Fast pass rhyme or reason? Weird experiences this trip.

[Farro]

Not really complaints, just observations.

Fast pass was a lot slower than normal this trip. One we could attribute to ride breakdowns. But the norm was 15 minutes or more. The parks were more crowded than previous Octobers, but not crazy.

But at Pirates - the girl kept ushering people from the standby line into their line and our fast pass line - resulting in the standby line actually being shorter than the fast pass! Everyone was joking about leaving our line and heading to the standby line.

Then at Spaceship Earth, a little boy was in front of the fast pass line and the cast member waved him forward to go - he was looking at something else and didn't see her, so she halted our line for about 5 minutes and let the standby go through. Then she told him that if he wants to ride, he should pay attention! Kind of harsh!

Then wait times were all off - for standby they would say it's 40 minutes and the cast member would confirm, but touring lines app said really 15 minutes and that's what it was.

Other than the Spaceship Earth CM and one bus driver, everyone else working was incredibly friendly!

 

[Legendteri]

How was FOP for you. Did you get sick

 

[Farro]

How was FOP for you. Did you get sick

Ugh. - I was already sick and couldn't go on. My family and Micky went and none of them got sick! We are home now, Micky has strep and I just have a horrible cold.

This was our illness trip.

 

[Farro]

Also - may have been crowds, but we found 4th fast pass choices at MK to be pretty limited, couldn't even get Haunted Mansion.

 

[mamamelody2]

Also - may have been crowds, but we found 4th fast pass choices at MK to be pretty limited, couldn't even get Haunted Mansion.

Just curious: Did you check once, or refresh a few times when checking for 4th+ FP?

 

[Farro]

Just curious: Did you check once, or refresh a few times when checking for 4th+ FP?

Probably just once? Not sure. It wasn't too important to us, just trying it out!

 

[DebbieB]

I heard some people who cancelled for Irma were given use anytime fastpasses for their rescheduled trips, which probably made the fastpasses lines longer.

 

[disneyvoice]

We had a strange FP experience two weeks ago as well. On our departure day we had about two hours in the park before we had to leave so I got FPs for things we usually wouldn't get FPs for, just to make sure we could ride a few things. For Spaceship Earth there wasn't much of a line at all for standby, we were the only people in the FP line. We got up to where FP is merged with stand by and the CM asked us how many in our party (that always cracks me up when we are the only two people in line and are clearly together) then told us to wait just a minute and proceeded to allow EVERY SINGLE person in standby to walk on the ride. Once the stand by line was entirely cleared he let us get in line. So essentially if we had gotten in the stand by line we would have walked right on but since we did FP we had to wait???? Weird. It didn't affect our enjoyment of the day and we waited no more than 5 minutes, but we were a bit puzzled.

 

[Nohal]

I found the same thing when we were there two weeks ago. It seems like sometimes the standby line goes faster than the FP line. I couldn't believe the long FP line I had to wait in at Buzz it was outside the building and snaked around the corner. Meanwhile it seemed the CM was letting more standby in than FP as there wasn't even a standby line outside the door. I found this to be true at many rides. It was annoying to have a FP and have to wait in a long line while the standby line moved faster. Seems like the CM's at some of the rides need to be letting more FP people in than standby.

 

[Zippa D Doodah]

I was at MK on 10/13. Had a FP for Space Mountain. The FP queue started back under the Peoplemover track, near AstroOrbiter entrance. That was utterly ridiculous

 

[kmb584]

FP lines can be insane sometimes. In June, we had one for Star Tours and the FP+ queue started right before you'd go down the steps to the Echo Lake area. As a PP mentioned, we've seen SM backed to PM, BTMRR to nearly Pecos Bill, KS queues starting at the Gorilla Falls trail, etc. Sometimes there's no rhyme or season, but it's often because of ride breakdowns, which unfortunately seem to happen a lot these days.

 

[tinkb]

We just got back and I couldn't believe how long some of the FP lines were. I didn't time it (wish I had!) but it felt like we waited 20-30 minutes to get on FOP with our FP. We were held for a very long time at the indoor section before they take you in to watch the video instructions. Not sure if there was an issue with the ride or if it's normal to wait such a long time there. The ride was fun but it took so long just to get on that we gave our ride swapper pass away instead of using it.

 

[AngiTN]

We just got back and I couldn't believe how long some of the FP lines were. I didn't time it (wish I had!) but it felt like we waited 20-30 minutes to get on FOP with our FP. We were held for a very long time at the indoor section before they take you in to watch the video instructions. Not sure if there was an issue with the ride or if it's normal to wait such a long time there. The ride was fun but it took so long just to get on that we gave our ride swapper pass away instead of using it.

That's not the FP line. That's after the FP and stand by merge. No avoiding that line

 

[srwarden1928]

When we were at Soarin in early October, two of us waited standby the first time, then we were using child swap so the third adult could ride. I rode with her immediately after getting off the ride. We waited less time on the standby line than we did in the fastpass line just a few minutes later.

 

[AngiTN]

When we were at Soarin in early October, two of us waited standby the first time, then we were using child swap so the third adult could ride. I rode with her immediately after getting off the ride. We waited less time on the standby line than we did in the fastpass line just a few minutes later.

As with FoP, to accurately judge if it's just the FP line you have to time it before the merge point, not counting the time after you merge with Stand By and are sorted in to the rows for theaters (A, B, C). So I'm curious, in case you happen to know, was the wait long waiting to merge with Standby and to be sent to a theater or was it long after you were sent down a theater's row? Knowing how it's been for many of my rides on Soarin' I'm thinking it was probably after they were sorted, which is not really the FP line itself, it's the entire ride. The wait can be extended for a variety of reasons but not just for FP riders, it's long for everyone.

 

[srwarden1928]

Actually it was because a huge number of people poured into the Fastpass line between the time we hit the merge point the first time until we rode, exited, met up, and got in line again. Its just one of those things that can happen unpredictably.