Conclusion - Need to Book FP+ as soon as possible

[cakebaker]

But wouldn't that make this thread equally as misleading?

Not only that, but at least in the other thread the OP made it clear he was speaking only for him, in this thread people are told they should do what the OP suggests.

 

[Mad Hattered]

Jade1 is a dude?

 

[cakebaker]

Jade1 is a dude?

I have no idea, it's just my habit to refer to posters as "he" unless I know otherwise. My apologies to him if he's a she.

 

[agavegirl1]

I really hope this doesn't turn into a debate of semantics. Just assume the title of the thread is opinion. As for me, I have mixed feelings. Booking earlier does assure you FP+ that coordinate well with ADRs but situations change constantly while you are on site. For me, I wish the option existed to select one or two of your FP+. Booking a random FP+ you don't know if you will even use in order to change it later, results in someone else not getting that FP+ in advance should they want it. We should be able to leave it open for later booking.

 

[WillAustin]

I really hope this doesn't turn into a debate of semantics. Just assume the title of the thread is opinion. As for me, I have mixed feelings. Booking earlier does assure you FP+ that coordinate well with ADRs but situations change constantly while you are on site. For me, I wish the option existed to select one or two of your FP+. Booking a random FP+ you don't know if you will even use in order to change it later, results in someone else not getting that FP+ in advance should they want it. We should be able to leave it open for later booking.

Yes, it's ridiculous that for each day you have to pick 3 or none at all. A lot of people have complained about it since FP+ was rolled out.

 

[mesaboy2]

But wouldn't that make this thread equally as misleading?
I don't know about you--but I don't make my vacation decisions based upon a thread title only. If anyone is misled by doing that, that is of their own doing if they opted to not actually read past the headline.

Of course. I think the OP's intention is clear--provide an equally ridiculous title and then qualify it in the fine print.

 

[lauradis]

I will be booking FP+ first day I can, then I will be changing them as it fits our plans, then I will change them in the park if so desired.

So OP and all the newbies out there book what ever you like or can get, because Disney makes everything changeable with in limits.

Personally my trip will not be ruined if I dont get what I want in fp+ because yes I could always just go old school and stand in line.

Really this debate of fp+ wants is getting

 

[Shaden]

My main point here, as explained in the first post was that literally every moment you wait to book your FPs decreases the chances you will get the attractions you want at the time you want.

FP+ doesn't guarantee you anything, not even at 60 days. Its wrong to categorize it as giving you the "opportunity" to get what you want, while Legacy gave you the "chance". FP+ still only gives you the chance.

Now, I will gladly admit that the chance of getting what you want if you book at 60 days out is greater than if you walked into the park under legacy FP.

But there is a big trade off there. Under legacy FP you could get whatever you wanted as long as you went in the morning and pulled your FPs then, even during moderately busy days we could still pull 8, 10, 12 FPs. Reriding headliners repeatedly, waiting no more than 20 mins for any ride, most far less. The potential of this is much lower under FP+. So yes, the chance to get what you want for your first 3, increased under FP+ as long as you book in advance, but the chance of getting what you want (or even getting) a 4th, 5th, 8th, 10th FP ? Much lower.

And of course, the value of FP+ the "Chance" of getting what you want, decreases daily, even hourly from your 60 day mark.

Posting that there is no need to book FPs in advance because your experience, even multiple people's experience, worked, is not only misleading, it is irresponsible and unfair to those who come here looking for advice, particularly when the poster is well aware their experience isn't universal, indeed it is far from it when there are so many reports of the exact opposite happening, people trying on the 60 day mark and not getting what they want, or their 30 day mark and being blocked out, or the day before or day of. How many people have we seen post about being unable to get the selections they wanted at 60 days, or 30 days, Dozens ... over a hundred, hundreds ?

No, not the same 5 or 6 people anymore than the same 5 people who post about how awesome FP+ is and then all like each other's posts, dozens and dozens of people. Posting that there is no need to prebook your FPs, when you know that for many people they have -not- been able to get what they want, just irresponsible.

There is the potential that they will follow that advice, only to find they can't get what they want when they want, and while to some us of that's not a huge deal, to them it very well might be.

 

[momof2n2]

But there is a big trade off there. Under legacy FP you could get whatever you wanted as long as you went in the morning and pulled your FPs then, even during moderately busy days we could still pull 8, 10, 12 FPs. Reriding headliners repeatedly, waiting no more than 20 mins for any ride, most far less. The potential of this is much lower under FP+. So yes, the chance to get what you want for your first 3, increased under FP+ as long as you book in advance, but the chance of getting what you want (or even getting) a 4th, 5th, 8th, 10th FP ? Much lower.

Shaden - you are killing me. Just when I think maybe I can put the good old days behind me this comes along.
{insert cheesy death scene here}

But - honestly - it is a good reality check. I'm here on TPAS because last year we dumped our WDW plans. DH, the older kids, and I discussed the how FP+ was going to change our touring and collectively decided we couldn't get excited about that kind of vacation. And it wasn't easy. Due to new babies (and losses) we'd already been THREE years without a visit to the World. But we know what we like - ride and reride our favorites - and we didn't feel like we had it in us to dump $2500 into that (for us) lesser experience.

Fast forward to this March - as I booked a 7-night cruise our of Miami at an incredible rate we realized we'd have vacation money to spare and - gee - we are driving right by WDW. I suggested, "Let's give it a try!" DH and DS#1 are not all that convinced we should bother. But this soft-hearted Mommy wants her youngest DDs to see the castle, eat at Akershus, and ride TSMM. So - I'm on a one-woman campaign to convince my family that "One-and-done-is-better-than-nothing, right?" (How is that for a new slogan?)

So - I'm working on making a "good enough" experience for us. (Yes, that is pathetic.) I'm reading this board again. I'm strategizing with throwaway rooms. It's WAY MORE COMPLICATED than it ever, ever used to be.

And I had just about bought in to the "good enough" mentality when you had to go and remind me how awesome it used to be.
The one saving grace for me is that it will have been FIVE YEARS since we were in WDW. Five! We used to go twice a year! I think it will only be DH, DS#1 and I who really remember what it is we are missing. If I can just keep my mouth shut and not keep mentioning how much it stinks I think we will have a nice family vacation.

All that to say -- didn't I read this same thread last year with all the same people saying all the same things?

No, not the same 5 or 6 people anymore than the same 5 people who post about how awesome FP+ is and then all like each other's posts, dozens and dozens of people.

But - by this I meant we still have the same folks who feel FP+ works great for them, and the same group of us who genuinely miss FP-. Group A can't change group B's opinions, or vice versa. But I want this board to be a place where both groups can share FREELY what their goals and experiences are. But just having been back the last few weeks I feel like one group gets way more airtime than the other. I'd love to see more threads by people who hated FP+ but how they salvaged their vacation, or strategies for re-riding (if possible), etc.

 

[lauradis]

My main point here, as explained in the first post was that literally every moment you wait to book your FPs decreases the chances you will get the attractions you want at the time you want.

FP+ doesn't guarantee you anything, not even at 60 days. Its wrong to categorize it as giving you the "opportunity" to get what you want, while Legacy gave you the "chance". FP+ still only gives you the chance.

Now, I will gladly admit that the chance of getting what you want if you book at 60 days out is greater than if you walked into the park under legacy FP.

But there is a big trade off there. Under legacy FP you could get whatever you wanted as long as you went in the morning and pulled your FPs then, even during moderately busy days we could still pull 8, 10, 12 FPs. Reriding headliners repeatedly, waiting no more than 20 mins for any ride, most far less. The potential of this is much lower under FP+. So yes, the chance to get what you want for your first 3, increased under FP+ as long as you book in advance, but the chance of getting what you want (or even getting) a 4th, 5th, 8th, 10th FP ? Much lower.

And of course, the value of FP+ the "Chance" of getting what you want, decreases daily, even hourly from your 60 day mark.

Posting that there is no need to book FPs in advance because your experience, even multiple people's experience, worked, is not only misleading, it is irresponsible and unfair to those who come here looking for advice, particularly when the poster is well aware their experience isn't universal, indeed it is far from it when there are so many reports of the exact opposite happening, people trying on the 60 day mark and not getting what they want, or their 30 day mark and being blocked out, or the day before or day of. How many people have we seen post about being unable to get the selections they wanted at 60 days, or 30 days, Dozens ... over a hundred, hundreds ?

No, not the same 5 or 6 people anymore than the same 5 people who post about how awesome FP+ is and then all like each other's posts, dozens and dozens of people. Posting that there is no need to prebook your FPs, when you know that for many people they have -not- been able to get what they want, just irresponsible.

There is the potential that they will follow that advice, only to find they can't get what they want when they want, and while to some us of that's not a huge deal, to them it very well might be.

FP+ wasn't designed to allow guest to get "what they want" it was designed to make people comment to more reservations.

Since the invention of trip adviser sites people have been researching and planning more, so in disney fashion Disney is taking it to the next crazy level.

FP+ is simply to make guest comment to a park and time, to keep you in the park longer.

The longer you are in the park the more money you will spend the more commented to your plan the more likely you will show up.

 

[momof2n2]

FP+ wasn't designed to allow guest to get "what they want" it was designed to make people comment to more reservations.

Since the invention of trip adviser sites people have been researching and planning more, so in disney fashion Disney is taking it to the next crazy level.

FP+ is simply to make guest comment to a park and time, to keep you in the park longer.

The longer you are in the park the more money you will spend the more commented to your plan the more likely you will show up.

Yeah, but see, if you like my family and are there to ride rides, you're actually just spending more time in line, right? I will not be spending more money if I am spending more time in line.

Unless, of course, I am using my smart phone to buy similar products on Amazon prime like I did last year at downtown Disney. It was so much fun to come home and have a bunch of boxes waiting for us with all the things we had seen in the stores. That was even better than having them delivered to a hotel room.

 

[itchin2go]

The whole "Conclusion" title thing reminds me of Dwight Schrute from the Office, when he would say, "FACT".

Posted in both threads for equal opportunity laughs.

 

[wisblue]

Here's my bottom line on this.

Since FP+ has been in place, I have had visits to WDW in which I could make FP+ reservations 60 days in advance, some in which we have only been able to get FPs same day, and one in which we decided to go less than 60 days away.

When I have the chance, I will make FP+ reservations 60 days out, making my best guess as to which park we want to go to each day. When we decided to take a trip on relatively short notice, I made FP+ reservations shortly after making the plans. When we couldn't make FP reservations in advance because of entering a park with a CM gate pass, we made reservations when we got to the park and accepted the best of what was available.

At the end of the day, the ability to make FP+ reservations in advance does not have a big impact on our enjoyment of a day one way or the other. It is great to have them, especially on those busy days like last week when we could make reservations for anything we wanted in our second park of the day. In that case, FP+ allowed us to get FPs that we never could have gotten with paper FP because they would have been gone by the time we arrived at the park. But, I would NEVER let the ability or inability to get FPs in advance affect my decision about whether or not to spend a day at a park. It just doesn't make that big a difference. If there is something we really want to do, we will get to the park early enough to do it, wait in line for it, or save it for another day.

If I were giving advice to anyone making a first or infrequent visit to WDW, I would by all means recommend that they do some research to identify the things they most want to do and make FP+ reservations for them at their first opportunity. But, I wouldn't make them feel like failure to get a reservation for any one thing will have a significant effect on their trip.

 

[Robo]

When did "Err on the side of caution" become bad WDW advice?

 

[nilla]

I agree, but for me, it wasn't even a decision. I actually got excited over booking my FPs, and counted down the days until our window opened. I was giddy that whole day, and somewhat sad once all were booked. I couldn't stop looking at the plans the next day, and felt the need to tweak them, if for no other reason than to just do something "Disney" in spite of the trip being two months away.

 

[jade1]

It got the discussion going-that was the point.

Keep in mind-"Book as soon as possible" can be the day before. I'm showing that even that can be (was) highly successful, even "day of" was.

2 last minute trips in a row-advance reserving not needed for us-Fact and Conclusion.

.

 

[lauradis]

Yeah, but see, if you like my family and are there to ride rides, you're actually just spending more time in line, right? I will not be spending more money if I am spending more time in line.

Unless, of course, I am using my smart phone to buy similar products on Amazon prime like I did last year at downtown Disney. It was so much fun to come home and have a bunch of boxes waiting for us with all the things we had seen in the stores. That was even better than having them delivered to a hotel room.

Did board isn't your average Disney goers. We are crazy Disney nuts. Lol

Fp- ride everything over and over is done and dead, unless you go durning slower times and right now even that is disappearing.

If you going to Disney for thrill rides your going to the wrong park. Go to the dark side.

 

[lauradis]

Yeah, but see, if you like my family and are there to ride rides, you're actually just spending more time in line, right? I will not be spending more money if I am spending more time in line.

Unless, of course, I am using my smart phone to buy similar products on Amazon prime like I did last year at downtown Disney. It was so much fun to come home and have a bunch of boxes waiting for us with all the things we had seen in the stores. That was even better than having them delivered to a hotel room.

It's simple psychology the longer they keep you in a park the more the avg guest will spend on food, waiting for your next pass what shall I do wonder into a shop to look around, oh that's cute ( impulse buy), still waiting let's grab $30 worth of ice cream. Before you know it you 1hr wait has turned into $130 purchasing..

Doesn't work on everyone but slow down and look around next time your there. I have seen it several times last trip.

 

[momof2n2]

It's simple psychology the longer they keep you in a park the more the avg guest will spend on food, waiting for your next pass what shall I do wonder into a shop to look around, oh that's cute ( impulse buy), still waiting let's grab $30 worth of ice cream. Before you know it you 1hr wait has turned into $130 purchasing..

Doesn't work on everyone but slow down and look around next time your there. I have seen it several times last trip.

I see what you are saying. But folk who want to ride (us!) will be in standby lies. Maybe they'll have CMs walk along hawking things?

 

[momof2n2]

Did board isn't your average Disney goers. We are crazy Disney nuts. Lol

Fp- ride everything over and over is done and dead, unless you go durning slower times and right now even that is disappearing.

If you going to Disney for thrill rides your going to the wrong park. Go to the dark side.

Dark side is too dark, but we loved SW/BG.
(It's not specifically coasters. Soarin', Buzz, Splash, Safari, etc.)