A Plan of Action Regarding FastPass

[Disnee4Me]

So, if I am understanding this correctly, when you book your FastPasses, they must all be in one park, then used up before you can go to another park and hopefully get additional FastPasses? Correct? So here’s what I am thinking of doing. Say MK has EMH in the a.m., so I’d be there at 8, ride the top attractions before the park gets crowded, but book my FastPasses for another park, in the later afternoon, so in this way I get to ride the most popular attractions in two parks without much of a wait … hopefully!! What say you experts, does this sound like a good plan?

 

[ToInfinityAndBeyond]

Edit: This is totally your plan. I can't read.

This may have changed, but it used to be that you would have to go to one of the kiosks in the new park after you used them all in the old park. This also had to occur on that day, so you would be left with the slim pickins of the other park.

My advice:
Get FP for the E-tickets in the park you want to end up at near the end of the day and get to the first park at rope drop. You should zoom through the lines at rope drop and get all of the big E-tickets done in 1-2 hours. Maybe 3 if you're going on a busy day and you're going somewhere like MK or Epcot.

 

[MotherofaPrincessLover]

So, if I am understanding this correctly, when you book your FastPasses, they must all be in one park, then used up before you can go to another park and hopefully get additional FastPasses? Correct? So here’s what I am thinking of doing. Say MK has EMH in the a.m., so I’d be there at 8, ride the top attractions before the park gets crowded, but book my FastPasses for another park, in the later afternoon, so in this way I get to ride the most popular attractions in two parks without much of a wait … hopefully!! What say you experts, does this sound like a good plan?

Sounds like a great plan!

 

[NYwdwfan]

So, if I am understanding this correctly, when you book your FastPasses, they must all be in one park, then used up before you can go to another park and hopefully get additional FastPasses? Correct? So here’s what I am thinking of doing. Say MK has EMH in the a.m., so I’d be there at 8, ride the top attractions before the park gets crowded, but book my FastPasses for another park, in the later afternoon, so in this way I get to ride the most popular attractions in two parks without much of a wait … hopefully!! What say you experts, does this sound like a good plan?

This may have changed, but it used to be that you would have to go to one of the kiosks in the new park after you used them all in the old park. This also had to occur on that day, so you would be left with the slim pickins of the other park.

My advice:
Get FP for the E-tickets in the park you want to end up at near the end of the day and get to the first park at rope drop. You should zoom through the lines at rope drop and get all of the big E-tickets done in 1-2 hours. Maybe 3 if you're going on a busy day and you're going somewhere like MK or Epcot.

I think that's what she said her plan is. Definitely sounds like a great way to schedule things out.

 

[ToInfinityAndBeyond]

I think that's what she said her plan is.

I can't read, obviously.

 

[NYwdwfan]

I can't read, obviously.

 

[raven]

The whole FP+ is messed up and is causing longer lines than without it. When using the App, you have to get 3 attractions even if you only want one. This not only causes you to have to wait for the others to end their time before you can get more but also eliminates more FPs for other guests. Also, many attractions now have FP that never needed them, or they don't do any good anyway. I had a FP for Voyage of the Little Mermaid at Studios the other day and it dumped me into the exact same holding area as the standby guests.

 

[ToInfinityAndBeyond]

The whole FP+ is messed up and is causing longer lines than without it. When using the App, you have to get 3 attractions even if you only want one. This not only causes you to have to wait for the others to end their time before you can get more but also eliminates more FPs for other guests. Also, many attractions now have FP that never needed them, or they don't do any good anyway. I had a FP for Voyage of the Little Mermaid at Studios the other day and it dumped me into the exact same holding area as the standby guests.

Well, to be fair, FP for the shows is kind of a waste of a FP...

 

[raven]

Well, to be fair, FP for the shows is kind of a waste of a FP...

They could easily resolve that by offering prefered seating.

 

[ToInfinityAndBeyond]

They could easily resolve that by offering prefered seating.

This is the case for It's Tough to Be a Bug. The first few rows are dedicated to FP and then they fill it with the regular guests once you're settled. However, the seats are not any better. It would be a logistical nightmare to try to arrange something like that, honestly.

You also get into other issues. Many areas that are reserved are for people with special needs and disabilities.

 

[Kendrab1223]

The whole FP+ is messed up and is causing longer lines than without it. When using the App, you have to get 3 attractions even if you only want one. This not only causes you to have to wait for the others to end their time before you can get more but also eliminates more FPs for other guests. Also, many attractions now have FP that never needed them, or they don't do any good anyway. I had a FP for Voyage of the Little Mermaid at Studios the other day and it dumped me into the exact same holding area as the standby guests.

If you cancel your remaining two, does that open up your availability to get another from the kiosk? I've never tried, but I have gone in and changed some while at the park, since I was able to just walk right on the ride I had a FP for.

 

[Bairstow]

So, if I am understanding this correctly, when you book your FastPasses, they must all be in one park, then used up before you can go to another park and hopefully get additional FastPasses? Correct? So here’s what I am thinking of doing. Say MK has EMH in the a.m., so I’d be there at 8, ride the top attractions before the park gets crowded, but book my FastPasses for another park, in the later afternoon, so in this way I get to ride the most popular attractions in two parks without much of a wait … hopefully!! What say you experts, does this sound like a good plan?

Not particularly.
For one, the only Fastpasses you would really care to be getting in a non-Magic Kingdom park are Test Track, Soaring, and Midway Mania. None of those are probably going to be available in the late afternoon for the same day.
Moreover, you're going to waste more time switching parks before the evening starts and the crowds start to thin out anyway than you would by getting fastpasses for second-tier attractions like Spaceship Earth or Rock n' Rollercoaster.

They could easily resolve that by offering prefered seating.

That wouldn't be easy at all to implement, and would require redesigning the holding areas and preshows for pretty much any place it was going to be implemented AND slow down the exit/seating time between each show to the point that capacity is harmed and/or additional cast members would be required to usher guests into/around the FP-only chutes.

 

[raven]

That wouldn't be easy at all to implement, and would require redesigning the holding areas and preshows for pretty much any place it was going to be implemented AND slow down the exit/seating time between each show to the point that capacity is harmed and/or additional cast members would be required to usher guests into/around the FP-only chutes.

So I guess my question is "Why are they offering FPs to shows then?"

If they are going to spend time and money installing a FP at a show and designate a separate queue for it, why don't they have designated seating areas? What good does it do if you are being dumped into the regular seating area with everyone else when you have a FP for that attraction? I waited just as long as the Standby line and was placed in the same holding area before the theater doors opened.

 

[Bairstow]

So I guess my question is "Why are they offering FPs to shows then?"

If they are going to spend time and money installing a FP at a show and designate a separate queue for it, why don't they have designated seating areas? What good does it do if you are being dumped into the regular seating area with everyone else when you have a FP for that attraction? I waited just as long as the Standby line and was placed in the same holding area before the theater doors opened.

It does you no good because essentially you "fell for it".
Fastpass was only installed at high-capacity shows because the going policy of FastPassPlus' implementation was to install the service at every attraction, whether it was warranted or not. One reason for doing this is to simply give guests more choices and more slots to fill, creating the illusion of demand and utility for the system. Theoretically, if the standby queue for a show exceeded its preshow holding areas, FP would be nice to have, but that's not going to happen most of the time, but again, that's not the point.

 

[raven]

It does you no good because essentially you "fell for it".
Fastpass was only installed at high-capacity shows because the going policy of FastPassPlus' implementation was to install the service at every attraction, whether it was warranted or not. One reason for doing this is to simply give guests more choices and more slots to fill, creating the illusion of demand and utility for the system. Theoretically, if the standby queue for a show exceeded its preshow holding areas, FP would be nice to have, but that's not going to happen most of the time, but again, that's not the point.

So you are saying that Disney is a crook and they installed all of these FPs at attractions that didn't need them to simply to fool guests and waste their time. And they wasted millions of dollars doing so installing these when they will have absolutely no benefit to anyone whatsoever.

Sounds about right for the road they've been heading down.

 

[Bairstow]

So you are saying that Disney is a crook and they installed all of these FPs at attractions that didn't need them to simply to fool guests and waste their time. And they wasted millions of dollars doing so installing these when they will have absolutely no benefit to anyone whatsoever.

Sounds about right for the road they've been heading down.

Well again, FP reservations at these shows are of some utility during max crowd times.
Also, if they fooled you into using up a reservation, implementing the system there wasn't a "waste of money".

 

[BrittanyRose428]

Reasoning for FP+ for shows: If you arrive when the FP+ window opens, you will be let into the show to be seated before the line opens up for stand by guests, This means that you get your first pick of a seat, as you are let in before non-FP+ guests. This is the only benefit and doesn't matter for 99% of shows.

 

[Bairstow]

Reasoning for FP+ for shows: If you arrive when the FP+ window opens, you will be let into the show to be seated before the line opens up for stand by guests, This means that you get your first pick of a seat, as you are let in before non-FP+ guests. This is the only benefit and doesn't matter for 99% of shows.

Of course, you can get the same benefit by standing near the theater doors and walking quickly when they open.

 

[raven]

If they fooled you into using up a reservation, implementing the system there wasn't a "waste of money".

So you are saying that guests are perfectly fine with Disney spending millions of their vacation dollars to fool their guests into wasting their time? Yeah, makes sense to me. Money well spent.

Reasoning for FP+ for shows: If you arrive when the FP+ window opens, you will be let into the show to be seated before the line opens up for stand by guests, This means that you get your first pick of a seat, as you are let in before non-FP+ guests. This is the only benefit and doesn't matter for 99% of shows.

If that were true it would make sense.

 

[Weather_Lady]

So, if I am understanding this correctly, when you book your FastPasses, they must all be in one park, then used up before you can go to another park and hopefully get additional FastPasses? Correct? So here’s what I am thinking of doing. Say MK has EMH in the a.m., so I’d be there at 8, ride the top attractions before the park gets crowded, but book my FastPasses for another park, in the later afternoon, so in this way I get to ride the most popular attractions in two parks without much of a wait … hopefully!! What say you experts, does this sound like a good plan?

I think it's a good plan. It's what we did on our last visit, and it worked very well.

We found getting a 4th FP+ to generally be not-worth-the-trouble, as any time we would be saving with that FP+ was wasted standing in the line for the FP+ kiosk, although if you can find shorter lines or more obscure FP+ kiosk locations, you might have better luck than we did.

So instead, we typically combined rope drop arrivals (at regular park opening, although the one day we used EMH we found it very valuable as well) with late-afternoon FP+, and found that it worked very smoothly and got us to all the headliners we wanted, even those we wanted to experience multiple times. One of the most valuable uses of FP+ for us was on attractions that take a long time to do (e.g., Splash Mountain, Enchanted Tales with Belle, Spaceship Earth, Great Movie Ride, Kilimanjaro Safaris, all of which run 10-20 minutes), meaning we didn't want to waste valuable "just-after-ropedrop-time" on them, but could rest assured that we'd be doing them later in the afternoon with minimal wait.