Guest Post From The Husband

Editor's Note:  The following is a tongue-in-cheek poem written by the husband about the use of Fastpass at Walt Disney World.



THANK YOU FOR NOT USING FASTPASS

You decided to vacation at Disney World.

Characters, rides, fireworks- so many colors swirled.

Kids and some adults jumping up and down with anticipation.

Then suddenly those plans go up in conflagration.

Wait time for this ride up to 55 minutes can make a mood sour.

At least it is not an hour.

Let’s not stand so long in this line.

It will be shorter after we dine.

Now we go back to wait, our tummies full.

Now it’s 2 and a half hours that’s BULL!

We have things to do, places to be!

You sigh and look around and what do you see?

Another line for the same ride.

These people go quick like on a slide.

Hey what’s the deal?

C’mon please squeal.

These Disney Guests don’t have time to fully explain.

They rapidly disappear and wane.

A resounding statement came from a small lass.

Thank you for not using FASTPASS!

Some Queues We Have Never Seen--Will We?

Walt Disney World—will there be lines?  Yes.  Will those lines or queues provide a story line?  Yes.  Often the queues are so well themed and/or interactive they become just as fun as the attraction.  Can you by pass lines?  Yes, by using Fastpass—which is FREE to every guest.

One could go on and on about lines with incredible theming and we and others have.  But what we discovered during an evening walk is that there are lines we have never seen or experienced. 

Splash Mountain—we have yet to experience the stand-by queue which winds before going into the mountain.  We have only experienced the Fastpass line which features various portraits of the characters guests will get to meet throughout the attraction.

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad—while we haven’t been to the Magic Kingdom since the interactive queue has opened, we have yet to use the stand-by entrance for this attraction.  It has only been Fastpass for us and will most likely continue.  Do guests in the Fastpass queue get to use the interactive portions of the line too?

Soarin’—we have heard that there are interactive games and screens in the stand-by line, but we have yet to see or experience them.  Our entrance to this attraction has always been through the Fastpass lane.

Expedition Everest—as of this writing we have only ridden once but it was through the Fastpass line that we entered the attraction which was still incredibly themed.

Kali River Rapids—we have seen the stand-by queue wind throughout the sheltered area from the Fastpass line which has been our only way into this wet ride.

Then there are some attractions that we have used both the Stand-bye queue and the Fastpass entrance depending on time of day, wait time posted on the attraction, and availability of Fastpasses.  Those include Toy Story Mania, Star Tours, Jungle Cruise, Peter Pan’s Flight, Dinosaur, Maelstrom, and Living With the Land.

When the husband and I were discussing this subject, he said Astro Orbiter.  Huh?  Astro Orbiter does not have Fastpass.  It is one of the slowest loading rides and we only ride it early in the morning before the line begins to build.  Then he said, “ What about pirates?”  I think he was referring to Pirates of the Caribbean, so I again reminded him that there isn’t Fastpass at Pirates of the Caribbean and that is one of the fastest loading and unloading rides (It’s a Small World is one of the fastest loading, but not so fast in unloading).

Will we EVER see the stand-bye queues of those attractions listed previously?  Maybe.  In the meantime, we will use Fastpass to our advantage, even if it means missing a themed queue or two.

Ways to Make Waiting Less Painful at Walt Disney World

Heat, lines, crowds.  All words you might hear people say when planning a trip to Walt Disney World, already on a trip, or just returning from a trip.  And, while Disney can’t do anything about the heat, likes the crowds, are they trying to figure out ways to lessen the lines?

Lessening wait times for guests or making the wait times less “painful” means that guests may spend more time in the parks which equals spending more money.  While the “money spent per minute” facts aren’t available for Walt Disney World, they are available for the grocery industry.  For ever minute a customer is in a grocery store, they spend $2.  (You do the time/money ratio the next time you’re in the store.)  So, it would make sense that there is a similar ratio at Disney.  Happier guests means more time in the parks which means more money spent. 

A strategy that is already available to guests to lessen wait times is Disney’s Fastpass.  Guests use their ticket media to obtain a Fastpass at the desired attraction, return to the attraction at the designated time, and bypass the stand-bye queue entering through the Fastpass return and thus lessening their wait time.  Guests also get to take advantage of other attractions and services until their Fastpass return time.  Our family takes full advantage of Fastpass use and can’t imagine a trip to the World without it.  Yet, we find guests still perplexed by Fastpass—think there is a charge, don’t understand the system, etc., and still do not use it.  Pitty.

If an attraction doesn’t have Fastpass or guests don’t take advantage, there are other ways to lessen the pain of wait times as Disney is quickly creating more interactive queues.  The Winnie the Pooh attraction at the Magic Kingdom comes to mind.  While one guest holds the spot in line, other guests in the party, big and little, can play and interact with elements that are themed to the attraction.  Haunted Mansion is another.  We hear Soarin’ has something similar, but have never used the Stand-bye queue for that attraction, so I can’t speak from experience. 

Are more interactive queues on the way?  Test Track is under refurbishment and may have a more interactive queue upon its re-opening.  Pirates of the Caribbean will have a short closing and there are already hints in the queue area for more interactivity.  When Big Thunder Mountain Railroad re-opened after a refurbishment, there were boxes throughout the queue that have yet to be revealed.  More options for interaction while waiting?  The new Dumbo queue features opportunities for guest interaction while waiting.  Are there more to come?

Speculation would make me say yes.  In addition to interactive queues, Walt Disney World is adding more interactive experiences throughout the parks.  The Agent P Adventure has taken over the former Kim Possible interactive experience at EPCOT and Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom continues to expand guests’ hunting/finding/interacting experiences.  Will Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom be next?

Heat?  Yes.  Well, except this summer when it was hotter where we lived than Disney more days than not.  Crowds?   You bet.  Lines?  Yes, but not as painful as they could be.  And, that’s without even mentioning Disney’s plans for the Next Generation Fastpass system that allows guests to choose the Fastpasses prior to their park visit.  That is something I want to try!

Fastpass Return Time Enforcement--We Made It Work

Walt Disney World guests are familiar with Disney’s Fastpass system for major shows and attractions.  Basically, Fastpass allows guests to by-pass Stand-by queues and use the Fastpass queue for various attractions.  Fastpass is free and can be obtained with any ticket media.  One of the ways we had used Fastpass was to get our Fastpasses and then proceed to the attraction at anytime after the initial time listed on the Fastpass—ignoring the hour window to use the Fastpass.  We weren’t the only ones who did this and while Disney didn’t post a rule saying you could use your Fastpass anytime after the initial time window posted on the ticket, they didn’t enforce return times.

Then, shortly before our trip in March, Disney announced that they would begin to enforce Fastpass return times.  This was to ready guests for the NextGen Fastpass system and to make the Fastpass queues more efficient, etc.  Click here to read about Disney’s enforcement of Fastpass return times.

Hmmm. . . after 8 trips, we had a park touring plan that made use of Fastpasses without the enforcement or return times.  The enforcement would mean an adjustment to our touring plans.  We would now have to be more vigilant about the Return Times posted above the Fastpass kiosks before obtaining Fastpasses.

We survived our trip, did use Fastpass, still had efficient touring, and returned to the attractions within the times posted on the Fastpasses.  Here’s what we did:

Sometimes we waited until a bit after park opening to get our Fastpasses rather than first thing. . . somewhat guessing at what the Return Time would be.   For example, if we knew we wanted to ride Splash Mountain in the afternoon, then we waited until mid-morning to grab our Fastpasses.  It worked, as the return times that were being distributed at the Fastpass machines were for a time we wanted.  If you have access to a mobile app that posts Fastpass return times, it would eliminate the “guessing” part of the equation.

We were even able to use a combination of the stand-bye queue and Fastpass system to ride Toy Story Mania 3 times on each of the two days we were at Hollywood Studios while still maintaining the return times.  And, during the busy Spring Break season.

It helped that we had a park touring schedule somewhat in mind that helped us navigate when to get Fastpasses and approximately what time we wanted for.  Which leads me to the announcement that Disney is testing the NextGen Fastpass system right now!   Some guests are trying out a system where they get to pick the Fastpass return times for attractions before they leave home via e-mail and have the times and attractions pre-loaded on a card that can be scanned at the Fastpass entrance of attractions.  Whew hew!  Sign me up!

Critics are saying that it means guests will have to “plan every moment” of their vacation.  I disagree.  I don’t plan every moment, but I can still tell you approximately when we will want to ride Splash Mountain when we are at the Magic Kingdom.

Also, the regular Fastpass system is still being used, which provides access for guests staying off site.  And, possibly, you could use both systems!  We’ve done that when the “Birthday Celebration” was in effect and guests coming to a Disney park on their birthday could either get free admission, a gift card worth a day’s admission, or 5 Fastpasses for themselves and up to a certain number of guests.  We picked the Fastpasses and used them in conjunction with the regular Fastpass system.  It was an amazing day!

We were skeptical prior to our trip that the enforcement of Fastpass return times would hamper our park touring, but it didn’t!  We saw guests being turned away when their Fastpass return time had expired.  But, we also noticed that for many attractions, there were still Fastpasses available later in the day, with some exceptions, like Soarin’ and Toy Story Mania.  We made Fastpass work for us and enjoyed our Walt Disney World vacation!

New Enforcement of FastPass Return Times at Walt Disney World

Will Walt Disney World really enforce FastPass return times?  And, if they do, how will it impact our vacation?

Let me begin with a bit of an explanation of FastPass.  FastPass is a ticket that “holds” a place in line of certain attractions so that guests can return later and use the FastPass line rather than the Stand-by line.  Only certain attractions are FastPass attractions and each park has FastPass attractions.  The return time on the FastPass ticket is typically an hour long, say 2:30-3:30 pm, as an example.  Guests may use their ticket media to get FastPass tickets at the attraction using the FastPass kiosks. 

Now, will Disney begin enforcing the return times?  Yes, we have not returned to attractions during the hour long window on the FastPass, as we learned the “secret” years ago that guests can return anytime after the beginning time of the return time window.  So, if the return time was 2:30-3:30 pm, we could return anytime after 2:30 pm.  If we didn’t get to that attraction until 6:00 pm, our FastPass would still be honored.

Rumor on the web—nothing official from Disney as how can they officially announce they are now going to follow their own rules—is that beginning March 7, 2012, FastPass return times were going to be strictly enforced.  The info coming from various sources cites that 5 minutes prior to the start of the FastPass return time and up to 30 minutes after will be honored.  Other than that, no way.  I’m trying to picture guests being turned away at the FastPass entrance because they were more than 30 minutes past the return time window.  Hmm. . .

One reason the “secret” of using the FastPass anytime after the start of the return time window was so great, is that it let you relax—and enjoy your vacation-- if you were stuck in a line, say waiting to meet characters or if you were eating at Crystal Palace and Piglet had yet to arrive at your table.

I’m envisioning servers at various restaurants now being rushed to bring the check, character handlers being chased down, and other hectic, blood pumping scenarios happening so that folks can get to the attraction in time to use their FastPass.

It would be one thing if a guest could choose their return time when getting a FastPass, but it is up to the FastPass machines to issue a ticket with the next available return times.  Will we now see guests standing not-so-patiently outside the FastPass Kiosks waiting for the return times to roll over to get to the time window they are needing based on ADR’s and other touring plans?

Why would Disney suddenly begin enforcing return times?  The information coming via the web indicates readiness for a next generation FastPass system that using scanning rather than a Cast Member to take your tickets.  Something about the scanners not accepting FastPasses that are beyond the time limits.  The use of advanced technology is going to make the system dumber, not smarter?  Surely Disney can figure this out and make the technology accept FastPasses beyond the designated time limits.  Or, change the FastPasses themselves to have an unlimited time of return, with only the available time to get the next FastPass having limits.  That would be fair, more palatable for guests, and make the new scanning system work.

How will this impact our vacation?  Potentially, incredibly.  We are FastPass collectors and use them later in the day.  This is how we ride Splash Mountain twice in a row or Toy Story Mania three times during the day.  We adhere to the rules for obtaining our next set of FastPasses, as the machine won’t spit them out if we try again before the time clicks over, but we have taken advantage of the “secret” for numerous vacations. 

I’m still mulling this around as to what to do.  Will we get fewer FastPasses?  Will we stand in more stand-by lines?  I’m leaning towards waiting to see what happens after March 7 and then making a decision.  Part of me wants to try and see if the Cast Members enforce the rule before changing our touring plans.

Already a Disney vacation can be laden with expectations, cost/time variables, and the ideology of a “once in a lifetime” variable.  The news of enforcing FastPass return times can add stress to Disney vacationers and reduce the “magic” of their vacation.  It isn’t like Disney to reduce magic, so we will wait and see what happens.

Secret Tips to Reduce Potential Vacation Frustration at Walt Disney World

If you read the post about whether or not there is such a thing as Disney rage—click here to read it if you haven’t—then this post is meant to reduce your potential vacation frustration with some secret tips. Shh!



Imagine this potential frustrating moment: You’re walking through the Magic Kingdom, on your way to eat at the Crystal Palace because you plan to arrive 15 minutes before your ADR—Advance Dining Reservation.  You knew the importance of having those ADR’s before your arrived at Walt Disney World.  So your walking to the Crystal Palace and your child spies Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen, their favorite characters of all time! You ask the cast member handling the characters about how long they will be out and when their next time might be, only to find out this is the last time for the day and they just got started, so there’s a good 25 minutes or so before they are done. What do you do?



You know that if you by-pass the characters, you’re child will potentially be heartbroken and disappointed. You also don’t want to be late for your Advanced Dining Reservation time. Oh, the dilemma!



Here’s what you do: You stop and see the characters. Here’s why and it’s a secret. Your Advanced Dining Reservation is going to stay in the computer at the Crystal Palace for the entire time of the meal. So, if your ADR is for lunch at 12:30, that reservation stays in the computer system for the entire lunch service, but as soon as the Crystal Palace switches to dinner, your ADR is gone from the computer. So, unless you’ve booked an ADR for the last time slot of the day for a meal, say breakfast or lunch, you’re good. You’ve got the time.



This works at any Disney restaurant that uses the Advanced Dining Reservation system. All you have to be aware of is the time cut-off for specific meals. For breakfast that is usually 10:45 and for lunch, it is usually 3:45 or so.



It works the other way, too. We have had ADR’s for dinner at ‘OHANA’s for 6:30, but we were hungry and ready to eat earlier. We went to ‘OHANA’s and checked in. It is helpful to have your confirmation number for the ADR with you, but not necessary. They were able to find our reservation and bumped it up. The hostess said they couldn’t guarantee that we would be seated—the party line—but within a couple of minutes we were being called to the podium and seated at our table.



OK, here’s another potential frustrating moment: You’re in the Magic Kingdom and have Fastpasses for Splash Mountain with a return time of 2:30-3:30 pm. You are making your way to Frontierland and notice that the ropes are up for the 3:00 parade and people are beginning to line the streets and walk-ways. Your kids get excited and want to watch the parade. You know if you do, you’ll miss the return time window on your Fastpass. The music for the start of the parade is swelling and your family has found a spot to view the parade. What do you do?



Here’s what you do: You watch the parade and enjoy every minute of it! No running off part way through to try to get on Splash Mountain. Your Fastpass is good anytime after 2:30 pm. So, if you get to Splash Mountain at 4:15 pm, your Fastpass is still good and you will get to ride. Now, if you showed up at 1:00 pm, your Fastpass would not work as you are too early, but anytime after 2:30, you’re good to go, unless they are closing for the night.



The deal is that Disney wants you to be happy during your vacation to the most magical place on earth. They know that if you’re happy, you will spend more time in the parks and therefore spend more money AND possibly return someday because you had such an enjoyable time.



I hear stories about people going to Disney and hating it. Yep, that’s a pretty strong word. Actually, I don’t hear the stories so much as the husband does. If someone says that to me, I start to probe with questions about what went wrong and what could have been done differently. People telling the story really don’t want that, they just want some empathy about the horrible time they had. Yep, the husband is better at that than I am. So, when I hear about people hating Disney, I’m thinking that things did go wrong and I’m guessing it started with not having a plan. We have seen Walt Disney World guests with 3 ring notebooks filled with plastic covered touring plans in their backpacks and we have seen and heard people walking through the hub of the Magic Kingdom wondering out loud about what is over there—pointing to Tomorrowland. I’m not suggesting that you need a 3 ring notebook filled with touring plans or Excel spreadsheets, but I am suggesting that you just don’t wander in and not know anything about the park, other than it is the Magic Kingdom. And, I hope the secret tips work for you and your family!

FASTPASS--How To Use and Tips

Every Disney Park offers attractions that issue FASTPASS tickets. Think of a FASTPASS as holding your place in line while you continue to tour the park. If you are touring the parks when the crowds are large, using FASTPASS will save you time.

FASTPASS is free, that's right, FREE. We remember a family from New York visiting the World for the first time asking us how much FASTPASS costs. It is a reasonable question as another major theme park in the area charges for the service for guests not staying on their property.

FASTPASS is available to anyone who has a ticket to the park! So, if you have used your ticket media to enter the park, that same ticket media can be used to obtain FASTPASSes. It does not matter if you are staying on Disney property or off property, as long as you have ticket media and have used that ticket media to enter the park, you're good to go!

To get a FASTPASS for each member of your family or traveling party, each person's ticket media has to be entered into the FASTPASS kiosk.

FASTPASSes are distributed at the attraction. For attractions that use/have FASTPASS, there are distribution kiosks located near the attraction. FASTPASS distribution kiosks are usually easy to spot with the overhead signage.

Not every attraction is a FASTPASS attraction. Here is list of FASTPASS attractions at each Disney Park:
Animal Kingdom: Primeval Whirl, Kilimanjaro Safaris, Dinosaur, It's Tough to Be a Bug, Kali River Rapids, and Expedition Everest.

Disney's Hollywood Studios: Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular, Lights, Motors, Action!, Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, Voyage of the Little Mermaid, Star Tours, Tower of Terror, and Toy Story Mania.

Magic Kingdom: Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, Jungle Cruise, Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Mickey's PhilharMagic, and Peter Pan's Flight.


Epcot: Mission: SPACE, Test Track, Honey, I Shrunk the Audience, Maelstrom, Soarin', Living With the Land.


You CAN have more than one FASTPASS at a time. Here's how:
1. After your party enters the park, give all ticket media to your designated FASTPASS runner. In our family, that's the husband, expect at Hollywood Studios, then it is me.
2. Send your runner to the attraction you want FASTPASSes for when you enter the park.
3. Runner obtains FASTPASSes for everyone in the party and rejoins the family. See sample FASTPASSes below.

4. Runner pays attention to the very small print at the bottom of the FASTPASS that says when the next FASTPASS is available.
5. At that designated time, the runner heads off to the next attraction to obtain FASTPASSes.
The next part is the SECRET part--a BIG SECRET.
6. You can return to your FASTPASS attraction anytime after the first time listed. For example, on the Test Track FASTPASS shown above, we could return anytime after 10:50 am NOT just during the hour listed. So, let's say we wanted to stop for a bite to eat or decided to head to EPCOT's Character Spot and we didn't make it to Test Track until 1:00 pm, it's OK.
7. When you return to the attraction to use your FASTPASS, be sure to use the FASTPASS entrance noted by overhead signage. You will need to have a FASTPASS for each person in your party to give to the Cast Member at the entrance.

So, depending on which park we are touring, we often have multiple FASTPASSes.

The final tip is to watch the return time posted on the overhead sign at the FASTPASS distribution kiosks. If the return time is late in the day and you know you will not be in the park at that time, forget the FASTPASS (unless you want it as a free souvenir) and just wait in the stand by line.

I'll share our touring strategy at another time.