Aaaaaand it sucked

[emmasmom77]

We were there this week as well and had a very opposite experience. I felt like the crowds were very low. The only time we waited longer than 15 mins was for PP because my son wanted to ride it again. We thought FP + was awesome and were usually able to get 5 each day. We used easy wdw for park recommendations. My son had originally wanted to meet A&e but once we explained the wait time he changed his mind. Thankfully! All in all I would for sure go this week again when we return to Disney in a couple of years.

We heard Monday would've been the best day for MK and had the lowest wait times but we had reservations to the Frozen Holiday party on Monday so that was out.

I forgot to add that the majority of cast members and employees we dealt with were not nice or friendly and another reason for our decision. We bought our daughter the singing Elsa doll and it is motion activated but it hardly worked when we waved at her and then all of a sudden would come on when she was just sit ting still. We brought her back and we received attitude from the cast member. He did let us exchange but it wasn't magical for us. We were very nice and even asked if that is how the doll is supposed to work.

Now Epcot and Animal Kingdom were less crowded and we were still able to get FP+ for what we wanted at both parks. MK on Tuesday and then the sold out MVMCP on Thursday were our MK experiences.

 

[Mambo Junkie]

Also increased crowd levels are (still) do in part to New Fantasyland opening. There are many people who had been to Disney numerous times and had no plans of going back any time soon, or at least until they went with their Grandchildren, that have changed their minds and are now going back.

We are planners and we've never done FP+, though while I try to never pre-judge anything, I've got a major feeling that it's going to suck royally. The tier system has completely taken away our enthusiasm to go back.

We are planners when we go to Disney, for dining purposes only. Once you choose which restaurants, for time efficiency, you have to choose which park you'll be in, which day and time. Which park depends on EMH, so planning all goes hand in hand.

I would also guess that one of biggest reasons for the increase in crowds is free dining. Disney figured how to fill up the slow times. That and the room discounts. I have gone in September for years and have noticed the increase especially after free dining was implemented. (Which is why I now go when t isn't free dining)

 

[Networth]

I forgot to add that the majority of cast members and employees we dealt with were not nice or friendly and another reason for our decision. We bought our daughter the singing Elsa doll and it is motion activated but it hardly worked when we waved at her and then all of a sudden would come on when she was just sit ting still. We brought her back and we received attitude from the cast member. He did let us exchange but it wasn't magical for us.

The majority? Come on really... As in more often than not every CM you ran across from the bell hop to the balloon girl/guy on Main Street was rude. Sides like quiet a stretch. Not exactly sure how you make an exchange magical but again who knows. I just know the majority of CM's are not rude and unfriendly.

2 Cents.

 

[momofmaz]

We just got back yesterday from a 6 day trip (3 adults and a 3 year old). It was VERY cold. FP+ worked fine for us. We rode 7DMT 6 times and it was by far my son's favorite ride. 2nd was Barnstormer. We did wait in a 30 minute stand by line for that one once. I have only ever been in the months of May and November so I have only seen 4-5 crowd levels. That is about my max with a 3 year old.

We did never use the 4th FP. I found it just easier to wait in lines that were not bad at all. We took advantage of the Christmas Party while waiting on parties the rides nearby were very fast. We did Buzz 3 times in a row no wait. Ironically the longest lines we waited in (without fast pass) were Character meets, Barnstormer and Dumbo.

 

[Angel Ariel]

There is not one thing wrong with the fast pass system I've used it without any hassles or problems ever. It's not for everyone sure but it's an excellent well done and thought out system.

And if I didn't get a fast pass I wanted I *gasp* waited.

First I want to say we didn't have any *major* technical problems with the FP+ system ourselves. There were some minor inconveniences, but overall the system did at least work (no glitches, no going down, no losing reservations, etc).

That said, I disagree that it is an "excellent well done and thought out system."
There is just too much "insider information" you have to know to get the system to do what you want it to do for me to consider it excellent and well thought out.

My example is from my friend's trip - they arrived a few days after we left, and I'd planned their entire trip. When they arrived, they discovered their DD really didn't like rides. Like at all. So, needless to say, their plans changed a lot.

My friend texted me one morning that they were leaving MK early, heading to the hotel for a break, then heading to AK. She said they hadn't used their pre-booked FP+ at MK, so I went into the app on my phone (under her account) to change their FP+ to AK. I was hoping to get KS, FOTLK and Nemo. I think the options the app gave me that weren't bigger rides were ITTBAB, Nemo, and PW. I knew she wouldn't like 2 out of those 3, but the "options" Disney gave me weren't any better. It was odd, though, that it wasn't giving me FOTLK and KS even when I'd chosen them, because neither of them had the red text of "FP+ distribution has ended for the day" on the 1st selection screen. And I was booking them as "new" FP+ for the day, completely overriding MK, so it's not like there were conflicting time issues that can happen when you're just modifying FP+. Then I had a memory of people on the DIS saying 2 things:

1. That sometimes there is other availability, and you have to just accept what Disney shows you and then go in and modify the experience.

2. That sometimes FP+ availability was different online than it showed in the app.

So, I went on MDE on my computer instead of my phone (under her account) and went to modify the AK experiences I'd just booked. After playing around with modifying the experience (both time and attraction choice), I was able to get them PW (just b/c I had to have a 3rd), Kilimanjaro Safari and FOTLK. (FTR, Nemo was available, but FOTLK and Nemo both seemed to only be available for similar showtimes, so choosing one blacked out the other, and I thought their DD would enjoy FOTLK more).

My friend *never* would have known that she needed to jump through those hoops. When she saw that her choices didn't come up as options after the 1st selection screen, she would have thought that they just weren't available at all and stopped there.

That was a good 10 mins or so of working/playing around in MDE from when I first started using it on my phone til I was done on my computer. And that was from my home, where I was only 10 ft from my wifi router and had a great signal. Given what my reception was like in the parks, I don't want to think about how long that would have taken me if I'd been there.

None of that is what I'd call an "excellent well thought out" system. An excellent, well thought out system should show *all availability* on *all* platforms. I certainly would not have known about the above #s 1 & 2 if I hadn't been a DISer. A well thought out system is not one that would require that much insider knowledge.

I'm not saying the system is absolutely completely horrible...it didn't ruin our trip (or my friend's) at all. But well thought out or well executed (in terms of programming/user interface) is definitely not one of the words I would use to describe it at all.

 

[emmasmom77]

The majority? Come on really... As in more often than not every CM you ran across from the bell hop to the balloon girl/guy on Main Street was rude. Sides like quiet a stretch. Not exactly sure how you make an exchange magical but again who knows. I just know the majority of CM's are not rude and unfriendly.

2 Cents.

We didn't stay on property so no idea about that but in our experience we dealt with more rude cast members than I've ever dealt with at other parks it was a total surprise to us. Majority is not all but most. We go to lots of amusement parks. Animal Kingdom and Epcot were better. Just a real change from what we are used to at other parks we are used to.

 

[Texas Barbie]

I'm sitting here waiting for ME to pick me up, and we just had a wonderful week. FP+ worked great for us, the 3 major rides were enough and we enjoyed a lot of the minor rides, and a number of theater shows. All the cast members we encountered were helpful and friendly. We did have some extreme weather changes this week, from too hot on Sunday, to too cold, and now raining but that does make it a little easier to leave. Lines at the Thursday night Christmas party were very short, and the parade and fireworks were awesome.

All I can say is, give FP+ a chance. Riding the same thing over and over and over isn't really that great anyway, unless you enjoy a deja vu experience.

 

[tony67]

This is getting a little off topic but as for the comment on rude cast members - I wouldn't say they are rude, but they are much less enthusiastic than they used to be.

I'm sure that FP+ contributes to that...regardless of what some people say there are still a lot of issues with it. I was there for 6 days and it was down for 4 just a few weeks back. Many of the cast members were obviously tired of defending it with their standard canned answers. It's still in testing...does not seem like a test to me..and it was in testing over a year ago. It was laughable IMO. The lines for the Kiosks were far too long and there are far too few Kiosks. Also why are so many of the Kiosks not even being used...they were covered up until later in the day..that's extremely annoying when you just need to check your FP+s because the app is down

I think that fact that it is always busy does not help at all either - there really is no down time for them like there used to be. I'm sure its hard to be 100% every day when the parks are slammed.

Disney is being run as more of a business now than it was in the past IMO...that does not always make for happy employee's.

In speaking to a few cast members they were not happy and seemed to be waiting for older cast members to leave so they can "hopefully" get into the tipped positions. That is where the money is for the day to day employees..they are just waiting for something to open up. Of course if they get into those position they really need to change their attitudes.

In talking to the tipped cast members..they did not think it was as amazing as other cast members thought. they had a lot of opinions on who tips and who does not..they also claim they are luck if they average 10%...I found that a bit surprising..but got the same feedback from several bartenders. IMO - 10% on overpriced food and drink is probably not all that bad at the end of the day though...better than you might get at 15% at Olive Garden for example.

The general attitude of entry level employees these days is not great...that is going to affect Disney just as much as anywhere else.

At this point I think we just need expect that for 70% of the cast members it's just a job. It may sound great in theory but when you have to do it day to day and pay your bills I'm guessing it's not so magical

 

[hoosll]

Sorry I guess I didn't make that point clear. For me one of the downsides is that I now have to purchase tickets in advanced. In the past I waited until we got to our resort to purchase tickets. With our trip with FP+ I had bought the tickets in advanced to take advantage of FP+.

BINGO! - and Disney is now using your money that you advance to them plus they are getting better info as to the distribution of crowds which allows them to distribute employees more efficiently, i.e., run one line at some rides instead of 2. Life for Disney can become more predictable as we give them a peek at our plans.

 

[TheDizHey]

We just got back yesterday from a 6 day trip (3 adults and a 3 year old). It was VERY cold. FP+ worked fine for us. We rode 7DMT 6 times and it was by far my son's favorite ride. 2nd was Barnstormer. We did wait in a 30 minute stand by line for that one once. I have only ever been in the months of May and November so I have only seen 4-5 crowd levels. That is about my max with a 3 year old. We did never use the 4th FP. I found it just easier to wait in lines that were not bad at all. We took advantage of the Christmas Party while waiting on parties the rides nearby were very fast. We did Buzz 3 times in a row no wait. Ironically the longest lines we waited in (without fast pass) were Character meets, Barnstormer and Dumbo.

I have a 3 year old. Is 7dmt really a ride for a 3 year old?
Honest question since I have never been

 

[Angel Ariel]

I have a 3 year old. Is 7dmt really a ride for a 3 year old?
Honest question since I have never been

It is a *very* smooth coaster, and honestly I think it would be a great intro coaster for a younger child (even 3).

 

[momofmaz]

My son calls it the Hi Hoooooo ride and HE LOVES IT. He will be 3.5 in January and is 39.5 inches tall. He could have rode it 6 more times. We had extra fast passes for any attraction due to some huge issues on our last trip and we used every single one (except 1 for Toy Story at HS) for 7DMT because he loved it so much.

 

[Mikie]

FP- Wake up go to park rope drop with no preplanning = 100% of FPs available for all rides.

FP+ Wake up go to park rope drop without preplanning = FPs available??? who knows, depending on the day, possibly no headliners!!

I don't know how you can't see the difference!

Yep, duh! On me here. . . However, while 100% of paper FPs were available the minute you walk in, you did have to physically go to each ride to grab one and wait for that FP window to expire (or 2hours later, right?) to get another, so during that time, other FPs are being gobbled up by other guests and no longer 100% available. I see now how that is a difference between old and new FP, but not exactly as stark a difference as saying you could get "everything" under old and "nothing" under new.

Also, I've finally realized I'm too hung up on the semantics of people saying FP+ ruined their experience, when it's really FP+ (the biggest and most visible culprit) + ADRs at 180 days + charging for missedADRs + increased crowds overall + no true "low" times due to Disney offering discounts & special events to draw crowds all year + feeling like they're closing more than they're opening right now (don't know actual numbers on this though).. . All contributing to Disney no longer being the right type of vacation for a lot of people any more

 

[DebbieB]

Yep, duh! On me here. . . However, while 100% of paper FPs were available the minute you walk in, you did have to physically go to each ride to grab one and wait for that FP window to expire (or 2hours later, right?) to get another, so during that time, other FPs are being gobbled up by other guests and no longer 100% available. I see now how that is a difference between old and new FP, but not exactly as stark a difference as saying you could get "everything" under old and "nothing" under new.

Also, I've finally realized I'm too hung up on the semantics of people saying FP+ ruined their experience, when it's really FP+ (the biggest and most visible culprit) + ADRs at 180 days + charging for missedADRs + increased crowds overall + no true "low" times due to Disney offering discounts & special events to draw crowds all year + feeling like they're closing more than they're opening right now (don't know actual numbers on this though).. . All contributing to Disney no longer being the right type of vacation for a lot of people any more

And you had to take the time on the return clock or walk away until the time you wanted showed up or go to another ride to see what time is available there. That's what I love about FP+ - I can choose the time of day I want. I do wish you could choose your 4th FP on the app. I was there last month, the app worked fine. I changed a few things either the day before or day of. Of course not 7DMT but I was able to get Space Mountain the day before for the time I wanted.

 

[hsmamato2]

This is not a rhetorical question to irritate people. All my recent trips have involved character ADRs, so that is what causes me to be "locked in" places, therefore I've never been a "winger"

Honestly asking: old system - wake up, decide what to do, go to park w/no pre-planned FP (didn't exist) use Rope Drop for low lines and maybe also see what FPs are available and whether you want to get them
New system if you want to wing it - wake up, decide what to do, go to park w/no pre-planned FP (even though they exist) use Rope Drop for low lines and maybe also see what FPs are available and whether you want to get them

I don't see the difference. Either way you have little control of what FPs to get and when they'll be. If it's the feeling of pressure to do it in advance (whether required or not, you may still *feel* the pressure) I do totally understand that.

I think it is this(I am still 'planning' on that dang MDE) I am a WDW vet- and I am STILL having issues with the level of actual knowledge required to make all these stupid plans months ahead of time,and I am computer savvy,and still have difficulty navigating and fixing problems with that site we are forced to use. I imagine it is near impossible to plan a simple trip as a newbie nowadays- esp. if one is computer literate!
I intend to ditch any FP+ that doesn't suit me at any given moment, but I still had to do all this thinking,and OVERplanning,and inputting ridiculous amounts of details,to enjoy what USED TO BE a nice, all inclusive,fairly easy way to have fun with my family. I feel like I need to have strategies and plans where I didn't used to, and I haven't even gotten there yet to enjoy all this 'stuff'

 

[dfb]

I see now how that is a difference between old and new FP, but not exactly as stark a difference as saying you could get "everything" under old and "nothing" under new.

Wasn't saying that!

Obviously there are pros and cons to either FP system. I just wanted to point out there is a definite difference in the systems when it comes to planning a trip!

For me FP+ (specifically its restrictions) is disappointing. I hope they can (will) improve!

 

[Bullseye]

I usually look at the park calendar just before the six month mark so I can take advantage of EMH and plan adrs at the 180 day mark. So planning a few rides at the park I'm going to be at isn't a big deal.

 

[TowMater92]

I know this sentiment is nothing new but I just feel the need to share. I have been holding off on my judgment of FP+ until I could experience it myself and having just returned from the world, in my humble opinion, it sucks. I know there are people out there who are digging it but for me…. I’ve been to Disney an uncountable amount of times and when I go I like to chill. I don’t need to plan everything out to the smallest details anymore. I like to decide which park I’m going to, the day before or the morning of, depending on the weather or what I’m in the mood for. I’m not against change, I’m normally all for it but this, not to be overly dramatic but this took a lot of the fun out of the experience for me. You are now forced to plan which days you want to go to specific parks as well as what attractions you want to go on and the time of day you want to ride months ahead of time. That’s nuts! And if you don’t, you’re screwed. The overall lines are longer and I can’t believe that’s just because more people are going. Anyway, my point is Disney clearly thought this would be great for all of the uber planners out there but I can’t be the only one who has traditionally enjoyed winging it. What about us? I won’t say I’m not going back, I’m sure I will but I may give it a few more years and see if they cant straighten all this out first. In the mean time Universal lines were much more manageable. Just saying.

You said what I've been saying since they started the FP+ we did the exact same thing you did and now we can't vacation the way we want to. I'll know more in a week when I'm at WDW and I'm hoping its better then I expect, I will give it a chance. I want my relaxing unplanned vacation that I'm use to but if I tried that I would go nuts having to wait in the long lines. Disney needs to figure out how to fix it so it works for everyone not just the people that plan out everyday. Why didn't they just make it so you can walk up and scan your band to get a FP what does planning 3 FP+'s for the day help? It doesn't save time and how do I know what I'll want to do months before I'm at WDW? That money should have been used to make parks better. I'm a DVC member and we'll see if I'm still a DVC member after this trip

 

[SnowWhite09]

I know this sentiment is nothing new but I just feel the need to share. I have been holding off on my judgment of FP+ until I could experience it myself and having just returned from the world, in my humble opinion, it sucks. I know there are people out there who are digging it but for me…. I’ve been to Disney an uncountable amount of times and when I go I like to chill. I don’t need to plan everything out to the smallest details anymore. I like to decide which park I’m going to, the day before or the morning of, depending on the weather or what I’m in the mood for. I’m not against change, I’m normally all for it but this, not to be overly dramatic but this took a lot of the fun out of the experience for me. You are now forced to plan which days you want to go to specific parks as well as what attractions you want to go on and the time of day you want to ride months ahead of time. That’s nuts! And if you don’t, you’re screwed. The overall lines are longer and I can’t believe that’s just because more people are going. Anyway, my point is Disney clearly thought this would be great for all of the uber planners out there but I can’t be the only one who has traditionally enjoyed winging it. What about us? I won’t say I’m not going back, I’m sure I will but I may give it a few more years and see if they cant straighten all this out first. In the mean time Universal lines were much more manageable. Just saying.

I don't like the sound of this system and I haven't even used it yet. We like to decide on the day what we are going to do and Disney's guests shouldn't be told they have to book way in advance and miss out if they decide to change their mind on what they are going to do when they arrive. I wish they would bring back the old FP system - I loved it! In saying that, we are going to go in the quieter times of the years from now on so we have more options about how to structure our time overseas.

 

[Dug720]

I don't like the sound of this system and I haven't even used it yet. We like to decide on the day what we are going to do and Disney's guests shouldn't be told they have to book way in advance and miss out if they decide to change their mind on what they are going to do when they arrive. I wish they would bring back the old FP system - I loved it! In saying that, we are going to go in the quieter times of the years from now on so we have more options about how to structure our time overseas.

I have been twice since FP+ started and was unable to book ahead of time due to my ticket type (CM comp) and was still able to ride everything I wanted to. (And this was Marathon Weekend and Expedition Everest weekend which is during F&G - so neither were exactly slow.)