Fastpass return time

[bladerunner]

No they serve a purpose, Disney just needs to regulate them :shrug:

Just like very large tour groups of teenagers that chant throughout the parks and disrupt guests are regulated.

 

[lebeau]

No they serve a purpose, Disney just needs to regulate them :shrug:

Disney can't regulate them. The end result would be unhappy customers.

Disney frequently hands out FPs to customers who complain whether the customer's complaint is valid or not. So if you turn someone away for using an old FP, they will complain and most likely get... a new FP.

Disney knows the impact of letting folks use old FPs. They have determined (wisely so I think) that it is better not to regulate FPs than to upset their guests by doing so.

Ideally, Disney would switch to a system that can be better regulated. The next gen queue seems like such a system to me.

 

[Figment632]

Just like very large tour groups of teenagers that chant throughout the parks and disrupt guests are regulated.

They aren't but you can't compare the two.

 

[lebeau]

They aren't but you can't compare the two.

Actually, the two are related.

Disney doesn't want to regulate the tour groups because they represent a stream of income. Instead, they will deal with customer complaints as they arise.

I'm guessing quite a few FPs have been handed out due to the lack of regulation around disruptive tour groups.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

I was turned away once for being late. I wanted for another cast member and then got on no problem.

Which is why they should replace those CM with an automated system.

...but until that time if a guest presents an expired FP they should take it away or rip it in half like a movie ticket.

Now that is the best idea I've seen on here for a long time :sohappy:



So what can you suggest to prevent people making multiple ADRs...............

Invest in better computer systems/programs??? :shrug:

Just like very large tour groups of teenagers that chant throughout the parks and disrupt guests are regulated.

Public flogging!!! :sohappy::lol::lol: Just kidding... but it does remind me of the movie "It's Tough to be a Bug". In a packed area when there's a group of obnoxious chanting or line skipping or pushing going on guests should work together. Realize there's far more of us than there is of them. Cooperation and teamwork can overcome a whole lot more then silent masses who resolve themselves to tolerating such inconsiderate behavior. Ya know?

 

[Figment632]

Actually, the two are related.

Disney doesn't want to regulate the tour groups because they represent a stream of income. Instead, they will deal with customer complaints as they arise.

I'm guessing quite a few FPs have been handed out due to the lack of regulation around disruptive tour groups.

Just as many are handed out whether the groups are there or not.

 

[lebeau]

Just as many are handed out whether the groups are there or not.

Only because there's a limited number to be distributed.

I think I may have missed your point...

 

[Figment632]

A system like this would work.

 

[lebeau]

A system like this would work.

Aside from the obvious expenses involved with installing and maintaining such a system (and they aren't cheap), you still have the issue of disgruntled guests.

Plus, these systems still require an attendant to make sure no one hops the plexiglass.

Disney clearly doesn't consider these machines to be worth the investment for enforcing FP return times. (And they are right.)

If Disney really thought it was a good idea to enforce the return times, they would do so. But they know it's not worth the hassle of upset guests. So, they turn a blind eye.

 

[Figment632]

Aside from the obvious expenses involved with installing and maintaining such a system (and they aren't cheap), you still have the issue of disgruntled guests.

Plus, these systems still require an attendant to make sure no one hops the plexiglass.

Disney clearly doesn't consider these machines to be worth the investment for enforcing FP return times. (And they are right.)

If Disney really thought it was a good idea to enforce the return times, they would do so. But they know it's not worth the hassle of upset guests. So, they turn a blind eye.

I know they won't do it but it would work.

 

[draybook]

Well I don't see it as cheating a system but s long as it's not being enforced I will use it. We don't do it this way because of reservations or anything, we do it so we can go do other rides/shows at our leisure. Between dining, character meets, shows and rides, we're caught up in enough scheduling at the parks.

That being said, if Disney were to say "no more showing up late" then I'd abide by that.

 

[Tori]

Found this on another sites forum.

By using your FP beyond the window, you are not "getting away" with something, you are not "breaking rules", you are simply using the FP as allowed. When I use my FP does not affect crowd control at WDW or the attraction. My use of the FP does not have any impact on 1)the number of people in the park, or 2)the number of people who can ride an attraction in a day. FP's are not intended to move you to the front of the line, they are to allow you to spend your waiting time somewhere else (like buying food or merchandise). Disney is a business and they understand that the only time you cannot spend money is when you are riding and when you are in line. FP is a win-win idea that reduces your standing in line time. If I use my FP during the time window, someone waiting in the standby line will just have to wait a little longer. If I use it later that day, that same person (and many others) will simply get to ride a little sooner. Either way, the same number of people still ride. Complicated? NO - just simple logistics and ride management.

I have do have firsthand information concerning "late" FP use. My cousin, Scott Bowden, works in Anaheim as a Senior Vice President in the Department of Planning, Revenue Management and Strategic Pricing - he and I have had a few conversations about this issue. It has now become a joke because whenever I call him, the first thing he says is "Fastpasses do not expire, what's up?"
Additionally, a father in our first China adoption travel group (Mike Lewinski) works for the outside firm in Buffalo that actually helped Disney design and implement the FP (they make some of the components in the machines and in the software). He is very familiar with the logistics of the FP and how they work to provide better guest movement in the parks.

To answer the question about why they print an end time and not simply the earliest time you may enter the FP line:
Because someone realized that people need guidelines. Seriously, it is because having a start and finish gives an appearance of a "reservation" instead of just giving you a time to return (which just seems like you're still waiting, just not in the line). People like an appointment. I am not kidding – it is no more scientific than that.

I do hear the argument that if everyone holds their FP until later it will clog the system. Consider the following extreme example:

5000 people collect FP's for Space Mtn in the morning and ALL of them choose to return after their window. The people in the standby line just have to wait. Still, the same number of people ride the ride and it never stops - it runs at capacity. BUT - for every one of those people who hold their FP until later, 1 person gets to ride earlier in the day.

Simplest example: you and I are the only people in the park. I use my FP at 10am(earliest return time printed on the FP), you (standby rider) have to wait. OR, I use my FP at 5pm(well after the end of the stated window) and you were able to ride anytime before that - with me not getting in your way.

If you don't believe you should use the FP's past the time, then don't. The fact is this: If I choose to not ride during the 1 hour window, it only means that someone else will fill my magical spot on the ride (someone from the standby line). If I did enter during the 1 hr time, that same person (theoretically) will ride AFTER me. None of this is intended as a rationalization, it is just basic theme park logistics. FP's do not expire (on that day, of course) and I know that for a fact.

 

[Figment632]

Well I don't see it as cheating a system but s long as it's not being enforced I will use it. We don't do it this way because of reservations or anything, we do it so we can go do other rides/shows at our leisure. Between dining, character meets, shows and rides, we're caught up in enough scheduling at the parks.

That being said, if Disney were to say "no more showing up late" then I'd abide by that.

You are cheating the system If Disney would enforce the rules FP would never have problems.

 

[lebeau]

I know they won't do it but it would work.

It depends what you mean by "It would work."

It would increase expenses and customer complaints. I'll give you that much.

If you continue to pay an attendant, you will cut down on the number of people who use FPs after the expiration time. But sometimes the attendant will still just let them go through. Either that or they will be directed to guest relations where they will most likely be let through anyway. And maybe get some other perk as well. The only people who would be turned away are the ones who most likely weren't abusing the system in the first place.

If you don't pay an attendant, absolute chaos at the FP return.

 

[Figment632]

It depends what you mean by "It would work."

It would increase expenses and customer complaints. I'll give you that much.

If you continue to pay an attendant, you will cut down on the number of people who use FPs after the expiration time. But sometimes the attendant will still just let them go through. Either that or they will be directed to guest relations where they will most likely be let through anyway. And maybe get some other perk as well. The only people who would be turned away are the ones who most likely weren't abusing the system in the first place.

If you don't pay an attendant, absolute chaos at the FP return.

Well here is a simple solution just like certain laws in this country enforce the rules you have now and there will be no issue.

 

[draybook]

You are cheating the system If Disney would enforce the rules FP would never have problems.

After reading Tori's post I'm not so sure that it's cheating anything.

 

[lebeau]

Well here is a simple solution just like certain laws in this country enforce the rules you have now and there will be no issue.

Not sure what you're getting at. If Disney thought that there was a problem, they would enforce the rules. They have clearly determined that enforcing this particular rule would cause more problems than it would solve.

If it's not important to Disney, why is it so important to you? :drevil:

 

[Figment632]

Not sure what you're getting at. If Disney thought that there was a problem, they would enforce the rules. They have clearly determined that enforcing this particular rule would cause more problems than it would solve.

If it's not important to Disney, why is it so important to you? :drevil:

Its is important to me because I shouldn't have to wait 30 minutes on a FP line. This happens from people abusing the system. If its not a problem why enforce the first time so strictly? Why not just let people go as soon as they get the ticket?

 

[lebeau]

Its is important to me because I shouldn't have to wait 30 minutes on a FP line. This happens from people abusing the system. If its not a problem why enforce the first time so strictly? Why not just let people go as soon as they get the ticket?

Well, now you're just being silly. If you don't enforce the first part of the return window, you may as well dismantle FP. (I know you weren't really asking.)

Plus, who's going to complain about not being admitted early? (Well, a few people. There's always someone who will complain about anything. I've seen people complain about free money before.)

Enforcing the return time is critical. Enforcing the expiration time is not. And in fact it would cause more problems than it solves.

Do you seriously believe that the handful of people using expired FPs is really causing 30 minute waits in the FP line? I find this exceptionally hard to swallow. Most people here don't seem to be aware that it is an option. And of those who know, most claim they don't (or rarely ever) do so. The numbers can't be significant.

Again, if they were Disney would take action. The fact that they don't tells you that the current policy is in their best interests.

(Unless of course you think you understand the mechanics of park management better than Disney.)

 

[jakeman]

Its is important to me because I shouldn't have to wait 30 minutes on a FP line. This happens from people abusing the system. If its not a problem why enforce the first time so strictly? Why not just let people go as soon as they get the ticket?

What? No it doesn't.

It happens because the FP to Standby ratio isn't being managed properly at the merge point.