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Roth posted:Unfortunately there is no Disneyland thread I think with the passes, it is a 'you get what you pay for' thing. Most places that have the expensive fast passes let you go to the front of the line for most, if not all of the rides. I think Six Flags have a tiered system so the more you pay, the less time you spend waiting. The Maxpass at DLR is somewhat more limited. Not all rides have it, and you can only have one active fastpass at time. However, as you said, the wait times overall aren't bad depending on when you go, so it's worth spending the extra couple of bucks. When I was there, the only time I used it was for Radiator Springs Racers at DCA and Indiana Jones (It had just re-opened so it was busy). The Cars ride always has a long line so it's worth using for that. The longest wait I had was for Smuggler's Run and that was because I went through normal queue to see the whole thing. And if you want to compare Magic Kingdom's, the one at DLR is wayyyy better. Jose Oquendo fucked around with this message at 22:11 on Apr 30, 2021 |
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Apr 30, 2021 22:09
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Roth posted:Harrison Ford is a dinosaur. half that ride is broken (nobody tell roth half of dinosaur is broken too)
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Apr 30, 2021 22:09
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I went to World in 4th grade, and found Dinosaur just to be sensory overload back then. I haven't been back since then because I can't really afford a vacation to Disneyworld. I live an hour south of Disneyland, however, making it really easy to just go on a day off when they had a monthly pass option.
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Apr 30, 2021 22:09
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Roth posted:Harrison Ford is a dinosaur. He belongs in a museum!
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Apr 30, 2021 22:10
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Fluffy Bunnies posted:half that ride is broken Oh yeah, Indy breaks down like 5 times an hour it owns
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Apr 30, 2021 22:10
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Fluffy Bunnies posted:half that ride is broken Both rides need some TLC. When you go on either one you can clearly tell when you get to a part with a broken or missing ride element. Didn't they announce some refurbishments to Indiana Jones?
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Apr 30, 2021 22:10
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I got stuck on Indiana Jones Adventure once and it was cool to just look around the set, and I got priority passes out of it. Getting stuck on Guardians of the Galaxy, however, was like getting stuck on an elevator and the compensation was to immediately restart once the ride was back online.
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Apr 30, 2021 22:12
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MaxPass was $15 per day in Sept 2019, which is the last time I used it.
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Apr 30, 2021 22:14
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I will grant that while it was in operation, Extra Terrorestial is the coolest thing Disney parks have ever done and I feel extraordinarly lucky I got to do it at least once before it got replaced with Stitch.
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Apr 30, 2021 22:14
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Roth posted:I will grant that while it was in operation, Extra Terrorestial is the coolest thing Disney parks have ever done and I feel extraordinarly lucky I got to do it at least once before it got replaced with Stitch. RIP in Peace
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Apr 30, 2021 22:20
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Braksgirl posted:We're staying at Dockside for 2 nights and then Cabana Bay for 2 more nights in a couple weeks. I'm stoked about Cabana Bay. I've heard nothing but great things. Overall, I actually think Universal does hotels better than Disney. Portofino Bay is my favorite hotel in Orlando. Make sure you spend some time exploring the lobby area and Bayliner Diner. Bayliner doesn't service wildly exciting food but it's a good food court, and the huge screens in the seating area play old school ads, so it feels like a more casual version of Sci-Fi Dine In. I have yet to eat at the table service because its always crazy busy when I've tried (its also a bowling alley)
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Apr 30, 2021 23:04
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I think Universal Value/Prime Value resorts wipe the floor with WDW value resorts. But the pain in the neck with their no dining plans at resorts and some other clunky things have me with WDW ahead. Both are great - I’m hoping Epic Universe causes UOR to do some needed repainting and returning, but they both need each other. Also I rode the PeopleMover last hour and it was just as pleasant as last March’s trip.
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Apr 30, 2021 23:33
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I hate any type of Fastpass/Express pass, whatever. What many visitors do not get is that they ALL artificially inflate the standby line, and not by an insignificant amount. The ones you pay for are absolutely nickel and diming you (pay to experience the number of attractions you would if this system didn't exist!), but there are some positives over Disney's Fastpass system. On a lighter day, not as many people purchase the Express pass, so it has less of an effect on the standby line. Disney's Fastpass system is free because it isn't a "skip the line" pass, it's a form of virtual queuing, AKA a way to allow people more time in shops and restaurants, spending money. Disney distributes enough of them per attraction to account for 80% of that attraction's capacity. The fact that you can pre-book three Fastpasses means more people ride entering through the Fastpass line than standby, and the average visitor must use Fastpass to experience the same number of attractions as they would if the system didn't exist at all. But given the two, I do much prefer Disney's system. Though the standby lines have been much more pleasant with Fastpass suspended since COVID, Disney's system is a level playing field for all visitors. Those who know the ins and outs of it, like myself, can "game" it to experience a little more than others. I do miss that. Fluffy Bunnies posted:
WDW as a whole is a better and more interesting experience than Disneyland, especially if you stay on property. However, Disneyland park itself is legions better than Magic Kingdom. DCA is not an amazing park but does have a huge ride selection. Put together, Disneyland Resort and WDW have about the same number of E-ticket attractions. (please don't quote me with a nitpicking list about how I'm slightly wrong).
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May 1, 2021 02:17
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You are going to the lesser park.
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SweetMercifulCrap! posted:WDW as a whole is a better and more interesting experience than Disneyland, especially if you stay on property. However, Disneyland park itself is legions better than Magic Kingdom. DCA is not an amazing park but does have a huge ride selection. Put together, Disneyland Resort and WDW have about the same number of E-ticket attractions. (please don't quote me with a nitpicking list about how I'm slightly wrong). but I'm tired and sad and that's my life's blood. drat you  i think that's the thing. I'm an Epcot person. MK and DLR are nice to go to but I light up at Epcot (and somewhat at Animal Kingdom). And DCA had superstar limo and that stain never goes away. There are good things about DLR but having been there a lot, WDW beats it for me anyhow.
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May 1, 2021 02:25
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Anyways, I got to ride Velocicoaster today! I do believe it is Orlando's most intense coaster. Several holy poo poo moments. It is not intense due to strong positive g-forces (it doesn't have them) but rather the numerous moments of absolutely insane ejector airtime and inversion "hang time". The queue is awesome. Like Hulk and Rip Ride Rockit, you do have to store your cell phones and go through metal detectors, but they set it up in a much, MUCH better way. You can bring everything in the queue, the lockers are inside the queue, and they are two-sided. You insert your items on one side right before riding, and grab them as you leave on the other side. That said, people are absolutely jizzing over it, but I wasn't completely blown away. I am a firm believer that intensity in roller coasters doesn't necessarily equal fun. While this is still fun, it lacks a feeling of exhilaration that, say, Hagrid's has. The layout being very compact feels slightly awkward and leads to several transitions that feel clunky to me rather than flowing. But make no mistake, it's definitely a top coaster in Florida. I was also a tad let down by the lack of show scenes. I thought this might be like Hagrid's and have a surprise show scene halfway through, but there's only a brief one right at the beginning.
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May 1, 2021 02:47
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SweetMercifulCrap! posted:Disney distributes enough of them per attraction to account for 80% of that attraction's capacity. 80% Fastpass was always the most miserable part of Disney operations anywhere that passes book out more than a few hours ahead. One moderate downtime and the good vibes of line flow were irredeemably hosed for the rest of the day. Even when leads could quietly override it down to 60-70% it made a huge difference in things going smoothly.
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May 1, 2021 02:48
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Alpenglow posted:80% Fastpass was always the most miserable part of Disney operations anywhere that passes book out more than a few hours ahead. One moderate downtime and the good vibes of line flow were irredeemably hosed for the rest of the day. Even when leads could quietly override it down to 60-70% it made a huge difference in things going smoothly. Yuup. Fastpass+ made this significantly worse too. With the paper passes, they could distribute less for the remainder of the day, create a gap in the return time, or even finish them completely for the day to account for downtimes. But with Fastpass+, everyone has them pre-booked and they must be honored. Also when an attraction goes down, everyone with a Fastpass for it can use it at another attraction in the same tier. This means other attractions get screwed too when a major attraction goes down.
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May 1, 2021 02:53
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SweetMercifulCrap! posted:Anyways, I got to ride Velocicoaster today! did you scream in your heart FP+ is great if you get it and sucks if you don't
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May 1, 2021 02:57
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I gotta give universal props for making it so no one misses dueling dragons , which is impressive cuz dueling dragons owned
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May 1, 2021 03:09
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FP+ is great because most people don’t know how to game the app for new FPs. But it also sucks because it’s a net negative in the park and the parks would be better off without the system at all.
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May 1, 2021 03:16
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I wouldn’t be sad is Fastpass didn’t come back at WDW. It feels like you’re skipping the line, but I always felt like I was checking my watch to make sure I didn’t miss my time. I do hope they figure out a better system for Rise of the Resistance though. I haven’t been there for it yet, but I imagine missing out on a boarding group because you were 3 seconds too slow feels pretty bad, especially with park passes and since park hopping is so limited and you can’t just go to a different park that morning instead.
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May 1, 2021 03:25
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Funzo posted:especially with park passes and since park hopping is so limited and you can’t just go to a different park that morning instead. that stuff will be going away once theme parks are actually safe to go to again instead of the current "YOU CAN DIE IF YOU COME HERE" giant warning all over the front page of disneyworld.com Nottherealaborn posted:FP+ is great because most people don’t know how to game the app for new FPs. But it also sucks because it’s a net negative in the park and the parks would be better off without the system at all.  mind you, my ridiculously broken self gets a DAS pass anyhow but still. FP morning is one of the things I look forward to the most.
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May 1, 2021 03:29
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I know for Disneyland, at least, the standby lines weren't long just because of Fastpass, but because it's much more of a locals park, the Monthly Annual Passport audience was definitely contributing to the park just being near constantly overwhelmed. I wouldn't be surprised if when they bring their Annual Passes back it's all like the Flex Pass where you have to make a reservation ahead of time, and that way Disney can arbitrarily limit the amount of people that can come on certain days. That might sound kinda lovely, but it does help with budgeting and scheduling staff so they can better anticipate how many Cast Members they actually need to deal with crowds. Locals that bought passes can still easily schedule for days that are expected for low attendance, it mostly just means locals can't just come in unannounced for lunch. Also, I think Disneyland's fastpass system is pretty good since it's mostly just virtual queueing that you're limited to one at a time. So you can just do the standby line for, say Haunted Mansion while waiting for your Splash Mountain time to come up. I don't know how well the parks would be without fastpass, I don't think I ever went to Disneyland before fastpass was a thing, and according to relatives who were there, the standby lines were about the same length on busy days.
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May 1, 2021 03:38
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SweetMercifulCrap! posted:Anyways, I got to ride Velocicoaster today! I do believe it is Orlando's most intense coaster. Several holy poo poo moments. It is not intense due to strong positive g-forces (it doesn't have them) but rather the numerous moments of absolutely insane ejector airtime and inversion "hang time". The queue is awesome. Like Hulk and Rip Ride Rockit, you do have to store your cell phones and go through metal detectors, but they set it up in a much, MUCH better way. You can bring everything in the queue, the lockers are inside the queue, and they are two-sided. You insert your items on one side right before riding, and grab them as you leave on the other side. Asehujiko fucked around with this message at 11:47 on May 1, 2021 |
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May 1, 2021 11:43
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Ive been to Disneyland many times before FastPass and yeah, lines were long for popular rides then as well. I distinctly remember waiting well over an hour for Space and Indy. And a lonngg time for Star Tours. But it makes sense that allowing people to stand in two lines at once would inflate times in the same way allowing more people into the parks would inflate wait times. I suppose you could look at historic posted wait times on light days pre-pandemic and compare them to the low capacity parks right now as a way to control for number of people. Also, Indy is WAY WAY better than Dinosaur. Like, I'm sorry but it's not even close.
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May 1, 2021 11:49
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BlueBayou posted:Ive been to Disneyland many times before FastPass and yeah, lines were long for popular rides then as well. I distinctly remember waiting well over an hour for Space and Indy. And a lonngg time for Star Tours. But it makes sense that allowing people to stand in two lines at once would inflate times in the same way allowing more people into the parks would inflate wait times. I'm divorcing you and we aren't even married. Indy is totally better than Dinosaur but my medical poo poo makes me unable to even go to California ever again so like gently caress if I ever get to ride Indy ever again! Pre-FP at Disneyland, the longest we ever waited for Star Tours was just under 90 minutes but that was before the new one with the various scenes. Didn't it add a theater after they did that upgrade?
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May 1, 2021 11:56
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SweetMercifulCrap! posted:Anyways, I got to ride Velocicoaster today! Very jealous! Your point on feeling a bit clunky is how I interpreted the layout when I first saw it. Some of it (the inversions after the second launch) looks incredible, whereas other parts (the turns before the final inversion) look a bit clunky.
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May 1, 2021 12:44
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From what my wife has told me, most people who think FP+ increases wait times don't remember what waits were like in the 90s. I've been to parks like Cedar Point where every ride has a 2hr wait. No thanks. FastPass+ needs to come back so peopel who plan their trip can make the best of it. We never wait longer than 30 minutes for anything because of FastPass+, and with our Fastpasses we walk onto many things.
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May 1, 2021 15:24
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Fastpass makes lines far worse than they were in the 90s, speaking as a person who has been going to the parks since 1987. And if I were in charge of a resort or the entire parks division, removing FP would be one of those politically unpopular in the office ideas that I would propose as a way of improving guest satisfaction in the long run. Lines were long, yes, but they moved regularly. Rides run at the maximum capacity possible, and next person at the head of line goes in the next available chair, thank you next. FP now gives each ride TWO lines, and it's up to policy and CM efficiency to manage those two lines and decide which one to pull from, and everytime a seat goes to a person who is not from your line, your line doesn't move forward, which leads to a feeling of no progress being made much farther ahead at the loading station (which you probably can't see.) You're also often seeing someone in the FP line breezing past you for most of that line, which is a feeling nobody enjoys. The easiest example of this would be omnimover rides, and for WDW people especially Spaceship Earth. SSE has long lines every day when Epcot opens, but the ride system is practically a chaingun that processes people instead of bullets, so the knot of people is gone after lunch and soon they're sending the occasional empty row or vehicle up into the ball. FP for Spaceship Earth would be terrible, because cast are having to choose between standby and FP line and that gives them less time to load each person and ooops that row moved out of the station because the CP couldn't handle the load fast enough or the guest didn't get in there fast enough. Meanwhile the standby line would move at a much slower clip, leading to people wondering "auuuugh are we ever going to move forward?" The knot of people would not be gone by lunch on most days. SSE will absolutely chew through crowds so long as the crowd assembles an orderly line and fills in each car as available. Fastpass just complicates things that could lower it's efficiency, but that's true of all rides. Now consider that they put FP on Haunted Mansion which would be like SSE except the line is already a stop and go experience of crowd management due to the preshow. FP is also bad because many major E-rides, especially before FP, were designed with large queues everyone filled through, but the people who would ordinarily fill those queues are now sitting on park benches, meandering around the pathways, and generally leading to the impression of the park being slammed that one gets when every ride has a 90+ minute wait AND you see people all over the sidewalks. Far worse is when people with FPs for a marquee ride get into the standby queue for another marquee ride, because now they're adding to the workload of two E-rides simultaneously. In DL's Fantasyland, this often means every old timey carny dark ride now has a slow rear end wait when previously it was only Peter Pan, because half of Peter Pan's crowd is now waiting for their time in the line for Pinocchio or Alice. Craptacular! fucked around with this message at 19:20 on May 1, 2021 |
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May 1, 2021 16:15
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I liked the old FP system but admittedly I knew how to game it. The old Californian version was so exploitable. I think you could hold 6 Fastpasses across the two parks at the same time if you knew which rides weren’t networked. Part of the problem with FP+ was the need to add it to so many rides because of giving at least three to every hotel guest. Management probably like it though because it adds more predictability to crowd levels. It does make the standard queues miserable. I managed to join the Seven Dwarves queue as soon as it reopened from a breakdown and queued just the final switchback. That alone took 30 mins due to the FP backlog. I think most telling is the switch in queue designs. Seven Dwarves merges the standby queue into the FP queue which just shows the change in mindset from something that was a nice extra to something that’s necessary. Dugong fucked around with this message at 16:35 on May 1, 2021 |
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May 1, 2021 16:31
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It might make regular queues a bit longer, but unless it's doubling the wait for every other ride it's still a net win for me. I'd rather wait an hour and a half for 1 ride and 2 minutes for another in the FP line than wait an hour for both rides.
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May 1, 2021 16:34
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The former best and dumbest part of Fast Pass is when it was first introduced in Disney World, any card with a barcode seemed to work, not just your park pass. I think they eventually fixed that before moving to Fast Pass+
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May 1, 2021 16:47
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Spaceship Earth does have Fastpass. Well it did pre Covid anyway. There is no doubt that FP makes the standby feel longer because of long stretches where the line doesn't move. However it is difficult to say if the wait times are any worse than in the 90s. Especially since the parks are just a lot busier. There are no official numbers but there are many millions more people at the Magic Kingdom every year than in the 90s. And very few new attractions have been added to soak that up with more capacity.
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May 1, 2021 16:50
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Asehujiko posted:Have you ridden any other Intamin Blitz before? If so how does it compare to those? Before opening I saw a lot of people saying it would be mostly like Taron but that one is pretty much the opposite of what you're describing, ie it doesn't focus on airtime at all but is amazingly good at fitting elements into its tiny footprint. I've ridden Maverick and Cheetah Hunt. Maverick is mostly focused on strong g-forces through tight maneuvers. Cheetah Hunt is more on the family side. Velocicoaster is a little weird because it does not have strong G forces. Like Cheetah Hunt, the launches are weak and the tight turns don't produce much intensity. The main difference is the top hat and inversions on Velocicoaster are VERY intense, as are a few other moments of ejector airtime. I think if the layout felt more natural and less compact it would be unquestionably great, but as it is it does feel very much like attempting to cram more than they should in a very small space. Coaster enthusiasts tend to place more emphasis on airtime and hangtime than anything else so I do think that combined with the excitement of a new experience means most are going to rave about it. It's by no means bad though, it's very good. I just don't think it's unquestionably great.
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May 1, 2021 17:24
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You can maker Butterbeer at home way cheaper and better with vanilla ice cream and butterscotch soda
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May 1, 2021 17:27
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Zero One posted:Spaceship Earth does have Fastpass. Well it did pre Covid anyway. Yeah, the you really can't compare wait times to the 90's because there are too many other factors. What we can compare now though is COVID wait times. For example, with COVID and no Fastpass, the line for Big Thunder Mountain can stretch all the way to Haunted Mansion, practically. Even with the reduced capacity, it still takes less time than a full, non-socially distanced queue contained inside the attraction with Fastpass active and full capacity. For the line to stretch all the way to Haunted Mansion, even if you removed the social distancing, it would not fit inside the standby queue. This is because the crowd levels are just that much higher than when the attraction was designed, and all of these people would normally be filling in two queues instead of one. Another thing to note is that the posted wait times since re-opening are greatly inflated. Disney has always done this, but it's been more drastic with COVID. This is 1. to discourage people from queuing since the lines are already stretching way too far from the attraction, and 2. to account for pauses in loading where they clean the vehicles.
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May 1, 2021 17:32
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Junkie Disease posted:You can maker Butterbeer at home way cheaper and better with vanilla ice cream and butterscotch soda  but with cream soda and butterscotch schnapps
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May 1, 2021 17:44
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Jose Valasquez posted:It might make regular queues a bit longer, but unless it's doubling the wait for every other ride it's still a net win for me. I'd rather wait an hour and a half for 1 ride and 2 minutes for another in the FP line than wait an hour for both rides. Yep we plan our trip around this. We generally do 2 days in each park so we do 6 fastpasses for big rides, rope-drop the other big rides, and wait for anything left over. It works perfectly for us. We never wait for long at all. Wait a long time for every ride, and not being able to plan things out, would be just awful.
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May 1, 2021 19:09
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I do get that and I am a little torn. It's definitely nice to head to a park knowing you have at least three attractions with little to no wait. But on the other hand, without Fastpass, the lines typically aren't 90 minutes. Since COVID, I haven't waited more than 45 minutes for anything, and that is with reduced attraction capacity. The queues, without Fastpass, also are much, MUCH more pleasant because you are constantly moving. With Fastpass, you wait through what would be like a 15 minute wait with no Fastpass... for 90 minutes. Again, to reiterate, a Big Thunder Mountain queue stretching all the way to Liberty Square with no Fastpass and reduced capacity was about 35 minutes.
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May 1, 2021 19:25
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Yeah hopefully the reduced capacity is still in effect when we go in October (it won't be), but I'd rather hear about how things go at full capacity, no social distancing. I wonder if there is a difference where locals prefer waiting in line no fastpass, and trip takers (like me) prefer being able to plan with fastpass
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May 1, 2021 19:28
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