I originally found this here: http://kennythepirate.com/2013/11/01/epcot-to-test-further-restrictions-on-fastpass-usage/ Choose from one headliner (one of which is Maelstrom?) and two others that for the most part have minimal standby lines anyway. This is more like how we were originally told the system would work. [attachimg=1] [attachimg=2] Does Disney think that this will more evenly spread the load across more of the attractions? Whats the goal of this? Let the discussion begin...
This is a return of the ticket books plain and simple. But the system, unless it has a substantial amount of "day of" passes available is going to really really irritate guests who don't plan their trip out 180 days in advance to the very last minute.
Interesting take on the ticket books. I agree with the "day of" passes. When we were there for testing in August the flexibility was great. Could easily make reservations on the bus on the way to the park and even while in the park but that's just because so few people were using the system at that time. I'm sure that luxury is long gone. Hopefully Disney is smart enough to tweak the system so day guests and those who don't want to do so much planning are not left out in the cold.
Any restrictions on the FastPass+ system, in my own personal greedy opinion, are good. ; As Roger said, I find it annoying how many of Disney's changes only cater to the 'plan ahead' crowd, and leave the casual light-plan or no-plan folks out in the cold. ; FastPass+ was one more step in that direction, like ADPs which have already mangled the dining experience for folks like me. ; All the Disney assurances in the FAQs about how it will still be the same for those who don't wish to plan ahead assume that the lovely stand-by lines won't change, and though they mention how fast passes can still be obtained the traditional way, that seems rather unlikely with millions able to grab many in advance, and even the rest same-day via smartphone. Ironically, many of the light-planner folks like me are probably some of the biggest spenders in Disney - many of us live nearby, many have DVC membership, most buy the annual passes, many are not just trying to entertain the kids by jumping on rides all day, but take our time and enjoy the bars, high-end restaurants, and special tours/extra cost stuff. ; And we're there 20, 30, even 50 days out of the year, rather than just once every 2 or 3 years. ; I'm pretty zen in dealing with the changes, but admit that every little alteration just bugs me that little bit more, and they're all piling up - ; advanced dining, restricted spots for extra fees all throughout the parks, quiet spots taken away for meet-and-greets and cell-phone-based kid games, fast-pass plus, removal of benches and seating spots, homogenization of the food selections throughout the resorts and parks. ; It's not that I don't want the family who is on their one trip in 5 years to be able to plan out their trip for maximum kid fun - but maybe try accommodating BOTH groups by not overdoing the advanced planning stuff - that's why I'm OK with some restrictions like that mentioned above - it at least SLIGHTLY limits how much of the Disney Parks are closed to visitors who don't want to plan everything to death. ; As it is, it's hard for us to find a good meal at regular hours anymore, and some of the best unique offerings we used to have are now watered down to the same food selections available at all the other restaurants, to accommodate the 'dining plan' folks (they don't want them knowing where the sneaky restaurants are with really good, unique food and scoring a win on the dining plan, so they pull a 'no child left behind' move and bring most restaurant fare down to the lowest common denominator). The idea that with FastPass+ up and running, I might POSSIBLY be able to actually go on a ride in Epcot without getting in the 'loser-reject-caveman standby' line for 2 hours, because I didn't plan back in June to go on Soarin at 3:45pm on Friday Dec 6, brings at least a tiny window of hope!
Of the rides on the second list, I dont think I have ever been there when a Fastpass would have been required. Sent from my iPad
No matter how Disney slices it, they are never going to get around the problem of not having enough capacity to meet the demand for rides like Soarin, Toy Story or Test Track. I think this Fast Pass plus thing is designed as a perk to keep people staying on property. The other thing I see happening is that with the stratification of the fast passes into a tier system Disney is steering people's behavior away from choosing to wait in 90 minute plus lines for high demand attractions and conditioning them to only ride the rides that they can access quickly, thus freeing up more time out of line and into the stores and restaurants. ~Joanie
