Changes to the FASTPASS System?

[Lou Mongello]

Changes are coming to the FASTPASS system - new tickets are already being distributed and new machines are being installed.

What do you think Disney has planned for FASTPASS?

What can YOU suggest to improve the FASTPASS system?

What do you think about some of the rumors floating around, such as a pay-for-FASTPASS system, hierarchical system based on your resort, etc.?

[disneydarling]

I think that it would be lovely if there were a central fast pass kiosk for each park - so you could check wait times and obtain passes without walking allover creation.

Any system based on paying more for fastpasses or getting fast passes based on resort is absolutely horrible!!!! The park is already $$$ enough, and there are already plenty of experiences available for extra money (fancy dining, tours etc) but the rides and attractions should remain equally accesible by all. Why should my son have to wait longer in line than someone elses kid just because I don't make as much money????????

[kgiles]

I agree. The parks bring in enough money as they are. KEEP IT FREE for the little people like myself

[SamIAm717]

I don't think the "pay for a pass" system works very well at Universal. There are lots of complaints that the express lines are just as long as the regular lines. They also allow all their "resort guests" an express pass for length of stay, so between those who pay for it and those who get it by being a guest at the resort, I would assume that on any given day, most people have the express pass. What good does that do?

I do like the idea of a central kiosk though for the more popular attractions at each park. You could get several at one time, but they could be staggered in time throughout the day depending on the park crowds,. etc. I'm sure there's a computer system that tracks the amount of people in the park on any given day. So, if the park is really crowded, you may have longer wait times between each ticket, but if the park attendance is light, maybe you could get on a different E Ticket attraction every 45 minutes or so.

I really think Disney's system work about the best right now when compared to Universal or Six Flags.

[firemedic]

I think that you should be able to get at least two different fastpasses at the same time. As long as they're spaced about an hour apart. A guy could cover some ground that way.

[tizzo]

I'm as opposed as anyone could be to the notion of selling fastpasses, or of giving preferential access to resort guests at the expense of other guests. I was greatly distressed when I heard the rumor that this is what would be happening.

Someone else mentioned Universal. I was an annual passholder there a few years back. I don't know about the lengths of the express pass lines, but I do know about availability of EPs -- there isn't any. In an entire year of visits to this park, I don't think I ever was able to get an EP for an attraction I wanted to ride. I would typically arrive in the early to mid afternoon, and all EPs for most rides were usually gone already. Once or twice I got there in the morning, around 11 or so, and even then EPs for most rides were usually gone. But they were still available for sale at any gift shop for $20.

The way I see it, Universal included the EPs, based on availability, as part of the cost of my annual pass. They then took them away from me so they could sell them to someone else. (The whole idea behind FPs and EPs is that there are a limited number of them available - if you sell them in the gift shops, you have to reduce the number available in the machines that distribute them.) This is one reason that I will never be a Universal AP holder again.

As far as suggestions for positive changes, I like the idea of central kiosks where you can get FPs for any attraction. However, I think that limiting the walking between parts of the park would end up indirectly lengthening the lines for attractions. Anyone who's not walking from Tomorrowland to Liberty Square to get a FP for HM while waiting for their SM FP to mature, will instead be standing on line for Buzz Lightyear or the Indy Speedway. Plus, I think that as a guest you'd be missing out if you could just get all your FPs in one place and just run from attraction to attraction. Part of the fun of WDW is taking your time walking through the place seeing the attractions.

I would, however, make one exception to the above. I think that anything that allows Disney to better level the wait times at attractions would be an improvement, and FP could be used as a tool to that end. FP kiosks that give out FPs for a specific ride could have the ability to notify a guest who is owed another FP (if indeed they allow you to get two at the same time) of another attraction running below capacity that there are FPs available for immediate boarding. The machine could give them a FP for that other attraction along with the one they're requesting. For example, you're at SM, and you get a FP for two hours from now. Since this is the first FP you're getting, the machine detects that you are owed another one, and also knows that Mickey's Philharmagic and the Haunted Mansion both have FPs available for immediate boarding. You're notified of this fact, and are given the option of getting a FP for one of these other attractions along with your SM FP. If you so choose, the machine gives you your SM FP plus a second FP which can be used immediately at this other attraction. If, however, you'd rather have a FP for Big Thunder Mountain RR, you would have to walk over there and get one (although the machine should also be able to tell you if there are any available, and when the next one is for). Perhaps it could also alert you to the wait times at non-FP attractions and recommend things to do while waiting for you FP window to open up. The idea would be to use the system to identify attractions that are operating below capacity and to drive traffic to those attractions.

As far as perks for DVC, AP, or resort guests, I suppose there are some little things that could be done while keeping the overall system fair. Perhaps a certain (very) limited number of a special class of FP on each attraction could be set aside, and resort guests of different levels, AP holders, and/or DVC members could have some level of access to these FPs in a way that would not affect availability for everyone else.

For example, say for each attraction 0.5% of the FPs per hour are set set aside as "premium" FPs. Guests are issued premium FP credits of some kind, perhaps one per person per day for resort guests, or five per person per year for AP holders. When you stick your ticket into a FP kiosk, if there are premium FPs available (and you have premium FP credits in your balance), you have the option to "buy" a FP with one of your credits. The only thing special about a premium FP is that it's reserved for certain guests. So if an attraction is sold out of FPs, you may still be able to get one, or if the next regular FP is in three hours, there may be a premium FP available for one hour from now. The important thing would be to strictly limit the number of premium FPs on any given attraction, so as not to cause a noticeable reduction in availability for everyone else. The feasibility would depend largely on data I don't have. How many FPs are given out every day, and how many guests are staying in a Disney resort on any given day? It may turn out that if you reserved one FP per day for every guest staying on property, you will have reserved half the FPs available for that day across the entire resort, in which the whole thing collapses.

Anyway, my $0.02.

[Maestr034]

I actully love the way fast pass works right now. A central station at the front of each park would be nice but I like the way you can get one pass per ticket at a time. I think that keeps the fastpass line shorter. Another thing I think they should think about would be to put like big ticket attractions fast passes in hotel lobeys. You only get one a day though.

[flutter]

I think that it would be lovely if there were a central fast pass kiosk for each park - so you could check wait times and obtain passes without walking allover creation.

Any system based on paying more for fastpasses or getting fast passes based on resort is absolutely horrible!!!! The park is already $$$ enough, and there are already plenty of experiences available for extra money (fancy dining, tours etc) but the rides and attractions should remain equally accesible by all. Why should my son have to wait longer in line than someone elses kid just because I don't make as much money????????

I completely agree

[DisneyDreamer13]

I think that it would be lovely if there were a central fast pass kiosk for each park - so you could check wait times and obtain passes without walking allover creation.

Any system based on paying more for fastpasses or getting fast passes based on resort is absolutely horrible!!!! The park is already $$$ enough, and there are already plenty of experiences available for extra money (fancy dining, tours etc) but the rides and attractions should remain equally accesible by all. Why should my son have to wait longer in line than someone elses kid just because I don't make as much money????????

I totally agree. After we have paid almost $18000 for the nine of us to get to florida for the holiday of out lifetime next May, i'd hate to think we would have to find more money just to get on a few rides faster. The fast pass system is great, but to be honest, I'd rather see it vanish all together than see fastpasses up for sale, there is no Disney Magic in that idea!

[SamIAm717]

You know, after listening to Lou's opinion on the central kiosk, I can honestly say I think I changed my mind. The idea of a central kiosk sounds good, but it might be just one more long long line you'd have to stand in each day. Like he said, instead of the park opening with people scattering to their favorite ride, people would all gather at that kiosk. At that point, if you were smart, you'd let everyone stand in line at the kiosk and just keep moving toward the attraction you want to ride most that day.

[DisneyTina]

I think the idea of a central kiosk where everyone could get the days fastpasses sounds like a real nightmare and I would rather that Disney just leave things as they are. I think it's fine the way it is already, although being able to get a second FP for like, a show when you pick up your Thunder Mountain FP sounds alright. Otherwise the way it is now, with some people heading for say, Splash at opening while others rush to Space Mountain works fine, and adds to the excitement even. How will it be if we instead go to this kiosk area, pick up what we are allowed and then just hit the attractions that aren't in the system....sounds alright but we will still have a major line at the Kiosk (or whatever they come up with) and that won't work.

SamIAM you are right about the new touring plan we may all be following if this idea goes through!

Also I agree wholeheartedly that paying for express fast passes would be a horrendous idea that would do nothing more than upset an awful lot of people, including myself. In regards to Disney and most other things in general I think that many people, once they earn more will spend more to get what they want so they may sell quite a few of these express fast passes, or tiered fast passes or whatever they would be but these same people would have found another way to give Disney their money without pissing off all the rest who could never afford it.

[Simonhp]

It would be a bad idea to charge for fastpass. The other parks in Orlando charge for Fastpass or what ever they call it and it just does not work. Its just a cheap way to make a fast Buck.

[disneyimagineer]

I think that they should install multi fastpass kiosks at every fastpass ride in the parks. So lets say you want to go on the Buzz Lightyear standby line then go on Splash Mountain later with fastpasses, but don't want to walk a country mile over to Frontierland and back. If they had machines at every fastpass ride where you could just choose what ride to get fastpasses from and get them right then and there. But you currently you have to get them at the kiosk at that certain ride. Then, by the time you walk from Buzz Lightyear all the way over to Splash Mountain, get the fastpasses, walk all the way back, wait in the standby line, ride the ride, and walk all the way back to Splash Mountain, your return time will have probably already expired. But if they had fastpass machines for all of the fastpass rides at every fastpass ride, you could get your fastpasses for Splash Mountain and ride Buzz Lightyear at one spot, then get over to Splash Mountain with fastpasses for it without wasting time walk there and back and there again.

Just an idea!

[harra]

First,

I need to say that despite the fact that I'm for tiered perks based on various things like what resort you are staying at or if you are a Annual Passholder or DVC member, FastPass perks are not on my list of things that should be tiered.

Anything that has a chance of destroying balance and making it harder for people to "enjoy the magic" isn't good in my book.

Centralized kiosks I am on the fence about because it would create a log jam there. It could be a silver lining like others stated that would allow people to sneak onto rides while others were at the centralized kiosk but at the potential penalty of getting no FastPasses that day.

I don't know how many people use the kiosks at the movie theaters so that you can avoid the line to purchase tickets from a live person. You pick your movie, put in your credit card and get your tickets.

Why cannot they have kiosks that default to the ride they are located at, you put in your park ticket and get your FastPass, then, if they allow a second pass, they give you a serious of touch screen buttons representing what other FastPass options you qualify for and let you pick another and then you get a second FastPass. IT shouldn't take much longer, time-wise, than it currently takes to get one.

Better yet, if they could link all the admission tickets together for a particular party, you can get an option to get FastPasses for all people in your party with the use of one park ticket to activate the system. Then you wouldn't have to do that juggling game of insert your ticket, get FastPass, insert your spouse's, get a FastPass then next person, next person, and next person.

[mini-V]

I rather like the FP system as it is. I would be very much against a paid system, giving guests staying on property advanced FP of any kind, or issuing a special FP to DVC or AP holders. I wouldn't like any system that didn't keep the "playing field level" for all guests. There already are some FP that are available from various cms, and they are given out sparingly. Any additional FP distributed could easily overload the system making the FP line just another line.

Being able to check the FP distribution on your cell phone or even the wait line on your cell phone would be helpful.

I think part of the reason that FP works as well as it does is that people can't just go up and stock up on multiple FPs without visiting the ride. If you had distribution in a central location in the park, you'd have everyone lining up to get a FP all at the same spot making that line much longer than it is currently.