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listener
06-23-2006, 11:19 AM
On an earlier post, someone noted that "at the end of the day, I have a stack of fastpasses". Is this a reference to having enhanced fastpass priveleges (the AAA deal...which we don't have since we are staying off property)? Is there another way to get a stack of passes to use late in the day?

As I understand it, I can get a new pass as soon as the previous pass's "window" opens. How do you regulars use this advantage? Do you do a couple of rides, then cross the park to get a pass for later (until you have a stack)? Is there some strategy here that works on crowded days (ie July). Thanks.

Micki0624
06-23-2006, 11:21 AM
We get our passes in the morning. The morning blocks are a shorter wait until another can be had. We use them sometime during the day. Because you can use them ANY time during the day.

disneyperson
06-23-2006, 11:25 AM
You can a new fast pass every two hours. You don't have to wait for your "window" to open.Say for example, you get a fast pass at 10:00am to ride Splash at 2:00. At 12:00 you can get a new fast pass for another ride as long as it's not the same one you're already holding a pass for. At 2:00 you can get another one and so on.

littlebugg
06-23-2006, 11:41 AM
First thing in the morning, the "window" of time is sometimes incredibly short.

For example, we went on a Sunday, 8am open. Straight to Space for FP, our window opened at 8:35, so we went to Fantasyland and rode what we wanted, then to Indy for a FP at 8:35, when our window opened for a new one. Indy return time 9:00. We rode Indy standby with no wait, then HM, Pooh, then at 9:00 we got FPs for Splash, then rode Splash standby with no wait. We continued to do this until 11 am when we left DL for an early lunch, and had FP's for MANY rides still for the afternoon when the lines get long. Fastpasses are good all day long, or at least I've never heard of anyone being turned down.
The key IMO is to collect them in the morning when the return time is only an hour or less.

ETA: Also, make a mental note that before you redeem a FP, collect another from a nearby attraction or even the same one for later.
Have A Great Trip!!!!

disneyperson
06-23-2006, 12:01 PM
While it's true that CMs accept expired fastpasses no matter how they late they are. I think it's uncool to collect them like crazy in the morning for use when it's really busy at night. It's a great system, and it works best if folk use it as it was intended.
I think that fastpasses should not be accepted more than two hours past their window.

Disney Vault
06-23-2006, 12:03 PM
I always end up with the extras because I get tickets through AAA. I love that system and hope it never goes away.

Frogberto
06-23-2006, 12:08 PM
I read, carefully, the posting by DarkBeer, on how the fast pass system works. I always have a fastpass in my pocket, and then get another one if it's "disconnected" from the system, or as soon as the available window to get one opens, and before you use your first one.

Bolivar
06-23-2006, 12:38 PM
There are a few things, some of them unique to my situation, that give me a lot of fastpasses: first, as has been mentioned, I collect them throughout the day as soon as I am able to get another one, I get it. I even run back and forth between the parks to collect them for DCA and DL (mostly TOT and Soaring over at DCA). Then I don't use any of them in the morning when the lines are short. In the early morning hours you are getting FPs much faster than one (or two if you count DCA) every two hours. Second, and this is unique to me, my daughter does not like most of the rides which have FPs. OF the rides with FP she will ride Thunder Mountain, Soaring, and Grizzly Rapids. That's it. Every time we get FPs we get four, but most of the time only two of us will be using them, either my wife and son or me and my son. My son and I are more die hard then either my wife or my daughter so they spend the busiest part of the afternoon resting back at the hotel while my son and I are in the park with their tickets collecting and using FPs -- so the two of us have four tickets.

This past December was the first time I did any of this and I found that on the first day I was watching the clock and feverishly collecting FPs as soon as the clocked ticked over to let me get a new one. I found that at the end of the day I had a lot of unused ones. The second day I was less fervent about collecting them and still had a bunch of unused ones at the end of the day. By day three I was very relaxed about collecting them and still had a few let at the end of the day.

PanFan
06-23-2006, 12:58 PM
On Wednesday, DH and I upgraded our passes but they forgot to scan them at the bank. Since they hadn't been used for admission, they didn't work at the FP machines and we were instructed to see a CM. All that we talked to were extremely helpful and got us FP's right away. The cool thing was that we didn't have to worry about waiting for the window to open to get a new one since there was no record of our having received any! No, it's not something I'll do (or even could do) every time, but it was fun for a day!

Jwebbal
06-23-2006, 09:40 PM
I always try to make a point of giving away any leftover fast passes when I am leaving the park, makes someones day usually.

JookyG
06-23-2006, 09:59 PM
I always try to make a point of giving away any leftover fast passes when I am leaving the park, makes someones day usually.

You rock!

ThemeParkAddictOfOC
06-23-2006, 11:26 PM
You can a new fast pass every two hours. You don't have to wait for your "window" to open.Say for example, you get a fast pass at 10:00am to ride Splash at 2:00. At 12:00 you can get a new fast pass for another ride as long as it's not the same one you're already holding a pass for. At 2:00 you can get another one and so on.

Almost correct. At the bottom of the FASTPASS, there will be a phrase that tells you something such as this, "Your next FASTPASS is available at XX:XX PM." It isn't usually 2 hours. It can be 2 hours on busy days. It's probably going to be 2 hours all summer if it stays busy. It can be 60-90 minutes or less too. Just read that and go by it, not the window of return times. Once that time has arrived, you can get a FASTPASS for any ride, including the one that you have a FASTPASS for. I have held 3 FASTPASSES for Mulholland Madness at the same time with varying windows for return. (The ride broke, and we couldn't get on right away to use them.)

I get them as fast as I can early and use them throughout the day. Still, if I get them every 60-90 minutes, I usually have a stack at the end of the day.

I gave a family one of my FPs for Winnie the Pooh (when they had it). They somehow had lost one from their group of 6. They were near tears, and the CM wouldn't let them through. :confused: Whatever; they didn't look like line jumpers to me. So, since I only had 2 and there were two of us, I just gave them one. We queued up and low and behold, the CMs start calling for a party of 2! That's us! Walked right up and hopped in. Karma ...

disneyperson
06-24-2006, 09:39 AM
Almost correct. At the bottom of the FASTPASS, there will be a phrase that tells you something such as this, "Your next FASTPASS is available at XX:XX PM." It isn't usually 2 hours. It can be 2 hours on busy days. It's probably going to be 2 hours all summer if it stays busy. It can be 60-90 minutes or less too. Just read that and go by it, not the window of return times. Once that time has arrived, you can get a FASTPASS for any ride, including the one that you have a FASTPASS for. I have held 3 FASTPASSES for Mulholland Madness at the same time with varying windows for return. (The ride broke, and we couldn't get on right away to use them.)

Cool, cool, cool. Thanks. It's always been two hours when I've been there. I always read the card to make sure of the time. The only times it's been less than two hours is when the window itself has been less. Then it says you can get a new pass at the same time as the start of the window.I'm still pretty sure the machines wouldn't spit out a pass for a ride I was already holding a pass for until the window printed on it began.

If I'm ever there on a light crowd day. (not likely:( ) I'll check it out.

Isn't it great to give away fast passes? We met the cutest family while in line for Indy last August, a ten year old boy and his two moms. We chatted and found out it was their first visit and were only there for the day. He told me he loved coasters. I asked if he'd ridden SM and he said no.We gave him our SM fast passes and explained the FP system to the moms so they could get more during the day.

HydroGuy
06-26-2006, 04:19 PM
My approach is similar to littlebug and Bolivar. Since the FP return times are so short first thing in the morning, if you start collecting FPs when the park opens you can collect a lot more than if you start later.

I try to collect FPs when I can, especially in the morning when you can get more in a shorter time. After it gets to the afternoon I do it only when it is convenient.

I posted some info on this last summer:

"Getting the Most Out of FastPass During High Season"
http://mousepad.mouseplanet.com/showthread.php?t=46202

The other thing about having "extra" FPs is that it gives you more options. If you did not take time to get that Space Mtn FP in the morning and you come back to DL in the evening without one, your only choice to ride it may be a 90+ minute line. As the (modified) saying goes, it is better to have a FP that you do not need that to need a FP you do not have.

We too usually give away our extra FPs when it becomes clear we will not use them.

annieb727
06-26-2006, 06:47 PM
Since I have major foot problems and can only stand for maybe 30 minutes at a time, I am always using a wheelchair...this actually eliminates the use of some fastpasses (though sometimes the wheelchair lines are so long that I have considered just going through the fast pass line - as long as it's going to be 20 minutes or less LOL).

However, we usually get the fastpasses for Buzz, Autopia, and of course ones from DCA...but we do the same, every chance we get, we send someone to fetch our fastpasses and meet back up with us. We usually have a TON left at the end of the day. I found a very FUN use of FP though -- in my scrapbooks! We tried to get fastpasses from every ride just to use in the scrapbooks LOL!!

Captain Josh
06-26-2006, 10:18 PM
I don't.

going2disneyAZ
06-27-2006, 12:20 PM
I always try to make a point of giving away any leftover fast passes when I am leaving the park, makes someones day usually.

I ALWAYS try to do that too. Most of the time people refuse to take them from me. Not sure why.

Do they not understand/use fastpass?
Do they think they are expired because the time is expired?
Do they think I am trying to sell them?

Rhetorical questions, Just always think it is weird every time people look at me weird and say no thank you.

potzbie
06-27-2006, 07:10 PM
I ALWAYS try to do that too. Most of the time people refuse to take them from me. Not sure why.

Do they not understand/use fastpass?
Do they think they are expired because the time is expired?
Do they think I am trying to sell them?

Well, you tell me if this is possible with FASTPASS.

One Wednesday, as I was entering the plaza area, someone asked if I wanted unused FastPasses.
I said, "Sure."
The FastPasses were dated for MONDAY and TUEDAY.
Thus my question to you:
Can I use a FastPass dated one-day old or two-days old? -- Will the Cast Member care, when he collects it?

(I did not use them. I would have felt uneasy foisting off two-day old FastPasses with a straight face. I would have felt unclean.)

mrcoaster
06-28-2006, 07:53 AM
Heh, heh...that's pretty funny though. I'm with you that I probably wouldn't use two-day old FastPasses, but I'd be really curious if they'd be accepted or noticed most of the time.

HydroGuy
06-28-2006, 08:50 AM
The CM will care if he/she notices it. And some will notice it while others may not. It probably depends on how busy it is and how tired they are. While it is DLR policy to accept FPs anytime on that day after the window, it is not policy to accept them on other days. The FPs are for that day only.

There are a number of tricks people talk about regarding FP, including finding "secret buttons" the CMs use to dispense FP for people having trouble getting their FPs. IMO this kind of thing, including using FPs on later days, is the equivalent of line cutting and has the same ethical implications.