Toy story and the current Mania it's causing

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Mon, 10/06/2014 - 19:42

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Toy story and the current Mania it's causing

Been reading a bit about this today.

This week (fingers crossed it's only this week but only because it's a test) Disney have stopped the standby queue completely so TSM is totally a fastpass only ride. Think this is not wholly a bad idea but would like to see it in action before commenting. One other piece of 'mania' this has caused is the is no access using the Disabled access card either, saw a fair bit of rage about that!

What are your views? I think it could work in theory but like I say would like to see it in action. I also see why disney are doing this. If they remove all queues for all rides and do everything on a fastpass then people can spend more time spending money in shops rather than queues. This would benefit me because I can spend a full day chasing down cm's to trade pins!

But I would hate to plan a whole day of fast passes, but again never tried it so can't judge either until next week, I know some are being reserved for on the day release but even so, seems like a lot of effort to do well (read a lot of brain ache if you have OCD like I do) And it also raises the question, if there is only a fp+ queue will that mean waiting longer because of the amount of passes handed out per time slot.

Seems to raise a lot of passionate arguments for each side...... What do you think?

For information, I'm not against either way, and would happily consider both. Will form stronger judgement next week.

Mon, 10/06/2014 - 19:53

designedbydisney

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This is the way wdw is heading good or bad idea, this is the future.... This testing is for the new track they are buliding for tsm which will be FP only. As for the DAC not being allowed I understand that, I have to use one. But if it's fast pass only thres no problem as the dca is just a glorified FP now.

The new frozen attraction will be I believe the first queuless attraction. I also love the idea of fast pass for everything I am more then happy booking all my rides in for a day. Why not. We only really ride everything once anyway. In off season it seems odd but in summer (I've never been) we would visit as we know we would get to ride the headliners

Mon, 10/06/2014 - 20:05

The Colonel

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Disney is evolving away from the place I fell in love with. I go more than ever because I am able to and it's still the best game in town for me. But the magic is ebbing away. I can't plan what park I want to go to two months in advance, let alone what rides I want. It's not really vacation-like if you go to the parks these days. It's a job. But I am in my fifties, so maybe it's not meant for me.

Also I notice a troubling trend towards charging extra for EVERYTHING. You saw it at the Frozen Summer Fun and I think the strategy for Epcot may be to strip all the daytime entertainment and charge extra for the good stuff at night (Epcot After Dark, Epcot After Hours).

I was about to buy more DVC points and the Off Kilter announcement stopped me dead in my tracks. There will be no more points I think. I'm contemplating a trip with limited park visits and maybe leaving the bubble now and then.

But Disney could open Avatarland, and Star Wars land and the AK night show and refresh illuminations and then I'd be right back in again.

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Mon, 10/06/2014 - 21:00

The Watchmaker

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I also read this today..Mmmmm..So many changes happening...

Mon, 10/06/2014 - 21:08

designedbydisney

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They don't care about us they only care about little Jonny first timer who will go home and when his co workers say .hey Jonny how was disney wait in loads of lines....?" He will reply "no way mister, not thanks to fast pass plus, we didn't have to wait in line for anything... No siry Bob" and then all his friends and family will book trips for the first time, 25 percent will get suckered in like we did join forums and become fans, 65 percent will like it come home tell friends they will go and do the same... Les the. 10 percent t wil hate it and moan on trip advisor.

Mon, 10/06/2014 - 21:44

Brinbunny

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designedbydisney wrote:

They don't care about us they only care about little Jonny first timer who will go home and when his co workers say .hey Jonny how was disney wait in loads of lines....?" He will reply "no way mister, not thanks to fast pass plus, we didn't have to wait in line for anything... No siry Bob" and then all his friends and family will book trips for the first time, 25 percent will get suckered in like we did join forums and become fans, 65 percent will like it come home tell friends they will go and do the same... Les the. 10 percent t wil hate it and moan on trip advisor.

Kind of get your point - but I'm the little 1st timer

Mon, 10/06/2014 - 23:30

jw24

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From what I've read, the test is not being received very well. I just find these "tests" ridiculous because compared to other theme parks, they don't do the process of getting rid of the standbys and making their lines only accessible to their Express Pass or Flash Pass or any virtual queue of the sort. If people want to wait 2-3 hours for a roller coaster or any big ticket ride at Cedar Point, Six Flags or Universal, people will wait as long as they are willing to wait. For some illogical reason, Disney is almost forcing people to utilize their FP+ system or mope around and attempt to comfort themselves via retail therapy in the parks. It's not going to work for me because I would just leave if I couldn't go on the rides I wanted to go on.

I would strongly argue that if they were highly concerned about guest complaints about wait time for rides, the best way to handle this problem is simply to add more rides to spread the crowds because anything new will detract some attention so that certain rides are not all crowded. For Soarin', yes, it's a popular family friendly ride but because nothing new and original was added since Soarin, that also explains why that line is the most crowded in Epcot. Same case for Toy Story Mania. Nothing new and original was added to help spread the crowds and no, a re-theme of Star Tours is hardly new. Whatever their undisclosed reason is for not adding anything new, it's not a good one. With attendance going up every year, there is no reason to not consider adding new attractions. If you build new stuff, I feel they'll recuperate the financial losses easily.

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Tue, 10/07/2014 - 01:25

Magic Days

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I am great with booking dining 6 months out. But the fast pass game is really wearing me out. We are debating to many decisions on when we leave or enter a park. The old method let you grab the passes as you go now you can only have one park at a time unless you exceed the 3 for one park. It's making a disney free year more and more likely. Good bye orlando hello Aruba.

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Tue, 10/07/2014 - 03:23

Mrferret

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designedbydisney wrote:

They don't care about us they only care about little Jonny first timer who will go home and when his co workers say .hey Jonny how was disney wait in loads of lines....?" He will reply "no way mister, not thanks to fast pass plus, we didn't have to wait in line for anything... No siry Bob" and then all his friends and family will book trips for the first time, 25 percent will get suckered in like we did join forums and become fans, 65 percent will like it come home tell friends they will go and do the same... Les the. 10 percent t wil hate it and moan on trip advisor.

The problem is that 65 % will go home and say it is rubbish because they were not aware of how much they had to pre-book and didn't get to ride x y or z.so they will not recommend new people to go.how many times do we hear (just on this forum) about people who don't realise how much planning is already required to get the most out of your vacation.The general public won't know or want to put the kind of effort into planning their holiday.

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Tue, 10/07/2014 - 03:55

revral

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The Colonel wrote:

Disney is evolving away from the place I fell in love with. I go more than ever because I am able to and it's still the best game in town for me. But the magic is ebbing away. I can't plan what park I want to go to two months in advance, let alone what rides I want. It's not really vacation-like if you go to the parks these days. It's a job.

I totally agree with this. I have a trip planned for November but depending on how it goes and how I end up feeling about the overall experience I may very well be headed back to trips to Disney meaning Disneyland.

Tue, 10/07/2014 - 16:07

EmFord

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Mrferret wrote:

I agree completely. Of course us fanatics know (and enjoy) the planning process, and it all comes second nature to us because we've put so much research and time into learning the best bang for your buck when it comes to Disney vacations. However, people who know nothing about Disney and are visiting for the first time will not know that these things are necessary to a successful vacation and not just suggestions.

For instance, the first time I went back to Disney as an adult I got all the information on ADR's 180 days out. I saw it on the website, I got the emails and everything but I still had the mentality that "thats ridiculous, who plans where they want to eat 6 months in advance?" so I assumed that only a select few would do that and I would have no problem getting reservations closer to my vacation. As we all know I was wayyyy wrong... But I can see first-timers feeling the same way about FP+ and then missing out on some of their must-do attractions because they can't even wait in line if they want to.

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Tue, 10/07/2014 - 16:18

PJsLife

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I could be wrong but not every ride has the FP option. Is that correct?

Tue, 10/07/2014 - 19:08

AnnielovesDisney

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PJsLife wrote:

I could be wrong but not every ride has the FP option. Is that correct?

Every ride has a FP+ option.
****Edited: Most rides have FP+.

Tue, 10/07/2014 - 18:01

crazycatperson

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AnnielovesDisney wrote:

PJsLife wrote:
I could be wrong but not every ride has the FP option. Is that correct?

Every ride and attraction has a FP+ option.

No, there are a few that don't. At Epcot, Ellen's Energy Adventure and the Land pavilion's Lion King movie don't have FP+. In the Magic Kingdom, the Peoplemover and Carousel of Progress in Tomorrowland also don't have FP+. This is just what I noticed when we were there in September, so there are probably other attractions without FP+.

Tue, 10/07/2014 - 18:15

jw24

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The hypocrisy Disney management is showing is quite baffling. They're not adding enough new rides thinking the one and doners don't care about stale attractions and yet, they're even considering removing the standby lines altogether and forcing people to use their FP+ system where people may never heard of it or think there's a large extra surcharge because other parks charge for a similar type of virtual queuing. I swear if I were to tell my friends in real life about FP+ and what it's all about, they'd probably think Disney charges three or four figures to use it for one day.

I think the worst part of all these tests is that they all came out of the blue. Unlike ride refurbishments that are announced months in advance, these "tests" have came out of nowhere. Not only do you require a smartphone, but you also need to have a social media account, otherwise, how the heck are you going to know if a ride is doing a test on a certain day. I understand a majority of the tests are being tested during off peak times but if I was operating the parks, I would do private tests for anything relevant with a group of volunteers before even considering of implementing it in the parks. That's just me.

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Tue, 10/07/2014 - 18:25

AnnielovesDisney

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crazycatperson wrote:

AnnielovesDisney wrote:
PJsLife wrote:
I could be wrong but not every ride has the FP option. Is that correct?

Every ride and attraction has a FP+ option.

I didn't mean to add the word attractions to my earlier post, so I wasn't considering any movies, CoP, or EEA. I've never considered the people mover or the train at MK as typical rides. I like them both but they are different than the tea cups, 7DMT, or other rides.

Tue, 10/07/2014 - 18:38

Brinbunny

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I wondered if it had anything to do with age/ size of attraction as prince regals carousel and Astro orbiter don't have fp+. Although I suppose if they were going to do a queue less park fast pass can be added into to everything.

I think The idea is growing on me but I do have some concerns, offsite guests can only book at 30 days, I see a lot of grumbles that onsiters wipe out most of the slots so it's not fair. I think I also read that annual pass holders have some restrictions also.

I would love to go to wdw or any other disney park and not queue for anything (or limited queues) but I would also like to retain some flexibility. I have had the greatest 18 months planning this trip but could I do it regularly? Would it detract from the magic? For a newbie the planning is amazing but I can imagine if I had to do it or not ride at all then maybe I would grow to begrudge it.....

Tue, 10/07/2014 - 18:54

Kristen K.

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jw24 wrote:

but if I was operating the parks, I would do private tests for anything relevant with a group of volunteers before even considering of implementing it in the parks.

OK, academically speaking think about this just for a minute. How are you going to get a real-world real-time test done with a group of private volunteers on attractions that are already in operation?

The only way that I can possible see that working is to close the attraction to the public entirely to run your group of test subjects. However that isn't the same as running in a real world environment with a broad spectrum of users. I think that the only way they could run a test to see if a FastPass+ only line would work in real time on one of the most popular attractions, is to do it.

They could have perhaps scheduled this as a week of refurbishment and then sent out specific invitations to guests that would be down there like they did with the Be Our Guest Lunch FastPass+. But putting that control on the guests subtly changes the way that they act and taints the data.

We do not know that they are considering removing stand-by lines all together. That is a rumor. Like everything else in the Disney Blog-o-sphere you need to take it with a grain of salt.

Another rumor is that Disney is considering adding a third track to the Toy Story Mania attraction, and that third track would only run guests with FastPass+ reservations. If that rumor is true, then that means that Disney is trying to alleviate the constant congestion that guests find at this attraction. However, they wanted to test how a line like that would work on an attraction, which they have never done before. Seems to me that's Disney trying to make things better, not worse.

So, that brings us to another question. Does Disney have to tell us everything they're doing before they do it? Can't they just run the business and put new concepts into development without having to pacify the guests while they're doing it? Hollywood Studios has vast tracts of under utilized property, we as fans were told earlier in 2015 that there would be a large and exciting announcement about bringing the Star Wars franchise into the Parks in 2016. Hollywood Studios is the most logical place for that to happen. Doesn't this Company have the right to move on their own timetable? Announcing project prematurely and then the projects not happening also makes fans angry and frustrated.

It seems like Disney's damned if they do and damned if they don't.

Tue, 10/07/2014 - 19:08

The Colonel

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Poor Disney everyone picks on them. And with a bag of cash under each arm they can't even wipe their tears.

Everyone gets all bent out of shape about Disney because they are more than a Company. They are the keeper of our dreams and memories. We feel like they should have a fiduciary responsibility to us because we are so emotionally (and financially) invested in them.

But they don't.

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Wed, 10/08/2014 - 11:30

The Watchmaker

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Well I've been reading today ( Wedensday) of people who are there at the moment,and 80% of them don't like it..I must admit I find it hard to take as all our 5 trips in July we had no problem walking straight on whilst my DW grabbed a paper FP for later.In fact in 2012 I am filming on my camcorder us walking straight in round all the ropes,past Mr Potatoe head,grabbing our glasses,then we meet people just before you go up the stairs..It's like we had the ride all to ourselves before we met the first people..Yes it was rope drop,but still it was very quiet..

Wed, 10/08/2014 - 23:25

Mandy

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This is a test that Disney has been doing for a few months now with a couple different experiences. At first it was with Anna and Elsa with the cards that had times on them, then they ran the same test a little bit later with Soarin'. Then they went back and did a fastpass+ only test with Anna and Elsa. Toy Story is the second attraction to be subject to this kind of test but the first attraction to only be offered with fastpass+.

The way they have been running the Toy Story test is when the park opens they let the standby line fill up to a certain capacity then close off the line then guests are referred to the fastpass+ kiosk or the My Disney Experience app to book their Toy Story fastpass. I was there on day one and I didn't hear too many complaints but others that were working had more complaints. They did have survey cast out there getting feedback. I don't know what type of feedback they were looking for. I think the only reason why they weren't accepting DAS cards is because they need a wait time to base the return time for the card off of and with no official wait time, they can't really do that. Also if they are in fact testing it out for the fastpass+ only track, the DAS cards could mess up the test if that's what they are in fact looking at. I don't think Disney would ever make attractions fastpass+ only permanent.

Wed, 10/08/2014 - 23:42

Brinbunny

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Thanks Mandy, it's great to hear what is really happening. I only read the equivalent of disney tabloid gossip.

Glad you did not get any stick but I do feel sometimes cm's get a raw deal when there are changes afoot or people can't get their own way.

Thu, 10/09/2014 - 00:20

JMed

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Did I read somewhere today that BOG is no longer taking walk ins for dining? That is is also fast pass only? Is that a test too or full time?

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Thu, 10/09/2014 - 00:33

RobynPrincess

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JMed wrote:

Did I read somewhere today that BOG is no longer taking walk ins for dining? That is is also fast pass only? Is that a test too or full time?

Yes you did read that, no walk ups until further notice :-/ luckily we have fast passes

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Thu, 10/09/2014 - 00:44

JMed

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le sigh.... Still no magical email and nothing has opened up on the fp site

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Thu, 10/09/2014 - 06:50

Brinbunny

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JMed wrote:

le sigh.... Still no magical email and nothing has opened up on the fp site

I never had an email, just used the website, reports are that there is a delay in loading November dates.

Thu, 10/09/2014 - 14:21

PJsLife

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Kristen K. wrote:

jw24 wrote:
but if I was operating the parks, I would do private tests for anything relevant with a group of volunteers before even considering of implementing it in the parks.

It seems like Disney's damned if they do and damned if they don't.

This is well said. IMO, I think Disney is trying to resolve issues that compounded when Frozen took off like a sonic jet plane. The amount of Disney bashing that happened over Frozen was nuts. Give them a chance to try and fix it . Give them honest, constructive feed back.

How many of us were visiting Disney before Fast Passes were launched? What are your memories of the parks from that time? I know my hubs and I originally said. Fast Pass SMSH, but now it is just part of the process and when we use it we enjoy it.

Thu, 10/09/2014 - 17:24

Kristen K.

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PJsLife wrote:

How many of us were visiting Disney before Fast Passes were launched? What are your memories of the parks from that time? I know my hubs and I originally said. Fast Pass SMSH, but now it is just part of the process and when we use it we enjoy it.

I never really switched over to using Fast Passes. We might get one or two in an entire trip, and only if we absolutely had to, but most of the time we would use the standby line, or since I was often in a wheelchair the Guest Assistance pass. With the push to have FastPass+ and the new Disability pass, my touring is in for some BIG changes and I'm not sure that I like it. However, I'm not really a huge ride person to begin with so I'm trying to give it a chance and keep an open mind.

Thu, 10/09/2014 - 17:36

PJsLife

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Kristen K. wrote:

PJsLife wrote:

How many of us were visiting Disney before Fast Passes were launched? What are your memories of the parks from that time? I know my hubs and I originally said. Fast Pass SMSH, but now it is just part of the process and when we use it we enjoy it.

I wasn't sure what a DAS Card was so I looked it up. I thought this was an interesting statement in the FAQ. Emphasis is my own.

Why is Disney Parks doing this?
Disney Parks is modifying the current Guest Assistance Card program so it can continue to serve the guests who truly need it. The new program is designed to provide the special experience guests have come to expect from Disney. Disney Parks also hopes it will help control abuse that was, unfortunately, widespread and growing at an alarming rate.

This might explain some of the changes. I have been to Disney twice on crutches and never had a problem. I was just SLOW...and sometimes needed to sit.

Sun, 11/02/2014 - 10:35

SorcererMickey

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I have mixed feelings about fastpass + and would be disappointed if Disney moved any favorite attraction to fastpass only.

While overall, I was pleased with the fast passes I chose for my friend and I in May - I also knew the parks well enough to know the rides that seemed to always have a wait, which had single rider lines, and did my homework on the parks for the the days we would be there to correctly anticipate and adjust passes.

Still, I found the system more than problematic.
(1) I have a Blackberry phone, and couldn't use the phone apps - only designed for apple/android. If you're going to force people to use the apps then make the apps available to EVERYONE.
(2) this would never work for my parents - who are not tech savvy at all - my mom has an old phone that she rarely uses. My dad returned his Iphone because he hated it --he went back to a regular cell phone - no smartphones for mom & dad.
(3) At times, the lines for the fast pass kiosks in the parks were worse than those for some of the attractions - and disorganized at that.
(4) At the time that I went, Disney was pretty poor at informing folks that once they had fulfilled their fast passes - they could sign up for more... If I'd had known this, i promise I would not have waited in line an hour for jungle cruise.

Overall,
(5) While fast pass meant no line for my favorite attractions (MK-the 3 Mountains, mine train), it also added STRESS to a VACATION... Trying to space out fastpasses enough so that i could actually make them if they were in different areas of the parks; worrying about making it to the fastpass when a parade prevented us from crossing a path from one location to another; trying to figure out what to do in between fastpasses that would take up enough time, but not too much; having to reschedule when my friend/roommate decided to sleep in and prevent us from making it to the parks in time, which (grrr ) happened on multiple occasions; not being able to schedule fast pass for multiple parks when I purchased park-hopper;

(6) now I'm forced to lug my laptop on vacation with me!!!

That said, Disney has to recognize that fast pass + truly advantages those who have been to the parks before, and not the newcomer (and probably counts on it)... my friend left it up to me to get the fast passes because she had never been to Disney before. She would not have had any idea as to which rides have lines and which don't.... on my most recent visit, I witnessed several newcomers disappointed that they had fast passed rides that they could walk right onto (pooh, it's a small world, etc.).

Also, as a single adult, when I go to the parks myself... I use the single rider lanes to ride some of the roller coasters multiple times in a row - which is a great part of my park experience - I get to the parks so little i try to ride the roller coasters as many times as i can when the lines are short. I would be highly disappointed if these queues were eliminated.

Further, I hope that _if_ Disney is considering making certain attractions 'fast pass' only they remember that the reason that many people wait in a 2 hour queue for a ride is usually "for their kids" and probably because their kids want the experience ... It's one thing for me to decide that I don't want to wait in line that long for ride and try to come back later, but ...

Try explaining to a little kid that "Sorry, you can't ride that ride today - we didn't get an appointment for it"
I can imagine the melt-downs now.

This also makes it bad especially for visitors who have only scheduled a few days in the parks. Its one thing for folks to be at Disney for a full week or more, and who can come back and ride the ride another day, but if folks are only spending 3 or 4 days and trying to do a park a day - those folks are the ones that will probably walk away truly disappointed if they happened to miss out on the limited number of fastpasses.

Sun, 11/02/2014 - 23:56

Magic Days

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I miss the ability to have full spontaneity. Our surprise trip to DL was so amazing. When we felt like a fast pass we grabbed one but most of the time we just enjoyed the magic.

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