What to do with unused FPs?

[TinkerPan]

Does anyone know if it is worthwhile to cancel a FP – when someone in your party is not going to use it -if you are already into the FP hour? It seems to me that at that point canceling the FP is not going to help anyone.

 

[CAS239]

If you're not going to use it then the nice thing to do is cancel it.

If it's 5:05pm and you have a FP for 5-6pm, when you drop it the system might automatically put it back into the pool as a FP for 5:15-6:15

 

[Elle23]

The only problem with canceling is you can’t get a 4th fastpass until you have used all 3.

I found this out when we went to Epcot. My kids rode Mission Space, and since I will never come within a mile of that ride I canceled mine.

When I tried to get fastpasses for Soarin later that evening, it would only let me make it for my 2 kids, because I had only used 2 fastpasses while they had used 3. (We are always together so we rode all the same rides except that one).

I think if you let it expire, it counts toward your 3 (someone correct me if I’m wrong...)

 

[holden]

Another option is to scan your band when your party does but not go on the ride. Then you can get another FP+ for everyone. If you aren’t going on anymore rides however, cancel it.

 

[randumb0]

Just hand the pass to someone you see walking by....oh wait nevermind

 

[William Ades]

The only problem with canceling is you can’t get a 4th fastpass until you have used all 3.

I found this out when we went to Epcot. My kids rode Mission Space, and since I will never come within a mile of that ride I canceled mine.

When I tried to get fastpasses for Soarin later that evening, it would only let me make it for my 2 kids, because I had only used 2 fastpasses while they had used 3. (We are always together so we rode all the same rides except that one).

I think if you let it expire, it counts toward your 3 (someone correct me if I’m wrong...)

It does count once expired. Also I thought you can book 4th FP once you are inside your 3rd FP window (correct me if I'm wrong..Lol!)?

 

[JETSDAD]

It does count once expired. Also I thought you can book 4th FP once you are inside your 3rd FP window (correct me if I'm wrong..Lol!)?

You can book a 4th once you've tapped the 3rd or it has expired....not just being inside the window of the 3rd.

 

[FSU Girl]

If I'm leaving the park and know I won't be using the fast pass I cancel so someone else can get it. If I'm staying I try to modify it to something I would actually use. I agree with people said above, if you are in a tiered park and cancel your third one it can mess up picking up another tier 1 later on.

 

[EdmondD]

Just hand the pass to someone you see walking by....oh wait nevermind

Ah yes, the fun days of this being paid forward are gone. I have fond memories of the numerous times we did this on the way out of a park, and seeing the faces on chosen random family light up.

 

[Linkura]

The only problem with canceling is you can’t get a 4th fastpass until you have used all 3.

I found this out when we went to Epcot. My kids rode Mission Space, and since I will never come within a mile of that ride I canceled mine.

When I tried to get fastpasses for Soarin later that evening, it would only let me make it for my 2 kids, because I had only used 2 fastpasses while they had used 3. (We are always together so we rode all the same rides except that one).

I think if you let it expire, it counts toward your 3 (someone correct me if I’m wrong...)

The way around this if you have one for a ride people would want to fp is to modify it to a ride that really doesn't need fp, like Philharmagic, Muppets, Figment, or Primeval Whirl. That way, you are letting someone else get your canceled FP and not taking from a desired ride. To be able to do a 4th right away, tap at the attraction and don't go on. It's nicer to do it for a ride that doesn't need FP if it's not too much trouble.

 

[scrapquitler]

Does anyone know if it is worthwhile to cancel a FP – when someone in your party is not going to use it -if you are already into the FP hour? It seems to me that at that point canceling the FP is not going to help anyone.

If you cancel it, someone else can grab it in the app, even if the time is right now. I've gotten a FP that starts within 5 minutes a few times.

And, if you choose to modify it (even if the time has already expired) you can book something else instead.

Or you can give your MB to someone else in your group and they can use it.

 

[fflmaster]

I used to love when we had the paper fastpasses and if not used we could simply give them as pixie dust to another family. Now, the best is, as others already said, just cancel. Boo Disney

 

[TinkerPan]

The only problem with canceling is you can’t get a 4th fastpass until you have used all 3.

I found this out when we went to Epcot. My kids rode Mission Space, and since I will never come within a mile of that ride I canceled mine.

When I tried to get fastpasses for Soarin later that evening, it would only let me make it for my 2 kids, because I had only used 2 fastpasses while they had used 3. (We are always together so we rode all the same rides except that one).

I think if you let it expire, it counts toward your 3 (someone correct me if I’m wrong...)

This is good to know. I hadn't considered this.

 

[TinkerPan]

Thank you all for your response.

On our last trip I found that for several different reasons we didn't use all of our FPs. Can you believe it? Mostly it was one or two people in our party not wanting/ or not able to ride. I didn't cancel, but was wondering if that was the right thing to do. I thought if I was well within the FP hour it wouldn't have been any help to anyone anyway. For example say there was only 15 minutes left on the FP hour. But, now I wonder if that was valid reasoning. I also thought that Disney might count on a certain number of no-used FPs to be able to offer anytime FP to some guests as a bonus, or at worst the Standby and FP line would just move faster. Therefore no harm. I guess I was looking for some reassurance that my no-action in not cancelling wasn't so terrible.

 

[bryanb]

Thank you all for your response.

On our last trip I found that for several different reasons we didn't use all of our FPs. Can you believe it? Mostly it was one or two people in our party not wanting/ or not able to ride. I didn't cancel, but was wondering if that was the right thing to do. I thought if I was well within the FP hour it wouldn't have been any help to anyone anyway. For example say there was only 15 minutes left on the FP hour. But, now I wonder if that was valid reasoning. I also thought that Disney might count on a certain number of no-used FPs to be able to offer anytime FP to some guests as a bonus, or at worst the Standby and FP line would just move faster. Therefore no harm. I guess I was looking for some reassurance that my no-action in not cancelling wasn't so terrible.

Yes, no harm at all! I don't find it helpful to cancel the FastPass instead of letting it expire. To @Elle23's point, it can mess things up for your party. And unlike a restaurant, they're not holding a specific place on the ride for you. As long as the ride is operating, the seat you would've used is going to be given to someone else and not wasted. It's arbitrary whether you cancel your FP or not.

Does it really matter if your seat goes back into the FP pool and gets snapped up by someone who just happened to be browsing for a pass? Really, who is to say that someone browsing for a FP is more deserving than the poor souls waiting in a line?

That random FP might save one person 60 minutes in a standby line, but they force 2,500 people to wait a second longer. By letting your FP expire, you have just saved ~2,500 people a second of waiting. (In fuzzy math.)

tl;dr: If you end up not cancelling your FP, you've let the standby line move one second faster for everyone waiting. Don't feel bad for even that one second.

 

[PrincessWithABlaster]

Thank you all for your response.

On our last trip I found that for several different reasons we didn't use all of our FPs. Can you believe it? Mostly it was one or two people in our party not wanting/ or not able to ride. I didn't cancel, but was wondering if that was the right thing to do. I thought if I was well within the FP hour it wouldn't have been any help to anyone anyway. For example say there was only 15 minutes left on the FP hour. But, now I wonder if that was valid reasoning. I also thought that Disney might count on a certain number of no-used FPs to be able to offer anytime FP to some guests as a bonus, or at worst the Standby and FP line would just move faster. Therefore no harm. I guess I was looking for some reassurance that my no-action in not cancelling wasn't so terrible.

Unless it’s one of your first 2 2nd Tier rides in a Tiered Park, it would be nice to cancel it (modify it if tiered in a park that isn’t Epcot and there’s something you want to ride). That FP might be just the one someone is looking for and you canceling it is their pixie dust for the day.

 

[TinkerPan]

Yes, no harm at all! I don't find it helpful to cancel the FastPass instead of letting it expire. To @Elle23's point, it can mess things up for your party. And unlike a restaurant, they're not holding a specific place on the ride for you. As long as the ride is operating, the seat you would've used is going to be given to someone else and not wasted. It's arbitrary whether you cancel your FP or not.

Does it really matter if your seat goes back into the FP pool and gets snapped up by someone who just happened to be browsing for a pass? Really, who is to say that someone browsing for a FP is more deserving than the poor souls waiting in a line?

That random FP might save one person 60 minutes in a standby line, but they force 2,500 people to wait a second longer. By letting your FP expire, you have just saved ~2,500 people a second of waiting. (In fuzzy math.)

tl;dr: If you end up not cancelling your FP, you've let the standby line move one second faster for everyone waiting. Don't feel bad for even that one second.

Thank you. This reasoning makes sense to me.

 

[Marcus A. Jordan]

I try to cancel mine on the MDX app when I'm leaving the park. I sometimes forget, but it's the polite thing to do.

This makes me wonder how many FastPasses go unused though. I bet it's more than you'd think

 

[TinkerPan]

I try to cancel mine on the MDX app when I'm leaving the park. I sometimes forget, but it's the polite thing to do.

This makes me wonder how many FastPasses go unused though. I bet it's more than you'd think

I think quite a few FPs go unused. Remembering back to our last trip here are our Unused FP:

1- 7DMT
6- FEA
2- Kali River Rapids
2- Toy Story Mania
2- Tower of Terror

I just wonder if Disney takes these Unused FPs into account someway. If so how?