FP+ Pros/Cons

[disguy1]

By August, I think it's a foregone conclusion only FP+ will remain. No one here knows exactly how FP+ will work for any category of guest at that time--check back in a few months for updates.

Yes but I hope we get answers soon cause we will have to book a resort.

If the offsite folks will not have fastpass+ we will book an onsite value to get it.

 

[mesaboy2]

Yes but I hope we get answers soon cause we will have to book a resort.

If the offsite folks will not have fastpass+ we will book an onsite value to get it.

Everyone is supposedly going to get FP+ of some kind. Things such as how many or ability to pre-book for different categories of guests are open questions that we may not know for a while yet.

 

[Laketravis]

Yes but I hope we get answers soon cause we will have to book a resort.

If the offsite folks will not have fastpass+ we will book an onsite value to get it.

I think it's safe to assume that if you are staying offsite you will be able to get FP+ in AK and MK the day you go to those parks because that is the way it is today. Whether or not they add the ability for offsite guests to reserve FP+ before they get to the park and when they add the other two parks are questions nobody has correct answers for.

So considering the current conditions, if you want to be able to reserve FP+ ahead of your park visit at all four parks, then go ahead and plan on staying on-site. If those conditions change to provide more benefit to offsite guests, then you can re-evaluate your decision and if the difference is large enough to you to warrant it, cancel your room and go offsite.

 

[wisblue]

Careful with your assumptions and "other words". We were discussing touring strategy and you asked what mine would be during days of level 10 crowds, and my response was "I wouldn't go". That does NOT mean I have not been on busy days. In fact, I do have experience with very busy days and holidays.

If you have been in the parks on Level 10 days, please answer my question about how you toured the parks on those days ? I have given direct and thorough answers to your questions about how we tour.

 

[wisblue]

You must also be confusing me with someone else - I haven't and don't tell people that FP- was better.

You have never come right out and said that FP- was better, but anyone who pays any attention can see where you are coming from. Maybe the closest you have come is to say that you are (supposedly) trying to find something positive about FP+ but are having trouble doing it.

You might also want to look back at the various "humorous" remarks you have made and see that they are all tilted in the same direction. It isn't a coincidence that the and your comments receive come from people who HAVE said directly that they hate FP+ and, in some cases, that it is making them think about taking their vacation business elsewhere.

 

[Laketravis]

If you have been in the parks on Level 10 days, please answer my question about how you toured the parks on those days ?

It depended on the park but it always involved paper FP's. It depended on who wanted to ride what, which attractions had FP's that weren't connected to the rest of the FP system, single rider versus family, what elements of EasyWDW suggestions we felt were applicable, and how fast a Dole Whip can melt.

And ultimately, the largest component of that strategy involved the old paper FP's which you can't get anymore.

So now, considering the current circumstances as we all know them to be, if someone who had never been to WDW before was considering going to a park on a level 10 day, my first piece of advise to them would be: Don't.

Because this entire hypothetical is a bit ridiculous to begin with when out of 365 days a year, how many are "Level 10" ????

What most people want to know is how to best plan their day with the new FP system under a variety of but often common conditions.

Telling them to "show up early" is just part of it and it may not even be a valid recommendation if the park they are going to has morning EMH or doesn't or has a party that night or doesn't or they don't have park hoppers or they do or a wealth of other factors.

What I see developing given the current state of FP+ is a strategy that shifts importance from getting their early to park hoppers and requires both.

So the advice I would currently give to someone who has not been to Disney and is considering going under non-extreme crowd conditions who would like to utilize their FP's where they get the most bang for the buck figuratively speaking would be to go to the most-recommended park in the morning, ride SB, get out of there before the crowds hit, go to the park where you reserved your headliners, walk past the long lines to enjoy them with your FP's, then stay or go to the park you want to see fireworks and parades in the evening.

And that requires Park Hoppers.

 

[wisblue]

Any good touring strategy will consist of more than a simple recommendation of "show up early". It appeared to me that you might also be using Park Hoppers, which you confirmed, and that could play an important part in what you claim is a successful strategy.

Our experience has been that if you get to the park early and hit the most popular attractions first before the lines build up, you don't need much more strategy. It doesn't require an elaborate spreadsheet or a step by step plan of what to ride in what order or when to get FP's and when to use them. You do have to know which attractions are your highest priorities, but I can't tell people what attractions should be first on their lists. That's obviously a matter of personal taste.

Using park hoppers is not an important part of the approach. If we weren't park hopping we would just return to the same park after our midday break and use our FP+ reservations then.

 

[wisblue]

It depended on the park but it always involved paper FP's. It depended on who wanted to ride what, which attractions had FP's that weren't connected to the rest of the FP system, single rider versus family, what elements of EasyWDW suggestions we felt were applicable, and how fast a Dole Whip can melt.

And ultimately, the largest component of that strategy involved the old paper FP's which you can't get anymore.

So now, considering the current circumstances as we all know them to be, if someone who had never been to WDW before was considering going to a park on a level 10 day, my first piece of advise to them would be: Don't.

Because this entire hypothetical is a bit ridiculous to begin with when out of 365 days a year, how many are "Level 10" ????

What most people want to know is how to best plan their day with the new FP system under a variety of but often common conditions.

Telling them to "show up early" is just part of it and it may not even be a valid recommendation if the park they are going to has morning EMH or doesn't or has a party that night or doesn't or they don't have park hoppers or they do or a wealth of other factors.

What I see developing given the current state of FP+ is a strategy that shifts importance from getting their early to park hoppers and requires both.

So the advice I would currently give to someone who has not been to Disney and is considering going under non-extreme crowd conditions who would like to utilize their FP's where they get the most bang for the buck figuratively speaking would be to go to the most-recommended park in the morning, ride SB, get out of there before the crowds hit, go to the park where you reserved your headliners, walk past the long lines to enjoy them with your FP's, then stay or go to the park you want to see fireworks and parades in the evening.

And that requires Park Hoppers.

I don't think talking about the most crowded days is ridiculous because there are lot of people who can only go at those times. And, if an approach works on those days, there's a pretty good chance that it will work on less crowded days too with even more margin for error.

But, if you are saying that you are no longer going to spend time talking about how FP+ compares to FP- because it is soon going to be irrelevant, I am all in favor of that. It would save a lot of space in a lot of threads if everyone would do that.

 

[Laketravis]

You have never come right out and said that FP- was better, but anyone who pays any attention can see where you are coming from. Maybe the closest you have come is to say that you are (supposedly) trying to find something positive about FP+ but are having trouble doing it.

You might also want to look back at the various "humorous" remarks you have made and see that they are all tilted in the same direction. It isn't a coincidence that the and your comments receive come from people who HAVE said directly that they hate FP+ and, in some cases, that it is making them think about taking their vacation business elsewhere.

Everything past the bold is based on what you think, not fact.

Looks like. Sounds like. Supposedly.

Again, your tendency to create and then follow your own assumptions while disregarding the facts as you minimize the observations of others because you personally haven't seen them yourself.

So thanks for pointing out that I have never told anyone that I liked the old FP- system better. Because the truth is, well....that's a thread of it's own, I guess.

 

[Laketravis]

But, if you are saying that you are no longer going to spend time talking about how FP+ compares to FP- because it is soon going to be irrelevant, I am all in favor of that. It would save a lot of space in a lot of threads if everyone would do that.

I never tried to compare FP+ to FP-, you did.

But yeah, let's move on.

 

[PlayaMan]

I never tried to compare FP+ to FP-, you did.

But yeah, let's move on.

Its hard for me to keep track of your position.

First you didnt believe offsite guest would get to prebook

Then you said you were convinced otherwise

Then with park hopping and FP+ pools. Your position seemed to change there as well where park hopping and getting FP+ could actually work.

I can understand Wisblue's confusion when you refuse to answer a direct question.

I get lost in all of it as well being I am not as smart as you given your expertise in Yield Management and Patent Interpretations.

I do love your practical advice to those that can only visit WDW on peak times.

 

[mjallemand]

Can you do Fastpass+ at home before your trip or is it something you can strictly only do onsite?

 

[jiminyfan]

Walt created Disneyland as a place where his entire family could do everything together. With FP+ if yourr family is. Cat member or staying offsite there is a very good chance that they will not be able to get FP+s with you for the E-ticket attractions.

This is one of the biggest failures of the system and it is hardly ever mrntioned

 

[DRDISNEYMD]

Right. That's three lines you don't stand in. Without FP+, you don't get to avoid those three, because there is (or soon will be) no "old" FP to use instead.

~Yes! And for us, there is no more running up and down in the scorching hot sun from fastpass machine to fastpass machine. OMG, this aspect alone is so nice! I had to catch myself a few times after exiting rides because we were so conditioned to take off to the next fastpass machine. We actually got to relax and accomplished more in our day by not having to criss cross the parks!

 

[magicbob]

~Yes! And for us, there is no more running up and down in the scorching hot sun from fastpass machine to fastpass machine. OMG, this aspect alone is so nice! I had to catch myself a few times after exiting rides because we were so conditioned to take off to the next fastpass machine. We actually got to relax and accomplished more in our day by not having to criss cross the parks!

I get that you like not having to "run around" to collect FPs. But you didn't have to do that before. You could have used the standby line. After you use your 3 FP+, you have no choice but to ride standby for everything else or not ride at all. If those lines are long, you may get nostalgic for the days when you at least had the choice to "run around" and get more than 3 FPs.

 

[KatieCharlotte]

If you have been in the parks on Level 10 days, please answer my question about how you toured the parks on those days ? I have given direct and thorough answers to your questions about how we tour.

I have not been to the parks on a level 10 day, but I have a friend who took her kids during Easter week last year, when I'm pretty sure it was a 10. They used fastpasses all day long at MK from rope drop to closing and had an awesome time. She was not happy to hear about a daily limit.

 

[Laketravis]

Its hard for me to keep track of your position.

Position? LOL!

This isn't a mental chess game. Most of us don't spend hours harvesting past posts by other DIS'ers to use as fodder to start arguments.

We participate on the board because we have questions or there are changes that we like to discuss.

And as part of those discussions, speculation develops. People often have opinions about that speculation, and because most of us listen to each other's opinions without trying to ridicule or insult them, we sometimes hear new information or views that can change our own opinion.

For example, I didn't think the one park per day limit would change. But another poster made a very good point that I hadn't considered and it impacted my own viewpoint. Now I understand the reasons why WDW might find it wise to give park hoppers the ability to make FP+ reservations at more than one park during the day.

And that is pretty much how it works. I have no "position".

 

[Laketravis]

Can you do Fastpass+ at home before your trip or is it something you can strictly only do onsite?

If you are staying on-site at a WDW resort, you can go online and setup your FastPass+ reservations up to 60 days in advance. You'll need to create an MDE account on the Disney website, and then make sure that your room reservation, tickets, and Magic Bands (MB) are all linked together.

Disney will send you the MB's if you are staying on-site, but you don't need to wait to get them in order to go online and create your MDE account.

 

[Rustyroo]

If my belief is correct, then you will eventually have the opportunity to purchase additional FP+ reservations by tier for a fee. That simple. The limit of 3 per day, the tiered rides, and the removal of FP- are all great reasons for Disney to implement sales of FP+ reservations. This is a system created to be monetized, and monetize it Disney will, imo. Just wait for it... It shouldn't be long now.

Holy canoli do I agree with this! I've said it for years, Disney WILL make fastpass an income opportunity for them! Especially with the incorporation of parades and shows. It's coming...

 

[DRDISNEYMD]

I get that you like not having to "run around" to collect FPs. But you didn't have to do that before. You could have used the standby line. After you use your 3 FP+, you have no choice but to ride standby for everything else or not ride at all. If those lines are long, you may get nostalgic for the days when you at least had the choice to "run around" and get more than 3 FPs.

~We always use standby, in between running up and down all morning pulling fastpasses until all the fastpasses ran out around noon -- give or take an hour or two. I never knew people only used the fastpass line. We have no problem with the standby lines and if they're too long, we'll ride something else.

~We typically ride more rides standby than with fastpass. Fastpass ran out very quickly in the parks anyway. We stood in a 90 minute line for Peter Pan, when there were no more FP's available. We learned from that experience and have made it a point to arrive at the parks early.

~When we visit a theme park, we expect lines anytime after 1PM, and most fastpasses are gone by then anyway. This is why we take advantage of the mornings and also late at night and during the parades and night shows.

~If you go looking for long lines, you will *always* find them. Laketravis found long lines at MK at 02:30AM.