A little perspective on FP+

[monkyby87]

Can someone fill me in on the basics? When is this fast pass+ supposed to take effect? I haven't even learned how to use the regular fast pass that we'll yet and we are going in May....

I'm going in May too, and honestly, at this point nobody knows. We haven't heard anything about a release date or even how the system truly works...we've only had speculation and small bits of information to work with. So unfortunately we'll just have to wait and see what happens with this.

 

[Lorilais_mommie]

Another person going to may! And still waiting to hear about FP+

 

[dadddio]

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[dadddio]

I do find the argument that "oh you won't HAVE to use it" to be a little silly, ill bet people said that about FP but I challenge you to find more than a few people on this board who don't have to use normal FP to get certain rides.

Of course hundreds of thousands (more?) people happily visit WDW every year and don't use FPs. That's the very reason that some of us have been able to get seven or eight of them in a day.

 

[dadddio]

<snip>

 

[MinnieMeaghan]

Of course hundreds of thousands (more?) people happily visit WDW every year and don't use FPs. That's the very reason that some of us have been able to get seven or eight of them in a day.

True...

 

[seashoreCM]

I cannot fault Disney if they make sufficiently many rules that I have to jump through many hoops (but no more than anyone else arriving at the park that day must jump through) to get Fastpasses or reserve rides, such that no matter when I arrive, the Fastpasses are never sold out.

OT: I do suggest that Disney make and enforce sufficiently many rules and/or embark on construction so that I, staying or eating at a resort, will never find the parking lot so full so that I can't park there without additional charge.

 

[kmcford]

Did you guys know there is a whole market for buying fastpasses? I find it incredible that someone would pay money for them but there is. I don't know if the return time changed that system or not but for a while there were people making a ton of money for getting up early and going around and collecting fastpasses and then selling them. So I like that this system will hopefully take that away. So yes, there is a whole lot of people out there who do stockpile fastapsses. This might actually level the playing field. I do see that there is probably going to be a perk for people staying on property. It is a huge incentive for Disney to get people to property and to not have them leave for anything.

I would imagine there has to be a way to park hop. Park Hopper is a huge money maker for Disney so they are not going to do something to discourage people from purchasing that piece.

Disney has been testing and retesting this for quite a long time. They have been seeing what works and what doesn't. Once they start rolling it out in larger numbers they will see what works and what doesn't and keep adjusting it.

A planned trip might not be as much fun but it sure beats having to stand in line for hours. Imagine if you could have a reserved spot for the parade and fireworks and not have to stand there waiting for hours.

It will be interesting to see how this works out. I also know that Disney has invested a lot of money in this . They are not going to just drop it. We may as well embrace it because I don't see it going anywhere for quite a while.

 

[MinnieMeaghan]

Did you guys know there is a whole market for buying fastpasses? I find it incredible that someone would pay money for them but there is. I don't know if the return time changed that system or not but for a while there were people making a ton of money for getting up early and going around and collecting fastpasses and then selling them. So I like that this system will hopefully take that away. So yes, there is a whole lot of people out there who do stockpile fastapsses. This might actually level the playing field. I do see that there is probably going to be a perk for people staying on property. It is a huge incentive for Disney to get people to property and to not have them leave for anything.

I would imagine there has to be a way to park hop. Park Hopper is a huge money maker for Disney so they are not going to do something to discourage people from purchasing that piece.

Disney has been testing and retesting this for quite a long time. They have been seeing what works and what doesn't. Once they start rolling it out in larger numbers they will see what works and what doesn't and keep adjusting it.

A planned trip might not be as much fun but it sure beats having to stand in line for hours. Imagine if you could have a reserved spot for the parade and fireworks and not have to stand there waiting for hours.

It will be interesting to see how this works out. I also know that Disney has invested a lot of money in this . They are not going to just drop it. We may as well embrace it because I don't see it going anywhere for quite a while.

Did NOT know that people were buying fastpasses!!!

 

[aubriee]

Sorry but I just don't see it that way. I have no interest in giving up some of the FP capability I have enjoyed up until now (even post time enforcement) to further the greater good in terms of a potentially slightly shorter standby wait.

I know it will be what it is, but I just don't see that as a positive.

I never "stockpiled" FPs to the point where I could never use them though.

Same here. I was one who stockpiled FP as fast as I could get them and then either used them just before leaving the park or gave them away to someone just coming in. I still feel that if I am willing to get up early and make rope drop then ride rides standby early in the mornings (when there are no lines), stockpiling FPs to use later in the day, then anyone else could have done the same thing. Why should we have to give up those FPs to people who just don't want to get out of bed in the mornings to make rope drop? It's not our fault they refused to get up before fast passes are gone.

There is a lot of free floating angst around that is probably unnecessary.

Most everyone that comes to these boards is coming to get tips and do research. When the system gets implemented, we will all figure it out and work it best to our advantage.

I am just not capable of reserving fastpasses before I am in the park. I'm totally too unorganized for that. I was envisioning my husband (our fast pass runner) taking everyone's bracelet, until the comment about using our smartphone's popped up. lol. If that is what we're going to have to do, I'll probably never actually make it on another ride. My husband, the computer guy, can barely make a CALL on his phone, let alone navigate a fastpass system.

I'm sure it will all work out. We can probably find a friendly six year old kid in the park to help us reserve fastpasses on my husband's phone.

Yeah, we would sometimes stockpile fastpasses that we decided not to use, but we would always walk to the standby line and hand them off to people at the end before we left the park.

I never carry my phone into the parks and don't want to start. Plus don't even have a smart phone. If the rumer that AP holders are only going to be able to get 20 FP per quarter is true, I doubt if I'll even be going back to WDW. As an AP holder I go to WDW 4-6 times a year and often make more than one trip per quarter. Being able to get only four FP/day (enough for five days per quarter) is ridiculous when there is a good chance I'll be going 22 days in a quarter. At the present time I do have a ressie at Bonnet Creek and will be taking my mom with me. We'll be offsite, me with an AP, and my mom with a MYW ticket. How the heck will we be able to schedule riding together? I saw nothing wrong with the old fast pass system, where everyone had the same chance to get to rope drop and get the FPs they wanted.

 

[Disney_Princess83]

Don't be silly, we all know the real end of the world arrives when Starbucks enters Main St.

I do have many questions, especially regarding AP Holders. I'm not going to panic yet either.

Looks like the Mayans were slightly off. Apparently, based on reading this board, the real end of the world will be the day that FP+ is actually implemented.

 

[seashoreCM]

Are you saying that an annual pass gives you 20 extra FP+ reservations per quarter (on top of the 4 per day each day you use the AP)?

Or is the AP limited to 20 FP+ reservations per quarter altogether in which case a 5 day Magic Your Way base ticket would provide just as many FP reservations at 4 FP+s per day?

 

[donaldlovesdaisy]

I like the idea of FP+ but I hope you get to pick the 4 rides you want individually and not a set group of four.

 

[Disney_Princess83]

Are you saying that an annual pass gives you 20 extra FP+ reservations per quarter (on top of the 4 per day each day you use the AP)?

Or is the AP limited to 20 FP+ reservations per quarter altogether in which case a 5 day Magic Your Way base ticket would provide just as many FP reservations at 4 FP+s per day?

No one really knows anything yet. Disney hasn't released anything, except that they care about their AP holders.

 

[mom2mickeyfan]

Are you saying that an annual pass gives you 20 extra FP+ reservations per quarter (on top of the 4 per day each day you use the AP)?

Or is the AP limited to 20 FP+ reservations per quarter altogether in which case a 5 day Magic Your Way base ticket would provide just as many FP reservations at 4 FP+s per day?

I thought I read that if you have an AP that you get 5 days per quarter to use FP+. Each day you would get 4 FP+'s. I think there has been some talk that it you stay onsite that you may get more days but since I do not have AP or will be getting one, I didn't find the need to pay much attention to what I was reading.

 

[mom2rtk]

except that they care about their AP holders.

LOL, shouldn't that be enough?

 

[mom2rtk]

I thought I read that if you have an AP that you get 5 days per quarter to use FP+. Each day you would get 4 FP+'s. I think there has been some talk that it you stay onsite that you may get more days but since I do not have AP or will be getting one, I didn't find the need to pay much attention to what I was reading.

That was a rumor discussed here:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3034935

 

[SaraJayne]

Are you saying that an annual pass gives you 20 extra FP+ reservations per quarter (on top of the 4 per day each day you use the AP)?

Or is the AP limited to 20 FP+ reservations per quarter altogether in which case a 5 day Magic Your Way base ticket would provide just as many FP reservations at 4 FP+s per day?

Disney hasn't deemed it necessary to release those pesky details yet.

 

[Disney_Princess83]

LOL, shouldn't that be enough?

I'm glad to know that they care about me! But I'd swap the "care" for more FP's!

 

[Cinderumbrella]

The only place we ever heard the 20 per quarter for AP holders was a thread here. (I believe linked above) And since all discussion and said knowledge of it has ceased.