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Disney is trying to create the Theme Park 2.0 experience by eliminating the most frequently complained about aspect of theme parks: lines and crowds. Fastpass+ encourages people to spend less time waiting in lines and the tracking of guests' movements allows them to even more accurately identify bottlenecks and heat zones, and to study the routes most trafficked. Nevertheless, it is the queues that it takes most direct aim at. Ditching the standby line altogether represents an inadequate way of taking this one step further, but perhaps that is because as a temporary measure imposed after the fact, it couldn't be optimised as fully as one might like.
This no standby queue experiment combined with the other experiments, which essentially duplicate the legacy Fastpass system, hint at where the optimal future lies: no PHYSICAL standby queues. Instead of a distinction between a Fastpass/+ queue and a standby queue, each attraction has one (short) line, a boarding queue. Fastpass+ reservations get in that line, and so does everyone else...Once they've cleared the virtual queue (Which I assume Disney would call Disney's Magic Queue).
Under this system, Fastpass+ reservations would work as they do now. But standby queues would work (superficially) the same way as the old Fastpass system. You go to the ride, bump your Magicband/smartphone (That has to become an option) against the reader (Or swipe your ticket I guess) and the system gives you a return time. You're now in the Magic queue. All you have to do is come after the return time to get into the boarding queue. This could also be represented by a Guest Number, but I expect Disney will prefer the existing time based system. You can use the MyMagic+ app to keep track of your place in the virtual queue, and get notifications of delays. If you don't have it, boards throughout the park include the same updates, so just check as you pass (Disney could also offer iPod touches dedicated to this purpose for a small daily fee).
Because this is all calculated on the back end, it can one-up the legacy Fastpass system and the even older physical standby queues in this way: you can queue for a theoretically unlimted number of attractions at once. The limit ceases to be a predetermined arbitrary one or a physical restriction, and instead becomes a calculation from the system as to whether you will be able to join that boarding queue before the close time. This calculation factors in ride times, existing boarding times from both Magic Queue and Fastpass+ and journey times (so if it takes too long to walk from your last attraction to the new one, you are presented with an alert allowing you to choose which queue you want to stay in.
This system still allows you to walk on to rides whose capacity is outstripping their demand, because all it essentially does is put you in more than one queue at once. So you bump the reader at Walt Disney's The Jungle Cruise after already hopping in the Magic Queue for Splash Mountain. Splash Mountain has a return time in about forty minutes, but the traffic to Jungle Cruise is light at the moment. You get an immediate return time and just proceed into the boarding queue because the Magic Queue is essentially empty. But say it had a ten minute queue? Just grab a Dole Whip and then come back. You're in both queues the whole time. You could even use those ten minutes to also jump in the queue for another attraction for after Splash Mountain.
This, to me, is pretty obviously where Disney is headed. I think it's a great idea. Your whole visit can be optimised for you automagically and you spend less time standing around, which means more time to explore and enjoy other attractions, shows and environments. Properly implemented, this system would also make optimal use of capacity at all times, allowing smaller rides near large ones to accept more guests who would previously have been sponged by the E Ticket queues.
Your idea sounds so simple, but in reality is unlikely to work. Have you been to WDW in, say the last 20 years? Most of the year the parks are very busy to jam-packed. Most everyone wants to go on the "E ticket rides". Lets play a little numbers game for a moment. I have no factual information on daily park attendance numbers and base my numbers according to my 10 visits to the parks since May of this year. My observation of attendance range from "very busy" to "have they locked the gates yet?".
I have been trying to get Fastpasses for the new Seven Dwarfs Mine Train since May and have been unsuccessful to date. During our visits the wait times for the standby line varied from 30 mins. to over 2 hours. This is with all Fastpasses for the ride allocated. One would assume, accurately I believe, that the number of Fastpasses allocated for each ride is not just an arbitrary number they pulled out of the air, but one they decided upon after taking into account factors such as length of time needed for boarding, duration of ride and deboarding time and historical numbers of riders per operating hour day.
Lets assume for a moment that on a very busy day, during peak hours, there are 40,000 visitors in the Magic Kingdom. Let us then consider that 60% (24,000) of those folks want to ride Space Mountain. Taking into consideration the factors listed above, it is unlikely that all 24k visitors will get to ride. However, their chances would diminish drastically if they didn't have standby lines. As for your idea of a "short line, a boarding queue" is something that will never be seen at WDW. Due to the small number of E-Ticket rides at the parks, even IF your theory was workable, the line would be longer than the standby lines are now. Personally, I think your theory is way off of what Disney is considering. As I said before, it seems you have rarely, if ever been to WDW. I live in Florida and we are annual passholders. We go there at least once a month. Thirty years ago, most of the winter was considered the "off-season". Now there really is no off-season. It is busy year round. BTW, a majority of those 60% will not want to ride Peter Pan's Flight or the Carousel. You also didn't take into consideration travel times and distances between rides. Traversing the parks can be a daunting task in the "busy" season, especially for families with small children in strollers and disabled folks in wheelchairs or riding ECVs.
I think you might not be imagining the same thing I am. You seem to be working under the assumption that the system I'm describing is just Fastpass replacing all standby queues. It's not. Fastpass+ would continue as a second way of getting into an attraction with the same "arrive at designated time window" system as now. The system I'm describing is eliminating the act of standing in the physical standby queue and replacing it with a metered access system, a virtual queue. The positions aren't completely fixed because (and I forgot to mention this) the more queues you're in the less priority you get on any new one you join. This mathematically duplicates the capacity spread of the one at a time system, but in a much more precise way.
All this accounts for capacity. In fact it's all about managing capacity, but doing it mathematically to try and do so more efficiently for both the guest and the park. Your MagicQueue bookings and Fastpass+ bookings would collectively form a dynamic MyMagic+ Itinerary, creating the optimal distribution of your time based on distances, bookings (and their priority), capacity, your actual ride times and so on. To account for people abandoning rides, your spots would expire in the same way Fastpass windows close, but the window would be more dynamic - there would be a minimum window length, but it could fluctuate up from and down to that length from either opening or closing (acounting for an unexpected increase in available capacity for example) and (less commonly - for example in the event of a temporary shutdown) move based on what's going on with the attraction. Except for the ability to move the window to allow for closures, this is exactly what happens with a standby queue anyway - sometimes it just moves faster or slower, sometimes people just abandon the queue. And moving it to allow for closures is much less disruptive to guests than re-queuing, but has the same basic effect.
This isn't something you would need to implement on every attraction either, the numbers Disney already has would dictate which attractions wouldn't need virtual queues. The most efficient boarding attractions with lower demand for example.
"However, their chances would diminish drastically if they didn't have standby lines. "
But that's just the point, there would be standby lines, you just don't stand in them. Your place is held in line by the backend systems. It's exactly the same as if you were standing in a line behind other people (except you can be elsewhere and instead of immediately boarding once your turn comes up, you simply become eligible to board) including the potential for parabolic changes in wait time, as opposed to the linear change in wait time of the sequentially distributed legacy Fastpasses. In other words, this system would allow late arrivers to potentially board faster than people arriving in peak time - just like a standby queue, but unlike a Fastpass.
The return time you are granted is an estimate based on capacity over time, boarding speed, travel times, priority and the length of the "queue" ahead of you. It is not fixed, it's just a more user-friendly way than assigning each position a number like a supermarket food counter - which would be confusing since if it's a booking you've made while still in several other MagicQueues, your "position" in the line could be moved back by higher priority guests joining.
And again, your window would have an expiry on it to allow capacity to be redistributed to guests behind you in the MagicQueue or arriving later in the day. And if there are no people in the MagicQueue but there is space in the physical queue, the sign outside the physical queue just switches to indicate you are able to just walk in.
"...the line would be longer than the standby lines are now."
That'd be impossible, the idea is the system would not allow people into the physical queue beyond a certain point, which accounts for capacity over time & boarding speed, the number of people in the physical queue and the number of people in the virtual queue ahead of them. That's why the smartphone App/website or (for guests without access to a mobile device) terminals in the park would keep the data updated for you - a virtual equivalent of what happens when you join a standby queue and the RPH reduces because of some hold up with boarding or other issue. The initial time given by the system is an estimate at that time. It's entirely possible for it to fluctuate. It's a Queue, not a Fastpass. It's just a queue that can be dynamically adjusted for maximum efficiency. Cast members at the ride entrances would turn people away from standing around waiting for the queue - though over time people would get used to it and not do that anyway.
The only bottleneck is the readers to join the virtual queue. but you'd free up a fair chunk of space eliminating most of the standby queue area so you could have an array of readers each with individual, fast-moving queues. You could also allow (presumably a limited number of) remote MagicQueue bookings. This is possible because of the way the system would dynamically generate a MyMagic+ Itinerary, accounting for things like capacity, travel times and progressively decreasing boarding priority as you join more MagicQueues.
"You also didn't take into account travel times and distances"
I did account for that. For example, I noted that the system would flag up when you were getting into a queue you would be unable to reach on time from your previous attraction before the window to board closed. Any such warning would account for worst case scenarios, meaning it wouldn't necessarily be simply impossible just that it is a scenario in which you could well fail to make it in time. The MyMagic+ Itinerary would, as noted above, dynamically account for travel time during the rest of the day.
Even with that said, that's merely the ideal. Because the parks have already been built, a MagicQueue would still - at least at first - likely operate side by side with a regular stand by queue anyway, making use of the Fastpass+ queue for its boarders. A SmartFastpass if you want - in practice, merely a more dynamic version of the legacy system. It wouldn't be nearly as expedient or game changing because the capacity for such boarders would be limited in the manner of the Fastpass and the data avialble to the dynamic interary more limited, but it would still offer a way of "impulse queuing" without the tedious standing around.
I also don't have all the data that Disney does. I'm sure there are restrictions and processes they'd know to implement which are impossible to discern without the numbers. That's a crucial point in all this, there's a deep undercurrent in all the skepticism about the MyMagic+/Theme Park 2.0 project that Disney are just throwing random ideas against the wall to see what sticks. They have the data, they wouldn't do things unless they had a reason. Their experiments make it clear that they are trying to implement a way of managing capacity that is more efficient than a standby queue. Making it Fastpass+ exclusive does that, but the numbers will likely show it also has significant negative impact on guest satisfaction. A more flexible version of that combined with the variant of the legacy Fastpass they've also been testing is what I'm desribing because those experiments hint at it and it would resolve some of the issues with this Fastpass+ only approach. Sure, Disney's implementtion may wind up being more limited for practical and historical reasons, but this is the area they are looking at. I'm just thought experimenting a whole park implemtation that would be a long ways off even if ever implemented.
I understand the theory you have whereby you are assuming this is Disney's plan. However, I think you are also assuming the guests are open to having Disney micro-manage their vacations. If you read other people's comments here, they are already unhappy with having to preplan each day of their vacation. I, myself am not too fond of the idea. My wife and I spend thousands of dollars less than someone who travels from out of state and is spending perhaps their entire years vacation time at WDW. I can certainly understand their frustration with even the current system. They are spending several thousand dollars for a stress-free vacation. What these folks are getting is an experience that forces them to try to get to the park, into the park and to ride "A" within the assigned time frame. Then they must leave ride "A" and potentially cross the entire park to get to ride "B" within that window, etc. I can't tell you how many times we've had people (adults and kids alike), in their haste to get to their next Fastpass have walked or run in front of the wife and I, causing us to have to stop our scooters quick in order not to injure someone. We've seen the same thing happen to people who are pushing a loved one in a wheelchair or a little one in a stroller. The other problem is how the current Fastpass system works.
Currently, visitors who are staying at a Disney resort are allowed to make their 3 FPs per day up to 60 days in advance of their arrival, while visitors staying off-site are allowed to make their FPs 30 days in advance.
What happens to folks who don't want to preplan their vacation and prefer to ride the rides they like more than once a day if there are no standby lines?
People understand that standing in lines is a part of the theme park experience. It always has been since the first amusement park opened in the late 1800s. The system you are describing would be not only very complex and expensive from Disney's standpoint, but also very confusing for the guest. This would add more stress for the guest, which, in turn would cause many visitors to reconsider their vacation plans.
I don't believe Disney wants to risk losing large amounts of revenue by not giving guests an enjoyable experience. If someone saves up their hard earned money for a Disney vacation and that experience is a nightmare, it is unlikely they will return for their next vacation. If you read the other comments here, many say they are unhappy with the current system. Others commented they were unable to ride Toy Story Midway Mania when they visited during the standby line elimination test. Some said they were so upset that they will not visit again. Still others who are annual passholders say if Disney implements this program resort-wide, they will not renew their passes. We would fall under this group. Annual Passholders pay a lot of money for the passes. We love WDW, however, implementation of any further system of control over our visits will cause us to not renew our passes, instead opting for passes to another theme park/resort.
See, here's the thing, again you are applying the faults of the Fastpass and Fastpass+ system to a theoretical virtual queue or Smart Fastpass. You're also applying people's frustrations with Fastpass+ and the Fastpass+ only experiment to it. The whole point of the system I am decribing is to eliminate several of those weaknesses. Your only solid argument is that people are used to queues but you're suggesting any attempt to eliminate the need to queue would be alienating and therefore it would never work. People fear change, sure. But as another commenter pointed out, if Disney never changed anything we wouldn't have all access tickets and we certainly wouldn't have Fastpass. Sometimes people's fear of change means they don't know what is best for them. You're imagining some strict, regimented schedule. It's not like that at all. It bends to the guests' will. You can still do things the old fashioned way, queuing for one attraction at a time, and the experience would be fundamntally identical except instead of standing in the line, you can go and sit on a bench and eat ice creams or something. Or, if you want, you can set up a whole chain of rides that optimise your experience - which the success of things like Touring Plans indicates there is plenty of audience for. If you're going to sit their and argue that people have some kind of emotional attachment to standing in a long line such that Disney's taking it away would hurt and not improve their experience, I don't know what to tell you. The line is a flaw, people complain about those. All. The. Time. Just because they put up with them as they are an accepted part of the experience does not mean that people will refuse to deal with a option to not do it.
Ok, I get your point. Let me put it another way. Lets say for a moment that I am your supervisor at work. I approach you one morning and tell you that I've assigned 10 tasks for you to complete today during your 8 hour shift. When you look at the task list, you see a job that you know will take at least 2 hours. When you bring that to my attention, I tell you that I don't care, you will have to figure out how to handle the tasks so they are all completed as assigned. How would you feel, knowing that the only way to accomplish your goal is to skip lunch and all your breaks. If you are like most people you would be upset with me for assigning an unreasonable amount of work to you, however you know that there is no alternative but to quit the job.
Now lets apply the same thing to a Disney vacation. First, you say that people won't be waiting in line. OK, that is fine for adults and older kids, but consider toddlers for a moment. Do you have any children Paul? Did you take them to Disney when they were toddlers? If your answers to these is yes, did you have any instances where you took them to a ride they were excited about riding, but it was closed for maintenance? Toddlers don't understand maintenance or closed, only that they want to ride. Now you have a screaming child to deal with until your assigned ride time comes up. This would get old fast and probably cause some resentment against Disney.
You say that this system you are fantasizing about would not be a strict, regimented schedule. I say, to a degree that is exactly what the current FP system is. Disney telling you what to ride and when. By eliminating the standby line and instituting your idea, wether you care to believe it or not is not a feasible idea if Disney wants to foster return trips and keep the money flowing. People come to WDW to escape the stresses of everyday life and enjoy time with family. Forcing visitors to go from ride to ride to get return times to ride then retracing their steps to ride will only foster more resentment against Disney than waiting in a standby queue would.
Just so you know, judging by your avatar, I was going to Disneyland before you were even an itch in your daddy's pants. You're right on one point. People don't like to wait in lines. However, I would venture to guess most people would rather do that than being told they CAN'T wait in line and will be told that they MUST get either a FP or, as you suggest get a return time to come back.
By the way, this idea you are touting here, do you have some inside information directly from Disney or is it just your idea (guess) of what they have in mind? Inquiring minds want to know.
The one thing for me is the pure assuming that it's all money driven. The mouse likes money I agree, BUT they also want you to have an enjoyable visit and be satisfied with what you were able to do. That being said I don't like the mandatory FP idea at all. I do like the FP+ system overall, needs some tweaking and they have been all along. And I think to disprove the FP no show premise, would be that hurts no one including the park or attraction and only benefits the stand by riders with shorter wait times. I don't know their reasoning but won't assume it's $ driven but do think this test would have been better done on something with low ridership.
this article is very biased, and contains incorrect information. Most of these non-Disney blogs like to post articles that upset people for no reason. Last year, it was an article about Disney charging for fastpasses, and people were posting angry rants; and it never happened, and was never going to happen. So thanks for making people angry and causing stress for no reason. The main reason Disney, or any theme park wants to reduce your wait time, is because everyone complains about waiting in line, and they want to address the issue, not because they're afraid you won't spend money. The writer of this article has no clue what he/she is talking about. Thanks.
And you know this HOW? Do you work for Disney? Do you have an inside source in upper management at Disney? Have you even BEEN to WDW recently? I have been there 8 times this year and we are AP holders. If you have been there this year, you would have experienced the FP+/Magicband system. What I stated in my previous comment here is 100% factual information based on our experiences. Trust me when I say that IF they do implement FP+ only rides, that guests will be lucky if they get 4-5 rides a day with the current system. See my previous comment regarding the FP+ reservation policies as they currently are. I live in Florida and there really isn't an "off season" any more. The parks are crowded year round. The summer months are just worse.
I've been to Disney Parks many, many times in the past 45 years and I've seen LOTS of changes. If Disney did not make changes there would be no FastPass system, no new rides, no Annual Passes, no Magic Band and I feel that would be sad. All those "new" things had to be tested at some point by Disney and those tests might have been intermittently inconvenient for people in the test, but ultimately those new systems became commonplace and they improved the Disney experience. Testing FastPass+ on TSMM @ WDW for a limited time in the "Off" Season makes sense so Disney can get the data it needs to determine the efficiency of doing only FastPass+. When I was a kid we had to use the lettered tickets (E-Ticket ride), and at that time I don't think anyone was thinking about the possibility of having Magic Bands. What if Disney is exploring the possibility of eliminating all lines all the time? Wow! That sounds like an amazing concept, but in order to make it work it needs to be tested.
You seem to have a misconception of how FP+ works. When you approach a FP+ ride, you see 2 line entrances. One is the FP+ line, the other is the "Standby" line. The FP+ line is shorter and has Magicband readers at the entrance. The Standby line has a clock above it giving the wait time.
Depending on the popularity of the line, the FP+ line generally has a less than 5 min. wait time, however there is still a wait time. You don't just "walk right onto the ride". FP+ was not intended to eliminate lines and never will. The parks are too busy for that to ever occur. If you think that eliminating the standby lines is a good thing, I suggest you go to the website MyDisneyExperience.com, pick a date and try to get FP+ for the most popular rides (example: Seven Dwarfs Mine Train). Also check out the way the FP+ reservations are regulated. There is a limited number of FP+ reservations for each ride per day. We have been trying to get a FP for the new Mine Train ride all summer and have yet to be able to get them.
I believe the no standby line for TSMM will be an epic failure.
I haven't ever gotten to go to Disney World because my family couldn't afford it. Now that I'm adult I still can't afford it. Disney is worried about losing money because of lines? What happens when they decide to make the top 3 or 4 most popular rides FastPass+ reserve only? All those people who could barely afford to go may decide to not even go.
If Disney world is going to do a system to help people with money get through lines quicker, they need to come up with another way. No reservations on rides, if someone is able to pay for fastpass+, they should have an equal chance of getting on a ride as anyone else with fastpass.
All together I think the whole system is flawed. This system is basically telling some kids "You can't ride this ride because your family doesn't have enough money".
Nozerone,
You are right in your opinion of the problem with FP+ only rides, however the reasoning isn't about how someone with more money can get through lines quicker. There is no extra charge for the FP+ service. It is included with your ticket purchase. The problem with FP+ only rides would be that there is a limited number of FP available per ride per day. That would limit the number of guests able to ride. We live about 2 hours from WDW and do day trips frequently. If they were to leave the FP+ system as it is and eliminated the standby lines, we would not renew our annual passes and not visit anymore. Hope this helps clear up your confusion.
We are annual pass holders and have been to the parks 8 times since the end of May this year. I am torn between liking and hating the Fastpass+ idea. What we are finding is the time constraints Disney puts on making Fastpass+ reservations makes it nearly impossible to get them for the most popular rides. For example, we have tried to get Fastpasses for the new Mine train since we got our APs and have yet to be able to get them. I don't think that making rides accessible with Fastpass+ only is a bad decision. That idea is ludicrous in that it will seriously curtail guests ability to enjoy their visit, thereby causing potential guests to re-think their vacation plans. With other attractions, i.e: Universal Studios adding on-site resorts and adding new rides/attractions to the parks, Disney's plan may, in fact backfire and cause them to lose more revenue.
The Fastpass+ program needs to be fine tuned in several ways:
1. Eliminate the "groups" in the FP selection process. For example, at EPCOT, when making FP reservations, one must decide if they want to ride Test Track or Soarin. We like both rides, but are not allowed to make FP for both due to them being in the same group. If they eliminate they "standby lines", we would not be able to enjoy both rides unless we exhaust our first 3 FP selections and make our 1 "rotating" FP for the other ride. This is unacceptable.
2. Only being able to make 3 FP selections per day. That is not so bad for us Florida residents (though I still hate it), but is not fair for people who come here for their vacation from other parts of the country. Their vacation time is limited, so limiting them to 3 FP per day really limits being able to enjoy all the park has to offer. And if they eliminate the standby lines, I can assure them many will forsake Disney for other destinations.
3. The "30 day/60 day rule. We are Florida residents and AP holders, and retired, so we can visit whenever we want. Many times we find ourselves deciding on making a day trip to the parks on a spur of the moment. Just try making FP selections a week or less ahead of time for the popular rides. Only sheer luck of timing will let us get 1, or at most 2 of the FPs we want. Taking away the standby lines while keeping the selection rules as they are will make more than 3 or 4 times a year a waste of time for us, probably making the cost of annual passes not worth the money for us. Disney loses again.
I've spoken with other AP holders who say if Disney doesn't change the FP policies or doesn't give AP holders better benefits, they will not renew their passes. I strongly recommend Disney not eliminate the standby lines. That would be a grievous mistake.
As being a cast member I can honestly say that we are not happy with the system either. All I can say is disney is giving people what they wanted and it blew up in everyones face. If you have been to disney before fastpasses you would never expect a line to be more than 60 minutes. But that was to long and people complained so they made fast passes where lines exceeded 100 minutes. Then there wasnt enough rides that had fastpasses or not enough of them and thats where the executives said with these magic bands people can reserve the three attractions they WANT to see and then no more complaints. So in other words its not just disney to blame and its not just guests to blame its both parties. If you want to see a change dont go to customer service dont yell at the workers send emails and writen letters stating why you are having a bad time at disney and why you wont return to the executives in burbank california. If they get enough of them they'll change real quick.
This has come as a real blow to me. I'm visiting Walt Disney world in December this year for the sixth time from the UK, and have never used the fastpass system for any ride! Fastpass defeats the entire purpose of the queue. Disney imagineers spend many precious hours designing the queues as well as the rides themselves, and to think that you wont be able to see all the detail in the standby line on toy story midway mania is very downhearting. Plus, why are Disney implementing this change in the low season and not the peak season??! Makes no sense, and is VERY disappointing.
If they are going to require Fast Passes for rides then they should includes signage/postings, outside the parks, telling when all Fast Passes for a ride are gone so guests have the option of not visiting that park that day.
My parents both work at disney so i have the luxury of going often. But with the new fastpass system we never get any fastpasses. We dont have any sort of luxury of booking in advanced even if we wanted to. We had went to hs recently got there at 930am just so we could set up fastpasses, but there was no toy story and rockin roller coaster was at 940pm and tot was at 840 pm. Really?!?! Thats just crazy!! Needless to say we ended up standing in the hour long line of toy storyno big deal. And did single rider and baby swap for roller coaster. But with the mandatory fastpass what woild we do then?? This makez me upset and concerned. For not only me but my kids if they decide hey i wanna try this ride and we cant because we cant book fp in Advanced: /
I would like Disney to keep in mind that some people like to repeat there favorite things. I just moved away from there, but I did live 6 miles from HS not long ago. Job reasons, I miss it. But, what my point is that some days we would spend most of the day walking around the park not riding anything, because we went so much we enjoyed eating lunch and looking around all day. See...they got money out of us. Then when everyone would watch Fantasmic we could go ride Toy Story a few times in a row. That was a lot of fun and very exciting to get to do that. It would be sad if I could never spend the day at a park then do a favorite repeatedly at night.
Kalena, unfortunately you can't do that with the FP system, unless you want to wait in the standby line (most rides still have them), which even in the "off season" can be 30-60 min. wait times for the more popular rides. If they eliminate the standby lines, riding favorite rides multiple times in one day will be virtually impossible. It almost is with the current FP+/Magicband system.
I was there on monday when this started and I had no idea, when I tried to get a fastpass (this was 2pm) there were no reservation times left! I was so upset, I don't understand how I can spend my money on park tickets and then not even be able to ride my favorite ride at HS. They really need to rethink their new fastpass system, it takes the fun stress free magic out of the whole vacation
Hate this ... If I already paid the price of admission, and I am in the park, and now I can't go on a ride unless I pre-planned it? Enough to keep me away. I don't want to plan every minute of every day; makes the experience stressful. What if I go on once, and want t ride again? Should be my decision if I want to wait for the opportunity again.
Very turned off by this new FP experience ... Makes it easier to spend my money at Universal/Islands of Adventure
Mabel's the plan is make it less desire able to go noses you plan months n advance and don't mind scheduling your days. Just not what we do n vacation
Disney really needs to review why their consumers go to Disney Parks rather than other amusement parks. It is suppose to be the most magical place on earth...for both parents and children. I have spent the past 6 months stressing over dining reservations and FastPass+ reservations. Once we were in the parks, I spent the entire time worrying that we would miss a reservation. This was the most stressful Disney vacation we have every had. We also spent MORE time in line this year than any of the previous years with the old Fastpass system. Guess what that means Disney....I spent far less money in the shops. I guess that is the only "PLUS" side of the system, but I don't think that was what Disney intended. Overall, we go to Disney for the stress-free, no-hassel "Magic." We will now be looking at other resorts/parks, since there is now nothing Magical at Disney to separate them from the others.
I agree-- the whole concept of the fast pass+ is flawed and I will, like others, not go back. We love Disney and have been there multiple times. I hope Disney realizes how many families will not be returning again.
I agree-- the whole concept of the fast pass+ is flawed and I will, like others, not go back. We love Disney and have been there multiple times. I hope Disney realizes how many families will not be returning again.
We visited Disney last March for a last-minute vacation. We have been to Disney no less than 8 times in the past 12 years, this trip was our last, unless Disney wakes up and smells the coffee.
Since we booked just a few short weeks in advance we were unable to Fast-Pass several of the rides our kids see as "musts", that left us either not riding the ride, or in the case of Toy Story, waiting over 90 minutes in line. It was the ONLY wait we did during our 5-day trip. If we couldn't Fast Pass the ride and the wait was too long, we just moved on and ended our day earlier. Please note, we did NOT visit the stores, hang out in the Parks, or do anything that generated cash for Disney, we went back to our hotel and hung out by the pool.
The simple fact is, Disney has made going there no longer enjoyable. Your entire stay must be planned out; which parks which days; which rides to ride. You can't Fast Pass all the rides you want to ride because Disney has deemed their better rides to be single selection (i.e. You can choose to Fast Pass Thunder Mountain, Space Mountain, or Dwarfs Mine Train, but ONLY 1), then you must waste the rest of your passes on lesser attractions that didn't require a Fast Pass anyway.
When we got to the park and the weather was questionable we decided to see if we could change our Fast Passes, the line to that was longer than most lines for the rides! It was all a major waste of time, not to mention a complete frustration.
When I go on vacation, especially when I pay what I pay to Disney, I expect a relaxing, customer-comes-first experience. Our last stay was far from it. Our son's wristband was not activated, we were denied entrance to the Magic Kingdom, were sent to Customer Service, were told the band was fine, were sent back to the entrance, were denied entry again and told to return to Customer Service. I was spoken to rudely by Guest Relations and was late in getting to our breakfast reservation because they couldn't figure out the issue.
On the day of our departure my son made a breakfast reservation, he misheard me and made it for the time we needed to leave the hotel. He went back to the Concierge and was told there would be a $40 no-show charge to cancel the reservation. When I discovered this I approached the same woman, she asked me to scan my band so she could pull up my account. I looked at her and said, "Wow, that's Customer Service! You can't even be bothered to ask me my name!" It was SO un-Disney, so UNhappiest place on Earth, so rude, so money-grubbing, so, so, so awful.
Disney Management, you've forgotten about Customer Service in your grab your cash. Good luck in the future! I'd love nothing more than to return to your property so please feel free to let me know when you're ready to re-earn my loyalty.
I have NEVER used or gotten a FASTPASS. I've always enjoyed strolling through the parks and going on what I wanted to go on when I wanted to go on it. If the line was too long we would just go somewhere else and come back later, the lines always seemed to diminish around dinner times, or the best times is during parades or shows in front of the castle. I hate this idea. I've been to WDW over 20 times since 1975, I started bring my kids there when they were 2 years old, they've basically grown up in the parks and knew if they wandered off somewhere they knew the park layout like the back of their hands. This whole new mandatory stuff has got me worried. Walt DisneyWorld is the ONLY place I've ever wanted to vacation. I don't want to go anywhere else, but if they keep this mandatory stuff up and fast pass I see my favorite vacation spot diminishing to no more visits. I remember when it was just cue lines and if the right side line was too long the CM would always say go to the left line, its shorter. You know you're going to Walt DisneyWorld or Disneyland or any Disney park, you know there are going to be lines, if you don't want to wait in lines or enjoy the parks on your own and discoving things on your own then don't go there. Its' very depressing to know that I may not be going there anymore. Thanks Disney just something else you're trying to fix that isn't broken.
Disney is becoming more about the money and less about the people.
Consider how callously they've rolled out the changes for those with disabilities.....if you're not someone with disabilities, you may not understand how drastically the change has hit so many. Maybe Disney is feeling the hit from the droves of people who refuse to spend ridiculous amounts of money at a place that refuses to adequately accommodate individuals/families/children with special needs. Maybe THAT'S why they've done this.
If you're unsure about what the hub-bub is all about, here's the lowdown on that: http://showyourhope.com/2013/09/26/dear-disney/
I understand their reasoning for doing this, but the answer to getting people to spend less time in line and more time spending money is very cheap and requires very little work on Disney's part: 1) They have plenty of space 2) you have a VERY popular ride with TSM 3) The technology has been developed and the attraction has been built 4) Why not build a second TSM right near the existing one (like they did with the Dumbo ride) 5) With 2 TSM attractions the wait time would be low. 6) Since they have great construction weather, a new one could be built within about 45-60 days-NOT years like most other attractions.
I understand their reasoning for doing this, but the answer to getting people to spend less time in line and more time spending money is very cheap and requires very little work on Disney's part: 1) They have plenty of space 2) you have a VERY popular ride with TSM 3) The technology has been developed and the attraction has been built 4) Why not build a second TSM right near the existing one (like they did with the Dumbo ride) 5) With 2 TSM attractions the wait time would be low. 6) Since they have great construction weather, a new one could be built within about 45-60 days-NOT years like most other attractions.
Wow, a lot of people whining here about not being able to ride ONE ride, as if it is the only reason you visit wdw. It doesn't say you may not ride the ride, it simply says you must use a fast pass. And for those that don't like fast pass +, too bad, it's here to stay. Do you even know how many people want to visit wdw but can't afford it? How many would like to ride even one ride, no matter which one? I hope all of you who claim to be abandoning disney trips actually do so. More room and less bad attitude for me and my family when we go. This comment thread is just an example of what's wrong with our country. Good luck to a of you bc if this is what gets you in an uproar, I feel sorry for you.
Renee,
It appears you don't have the first clue about how the Fastpass+ system works or the policies governing the use of the Fastpass+ system. You've apparently never used the Fastpass+ (FP) system. I suggest you visit the WDW website and read about the use of the FP and how they are allocated. There is a limited number of FP allocated per day per ride. For the older or less popular rides, getting FPs isn't so much of a problem. However, newer and the most popular rides are hard to get them for in the "off season" and nearly impossible to get in the summer "on season".
I hope you will be visiting very soon so you can experience the same level of frustration we and many others have experienced instead of trolling here about something you know nothing about.
Dear Disney,
I assume that you analyze these comments in order to improve the Disney experience for your guests and the resultant effect that it has on Your bottom line. On the surface it would seem that this new fast pass policy serves everyone well. No more waiting in line equals happier guests who have more time to shop, eat and visit other attractions. Sounds like everybody wins. However this is only the "surface" answer. Please consider that guests who are able to see the attractions faster will, as a result, have more time at the end of the day. Hollywood Studios usually does not take an entire day. If people are done earlier, due to less wait time, they may well decide to leave the property for a much less costly dinner and shopping trip OUTSIDE of the Disney parks.
In addition to this, Americans value personal freedom. It is what our country is built around. Most, blatant, attempts to curtail this sense of freedom is met with a significant amount of resistance. This is reflected in most if the other comments that have been posted on this comment chain.
One more point is the problems that this policy will create for groups. Large family groups, corporate groups, school groups, etc. can not , realistically, plan that far in advance. As this is a significant portion of the total amount if Disney guests each year, I believe that loosing these groups to Universal, Sea World, etc. will have a significant effect in Disney's bottom line. I, personally, have brought performing groups of 70-80 to Disney 7 times over the past several years. If my singers and their families are not able to access the best rides, I will not be able to convince them that they will enjoy their trip.
Please carefully consider ALL of these factors when you decide whether or not to continue this policy. Just because a technology exists does not necessarily make it advantageous to you or your guests.
Eileen Anderson
You do know this is not a Disney site. Wrighting this letter to Disney is pointless here. You need to go to Disney Worlds own web site and paste this there.
How do you know they didn't send it to Disney relations? And though it may not be a Disney site, you are mistaken to assume they don't monitor these fan sites. They DO!
Folks, complaining here to let off steam is fine. But, if you want the problem solved then you need to tell Disney how you feel. Call 1 407 WDISNEY and ask the automated system to speak to Guest Relations.
Now I have been a Disney freak for a long time. I am a passholder and I have to agree with this. This is a stupid idea to come out of this company. If they want you to spend more money in the gift shops how about lowering your admission price. Disney I got news for you and the other parks , you do not have anything in your parks that makes it worth $100 a day. Bad enough you can't get a fast pass but now only limit a ride to a fast pass. Keep this up and you deserve all the revenue loss you get. I pay 600.00 a year for a premium pass I expect to be able to get to ride rides and see shows. Disney don't forget all us pass holders are what helps keep you in business .... LOYAL CUSTOMERS THAT'S WHAT WE ARE .
Give your loyal pass holders the same as resort guests...a 60 day window for making fast passes....
As I look at my experiences over the years and many visits to WDW, it has become very apparent that Disney no longer puts the customer experience first. I saw this slipping in 2007 and it has continued to get worse. Very unfortunate.
I don't like this idea. If & when I go there depends on what specific attraction I want to go on is open or closed for repairs/maintenance. Last visit Dec 2009. Concerning Toy Story Ride usually most of the fast pass time are gone be mid-afternoon. Also there is no way to know in advance when something goes wrong and/or ride breaks down - especially when specific rides can shut down w/o warning (ex Epcot's Test Track closes when it's starts raining)
Wow what a way to exclude cast members. We can't book FP+ until we enter the park. Well that just eliminates us from yet one more ride. Just for that as a cast member our family will just avoid HS from now on if that's the message they are sending.
Of course Disney is a business and money is an important factor. But I wouldn't go as far as this post does in saying that Disney is willing to ruin the "core guest experience". The goal of FP+ is actually to increase overall guest satisfaction by making it possible for more guests to get on a minimum number of attractions with little to no wait. Only so many guests can ride TSMM on a given day, and as enjoyable as the ride is, for many guests the long wait tarnishes the enjoyment of the ride. So what if Disney could give 100% of the guests riding TSMM the best experience possible? For every disappointed child that gets turned away, there may be a happy child experiencing TSMM because of FP+. I think this is what the test is about.
Yes, I see drawbacks to a FP+ only system for attractions, but I can't fault Disney for trying to improve guest experience. To portray this test as Disney's attempt to trick people into spending more money at the expense of a multitude of disappointed, crying children is a bit extreme, isn't it?
They already have ruined my Disney experience. I have spent well over ten hours on the phone with problems, then picking and coordinating our Fast Passes with other activities. This turned what used to be a magical time into nothing but a chore. I don't know why they can't keep the old system of fast passes and just let that transfer to the Magic Bands. I'm not even looking forward to our trip anymore because this has been so difficult.
They already have ruined my Disney experience. I have spent well over ten hours on the phone with problems, then picking and coordinating our Fast Passes with other activities. This turned what used to be a magical time into nothing but a chore. I don't know why they can't keep the old system of fast passes and just let that transfer to the Magic Bands. I'm not even looking forward to our trip anymore because this has been so difficult.
None of these valid complaints will mean anything to Disney unless you communicate to Disney directly. Use your passionate voices to let the company know how you feel!
I wl not go to WDW for reasons like this. At Disneyland you can get a fass pass in the parks the day you are at the park, but only if you want to. Only advanced planning I do is if I want a Dinner reservation. Otherwise I just jump in line. Hope the Magic Bands. NEVER go to Disneyland
I am very dissappointed in this report. I read this expecting on a report on what they did and how it worked. I understand some opinion is common, but this was simply a report complaining about and insulting disney. I do not know if I think this is a good idea or not because I do not have all the information. Are they offering more fast passes, wil it no longer be a level one, will they have a kiosk right there to allow people to set it up when they approach the ride.
If the articles I read from theme park tourist continue to be more opinion, and complaints then factual information, I will be removing you from my facebook, and stop bothering to read your articles. Fastpass+ had many complaints and critisism when it first came out because people didn't know everything, and disney did make changes to make some true problems work better. Let's get the facts before jumping to critisism!
Disney should be careful with policies that are unpopular with guests....Universal Studios and Sea World are "upping" their game to make their parks more competitive and I'm afraid a lot of people will get so frustrated with the choices that Disney is making that they will start looking elsewhere and that will greatly favor the other Theme parks in the area.
Actually it is the same test they ran at Princess Fairytale Hall yes they did the one this article mentioned but they also did this exact same test at Fairytale Hall two weeks ago... Why are they doing this test? Because the people in charge are not smart enough to figure out how to work new technology with old and they refuse the help of younger staff or asking their employees questions on what they think...
My husband and I have been frequent WDW visitors for about thirty years. We have jobs that demand we be very time and schedule oriented. When we are at WDW we want to relax, we do not want to be forced to think about schedules. It is safe to say, we do not think the fast pass system is a success.
The BIG question is, "Is Disney going to listen to fans? Do they really care what we think?"
When fans complained about fastpass+ they made changes to fix the main issues, so yes they seem to be listening...
I totally agree with all of the complaints about Fast pass. We have been to Disney with our 4 kids many times over the last 22 years from Texas and managed to do just fine without the fast past. Taking a last minute trip like my husband and I do now for business to Florida and trying to get on any of the most popular rides will be impossible. Ever trip would have to be so structured. That's not what a vacation is about. I do believe have activities for the kids to do in line to help the time pass faster in a wonderful idea. This made it much nicer when we took are granddaughter with us a couple years ago.
This is only a test from 10/6 to 10/10 for TSM, stand by returns on 10/11. Most people book their Fastpass ahead of time only a few will book at the park. At least you're not paying extra like at Universal.
Yes, you are paying for it. It is built into the cost of the tickets, the cost of their resorts, and the cost of their merchandise and food. I would rather have the option to pay for Express Pass like Universal and other theme parks than to have to plan 2 months out not only which park(s) I am doing which days, but also which time I want to ride certain rides (and dine). At Universal, I don't have to decide in advance. And, you can stay on site at their deluxe resorts and it is included in your room rate (which are lower and the rooms are of better quality than at WDW).
that is true
Turning children away from rides? Mandatory ride times? Taking away families freedom to just stroll through and enjoy the parks as they see fit? Walt would be ashamed at what they are doing to his vision of what Disney World is supposed to be. I've been going all my life and this is NOT what Disney World is supposed to be about. It's supposed to be about fun, magic, spontaneity, dreams, wishes and surprises around every corner. When you take away that spontaneous aspect and those surprises, you're robbing families of their chance to experience Disney World the way Walt envisioned. I hope this test fails miserably and those responsible are fired.
I agree wholeheartedly with every word. Ever since Walt and Roy's deaths, the Walt Disney Company has become a multi-billion dollar conglomerate of enterprises that have only 2 goals in mind....make more money for the corporation and increasing dividends for their shareholders. The idea that customer satisfaction should be most important has gone by the wayside in the quest for more money. The upper management know that for every dissatisfied family who does not return to the resorts, there are 20 more who will either make their first visit or will continue to return. I feel this theory is a form of risk management. They are willing to risk a relative small percentage of people not returning to the resorts while banking on a constant number of new, young families to take their place, thereby supply keeping the flow of money into the company relatively constant. The guest's way to voice their displeasure with things is to file a complaint at guest services, complete their customer surveys with your complaints or e-mail complaints to guest services. Perhaps if enough of their customers do this, it will sway their thinking.
TSM has always been a problem because of it's low capacity, popularity and being located in a park with so few rides/attractions. Just in my own experience I find a lot of people who express dissatisfaction with Hollywood Studios in general (usually those who aren't that into seeing more than one show so they get bored at HS after a few hours and leave). Personally I don't see the logic in the testing and think they would be better served to incorporate more rides but unfortunately it takes Disney years and years to build/complete attractions so that type of relief wouldn't happen anytime soon. Also at this stage with the current upper management in place they don't seem to blink an eye at angering guests and forcing them to jump through hoops as they experiment with ways to squeeze every penny out of them. I know I don't sound like a big Disney fan but I truly am and I'm just expressing frustration with changes I have seen over the last few years (going back in January).
With all this Fast pass+ they're giving their Universal neighbors more business and creating a bigger competition. Whoever is running this should be fired because they do not care about the customer experience, o why should we care about paying their paycheck?
As much as I've enjoyed Disney since my first time as a kid in '93 and going regularly as an adult since '07, I am willing to abandon the parks. I am getting ready to try out Universal. There are other things to do and ways to spend money in FL. With ADR and FP+ becoming a SPORT, I am very willing to try other parks or travel to alternant destinations all together. I doubt that I will hurt their bottom line enough for them to care, but I send a lot of people their way. I want to go on VACATION, not participate in a blood sport.
I think this is a terable idear it is like they are telling us that the only whay that you can injoy your vacation is to make rezervation to go on a ride I dont like to be told that this is how I need to spend my vacation. If this is what they are going to do then I will not be visiting Disney any time soon. Lets face it there are a lot of other places that I can vacation and they are more then willing to let me do what I want to do and I can spend the money that I work hard for on what I want and how I want and not be told that the only way that you can injoy your vacation is to make a rezervation. So I guess my next vacation wont be in Disney.
This is setting up to be a very slippery slope on Disney's part. My wife and I have been going for years and we love the freedom the parks provide. It seems that is slowly being taken away. Spending so much money you should be allowed to vacation how YOU want, not how THEY want. We're planning a trip for next year, if these changes keep happening I think we're going to DisneyLAND instead.
My family of 4 are avid Disney fans who have visited WDW once or twice per year over the past 12 years. Because of the negativity surrounding the new FP+ we chose not to drive down to Disney this year. Instead, we went to Legoland and already have reservations to fly across the country to Disneyland. If this trend of messing up the guest experience continues, I think other families will follow suit.
My husband and I have discussed this. We are avid Disney fans. If this does become mandatory, we will not be going to Disney anymore. People are allowed to make reservations for a ride before they even visit the parks. What if a ride is booked solid before you even get to the park? What if it gets to the point no rides are available because they are all booked on the day you go? I am sorry but I can stay home and shop for free. I love Disney but if I have to plan my vacation months in advance down to what we drink, that is not much of a vacation. This is getting ridiculous. If the stand by lines disappear, so will the money I spend on anything Disney. I want the luxury of strolling around and enjoying the day with my family, not planning every second. I do that enough with paychecks, meals, kids schedules and appointments. The last thing I am dealing with on vacation is more appointments. If this becomes the case our dollars will be spent at other theme parks. Being unable to ride a ride because it is booked solid is not going to force us into shops or restaurants, if I don't want to buy it I am not going to. It will just make us want to leave and not come back. I have 3 children and days change at a moments notice, my family does not have time for this.
And because it is a fastpass choice with fantasmic as level 1, I have to decide which is better? My kids can't do toy story if I fastpass fantasmic? The lines at fantasmic will be insane as everyone switches to toy story!
Actually after you use your 3 fastpasses you can get additional fastpasses, therefore getting the fantasmic fastpass. Just an FYI
my family enjoyed Disneyworld this past summer. But we found that by the time you've used your 3 fp+ rides none of the top rides were available. Standby was our only choice.
Actually, after you use you 3 fast passes, you get ONE additional "rotating" fast pass. This means you can choose 1 fastpass, then after you use it, you can make 1 more and so on. But only 1 at a time. I believe after you use the 3 FPs, you have to go to the FP+ kiosk to make your 1 additional FP. The system sucks, but it is what it is.
My husband and I have discussed this. We are avid Disney fans. If this does become mandatory, we will not be going to Disney anymore. People are allowed to make reservations for a ride before they even visit the parks. What if a ride is booked solid before you even get to the park? What if it gets to the point no rides are available because they are all booked on the day you go? I am sorry but I can stay home and shop for free. I love Disney but if I have to plan my vacation months in advance down to what we drink, that is not much of a vacation. This is getting ridiculous. If the stand by lines disappear, so will the money I spend on anything Disney. I want the luxury of strolling around and enjoying the day with my family, not planning every second. I do that enough with paychecks, meals, kids schedules and appointments. The last thing I am dealing with on vacation is more appointments. If this becomes the case our dollars will be spent at other theme parks. Being unable to ride a ride because it is booked solid is not going to force us into shops or restaurants, if I don't want to buy it I am not going to. It will just make us want to leave and not come back. I have 3 children and days change at a moments notice, my family does not have time for this.
I am in total agreement with you. The only way we got to ride Toy Story Mania last year was to wait in the stand-by line. If Disney continues this madness, we will be going elsewhere also.
I couldn't agree more. I agree w/ every word. We bought into DVC because in the past 20 years, we've not vacation anywhere else but WDW (every other year or so). But they are taking all the fun and spontaneity out of vacation. Like you said, we live by schedules in our daily loves, do we NEED them to micromanage our free time too? We like to shop as well. We hit most of the WDW stores, more than once. But the merchandise has become so dull and homogenized that we find ourselves buying less and less. You can force me into a store, but I'm not going to buy if you don't have the sizes I need and if the stuff isn't appealing. As our plans go now, we have a trip in Dec. and we'll be doing DLR in 2016 instead of WDW. When our next vacation time comes round in 2018,we may just go to Hawaii/Aulani or hell, anywhere else. this just isn't the happiest place on Earth anymore w/ this kind of change.
I forgot to add, I was just at WDW last month and of all the FP+s I had scheduled, I only used ONE. It was WAY too difficult to fill time in most cases and others caused us to criss-cross the parks too much. It was exhausting.
The ties was terrible. I expressed my displeasure with cast members and asked them to let their superiors know about it.
The cast members hate it as much as the guest do but unfortunately there is nothing they can do. If you want something done, file your complaint at guest relations. That's where they take record of all complaints and if there is an overwhelming amount of disgruntled guests they'll do something. But don't waste your breathe with just any cast member because they can't do anything about your problem.
The cast members hate it as much as the guest do but unfortunately there is nothing they can do. If you want something done, file your complaint at guest relations. That's where they take record of all complaints and if there is an overwhelming amount of disgruntled guests they'll do something. But don't waste your breathe with just any cast member because they can't do anything about your problem.
I hate everything about this. We are going in 2 weeks. By the time I was able to get FP+ selections made there were no more available for mine train or midway mania. If we get there and my 8 and 4 year old children are told they simply can't ride because we didn't make our plans 6 months in advance I'm going to be SO disappointed.
I completely agree. The children are not going to understand and we are the ones who have to see the tears and disappointment on their faces. I think this is a very bad idea.
I also was not able to secure FP+ for the Toy Story Midway Mania at the 60 day advance time. Still can't - very frustrated but won't let not riding it ruin our trip! Most disappointed one in my group may be my husband if we don't get to ride this attraction.
I think this is so wrong. Little children will not understand why they cannot ride. They don't understand what a fast pass is. Rides that are fast pass only will be the ones I will not ride on. Being handicapped I can not run around the park getting fast passes.Not everyone has a smart phone either. Some of us save for a long time to come, to limit what we can see and do to a certain group of people is not fair to the rest of us.
I agree that this is very unfair to families wit. Young children and disabled visitors. My family falls in both catagories. It will take a long time to save enough money to take th. Family and the little one will not understand why she cannot ride on the most popular rides for het age group. Disney used to be about making the experience happy especially for the children. First they make it too expensive and now unfair as well. Hopefully this is just a. Test. And it will fail and they will come up with a process that is more fair for all. My family Loves Disney an. Hopefully I can save up enough mo.net to be able to take my family, especially my 3 year old grandaughter before I get too sick or die as I am terminal and this is my wish. Too see the look of pure joy and happiness shine. In her eyes and make her dreams come true. Maybe fairy tales do come true.
Being handicapped allows you to get a DAS card, which will allow you to ride any attraction (not prohibited by your disability). You get a return time, much like a Faspass.
This isn't correct. People in wheelchairs are often denied DAS (even though they may have multiple disabilities that warrant the use of one. Also, during this "test" people with a DAS were not allowed on the ride unless they had a fastpass +. One of the problems with this is that I cannot plan how I will feel several hours from now (or in some cases, even 10 minutes from now.)
Erin,
Disney has done away with the old DAS cards due to misuse by some idiot guests that had them charging able bodied guests and then taking them on the rides without waiting in lines. With the implementation of the new FP+ and Magicband systems, combined with the remodel of many of the ride queue Lines to accommodate wheelchairs and scooters, the policy of disabled/handicapped visitors going to the front of the lines is not in effect any more. Now they must wait in the lines like able-bodied folks. Unfortunately, the DAS cards are no longer issued.
Not true they still have DAS cards..they are just used differently..you get a card and are given a time that corresponds to the current wait time to come back...and as long as you have a doctors note you are entitled to a DAS card
If that is true, then how do you get wait/return times for multiple rides? Do you have to go to guest services every time you want to go on a different ride? Doesn't sound logical to me. One could spend the whole day trying to get return times for the rides. My wife and I are both disabled and have to use scooters at the parks. We have never used a DAS card.
I did inquire about the DAS cards one time and the cast member at guest services at Magic Kingdom said they do have a different card now, and it doesn't get you on the rides any faster. They are in the process of adapting the queue lines to enable the use of wheelchairs and scooters/ECVs. This allows disabled/handicapped persons to go through the lines the same as able-bodied people. We've found this to be true for rides at all Disney parks, with very few exceptions. The DAS cards do not allow the bearer of the card to go to the front of the line.
In our opinion, these restrictions make the DAS not very useful for us. They are only useful for people who cannot tolerate long waits in lines.
I think that this new era of fast passes is creating a "family unfriendly" environment. A few years ago we were at the studios, we had been on the Toy Story ride earlier in the day and were planning on a second ride later on. When we returned we came across a family with two little ones who were greatly disappointed that they were unable to get fast passes and the wait line was more than 90 minutes. By having the paper passes we were able to give them our tickets and they were able to help make the memories of their little ones very happy. Shouldn't this be more of the idea of what Disney id concerned about??
If Disney continues this it will alter our vacation in an extreme manner. We're saving up to go in 2016 and if they have mandatory fast passes that will end my desire to re-take my older children and also introduce my youngest to Disney. A family of 5 for four days of parks is looking at about $1,800 just in regular park hopper passes, that's not including food and lodging which for us is difficult do to severe allergies. Walt needs to take a moment and come back and tell those in charge how to make it right!
The biggest problem I have with this is for passholders. We already get the short end of the stick when trying to make dining reservations because some of the more popular places are already booked up before the actual 180 day window opens, since we may not have resort reservations yet. Now, if a passholder wants to try to go to the park say this coming weekend, or today, or even 29 days in the future, we won't be able to ride because all of the fast passes are already booked up, such as with the mine train right now. I think if Disney is truly going to an only fast pass system, they should at least make accommodations for passholders and disabled guests that will end up getting shut-out of many popular attractions and restaurants, which I'm sure would lose them revenue there.
i agree, passholders and dvc members are getting the shaft
i have had an annual pass for 8 years but i think this time when it expires i won't be renewing it
Just put yourself in the standby lanes. They move pretty fast. We were just there and we had no problems.
That is a viable option right now. The point being that Disney is experimenting with getting rid of the standby lines. If they feel the experiment with Toy Story Midway Mania is a success and they implement it on other rides without modifying the FP+ program, many guests will be shut out of riding many of the rides people come for. If this happens, we will not be renewing our Annual Passes.
My family has an upcoming trip and I have yet to be able to get a fast pass to the New ride ...I am hoping our saving grace will be the Magic Hours that are for On Property Guest Only. Disney is always trying new test..Last year we noticed that they were allowing Fast Pass People to go through constantly...as in even when there was not a line for Fast Pass the Stand-by line was not opened...it was crazy...I let Disney know too !!!
Good luck getting a FP for the new ride. I have been trying since 5/30/14 to get one without success. We are Florida residents and annual passholders and live only 2 hours from Disney. We will be spending 3 days there in December and as soon as our window opened for making our FP+ reservations, I tried to get one for the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and found all FP for it for all 3 days were already gone. Just in case you may not be familiar with the Magic Hours, they are only at 1 park per day and are at a different park each day. I hope you enjoy your vacation.
The only way we were able to ride Seven Dwarves was 5 minutes before closing on a Halloween Party night at the beginning of September. Good luck!