My hypothesis on why some love and some hate fastpass.

[musketeer]

(Although I expect it to happen, this is NOT intended to be another fastpass war, so please try to avoid that)

I have a hypothesis on something, and I'm wondering what those on this board
think. It has to do with the constant war between those who love fastpass
and those who hate it. I, personally, am in the camp that LOVES it. I
think it's one of the best things disney has come up with as far as park
experience goes.
But of course, there are an equal number of people who hate it and think
it's the worst thing ever. Both sides think they are right, and both sides
have legitimate arguements. But I can't fathom for a second why someone
would hate it.
Then something happened. We went on vacation about a month ago to Sesame
Place, near philadelphia. (Don't worry, I'm not cheating on Disney, we have
a January Disney trip already booked) We were in the sesame place area for
4 days, but probably only spent about 12ish hours or so total at sesame
place. We did other things in the area as well.
But my brother in law's family were there a week before, and they spent four
whole days almost exclusively at sesame place. If you aren't famailiar with
it, it is a sesame street theme park that is part water park, part ride
park. It is very kid oriented it, in fact, unlike disney, you'd never find
a family there without little kids. And it's REALLY small. LIke the size
of Main street USA. What I couldn't figure is how in the world they could
spend that much time there.
He said they just did everything over and over again. And THAT is where my
theory comes into play. I'm the kind of person who wants to go to Disney,
and ride and see everything. We typically go for 3 to 4 whole days and
spread our time out as much as possible. I would prefer seeing 10 different
attractions over seeing the best 2 attractions 5 times each.
I wonder if that is the correlation? Do people who are like me favor
fastpass and those who want to do an attraction over and over the ones who
hate fastpass?
It would make sense. No doubt that fastpass makes the standby line longer
for whichever attraction has it. But the reason that argument has never
swayed me is because since I'm satisfied seeing an attraction one time, I
never use the standby line. So from my perspective, I NEVER wait in a long
line. And I've been there Christmas Eve and Christmas day. Fastpass makes
it great.
But I can totally see if someone wanted to ride Space Mountain over and over
how they could hate fastpass.
My question boils down to this. Are the people who hate fastpass the same
who want to ride whichever attraction over and over again? And do those who
love fastpass, like me, the same who would rather do everything once instead
of all the best top super headliners over and over?

 

[luv]

I like FP. I get why some people don't, but I do. I'm not a fan of the new FP rules, but what can you do.

I expect that this will all change when they roll out their new FP thing, which can't be too long now.

 

[LizC]

I like fast pass, but I am like you I usually ride things only once. So I suppose my response here is not very helpful.

Hope the next one is. . I'm interested to see what people have to say.

 

[mickeysbrother]

Love fast passes but also enjoy to ride the same ride a lot! Usually what we do is grab a fast pass for let's say tower of terror! Will ride it go beside to rocking roller coaster then use the fast pass! We all know all 4 parks really well so that means we also know usually what rides at what times have a long or short line! So we would use fast passes but also ride a ride that's not that long then head back to that other ride! Get another fast pass usually it would be later in the day anyways so ride a couple of more then hop back and use are fp

 

[lazyboy97o]

I have no interest in marathoning attractions. What I dislike is having to plan out a day that pushes more towards running back and forth across the park instead of taking in each land as its own entity. This is also why I dislike Sorcerer's of the Magic Kingdom, it only helps to breakdown the notion of lands being something in and of themselves and only reinforces the reent idea that they are just areas with some common decorations.

 

[Goofyernmost]

He said they just did everything over and over again. And THAT is where my
theory comes into play. I'm the kind of person who wants to go to Disney,
and ride and see everything. We typically go for 3 to 4 whole days and
spread our time out as much as possible. I would prefer seeing 10 different
attractions over seeing the best 2 attractions 5 times each.
I wonder if that is the correlation? Do people who are like me favor
fastpass and those who want to do an attraction over and over the ones who
hate fastpass?
It would make sense. No doubt that fastpass makes the standby line longer
for whichever attraction has it. But the reason that argument has never
swayed me is because since I'm satisfied seeing an attraction one time, I
never use the standby line. So from my perspective, I NEVER wait in a long
line.

IMHO...it is actually just the opposite of your theory. Read the FP threads and you will find repeated references to going and getting a FP early and then riding the attraction standby and then doing it again with FP and then once more either with another FP or standby.

Those against it are against it because they realize that FP means a longer wait in Standby most of the time and they only wanted to see it once. But the line is held up because once in line standby, once in line FP and again in line Standby or FP and that means three times the numbers ahead of you instead of just one. But, people like myself, are against it because of the degree of anger and frustration that is currently present in the Standby line that never existed in the pre-fastpass days. Whether, it stems from ignorance of how the system works or bad timing or whatever, when it's 100 degrees, your legs and feet hurt, your kids are squirming and your hungry and the line keeps stopping to let some group of people with a piece of paper on the ride ahead of you...it just get to be more then people can handle. Over the years that will have an affect on the attendance and the number of return visitors. You don't come back to a place that you associate with frustration and anger. My personal concern is more long range then current.

 

[ParentsOf4]

I believe people who develop dislikes for FPs are those in the Standby line watching people with FPs "cut" in front of them. I'm playing by the rules, getting to Peter Pan early enough to grab a FP for a few hours later but for those standing in the Standby queue, to them it feels like I'm cheating.

Anybody who has ever used the FP queue at Peter Pan has seen "the look" on the faces of the people in the Standby queue when the CM tells them to stop and let's you by.

 

[bethymouse]

Fast Pass is changing, but I believe it's here to stay. I like it, but it does take some planning, which means no spontaneity and only riding maybe once.
We usually stand in line for BTMRR and get a fast pass for Splash. Then come back later in the day and do the same. We also do this w/ Soarin. We like to ride our favorites a few times, and fast pass really is the only way to do that, otherwise you're waiting in line 1/2 your day.

 

[bethymouse]

I believe people who develop a dislike for FPs are those in the Standby line watching people with FPs "cut" in front of them. I'm playing by the rules, getting to Peter Pan early enough to grab a FP for a few hours later but to those standing in the Standby queue, to them it feels like I'm cheating.

Anybody who has ever used the FP queue at Peter Pan has seen "the look" on the faces of the people in the Standby queue when the CM tells them to stop and let's you by.

YES. I always see the STARES from people in the standby line who are not familiar w/ FP. They think we're all VIPs or something! LOL.

 

[pumpkin7]

i like fast pass. if you're not there early enough to get a ticket, then so be it you go in the standby line. if you are, great, get a ticket, go away for an hour and do something else then come back. if not, we usually won't wait for an age for a ride (ie 30 minutes is max) but if you don' thave a fast pass then tough. don't be bitter towards the people who planned a little ahead.
the one thing i don't think i'm going to like is having to plan your fast passes for the entire day on my mobile. but we'll see what happens with that when it starts.

YES. I always see the STARES from people in the standby line who are not familiar w/ FP. They think we're all VIPs or something! LOL.

last trip we had some fast passes for space mountain which we weren't going to use. i thought i'd try and give them to someone else. unfortunately the first people i tried didn't speak english and had no idea what a fast pass was. so yeah some people probably do think that you're trying to jump the queue or your a VIP, but if they did some research before they went then they wouldn't have that problem.

 

[Goofyernmost]

I believe people who develop dislikes for FPs are those in the Standby line watching people with FPs "cut" in front of them. I'm playing by the rules, getting to Peter Pan early enough to grab a FP for a few hours later but for those standing in the Standby queue, to them it feels like I'm cheating.

Anybody who has ever used the FP queue at Peter Pan has seen "the look" on the faces of the people in the Standby queue when the CM tells them to stop and let's you by.

No, that isn't it at all. Line cutting, authorized or not, is something that kids are taught as wrong from a very early age. Remember back in school, in the cafeteria, when someone would cut in line? Remember how upset you got even though you hated the food they were serving?

No one thinks you are breaking the rules, they just think that they are standing still and others are enjoying the ride. By now, I'm sure that we all know that not everyone can have a FP. Yes, everyone is eligible to have one, but they do not issue enough for everyone to get one. So when they get almost there, and the CM tells them to stop and then they let FPers ahead, they just get upset and a little jealous and feeling like their timing is awful. It's hot, they want to ride and so on. I don't hate or even dislike anyone with a fastpass, I've used many myself, but I do sometimes get frustrated with the system, when it doesn't seem like I am making any progress. When you have a FP you love the system, when you don't, you hate it. Not the people with them.

 

[lazyboy97o]

I think the idea that critics of FastPass just see it as cutting is nothing but an attempt to recharacterize critics as being unable to understand the system and thus upset not with the system, but their own ignorance. I know FastPass. I even know how I could cheat the system and actually cut. My critique, which I see common to most, is the detrimental effects that FastPass has not so much on individual attractions but on the greater whole of, such as the land and park.

 

[juan]

With the recent changes to FP (only for use during the time slot), I've noticed that some of my dislikes about FP have been improved.
It seems that more people are using the FP only as they need, allowing for more tickets to be available. I've noticed that some of the popular rides, like Soarin, aren't selling out as quick. If a return time is 5-6pm and I already know that I'll be at a dinner reservation, I might pass on getting a ticket since I know I won't be able to hit the window. Before, I would just get it anyway and use it sometime after 7 or so.

I've also noticed that the return lines seem shorter. Now, returning to Splash Mountain at 3pm you will only find 1 hour's worth of FP at maximum. Before, you could see anyone with a return time from 9am -3pm which could drastically increase the lines at that particular time.

 

[Goofyernmost]

I think the idea that critics of FastPass just see it as cutting is nothing but an attempt to recharacterize critics as being unable to understand the system and thus upset not with the system, but their own ignorance. I know FastPass. I even know how I could cheat the system and actually cut. My critique, which I see common to most, is the detrimental effects that FastPass has not so much on individual attractions but on the greater whole of, such as the land and park.

I'm not 100% sure but I think we are saying almost the same thing. I know of no one that dislikes a PERSON, with a Fastpass, what they dislike is not having one themselves for whatever reason there is for not having one. The idea that we get upset because someone has a FP is not logical at all. The system, on the other hand, that kind of waves a carrot in front of you and then snatches it away at the last minute, is not going to leave many people happy. I spent over an hour on the phone with someone from Disney when they asked me, in response to an e-mail I had sent, what my thoughts were on FP. I said, I understood what it was all about, but if you would like to keep everyone happy at the very least they should make the FP line completely separate from the standby line. That way, it wouldn't have to be "rubbed in" constantly, that you are standing still and others are zooming on ahead. Obviously that would be too expensive to implement at this stage of the game, but I just thought it might help keep everyone calmed down.

 

[JIMINYCR]

I've been a fan of the FP since the opening of the feature. I do ride certain rides multiple times and use the FP to help get me on twice or more. I also get a FP so I can do a different ride and come back to do ride #2 later. It does save time. Or I'll get a FP and while waiting for that FP window to open I'll be enjoying a meal in a restaurant. The only time I get mad is when the FP runs out and I've missed the opportunity to be the last person to grab one.

 

[Runnin'Gator]

If I head over to Disney, I'm usually driving over from Tampa about mid-morning. On those busy summer days or during the holidays if you get there after a certain time there really isn't much to be had. I have no problem standing in line... as long as it's moving somewhat.

A few months ago I got in line with some friends for the Jungle Cruise. I know that if they're wrapping the line it can take a bit. It's the way it's always been, and I get that. But I swear I must have watched three boats full of fastpass people for everyone one boat of the stand-by queue. Psychologically it's incredibly frustrating.

Another reason I really don't like them is I park hop. I don't want to be tied to a certain park at a certain time, let alone a specific attraction.

I do think musketeer makes a good point. I used to ride the same ride over and over again, but now that the stand-by queue is so much longer for the e-tickets it's not really possible unless you hit the parks during the off-season.

 

[lazyboy97o]

I'm not 100% sure but I think we are saying almost the same thing. I know of no one that dislikes a PERSON, with a Fastpass, what they dislike is not having one themselves for whatever reason there is for not having one. The idea that we get upset because someone has a FP is not logical at all. The system, on the other hand, that kind of waves a carrot in front of you and then snatches it away at the last minute, is not going to leave many people happy. I spent over an hour on the phone with someone from Disney when they asked me, in response to an e-mail I had sent, what my thoughts were on FP. I said, I understood what it was all about, but if you would like to keep everyone happy at the very least they should make the FP line completely separate from the standby line. That way, it wouldn't have to be "rubbed in" constantly, that you are standing still and others are zooming on ahead. Obviously that would be too expensive to implement at this stage of the game, but I just thought it might help keep everyone calmed down.

We are not at all saying the same thing. I am looking at the bigger picture as to what FastPass is doing, not the emotional responses at the individual attractions. I also do not think the emotional responses are the basis for much of the dislike of FastPass.

 

[koryadams]

I didn't even know people hated it. I like it, I mean it's a time saver, but you have to come back when it tells you too. The past few vacations, I haven't had to use them so that made me happy. But they are good! And FREE! (unlike other places)

 

[wsmith1978]

I think people love FastPass when they have a FastPass for their favorite ride and can zoom past everyone else in line.

I think people hate FastPass when they don't have a FastPass for their favorite ride and are watching people zoom past them in line.

 

[wiigirl]

I think people love FastPass when they have a FastPass for their favorite ride and can zoom past everyone else in line.

I think people hate FastPass when they don't have a FastPass for their favorite ride and are watching people zoom past them in line.

Exactly!