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Waited an hour to ride Maelstrom last night which was pretty good considering the line was posted at 90 minutes and jumped to 130 while we were in line. Bye Maelstrom 
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Oct 6, 2014 13:03
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Well, apparently Disney is testing out Fastpass Plus only days for big rides, and this week, it's for Toy Story Midway Mania. I'm lucky I already have one for Wednesday before I leave, but I foresee some angry people in the Studios over the next few days. Oh yeah, I'm at Disney World, it's awesome, etc etc etc. I'll have a trip report up later.
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Oct 6, 2014 17:24
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Hahaha oh god that sounds awful. I'm pretty sure it didn't work at all for Soarin when they did that test a month or two back. As much as I have nostalgia for attractions things like that make me a happy camper that I'm not in that department anymore.
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Oct 6, 2014 17:27
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Yoshifan823 posted:Well, apparently Disney is testing out Fastpass Plus only days for big rides, and this week, it's for Toy Story Midway Mania. I'm lucky I already have one for Wednesday before I leave, but I foresee some angry people in the Studios over the next few days. Oh come the gently caress on.. really? I swear to god I will blow a head gasket if I go to the park and they give me that line.
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Oct 6, 2014 17:36
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Complain to Guest Services. Seriously. They tried doing it to Anna and Elsa a week or so ago, and it went so so horribly.
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Oct 6, 2014 18:24
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You would hear about it if it happens to me, seriously.
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Oct 6, 2014 18:41
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For what it's worth, I think they're gonna try to bump up to number of Fastpasses they have available, but still, this is something you announce ahead of time, not right as its happening. Also, I went on Mission Space for the first time in a few years today, and gently caress if that one doesn't take it out of me more than any other ride on the property. It's so cool though, and it's a shame that they have to take every opportunity to scare people away because of how intense it is.
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Oct 6, 2014 19:03
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Ride the green version? It's exactly the same except there's no spinning.
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Oct 6, 2014 19:06
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Roar posted:Ride the green version? It's exactly the same except it's no fun at all. Fixed 
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Oct 6, 2014 19:08
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There's a Stay/Play/Dine discount out today for Disney Visa cardholders. Dates are Dec 14 - 20 and Jan 5 - Mar 7. Room only discount is good for Jan 5 - Mar 28. Should be available for the general public Thursday morning.
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Oct 6, 2014 19:24
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Yoshifan823 posted:For what it's worth, I think they're gonna try to bump up to number of Fastpasses they have available, but still, this is something you announce ahead of time, not right as its happening. Sure they will bump the number of Fastpasses.. and you know WDW resort guests will get priority so if you are there with your family staying offsite you may get the shaft. This stinks to high hell if you ask me. I don't know why they don't just make the entire park Fastpass only where you have to reserve ride times that way they screw everyone who is not staying on property and get money from them. Brilliant!
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Oct 6, 2014 19:33
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Roar posted:Ride the green version? It's exactly the same except there's no spinning. That would be giving up. The only rides on Disney property that I've given up on riding are Primeval Whirl (spinning), Mad Tea Party (teacup rides were designed by Satan himself, no offense BBS), and Small World (Satan designed that song too). edit: Back in room now, here are some things I've thought while being here: This is my first time visiting with Magicbands in full force, and I actually really like them. Aside from having to go reconnect them to my room when they didn't work the first time, and a ticketing snafu that was partially my fault for having both an annual pass and the remains of a 10-day non-expiring pass on my account, they've worked without a hitch. All of the fastpasses, the few times I've had to use room charging, getting into the park, it all worked pretty well, and for someone like me who is paranoid about losing my ticket, the band is a nice reminder, and a lot harder to lose. Food and Wine, as usual, is awesome. Highlights are the sweet corn cheesecake at Mexico and everything at Belgium, especially that coffee drink that I could probably down a pitcher of, no problem. Went to a Party for the Senses, and as has been said, it's a billion percent worth the money. All the food you can eat, booze you can drink, bomb-rear end Cirque du Soleil poo poo on a stage in front of you, it's easily one of the coolest things I've ever done in WDW. Animal Kingdom is under so much construction. The Avatar stuff is obvious, but there are fences up all around the Tree of Life, as well as all around the lake by Everest/Asia. You can't actually see a whole lot, but I'm curious if it's all preparing for Avatar, or if it's just other little things. Boardwalk and Beach Club remain the two best places to stay for Food and Wine. The big three over at Studios are still awesome, and even seemingly half the park closing, Studios is still my pick for most fun park. I'm hoping the upcoming Star Wars/Pixar/Cars renovations are Harry Potter-level experiences, and on a more personal note, I'd love to see a Great Movie Ride punch-up. Magic Kingdom is cool, especially at night when the crowds dwindle. Apparently low crowds and late nights let the people running the voices at Laugh Floor get a little weird, the past-midnight performance I saw on Saturday had the funniest Laugh Floor bit I've ever seen, which was partially due to a slightly cranky old lady who was willingly going along with everything except making weird noises, the genuinely weirdest-looking man I've ever seen being "that guy", and Buddy Boyle having some surprisingly good (for Disney) comic timing. Can't wait for my Mine Train fastpass tomorrow. Yoshifan823 fucked around with this message at 20:43 on Oct 6, 2014 |
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Oct 6, 2014 20:03
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So I got booked in the Polynesian for my next business trip in a couple weeks. How torn up is it these days? Not that I spend a lot of time at the resort on my trips but I was hoping for one of the Epcot hotels for convenience. tomapot fucked around with this message at 00:24 on Oct 7, 2014 |
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Oct 6, 2014 21:44
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Braksgirl posted:There's a Stay/Play/Dine discount out today for Disney Visa cardholders. Dates are Dec 14 - 20 and Jan 5 - Mar 7. Room only discount is good for Jan 5 - Mar 28. Should be available for the general public Thursday morning. Thanks, I missed this email, but I did get it this morning. We're going 2/26 to 3/6 so maybe this can save us a few bucks.
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Oct 6, 2014 22:19
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My average savings today was $250 per client, so not a bad discount by any means.
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Oct 6, 2014 22:44
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Good job on that Braksgirl!
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Oct 7, 2014 00:01
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Roar posted:Hahaha oh god that sounds awful. I'm pretty sure it didn't work at all for Soarin when they did that test a month or two back. IIRC the Soarin' test went so badly they gave up before the first day was over.
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Oct 7, 2014 01:38
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I wonder why? Hmm..
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Oct 7, 2014 02:01
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demonR6 posted:I wonder why? Hmm.. The idea of scheduling return times isn't terrible, but the execution is poo poo. You can't spring something like this on visitors the day of. You need to make it well known way beforehand. Also (someone correct me if I'm wrong) there aren't any FP kiosks near toy story, meaning people have to go find one to schedule a time. If they gave people the ability to make them from their phone, provided multiple easy to access kiosks right by the ride to schedule times, and people were expecting it, I feel it would go a bit smoother. Then you'd need to work out some logistics about how to stagger return times through the day to not screw over people coming later in the day. Like a ton of up front/early return times with minimal later in the day and as time gets closer more and more FP are released until you reach capacity each hour. That being said, they did none of that, which will piss a ton of people off. The concept isn't terrible. The execution leaves a lot to be desired though.
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Oct 7, 2014 02:18
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The introduction of FP turned the queue lines at the rides to crap. Now you can walk up to *insert ride name here* and on a bad day sit in a two hour line while the FP breezes through without a care in the world. I cannot tell you how many times we have not had fastpasses and waited in line a half hour and get to the front of the line finally only to watch an endless sea of people with them pile through. Not everyone like to plan out their entire day around fastpasses and stick to a regimented schedule but it seems like Disney wants to micromanage everything down to when you go pee now. Hell I work 9-5 in and out of meetings, following schedules and planners. The last thing I want to do is have to carry a portable device to tell me what rides are lined up on my schedule. I guess I can get a Certified Ride Scheduling degree from some accredited clown college and make money at it? 
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Oct 7, 2014 03:18
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I agree about fast passes, although of course the ratio of normal to FP people that get taken isn't as extreme as you make it sound. But you also gotta consider the extra queues they had to construct for it, the machines back when they were on every big ride, and the extra employees to take care of all this madness. Its gotta be a giant money pit for what it is. But some people loving love it. It scratches the OCD/control freak itch as well as making them feel like a VIP or something. And honestly I can't even really judge them. I'm an idiosyncratic vacationer as well in my own ways. I can be just magnanimous enough to grumpily admit that there is no one right way to go about visiting WDW and that you should choose a way to do your vacation that will maximize your own or your family's enjoyment.
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Oct 7, 2014 05:56
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I would love to be completely wrong but I am being brutally honest and there have been times at some of the more popular rides we enjoy like Toy Story and Buzz Lightyear for example where we finally make it to the front of the queue line after being there for an hour, sometimes more and we sit there for a full five minutes and they let the flood gates open for FP. It seems like the directive is clear the FP line then let the normal line go and as soon as there is anyone waiting in the FP line repeat the cycle. I would love to hear from a current CM what the policy is. I think it exacerbates the issue if you are standing in line for any extended period of time and you are watching the never-ending line of people coming through FP glide through. We use it now when we go to the parks to zero in on the rides we are interested in and for those rides we know usually have a faster flow through we play it by ear when we get there. The Disney app helps though when we are at the park allowing the decision making on what to ride easier. The issue with FP is that you are making the normal queue lines back up to high hell and at times even the FP line backs up while they tweak the numbers of passes they distribute or even everyone shows up at once. The concern with a lot of people I know who have AP's is that as they continue to push the FP+ one day it may very well become mostly geared towards that system taking away the whole enjoyment of just going to the park and going on rides. I love the concept but I think the system is starting to take the fun out of vacationing and coming from someone who is an analyst IRL that loves spreadsheets and being structured that says something?
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Oct 7, 2014 13:07
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Last time I saw it the ratio was 80/20 or 16 people to 1 family of fourish. The problem is the poor CM at merge is getting screamed it by both sides - their manager/coordinator to move the FP line and the guests directly in front of them who see the blatant slamming of FP and want an explanation for why Jimbob at merge is making them wait for so long for no good reason. Quite easily one of my least favorite positions.
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Oct 7, 2014 13:10
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I have been there with shitlords in the FP line who get to the merge and wonder why the gates of Heaven are not open allowing them passage the second they get there. I remember one earlier this year where we were in the line with a family that came in behind us from up North somewhere (the accent sounded like Jersey but w/e). When we got to the merge we were first, the CM was letting people through the regular line and asked us to please wait so no biggie. Like an impatient driver who lays on the horn the second the light turns green if you are not peeling out the lady in the party behind us opens her mouth to say "Why do we have to wait this is the fastpass line." in what I can only describe as an entitled tone of voice, like she was disgusted they had to stop even for a moment. My wife, bless her heart, turns around to me and says "They paid the same as you did to get in." I busted out laughing and they let us through. drat shame though it would have been interesting to wait a little longer.
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Oct 7, 2014 13:24
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Speaking as a UK resident, Disney's FP+ implementation is outstanding. The last few times we went to Thorpe Park or Alton Towers we had to pay to get into the park, pay again for each individual fastpass ticket, pay extra if we wanted to sit in the front row, and they'd sell "bundles" of fastpasses that save you money relative to buying them individually and the staff are clearly encouraged to push these on every customer. Looking at the website they seem to have dropped the front-row fastpasses altogether and now you can only buy them in bundles. You can also pay £75 (2-3 times the entry cost depending on peak/off-peak) for unlimited fastpass all day. Urgh. Just give me the Disney system where you pay to get in and then everyone is equal.
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Oct 7, 2014 16:08
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Tunga posted:Just give me the Disney system where you pay to get in and then everyone is equal. Resort guests get perks though like Extra Magic Hours etc. and if you booked through WDW I think they get more fastpasses than the standard three you can book in advance.. I am sure someone more familiar can expound on this. Disney did expand it though where you can book more when you are on property at the kiosks which is at least a little better than just three per day limited to one park like the initial launch.
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Oct 7, 2014 16:21
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You get the initial three FP if you book yourself or through a travel agent or through someplace like Expedia. How you book doesn't matter. Resort guests still get the standard three passes with the option of booking additional ones individually after the initial three windows have closed.
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Oct 7, 2014 17:30
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demonR6 posted:Resort guests get perks though like Extra Magic Hours etc. and if you booked through WDW I think they get more fastpasses than the standard three you can book in advance.. I am sure someone more familiar can expound on this. Disney did expand it though where you can book more when you are on property at the kiosks which is at least a little better than just three per day limited to one park like the initial launch. There is currently no preferential treatment in terms of how many Fastpases you get. Everyone gets three to start for the day and once those are used can get additional choices (only at a Kiosk though. The app doesn't do the additional ones yet) But resort guests get 60 days to book, while AP and Ticket Only Guests only get 30. demonR6 posted:My wife, bless her heart, turns around to me and says "They paid the same as you did to get in." I busted out laughing and they let us through. drat shame though it would have been interesting to wait a little longer. I love you and your wife. It's rare I have an issue with Fastpass at Pooh or Tea Cups (more often at Tea Cups, actually because the policy there is to load FP guests into the holding pen at the start of the loading period, and then load regular guests until it's full. If someone comes into FP halfway through loading, they have to wait a few moments) but when I do, it's like "Seriously" Roar posted:Last time I saw it the ratio was 80/20 or 16 people to 1 family of fourish. I actually love merge, but admittedly, Pooh doesn't have as big a fastpass demand as other rides. Usually we never move past a phase 1, and mostly it's just send in standby until someone walks up for fp. I talk to guests a lot at merge, and since that's my favorite thing to do, I enjoy it.
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Oct 7, 2014 17:44
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It's the rides where you have people waiting in line for any prolonged amount of time in brutal heat where it gets squirrely by the time you get to the merge and mostly it's the party who has been waiting that is miserable and wants to choke the life out of someone. Then the sea monster with her husband who no longer owns his testicles with kids in tow shows up at the front of the FP line like they were personally vetted by Walt's cryogenic head to have the run of the park. It's the few seconds after she opens her mouth to complain about having to wait when the sudden twitch develops and you feel that the magic is gone and you may crack. Don't lie, if you have been in that situation you all know that only a split second prevents you from jumping on that person and going batshit crazy. I have seen people wandering around the park late in the afternoon during a fine summer day looking like zombies on a hair trigger about to snap.
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Oct 7, 2014 18:03
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Hey, what was the link to Disney radio again?
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Oct 7, 2014 18:38
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Ok so... the FP plus thing... Its linked to your little wristband right? but what if you dont have one? or lose it? You really cant just go get a fastpass from a ride when you feel like it? I had one day at Disneyland at the beginning of summer and thanks to being smart about FPs, I was able to do everything I wanted in both parks easily. And it was nice not to have to worry about being in specific places at specific times all day long. Presumably people have already created guides for how to get the most out of the new system
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Oct 7, 2014 21:17
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I hope that all the rides go fast pass only and if you don't schedule every microsecond of your existance at Disney to maximum the $3000 a day ticket price, they lock you in IASW for approximately 6 years. All Hail Walt.
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Oct 7, 2014 21:53
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Cryosleep posted:Hey, what was the link to Disney radio again? Subsonic Radio?
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Oct 7, 2014 23:53
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How well would just not having Fastpasses for the first hour a park is open work? They didn't exist before, and that way people at the gate at open can still bumrush Mine Train/Toy Story and not slow the line for that time.
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Oct 8, 2014 00:02
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BlueBayou posted:Ok so... the FP plus thing... If you lose your Magic Band you get another one and they link it to your acct and deactivate the lost one. Theoretically, you could use the app or a kiosk to get a FastPass for whenever you feel like it, but if all the FastPasses are booked up for that day, you're not getting one. There's not quite as much strategy to it as there used to be with paper FastPasses, I think. People have made guides. I have one I'm working on to give to clients.
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Oct 8, 2014 01:02
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Be sure to post your guide so we can put it to the test.
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Oct 8, 2014 02:14
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Yikes, goon testing. Scary!
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Oct 8, 2014 02:30
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tomapot posted:So I got booked in the Polynesian for my next business trip in a couple weeks. How torn up is it these days? There's a lot of extra walls all around, but the important stuff (bars, rooms, food areas) seem to be fine. I ate at the Kona Cafe tonight, still as good as ever.
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Oct 8, 2014 02:44
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Skeezy posted:Subsonic Radio? I think so. I wanted to hear the Soarin' music. Edit: yep. That's it. Thank you! Cryosleep fucked around with this message at 06:06 on Oct 8, 2014 |
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Oct 8, 2014 04:52
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| # ? May 27, 2024 22:26 |
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demonR6 posted:Don't lie, if you have been in that situation you all know that only a split second prevents you from jumping on that person and going batshit crazy. I have seen people wandering around the park late in the afternoon during a fine summer day looking like zombies on a hair trigger about to snap. The tantrums from the kids are the best. I have seen kids achieve a fusion reaction its amazing. It doesn't even have to be ABOUT anything. They are hot, tired, have been running at 150% efficiency for a day up to a week, and the slightest thing can set them off. The adults can get a good thousand yard stare going but its the kids that go REALLY bonkers.
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Oct 8, 2014 05:37
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