Fast Pass comments

[mjm]

This may have been discussed before, but I haven't looked. (I know my bad)

But, a friend from work just got back from WDW and was complaining about Fast Pass. They have two small children that need naps in the afternoon. So what time does their Fast Pass have printed to come back? In the afternoon of course. So, they weren't able to use Fast Pass as much as they would've liked. They did come back in the evenings, but still there would'nt be that many Passes left.

I know that we (Intercotees) always recommend using Fast Pass, but no longer having small children, I didn't consider this problem?

So, I'm not sure I'm looking for solutions, but I would like to read other people's comments on this situation.

I know there've been comments before that it would be nice if you could pick up multiple Passes at the same time instead of waiting an hour.

[bobpfef]

Why didn't they just use the FP when they came back to the park later. I did that all the time when my kids needed to go back to the hotel to take a nap.

The times they care about on the FP are the earliest time you can come back. If you are later they don't mind.

[Seasonscraps]

The return time is posted on the boards by the FastPass kiosks so your friend could wait to get the fast pass when the return time is convenient. Maybe they could have picked up the FP on the way out of the park so their return time would be after naps.

We don't have kids either but I sometimes find the return times later then I planned to hang around the park. Luckily we mostly travel during off peak times so line waits are usually not a big issue.

[darthmacho]

Something that scared me about the Fastpass System was a post a few weeks back that said during school vacation week, the crowds were so huge that the line for fastpasses were up to an hour long and that most of the fastpasses were gone my morning. :jaw:

[DVC2004]

Right, they could have come back later. They'll take the FPs the same day anytime after the time on the ticket.

[mjm]

The times they care about on the FP are the earliest time you can come back. If you are later they don't mind.

I don't think they knew that.

I'm not sure I knew that. :unsure:

And, they did use FP later, but didn't like staying later to just use FP.

[MOJoe]

Priorities. Choices. Tradeoffs.
Fastpasses are not without their drawbacks. On my last trip i didn't get to Soarin' until the Fastpass return time was 5:30 in the afternoon. I knew that if i used the Fastpass that i would probably be late for my ADR at the Brown Derby. So what to do? Stand in line for 2 hours? Skip the ride? Skip dinner? My family decided to wait for our Fastpass return time, and take a chance that we could get seated for a late dinner at the Brown Derby. Lukily we did get to eat, around 8:45, but not without some consternation on my part.
Fastpasses offer yet another choice to the WDW experience. And not all the choices are positive. But still, at least you have the choice to experience the attraction and not stand in a 2 hour line.

[ThanxForNoticin]

Priorities. Choices. Tradeoffs.
Fastpasses are not without their drawbacks.

I totally agree. The FastPass is an option that Disney offers to help people plan their day - just like EMH, single-rider lines, and child swapping. If using the FP doesn't work into a particular family's schedule, then you just don't use it. I don't think it's a problem just because the return time falls during nap time.

We don't have real little ones anymore, but there are days that we plan something outside of a park for the afternoon - it's often the case that we can't use FP because the return time just doesn't work that day.

And we have not done it often, but we did not have a problem returning to a FP entrance after our time had expired. That's not an ideal option, but it is an option.

[wedway fan]

And we have not done it often, but we did not have a problem returning to a FP entrance after our time had expired. That's not an ideal option, but it is an option.

so the end time printed on a FP is more a suggestion than a rule? i didn't know that either. has that been other people's experience as well- that you can use a FP at anytime after the start time?

[Dicecatt262]

Fast pass is not good before the return time...but it will work after, on the same day. I am not suggesting bypassing the rules...CMs have told me that very thing...I wouldn't suggest doing it as a rule, but things come up. If you were sat late at a meal, or if a nap ran long, ect, you can still use it. Disney doesn't adverstise this, obviously things would go haywire if everyone returned whenever they want to. But in cases like your friends, they should have just used their FP upon the return to the park.

I just had to do it last week...Space was down during my return time and it was down again later...I came back at night with my 10:30 AM FP. The CM said Wow, from this morning? And I said the ride was down half the day. He was going to let me on anyway, though.

Like I said, I am not suggesting you break any rules...it should be used just as a "dinner ran late" or "ride was down" type of thing, otherwise FP will not work for anyone. CMs except maybe brand new ones will tell you it is okay, same day.

[dixielandings]

My only comment on this is to basically agree with PPs - nothing's perfect. Just because it may happen to not fit my particular plan for the day doesn't mean it's not working. There are a number of things at WDW that I would change if I could to suit my personal needs but that might mess things up for someone else.

The options for scheduling a WDW trip/itinerary are just about endless! Which is what makes planning one a glorious nightmare!!:mickey:

[Speedy1998]

so the end time printed on a FP is more a suggestion than a rule? i didn't know that either. has that been other people's experience as well- that you can use a FP at anytime after the start time?

Not always. There was a heated debate here a couple of months ago because Disney was not honoring fastpasses that were outside their return window. I think they were enforcing the return window during the week of Christmas (one of the busiest of the year). Personnally I thought touring the parks was much easier prior to Fastpass.

[Ian]

I'm very confused ... the sign above the machine tells you what the return time on your pass will be. Why were they surprised that it was in the afternoon?

And also ... if their kids needed afternoon naps, why didn't they hit the parks early so their FP return times would be early too?

Sounds like they needed a good dose of INTERCOT before they left! ;)

[gtpooh]

CMs have told us you can use the FP any time after the first portion of the return time window. I hope that doesn't change (I know someone said it has been strictly enforced at certain times)!

[TiggerRPh]

If you get to the parks after 10 AM or wait to get your FP's this is going to happen. This just goes to show you that if you want to get a FP at somewhat early time, you have to get them early.

If you're planning on riding an attraction that's popular, you need to get the FP as soon as possible.

I'm assuming in the case of the OP's friend that they did not do this. I've gone in June and was able to get morning FP's if I got them right away in the day or soon after 9 AM.

[GrumpyFan]

We've always used FP and thought it was great. Of course, there are times when it's more optimal to use than others, so you have to weigh that when trying to work it in with your schedule. When travelling with small children, and during busy seasons, you just have to make the best of it, or plan very carefully.

[vizsla]

I feel that FP is a good perk but should only be offered to Disney resort guests, AP holders, and Florida resident holders. I have been at the parks during busier times of the year and at times FP was totally useless. FP's were gone for the day by 9:3oam. I feel if a non-Disney resort guest would like to utilize FP they should have to pay an additional fee to their ticket price just like many other parks do around the country.

[mjm]

I'm very confused ... the sign above the machine tells you what the return time on your pass will be. Why were they surprised that it was in the afternoon?

And also ... if their kids needed afternoon naps, why didn't they hit the parks early so their FP return times would be early too?

Sounds like they needed a good dose of INTERCOT before they left! ;)

To clear up some points:

1. My friends did look at the sign and then saw they wouldn't be able to use FP. This is what they were unhappy about. They didn't get FPs and then realize they couldn't use them. Although they did get some FPs to use at night. This also brings up they were in the parks later than they wanted sometimes in order to use FP.

2. They stayed "on property" and went to the parks early; sometimes utilizing early entry days. That also brings up a complaint about WDW not openning rides during early entry, but that's another thread.;)

3. This was their first time to WDW. I did recommend Intercot and I know they were web surfing. But, I can't say for sure they were here.

4. Since this was their first time they were a little overwhelmed by the wait times and line lengths. This was why they were unhappy about not being able to use FPs all the time. They reported line waits of 45 minutes most times. Yeah, I know that's nothin' compared to peak times, but they weren't used to it.

5. BTW, I should also report their kids were well behaved and that wasn't a consideration; probably because of the naps.

[SBETigg]

Right, they could have come back later. They'll take the FPs the same day anytime after the time on the ticket.

This isn't actually true. They do have an expiration time and it is often, not always, enforced. At busy times, they often have to enforce the expiration due to crowds. If the Fastpass line was as packed as the regular line due to people thinking they could show up whenever, there wouldn't be much point to Fastpass.

[irish1967]

Visits to WDW can definitely improve with experience...Next time your friends will be able to utilize the system more effectively because of their experience the first time.

Perhaps your friends had unrealistic expectations about their trip, particularly considering that they had a child/children that napped. However, can any first time visitor really have realistic expectations about their visit to WDW? Probably not.

[castlelady36]

This isn't actually true. They do have an expiration time and it is often, not always, enforced. At busy times, they often have to enforce the expiration due to crowds. If the Fastpass line was as packed as the regular line due to people thinking they could show up whenever, there wouldn't be much point to Fastpass.

I agree. We have seen several people turned away as the time on their FP had expired. Some were very angry but on your FP it clearly shows when you must return to the ride. Though not always convenient it still is better than standing in line for 2 hours in my opinion.