Stand-by Fasspass tests????

[KAJUNKING]

TDO are the most brilliant people ever... Iger is the best CEO ever... Staggs is a genius... Rasulo knows what he is doing...

SAID NO ONE EVER....

Except stockholders

[KAJUNKING]

They are return passes for the standby line. They were using them for the Captain Jack Sparrow experience in DHS at the end of June. You cannot get in the standby line without getting a paper pass. I don't like it. It's much like the old fastpass system where you had to run all over the park to get passes only with this system, once the passes are gone, there is no way to experience the attraction as the lines are now full.

Im sure a lot of people dont like it, but with 4 HOUR waits all day long they have to try something different.

[conan617]

I could be wrong, but I thought Universal was doing this same thing with the opening of Diagon Alley. These are different parks and circumstances, but is the Universal experiment working or failing? I have no idea, just looking for insight.

Maybe this is temporary (and/or for attractions where the standby line would have to be cut off hours before closing) and we are all getting nervous for nothing. Or this could be the new methodology and in that case - flame on .

[DonaldDuck1117]

You can complain about the state of the resort all you want, but, to say the Iger is a bad CEO because of that is short sighted and flat out wrong. The main job of a CEO is to make the business money, and Disney stock has never been higher and the company has never made so much money. A lot of that is due to the company acquiring other business-see Pixar and Marvel. You may not agree with the business world but Iger has expanded the company and made it even more of a giant than it already was.

Back to the return tickets-I think it's ridiculous. I have this nightmare future scenario where you won't be able to queue up for any ride on the future and you just walk the park aimlessly until you are allowed to enter the line.

[DizneyFreak2002]

Except stockholders

Not all of them...

[joonyer]

It's certainly in line with their goal of keeping people out of lines where there's no opportunity for impulse purchases and in other areas where they will constantly be passing gift shops or food carts or kiosks, though as Freak mentioned, I'm not sure that has actually been the result.

I'm really surprised they haven't started putting shops/carts/kiosks IN the line itself.

I fully expect to see just this in a year or two. Imagine all the revenue they are missing that could be realized from selling Anna & Elsa merchandise to guests/families while they are waiting in a 2-3 (or more) queue. Not to mention food and beverages.

Next up: for a "small" fee, you can buy a pass to be able leave the line to go to the restroom without losing your place in the queue.
The revenue possibilities are almost endless.

[kakn7294]

My problem with it is that if you were unable to obtain a FP+ time (not everyone understands this system or realizes that they can and need to obtain a FP), then you still had the chance to get into a standby line whether that's a 30 min line or a 5 hr line - it was your choice. With this new system, once the paper passes are gone, you have NO chance unless someone gives you their passes. This gives those that arrive late to the park for any variety of reasons (late arrival, breakfast, split park days) virtually NO shot of seeing the princesses. For some people, this may be their one and only chance.

[indytraveler]

So if I were going to Epcot in a couple of weeks I could have this thrown on me without any notice? Great.

First timers could show up to get in line for this attraction later in the day, only to find out they can't wait in line but rather you need to get a pass to come back and wait in this line. So they ask, "Where do I get this pass?" CM responds, "over there but we don't have anymore to give out because we reached our limit." But you could go over there and spend more money on food and souvenirs.

I could see where this was headed when they first let word out about this exciting new change to FP's. Either stay on property or don't come. I'm sorry ransam if this is really negative, but I'm disappointed they keep trying to fix something imo that wasn't broken.

Welcome to the Happiest Place on Earth

[mrte62]

At some point though, Disney is going to realize that they just need more attractions to deal with the attendance numbers. You can only manage the lines so much.

Exactly!

Instead of treating the symptoms, it is time to start treating the cause ....

[Roger's #1 Fan]

Agreed. As I alluded to in my original post, they need to do something related to the attraction to fix it, not just create more artifical restrictions to its use.

I am more concerned with permanent installations like Soarin that are chronic slow movers.
One would argue they could do more to alleve the short term A&E phenomenon, but they are sticking to the tradition/illusion of one set of M&G characters at any one time, even though that concept is bent with different versions of the Fab 5 in M&G at the same time in different parks.

[DizneyFreak2002]

Exactly!

Instead of treating the symptoms, it is time to start treating the cause ....

If they were to treat the cause, the pencil pushing MBAs would be all out of jobs... Maybe creativity can them blossom again... Oh, but wait, there are other causes? Then Iger, Staggs, Rasulo, Crofton, Holmes, Georgie K, etc, etc etc would all be out of jobs too...

MANAGEMENT is the root cause of the problems... Until they hold themselves accountable, or until the BoD holds management accountable, the cause will not be taken care of...

[joonyer]

So what is the Cause? Too few attractions?
Or just such large numbers of guests?
Seems to me it is a combination of both.

When the parks are nearly full most of the time, there's a powerful incentive for ownership and management to do nothing different, despite the complaints of guests about long waits, poor service, etc. After all, as long as the parks are nearly full, they must be doing something right.

Why spend millions investing in new attractions if it is not going to significantly increase attendance? And if it does increase attendance, then all the rides/shows attractions will still have just as long a wait time as they did before. More rides, but more people attending. They don't build new attractions to reduce our wait times, they build them to increase revenue.

I certainly don't expect Disney to build additional attractions just to reduce wait times. There's no financial incentive for them to do that, unless and until guest dissatisfaction starts resulting in reduced park attendance. So vote with your wallet. Do something else with your vacation $$$. That's the quickest way to get their attention that something is wrong in the "world". Otherwise, with full parks and hotels, expect more of the same.

No matter what kind of FP/express pass systems is uses, they won't really change the big picture, which is: Large crowds + limited numbers of things to do = long lines, no matter how you spin it.

[Kenny1113]

So let's recap...

Disney started FP with paper fastpasses for guests to return at a later time during the day... Then they change FP to FP+, and eliminate the paper fastpasses... They add FP+ to rides which don't need FP thus increasing wait times... Also you can book 60 days out, not have to run to an attraction to get a paper FP, and so you could spend less time in lines (hasn't worked, guests are, on the average spending more time in lines)... only to now to create a situation where guests have to run to an attraction to obtain a paper fastpass to so you now don't have to wait on the stand by line and return when yourn new paper fastpass tells you to so you can wait in standby..

My thoughts exactly

[1DisneyNut]

Good grief. When does the insanity stop? We are going to have to start a tutoring class for first timers to even have a clue how to go on a WDW vacation. Heck, I have been so many times I can't count them all and I can't even keep up with when to schedule what or for where. When I can get more FP+'s and where or when to get them. Forget ADR's for restaurants when combined with all this other mess...........NOW all of the sudden they say "Hey......remember those paper fastpasses that worked so well that we used to use? Let's "test" those on a few attractions and meet and greets and see how they work." LMAO!

Now keep in mind, they are now layering the old paper FP on top of the FP+ as a test. I just want to bang my head on the wall.

I haven't been back since the introduced FP+ because I am dreading dealing with all of the scheduling and running around making the times. Now this.......I am just disgusted.

I realize they apparently see they have a problem and are trying to find a way to fix it. IMO, this new wait time issue is a direct result of FP+ that they did not foresee. They thought everyone would go eat ice creams and shop for souvenirs and apparently it never crossed their mind that everyone would instead just go stand in line for the latest fad or newest ride.

[Speedy1998]

Fastpass for Standby! Now I've seen everything!

WOW!

We're not far off from a fastpass for the restrooms folks!

Pre FP+ I used to say that the FP line for attractions like Soarin' and Toy Story Mania needed a FP.

[Speedy1998]

I haven't been back since the introduced FP+ because I am dreading dealing with all of the scheduling and running around making the times. Now this.......I am just disgusted.

I actually found the new FP+ system less stressful once I arrived at the parks. I no longer had to be the runner that went to get Fastpasses, while the rest of my group was off having fun.

[Speedy1998]

It almost sounds like this new thing is what the original FP was supposed to be (as envisioned by Disney), except this time the pass controls the standbye line, where as before the pass allowed you to bypass the standbye line.

One intresting thing that I read is that they do not give you a pass unless the line is more than 30 minutes long. I find this intresting because it will prevent what I think was one of the biggest problems with the original FP. Which was people pulling FPs when there was no line.

[Mfarquar]

Stock price is going up because revenue is greater than expenses.

Raise prices and cut back spending and wall street is happy. WDW is doing both of those. Customer satisfaction is not figured into stock price.

Exactly. And don't forget theme parks are only a very small part of the Disney stock. Disney is a mega corporation - don't forget ABC, television development, movies, DVD/digital sales, music ventures, profits from IP permissions, Pixar, Star Wars, Marvel - technically speaking, there are 5 branches - Media Networks, Parks and Resorts, Studio Entertainment, Consumer Products, and Interactive.

There's a lot going on here profit-wise beyond the theme parks. Back in the day there were times that DIS stock has flown up despite reveune plateauing in the parks.

[Mfarquar]

Good grief. When does the insanity stop? We are going to have to start a tutoring class for first timers to even have a clue how to go on a WDW vacation. Heck, I have been so many times I can't count them all and I can't even keep up with when to schedule what or for where. When I can get more FP+'s and where or when to get them. Forget ADR's for restaurants when combined with all this other mess...........NOW all of the sudden they say "Hey......remember those paper fastpasses that worked so well that we used to use? Let's "test" those on a few attractions and meet and greets and see how they work." LMAO!

Now keep in mind, they are now layering the old paper FP on top of the FP+ as a test. I just want to bang my head on the wall.

I haven't been back since the introduced FP+ because I am dreading dealing with all of the scheduling and running around making the times. Now this.......I am just disgusted.

I realize they apparently see they have a problem and are trying to find a way to fix it. IMO, this new wait time issue is a direct result of FP+ that they did not foresee. They thought everyone would go eat ice creams and shop for souvenirs and apparently it never crossed their mind that everyone would instead just go stand in line for the latest fad or newest ride.

It's like you read my mind! I feel bad for first-timers and this seems like a bit mess. I'm hoping this is all logically and smoothly figured out before my next visit!

I'm a planner by nature and, in fact, plan professionally for a living. But this is to the point that it is no longer relaxing and/or enjoyable!

[DizneyFreak2002]

So apparently, from a CM front line point of view, this was a failure... people turned away cause no more passes left? People mad cause they couldn't get on the stand by line without a fast pass... Wow who would have thunk it... Not TDO...

And reportedly, the testing at Soarin is already a failure as well... Again, lots of angry guests...

People, any more proof TDO are morons?