Introduced in 1999, the FastPass system revolutionized theme park queue management with a very simple concept: show up early at the ride you want to ride, get a ticket with an appointment time (usually a window of about an hour), and then go do other stuff until it’s time to ride the ride.
Considering that many of Disney’s marquee attractions present visitors with wait times of an hour or more, the FastPass greatly reduced the frustration felt by many visitors who left the parks thinking all their time had been spent in long lines for two-minute attractions.
It also introduced brand-new levels of confusion: How much does it cost? (Nothing.) What if you miss your appointment? (You have to wait in the regular Standby line.) Why do I have to swipe my park admission ticket? (Because you can only have one FastPass at a time.)
Ironically, the system has proved so successful that many of the high-profile rides run out of FastPasses by mid-afternoon, meaning that many park visitors wind up in the Standby line anyway; but the passes are still a good option for those who arrive early at the parks.