Fast-Pass Only Rides: How Do you feel about the idea?

[Garet]

I mentioned this on my Everland posts yesterday but the more I thought about it the more I thought the idea of it warranted its own thread for discussion. I also had wanted to wait until I heard back from customer services at Everland to confirm how the system works before I posted it since while the Korean maps tend to explain it well the English signs on my previous summer visits were a little confusing and they'd refined the system since my last visit (and my Korean wife rang to get information too incase something had got lost in translation and wanted to know so we can plan our next visit). If i've repeated myself too much from my previous posts and the mods think I should have left it as a post on my other topic please delete this, I just thought it would make for an interesting discussion and I could go into more details here.

 

I'm interested in either if any other parks do this already and what everyones opinions on the matter but how would you feel if any of your home parks or any park switched some of the rides so they were 100% fast-pass allocated rides only on certain days (e.g. weekends or public holidays) or during busier periods of each days. I mean there must be pros and cons for each, e.g. 100% fast pass would mean a lot more tickets available in time-slots but if they are sold out it leaves you really stuck waiting until the standby line is finally opened.

 

Everland has quite a few different policies depending on the rides. I'm not going to focus on the safari ride or rapids which use regular fast pass systems or the newest ride Lost Valley which doesn't have a fast-pass line as such as different premium packages which include a line-pass since i'll cover that in more detail when I do a TR of the newest rides. I just wanted to give examples of the 3 different policies Everland uses for their free fast passes so everyone can compare and have an idea of how the system works. They have 3 very different systems.

 

I should point out that apart from option 2 both of these apply to weekends only, don't let these deter you from visiting, if you visit on a weekday you should be fine. I'm posting these not because I can only go on weekends (poor me ) but because these are real life examples that i'm curious how people would feel if it showed up in their home parks since some of my friends love the system and having no line guaranteed if they plan whereas some of my other friends hate the idea of not being able to just stand in line when they want.

 

1. T Express (the staggered fast pass option)

 

Everland first started doing this one everyday in the summer last year where T Express was fast pass only (you couldn't line up unless you had a ticket) from 10:00-5:00 with tickets opening at 10:00 and being allocated until they sold out. This was the system that burnt me twice last year since both times we ran there at opening and got tickets but since everyone is younger and faster than me our tickets were for early afternoon and on both occasions when our time came up it was closed for winds (it does get affected by winds a lot due to Everlands location it was down all of today as of my writing). Since T Express closes early due to the fireworks if it goes down for winds and isn't reopen by around 4 or 5 there is a very good chance it won't reopen.

 

They've since refined this system into the current system which is as follows the reservation system runs from park open until 3pm on weekends. If you run down at park open until 11am (or if tickets run out whichever comes first depending on how busy the park is) they will issue tickets to come back from T express opening time (normally an hour after ticket issueing starts) until 12.

 

After that tickets restock at the start of each hour to come back in the following hour so for example after the first slot the next slow is 11:00- which will let out tickets until they run out that let you return from 12:00-1:00 and then if you miss those tickets you can try again at 12:00 when the next tickets become available for 1:00-2:00. you can go back and get another ticket after you ride if you so wish, at least they were on the day we visited but we tend to go on quieter days, I'm not sure if they are stricter on busier days but considering the booths for the tickets are spread across the park and they don't scan tickets I don't think they do limit them.

 

After 3PM the standby line is open on a first come first serve basis if you want another ride or didn't get a ticket earlier, the wording confused me from customer services but after another email it apparently means a normal line until it reaches capacity and will be closed to make sure T Express closes before the fireworks.

 

One thing that had confused me is T Express always advertizes a 60 minute wait so I didn't understand how the tickets were helping reduce lines but apparently for some rides like this Everland showcases literally the waiting time not how long you stand in line so the 60 minute line represents the wait you've had because of the ticket. The actual wait time depends on when you show up if you show up at the start of your fast-pass window when everyone else does then yes you'd have a long wait but show up nearer the end and it would be almost walk-on. It's hard to explain the virtual wait but hopefully number 2 will help.

 

2. The hologram show (choose your own time fast-pass attraction)

 

This is probably the best one to explain how some of Everlands waiting times are displayed for some of the show rides or ticket rides like T Express. This one is permanantly set at 30 minute wait times because thats how long it is between shows, this attraction is only allowed to be entered if you have a ticket on all days. So for example if Everlands 3D movie is showing every hour like it was today because it's a quiet weekday the wait time is set at 60 minutes even though you can show up 5 minutes before.

 

Anyway the fast-pass policy for this is that you go to the ticket booth and choose which time you want with the options being every 30 minutes from ride opening to closing. There are different holograms depending on the time so it helps you make sure you get the hologram you want. Since all time slots are available from park opening the earlier you go the more options but once all tickets are sold out you can't go on that attraction today.

 

The indoor playground and madagascar stage show also offer this, you need a free ticket to enter and all time slots are available form opening both are very popular with families especially the indoor playground where the kids can play and be supervised while parents grab a coffee and sit around the tables at the edges so on busy days you really need to be there early if you have kids since people tend to go for return visits.

 

3. The flume ride (fast pass only at busy times)

 

This fast pass is interesting, its another weekend/holiday only system. When the park opens the log flume has a standby line as per usual. However once the line hits 60 minutes the standby line is closed and a fast pass booth is opened which then allocates tickets one hour from when the booth opened giving a ticket with a 30 minute window running until 5pm. Unlike T express, these fast-passes run like a normal fast pass so once they are gone they are gone. They tend to go extremely fast during the summer so if you don't get one you have to come back at 5pm when the standby line will be reopened. Unlike T Express, the flume ride doesn't have to close early so the line isn't as much a first come first serve basis and you can just show up.

 

 

 

 

So those are the 3 systems. Personally I actually don't mind policy 3 so much, maybe because the flume is one of those rides that is always busy when I visit and i'd never wait 60 minutes for it but if there was a fast pass as I was going past to come back later I would grab one since the flume is almost never closed. However I don't see why it can't run with a fast-pass and standby like most other parks would do. 2 as well I can understand it's to make sure people get to see the hologram they want but I wonder how many people just grab tickets because they are there but don't return for their time. I wish it had a reserve line so if people don't show up you can fill in the empty slots at show time but forefeit having the choice of which hologram you see.

 

1 is the policy I am really not a fan of. I'm just not quite sold on why its 100% necessary to only allow people to come back an hour later to jump in line, from our visits the line can still range from 30-60 minutes even with the passes so i'm not quite sure why it was decided T Express had to shut its standby line completely, maybe if there was a single rider line at the exit for the operators checking the lap bars to fill up the empty seats that tend to show up a lot more now since the attendant at the station entrance has to collect the tickets that were checked in the entrance and doesn't really get a chance to shout out for groups of 2 or 1 like they used to i'd be more sold on the policy.

 

What are other peoples opinions?

 

I should point out Everland also introduced a premium package option for $80 roughly that gets you entry to Everland and a guaranteed line jump for T Express (or the rapids), Lost Valley Safari and the other safari ride as well as a guaranteed hologram ticket(or to the indoor kids playground) and ticket to the madagascar stage show so if you do visit on a weekend and are worried its an option. You need to reserve at least a day before you go and is only advertized on the korean site so you would need a Korean to help you book it: http://www.witheverland.com/328 , Instead of doing frequent visits I may invest in one of these and visit the park once or twice a year to avoid headaches

Edited June 9, 2014 by Garet

[urzishra]

Generally, I'll pay whatever price I need to pay to ride the rides I want to ride that day. If that means I need the super fast pass I would get that. I think it has to be a must for parks that open half a day and are crowded. Or go on a weekday.

[Dapalm]

You pay for everything including rides you are not going to ride, so I don't think it's fair to pay even more for some rides. I usually buy fast-pass in the parks I visit (always except it isn't very crowded), and they are pretty expensive, so I understand that a lot of people don't want or can't pay more money. They'll wait more and ride less rides, but at least give them the chance of choosing what they want to ride (especially with a major ride like T-Express)

 

Sorry for my bad english, I'm from Spain and I don't usually have the opportunity of speaking it.

[Garet]

Generally, I'll pay whatever price I need to pay to ride the rides I want to ride that day. If that means I need the super fast pass I would get that. I think it has to be a must for parks that open half a day and are crowded. Or go on a weekday.

 

As a teacher pretty much all the days I visit will either be weekends or the weekdays I can go count as school holidays so I hit the policies no matter what. I agree I'd also buy a pass normally for parks but the super package everland has includes entry and there's no option for people like me who have an annual pass where we can just buy it as an add-on since that one day super package is almost as much as the yearly pass for all my other trips.

 

You pay for everything including rides you are not going to ride, so I don't think it's fair to pay even more for some rides. I usually buy fast-pass in the parks I visit (always except it isn't very crowded), and they are pretty expensive, so I understand that a lot of people don't want or can't pay more money. They'll wait more and ride less rides, but at least give them the chance of choosing what they want to ride (especially with a major ride like T-Express)

 

Sorry for my bad english, I'm from Spain and I don't usually have the opportunity of speaking it.

 

Although that star package for entry and a jump the line pass is a paid package you can reserve, the policies I mentioned above are the free fast pass system the park has once inside, since its the only possible way to ride for a good portion of the day I doubt they'd ever charge for it, they refer to it as a reservation system since your getting tickets that reserve you a place in the line instead of being allowed to just line up when you get there.

 

I used Everland as a big example since this is my local park so it applies most for me and because it's the only park I know of that has 100% fast-pass only rides with no standby lines during certain periods (or all the time as in the hologram) When I created this topic I was more interested in finding out if this was a policy at any other parks or how people would feel about parks they visit or like taking up policies on making rides so they are only 100% time allocated during the busier periods.

 

I do wonder if these fast pass policies would work if a park had a system like my magic+ so you could choose your times in advance instead of the allocated times on the day and having to run down to the entrances but I guess if people got to the park to find tickets sold out with no chance of lining up there would be problems. For what its worth people here seem to be completely fine with the systems, I think the map makes it pretty clear which is why most people will dash to one of the 3-4 ticket offices that allocates the fast pass in the lower ends of the park once gates open.

[Garet]

An update to my original post on our recent trip to Everland they were allowing you to collect fastpass tickets again and again, there was no scanning or checking tickets of any kind so it could be exploited but people for the most part were gratious and took only one per time slot, there were a few who would go to multiple booths across the park but since you ended up in a 30 minute line once you were allowed in it didn't really give you much of an advantage to try and gain more than one per hour.

 

I also finally found an example that wasn't Everland or Harry Potter with Alton Towers doing a trial run of a ride that for now won't have a standby queue and only a ticketed queue:

 

Initially being offered as a free system on the In The Night Garden Magical Boat Ride, the new queue management system will offer guests the opportunity to book a timed slot for the attraction. To take advantage of this new virtual queuing system, guests will be required to collect a ticket from a ride host at the attraction entrance which will detail the time which they can return to experience the ride. This new system means guests are free to explore the rest of the resort whilst queuing virtually for what has proved to be one of the most popular attractions in CBeebies Land, regularly attracting queues of over one hour.

During the trial period, the timed tickets will be the only way to queue for the In The Night Garden Magical Boat Ride. With limited number of tickets per timeslot however, the resort aims to minimise the amount of time guests spend in the queue line, therefore allowing everyone more time to enjoy the rest of the resort. If successful, it is anticipated that this new system will be rolled out to other popular attractions throughout CBeebies Land.

Source:Towers Times

 

I still wonder how people will take to these systems, especially on busy days if tickets run out when we visited Everland Korean's seemed to be enjoying it but we visited on a quiet day and the express tickets for T Express didn't seem to run out at all. There quite a few attractions that were reservation only but you could pick any time of day and things like the kids indoor playground were extremely popular with families which meant you had to be at the park quite early to stand a chance of getting in at a decent time or at all.