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Malcon10t
09-04-2011, 10:00 PM
Just verified this tonight. Big Thunder is not currently connected to the Fastpass system. In other words, you can pick up a FP to it and another FP ride during the same period.

bumblebeeonarose
09-05-2011, 05:46 AM
That's cool. Wonder when that happened...

Hope it lasts until my visit next month.

What made you decide to test that theory?

Malcon10t
09-05-2011, 06:50 AM
That's cool. Wonder when that happened...

Hope it lasts until my visit next month.

What made you decide to test that theory?

I read it on another board, so tried it out and it was true.

PhineasTheGhost
09-05-2011, 07:39 AM
I think it's the same for Space Mountain because I got one for Space Mountain and Indiana Jones Adventure at the same time once.

ESS Heckler
09-05-2011, 09:21 AM
That is VERY cool! Thanks for sharing the info on BTMRR. My little group in going the 1st week in Oct - and I hope that this hasn't been 'fixed' by then.

familymemories
09-05-2011, 12:10 PM
Thanks for the info. We go to DL in just a couple of weeks.

olegc
09-05-2011, 09:29 PM
hmm - I wonder if by the time all of you get there - Disneyland would have fixed this.. It's supposed to be all connected except for RRCS.

iceman559
09-06-2011, 10:08 AM
hmm - I wonder if by the time all of you get there - Disneyland would have fixed this.. It's supposed to be all connected except for RRCS.

My guess is that it was probably a server issue and the machines are smart enough to just distribute the FPs anyway even if it loses the connection to the network server. I can't see any reason why Disney would just flat out demolish the network which actually makes Fastpass meaningful...letting you get a FP to as many attractions as you want at any given point in time sort of defeats the purpose of creating a bypass line.

ShelbyH
09-06-2011, 10:24 AM
hmm - I wonder if by the time all of you get there - Disneyland would have fixed this.. It's supposed to be all connected except for RRCS.

Unless DL has changed their policy, which might be the case. BTMRR's FP isn't even open all the time, and often the return time is the same length as the standby line.

iceman559
09-06-2011, 10:43 AM
Unless DL has changed their policy, which might be the case.

That could be the case, but like I said, I don't really understand why they would.


BTMRR's FP isn't even open all the time, and often the return time is the same length as the standby line.

That's true, but while FP is typically used to reduce wait time, it's more like a "save your place in line" type thing. So even if the return time has you entering at the same time as the standby line, it's nice that you can get your FP, go grab lunch, and then head back over and bypass most of the line. We've done that before many times. Get the FP, eat at Zocalo, then hop on BTMRR. It works out well. Or even just grab a FP for Thunder, then go walk on Pirates, then back to ride Thunder.

candles71
09-06-2011, 11:37 AM
Or get a Thunder FP, get in line, ride, repeat with FP.... :) just sayin'.

iceman559
09-06-2011, 12:00 PM
Or get a Thunder FP, get in line, ride, repeat with FP.... :) just sayin'.

Haha, that works too :P I've done that many times on Space Mountain. Got a FP first thing, then "ran" through the standby line a few times until a wait actually formed, then used the FP and on to the next ride!

loungefly97
09-06-2011, 02:52 PM
I was there yesterday and can semi-confirm this. I got a FastPAss for Star Tours at 10:30am, then walked over to Big Thunder Mountain to try this out (since I had read about it Sunday night). I was able to get a FastPass at BTM at about 10:45.

What could make this REALLY confusing for people that don't understand the system is that my FP for Star Tours said that I could get another FP after 12:30pm, but my FP from BTM said that I could get another FP at 11:20am.

After 11:20am, just to see what happened, I tried to get a FP at Indiana Jones. I got an "invalid" ticket.

I wonder what the issue is with BTM.

bumblebeeonarose
09-06-2011, 08:33 PM
After 11:20am, just to see what happened, I tried to get a FP at Indiana Jones. I got an "invalid" ticket.
.

I would assume that is because Star Tours and Indy are still connected, but for some reason BTM was not. I bet you could have gotten another BTM at 11:20. I think it would be best to fix the system, so it works properly, as it is less confusing to those who do not completely understand. I noticed a lot of invalid tickets every time I went to use a FP machine this summer. I have a feeling that many guests were trying to get tickets, not understanding that they had to wait (perhaps their phone time, like mine, was just faster than Disney's clocks though). This could confuse guests if they get a BTM pass and a Splash pass and then try to get a Haunted Holiday pass and find out they can't.

loungefly97
09-06-2011, 09:44 PM
I would assume that is because Star Tours and Indy are still connected, but for some reason BTM was not. I bet you could have gotten another BTM at 11:20. I think it would be best to fix the system, so it works properly, as it is less confusing to those who do not completely understand. I noticed a lot of invalid tickets every time I went to use a FP machine this summer. I have a feeling that many guests were trying to get tickets, not understanding that they had to wait (perhaps their phone time, like mine, was just faster than Disney's clocks though). This could confuse guests if they get a BTM pass and a Splash pass and then try to get a Haunted Holiday pass and find out they can't.

Exactly. I know how FP works, but I thought 'what the hell' and decided to see what happened considering I had two conflicting FP times.

bumblebeeonarose
09-27-2011, 07:33 PM
hmm - I wonder if by the time all of you get there - Disneyland would have fixed this.. It's supposed to be all connected except for RRCS.

It was still disconnected when I visited September 15-17, 2011.

PhineasTheGhost
09-28-2011, 06:28 AM
^The 15th was my birthday. Just sayin'.

iceman559
09-28-2011, 06:59 AM
It was still disconnected when I visited September 15-17, 2011.

Hmmm, maybe they're doing some testing and have to have it disconnected for that? After the success of WoC, who knows, maybe they are thinking about doing the same with Fantasmic! and for whatever reason, they just have it off the grid. Or maybe they are testing a software upgrade, and didn't want it affecting every FP ride if something goes wrong. Or maybe it's still just an infrastructure problem that they haven't fixed yet :P


^The 15th was my birthday. Just sayin'.

And this has to do with BTMRR FP....how? O_o

Disney_Nut
09-28-2011, 07:26 AM
edit..

mlwalsh
09-28-2011, 08:03 AM
I've seen a report that this also applies to Roger Rabbits Car Toon Spin. That it isn't disconnected, so in theory you could maybe have a FP to Space Mountain, Big Thunder, and Roger Rabbit all at the same time. I'll be in the park this weekend and hope to try this out.

iceman559
09-28-2011, 08:29 AM
I've seen a report that this also applies to Roger Rabbits Car Toon Spin. That it isn't disconnected, so in theory you could maybe have a FP to Space Mountain, Big Thunder, and Roger Rabbit all at the same time. I'll be in the park this weekend and hope to try this out.

Yep, that was mentioned by olegc a couple weeks ago in this thread. I think that's been a more permanent "issue" though, as opposed to Thunder's more recent, sudden issue.

Matterhorn Yodeler
09-28-2011, 11:13 AM
I've seen a report that this also applies to Roger Rabbits Car Toon Spin.

The only problem with the FP to RRCTS is that it totally bypasses all of the fun theming in the stand-by line. So if you are just interested in the ride experience, then go for it, but if you have the time to wait in line, it's a very fun, well-themed queue.

bumblebeeonarose
09-28-2011, 07:07 PM
Yes, we had FP to Thunder, Rogger, and something else (I think HM) all at one time. I wonder if Thunder just doesn't have the crowds it used to...

Honestly, I think the FP system needs an overhaul. I think they should do something like make 3 or 4 hour windows and actually require people to use those windows. That would keep people from getting a FP at 8am and using it at 6pm. Great strategy, but kind of messes up the system. An hour really isn't long enough to enforce, but if someone had 3 or 4 hours to get back, that would be practical. I know the FP for HM holiday was LONG when we visited. It really wasn't fast. I'm sure it was in part to people getting passes early in the day and riding it while the line was short. Then returning and using the FP when the line was long. We did this the first day, but then FP was longer than 20 minutes in the evening, so the second day we used our FPs earlier.

iceman559
09-29-2011, 07:20 AM
Honestly, I think the FP system needs an overhaul. I think they should do something like make 3 or 4 hour windows and actually require people to use those windows. That would keep people from getting a FP at 8am and using it at 6pm. Great strategy, but kind of messes up the system. An hour really isn't long enough to enforce, but if someone had 3 or 4 hours to get back, that would be practical. I know the FP for HM holiday was LONG when we visited. It really wasn't fast. I'm sure it was in part to people getting passes early in the day and riding it while the line was short. Then returning and using the FP when the line was long. We did this the first day, but then FP was longer than 20 minutes in the evening, so the second day we used our FPs earlier.

I agree somewhat with that. While there are definitely times that the window needs to be enforced, it's not very often (at least not when I go). I usually do the whole grab a FP and use it when the lines get long, whenever that may be thing, but usually when I do use it, the FP line is non-existant. There are times on Space, that no one other than my family of four has gotten in the FP line between the time we enter and get up to the building entrance. Now, I know there are a LOT of factors that can come into play, and I may actually be affecting something down the road by doing this (heck, maybe because the four of us got in there, it means a little less of the line goes in, and a gigantic group of FP holders came up after us, who knows), but I don't think it'd be necessary to enforce the window there. However, it would definitely be a challenge to say they would enforce it on busy days and not on light days.

It'd be interesting to see if Disney has any numbers on FP use throughout the day compared to when the FPs are distributed. Like, are the distributed evenly throughout the day, but has a bell curve trending toward the late afternoon? It'd also be interesting just to see how many people return inside their window or within an hour or two to see if enforcing a window, albeit slightly larger, would really even affect anything.

Malcon10t
09-29-2011, 09:18 AM
It'd be interesting to see if Disney has any numbers on FP use throughout the day compared to when the FPs are distributed. Like, are the distributed evenly throughout the day, but has a bell curve trending toward the late afternoon? It'd also be interesting just to see how many people return inside their window or within an hour or two to see if enforcing a window, albeit slightly larger, would really even affect anything.I think you would see there is a major curve towards the evening. Try riding Soarin' in the evening with ot without faspass. I've seen the FP line out to the Taste Pilots area at night for Soarin.