Editorial: Paid line skipping a lesson opportunity for kids

I wasn't being critical of people going through the Fast Lane entrance when they didn't need to as much as I was pointing out that there were people who had passes at a time when it may not have been needed. The point I was making was that there undoubtedly are people who buy passes on days that it isn't needed. I was trying to illustrate a potential silver lining for people that hate the system.

Rereading what I posted I see how it came off that way, so my apologies. I don't have as much patience to proof read and error correct when I'm typing from my phone.

My advice to anyone who may be considering a cut pass, wait a little while to see how the lines pan out. Almost everyone goes an a few rides when they first get there. This makes the lines long early on. Also, the park may be having problems getting a few rides open early on.

:) Personal story to explain further... Six Flags didn't have El Toro, Madusa, and whatever else open when the park opened because of "technical difficulties." This caused lines to be long in other places, and for me to walk straight over to the Flashpass building. Later in the day when those scheduled-to-open ride did open, lines were so short that I didn't need the Flashpass. When I'd pick a ride, it would read, You can ride (ride) now!"

Every time the Flashpass employee scanned my Flashpass, I would smile, and say, I guess I wasted my money on this today. Hehe." :)

(Smiley faces added to show my state of emotion while writing that particular portion of the post.)

There are different systems.

Disney-built into the price of the ticket, everyone has access. Makes a more enjoyable day for all that know how to use it correctly.

Six Flags - base level is virtual queue. 2nd and 3rd level are line cutting passes but so expensive, not worth it unless you are only going to the park once in a long time.

Cedar Fair - 100% line cutting pass. The worst kind of all. Plus they have $0 invested in equipment for their system other than armbands lol. But so expensive it really isn't worth it unless you are only going to park once in a long time.

As far as kids learning anything from them, too many of this generation of kids are so entitled and handed to much from their parents without having to work for it (cell phones, cars, clothes etc). Parents paying for a kids line cutting pass is just more of that spoiled mentality. If the kids are working, and pay for their own, then its a different story.

I agree, ride some rides before you rush to buy one of these passes in order to gauge the lines. The parks will gladly sell them on any day, even with light crowds.

LostKause said:

The park is accepting bribes....

"I have more money than some of your other guests. I am willing to give it to you if you allow me to break the rules." The park says, "We are a business, and we want more money. We will take you up on that bribe."

The park is no more accepting "bribes" for FoL access than it is accepting bribes for selling you a season pass ("I have more money than some of your other guests and will give you some if you let me cut in front of other people at the gate"), a premium parking pass ("I have more money etc. and will give you some if you let me cut in front of other people in the parking lot"), a refillable drink cup ("I have more money etc. and will give you some if you let me cut in front of other people at the soda machine"), "Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera" (as the King in The King and I would say).

It's not a bribe. It's a business transacting business with a customer.

super7* said:

Parents paying for a kids line cutting pass is just more of that spoiled mentality. If the kids are working, and pay for their own, then its a different story.

So it's Ok for parents to treat their kids to a visit to an amusement park but make 'em work for Fast Pass so they are not spoiled?

Did you ever think that maybe the parents don't want to wait and they like going on rides as a family? That buying a Fast Pass is part of the experience that a particular family wants to buy? Do you takes kids to a restaurant and pay for their entree but make them go to work if they want dessert?

Cedar Fair as the best solution. Not the worst.

I loved the ERT like marathon on a busy Sunday after HWN riding diamondback so much I didn't even notice the people in the regular line in order to sneer and make fun of the lower class.

Jetsetter said:

These days an ideal setting for me is a cloudy Tuesday morning in early June at a park like Dollywood: crowds are low, rides are open and there's no stress about the day I'm about to have; no anxiety about getting to experience the rides I want, no fear about stopping to enjoy the smells or a bite to eat or exploring some hidden nook. I'm not watching my time or strategizing virtual queue options.

Quoting this from a couple days ago as it pretty much perfectly encapsulates my feelings. I go to Cedar Point in May/early June/late August because it provides a much more enjoyable experience versus the dog days of Summer. Lines are horrid in July/August and are noticeably worse when a large swath of people invest in Fastlane.

I don't have an ideological problem with FoL systems, I just avoid large parks on days in which they come into play.

You mean as an enthusiast, you've learned when to get the most out of your park visits?!?

Amazing!

A novel concept, for sure.

Enthusiasts aside, the information is out there for the average non-geek to plan trips without the necessity of FoL systems to enjoy short waits.

But hey, some don't mind going to parks when it's 90 degrees and while they house the population of a medium sized city. More power to them and FoL becomes a nice option if they have limited time in said parks.

LoganB said:

But hey, some don't mind going to parks when it's 90 degrees and while they house the population of a medium sized city.

You just described Magic Kingdom four months out of the year. The other eight months, it's the population of a medium sized city with cooler temperatures. The totally weird thing about it is that the crowd rarely deters my family from having a good time. (For the record, we don't go on Thanksgiving, or the week of Christmas and New Year's.)

I'll confess. I've been spoiled by years of attending ACE events, and years of being able to visit Walt Disney World without paying for admission.

Once parks open to the general public, I'll usually dally a while and then head out and explore other area attractions until scheduled ACE events resume.

And I'm fortunate to have a dear friend who lives in Orlando and, previously, was a very close friend of Mary Poppins and Cruella DeVille.

But on the occasions I've found myself standing on line near the point where stand-by and FoL access lines converge, I've never felt, well, anything about those in the FoL access line. They paid for something. They got it. Why would that bother me?

Name dropping anything less than Anna and Elsa does not impress me.

Let it go.

I see what you did there.

Since we're turning this dead horse into dog food, I feel that I should share a few experiences at KI that would have been difficult or impossible without Fast Lane.

1. Two of my old friends from high school would never visit any amusement parks because they didn't like waiting in lines, especially long ones. Thanks to Fast Lane, I finally talked them into going back in 2011. They loved it and bought Gold Passes for the 2012 and 2013 seasons.
2. My dad had just recovered from knee surgery that same year and didn't want to go because he didn't think he could handle standing all day. Fast Lane solved that problem.
3. Last season when we took our daughter (55"), my cousins daughter (49") for a day at the park together. Obviously, the rides that had a height requirement of at last 54" would have caused a problem. Fast Lane fixed that as well.
4. Fast forward to next month: (After my dad recovers from another surgery) we will be taking my son to KI for the first time. At 37" he will be very limited on what he can ride. I wouldn't be riding anything if it weren't for (you guessed it) Fast Lane.

We can turn a two day trip into one or a three day trip into two thanks to these systems. Therefor, I have no moral issues with "pay to cut" systems. After all, It's not like people who patronize amusement parks are impoverished. I suspect that most of them can afford it but choose not to because they don't see the value in it.

As far as spoiling our kids and teaching them right from wrong, that is up to the parents. I've been in that "entitlement" and "I'm better than you" battle with my daughter for the last couple of years thanks to only one year of private school and gymnastics. I've seen some pretentious 8 year old kids and that is scary as hell. I'll be damned if my daughter is growing up with that attitude. I've had to repeat many times that daddy works his butt off at a job he doesn't really like to ensure that she has certain advantages and that doesn't make her better than anyone else. Thankfully, she is starting to become humble once again.

Wait, you mean you work hard to provide for your children and do nice things for them? Must be nice to be rich and morally bankrupt.

;-)

That's Funny.

I'm a long way from rich and not even close to being bankrupt, financially or morally.

I work long hours, as a result, I don't get enough time with my kids. So, when I do get a fair amount of time off of work, I try to make strong, lasting memories with them. Standing in long, hot lines is not the way I want to have my family spend what little free time we have.

But how do you sleep at night knowing you're forcing a bunch of poor people to wait in line longer than you? ;)

Had to resurrect this one.

My son and I watch Regular Show on Cartoon Network religiously. Last night's epsiode made me think of you guys and this whole FOL discussion specifically.

Check the video below (it's cropped and pitch shifted, but still watchable for the point I'm making) - skip ahead to the 2:00 mark exactly.

Basically, there's a special line for prepaid orders at the cake shop. The lady in the 'regular' line gets all bent out of shape when Mordecai and Rigby get served before her even though she was there first - she accuses them of line cutting and complains...blah blah blah - It's essentially the FOL debate in cartoon form.

What I found interesting is that the lady complaining in the regular line is made to be the fool and butt of the joke. So this sort of thing has even trickled down to kids programming - different lines exist and you're silly and a joke if you don't get it.

Anyway... (watch from 2:00 to 3:10)

I need to start watching Regular Show.