Originally Posted By lawdawg OK experts, current/former cast members and anyone with common sense. I was on Splash Mountain around 11:00 on Sunday with a group. We broke down on on the first hill and had to be evacuated. We received quite the backstage tour and two VIP passes to any ride (with the exception of Midway Mania) for up to six guests each. So far so good. Around 3:00, six of us returned to Splash and used one of the of the VIP passes to go into the FP line. Still good!! We hand the nice young man our VIP pass and get an “Enjoy your ride” smile. OK this is where it goes bad. Twenty seconds after I handed him the pass, The lights come on in the cave and we hear that dreaded announcement that Splash is now closed for an indefinite amount of time. UUGGHHH!! Well after 10 minutes of waiting we decided the ride was not reopening and I will kindly explain to a helpful CM that I just gave gave up a VIP pass twenty seconds before the ride closed! Surely this will be met with an abundance of enthusiasm to help me in my predicament. Boy was I wrong! I has hit with a lecture on how the VIP pass is Disney property and I surrendered it when I gave it to the other CM. OK if you look at my name, you cane surmise I work in a field of rules and procedures, however, I do try to go out of my way to help someone who needs it. Also I do not feel a sense of entitlement because I am one of those AP holders and try to get something for nothing. But I was evacuated off a ride and given a VIP pass to use on a ride. Shouldn't I be able to ride that ride? Am I overreacting in assuming I was in the right. Needless to say, we received a VIP pass when my friend talked to a supervisor. Any thoughts?
Originally Posted By FerretAfros What were they giving to the other riders? I would say that you should have gotten the same treatment as them. If they had waited in a 3 hour line, but kept their VIP pass, they wouldn't have lost their pass, but there goes 3 hours of their life that they can't get back. If they decided that for whatever reason that nobody in the line would get a pass, then it's only fair that you wouldn't either. You lost a pass, they lost 3 hours (or however long the wait was). I would think that they would want to give you something to make up for it, but I can't say what they would do. Had people also 'used' their FP's, and had no other option? It kind of sucks, but where in the line do you make the cut-off that says "this person waited long enough to deserve a pass, but the person behind you doesn't"? The easiest place to make that distinction, IMO, is once you're actually on the ride itself. Other than that, tough luck.
Originally Posted By grlweatswchpstx The only re-admission passes are given when you have to be evacuated, and even then it is the discretion of the leads. Unfortunately if it breaks down when you're in line, regardless of whether you had a fast pass or re-admission pass policy doesn't require them to give you one.
Originally Posted By amazedncal2 My guess is that since you waited 10 minutes it was long enough for people in line to get antsy and be hopeful of getting a pass. If they gave you the pass back, others would also want a pass and so on and so on. Timing was probably your downfall. We were evacted from the last climb on Splash and received one FP for our group of 5. The guests who had made the "splash" were considered to have completed the ride (although we all sat there for at least 15 minutes before the CM's came to get us) and didn't receive a FP. We came out of separate exits and we noticed that some guests had the FP and some didn't. It's a complex system.
Originally Posted By tashajilek I find that to be some what unfair. If you gave a pass for the ride breaking down and didnt get to ride it because it breaks down again you should at least get your pass back. The whole point is to go on a functioning ride not lose your pass in a line up.
Originally Posted By disneymamaof3 Hey lawdawg! My first thought is 'no fair!' But, after reading FerretAfros' response, I have to agree. I believe that it is right that you received the same treatment as those who had waited an hour or given up their fast passes. I probably would have responded the same as you though. Timing can be a real bummer! We rode it around 2:00 and all was good. At least you got a great backstage look! That's something I'm sure you'll all talk about for years to come! Hope you were able to enjoy the rest of your day
Originally Posted By SleepingBeauty82 I personally don't think it's fair. Only because I've had that happen to me in line for Big Thunder and the CM gave back all the Fastpasses the people in my line (including us) had given him. If I had been in lawdawg's situation I would have thought "Why did we get our passes back on Thunder Mountain but not here?" I've come across many situations like this where the protocol seems to chance depending on the day/CM.
Originally Posted By disneymamaof3 SleepingBeauty82...I agree. The protocol needs to be the same - no matter what ride or CM. Consistency is so important!
Originally Posted By adventurelandgirl89 I think typically when guests decide to leave their place in line that is one thing because they are choosing to give up their spot instead of wait it out. When the CM's have to completley shut down and clear out the line because the fix is going to take longer that is when re-ads are likely to be handed out.
Originally Posted By SleepingBeauty82 That's a good point. When we got our Fastpasses back we were not given the option to stay in line. They made us clear out.
Originally Posted By lesmisfan in my opinion they should have given you at least fastpasses to come back if not the vip pass. I know there have been many a time on certain attractions i have worked on if someone gave us a fastpass or vip pass and did't get to go on because it broke down, we simply just gave it back to them and asked them to check back later.
Originally Posted By grlweatswchpstx SleepingBeauty, unfortunately it does depend on the CM/day. For example, people I worked with: One would give FPs to all the guests past the merge point at BTM, another wouldn't give them to anyone, but on the other hand it also depended on what the wait time was. Official policy at Thunder was that no one from the town through the station stuck on a train would get a re-ad, but if you were at another point in the mountain you would, and no one was supposed to in line. It was just us trying to be nice otherwise because we tend to feel bad for people who waited 20-30 min.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<Any thoughts?>> Beyond the fact you should have never been 'lectured' and should have gotten the pass back immediately, no ... well, except I wonder what your thoughts might be about the 'Duped by Disney?' thread on the WDW board.
Originally Posted By SpokkerJones I would just think of it this way. A ride broke down and you didn't get to experience it. It happens all the time. If it bothers you, give Disney less or no money. If it doesn't bother you that much, walk it off. I would go with the second option. Even in a perfectly run theme park, rides will go 101 sometimes.
Originally Posted By lawdawg "If it bothers you, give Disney less or no money" That is funny because I am about to renew my AP without giving it a second thought. Thanks for the help guys!
