Beauty in the Breakdown-- Fastpass

[thelookingglass]

I know that these passes are abused. I've seen people taking turns in a wheel chair to bypass the lines. Fortunately, this number isn't too substantial.

It is abused though, to the point where it really is unfair. They don't even need to be in a wheelchair or anything. Like I said before, many times I have been in a Fastpass line, and nearly everyone else in line is a family with a guest assistance pass (and NO wheelchairs). I've also frequently seen families who will get the card for, say, dear old grandma, and then grandma will wait outside while dad + kids ride over and over and over with no consequence. So basically, grandma is their golden, never-ending Fastpass.

There are some people that feel that a Guest Assistance card should only accommodate the disabled person and one or two guests. This is a reasonable complaint and may very well be the way to curb this issue if it becomes a growing problem.

I agree. Also, it wouldn't hurt if the passes were not so easy to forge, and the guest who is using it has their name, gender (since we apparently can't say the "S" word on here and we're all in daycare), and age on the card, so at least CMs could know that the appropriate person is using the card.

The wait for Toy Story would still be substantial without Fastpass. I assume not everyone that uses Fastpass for Toy Story would be willing to wait in the Standby line, but at the same time, the demand for the attraction is so great that other people would presumably take their place.

Well, while it is in a different park with slightly different circumstances, TSM at DCA does not have Fastpass, and their line is rarely longer than an hour. On quiet days, probably 20-30 minutes tops. Meanwhile at DHS, even on a day when RnRc is a walk-on, TSM will have a 120 minute wait or more. Something is wrong here.

 

[mickey2008.1]

For us, its a crap shoot. Most times its great, as we can find other things to do in between. Plus you can get another fast pass ever hour i think, i didnt keep track of time, but we had three throughout the day at different times. The only times it hurts us is when it sells out early morning, then its either wait or just skip the attraction. We got lucky this past december because it rained, so DHS became empty, 45 min wait for TSMM! First time it worked in our favor for standby. But overall, you just have to plan accordingly for the main attractions.

 

[David S.]

Also, Fastpass does nothing but INCREASE stress for EVERYONE. Yeah, you got to wait only 20 minutes for Toy Story Mania instead of 180 minutes (and the line is only that long because of Fastpass in the first place). But you had to make sure you got there at park open just to get it, and its a crowded day - unless you want to wait 90 minutes (would not be 90 minutes if Fastpass didn't exist), you won't get to ride Rock 'n' Rollercoaster without a Fastpass either. Only now that you have the Toy Story Mania Fastpass, you can't get another one until 2 pm. Now its 2 pm, and Rock 'n' Rollercoaster is out of Fastpasses.

That's not true. If you "had to make sure you got there at park open" to get your Toy Story Midway Mania FP, you would not have to wait until 2 PM to get your RnRC FP. You could get it, at worst, 2 hours after getting your TSMM FP if the return time for TSMM was more than 2 hours from when you got the TSMM one, which would mean you could get the RnRC FP at around 11 AM-ish on a typical day with a 9 AM opening.

Personally, I find a day at the parks much LESS stressful than it was before FP existed, but to be fair I'm a full day, open-to-close type of parkgoer. I don't get there for the Welcome Show and Rope Drop in order to get more Fastpasses (although that's a nice side effect!); I go early because that's when I'd be going anyway even if FP didn't exist. I can understand how those who like to arrive late in the day may feel like it doesn't work as well for them due to FPs running out; but then again, even if FP didn't exist, they would be arriving late to a park full of people and long lines for the major headliners. Arriving late will get you on fewer rides/attractions than being on time will regardless of whether FP exists, because you have a shorter day to work with and miss out on "surfing the wave of walk-ons" in the first hour or two before the park fills up.

For what it's worth, because I like to start off "power riding" RnRC, I have never gotten a FP for TSMM first thing in the morning right after Rope Drop on a full-day visit to the Studios, and yet have NEVER been shut-out of getting one later that day!

Here's a typical "Opening Sequence" at that park for me:

* Arrive before the 9 AM Rope Drop, follow CMs to RnRC. Get RnRC FP (the first of the day are usually for about 45 minutes after Park Opening) and then ride over and over again using standby line for the first 30-45 minutes. Use FP for my final ride of morning session, or, if it's a really slow day and I don't need it, save it for a potential encore ride later that day.

* At around 10 AM, after the conclusion of my 3-5 rides on RnRC the first hour, obtain TSMM Fastpass. They have never NOT been still available for me at this time, even on busy days. Regardless of what time it says to return, I can then get my Tower of Terror FP by around noon, as even on busy days they still have them by then. I can often get another RnRC FP later that day (around 2 PM) as well. If it's obvious that at noon they will still have Tower FPs at 2 PM and RnRC ones may be gone, sometimes I opt to get another RnRC one BEFORE getting the Tower FP.

* Meanwhile, I have a nice day enjoying all the other attractions (Movie Ride, Walt Disney: One Man's Dream, Animation Tour, Beauty and the Beast, Mermaid, Playhouse Disney Show, etc., at my lesiure, when the mood strikes me (or in the case of the shows, when the times line up), knowing that when it's time to use those TSMM, Tower of Terror, and extra RnRC passes, I'll have a shorter wait for all of those than I would without a FP, and a shorter wait than I would if FP didn't exist.

No stress AT ALL; just plenty of time to do things like savor all the detail in things like One Man's Dream rather than spending that time in a queue!

Obviously, I LOVE the FP system and it enhances my time at the parks considerably!

 

[RSoxNo1]

It is abused though, to the point where it really is unfair. They don't even need to be in a wheelchair or anything. Like I said before, many times I have been in a Fastpass line, and nearly everyone else in line is a family with a guest assistance pass (and NO wheelchairs). I've also frequently seen families who will get the card for, say, dear old grandma, and then grandma will wait outside while dad + kids ride over and over and over with no consequence. So basically, grandma is their golden, never-ending Fastpass.

A Wheelchair isn't the only disability that legitimizes the use of a Guest Assistance card. I agree that it's abused but it's tough to determine what is a legitimate use of the pass. Having said that, my family never uses the guest assistance pass without my brother present.

I agree. Also, it wouldn't hurt if the passes were not so easy to forge, and the guest who is using it has their name, gender (since we apparently can't say the "S" word on here and we're all in daycare), and age on the card, so at least CMs could know that the appropriate person is using the card.
Well, while it is in a different park with slightly different circumstances, TSM at DCA does not have Fastpass, and their line is rarely longer than an hour. On quiet days, probably 20-30 minutes tops. Meanwhile at DHS, even on a day when RnRc is a walk-on, TSM will have a 120 minute wait or more. Something is wrong here.

I've waited 40 minutes for TSMM in DCA several times, and while that's manageable, very rarely do I wait 40 minutes for anything in Disney World. TSMM in DCA should have Fastpass.

You also have to keep in mind that DCA's attendance is less than DHS' attendance, additionally the attraction at DCA is probably 10-15 minutes away from the park entrance as opposed to the DHS version which is 3-5 minutes away from the entrance. All of these things factor into the wait time. The simple factor that one has Fastpass and the other doesn't fails to completely explain the difference in standby wait times.

The other thing with TSMM is that the posted wait time is almost always overstated. On our show, Fred Hazelton of Touringplans.com estimate that Disney overstates their wait times by about 85%. To me it seems that TSMM is probably the biggest culprit of this.

That's not true. If you "had to make sure you got there at park open" to get your Toy Story Midway Mania FP, you would not have to wait until 2 PM to get your RnRC FP. You could get it, at worst, 2 hours after getting your TSMM FP if the return time for TSMM was more than 2 hours from when you got the TSMM one, which would mean you could get the RnRC FP at around 11 AM-ish on a typical day with a 9 AM opening.

Personally, I find a day at the parks much LESS stressful than it was before FP existed, but to be fair I'm a full day, open-to-close type of parkgoer. I don't get there for the Welcome Show and Rope Drop in order to get more Fastpasses (although that's a nice side effect!); I go early because that's when I'd be going anyway even if FP didn't exist. I can understand how those who like to arrive late in the day may feel like it doesn't work as well for them due to FPs running out; but then again, even if FP didn't exist, they would be arriving late to a park full of people and long lines for the major headliners. Arriving late will get you on fewer rides/attractions than being on time will regardless of whether FP exists, because you have a shorter day to work with and miss out on "surfing the wave of walk-ons" in the first hour or two before the park fills up.

For what it's worth, because I like to start off "power riding" RnRC, I have never gotten a FP for TSMM first thing in the morning right after Rope Drop on a full-day visit to the Studios, and yet have NEVER been shut-out of getting one later that day!

Here's a typical "Opening Sequence" at that park for me:

* Arrive before the 9 AM Rope Drop, follow CMs to RnRC. Get RnRC FP (the first of the day are usually for about 45 minutes after Park Opening) and then ride over and over again using standby line for the first 30-45 minutes. Use FP for my final ride of morning session, or, if it's a really slow day and I don't need it, save it for a potential encore ride later that day.

* At around 10 AM, after the conclusion of my 3-5 rides on RnRC the first hour, obtain TSMM Fastpass. They have never NOT been still available for me at this time, even on busy days. Regardless of what time it says to return, I can then get my Tower of Terror FP by around noon, as even on busy days they still have them by then. I can often get another RnRC FP later that day (around 2 PM) as well. If it's obvious that at noon they will still have Tower FPs at 2 PM and RnRC ones may be gone, sometimes I opt to get another RnRC one BEFORE getting the Tower FP.

* Meanwhile, I have a nice day enjoying all the other attractions (Movie Ride, Walt Disney: One Man's Dream, Animation Tour, Beauty and the Beast, Mermaid, Playhouse Disney Show, etc., at my lesiure, when the mood strikes me (or in the case of the shows, when the times line up), knowing that when it's time to use those TSMM, Tower of Terror, and extra RnRC passes, I'll have a shorter wait for all of those than I would without a FP, and a shorter wait than I would if FP didn't exist.

No stress AT ALL; just plenty of time to do things like savor all the detail in things like One Man's Dream rather than spending that time in a queue!

Obviously, I LOVE the FP system and it enhances my time at the parks considerably!

That's the thing - right now DHS has only 2-3 attractions that need Fastpass on many days. This will probably change to 3-4 attractions when Star Tours re-opens. Add to that, the fact that you can get a new fastpass after Tower of Terror in only an hour, compared to 2 hours on the other attractions.

Epcot and Animal Kingdom both have the same issues with only 2-3 attractions that need Fastpass.

Comparatively, the Magic Kingdom has 5-7 attractions that need fastpass on any given day, and it's soon getting a few more.

 

[thelookingglass]

words

Yeah, thats fine that you know how to take advantage of Fastpass and maximize your time, but literally 90% of guests at WDW do not.

Disney has done everything short of having flashing signs every 5 feet explaining how to use Fastpass, and yet 90% of people still really DO NOT get it. Or, they understand how to do it, but are not savvy enough to know which attractions to get, in which order, at what times, etc.

 

[flavious27]

this is like asking how to fix the yeti and what should be in a 5th gate.

 

[RSoxNo1]

this is like asking how to fix the yeti and what should be in a 5th gate.

Why not make the 5th gate be the home of "Yeti Encounter" where they have a fully functional yeti that's not attached to a ride.

They could also have a show calle "Fastpass - The Explanation" where cast members educate guests on the proper usage of Fastpass.

 

[ddbowdoin]

This is a good point. While personally I collect them, I really do encourage people to give their unused fastpasses to people. If you're in the park and you have unused Fastpasses, I recommend leaving them on a machine (where unfortunately they may be snagged by a cast member), or hand them directly to another group of people.

I have asked CM's to keep mine, and they usually pull an older one from the AM out and let me keep it. But I am honest and don't try to reuse them.

As for FP, I don't really have enough experience since I only have one trip where FP was actually available under my belt. I have to admit, that without FP I likely would never have experienced TSM. In May 2010 the wait times were hovering around 200 minutes. I waited 20 with a FP.

 

[thelookingglass]

They could also have a show calle "Fastpass - The Explanation" where cast members educate guests on the proper usage of Fastpass.

Six Flags actually kind of does this with their "Flash Pass" system, though its understandable since its actually kind of complicated, and you have to pay money for it.

When you purchase it, one member of your group is required to watch an instructional video on how to use the system. Its actually pretty cool - they give you a little pager device that displays all the rides and their current wait times. Through that pager device, you make an electronic "reservation" for the ride you want to ride next.

 

[inluvwithbeast]

Six Flags actually kind of does this with their "Flash Pass" system, though its understandable since its actually kind of complicated, and you have to pay money for it.

When you purchase it, one member of your group is required to watch an instructional video on how to use the system. Its actually pretty cool - they give you a little pager device that displays all the rides and their current wait times. Through that pager device, you make an electronic "reservation" for the ride you want to ride next.

I thought it was neat that you could make your reservation from anywhere in the park. You don't have to stand in line at a machine or anything. Of course the device was kinda bulky, and if I'm remembering correctly, you don't have a window, only a set reservation time. I could be wrong though. I don't remember a whole lot from my last trip to Six Flags. I lost one of my lenses from my glasses while riding the Titan (long story), making the rest of the day a blur. (hehe)

 

[David S.]

I thought it was neat that you could make your reservation from anywhere in the park. You don't have to stand in line at a machine or anything. Of course the device was kinda bulky, and if I'm remembering correctly, you don't have a window, only a set reservation time. I could be wrong though. I don't remember a whole lot from my last trip to Six Flags. I lost one of my lenses from my glasses while riding the Titan (long story), making the rest of the day a blur. (hehe)

I take it you were at Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington, Texas, as I can't think of any others off the top of my head that have a ride named Titan.

SFOT is a nice park - one of my favorites in the SF chain - and Titan is an awesome coaster! I am really sorry you had that problem with your glasses!

 

[thelookingglass]

I thought it was neat that you could make your reservation from anywhere in the park. You don't have to stand in line at a machine or anything. Of course the device was kinda bulky, and if I'm remembering correctly, you don't have a window, only a set reservation time. I could be wrong though. I don't remember a whole lot from my last trip to Six Flags. I lost one of my lenses from my glasses while riding the Titan (long story), making the rest of the day a blur. (hehe)

The device gives you a "return time" that is based on the ride's current wait time. So if the ride has an hour wait, your return time will be an hour from when you make the reservation. Whats really neat, though, is that if that ride's wait time reduces, your return time will actually get bumped up sooner. It also takes into consideration how many others have reserved that ride as well. You can return any time after your return time, or you can cancel it if you decide not to ride before OR after you're able to ride and choose another ride. You can reserve one ride at a time.

Lets say you just entered the park and got the FlashPass device. You're on your way to Batman: the Ride. The FlashPass shows that the wait time is 15 minutes. If you make a reservation to ride, your return time will be 15 minutes from the current time. So basically while you are walking to the ride, you can make a reservation so that by the time you get to the ride, its basically time to enter, and you saved 15 minutes. Then, as soon as you enter the FlashPass queue, you can make your next ride reservation.

Its really an awesome system and I'm impressed that, of all companies, Six Flags is the one to implement it. Though, I can understand that it would never work at Disney due to the sheer number of guests and the fact that if you lose the device, you owe them like $100 dollars. Not that many people at Six Flags parks even use it, because most of them are locals just trying to spend a day off spending as little as possible.

 

[inluvwithbeast]

I take it you were at Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington, Texas, as I can't think of any others off the top of my head that have a ride named Titan.

SFOT is a nice park - one of my favorites in the SF chain - and Titan is an awesome coaster! I am really sorry you had that problem with your glasses!

Yep, it's only a 2 or 3 hour drive from where I live. All interstate driving as well, so you can usually shave some time off if you drive "strategically."

It's a great park as far as Six Flags goes. I went with my best friend down to DFTW one weekend in April for that trip. Her mother's boyfriend at the time paid for us to stay at the Gaylord Texan, which is a beautiful hotel if you've never checked it out before. The whole glasses thing worked out in the end though. I had actually tucked my glasses in my shorts for the Titan because the G-Forces are way too much. Somehow one of the lenses popped out, but I couldn't find it in my pockets or anything. At the end of the night, though, it actually fell out of one of my pockets or something. I'm not entirely sure, but it reappeared on it's own.

I've been to Six Flags Fiesta Texas and I was actually a tad disappointed after my experiences with Over Texas. However, I can't complain about the Superman roller coaster there. First roller coaster I've been on where you are seated on either side of the track, as opposed to directly over it. That was neat.

As for the Flash Pass, I agree with thelookingglass, it was a really easy system to use. I was impressed actually. Makes everything run really smoothly. My friend and I really only do the roller coasters and other thrill rides at Six Flags, so the Flash Pass thing came in handy. We basically jumped from ride to ride and never had to wait in line. Now, we did do some waiting outside of attractions, but then you can grab a Dip n Dots and sit at a picnic table while you wait for your reservation time.

 

[PirateFrank]

No, it IS true. The people who actually designed the system intended the window to be enforced. The only reason it isn't is because the powers that be would rather just let everyone in late than deal with the constant complaints that would ensue because people can't be bothered to read their own Fastpass ticket.

I've argued FP with people here until Im blue in the face, and you're not going to convince those on the other side of the fence that the system makes things worse. I wish it was different, but this is sorta like politics. One side is right, one is wrong.....but the people who believe in the wrong system, refuse to pull their head from the sand.

Here's the issue. FP is very similar to the ADR/dining reservation system The *OBJECTIVE* with the system, as per it's design, was crowd normalization. The intent is to to smooth out ridership (or diner-volume) throughout the day....and *control* the amount of riders (or diners) throughout the course of the day.

I don't care who you are, whether Disney is your employer, or you claim to know the monkey's uncle of the designer of these systems...The *objective* was never to get riders on the attraction faster or provide a reservation system.....these were only a positive result (among a sea or positive and negative results) of these systems. Such a result was a convenient way to 'sell' this change to the guests.

Unfortunately, the unintended (or maybe it was intended, TDO has done some stupid things) consequences is that ride waits are now sorta normalized (but not really, if you read on). Some would say that standby waits are increased. I would agree, to a limited extent (and that has more to do with the stupid 80-20 ratio cast members are supposed to employ at the merge), but the fact of the matter is that rides that used to have significant peaks and valleys in wait times (which you could take advantage of with alot less planning than required to manage this FP charlie fox), now have wait times that are elevated but largely consistent throughout the day. (This is of course, assuming a fairly filled park)....

However, those that are currently managing the system have allowed people to violate their return times and return later than what is stated on the ticket. As a result, standby times are still increased, due to the stupid merge rules as mentioned above...and as the day progresses, both standby and fastpass wait times increase dramatically, as more and more people return after their appointed return time. As a result, the original objective of normalizing lines is *not* achieved....but ride waits are still elevated. :shrug:

Moreover, in order to utilize fastpass to any advantage....you must criss-cross the parks several times a day, and walk 5-10x as much, instead of a more natural circumvention of the parks. Forget the idea of visiting a 'land' or 'area' and completing it and moving on. To me, this is the real crappy unintended consequence of FP. I can no longer enjoy the parks on a leisurely pace and a natural path, during busy times. I am forced to do the FP dance...and run back and forth from Mission Space to Soarin to Test Track, or From Tomorrowland to Frontierland to Tomorrowland and up to Fantasyland and Back to Tomorrowland, etc, etc It's crazy, and i hate it.

You almost spend as much time running back and forth as you think you save from using the passes.

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

Bollocks.

 

[RSoxNo1]

I've argued FP with people here until Im blue in the face, and you're not going to convince those on the other side of the fence that the system makes things worse. I wish it was different, but this is sorta like politics. One side is right, one is wrong.....but the people who believe in the wrong system, refuse to pull their head from the sand.

Here's the issue. FP is very similar to the ADR/dining reservation system The *OBJECTIVE* with the system, as per it's design, was crowd normalization. The intent is to to smooth out ridership (or diner-volume) throughout the day....and *control* the amount of riders (or diners) throughout the course of the day.

I don't care who you are, whether Disney is your employer, or you claim to know the monkey's uncle of the designer of these systems...The *objective* was never to get riders on the attraction faster or provide a reservation system.....these were only a positive result (among a sea or positive and negative results) of these systems. Such a result was a convenient way to 'sell' this change to the guests.

Unfortunately, the unintended (or maybe it was intended, TDO has done some stupid things) consequences is that ride waits are now sorta normalized (but not really, if you read on). Some would say that standby waits are increased. I would agree, to a limited extent (and that has more to do with the stupid 80-20 ratio cast members are supposed to employ at the merge), but the fact of the matter is that rides that used to have significant peaks and valleys in wait times (which you could take advantage of with alot less planning than required to manage this FP charlie fox), now have wait times that are elevated but largely consistent throughout the day. (This is of course, assuming a fairly filled park)....

However, those that are currently managing the system have allowed people to violate their return times and return later than what is stated on the ticket. As a result, standby times are still increased, due to the stupid merge rules as mentioned above...and as the day progresses, both standby and fastpass wait times increase dramatically, as more and more people return after their appointed return time. As a result, the original objective of normalizing lines is *not* achieved....but ride waits are still elevated. :shrug:

Moreover, in order to utilize fastpass to any advantage....you must criss-cross the parks several times a day, and walk 5-10x as much, instead of a more natural circumvention of the parks. Forget the idea of visiting a 'land' or 'area' and completing it and moving on. To me, this is the real crappy unintended consequence of FP. I can no longer enjoy the parks on a leisurely pace and a natural path, during busy times. I am forced to do the FP dance...and run back and forth from Mission Space to Soarin to Test Track, or From Tomorrowland to Frontierland to Tomorrowland and up to Fantasyland and Back to Tomorrowland, etc, etc It's crazy, and i hate it.

You almost spend as much time running back and forth as you think you save from using the passes.

For the most part I agree with this. One of the things that touringplans.com factors into their metrics is the amount of travel time required in doubling back across a park. It's certainly a concern, but at the same time if the perception is that you're waiting in shorter lines, guests will be happier regardless of the amount of extra walking they have to do.

As for using Fastpass to control the flow of guests - it accomplishes this to a certain extent. Probably not to the extent that Disney first hoped, but it accomplishes it nonetheless. As for the 80/20 fastpass to standby throughput at a Fastpass merge point, that's more a function of the # of Fastpasses distributed on any Given day. Disney could conceivably limit the usage of Fastpass by changing the percentages. If that was done, you would see those numbers change as well.

The next post was taken from a thread in the Rumors forum, but the discussion belongs over here:

To put it another way, the number of people getting on the rides hasn't changed. However, now guests can be in two places (and depending on how far out the return windows is on their fastpass, three places) at once.

Because Fastpass isn't used at the same efficiency by every guest, it is an unbalanced system that favors those people more familiar with it. However, the aggregate overall wait times should remain constant with or without Fastpass. This assumes that the efficiency of the ride (guests per hour) is unaffected.

You make one assumption in your otherwise good analysis.

That the ride never gets to a walk on state, where unfilled containers (ie, ride vehicles) are being dispatched.

But otherwise, yes you are correct.

-dave

Yeah, I understand what making that assumption means - but it simplified my argument.

In theory though, the ride would reach the same level of efficiency with or without a Fastpass queue, it just may not line up the same way at the end of each hour, just at the end of each day.

As I suggested the amount of time an individual has to wait for an attraction effects that attraction's demand. For me, this is never more apparent than the Finding Nemo Subs in Disneyland vs. The Seas with Nemo and Friends at Epcot. For me, the wait time for the Subs make that a once per trip attraction for me, while I'm more apt to experience The Seas with Nemo and Friends 2 or 3 times a trip.

The efficiency of the attraction when Fastpass is running is not effected by anything other than human error (Cast Member not properly handling the flow of guests to the loading area) or guest perception (guests that make the decision to ride or not ride based on wait times). The human error factor is not a huge issue, but the guest perception is a bit of an issue.

With that in mind, the people that are familiar with Fastpass are likely going to be repeat visitors. This is another problem they have over in Disneyland. If 50% of the guests in Florida know how to use Fastpass correctly/efficiently, then 75% of guests in California know how to use it efficiently. It's just one of the many reasons why they've been less inclined to use it in California.

 

[JimboJones123]

Taking advantage of the fact that they don't really expire is the key.

We pick up 2-3 before lunch, and when the crowds pick up- it's time for the big guns.

I still thinks it is a terrible way to treat guests that don't utilize it- and it is horrible for TSM, Pooh, and Peter Pan.


Coasters -- doesn't bother me. But if you are talking little kid attractions, and some little kids never last more than 2-3 hours in a park -- yeah, that's silly.

 

[David S.]

Moreover, in order to utilize fastpass to any advantage....you must criss-cross the parks several times a day, and walk 5-10x as much, instead of a more natural circumvention of the parks. Forget the idea of visiting a 'land' or 'area' and completing it and moving on. To me, this is the real crappy unintended consequence of FP. I can no longer enjoy the parks on a leisurely pace and a natural path, during busy times. I am forced to do the FP dance...and run back and forth from Mission Space to Soarin to Test Track, or From Tomorrowland to Frontierland to Tomorrowland and up to Fantasyland and Back to Tomorrowland, etc, etc It's crazy, and i hate it.

You almost spend as much time running back and forth as you think you save from using the passes.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again.

I do LESS backtracking with FP than I did without it! And FP makes it EASIER for me to do the parks "by land"!

In the old days before FP, I NEVER experienced a park like the MK by "land". I was too busy making a first lap of the park at opening doing all the major headliners before the lines got out of hand. So I would have done Space Mountain (out of context with the rest of Tomorrowland), Big Thunder and Splash (out of context with Frontierland), and most of Fantasyland before their lines got out of hand, then gone back and done a SECOND lap of the MK doing everything else I missed the first lap that have short waits during even the peak middle of a busy day (Peoplemover, Country Bears, Tiki Room, Tom Sawyer Island, Riverboat, Train, etc.)

I hear this criticism about "backtracking" leveled against Fastpass time and time again and just have to laugh, because, at least as it works for me, I do MUCH LESS backtracking in the FP era than I EVER did before then, and FP makes it much easier for me to tour the parks by land, as in this MK example:

* After seeing Fantasyland and Toontown at Rope Drop (no FP needed), enter Tomorrowland.

* get Fastpass for Space Mountain

* Ride Speedway, Astro Orbiter, People Mover, Carousel Of Progress

* get Buzz Lightyear FP, then ride Space Mountain using your FP (try doing that in the middle of a crowded day before FP without a long wait for Space Mountain if you want to do the parks "sequentially by land" and you want to do Tomorrowland in the early afternoon)

* See Stitch's Great Escape, than use Buzz FP

* Enter Frontierland/Liberty Square, aquire Splash Mountain FP

* Watch afternoon parade

* Ride/see Riverboat, Hall of Presidents, Haunted Mansion, Country Bear Jamboree

* Aquire Big Thunder Fastpass, use Splash Mountain one

* Ride Railroad around park and visit Tom Sawyer Island

* Use Big Thunder Fastpass, enter Adventureland

* Obtain Jungle Cruise FP

* Ride/visit Pirates, Tiki Room, Magic Carpets, and Treehouse

* Use Jungle Cruise FP

So there you have it, an actual example of the type of MK pattern I've used NUMEROUS times with personal experience, of how Fastpass HELPS me do the MK "by land", with minimal "backtracking". And I don't always do the lands in this exact order, this is just one example.

It's really nowhere near as complex or difficult as people make it out to be!

 

[JimboJones123]

I take it you were at Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington, Texas, as I can't think of any others off the top of my head that have a ride named Titan.

SFOT is a nice park - one of my favorites in the SF chain - and Titan is an awesome coaster! I am really sorry you had that problem with your glasses!

Freeze rules. I have more nostalgia for The Judge over any other coaster in the world.

 

[David S.]

Freeze rules. I have more nostalgia for The Judge over any other coaster in the world.

Yes, those are both really fun, as is Shock Wave!

My favorite coaster at SFOT is the late, great, original purely wooden version of the Texas Giant! I love a "rough", aggressive wooden coaster. (TG is currently getting a makeover/reprofile with its once purely wooden track being replaced by a steel/wood hybrid)

I really like the Yosemite Sam dark ride there as well; one of my fave non-Disney dark rides in the country (others include Monster Mansion at Six Flags Over Georgia, and the Hershey's Chocolate World dark ride in Hershey, PA)