Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA <Of course I have no way to prove that but its what I notice from my years of going to Disney parks. )> I agree with you Beth.
Originally Posted By schoolsinger To measure the effects fastpass has on lines, don’t just look the fastpass rides themselves. Look at all of the rides. Since many people with fastpasses are in line for non-fastpass rides while waiting for their fastpass time there is an increase of lines across the board. Even the lines of small non-fastpass rides like Dumbo are increased by fastpass. So while you pro-fastpassers are cutting your wait at the fastpass attractions you are waiting longer for almost everything else. The time savings you get overall by using a fastpass may not be as big as you think over the days pre-fastpass. But now you have the burden to schedule your day around the fastpass times in order to make the most of your day.
Originally Posted By TDLFAN >>Fastpass don't ever go<< Don't worry. It won't go anywhere anytime soon, if ever.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 <Whether FP was in place or not, the queue for a new blockbuster attraction like Everest is going to be 90 to 120 minutes long. So thousands of people got to the park early, got their FP's, and enjoyed the ride without blowing 2 hours in a line. Sounds like a GREAT deal to me! < Count me in as a member of the church of reverand Dan. Couldn't have said it better
Originally Posted By danyoung >But now you have the burden to schedule your day around the fastpass times in order to make the most of your day.< Oh woe! Oh sorrow! OH PAIN!!! No, seriously it's one more thing to deal with, but again the advantage by far makes up for any burden. And the return time is a factor in my decision to get a FP or not. If return is in the middle of the afternoon when I'm taking my old guy nap, then I just won't get one. >Count me in as a member of the church of reverand Dan.< I'll preach it, brother, and you turn the pages!
Originally Posted By schoolsinger One problem with fastpass is that some people don’t wear watches.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 <>Count me in as a member of the church of reverand Dan.< I'll preach it, brother, and you turn the pages!< can I get an Amen !
Originally Posted By demderedoseguys DVC Dad - I think I was at WDW last week when you were there. I stayed at the Boardwalk, but didn't see anyone with a wife and 5 kids. Maybe next time. My next two trips are for mid-July and early November.
Originally Posted By danyoung >One problem with fastpass is that some people don’t wear watches.< I have a hard time believing that people would just throw away their time sense, even on vacation. If they didn't have a way to tell time, they couldn't make it to their dining reservations, either, so I think that's pretty unlikely.
Originally Posted By DVC_dad We were all over the place! You shoulda gave me a whistle! Did you go to the pool between 7 and 9? NOT the "quiet" pool. I was there with at least 3 kids every night and sometimes 5. It's hard to miss us, we had the pool to ourselves two nights.
Originally Posted By Goofys Apprentice Some of the anti FP people have, I think, an overly rosy view of the past -- I remember in the old days when a busy day meant 2 hour waits on all the popular rides. And you simply had no choice. Some kids grew enough to pass the height requirements. Count me as a "pro", although with some reservations. On the plus side, the system gives you some choices now. I prefer to use FP only to eliminate big waits on a couple of attractions a day. The rest I happily do standby. The negatives of FP are the rushed queue experience, loss of spontaneity, and the slightly increased waits when you don't use it -- these are valid complaints.
Originally Posted By demderedoseguys DVCDAD- I was always out at night. My wife and the pool are not a good match with the cooler nights we had. I think our trip is more of an adult activity trip, with more nights out. Usually didn't get back to trip BW until after 10. Besides, I noticed more and more larger families than my generation had, meaning 2 kids and stop, and I couldn't really walk around yelling out, "Hey, DVC Dad, Is that you ?" to every person I saw with more than a couple kids. Hope you had a great time.
Originally Posted By ssWEDguy >> FastPassing beautiful queues is worse than jumping into sex without foreplay. << (choking....) I'm willing to bet this quote is somewhere up on an Imagineering Bulletin Board already.
Originally Posted By ssWEDguy >> Now if you are talking about Soarin over Cal. then I agree-- march right through those boring lines with a FastPass. << You're kidding, right? I mean, if you're talking Soarin over California at DCA, the queue is quite detailed and worth the view. Soarin' at Epcot is much broader. And while it is interesting, it's much less detailed.
Originally Posted By ssWEDguy Important features about long queues -- they work best if... (1) There's something interesting to look at. Something entertaining or engaging. (2) They move constantly. You always feel like you're making progress. (3) They're fair. Line jumping is not permitted. (4) You're informed. If there's a delay and the line stops, they tell you why. You get all these, and the overall length is less important. Disney has always been good about doing all these. --------------------------- Now with FastPass, you get a form of "line jumping" going on. Yes, a separate, controlled line. But line-jumping nonetheless. If the FastPass line was entirely out of view of the Standby line, it would be better. --------------------------- The Standby line motion tends to be very jumpy. You move for a while, and then stop and wait for a while. You move again, you stop again. The important constant forward motion is interrupted. And then while you're standing there not moving you begin to think why -- that there are groups of people being let in in front of you. Whether or not that's true, you think it anyway. I mean even a legitimate ride interruption halt you start to blame FastPass, because you don't know otherwise.
Originally Posted By ssWEDguy >> the queue for a new blockbuster attraction like Everest is going to be 90 to 120 minutes long. So thousands of people got to the park early, got their FP's, and enjoyed the ride without blowing 2 hours in a line. Sounds like a GREAT deal to me! << I went to AK yesterday. Got there at 9am opening. Went directly to Everest and got in through the Standby queue. (Our group went through that too fast for my money.) We were on the ride within 10 minutes of arrival. Went around again, what the heck. All of this without FastPass. For all of you people who talk about "planning" and using FastPass to good advantage, why isn't just showing up earlier in the day a form of "planning?" ------------------------ While we were there were people lined up pumping the FastPass machines for Everesty. Whatever for, I don't know. Why didn't they just get on the ride?
Originally Posted By ssWEDguy >> While we were there were people lined up pumping the FastPass machines for Everest. Whatever for, I don't know. Why didn't they just get on the ride? << Unless, is it possible there are other things going on? I get there early with my group and we ride Everest right away, right? But we go ahead and get FastPasses anyway, even though we don't need them. Later we can elect to use them, or possibly even give/sell them to someone else? Or just throw them away. There's nothing to keep a FastPass that you got from being given/sold to someone else. Disney won't let you share your park pass with anyone else. But there's no attempt at keeping people from sharing the FastPass.
Originally Posted By mrichmondj Great points ssWEDguy! But also funny to watch you have a conversation with yourself. LOL
Originally Posted By ssWEDguy Lest you think I'm anti-FastPass, I'm actually not. What I am against is two lines within sight of each other at any point, and the startagain/stopagain motion of the Standby queue.