xPass (Or whatever it will be called ) Testing In May

[Snow's Mom]

I like the idea of not having to run all over the parks to pick up passes, but don't like the inflexibility. (And I don't want to have to pay extra.)

It's a little like when my nephew rode Soarin'...I got everyone to the park before it opened, sent them to the Living Seas while I braved the crowd to gather FP's for everyone...and as soon as we got off the ride he wanted to go AGAIN.

Looking for more reports on the new system before I pass judgment.

[Frog]

Disney Doll-
Can you tell us how large the return window was for your Fast Pass + choices??

[Disney Doll]

It's the standard one hour return window. There were 10 attractions to chose from divided on a card with 5 on the front and 5 on the back. We were asked to select two from each side of the card for a total of 4 fastpasses. I can't remember exactly which side of the card each attraction was on, but they seemed to be divided by location. The 10 attractions we selected from were:

Haunted Mansion,
Pooh,
Buzz Lightyear,
Jungle Cruise,
Peter Pan,
Splash Mt,
Space Mt,
Philharmagic,
Princess meet and greet in Expo Hall,
Mickey meet and greet in Expo Hall,

I guess it was a good time for a test because it wasn't overwhelmingly crowded, but another reason we didn't make more of an effort to use the passes was because you didn't really need fastpasses. I won't wait more than 10 minutes for anything and we did more than half of these "select" attractions without a fastpass.

[Main Street Jim]

Kind of odd that Haunted Mansion is on that list, since they don't have FastPass at all any more. <?>

[Nascfan]

In its current form described by Disney Doll, this is completely useless to my family. Unless wholescale changes are made we will certainly skip this.

[harlowandthemermaid]

I definitely don't like to wait in line so we rarely do anything that requires more than 10-15 min of waiting, which is why we go off season. However, we like to be spontaneous so I'd hate to see it be impossible to get "into" certain rides like it is with certain restaurants. We typically don't plan our trips more than a few months out so I'd hate to be penalized for that. I would think if they still keep the numbers the same that this wouldn't happen but I remember in trips past we would typically just go ride the things that get long lines right at the beginning of the day before the parks get crowded. I'm wondering if this will redistribute the crowds and make rides more crowded in the morning, which is typically when rides are close to a walk-on?

[Disney Doll]

Kind of odd that Haunted Mansion is on that list, since they don't have FastPass at all any more. <?>

And from what I can tell they don't need fastpass on HM. It was a walk on last week and usually is each time we go. We haven't been during the summer in a very long time so maybe summers get busy enough to make this useful? IDK, but I thought it was odd too.

[Main Street Jim]

Well, HM had had FP for a while, but the standy has never been more than maybe a 1/2 hour wait, even at Christmas/New Year's. It's a constant-moving/constant-loading attraction (Omnimover), so I wasn't even real sure why they put FP in, in the first place.

Kinda like I wonder why Buzz even needs FP...

[disneynarula]

I would not mind using this as long as it was free.

[TinkInTraining]

So, here's my problem with this new system. As someone mentioned above one of the uses of this was so you could plan your day 180 days out.

Why?

That just seems so ridiculous to me. Why would you not only want to plan where you're staying, which parks you're going to, where you're eating and exactly which rides you're riding at which 1 hour window of the day? Why does it have to be that structured? What ever happened to spontaneity? I just feel, we as a country, are too d!@% scheduled!

I love Disney... I love going and walking around the park. Yes, there are certain rides that we just have to do. There are certain rides that we will get fast passes to because we have to (can we please talk about Toy Mania and the craziness that is???) but to schedule each and everything just seems too much...

I have visions of us scanning our ticket and being moved from one thing to another as the park operators see fit... I know it's an exaggeration but I'm afraid that's where we're going to end up if we keep on with this totally scheduled mentality.

so... devil's advocate here. You decide to go to Disney. You don't plan which rides you want to ride around where you want to eat around where you're going to stay and which parks you're going to go to and you decide to go to MK. You get there and find out that you can't get on Buzz Lightyear for 2 plus hours and that turns into 3 hours because all the fastpasses have been scheduled and book out times. What if you do book your time and can't make it. Now you're forced to "wait in line" with the slackers who didn't see fit to schedule 180 days out.

What's so wrong with the process as it is right now?

Why is it that Toy Story sells our fast passes in 30 minutes and you STILL have to wait for hours to get on the ride? Is it because there are too many fast passes being given out? We were able to get fast passes last time and we STILL waited 45 plus minutes after we were in the fast pass lane...and the people not in the lane were waiting HOURS to get on, so why is that not working?

I'm sorry, I don't mean to be Debbie Downer but the thought of having a totally scheduled vacation doesn't sound like much of a vacation to me.

[ChipNDale79]

So, here's my problem with this new system. As someone mentioned above one of the uses of this was so you could plan your day 180 days out.

Why?

That just seems so ridiculous to me. Why would you not only want to plan where you're staying, which parks you're going to, where you're eating and exactly which rides you're riding at which 1 hour window of the day? Why does it have to be that structured? What ever happened to spontaneity? I just feel, we as a country, are too d!@% scheduled!

I love Disney... I love going and walking around the park. Yes, there are certain rides that we just have to do. There are certain rides that we will get fast passes to because we have to (can we please talk about Toy Mania and the craziness that is???) but to schedule each and everything just seems too much...

I have visions of us scanning our ticket and being moved from one thing to another as the park operators see fit... I know it's an exaggeration but I'm afraid that's where we're going to end up if we keep on with this totally scheduled mentality.

so... devil's advocate here. You decide to go to Disney. You don't plan which rides you want to ride around where you want to eat around where you're going to stay and which parks you're going to go to and you decide to go to MK. You get there and find out that you can't get on Buzz Lightyear for 2 plus hours and that turns into 3 hours because all the fastpasses have been scheduled and book out times. What if you do book your time and can't make it. Now you're forced to "wait in line" with the slackers who didn't see fit to schedule 180 days out.

What's so wrong with the process as it is right now?

Why is it that Toy Story sells our fast passes in 30 minutes and you STILL have to wait for hours to get on the ride? Is it because there are too many fast passes being given out? We were able to get fast passes last time and we STILL waited 45 plus minutes after we were in the fast pass lane...and the people not in the lane were waiting HOURS to get on, so why is that not working?

I'm sorry, I don't mean to be Debbie Downer but the thought of having a totally scheduled vacation doesn't sound like much of a vacation to me.

You're stating what a lot of people have been stating and feel about the X-pass.

If the system is what many of us believe it's going to be, then the system is only built for people that plan their trips out months in advance. What this system will do is take away ride times away from locals who don't vacation at disney.

How many of us here are, or have been Annual Pass holders even though you don't live in Florida?

My wife and I were at one point, and there were a couple of trips that we just decided to drive down to disney for the hell of it and use our passes. This new system will hurt those that do that as well.

IMO, it's a step in the wrong direction. Keep in mind that Disney really hasn't offically released a lot of details about it, so we could all be very wrong about this. However, if we are, than Disney PR needs to put out something to squash the bad PR this thing is getting.

[DizneyFreak2002]

So, here's my problem with this new system. As someone mentioned above one of the uses of this was so you could plan your day 180 days out.

Why?

Same reason people book dining 180 out... cause you are pretty much forced to by Disney... I think it is down right insane I have to know where I want to eat 180 days out... I will no longer book dining in WDW for this fact... either counter service or off property unless I can just walk up and in...

That just seems so ridiculous to me. Why would you not only want to plan where you're staying, which parks you're going to, where you're eating and exactly which rides you're riding at which 1 hour window of the day? Why does it have to be that structured? What ever happened to spontaneity? I just feel, we as a country, are too d!@% scheduled!

Again, look at dining... 180 days out.. I agree with you... Booking so far out for dining or a Fast Pass is insane... Vacation is for relaxation.. Disney is making it stressful...

I love Disney... I love going and walking around the park. Yes, there are certain rides that we just have to do. There are certain rides that we will get fast passes to because we have to (can we please talk about Toy Mania and the craziness that is???) but to schedule each and everything just seems too much...

Well, you won't be scheduling every ride... Only three... And no, you will not be able to book Fast Passes for all three mountains in MK, at least that is what people are saying...

I have visions of us scanning our ticket and being moved from one thing to another as the park operators see fit... I know it's an exaggeration but I'm afraid that's where we're going to end up if we keep on with this totally scheduled mentality.

Well, Disney does want to control your every move... Heck part of this NextGen is to study your spending habits...

so... devil's advocate here. You decide to go to Disney. You don't plan which rides you want to ride around where you want to eat around where you're going to stay and which parks you're going to go to and you decide to go to MK. You get there and find out that you can't get on Buzz Lightyear for 2 plus hours and that turns into 3 hours because all the fastpasses have been scheduled and book out times. What if you do book your time and can't make it. Now you're forced to "wait in line" with the slackers who didn't see fit to schedule 180 days out.

Hopefully these eases your concern... That won't happen... Or technically, it shouldn't... Nothing about the system in place will change other than you can book your Fast Pass at home instead of in the park at the machine... The same number of Fast Passes will be available as always... This will not increase the amount of FP users... So this will not all of a sudden create 10,000 extra FP users... if 8,000 FPs are the limit per ride per day, then once 8,000 are handed out, that's it... Same as is done now...

Why is it that Toy Story sells our fast passes in 30 minutes and you STILL have to wait for hours to get on the ride? Is it because there are too many fast passes being given out? We were able to get fast passes last time and we STILL waited 45 plus minutes after we were in the fast pass lane...and the people not in the lane were waiting HOURS to get on, so why is that not working?

Well, Toy Story isn't really a ride we should use as an example... They problem isn't just FP... it is the horribly designed queue and terrible capacity... And they only made things worse with the air gates now installed... The wait times for TSMM are artificially inflated... Taking FP out may actually help that ride, but not much... They need to start from scratch and redo the queue and capacity issues...

I'm sorry, I don't mean to be Debbie Downer but the thought of having a totally scheduled vacation doesn't sound like much of a vacation to me.

You aren't being a Debbie Downer... you are expressing your concerns over a system that may, as you feel, impact your vacation... The new FP system isn't going to impact you at all... You don't have to participate in it, and you won't be shut out, unlike with dining... You can still vacation the way you always do... Hopefully that makes you feel better...

Now, how this really plays out is anyone's guess... We really don't know everything about the new FP system or NextGen other than it is a waste of a billion dollars... Disney already data mines, why do they need to waste a billion on a more elaborate data mining system is beyond me...

You do have legitimate concerns... Hopefully they think about this (with TDO I don't know if they ever think LOL) and make sure any of these concerns or issues raised never happen...

[Aurora]

Same reason people book dining 180 out... cause you are pretty much forced to by Disney... I think it is down right insane I have to know where I want to eat 180 days out... I will no longer book dining in WDW for this fact... either counter service or off property unless I can just walk up and in...

Well after all this, I will take a deep breath and say... if it works the way dining does, I'm fine. That's because I don't in general book dining in advance. We almost always walk up and see what's available.

We've always found a table service restaurant when we want one. Except for a few restaurants that are so popular I'll never get in there, or so unpopular that I don't want to go there, we'll find a place to eat. We have for the last several trips, and I expect that we will in the future.

Maybe that's the way this will work. Maybe TSM will be like breakfast in Cindy's castle, and Splash Mountain will be like Le Cellier. If you want FPs for those, you have to schedule. Everything else will be fine.

At least I can hope.

[DizneyFreak2002]

Well after all this, I will take a deep breath and say... if it works the way dining does, I'm fine. That's because I don't in general book dining in advance. We almost always walk up and see what's available.

We've always found a table service restaurant when we want one. Except for a few restaurants that are so popular I'll never get in there, or so unpopular that I don't want to go there, we'll find a place to eat. We have for the last several trips, and I expect that we will in the future.

Maybe that's the way this will work. Maybe TSM will be like breakfast in Cindy's castle, and Splash Mountain will be like Le Cellier. If you want FPs for those, you have to schedule. Everything else will be fine.

At least I can hope.

I'm with you on the dining... I used to always book at 180 days... First thing in the morning, as soon as their phone lines opened... I enjoy planning a trip but I always hated having to figure out where to eat 6 months in advance... 30 days is so much better... I even liked 90 days when they went to that for a short period of time...

But yea, as long as this Fast Pass Plus doesn't interfere with the lines (it shouldn't) I say whatever.... Not how I would have wasted a billion dollars (total cost of this NextGen nonsense)...

[Mrs Bus Driver]

I was just wondering if anyone knows when the nextgen will go into effect? Am keeping fingers crossed for a trip in January.

[darthmacho]

Two reasons why I won't complain about this new system:
1. I'm an obsessive planner.
2. There's not much I can do to stop it. It's going to happen whether I like it or not.

One reason I will complain:

1. It's just a matter of time before this becomes a PAID privilege, i.e. either you pay a separate fee to use it, or perhaps people at deluxe resorts will have it as part of their package. Disney will use this to generate $$ somehow...


I can also envision a lot of militant parents that have planned every second yelling at their kids when they have to go to the bathroom...
"Little Jimmy, you're just going to have to hold it in! We have to get on Big Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain, and the Tea Cups now, so don't you dare soil yourself!"

[DisneyGiant]

It's the standard one hour return window. There were 10 attractions to chose from divided on a card with 5 on the front and 5 on the back. We were asked to select two from each side of the card for a total of 4 fastpasses. I can't remember exactly which side of the card each attraction was on, but they seemed to be divided by location. The 10 attractions we selected from were:

Haunted Mansion,
Pooh,
Buzz Lightyear,
Jungle Cruise,
Peter Pan,
Splash Mt,
Space Mt,
Philharmagic,
Princess meet and greet in Expo Hall,
Mickey meet and greet in Expo Hall,

So presented with a choice, we would select:

Splash
Space
Haunted (only because its a must do for us - but we usually do it when its less than a 30 minute wait)
And if I had to pick a 4th and BTM or Pirates wasn't a choice - I'd pick:
Buzz (only because sometime there are 60 minute waits there)

Why in the world would you pick a fast pass for Philharmagic - there is never any wait there - EVER.

We go in July all the time - so we know waits!

I don't mind picking the dining 180 days out - because that is how we choose which theme parks to visit - but I really think its silly on picking these attractions out - as you have no idea what the standby wait times will be for a given day.......

Oh well, I'll have to experience it I guess.

This should be fun in Epcot - where I fast pass all two majors (that we consider major):
Test Track
Soarin
And we Stand-by everything else because the wait times are usually reasonable.

That is what I always viewed fast pass as - helping alleviate unreasonable wait times. To me - anything over 2 hours is unreasonable.

Any way - just rambling here

[potzie]

Just on our way home from our first ever trip in July. The crowds and waits were nothing like I expected. I was not in favor of the fast pass window enforcement in preparation for the enhancements but it actually seemed to work. My wife and I commented on how much quicker we were through the fast pass queue than in the past. The dining reservation changes also seemed to work as we walked up to Via Napoli and got a table for 8 with only a 10 minute wait in July.

[Cinderelley]

I think I would like this if it was set up to be used at the entrance of the park - get into the park, plan your fast passes and go from there.

[ChipNDale79]

I think I would like this if it was set up to be used at the entrance of the park - get into the park, plan your fast passes and go from there.

You wouldnt' get a complaint from me about that, thats a great way to do it.