A note for offsiters...

[shepd]

If you have even the slightest plan to take advantage of fastpass, you should probably think again! Make sure you plan a 100% standby line only trip.

Just tried at bang on 12:00 am for MK, Sep 5th (low crowd day). Anna and Elsa? Nope. SDMT? Nope.

I figured that since I paid full price for my tickets, I deserve the same opportunity for FP+. Apparently that isn't the case. Fortunately, I already planned for Disney to treat me like this, since I've pretty much resigned myself to second class citizen status due to my lodging preferences. Can't want to use a FP for Peter Pan, Philharmagic, and Barnstormer. LOL.

Ahhh well, not to worry! Universal is shaping up to be darned exciting for next year's Orlando vacation!

 

[BuzzinDownToDisney]

If you have even the slightest plan to take advantage of fastpass, you should probably think again! Make sure you plan a 100% standby line only trip.

Just tried at bang on 12:00 am for MK, Sep 5th (low crowd day). Anna and Elsa? Nope. SDMT? Nope.

I figured that since I paid full price for my tickets, I deserve the same opportunity for FP+. Apparently that isn't the case. Fortunately, I already planned for Disney to treat me like this, since I've pretty much resigned myself to second class citizen status due to my lodging preferences. Can't want to use a FP for Peter Pan, Philharmagic, and Barnstormer. LOL.

Ahhh well, not to worry! Universal is shaping up to be darned exciting for next year's Orlando vacation!

Where you have to stay onsite (or pay a boatload) to get access to their FP?

 

[Planogirl]

Where you have to stay onsite (or pay a boatload) to get access to their FP?

At least you get access like everyone else. Not that we've ever needed it.

OP, we will likely be offsite when we go too. I agree that it's a shame that offsiters and AP users and locals don't get the same access. I know that it's popular to feel like onsite visitors deserve more but I've never bought into that even when we stay onsite.

 

[BigAlsGal]

If you have even the slightest plan to take advantage of fastpass, you should probably think again! Make sure you plan a 100% standby line only trip.

Just tried at bang on 12:00 am for MK, Sep 5th (low crowd day). Anna and Elsa? Nope. SDMT? Nope.

I figured that since I paid full price for my tickets, I deserve the same opportunity for FP+. Apparently that isn't the case. Fortunately, I already planned for Disney to treat me like this, since I've pretty much resigned myself to second class citizen status due to my lodging preferences. Can't want to use a FP for Peter Pan, Philharmagic, and Barnstormer. LOL.

Ahhh well, not to worry! Universal is shaping up to be darned exciting for next year's Orlando vacation!

 

[Mad Hattered]

Where you have to stay onsite (or pay a boatload) to get access to their FP?

Or you could use their cheaper version called Qbot. People seriously need to educate themselves about Universal if they want to talk smack about them.

Just Google Universal Orlando Qbot. It's a forbidden site so I can't link it.

 

[Arsenal13]

If you have even the slightest plan to take advantage of fastpass, you should probably think again! Make sure you plan a 100% standby line only trip.

Just tried at bang on 12:00 am for MK, Sep 5th (low crowd day). Anna and Elsa? Nope. SDMT? Nope.

I figured that since I paid full price for my tickets, I deserve the same opportunity for FP+. Apparently that isn't the case. Fortunately, I already planned for Disney to treat me like this, since I've pretty much resigned myself to second class citizen status due to my lodging preferences. Can't want to use a FP for Peter Pan, Philharmagic, and Barnstormer. LOL.

Ahhh well, not to worry! Universal is shaping up to be darned exciting for next year's Orlando vacation!

I will be fair to disney, at least offsite guest don't have to pay for fastpasses if they aren't staying onsite unlike someone I know

I get your frustration though. As a offsite guest I don't mind this as I wouldn't pay 1000 more just to stay on site and get the perks. I don't know but for me it wasn't worth it. At the time I priced it up for 2 adults and 2 kids and it was through the roof. So much cheaper staying offsite and the meals are better offsite in mho. Ironically I think people who who don't have kids could afford disney more. I get that disney isn't there to bow down at my feet. I get it has to make money but sometimes I just wonder who can afford these prices or maybe they just don't go every year whereas I would rather go every year or 2 than pay for one big time every 4 or 5 years.

 

[shepd]

Where you have to stay onsite (or pay a boatload) to get access to their FP?

Was I wrong in believing I could pay for FP there as an offsiter?

I will be fair to disney, at least offsite guest don't have to pay for fastpasses if they aren't staying onsite unlike someone I know

If it's a money thing, that I can deal with. I did say that if I paid less for my tickets, I'd be willing to stop whining about this. Or if Disney simply made FP a pay-as-you-go item like Universal did, that'd be fine too. Just flat out turning the parks into a hotel resort with the ability for non-hotel guests to use some of them, well, it sucks. Honestly, go one way or the other. When I'm at Great Wolf Lodge they don't let non-hotel guests in. I'm fine with that. Of course, then their park is part of the entire hotel experience. If Disney World is basically a giant hotel experience, I just wish Disney would be honest--come right out and say it. "World's largest hotel resort (and themepark)". Of course, I suppose they don't want to do that, because then they'd lose AP customers, and they'd probably lose a bunch of other offsiters as customers. And I wonder just how crazy the taxes would be on a giant hotel resort... Then again, Disney owns the city so... ???

Ehhh, whatever works for Disney. I just know when to call a spade a spade. I suppose I just wasn't expecting this level of underhandedness from Disney. It's not a big deal, though, I've had good business deals with other groups that operate similarly (timeshare deals, for example). You just have to go in knowing what to expect!

 

[CAS239]

A&E is normally always gone by the 30 day mark, but not always. And you have a really good shot at getting 7 dwarves at 30 days out..but of course, sometimes it's out.

Everything else is fully available

 

[Planogirl]

Or you could use their cheaper version called Qbot. People seriously need to educate themselves about Universal if they want to talk smack about them.

Just Google Universal Orlando Qbot. It's a forbidden site so I can't link it.

Very few people here seem to know about Qbot. It sounds interesting and assuming that I've seen the right prices I've noticed that if I add it to the cost of passes it still comes out less than Disney passes.

 

[shepd]

Everything else is fully available

Weirdly no, the parade was also fully booked. Fortunately, that's a relatively pointless expense of a fastpass, and it's not as if the parade has a few hours lineup to be able to see it at all.

Well, I have a crowd level 1 day for MK. Let's see if they're all booked up then as well.

I suppose I'm just sore because I was trying to use the system fairly and that didn't work at all. If I bother to come back for another holiday, I'll book a throwaway campsite. If Disney shoots a hole in being able to cancel it and keep the fastpasses, feh, I guess I'll consider it a $15 a day (per person) increase to get treated properly at the parks and still get to spend my evenings in a condo.

 

[ziravan]

For different reasons, A&E and 7DMT are very hot right now. Mine Train will settle down once it's not the new thing. A&E? Who knows?

Even on site guests are having a difficult time getting A&E, and many aren't.

Except for those two, most everything else is available at 30 days. Of those two, one will settle down with time, and the other Disney is scrambling to catch up to demand. In neither case are the perks for staying on site designed to deprive an off site guest from access; demand is simply higher than supply.

It's hyperbole to say you're second class. That said, Disney wants your money. If you stay and pay, you get more chances to play. If not, someone else will.

 

[jon18uk]

Even if both on-site and off-site guests could book A&E at the same time I doubt you would get it. Apparently there are only 9 spaces for each FP window so the supply just won't meet demand.

Seven dwarves may yet come up for you, if not try riding late at night, others report lines dropping to well under an hour in the evenings.

 

[Jjplantgeek]

Depending on your party size, you might try setting FP+ for one person and copying to others. Not ideal, but I was able it get an overlapping window for SDMT last night for the date of September 5th around noon.

Yeah, it sucks in some respects, but I am trying to remain open minded until we get there and experience firsthand. On our January trip, my wife waited 3+ hours for A&E in Norway after a RD sprint and no FP+ available. Some lines are just part of the disney experience.

 

[lovethattink]

I was able to get a last minute A&E FP+, but that was during the SB+ testing.

 

[dpswift]

A&E is normally always gone by the 30 day mark, but not always. And you have a really good shot at getting 7 dwarves at 30 days out..but of course, sometimes it's out.

Everything else is fully available

Anna and Elsa is often gone by the 60 day mark. I went online at 12am at 60 days out and the only fastpass I could get was right before we leave and that is cutting it close. We may have to pay for a taxi if we want to see A and E and catch our plane.

 

[daisy87]

Don't give up! I'm off site and at my 30 day window had no chance of a 7DMT fast pass tho everything else other than A&European had plenty of availability.

I checked the site every day for 2 weeks and eventually scored 4 7DMT fast passes for our first day so if you keep checking something might open up

Good luck and have a brilliant trip!

 

[ArwenMarie]

The hotels and the parks are one entity. It's perfectly logical that they are using the parks to fill their hotel rooms, they are leaving hundreds of millions of dollars out there at their current occupancy rates. So yeah, you are a second-class customer to them! So am I for our next trip in August, we are staying offsite I didn't get A&E or Mine Train either. So be it, I am giving them less money than I would have had we stayed onsite for the Disney portion of our trip. Fair trade IMO.

I agree though, it does stink when everyone has been equal in the parks until FP-Plus came along. I guess you have to ask yourself is the ticket price still worth it.

 

[DebbieB]

Many people onsite are reporting that they are not getting them at 60 days.

 

[Dayton Flyer]

Very few people here seem to know about Qbot. It sounds interesting and assuming that I've seen the right prices I've noticed that if I add it to the cost of passes it still comes out less than Disney passes.

If you stay 3 days or more, and even then it's close. But with unlimited Express Pass, the Universal price is well more than WDW.

Not making a value judgment, but I just noticed when pricing out a possible trip to Universal that it's not worth it for me to spend $2000 on a trip to WDW, then over $1000 for a 2 day side trip to Universal with Express Pass. That's just too much for me.

 

[dumbox2]

I am staying off site and had no problem booking FP+ for what we wanted. didn't want A&E but did get 7DMT. I think it just really is all hit or miss and a bit of luck as to what is available when.