Walter wrote:
So has anyone used the new Fastpass system in the Magic Kingdom or Hollywood Studios? How was it in those parks so far?
Magic Kingdom here. We reserved our Fastpasses at a kiosk in Tomorrowland, where a Cast Member quickly explained the system and suggested rides and times. Went on Space Mountain, Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean (there is no tier system in place in Magic Kingdom, or at least when I went) with the system. Haunted Mansion was the earliest ride, and by far the longest wait. When we got there around 3-ish, the Fastpass line was mobbed with entire tour groups who had just arrived at the ride before we did and had no clue how to use the system. The line in front of the turnsiles where you scan your ticket/Magicband ended in the middle of Liberty Square, sparking complaints from people who were just walking by the ride. That's what the biggest problem with this system is, I believe. People don't understand how to use it without being briefed by a Cast Member or researching before getting into the park. Heck, even I'm still somewhat confused by it, and I'm a Disney fan who tries to update herself on these things. There was at least one group who wandered into the line without a Fastpass reservation (probably assuming that the longer looking line was the one to join) and that held us back. Thankfully, the bottleneck was smoothed out professionally by efficient and calm Cast Members, and once we got through "the pre-line line" after about 10 minutes of waiting the entire Fastpass line was swallowed at once into the stretch room pre-show area ahead of the normal line. The normal line hardly seemed to move during those 10 minutes in favor of sorting out Fastpass users, from what I could tell.
POTC and Space Mountain went on without a hitch, probably due to our later reservation times (around dinnertime for Pirates and just before Wishes for Space Mountain). We walked through the lines and were seated immediately.
Overall, the biggest con of Fastpass+ is it's efficiency during peak times, which will probably improve once Cast Members and guests become more used to the system. A huge con for those who are not relying on the Fastpass+ system seems to be longer wait times, since Fastpass+ guests are a huge priority. Expect to wait for an entire line of Fastpass+ guests to be let on a ride at a much faster and higher rate than the normal line guests, but that shouldn't be a surprise. The original Fastpass had that problem too on it's more popular rides. Now, there's just more rides on the system, and less Fastpasses are allowed. Fastpass lines should usually be shorter now, which I guess is a big pro for both people in the Fastpass and normal lines.
There's still no tier system at Magic Kingdom as we were there yesterday. The latest one we got was at Princess Fairytale Hall. We got Rapunzel and Cinderella but couldn't get Anna & Elsa.