The fast pass system
At Disney, you are allowed one Fastpass at a time, and after you use it, you can get another. Also, you can wait in the stand-by as many times as you want.
What I wonder is how will they prevent guests from getting several at once? I hope they can figure something out.
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"the Force of the new Millennium is being felt by those who choose to seek it.
What I wonder is how will they prevent guests from getting several at once? I hope they can figure something out.
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"the Force of the new Millennium is being felt by those who choose to seek it.
this is like going to a park on a field trip, where you have to be on the bus to leave at a precise time or it will leave without you and so it sucks near the end of the night when you have to try to plan it right so you allow enough time while still getting in the max number of rides before leaving... i think they should just use this on weekends if they feel they must because i was there last monday and tuesday and a 1 and 3/4 hour wait is not long at all...
The question is does the park with the fastest moving lines need a fast pass system?
Unlike Disney, Universal, and several other large theme parks all of Cedar Points rides have high capacity (Gemini alone holds the most riders per hour). Add that on top of the fact that Cedar Point has enough rides and coasters so that you shouldn't have to wait anywhere over an hour and a half on any day. This is a great idea for Disney and Universal where they have several low capacity rides (Test Track and Pteradon Flyers) that have small queue lines. For a park that doesn't even run all there rides at full capacity, this seems unnecessary.
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Dispatch Master, This is Transport one! I'm losing control, I'm losing control!
Unlike Disney, Universal, and several other large theme parks all of Cedar Points rides have high capacity (Gemini alone holds the most riders per hour). Add that on top of the fact that Cedar Point has enough rides and coasters so that you shouldn't have to wait anywhere over an hour and a half on any day. This is a great idea for Disney and Universal where they have several low capacity rides (Test Track and Pteradon Flyers) that have small queue lines. For a park that doesn't even run all there rides at full capacity, this seems unnecessary.
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Dispatch Master, This is Transport one! I'm losing control, I'm losing control!
I don't understand the negativity surrounding the system. Try this...get a fast pass for Millennium Force and it tells you to come back in 2 hours. Then get in line for Millennium Force and wait 90-100 minutes. Once you get out of line, just get back in line with your reservation and wait 5 minutes. Now you have ridden twice in the same amount of time you waited to ride once.
Or, get the MF fast pass and ride a few other rides and then come back for the reserved ride on MF. You have surely saved yourself at least one line's waiting time. Or even, don't use the fast pass system at all. Just wait in line like you always did. This won't affect your day at all. You can be as spontaneous as you want. Why is this something to complain about?
I used it at Disney just this month and didn't see why anyone would not like it. It gives you more freedom in some respects because you don't have to wait in a line. You can spend time normally spent in a line getting some grub or enjoying a beverage or two. Someone enlighten me as to why this system is a bad idea... *** This post was edited by Camel on 6/19/2000. ***
Or, get the MF fast pass and ride a few other rides and then come back for the reserved ride on MF. You have surely saved yourself at least one line's waiting time. Or even, don't use the fast pass system at all. Just wait in line like you always did. This won't affect your day at all. You can be as spontaneous as you want. Why is this something to complain about?
I used it at Disney just this month and didn't see why anyone would not like it. It gives you more freedom in some respects because you don't have to wait in a line. You can spend time normally spent in a line getting some grub or enjoying a beverage or two. Someone enlighten me as to why this system is a bad idea... *** This post was edited by Camel on 6/19/2000. ***
From my experience, the Fastpass at Disney caused the regular line to be much shorter than usual. Also the line didn't move as slowly as you'd expect. Along with doing what camel said, this could be good for everyone, especially me, who is making my first trip to CP from MD(not a short trip). I can go on new rides(to me at least) while "virtually waiting" for MF.
How does it work if you're with someone else or a group? Can you be sure that each of you will get the same time window on your fast passes? For example, if my husband & I got different times, that would be pointless (and would suck). So there better be a way in the system to identify a group of tickets scanned as a "group" that needs to have the same time window.
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CheapRock
You can pick your friends & your nose, but you can't pick your seat on MF.
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CheapRock
You can pick your friends & your nose, but you can't pick your seat on MF.
I think that there are two central issues to consider:
One: What happens if the ride closes for weather or mechanical reasons? Do you miss out? Do you get another ticket? Does that displace everyone else? Have they thought it out?
Two: How do you explain all of these other conditions? How do you avoid ticket scalping? The Disney system uses a computerized system based on your ticket, something Cedar Point can't do.
Remember, it's just a strong rumor at this point, but I think they'll give it a whirl this weekend. We'll see...
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Jeff
Webmaster/Guide to The Point
Millennium Force laps: 29
One: What happens if the ride closes for weather or mechanical reasons? Do you miss out? Do you get another ticket? Does that displace everyone else? Have they thought it out?
Two: How do you explain all of these other conditions? How do you avoid ticket scalping? The Disney system uses a computerized system based on your ticket, something Cedar Point can't do.
Remember, it's just a strong rumor at this point, but I think they'll give it a whirl this weekend. We'll see...
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Jeff
Webmaster/Guide to The Point
Millennium Force laps: 29
Y'know, it seems to me that there might be a better solution. The whole idea behind a virtual queue system is that if you are not waiting in line for the big new attraction, you're doing something else. It seems to me that the main idea is to distribute the crowd among the park's major attractions.
So how is this for an idea: Instead of simply setting up a virtual queue for one or more rides in a park where one or more coasters is likely to be a walk-on at any given time, why not convince the park patrons to take matters into their own hands? Why not construct a large signboard for the entrance to each of the major rides, similar to the current "Your wait is n hours" signs. The park already keeps track of the waiting time for the various attractions; why not publish that information at each ride? For instance, at the Millennium Force entrance, you can look at the sign and learn that the wait for Millennium Force is 1.5 hours, for Raptor is 0.75 hours, for Magnum is 0.5 hours, for Mean Streak is 0.25 hours, and for Gemini is less than 0.25 hours. As a park patron, such information might prompt you to go investigate a different ride. Best of all, it avoids any of the management problems of a virtual queue system.
--Dave Althoff, Jr.
*** This post was edited by RideMan on 6/20/2000. ***
So how is this for an idea: Instead of simply setting up a virtual queue for one or more rides in a park where one or more coasters is likely to be a walk-on at any given time, why not convince the park patrons to take matters into their own hands? Why not construct a large signboard for the entrance to each of the major rides, similar to the current "Your wait is n hours" signs. The park already keeps track of the waiting time for the various attractions; why not publish that information at each ride? For instance, at the Millennium Force entrance, you can look at the sign and learn that the wait for Millennium Force is 1.5 hours, for Raptor is 0.75 hours, for Magnum is 0.5 hours, for Mean Streak is 0.25 hours, and for Gemini is less than 0.25 hours. As a park patron, such information might prompt you to go investigate a different ride. Best of all, it avoids any of the management problems of a virtual queue system.
--Dave Althoff, Jr.
*** This post was edited by RideMan on 6/20/2000. ***
That's the best idea yet, Dave! It's been done at other parks, right? That would make more sense than any of this pass nonsense. I found that when communicating by radio to my fiancee that I rode Raptor when I wouldn't have otherwide, because she advised me of a short line while I was in Frontier Town. Imagine getting to the MF entrance and seeing that Magnum is only a 15 minute wait in the face of and 90 minutes at MF. What would any normal person do?
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Jeff
Webmaster/Guide to The Point
Millennium Force laps: 29
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Jeff
Webmaster/Guide to The Point
Millennium Force laps: 29
In Orlando they have these "attraction boards" RideMan mentioned that give the approximate wait times for rides. At MGM Studios, it is like a chalkboard (if I recall correctly) but at IOA it was an electronic board, which makes so much sense. I am sure other parks will adopt this idea. When I was at IOA, the line for Hulk was 90 minutes in the morning, but the board read 5 minutes for Dueling Dragons, so we went back to it and got 8 walk-on rides in a row. It worked like a charm. I like this idea very much, but still don't understand the negative feelings for the fast pass system.
To answer CheapRock's question about the reservation times given, if you both got your passes at the same time, they would have the same return time. There were signs at the issuing area that indicated when the reservation would be good for.
About weather and mechanical problems, when I was at IOA Posiedon's Fury was closed due to mechanical problems in the early afternoon, so they honored all passes issued for the time it was down until the park closed. It probably caused a bit of a line in the fast pass return line, but everybody with a reservation was able to ride.
To answer CheapRock's question about the reservation times given, if you both got your passes at the same time, they would have the same return time. There were signs at the issuing area that indicated when the reservation would be good for.
About weather and mechanical problems, when I was at IOA Posiedon's Fury was closed due to mechanical problems in the early afternoon, so they honored all passes issued for the time it was down until the park closed. It probably caused a bit of a line in the fast pass return line, but everybody with a reservation was able to ride.
I also can't understand why people are ragging on the pass system. You don't HAVE to use it. If you don't want to use it, just wait like usual. If you want to use it, it's there for you. It's a CHOICE and it works well for those who choose to use it. Please help me understand how this choice is a bad idea. I don't care if Disney, Mighty Mouse or Joe Schmo thought of it, it works.
Closed topic.