Reviews of FastPass+ (Retired)
Reviewed by Kg25 Review Date: 03/16/2014
Rating: (3) Recommended
I do not like having to plan so far in advance. If you wait times can be filled.. Way too many rides have fast passes even the ones that are usually not crowded....the old way seemed like it helped the standby lines , but all it's done this way is made the standby line longer and the fast pass line is even a long wait. I feel like the way the fast passes are now is just a way to track where people are...plus the more people stand in line the less time they are buying things...the purpose was to get people in and out quicker and in my opinion that is not what is happening.
Pros:
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Planning ahead, changingReviewed by lw Review Date: 03/16/2014
Rating: (4) Recommended
Technically this is a great tool for a Disney vacation. A positive aspect was when we were at AK we were able to move a ride earlier in the day as it was more suitable as our day unfolded.
However, the wifi can be spotty. We found if 3 adults were on the my experience(all linked) then they would not show up on the other my experience screens. For example, my husband was looking at dining reservations when I was. It showed 10 in our party of eleven and his name was not on my screen. It seemed to be a common problem amongst our group.
It does have promise. Once the kinks are worked out.
Pros:
Some goodCons:
Some badReviewed by miketp Review Date: 03/15/2014
Rating: (3) Not Recommended
It's nice to get fast passes without running through park at opening but being limited to one park ruins the benefit of buying Park Hopper tickets. You won't be able to get on popular rides at the 2nd park you visit. We were there in October and most Fastpasses were gone early in the day. So even though Disney allows you to change choices there were not many options. We are going again this summer and staying at Yacht which makes EPCOT and Hollywood convenient but not as accessible as when we could get passes in both parks. There should be a benefit for staying onsite.
Pros:
Ability to prescheduleCons:
Limited to one park, no benefit for staying at Deluxe or buying park hopper ticketsReviewed by Jrnevins Review Date: 03/12/2014
Rating: (3) Not Recommended
We have visited WDW 5x in in the last 5 years with 1-3 children ranging from 8 months to 7 1/2 years old. We mastered the fast pass & loved it. It made visiting the parks manageable with littles. We never had to wait in line for any ride more than 15-20 mins. We got fast passes for all the high wait times averaging 1 every hour or two we were in the park whichever park. The new system gives you only 3 fast passes per day. With the old system, we got a lot more. You also only can use them at one park. For Park Hoppers this is not a plus. The previous system allowed you to go with the flow of your day not schedule everything before you leave home. Unfortunately we missed a lot of ours due to delayed nap or travel time. Supposedly there is the option to change them but when we tried there was no fast passes left. Not flexible. Scheduling around dining reservations is enough planning. I don't want to have to plan around rides too. The old fast pass system worked very well. Why change it? When we asked why it was changed, we were told because some people like us mastered it but others never used the system and WDW wanted to make it fair/equal. I don't understand that. I think a nice compromise would be to allow guests to choose 3 per day but continue the one/hour for those who can master it.
Pros:
Guaranteed 3 rides per dayCons:
Too plannedReviewed by mmc55 Review Date: 03/04/2014
Rating: (1) Not Recommended
OK it is nice to pre-select before arriving BUT! If it has no benefit once you arrive what good is it? At the AK Mickey Meet&Greet we waited LONGER than the standby line. At Illuminations FASTPASS+ only got us a standing view with 1000 other FP+ users - and the line to use FP+ began forming at 8:10p. At Fantasmic there was absolutely no difference between the FP+ area and standby. When making you selections there is limited times available. The worst thing is you only get one choice for the most popular attractions. The old Fastpass was 100x better. Disney has developed FP+ for their benefit If they expand it to all four per day that might change my mind. Or for Dinner reservations at popular restaurants. Also you are continually checking on your smartphone to make sure you can follow the designated times. I would give FP+ a zero if it were on the scale. At Star Tours the FP+ line was longer than standby.
Pros:
NoneCons:
Minimum choices/only 1 park per day/no real bevations at popular restaurantsnefitsReviewed by slapps Review Date: 02/24/2014
Rating: (3) Not Recommended
My family and friends stayed at Old Key West Grand villas. We had 13 in our villa. We stayed during the Christmas holiday, December 18th through December 28th, this was our 10th time we stayed for the holidays in the past 11 years. We did not find the fast pass plus to be a great, or any improvement at all over the regular fast pass. We found that it took a lot of the fun out of our trip. We had a lot of people in our party so we changed plans on occasion. When this happened we found it difficult to change the passes. We tried at guest services and the kiosks located inside the parks. The site was very slow (My Disney Experience) if you could get on at all. We also found that it was a pain to hop and use the passes. We think, with the price it costs to go to Disney, that you should be able to fast pass in different parks. Even if Disney wants you to have only 3 passes, you should be able to use them in multiple parks. We also did not like the tiering system where you could only do certain rides in certain parks. I.E. Epcot. You could not do Test Track and Soarin together. I think there needs to be modifications made.
Pros:
O.k. when it worksCons:
Did not work most of the time and forced you to adhere to a scheduleReviewed by Kmb261 Review Date: 02/19/2014
Rating: (9) Recommended
I think the new fastpass+ system is great. My family of 4 goes to Disneyworld at least once a year. The last few years, we have stayed at YC. I am a big planner and love this new planning tool. Being able to set my fast passes before we leave is priceless. I know I will get on the major attractions before I get to the park.
We were able to get to HS at 10 am and still have a fastpass to Toy Story Mania. Since that ride opened, if you were not there at park opening and ready to do a 40 yard dash you did not get a fastpass. People would be pushing and shoving just for a fastpass in the past. At every park, we got fast passes for good times that we were never able to get before. Some days we did go to the parks at rope drop and were able to enjoy many rides without a wait. Then go to our FP later in the day. I did not have to run and get a fastpass because I already had them all planned.
I changed attractions and times a few times without issues with the MDE app. 3 passes are plenty. Planning our FP around dining reservations was also a added bonus. We were able to have a much more relaxing trip and enjoy the parks. We don't park hop so it is not an issue for us. One morning, we decided to sleep in and I was able to change all our FP at Epcot to later in the day without any problem.
After we checked in at our resort, I got an Email to participate in a BOG lunch FP+ test. We were able to pick the time and order our food from my phone. At our scheduled time, we were able to walk right by the huge line and have lunch. We were done with lunch and taking pictures in less then an hour. Some people in line were waiting almost an hour just to get in. We did not have to replace a ride FP+ to the FP+ at BOG. I think Disney will continue to add perks like this to on property resort guests.
I think everyone just needs to let Disney work their magic and will love the new system. Something new always takes time to adjust. Having my room key, FP+, dining ressies and charge card on a wrist band was also an added bonus. No more having to keep track of everyone's KTTW cards and FP in my pocket. Disney does not charge for FP as some other parks do. I would like it if Disney let me choose more FP for staying on Disney property, but I am also fine with the 3 they currently allow.
My family thought this was the best trip because we never felt rushed. The FP+ system was the biggest reason for this.
Pros:
Planned fast passes, less running around at parksCons:
NoneReviewed by TuckMan Review Date: 02/18/2014
Rating: (3) Not Recommended
Just got back from President's Day weekend. Everyone was using this new system. We stayed on property and it was a big advantage to pre-arrange passes before we arrived, but I hate having to lock in what I am doing before I arrive. I like to make decisions on the fly at the park, but this forces me to commit to one park and a schedule before I arrive.
The fact that you are limited to three a day and at only one park really limits park hopping. I tried to reschedule one pass but the system crashed and my pass was listed as "Unknown". On busy days, if you do try to reschedule, good luck as most everything is already booked out.
I feel for the people who were staying off-site. They had long lines to book their passes at kiosks, and those lines seemed to be long all day.
Speaking of lines, what was a surprise is that the fastpass return line for attractions was really long. They even had a cast member holding a sign so people could see where the end of the line was. The problem was that everyone had to match their bands or cards with the sensors to get in the fastpass line. Many people were having trouble matching the mickey on their wristband with the mickey on the sensor, or were waving their bands instead of holding them to the sensor, slowing down the line.
There was one good thing however. We had a fastpass for the Rockin' Rollercoaster and that ride was shut down during our fastpass time. We got an e-mail and a note on our app that we got an unrestricted one-time fastpass for any ride that day, only at Hollywood Studios though.
Pros:
Can Pre-Arrange via web or use app, Automatic free pass if ride is down.Cons:
Limit of three a day and at only one parkReviewed by Villeguy Review Date: 02/14/2014
Rating: (1) Not Recommended
What are the powers that be in Disney thinking! We were able to experience the Fastpass+ on our visit in October 2013. It was horrible then and now they are making it even worse. I have been monitoring the wait times on My Disney Experience app, what I have noticed is the standby wait times have increased approximately 15 to 30 minutes. We have had the pleasure of visiting the World in February a few times in the past. The wait times then were non-existence. I cannot imagine what the wait times are going to be during the busy season. My spouse and I have been true Disneyworld fans from New Jersey, visiting the World once a year since 1991. As I mentioned earlier we had a terrifying experience using the Magic Bands last year. When I mentioned the additional changes to the Fastpass+ system i.e. choosing one Fastpass from Category A and two from Category B (noting that Category B are the rides that you really do not need a Fastpass to ride), my spouse turned to me and said “Maybe we should think about vacationing somewhere else this year.†I felt as if I had the wind knocked out of me. I never thought in a million years I would hear those words come out of his mouth. Then to make things even worse, while watching television we witnessed a Disneyworld commercial praising the Fastpass+ and Magic Band systems. Now every time that commercial comes on my spouse can’t change the channel fast enough. I pray changes are made to the system or the old Fast Pass system is restored, because I don’t think I can change my spouse’s mind and I will truly miss my Disney family. Somehow I don’t think Vegas will be the same.
Pros:
NoneCons:
Too Many to MentionReviewed by dksyooper Review Date: 02/10/2014
Rating: (1) Not Recommended
Disney made a terrible decision with the new fast pass system. Although my family and I were able to easily find a kiosk (I recommend going to the back of the park to avoid lines), we were very limited as to which rides we could get a pass for, and for which times. Consequently, we enjoyed fewer attractions on this trip and waited in longer lines. On top of everything else, we constantly had to retrieve our Disney ticket in order to scan it on the fast pass machine. The new system makes no sense, and it only benefits Disney in the long run (they are limiting how many rides you will be able to enjoy). We will not return to Disney again until they either return to the old system, or eliminate fast passes altogether. If you're going to use the new fast passes, I recommend reserving three attractions during the afternoon when lines are the longest, then visit as many attractions during the morning that you can.
