FastPass

[Chi84]

well FP would be gone and you'd have to do standby..........with FP+, would could still have a FP while entering late

My guess is that WDW will have some type of system that will accommodate people who vacation the way we do - water parks or pools during the day and parks late afternoon and evening. The question is whether we will be willing to pay what Disney decides to charge.

 

[TTLUTS]

My guess is that WDW will have some type of system that will accommodate people who vacation the way we do - water parks or pools during the day and parks late afternoon and evening. The question is whether we will be willing to pay what Disney decides to charge.

Hoping there is some "free version" for hotel guests (even if they tier it)....For eg., deluxe hotels get 3 FP pp, moderate 2, value 1 and then you have the option to buy more

 

[Chi84]

Hoping there is some "free version" for hotel guests (even if they tier it)....For eg., deluxe hotels get 3 FP pp, moderate 2, value 1 and then you have the option to buy more

That would definitely work for us.

 

[LaughingGravy]

So if you entered the park for the day at 3pm would you be able to get any of the most popular rides or would they be gone for the day?

You could still get the popular rides that we saw, in our case Indiana Jones, Splash and Space Mtns, and Haunted Mansion way later in the day than we were expecting, and those were second time around in the same day. Keep in mind, the park was also open until midnight, with no upcharge events.

 

[TTLUTS]

You could still get the popular rides that we saw, in our case Indiana Jones, Splash and Space Mtns, and Haunted Mansion way later in the day than we were expecting, and those were second time around in the same day. Keep in mind, the park was also open until midnight, with no upcharge events.

Is that DL or WDW? WDW were long gone by 3pm

 

[LaughingGravy]

MaxPass has same issue as old paper FP system........All the top rides will sell out unless you get there early......

That's not what we found. Initially, yes, in the am, but they opened up during the day. You need to be vigilant with the phone app, though.

 

[LaughingGravy]

Is that DL or WDW? WDW were long gone by 3pm

DL and DCA, but we did one day at DCA and two in DL

 

[LaughingGravy]

Guests will likely begin to question whether the increased cost of a WDW hotel is worth it vs offsite if the only perk is proximity

I see the top of that ship's mast shrinking on the horizon, LOL
Remember when parking used to be included for resort guests in the land of lots of available parking? Yeah, $15-$20 per day, but that adds up fast on a 5 day trip. Being able to hop from hotel on site to park and back or to another park in private air conditioned comfort with one's own music not being on a bus after waiting on yet another line with others was a big benefit.

 

[Pepper's Ghost]

Some people are young enough (or traveling without older parents or very small children) to make them "good" at standing in line for hours, giving them an advantage. Whatever system is chosen will give some an advantage and others a disadvantage.

I don't follow. So you're saying you have an advantage by waiting in SB lines for hours? That's an advantage? No one is good at standing in line for hours which is why FP is the devil. It makes people stand in line for hours.

Completely agree.
It made it so that you literally had to have one person take everyone's ticket and RUN to the attraction you knew would be gone in the first few minutes of park opening.
At EPCOT someone would run to TT while the rest leisurely walked towards Soarin for SB.
At HS someone would run to TSM while the rest leisurely walked to RNRC for SB. etc.
And for those couple of E-ticket rides you'd be getting a return time of like 3pm even with that runner. Then you had to coordinate your dining etc with that and if it didn't work where you could use the fastpass in the window you were SOL unless you wanted to be one of those people that collected and used later which Disney put a stop to.

This is actually the argument for getting rid of FP entirely. You're going to be forced to stand in a SB line eventually, but all SB lines are inflated by the need to wait for folks with FPs to walk in first. 20 FPs walk in, and let in 2 or 4 SB. 20 more FP, and 2 or 4 more SB, etc. It makes people stand in line far more than is necessary. No FP, and you walk past Soarin and see the line is 40 mins, either you choose to wait, or not. You don't have send runners all over the park to get FPs. You don't have to wait in a 2 hr SB line because of FP. FP sucks! (Light a fire, walk away.)

That's not what we found. Initially, yes, in the am, but they opened up during the day. You need to be vigilant with the phone app, though.

This is another reason why FP+ sucks. Instead of enjoying your day, you're forced to constantly be a phone junky and refresh, refresh, refresh, or whatever. You're forced to pay more attention to your phone than the people you're with. How is that enjoyable? No FP reduces line waits, reduces the time you're forced to stare at your phone, and stops you from being antisocial. I really don't understand who enjoys staring at their Disney app more than who they're with... except may phone commandos. I'm coining that phrase btw as a derogatory description of what all my nieces and nephews have become.

Now.... I'll wait for the flames.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

I don't follow. So you're saying you have an advantage by waiting in SB lines for hours? That's an advantage? No one is good at standing in line for hours which is why FP is the devil. It makes people stand in line for hours.

This is actually the argument for getting rid of FP entirely. You're going to be forced to stand in a SB line eventually, but all SB lines are inflated by the need to wait for folks with FPs to walk in first. 20 FPs walk in, and let in 2 or 4 SB. 20 more FP, and 2 or 4 more SB, etc. It makes people stand in line far more than is necessary. No FP, and you walk past Soarin and see the line is 40 mins, either you choose to wait, or not. You don't have send runners all over the park to get FPs. You don't have to wait in a 2 hr SB line because of FP. FP sucks! (Light a fire, walk away.)
View attachment 562426

This is another reason why FP+ sucks. Instead of enjoying your day, you're forced to constantly be a phone junky and refresh, refresh, refresh, or whatever. You're forced to pay more attention to your phone than the people you're with. How is that enjoyable? No FP reduces line waits, reduces the time you're forced to stare at your phone, and stops you from being antisocial. I really don't understand who enjoys staring at their Disney app more than who they're with... except may phone commandos. I'm coining that phrase btw as a derogatory description of what all my nieces and nephews have become.

Now.... I'll wait for the flames.

Prior to FP I waited in many very long lines.... With legacy FP I waited in fewer very long lines. With FP+ I waited in maybe one longer line per day.
Just my experience.

 

[Pepper's Ghost]

Prior to FP I waited in many very long lines.... With legacy FP I waited in fewer very long lines. With FP+ I waited in maybe one longer line per day.
Just my experience.

I can appreciate that. It also depends on when people decide to go, right? I almost exclusively go in early Fall when crowds tend to be smaller. With smaller crowds, FP usually just stretched lines that were normally shorter.

I also just like stirring things up about FP.

 

[MJM]

My point is that some people are "good" at the system giving them an advantage. By definition if someone has an advantage, not all are equal.

That makes absolutely no sense. FP+ was available to everyone as was mentioned before so how is that not equal? Just because I earned the grades to get into Columbia doesn’t mean that my going there is “unfair” to all of my fellow high school graduates We all have different strengths and weaknesses. Doesn’t make life unfair- it makes it interesting

 

[MJM]

Sounds like you are looking for equal outcome instead of equal opportunity.

You said it better than I did!!

 

[Pepper's Ghost]

That makes absolutely no sense. FP+ was available to everyone as was mentioned before so how is that not equal? Just because I earned the grades to get into Columbia doesn’t mean that my going there is “unfair” to all of my fellow high school graduates We all have different strengths and weaknesses. Doesn’t make life unfair- it makes it interesting

Respectfully disagree. If my mom went to WDW for her first time as an 80 year-old, she'd have to wait in every standby line because she can't tell the difference between her cell phone and a TV remote. That's an exaggeration for effect btw. She has good vision, so it's not that she can't see the phone. She doesn't know how to use it, putting her at a severe disadvantage to you as you pass her in the FP lane at each ride, and also get other rides and dining in between. And yes, at 80 she would LOVE to go on every ride! She's definitely a young 80.

But how do you NOT call that an advantage. Your example is completely flawed because you're comparing yourself to others from the same era who made different life choices. Not someone from a different era who has no idea what to do with a phone, even if I teach her over and over again.

That difference doesn't just apply to age differential. There are other differences in people who can't take advantage of the same benefits you've mastered. If you're happy with the advantage, that's fine. Don't pretend you don't have it though.

 

[Chi84]

Respectfully disagree. If my mom went to WDW for her first time as an 80 year-old, she'd have to wait in every standby line because she can't tell the difference between her cell phone and a TV remote. That's an exaggeration for effect btw. She has good vision, so it's not that she can't see the phone. She doesn't know how to use it, putting her at a severe disadvantage to you as you pass her in the FP lane at each ride, and also get other rides and dining in between. And yes, at 80 she would LOVE to go on every ride! She's definitely a young 80.

But how do you NOT call that an advantage. Your example is completely flawed because you're comparing yourself to others from the same era who made different life choices. Not someone from a different era who has no idea what to do with a phone, even if I teach her over and over again.

That difference doesn't just apply to age differential. There are other differences in people who can't take advantage of the same benefits you've mastered. If you're happy with the advantage, that's fine. Don't pretend you don't have it though.

My mother-in-law is 90 and can use her iPhone just fine. Standing in lines is another story. Every system is better for some than others.

In any event, the question is not whether some version of a ride reservation system will be adopted - just what kind and how much.

 

[Dreaming of Disney World]

I don't follow. So you're saying you have an advantage by waiting in SB lines for hours? That's an advantage? No one is good at standing in line for hours which is why FP is the devil. It makes people stand in line for hours.

This is actually the argument for getting rid of FP entirely. You're going to be forced to stand in a SB line eventually, but all SB lines are inflated by the need to wait for folks with FPs to walk in first. 20 FPs walk in, and let in 2 or 4 SB. 20 more FP, and 2 or 4 more SB, etc. It makes people stand in line far more than is necessary. No FP, and you walk past Soarin and see the line is 40 mins, either you choose to wait, or not. You don't have send runners all over the park to get FPs. You don't have to wait in a 2 hr SB line because of FP. FP sucks! (Light a fire, walk away.)
View attachment 562426

This is another reason why FP+ sucks. Instead of enjoying your day, you're forced to constantly be a phone junky and refresh, refresh, refresh, or whatever. You're forced to pay more attention to your phone than the people you're with. How is that enjoyable? No FP reduces line waits, reduces the time you're forced to stare at your phone, and stops you from being antisocial. I really don't understand who enjoys staring at their Disney app more than who they're with... except may phone commandos. I'm coining that phrase btw as a derogatory description of what all my nieces and nephews have become.

Now.... I'll wait for the flames.

We've gone on 3 trips with fast pass plus and continued to get fast passes all day long. We got to ride whatever we wanted at least once. We waited no more than 30 minutes for anything as we spent our entire days using fast passes and naturally short lines. Also we enjoy getting fast passes on our phones. It's like a game to us to see what we can get. We once spent 10 minutes repeatedly refreshing and modifying to get a splash mountain fast pass for 3 people for 1:30 pm when there were none available. We got it and were so excited.

 

[Skibum1970]

I don't follow. So you're saying you have an advantage by waiting in SB lines for hours? That's an advantage? No one is good at standing in line for hours which is why FP is the devil. It makes people stand in line for hours.

This is actually the argument for getting rid of FP entirely. You're going to be forced to stand in a SB line eventually, but all SB lines are inflated by the need to wait for folks with FPs to walk in first. 20 FPs walk in, and let in 2 or 4 SB. 20 more FP, and 2 or 4 more SB, etc. It makes people stand in line far more than is necessary. No FP, and you walk past Soarin and see the line is 40 mins, either you choose to wait, or not. You don't have send runners all over the park to get FPs. You don't have to wait in a 2 hr SB line because of FP. FP sucks! (Light a fire, walk away.)
View attachment 562426

This is another reason why FP+ sucks. Instead of enjoying your day, you're forced to constantly be a phone junky and refresh, refresh, refresh, or whatever. You're forced to pay more attention to your phone than the people you're with. How is that enjoyable? No FP reduces line waits, reduces the time you're forced to stare at your phone, and stops you from being antisocial. I really don't understand who enjoys staring at their Disney app more than who they're with... except may phone commandos. I'm coining that phrase btw as a derogatory description of what all my nieces and nephews have become.

Now.... I'll wait for the flames.

I wish that I could like this multiple times or give it a Super Like. You have detailed exactly why I hate FP. When we went in February, the lines were 30-45 minutes for most rides but the lines move nonstop and thus feel shorter. FP means that you end up standing still for 10-15 minutes at a time and the wait times are highly exaggerated. Plus, the reliance on the phone and checking the app for more FP is annoying. Also, the posted wait times with FP are almost always under what the wait time really is. Without FP, the wait times are close or actually less than posted.

Plus, I hate having to book my rides 60 days out. Takes the spontaneity out of it and makes it a chore. Plus, we don't always hit the parks on time as our Park Commando days are probably behind us. Instead of spending the $2.0B on MyMagic, maybe they should have built a number of really good rides at multiple parks that had high capacity. That would have benefited wait times far more than FP+ and would have encouraged people to visit more to enjoy all the new offerings.

 

[G00fyDad]

Bring back the free FP+. At this point if you cannot get to the parks at opening (You're at a theme park with rides and not Hawaii), walk on many of the rides right away, go to lunch, then come back and use the FP+ system for afternoon rides then I am not sure how to help you. It's really pretty simple. Those that hate Fast Passes just don't like to use them and hate them for no real reason. Well, maybe they have hate built up after watching us pass them in line knowing that we were going to get on the ride first? They did not inflate the SB lines by very much at all. The wait times for attractions are just as bad (pre-covid) as they were before FP's. It is not our fault that people don't like the FP+ system.

 

[Pepper's Ghost]

We've gone on 3 trips with fast pass plus and continued to get fast passes all day long. We got to ride whatever we wanted at least once. We waited no more than 30 minutes for anything as we spent our entire days using fast passes and naturally short lines. Also we enjoy getting fast passes on our phones. It's like a game to us to see what we can get. We once spent 10 minutes repeatedly refreshing and modifying to get a splash mountain fast pass for 3 people for 1:30 pm when there were none available. We got it and were so excited.

Mozel tov! Enjoy playing phone games in the parks rather than enjoying the people you're with. When I'm out with someone who is rudely paying more attention to their phone, I have no problem telling them that if they'd rather be doing something else, or be with someone else, no problem. That's not a person I'd want to waste my time with anyway. Don't get me wrong. I have no problem with the occasional checking the phone for a message/email, you got a call, or even you want to google something pertinent to the conversation we're having. No issue with any of those things, but checking FB or other non-time sensitive things... I have better stuff to do if that's your priority.

I simply don't understand why people would rather be on their phone hitting refresh, or playing a game while you're with the ones you love. Or maybe some people just don't have strong attachment to the people they hang out with, or are related to. On my deathbed, or that of my loved ones, my only regret will be not having spent even more time with them than I do without being distracted by electronics. I prefer a conversation to spending hours all day long on my phone ignoring people I love who are right in front of me.

Now, I can predict some will say or think they can multi-task, but let's be honest. We all know someone, even if we won't admit we do it ourselves, who pretends to be listening to what others say, but are truly just too distracted. As long as you're fidgeting with your phone, you're not truly paying attention to those around you. It's a simple fact proven by medical science which is why phones are banned from use while driving.

I wish that I could like this multiple times or give it a Super Like. You have detailed exactly why I hate FP. When we went in February, the lines were 30-45 minutes for most rides but the lines move nonstop and thus feel shorter. FP means that you end up standing still for 10-15 minutes at a time and the wait times are highly exaggerated. Plus, the reliance on the phone and checking the app for more FP is annoying. Also, the posted wait times with FP are almost always under what the wait time really is. Without FP, the wait times are close or actually less than posted.

Plus, I hate having to book my rides 60 days out. Takes the spontaneity out of it and makes it a chore. Plus, we don't always hit the parks on time as our Park Commando days are probably behind us. Instead of spending the $2.0B on MyMagic, maybe they should have built a number of really good rides at multiple parks that had high capacity. That would have benefited wait times far more than FP+ and would have encouraged people to visit more to enjoy all the new offerings.

Well said! Exactly what I think too. I know many don't agree, but I'm entitled to my opinion.

 

[G00fyDad]

Mozel tov! Enjoy playing phone games in the parks rather than enjoying the people you're with. When I'm out with someone who is rudely paying more attention to their phone, I have no problem telling them that if they'd rather be doing something else, or be with someone else, no problem. That's not a person I'd want to waste my time with anyway. Don't get me wrong. I have no problem with the occasional checking the phone for a message/email, you got a call, or even you want to google something pertinent to the conversation we're having. No issue with any of those things, but checking FB or other non-time sensitive things... I have better stuff to do if that's your priority.

I simply don't understand why people would rather be on their phone hitting refresh, or playing a game while you're with the ones you love. Or maybe some people just don't have strong attachment to the people they hang out with, or are related to. On my deathbed, or that of my loved ones, my only regret will be not having spent even more time with them than I do without being distracted by electronics. I prefer a conversation to spending hours all day long on my phone ignoring people I love who are right in front of me.

Now, I can predict some will say or think they can multi-task, but let's be honest. We all know someone, even if we won't admit we do it ourselves, who pretends to be listening to what others say, but are truly just too distracted. As long as you're fidgeting with your phone, you're not truly paying attention to those around you. It's a simple fact proven by medical science which is why phones are banned from use while driving.

Well said! Exactly what I think too. I know many don't agree, but I'm entitled to my opinion.

Some of us are more technically inclined and enjoy using a cellphone. I can actually do two things at once. Just because I am on my phone it does not mean I am not listening to you. We also have no problem telling the person that does not like it that they are free to leave. I have done that very thing before.