This is not a post about how FastPass Plus has ruined Walt Disney World. I’m definitely not the president of its fan club, but I can see the benefits of Disney’s line management system in certain cases. I believe that all visitors should begin their park day on equal footing. Even so, sleeping in and strolling up to a headliner can be refreshing. I’m not here to tell you everything was roses back when Disney only had standby lines. I visited a lot as a kid in the ‘80s and ‘90s, and there were long waits at times. Even so, there was simplicity to knowing how the lines flowed at each attraction.
Most theme park operators have some type of system to bypass the lines. Universal (Express Pass), Six Flags (FLASH Pass) and Cedar Fair (Fast Lane) all have developed programs to limit guest waits. In each of those cases, you pay a hefty price to receive this benefit. I can understand why visitors do it; I’d splurge to see everything if I only had a day at Cedar Point.
Disney’s program is most interesting because it was released as a complimentary extra. Introduced in late 1999, the FastPass system dramatically changed how people toured Disney’s parks. They developed an intricate system of return times and windows to receive more FastPasses, and savvy guests became experts at maximizing their stay.
The Days Before FastPass
The Internet offers access to information that just wasn’t possible during my childhood. Marketing brochures, souvenir books, and memories were the only guide. It was busy during our June visits, but high capacity rides like The Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, and the fast-loading Future World attractions could handle the crowds. You might wait for 30 minutes, but the near-constant movement gave a feeling of progress. The queues were a part of the experience, and you became very familiar with every aspect of the lines. Songs like “The Merrily Song” at Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride entered your brain and refused to leave. I can still hear it.
I have clear memories of standing in line and waiting to board a ride. The growing anticipation as you neared the end was powerful. The queue and the attraction were all part of the experience. For better or worse, success on a trip wasn’t dependent on time in line. The parks had breakdowns and disappointments, but they functioned well. The headliners drew longer lines, but they were worth the wait. We spent a lot of time on less popular rides like the Carousel of Progress, If You Had Wings, and the People Mover because the lines were shorter.
The challenge with accurately reflecting this time is viewing the parks from a kid’s perspective. We just loved being in the parks, and touring plans never crossed our mind. I could sense that feeling in my six-year-old during our visit this year. She just wanted to do everything, and there was little chance that missing a big ride could hurt the trip. Adults who fell in love with Walt Disney World in the ‘80s can’t help but look upon that time as purer. It’s different to be the parents setting up the trip, and there’s more to do now before you even reach the parks.
The Original Disney FastPass
The genius from Disney in creating FastPass was developing a system that offered the illusion of no wait. Instead of accepting the long lines at headliners, we could just stroll to the front! This was true in a certain way, but it disregards the fact that waits still happened. The idea was that this extra time would allow you to spend more money on souvenirs and food. Most diehard fans just rode more attractions. When you combine FastPass with the lower crowds in the early 2000s, the potential was enormous.
My first experience with FastPass happened in January 2005, when the parks were a virtual ghost town during the off season. We barely needed the service but used it to eliminate almost every wait. Many visitors didn’t understand FastPass, which benefited savvy guests. It did require more walking (or sprinting) to maximize its use, however. Parties designated “runners” to grab FastPasses and avoid waiting more than absolutely necessary. The experience felt more chaotic, but it seemed worth the rush to ride everything without getting stuck in long lines.
Slowing Down the Fast Loaders
The most significant impact of FastPass was its effect on how lines moved. The hourly capacity of an attraction wasn’t enough to understand the wait. If a crowd of FastPass holders arrived at once, a 30-minute standby wait might be a lot longer. This lack of progress also can lead to guest frustration. There’s nothing worse than being steps away from the FastPass merge point and watching hordes of guests stroll in and pass you. Older rides designed with a specific capacity didn’t function in that way anymore. Standby lines became a source of frustration and hindered the guest experience.
There were some reasons that FastPass still felt like a guest benefit, however. It rewarded effort and planning, so it gave considerable advantages to Disney experts. If you took the time to understand the system, there was the potential to dominate the parks. It became a game where touring plans led to more than what was possible before FastPass.
Disney also only set up the system at rides that frequently had long lines. This created an interesting side effect where fast-loaders without it became less crowded. Walt Disney World’s Pirates of the Caribbean and “it’s a small world” were strong examples. This trend allowed guests to experience those attractions regularly while waiting for the FastPass window.
The Realities of FastPass Plus
The original FastPass had some detractors, but it was largely supported by the Disney fan community. It seemed designed to help us maximize our visit while others waited hours unnecessarily. The reaction hasn’t been so positive to the next iteration. FastPass Plus is sold by Disney as a way to avoid the hassle of scrambling at the parks. It’s more convenient!
On the surface, removing the mad dash to the machines is a relief. However, the new restrictions have brought additional limits to the service. There was a time factor in play with the paper FastPasses. You couldn’t get another FastPass until you used the one you had or a certain amount of time had passed. Even so, there were still ways to grab a lot of them.
There is a major benefit to FastPass Plus if you aren’t the type to arrive at rope drop. Parents with young kids or late-rising teenagers may appreciate this ability. It’s also easier for less savvy park goers who get assistance from travel agents prior to their trip. They’ll arrive knowing they at least can ride a few top choices, and that’s probably nice for a once-in-a-lifetime trip. It also connects with the My Disney Experience app and website, which fits with our smartphone culture. It’s hardly a total failure.
Limited Availability
The challenges arise with FastPass Plus because you’re only allowed to book three in advance per day. This may work fine at the Animal Kingdom, but it’s hardly enough at the Magic Kingdom. There is the possibility to grab additional FastPasses after the first three are gone, but it requires a trip to an in-park kiosk. If this was part of the app (and I expect that will happen), it could change everything.
As the system currently functions, it feels incomplete. EPCOT and the Hollywood Studios also use tiering to prevent you from just booking the headliners. Those parks have few attractions that need FastPass, so it feels even more limiting. When compared directly to the paper version, the new set-up offers a more restrictive experience. It also penalizes off-site resort and day guests and doesn’t keep everyone on the same playing field.
For guests that stay more than a few days, there are ways to see a lot with FastPass Plus. The repeatability is more constrained, though. The most difficult side effect relates to the fast-loading rides that used to eat huge crowds. Since FastPass Plus covers a lot more attractions, rides that used to have short waits have now become logjams.
Spaceship Earth and The Haunted Mansion are Omnimovers that should have a pleasant wait in line. Instead, they stall while FastPass holders stroll by you. This accomplishes more than causing standby riders to wait longer. It builds the frustration in queues beyond the headliners. The Haunted Mansion should not have a 40-minute wait in late January.
The Bottom Line at Walt Disney World
Implementing such a massive IT change has created technical problems in the past few years. Based on my experiences and fan reports, that side of FastPass Plus is improving. Despite any frustrations, I expect that Disney is pleased with the system on the whole. It has shifted lines away from the headliners and into other queues. Guests may be riding fewer attractions, but they’re still spending a lot of money at Walt Disney World. Disney has added few attractions and is still seeing attendance gains.
There are still questions about whether Disney will implement FastPass Plus at other resorts. They’ve indicated that it will happen, but there seems to be little rush to do so. It has been a challenge in Florida, but California’s annual pass holders would make it even harder (if not impossible) at Disneyland. I expect the initial plan included all resorts, but there have been enough obstacles at Walt Disney World to create a delay at least. The logistics of creating a system that works in California are massive.
The selfish part of me would love to see the return of something less restrictive than FastPass Plus. It doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, so my hope is that Disney continues to improve it. The fourth FastPass was a step in the right direction, but they should go further. Adjusting the tiers would help, though it would make FastPasses for the top attractions scarcer. Disney cannot afford to have too many options unavailable. The system has become so complex, and the question remains on if the benefits for Disney outweigh the headaches. Only time will tell.
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Thanks for this really detailed overview. I’m not really in favor of FP+, but I do see some of the advantages (like not having to get to the parks in the morning and still being able to ride headliners). And I love the app portion of it but that definitely needs to be expanded. I wrote a blog post called “Why Fastpass Plus makes me less likely to Visit Disney World.” It doesn’t ruin the experience for me, but it definitely changes it.
I agree that it changes the experience, and it doesn’t feel like an improvement in its current form. It’s made me look closer at going to Disneyland despite the higher costs for airfare to California. I love Disney World, but the idea of a confined resort with paper FastPass (not to mention its own incredible attractions) is very enticing.
This was a very interesting read as a Disneyland annual passholder. I’ve heard Disney say the system will never come to Disneyland, and I really hope that’s true. I, too, remember the thrill as a child of spontaneously popping around the park. I would definitely miss the ability to repeat rides over and over. And like you said, with the passholder population over here, you would have a LOT of frustrated patrons. I feel like the playing field is finally more leveled with the FastPass system (now that most people know it exists and how to use it). I will definitely be confused trying to figure out the FastPass+ system the day I finally get over to Florida! Thanks for sharing your experience with the system.
For a while, I assumed that FastPass Plus at Disneyland was inevitable. Given the feedback in Florida, cost overruns, and all the other issues, I don’t see it happening with the current technology. The fact that they just rolled out a new Disneyland app without a mention of FastPass Plus is a good sign. I do wonder if they’ll find a different solution, though. The paper FastPass system works for the most part in California, but Disney may look for some other way to change the system. Thanks so much for the comment!