READ THIS - Express and On-Site Hotels

[Synonymous]

I guess "abuse" means "Anything I don't do myself."

 

[Robinrs]

I have to jump in and remind everyone that this is a discussion and not a debate.

Personal attacks are not allowed and some have been edited.

Please remember the number one rule of the DIS/UIS.... "be friendly!"

Thanks, guys!

 

[ChisJo]

Was wondering what was going to happen with FOTL. I think I may be repeating this question, but can you have express line for more than one attraction an hour, or is it restricted to one express per hour?

 

[jcl110]

I went to universal in July and stayed onsite.
I rode The spiderman ride 12 times in succession one day and I know that by doing this it didnt stop anyone or hold up the line to a point where any one would even notice. There are hundreds of seats on these rides and they seat people very fast. What they do if you hit the express line in between express times is seat you in the front seat of the next available car. If there were a limited amount of seats like on a bus maybe it would have occurred to me that I was holding up the line in some way. I went on the busiest days and rarely met any other onsite guests on these lines. All of this talk of common courtesy is moot because I paid for this privelige and anyone on the long long line could have gotten this privelige too. I am going back next year again and if I pay for this privelige,
I will use it with no regrets because all this talk is just talk, I was there and it was not holding up the lines...
So, dont listen to all the dribble...stay onsite, its worth it and enjoy the perks!!!!

 

[Bob O]

In a earlier post i meant to say 5 or 6 times. I would agree with Davo O and XL! You arent abusing a system you paid for. When i stayed at Portifino i stayed their due to fotl and nothing else even though it was a very nice hotel and no complaints about it all. And its not a free perk, its factored into your room cost just like everything else is, nothing is ever free! But with the changes being considered i and already done i would have to think twice if the price for the room is worth the benfits of staying onsite compared to offsite. As somebody posted about early entrance it is something i always use and hope most hotel guests dont use so my waits are shorter. it is a excellant perk for staying at wdw but not alot was open for early entrance when i stayed at portifino last december but hopefully that has changed.

 

[johare]

I think a great compromise would be to go ahead with the plans to limit FOTL/Express for onsite guests to one per hour per attraction (or whatever), but also provide early entry, even if only an hour, for onsite guests. They could even alternate between the two parks. That way people who want to ride over and over could come to the park early and ride as much as they want without impacting other guests as much.

Only problem is with Universal being 'cheap' enough to close at 6:00, I doubt anyone could convince them to open earlier!

 

[#1 TITANS FAN]

Am I the only one ejoying the delicious irony here? By insisting on excercising their 'right' to ride popular attractions several times in a row no matter how long the lines are, people are going to force Universal to change the policy so that they won't be able to

 

[Notatourist]

Bob-just so you know, the Access line perk is NOT factored into your hotel charge.

 

[jcl110]

As I said in my earlier post, I really dont think that Universal is changing their policy because of rider abuse. Unless a hoard of on site hotel guest arrive on a ride at one time and decide to go on it over and over, the regular lines are not being held up. Universal is is more likely changing the policy because they realize they dont have to provide this perk to fill the hotels anymore, and being cautious they are keeping what Earl described as the new policy , as insurance that people will fill the hotels. I suspect that if hotel attendance goes down after the new policy, they will bring back the unlimited ride policy.
As far as abusing the current system?
Hogwash!
Who in their right mind would get off a ride, look at the lines and say to themselves, " Gee! Im not gonna ride again till the line gets smaller!'" . Thats like going to an all you can eat buffet and worrying if everyone is gonna get enough... please put the violins away, the system was designed to work this way...
Enjoy the perks, thats the name of the game!

 

[Earl]

jcl,

Just to clarify this, the change is being made solely due to the system capacity issues, nothing else. The system routinely sells out by noon. I have seen the system usage data. It has nothing to do with just doing away with the benefit. This system is new, and will be prone to fine tuning to get it right and still provide something that no one else provides. Next year there will be over 2000 rooms on-site. There must be some control of that usage.

 

[pixie dust gal!]

Hats off and a BIG thank you!

I think this is a fair implement of change. My family and I only stay on-site(and will continue to do so) and I still think it is fair system to ascertain numbers and keep an easy flow of traffic.

 

[msr709]

I think no matter what changes they make its still better than no perk at all like at Disney, you stay on site at Disney and all you get for the trouble is the expense!! LOL!!

 

[RachelLD]

Thanks for giving me hope again for Oct. I spoke with someone, at Universal, today. They said you had to scan your key (everyone has to have one) to get entry to express. She also said you could only do it once per day. That was devestating to me because we only booked HRH for the express pass. We have to change hotel rooms in the middle of our vacation. We could have stayed in our 2 bed condo for the same price! I think they should limit usage, especially on busy days, but I think once a day just isn't enough. Thanks again. I found this site because I was looking for an answer to that very question.

 

[nhrenee]

Rachel,
I wonder if she meant once per hour? I thought that was the latest.

 

[RachelLD]

No, she definately meant once per day. I clarified it. She made it sound like the machines were already in place and working. She wasn't very nice either. I'm new and I don't know who Earl is, but he sounded like he knew what he was talking about. It's frustrating to get so much conflicting information. I don't know why Universal would advertise "all day, every day" if they only mean once per day. I think the new program sounds fair. I'm so glad he took the time to post and put all of our fears to rest.

 

[Earl]

I wish you had a name other than "she". Rest assured that is not the policy at this time, nor will it be. It sounds like she was definitely mis-informed. That have been changing the advertising though. I don't believe the "all day, every day" is in use any longer. Not so much that the system has been adjusted to work out the bugs, but to get rid of the confusion of the ad. Some people take it literally. Call back, ask the same question, if you get the same answer, send me a message and I will run it down.

I would suggest to anyone getting information from any company that you are paying to get service, not just theme parks, that you keep the name of the person you speak to. It will certainly avoid any confusion and allow issues such as this to be corrected. Don't spend your money unless you know what you are getting and how to resolve it if you don't get what you expected.

 

[gschmerl]

Oh Earl,
What would we do without you!¿

 

[jcl110]

As I said in my earlier post, I did not see how going on a ride over and over hampered the regular lines unless a hoard of on site resort guests hit the lines at once. I was there in July and it was crowded, and I rarely saw other people using their keys.
I went on Spiderman a multitude of times and I know it didnt affect the line. Who in their right mind would pay high prices for this perk , travel all the way to Florida, and than hesitate because there is a line for all the people that decided to stay in cheaper hotels. It seems to me that the people standing in those lines when I was there, understood and accepted the policy better than some people on this board who have nothing better to do than try to impress others with their childlike whining "Let someone else ride too!" Well, its not impressing its annoying!. Bull! I'll bet they wouldnt practice what they are preaching if they had the choice of waiting for 90 minutes in 95 degree heat with kids or using a perk they had the right to use!
Please put the violins away!