Fast pass aka Slow pass for Presidents' Day weekend

[Starbuc71 162]

This past weekend was the worst I have seen with the new fast pass+ system. We have been lucky to make all our FP+ choices before our trip but the lines were still long. Every ride we had a FP for took still at least 20 minutes. The BTMRR FP line on Sunday was all the way down to fence by the smoking area with the standby line even further. The same was for all the others. To me it seems there is still a ton of confusion at the scanners which is causing the lines. The term slow pass was being heard all weekend. We all noticed that standby waits were nuts and I told my wife that when everybody learns to use the FP+ system efficiently and the way you can pre-plan, that's when all hell will break loose. Some standbys were moving quicker than FP lines

[h2odivers...Ray 952]

Sorry to hear your troubles. I just hope it gets better.

[Judy in Texas 150]

I was at AK last Thursday and the FP line for Kilimanjaro Safari was very long. We heard a group in front of us say they had been in line 20 minutes already just waiting to get to the scanners. They had 10 minutes left in the FP window and were worried they wouldn't make it to the scanners in time. Once we made it through the scanners it didn't take long till we were on the vehicle.

[Starbuc71 162]

Sorry to hear your troubles. I just hope it gets better.

  

Not a problem. It didn't ruin or trip. I guess it's like everything else, hopefully in time it will get better

I was at AK last Thursday and the FP line for Kilimanjaro Safari was very long. We heard a group in front of us say they had been in line 20 minutes already just waiting to get to the scanners. They had 10 minutes left in the FP window and were worried they wouldn't make it to the scanners in time. Once we made it through the scanners it didn't take long till we were on the vehicle.

We experienced the same thing at safari. I think too many people think they have FP automatically with a MB. We saw too many people not getting the green go ahead then a Disney expert with an iPad had to come running to help. We actually got asked,"how many in your party" then got told to only have one person in our group scan our MB. That must be a way to speed things up when there are long lines

[djsamuel 322]

The FP+ seems to be a solution to a non-problem.  On Friday, my wife and I headed to Epcot to have lunch at France.  We decided to stop and get some fast passes.  It was our first encounter with the new system.  The two category rule is nuts.  We chose Soarin from the first group, and then we had to choose 2 from the second category, none of which ever need a fast pass.  So, we chose Spaceship Earth and Living With the Land.  At the land, they didn't even have the fastpass system on since that ride was a walk on.  At Spaceship Earth it may have saved us 3 minutes, if that. 

 

The scanner system worked well at Epcot, but the method of obtaining the fastpasses in the park is so cumbersome it is ridiculous.  If they just replaced the old fastpass ticket dispensers at each ride with kiosks where you would simply tap your ticket or wristband on the machine and, conditions warranting, that fastpass is added to your account, the system would be much more flexible.  The very fact they need to have cast members standing there to help people figure out the system shows they've made it way too complicated.  They should have kept the simplicity of the old system and applied that to the RFID technology.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

S71-  Sorry to hear about what you encountered.  I think that is going to be the norm for a while until the figure out what to do with the mess that they created.

 

The FP+ seems to be a solution to a non-problem.  On Friday, my wife and I headed to Epcot to have lunch at France.  We decided to stop and get some fast passes.  It was our first encounter with the new system.  The two category rule is nuts.  We chose Soarin from the first group, and then we had to choose 2 from the second category, none of which ever need a fast pass.  So, we chose Spaceship Earth and Living With the Land.  At the land, they didn't even have the fastpass system on since that ride was a walk on.  At Spaceship Earth it may have saved us 3 minutes, if that. 
 
The scanner system worked well at Epcot, but the method of obtaining the fastpasses in the park is so cumbersome it is ridiculous.  If they just replaced the old fastpass ticket dispensers at each ride with kiosks where you would simply tap your ticket or wristband on the machine and, conditions warranting, that fastpass is added to your account, the system would be much more flexible.  The very fact they need to have cast members standing there to help people figure out the system shows they've made it way too complicated.  They should have kept the simplicity of the old system and applied that to the RFID technology.

Great post.  And I agree.  I have yet to figure out what the goal was with this mess that they've created.  It's certainly not to improve the guest experience.  As I have said before, they wouldn't have invested a billion dollars in this unless they expect to make that and more back.  But how? The only thing I can figure is that the solution to the mess they created is going to be some kind of premium FP+ program, which they will charge guests to use.  Then the money will come rolling in.  Time will tell.

 

TCD

[djsamuel 322]

One return on that investment is efficiency.  During their quarterly conference call, Bob Iger stated they were able to have more people in the Magic Kingdom due to the efficiency of the system.  Not sure exactly where they gain efficiency, at least in regards to FastPass+.  Another advantage is reduced maintenance.  They no longer have the moving parts and card readers associated with the turnstiles and the old Fastpass machines.  I think the RFID technology and even the wrist bands is fine; but the implementation is awful. 

 

I wonder how much money they are spending on everything they send to people when they make reservations.  We have several reservations for Fort Wilderness, as well as reservations at the Grand Floridian and the Boardwalk for our daughter's wedding.  We have a stack of boxes with the Mickey USB drives, that contain nothing but a link to a web page to customize your wristbands and make reservations.  We also will have multiple sets of wristbands coming, as well as the custom printed brochures complete with our dates of stay, our names, etc.  It's great for people who don't come often, and I don't mind receiving them, but I have to wonder how much it is costing.  I think the feeling is, if they can encourage dining reservations, and convenient paying (via the wristband) people will eat more at the restaurants and buy more merchandise.  They also feel, as Iger stated in the conference call, that this system will enhance the guest experience and encourage repeat visits.

 

There was a story in the Orlando Sentinel a few months ago that Iger was in Orlando for a My Magic update and was furious.  The finacial returns predicted have yet to be realized and the costs are far greater.  Time will tell of course, but if they just tailor this thing in a more practical way it would be a lot better.  I get the feeling it was all designed by people who never visit the parks.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

The efficiency argument looks good on paper:  How cool would it be that a guest can arrive at WDW, and have all that he needs to enjoy WDW loaded conveniently onto a nifty wristband?  The problem is that so far, none of the nifty stuff works very well.  At this point, there is not one thing a MagicBand does that an old room key linked to a park ticket and credit card didn't already do.  The FP+ system so far is not an improvement over the old FP system.  I think you may be right about those designing the system not having experience actually visiting WDW.

 

I have no doubt that they will continue to throw money at this project, and pass those costs on to guests.  At some point it might work as intended, but at that point will they have raised prices so high that guests will finally stop paying?

 

TCD

[djsamuel 322]

Exactly.

[AuburnJen 777]

I am wondering if that point where people stop paying the Fort prices are not already here. I do believe for the first time in I can't remember how long, I am actually considering staying off property because the prices are so out of line for the summer.

[Starbuc71 162]

The FP+ system was sold to the public on the premise that you could enjoy your vacation more by not having to rush into the parks to get a fast pass at a certain location for a certain attraction and you could enjoy the parks at a slower pace. I don't see that. FP+ is to me kind of like making dining reservations now. The earlier you book your FP+ selections, the better chances of getting better times to choose from. Our March trip is now rediculous since now we had to pre plan all our days on what and where we were going according to what fast passes we could get. If we want to enjoy the parks now and be able to ride the attractions, I feel like we are locked into an itinerary type vacation where we have to be at certain places at certain times. I do not like that. At least with the old system, it was the luck of the draw on what FP you could get and what times. You can still do that day of, but all resort guest are now 60 days ahead of you. I like the idea of having FP kiosk where the old machines were and tapping your magic bands there to load the time to return. The whole 60 day out FP reservation thing I believe is going to be a fail. Also as far as changing your times day of, forget it. If you went to lunch and because lunch was going to overlap your window for your next FP and say it was toy story, forget it. You just lost a fast pass because usually after 10 or 11 your sol due to the fact all the FP's are gone. What I really would like to know is how many FP's don't get used which makes the poor non Disney resort guest unable to book a FP. A good example is that we have dining reservations for Epcot in March. We all know that soarin and TT are the rides of notice there. I would like to book one or the other to ride right before dinner. Well now I have to book 2 other rides that I know we will not go on, hence 8 fast passes (4 for each ride) now waste for someone who may need them. I really think some heads will roll down the road for rolling this out without looking at all the issues that are coming up. But, I guess for the family that makes the 1000 mile trek once every 5 years this system is amazing

[wak648...Bill 94]

I am wondering if that point where people stop paying the Fort prices are not already here. I do believe for the first time in I can't remember how long, I am actually considering staying off property because the prices are so out of line for the summer.

Whole heartily agree. The steep price increases have taken the fort off our radar for any time in the next few years at least.

[McMonsters..........Kelly 48]

I am wondering if that point where people stop paying the Fort prices are not already here. I do believe for the first time in I can't remember how long, I am actually considering staying off property because the prices are so out of line for the summer.

I agree and I was just looking at other options.  We are staying at Shades of Green in May, normally you wouldn't get Mbands but because we have them from our Dec Fort stay they are still valid with the AP.  Its cheaper to stay at the SOG or a value (with discount) than at the Fort.  There is a great deal of chatter on the SOG site because Disney has yet to figure out a way to include SOG guest in the bands.  Apparently, the agreement with the DOD and Disney was that SOG would receive the same treatment as other resort guests (except for room charges) but its not happening with the bands.  Our tickets used to work with paper FP but not with the new until you get to the park and visit a kiosk like other non resort guests.  

[Gots2pitt.. Jeff 64]

I am thinking of delaying our planned November trip because of the new fast pass system. I don't want to have to plan all of a two week vacation 60 days out. Not that Disney would notice the lack of me spending a couple grand there.

[cadonnellan 0]

I know I'm bucking the trend here but we had no problems with our Magic Bands during our Christmas vacation.  We loved being able to make our Fastpass reservation a day ahead or even the day of and we planned around the times we got.  Now we were there at the busiest time of year and it was incredibly crowded and yes there was the ocassional 10 min wait for an attraction but it certainly beat waiting standby as well as the fact that we didn't have to rush to a kiosk the minute we got inside the gates to grab an "old fashioned" fastpass.  We were able to change some fastpass+ reservations on the fly, but did experience the fact that if you don't adjust quickly all the times will be taken.  So we just moved on to other things and still had a great time.  

[PureTcrazy...rita 380]

I know I'm bucking the trend here but we had no problems with our Magic Bands during our Christmas vacation.  We loved being able to make our Fastpass reservation a day ahead or even the day of and we planned around the times we got.  Now we were there at the busiest time of year and it was incredibly crowded and yes there was the ocassional 10 min wait for an attraction but it certainly beat waiting standby as well as the fact that we didn't have to rush to a kiosk the minute we got inside the gates to grab an "old fashioned" fastpass.  We were able to change some fastpass+ reservations on the fly, but did experience the fact that if you don't adjust quickly all the times will be taken.  So we just moved on to other things and still had a great time.  

That may have worked better than because it was still only being tested by resort guests, many of whom did not really use them because they didn't know how. Now they have opened up to off-site guests also.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I know I'm bucking the trend here but we had no problems with our Magic Bands during our Christmas vacation.  We loved being able to make our Fastpass reservation a day ahead or even the day of and we planned around the times we got.  Now we were there at the busiest time of year and it was incredibly crowded and yes there was the ocassional 10 min wait for an attraction but it certainly beat waiting standby as well as the fact that we didn't have to rush to a kiosk the minute we got inside the gates to grab an "old fashioned" fastpass.  We were able to change some fastpass+ reservations on the fly, but did experience the fact that if you don't adjust quickly all the times will be taken.  So we just moved on to other things and still had a great time.  

 

You're lucky that you did not have any problems with the Magic Bands.  As Rita says below, though, the testing was still being limited to resort guests in December, 2013, so you were only competing against resort guests for those FP+ times.

 

Since then, all guests entering the parks have access to the FP+ system.  Resort guests still have the advantage of being able to schedule their FP+ reservations ahead of time.

 

That may have worked better than because it was still only being tested by resort guests, many of whom did not really use them because they didn't know how. Now they have opened up to off-site guests also.

 

Exactly right.

 

There is no comparison between what is happening now, and the experience prior to all of the parks going to FP+ only.

 

The shift was implemented in January, 2014, during the time of year that is historically slow at WDW.

 

Since the switch to FP+ only, there have been two busy periods- MLK weekend, and President's Day weekend.  Things did not go well for guests either of those two busy weekends.

 

Things will hopefully improve as the kinks get worked out.  But, saying that it worked great on some date in 2013 doesn't mean it works great now.

 

TCD

[geoffdaddy 33]

I think one major problem with the magic band/FP+ rollout is that the customer satisfaction survey that I took seems to be designed to favor a positive rating for the MagicBand/FastPass+ system.

 

As TCD noted, there's really nothing that the MB does that the old KTTW can't/couldn't do. During our trip we could use them basically interchangeably, so I think it all boils down to software. I do think from a management point of view it is probably useful for park management in order to figure out where crowds are and how many people are in a park at any given time since they can check this with RFID scanners at choke points throughout the park. This really has more to do with the FP+ implementation.

 

There are a few things I see as a fail for FP+:

 

1. The kiosks take too long to use. It is not as easy as sticking your KTTW card or park pass into a machine and getting a return time card. In my experience this has turned out a bit like getting behind the slow person in the self-checkout line at the Wal-Mart. Both we and other people had issues with making selections quickly, all the while the queue behind you gets longer.

2. You are forced to use the kiosk if you can't link your ticket to a reservation to use the MyDisneyExperience app. We had such a bad problem with MB on our last trip that we were issued two free park passes. The caveat is that they can't be linked to any reservation, which I presume means that they will work just like a normal non-disney resort ticketholder.

3. The MagicBand while admittedly a cool idea, is a little too fiddly currently. "Touch the mickey head to the mickey head." No kidding??!? My experience was that it nearly always took several tries at different orientations to work correctly. Imagine a line of people doing that.

4. I personally don't think that people should be allowed to make ANY FP reservations in advance. Once you get past the turnstiles and for that park only, only then should you be able to make FP selections. Go to another park you can make a reservation over there.

[CoachSeibert 2]

Seems like on paper it should work well.  Since we are planners anyway, laying out the days makes sense to us.  Seems like hitting one park early and using advance reservations for what will be our "evening" park makes the most sense since the FP+ are limited to a certain number per day.  May just be our family dynamic.