Any new news about fast pass plus?

[buzzCMlightyear]

~Wow, I don't know what to say, 80% is a lot. I guess it could eliminate the long wait and hassle for the shows, we'll see. Thanks so much for the update, buzz!

One thing people will hate will be that Fantasmic! FP+ will be in the same grouping as TSMM and RNRC, and you may only pick one!

 

[Peter Pirate 2]

One thing people will hate will be that Fantasmic! FP+ will be in the same grouping as TSMM and RNRC, and you may only pick one!

LOL! Sadly, that makes me a little happy.

 

[DRDISNEYMD]

One thing people will hate will be that Fantasmic! FP+ will be in the same grouping as TSMM and RNRC, and you may only pick one!

~LOL. Thanks so much buzz, for all of this inside info! Personally, I can't wait for Disney to finally start this, it feels like forever. I originally predicted late 2013/early 2014, but I really hope it's sooner. Anyway, please keep me posted!

LOL! Sadly, that makes me a little happy.

~LOL. Oh, Mr Pirate, you are so funny! And, strangely enough, I agree -- for some reason, reading that makes me happy! Pirate, you really need to start a Disney Walmart thread, so I can argue -- I mean discuss it with you. I miss you already!

 

[Peter Pirate 2]

~LOL. Thanks so much buzz, for all of this inside info! Personally, I can't wait for Disney to finally start this, it feels like forever. I originally predicted late 2013/early 2014, but I really hope it's sooner. Anyway, please keep me posted!
~LOL. Oh, Mr Pirate, you are so funny! And, strangely enough, I agree -- for some reason, reading that makes me happy! Pirate, you really need to start a Disney Walmart thread, so I can argue -- I mean discuss it with you. I miss you already!

You miss me? Did I die? I didn't get the memo, I guess.

 

[beer dave]

I once was a HUGE, really HUGE Disney defender but the rose colored glasses no longer fit.

I think my rose colored glasses are like bifocals. If I don't look too close, everything is still rosey.

 

[DRDISNEYMD]

You miss me? Did I die? I didn't get the memo, I guess.

Yay, you came back! I'm so sorry I missed you, Mr. Pirate. Ugh... I just love to argue -- I mean, discuss things with you.

I think my rose colored glasses are like bifocals. If I don't look too close, everything is still rosey.

~LOL. This is too funny, I love your sense of humor!!!

~But, seriously -- there lies truth in jest! Funny but very true! I think some people get so wrapped into the insignificant "details" and "inner workings" that it adversely affects their ability to enjoy what would otherwise be considered a fabulous vacation.

 

[Peter Pirate 2]

I think my rose colored glasses are like bifocals. If I don't look too close, everything is still rosey.

Well, I agree to a point. But my kids are now grown and the fact that I once, not to long ago, paid $79.00 to stay AKL is hard to forget. And (for drdismd) Walmart counts on the bifocal view of Americans.

 

[DRDISNEYMD]

I realize being a disney local "messes with perspective" and so does becoming an empty nester! LOL. And time changes everything, just not as fast as things have changed at Disney (which is my gripe after all, right?). Perhaps that is just my problem...

As for my life on the beach. I absolutely won't complain but lest you think all is just peachy all of the time. We do deal with nearshore pollution. We have one road in and out for 110 miles that gets pretty darned clogged this time of year. We had a "contract" hit attempt recently. While my house is merely 20 yards from the ocean, how do you think we feel during hurricane season (which is six months)? And lastly, most of the "locals" are no longer locals ... They've all relocated (it's not as laid back as it once was).

There, now I hope you can sleep better and realize that "paradise" doesn't really exist.

Drdisneymd, it is truly nice talking to you.

~Dear pirate, its been a minute, but I totally miss talking to you!!! I forgot to mention this, but it sounds like you are indeed the last American, lol. Anyway, I was floored when you said you lived in Northern Michigan! Were you a yooper??? All of my roommates in college (freshman year) were yoopers, lol. OMG, the memories...

Well, I agree to a point. But my kids are now grown and the fact that I once, not to long ago, paid $79.00 to stay AKL is hard to forget. And (for drdismd) Walmart counts on the bifocal view of Americans.

~What's with this terse comment -- can I at least get a paragraph, lol. Do you care to expand on this bifocal view??? I don't know if this is a fair assessment. I don't think a lot of Americans have a "choice" when it comes to shopping there, if Walmart offers the cheapest prices, this is where the masses will go. I purposely avoid Walmart, but I have other options. Clearly, this isn't the case when it comes to Disney World!!!

 

[Peter Pirate 2]

~Dear pirate, its been a minute, but I totally miss talking to you!!! I forgot to mention this, but it sounds like you are indeed the last American, lol. Anyway, I was floored when you said you lived in Northern Michigan! Were you a yooper??? All of my roommates in college (freshman year) were yoopers, lol. OMG, the memories...

~What's with this terse comment -- can I at least get a paragraph, lol. Do you care to expand on this bifocal view??? I don't know if this is a fair assessment. I don't think a lot of Americans have a "choice" when it comes to shopping there, if Walmart offers the cheapest prices, this is where the masses will go. I purposely avoid Walmart, but I have other options. Clearly, this isn't the case when it comes to Disney World!!!

I truly AM the last American! That's settled.

My father, wife and both in laws are yoopers! Me? Mt. Pleasant and Higgins Lake.

All Americans have a choice. Support Adolpf Walton or pay somewhat higher prices and support actual Americans. Just google the Walton trust fund heirs and see if they justify their obscene wealth. Me? I go to mom and pop even it it costs a bit more..

How this relates Disney? Who knows. But I prefer hard, quality work for good money over slick PR and bottom line thinking any day and I try to let Disney know that.

 

[NicoleK1974]

I'm glad that we decided to hold off on our next trip until 2014 in order to be able to stay Club Level at the Poly again, and more importantly so that Fast Pass+ will be up and in full swing.

We got to test it out when we were there in December, and it was AWESOME! AMAZING!! Can't say enough good things about it!

Made us feel like we were super VIP's!!!

If you are a planner, like I am (Disney trips planned down into 30 minute increments!) they are TOTALLY worth it!

I had over 1/2 a day freed up just because of the FP+ and The Toy Story ride!

Originally I had planned on waking up at the crack of dawn, being at HS 45 minutes before the gates opened, standing in line, getting pushed and shoved trying to get a FP for it, and then hanging out until our FP time (HS is the park we spend the LEAST time at).

With the FP+, we were able to make a 2:10pm "appointment time", got up a bit late (8:30ish) had a leisurely breakfast in the lounge, went over and shopped a bit in the stores before getting on the monorail to Epcot to do a few things we missed the day before, then headed over to HS. We got to toy Story Mania about 5 minutes past our FP+ start time, walked through the que and were on the ride in about 5 minutes or so, then we hit the other things we wanted to do before our 5:00 ressies at Sci-Fi!

And the other rides and meet and greets we used them for, we always had less than 5 minute wait!

Unfortunately we actually had a father use some foul language at us and at the cast member because he and his daughters had been waiting 45 minutes to see Mickey Mouse, and we just walked up, showed them our FP+ and walked right in front of them and into the next group that were let into the room.

Oh, and the reserved places for parades and fireworks can't be beat!
No getting there to secure a spot 30-60 minutes prior and just waiting around on a corner.
We got there 5-10 minutes ahead of time and had prime, curb side seats, saved tons of time and got SO much more done than we would have without the FP+!

I am a HUGE fan of them!!!

I know there will be a ton of moaning and complaining, but for the 30% or so of us that are super planners, I think it is an AMAZING opportunity!

I just wish I knew what kind of price tag it is going to have on it or what stipulations it will have with it.

We usually go with a Room Only plan because it is a bigger (military) discount for us, but if they make it part of a package only deal, then we will have some big thinking to do about it!

 

[DRDISNEYMD]

I truly AM the last American! That's settled.

My father, wife and both in laws are yoopers! Me? Mt. Pleasant and Higgins Lake.

All Americans have a choice. Support Adolpf Walton or pay somewhat higher prices and support actual Americans. Just google the Walton trust fund heirs and see if they justify their obscene wealth. Me? I go to mom and pop even it it costs a bit more..

How this relates Disney? Who knows. But I prefer hard, quality work for good money over slick PR and bottom line thinking any day and I try to let Disney know that.

~Omg... you're a Michigander! I just knew there was something special about you!

I'm glad that we decided to hold off on our next trip until 2014 in order to be able to stay Club Level at the Poly again, and more importantly so that Fast Pass+ will be up and in full swing.

We got to test it out when we were there in December, and it was AWESOME! AMAZING!! Can't say enough good things about it!

Made us feel like we were super VIP's!!!

If you are a planner, like I am (Disney trips planned down into 30 minute increments!) they are TOTALLY worth it!

I had over 1/2 a day freed up just because of the FP+ and The Toy Story ride!

Originally I had planned on waking up at the crack of dawn, being at HS 45 minutes before the gates opened, standing in line, getting pushed and shoved trying to get a FP for it, and then hanging out until our FP time (HS is the park we spend the LEAST time at).

With the FP+, we were able to make a 2:10pm "appointment time", got up a bit late (8:30ish) had a leisurely breakfast in the lounge, went over and shopped a bit in the stores before getting on the monorail to Epcot to do a few things we missed the day before, then headed over to HS. We got to toy Story Mania about 5 minutes past our FP+ start time, walked through the que and were on the ride in about 5 minutes or so, then we hit the other things we wanted to do before our 5:00 ressies at Sci-Fi!

And the other rides and meet and greets we used them for, we always had less than 5 minute wait!

Unfortunately we actually had a father use some foul language at us and at the cast member because he and his daughters had been waiting 45 minutes to see Mickey Mouse, and we just walked up, showed them our FP+ and walked right in front of them and into the next group that were let into the room.

Oh, and the reserved places for parades and fireworks can't be beat!
No getting there to secure a spot 30-60 minutes prior and just waiting around on a corner.
We got there 5-10 minutes ahead of time and had prime, curb side seats, saved tons of time and got SO much more done than we would have without the FP+!

I am a HUGE fan of them!!!

I know there will be a ton of moaning and complaining, but for the 30% or so of us that are super planners, I think it is an AMAZING opportunity!

I just wish I knew what kind of price tag it is going to have on it or what stipulations it will have with it.

We usually go with a Room Only plan because it is a bigger (military) discount for us, but if they make it part of a package only deal, then we will have some big thinking to do about it!

~NicoleK, you have made my day, no week, maybe month with this fabulous review!!!

~I love Poly CL, but it's been a couple years since I've visited due to my silent monorail protest, lol. But, the rooms have just been refurbished, so I'm definitely returning! I agree with you that 2014 is going to be a fabulous year to visit! And, I'm also a fan of the room only discount(s).

~I truly appreciate your insightful, well written review on Fastpass Plus! I am more excited than ever now! So, sorry about the rude encounter you had with the dad -- unfortunately, you are not the only one, I've heard of similar incidents, mostly at the parade!

~This review is so fabulous, it deserves a sticky!!! Anyway, thanks so much for sharing your experience! I'm glad you had an amazing vacation & are making plans to return soon!

 

[twebber55]

~Omg... you're a Michigander! I just knew there was something special about you!

~NicoleK, you have made my day, no week, maybe month with this fabulous review!!!

~I love Poly CL, but it's been a couple years since I've visited due to my silent monorail protest, lol. But, the rooms have just been refurbished, so I'm definitely returning! I agree with you that 2014 is going to be a fabulous year to visit! And, I'm also a fan of the room only discount(s).

~I truly appreciate your insightful, well written review on Fastpass Plus! I am more excited than ever now! So, sorry about the rude encounter you had with the dad -- unfortunately, you are not the only one, I've heard of similar incidents, mostly at the parade!

~This review is so fabulous, it deserves a sticky!!! Anyway, thanks so much for sharing your experience! I'm glad you had an amazing vacation & are making plans to return soon!

I too am michigander ypsi/ann arbor area although i dont live there anymore

 

[Annielkd22222]

I'm glad that we decided to hold off on our next trip until 2014 in order to be able to stay Club Level at the Poly again, and more importantly so that Fast Pass+ will be up and in full swing.

We got to test it out when we were there in December, and it was AWESOME! AMAZING!! Can't say enough good things about it!

Made us feel like we were super VIP's!!!

If you are a planner, like I am (Disney trips planned down into 30 minute increments!) they are TOTALLY worth it!

I had over 1/2 a day freed up just because of the FP+ and The Toy Story ride!

Originally I had planned on waking up at the crack of dawn, being at HS 45 minutes before the gates opened, standing in line, getting pushed and shoved trying to get a FP for it, and then hanging out until our FP time (HS is the park we spend the LEAST time at).

With the FP+, we were able to make a 2:10pm "appointment time", got up a bit late (8:30ish) had a leisurely breakfast in the lounge, went over and shopped a bit in the stores before getting on the monorail to Epcot to do a few things we missed the day before, then headed over to HS. We got to toy Story Mania about 5 minutes past our FP+ start time, walked through the que and were on the ride in about 5 minutes or so, then we hit the other things we wanted to do before our 5:00 ressies at Sci-Fi!

And the other rides and meet and greets we used them for, we always had less than 5 minute wait!

Unfortunately we actually had a father use some foul language at us and at the cast member because he and his daughters had been waiting 45 minutes to see Mickey Mouse, and we just walked up, showed them our FP+ and walked right in front of them and into the next group that were let into the room.

Oh, and the reserved places for parades and fireworks can't be beat!
No getting there to secure a spot 30-60 minutes prior and just waiting around on a corner.
We got there 5-10 minutes ahead of time and had prime, curb side seats, saved tons of time and got SO much more done than we would have without the FP+!

I am a HUGE fan of them!!!

I know there will be a ton of moaning and complaining, but for the 30% or so of us that are super planners, I think it is an AMAZING opportunity!

I just wish I knew what kind of price tag it is going to have on it or what stipulations it will have with it.

We usually go with a Room Only plan because it is a bigger (military) discount for us, but if they make it part of a package only deal, then we will have some big thinking to do about it!

You don't say, but how many actual appointments for the rides did you get to make. I wouldn't be satisfied having a whole day with one main ride. I like to hit the main rides several times in a day. We stay on property to take advantage of the extra magic hours....then properly use the fast passes to be able to go on all the rides I want. From what you said you did about one key ride, then supper and a show. That doesn't seem good enough for me.

 

[DRDISNEYMD]

I too am michigander ypsi/ann arbor area although i dont live there anymore

~OMG. I'm in A2, too! I just knew there was something super duper especially cool about you, twebber55!!! That's so awesome -- I swear, it's seems like half of this board is from Michigan.

 

[DrivnMeUpTheWall-E]

Has anyone been on My Disney Experience lately? I have a September trip planned and was looking at 'My Itinerary' - it now gives me the options to book character and parades into my plans. Has anyone else noticed this recent update, or did my vacation clock pass a milestone and these opened up?

Here's a screenshot:

 

[Lindy Loo]

You don't say, but how many actual appointments for the rides did you get to make. I wouldn't be satisfied having a whole day with one main ride. I like to hit the main rides several times in a day. We stay on property to take advantage of the extra magic hours....then properly use the fast passes to be able to go on all the rides I want. From what you said you did about one key ride, then supper and a show. That doesn't seem good enough for me.

I wouldn't be very happy with that day... Against the cost of my Disney ticket. Though i appreciate we all have different "values " of a great day. We would always get fp for toy mania then ride.... Last thing we would ride it too (3 rides) in between we would us fass pass for rrc and tt. really hoping this doesn't start before August. Think it will make our time at Disney more stressful and feel of less value ... :-(

 

[dwheaton]

Personally, I have huge concerns with Fastpass Plus. Like others have already stated, I'd like to ride the big attractions multiple times and think the tiered reservation system is a big negative for guests. I don't see any scenario where the average guests who's visited Disney World before the change will see an improvement on their experience. I don't go to DW to get a front-row seat for a parade or Fantasmic. We go for the entire thing and don't want to be hamstrung by so many restrictions. The convenience of having a set time for a few rides is okay, but what about the rest of the day? It sounds like a complete mess, especially to unsophisticated guests with limited money.

I'm trying to be optimistic and hope that the delays in rolling out this service are due to negative feedback that's already appeared all over the Internet. Disney is a big company that is trying to make profits for its shareholders. However, plenty of large corporations have believed their own hype and lost their edge. Disney made its name on great attractions and amazing service. They haven't been keeping up on attractions, and Fastpass Plus is a reduction in service to nearly every guest.

I've heard rumors that even the number of Fastpasses will be different based on the choice of resort on site. The time to book the FPs is much shorter with off-site guests, and it creates a class system of theme park visitors. At least Universal does it simply. If you stay on site, you get to the front of the line. Disney's Fastpass Plus system is purposely confusing and designed to have guests visit fewer attractions in a day. There may be a point where it's just not feasible for a family to visit DW and truly get the value for the ticket price.

Just so everyone's aware, I'm a huge Disney fan and not trying to be a troll in any way. I just hope Disney knows what they're doing with the guests by instituting this system.

 

[doconeill]

Personally, I have huge concerns with Fastpass Plus. Like others have already stated, I'd like to ride the big attractions multiple times and think the tiered reservation system is a big negative for guests. I don't see any scenario where the average guests who's visited Disney World before the change will see an improvement on their experience. I don't go to DW to get a front-row seat for a parade or Fantasmic. We go for the entire thing and don't want to be hamstrung by so many restrictions. The convenience of having a set time for a few rides is okay, but what about the rest of the day? It sounds like a complete mess, especially to unsophisticated guests with limited money.

Valid reasons to be concerned...but they aren't necessarily trying to help out you with this...presumably they are trying to help Joe Average Guest.

I'm trying to be optimistic and hope that the delays in rolling out this service are due to negative feedback that's already appeared all over the Internet. Disney is a big company that is trying to make profits for its shareholders. However, plenty of large corporations have believed their own hype and lost their edge. Disney made its name on great attractions and amazing service. They haven't been keeping up on attractions, and Fastpass Plus is a reduction in service to nearly every guest.

The delays, to this point, seem to revolve around the fact that they can't get anything to work consistently. To use FP+, you HAVE to have an MDE account. But people have trouble logging in, the information about their party is inconsistent, reservations disappear, etc. Then add the MDE app, which is even worse than the web site at those things. Poor Wi-Fi in the parks. Add those three together and good luck looking up your FP+ and making changes...

And they really can't give out a MagicBand until they can get that to work properly.

I've heard rumors that even the number of Fastpasses will be different based on the choice of resort on site. The time to book the FPs is much shorter with off-site guests, and it creates a class system of theme park visitors. At least Universal does it simply. If you stay on site, you get to the front of the line. Disney's Fastpass Plus system is purposely confusing and designed to have guests visit fewer attractions in a day. There may be a point where it's just not feasible for a family to visit DW and truly get the value for the ticket price.

All unsubstantiated rumors at this point. There is nothing real to suggest that resort guests will get any more FP+s (they likely stems from very ancient rumors), or more lead time (everything points to the same 60 days). Right now, everything is keyed to your admission media according to the terms and conditions. Resort guests with packages get MYW tickets like everyone else.

Alas, there are a lot of people already out there who believe that it will be resort only, etc. despite Disney's statements to the contrary.

Of course, it could all change, since it isn't out yet.

 

[dwheaton]

Good points about who they're targeting. The crazy thing for me is that I feel like this is even more disruptive to the Average Guest. I'm sure that smart people who really plan can find ways to still visit all the attractions despite the system. It may take very early arrivals and staying until closing time, but there's surely a way. I expect it could be even more confusing for the Average Guest.

In terms of things working, I really wonder if even the brightest minds can coordinate this properly. Disney has a hard time doing simpler things on the website like you mention. They better have their stuff together if they're going to roll this new system out to everyone.

I'm trying to stay optimistic. Fastpass probably sounded bad at first. There just seems to be so little information, and the rumors even from pretty reputable sources all sound bad. We'll see.

 

[OklahomaTourist]

This is purely my own opinion and inference drawn from various things I've read, but I believe if you were a fly on the wall at Disney re the planning and implementation of MyMagic+ and FP+, you'd be likely to hear one or more of the following:

1. The infrastructure needed to support the robust WiFi assumed to be in place for in-park leverage of things like MDE has been vastly underestimated.
2. The reliability of Wifi has been vastly overestimated.
3. The pieces to the broader puzzle that is MyMagic+, FP+, etc etc has evolved into a juggling of chainsaws that was not expected to be nearly so complex.
4. The intricate interconnection of the "experience" within the fabric of WDW has proven to reveal more problems than were ever anticipated.
5. Testing has only been to the extent the "petrie dish" models imagined, which is vastly different from the real-world, day-to-day application. And that's every software developer's simultaneous life and nightmare.

I think Disney is having to replot how to test and deploy this monster in order to even begin to understand its complexities. Maybe I'm wrong and things will get turned on tomorrow, but I seriously doubt it. I suspect you'll see multiple, shorter, "bite-size" testing of pieces in the near future as they try to get a better handle on each of the million elements to this logistical, electronic monster...