Why I have a Moral Opposition to FASTPASSES

[CaitlinMcFly]

I know. You get to the park, you think,"I have a limited amount of time today and I REALLY don't want to wait in line for Space Mountain--it's an hour! Forget that!" So you go for the Fastpass. Understandable, hundreds of people a day get Fastpasses for rides across the resort for lines they see as too long to wait in. I have found myself guilty of it in the past, what with my adolescent impatience and my generation's need for things RIGHT NOW. But, what I neglected to realize is that the lines I am trying so hard to avoid I am merely causing by getting a Fastpass for any E-ticket on the map.
I didn't really think about this until a CM friend of mine pointed it out. For conversation's sake, let's continue to use Space Mountain as our example here. The line itself moves in the early morning, since the cars are loaded and unloaded within the set amount of time. Yes, there's a bit of a wait, but nothing you can't handle--that is, until the Fastpass holders come out of hiding. At that point in time, they have to stop the standby line and let in a varying amount of FP holders so they are convenienced. This holds up the standby line and doesn't solve anything. It causes a backup and the standby line becomes longer than it would be without Fastpass being used at all. Not only that, but there are a limited number of fastpasses avaliable per ride per day before they run out, and if everyone uses them all at once the FP line backs up. The system works only to a certain extent before it backfires completely.
Every ride using this system falls victim to this, and there's nothing we as guests can do other than NOT use FP's unless you have one day to squeeze in every ride you can because your'e never going to come to the park again. Even so, it's Disneyland--the lines are part of the experience. If the standby is under 45 minutes, go for it. An hour is worth it for a must-see like Indy, but that's pushing it, IMO. My thoughts on the matter are that FP's are to be used infrequently if at all if you know you'll be there again soon. Think of your fellow guests--you're basically cutting in front of them with a pass to.

/rant.

[symbolic]

why is this a Moral question? Maybe it's ethical? or maybe just a rant?

[SCUBAbe]

I love fast pass. Anybody can get one and use it for free, so i do not feel any sense of guilt.

I use the front of the line type systems at all the amusement parks even if they charge for them. I think they are wonderful.

[CaitlinMcFly]

why is this a Moral question? Maybe it's ethical? or maybe just a rant?

I exaggerated slightly, but I really am against the use of them unless under special circumstances. I mean like if you're an AP who goes frequently I think you have no excuse to use FP's regularly for high-crowd rides.

[PirateMickey]

Nothing immoral, unethical or fattening about the FP system.

DL offers it. Guests can choose on their own to use it or not.

You're free to rant about it, just like you are free to not use it.

And I am free to use it. And I do.

Enjoy!

[Monorail Man]

Think of your fellow guests--you're basically cutting in front of them with a pass to.

I really fail to see the logic here.

With Fastpass, you're entering a side-by-side 'virtual queue'. The tradeoff for waiting in the 'virtual queue' is that it's generally longer than the traditional wait. You waited in a queue just like standby did, so I beg to differ where the moral/ethical/spirtual/whatever objection is. Yes, there are flaws with the system, but it's not a 'front of the line' system like other parks have.

[patattack]

cool! one less person using fastpass! more for us

APs are just as allowed as any other guest..maybe disney should do a better job at explaining there use so its more fair for everyone but there will always be people who wont want to deal with it or do it or not understand it..

[DLFreak71]

I know. You get to the park, you think,"I have a limited amount of time today and I REALLY don't want to wait in line for Space Mountain--it's an hour! Forget that!" So you go for the Fastpass. Understandable, hundreds of people a day get Fastpasses for rides across the resort for lines they see as too long to wait in. I have found myself guilty of it in the past, what with my adolescent impatience and my generation's need for things RIGHT NOW. But, what I neglected to realize is that the lines I am trying so hard to avoid I am merely causing by getting a Fastpass for any E-ticket on the map.
I didn't really think about this until a CM friend of mine pointed it out. For conversation's sake, let's continue to use Space Mountain as our example here. The line itself moves in the early morning, since the cars are loaded and unloaded within the set amount of time. Yes, there's a bit of a wait, but nothing you can't handle--that is, until the Fastpass holders come out of hiding. At that point in time, they have to stop the standby line and let in a varying amount of FP holders so they are convenienced. This holds up the standby line and doesn't solve anything. It causes a backup and the standby line becomes longer than it would be without Fastpass being used at all. Not only that, but there are a limited number of fastpasses avaliable per ride per day before they run out, and if everyone uses them all at once the FP line backs up. The system works only to a certain extent before it backfires completely.
Every ride using this system falls victim to this, and there's nothing we as guests can do other than NOT use FP's unless you have one day to squeeze in every ride you can because your'e never going to come to the park again. Even so, it's Disneyland--the lines are part of the experience. If the standby is under 45 minutes, go for it. An hour is worth it for a must-see like Indy, but that's pushing it, IMO. My thoughts on the matter are that FP's are to be used infrequently if at all if you know you'll be there again soon. Think of your fellow guests--you're basically cutting in front of them with a pass to.

/rant.

I do think it slows down the ride, but it's open and free to everyone, so to feel guilty because you took your common sense and used something to your advantage shouldn't make you feel any less of a person. If you do want to complain, what is making the situation worse is the total influx of free fastpass that they are giving out during YOAMD. If the computer is set to house so many people in a certain time frame, than all these other FP that they are giving out totally throws a kink in the system. I'm also guessing they aren't dated, so you can bring those stupid things back every day? So now you have the computer generated FP, a new batch of YOAMD FP and then those who got them within the last year who could pop into the park at any time. Now I do hope those YOAMD FP are dated and are being checked so it isn't making the problem even worse.

[JeffYardDog]

Nothing immoral, unethical or fattening about the FP system.

DL offers it. Guests can choose on their own to use it or not.

You're free to rant about it, just like you are free to not use it.

And I am free to use it. And I do.

Enjoy!

Actually, you're wrong.

It is fattening because it gives the user more time to spend getting meals and snacks instead of standing in line.

[CaitlinMcFly]

But the system backfires. It holds up one line so another can move. That was my point. If the system worked I'd have no problem with it, but it doesn't--I waited once in a half hour fastpass line for Indy and the standby line was a good four times longer.

[PirateMickey]

I exaggerated slightly, but I really am against the use of them unless under special circumstances. I mean like if you're an AP who goes frequently I think you have no excuse to use FP's regularly for high-crowd rides.

Special circumstances???

They have that too. It's called a Guest Assistance Card.

Those that NEED it, can utilize it.


For the rest of the guests, they can use the FP system. Like it was DESIGNED for them to do...



OK, now you say that AP'ers have NO EXCUSE to use the FP system???

Because I have an AP I need an EXCUSE to use a FP ???

Sorry (not really), but I can use the FP just like ANY OTHER guest that is enjoying the Park.

No matter how often I go.


If you don't like the FP system, DON'T USE IT!

Simple as that...

[idreamofjeani]

Sigh. You just don't get it. I already dealt with this issue here:
http://www.micechat.com/forums/showt...51#post1988451

Fastpass is not immoral, unethical, wrong, or inconvienient. It does not make lines longer overall. You just have a false perception that has not accounted for all the factors in its ingenius design. Go become an Industrial Engineer, then we will talk.

Seriously, Disney is not that stupid. Shamefully, some not-quite-so-smart CM's spread this crud without THINKING about it carefully and logically. And they don't seem to have a good memory of the old days before Fastpass and what the lines were like THEN.

You need to remember that all that holding-up of the standby line is mitigated by there being LESS PHYSICAL standby line present, together with the spread-out effect over the day. This admittedly only works on attractions whose lines are past a certain threshold of length in the first place, and is one of the reasons Fastpass was removed from Pirates of the Carribean and Star Tours. Again, Disney knows what they are doing.

[CaitlinMcFly]

I acknowlage that the system works but to an extent. I have seen it backfire multiple times.

I never said DON'T use them, I said you SHOULDN'T. As an AP myself my logic is 'That's a long line, I'm gonna be here again in a few weeks, I'll live if I don't do it now.' If you want to, fine, go ahead. I'm not going to stop you. This is just my view.





Wow, this is a great week for me, I can't open my mouth without everyone jumping all over me about how I'm completely and idiotically wrong.....*grumbles*



EDIT: Jeani, I just read your post on the other thread. I see your point with that, but on many rides there is an afternoon/evening clog with everyone using their Fastpasses at once due to the 'Never late, never early' rule. As I have said a good three times now, the system works but to an extent. If everyone were to use the FP's under the designated times and not utilize the loophole, then I think things would run ultimately smoother. I still don't think it's a great system but I do see your point. I would just like more people to try and see mine without thinking I'll ignore their opinions or attack them as they try to do with me.

[PirateMickey]

Actually, you're wrong.

It is fattening because it gives the user more time to spend getting meals and snacks instead of standing in line.

Oh, is that why they have the FP's???

I thought it was so a guest could enjoy some other rides in the meantime.

That's a good idea though. Maybe I'll enjoy a churro the next time that I am commiting an immoral and/or unethical act like using the FP system the way that it was DESIGNED to be used...

[idreamofjeani]

Well Bellhop, first of all, Castmembers do *not* accept fastpasses early (except maybe 5 minutes or so just as a grace).

And secondly, I am just tired of people attacking Fastpass without thinking it through. It gets soooooooo much crap that it doesn't deserve. It's a good system that makes the experience better for all guests overall. There is a perception by some that it is hurting them when they don't get a fastpass themselves. That is overall, false. Because even when you don't get a fastpass, you still experience a shorter standby line at peak times at least, than you would otherwise.

The only time fastpass fails really is when breakdowns screw things up since a lot of guests then return with their fastpasses late. But we have a solution for that to soften the blow -- we can control the schedule to mitigate for this effect so it is not that bad. The early/late acceptance thing you mentioned is really not a problem (especially because early ones are not accepted -- people are almost always going to be early as opposed to late -- and being later in the day actually HELPS things by again, pushing guests out of the peak times).

I just feel that I must defend the Fastpass system not on the grounds that others do "If you don't like it don't use it" -- because to me that is not a very useful concept. I defend it rather from a global point of view concerning how it affects all guests overall. And overall it improves guest experience in the grand scheme of things; personal preferences be damned. I just wish its critics would stop and consider this, and remember historically how much worse the standby lines used to be in the daytime before this system redistributed the lines temporally.

So next time you get into the standby line between 10am and 6pm maybe you should stop and think "Wait. I am making this standby line even longer now and it is already very long. Maybe I should get a fastpass for later instead." And feel the guilt if you choose NOT to get a fastpass.