Fastpass: Stupid Attraction Trick

[GaTechGal]

I don't think you're quite getting what I'm saying. If the Standby line is short enough that you can get on the ride in ten minutes when the fastpass return time is in 40, it doesn't make a bit of difference. I just go do the other things AFTER I get off Splash Mountain. I'm still not standing around waiting for my Fastpass return time in that case. I'm getting things done.

But my original statement:

With the 10 minute wait you just ride (duh). But with an even stand-by/fastpass time, well instead of standing in line for 40 minutes waiting to ride, I can go do another attraction or two and then come back in 40 and get on in like 5 or 10 minutes. That's the point of FP no?

The important point there was the EVEN stand-by/FP return time. If the stand-by isn't shorter you don't wait thus the DUH comment.

[bpgstudios]

Yeah... What they said?

The way FP is supposed to work (as I have been told) is that X amount are given out per particular time slot. Using the ratio at FP Merge, if EVERYONE that had a return time-- lets use 10:30 as an example-- if everyone that had a return time starting at 10:30 came, you SHOULD be able to get all of them on in 5 minutes before the 10:35s come in. Many attractions this appears plausible to do.
HOWEVER there are quite a few that this is not possible. Peter Pan is one of these. It is impossible to get everyone in your FP queue if it is to the top of the ramp though the ride in 5 minutes. Because the attraction is slow-loading, FP stands in line or moves very slowly. If they were loading faster, the FP queue could be dumped in 5 minutes. This is one of the pitfalls of FP as I can see it.
Now throw in standby. Let the proper amount in for the numbers your using for the ratio. Even though it is NOT a lot of people, the line moves slowly. One turnstyle plus slow-loading attraction creates a backed up stand-still queue.
Usually our FP queue at Pan is to the top of the ramp (where we can JUST see the end of it). Hell, even at most points on New Years and 4th of July we were able to see the end of our FP line. Last week (our supposed slow-er days) our FP queue was down the ramp, using our wheelchair holding queue, out the door, past the FP distribution, starting about 75 feet from the carrousel-- FOR MOST OF THE DAY! for many guests in our FP queue it was a half-hour wait or MORE, while standby did not drop below 90.

So I ask again... WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH FASTPASS!?

And yes, Ansem, I have noticed that too. Guests see a 20 minute wait for Small world and ask where the fastpass is for it. Same with Philhar.
"20 Minutes! Im getting a fastpass!" Uhh the most you'll be waiting is one show until you get to the lobby. Fastpass youll be waiting at most 10 or 15 minutes for the next show. I usually advise guests with re-ads or no strings to use em at space mt or pooh if they're wanting to use them at Philhar when theres no wait. I know I've appreciated it when CMs tell me that when I'm in the park as a guest.

[Cheshire Figment]

Of course most people do not realize that FP is a total failure for its original intent, but that Disney can't get rid of it because most people don't realize what the real purpose was.

The original intent was actually to get people to get out of the lines and into the stores and eateries. In other words, to spend more money and then come back to the attraction. However, sales did not go up at either food service or merchandise more than could be accounted for by price increases.

In the meantime, the parks were effectively more crowded as they were designed with the expectation that a certain percentage of people would be in attraction queues at all times. FP has lowered this percentage so people mill around more.

[abc]

So, the busy season is over right? WRONG! But we are not at numbers quite as high as new years eve, christmas, or 4th of july. So why is the fastpass return queue for Peter Pan's Flight extending all the way to the carrousel? for most of the day- so it wasn't just a case of everyone showing up at once. It did not get THIS bad for most of the day durring our PEAK days.

So what can be attributed to this type of horrorshow? I have NO idea. Yesterday morning during EMH, the standby queue had to be extended by 8:30am. And thats with no FP. The people in the FP queue were waiting upwards of 30 minutes at some points in the day. Yes, many of us F-land CMs have expressed our hatred of FP at pan. But it NEVER in my time there has gotten this out of control. So my question would be this:
Is FP going insane at your attractions too? or is it JUST pan?

I dont even have the energy to post about the millions of angry guests we had.

Sounds like the fastpass template was not set up very well at your attraction that day, and the fastpass % was far too high. Did the lead not check/adjust it that morning? Our here in california we are usually able to distribute as few as 45-50 fastpasses for each 5 minute period for an attraction that has a capacity three times that amount (which makes standby flow very fast). The lower the better :D: . This makes pulsing extremely easy, even after we come up from a downtime. I take it in florida the fastpass ratio is much higher than in california.

[Euterpe]

...Or you could do what one of my fellow cast members did at Soarin', and print off the entire 3:00 hour so youu don't have to deal with 'em. I still think he's the laziest cast member I know of... but it did help during that hour. Everyone up front was standing around saying "Wow... It seems so slow for this time of day..." I won't deny that there were days I was tempted to try it myself... But I'm a good cast member.

[Alyssa3467]

Sounds like the fastpass template was not set up very well at your attraction that day, and the fastpass % was far too high. Did the lead not check/adjust it that morning? Our here in california we are usually able to distribute as few as 45-50 fastpasses for each 5 minute period for an attraction that has a capacity three times that amount (which makes standby flow very fast). The lower the better :D: . This makes pulsing extremely easy, even after we come up from a downtime. I take it in florida the fastpass ratio is much higher than in california.

I kinda wish FastPass return times were more throughly enforced, so for a given hour, you only get the 600 (or fewer) Guests that you expect, rather than the 600 (or fewer :p :) that actually have FastPasses for a given hour, plus more from previous hours, throwing off the FastPass to Standby ratio. Some of the rabid APs would be upset, but oh well... the fine print on the back of the FastPass says that you have to return between the times printed anyhow...

[Tirtuatha]

...Or you could do what one of my fellow cast members did at Soarin', and print off the entire 3:00 hour so youu don't have to deal with 'em. I still think he's the laziest cast member I know of... but it did help during that hour. Everyone up front was standing around saying "Wow... It seems so slow for this time of day..." I won't deny that there were days I was tempted to try it myself... But I'm a good cast member.

When I worked at Countdown To Extinction (a.k.a. Dinosuar), we had to resort to this trick more than a couple of times. We were one of the test locations for FP. I took a while for 'em to get the number right and we had to resort to punching out several hundred to get things cought up. Plus when you're at the FP spot and you get a couple of the Brazilian tour groups all getting fastpasses, you know there's gonna be a big jam.

[bpgstudios]

...and you get a couple of the Brazilian tour groups all getting fastpasses, you know there's gonna be a big jam.

I've heard of CMs overriding 50 or 60 FPs after a brazillian tour group came through to get them (and took 10 minutes getting a ticket for all 93 park tickets). Makes sense, but I doubt management would like it very much :mad: At least I've been at Philhar complex more as of late, so I don't have to deal with Pan. :D:

[LittleDollClaudia]

I can't stand when those arrogant a-holes stand in front of whatever attraction blocking the entrance for us who decide that you know what, 20 minutes isn't f-ing long, folks! You know the ones. Tapping their foot and staring at the clock. Loud sighs at the CM who has already told these cretins about 50 times why they can't go early. I just sweep past them and laugh when I still see them at the front waiting after I leave the ride. Especially that time they wasted for their "special timestamp" to ride with a FASTPASS with huffing and puffing at the CM could have done a few things instead of sitting on their ass. Even, :gasp:, go on the damn ride they were waiting on in the first place!!

I'm sorry, but the few times I have a FASTPASS, I do exactly what it's invented for. I go on other rides or shop or eat or whatever else I can in that time frame. I come back with 5 minutes to spare and approach the CM at my DESIGNATED time. Sheesh, is that so hard?? Apparently, it is or I wouldn't see it every time I go.

[Euterpe]

I hate it when guests make a big deal about waiting another five minutes. I once had someone stand off to the side and every minute for nine minutes they'd say, "Only eight more minutes to go," "Only seven more minutes to go," all the way down to zero. The worst part is when that happens, and then they behave like they had no idea what they did was annoying and rude.

Before I was in attractions... It didn't even occur to me that you should try to go before your time. Maybe I'm an even more stupid guest... but if it says 12:25... I wouldn't even try to come back before then. Meh... Just me, I guess.