Originally Posted By sherrytodd I was reading in the Unofficial Guide that Disneyland will let you use fastpasses from the window start time all the way till close. #1. Is this true? #2. Why not grab a bunch of Fastpasses in the morning when the return windows are short, thus allowing you to collect a new one each time the return window opens and then use them all in the afternoon when the lines are long and the return windows are far away?
Originally Posted By SuzieQ Yes, they will almost always let you use them anytime same day after the window opens. You can't run around getting all of them unless you have Enhanced FastPass because you are limited to one every 2 hours or getting a second one once your window opens. If you don't use any at all in the mornings, it is possible to have several accummulated for the evening. I've done it and it's a really nice way to get in lots of rides.
Originally Posted By sherrytodd What I meant was that for example, first thing in the morning the return window for Space Mtn may be only 40 minutes away. When that window opens only 40 minutes later it would be easy to grab one for Indy which still shouldn't have a return window too far off allowing you to get another at that time until the return windows exceed the two hour wait. By then, you probably could have accumulated a fair amount of fastpasses, thus ensuring stress free touring in the afternoon. It sounds like cheating. I feel so dirty. =)
Originally Posted By fkurucz Many people do this, which is one reason why fast passes can run out so quickly on a busy day.
Originally Posted By dzy76 That's how we do it, and it works great. It's nice not to have to hurry back at a specific time if you are in the middle of something else. But I do try to use them on the scheduled time if it's possible. Gotta love FP!
Originally Posted By tooele13 We did this on our last trip when we had enhanced fastpasses. We rode many rides over and over and never really had to worry about lines. I don't really feel guilty since I had paid the extra money for the enhanced fastpass by booking through aaa and staying onsite. What we didn't use each day, we would give to a random family in line. We're AP holders now so i'm gonna use what i know about fastpasses to get as many as possible. We're going to be in line more than our last trip, but we'll be in dinseyland, so who cares? Oh, we never had any problem using a fastpass with an earlier time window later in the evening.
Originally Posted By SuzieQ fkurucz, you are still limited to one fastpass every 2 hours or at return time. They run out early on a busy day because so many people want to ride.
Originally Posted By sherrytodd ^^^I agree. First I don't think that that many people know about this and second if everyone was doing this then the return windows would quickly exceed 2 hours making it impossible to accumulate enough fastpasses to use in the afternoon as you would have to wait the two hours before getting the next one.
Originally Posted By Chewybear #1 YES #2 EXACTLY! We do this all the time and it works out for everyone. When we're at Disneyland, we usually have kids ranging from several months up to teenagers. What we usually do is have the teenagers be the runners where they take our APs/tickets and get as many fastpasses as they can early in the morning. While waiting between fastpasses, they can wait in standby lines (usually shorter early morning) for the rides they like. On the other hand, the adults spend time with the little ones in Fantasyland and Toontown. Then we'll meet up in the afternoon so when the little ones go back and take their naps, the older adults and teens can then go out and enjoy all the rides without any lines.
Originally Posted By everyyearofmylife I am just going to reiterate what everyone else has already said and say...that is exactly the way to go about it! My boyfriend and I will get to the park as early as possible, get a FP for Space, ride Space, and by the time we're done riding the slot is usually up, so we get a fastpass for Buzz, ride Buzz, then move on to another land. Get a fastpass for Splash, ride Splash. By mid-afternoon we have ridden all the BIG rides when there was no lines at all and then by the time there are lines we have FP's for EVERYTHING. And if you really don't mind running around...when we have a long return time we'll go over to DCA and get a fastpass for Tower, ride Tower, get a fastpass for Screamin', ride Screamin', etc. Using this system I don't think we ever wait in a line for more than 10 minutes at the most. It's the best!
Originally Posted By Minnie1955 we've done this too, but we do try to stay within the window when we can. I think one of the reasons why fastpass lines can get backed up is because so many people "save" their fastpasses for later on in the day and they all end up showing up at the same time - when the standby queue is at its busiest.
Originally Posted By eryn the pooh I to did not know this until my last visit march 1-7. It was so nice not having to make sure we were back at the ride within that hour time frame! And we dud collect FP's anytime we went past a ride that had one and then used one anytime we went past a ride that we had FP's for. It was a much more relaxed trip for that reason. I do, however, not like the fact that this makes walkways much more crowded. It was hard for us to get through some places and it wasnt really even a busy day. We also make 1 person a runner for FP's while the others wait in line.
Originally Posted By BoyStory After reading Darbeer's Fastpass stradegy (btw,thank you Darkbeer!) which is basicly what is described above, I am already trying to compose an itenerary for us in June using it. We only have 1 1/2 days in the Park this time so I want to maximise the ride we go on- esp. since it sounds like it will be busy! We go to DL a few times per year but this will be the first time we try to maximize our FP's.
Originally Posted By fkurucz >>fkurucz, you are still limited to one fastpass every 2 hours or at return time. They run out early on a busy day because so many people want to ride.<< If you re-read my post, it said "which is one reason", and not "the one and only reason". And yes, its easy to hoard FP's early in the day. Once the return times get longer then it loses its efficacy.
Originally Posted By AJTW >I think one of the reasons why fastpass lines can get backed up is because so many people "save" their fastpasses for later on in the day and they all end up showing up at the same time - when the standby queue is at its busiest. > Yes. But when you are stuck in line for Splash Mountain for almost 3 hours when they finally decide to close it down, then everyone who was in that line has fastpasses to Indy and heads over there, you do not need the CM at Indy to tell you "If you used your fastpass in the window of time it allows, you wouldn't have to wait so long" after she tells you the fast pass line is 45 minutes. It adds insult to injury. This was the second time that weekend the CMs were giving us grief for coming back after the time window. I think it's starting to bug them.
Originally Posted By Minnie1955 AJTW, sorry the CM's gave you grief... it only shows that a lot of people must really be abusing this little tip. Though honestly, the few times I did have to use the fastpasses past the time slot, I've never been given a hard time from the CM... not a sigh or roll of the eyes... but I've always been embarrassed each time.
Originally Posted By amazedncal2 We've had CM's tell us that the fastpass line (that we are showing our FP ticket for) isn't any shorter than the regular line and to save our fastpasses for later in the day. It's always said with a "you didn't hear this from me" smile.
Originally Posted By cindyland Another reason to grab the Splash FP in the morning is it is a little chilly and more fun to ride when it warms up in the afternoon. We have always used our Indy and SM fastpass later in the day because we're usually over in Fantasyland and Tomorrowland in the morning and yours truly has already run across the park to grab the fastpasses and would like to do a leisurely stroll back over to use them. And the only CM that ever gave us trouble was on Indy. There was no FP line, and I was interupting his personal conversation with another CM to give him our two FPs. He started in on me (in front of my then 9-year-old son) about how the time had passsed, why hadn't we returned at the right time, blah-blah-blah. And I asked in my best "mom" voice, did we really HAVE to return during that period to make the FP valid, was that an official policy, etc. He let us through, and was not too thrilled to let us on "his" ride. What a snot. But I knew I was right, told my son I was right. BTW, we had saved the FP because my other kids were too small for the ride and were returning to the motel for a nap and this was my special time with my son to do the "big kid" rides. Just my two cents...
Originally Posted By MickeyChick Last time we were there was the first time I was aware of the "no end time" policy. So just to make sure I was correct, I specifically asked an Indy CM when we were getting fastpasses "The end time on these doesn't matter, right?" and he told me that yes, that was correct. So I guess it depends on who you run into. We've never had a problem using them after the window has closed.
