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View Full Version : FASTPASS vs. Standby



Trev&Ev Mom
10-23-2007, 11:39 AM
We just got back last night and I cannot believe how crowded the parks were. Sorin' was a 80 minute wait, Test Track 130 min, Splash Mountain & Space Mountain 60 min!!! Fastpass people just walked right on. I love Fastpass and think its a great idea, but it seems as if Disney is almost forcing you to use Fastpass or your punished by waiting in never ending lines! Have they changed the ratio of Fastpasses given out or the way that they are allowed on rides? All Fastpass people were just walking right on and then only whoever could fit was allowed off the standby line. Has something changed to allow this?

#1donaldfan
10-23-2007, 12:43 PM
Fastpass is a wonderful invention. Those people you saw, moving straight onto the ride, were the same people standing in antoher line for 60 minutes, waiting for their alloted time to use the pass. I think it all comes out in the wash, if you use the pass correctly and to your advantage. I understand nobody likes waiting so long to ride a 1 minute ride, but I guess it's a necessary "evil" to enjoy the magic. With so many people "living the magic", it's sorta understandable the lines will be long....

Belle_0717
10-23-2007, 12:52 PM
I just got back too.

If the wait was 20 minutes (or less) - like Soarin' - we waited and got a fast pass for later. We also got there before 10 am.

The day at AK was EMH. We rode EE and never got a Fastpass. There was technical probs and when we returned it was over 60 minutes! I headed to single rider and WAITED OVER 30 MINUTES. My family thought I had disappeared!

I believe if you love the ride and must ride it, you will wait even if the Fastpasses are all gone. I only use Fastpass if it is more than a 20 minute wait and want to see other attractions.

I thought it was very busy this past week at WDW. EMH really helped whether am or pm.

IloveDisney71
10-23-2007, 01:34 PM
If a ride has a fast pass option, I just about won't ride it without getting a fast pass. Unless...the line is less than 20 minutes or so. Otherwise you stand forever waiting for the fastpass ticket holders to get on the ride.
I think fast pass is a great idea - when I can get one. LOL:blush::mickey:

brownie
10-23-2007, 01:43 PM
Disney isn't punishing you; it's offering you a choice. FastPass is free and available to everyone with a park ticket. You get to choose which rides you're going to wait in a standby line for and which ones you'll use FastPass. Of course, you can't wait to get your FastPasses or they'll run out.

Tygger7
10-23-2007, 02:23 PM
In contrast...my daughter went to Cedar Point this past weekend. She waited 2 1/2 HOURS to ride Top Thrill Dragster, 2 hours for Gemini, and 1 1/2 hours for the Blue Streak. Yes, she was there all day and rode 3 rides. :fit: Based on experiences like that, even an hour wait at Disney doesn't bother me...and, I have the option to use FastPass and not spend my entire day in line. As others have said, I only use FastPass when the standby lines are long. I get a FastPass, then go find a ride with a wait that will get me back in time for my FastPass ride. It really helps guests get the most for their money, and I wish other parks (such as Cedar Point) would consider doing something like this to help their guests enjoy more rides. After all, when you spend over $30 to go to a park, you should be able to do more than 3 rides. Just my :twocents:

goofysbabe
10-23-2007, 02:30 PM
I'm thankful for FP's, I wouldn't have been able to ride rides if they didn't offer it. I do think they need to rethink the way the let the FP'ssers on so more of the standby people can get thru. I don't mind waiting a few more minutes so others can enjoy the ride too!

gtpooh
10-23-2007, 02:38 PM
Although FP can make the standby lines longer, it is a choice as people have already said. I'm so thankful for FP, since we are going with DS (15 months) it allows us to go on the big rides and do a baby swap without separating us for hours. That makes a huge difference!

GrmGrninGost
10-23-2007, 05:06 PM
I can remember waiting an hour or longer to ride Space Mountain pre-fastpass. I can't see the big deal. Now, I can get a fastpass, go ride TTA, Carousel of Progress, Stitch and grab a snack, then come back and go straight on. To me, that's wonderful! I love FP!! :mickey:

pook@wdw
10-23-2007, 06:49 PM
Fastpass ROCKS! :twocents: We NEVER wait in line more than 20-30 min for anything! And may I say..."the early bird gets on the rides more". :high5 Be the first in the parks, and between fastpass, single rider line, and rider switch (or parent swap) pass, mutliple rides should be a breeze!!:fan:

gerald72
10-23-2007, 07:02 PM
Although FP can make the standby lines longer, it is a choice as people have already said. I'm so thankful for FP, since we are going with DS (15 months) it allows us to go on the big rides and do a baby swap without separating us for hours. That makes a huge difference!

Does FP really make the standby lines longer?
Let's say 1,000 people want to ride a non-FP ride. It would take X amount of time for those people to get through.
Now, let's make that a FP ride. 900 people wait in the traditional line and 100 people get the FP. They are still waiting in line, they just go do something else during that time. When those first 900 people go through, the 100 people come back and get right on. It's still takes X amount of time.
If you are waiting in line after the 1000 people, it might APPEAR that the FP makes the line take longer, but in actuality it is exactly the same.

DisneyDudet
10-23-2007, 09:04 PM
You have to think of FP like its a virtual line. You get the FP for 2 hours later, and you are essentially waiting in a line, but are not stuck in a queue. You are able to do other things (ie, spend money) instead of waiting in the actual line. The actual wait in standby, yes, it does seem longer. Just take Peter Pan's Flight. If there were no FP for that ride, it would be loading that ride faster. Now, one night, the line for Peter Pan was its usual looooooong self, with a wait of 45 min. While all other FL rides were walk ons. Can you attribute it to FP, definately, but what is the story for Philharmagic and Pooh? Both have FP's as well. In this case, you can chalk it up to popularity. The more popular the ride, the longer the wait, FP or not.

Other rides like Space and Splash, if you ever rode these rides pre-Fastpass, you know how CRAZY long the waits can be, so, an hour for Space and 50 min for Splash aren't too unrealistic.

With your 130 min wait for TT, I can almost bet that was due to it being down. The 5 days we were there last week, I can't tell you how many times we heard it was down and experienced it being down while in line. That will make lines CRAZY. Soarin, it is a slow loader. Yeah, it can take a chunk of people at a time, but not enough to make up for the amount that come into standby, so, the lines grow.

If you know how to work the FP system, it is really great. Yeah, it really bites when you're th person waiting in the standby line, watching all those people walk right onto the ride, but I will only watch that for 30 min max. I don't get in a ride that has an FP option that has a standby line of over 30 min, and thats rare; most cases, I won't go above 20 min.

I am pretty sure that they haven't changed any kind of policy on the ratio of FP to standby guests, its just that Disney has had the largest crowds in many years.

casey@bat
10-23-2007, 09:31 PM
We go the week after Christmas and the 4th of July week so we are use to the crowds- and we know how to use the FP. We get a FP and then do the less popular rides and eat just like another poster said. If you can't get everything done by 11:00 during the busy times, then you will have to wait. I heard you can go back at night and it's not bad. But we have to go to bed early so we can be one of the first to enter the next day.

I think people who usually go in the "off season" are being surprised by heavy crowds.