FastPass+ Chaos at MK today

[Cesar R M]

It's not the task of booking the FP 60 days in advance (that's the easy part), it's how it effects your time in the parks. Like others have mentioned, it seems like it has a huge impact on standby lines for the stuff you DON'T have FP+ for. I think we had 2 long waits while we were there and they were Star Tours and Peter Pan. With both rides, the standby line was moving incredibly slow due to the amount of FP+ riders they were taking in. Star Tours had to be at least 20:1 and Peter Pan seemed like it was 50:1.

I don't know what effect the FP actually have, but I suspect that (at best) it kinda evened my wait times out back to the average....average being what I would've waited had everyone been doing standby. So net/net, what value did it add in the end?

like many others said, the time you save from fastpass is immediately removed by waiting on standby on other attractions.. id say the net gain is zero.. infact you'd lose time.

so, imho.. the whole benefit is simply an illusion.
it doesn't save time. It just lets you have secure rides.. 3 of them.

 

[pax_65]

I am curious to see how this all goes on our trip this June.

 

[jmuboy]

Easy.

GO TO DISNEYLAND RESORT INSTEAD OF WALT DISNEY WORLD.

Simple.

Everything you are disillusioned by is a byproduct of the management of WDW. Your love of the resort was founded by a love of the intrinsic things that Disney Parks created. WDW no longer adheres to the same level of show quality that they once did; but, thankfully - DLR does and in recent years has been doing infinitely better than the Florida property.

Sure you won't be able to get lost in Pixie Dust after you leave the parks like you can/could at WDW with the real world melting away; but, once you step through those turnstyles - you will remember why you ARE a Disney fantatic (AP holder, DVC member, and stockholder) instead of questioning your beliefs.

DLR is an affirmation these days of why you fell in love to begin with anyway.

Go.

AMEN
I have skipped WDW for the last 5 years. Bento DL 7 times in that 5 year span. And DL rocks! I don't even remotely miss WDW!

 

[COProgressFan]

Easy.

GO TO DISNEYLAND RESORT INSTEAD OF WALT DISNEY WORLD.

Simple.

Everything you are disillusioned by is a byproduct of the management of WDW. Your love of the resort was founded by a love of the intrinsic things that Disney Parks created. WDW no longer adheres to the same level of show quality that they once did; but, thankfully - DLR does and in recent years has been doing infinitely better than the Florida property.

Sure you won't be able to get lost in Pixie Dust after you leave the parks like you can/could at WDW with the real world melting away; but, once you step through those turnstyles - you will remember why you ARE a Disney fantatic (AP holder, DVC member, and stockholder) instead of questioning your beliefs.

DLR is an affirmation these days of why you fell in love to begin with anyway.

Go.

In agreement with you as well here. Been to DL with my wife (before kids) several times and it was wonderful.

But being from the east coast, and with two small children, at this point, it's not a possibility for us to get to Anaheim for several more years. Cheap flights can be found here and there, but overall getting to and from the west coast is more expensive. And we'd have to deal with the long flight times, possibly making connections, and time differences. Those are not huge obstacles for adults, but for small kids they are. Travel to Orlando is significantly easier at this point.

It's just a shame it's come to this. Another few years and we'll be back to Disneyland. And I can't wait!

 

[beachlover4444]

It's not the task of booking the FP 60 days in advance (that's the easy part), it's how it effects your time in the parks. Like others have mentioned, it seems like it has a huge impact on standby lines for the stuff you DON'T have FP+ for. I think we had 2 long waits while we were there and they were Star Tours and Peter Pan. With both rides, the standby line was moving incredibly slow due to the amount of FP+ riders they were taking in. Star Tours had to be at least 20:1 and Peter Pan seemed like it was 50:1.

I don't know what effect the FP actually have, but I suspect that (at best) it kinda evened my wait times out back to the average....average being what I would've waited had everyone been doing standby. So net/net, what value did it add in the end?

I agree...This was all done so you will stay at a WDW resort. Clearly the perks of staying on property are there. We have family there so we don't stay on property. I have found the last 3 times we've been there in the last year that we mostly wound up not using the FP that we scheduled. We used the app to see where the lines were shorted and went to those rides. The last time the App was way off. Wait times were shorter or longer by a lot of what was posted. Peter Pan is ridiculous. We did the wait time because we wanted to see the new queue. It's claustrophobic in there. They made those rooms too small or they are cramming too many people in there. Anyway, we would be on the wrong side of the park to get to the next FP so it was worthless. Unless you get lucky and book your FP in a certain land in close time frames and just knock of that entire land in one block. That worked for us by doing Jungle/Pirates/Haunted in a cluster with others as fill ins.. Then we booked lunch, so you want to be in the lunch area before your reservation. It just seems to be more of a pain to be at a certain place at a certain time if the flow of the rides/areas don't sync up. I'd go back to no FP in a heartbeat where lines actually moved quickly and you didn't stand still and it didn't feel so long.

 

[beachlover4444]

I would get rid of FP in a heartbeat if I had a choice. I agree I have watched the ratio of FP to standby and the castmembers are not always doing it right more often than not. Or they need to scale back how many FP they are allowed to book... The standby line needs to continuously move. When you come to a dead standstill for 10 minutes, that is the most annoying thing ever. Rides like Peter pan/Haunted/spaceship earth/that have continuous loading and the ride never ever stops should not have fast passes...the line moves continuously and kids don't mind the lines if they are moving along...It's the stopping when kids and adults get the most annoyed. And yes the time you save on the 3 fast passes are lost completely on the other longer non moving lines.. And good luck getting the new dwarf ride in FP because we never can. The line wasn't bad and is interesting thank God. 90 minutes we waited but it didn't feel too bad.

 

[rethea]

Easy.

GO TO DISNEYLAND RESORT INSTEAD OF WALT DISNEY WORLD.

Simple.

Everything you are disillusioned by is a byproduct of the management of WDW. Your love of the resort was founded by a love of the intrinsic things that Disney Parks created. WDW no longer adheres to the same level of show quality that they once did; but, thankfully - DLR does and in recent years has been doing infinitely better than the Florida property.

Sure you won't be able to get lost in Pixie Dust after you leave the parks like you can/could at WDW with the real world melting away; but, once you step through those turnstyles - you will remember why you ARE a Disney fantatic (AP holder, DVC member, and stockholder) instead of questioning your beliefs.

DLR is an affirmation these days of why you fell in love to begin with anyway.

Go.

Yeah, I'll get right on a multi-thousand dollar vacation, compared to running down to WDW for under $800 for 4 nights. I wish it were that simple...

 

[Jane Doe]

In agreement with you as well here. Been to DL with my wife (before kids) several times and it was wonderful.

But being from the east coast, and with two small children, at this point, it's not a possibility for us to get to Anaheim for several more years. Cheap flights can be found here and there, but overall getting to and from the west coast is more expensive. And we'd have to deal with the long flight times, possibly making connections, and time differences. Those are not huge obstacles for adults, but for small kids they are. Travel to Orlando is significantly easier at this point.

It's just a shame it's come to this. Another few years and we'll be back to Disneyland. And I can't wait!

To be honest after our recent trip and the inconvenience and inflexibility FP+ has brought to our holiday planning we've decided that the West Coast is looking a more attractive proposition. We figure that we already suffer the time zone and flight time aspect flying transatlantic anyway so a bit longer is neither here nor there really. Plus we've discovered that there are ways to book flights from the UK where a flight to Los Angeles could actually be cheaper than one to Orlando. Maybe a change of scenery is in order.

 

[JediMasterMatt]

Yeah, I'll get right on a multi-thousand dollar vacation, compared to running down to WDW for under $800 for 4 nights. I wish it were that simple...

Other than the travel (airfare/gas if driving/wind if in a zeppelin) costs, my wife and I have found that the cost of visiting the Anaheim resort is actually cheaper than our Orlando trips. There is a tangible benefit to actually not staying at a Disney resort when in Anaheim. If you book a hotel on Harbor Blvd, you can actually walk out of the gate of either park and be in your room faster than any on property resort with the exception of the Grand Californian. Imagine walking out of the Magic Kingdom's main gate and turning left and walking as far as Space Mountain's show building - that can be your room in Anaheim for far less than a WDW resort. Unlike WDW, there aren't many benefits to staying on property either in terms of perks as well, so you don't miss much.

Regarding "simple"...

A visit to WDW feels like you are being audited by the IRS these days, reading the fine print and planning things out to the 'n'th degree. Greater than 180 days, book your resort. 180 days, book your dining. 60 days, book your FP+. Get on property and watch that clock or else all your best laid plans go to pot.

Far from simple in my opinion.

On the West Coast, book a room and show up and see what happens each day.

I find that you get what you pay for in most things in life. DLR is worth it. WDW has become more like you get what you (actually what TDO thinks you) deserve versus pay for. A visit to Orlando these days is knowingly walking into a minefield of potential issues.

As I was suggesting - there are options to being frustrated at WDW or as Willow Bay's dress would say, "No, there is another".

 

[Tom Morrow]

like many others said, the time you save from fastpass is immediately removed by waiting on standby on other attractions.. id say the net gain is zero.. infact you'd lose time.

so, imho.. the whole benefit is simply an illusion.
it doesn't save time. It just lets you have secure rides.. 3 of them.

Yep. And I maintain that Fastpass being seen as a positive in the eyes of the public rests entirely on said illusion, the public not knowing the true numbers behind it. The vast majority of WDW park guests assume that riding an attraction using a Fastpass makes them the exception to the standby line, when in reality the Fastpass line operates as the *real* line and ~80% of everyone riding the attraction is also using a Fastpass. (I've posted this several times in this thread alone, but it bears repeating for new readers)

So they see it as a perk or a positive, but it is not. It's a requirement if you want to experience the same number of attractions you'd be able to do if the system didn't exist at all. And since it is a requirement to get the most out of your $100 admission ticket, and since now the majority of Fastpass inventory is reserved before the day even starts, everyone without the option to pre-book is now at a disadvantage. The old system operated with the same numbers, but at least the distribution of the Fastpasses was fair for everyone with admission for that day.

Edit: and this is why I laugh/scoff when someone retorts "well, at least you don't have to pay for it like at Universal/Six Flags!!" Because there, you are paying for the perk of actually skipping the regular line, not scheduling a time to enter what operates as the regular line.

 

[betty rose]

I agree...This was all done so you will stay at a WDW resort. Clearly the perks of staying on property are there. We have family there so we don't stay on property. I have found the last 3 times we've been there in the last year that we mostly wound up not using the FP that we scheduled. We used the app to see where the lines were shorted and went to those rides. The last time the App was way off. Wait times were shorter or longer by a lot of what was posted. Peter Pan is ridiculous. We did the wait time because we wanted to see the new queue. It's claustrophobic in there. They made those rooms too small or they are cramming too many people in there. Anyway, we would be on the wrong side of the park to get to the next FP so it was worthless. Unless you get lucky and book your FP in a certain land in close time frames and just knock of that entire land in one block. That worked for us by doing Jungle/Pirates/Haunted in a cluster with others as fill ins.. Then we booked lunch, so you want to be in the lunch area before your reservation. It just seems to be more of a pain to be at a certain place at a certain time if the flow of the rides/areas don't sync up. I'd go back to no FP in a heartbeat where lines actually moved quickly and you didn't stand still and it didn't feel so long.

I'm so thankful that I have a daughter that will do this for us. At our advanced age, and slow brain cells, it's just too much, for my husband and I. Heck, we can't remember what we had for dinner sometimes.

 

[BrerJon]

To be honest after our recent trip and the inconvenience and inflexibility FP+ has brought to our holiday planning we've decided that the West Coast is looking a more attractive proposition. We figure that we already suffer the time zone and flight time aspect flying transatlantic anyway so a bit longer is neither here nor there really. Plus we've discovered that there are ways to book flights from the UK where a flight to Los Angeles could actually be cheaper than one to Orlando. Maybe a change of scenery is in order.

I don't know why more guests from the UK and Europe who regularly do Disney trips to Orlando don't give LA a try - I think the bulk of flight cost is crossing the Atlantic, once you've done that there's not much price difference whether you're going to MCO or LAX.

You can easily do three or four days in Disneyland, Universal there is more like DHS used to be - a brilliant studio tour with a few rides - and of course there's all the famous Hollywood sights to see, so there's plenty to do and it can make a nice change - different enough to still get the full Disney fix while also experiencing something new.

 

[Padraig]

I don't know why more guests from the UK and Europe who regularly do Disney trips to Orlando don't give LA a try - I think the bulk of flight cost is crossing the Atlantic, once you've done that there's not much price difference whether you're going to MCO or LAX.

You can easily do three or four days in Disneyland, Universal there is more like DHS used to be - a brilliant studio tour with a few rides - and of course there's all the famous Hollywood sights to see, so there's plenty to do and it can make a nice change - different enough to still get the full Disney fix while also experiencing something new.

I'd love to see Disneyland. Fastpass+ has killed the attraction of WDW for me. I loathe the amount of planning that's required now. Planning for me is something I do in work. I need a degree of spontaneity on holiday; to feel that I'm free to do whatever whim grabs me. I've said it before, but Universal Orlando is the reason I haven't completely given up on WDW.

 

[Jane Doe]

I don't know why more guests from the UK and Europe who regularly do Disney trips to Orlando don't give LA a try - I think the bulk of flight cost is crossing the Atlantic, once you've done that there's not much price difference whether you're going to MCO or LAX.

You can easily do three or four days in Disneyland, Universal there is more like DHS used to be - a brilliant studio tour with a few rides - and of course there's all the famous Hollywood sights to see, so there's plenty to do and it can make a nice change - different enough to still get the full Disney fix while also experiencing something new.

The only reason we choose Orlando is because Virgin Atlantic fly direct from Manchester and, as we usually go during the winter, it cuts down the chance of being caught in bad weather at a connecting airport. That said this convenience comes at the cost of getting one of Virgin's "leisure" 747s which generally are the poor relations of the fleet. In contrast, a flight to LAX with British Airways will get you on one of their A380s, which is a far more attractive proposition.

 

[Padraig]

The only reason we choose Orlando is because Virgin Atlantic fly direct from Manchester and, as we usually go during the winter, it cuts down the chance of being caught in bad weather at a connecting airport. That said this convenience comes at the cost of getting one of Virgin's "leisure" 747s which generally are the poor relations of the fleet. In contrast, a flight to LAX with British Airways will get you on one of their A380s, which is a far more attractive proposition.

Weren't the 747's supposed to be all upgraded by now? Had one coming back in 2012 and it looked in poor condition then.

 

[Cousin Huet]

I can say this for sure as far as this upcoming trip goes.......if we see no improvement in the operations of the parks from our previous trip then our time in Orlando will be scaled back more. We go quite often and have more recently taken some of that time and moved it to the West coast as we prefer the smaller scale set up they have there as far as total property as well as the density of attraction in just the two parks. I still have things I like much better in Orlando too but without some improvement then our time there will be much more infrequent and only to go see the new stuff that comes online here and there. I'd much rather go west if things don't change because it is much less stressful which equals greater relaxation. I love my time down there with the family but the hassles just keep increasing. At being said, I'm pretty pumped about getting home to the family and taking them to have a fun time......just skeptical about how much work that will be.

 

[BrerJon]

The only reason we choose Orlando is because Virgin Atlantic fly direct from Manchester and, as we usually go during the winter, it cuts down the chance of being caught in bad weather at a connecting airport. That said this convenience comes at the cost of getting one of Virgin's "leisure" 747s which generally are the poor relations of the fleet. In contrast, a flight to LAX with British Airways will get you on one of their A380s, which is a far more attractive proposition.

Those are all good points.

I don't think you'd want to do LA every year, but as a one off change while WDW gets its act together I'd give it a try.

With travelling in winter the main difference is weather however. Florida is always warm, even in December, but California can get quite cold in comparison and isn't guaranteed sun, so that's one downside to it.

 

[disney fan 13]

Is this glitch still working?

 

[Cesar R M]

Those are all good points.

I don't think you'd want to do LA every year, but as a one off change while WDW gets its act together I'd give it a try.

With travelling in winter the main difference is weather however. Florida is always warm, even in December, but California can get quite cold in comparison and isn't guaranteed sun, so that's one downside to it.

ahem, florida was at like 5C celsius this february.. hardly "warm" imho.

 

[BrerJon]

ahem, florida was at like 5C celsius this february.. hardly "warm" imho.

There's always exceptions obviously, but for the most part the weather in Florida is more reliably warmer. I've certainly been there in February when it's been scorching.