Could FP+ Ruin my experience?

[DisMom1981]

If you haven't scheduled what you're going to do 60 days in advance, you're screwed and stuck in stand by lines?

That is the stupidest thing I've ever heard (referring to Disney, not mattsdragon ).

I agree it is a scary thought. Getting on Space Mountain quickly the day of your visit with no fp+ ressie will be like trying to score a BOG ressie. There will be FP+ cancellation boards for sure.......

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[DisMom1981]

I have been having trouble keeping up with the explosion of FP+ threads. Can you confirm that they are indeed holding some FPs back for same day? I am quite convinced there will be same day capability, but I wasn't aware there was confirmation that they would purposely be holding some back for same day.

Not from your phone app- I've tried making changes to some times and it has been a hassle with limitations from my phone app. The in park kiosks are tough to locate amongst the high crowds in the park.

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[kay1864]

All I know is to me it is quite funny how all the testers are reporting back how wonderful FP+ is. Maybe they actually are having a positive experience.

Are they truly using FP+ as it is going to be when it comes out to everyone? Of course, not this is a test. The volume is not nearly the same. But this is how tests of new systems are done. The alternative is to switch everyone over at once, which has huge risks.

I think Disney is doing it this way, just so they can get the positive feedback they need to make the full rollout come quicker. Positive feedback for whom? DISers? Disney execs? This is a system test. The whole point is to iron out any bugs while it affects a small number of people. You don't go looking for positive results, you look for negative results, so you can address them with a small group.

..

 

[Nixie]

..

They are having a positive experience because it is a limited testing group. It isn't even half of the number of people that go through Disney in a day. It also isn't even testing for off site guest or international guests, etc. Also, testers right now are getting to double dip in FP+s and FPs. Yeah, I be pretty happy about that too


At some point, they will switch it over to everyone. That is where I see the big problems coming into play. It looks all fine and dandy now, but when they quadruple+ the number of users, what is gonna happen then? (When all the BTMRR FP+s are taken 60days out at 7AM, guess I should be happy with my Stitch one??)

I am hoping that Disney sees this and realizes this. The test proves that it functionally works. Whether that translates to the masses has yet to be seen. My biggest fear is they take these tests as a green light and try and roll this thing out before Thanksgiving to get it ready for the Xmas crowds. (Lookie and see what new stuff we have done for you!! )

 

[mom2mickeyfan]

May I ask the ones that really love the idea of FP+ what were the things you saw wrong with the old/current FP system? The main one I hear about most is not having to walk across the park to pick up the FP and not having to be at RD to get a FP which is only a problem with 2 main rides. I'm not looking for the things you like about FP+ but the things that was wrong with the current FP system.

 

[RedHeadedFairy]

They are having a positive experience because it is a limited testing group. It isn't even half of the number of people that go through Disney in a day. It also isn't even testing for off site guest or international guests, etc. Also, testers right now are getting to double dip in FP+s and FPs. Yeah, I be pretty happy about that too

Exactly - this test is really just a test for the Disney folks to see that everything is working & if not, where & how the glitches are occurring so that the system can be fixed.

The users involved in the current test are not subjected to whatever limits will ultimately be in place and represent such a relatively small % of the total park patrons it's not even comparable.

Sure it's easy to book & change FP+ right now. Of course all the E-ticket attractions are still showing availability for the same-day changes. But that's not what I should expect to necessarily see after everything is converted over to FP+.

 

[kay1864]

I am hoping that Disney sees this and realizes this. The test proves that it functionally works.

Of course they realize this. That is one of the main goals of a system test. This is not the first time they've tested a system change.

At some point, they will switch it over to everyone. That is where I see the big problems coming into play.

Or they might do a larger-scale test instead of all at once. Who knows.

 

[luvgoing2disney]

And what happens if a group of 3 book a trip and arrange all their FP's then 45 days before their trip, another person is able to go with them. yet all the FP+ times are gone or at best, not available as the same times as the ones reserved originally.

Probably no one here has the answer to that scenario,, but instead of making a WDW vacation easier, the stress level and angst could easily increase when this thing rolls out in full force.

 

[UNCFanatik]

May I ask the ones that really love the idea of FP+ what were the things you saw wrong with the old/current FP system? The main one I hear about most is not having to walk across the park to pick up the FP and not having to be at RD to get a FP which is only a problem with 2 main rides. I'm not looking for the things you like about FP+ but the things that was wrong with the current FP system.

OK, while I am not in "love" with the FP+ system, I will attempt to tell you what I think were some problems with the previous FP system, a.k.a FP-:

1. As you mentioned, and it is a big deal for some, FPs would run out for certain attractions if a person was not in that park by a certain time at certain times of the year.
2. It created an unnecessary secondary distribution channel for FPs that would cause a shortage for other users. People would pull FPs expressly for the purpose of giving to others. These people would be the ones who would to decide who would get an FP for certain rides where FPs were gone instead of the guest having a chance to pull their own FP.
3. Paper tickets are a consumable which cost Disney money and from a "green" standpoint was not desirable.
4. It created crowd management issues
5. It created supply issues with people pulling FPs that they "might" use at attractions where FPs would run out.
6. Lastly, and probably most importantly from Disney's standpoint was that the FP- system was not producing the outcomes that they desired.

The FP- system was not without its issues. I didnt even mention pre-enforcement days which also created its own set of problems because those days are over but it does illustrate that there have been some problems with the FP- system over the course of time

 

[mom2mickeyfan]

And what happens if a group of 3 book a trip and arrange all their FP's then 45 days before their trip, another person is able to go with them. yet all the FP+ times are gone or at best, not available as the same times as the ones reserved originally.

Probably no one here has the answer to that scenario,, but instead of making a WDW vacation easier, the stress level and angst could easily increase when this thing rolls out in full force.

No one knows!

This would not be a problem with FP-

 

[Dizneefamily+4]

I will use it but I will not be happy about it! I am upset that Disney is limiting my family.

My family spends 14 to 15 hours in MK when we go. It will be our ONLY day in this park and we travel during peak season. For them to limit us to only 3 FPs doesn't sit well and we will actually spend less time in the parks. We were able to pull 9 sets of FPs this past summer. But we will save money by being able to have our dinner off-site instead. I guess that is a plus for us but not so much for Disney

We are a family of 3. My DH and 7 year old DS love to ride Splash. I do not. If we use a FP+ for them to ride this ride then I am left with a unused FP+. I have no desire to ride anything alone. This was never a problem with the current system.

It always seem the ones that have no problem with the new FP+ travel to Disney often, go for longer days and/or spend more than one day in each park.

So tell me, how can my family do all we want to do in MK during peak season with only 1 day in the park when we can only get 3 FP+s?? That was never a problem with the current system. We did not ride everything in the park but there was more that we did ride than we did not. And a couple more than once.

I get the positives of the new system. And for some that those positives outweigh the negatives. But to just state that because the negatives outweigh the positives for my family, then we just shouldn't use it, is a bit rude. Thanks for the understanding.

This is us exactly. We just returned from an 8 day stay at the Poly as non fp+
testers. The only thing we did test using fp+ was a BOG lunch that we were invited to try by email. In the prepping for this trip, I was SO relieved that fp+ wasn't live for all guest yet. We're not uber-planners, so fp+ just horrifies me. We basically know which day we plan to go to which park ahead of time based mostly on emh. That's it. So the idea of planning which rides we want to ride 2 months before our trip just seems surreal (we don't make a bunch of ADRs either - we do QSDP and usually make 1 or 2 ADRs and pay OOP.)

We don't always do hoppers either. So fp+ not only makes us plan what we want to ride in advance (yes, I know we're not forced to choose, but if we want to ride our favorite, headline rides, then yes, we must choose in advance.), but be certain of which park we want to be in on a particular day - 2 months before our trip even happens - if we don't buy hoppers.

In everything I've read about fp+, it just seems to really penalize the annual (or more) trippers and non-uberplanners. We typically go every year. As much as it saddens me, we've decided to take next year off from Disney and see how this whole fp+ plays out from a different vacation destination next summer.

 

[MikeandReneePlus5]

5. It created supply issues with people pulling FPs that they "might" use at attractions where FPs would run out.

We did this several times on our trip two weeks ago. We pulled FPs for something because we were eligible and we thought we might use them. A bunch of times we did not and they were wasted.

But I guess the effect is two fold, 1) some people didn't get FPs because they ran out and ours were wasted and 2) others who did use their FPs had a shorter FP line because we weren't there.

I wonder how it will be with FP+...if they manage the system so very few if any FPs get "wasted" I guess the FP line will be longer....meaning the SB line will be longer since FP gets priority.

 

[UNCFanatik]

We did this several times on our trip two weeks ago. We pulled FPs for something because we were eligible and we thought we might use them. A bunch of times we did not and they were wasted.

But I guess the effect is two fold, 1) some people didn't get FPs because they ran out and ours were wasted and 2) others who did use their FPs had a shorter FP line because we weren't there.

I wonder how it will be with FP+...if they manage the system so very few if any FPs get "wasted" I guess the FP line will be longer....meaning the SB line will be longer since FP gets priority.

I agree with the "wasted" FPs and how it will be with the new FP+ system. I think there will always be some amount of wasted FPs because even with FP+, people will still miss their FP+ times or change them. It will be interesting to see if some of those will be used in the same day FP+ offerings.

 

[MikeandReneePlus5]

I agree with the "wasted" FPs and how it will be with the new FP+ system. I think there will always be some amount of wasted FPs because even with FP+, people will still miss their FP+ times or change them. It will be interesting to see if some of those will be used in the same day FP+ offerings.

Right that's what I mean...the wasted ones will be fed back into the system. So in theory FP availability should last longer but I am assuming demand is such that they will still all get pulled.

It will indeed be interesting.

I can't imagine their end goal is to increase wait times for both FP and SB lines.

 

[mom2mickeyfan]

OK, while I am not in "love" with the FP+ system, I will attempt to tell you what I think were some problems with the previous FP system, a.k.a FP-:

1. As you mentioned, and it is a big deal for some, FPs would run out for certain attractions if a person was not in that park by a certain time at certain times of the year.I understand this point. And I did see it as a problem at 2 or 3 rides but I still believe the current system still allowed for a much more level playing field. The only thing required was to be in the park before 10. Not nearly as many chances of leaving people out. The new system has the chance of leaving out day trippers, last minute planners, and those that do not use computers or smart phones. Because the chances of the FP+s running out days before hand at these rides during certain times of the year might be just a great.
2. It created an unnecessary secondary distribution channel for FPs that would cause a shortage for other users. People would pull FPs expressly for the purpose of giving to others. These people would be the ones who would to decide who would get an FP for certain rides where FPs were gone instead of the guest having a chance to pull their own FP. Ok, I'll give you that one too but (see how I follow everything with a but? ) like you mentioned that not enough AP holders would go online to pre-book FP+ as a just in case, I don't believe that there was enough of this going on to make a huge impact on FPs. Yes, it did make some impact but so can AP holders taking FP+ spaces in case they decide to use them.
3. Paper tickets are a consumable which cost Disney money and from a "green" standpoint was not desirable. Agreed!
4. It created crowd management issuesSince this hasn't been a concern for me. I have no idea how much truth there is in this.
5. It created supply issues with people pulling FPs that they "might" use at attractions where FPs would run out. Okay, well how about IN TESTING (I know...not final) that it has been reported that they are requiring that you pre-book 3 FP+s. Even if you only want to use one. That is not an option at this time. That sounds just about the same as people pulling FPs that they "might" use.
6. Lastly, and probably most importantly from Disney's standpoint was that the FP- system was not producing the outcomes that they desired. And this one may do the same. The way it seems to me and my family is the current system kept us in the park all day buying food and water and treats. The new system appears to have the affect of having our family cut out early. We have no reason to stick around after our FP+s are used and most of the headliners have long SB waits.

The FP- system was not without its issues. I didnt even mention pre-enforcement days which also created its own set of problems because those days are over but it does illustrate that there have been some problems with the FP- system over the course of time

Neither system is without its issues. Some of us see many more issues with FP+.

 

[MikeandReneePlus5]

Neither system is without its issues. Some of us see many more issues with FP+.

you know, if I just step back, it's hard to see the benefits beyond one major one: not having to walk all over the park to pull FPs anymore.

But they could have solved that by just putting all the machines in one place or refitting them to offer a choice of rides at each machine. Heck even add in all the Wishes and Parade stuff, that part is pretty cool.

It's the reservation idea that is troublesome.

And unnecessary really. We just got back from a trip where it was crowded (8s on the calendars) and we rode everything we wanted multiple times and we waited on three 45 minutes lines and everything else was less than 30 minutes and most like 10 minutes.

So for probably 50 rides in a week we had 3 long lines under the current system.

If it ain't broke and all that.

 

[Rip]

There will be same day FP+s available but of course the question will be for what rides and if the headliners are all pre-booked ahead of time.

One does not need any devices in the park and can use Kiosks upon arrival to check out FP+ availability and reserve FP+s. Again, I acknowledge that there is a possibility depending on several factors whether or not one would be able to reserve same day FP+s for headline attractions.

That's at least the third time you've stated this and it's a bit misleading. First, there is a very high probability that some of the least popular attractions will have some FP+ times available for some timeslots on the same day, but that is most definitely not guaranteed as you seem to imply. And I said in a previous thread that someone argued with me about, Disney is not going to "hold back" any FP+ "slots" for same day users.

Now, I have no idea how many people will know enough to pre-book everything, but this entire system is definitely going to be a net negative for those of us that do not like to micromanage our vacation.

 

[Nixie]

you know, if I just step back, it's hard to see the benefits beyond one major one: not having to walk all over the park to pull FPs anymore.

But they could have solved that by just putting all the machines in one place or refitting them to offer a choice of rides at each machine. Heck even add in all the Wishes and Parade stuff, that part is pretty cool.

It's the reservation idea that is troublesome.

And unnecessary really. We just got back from a trip where it was crowded (8s on the calendars) and we rode everything we wanted multiple times and we waited on three 45 minutes lines and everything else was less than 30 minutes and most like 10 minutes.

So for probably 50 rides in a week we had 3 long lines under the current system.

If it ain't broke and all that.

But, that not having to walk all over the park is where inlie the problems I see. The current FP system has a certain amount of crowd control built in. You can't easily obtain all the headliner FPs in a park because you physically have to walk over and get them. It makes the playing field much more leveled. While you are obtaining your BTMRR FP, someone is on the other side of the park obtaining their Space Mountain FP. FP+ takes that away. People in the current test are able to easily book all 3 headliners such as BTMRR, Splash Mountain, and Space Mountain.All at once. What about if you are the unlucky one who didn't score those FP+s because you weren't on your puter at the right time to book it?

 

[Nixie]

That's at least the third time you've stated this and it's a bit misleading. First, there is a very high probability that some of the least popular attractions will have some FP+ times available for some timeslots on the same day, but that is most definitely not guaranteed as you seem to imply. And I said in a previous thread that someone argued with me about, Disney is not going to "hold back" any FP+ "slots" for same day users.

Now, I have no idea how many people will know enough to pre-book everything, but this entire system is definitely going to be a net negative for those of us that do not like to micromanage our vacation.

I almost guarantee there will be day of FP+s for Pirates, Tiki Birds, Stitch, and such available the day of. Hey, you getta walk onto Stitch!! Don't mind your 2+hr wait for Space Mountain.....

 

[MikeandReneePlus5]

While you are obtaining your BTMRR FP

I also wish part of the billion dollar next gen MM+ project included a path/bridge of some sort linking the path on the right side of BTMRR back towards the HM area and Liberty Square.

I don't like that SM/BTMRR cul de sac...way too hot and crowded and dead end-ish.

I would never do that in Roller Coaster Tycoon.