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

[Frog]

Can't wait to hear how it goes! So, you already have your rides picked out, right? Did they let you also pick your time window that you wanted to ride?

[DizneyFreak2002]

Saw pictures on twitter of the machines... YUCK ... Glad these are only in testing which allows them to theme the machines once they go live...

[Gator]

So when do I get a fastpass to get to the front of the line where I pick out all my fastpasses?

Probably only years away from having to schedule all my BMs.

[Melanie]

Saw pictures on twitter of the machines... YUCK ... Glad these are only in testing which allows them to theme the machines once they go live...

They look just like the RFID readers they used at Epcot a few months ago when testing at the entrance.

I personally think they are cute. Tap your ticket - Mickey's head lights up.

[DizneyFreak2002]

They look just like the RFID readers they used at Epcot a few months ago when testing at the entrance.

I personally think they are cute. Tap your ticket - Mickey's head lights up.

The blue works for an entrance... but in front of an attraction, I think they will stand out...

[goofy89]

Saw pictures on twitter of the machines... YUCK ... Glad these are only in testing which allows them to theme the machines once they go live...

Who posted these pics on twitter? I am curious to see them.

[DizneyFreak2002]

Who posted these pics on twitter? I am curious to see them.

Check your PM...

[Melanie]

The blue works for an entrance... but in front of an attraction, I think they will stand out...

Hmmm. Have you seen them in person? What exactly do you want to see theme wise that you think will make them 'blend' in?

Although, as I think about it a bit more, the ones I saw on Twitter were in the Space Mountain area and were exactly like the ones I saw at the Epcot entrance. Yes, those two areas (Epcot and Tomorrowland) would seem to blend together fine, but how would that same reader look say, in front of Splash? Granted, not a good look for Frontierland. Yes, they'll need to 'theme' these to the attraction.

[DizneyFreak2002]

Hmmm. Have you seen them in person? What exactly do you want to see theme wise that you think will make them 'blend' in?

Although, as I think about it a bit more, the ones I saw on Twitter were in the Space Mountain area and were exactly like the ones I saw at the Epcot entrance. Yes, those two areas (Epcot and Tomorrowland) would seem to blend together fine, but how would that same reader look say, in front of Splash? Granted, not a good look for Frontierland. Yes, they'll need to 'theme' these to the attraction.

Exactly... I don't think a blue pole would look right in Frontierland... Would look way out of place... if they made it to look like a tree log or something along those lines, it would blend in with the surroundings better...

Haunted Mansion, they can just paint them black... Would blend in with the gate and fence... Every area they can be themed around something..

But, these are only test machines so hopefully they are planning a theme with the real machines...

[Christine]

So this is only for guests staying on property?

[Ed]

Here's what the plastic Fastpass cards look like ~~

[Mrs Bus Driver]

interesting, can't wait to hear more about this.

[waymickey]

The idea is growing on me but I am still on the fence as to whether this is something I like or do not like.

Anyone hear if this is going to come with a fee or if it is for just resort guests??

[DANAM]

We are going at the end of the month and I would love to test this out. I do a lot of the FP leg work around the parks while my DH and kids ride. This would make my life a little easier!

[joonyer]

Someone posted this quote on another thread and I though ti was applicable to this situation as well. We all would do well to remember it.

"Around here, however, we don't look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things....and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths." -Walt Disney

Aren't we all glad that Walt thought this way? otherwise we wouldn't even have WDW in Florida, much less Epcot and other parks. the innovations that have come with progress in technology have for the most part, made visiting theme parks a more enjoyable experience. (Less time waiting, more time experiencing attractions). Yeah, it costs a lot more now, (along with everything else), but I remember visiting in the 70's when there was no FastPass system at all, and in fact you had to buy a ticket a for each attraction. I don't hear anyone wanting to go back to that system, although I'm sure there were some who complained about it at the time it was changed. It's our nature to want things to stay the same, even though looking back, we all would agree that progress is a good thing.

[ChipNDale79]

Someone posted this quote on another thread and I though ti was applicable to this situation as well. We all would do well to remember it.

"Around here, however, we don't look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things....and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths." -Walt Disney

Aren't we all glad that Walt thought this way? otherwise we wouldn't even have WDW in Florida, much less Epcot and other parks. the innovations that have come with progress in technology have for the most part, made visiting theme parks a more enjoyable experience. (Less time waiting, more time experiencing attractions). Yeah, it costs a lot more now, (along with everything else), but I remember visiting in the 70's when there was no FastPass system at all, and in fact you had to buy a ticket a for each attraction. I don't hear anyone wanting to go back to that system, although I'm sure there were some who complained about it at the time it was changed. It's our nature to want things to stay the same, even though looking back, we all would agree that progress is a good thing.

I'm not necessarily sure the problem most people have regarding Xpass is change, its time management. The rumors (which Disney has failed to squash) are guests will be able to reserve rides months in advance. Many of us don't want to plan every single second of our vacation out months in advance. If we dont, are we not going to be able to ride our favorite ride? What about the people that don't stay on property, or live close by and just decide to go on a random Saturday?

I'm all for change at Disney, in fact I want a lot of changes to make things better, but sometimes change isn't always for the better. IMO, in this case, the change isn't for the better.

[DizneyRox]

...I remember visiting in the 70's when there was no FastPass system at all, and in fact you had to buy a ticket a for each attraction. I don't hear anyone wanting to go back to that system, although I'm sure there were some who complained about it at the time it was changed.

Devil's Advocate, how far are we really away from the old ticket system? If they charge for xPass, I think we'd be right back there, or pretty close. Especially in terms of many of the very popular attractions, like Toy Story Mania, where you can pretty much forget riding if you don't have a Fastpass.

[DizneyFreak2002]

We may have to start using FastPass+ since that is now the new name being tossed around on internet sites... xPass isn't, well, very friendly lol...

[Gator]

Devil's Advocate, how far are we really away from the old ticket system? If they charge for xPass, I think we'd be right back there, or pretty close. Especially in terms of many of the very popular attractions, like Toy Story Mania, where you can pretty much forget riding if you don't have a Fastpass.

If they charged for it, I wouldn't return. Ever. I like going in the off-season because I can get more bang for my buck with more rides in the same amount of time. If they charge per/ride or per/fastpass, I'd have to pay more for going in the off-season.

[Disney Doll]

Can't wait to hear how it goes! So, you already have your rides picked out, right? Did they let you also pick your time window that you wanted to ride?

They asked us if we would be in the park morning, afternoon, or evening. Based on that they just assigned times. That was on Tuesday when we arrived at the airport. I usually have a general plan for which day we will spend at which park, but we also do a lot of hopping. I had planned to be in mk Friday morning, but we had some time on our hands Thurs evening so we headed to mk stayed for wishes and had a late night. Consequently we decided to let the kids sleep in missing our fp times on Friday. We value flexibility over fastpasses and that to me is the downside of this new system. For us it wasn't a good fit. We leave the parks for naps and play it by ear a lot of times. We also don't use fp much at all. My kids are too little for the bigger thrill rides that use fp and we generally hit fantasyland early at least once and do everything before fastpasses are needed.

I think it would be better once instituted if you could do it online before you leave on vacation. The airport is a stressful place and I wasn't prepared to plan my mk day 4 days in advance on the spot. Other than that I guess I'm okay with the new system, but since we aren't heavy fp users I really don't have a strong opinion.