fastpass for resort guests only

[shoppingnut]

I would like FP for only resort guests. I think that the money you pay on site should give you something the rest dont have.

Free Parking, Extra Magic Hours and Magical Express Bus Service to/from the airport and great transportation to the parks. I believe these items more than qualify as giving on site "something the rest don't have."

 

[Gucci65]

I haven't got time to look up the facts - so will someone please help me out? Okay take the number of WDW resorts and the number of people staying in them lets say during June.

And all those people go to the parks. How many non-resorts guests would that leave? Giving FP only to resorts guests in June could signifigantly reduce the wait time for non-resort guests.................Anyone think about that? Could be a possibility.

Personally I like FP and hope they don't change it to resort guests only, I like that Disney tries not to discriminate and gives everyone the opportunity to use FP. I absolutely hate when I go to US and their resort guests go by everyone, but then again - they are staying at US resorts while I'm staying at the much better in my OPINION WDW resorts.

 

[s2jrston]

FastPass is just a patch to cover up the real problem

I don't believe the FastPass for resort guests will increase our enjoyment of Disney Parks. The FastPass is not the cure. If the FastPass system was to shorten or eliminate wait times then it probably succeeded. But I believe the real problem is with queue design.

Lets suppose that long lines are not a bad thing. I personally love the long queue walks on rides like Space Mountain and Haunted Mansion. I think it's part of the attraction experience. But standing still, waiting for the line to move is unbearable. Everybody with me so far?

If the queues were longer, themed, enjoyable strolls, would there be a problem? I think not. But what happens when the queues are lengthened? More people enter. So that the effect is a standing line.

What if we could slow the walking speed of guests moving through the queue? I've read in these discussions about the demise of the Indy Stunt show in favor of a new ride. I say keep the show as entertainment for the queue. What would happen if the seats in the Indy auditorium were removed, and queue was diverted into the descending rows? The result would be a queue at least a mile long. People could walk through the show very slowly before entering the new Indy ride.

Smoothing the flow of guests through the queues is a far more efficient way to lessen or eliminate wait times. Themed queue lines is one of the things Disney does better than anyone else. Limiting access to the FastPass system to resort guests is not going to improve the flow of the queue. People will still run through the queue till they are stopped by traffic then stand there and wait. But controlling the flow with entertainment allows the queue to empty out into the ride loading zone at a natural rate as the guest tire of the show or are told to move along. I believe the Spider Man queue at UO and the old Rocket to the Moon at DL are good examples of this.

 

[Moustronaut]

I think Disney's FastPass system is great the way it is with one small adjustment needed. Now that Walt Disney World parks had evening EMH for resorts guests, they need some way for those staying later for EMH to have fast passes for the extra hours.

When we were there last month, the fast pass machines still shut off when they run out of passes for the normal closing time. So when we went to MGM we had hoped to get a fast pass for RnRC and the stand by ToT or vice versa. We got there about 30 minutes before the EMH started and the FP machines for both attractions were shut down because they were empty for the day. We would have been quite happy to standby on one ride, then go eat, shop, see something else, then come back to the other attraction when our E-EMH FP time arrived. But E-EMH FP's don't seem to be available

E-EMH FP :lol: lets see how many letters we can get in one abreviation. MNSSHP FP for BLSS I think that wins.

Anyway, I'm sure Disney is working on this since evening EMH's are only a few months old and I eagerly await some improvement to this.

 

[Moustronaut]

Themed queue lines is one of the things Disney does better than anyone else.

Yes but at the same time, the great themed queue is being killed by the fastpass. Look at ToT, probably the last major attraction built before fastpass. The queue is amazingly detailed with things to take the guests' minds off the wait. Then look at Mission:Space, the first major attraction built after FastPass. Not much to that queue at all. Why? Because with fast pass, Disney doesn't seem to expect people to hang around in the queue lines all that often and cutting the queue theming is a way to reduce costs.

hehehe sorry for the thread drift

 

[s2jrston]

I agree. Fast Pass does allow Disney to save money instead of building expensive themed queues. But if the queue is fun then I don't care who has a fast pass and who has to enter the standby line.

Would you sell me your Fast Pass? Does it have a monetary value? If so then resort guests would be wasting their money if they didn't use their fast pass privileges. And I would reconsider staying at a WDW resort if I knew I was paying for a fast pass but not going to use it.

 

[pat in the hat]

Life's not fair . . .

Very interesting discussion . . . I really don't care if they leave it the same, or change it because when I go to Disney, I'm just so excited to be there at all!!! Just want to respectfully share a few of my thoughts after reading everyone's posts; however, I feel a lot of people will disagree with me.

We do always stay on property, and it is not cheap! And somehow throwing in that transportation is provided as a reason that FastPass should not be "resort guest exclusive" doesn't quite cut it (especially after reading threads on people cheating on the transportation system by parking at the resorts and taking the buses/monorail anyway . . . how fair is that?).

I do believe that there should be more perks for resort guests, since almost every dollar of our vacation goes right to Disney. (Yes, my choice, but that's where added benefits should be considered for such loyalty/patronage). In doing so, our vacation dollars may only buy us one week on-property versus two or three off-property, but again that's my choice.

As for everyone who is so lucky to be able to drive and visit the park whenever the magic runs low or for every special Disney occasion, I have to say that I envy you. But I must also propose that you probably are benefiting from annual pass or Florida resident savings already! So, if you had to wait just a little longer for a ride, chances are pretty good that you're returning again soon. In turn, those of us who live far from the magic, might miss an opportunity forever (or for a much longer period of time). And, remember how much $$$ tourism pumps into that economy.

Taking the same logic that those living close to the magic are using in this discussion, but applying it from a non-FLA resident perspective, I could argue that it's not fair that Disney sells Limited Edition merchandise to only those who can make it to the parks . . . and that it's espcecially unfair that I have to pay someone (who is lucky enough to go to the parks frequently) 10x the price on ebay for an item . . . (again, that would be my choice, but you see where I'm going here). If you want the item/perk/benefit, you have to pay for it.

The sad truth is that membership has its privileges (and there are a lot of "clubs" in life where I am not a member!), and while most of us are all born equal, after that you are on your own. So, I propose that resort guests should be recognized with a few more perks for their patronage . . . whether or not it is exclusive rights to FastPass really doesn't matter to me.

Again, just my opinion :wave: !

Whew! *steps off soapbox*

 

[darbiemc]

Only let the people who stay at the deluxe resorts go to the front not the ones that stay at anything less!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[PeterPan1031]

ok i see the love for fastpass now:animwink: but i feel they can make it better. how if they do what universal does, make fastpass available to only wdw resort guests only. i think that would make my disney experience even better your thoughts?

Yes that would make it better..

 

[InsideOtherPark]

Disney has 24 resorts.
Universal has 3 resorts.

If 24 resorts let every person staying there to go to the front of the line. The front of the line express pass line...would be longer then the normal line.

 

[MissM]

It's absurd to think that Disney could offer cut in line passes for resort only guests. The number of people, the bad press, the ill-will, the smack in the face to FL residents - it's just a bad, bad idea.

The system right now works amazing. It's absolutely brilliant. Everyone has the exact same opprotunity to decide which rides to FP and which to wait in line for. Every single guest has the same ability to experience everything that the parks offer. You're free to use them or not. You're free to pick which rides to use them for. You're free to decide what's worth the wait and what's not.

It's a balanced system right now. People always seem to forget that when you get a FP, you are still waiting, you're just not doing it in the queue. Which means everyone is waiting for the rides, just some people are chosing to wait while walking around.

It's fair and it's brilliant and I'm so happy that Disney introduced it and that they don't have some rediculous extra charge or specialty limitations to use it. It'd flounder and fail if it did.
-m

 

[Gucci65]

Disney has 24 resorts.
Universal has 3 resorts.

If 24 resorts let every person staying there to go to the front of the line. The front of the line express pass line...would be longer then the normal line.

Thank you, I knew someone would agree with me! :0)

Let's find Turkey and ask him if each room on WDW was sold out, what the approx # of people would be.

 

[Brooke]

We absolutely love UO as well, but the slash in AP holder and FL resident resort rates this year goes against their former trend. so we're faced with an additional $150.00 for a family of 3 for EP+'s. Or Jimmy Neutron is out of EP's by 11:00. and the standby time on MIB is 2 hours. something needs to change with both systems.

Well, that's just during busy times though. I went to Universal yesterday and the longest line I waited in was 20 minutes for Spider-Man. MIB was about 30 minutes but I did single rider and went on it 5 times in one hour. And Jimmy Neutron EP's were available till basically the end of the day because the line was only 15 minutes. So it just depends on when you go!

 

[NemoRocks78]

Well, that's just during busy times though. I went to Universal yesterday and the longest line I waited in was 20 minutes for Spider-Man. MIB was about 30 minutes but I did single rider and went on it 5 times in one hour. And Jimmy Neutron EP's were available till basically the end of the day because the line was only 15 minutes. So it just depends on when you go!

Very true....

Universal also offers single rider lines on the popular attractions (MIB and RotM at USF; JPRA, IHC, and Spidey at IOA) which easily cuts down the wait time a lot for guests willing to use it on a busy day (Disney only offers it at M:S, TT, and Soarin'). I'm sure many of the local visitors use these instead of waiting for an EP (I know I do), so I doubt they're moaning over the amount of people going through the Express line.

 

[DisneyDrum]

Disney won't limit fast passes to resort guests, mainly because it would look like there’re copying universal, and also because of the bad press MissM mentioned.

Disney does own the patents for a tiered Fastpass system (I think Corrus posted a link a while ago) which also included some other enhancements like being able to reserve Fastpasses from home, a mobile phone, or in resorts. The system would give resort guests advantages in getting better times. If Disney decides to go through with this change, it will probably expressed as an "update", so people who would be annoyed by a universal type system don't go crazy

These are just my conclusions, it seems like the most logical change to me.

 

[debbiedoo]

I think the fast pass system is ok the way it is---but here is my BEEF!!

to the comment about magical express, transportation, and EMH---

I will definitely put on my flame suit for this one baby!!

I stayed at SSR(my home resort--DVC member)last june, and OKW--last Oct--for the food and wine---and let me say--I can not tell you how many NON-RESORT guests were on those buses going to DTD--as we all know--there is no parking fee's at DTD--I think that they should have it parking garage style. I can not tell ya'll how many times I have been to DTD and COULD NOT get a spot---

a lot of us feel the same way

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=745898&highlight=bus+transportation

I can say that I am disappointed that Disney does not check our room keys--I have had teenagers jump in from of us to get on these buses--and from their conversations--I guarantee you that their parents do not know!!

 

[Ralph Wiggum]

Well, that's just during busy times though. I went to Universal yesterday and the longest line I waited in was 20 minutes for Spider-Man. MIB was about 30 minutes but I did single rider and went on it 5 times in one hour. And Jimmy Neutron EP's were available till basically the end of the day because the line was only 15 minutes. So it just depends on when you go!

that's very true, we don't spend time in the parks during those peak times. but we had friends down from IL and we played tour guide. it reminded me why we don't go. we were able to get them on everything and they had fun, but we don't do 30 + minute waits on our own. FP's and EP's are fine for us, but I can't believe the people that come down and vacation and have no clue that they exist or how they work. Hopefully revisions will come for some attractions, I'm sure they'll keep tweaking the systems.

 

[vikkisicky]

We actually have a house in Orlando. We stay at a resort EVERYTIME we go. It is not my fualt or anyone elses that they do not want to stay at a resort. I mean keep the fastpass but give the people who stay in the resort that perk of a fastpass anytime.

Is that fair to the people that live in Orlando? Why would they stay at Universal Resorts if they live 5 minutes from the park?

 

[Pongo]

I can not tell ya'll how many times I have been to DTD and COULD NOT get a spot

I go to Downtown Disney quite often (weekends, weekdays, holidays, mornings, afternoons, evenings) and can ALWAYS find a spot. They're always close to the shops and in a nice spot right in the middle.

And usually there are a lot of extra spaces. Downtown Disney parking is something that DEFINITELY doesn;t need to be messed with.

Sorry for the digression.

 

[debbiedoo]

I go to Downtown Disney quite often (weekends, weekdays, holidays, mornings, afternoons, evenings) and can ALWAYS find a spot. They're always close to the shops and in a nice spot right in the middle.

And usually there are a lot of extra spaces. Downtown Disney parking is something that DEFINITELY doesn;t need to be messed with.

Sorry for the digression.

try going for a spot in June--you will end of parking down by planet hollywood--when you want to be down by legoland--then you use the bus transpo and discover half the bus isn't staying at your resort!!! they are not even staying on property!!YIKES!!

The only time I have found a spot it early in the morning right before opening and who wants to get up on vacation!!!