Originally Posted By Labuda "and DDE Disney Dining Experience also an AP and DVC only perk " Actually, it's a FL-resident-only perk that was just recently extended to APs & DVCers when Disney realized there's ots of folks ike me who'll spend more if they get 20% off.
Originally Posted By basas <<You'll do the same you did before FP... get in line and wait your turn along with everyone else...the way the person who invented the concept of a "line" intended it to be used= first come first serve.>> Or, if lines are long, you can visit in the morning, during a parade or show, or even the evening (when lines used to be quite short!). Also, you'll be able to wait in fast-moving lines, while enjoying all the themeing that went into the queue before Disney and FP told guests 'the heck with building up the story, get them on, get them off, get them into the shops!". Not only all that good stuff^^, but you'll probably find the general wait times (Christmas, 4th of July, Easter, etc. as exceptions of course) much shorter, more reasonable, and more accurate. Trust me, it won't kill you to wait in a 25-30 minute line for a ride like Peter Pan or Big Thunder...
Originally Posted By TDLFAN and enjoy the scenery and the little mischevious touches the imagineers have added to those queues...but FP guests never get to see as they cut to the front of the line..
Originally Posted By vbdad55 <>>Real VIP's have always gotten stuff that ordinary guests don't.<< yes but my understanding is that many VIP's do pay for the extra attention... This is not a free service, unless you have been invited to be a VIP on property... like The Press or some dignitary... That's my understanding.< Ah, back in the days of the ULTIMATE fast passes -- the corporate sponsor lounges - like the McDonalds one at Dinosaur ( then Countdown) - stop in for a cold coke, some cookies - cool off- then ride the elevator down to the area after the post show and on the ride -- and by sharing with other sponsors ( always had tickets to all lounges) - quite a nice collection of attractions in a short time-- I miss those days.......
Originally Posted By DlandDug I am always mystified by those who clearly understand the FastPass system and still despise it. The arguments I have seen here fail to persuade me in any way. The most specious is that the FP system is most egregious on crowded days. A four hour wait for Soarin'? And without FP this would be reduced to what...? The fact is, lines are longer on crowded days. Duh. Getting rid of FastPass is NOT going to change that. The whole "elitist" argument falls apart with one simple fact: FastPass is free and available to all. Yes, the passes do run out, sometimes relatively early in the day. (The idea of rationing them through the day would simply create long lines at the FP machines, which would last all day.) And that's the point. FP was not designed to allow everyone to skip the wait in line. It was designed to free up a certain number of people on any given day. And in that, it is succesfull. (Paranthetically, I spend rather a lot of time in Disneyland. I do not often see people irate over the FP line. But then, I do recall seeing irate people in general at WDW, both before and after FP.)
Originally Posted By TDLFAN ^^^That's because they do not have a choice in the matter... You are dammed if you go stand by, or you are dammed if you skip the ride... No win situation for the majority of the guests.
Originally Posted By DlandDug I would be interested in seeing any statistical information that indicates the level of guest dissatisfaction with the FP system. So much of this argument hinges on what is, frankly, anecdotal information. I tend to believe that if there was significant unhappiness over PastPAsses, that Disney would have modified or eliminated them by now.
Originally Posted By TDLFAN I too would be interested in hard numbers as well... but the fact that even DL Park has modified or eliminated FP at some attractions...does give reason to believe they are re-evaluating this or maybe looking for a way to improve it?? who know... However, according to Universal.. their guests overwhelmingly rated their system as something that does not enhance their visits to the park.
Originally Posted By TDLFAN Here is the link to Orlando sentinel's about Universal Express being eliminated... <a href="http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/orl-tourism1306feb13" target="_blank">http://www.orlandosentinel.com /business/orl-tourism1306feb13</a>,0,1832690.story
Originally Posted By DlandDug Actually, there is nothing that would enhance my visit to Uni Hollywood OR Florida. I have been a Passholder at USH for years, and still wonder why. IOA was one of the biggest disappointments I have ever experienced (and I went to the opening of DCA). But Universal has managed to maintain numbers over the years. So... my reaction is purely anecdotal.
Originally Posted By TDLFAN ARGH!!! I hate bad links!!! But I am pasting the report here.... >>>>Universal keeps Express Plus service Christopher Boyd, Beth Kassab and Scott Powers | Sentinel Staff Writers Posted February 13, 2006 E-mail this article Printer friendly version Most e-mailed articles News on your cell Universal Orlando is getting rid of its Universal Express service that allowed visitors to skip an occasional long line -- and switching entirely to its Express Plus service, in which people pay extra money for the privilege of cutting lines all day. Universal Express has been around at Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure since 1999. It worked a little like Disney's FastPass, which started a few months earlier. At Express kiosks set up outside popular attractions, Universal visitors could obtain free reservations to come back later, at one of two specified times, and skip the long line in favor of a much shorter Express line. Universal introduced the alternative, Express Plus, in 2003. In that program, visitors pay extra -- a fee that ranges from $15 to $50 depending on the season and package -- for a pass that allows them to get into any of the Express lines, any time. Universal also has a similar deal for its hotel guests. A couple of months ago, Universal put bags over the Universal Express pass dispensers while re-evaluating the program, and to see how many people would pay to skip long lines if there were no free Express passes available. Now the decision is in. Express is out. Express Plus is in, Universal spokesman Tom Schroder said. The Universal Express pass dispensers will be removed, he said. "Express Plus allows guests to have front-of-line access to all of our attractions whenever they want to," Schroder said. "Our regular Express system allowed guests to choose a window of time, a reserved time. What we were finding is guests were only able to go to one or two attractions a day with it, and they told us it didn't really enhance their experience." A Disney spokesman said Walt Disney World has no plans of getting rid of FastPass.<<<<
Originally Posted By DlandDug Also, the fact that DL has, indeed, modified the FastPass system and eliminated it from some attractions indicates that they look at it closely. And there is no evidence that they are considering scrapping the whole system.
Originally Posted By DlandDug My experience with IOA's Express Plus was just a horror. After arriving at IOA for my first visit, a rather hardbitten gal outside the entrance insisted that we NEEDED Express Plus in order to see all the offerings that IOA had. I shelled out $50, unaware that there was also a FREE system in place inside. In the three hours that I breezed through IOA (seeing everything, including, as God is my witness, the "live" dinosaur) I used Express Plus not once. As my companion and I headed to the Studios, we stopped by Guest Relations to request a refund, as we had not used the Express Pass at any time. Another rather hardbitten character basically told us "tough luck." Oddly, though, there were also people inside Guest Relations clamoring to BUY Express Plus, as the passes had sold out for the day. So... we sold our passes to another guest, right there in Guest Relations. What a debacle.
Originally Posted By TDLFAN I never said they are scrapping it... Au contraire... it is here to stay for the long haul.
Originally Posted By TDLFAN >>In the three hours that I breezed through IOA (seeing everything, including, as God is my witness, the "live" dinosaur) I used Express Plus not once.<< Well, If I had gone to IOA on a slow day, I'd definitely not invest in it for obvious reasons.. Go to USJ in Osaka on a crowded day and see how much you can do without the Express service... It's all relative and subject to the amount of guests in the parks. Same for FP which seems totally unneeded on slow days. >>a rather hardbitten gal outside the entrance insisted that we NEEDED Express Plus in order to see all the offerings that IOA had.<< Seems to me you needed to be a bit more stern about this my friend... No CM on Earth will make my buy something I don't care to use no matter how hardbitten s/he might be.
Originally Posted By IanBassi When I went to MGM Studios last year, and was queueing for Rocking Roller Coaster, we were about 3 people away from going into the recording studio when the ride was stopped. We were told that it had started to rain really heavily, and that because people were not exiting the building at the exit, for H&S reasons, they could not send anyone else through. So we had to wait for it to stop rainig before we could go on They should do this when the queues for standby get to long as well. Stop people joining them. Once a Standby queue gets to 2 hours long, they should stop people joining until X amound of people have gone through. Someone said something about all the fast passes for Soarin going by 10.30 am, well that means all those people who have got fast passes for Soarin, wont be able to get fast passes for the other rides, which people who queue for Soarin will be. I use fast passes, and I like the fact it allows me to save time queueing. I dislike the fact that when I use the standby line, sometimes you move every few minutes, and other times you stand still for 10 minutes at a time but I just remind myself that I have a fastpast for another ride, which I would be standing in a queue for otherwise. I think I would be more upset if the only people who were jumping the queues were people who had paid for it, because I would think, Why do they get to jump the queue, just because they are rich. At least with the current system, I can have a fastpass to jump an attraction queue, just the same as anyone else.
Originally Posted By Goofyernmost >>>And that's the point. FP was not designed to allow everyone to skip the wait in line. It was designed to free up a certain number of people on any given day. And in that, it is succesfull.<<< I believe that FP was originally designed as an experimental system. It was an effort to determine if it were possible to control the times that people went to the rides and therefore eliminate the lines completely. You would go in get passes to different rides, return at your time and therefore make the whole experience high tech and as spontaneous as evolution. It didn't work in the way it was thought but it did create a monster that they couldn't escape. After speaking with a customer service rep. a few years back, I was left with the impression that Disney now fields way more complaints about long lines then ever before. The lack of enforcement of the windows hasn't help either. I read on either this board or an other, where someone asked if the fastpass that the got yesterday would work today. A number of people responded that they used theirs the day after and no one said a word to them. They were just let in front. The hostility in the standby lines is palpable at times, especially when you are almost there and a large group comes strolling up and in. The magic disappears for a huge number of people. One must bear in mind that just because something is beneficial to themselves does not necessarily mean that it is for the good of all. I have admittedly used fastpass, not often, but I have used it to my benefit. That doesn't mean that it was benefiting the experience for everyone, and since everyone has paid approximately the same price for admission it needs to be available to all, at all times, or it is discriminatory and just plain wrong. The total experience is missed, as TDLFAN mentioned, because you are cheating yourself out of the theming detail and the experience that is Disney. If all you want to do is rush on a ride, why not just go to a carnival. There one can ride the rides with childlike wonder and excitement and not have had to pay for all the extras that Disney has spent so much time and money and imagination on. I feel sorry for those that speed through everything, missing the detail. Take ToT for example. You could go standby a hundred times and still not see every detail in that particular theme. If you just want to be dropped from a height then IOA has a classic pull you up, drop you down ride. I would never have gone to Disney again and again if all I wanted was ending. I'm sure that many would be upset if FP were to be removed but IMHO the place would be a whole lot better without it.
Originally Posted By Goofyernmost Oops, missed an important word..that's what I get for rushing. "I would never have gone to Disney again and again if all I wanted was THE ending."
Originally Posted By vbdad55 < If all you want to do is rush on a ride, why not just go to a carnival. There one can ride the rides with childlike wonder and excitement and not have had to pay for all the extras that Disney has spent so much time and money and imagination on. I feel sorry for those that speed through everything, missing the detail. Take ToT for example. You could go standby a hundred times and still not see every detail in that particular theme. If you just want to be dropped from a height then IOA has a classic pull you up, drop you down ride. < As far as missing the details of the queue I understand - but a pretty cavalier attitude about going to a carnival instead - ( bodering on rude like your way is the only way) - when above you do acknowledge that not all things work the same for all people. Try waiting in line for something you want to do, like TOT, with 3 kids under the age of 12 ( who may not be fascinated with the queue) for 90 minutes to 2 hours in July heat - have you done that? You might just change your mind -- especially for those of us who go 1 - 2 times per year ( and many times this is in the middle of summer when school is out) only and have to make the most of each trip and try and please everyone from 6 - 60. Yeah if you're a local and can mosey by on slower days and relax and see everything - how wonderful -- not all of us get that opportunity. so IMHO and seemingly many others who are not locals -- FP has been a great addition. No I do not believe it belongs on every ride - and yes I do believe on some rides like HM - it didn;t work well at all -- but for others - like combinations of SPlash - GTMRR ---- and Buzz / SM etc -- it allows those of us who do not have the ability to go whenever we want to get a little more magic in.
Originally Posted By TDLFAN >>They should do this when the queues for standby get to long as well. Stop people joining them. Once a Standby queue gets to 2 hours long, they should stop people joining until X amound of people have gone through.<< If they did that, they would have a riot in their hands, but they should suspend FP ticketing when conditions do get that bad, just so that they can move the stand by line a bit faster... like the good old times.
