Would you discontinue FastPass?

[sgtmgd]

Spoken like a true Guest.

If Disney doesn't hide how Fastpass works, then why does it not advertise you can only get 1 Fastpass at a time?

Explaining things is part of the job, but when you are trying to explain the complexities of the system that aren't advertised or you are being bombarded by Guests at the distribution area with the exact same questions and consistent problem with Fastpass machines... it gets old quick. Even when they get a ticket out of the machine that explains to them what to do, they still don't understand.

Go work a merge point or Fastpass Return position and you'll understand real quick why this system is hated by Cast Members. Maybe you'll see why they expect more from their "low paying job" in which they are threatened, ridiculed and spit on all in the name of Fastpass. Guest don't like when their stroller is moved, but no one is dropping f-bombs or screaming that the Cast isn't doing their job.

It's hard to be a good "customer representative" when you are yelled at and told to explain yourself at a Merge point, but the Guest doesn't care what they answers is and all the poor Cast Member can do is to keep explaining the same point the Guest doesn't want to hear. By that time, Stand-by could have been loaded on the ride.

Wait in line for Peter Pan's Flight in the summer, fully extended queue, and the ride has just come back from being stopped for 5 minutes. You will love how much your wait time is going to increase due to the Merge Cast Member having to take almost 100 people before they even maybe take 5-8 people from Stand-by.

The point of the Fast Pass system isnt to make life easy for a cast member, its to make life easy for the people paying to be in WDW. Disgruntled tourist are part of the job if you decide to be a cast memeber, no one is suggesting that Cast members that work fast pass areas have an easy job...but its nor rocket science either..It amuses me when people wholeheartledly complain about a job that is easily replaced. A cast member can put in their notice at any time, if you're not a people person with decent customer facing skills then you're in the wrong job. I certainly wouldnt stand there in 95 degree heat with an 80% humidity over the summer day after day and deal with the ever present needy people that are indeed rude and obnoxious..but then again they pay good money to do that...and you in turn get paid to deal with it. Life is full of choices..should be pretty clear what a cast member is called to do on a day to day basis. We will generally go out of our way to thank some CM's each trip that seem to handle the people you are talking about in the way they should be handled..but none of that has anything to do with whether a fast pass is good or bad for Disney..Ive heard far more complaints in line at Pecos Bill than I do at space mountain..

 

[sgtmgd]

Bolded for emphasis! Well put.

Rest assured, that the merge CM does feel bad whenever they have to take a ridiculous ratio to accommodate Fastpasses. If the CM could, they would take 50/50. But if you did that, the Fastpass line would be out the front entrance and beyond in no time.Somehow, I don't even see how it's possible for it to get an "abysmal" line. Today, at least until it gets Fastpass+ or whatever, you can wait through the entire indoor queue at POTC in about 20 minutes with both sides of the load station open.

Tom,

POTC easily went 3 hours when it first opened..Space Mountain also 3 hours..dotn get me started on 20,000 Leagues under the sea...180 minutes seemed to be the Disney Number in those early days..but you expected that..E ticklet rides were going to have long waits. In those early days rope drop ment running to your favorite place to eat to get a reservation..as there were no ADR's...Ive stood in line 90 minutes to get a seat at the Diamond Horseshoe Review when it was a real Show..reservations at he major food places were done within 2 hours of opening...

 

[Goofyernmost]

Tom,

POTC easily went 3 hours when it first opened..Space Mountain also 3 hours..dotn get me started on 20,000 Leagues under the sea...180 minutes seemed to be the Disney Number in those early days..but you expected that..E ticklet rides were going to have long waits. In those early days rope drop ment running to your favorite place to eat to get a reservation..as there were no ADR's...Ive stood in line 90 minutes to get a seat at the Diamond Horseshoe Review when it was a real Show..reservations at he major food places were done within 2 hours of opening...

Sorry, still not buying that time for PoTC. I have been going to that ride for 30 years now and have only once encountered a line that went beyond the indoor queue. And that didn't take more then 20 minutes. In fact, in the early days, previous to FP, with the exception of Space Mountain, nothing was even an hour. Even the most popular. The absolute original grand opening, OK, but that didn't last very long.

The reason for that is partially because you thought differently about a ride back then. No matter what, you were going to have to go through the one and only queue line. If you approached a place like PoTC and it had a long, long line you would bypass it and find one less crowded. You would then come back at a different time when the line was smaller and ride it then. (Kind of like a self administered FP) Now if you don't have a Fastpass and you want to get into a specific attraction you HAVE to get in line now, cause it my be even worse later and will always be longer then what it was before FP.

20K was a different animal, it was a slow loading ride that didn't take a very big bite out of the line with every passing sub. It was unique so therefore we waited in line, did it once during the trip and then found something else to do. There was plenty.

 

[sgtmgd]

I was there over labor day and POTC queue was outside the door. Ive been to WDW more than most...since year one to present, The lines were long in those days..perspective from kid to adult aside..but Ive stood 3 hours for space and POTC on several occasions..even the raceway could top 60 minutes to 90 minutes pending on the crowd levels in those early days. You are correct in that timing was everything in those days..people had to traverse back and forth across the parks multiple time in order to ride everything. The haunted Mansion was another long wait in those days..now Im certanly not stating that each of these rides were a 3 hour queue every second of every day..but they were there more often than not in the 70's-early 80's depending on the time of year.

 

[doctornick]

Yeah... like the Dad who is running like a lunatic to GET ALL THE FASTPASSES AND RIDE ALL THE RIDES!!! ATHGGDLFGDJG!!!!!!!

And what's wrong with that? Some people want to run around commando style and do as many rides as possible in a day. Other people want more leisurely visits or more spontaneity. WDW allows people to experience it in different ways.

 

[jayhawkmickey]

My wife and I go at low crowd times of the year so we love fastpasses. Just takes 30 sec to figure out which order to go in and badabing, plenty of time to do everything. Same with doing rides during parades and fireworks.

 

[WondersOfLife]

I would NOT discontinue fastpasses!!

I use them every single time I'm down there and it's not my fault that most guests don't know/refuse to use fastpasses and would rather wait 20 minutes - over an hours worth of waiting in line, rather than walking on any ride in less than 5 minutes. Without it, I wouldn't be able to ride every single ride at Magic Kingdom in one day and I love the new fastpass thing they're coming out with.

The fact that you have to pay for it at Universal really bugged me because I remember when they used to not allow you to pay for them. Now, I had to wait over 40 minutes to ride hulk and a full hour for Harry Potter.

At Disneyland, I waited an hour and a half to ride Space Mountain. And I would have had to wait 2 and a half hours to ride matterhorn bobsleds.

I don't wait in lines. Not my thing. I love fastpasses. They make my parke times less frustrating and easier to do everything I want to do without missing a show or parade or lunch

 

[WondersOfLife]

And what's wrong with that? Some people want to run around commando style and do as many rides as possible in a day. Other people want more leisurely visits or more spontaneity. WDW allows people to experience it in different ways.

I definately walk around commando style. I then take a break and ride TTA PeopleMover for 30 minutes without getting off. Or Ellen and Great Movie Ride.

 

[DfromATX]

While I don't really have opinion about limiting FP to resort guests one way or the other, I don't think this argument makes sense. For starters, not everyone can afford to go to WDW; that doesn't mean the people that can and do pay shouldn't be able to go to the theme park. But more specifically, if TDO wants to use FP as a benefit to staying at their own hotels -- as Universal does with their pass, incidentally -- then that's certainly within their rights. If anything, it would help to justify the higher cost of WDW resort hotels compared to their nearby competitors.

It would be an awesome perk to stay at their resorts for sure.

 

[Goofyernmost]

It would be an awesome perk to stay at their resorts for sure.

Sure but if anyone thinks that Universals Express Pass is expensive. Compare it to how much it costs to stay at any Disney Resort. I'll pay for the Fastpass if they eventually charge for it and save a ton of money in the process. If they ever actually go to free fastpass for staying on-site...they will have to offer it for sale for those that don't or face a massive revolution, in my opinion.

 

[bdearl41]

While I don't really have opinion about limiting FP to resort guests one way or the other, I don't think this argument makes sense. For starters, not everyone can afford to go to WDW; that doesn't mean the people that can and do pay shouldn't be able to go to the theme park. But more specifically, if TDO wants to use FP as a benefit to staying at their own hotels -- as Universal does with their pass, incidentally -- then that's certainly within their rights. If anything, it would help to justify the higher cost of WDW resort hotels compared to their nearby competitors.

Not saying its not within their rights or that I dont see it as a good business practice but my thought is if you do that you really hurt your repeat customers that dont stay on property. A great deal of people come to orlando yearly in a condo, or choose to stay in a condo because a) its more practical b) they have larger families and c) more economical. No reason to hurt those folks. Not saying everyone should get a free ticket to WDW, but they are paying like 90 bucks a day, i feel that warrants the opportunity to a fastpass.

 

[DfromATX]

Sure but if anyone thinks that Universals Express Pass is expensive. Compare it to how much it costs to stay at any Disney Resort. I'll pay for the Fastpass if they eventually charge for it and save a ton of money in the process. If they ever actually go to free fastpass for staying on-site...they will have to offer it for sale for those that don't or face a massive revolution, in my opinion.

We're going to Universal for 2 days (for our first time this summer) before our "real" vacation at Disney, and we do not plan to purchase the fast passes. We'll see how it goes without. I hope it's not too bad. We are also staying offsite. He's planning the Universal portion and I'm in charge of the Disney portion. He's being a lot more frugal than I am.

 

[olinecoach61]

I enjoy using the fast pass system. I would never stand in a 90 min line to ride a ride, with fp I get to kip the line

 

[Goofyernmost]

We're going to Universal for 2 days (for our first time this summer) before our "real" vacation at Disney, and we do not plan to purchase the fast passes. We'll see how it goes without. I hope it's not too bad. We are also staying offsite. He's planning the Universal portion and I'm in charge of the Disney portion. He's being a lot more frugal than I am.

I went to Universal just last week. I will grant that it is a quieter week in mid-January, but I contemplated getting an express pass but then decided not too. I had no trouble riding everything I wanted. I went through most of the rides without anymore than a 20 minute wait in Universal. I can't really speak for IOA because there are only a couple that interest me (Spiderman) and since I went solo I could use the single rider line and got on instantly. I guess it really depends on when you are actually going.

 

[DfromATX]

And what's wrong with that? Some people want to run around commando style and do as many rides as possible in a day. Other people want more leisurely visits or more spontaneity. WDW allows people to experience it in different ways.

Exactly! Our first plan of action when we get to HS is to bolt to get fast pass for Rockin' Roller Coaster. We don't do that with everything, but last time we didn't get to ride it at all.

 

[Belowthesurface]

The point of the Fast Pass system isnt to make life easy for a cast member, its to make life easy for the people paying to be in WDW.

No, its original intent was to make money, not make your life easier. It especially wasn't designed to make the life of a Cast Member easier. Talk to the folks who were on the frontlines when this first rolled out. They'll tell how savage it was.

You experience at Walt Disney World and quality of Cast Member would definitely change if Fastpass was gone. There would be a release of tension caused by not having to constantly juggle the two lines and all the drama that goes alone with them.

I realize Guests don't care about what Cast Members have to deal with or feel, but they should care about the quality of service and the people behind it. Many Cast Members are turned rabid rather quickly by the Fastpass system. I've talked to many old timers (started in the 70s and 80s) and they will tell you darn quickly that Cast used to be all about the Guest and themeing.Think of that next time you hear a CM yelling like a Commando "THIS IS FASTPASS ONLY!!! "IF YOU DON"T HAVE ONE, THE REGULAR LINE IS THERE!" or the next time a poor International Cast Member from China is being ridiculed by a Guest at Merge, so they let more Fastpass go through because they are scared of being yelled at. If only you knew how many Cast Members cry because of merge points.

Now, Ops Cast are all about NUMBERS! CLEARING FASTPASS LINES! and LOADING AT ALL COSTS!

 

[Belowthesurface]

And what's wrong with that? Some people want to run around commando style and do as many rides as possible in a day. Other people want more leisurely visits or more spontaneity. WDW allows people to experience it in different ways.

I'm sorry. I can't but help to think it's funny when people run to get a Fastpass when the wait is 20 minutes or less. Without Fastpass, you'd be waiting a heck of a lot less. Here's a tip: don't get a Fastpass and the waits won't be as long.

 

[Belowthesurface]

Tom,

POTC easily went 3 hours when it first opened..Space Mountain also 3 hours..dotn get me started on 20,000 Leagues under the sea...180 minutes seemed to be the Disney Number in those early days..but you expected that..E ticklet rides were going to have long waits. In those early days rope drop ment running to your favorite place to eat to get a reservation..as there were no ADR's...Ive stood in line 90 minutes to get a seat at the Diamond Horseshoe Review when it was a real Show..reservations at he major food places were done within 2 hours of opening...

On the first day of operation for the new Mermaid attraction, it had a 45 minute wait at worse.

The next day--when Fastpass was available-- it became a 2 hour wait.

Before that, Pooh got rid of Fastpass for a week and it had 20-25 minute waits.

With Fastpass, 40-60 minutes waits.

What about any of this makes things better?

 

[neoshinok]

On the first day of operation for the new Mermaid attraction, it had a 45 minute wait at worse.

The next day--when Fastpass was available-- it became a 2 hour wait.

Before that, Pooh got rid of Fastpass for a week and it had 20-25 minute waits.

With Fastpass, 40-60 minutes waits.

What about any of this makes things better?

I'm glad someone else who witnessed this first person noticed the difference. Without a FP merge blocking the line, most rides really have a very efficient capacity. Waiting for Big Thunder without FP, we moved at a nearly constant walking speed. It's the 80/20 FP to standby ratio that create the 140 minute wait for rides.

 

[Belowthesurface]

I'm glad someone else who witnessed this first person noticed the difference. Without a FP merge blocking the line, most rides really have a very efficient capacity. Waiting for Big Thunder without FP, we moved at a nearly constant walking speed. It's the 80/20 FP to standby ratio that create the 140 minute wait for rides.

I can see it now...

The Imagineers decide how to create a ride with great capacity and lines that consistently move.

"No,no no no no.... we need to make this even better for our Guests and focus on them by letting some of them bypass all of our hard work and set up for this attraction."

"Yeah! Let's also make it so the Stand-by line can watch those people go ahead of them!"

"Oh! I got it.... let's destroy the easy and simple flow of our line by halting it every 4 people"

"We also need to cut holes in walls and shoe horn an extra line in this building."