Archive for July 28th, 2009

The Orlando Sentinel had an article a few days ago about the testing of a centralized FastPass system at Disney’s Animal Kingdom in the Walt Disney World® Resort.  Located in the FastPass area formerly used for It’s Tough to Be a Bug, it allowed guests to obtain FastPasses for three of the most popular attractions:  Dinosaur, Expedition Everest, and Kilimanjaro Safaris. 

Unlike the normal FastPass kiosks, which are still operating at the individual attractions, no ride times were posted, but cast members were available to answer questions about return times. 

It’s difficult to calculate whether or not part of the success of the current arrangement has to do with the fact that many people are unwilling to crisscross the parks in pursuit of passes and return times.  If every guest who steps through the turnstiles immediately heads over to the FastPass area to pick up passes for the entire day, will the result be huge lines here with frustrated guests, much longer waits in the FastPass lanes, or an orderly distribution of passengers at each attraction throughout the day? 

As always, there’s a great deal of speculation and controversy surrounding the experiment.  Some are concerned that such a system would regiment their day; others are afraid that this is the first step in a plan to offer some type of “premium” FastPass, available at an additional charge or as part of a stay in one of the Deluxe Resorts.  While the concept is clearly in its early stages of development, it will be interesting to see how it plays out.