What do you think of the fastpass
janfrederick said:
"Call me egalitarian, but I think that everybody should have the same opportunity to have the same amount of fun in the park. The system creates two classes of people. It takes away from the experience. People will get upset. When they are upset, they are less likely to buy souveniers from the park."
But there already *IS* a class system at many parks, especially Disney and Universal. For years there have been "VIP Tours" and such. Not to mention, anytime a "celebrity" is in the park, they can pretty much ride what they want, when they one. The only difference now is that more people are having the "VIP" title conferred upon them.
If people are *really* getting upset, they are not going to spend money as you said. But Disney studies have shown an increase in in-park spenditures since the inception of the FASTPASS program. So I submitt that people aren't *really* getting as upset as is often characterized on these boards.
lata,
jeremy
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"Nobody writes about the planes that land." Steve Salerno Washington Times 7-10-01
Allowing handicapped folks to skip the line is fine with me. I just don't like the idea of having 2 lines. $10 isn't much to me. But price isn't the point. An extra 10 minutes (usually more than that for longer lines), does mean a lot when it's hot and you are frustrated by watching folks get let on in front of you.
And as for the Disney studies...Were they conducted by the people who came up with the idea? Of coarse they want their idea to be successful. Did they ask people what they thought?
I say that if the system makes 50% a little happier and 50% less happy, go back to the old system where everybody was happy.
And I still think that the only way to put more people on the midway and out of the lines is to make the waits shorter...for everybody.
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Yeeee Haaawwww!
And as for the Disney studies...Were they conducted by the people who came up with the idea? Of coarse they want their idea to be successful. Did they ask people what they thought?
I say that if the system makes 50% a little happier and 50% less happy, go back to the old system where everybody was happy.
And I still think that the only way to put more people on the midway and out of the lines is to make the waits shorter...for everybody.
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Yeeee Haaawwww!
Okay Jan, I hear you. I'll chalk up that line to "agree to disagree", but I do have a question for you. What about SFoG's "Lo-Que" system? In this system, the people with the pagers are set into a virtual queue which has the same amount of temporal wait as the regular line. Now these people are waiting the same amount of time as the others in the line. They are simply allowed to wait on a bench or in a restaurant or in the can (etc.) instead of physically standing in line. It this okay with you or do you have issues with this as well. If so, I'd like to hear what those issues are.
jeremy
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who really doesnt like any rides anyway...
jeremy
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who really doesnt like any rides anyway...
Cool cool. I kinda like that idea (pager)...but my one issue with it is being tied to some sort of schedule. My life is so full of appointments and meetings, that I really want to get away from all that when I'm at a park. I'd prefer to wander around and jump in line at my leisure. That's all.
But it would be nice to be able to do something other than stand in line while waiting. It's just that you'd be limited in your activities. Also, if you do this, it is important that you post an accurate wait time in front of the line so that folks don't get a false sense of hope when they see a short line; when in fact the majority of the line is out in the park somewhere. Other than that, I'd like to try it out. Might not be too bad.
So my only issue is that it would add an element of rigidity to my experience. There is something a little more tangible in waiting in a line. But all loftiness aside, it might not be all that bad.
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Yeeee Haaawwww!
But it would be nice to be able to do something other than stand in line while waiting. It's just that you'd be limited in your activities. Also, if you do this, it is important that you post an accurate wait time in front of the line so that folks don't get a false sense of hope when they see a short line; when in fact the majority of the line is out in the park somewhere. Other than that, I'd like to try it out. Might not be too bad.
So my only issue is that it would add an element of rigidity to my experience. There is something a little more tangible in waiting in a line. But all loftiness aside, it might not be all that bad.
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Yeeee Haaawwww!
I was opposed at first, but after using it, I love it (SFGAm version).
1) If there are 800 people in the regular line, and 20 in the FastLane line, there are still 820 people in line. If you want a shorter wait, get a fastlane pass.
2) Don't want to spend the money ? Oh, boo hoo. :( You are probably already spending $2 too much for a soda, and paying the price of a whole pizza for just a slice - quit your whining.
3) The smart people use a discount coupon, a Coke can, or have a season pass. This more than offsets the cost of any FastLane pass.
4) They only sell so many passes, so the FastLane line will never exceed the regular line. I was told it was only 2000 per day @ SFGAm, but was later told by the cashier for FastLane that is is actually less than that (they wouldn't say how many).
5) SFGAm only lets a few FastLane riders into the regular que at a time. The lines combine just before the station. It doesn't really make the regular wait much longer, if at all.
6) Maybe you should choose a seat in the middle of the ride if you are concerned about waiting time. The front seat is overrated. The 2nd to front, and 2nd to last seats often have -very- short waits, and are almost as good as the seats next to them. Sometimes even better since you are not over the wheels (smoother ride). Smart riding offers shorter lines without spending $10.
7) Boo hoo. It's not "fair" :( Is it fair for the people who don't have $40 to go to the park at all ? See #3
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Thanks to the FastLane, I get to ride V2 3 times a day and don't have to wait an hour for a 30 sec. ride (Giant Drop). With my season pass, parking pass, $10 off coupons for my friends and the FastLane pass, I am riding more rides, more often, and probably spending less money the whole season than your family would spend on a weekend trip to the park of your choice. If you were smart, you'd be doing this too instead of complaining.
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Current favorite coasters:
Wooden: 1) Beast 2) Raven 3) Son of Beast 4) The Boss 5) The Legend
Steel: 1) Raging Bull 2) Millennium Force 3) V2 4) Wild Thing 5) Mr. Freeze
I just got back from SFWoA, and let me tell you, FastLane passes are ridiculous! Basically, the amusement parks PUNISH you for not buying a fastlane pass. Waits for coasters for those without Fastlane passes are doubled. Basically, parkis force you to buy these if you actually wanyt to ride the coasters.
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http://expage.com/rollercoastersurvivor The ONLY website dedicated to Roller Coaster Survivor! SoB is gone, and now it's time to vote off a steel coaster. Come vote for which one you want voted off!
Yeah, my tone was harsh. Yes, you have a right to be unsatisfied with the FastLane. Sure, you can still be "smart" without using it. But still in my opinion, it is more smart to save money AND maximize your ride time, and you can do both by using coupons, season passes, FastLane, etc. Is it fair ? Maybe, maybe not. But since when is life fair ? It's fair in the sense that anyone can buy one until they sell out. You are not being denied the chance to take advantage of it too.
By the way, I was totally against this until I saw how it worked, and tried it out for myself.
I hope they keep it, and I plan on using it on every trip to the park. With V2 breaking down all the time, it makes it even more worthwhile.
While everyone else is complaining, I'll be riding the rides. Six Flags is still making less money off of me than the average customer. So razzberries to all of y'all ! ;)
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Current favorite coasters:
Wooden: 1) Beast 2) Raven 3) Son of Beast 4) The Boss 5) The Legend
Steel: 1) Raging Bull 2) Millennium Force 3) V2 4) Wild Thing 5) Mr. Freeze
By the way, I was totally against this until I saw how it worked, and tried it out for myself.
I hope they keep it, and I plan on using it on every trip to the park. With V2 breaking down all the time, it makes it even more worthwhile.
While everyone else is complaining, I'll be riding the rides. Six Flags is still making less money off of me than the average customer. So razzberries to all of y'all ! ;)
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Current favorite coasters:
Wooden: 1) Beast 2) Raven 3) Son of Beast 4) The Boss 5) The Legend
Steel: 1) Raging Bull 2) Millennium Force 3) V2 4) Wild Thing 5) Mr. Freeze
janfrederick said:
"Whether or not I use it, it still takes away from everybody's experience. So boysenberries back atcha! ;)"
It doesn't take away from -my- experience, it adds to it ! Plus I still deny that it slows down the regular line -that- much (referring to SFGAm only here). I've ridden plenty of rides without using the FastLane, even though I had one, and it didn't seem any slower. A full que on Raging Bull is still less than an hour with 3 trains running. Most of the days I'm there, it's under a 1/2 hour. They only problem I see with it is if they start over selling it.
I would be in favor of a better system though - the "virtual cues" with timed reservations sound good. Regardless, I'm gonna do whatever it takes to ride more rides, as long as the cost is reasonable.
I don't see Six Flags getting rid of this (and sincerely hope they don't), so better start getting used to it.
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Current favorite coasters:
Wooden: 1) Beast 2) Raven 3) Son of Beast 4) The Boss 5) The Legend
Steel: 1) Raging Bull 2) Millennium Force 3) V2 4) Wild Thing 5) Mr. Freeze
I have an idea! If a park uses the pager system, you could make back the cost of your season pass by spending a couple days collecting pagers and waiting for the ride, then selling them for $5 to people who want to add to their park experience.
Heck, you could probably make a living doing this!
;)
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Yeeee Haaawwww! *** This post was edited by janfrederick on 7/24/2001. ***
Heck, you could probably make a living doing this!
;)
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Yeeee Haaawwww! *** This post was edited by janfrederick on 7/24/2001. ***
I like the fast passes. I usually go to Six Flags Marine World. So what if they cost $10, no big deal. I usually buy like 2. Before I go to SFMW I always do alittle extra work so I can buy 2 fast passes, not one, 2. I head straight to the long lines. They let you get any seat you want. I usually get the back because it feels the best. 1 fast pass can get you 5 rides. It's like 2 bucks a ride.What would you rather do, wait 1 hour, or 1 minute for $2. No one should be complaining. The fast passes are like a special privelage which everyone has access to. Any one can get them. I personally think every park should get this system.
FAST PASSES RULE!!!!!!
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I know so much about roller coasters. Have any qustions just E-Mail me at agomez@afes.com
FAST PASSES RULE!!!!!!
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I know so much about roller coasters. Have any qustions just E-Mail me at agomez@afes.com
Well, I was up in the air about them until I tried it. On Friday, I stopped by SFGAm on my way to Milwaukee for a meeting. I bought 2 FL passes, left the park, went to my meeting, came back after my meeting (3pm) and had a blast!
I am a convert, yes, it can be cost prohibitive for families, but for me, my time is worth more than 2.50/hour. I was able to get four rides on V2 in 1 hour which was less time than I spent later in the day waiting for one additional ride on it (and that was at 9pm-after FL was done for the day).
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"It's Deja Vu all over again." - Yogi Berra
I am a convert, yes, it can be cost prohibitive for families, but for me, my time is worth more than 2.50/hour. I was able to get four rides on V2 in 1 hour which was less time than I spent later in the day waiting for one additional ride on it (and that was at 9pm-after FL was done for the day).
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"It's Deja Vu all over again." - Yogi Berra
Actually, the fast pass line was a little longer then the regular line for Indiana Jones. It was ridiculous. They would let 15 people enter for fastpass and around 6 for the regular line. People started to get furious. I had to watch the introduction movie 11 times! Also, on mullohand madness or whatever it's called, they let the fastpassers go in for about 15 minutes! However it was pretty sweet to rush to the front of the line for pirates of the carribean.
yeah the way they do it at Indiana Jones is screwed up
first, they have two lines outside the temple, one for fastpass, one for stand-by, this is where everyone mostly waits, not in the half-mile long, air-conditiones queue... the lines merge at the entrance to the temple and the CM has a video screen looking almost to the beginning of the queue and they wait till the line is really short then they let people through (fastpass first of course) till they see the line get long again
they do this supposedly because they want the fastpass people to wait only 3 or 4 minutes
it doesn't quite work that way though...
the way they did it last year worked fine.. why did they change it?
you can just use the single rider line and not wait at all though :)
first, they have two lines outside the temple, one for fastpass, one for stand-by, this is where everyone mostly waits, not in the half-mile long, air-conditiones queue... the lines merge at the entrance to the temple and the CM has a video screen looking almost to the beginning of the queue and they wait till the line is really short then they let people through (fastpass first of course) till they see the line get long again
they do this supposedly because they want the fastpass people to wait only 3 or 4 minutes
it doesn't quite work that way though...
the way they did it last year worked fine.. why did they change it?
you can just use the single rider line and not wait at all though :)
yeah the way they do it at Indiana Jones is screwed up
first, they have two lines outside the temple, one for fastpass, one for stand-by, this is where everyone mostly waits, not in the half-mile long, air-conditiones queue... the lines merge at the entrance to the temple and the CM has a video screen looking almost to the beginning of the queue and they wait till the line is really short then they let people through (fastpass first of course) till they see the line get long again
they do this supposedly because they want the fastpass people to wait only 3 or 4 minutes
it doesn't quite work that way though...
the way they did it last year worked fine.. why did they change it?
you can just use the single rider line and not wait at all though :)
first, they have two lines outside the temple, one for fastpass, one for stand-by, this is where everyone mostly waits, not in the half-mile long, air-conditiones queue... the lines merge at the entrance to the temple and the CM has a video screen looking almost to the beginning of the queue and they wait till the line is really short then they let people through (fastpass first of course) till they see the line get long again
they do this supposedly because they want the fastpass people to wait only 3 or 4 minutes
it doesn't quite work that way though...
the way they did it last year worked fine.. why did they change it?
you can just use the single rider line and not wait at all though :)
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