No FastPass for Star Wars?!

[Minnie1986]

I've just read on the WDW website that FastPass+ will not be available for Smuggler's Run in the new Star Wars land. Holy %$#!, How on earth are they going to manage that or are people supposed to plan? What are you guys planning to do? My head is spinning!

 

[Legendary]

For some people, many people even, this trip may be their only one or they may not be back for several years. Their perspective is bound to be different to that of someone who visits at least once a year. And not knowing how it will work makes it doubly hard to plan.

I’m glad that by the time I get back to WDW, the system will be in operation and I will know exactly what to expect. In the meantime I’ll try to help others work out what to do.

Completely agree. Knowing what to expect can definitely make a trip a lot more enjoyable. But I just don’t get why guests would be willing to spend hours waiting in line to experience an attraction, especially if they won’t be back for awhile?

 

[drizgirl]

Completely agree. Knowing what to expect can definitely make a trip a lot more enjoyable. But I just don’t get why guests would be willing to spend hours waiting in line to experience an attraction, especially if they won’t be back for awhile?

It's about cost of opportunity. If you won't be back for a while, there's a lot of other stuff you don't want to miss either.

 

[nickys]

Completely agree. Knowing what to expect can definitely make a trip a lot more enjoyable. But I just don’t get why guests would be willing to spend hours waiting in line to experience an attraction, especially if they won’t be back for awhile?

I haven’t been that many times.... every 3 years or so is the target since we brought our boys for the first time.
Our next trip will be December 2020 when we will be seeing Pandora and SW:GE. If it takes all day to get into SW:GE, that’s what we’ll do.

By then I hope it won’t come to that - upcharge event, paid FPs, 10-14 days onsite should all mean we get to see it a couple of times relatively easily. But it will be at the top of our list and we’ll do whatever it takes.

 

[winstongator]

I understand the frustration at not being able to book FPs for the Millenium Falcon in the same at as you can for everything else.

But, imagine now that you were able to book an FP for a Thursday @ 2pm. Come Thursday, by lunch time it’s apparent that Galaxy’s Edge is full to capacity, and that no one is in a hurry to leave. Already those with FPs from noon haven’t been able to get into the land to use their FP. You now arrive and can’t even get into DHS.

Disney are left with a nightmare situation of having hundreds of guests all waiting at Guest Services.

Far better to have a virtual queue system in place to get into GE so that guests can go and do other things and return at a certain time. Sure, there’s still a chance that the land will be full, and the line to get in is growing. But at least the result is not quite as drastic.

@Magic Feather has already said the plan is to have a virtual queue system in place. Whether that’s immediately or after a few weeks we don’t yet know. I imagine we should find out though a few weeks after GE opens at DL. When they see how things work there, they will no doubt announce plans for DHS.

As for planning.... plan to be there on a certain day, early, and hope for the best for now. When they announce the operational logistics for DHS then you can adapt your plan if necessary. Stay onsite and hope for EMH; be prepared to book an upcharge event; have a back-up day planned.

I don’t think this is the only reason they aren’t doing fp. Here’s my thought: 1. you have people willing to wait 3 hrs for the ride. 2a. A no FP line that long can hold 3x1800(hourly capacity) 5400 people. 2b. A line with 30% dedicated to standby holds ‘just’ 1620 people. 3. That’s roughly 4000 more people ‘accommodated’ by the land.

At first it’s a game of how you manage that many people and keep them reasonably entertained. Will the queue and playParks app be entertaining?

 

[nickys]

I don’t think this is the only reason they aren’t doing fp. Here’s my thought: 1. you have people willing to wait 3 hrs for the ride. 2a. A no FP line that long can hold 3x1800(hourly capacity) 5400 people. 2b. A line with 30% dedicated to standby holds ‘just’ 1620 people. 3. That’s roughly 4000 more people ‘accommodated’ by the land.

At first it’s a game of how you manage that many people and keep them reasonably entertained. Will the queue and playParks app be entertaining?

If they have a simple line, no virtual queue, then well over half the time spent in line will be outside DHS itself. No queue to entertain them.

 

[DisAl]

They will probably do the same thing at WDW as they are doing at DL. A reservation for 4 hours only for the whole thing....

 

[nickys]

They will probably do the same thing at WDW as they are doing at DL. A reservation for 4 hours only for the whole thing....

Personally I think there are reasons why they will not impose a time limit at DHS.

This is only happening at DL for three weeks. Why? Well to my mind, this works because they know a lot of those who will be there for those first three weeks will be back - again and again. So what they don’t get done in the first visit, they will do on the second and third and fourth etc.

Also of course, they only have guests at 3 resorts to allocate times slots to.

Contrast that with WDW. 20+ resorts means it’s an all but impossible task to allocate time slots to everyone, logistically and time-wise. Also there are far more one-time visitors. Therefore a lot more unhappy people if they don’t get to do everything.

And 4 hours is nowhere near long enough to do everything. You could still use 2 hours to ride MF. Then you have droid and light sabre building, a Cantina, blue/green milk, popcorn and stores to visit.

 

[DisAl]

FastPass is probably more to benefit Disney than the customer. It allows them to plan for and manipulate crowds to maximize the number of people in any given park. If a particular ride such as FoP is maxed out they would rather you go ahead and spend time and money elsewhere in the park than to stand in line spending nothing. As for the reservation thing I think that is probably a good idea for crowd control. At least if you get in you know you should be able to do and see SOMETHING rather than being so crowded you can't even move. That level or crowding is also a powder keg for when some self important righteous I am entitled idiot blows his top.....

 

[Heppenheimer]

Can you imagine..how fast the FP will go...man, glad im got going back till 2021 let it settle dow a bit

Then you will have the new Guardians of the Galaxy and Tron roller coasters opening. Looks like insanity for at least the next few years.