It's a Small Line After All: Disney Cracks Down on FastPass Abuse

By Matt Coker Fri., Mar. 9 2012 at 1:01 PM

You can poke a tiger with a stick, out an uncover narc and give a wedgie to a made assassin, but one thing you do NOT want to fuck with is Disney's FastPass system.

For those who have not had the pleasure of parting with mortgage payments at Disneyland and California Adventure within the past 13 years, a FastPass is essentially a reservation ticket for a place in a shorter line feeding into a popular ride.

First, you pick up your FastPass near the ride's entrance. Stamped onto it will be a one-hour window when you can return and get in a fast lane to almost the front while all those suckers experiencing sunstroke wait it out in a line stretching to the Brea border.

Ah, but some frequent parkgoers figured out that if they returned to the ride with their FastPasses after their one-hour windows expired, an always smiling Disney attractions host still allowed them to cut to the front. That pretty much destroyed what the ride reservation system was intended to do: manage crowd sizes throughout the day so those with or without passes are better served.

The Mouse recently disclosed it is cracking down on FastPass abusers. The goal, says a Disney spokeseteer, is to maintain a fair system for all guests. How? By having attractions hosts deal with pass holders who arrive past the specified time window on a case-by-case basis.

And if that doesn't work, there is still the slave camp under Tom Sawyer's Island where they can and will send your sorry ass.

Follow OC Weekly on Twitter @ocweekly or on Facebook!

We Recommend

jamesd

Everyone knows that that slave camp under Tom Sawyer Island is a myth. I worked there for years and never saw one slave working under the island. They're kept under the Matterhorn, next to the basketball court.

GregM

If a Disneyland Cast member tells you it's OK, it's not really abusing the system, is it? If they tell you, "No!" and THEN you proceed to do it anyway, THEN there is a problem. So for years they told people it's OK, and now all of a sudden they feel like telling people it isn't? I hope they plan to hire more City Hall Cast Members. (Whom, for the record, will just give you a "We're Sorry!" pass to get on any ride you want to, at any time, usually, to appease your complaint.)

Bill T.

Well, if you're not there when you're supposed to be, then beg the employee to let you in his choice is to violate the rule or risk having irate guests. Lose-lose.

When I get a fast-pass I ensure that we are there during the window. If I miss, it's my tough luck.

BTW, why don't more people use it? I'm guessing that less than 25% of visitors regularly use the system(?).

Ratman

"The Mouse recently disclosed..." No-no, to anybody in the average working class on the streets of Orlando, FL, it's simply "The rat." And the name is more than appropriate.

Lee Jennifer

A friend told me that many rich guys and gorgeous girls like playing on a rich dating site, I joined 3 months ago, and find my lover there, a Banker from NewYork,.Please check my profile on ~~ Ri ch Mi ng le ,С’ｏＭ~~~ , and vote for me. Thanks...