Does anyone else know about FastPass?

[Planogirl]

If we become limited to fewer fastpasses in the future then this might become reality for many of us. There are many rides that I won't wait for but there are a handful that I will. I guess.

 

[Narawen]

I think some people don't know that it's free, but I also think some people have a warped view of the return times. They think we can wait 1 hour to ride now or come back in 3 hours with a FP. Waiting 1 hour gets them on the ride faster, so they wait. They don't realize how much they could get done on other rides during that time instead of waiting.

This is something that puzzled me to no end on our trip last October. The above quoted situation just wasn't the case for several FP rides. There were several instances we saw at the MK (and maybe at EPCOT too) where getting a FP would get you on the ride in the same time or less time than standby.

I remember walking by Space Mountain one MK afternoon, the standby wait was 45 or 50 minutes and the FP return time started 40 minutes later. People were walking right past the machines and getting in the standby queue when FP didn't mean they would get on the ride any later. We got FPs, saw Monsters laugh floor, rode Buzz's ride, and met Buzz himself, then went in the FP queue and got on the ride in the same amount of time it would have taken us to wait standby.

 

[chartle]

I think some people don't know that it's free, but I also think some people have a warped view of the return times. They think we can wait 1 hour to ride now or come back in 3 hours with a FP. Waiting 1 hour gets them on the ride faster, so they wait. They don't realize how much they could get done on other rides during that time instead of waiting.

This is exactly right. Most people want to do this ride now. FastPass is reward for the patient.

under the stupid things people say threads, someone posted about a guest saying "i'm not going to sit around and wait 3 hours when I can just wait in line and ride it now" like they couldn't do anything else.

 

[EagleScout]

And certain rides are literally "perfect" for Fastpass and exemplify your idea of doing "something" while waiting - for example, we went last week to WDW, and at Safari, there was a 1 hour standby and a 1 hour fp return wait, so we did fastpass, and walked right next door to Pangani walking trails, and basically just when our walking tour ended, it was time to walk on to fp for safari. Initially, some of our family wanted to "just get in line", but afterward, were so happy I convinced them otherwise. (Luckily, they sort of defer to me as the Disney "expert", although I readily concede that title to some of the gurus on here)

 

[ttintagel]

Some of the people in standby may be holding a Fastpass for another ride and are not able to get another one yet.

Some people also feel that Fastpass makes them crisscross the park too much.

Then there's also the fact that some queues are really neat. Not 90 minutes neat, but still.

 

[bellanotte10]

Some of the people in standby may be holding a Fastpass for another ride and are not able to get another one yet.

Some people also feel that Fastpass makes them crisscross the park too much.

Then there's also the fact that some queues are really neat. Not 90 minutes neat, but still.

Yup! We pull fast passes for btmrr then wait in standby lines at other rides until we can grab more. Worked out really well for us in February. We got to ride a lot of things that day.

 

[fallen_angel727]

Whats sad is when the stantby is roughly the same length of the fast pass line...we got on the same ToT car with a FP as the people that walked into the standby at the same time as us last night! Good thing we were able to laugh it off or we would have been pissed lol

 

[Radiorox]

I think some people just aren't willing to walk back across the park for the FP return time. If you are in a group, I don't blame them. I like RD and go straight to the headliners, ride them as much as I can before the wait times start to go up. I'll pick up Fastpasses here and there.

I remember before FP having to wait 1 hour for a 5 min ride... I try not to do it. Right now Soarin' is the only ride I wait for because FP can become scarce later in the day.

 

[DisneyFan2013]

I remember before FP having to wait 1 hour for a 5 min ride... I try not to do it. Right now Soarin' is the only ride I wait for because FP can become scarce later in the day.

Yup, Soarin' was the ride I think I waited longest for when I went to WDW in early November because all the FastPasses were gone. The posted wait time was around 75 minutes, but I think it turned out to be more like 30 minutes. I really enjoyed the ride though, so it was worth it for me, but I definitely took advantage of the FastPasses when I could!

 

[LBIJim]

I think some people don't know that it's free, but I also think some people have a warped view of the return times. They think we can wait 1 hour to ride now or come back in 3 hours with a FP. Waiting 1 hour gets them on the ride faster, so they wait. They don't realize how much they could get done on other rides during that time instead of waiting.

Then there was this one group who DID get a FP and didn't realize they could do other things in the meantime. About 7 years ago, a larger group of about 10 got FPs for Space Mountain right before us. Return time was about 90 minutes away. I don't remember the standby time, but it was less than that, maybe an hour. We stayed in Tomorrowland and rode Buzz, COP, People Mover, Astro Orbiter, and probably got a snack. Yet we kept noticing this same group hanging outside of Space patiently waiting for the return time. They might even had gotten to ride it twice BEFORE their FP return if they had just used the SB line. I have no idea what their thought process was.

I will occasionally stand in an hour SB line for a FP attraction. But like PPs have mentioned, it's because I already have another FP and can't get an additional one right now. Not hungry, don't want to browse in gift shops, don't feel like riding something else close by or crisscrossing the park. Might not even want to sit down and relax. If I want to ride the attraction, waiting in the SB line is the least worst option at the moment.

Jim

 

[CuteAsMinnie]

I guess that's where arriving at rope drop also comes into play. Rope drop + smart FP use and you're almost unstoppable!

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

You betcha!

 

[humboldthny]

I dearly hope they don't limit the number if FP's you can get in a day....I understand limiting how many you can 'pre-order' (or whatever they will call it), but if they limit overall to a low number like 3-4/day that's going to be misery for families with small children. We don't get in a SB line unless the time says 30 min or less, and even then I check the line first.

The time that mad me shake my head is when we were there on the 40th and people were willingly walking into the SB line for Space Mountain that had a posted time of 240 minutes...240 MINUTES!

 

[disneymom0811]

Fast pass is definitely needed for all the big rides especially during busy season

 

[hglenn]

I guess that's where arriving at rope drop also comes into play. Rope drop + smart FP use and you're almost unstoppable!

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

Can you give us some tips for "smart FP"? Do you sort of lay out your plan or the day or do you really have to wait until you get there to see the wait times?

 

[luvmy2babies]

It’s something I always ask myself when we fastpass the Buzz Lightyear ride. We grab fast passes, then do the People Mover, Laughing Floor and probably the Carousel of Progress or get a snack until the time comes back around. I tell myself those people must have fast passes to Space Mountain or something. Space Mountain isn’t an option for my crew. Never fails though we walk by people in a 50 minute line and I hear children mainly asking “Why didn’t we get fast passes?”

I first learned about Fast Pass on the planning DVD. It’s explained pretty clearly on there. They demonstrate how to retrieve it from the machine, then tell you go off and do other things and when the time on your fast pass comes around, come back to do the ride. It’s also clear there is no cost. Although I admit I can't recall if I saw it on the most recent one.

 

[laceemouse]

Some of the people in standby may be holding a Fastpass for another ride and are not able to get another one yet.

Some people also feel that Fastpass makes them crisscross the park too much.

Then there's also the fact that some queues are really neat. Not 90 minutes neat, but still.

this

 

[RedHeadedFairy]

Actually, the new park maps do not have information on Fastpass other than to show which rides have it.

I beg to differ, I don't recall seeing maps without a brief description of what the FP system is & how to use it. (Complete with pics) In fact, it's a pretty thorough description about Fastpass AND Photopass! http://www.wdwmagic.com/other/maps/gallery/08jan2013-park-maps-2013/17871.htm

And to be fair, the FP system is more than 10 years old, certainly not a "new" feature that they have rolled out for use. Outside of making the info available on the maps, planning DVD's, on the web & having most (if not all) FP stations manned by CM, what more can they do to educate people?

I really think it comes from a combination of misinformation & laziness with a touch of those that just couldn't be bothered to mess with it at all.

 

[katt789]

I often have to wonder about things like this. The amount of dirty looks I've gotten when walking straight through the fast pass line. Then again, there is an astounding amount of people that either don't do research before a trip, or don't do enough. Heck, my first trip we all assumed we could only use two fast passes a day because that's what someone in our party said

And as people have said, you have to pay at universal, so they assume it's the same all around!

 

[winthropf]

I beg to differ, I don't recall seeing maps without a brief description of what the FP system is & how to use it. (Complete with pics) In fact, it's a pretty thorough description about Fastpass AND Photopass! http://www.wdwmagic.com/other/maps/gallery/08jan2013-park-maps-2013/17871.htm

And to be fair, the FP system is more than 10 years old, certainly not a "new" feature that they have rolled out for use. Outside of making the info available on the maps, planning DVD's, on the web & having most (if not all) FP stations manned by CM, what more can they do to educate people?

I really think it comes from a combination of misinformation & laziness with a touch of those that just couldn't be bothered to mess with it at all.

Those aren't the latest park maps. The maps starting in January 2013 no longer have the Fastpass descriptions.

http://allears.net/tp/maps/Epcot-map.pdf

 

[agavegirl1]

Wow! No information about FP at all! Just a blurb about the MDE ap.