calena said:
Hydro Guy = I'm lost so I guess I need to go back and read your DL guide for WDW vets again. How did you get so many fastpasses... if memory serves me right you have to wait until you are allowed to get another one a certain time. It looks like you got several within a short time frame. Am I confused or am I mixing this up with the Universal system (can't remember what that was called but the machines did not work as well as the WDW fastpass system).
Deb
Sorry, in my effort to summarize I did not give details and thus confused you.
For regular guests using FP, you can get another FP set 40-120 minutes after you got your most recent FP. So on Aug 2 here is how we did FP (this is not a list of everything we did at DLR - just the things related to FP or will help one understand our schedule related to FP):
8AM - got Space Mtn FP (return window 8:40-9:40AM - next potential FP at 8:40AM) and then headed to Fantasyland
8:50AM - tried to get Splash Mtn FP, but the ride was down and when that happens they turn off FP machines. Decided to not lose the FP opportunity and headed to Indiana Jones to get a FP there
8:55AM - got Indiana Jones FP (return window 9:35-10:35AM - next potential FP at 9:35AM)
9:35AM - got Splash Mtn FP - the ride was back up (return window was about 10:30-11:30AM)
10:15AM - hopped into DCA - DL FP windows do not apply at DCA
10:20AM - got Soarin FP (return window 11:00AM-12:00PM - next potential FP at DCA at 11:00AM)
10:25AM - got Grizzly RR FP (this is disconnected from the DCA FP network and thus the next 11AM FP time did not apply - the return time for GRR FP was 11:05AM-12:05PM)
Rode Monsters Inc and then California Screamin thru standby and when we got off Screamin it was almost 11AM and I could get the next DCA FP at 11AM.
11AM - got California Screamin FP (for a second ride later - return window 11:40AM-12:40PM - next potential DCA FP at 11:40AM)
Rode Soarin with FP and had lunch.
11:55AM - rode California Screamin for 2nd time, this time using FP - although the standby line was not that long - maybe 15-20 minutes
12:00PM - got off California Screamin and got a second FP set for Screamin just in case we came back to DCA later that day - we were thinking about hopping back at 5PM for the Block Party Bash which we had never seen - return window was 12:45-1:45PM - next potential DCA FP at 12:45PM
12:05PM - rode GRR with FP
12:15PM - got second set of FPs for GRR for same reason as Screamin in case we came back - and once again could do this because GRR is disconnected
2PM - hopped back to DL
2:15PM - got Buzz Lightyear FP (return window 3:05-4:05PM - next potential FP at 3:05PM)
2:20PM - used Space Mtn FP from first thing this morning - standby line was 60 minutes - we waited 10
3:05PM - while DS13 held a seat for the 3:15 Parade of Dreams I got a second FP set for Space Mtn (return window 8:40-9:40PM - since the window was 5+ hours away (i.e., over 2 hours away), the 2 hour rule applied for next potential FP and hence I could get the next DL FP at 5:05PM
3:15PM - watched Parade
4PM - used Splash Mtn FP from early morning - standby line was 60 minutes - we waited 10
4:30PM - used Indiana Jones FP from early morning - standby line was 45 minutes - we waited 10
5PM - Hopped back to DCA to watch Block Party Bash in Sunshine Plaza
5:35PM - used second California Screamin FP set to ride Screamin for third time (I like this ride but once would have been enough for me - DS13 pushed for the second and third ride and we were able to work it in). The standby line was about 25-30 minutes if I remember right
5:55PM - used second GRR FP set to ride GRR for second time
6:10PM - hopped back to DL
6:15PM - could have gotten another DL FP set at 5:05PM if we were in the park, but we were at DCA. So now I got a second FP set for Buzz Lightyear even though we had not yet used the set I got at 2:15PM. The return window was 7:10-8:10PM. The next potential DL FP was at 7:10PM.
6:20 - had dinner
7PM - rode Buzz Lightyear using first set of FPs
7:15PM - rode Buzz Lightyear a second time using second set of FPs
7:30PM - went to Big Thunder Mtn RR to get a FP set (which we rode standby at 8:45AM with a 2 minute wait). BTMRR always has FPs available at this time of day, but the FP machines were turned off. I was so surprised by this that I asked the CM and at first he gave me the easy answer that BTMRR had run out of FPs for the day. When I responded that BTMRR never runs out of FPs at 7:30 in the evening he agreed and gave me the more complicated answer that someone had tampered with the BTMRR FP machines in some way and they had to close them down. The standby line was posted as 35 minutes so we decided to skip a second ride on BTMRR. If were so inclined at this point we could have gone back to Buzz Lightyear and gotten a 3rd FP set there but we decided to call it quits for FP that day.
7:40PM - decided to give Splash Mtn another shot. We had already rode it once this afternoon with FP. The standby line was now 60 minutes and we did not have any Splash FPs. Since there were only the two of us today, we decided to do something I have never tried before which was use the Splash Mtn single rider line. This is where you agree to have your group split up when they need a single rider to fill a log. We went to the FP return line and asked for single rider passes of which we got two - one for each of us. We were directed to walk into Splash Mtn thru the exit and when we did this we were directed into a special single rider line where there were already two people. After a few minutes they were selected and then we lucked out big time when they needed two people quickly and did not have time to check the regular line for a group of two and told us to hurry to the front log. So we got to ride together after all and we waited about 5 minutes altogether.
8:30PM - found a spot to rest our tired bodies in the hub and waited for fireworks to start (55 minutes away) - could have still gotten a good spot at 9PM but we were not taking chances plus we were pretty tired
9:25PM - watched fireworks
9:50PM - used second set of Space Mtn FPs for a second ride
All in all we got on 22 rides and used 6 FP sets at DCA and 6 FP sets at DL, plus one single rider pass at DL Splash Mtn. And we would have had a 7th FP set at DL Big Thunder Mtn RR but they had to shut down the FP machines early. Plus we got to see two parades and one fireworks show.
The only times we truly hurried was first thing in the morning to get Space Mtn FPs and then to Fantasyland. And then we hurried when we hopped to DCA for the first time. I was planning to get to DCA to 10AM but we got stuck in the POTC line when the ride broke down when we were almost on the ride and this delayed us getting out of DL and into DCA. So we hurried from POTC to DCA. Other than that we just walked at a reasonable pace.
For everyone's info, my detailed FP advice is given here:
"Getting the Most Out of FastPass During High Season"
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=885132
