into any Fastpass line you want to, just flash your resort ID. Maybe not unlimited but maybe you could go into each Fastpass line once a day.. Like SM once BTM once and so on each day. Then if you wanted to ride again that same day you have to use the standby line.

See you in DAK 3/26/09 with my Fince' who's celebrating her birthday!

Jacca5660 · Post by **Jacca5660** » Mar Sat 14, 2009 1:06 pm

dwellsbct wrote:I would like to see some Fastpass perk for onsite guests, perhaps something similar to Universal has, if you are staying onsite you get to go into any Fastpass line you want to, just flash your resort ID. Maybe not unlimited but maybe you could go into each Fastpass line once a day.. Like SM once BTM once and so on each day. Then if you wanted to ride again that same day you have to use the standby line.

See you in DAK 3/26/09 with my Fince' who's celebrating her birthday!

I think the Universal system is just plain bad! Disney already has park perks for it's on property guess. There are all the extra hour events. Universal system just leads to irate guess because of the havoc it causes with the ques.

MadEye · Post by **MadEye** » Mar Sat 14, 2009 1:20 pm

dwellsbct wrote:I would like to see some Fastpass perk for onsite guests, perhaps something similar to Universal has, if you are staying onsite you get to go into any Fastpass line you want to, just flash your resort ID. Maybe not unlimited but maybe you could go into each Fastpass line once a day.. Like SM once BTM once and so on each day. Then if you wanted to ride again that same day you have to use the standby line.

See you in DAK 3/26/09 with my Fince' who's celebrating her birthday!

23 resorts (excluding the non-Disney hotels on property) with thousands of guests staying at each. There would be no point in having a regular line as it would be upwards of 2 hours with the 80(fastpass)/20(standby) ratio Disney uses for the lines.

cinderella75 · Post by **cinderella75** » Apr Mon 27, 2009 3:32 pm

I LOVE fastpass

its awesome

not having to wait in long lines

HIGHLY RECOMMEND

DaRkNeSs · Post by **DaRkNeSs** » Apr Mon 27, 2009 8:28 pm

cinderella75 wrote:I LOVE fastpass its awesome not having to wait in long lines HIGHLY RECOMMEND

Truely, saves so much time! Also good excercise being the family assigned fast pass runner when we get to the park! haha

napastoy · Post by **napastoy** » Apr Mon 27, 2009 10:19 pm

metsofny wrote:It works great. You just have to learn how to use it. All you have to do is think a little and know your parks.

You know, I think this might be at the bottom of it all. I was sitting here trying to understand the opposition to Fast Pass. I'm thinking back on all the times I've used it and benefited from it. I think back on watching lines and lines of people wait at Splash Mountain, Indiana Jones etc while we used the FP line and moved on through. Always thought, "Are we the only ones that understand how to use this? Or do people just want to wait around in lines?"

It does take a little planning but we never had to plan enough where it took away from our whole day. Considering you can still use them after they expire, I think it works well. I just get bummed when a certain attraction maxes out, but then we just go do something else and come back later. I also think the packages idea might work well if it gets tweaked right.

I remember pre-FP Disney and I compare it with now...now is much better. As for the parks being so crowded, I know we go off season times and it's great. Every now and then when we are feeling adventurous we'll go at Christmas.

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