It’s hard to believe, but Fastpass has been around at the Disney parks for 20 years now. There have been additions and changes to the system over the years, as well as endless operational tweaks. In 2017, a digital version of Fastpass called MaxPass was rolled out at Disneyland which no longer required paper tickets. The system has slowly grown in popularity and increased the overall number of guests using the digital rather than paper option.
As the number of guests booking their Fastpasses on their phones via the MaxPass system increases, the need for physical Fastpass machines decreases. That creates an opportunity for the park to start reclaiming the space used by some of the Fastpass machines for other purposes.
New consolidated paperless Fastpass distribution system on the way to Tomorrowland
We’ve been following a construction project in Tomorrowland that appears to be the consolidation of the Fastpass system in the land. When complete, guests will be able to book all of their Tomorrowland attraction Fastpasses from touch screens in front of the Tomorrowland Theater (where Path of the Jedi is shown).
This new system will begin testing mid-October (likely October 15th). If all goes well, Disney will be able to remove the traditional Fastpass machines from elsewhere in the land, freeing up space for expanded queues, seating, and stroller parking.
The Touch Screens will allow guests to select the Tomorrowland FastPass attraction of their choice (or they can continue to use MaxPass on their phones). The system will also be paperless, so no reminder tickets will be printed. Guests can link their park admission to the Disneyland app for reminders, or they can take a photo of their ride confirmation or write it down as a reminder of when to go to the attraction.
Guests will continue to scan their park admission at Fastpass Return, that part of the system has not changed.
In theory, it sounds like a reasonable evolution of the Fastpass system, but we’ll have to view it in operation to see how it impacts guests. Communication on where to find the machines will be important, as will instructions on how to use the new touch screens. But if this works, Disneyland could consolidate its entire Fastpass network into a small number of Fastpass kiosk locations throughout the Resort.
What Do You Think?
Will the new system be a success? Do you think that the elimination of most Fastpass machines could result in the service being added to some attractions which couldn’t support it before? Perhaps for Peter Pan, Millennium Falcon, and other attractions? What would you like to see happen with spaces such as the beautiful Haunted Mansion Fastpass distribution garden? Let us know in the comments below.
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