FP+ testing starts in Disneyland around August 2015

[4Siamese]

THE SKY IS FALLING THE SKY IS FALLING...

SIGH

The disney universe will not suddenly explode if this is even true. While I personally think Fastpass + will eventually come to DLR I to think it would be really odd for Disney to do this during the 60th Aniversary celebrations. Way to much of a distraction, pulling the focus away from the 60th and pulling it towards this hot button topic.

Even if it is true people will learn and adapt. We enjoyed using all aspects of the WDW fastpass + system when we were there and did not encounter a single problem during our holiday.

Take a deep BREATH everyone........... Disney life will go on.

 

[gottalovepluto]

We all knew some sort of CA-modified version has been coming since it was rolled out in Florida. It's not like anyone will stop their DL trips over a new system, and if they did it would be so few people Disney would not care at all. I'm just going to embrace it and hope that it makes the trip better and easier to manage. No more paper tickets to keep track of? Woot-woot! No more keeping track of my hotel room key at the pool? Double woot-woot! Let's hope they work out all the kinks (of which they still have plenty if the DIS WDW boards are any representation) before CA rollout time!

 

[Girimama33]

Does anyone have a link where Disney is actually stating this, or just some blog?

 

[mom2rtk]

We all knew some sort of CA-modified version has been coming since it was rolled out in Florida. It's not like anyone will stop their DL trips over a new system, and if they did it would be so few people Disney would not care at all. I'm just going to embrace it and hope that it makes the trip better and easier to manage. No more paper tickets to keep track of? Woot-woot! No more keeping track of my hotel room key at the pool? Double woot-woot! Let's hope they work out all the kinks (of which they still have plenty if the DIS WDW boards are any representation) before CA rollout time!

The most recent comment from Tom Staggs in this article led many to believe it might not be heading to DLR.

http://www.fastcompany.com/3044283/the-messy-business-of-reinventing-happiness

I'm still skeptical. Too many infrastructure issues that couldn't possibly be solved by August.

 

[GatorChris]

It's not like anyone will stop their DL trips over a new system, and if they did it would be so few people Disney would not care at all.

No more paper tickets to keep track of? Woot-woot!

No more keeping track of my hotel room key at the pool? Double woot-woot!

First, I think more than a handful of people would become disenchanted with the WDW version of FP+ at DL. Maybe I won't stop going, but I wouldn't be inclined to go as much as I do now.

Second, no more paper tickets, but now you have to look down at your smart phone all day, opening the phone, opening the app, seeing when your FP is and when you can get another one. It's the one thing I despise about the system. I hate talking to people when all they do is look down at their phone. Now WDW is full of those people because of FP+.

Third, DL can't get their ticket system and hotel key card system to match up right now in 2015! I can't see how they can make Magic Band work without an overhaul of a system they've refused to improve for the last 20 years.

 

[Aladora]

Second, no more paper tickets, but now you have to look down at your smart phone all day, opening the phone, opening the app, seeing when your FP is and when you can get another one.

As someone who is not from the U.S., I would find this the more frustrating part, at least until they get free wifi in the parks. Adding on US roaming to our cell phones is expensive for even the smallest package.

 

[gottalovepluto]

As someone who is not from the U.S., I would find this the more frustrating part, at least until they get free wifi in the parks. Adding on US roaming to our cell phones is expensive for even the smallest package.

Ouch! That would be quite expensive... I didn't realize you needed a smart phone to make magic bands work, I thought it was more of a smart phones enhanced the magic band experience but weren't a necessity and the app was basically broken anyway lol. That's what I get for trying to be optimistic about a system I've never worked with only read about!

 

[DLandgirlie]

Taking a wild guess at what's to come. I'm assuming the technique they are using for the DiamondDays Sweepstakes at the parks will be a tester for how FP+ will work for the resort. So, for those who don't have smart phones to enter the daily sweep, onsite tablets will be available for entry. If the onsite technology works well with the sweepstakes, which ends Sept. 11th, they would most likely be used for FP+.

 

[jeeperwy]

Just a clarification--you don't HAVE to have a smartphone for FP+. You CAN check your fast pass times that way and try to change your times if you want to but to get the 4th, 5th, etc... FP at WDW you have to go to a kiosk anyway.
Kari

 

[Xenorye]

Hmm. We are going the first week in September. Hope to avoid this. The timing certainly seems odd.

 

[Angel Ariel]

From an LA Times article today:

But the future of Disneyland will apparently not include MagicBands, a wristband that uses microchip technology to let guests use the bands in place of theme park tickets, hotel room keys and even credit cards. The wristbands debuted at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla., in 2013.

Disneyland does not plan to offer the wristbands at the park anytime soon, said Mary Niven, vice president for Disneyland Park.

She said the wristband won't work with Disneyland's guest demographics. Many visitors are local residents who do not stay for long periods at the nearby hotels, where the bands would be used heavily.

I've been skeptical since that fast company article that no MBs didn't necessarily mean no FP+. Given the blog article, I'm still skeptical. I just hope right now that egacy is still around for our trip in November

 

[SplashMo]

Not happy about this. I thought Disney would be smarter then this...

 

[tarheelalum]

I don't believe any of it. None of that garbage is coming to DLR.

 

[NannyBeBe]

So if I understand this correctly, I would have to get my FPs before I go into the parks. And does that mean that all rides are done with FPs, no more just standing in line?

 

[mom2rtk]

So if I understand this correctly, I would have to get my FPs before I go into the parks. And does that mean that all rides are done with FPs, no more just standing in line?

So far Disney has not converted any rides to FP only, although they did test the concept at WDW last year.

I have wondered though if that's an approach they might consider with some of the Fantasyland rides in DL where they don't have room to add a FP return line.

 

[JennaDeeDooDah]

My family and I were planning on doing Disneyland next year. We do not care for Fast Pass+ at all and felt that the fact that Disneyland still had legacy DP was a major pull factor. If they go to FP+, we will be rethinking that decision. We will certainly be keeping an eye on the rumors to see if they turn out to hold any water.

 

[bsj1701]

You get 3 in one park to start. You can then hop to another park and see what's left. But additional FPs are available one at a time at a kiosk in the park you want them FP in. Generally MK is the only park with quality choices left by then.

Hard to say how they would choose to roll it out at DLR.

Actually you don't need to go to another Park after your 3 are used. You can stay at Magic Kingdom (for example) use your 3 FP, and then you can add more. When you add more it's only one at a time, add one, use it, add another. Some people try to use 3 quickly so they can add more throughout the day. If you were to choose a prime viewing spot for "Wishes" as one of your choices, your 3rd fastpass would not be until late in the evening, so you most likely would be stuck with a low number for the entire day. You would wait in standby for anything non fastpass.

 

[ktlm]

So far Disney has not converted any rides to FP only, although they did test the concept at WDW last year.

I have wondered though if that's an approach they might consider with some of the Fantasyland rides in DL where they don't have room to add a FP return line.

We were at DHS during the TSM FP+ only test last year. Based on what we observed, I don't see them going to FP+ only any time soon. It was a disaster. We saw irate guests, kids crying, and a bunch of stressed out CMs. Since TSM is a Tier 1 ride- there were several families that had picked RNRC for the older kids and planned to get to TSM at rope drop for the younger kids- we saw a couple of them arguing with the CMs as there was no way for them go get a FP+ for TSM until they had either used their RNRC FP+, or without dropping the RNRC FP+ and making the older kids unhappy. They had the entire path around TSM lined with CMs who were all wearing pin trading lanyards (with some really good pins first thing in the morning) to try to manage the crowd and appease the children being turned away from the ride. They also had CMs stationed in the path on both ends a ways from the ride that were stopping people to advise they could not ride without a FP+. We had our FP+ for that morning, so to DD it was a fun pin trading extravaganza. Plus, when we got into the ride, there were a bunch of cars going empty it was walk on with the FP+ and they did not have people getting there fast enough to load everything- which was absolutely ridiculous as they had people outside begging to ride that were turned away. There were management types both inside and outside the ride with ipads that appeared to be taking notes. It was quite an experience.

 

[mom2rtk]

We were at DHS during the TSM FP+ only test last year. Based on what we observed, I don't see them going to FP+ only any time soon. It was a disaster. We saw irate guests, kids crying, and a bunch of stressed out CMs. Since TSM is a Tier 1 ride- there were several families that had picked RNRC for the older kids and planned to get to TSM at rope drop for the younger kids- we saw a couple of them arguing about the CMs as there was no way for them go get a FP+ for TSM until they had either used their RNRC FP+, or without dropping the RNRC FP+ and making the older kids unhappy. They had the entire path around TSM lined with CMs who were all wearing pin trading lanyards (with some really good pins first thing in the morning) to try to manage the crowd and appease the children being turned away from the ride. They also had CMs stationed in the path on both ends a ways from the ride that were stopping people to advise they could not ride without a FP+. We had our FP+ for that morning, so to DD it was a fun pin trading extravaganza. Plus, when we got into the ride, there were a bunch of cars going empty it was walk on with the FP+ and they did not have people getting there fast enough to load everything- which was absolutely ridiculous as they had people outside begging to ride that were turned away. It was quite an experience.

I'm so sorry you had to be there for that.

But we don't know if they were testing it for guest response. For all we know it was an operational test to see how many FPs to issue to keep the line flowing in an optimal manner.

Bottom line is that MM+ is too big to fail. When things become "too big to fail" you sometimes see some business decisions that really don't make sense.

 

[Sweetpea2011]

We'll be there in early August, and already have our 3 day paper passes. FP+ came to WDW after we'd visited, so we have no idea how they are used. With all the 60th anniversary upgrades and events, how could they possibly alter the parks to accommodate a system like this, much less inform those of us who already have passes how to use it? It seems strange to me.