Oh, sorry, you're only Stand By.

[G00fyDad]

I wonder how the Next Gen pre planned fast pass system will change how you can get day of fast passes. If you have a pre planned pass for Soarin' from 12-1. Will you be able to get another fast pass the day of before that time or will you have to wait until you planned time expires?

I would imagine that your "booked" FP will not interfere with your "day of" FPs. Disney would have to attach your "booked" FPs to your reservation. (which will happen) Then they will have to coordinate that with your Key to the Kingdom card at check in. It is possible, but I doubt that they will go that far. More than likely they will allot a certain number of FPs to each day and it will be first come, first serve for online bookings. Just like TS reservations (PS). The number of FPs given out at the parks on the "day of" may not even change. I would think that the two will not be intertwined.

This whole xPass thing has me smiling. We know what days we are going to be in certain parks because of our PS arrangements. That alone will allow me to "book" FPs for those mornings and we can knock out the major rides early in the day, no muss, no fuss. Then, if we get a FP for later, then we do, if not... then at least we will have ridden it once.

The Land is one of my favorite ride in Epcot. It makes me want to eat better, and plant what I eat. The feeling doesn't usually last through a trip around World Showcase, but I get the feeling every time.

We love Living with the Land. There is just something about it that screams DISNEY to me. Especially around the old farm scene. IDK what it is about it. It just feels right. :sohappy:

 

[spock]

Agree with the OP on one point

I do have to say I agree with the OP on one point... I've never cared for the term "Stand by" line in reference to the regular non-FP line. I guess they have to call it something, but I've been to the park with people who get confused about what it is until I explain that it's just the regular line. I've even heard people ask, "Stand by line...Is that better than the fastpass line?"

 

[Mansion Butler]

The Cast Members at the merge points of the stand-by & Fastpass lines hear this all the time. The Stand-by line hates seeing so many Fastpass go and they have to wait.

Yep. When I worked an attraction with a merge, it was actually insane to me how many people thought stand by should get preference. Let alone the people who though the two things were equal.

That would defeat the entire point. Get a FastPass. Stop and ask me how FP works, I'll gladly explain it to you. Open a park map and look at the first page. Do two seconds of planning before showing up. I want you to have a good day, but I'm not going to feel terribly sorry for you if you don't get a FastPass because you ______?

 

[Magic Lamp]

This is what's wrong with today's culture; everything has to be planned in advanced, NOW - as in instant gratification - or entirely free of charge.

Whatever happend to spontaneity? Sure there are more people in the park than there were ten, twenty years ago, but it's all turned into one big operation that if you don't carefully plan and tinker on your day of visit you get screwed and the fun is over before you could even hop on the first ride. I'm just getting the horror to book my next visit and if I would even enjoy it with all those FP users running past me.

The fast pass was introduced for some people to skip the line, not everyone. Once the traffic on the FP line exceeds the one in the regular line, the whole purpose of it has been defeated.

If you want a fast pass and act like a VIP you should pay extra.

 

[Mansion Butler]

This is what's wrong with today's culture; everything has to be planned in advanced, NOW - as in instant gratification - or entirely free of charge.

Whatever happend to spontaneity? Sure there are more people in the park than there were ten, twenty years ago, but it's all turned into one big operation that if you don't carefully plan and tinker on your day of visit you get screwed and the fun is over before you could even hop on the first ride. I'm just getting the horror to book my next visit and if I would even enjoy it with all those FP users running past me.

Unfortunately for you, what you do not find enjoyable, others do.

The fast pass was introduced for some people to skip the line, not everyone. Once the traffic on the FP line exceeds the one in the regular line, the whole purpose of it has been defeated.

What you are suggesting ranges from unlikely to impossible for most attractions. You'll notice Fast Passes run out. That's because a certain number are allotted for every time period.

FP can only exceed the traffic in the regular line if the regular line is close to empty. In which case the FP is still going to be marginally longer, at worst.

If you want a fast pass and act like a VIP you should pay extra.

I don't know anyone who acts like a VIP when they get a Fast Pass. Why should they have to pay extra?

In any case, they already do pay extra. FP is included in park admission. Some use it, some punt the money.

 

[G00fyDad]

If you want a fast pass and act like a VIP you should pay extra.

I would. :wave:

 

[jlevis]

They should put new fastpass machines in. You put, say $5, into a slot and a fastpass kicks out. That would be fun to watch. :ROFLOL:

 

[olinecoach61]

I want to do that... gladly. I enjoy not waiting in excessively long lines. It makes the day more enjoyable. You should really try taking advantage of the Fastpass feature.

Proper use of the FastPass feature allows you to maximize the number of things you can do in your day at the parks. You can get a fastpass to your favorite E ticket attractions and then schedule visits to smaller attractions in the in-between time and not have to worry about ridiculous lines, AND it's of no extra charge. What's not to love??

Me too!

 

[Tom Morrow]

In any case, they already do pay extra. FP is included in park admission. Some use it, some punt the money.

That's kind of like saying napkins are included with park admission.

 

[docdebbi]

i'm all about planning my trip ahead of time to some degree. i like having my meals planned, my extras like BBB planned, my shows like fantasmic, and parades planned, and a general schedule of when i hope to do which rides, etc.
BUT, the xPass concerns me significantly. we take my (currently) 1 and 3 year old grandsons, soon will be taking a (new) third grandson when we go. i am envisioning having to plan every ride with xPass: one unplanned potty break or dirty diaper destroying everything and missing the return times. how about a cranky tired 3 year old who just needs a fifteen minute UNPLANNED ice cream break, or even worse.........a unplanned nap!
can't plan when the kids will get cranky or hungry.
one thing i've learned since the grandsons is that a plan is a goal, not a guarantee! we've learned to adapt the schedule as needed during the day.
with xPass, miss one return time and if the rest of the day is already planned, there is no spot to put this ride back in the schedule.
this works great for adults, but families with kids, this may be a problem, and don't most groups (no not all, i've done disney without kids myself) have kids with them?

 

[nepalostparks]

That's kind of like saying napkins are included with park admission.

Bad analogy. The napkins are included in the price of the food you buy at the restaurant.

Everything you see, do, use, etc, has it's cost built in somewhere. FP is certainly built into the cost of something, and admission makes the most sense. Either way, you are paying for it.... so why not take advantage of it?

 

[nepalostparks]

i'm all about planning my trip ahead of time to some degree. i like having my meals planned, my extras like BBB planned, my shows like fantasmic, and parades planned, and a general schedule of when i hope to do which rides, etc.
BUT, the xPass concerns me significantly. we take my (currently) 1 and 3 year old grandsons, soon will be taking a (new) third grandson when we go. i am envisioning having to plan every ride with xPass: one unplanned potty break or dirty diaper destroying everything and missing the return times. how about a cranky tired 3 year old who just needs a fifteen minute UNPLANNED ice cream break, or even worse.........a unplanned nap!
can't plan when the kids will get cranky or hungry.
one thing i've learned since the grandsons is that a plan is a goal, not a guarantee! we've learned to adapt the schedule as needed during the day.
with xPass, miss one return time and if the rest of the day is already planned, there is no spot to put this ride back in the schedule.
this works great for adults, but families with kids, this may be a problem, and don't most groups (no not all, i've done disney without kids myself) have kids with them?

All of that is worst case scenario. And that's assuming that xPass ends up being what you describe. I have doubts it's going to be as rigid in scheduling as some are envisioning. Even if it is so, it's not as though the stand by lines will be closed up where if you miss your "reserved time" you have no opportunity to visit the attraction.

 

[wilkeliza]

To the people who say you "have to play in advanced" no one is forcing you to take part in fastpass or xpass (which will not even be called xpass). These are optional services. I have gone during high traffic periods (not Christmas or NYE those are insane to me) and during low periods. During both times we maybe get 4 fast passes max if that even. We don't plan our day we just know what park we will be in each day and know the general layout. We know for Magic Kingdom it is best to either do Peter Pan first thing in the morning or last as night. Out of the 4 times I've rode the ride only once did we use a fastpass. I know with Pooh wait times are much later in high noon when most little ones are napping and then the end of the day so I do that one accordingly. The only planning I do is one ADR a day and usually for dinner after whatever night show runs at that park.

It just seems that people act like they are forced to partake in these services. Nothing says you have to take a fastpass to ride a ride. Also since you are on this fan board I would assume that although you may not be a planner you are a educated Disney goer who would know that TSM has to be either the first or last thing you do to avoid long waits and that Space and BTRR waits can flux all day and are a hit or miss but children's rides tend to follow a pattern.

 

[SMS55]

I know this goes against everything you said at the end of your post but......get a fastpass :lol:

They give you ample time to plan it out correctly. There is plenty to do at Disney World near everything....so if I get a FP at Splash I can go on BTM, get a drink, go to pirates, hang at tom sawyer island etc. You don't need to stand around waiting. I don't understand the FP hate, obviously, looking at your post, tons of people are using it without issue......

You have to remember we are not the average Disney visitor. We don't need maps to get around the park. The average family has been there once or twice perhaps. They a have their face buried in a map for a portion of the day trying to figure out where they are.
Also you said "plan it out." This is a vacation. You have to plan everything back home that the average person doesn't like the idea of planning stuff while on vacation too.

 

[J03Y]

i'm like you a bit. i just like to have a general idea before i go of what rides i know i want to ride but in the end i just go on whatever rides when i get there. but i don't agree on your view of the fastpasses. they help immensely with saving time and energy and you enjoy the park itself as well.

by nature FP were made so you could skip the regular line if you just wanted to ride the attraction and get it out of the way (which is what i do if i don't want to spend forever in the queue for a certain attraction). so don't hate those who utilize the resources given. the whole point of the tickets is so you can enjoy the theme park more and at the end of it all that's what matters.

now the only problem i have with the FP system is that yes, it makes the Stand-By line even longer than it should be and it's frankly annoying when all you want to do is enjoy the atmosphere of the queue and ride, yet these lazy bums are walking through "just to get it over with", to quote what i said. when, um, how could just want to get Splash Mountain or Haunted Mansion over with? the queues for those lines (while long indeed) are so cool and make the ride even better with their atmosphere.

 

[Nemo14]

by nature FP were made so you could skip the regular line if you just wanted to ride the attraction and get it out of the way (which is what i do if i don't want to spend forever in the queue for a certain attraction). so don't hate those who utilize the resources given. the whole point of the tickets is so you can enjoy the theme park more and at the end of it all that's what matters.

now the only problem i have with the FP system is that yes, it makes the Stand-By line even longer than it should be and it's frankly annoying when all you want to do is enjoy the atmosphere of the queue and ride, yet these lazy bums are walking through "just to get it over with", to quote what i said. when, um, how could just want to get Splash Mountain or Haunted Mansion over with? the queues for those lines (while long indeed) are so cool and make the ride even better with their atmosphere.

I understand what you're saying, but I disagree that fastpass makes the standby waits longer. Without FP, those people would be standing in front of you in line anyway, so it really hasn't changed your wait time. I remember what the lines were like before Fastpass, and believe me, FP was a great improvement over that.

I agree about the atmosphere of the queues enhancing the rides though, and there are some lines (certainly not all) that are "just another ride" without that buildup that a carefully designed queue provides.

 

[Grumps]

i'm like you a bit. i just like to have a general idea before i go of what rides i know i want to ride but in the end i just go on whatever rides when i get there. but i don't agree on your view of the fastpasses. they help immensely with saving time and energy and you enjoy the park itself as well.

by nature FP were made so you could skip the regular line if you just wanted to ride the attraction and get it out of the way (which is what i do if i don't want to spend forever in the queue for a certain attraction). so don't hate those who utilize the resources given. the whole point of the tickets is so you can enjoy the theme park more and at the end of it all that's what matters.

now the only problem i have with the FP system is that yes, it makes the Stand-By line even longer than it should be and it's frankly annoying when all you want to do is enjoy the atmosphere of the queue and ride, yet these lazy bums are walking through "just to get it over with", to quote what i said. when, um, how could just want to get Splash Mountain or Haunted Mansion over with? the queues for those lines (while long indeed) are so cool and make the ride even better with their atmosphere.

I don't want to just "get the ride over with". But I hate standing in line...especially with a little kid. Besides standing in line for 45-60 minutes means missing out on the rest of the park. So if it means missing out on a queue that I have already seen then so be it. But that doesn't mean that I don't enjoy the ride any more than someone who chooses to use the stand-by line.

 

[J03Y]

I don't want to just "get the ride over with". But I hate standing in line...especially with a little kid. Besides standing in line for 45-60 minutes means missing out on the rest of the park. So if it means missing out on a queue that I have already seen then so be it. But that doesn't mean that I don't enjoy the ride any more than someone who chooses to use the stand-by line.

:dazzle: obviously if the queue line is 45-60 minutes, i wouldn't hold it against you to get a fastpass. no sane person waits an hour to get on a ride.

and i see what you're saying. little kids in Stand-By queues can get on your nerves a bit. it is a smart thing to get FP when you have them along. but you can't deny that sometimes there is that one group of people that get on the ride to get it over with. i'm talking about those people. i'm not talking about the sane people who get the FP for logical reasons like having 3 years olds in the party and Stand-By time being a major issue.

 

[BrittanyRose428]

To the people who say you "have to play in advanced" no one is forcing you to take part in fastpass or xpass (which will not even be called xpass). These are optional services. I have gone during high traffic periods (not Christmas or NYE those are insane to me) and during low periods. During both times we maybe get 4 fast passes max if that even. We don't plan our day we just know what park we will be in each day and know the general layout. We know for Magic Kingdom it is best to either do Peter Pan first thing in the morning or last as night. Out of the 4 times I've rode the ride only once did we use a fastpass. I know with Pooh wait times are much later in high noon when most little ones are napping and then the end of the day so I do that one accordingly. The only planning I do is one ADR a day and usually for dinner after whatever night show runs at that park.

It just seems that people act like they are forced to partake in these services. Nothing says you have to take a fastpass to ride a ride. Also since you are on this fan board I would assume that although you may not be a planner you are a educated Disney goer who would know that TSM has to be either the first or last thing you do to avoid long waits and that Space and BTRR waits can flux all day and are a hit or miss but children's rides tend to follow a pattern.

Agreed 100%. I hardly ever use fastpass and do just fine. I will never understand the huge issue with this. Even during Christmas week this past year I only used a couple, though this was because most of the machines were out due to the crowds, but I waited in the stand by lines and it was not the end of the world. I didn't go to WDW for a week to make myself miserable just because I had to wait in line and the fastpass line was moving quicker. It really isn't a big deal to me. :shrug:

 

[Uncle Lupe]

Any system is going to have issues. These problems are going to be magnified when rules are not enforced. If the return times are not followed then the new system will not work any better than the current system.

Now the RFID would help them CM to enforce the change. If your bracelet does not turn the Fastpass machine green, no dice. Your return time is not valid.

I was a rule breaker during our visit. Get FP's in the morning and use them later in the day.

I got some bad looks because I acted like a VIP and entered the ride like this....