All FP machines to be removed from Animal Kingdom by next week and....

[Laketravis]

And there's me thinking that with your previous post you wanted to get back to what this thread is really about, FP+ at AK.

Yeah, I know... I've already been appropriately chastised for that.

Moving along..........

Overall, wait times aren't looking too bad for the Saturday before Christmas.

 

[g-dad66]

TSM FP's gone and 75 min, 80 min RNR, TOT 40, Soarin 70 TT 80.

EE 25 (been 10 min all morning)

Dino 10

Safari 10

Interesting info.

My guess is that elimination of FP- at AK has made Standby wait times shorter than they otherwise would be. I realize HS had morning EMH today, so that pushes up its waits, of course, but I still think that availability of FP- there (as well as at Epcot) is increasing Standby line waits.

Of course, the FP+ usage at AK is probably much lower now than it will be in the future, as more and more guests learn about and make use of FP+, but I think the results so far are somewhat encouraging as to the effect of FP+ on Standby lines.

So in the long run, what I'm thinking now for us FP- super-users who want to do multiple rides of headliners is this: maybe at Rope Drop, 2, 3, or even 4 headliner rides might be possible without long Standby waits. That coud offset somewhat the limitations on FP+ for headliners.

 

[doconeill]

I think tomorrow and Monday might be better indicators...I think due to Christmas being mid-week, people might more likely being arriving today and tomorrow, with some of them later yesterday.

​

 

[Laketravis]

What we can't tell from the posted SB wait times is how long the FP+ line wait time might be. I'm not implying that it's long, just that we don't know.

 

[ArwenMarie]

Getting us (sort of) back on topic, I am very curious to see how this type of system works at the other parks. Watching wait times, AK never seems to be even close to as bad as the other parks. Obviously that's why they tested there first, but it will be interesting to see how it goes at the busier parks.

Anyone think we're going to see anything before January?

I did think they were going to roll this out at all parks before Christmas week, but it seems like not. I'd say the rest will happen in January.

 

[jade1]

What we can't tell from the posted SB wait times is how long the FP+ line wait time might be. I'm not implying that it's long, just that we don't know.

True, but if Safari and TT were 10 minutes all morning-why would you wait longer in a FP+ line if it was longer?

 

[Laketravis]

True, but if Safari and TT were 10 minutes all morning-why would you wait longer in a FP+ line?

Because I had a FP+ and didn't know any better?

I had it work both ways - waited in the FP line at TT one day for over 40 minutes when I think the posted SB time was 60.

At HM, I would almost always merge with the person in SB who entered the queue at the same time I did, so the difference between SB and FP was zero.

 

[jade1]

I think tomorrow and Monday might be better indicators...I think due to Christmas being mid-week, people might more likely being arriving today and tomorrow, with some of them later yesterday.

​

Everything will build including AK, its the busiest week of the year for cripes-but up to this point, its hard to argue that removing FP- from AK these last few days has not made wait times worse at AK.

 

[jade1]

Because I had a FP+ and didn't know any better?

I had it work both ways - waited in the FP line at TT one day for over 40 minutes when I think the posted SB time was 60.

At HM, I would almost always merge with the person in SB who entered the queue at the same time I did, so the difference between SB and FP was zero.

I guess it's possible FP+ has been 50 minutes all week, and SB 10.

 

[Laketravis]

its hard to argue that removing FP- from AK these last few days has not made wait times worse at AK.

I think you meant it would be hard to argue that it HAS made wait times worse?

(Yes, some of us do read your posts)

 

[doconeill]

I guess it's possible FP+ has been 50 minutes all week, and SB 10.

The wait/dwell time in the FP line should never be longer than the standby line...otherwise it means preference has been given to the standby line.

The question is whether the wait time in FP is longer than it used to be - but since it was never measured before, it would be difficult to say now...

 

[jade1]

I think you meant it would be hard to argue that it HAS made wait times worse?

(Yes, some of us do read your posts)

-I'm saying removing FP- has not made wait times worse as many predicted.

 

[FlipHipster]

TSM FP's gone and 75 min, 80 min RNR, TOT 40, Soarin 70 TT 80.

EE 25 (been 10 min all morning)

Dino 10

Safari 10

Dinosaur 40
EE 30
KRR 25
KS 20

Epcot
TT 80 7:30-8:30
Soarin 70 7:45-8:45
MS 40 3:40-4:40
Nemo 15
CEO 5

TSMM 65
TOT 50 3:40-4:40
RNRCC 40 6:25-7:25
GMR 15

BTMRR 70 3:30-4:30
PP 60 4:25-5:25
SpaceM 50 3:10-4:10
JC 45 1:10-2:10
ETWB 40
SplashM 40 1:05:2:05
HM 15

 

[wisblue]

Okay, but point rentals are almost always suggested for people to save on Deluxe accommodations. I'm just saying that often times it doesn't really do much more than Disney (sometimes less) when Disney has discounts.

We've done the math, purchasing DVC is way ahead cost wise over it's lifetime, it's just a matter of pulling the trigger for us . It's hard to commit to Disney vacations for that long!

That's the biggest challenge (other than being able to afford it in the first place).

We didn't purchase until our daughters were older and it was apparent that they still enjoyed going to WDW. I figured that my wife and I would enjoy the points for as long as we are able, and our daughters (and whatever families they have) can enjoy them after we're gone and no longer care. In the meantime, it has been a great value for us, especially with our youngest working down there, meaning frequent visits in recent years.

It definitely isn't for everyone, but the people who are thinking that FP+ is going to cause a lot of people to unload their DVC membership isn't talking about us.

 

[wisblue]

What we can't tell from the posted SB wait times is how long the FP+ line wait time might be. I'm not implying that it's long, just that we don't know.

I'm sure that if there were any dramatically long FP lines somebody would be reporting it.

 

[wisblue]

The wait/dwell time in the FP line should never be longer than the standby line...otherwise it means preference has been given to the standby line.

The question is whether the wait time in FP is longer than it used to be - but since it was never measured before, it would be difficult to say now...

And this is something where I think some people's memories are going to be selective and convenient.

The issue of FP lines at TT was discussed thoroughly in another thread.

For things like TSMM and Soarin, there was always something of a wait to get past the merge point, especially when the parks are busiest. Then you still have to get through the rest of the boarding area to actually get on the ride.

Frankly, if the wait in the FP line is 5-10 minutes longer than it used to be over the Christmas season, I really don't care. There's not much else I would be doing with those 13-30 minutes anyway with the parks that crowded.

 

[g-dad66]

TSMM 65
TOT 50 3:40-4:40
RNRCC 40 6:25-7:25
GMR 15

I hate to go off-topic, since this thread is about Animal Kingdom, , BUT...

Here's something interesting.

I was just playing around with my wife's MDE account (she has an AP), and I am able to book a Toy Story Mania FP+ for anytime after 3:20 today.

It is now 1:45 pm EST, and I'm sure the paper FPs have been long, long, gone. In fact, when has HS ever had paper FPs not run out by 1:45? (Maybe in September.)

Hmmm...what a deal this could be for late sleepers, once HS is FP+ only for all guests.

 

[wisblue]

I hate to go off-topic, since this thread is about Animal Kingdom, , BUT...

Here's something interesting.

I was just playing around with my wife's MDE account (she has an AP), and I am able to book a Toy Story Mania FP+ for anytime after 3:20 today.
It is now 1:45 pm EST, and I'm sure the paper FPs have been long, long, gone. In fact, when has HS ever had paper FPs not run out by 1:45? (Maybe in September.)

Hmmm...what a deal this could be for late sleepers, once HS is FP+ only for all guests.

It has been like this every day that I have looked so far, including the busiest days over Thanksgiving. I just looked myself and would have been able to make FP+ reservations for today for either TSMM or Soarin with several different times to choose from.

It is impossible to know what this tells us about the future, because, on the one hand, FP+ is still in the transitional stages (although I think all resort guests have been receiving information about FP+). But, on the other hand, with FP- still in place everywhere but AK, and many resort guests still able to "double dip", there is quite a bit of demand on the paper FP supply.

It sure looks like, at least for now, Disney is withholding some FP+ reservations to allow guests some opportunity to make same day selections or changes.

 

[doconeill]

And this is something where I think some people's memories are going to be selective and convenient.

The issue of FP lines at TT was discussed thoroughly in another thread.

For things like TSMM and Soarin, there was always something of a wait to get past the merge point, especially when the parks are busiest. Then you still have to get through the rest of the boarding area to actually get on the ride.

Frankly, if the wait in the FP line is 5-10 minutes longer than it used to be over the Christmas season, I really don't care. There's not much else I would be doing with those 13-30 minutes anyway with the parks that crowded.

Heh I will fight to the end against anyone who thinks Test Track is a good indicator of FP/FP+ wait times...

Many attractions have "post-merge" queues, which is why Disney only measures times up to the merge.

 

[Mkrop]

I think tomorrow and Monday might be better indicators...I think due to Christmas being mid-week, people might more likely being arriving today and tomorrow, with some of them later yesterday.

​

And AK is not usually a weekend park for newbies, they all head for MK when they arrive.