Disney's Hollywood Studios testing restrictions on FastPass+ selections

[ExtinctJenn]

Well based on the comments above it sounds like because our selections were made prior to the introduction of the tiers we should be ok but if that's not the case I'll be sure to come back here and share our experience when we get back.

 

[jlsHouston]

What's old is new again.

Whether it's good, bad, or neither, this is tiering like the old A-B-C-D-E ticket sytem, only with just two tiers (so far). The old ticket system had the best rides as "E" tickets -- just like we call them today, for that very reason. And the reason that the ticket books existed was to distribute attendance to less popular attractions (and to allow Disney to charge for extra tickets available for purchase).

I am surprised that no one has noted the similar concept.

And ironically, no one is talking about how "magical" those days used to be, and how we need to go back to them.

Of course, they could be setting up to charge extra for more Tier One fast-passes.... (I shouldn't give them ideas....)

Anyway, I still think overall that the "magic" of a Disney vacation is becoming way too complicated and expensive. And heaven forebid you just want to come and be open to new experiences without copious planning.

When was this system in place ? I don't remember DL having this system in 1977 ( my first visit) nor the late 80's-early 90's when I returned with children in tow...I just remember a price at the gate...and lines...some long some not so long. Fantasyland in those days at DL never had lines. I can't speak for WDW because my first trip was 2011...

 

[jlsHouston]

fortunately, when it comes to DHS, the only attraction I actually use fastpass on is Toy Story Mania. (Well, once we got the Little Mermaid show but TSM is the only one I think you actually NEED a fastpass for) if they bring this over to MK, then we could have a problem.

Yes...

 

[TinkerFairy1]

Well based on the comments above it sounds like because our selections were made prior to the introduction of the tiers we should be ok but if that's not the case I'll be sure to come back here and share our experience when we get back.

We are going in December and we already have our selections made as well. However, we've had to go back and redo our fastpass reservations on the phone with a tech head (don't know what else to call them) because every time the MyMagic+ Website is updated our reservations were changed. As of now, everything is as it should be but I'm worried that another "update" will roll out and we won't be able to get the original schedule back. Here's hoping!

 

[EvilQueen-T]

We are going in December and we already have our selections made as well. However, we've had to go back and redo our fastpass reservations on the phone with a tech head (don't know what else to call them) because every time the MyMagic+ Website is updated our reservations were changed. As of now, everything is as it should be but I'm worried that another "update" will roll out and we won't be able to get the original schedule back. Here's hoping!

remember to do the survey after your trip and include that problem so hopefully they can resolve whatever glich is making that happen to you so it doesn't get overlooked. hope the rest of your trip goes smoothly.

 

[prberk]

When was this system in place ? I don't remember DL having this system in 1977 ( my first visit) nor the late 80's-early 90's when I returned with children in tow...I just remember a price at the gate...and lines...some long some not so long. Fantasyland in those days at DL never had lines. I can't speak for WDW because my first trip was 2011...

I am not exactly sure when the ticket book system stopped at Disneyland. I think that they had begun to phase it out by the late '70s (with special "passports" that you hung around your wrist or kept in a pocket), but I think at least at WDW it disappeared with the opening of EPCOT Center in 1982.

While I do not know the precise answer to your question, I am quite sure that there is someone around this forum who does, and will pipe in shortly!

 

[psukardi]

Just wait till the the folks staying in the pricier resorts start getting 2 or more Group One FPs vs the 1 the mods and allstars will get.

Sure hope they go that route. Let there. Be a base package for all but let others get more

 

[No Time To Say Hello Goodbye]

Last trip DD7 fav ride was Rockin roller coaster. We rode it 4 times using FP. My younger DD liked TSM best but we could only do it twice (early am standby and a FP). New tier system causes a problem for us. We can do an early morn ride on one of those but if we just have FP avail for the other one.....not good. I know that may be the plan of Disney- make everybody a little bit happy but nobody super happy. I also know there is always standby, so I could wait in line for the attractions we want to do over. But we don't commando tour. We spend time shopping, eating and snacking but we also want to ride lots of rides. I am not sure that Disney understands that we won't add more days onto our account, we won't go on rides we are not interested in to fill our ride quota, we won't use the FPP just because the computer says we are supposed to. We will just get in standby for the rides we really wanted to enjoy. But the time we lose waiting more will be removed from our shopping time, which I would think would actually end up costing Disney money if several families do the same. We will also take the day we used to spend at Downtown Disney (when we could do partial days at HS and AK) and get rid of it so we can still go to all the parks for the amount of time we want to ride.

 

[GeoDonJac34]

Here is what I just don't get. We normally use more than three FP per day. If we are only allowed three, that will mean more time in standby line. There is no way to spend money if you are in line. Won't this mean less money spent in parks? For us, I think it will.

 

[JerseyDad]

Here is what I just don't get. We normally use more than three FP per day. If we are only allowed three, that will mean more time in standby line. There is no way to spend money if you are in line. Won't this mean less money spent in parks? For us, I think it will.

....no ...no ....no!! That's not what some industrial engineer / industrial behavioral scientist says!! You will be depressed about the prospects of standing on a line(s) ....and develop a need to be soothed by the concept of "consolation spending". Even if you're not hungry and or do not NEED something ...your distraught-self will need to lighten itself of the burden caused by the excess cash in your pocket ...and thus, want to cast it upon the waters of Bay Lake or the Epcot lagoon as a means to lighten said burden.....

 

[JerseyDad]

Sure hope they go that route. Let there. Be a base package for all but let others get more

....sure ...why not!!?? As it is ...there is a "class distinction" played out by the "who's staying where" thing related to the $$$ tier of resort. So now they'll extend that to the parks?

....another reason why this past trip ...was likely our last.

 

[Rob562]

Here is what I just don't get. We normally use more than three FP per day. If we are only allowed three, that will mean more time in standby line. There is no way to spend money if you are in line. Won't this mean less money spent in parks? For us, I think it will.

But since everyone in the park has the same limitation on total number of FP+ reservations, one of the queuing theories floating around is that Standby times for many of the major attractions may actually go down from what they are now. (Though not all of them... FP+ doesn't address limited rider capacity that exist at some of the attractions)

-Rob

 

[Weather_Lady]

But since everyone in the park has the same limitation on total number of FP+ reservations, one of the queuing theories floating around is that Standby times for many of the major attractions may actually go down from what they are now. (Though not all of them... FP+ doesn't address limited rider capacity that exist at some of the attractions)

-Rob

But standby wait time for a FP-enabled attractions isn't a function of how many Faspasses an individual guest can get -- it's a function of how many Fastpasses are distributed and used for that attraction on a given day. With FP+, the same number of Fastpasses will still be given out each day for the major attractions (the ones that typically give out most or all of their Fastpass allotment each day -- i.e., the headliners in each park). They'll just be distributed among a larger number of people. Standby wait times for those attractions will remain largely the same.

 

[Rob562]

But standby wait time for a FP-enabled attractions isn't a function of how many Faspasses an individual guest can get -- it's a function of how many Fastpasses are distributed and used for that attraction on a given day. With FP+, the same number of Fastpasses will still be given out each day for the major attractions (the ones that typically give out most or all of their Fastpass allotment each day -- i.e., the headliners in each park). They'll just be distributed among a larger number of people. Standby wait times for those attractions will remain largely the same.

Correct, but since people are limited to a *total* of three FP+ in the park, not everyone will choose the same three FP+ options. Once you start having people choosing based on personal preferences, or less-than-informed people making choices that they *perceive* as being good ones. (The rides *I* choose will likely be different from the rides *you* choose, which are also likely different than the first-time visitors with a little girl who wants to meet the princesses). This then opens the possibility of not all FP+ reservations within a given time window being claimed by someone. Those spaces then translate to less people entering the FP+ Return line and more spaces for people in the Standby line to be let into the ride.

The same thing happens now on slow days at some attractions where the FP Return time is forced to move ahead to keep the 40-minutes-ahead-of-the-current-time minimum, even if not all of the available tickets have been printed out. Those attractions thus have a greater percentage of Standby riders going onto the ride.

So rides that typically sell out of paper FastPasses now won't necessarily be any different once FP+ goes live, but on the majority of the attractions with FP now I see the Standby lines getting shorter. The tradeoff is potentially longer lines at a few of the places that just got FP+ added, but even then you have them on many high-capacity attractions that should be able to handle things fairly well.

-Rob

 

[EvilQueen-T]

I don't know how it's going to be once it's completely live but this is what we saw. Here's what the fp line for btmr and space looked like on Saturday Nov the 23rd, keep in mind people were filling in behind us as I took these. The pic of thunder was at around 315pm (my fp+ time was for 3pm) and space was at 530pm. Overall, the park wasn't that crowded all day and yes the fp lines are still quicker than a standby line but before the new system started I'd never seen them back up like this. During much of the morning the lines were both less than 30 minutes when I took the pics both standby wait times were 40 minutes. By Sunday they were both an hour on average for standby but I'd expected that given the start of the holiday week for most travelers.

 

[EvilQueen-T]

 

[ExtinctJenn]

I don't know how it's going to be once it's completely live but this is what we saw. Here's what the fp line for btmr and space looked like on Saturday Nov the 23rd, keep in mind people were filling in behind us as I took these. The pic of thunder was at around 315pm (my fp+ time was for 3pm) and space was at 530pm. Overall, the park wasn't that crowded all day and yes the fp lines are still quicker than a standby line but before the new system started I'd never seen them back up like this. During much of the morning the lines were both less than 30 minutes when I took the pics both standby wait times were 40 minutes. By Sunday they were both an hour on average for standby but I'd expected that given the start of the holiday week for most travelers.

I think a big part of this is it being one of the busiest weeks for park attendance but...

Making an assumption here that the line is from the FP return sign back (and not the queue inside each) right? Could this be because near the front of the line are folks who can't yet enter and are thus causing a backup (kind of like what would often happen with paper FPs where people who had 10 minutes left would stand blocking the entrance for those whose return time had come)? Otherwise I don't quite get why the lines?

 

[ABQ]

Making an assumption here that the line is from the FP return sign back (and not the queue inside each) right? Could this be because near the front of the line are folks who can't yet enter and are thus causing a backup (kind of like what would often happen with paper FPs where people who had 10 minutes left would stand blocking the entrance for those whose return time had come)? Otherwise I don't quite get why the lines?

I'm eagerly waiting the answer to these questions.

 

[EvilQueen-T]

I'm eagerly waiting the answer to these questions.

I was watching to see if people were being passed while still standing at the entrance (like because it wasn't their time yet) but it seemed like pretty much everyone was going in on thunder. On space there were a few who were standing and in the way but that line backed up behind the first check point quite a bit but not once inside. The line was actually backed up at thunder to a single turn past the entrance of the fp line. We were taken in but it was just a lot slower than in the past. Still better than the standby line but that was only 40 minutes so imo at least the fp line shouldn't have been that far back.

 

[EvilQueen-T]

I was watching to see if people were being passed while still standing at the entrance (like because it wasn't their time yet) but it seemed like pretty much everyone was going in on thunder. On space there were a few who were standing and in the way but that line backed up behind the first check point quite a bit but not once inside. The line was actually backed up at thunder to a single turn past the entrance of the fp line. We were taken in but it was just a lot slower than in the past. Still better than the standby line but that was only 40 minutes so imo at least the fp line shouldn't have been that far back.

Oh...and Friday and Saturday the parks weren't that crowded. I don't remember seeing, for example, space or thunder hitting an hour wait except for a very brief time during the day but pretty quickly dropped back into the 30-45 minute standby time. By Sunday they were both an hour plus even though it was getting damper and colder through out the day. Friday we even did toy story at around 10am with a 30 or 40 minute wait in standby so at least for Friday and Saturday I don't think it was just the holiday crowds...just my opinion but I don't think the real crowds hit until Sunday.