Fastpass dilemma--it had to happen to me, of course!

[MickeysBestPal]

I understand they have to fix it because it was out of control...

I'm not operating under the assumption that the system was out of control.

If that was the case (and the reason for the change,) they'd have limited Disneyland's FP Return Time at the same time.

[cer]

Do we need the convenience of all day FP return times? No. But an extra hour would help avoid bad situations like yours and ones we're all sure to have. Maybe a few complaints directly to Disney about this will loosen the time limits.

I think a two hour return window is a brilliant and very reasonable solution to the problem of not being able to make it back within a rigid one hour (with a 15 minute grace period) window. Splendid!

[Ian]

I guess I'm still misunderstanding the problem. If you make ADRs in advance then you know in advance what time you need to arrive at the restaurant. You don't know exactly how long your meal will take, but you can estimate and give yourself enough of a cushion to plan. You also know before you take a fastpass what the return window is going to be. If it conflicts with an ADR then don't get the fastpass. Come back after your meal and get a later fp or plan that attraction for another day.

Well in our case we had an ADR scheduled for 11:10 at the Plaza on our last day.

We actually went right to Space Mountain to get a FP for it and were pretty surprised the return window was already 11:05. We had to leave to start for home by 3PM, so waiting until later to ride wasn't an option for us.

Here's the way I see it. No one was hurt by the way the system was before and lots of guests benefited from the flexibility. It's not school or work ... 99.9% of people who visit Disney World are there to relax not follow some 367 line MS Project plan every day.

I don't understand why they "fixed" something that wasn't broken. It has absolutely zero benefit to the guests, which means it must be benefiting Disney somehow or they wouldn't have done it.

[Alaska Disney Fan]

The sarcasm is unnecessary. I certainly abided by the rules; I was just recounting a situation that occurred. The Fastpass system is not perfect and for the amount of money that is spent on a WDW vacation I would hope that I'm allowed to relate how circumstances affected me.

My comments went directed at your situation but the comment from Gator

I guess I'm just looking for a little more wiggle room from Disney. 5 minutes before? Fine. 15 minutes after? Bad. Give us an extra hour and that would be ample time to squeeze in our ADRs that we HAVE to book months in advance if we want anything decent to eat. Just looking for the systems to run fluid, that's all.

If they allow 5 minutes, then not 15 at what point do they say 8 minutes ok but not 9, the time frame is listed for a reason.

And I agree with MNNHFLTX... we should ALL be able to voice our opinions without being made to feel that they are unjust. We are all entitled to them! Let's be kind to each other - after all... we are talking about Disney here!!

But I voice my opinion, sure with a little sarcasm, and get blasted for having an opinion that is different. I guess it was in the delivery

3. Sarcasm is usually used when someone thinks themselves better than everyone else. We're all here to be friends with a common love for Disney World. So let's keep it Magical.

So how is this friendly and magical?

[stephicakes]

No worries! We all have great suggestions and ideas to help make the current (and proposed) FP/ADR situation better Everyone's opinion counts since everyone "does" Dis differently!

I guess only time will tell us how this will pan out. We go in September so it will be interesting to see if by then I have to book my FP ahead of time anyway...

steph

[K8screen]

I just want to know, from a current CM, what is actually HAPPENING?
Did a lot of people used to come back hours later, or did most people, like me, stick to the rules as printed on the FP anyway? And ARE lines now longer, shorter or what?
I would think people who were not quite as WDW obsessed as us on these boards, probably just used the passes at the right time anyway. Am I wrong?? Can someone who knows explain how much difference, if any, this is making to the lines and to most people?

[dnickels]

Doesn't the whole argument about windows or lines being longer or shorter miss the point? I was under the impression that the reason for doing this was to nudge guests a step closer to how things will operate with the Next Gen / X Pass / (whatever they finally call the next iteration of the Fast Pass system).

I would love for Disney to set the rules to revolve around my touring plans and possible issues that may arise but I'll adjust and plan accordingly whatever the rules may be. In the grand scheme of things this doesn't seem like as big of a deal for the number of keystrokes we've expended on it over the past 6+ months.

[MNNHFLTX]

I started this topic because I encountered a scheduling problem that was very similar to a scenario that I predicted could arise months ago. And, frankly, I wondered if anyone else had experienced the same thing (it appears a few of you have). In any case, it's been going in a direction that I am uncomfortable with--my fault, perhaps, for starting it in the first place. It appears that it is still a touchy subject for a lot of people on both sides of the coin.

One last thought--while I respect TPTB with the Disney corp, let's not forget that the company exists to serve their customers, not the other way around, IMO. People have a right to speak up, with words and with their dollars, about practices that are not conducive to an enjoyable vacation. I sincerely hope that the "Next Gen" Fastpass system will be successful and will keep an open mind towards that end, but I will not blindly praise something simply because Disney develops it.