Fast Pass Complaint

[senderella]

Okay...I am not one to complain about anything related to Disney, but I have to get out my frustration. We just got back from the World Wednesday. I have been several times during the summer months and was actually there the same time last year. I know that crowds are up at this time of the year, I expected that. I do expect to wait longer in lines. What I didn't expect was the amount of time we had to stand in line for rides such as Buzz Lightyear (rides that are continous) because of the Fast Passes. It seems to me that if there was no fast pass on the continuous rides (Buzz, Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh, etc) the standby lines would move much faster. The only time the line would stop would be for assitance to some riders. This weekend we would move two or three feet and then stop for 10-15 minutes while all the fast pass riders got on AND they had to wait as well. We would then move up a little bit more than stop again for several minutes. If you had one line instead of two, it seems it would go faster. I understand the whole fast pass concept and use them myself especially for rides like Test Track and Soarin, but for continuously running rides WHY! Am I the only one with this frustration?
I do love Disney and I know I will be back at times with even more crowds....can't stay away. I guess I will just have to deal with it.

[ThanxForNoticin]

Theoretically (and I stress theoretically), the FPs do not impact the stand-by lines signficantly. They essentially "hold spots" for people in line who were already at the attraction. If there were no FP and those folks waited in line, your wait would be similar. I don't think it works exactly like that (some folks would skip some attractions instead of waiting if there were no FP), but doing away with FP completely would not solve your entire issue. I find there are many more positives to the FP system than negatives, but there is no perfect system that will make everyone happy.

[WedWay Peoplemover]

Remember.. Fantasyland rides are EXTREMELY popular. They are some of the only attractions that the entire family can enjoy...

Thankfully with fastpass, I haven't waited in a standby line in 7 years!!

I can't imagine a "world" without fastpass anymore!

[Gottaluvgoof]

Just out of curiosity, why didn't you use the fast pass for the Buzz Lightyear ride?

[MidnTPK]

Was the posted wait time inaccurate?

[KylesMom]

Sorry, but I'm with WedWay on this one - my family cannot imagine the world without FP. Yes, there are times that you still have to wait a period of time when you have a FP. However, it makes dealing with the summer heat much more bearable, and keeps everyone's moods upbeat since we're not spending 1/2 our time in standby lines. :thumbsup:

[dnickels]

That's too bad you had a poor experience while you were there.

I do have to point out though, that if a ride is continuous, it wouldn't matter if you have one line or twenty lines, there are still X seats coming by the loading zone every minute so having any variation on number of lines does not affect the total line movement (number of people that can ride per hour).

[brownie]

Fast Pass=a good thing. I can't imagine visiting without making use of it.

[GrumpyFan]

I like Fastpass, and think it's one of the best things to hit the parks since Space Mountain. But, like Senderella, I think it does make the standby line longer/slower than it should. IMHO, they give out too many Fastpasses, and allow too many FP riders to go at a single time. I've seen on RnR where they would let 30 or 40 FP riders go to about 10 standby ridrers, which just seems out of balance. I also, agree they have them on rides, that really don't need them. And, since you can only have 2 at once, you will have to stand in a standby line eventually.

[WhiteRose1]

I personally use tips (like avoiding EMH days!) to avoid busy parks, so I don't wait in lines much....but I could never have as much fun without a FP!:party:

[stephntampa]

On our last visit we waited stand by for Buzz. Rarely do we get a fastpass for Buzz because in past experiences the line moved fast. Well, it took over 40 minutes and as we finally got inside we saw why.. fastpass holders had NO wait. As soon as the CM saw people coming through the fastpass line he would immediately cut off the stand by line. I thought the idea of fastpass is to curb your wait time, not guarantee you will walk right on the ride. I agree with you Senderella, some rides just shouldn't have fastpass!

[BMan62]

Okay...I am not one to complain about anything related to Disney, but I have to get out my frustration. We just got back from the World Wednesday. I have been several times during the summer months and was actually there the same time last year. I know that crowds are up at this time of the year, I expected that. I do expect to wait longer in lines. What I didn't expect was the amount of time we had to stand in line for rides such as Buzz Lightyear (rides that are continous) because of the Fast Passes. It seems to me that if there was no fast pass on the continuous rides (Buzz, Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh, etc) the standby lines would move much faster. The only time the line would stop would be for assitance to some riders. This weekend we would move two or three feet and then stop for 10-15 minutes while all the fast pass riders got on AND they had to wait as well. We would then move up a little bit more than stop again for several minutes. If you had one line instead of two, it seems it would go faster. I understand the whole fast pass concept and use them myself especially for rides like Test Track and Soarin, but for continuously running rides WHY! Am I the only one with this frustration?
I do love Disney and I know I will be back at times with even more crowds....can't stay away. I guess I will just have to deal with it.

Just remember - those people with FPs would still be in front of you anyway. They were there at least an hour before to GET FPs.

I feel your pain with this as I normally would wait in line rather than get FPs, but sometimes...

[Main Street Jim]

I've seen on RnR where they would let 30 or 40 FP riders go to about 10 standby riders, which just seems out of balance.No, that's the correct ratio. When I worked at Splash, the CORRECT ratio of FP - standby was 80 FP/20 Standby. Once the FP line emptied, then you could let in many more Standby guests. Also keep in mind that there's attraction down times (mechanical/technical issues, breakdowns, etc.), and if that's the case, those folks with FPs issued to return during that downtime are returning later as well. FP guests are essentially holding their place in line with those FPs, so they may be "standing in line" for four, five, six, or more hours! They just have their "reserved time" to come back and can enjoy other attractions (or whatever) while they're "waiting in line".

There's a certain number of FPs issued for each FP attraction, depending on what the hourly occupancy is for that attraction. For example, if an attraction can get 1,000 guests through in an hour, 800 FastPasses (80% of the occupancy) will be issued during that hour. Then those FPs are split into (usually) five-minute intervals to keep all 800 guests from returning at once (remember, we take FPs *later* than the posted time, just not any earlier). Once the FPs are gone for the day, that's it. Just depends on how busy the park is. We've (MK) has been pretty busy the last week or so.

[kakn7294]

The posted standby wait time takes into consideration the people who are going to come back with their FP. Those electronic devices that they occasionally hand to a guest will account for the number of FP riders who enter the line because it times the standby wait from the time that guest enters the queue until that guest reaches the boarding area. Since the standby times are generally fairly accurate, I don't feel anyone who has gotten a FP while I didn't is getting ahead of me. Just my 2 cents!

[Ladyvader]

I tell all of our guests that the FP system used to be one of our best kept secrets. People thought you had to pay for it and would not use it. But now that the word has got out they are generally gone by early afternoon. At ToyStory Midway Mania at DHS they are gone by noon.
In a perfect world everyone would come back to the FP line at their scheduled time. But that is not how it happens. People save them for a time convenient to their day.
FP does indeed effect the standby line considerably. Our ratio is indeed 80/20. 80 Fastpass holders to 20 Standby. Its no wonder that the best kept secret is now so popular.
Disneyland has given up the use of FP at many of their attractions and also does not exist at their TSMM. I think the system is so ingrained here at WDW because of the huge crowds that it will never leave. But it did disappear from the Mansion, maybe it will eventually fade away. I would love to see all of our guests again on a level playing field.

[biodtl]

No, that's the correct ratio. When I worked at Splash, the CORRECT ratio of FP - standby was 80 FP/20 Standby. Once the FP line emptied, then you could let in many more Standby guests.
I get this, and we do use FP when we need it, but the problem we had last trip was that by the time we got to PP there were no FPs left, so we got in the standby line. ok, fine, we know there will be a wait. but they weren't letting SB folks on during breaks in the FP line. Instead, they were waiting for FP people to come to fil the ratio, I guess. It was frustrating.

[KAJUNKING]

i understand that fast pass isnt perfect but i think it makes our trips to the world better and not worse :mickey:

[Speedy1998]

They essentially "hold spots" for people in line who were already at the attraction. If there were no FP and those folks waited in line, your wait would be similar. .

Wrong, what you are not accouinting for is all the people that run into the park grab a fastpass and then get on the ride they just pulled a fastpass for. Prior to Fastpass people would run in, ride their favorite ride, and then move on.

Personnally, I hate the Fastpass system, I hate the idea have having to "reserve" my place in line. Prior to Fastpass lines for popular rides (even in the summer) were rarely longer than a hour. Now that kind of wait is common.

[big blue and hairy]

The bottom line seems to be, people who use fastpass like, people who don't well...don't. I use fastpass, it is a fantastic too to not wait in lines all day. Sometimes we wait in one long line because we have a fastpass for something else. Knowing the next line will be shorter makes the wait easier. Fastpass has made our visits to WDW exponetially better.

:sulley:

[Seasonscraps]

No, that's the correct ratio. When I worked at Splash, the CORRECT ratio of FP - standby was 80 FP/20 Standby. Once the FP line emptied, then you could let in many more Standby guests. Also keep in mind that there's attraction down times (mechanical/technical issues, breakdowns, etc.), and if that's the case, those folks with FPs issued to return during that downtime are returning later as well. FP guests are essentially holding their place in line with those FPs, so they may be "standing in line" for four, five, six, or more hours! They just have their "reserved time" to come back and can enjoy other attractions (or whatever) while they're "waiting in line".

There's a certain number of FPs issued for each FP attraction, depending on what the hourly occupancy is for that attraction. For example, if an attraction can get 1,000 guests through in an hour, 800 FastPasses (80% of the occupancy) will be issued during that hour. Then those FPs are split into (usually) five-minute intervals to keep all 800 guests from returning at once (remember, we take FPs *later* than the posted time, just not any earlier). Once the FPs are gone for the day, that's it. Just depends on how busy the park is. We've (MK) has been pretty busy the last week or so.

Based on this formula, I don't understand why the return windows of one hour are not enforced. There are lots of threads about people returning to the ride hours after their return window. I understand accomodating people that were delayed because a ride went down but there are lots of people that pull a fast pass with no intention of returning during the one hour window printed on their ticket.

[DisneyDudet]

Prior to Fastpass lines for popular rides (even in the summer) were rarely longer than a hour. Now that kind of wait is common.

I beg to differ. When we went to WDW prior to FPs, it was only in the summer. I remember waiting, clearly, for Splash Mountain for about 3 hours, Body Wars for an hour and a Half, and don't even get me started on Space Mountain. Now, you don't see times like that at Space anymore, even though the times are long at times, it shouldn't be over ah hour and a half.

I actually find standby lines on rides like Splash, Space, and RnRC to be considerably shorter than before FP coming about.

The continuous loaders, and other rides of the such, is where the standby lines are greatly affected, it seems to me. I think there are longer lines for Peter Pan now that it is a FP ride than before. And when they took away FP from HM, the lines weren't as long.

I love FP, and have enjoyed our trips, and have been able to do things we never did before because of its existence. I wouldn't do Disney any other way.

[SurferStitch]

Wrong, what you are not accouinting for is all the people that run into the park grab a fastpass and then get on the ride they just pulled a fastpass for. Prior to Fastpass people would run in, ride their favorite ride, and then move on.

Personnally, I hate the Fastpass system, I hate the idea have having to "reserve" my place in line. Prior to Fastpass lines for popular rides (even in the summer) were rarely longer than a hour. Now that kind of wait is common.

All I know is, we never rode Splash until they started the FP. Even back in '96-'99 or so, the lines were easily 60-120 minutes, and that was during the slow month of October, which isn't slow at all anymore. Once the FP rolled around, we started using it, and never waited more than 10 minutes to ride. :thumbsup:

I love FP, and we'll continue using it. We play by the rules, and only return during the designated window. If we don't return in time, we don't use the FP later in the day, even though it's technically tolerated so as not to upset the guests. I have a feeling now that many people know they won't get turned away, the system is getting abused a little, and possibly making standby lines a little worse at times.

[ThanxForNoticin]

Wrong, what you are not accouinting for is all the people that run into the park grab a fastpass and then get on the ride they just pulled a fastpass for. Prior to Fastpass people would run in, ride their favorite ride, and then move on.


Actually, I did account for that situation in my original post. I agree that can happen, but not really that often.

But the bottom line is FP is a system that more people like than dislike. If a majority of people didn't like it, Disney wouldn't continue to use it. I'm sure it costs Disney a lot of extra money to have the FP ticket machines and the computer system to keep track of when a person can get a new FP during the day. The reality is that FP is popular enough that they won't be planning to eliminate it anytime soon.

[indytraveler]

Ah, the FP debate. We have gone yearly since '98 and have found out our routine for each of the parks. For those who haven't found out exactly how to use, or when to use, or a general plan to get around a park it may seem like you are waiting in standby lines all the time. Our motto is if if has FP then ride as a FP. sometimes early in the am we can ride a FP ride as standby then come back later and ride as a FP. It all depends on the time of day and how long the standby line is. The rides in Fantasyland PP, and WTP are definite FP rides no matter how long the wait is for standby, b/c you know that there will be several FP'ers showing up during your wait.

If they did away with FP then it would seem to go back to the dark ages. As for getting rid of FP for HM... This was the ride that moved the most people thru every hour. Why would you FP that one in the 1st place?

[Young@Heart]

We love FP and couldn't imagine WDW w/out them. It can be annoying to see FP-ers get on ahead of you when you're in stand-by, but it's just part of the process that keeps everything running smoothly. Last trip, we had FP's for another attraction, so we couldn't get one for Buzz. We had to wait in the stand-by line and watch people go ahead of us, but when we were off, we used our FP's for the other attraction and everything evened out (IMO). :thumbsup:

[Imagineer1981]

No, that's the correct ratio. When I worked at Splash, the CORRECT ratio of FP - standby was 80 FP/20 Standby. Once the FP line emptied, then you could let in many more Standby guests. Also keep in mind that there's attraction down times (mechanical/technical issues, breakdowns, etc.), and if that's the case, those folks with FPs issued to return during that downtime are returning later as well. FP guests are essentially holding their place in line with those FPs, so they may be "standing in line" for four, five, six, or more hours! They just have their "reserved time" to come back and can enjoy other attractions (or whatever) while they're "waiting in line".

There's a certain number of FPs issued for each FP attraction, depending on what the hourly occupancy is for that attraction. For example, if an attraction can get 1,000 guests through in an hour, 800 FastPasses (80% of the occupancy) will be issued during that hour. Then those FPs are split into (usually) five-minute intervals to keep all 800 guests from returning at once (remember, we take FPs *later* than the posted time, just not any earlier). Once the FPs are gone for the day, that's it. Just depends on how busy the park is. We've (MK) has been pretty busy the last week or so.

At Space Mountain our ratio was 4 - 1, not 8. That seems too high

[BMan62]

At Space Mountain our ratio was 4 - 1, not 8. That seems too high

UH! 4 - 1 = 80% So the ration is the same.

[mouselover93]

i agree with you i've also noticed with other lines like RnR one time i was at the front of the line where they ussually stop and i stood there for 20 minutes while they let all fast pass people go