Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the Fastpass system… however, with a Fastpass line, and a regular line at each attraction, think about how that long regular line would be if you could spread it out into BOTH lanes. Not that bad really.

Fastpass is still confusing to your average WDW visitor, and is mostly taken advantage of by people “in the know”, people who’ve done their homework and know and understand the system and how it works. This is already a huge advantage to us! No need for an extra perk on top of that as a passholder, or DVC member, or on-property guest. It doesn’t make sense.

A great example is when we hit the safari. In Sept. you can usually get a fastpass for 10min later. Line: 40min Fastpass: 10min from now … so WHY are all those people standing in that long line? Think about it for a moment.

The Fastpass system already works as a Perk for those who know about it. To give us that know about it even more perks would be even MORE unfair to those unfamiliar with the system.

For me, Fastpass adds a little fun to my day. We don’t think “let’s go get Fastpasses!!” , we think, “let’s go on _________ !!” When we get there, if the line is too long, it’s THEN that we think about getting a Fastpass, if avail. If not avail, we just move on.

All my opinion of course.

Take care!

Dan B
Carlsbad, CA

I like FastPass. I use it to my advantage. The only time we have used them on past trips is for Winnie the Pooh and Peter Pan. Using FastPass on Pooh and Pan always made me uncomfortable. The looks that we would get from people that had spent 45 minutes in the stand-by line could kill.

Imagine the PR nightmare for Disney if it was a resort (AP and DVC) perk. The complaints at Town Hall would be staggering.

A majority of visitors have probably saved for more than three years to make a trip and they see this as a “trip of a lifetime.” They have also probably not done a lot of research for the trip. With the Dining Plan and FastPass, there is a lot of confusion. Ultimately, I think Disney is hurting themselves with the DDP and FP.

Granted I’m sure fewer guests get that since those packages are expensive, but it is being done.

If I was to offer a guess, I would say that Disney may be rolling out something similar to what Ski Resorts do with peoples lift tickets. They can scan the ticket and come up with all kinds of stats. Maybe Disney is wanting to better track how much time transpires between a Fast Pass’ generation and it’s utilization, how many Fast Passes get printed and are not used, etc. I would see that if they were going to go with some Bar Code reading software they may need to make some infrastructure changes.

That said, I’m no sucker, since FP is there I’ll use it in the most efficient manner possible. If the WDW Fastpass system is going to get some of the Disneyland efficiencies (2nd tickets, non-networked machines, surprise FPs (perhaps contest prizes)) I’m all for it.

I’m also a ProCare Client at Apple Stores — it’s $99 a year but it’s well worth it to me. I get to put in appointments online up to 14 days in advance (regular clients can pick through tomorrow), when I get there I’m first in line. Perhaps a similar idea could work with Fast Pass - DVC and AP holders get access to the online concierge for free (with the power to pre-book fastpasses up to 14 days in advance), resort guests can get access to the system for a per-guest fee. The system will allow you to book out X fastpasses per day so you can get all your essential fastpasses before you leave home (this is another opertunity for Disney to make money - for just $X more you can get Y additional fastpasses!), they’re ready and waiting when you get to your room or the AP Guest Services booth.

Just a thought,
Joe Kavanagh