FastPass is the dumbest thing Disney ever did.

[Testtrack321]

FastPass destroyed the beauty and art of theme park touring into a wild mess of back tracking and frustration.

I also agree with those who say it just redistributes capacity to those who know and those who don't know.

 

[David S.]

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.

FastPass destroyed the beauty and art of theme park touring into a wild mess of back tracking and frustration.

Only if you don't use FastPass efficiently! I actually do MUCH LESS backtracking WITH FastPass than I did before it existed! And it makes it easier for me to enjoy the "beauty and art" of experiencing the park land by land, as the designers no doubt intended! (see posts #9 and #55 above)

 

[Grizzly Hall 71]

Ending it here

Fastpass does not work for the non planners.
Fastpass works for the planners.



If you hate it, plan your day better :wave:.

Fastpass makes life easier for a lot of families. Us disney fanatics have to think, we aren't the only ones going to WDW.

I'm sure a family wouldn't mind backtracking to Expedition Everest if they just got off It's Tough To Be a Bug.

 

[lebeau]

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.

I can't tell you how many people I have talked to who thought you had to pay to use FP. I hear complaints about it all the time from casual tourists.

Yeah, they didn't do their research. Yeah, they should have asked a question. But, they did pay their admission. And they were negatively impacted by FP. And they complain loudly about their bad experiences at WDW to anyone who will listen.

Also, I know people who use FP inefficiently. To get the maximum benefit, you really do need to be "in the know".

Personally, I think FP is a bad system. It benefits the few over the many. But as someone who benefits from the system, I'm none to eager to see the system improved for the benefit of the masses.

 

[wbc]

Second. Talk to any CM who has been in the company for awhile, and they will tell you that these absurdly long lines started right around when FP started. BTM never had a wait time over 30. On the busiest days, you MIGHT see 45. But then FP starts, and you have 60, 70, and higher.

Anyone agree/disagree?

I agree. BTM used to be no longer than 30 minutes max. Same with Splash, same with Space Mountain (well that could get up to an hour in late afternoon). I mean jeez, even MAELSTROM gets a line now.

 

[disneypearl]

I love the fastpass! So glad they have it

 

[sublimesting]

FastPass is rediculas. Allow me to explain.

I work at BTM. First and foremost, FP is a headache for EVERYONEinvolved. The guest goes and gets a FP at Splash, then goes and gets one at BTM. It won't give then a valid FP. They and moan to us. The guest is mad. We are annoyed with 300 people a day complaining about how unfair the whole system.

Second. Talk to any CM who has been in the company for awhile, and they will tell you that these absurdly long lines started right around when FP started. BTM never had a wait time over 30. On the busiest days, you MIGHT see 45. But then FP starts, and you have 60, 70, and higher.

Anyone agree/disagree?

Sorry but I disagree completely. For one, lines are WAY shorter now all around than they used to be. It used to be common at Disney to wait 30 minutes to over an hour for every single ride. There were less parks and no FP so everything was condensced into MK and EPCOT and River Country. So anyone who says lines used to be shorter are very mistaken.

As for FP, it does not make the lines longer. It may seem longer for those in Stand by because your SB line wait IS longer than it appears due to FP people going first. But that is only an illusion in that real world line of 20 people takes the time to load as a line of 30 people would).

But the key thing to keep in mind is that all of those FP people would be in the SB line and you would be waiting that much anyways.

In other words let's say 20 people in SB board the ride in 20 minutes. 20 people in FP board the ride every 20 minutes. But the ratio is 1 SB for every 2 FP boards. So the 20 people in SB have to wait 30 minutes whilst the FP people board in 10 minutes. At the end of 40 minutes the ride still put through 40 people, it's just that some had to wait longer than others. If you put all people in SB, it would still take 40 minutes to board 40 people. Does that make sense?

 

[sublimesting]

Ending it here

Fastpass does not work for the non planners.
Fastpass works for the planners.



If you hate it, plan your day better :wave:.

Fastpass makes life easier for a lot of families. Us disney fanatics have to think, we aren't the only ones going to WDW.

I'm sure a family wouldn't mind backtracking to Expedition Everest if they just got off It's Tough To Be a Bug.

True. Never waited more than 25 minutes in all the times we have gone. When we first went in 2005 it was our first go around ith FP and we mastered it instantly. Not sure what the heck is so hard about it. The other complaint I see is, "We like to sleep in and don't want to have to get to the parks before 1 pm and by then everything is gone." Oh well, don't hang out at the resort so long, you paid for the parks so maximize your time there. We ride so many rides we are literally sick of them after a week.

 

[WDWmazprty]

True. Never waited more than 25 minutes in all the times we have gone. When we first went in 2005 it was our first go around ith FP and we mastered it instantly. Not sure what the heck is so hard about it. The other complaint I see is, "We like to sleep in and don't want to have to get to the parks before 1 pm and by then everything is gone." Oh well, don't hang out at the resort so long, you paid for the parks so maximize your time there. We ride so many rides we are literally sick of them after a week.

Yes! dont complain if you're gonna waste half the day in bed! If you really want to enjoy the parks and ride the rides, and that is your goal, then you need to get up and be there early to take advantage of as much as you can. Especially after paying all that money, why wouldnt you?

 

[David S.]

True. Never waited more than 25 minutes in all the times we have gone. When we first went in 2005 it was our first go around ith FP and we mastered it instantly. Not sure what the heck is so hard about it. The other complaint I see is, "We like to sleep in and don't want to have to get to the parks before 1 pm and by then everything is gone." Oh well, don't hang out at the resort so long, you paid for the parks so maximize your time there. We ride so many rides we are literally sick of them after a week.

Well said, well said! I will also point out that even if there was no Fastpass, people getting there late would still get on fewer rides per day than those on time! Should the parks open late so it will be "fair" to everyone who likes to sleep late?

The only area my experience differs from yours is I have never gotten "sick of the attractions"! I've been living in the area since 2006 (full-time at first, now seasonally), and do about 60 full days a year at the 4 parks (not individually, combined), plus partial evening visits and park hops, and I'm STILL not tired of the parks or the attractions!

 

[CP_alum08]

Ending it here

Fastpass does not work for the non planners.
Fastpass works for the planners.

Amen. If you know how it works and know how to use it to your advantage, it's amazing. If you do not know how it works (like the people who think they have top pay extra for it :hammer then shame on you for not doing your research before you took your vacation.

 

[Eyorefan]

I have to believe that people who think the lines are longer now than they used to be are either insane or they didn't spend much time in the parks pre Fast pass.

In my mind Fast Pass works best for three kinds of people a) those who plan ahead for their vacations, b) anyone who has ever watched a Travel Channel Disney special and c) those who actually take the time to read the park maps/ask anyone of the dozens of CMs standing around the machines about how the system works.

The Fast Pass system is only wasted on the clueless. There is no way for Disney to invent a system that is completely idiot proof. While it maybe confusing to the clueless and it may be frustrating to the CMs who have to deal with the clueless, its the best thing that Disney has done for the majority of its guest.

 

[WDWmazprty]

I have to believe that people who think the lines are longer now than they used to be are either insane or they didn't spend much time in the parks pre Fast pass.

In my mind Fast Pass works best for three kinds of people a) those who plan ahead for their vacations, b) anyone who has ever watched a Travel Channel Disney special and c) those who actually take the time to read the park maps/ask anyone of the dozens of CMs standing around the machines about how the system works.

The Fast Pass system is only wasted on the clueless. There is no way for Disney to invent a system that is completely idiot proof. While it maybe confusing to the clueless and it may be frustrating to the CMs who have to deal with the clueless, its the best thing that Disney has done for the majority of its guest.

Amen! Amen!

 

[lebeau]

While it maybe confusing to the clueless and it may be frustrating to the CMs who have to deal with the clueless, its the best thing that Disney has done for the majority of its guest.

I don't see how that's possible. Any benefit has to be gained at the expense of someone else since capacity isn't being created. Unless you think there's a minority of utter morons standing in line all day long for the benefit of the majority, I think the opposite is true. Most guests are harmed by FP. They just don't realize it.

 

[PirateFrank]

It is not an opinion, it is FACT that I can get on more rides now with FP than I could before FP....

Nope, you just think you can....and that's the point, isn't it?


Without Fastpass, the lines around the park would normalize. You *think* you're saving time by grabbing a FP for R&RC and then racing over to ToT wait 75 minutes to ride it on standby....and then returning to R&RC and waiting another 25 minutes *with* your fastpass on the FP line and post merge.

In the end you may spend 2 hours getting through 2 rides.

But with no fastpass, you'd likely wait 45-50 minutes for each ride and be ahead. Seriously. Anyone that tries to make the argument that they're saving time, they're *not* considering the alternative clearly. It may smooth out the peaks and valleys of lines over the course of a day, but it's not saving you time. You're just ignorantly thinking you're saving time.


The *only* way you can save time by utilizing fast pass, is if you're not waiting on other rides while waiting for your fastpass to mature. I think Disney hoped this would be the end result. People would get a fastpass, then go shop, eat, buy things, etc. Then return to the ride and enjoy the benefits of fastpass. No one, as evidenced by this thread, does it this way.


But by using the saved time to wait standby on another line, you are doing the VERY same thing that investors do when they utilize dollar-cost averaging. Your buying both HIGH and LOW and splitting the difference.....and using that same analogy, the folks here that praise the wonders of FP are those that are ignoring the money they are losing when they buy high....and spewing about all of the money they are making when they buy low. In the end, it averages out. The only way way to avoid that average is to ONLY buy low....and using that mindset applied to the parks, that means ONLY using FPs and doing non-ride activities during the wait.

Seriously.....while this is an interesting argument....the logic that has been presented in this thread is flawed. It doesn't save time, unless you utilize it in an unconventional way...and no one here has stated that they do.

I prefer allowing the parks to normalize naturally....that will allow for the quickest of lines.

 

[WDWmazprty]

I don't see how that's possible. Any benefit has to be gained at the expense of someone else since capacity isn't being created. Unless you think there's a minority of utter morons standing in line all day long for the benefit of the majority, I think the opposite is true. Most guests are harmed by FP. They just don't realize it.

Well, I have no idea where the harm comes in. You use FastPass, and you get on the rides you want in a fairly quick amount of time, and you're satisfied, thats a good thing.

You're only harmed by NOT using it, doesnt matter the reason why. And if you feel you're still being harmed in some way, by using it, then, once again, you're doing it wrong, or you're just hard to please.

 

[Monty]

I don't see how that's possible. Any benefit has to be gained at the expense of someone else since capacity isn't being created. Unless you think there's a minority of utter morons standing in line all day long for the benefit of the majority, I think the opposite is true. Most guests are harmed by FP. They just don't realize it.

In simple terms, no.

The guests who use FPs are just choosing to wait differently [and usually longer] to get onto the same ride. If there are 6000 people who want to ride Soarin' and its throughput of riders is 500 per hour [numbers entirely fabricated for purposes of example] the ride will process 6000 people in 12 hours whether they use FPs or not. Some will have waited elsewhere is the only significant difference.

If all of those people started in the standby line together, the ride would still throughput the same number of people in the same time. Instead, Disney benefits by having some of those people out in the parks shopping, eating and yes, sometimes riding other rides. I have news for everybody: Disney likes the idea of giving guests more opportunities to spend money. FP is here to stay.

 

[WDWmazprty]

In simple terms, no.

The guests who use FPs are just choosing to wait differently [and usually longer] to get onto the same ride. If there are 6000 people who want to ride Soarin' and its throughput of riders is 500 per hour [numbers entirely fabricated for purposes of example] the ride will process 6000 people in 12 hours whether they use FPs or not. Some will have waited elsewhere is the only significant difference.

If all of those people started in the standby line together, the ride would still throughput the same number of people in the same time. Instead, Disney benefits by having some of those people out in the parks shopping, eating and yes, sometimes riding other rides. I have news for everybody: Disney likes the idea of giving guests more opportunities to spend money. FP is here to stay.

Well said.

 

[Grizzly Hall 71]

Whoever says Fastpass is bad, come on now. Look I've done Rnrc and Tower Of Terror in 40 minutes with a fastpass.


The reason why the fastpass doesn't work on certain attractions is because we have to visit the WORLD FAMOUS PRE SHOW ROOM!! I mean without those fastpass and the stand by line would all benefit. Right or wrong?


I'm preparing myself for the argument, "but that's apart of the story."

BTM, SPACE, and SPLASH move the stand by an Fastpass as quick as possible. Because there's no pre show.

 

[PirateFrank]

Let me also add that most people here are not considering the parks without fastpass when claiming it's 'saving them time.'

You can't compare the current standby times (which are slowed down considerably by the 80/20 or 70/30 or 90/10 ratio of FP/SB guest) to what you save, time wise, with FP.

You need to compare what you save on FP vs what you would have to deal with if FP didn't exist. THAT's a fair comparison.

Not saying "I saved 10 minutes because I got a FP on BTM and rode Splash while waiting"....since Splash's standby time was inevitably slowed down considerably by FP riders holding back the standby line.