Fastpass+ is cramping my style

[bradkay]

I'm planning a trip in late September and this is my first experience with Fastpass+ after many WDW trips with the old Fastpass system.

Here's what I've experienced:

1. Even though I I logged into the MyDisney at 12:01, Mine Train was already unavailable for all the days we will be in the park. I often pick less busy vacations, so I can avoid the crowds, lines and enjoy the parks at my pace.
2. "Grouping" of attractions in some of the parks means that I can't, for example, get a fastpass for ToT and RnR for the same day.
3. I now have fastpasses for attractions I never would have used in the past and probably won't use now. This means that someone else might not get one that they wanted.
4. I usually like to arrange my days in the parks in certain ways. The order of attractions, meals, etc. is important to my family's experience. Getting fastpasses the old way made planning the day easier. Part of my strategy was always to minimize wait time, even if it meant more walking. As I look at my current day plans, I've got some attractions with 30 minute or more waits. I could not get a fastpass for the time slot I was hoping for. That would be acceptable if something was a spur of the moment decision because it would be my choice, not because I lost in a lottery. It does seem a little unfair that fastpasses are gone as the result dates for other peoples vacations overlapped with mine.
5. I've had to change restaurant ressies, made earlier, because of availability issues with fastpasses. That translates into extra work for me and I've found that Restaurant ressie availability is now a sometimes a problem.

I understand that Disney is trying to make this all more equitable for everyone. Not everyone gets to the parks early and wants to do the extra walking that was a part of getting fastpasses under the old system. However, it doesn't fit my way of planning and enjoying the parks. And it has made my park planning way more complicated.


As always, constructive comments are welcome.

 

[Karin1984]

2. You can get the other ride, as soon as you have used the first 3. If available, of course, but that was also the case with the old system. Maybe RnR as single riders?

My plan for HS is, ToT and Toy Story Mania with FP, and do RnR at Rope Drop.

 

[jcarwash]

Keep checking for the SDMT FastPasses. It will be some work (as I know you are not enjoying) but it is possible you will be able to get them.

 

[itchin2go]

Keep checking for the SDMT FastPasses. It will be some work (as I know you are not enjoying) but it is possible you will be able to get them.

Yes, I found better availability at 55-57 days out than at 60 days out. I chalk that up to people just grabbing stuff at first, and then fine-tuning things and dropping excess stuff later.

I know it sucks to have to keep checking, but really, that's the only strategy. I have had to do that with ADRs before.

Sorry it is difficult for you. Tiering and offering FPs for things like Figment definitely complicates things. I think we only used 2 of our scheduled FPs on each of our Epcot days.

 

[LOL!]

One way to alleviate the frustration is to make believe there is no such thing as FastPass and plan on getting in the regular line for any ride/attraction you'd like to enjoy.

 

[Karin1984]

Maybe that The Dibb can help you. http://www.thedibb.co.uk/forums/fastpass_plus_availability.php They show availability for the coming two months, for groups of 4.

 

[ArwenMarie]

Was this at 60 days or 30?

Anyway, I hear you, it's cramping my style too. So much pre-planning and rearranging. I think you make a good point about the ADRs too.

 

[ktlm]

We have done 2 FP+ trips, I totally get where you are coming from. As far as number 3, don't assume you won't use them. I never in a million years thought I would use a FP for Figment, we have always walked on that ride or waited less than 5 minutes, to our surprise the line was 30 minutes long when we were there last fall. I can't recall ever seeing it like that, or if I have it would have been over 10 years ago. So, we amazingly used a Figment FP+.

Karin1984, the chances of getting a 4th FP for either TSM or RNRC are very slim. We go at low crowd times. Both trips, I have stacked my FP+ as early as possible to try to get a 4th for RNRC (we pick TSM as our tier one as DD loves it and won't ride RNRC). We would have 9-10, 10-11, 11-12 and ride the 3rd at 11:00 or even five minutes before as that is when Mickey turns green. We have never been able to get anything at DHS. In fact, I got the message when trying for a 4th that there was nothing else available in the park at all for the rest of the day. Although RNRC is one of my favorite rides, I have not ridden it at all in the last couple of trips because the single rider line was 30 minutes and we didn't want to take an hour out of our day with DD and neither DH or I felt good about riding it if the other didn't. The regular line did not seem to go below 45 minutes, and was 60 minutes most of the day. Also with the tiers that RNRC line builds up faster than it used to because a lot of people who picked TSM run there at rope drop. You should try to be at the front of the rope drop crowd to get there before the line starts to build if you can.

 

[siskaren]

You can get a FP for ToT and RnR for the same day - RnR is tier 1 and ToT is tier 2. It's TSMM and RnR that you can't get for the same day.

 

[3DisneyFanz]

I'm planning a trip in late September and this is my first experience with Fastpass+ after many WDW trips with the old Fastpass system.

Here's what I've experienced:

1. Even though I I logged into the MyDisney at 12:01, Mine Train was already unavailable for all the days we will be in the park. I often pick less busy vacations, so I can avoid the crowds, lines and enjoy the parks at my pace.
2. "Grouping" of attractions in some of the parks means that I can't, for example, get a fastpass for ToT and RnR for the same day.
3. I now have fastpasses for attractions I never would have used in the past and probably won't use now. This means that someone else might not get one that they wanted.
4. I usually like to arrange my days in the parks in certain ways. The order of attractions, meals, etc. is important to my family's experience. Getting fastpasses the old way made planning the day easier. Part of my strategy was always to minimize wait time, even if it meant more walking. As I look at my current day plans, I've got some attractions with 30 minute or more waits. I could not get a fastpass for the time slot I was hoping for. That would be acceptable if something was a spur of the moment decision because it would be my choice, not because I lost in a lottery. It does seem a little unfair that fastpasses are gone as the result dates for other peoples vacations overlapped with mine.
5. I've had to change restaurant ressies, made earlier, because of availability issues with fastpasses. That translates into extra work for me and I've found that Restaurant ressie availability is now a sometimes a problem.

I understand that Disney is trying to make this all more equitable for everyone. Not everyone gets to the parks early and wants to do the extra walking that was a part of getting fastpasses under the old system. However, it doesn't fit my way of planning and enjoying the parks. And it has made my park planning way more complicated.


As always, constructive comments are welcome.

How is this system an attempt to make anything more equitable?

 

[hiroMYhero]

Was this at 60 days or 30?

Anyway, I hear you, it's cramping my style too. So much pre-planning and rearranging. I think you make a good point about the ADRs too.

He's at 60 days out, as am I. I checked with my remaining ticket entitlements and on September 24th, I could only find Mine Train for a party of one. Started looking for a party of 4, 3, and then 2 with no luck.

 

[kj2mom]

Have you tried playing with the times or did you take what came up in the options? I always took the options right away if they were for the rides I wanted but then once they were secured I went back and changed all of the times (there were lots of different times available for most everything) to what worked for me!

 

[itchin2go]

He's at 60 days out, as am I. I checked with my remaining ticket entitlements and on September 24th, I could only find Mine Train for a party of one. Started looking for a party of 4, 3, and then 2 with no luck.

Wonder why ... it seemed like availability got better for awhile. Maybe Disney is tinkering with the amount of FPs allocated?

 

[danceintherain]

I'm having the same problem. We just booked a few days ago, for the beginning of September, and of course SDMT was already gone. We can get around the other "issues" pretty well, but the timing is annoying as well. I would like to be able to have all my FP selections lined up in a row starting at around 10:00 with the last one ending by 1pm (so we can eat lunch and leave for our break) but of course there's always a gap for what I want.

Then, since I'm going to have to Rope Drop SDMT, it would be nice to have all our other FP for Fantasyland early in the day, but there's a gap from 10-11, so I filled it with BTMR, which means we're going to have to cross the park to get over there, or take a FP for after 1 and potentially still be in the park into DH's nap time. Since the MK closes at 7pm that day, it means it's very unlikely that we'll be able to come back for more evening touring, even if I convince myself to keep the kids out past their bedtime.

Magic Kingdom is the only huge problem though. The other parks have single rider lines at some of the attractions, so I can FP the ones that don't, but they're the ones with meals planned during the day, so that is a work around. Then DHS has the Jedi Training Academy which could cause a conflict that I won't know about until the day of.

 

[alopez926]

I think the early park closings due to MNSSHP and MVMCP really mess with the FP+ availability. I am taking a short trip in Nov and MK is only open past 7 on two of the days we are there. I anticipate having similar issues booking my FP+ in a few months.

 

[hiroMYhero]

Wonder why ... it seemed like availability got better for awhile. Maybe Disney is tinkering with the amount of FPs allocated?

And on a Thursday without it being a Party night. The FP was for 6:25p.
Maybe 3 parties that week is causing the FP difficulties on non-party days.

 

[jtowntoflorida]

Wonder why ... it seemed like availability got better for awhile. Maybe Disney is tinkering with the amount of FPs allocated?

Yep. I bet we're going to see a release of additional FP+ times for Mine Train here shortly. After a few weeks of them not being an issue for most people, it seems strange that they suddenly are now. I feel for them...we've played the "look more FP+s have been released now I have to change everything around" game in the past. It's one thing to spend time planning/executing your day while actually on vacation, it's another to stalk Disney chat boards in the 60 days leading up to your vacation and/or continually refresh MDE looking for FP+ slots that weren't initially available. I know lots of people enjoy having everything laid out before they get there, but I personally don't enjoy investing hours into just obtaining FP+s for the slots I want before vacation.

 

[nilla]

The tiering is really my only knock on FP+, but don't know how they would solve that issue. If they eliminate it, just about everyone would grab TT and Soarin'.

 

[tlmadden73]

#1 - I find that odd .. I had no issues getting a morning FP for SDMT at my 60 days out for an end of August vacation. I would think September would be a less crowded time than late August.

#2 - The tiering stinks .. but you can always rope drop the other attractions or just standby them. You probably did rope drop to GET the old paper fastpasses?

#3 - True ... But hey .. if you don't wait in a line .. you don't wait in a line.

#4 - I actually find FP+ able to plan the day out better. Plan rides X,Y,Z .. then your lunch ADR .. make sure they don't conflict .. and voila .. your morning or afternoon is generally planned. How would the old paper system HELP plan out your day when you had no idea what time you'd get on your tickets to come back?

#5 - I've found working Fast Passes around the restaurant reservations a challenge as well.

 

[danceintherain]

Ok, so I just saw availability at the Mine Train, but when I tried to take it, the computer glitched. Then it was gone. GRRRRR!