Disneyland Fast Pass
Disneyland: The Fast Pass Program at Disneyland is good, but it doubles the walking distance of the park. What can be done?
As a child living in Southern California I went to Disneyland at least twice a year. When I turned sixteen and could drive, Disneyland was not where I took my dates.
Around my twenty-fifth birthday I returned to Disneyland and realized how much fun I had at the park.
I bought an annual passport and after many visits to the park I formulated a plan to walk through the park that minimized walking. Everyone was impressed by my “Guided Tour”.
Although I think the “Fast Pass” is a good thing, it forces people to double the walking distance of the park.
Here is my two cents regarding the “Fast Pass” program:
#1 Allow the Annual Passport holders to print “Fast Pass” tickets at home. Let the Passport Holder pick a time to arrive at the park and pick the order of the rides. Allow them to print up to four per ride. Impose a thirty minute delay between ride times. There would need to be a way to validate that the guests that are using the three extra passes are unique based on their admission ticket, even if they are annual passport holders themselves. A Passport holder could cancel some or all of the “Fast Pass” tickets requested from home up to one day before the visit without penalty. If an Annual Passport holder did not use a home printed “Fast Pass” they would not be allowed to print from home for three months.
#2 Move all of the “Fast Pass” dispensers to Main Street. This would require changing the current “dummy” boxes to include a screen that planed a trip throughout the park. In addition to a thirty minute delay between rides an additional delay could be imposed every 3rd ride to allow for shopping, food, and rest.
Actually, I have to disagree with you on this one! Before I begin, I will say that I am much more familar with the happenings of Disney World rather than Disneyland, but I have been to Disneyland in the past year so I think it works out ok. Anyway I don't think that it is a good idea to have fastpasses prior to comming into the park. I believe that everybody should an equal chance of getting a fastpass and if done the way you describe it,there will be basically no fastpasses for anybody in the parks. Also, in regards to having them all in the front will do nothing but confuse people and cause attractions, like Indiana Jones to have all their fastpasses taken away in the first hour of the park's opening. Also, Walking around the park allows fstpasses to be spaced much better. What I have found that many pople have a problem with fastpasses (in which they get confused) is that they don't have a plan of action for what they are going to do while they are waiting for their fastpasses to be up. Maybe this is just easier to do in Disney World, but for example, like getting a fastpass for Indiana Jones and going on Pirates of the Carribean. This is what my faimly does, and it seems to work pretty well. Your ideas are not completly out of context, I have had many friends, many college educated (and a good college mind you) who can't figure out something so simple (at least I think) as fastpass. I think it is all about time management, but I could just know the loopholes and take advantage of the fastpass situation. My advice to anybody with fastpasses is to have a plan to do something (another attraction? eating?) while waiting for your time. Your ideas about the fastpass have been tried at Universal and Six Flags (perhaps other places as well, I just know these two) and they just don't seem to work on right! Interesting thoughts on the fastpasses though! You clearly have an intelligent way better working this system, but I believe it just doesn't work that way!
I would also have to disagree. The system works very well for me. I would rather double my time walking than standing in line! Plus just being there is such a joy it gives you more time to admire the craftsmanship at the park as you walk to get your next fast pass.
Jeff, I am very interested in your plan to "walk less" in the parks! I have never heard anybody figure that! Could you maybe elaborate on how fastpasses make you walk more?
Thanks!
From Dave Bower
Posted February 14, 2006 at 9:22 AM
I think the original poster is referring to the walking to the attraction to get the Fastpass and then having to walk back to the ride to redeem it.
I don't think the walking is too much of a problem if you plan your rides well.
Get a fastpass for Splash Mountain and ride Haunted Mansion. FP Indiana Jones and ride Jungle Cruise.
One morning at Disneyland, my family were first on Thunder Mountain and rode the train alone. Me and my daughter at the back and my wife and son at the front. On the way out, we picked up fastpasses for Thunder Mountain again. This baffled the Castmembers, who pointed out that the queue time was only 5 minutes. We took the passes, had breakfast at the River Belle Terrace and returned to BTMR. By the time we got back, the queue time had grown to over an hour and we walked straight back on.
It was fantastic to have a three course breakfast while standing in a virtual queue for BTMR.
Fastpass is the best idea Disney has ever had, long may it reign.
I think you sum it up well Dave and I see the poster's issue with walking back and forth (which is true!). This walking bit would be even more evident in WDW where all the attractions are spaced out. The name of the game, which Dave put so well, is to plan. If you can plan, you won't have to walk as much!
From Scott Seal
Posted February 17, 2006 at 6:23 AM
The one reason that no one is mentioning here is, to me, the most obvious reason of them all.
Disney invented the FastPass for one reason, and one reason only: if the guests are stuck in line all day, they can't be buying things in the shops.
It's as simple as that.
Pass holders aren't really at the top of the priority list because they generally don't buy souveniers, they know where they're going, what they're doing and what the park has to offer. In a hypothetical situation where, let's say, somebody HAD to wait in line, from a business standpoint the Pass Holders are who you want waiting, as they're the least likely to wander around spending money.
Putting the Fast Pass boothes on Main St. is not only confusing to the guests (half of them can't figure out Fast Pass with a sign posted on it and a CM standing there shouting directions) but again, it also defeats it's own purpose. You don't have to walk by the shops and stands a bunch of times to use them.
Thats true, people are alot dumber at theme parks that we expect it. Though you make very compelling points, I still think that Fastpass is a godsend! Maybe because I go to Disney World more than Disneyland, but I would never be able to get on attractions such as Indiana Jone, Test Track, or Soarin (Soaring over CA) without the fastpasses. When I go to Disney WOrld this summer, I am figuring I need a fastpass for Expedition Everest! What fun is it to wait in line all day?
From Scott Seal
Posted February 18, 2006 at 9:05 AM
Hey, don't get me wrong, I use Fast Pass when I go, too. It's a great tool...capitalism at it's best - a service that both improves a customers experience and makes the business a ton of money. I was just illustrating that it doesn't serve the purpose of the system to pre-issue FastPasses to Pass Holders, because Disney won't capitalize on the financial end of the deal.
Fast Passes are sweet.
hey everyone, first its always funny how when disney does something nice for the guest it always comes back to them wanting money money money. i admit they do benifit by guests having more time but is there a big tough looking guy breaking your arm telling you to go shop no you can decide what you want to do with your time. also having a fastpass one for all machine anywhere would be bad. the whole reason for the thing is to cut down lines. and you see how bad the line is even now for the fastpass machines where there at, so imaging it being in one place and all those thousands of people trying to get in there. i say the best thing to do is just relax, take your time and i dont know talk to people in line take an ipod or walkman, read.
I have an idea for this system. Allow season pass members to have a checksheet at on the disney website. You just click on a box beside the name of the ride you want to ride. Their should be a limit of four rides to get fastpasses on. You then e-mail this to Disney. If their are no times left for the ride you want to ride Disney should e-mail you back telling you no times are available and you can be a pass to another ride if you want. After times are set, Disney should e-mail you saying that you should pick your fastpasses at the park at the ticket line of something.
For those of you that don't won't to read all that here is the shortened version. Allow passholders to make a list of rides to get fastpasses to online.
Sorry, I got to Disagree!
I am a Disney World guy so maybe it works better there, but out of the years its been open, we have never had any problem with it. Also, I have not "cheated" at all and it has worked pretty well! The key for fastpass to work is to have a plan after you get a fastpass. I do not think passholders should get first priority to them. Fastpass works very similar to the line system, 1st come, 1st served!
Maybe its just that it works to almost perfection at Disney World!
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