Fastpass Trick I picked Up at the Park

[sfeinst]

Others may already know this, but here goes. We used our 3 fastpasses. The next one has to be done at a Kiosk. My daughter wanted to ride Splash Mountain. We waited in line for the Kiosk and the CM stated none of the mountains was available. We went to a Kiosk and sure enough, none had any times. So we booked Jungle Cruise. Got out of line, went into the App. There Jungle Cruise was listed. I then used the App to modify my fastpass experience and low and behold, Splash Mountain did have a time I could pick. It was much later, but at least it was there. We picked it and went on.

So the tip is, you can modify your extra fastpass using the App with a lot more freedom than the Kiosk gives you.

 

[JohnD]

Others may already know this, but here goes. We used our 3 fastpasses. The next one has to be done at a Kiosk. My daughter wanted to ride Splash Mountain. We waited in line for the Kiosk and the CM stated none of the mountains was available. We went to a Kiosk and sure enough, none had any times. So we booked Jungle Cruise. Got out of line, went into the App. There Jungle Cruise was listed. I then used the App to modify my fastpass experience and low and behold, Splash Mountain did have a time I could pick. It was much later, but at least it was there. We picked it and went on.

So the tip is, you can modify your extra fastpass using the App with a lot more freedom than the Kiosk gives you.

True but still you have to go to the kiosk first to get another "experience." Then modify with the app.

 

[WDW_Jon]

True but still you have to go to the kiosk first to get another "experience." Then modify with the app.

You can't get the 4th, 5th etc through the app in the first place?
It has to be a kiosk?

And I assume you get 4, then have to go back to another kiosk for 5 for example?

 

[sfeinst]

Correct. 4th and on have to be done at Kiosk (I tried on App just to see and it is blocked). So getting the fastpass requires Kiosk. Managing it can be done through App. And, some of those Kiosk lines are very long. I saw a line and wondered what Disney character was there attracting the attention. It was a Kiosk. I can see the new movie now. More popular than any ride or character, coming to a theater near you - The Kiosk!

 

[CP_alum08]

Did we ever get a reason as to why additional FPs can't be booked through the app? If the infrastructure is there to modify a FP in-app I can't imagine it's that big of a step to be able to add additional.

 

[Rob562]

Did we ever get a reason as to why additional FPs can't be booked through the app? If the infrastructure is there to modify a FP in-app I can't imagine it's that big of a step to be able to add additional.

Disney has never given a reason, but I believe the current line of thinking is that they did it to purposefully put in a way to regulate those additional FP+ choices. Forcing everyone to use the kiosks for the additional FP+ choices means that people without phones aren't penalized, keeping people on even footing.

-Rob

 

[JohnD]

Disney has never given a reason, but I believe the current line of thinking is that they did it to purposefully put in a way to regulate those additional FP+ choices. Forcing everyone to use the kiosks for the additional FP+ choices means that people without phones aren't penalized, keeping people on even footing.

-Rob

Or, by requiring the kiosks, guests having an incentive to use them while in the park. Can you imagine what would happen if additional FP+ choices could be made with the app? Sure, some would use them. But I could see people leaving the parks and not coming back deciding to make additional choices on their app on a lark. Or leaving a park with the intention to come back, make a choice on the app, and find they don't come back for whatever reason. Multiply that by the volume of guests who visit over time. It would totally gum up the system.

 

[Zipadeelady]

Thanks for the modifying tip!

 

[Bairstow]

Or, by requiring the kiosks, guests having an incentive to use them while in the park. Can you imagine what would happen if additional FP+ choices could be made with the app? Sure, some would use them. But I could see people leaving the parks and not coming back deciding to make additional choices on their app on a lark. Or leaving a park with the intention to come back, make a choice on the app, and find they don't come back for whatever reason. Multiply that by the volume of guests who visit over time. It would totally gum up the system.

Requiring guests to use the kiosks is also a good way of actually verifying that a guest has switched from one park to another.
Although, you would think that because Disney can verify a guest's current location via their magic band, it would be a fairly simple matter to have the app check with the park's software to verify that a guest is actually in the park they want fastpasses for.
Maybe someday...

 

[lazyboy97o]

Requiring guests to use the kiosks is also a good way of actually verifying that a guest has switched from one park to another.
Although, you would think that because Disney can verify a guest's current location via their magic band, it would be a fairly simple matter to have the app check with the park's software to verify that a guest is actually in the park they want fastpasses for.
Maybe someday...

It's a check the app could make itself. The old app only showed actual wait times when inside that specific park.

 

[DHoy]

From my knowledge and experience ... In park kiosks were never in the original FP+ model. Everything was 3 and done.

With the expansion to the +1 model the park kiosk is a way to ensure that extra FP Aren't being booked by those on the outside however the +1 was intended to go online to the phones. The only inhibit I see is that one must be in the park. So location or gps must be active to book these FP+.

Lastly an aside for kiosks, in my opinion there should be a kiosk next to every attraction offering FP. It is unreasonable that the only place in frontierland to book FP is the adventureland breezeway. There should be at least one kiosk at thunder and one at splash.

 

[Bairstow]

From my knowledge and experience ... In park kiosks were never in the original FP+ model. Everything was 3 and done.

With the expansion to the +1 model the park kiosk is a way to ensure that extra FP Aren't being booked by those on the outside however the +1 was intended to go online to the phones. The only inhibit I see is that one must be in the park. So location or gps must be active to book these FP+.

Lastly an aside for kiosks, in my opinion there should be a kiosk next to every attraction offering FP. It is unreasonable that the only place in frontierland to book FP is the adventureland breezeway. There should be at least one kiosk at thunder and one at splash.

Might I ask why?
If you really think about it, it never really made sense to have the fastpass reservation kiosks for a particular attraction at that attraction.
After all, the entire story of the fastpass is that once you make the reservation, the one thing you're not going to be able to do next is get on that ride.

 

[DHoy]

Might I ask why?
If you really think about it, it never really made sense to have the fastpass reservation kiosks for a particular attraction at that attraction.
After all, the entire story of the fastpass is that once you make the reservation, the one thing you're not going to be able to do next is get on that ride.

Why.. Is because from my experience working front line ops it would be easier to direct a guest to a kiosk located near than the attraction than direct halfway across the park. for instance and splash or thunder a guest who trekked there for a FP is turned around to trek back for a FP. having it at each attraction would resolve a number of issue with guest dissatisfaction

 

[Jon81uk]

Why.. Is because from my experience working front line ops it would be easier to direct a guest to a kiosk located near than the attraction than direct halfway across the park. for instance and splash or thunder a guest who trekked there for a FP is turned around to trek back for a FP. having it at each attraction would resolve a number of issue with guest dissatisfaction

But you are then stood outside a ride you have a return time for in two hours. Better to stand in adventureland, book thunder mountain and then ride jungle cruise (for example). That was the biggest annoyance with paper FP, trekking all the way over to a ride to get FP then going back again in two-four hours

 

[mattdenine]

I think having kiosks out side the bigger attractions space, the mountains etc would've a good idea. You wouldnt have to use that kiosk for that ride but any ride you wanted a fp for. Having kiosks around the parks would be better for everyone

 

[JohnD]

I think having kiosks out side the bigger attractions space, the mountains etc would've a good idea. You wouldnt have to use that kiosk for that ride but any ride you wanted a fp for. Having kiosks around the parks would be better for everyone

Is really that much effort to walk to the Tomorrowland entrance next to Stitch or backtrack to the Frontierland/Adventureland breezeway where the closest kiosks are for SpM / SplM?

 

[sfeinst]

I think having kiosks out side the bigger attractions space, the mountains etc would've a good idea. You wouldnt have to use that kiosk for that ride but any ride you wanted a fp for. Having kiosks around the parks would be better for everyone

I wonder if part of the reason for the kiosk locations is to divert traffic. Having kiosks near popular rides can really crowd up the area. The lines for kiosks can be long.

 

[Mawg]

Might I ask why?
If you really think about it, it never really made sense to have the fastpass reservation kiosks for a particular attraction at that attraction.
After all, the entire story of the fastpass is that once you make the reservation, the one thing you're not going to be able to do next is get on that ride.

I think it makes more sense than ever to have a kiosk at every fast past ride. Not for the purpose of booking a fast pass for that ride but because once you get off a fast pass ride you may want to book another fast pass for a different ride. Having the Kiosk right there allows you to get off the ride and book the next one without having to trek for it.

 

[Bairstow]

I think it makes more sense than ever to have a kiosk at every fast past ride. Not for the purpose of booking a fast pass for that ride but because once you get off a fast pass ride you may want to book another fast pass for a different ride. Having the Kiosk right there allows you to get off the ride and book the next one without having to trek for it.

That's a good point. I suppose they make more sense now, but I still maintain that the arrangement is a needless annoyance with paper fastpasses, particularly at Disneyland where certain attractions like Splash Mountain or Car Toon Spin, have their kiosks tucked away in isolated cul-de-sacs.

 

[Mawg]

That's a good point. I suppose they make more sense now, but I still maintain that the arrangement is a needless annoyance with paper fastpasses, particularly at Disneyland where certain attractions like Splash Mountain or Car Toon Spin, have their kiosks tucked away in isolated cul-de-sacs.

They should just let you use your phone, then it would cut down on the line for the kiosks and those that don't want to use their phones win too.

Of course, I'm not happy with the way they implemented FastPass+ anyways, it could have been a much better success with a few minor changes. 1st - let people book 3 fast passes ahead of time for attractions at any park. 2nd - once you enter a park a revolving one becomes available to book and you can keep re-booking it once you use it, also allows you to book at any park so if you want to park hop you can already have an attraction waiting for you. 3rd - all of this can be done via the mobile app so if your ticket is already active for the day and you go back to the resort in the afternoon, you can book a fastpass for the park you want to go back to in the evening. These 3 changes would allow a person to book 3 things each day they really want to do, including nighttime things. Then allow you to fill in the rest of the day with fastpasses if they are still available and it would eliminate the need to have any type of fastpass runner plus allow for full visibility for other parks to better allow park hopping and better crowd distribution between parks.