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

[JanaDee]

I can put you in Salt Lake City by four.

 

[Laketravis]

Or for $2 you can reserve a spot on Jade1's SoarinII screens and avoid the 120 minute SB line.

LOL! Now you're down to $2 - is it like those metered toll roads that have flexible pricing based on demand? In the middle of rush hour, the toll is $10 but when you are the only car on the road it's only 50 cents?

With the software infrastructure already there the possibilities are only limited by the imagination.

Except for one thing, of course. Nothing increases capacity except more capacity.

 

[sixxmum]

Hmmm… CS told me last night that I could link my tickets, but wouldn't be able to use FP+ regardless if staying offsite. Would linking just make it faster to use once in park?

 

[lugnut33]

I don't know the answers to any of your questions, and neither do you.

Except for 7, which I'm pretty sure will not be allowed. But yeah, I feel for the CMs for sure.

So nobody can make practical guesses based on past history and statistics?

Hmmm, good thing nobody but Disney is allowed to forecast.

 

[wisblue]

Actually this is the bad part......... the mere presence of FP+ has turned Maelstrom into one of the harder to score fastpass attractions!

Hopefully you were joking.

Whenever I have looked, like I just did, the FP return time for Maelstrom is out 30 minutes and the standby wait is 20.

I also looked up FP+ availability for the rest of today at Epcot, and had multiple choices for Maelstrom (or Soarin or TT when I chose them.)

 

[wisblue]

So nobody can make practical guesses based on past history and statistics?

Hmmm, good thing nobody but Disney is allowed to forecast.

You're perfectly free to make your guesses and predictions. Just recognize that that is what they are.

 

[Laketravis]

I also looked up FP+ availability for the rest of today at Epcot, and had multiple choices for Maelstrom (or Soarin or TT when I chose them.)

How are you able to look at FP+ availability for today? I just logged in and it won't let me because I don't currently have any tickets.

Is that something that AP holders can view at any time because they have AP's?

 

[lugnut33]

You're perfectly free to make your guesses and predictions. Just recognize that that is what they are.

Yes, but there are facts out there that will lead to a conclusion, even before it's done.

I remember you saying they wouldn't get rid of FP kiosks, and lo and behold they are.

 

[lugnut33]

Hopefully you were joking.

Whenever I have looked, like I just did, the FP return time for Maelstrom is out 30 minutes and the standby wait is 20.

I also looked up FP+ availability for the rest of today at Epcot, and had multiple choices for Maelstrom (or Soarin or TT when I chose them.)

If more people are using the FP+ line for Maelstrom, what do you think that will do to the standby line?

 

[g-dad66]

Hmmm… CS told me last night that I could link my tickets, but wouldn't be able to use FP+ regardless if staying offsite. Would linking just make it faster to use once in park?

Yes, I think it would make it faster to do this in advance.

At this point, it's only Animal Kingdom (on December 18 or later) where offset guests can use FP+ (and, in fact, CANT use paper FP, nor can anyone else for that matter...)

But as of now, offsite guests can use paper FPs ONLY at the other three parks.

But all of this could certainly change by the time or your trip.

 

[RedHeadedFairy]

BY A FAN SITE and not a damn word from DISNEY about it!!

No kidding! Even if they can't reach every park patron, especially unknown offsite guests - they DO have very easy ways of notifying onsite guests ahead of their travel dates... you know, those prioritized onsite guests that Disney hopes will find value in the FP+ reservation system so much so that they will decide to always & forever choose to stay onsite for that amenity alone.

If I had an onsite trip booked & found myself trapped up in this change without notification, if I had planned on being able to utilize Legacy FP over the holidays (after being assured by Disney when paying for my package months earlier that I would be able to) & found out I couldn't until AFTER I had arrived at the parks..... I'd be seriously peeved.

Best of luck to ALL of you visiting over the next few weeks!!

P.S. I suggest vodka for all you flask-carrying patrons - it mixes well all day long... OJ in the morning, Cranberry Juice in the early afternoon & it should be easy enough to score a lemon wedge with some sugar to make Lemondrops on the fly!

 

[lugnut33]

Pretty sure Disney wants to eliminate FP- ASAP so they can devote all resources to FP+. If they are having a problem with running out of FP+ (which could be happening now that we are approaching the busy Christmas season) they will want to have as many FP+ available for guests using the new expensive system.

Like I indicated earlier, it would not be good for a guest who is pre-planning to get a "No fastpasses available" message a week or two in advance of arrival.

 

[Wood Nymph]

How are you able to look at FP+ availability for today? I just logged in and it won't let me because I don't currently have any tickets.

Is that something that AP holders can view at any time because they have AP's?

I can schedule a fp+ for Soarin' for 3:05pm today, if I wanted it. We have annual passes and stayed at the WL last week. I can schedule fp+'s for every day that is open. I don't know how long that will last, though.

 

[Laketravis]

I'm guessing Iger's recent visit to WDW had a lot to do with FP+ getting kicked into high gear.

 

[clsteve]

You don't need to be staying on site to have access to MDE. Before I knew any better I linked our Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween party tickets without a problem and we were staying at shades of green at the time.

MDE access for pre-booking FP+. In response to another post that Disney might need parameters around it in order to keep the FP+ pool clean.

 

[wisblue]

Yes, but there are facts out there that will lead to a conclusion, even before it's done.

I remember you saying they wouldn't get rid of FP kiosks, and lo and behold they are.

When did I say that?

I have expected for a long time that paper FP was going to be eliminated because it makes absolutely no sense to run the two systems in parallel once the transition is completed. I will admit that I didn't expect it to happen at a park before the holidays. Who did?

If I said something about FP kiosks, I may have been talking about the kiosks that they are using to allow people to make and change FP+ reservations in the park, not paper FP dispensing machines. That would have been in response to concerns about people who aren't carrying around a smart phone not being able to change FP+.

Or, have I missed something? Are they getting rid of FP+ kiosks?

 

[Laketravis]

I can schedule a fp+ for Soarin' for 3:05pm today, if I wanted it. We have annual passes and stayed at the WL last week. I can schedule fp+'s for every day that is open. I don't know how long that will last, though.

As long as it lasts, though, that sounds like a bit of a perk - being able to pull up current availability and make a decision to visit the park today or tomorrow would certainly be useful.

Since my tickets expired last Saturday, it no longer lets me "see" FP+ details.

 

[Laketravis]

Hopefully you were joking.

Whenever I have looked, like I just did, the FP return time for Maelstrom is out 30 minutes and the standby wait is 20.

I also looked up FP+ availability for the rest of today at Epcot, and had multiple choices for Maelstrom (or Soarin or TT when I chose them.)

Wisblue, is that how you were able to check FP+ availability for today? AP?

 

[wisblue]

If more people are using the FP+ line for Maelstrom, what do you think that will do to the standby line?

I'm not going to keep playing the guessing game about what's going to happen in the future when unknown parameters of FP+ meet unknown guest reaction.

I don't really care what happens to the standby line at Maelstrom because we only ride it when there is no wait, which there never has been if we stroll over there when WS first opens. If it suddenly gets lines of 20 minutes or longer at 11 AM, I guess I won't ride it again. But, I doubt if that will happen.

 

[wisblue]

Wisblue, is that how you were able to check FP+ availability for today? AP?

Yes, because I have an AP and only 5 days scheduled I can check availability for any other open day. I always stop short of actually booking anything.

I have been doing this occasionally for the last couple of weeks, and have confirmed that same day availability has been very good.

Now, if you try to get a FP+ for Soarin or TSMM in the afternoon for later that day, you may be out of luck. But, in our experience, the FPs for these rides were always gone anyway except at very slow times.

And before the usual lynch mob gets out the tar and feathers, I will say for the umpteenth time that I know this will change.