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FastPass is the dumbest thing Disney ever did.
- Thread starter AREM
- Start date
castevens
Member
I think that Peter Pan's Flight is the worst offender in this category. There must be a formula/some sort of oversight telling CMs how many to let through???
It confuses me why sometimes it's like 50%/50% FP/Standby (which is already advantage FP because there's less people) vs. sometimes 90%/10% FP/SB
Tigger1988
Well-Known Member
Well that's false, before FP on busy days BTM would be about an hour or longer wait and Splash would average 2 hour waits. Of course based on my personal experience of trips there, not saying every day.
FP is probably one of the best things Disney has done. Without it I'd never be able to get on Toy Story Mania without waiting 120 minutes.
WDWmazprty
Well-Known Member
Agreed! I remember waiting in line for Splash for 90 min, Space would be up to 120 sometimes, etc, etc.
Tigger1988
Well-Known Member
Yup, on my last trip we decided to do standby for Splash since it was 30 min (when compared to the wait time it normally has that seems like a breeze) and omg, that outdoor wait is a killer in the humidity. I don't know how we ever stood out there for 90+ minutes.
Monty
Brilliant...and Canadian
- In the Parks
- No
If you actually read what I posted, the scenario you highlighted was if there were no FPs available. The people would just be in front of you in line because instead of waiting for their FP time they would just have joined the line itself.
As I was really trying to point out is you can't make assumptions and be right. Neither you or I have a clue how things would work without FPs based on the crowds and rides available today as compared to when there were no FPs. While without FPs the standby line would move faster, if everyone in your world of assumed constants joined the standby line instead of getting FPs, they would be in front of you in line. The line would still process the people at the same speed and your line would thus take exactly as long with or without FPs.
But since you insist on arguing an indefensible stand, I'm done anyway. :wave:
This thread has been a very interesting read. I haven't been to Disney for some time but going back this week!!!
For Test Track, I remember them saying they would only let 10 or so people through from the standby line through each time round, and there were tons of FP people going through. This doesn't affect me at all though because i'd never wait in that line, I'd just use single rider or get a FP early on.
For all you saying FP doesn't save you time, it is just so wrong.
Consider Rock N Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror both have waits of 60 minutes. Get a FP for one, stand in line for the other, then go back and use your FP. You have saved an hour just by doing that. It is all about planning ahead. The first thing we do when we go to Magic Kingdom normally is get one for Space Mountain and at Epcot get them for Soarin. From reading the boards the past few days, we will definitely be going straight to Toy Story Mania at park open and getting a fastpass.
For Test Track, I remember them saying they would only let 10 or so people through from the standby line through each time round, and there were tons of FP people going through. This doesn't affect me at all though because i'd never wait in that line, I'd just use single rider or get a FP early on.
For all you saying FP doesn't save you time, it is just so wrong.
Consider Rock N Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror both have waits of 60 minutes. Get a FP for one, stand in line for the other, then go back and use your FP. You have saved an hour just by doing that. It is all about planning ahead. The first thing we do when we go to Magic Kingdom normally is get one for Space Mountain and at Epcot get them for Soarin. From reading the boards the past few days, we will definitely be going straight to Toy Story Mania at park open and getting a fastpass.
WDWmazprty
Well-Known Member
nepalostparks
Well-Known Member
So the posted wait time was 2 hours. They chose to wait and ride. The actual wait time was ... 2 hours. Sounds like they got what was advertised.
Unfortunately, you arrived to the park in the evening. Further adding to your frustration was that the attraction was down, which means at least some of those people with Fastpasses for that designated time would come back when it reopened, and in this specific case, would probably add to the wait of a Standby Line guest. However, this isn't the norm, it's an exception due to a technical problem.
And if there wasn't Fastpass, who is to say how many of those people would be in line before you?
Fastpass is definitely favored by those who are willing to plan, put off until later a more popular attraction, and those who arrive early enough in the day. Those people love it. Those who don't like to plan, put off until later, or get to the parks later (whether by choice or scheduling) don't like it. It's not a perfect system. But it doesn't look like it's going anywhere soon.
Hope you all had a good time on your trip none the less.
Grizzly Hall 71
New Member
I don't understand what's the hate toward it? It gets you to the ride faster. What's wrong with that? I mean people will have their opinions but fp sure helps people out a lot.
Long live Fastpass. If you hate it, well I'll be passing you by on DINOSAUR while your in the stand by line :wave:.
Long live Fastpass. If you hate it, well I'll be passing you by on DINOSAUR while your in the stand by line :wave:.
MrsJackSparrow
Active Member
Following some of the logic previously presented, wouldn't it also stand that counter service restaurants now have longer lines due to all those FP holders?
And certainly the lines in the shops are longer . . .
The popcorn cart lines are getting pretty unruly as well . . .
Curse you, FastPass!!!!
And certainly the lines in the shops are longer . . .
The popcorn cart lines are getting pretty unruly as well . . .
Curse you, FastPass!!!!
David S.
Member
In YOUR opinion. But what does that prove? I mean, I could just as easily say 'you're wrong and the pro-FP crowd is 100% correct".
It is not an opinion, it is FACT that I can get on more rides now with FP than I could before FP, and I explained why in numorous posts in this thread. If you chose not to utilize the system to it's fullest, that is your choice, but you can't realistically get to the Studios as late as 6 PM and expect them to still have FPs for Toy Story! And if the sign said 2 hours and it took two hours, I don't see the issue. There would have been two hours of people standing ahead of you in line anyway if FP didn't exist. Now, if the CM let 35 minutes worth of FP people through without truly moving standby AT ALL, that part was handled poorly. Whenever a ride breaks down it creates a backlog of FPs who missed their return time because the ride was down. On the bright side, they were at least able to fix whatever was wrong and reopen it!
JustInTime
Well-Known Member
lebeau
Well-Known Member
The argument against FP is pretty simple. It doesn't create capacity. It just redistributes it.
Most of us know how to use FP effectively. So, we all benefit. As a result, most people here on the forums LOVE FP and will defend it to the bitter end.
However, the fact that you are waiting in a shorter line means that someone else had to wait in a longer one. Typically, the casual tourist pays for the benefit given to those in the know.
FP doesn't make lines shorter. It could be argued that it makes lines longer on the whole. But those who know how to use it can benefit with shorter waits.
If you don't care about that fact, FP is for you.
David S.
Member
COMPLETELY Disagree!
Before FP there was still a mad dash for the popular rides at rope drop. I clearly remember the "race to Space Mountain" long, long, before Fast Pass was a twinkle in anybody's eye.
I've been to 53 parks, and almost every single one of them has at least one ride that people run to (or are escorted to) right after rope drop! On my visit to Cedar Point, it was Millenium Force and Top Thrill Dragster. At Six Flags Over Texas, it was Titan on the left side and probably Batman/Mr. Freeze on the right.
This has been a part of the business long before the development of the "virtual queue". Always has been, always will be. Parks prepare for it accordingly.
If anything, the rush at rope drop would probably be WORSE WITHOUT FP! I know while at Epcot, I like to start with one of my two favorite Epcot rides, the Seas or Figment, because I know that even on a crowded day, FPs for Soarin' won't be gone by by 10 AM and Test Track will still have them at noon!
If there were no Fastpass, I'd have to join the large pack of people in one of these crowds at rope drop, to avoid having to wait in long lines for them in the middle of the day!
Finally, consider that before FP, the average person's route through the MK might look something like this:
. . . but now, with FP, it probably looks more like this:
Completely disagree again! As I explained in my post #9 above ( http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showpost.php?p=4229340&postcount=9 ), the EXACT OPPISITE is true for me! Before FP, I had to make a first lap around the MK, trying to hit all the "major" stuff before the lines got too bad, then circling the park a second time doing the less crowded stuff.
Due to the Magic of Fastpass, I can now tour the park at a more leisurely pace land by land, with less backtracking!
It's really not hard at all!:
Step 1: Enter land, get a Fastpass
Step 2: Do other attractions in that land until it's time to use that Fastpass, then use it
Step 3: Finish land, then move on to the next one.
If return times are running on the long side, and you don't start collecting FPs early enough, there may be some minor backtracking involved, but it's not nearly as bad as it would be if you had to keep crisscrossing the park trying to hit all the major headliners before their queues got jam-packed because you had no Fastpass to rely on for a 2 PM walk-on!
Chezman1399
Active Member
I've only ever worked an attraction once, about 3 years ago I worked Space Mountain and since I had no training there, FastPASS was pretty much all I worked. I had no issues during my 6 hours there. A small amount of people had the issue of trying to get another FastPASS too soon I explained it to them and they were fine. That's a small sample size though.
Just to give a little perspective as far as huge lines go from my lifetime of being a guest. When Splash was open pre-FP it always had a ridiculous line at it similar to TSM now. Splash also brought more people to the area of Big Thunder Mountain, then add in those who grab FP's from splash and see BTM's line of 30-45 minutes, and think "What a good way to pass the time". There were still long line's before FP, before FP I couldn't do everything I can now in the park in the amount of time that I can because you'd end up waiting somewhere between 60-120 a piece for just Splash and Space, Peter Pan is a line I've seen it have an effect on, however that's another line that was always long before FP, there was another 45-60 mins gone even before FP.
From what I can tell for every person who complains about the system there are a thousand who have no issues, although like I said I've seen more from the Guest Side than the Cast side.
Just to give a little perspective as far as huge lines go from my lifetime of being a guest. When Splash was open pre-FP it always had a ridiculous line at it similar to TSM now. Splash also brought more people to the area of Big Thunder Mountain, then add in those who grab FP's from splash and see BTM's line of 30-45 minutes, and think "What a good way to pass the time". There were still long line's before FP, before FP I couldn't do everything I can now in the park in the amount of time that I can because you'd end up waiting somewhere between 60-120 a piece for just Splash and Space, Peter Pan is a line I've seen it have an effect on, however that's another line that was always long before FP, there was another 45-60 mins gone even before FP.
From what I can tell for every person who complains about the system there are a thousand who have no issues, although like I said I've seen more from the Guest Side than the Cast side.
castevens
Member
Well I do like Future Guy's argument that it slightly reduces lines due to the fact that people are spending more time running around the park out of sequence whereas people used to walk either clockwise or counterclockwise and hit attractions in sequence. Less time walking = more time in lines.
It sounds as though the genesis for this thread has been the problems faced by the CMs, and not the guests. I have some small sympathy for the ignorant guests who do not plan, who are afraid of fastpass, and who probably have no clue about how to plan their vacation and their day to avoid lines; but it's only a small amount of sympathy. I hate bowing to the lowest common denominator; let the people who plan intelligently get the benefit of their planning.
I like fastpass because I can plan my day and not have to stand in line to see the great attraction(s) that I have planned for that day. If the line is too long (more than 20 minutes for the very impatient me) then I don't go. I'll get a fastpass, go and do something else, and come back. I will NOT stand in line for more than 20 mintues for Toy Story Mania even though my family and I love it. I will run in, get a fastpass, and come back later. Then I'll run off to Star Tours, Indiana Jones, Mermaid with my daughter, grab something to eat, or whatever.
I don't think of Disney as a place I go to stand in line for the attractions, but I would if they eliminated fastpass from the most popular attractions. I assume that's what would happen if fastpass disappeared. Yes, the line for Space Mountain on any given day might be one hour instead of two hours, but I wouldn't stand in line for either. Quite honestly, ridiculous wait times are something I avoid anyway. For someone who plans a little in advance, fastpass can be employed to eliminate any significant waits. Too bad for the people who are unplanned enough to stand in line for 3 hours. Too bad for the people who wander into the park at noon and are upset because the fastpasses are gone and the lines are ridiculous. Too bad for the people who don't know what time of day and which time of year to hit which parks. I plan, I act accordingly, and I refuse to spend more than 20 minutes in a line. Fastpass lets me do that, and apparently enough other people also plan ahead to make it function accordingly.
Again, fastpass is there for the guests, especially those who do their homework and do a little planning. It is not there for the CMs, and Walt would never forget that.
I like fastpass because I can plan my day and not have to stand in line to see the great attraction(s) that I have planned for that day. If the line is too long (more than 20 minutes for the very impatient me) then I don't go. I'll get a fastpass, go and do something else, and come back. I will NOT stand in line for more than 20 mintues for Toy Story Mania even though my family and I love it. I will run in, get a fastpass, and come back later. Then I'll run off to Star Tours, Indiana Jones, Mermaid with my daughter, grab something to eat, or whatever.
I don't think of Disney as a place I go to stand in line for the attractions, but I would if they eliminated fastpass from the most popular attractions. I assume that's what would happen if fastpass disappeared. Yes, the line for Space Mountain on any given day might be one hour instead of two hours, but I wouldn't stand in line for either. Quite honestly, ridiculous wait times are something I avoid anyway. For someone who plans a little in advance, fastpass can be employed to eliminate any significant waits. Too bad for the people who are unplanned enough to stand in line for 3 hours. Too bad for the people who wander into the park at noon and are upset because the fastpasses are gone and the lines are ridiculous. Too bad for the people who don't know what time of day and which time of year to hit which parks. I plan, I act accordingly, and I refuse to spend more than 20 minutes in a line. Fastpass lets me do that, and apparently enough other people also plan ahead to make it function accordingly.
Again, fastpass is there for the guests, especially those who do their homework and do a little planning. It is not there for the CMs, and Walt would never forget that.
WDWmazprty
Well-Known Member
Right, I dont know how many people are thinking about capacity, all they wanna do is get on the ride faster. Thats the whole point, FASTPASS. Yeah, its not going to benefit everybody; but everyone has the choice to use it or not. You dont even have to be 'in the know' as you say. They just have to try it once and see how it works, its not hard. After that they can decide if they wanna keep using it or that they hate it.
cblodg
Member
Another FP thread.
"I have no sympathy for those too stupid to figure out how to use FP."
^^^
This is me. :wave:
The system is not that hard to figure out. Hell, the ticket even tells you when you can get another FP! I can remember the days prior to Fastpass, and I can safely say that the lines for BTMRR and SM were just as long if not longer than they are today.