Thank Goodness For Fast Pass

[DSNYKID]

Ok... we've got 3 hours left in the park. We really want to ride Space Mountain, Peter Pan, Buzz, POTC and take one last trip around the MK on the railroad. If we can squeeze any other attractions, it would be great.

Facts:
Space Mountain is 50 minutes in stand by line.
Peter Pan is 60 minuutes in stand by line.
Buzz is 20 minutes in stand by line.
POTC 15 minutes in stand by line.
Add up the stand by time for these rides and it's 2 hours and 15 minutes.

Plan:
Get Space Mountain Fast Pass... Return time is 75 minutes. Ride Buzz 2 times, then as a bonus ride TTA.
Now we ride Space Mountain. 1.5 hours have passed.

Next we head over to Peter Pan for a Fast Pass. Return time is 75 minutes. We then take a bonus cruise on Small World, head over to Toon Town, ride Goofy's Barn Stormer. Pefect timing gets us on the railroad, and we exit by Splash Mountain. We head towards POTC, grab a turkey leg on the way and then cruise with Capt Jack Sparrow. We then take a brisk walk over to Peter Pan.

In 2 hours and 45 minutes here is what we were able to do thanks to fast pass.
2 Buzz Lightyear
1 TTA
1 Space Mountain
1 Smail World
1 Goofy Barn Stormer
1 Railroad
1 Turkey Leg
1 POTC
1 Peter Pan

If we waited in Stand by for Space Mountain and Peter Pan alone it would have been 2 hours and 15 minutes. We could never hit all those other attractions and grab a turkey leg without the fast pass.

We are Pro Fast Pass!

 

[MrNonacho]

If Fastpass didn't exist, the Standby waits wouldn't have been that long in the first place.

 

[davinakb]

We are too, almost spoiled by it. Could not imagine waiting in the Soarin' or some other monster long line anymore. FWIW.

 

[Monty]

If Fastpass didn't exist, the Standby waits wouldn't have been that long in the first place.

While that sounds logical, the people currently bypassing stand-by by using FPs would likely be in standby and the wait would be the same or close to it. There would be individuals who wouldn't care to wait three hours in line and would choose to avoid the line, but it's impossible to determine how many do that now as compared to how many would in the absence of FPs.

Those using FPs are just using their wait time more productively.

 

[KaliSplash]

A favorite subject of mine.

Yes, the Fastpass pro demonstration that starts this thread is a good example of how it can work.

And there is no question that FastPass can save you time for one attraction. But what if the FastPass return time is 4 hours, not an hour and a half? Yes, that beats waiting in line for an hour and a half for the ride, but ...

Fastpass is in fact designed to tie you up in a park, in the hope that you will visit a fast food joint or gift shop while waiting for your FastPass time. See the Wall Street Journal of several years ago.

Yes, you can use your time productively while waiting. Yes, it can save you big time on a big ride. But when the return times are 'down the road,' which they often are after the morning rush, they lock you up if you choose to get one. Is it worth it, yes, if you're going to be staying in the park anyway.

 

[Krimedog]

The best is early in the morning on a major attraction, you go straight there, get a fast pass, ride it two times or something like that, then when it finally gets long, you use the fast pass, i love the feeling.

 

[Pixiedust1393]

The best is early in the morning on a major attraction, you go straight there, get a fast pass, ride it two times or something like that, then when it finally gets long, you use the fast pass, i love the feeling.

Same here! My favorite thing to do is get 4 fastpasses for RnRC (my dad & brother don't ride that, so my mom and I use them), then ride ToT a few times. Best feeling ever!

 

[WEDisney]

Many times my wife and I just walk around the parks and don't ride anything but I always go to the main attractions, and if FP is still open, I get two and then return around the time they are for and hand them to nice people that look like they would appreciate it. Its a way of giving my own little dreams when I am there.

 

[Robfasto]

Sounds great, our problem is that most of the time Fastpass in not open when we go. Our last trip was early February 2007 and only a hand full of rides (in ALL parks) had the Fastpass working with none in the Magic Kingdom.

Our first night in the Magic Kingdom we stayed a little over 4-5 hours (2 hrs EMH) and did most everything we wanted...

Cinderella's GoldenCarousel
it's a small world
Towmorrow Land Transit
Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin
Space Moutain
Stitch's Great Escape
Haunted Mansion
Splash Mountain x 2
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Magic Carpets of Aladdin
Pirates of the Caribbean
Country Bear Jamboree

Watch SpectoMagic

and ate at Pecos Bill's

and this with a group of 8 people including 4 first time guest.

 

[kcnole]

While lines were long before Fastpass they were never the length they are now. The problem with fastpass is that while it may help alleviate your wait on one ride it can double it on other rides around the park so unless it's used very wisely (as it looks like yours was) it winds up being a net result of zero in added productivity or sometimes even worse.

 

[WDWFigment]

Honestly, even if it is a gimmick to get you to stay in the park, spend more money on food, etc, I'd rather be eating and being a 'tourist' than waiting in line. Granted, the queues have some cool things to look at, but that novelty wears off after couple hour plus waits in line.

I also realize that wait times have gone up in general, but I still would contend that if used even somewhat well (when we go there, we make sure to get a new fast pass within 5 minutes of when it becomes available--in your story, you probably would've been elligible to get a Peter Pan fast pass before riding SM) you are waiting in line less time.

Be smart about it. If you had planned on leaving the park before your next fast pass becomes valid, pass it off to someone else. You're only a captive audience if you choose to be.

 

[Robfasto]

The biggest downside to the whole Fastpass system to 'ME' is that I don't like to keep checking my watch to see if it is time for this or time for that. I DO NOT carry a watch on vacation....

 

[DisneyMusician2]

I believe it is actually a common misconception about FP lengthening lines drastically...it shouldn't adversely affect the standby line that much unless they were giving out unlimited FP's. If everyone who got a FP got in line instead, the stand-by would end up at the same or closely similar time anyway.

 

[WDWFigment]

The biggest downside to the whole Fastpass system to 'ME' is that I don't like to keep checking my watch to see if it is time for this or time for that. I DO NOT carry a watch on vacation....

You really have no sort of time checking device? I never wear a watch, but I always have my cell phone just in case I am somehow separated from my party.

 

[Monty]

The biggest downside to the whole Fastpass system to 'ME' is that I don't like to keep checking my watch to see if it is time for this or time for that. I DO NOT carry a watch on vacation....

There are places to check the time if you want to. Any FP rides has return time posted. If it's such a downside, carry a watch

If you choose not to carry a watch, then ADRs, FPs and rope drop are all wasted on you, but others who choose to take advantage benefit all the more because you don't.

 

[DisneyMusician2]

You really have no sort of time checking device? I never wear a watch, but I always have my cell phone just in case I am somehow separated from my party.

I usually just set an alarm on my phone, or sometimes I wear a digital running watch, and set an alarm on that. I never really considered a watch a big inconvenience....better than lugging around my old sundial.

 

[Dwarful]

I don't own a cell phone and rarely wear a watch at Disney. But on our last trip I remembered to take one because my family got tired of me asking "What time is it?" lol. We use the fp and like others have said, we grab them early on. My fav. thing to do is grab them for Soarin' then go ride it a few times with no lines, hit nemo and then when our FP time is near, I run over and grab FP's for TT. Then our group all goes back on Soarin' one more time!

This past trip (Dec. 22- Dec 30) we had a big group at Epcot, but had to head for dinner before going to MK to see our niece's hsband at MK. Anyway, the FP was closed for TT and the standby wait was over 2 hours. We made 3 families VERY happy because we decided to skip TT (3rd time that day) and so we passed our FP's out to families who were wanting to ride.

 

[kcnole]

I believe it is actually a common misconception about FP lengthening lines drastically...it shouldn't adversely affect the standby line that much unless they were giving out unlimited FP's. If everyone who got a FP got in line instead, the stand-by would end up at the same or closely similar time anyway.

If they actually enforced the return times on the tickets then it wouldn't effect the lines too much, but since you can use it anytime after the slotted return time it can make standbye lines very long. It also makes other queues that wouldn't normally be that crowded like living with the land be ridiculously long.

 

[figment1985]

If Fastpass didn't exist, the Standby waits wouldn't have been that long in the first place.

exactly! jeez

 

[Robfasto]

I have been going since 1977 so I don't plan on anything. I go on vacation to enjoy myself and to me time is something I don't want to pay attention to.

When we last went in February we rode EVERY RIDE that was open and didn't get a Fastpass for anything. Of course to the best of my knowledge only Expedition Everest, Mission Space, Soarin' and the Voyage of the Little Mermaid had their Fastpass' operating... the beauty of going in the off Season.