I'm Done!!! Too Many Changes We Don't Like

[Boardwalk Tigger]

Had our vacation set and went off the boards for awhile.
Back on as we are going end of december and a got a band invite and Im like what the heck happened here. Still havent even grasped all the changes that are posted here? .Have been reading so many posts and still dont understand it all.

 

[Granny square]

You've got to be kidding? Have you read the multiple threads on this topic lately? The entire thread? All 40 something pages?? LOL Because there are plenty of complaints (not maybe from you) about on site guests getting perks over off site guests and that the new FP+ system might be tailored for on site guests once it's fully rolled out.

Those SEEM to start because when someone complains or is worried someone always comes along (pretty quickly) to say " that is what you get for staying offsite". As though this is an earned perk and not an easy trial group.

 

[Planogirl]

You've got to be kidding? Have you read the multiple threads on this topic lately? The entire thread? All 40 something pages?? LOL Because there are plenty of complaints (not maybe from you) about on site guests getting perks over off site guests and that the new FP+ system might be tailored for on site guests once it's fully rolled out.

I think that some of that resentment comes from offsite guests worrying that they'll lose the perks that they've always had. I don't think that most expect to get the perks they never had such as EMH and so on but they've always shared in the fastpass perk and it appears that that might change now. No one likes to move in reverse.

 

[CanadaJulie]

You've got to be kidding? Have you read the multiple threads on this topic lately? The entire thread? All 40 something pages?? LOL Because there are plenty of complaints (not maybe from you) about on site guests getting perks over off site guests and that the new FP+ system might be tailored for on site guests once it's fully rolled out.

Yes in fact, I have read most of this thread. I'm not sure you read/understood what I wrote though.

The perks are: EMH, ADR+10, DDP, free resort parking.

Where has any offsite guest complained about not having those perks ?

I'll repeat the part of my post:

The only issue RIGHT NOW is the way Disney is doing their testing of the FP+. This is not an onsite perk as it has been stated that all guests will have access to FP+ once it rolls out. We are complaining about the lack of info from Disney about the testing/roll-out for FP+ but again, that is not an onsite perk.

 

[CanadaJulie]

(...) and that the new FP+ system might be tailored for on site guests once it's fully rolled out.

Not sure where you've read that but it is not consistent with anything that Disney has said.

RIGHT NOW (in testing mode), it certainly favors onsite guests *IF* they can get FP+ and still access FP-. Of course, rumour has it that soon, if you have a MB, you won't be able to access FP- (there's a whole thread on it on the 1st page) and THAT has the onsite guests in a tizzy !!

 

[DPCummerbund]

For regular park hours, everyone in the park has paid the same admission to enter the park and should have the same access to the attractions that that admission pays for.

I disagree. I think onsite guests should have an advantage in every single area of the theme park experience. Fastpasses, dining plans, EMH, transportation, you name it. I'd love it if there were shorter Resort guest lines at CS restaurants and gift shops, special restrooms for resort guests only, and in the summer months, CMs with umbrellas to follow us around and protect us from the sun! Disney can (and should) cater to on-site guests in any ways they can dream up, as long as it makes them a profit.

EMH is already an example of this. For the exact same ticket price, some guests get 10 hours of park access, others get 11. The only difference is that EMH is an old system and everyone knows about it, while FP+ is new. There is no doubt in my mind that when EMH was introduced, many people shouted that it's unfair, just as they do now with FP+.

There is no moral right or wrong, no "ought" or "should". As long as Disney is up front about what it's offering you and the price you're paying for it, what Disney chooses to offer onsite guests is irrelevant.

Which brings me to the only valid complaint in this thread:

The only issue RIGHT NOW is the way Disney is doing their testing of the FP+. This is not an onsite perk as it has been stated that all guests will have access to FP+ once it rolls out. We are complaining about the lack of info from Disney about the testing/roll-out for FP+ but again, that is not an onsite perk.

This makes sense. If you bought tickets several months ago with the understanding that FP- would be part of the experience, I could see how you would be upset that your experience is going to be different than what you expected when you gave Disney the money.

The only thing I can think in Disney's defense is that FP+ is, as they have explained, still in a "test phase". They're going to continue to tweak it, and may not even know what it's going to look like next week. For example, one wonders how far in advance they know about the tiered system. Sure, they could have expected most guests to choose Soarin' and Test Track, but they probably had no idea of the exact percentages, how many people would actually use the FP+, what the lines would look like, etc.

 

[luvthemouse71]

I never said otherwise. The person you quoted specifically said that others who vacationed differently than she did were doing it wrong. What that person posted is pretty much the opposite of what you just posted above. That's all I was responding to. I'm sure CL at Poly is amazing. I'd love to do it someday. It just doesn't work for our family right now.

Actually, CL at Poly now is not in my cards either, because of the construction and limited monorail.

I do have my limits too on how much I spend vs how much I get.

I think my next new deluxe will be AKL.

 

[rebbyparker]

As far as I can tell, the rumor is they HAVE tweaked it and now onsite guests do not have access to FP-. If true, it's a 180 from what was last week. This is the problem, no one knows, onsite or offsite, what will be implemented in their upcoming trip.

 

[Planogirl]

As far as I can tell, the rumor is they HAVE tweaked it and now onsite guests do not have access to FP-. If true, it's a 180 from what was last week. This is the problem, no one knows, onsite or offsite, what will be implemented in their upcoming trip.

From the reports I've seen onsite visitors do still have access but maybe they will be gradually phased out of having that access and possibly that has started. It's sad to have to conjecture so much.

 

[PeterPanic]

Yes, you can go and have a great time,even if staying offsite. But, you can't really complain about onsite guests getting what you don't. You make a choice and Disney has a choice about what they offer to offsite guests.

For every person implying that offsite guests won't have a good time, there's two or three smugly asserting that onsite guests are money wasting fools. So, there are more than enough generalizations to go around.

People have different income levels, spending styles and touring styles. If someone has the means and chooses to pay $1000 a night, then that's their choice. If someone wants to stay in a timeshare offsite, that's their choice.

I've stayed all levels at WDW and offsite. I will never stay offsite again, but that's me. YMMV.

I don't really complain...with one exception. If you stay in the most expensive accommodation on WDW and I sleep in my car, the cost for us to get into the theme parks is based on the same grid. If anything, the onsiters might get a discount price on their tickets, if there is a promotion going. What that means is that I paid the same to get into the entertainment and should be able to have the same perks. I will give a pass on Extra Park hours, because I can see that as a separate thing and as long as I can stay as long as the park is open to the rest of the public, I'm OK with that.

Even if it comes to denying offsite people FP, as long as they offer a way to purchase one, then I will be fine with it because heaven knows that onsiters have more than paid for that with the additional cost for lodging. If they don't offer us a way to participate that is when I will take the advice of others and just not go. Not as a protest, not as an arm twisting way for Disney to see my way, but as a matter of principle and being true to myself. I will not be treated as second class by Disney or anyone else. Never have and I see no reason to start now just to see a bunch of make-believe things.

It's hard to express this next thing without sounding a little weird, but, I can afford to stay in the most expensive thing on Disney. I choose not to as a matter of my not wanting to be robbed at mouse point. It's just a personal decision, as is staying onsite. I love the much discounted cost of a hotel room offsite, I love having my or a car to drive in and out whenever I want with no standing in line waiting or standing on a bus tired and short of patience, no having to make ADR's (I do occasionally, but not often), walking into an offsite restaurant based on my food craving of the day and sitting down almost immediately. I love having a good time, at a reasonable rate, I love not lugging around water all day because I'm trying to save money. I love, beyond that how easy it is for me to explore other areas of Florida. Go to Seaworld or Universal or Kennedy Space Ctr and others without having to figure out how I'm going to get there. Those are my habitual ways of touring and including WDW. Not everyone feels the same way, but I shouldn't be punished because I don't see the value in staying onsite.

 

[clsteve]

The only thing I can think in Disney's defense is that FP+ is, as they have explained, still in a "test phase". They're going to continue to tweak it, and may not even know what it's going to look like next week. For example, one wonders how far in advance they know about the tiered system. Sure, they could have expected most guests to choose Soarin' and Test Track, but they probably had no idea of the exact percentages, how many people would actually use the FP+, what the lines would look like, etc.

Sorry to disagree but this is not a test - this is a full-fledged, phased, production rollout. Tens of thousands are using MDE daily to make reservations, manage FP+ on-line, etc., while 100's of thousands will and are using it at the parks now through the holiday season. On-site are the 1st phase of this production rollout.

All phases of a production rollout have massively detailed project plans. Disney knows exactly when and what are the next milestones, whether that is inactivating KTTW cards for FP- for onsite, tiering the next Park, opening FP+ to AP, etc. The only thing that is being tested now is load balancing and throughput, for which they have decided to use actual guests. Milestones for the project may shift a week or 2 because of load balancing, but that's about it. Calling it a "test" is, unfortunately, Marketing Spin.

 

[ArwenMarie]

The parks and the resorts are one company. If they could make more profit by making it a one-price, all-inclusive experience, they would.

 

[ArwenMarie]

Sorry to disagree but this is not a test - this is a full-fledged, phased, production rollout. Tens of thousands are using MDE daily to make reservations, manage FP+ on-line, etc., while 100's of thousands will and are using it at the parks now through the holiday season. On-site are the 1st phase of this production rollout.

All phases of a production rollout have massively detailed project plans. Disney knows exactly when and what are the next milestones, whether that is inactivating KTTW cards for FP- for onsite, tiering the next Park, opening FP+ to AP, etc. The only thing that is being tested now is load balancing and throughput, for which they have decided to use actual guests. Milestones for the project may shift a week or 2 because of load balancing, but that's about it. Calling it a "test" is, unfortunately, Marketing Spin.

Yep. They are hiding behind "testing." At one point, it was testing, but not anymore. But they can just keep saying that. Makes me wonder if they will ever stop "testing."

 

[Aunt Michelle]

It's hard to express this next thing without sounding a little weird, but, I can afford to stay in the most expensive thing on Disney. I choose not to as a matter of my not wanting to be robbed at mouse point. It's just a personal decision, as is staying onsite.

I don't think "I can afford to stay in the most expensive thing on Disney" sounds weird, or bragging, snobby, or anything else for that matter. I'm glad that your family is in the position to do so and I also don't think there is any problem with saying so.

However, it seems to me (again my thoughts/opinion) is that some of the most heated discussion around here lately is a result of how things are said.

Following up that sentence with "I choose not to do so because I don't want to spend that much of my money.... etc." is very different from saying "I choose not to as a matter of my not wanting to be robbed at mouse point." Whether intentional or not, the second sentence has implications, implications that get people riled up.It changes the tone from - this is a "personal" decision, to - this is the "right, reasonable, logical... " decision.

 

[PeterPanic]

I don't think "I can afford to stay in the most expensive thing on Disney" sounds weird, or bragging, snobby, or anything else for that matter. I'm glad that your family is in the position to do so and I also don't think there is any problem with saying so.

However, it seems to me (again my thoughts/opinion) is that some of the most heated discussion around here lately is a result of how things are said.

Following up that sentence with "I choose not to do so because I don't want to spend that much of my money.... etc." is very different from saying "I choose not to as a matter of my not wanting to be robbed at mouse point." Whether intentional or not, the second sentence has implications, implications that get people riled up.It changes the tone from - this is a "personal" decision, to - this is the "right, reasonable, logical... " decision.

I do understand what you are saying, but in the context I used, the idea that I don't want to spend that much of my money implies that I am just cheap. I used that phrase because I feel that spending that much of my money on something that I don't feel is of equal value is being robbed at mouse point. Others that don't feel that way need not equate what I said as something less then flattering. It was an expression of my personal feelings about it. Didn't need to say it that way, sure, but expressing my deep down feelings is, I think, more honest then just letting everyone try to guess my motivations.

 

[luvthemouse71]

where were we complaining about about onsite guests getting what we (offsite guests) don't ? The onsite perks as I see them are: EMH, the 10 extra days of the ADR+10 , the ability to pay for the DDP (or get it free with a full rate room) and free parking at your resort.

Where has ANYONE complained that the offsite guests aren't allowed these things ?

The Disney transportation is available to everyone, not just resort guests so that's no an onsite perk.

As on off-site guest, I can go see the outdoor movies at your resort, I can eat in your resort restaurants, I can pop over and visit them, have a drink, chill in the lobby... I can't swim in your pool but then you can't swim in an off-site resort pool so that's not a perk.

Unless I am missing something - the above mentionned perks are just not worth the 7X price increase over what I am paying for my 5BDR/3BATH house.

No complaining here !

The only issue RIGHT NOW is the way Disney is doing their testing of the FP+. This is not an onsite perk as it has been stated that all guests will have access to FP+ once it rolls out. We are complaining about the lack of info from Disney about the testing/roll-out for FP+ but again, that is not an onsite perk.

Not you specifically maybe. But there are a multitude of posts here crying that Disney is screwing over offsite guests.

Disney can make their own decisions about what they offer to offsite guests. Personally, I feel that Disney doesn't have to offer anything to offsite and that people should be happy they get to use FP at all if they're off site.

Heck, Disney could decide tomorrow to do away with FP altogether, for everyone. Sometimes I think they should. They've created an army of the entitled.

 

[AmyB2006]

I haven't seen most people complaining about the current perks onsite guests get. I've seen people take issue with the idea that those who stay on site will get more access to the attractions during regular park hours, when everyone pays the same admission to enter the park. yes, yes, I know "onsite guests spend more." Yes, they do. And they get perks accordingly. Access to attractions during public park hours, for which every WDW guests pays the exact same admission fee, is not the same thing as EMH/dining plan/free parking/transportation/immersion

I didn't say most people. But there are plenty of complaints. I know it's not the same as what you listed. But IF that happens to be the case, it IS a perk that people are complaining about. Universal guests get the same perk for staying onsite. I still don't see why anyone choosing to stay offsite can complain. It's all a choice.

ETA... Let me fix that statement. I get why you're upset. But it does still come down to a choice. Disney wants people to stay onsite. They might be tailoring fp to entice more on site visitors.

I totally see (speculation only) the final product of this all being fp+ for everyone, but certain perks going to onsite guests. Like more advanced reservations, being able to schedule 4 or 5 instead of three. Jmo.

 

[AmyB2006]

Not sure where you've read that but it is not consistent with anything that Disney has said. RIGHT NOW (in testing mode), it certainly favors onsite guests *IF* they can get FP+ and still access FP-. Of course, rumour has it that soon, if you have a MB, you won't be able to access FP- (there's a whole thread on it on the 1st page) and THAT has the onsite guests in a tizzy !!

I know it's not. But read all over the DIS and people are either assuming or worried that it could be this way. Personally I don't think it will. I never said that this is what I thought. This is what others think based on what I've read on here.

ETA... Fwiw I'm an onsite guest and I'm not in a tizzy over that.

 

[tjevans]

Yep. They are hiding behind "testing." At one point, it was testing, but not anymore. But they can just keep saying that. Makes me wonder if they will ever stop "testing."

Maybe not. Google considered gmail to be beta for around 5 years.

 

[Angel Ariel]

I totally see (speculation only) the final product of this all being fp+ for everyone, but certain perks going to onsite guests. Like more advanced reservations, being able to schedule 4 or 5 instead of three. Jmo.

And that kind of benefit, I don't take an issue with. I'm totally fine with onsite guests having +10 days access to prebooking, like they do for ADRs, or being able to book 4 or 5 FPs instead of 3 (though I would have an issue with them developing a "class" system amongst the onsite resorts).

I do, however, have an issue with offsite guests having *no* ability to prebook, as that has been THE major marketing factor of FP+, AND Disney has said that everyone will be able to use FP+. Prebooking is what puts the + in FP+. If that part wasn't ever going to be available to offsite guests, then Disney has a very poor marketing department.