FP+ is Live! Magic Bands in the park!

[disneyfan888]

Any official news as to how fast+ will work for AP holders??

 

[buzzCMlightyear]

When might MDE be updated to allow AP holders to link their tickets so we'll have the option to do FP+? Being a DVCer and AP holder I want to participate but m unable to until I can do this. Right now it appears to only be for package holdera

Like I stated in the original post, we are currently in Phase 1 of the roll out.

I'll list what I have been told the phases will be. This is only what I have been told, will probably change as it happens, so bear with me.

Phase 1: 100 FP+ Guests throughtout all four parks, resort guests only.
Phase 2: Increase number of Resort only guests, no estimate at this time.
Phase 3: Increase Resort guest number again, start allowing some AP.
Phase 4: All resort guests, all AP.
Phase 5: All guests.

No estimated dates for any of the phases as of this time. Probably depends how phase 1 and 2 work out.

 

[Happy99]

What happens if the attraction you have a FP for closes for any reason? You will receive an email/text about this downtime, and will be asked to go to the app on your phone/computer/kiosk and will be able to switch your FP to another attraction. Big attractions, like TSMM, like NOT be able to be switched to.

I've got a few hours fee, ask away.

What happens with people that do not have a smart phone? How would they get notice. Or how about people that do not travel with their cell phones? Yes there are still some, I am not one but I do know people that have just regular cell phones that they cannot get email / text, etc

 

[hgeisler]

While many people are freaking out about this I'm of the belief that Disney is doing this to improve the Disney Experience, not ruin it. The goal of any business, especially Disney, is to make money. They don't make money by making the experience less fun and having people wait in longer lines. They make money by getting you through that line as quick as possible and dumping you into the themed store at the end of the ride where, while you are pumped up with enthusiasm from the ride, will buy their products. They want you out in the park buying food and drinks from the carts or in the stores buying merchandise. If you have to wait an hour per ride they aren't accomplishing that and people won't return, which is another key metric.

They want to expedite people through the turnstiles at the gates as well as on the rides. If you have to camp out for a half hour or hour before a parade or show to get a spot then again you aren't experiencing the park. If you have to split up your party to get fastpasses and you're rushing around to find one another how much fun is that? And since the bulk of the guests likely aren't early risers or super planners, giving them the option of scheduling a few things is probably a bonus. Embracing the technology (smartphones) that a significant portion of the world has is also smart. I would expect to see other parks follow similar patterns once this is rolled out completely.

No company makes profits year after year by alienating it's customer base.

I agree. I'm not a commando tourer, so this doesn't really stress out. I just find it interesting. I think part of the reason they are changing the fp system is that it became flawed. People started having to show up at rope drop to get passes for things like TSM, because if you didn't they'd be out of passes by 11 am.You also have those that get fp that they don't even use. Then when people found out they didn't have to return for the ride between the times allotted, that would cause a build up in the crowds in the fp lines, because the return times were not being evenly tiered anymore. I'm sure that's what led to the fp time enforcement. I think by limiting the amount of fp per day, it will cause people not to waste their choices, and because of the time period being enforced it will help on back up. I guess time will tell.

 

[csmommy]

Like I stated in the original post, we are currently in Phase 1 of the roll out.

I'll list what I have been told the phases will be. This is only what I have been told, will probably change as it happens, so bear with me.

Phase 1: 100 FP+ Guests throughtout all four parks, resort guests only.
Phase 2: Increase number of Resort only guests, no estimate at this time.
Phase 3: Increase Resort guest number again, start allowing some AP.
Phase 4: All resort guests, all AP.
Phase 5: All guests.

No estimated dates for any of the phases as of this time. Probably depends how phase 1 and 2 work out.

Do you know will they handle the non-expiring ticket holders? Thank you!

 

[myhouseofmouse]

Buzz,

Thank you for all the information. For all of us who are excited about the changes (weather good or not), it is all very helpful and appreciated. So Thank you!!!

 

[buzzCMlightyear]

What happens with people that do not have a smart phone? How would they get notice. Or how about people that do not travel with their cell phones? Yes there are still some, I am not one but I do know people that have just regular cell phones that they cannot get email / text, etc

They will just find out when they reach the attraction and will then be directed to a kiosk/GR to change their FP if they'd like.

Do you know will they handle the non-expiring ticket holders? Thank you!

In the long run, they will change their tickets at the GR booths before entering.

In the short run, they will still have traditional turnstiles the tickets can be used at. They will still have these until traditional FP is phased out.

 

[buzzCMlightyear]

Any official news as to how fast+ will work for AP holders??

Same way it will work for everyone else. I don't see them getting anything more or less than others.

 

[teentoddlermom]

Hope so much AP holders can take advantage soon! Going back in 2 months

 

[ChuckGA]

While many people are freaking out about this I'm of the belief that Disney is doing this to improve the Disney Experience, not ruin it. The goal of any business, especially Disney, is to make money. They don't make money by making the experience less fun and having people wait in longer lines. They make money by getting you through that line as quick as possible and dumping you into the themed store at the end of the ride where, while you are pumped up with enthusiasm from the ride, will buy their products. They want you out in the park buying food and drinks from the carts or in the stores buying merchandise. If you have to wait an hour per ride they aren't accomplishing that and people won't return, which is another key metric.

They want to expedite people through the turnstiles at the gates as well as on the rides. If you have to camp out for a half hour or hour before a parade or show to get a spot then again you aren't experiencing the park. If you have to split up your party to get fastpasses and you're rushing around to find one another how much fun is that? And since the bulk of the guests likely aren't early risers or super planners, giving them the option of scheduling a few things is probably a bonus. Embracing the technology (smartphones) that a significant portion of the world has is also smart. I would expect to see other parks follow similar patterns once this is rolled out completely.

No company makes profits year after year by alienating it's customer base.

Just because Disney to increase profits and that it might improve the guest experience doesn't mean it does. Not every idea is a good one.

Let's take a relatively recent example.
The problem: Disney buses were dedicated to a park/resort(s) loop. This resulted in many times where a bus would be running almost empty because there just wasn't anyone at those resorts at that time who wanted to go to that park but there would be some waiting for another park.
The solution: Put Disney buses on an open schedule so they would be redirected before each dropoff where they were to head next.
The intended result: People would be waiting less, buses would run fuller, and they wouldn't need as many buses.

Why this fails: The function they are optimizing just tries to minimize the total amount of wait time across all people. So if 99 people wait 1 minute less and 1 person waits 89 minutes longer, they have saved 10 wait-minutes. Sounds great unless you are that one person.

Before you could be assured that a bus would be along within 15 minutes (20 if you just missed it). With the new system, if your family was the only one wanting to go to MK while groups of 4-5 families kept coming out for AK every 10 minutes, your family would be sacrificed to keep waiting while each new bus arriving would be heading for AK since five families is greater than one. Eventually they would send an MK bus regardless but that is not what people expect or want. Now this isn't exactly how it works but that was the idea and the actual implementation didn't result in the theoretical optimal solution anyway so the new system is worse for guests. Maybe someone should have run the math that said "Even if we add more buses, the incremental cost of the bus is more than made up for the guests spending their time and money in the park rather than waiting for the bus."

FP+ has all the earmarks of unintended consequences that mathematically look good but guests' emotional human judgement rates it poor.

 

[iheartjuppy]

We just got back from six days in the parks and I was not once, ever, able to get the My Disney Experience app to work in the parks for more than five minutes at a time. I tried over 3G and over wifi in each of the four parks with no luck, on three different iPhones. Hoping it works better for those in the tests, since they'll be pretty unhappy if they can't connect to MDE to make those FP+ reservations.

 

[buzzCMlightyear]

We just got back from six days in the parks and I was not once, ever, able to get the My Disney Experience app to work in the parks for more than five minutes at a time. I tried over 3G and over wifi in each of the four parks with no luck, on three different iPhones. Hoping it works better for those in the tests, since they'll be pretty unhappy if they can't connect to MDE to make those FP+ reservations.

What can you not get to work? I have never had a problem with the app.

 

[AngiTN]

I am surprised so many say they have issues with the app or the web site.

On my iPhone 5, I have never had one issue. All of my plans show up and the site loads very quickly.

Can I ask what kind of computer and phone are people using when they have issues?

My sister will be using a galaxy 3 when she travels. I wonder if the issues are all with android phones.

I've used both iPad and Driod and both are questionable in what reservations choose to show up on a given day and both are slow to the point of useless when in the parks. So issues are with all OS, not just one.

 

[iheartjuppy]

It would be connecting, initializing or "finalizing" on an endless loop. I could sometimes get to the screen that said "here and now" but not any further. I was incredibly frustrated every time I tried to use it. I couldn't cancel an ADR, or even confirm our ADR times while in the parks, I had to go back to my original emails. I wasted far too much battery trying it!

 

[baler31]

We have used Iphone and Samsung Galaxy and had only sporadic success getting the app to work.

 

[ghtx]

I've used both iPad and Driod and both are questionable in what reservations choose to show up on a given day and both are slow to the point of useless when in the parks. So issues are with all OS, not just one.

It would be connecting, initializing or "finalizing" on an endless loop. I could sometimes get to the screen that said "here and now" but not any further. I was incredibly frustrated every time I tried to use it. I couldn't cancel an ADR, or even confirm our ADR times while in the parks, I had to go back to my original emails. I wasted far too much battery trying it!

We have used Iphone and Samsung Galaxy and had only sporadic success getting the app to work.

Not sure if it is the app's fault, or the bad wireless at the parks. In October, I could barely use the park's wifi, though I wasn't trying to use MDE.

 

[AngiTN]

Not sure if it is the app's fault, or the bad wireless at the parks. In October, I could barely use the park's wifi, though I wasn't trying to use MDE.

I don't even bother with the wireless in the parks. That is awful. I turned that off and stuck to 4G. We upped our wireless data plan for the month we made our trip just so we could use it without worry. The issues really do lie with the functionality of the ap. That should be clear by the sheer number of people who find it doesn't work correctly and consistently.

DH and I made our last trip with phones that were 1 week old so it wasn't even like they had been bogged down with aps running and hogging resources.

 

[aVASTGrl]

Not sure if it is the app's fault, or the bad wireless at the parks. In October, I could barely use the park's wifi, though I wasn't trying to use MDE.

This was the issue I had last October as well. I was constantly being booted from the Park wifi, and it was very slow when it did work. I couldn't use my wireless network because T-Mobile didn't have any service in the area. This time around I have Verizon so I'm hoping their network will work better than the Disney wifi.

I haven't had a problem using the MDE app outside of the Parks.

 

[iheartjuppy]

I tried it on wifi and on the 3G Verizon network with identical results. And one of the iPhones was purchased on Monday afternoon and MDE still didn't work on Monday evening, so it wasn't an old phone issue either (iPhone 4, iPhone 4S and a second iPhone 4S all with the latest updates to iOS installed).

 

[Tink3rbell86]

I am surprised so many say they have issues with the app or the web site.

On my iPhone 5, I have never had one issue. All of my plans show up and the site loads very quickly.

Can I ask what kind of computer and phone are people using when they have issues?

My sister will be using a galaxy 3 when she travels. I wonder if the issues are all with android phones.

iphone 5 a mac and ipad. everything loads fine, the actually server (i assume) isnt able to pull my reservations to the app.