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Do FastPasses create longer waits or do they not have any affect at all?
- Thread starter G00fyDad
- Start date
MerriwetherAdamPleasure
Member
Thank you
I think we all were today. LOL
Tom Morrow
Well-Known Member
Last October I waited for Big Thunder Mountain, with the line starting all the way back near the Liberty Belle Riverboat dock. The line took 35 minutes, and that is with reduced capacity. Yes, social distancing too, but even if everyone filled in to the normal spacing it probably still wouldn't have fit inside the queue. Mind you, it was posted at 70 minutes. Disney has been posting the standby wait times as higher than they actually are for the entire time since re-opening after covid. For two reasons: 1 - to control crowds. When the end of the line is already in another land, they don't want even more people queueing up for it, and 2- so less people notice that the lines move much faster without Fastpass.
Basically, Disney's official posted wait times, especially post-covid, shouldn't be used to prove anything, because they are manipulated in Disney's favor.
Basically, Disney's official posted wait times, especially post-covid, shouldn't be used to prove anything, because they are manipulated in Disney's favor.
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MerriwetherAdamPleasure
Member
Yes!
Trackmaster
Well-Known Member
I think that people are manipulated into thinking that Fast Passes were hard to get, and that you needed to stay at a hotel to ride Flight of Passage or the major rides with them. Disney releases more throughout the day, and any discarded Fast Passes, you're free to pick up. In reality, you can stay on Fast Pass most of the day for pretty much everything if you just show up without them and start booking them that day.
The most amazing part is when there's clearly tons of FP+ available for a ride, and they're available that minute for that slot, and yet people are still packing themselves into long stand-by lines.
DisneyDave71
Member
I'm not good at math like Len is, so I'm not really sure. One thing I have noticed though is that there seems to be much longer outside queue lines - for example, Space Mountain said 40 minute wait, but the outside queue line was wrapped many times around before getting to the indoor part of the line. Same for Big Thunder, Little Mermaid, etc. It was our first time on Runaway Railway, and we were in an outdoor cue for nearly 60 minutes before finally getting inside. Maybe the lines are moving faster, but it's very intimidating to see so many rides with crazy long queues outside.
Tom Morrow
Well-Known Member
I've only ever had good day-of success on low to medium crowd days when I'm either by myself or just a party of 2. If it's a busy day and/or you're a large party, you're basically SOL and get the "table scraps" Fastpasses. You might get lucky if someone else cancels a pass or you happen to be refreshing the app exactly when Disney releases a few more.
Trackmaster
Well-Known Member
Right, I should also mention that part of my strategy is showing up later in the day, and actually using FP+ availability as a tool to decide if I should go or not. If I can't get Flight of Passage, or the top ride at any given park, I figure why even bother going?
Now, when they had the expanded tier 1 for DHS when Galaxy's Edge first opened it wasn't even fair. It was "raining Fast Passes" as I called it. You don't even have to use your tier 2's, just book them, let them expire, and you're getting free tier 1's all day.
Yeah, so I know that FP+ was glitchy, and it was basically helping the people that it wasn't supposed to be helping. But I just wonder why locals who should know better hated FP+ so much.
Tom Morrow
Well-Known Member
I hate it as a local for a few reasons. The first is that it guarantees the Fastpass line is in full use at all times regardless of how busy the park actually is. This means rides that were reliably short wait time experiences in the past also how have long lines. For instance, on a light to medium day, you could book a Fastpass for Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster and wait in a short Tower of Terror queue. Since Fastpass+, both now have long waits because both had Fastpassss all booked in advance.
The second reason I hate it is it removes the spontaneity of just showing up. Unless it’s a light day, or unless I get lucky, the good Fastpasses will be gone and I either have to wait in inflated standby lines or wait until the end of the night when the lines are shorter.
Jeff4272
Well-Known Member
The real answer is yes, they increase wait times in stand by lines.
And NO because overall you will spend less time in lines by getting 3+ FP's and then doing stand by
IT's a system of Haves and Have nots.............If you can get 3 FP at 60 day window for the 3 top rides, you will 100% save a TON of time but the people who can't, it will cost them time
And NO because overall you will spend less time in lines by getting 3+ FP's and then doing stand by
IT's a system of Haves and Have nots.............If you can get 3 FP at 60 day window for the 3 top rides, you will 100% save a TON of time but the people who can't, it will cost them time
onelove8187
Member
How are those FP+ free standby lines working for everyone now? Ready to come back to the dark side yet? maybe email disney and let them know that you too want FP+ back?
The real answer is no, they made no real difference in wait times for stand by lines.
Disstevefan1
Well-Known Member
Not that any of this matters but I am in the Yes camp.
Jeff4272
Well-Known Member
I would love to hear from the people that have been wait 2 hours all day today to ride FOP....75 mins for SDD, 90 mins for TOT..........
Jeff4272
Well-Known Member
2 scenarios....
1) No FP like it it now and you are at AK and ride FOP, Navi, Dinosaur, Everest, Safari and Kali
OR
2) FP+ in place and you get FP+ for FOP, Everest and Safari but then have to ride standby for Navi, Dinosaur and Kali
DisneyDave71
Member
Agree - some of the standby lines are killer right now.
Disstevefan1
Well-Known Member
If they did it like in the old FP days where there were truly limited FPs, and only attractions that needed FP got FP, and the rest were standby only, then we would have the best of both worlds; a paperless version of the old system.
And for the record, the one and only time I rode FOP was with a fast pass.
I wasn’t going to not get a FP to FOP just because the fast pass plus system turned a walk on like Imagination into a 60 minute stand by.
Jeff4272
Well-Known Member
Thats just not true....
Imagination wouldn't be a 60 minute wait even if Figment came to life and flew around Epcot dropping ROTR Fast Passes around
Disstevefan1
Well-Known Member
A quick check here shows wait time for Figment can get up there, this example is 50 minutes. Yes, it's Christmas eve 2019, but still
.Our discussions are really moot as Disney WILL BE changing FastPass as we know it.
Mickey says, "You want to ride Figment, you must pay"
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