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

[Angel Ariel]

I think they are in a position now where the perks arent good enough....80 percent occupancy means a lot of cash left on the table.

Honestly, just as many are saying that the majority of people who have issues with FP+ are DISers/experienced Disney-goers- I would say the same thing for those who have an issue with the current perks of staying onsite.

Most non-DISers that I know find that EMH are quite a value to them, whether they are morning or evening. Many, if not most, DISers tend to avoid EMH (esp. morning ones) like the plague. Personally, even as an experienced DISer I find value in the EMHs. We might park hop midday, when the park gets more crowded, but they are useful in the morning. And nighttime? Oh if I didn't have an 17 month old now DH and I frequently stayed in the parks til the end of evening EMH, even if it was 1-2am. I *love* being in the park that late. It's so peaceful and beautiful.

 

[doconeill]

I hear what you're saying, but right now, the S/D are being treated no differently than those million timeshares. That is not a clientele that Disney should want to alienate, but as it pertains to FP+, they are.

Seems to me that they WILL treat S/D guests as offsite in this regard, and they may not have a choice. It's one think to offer a bus to the parks, and EMH verified by inspecting their keycards - but for things like ADRs, Magical Express, and an on-site FP+ feature, they'd need direct access to their reservations system for verification, which as far as I know they don't have.

Even for the S/D test, you only showed your keycard to show you were staying there. Everything else was via your ticket.

 

[pampam]

I realize things are changing day by day, but I'm thinking this is how it is. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

1. Off site guests do not get a magic band.

2. Off site guests do not sign up for MDE.

3. Off site guests can only get FP+ at AK.

4. Off site guests can get FP- at other parks if they are available.

5. At AK they scan their tickets to make FP+ times.

6. Off site guests can not make advance FP+.

Is this how it is playing out?

 

[Vidia2]

If an on-site guest who has already set up a profile, set up their MagicBands, made FP+ selections, etc. went to the kiosk and scanned their KTTW card, they'd see the same thing as if they scanned their magicband - all their current selections, which they can change. The KTTW card and the MagicBand are interchangeable in that regard. It wouldn't give them more FP+.

Thanks. Part of my brain is in some kind of denial, I think. I'm not someone who could pull off double dipping with the paper fastpasses even. Clearly.

 

[mesaboy2]

I realize things are changing day by day, but I'm thinking this is how it is. Please correct me if I'm wrong. 1. Off site guests do not get a magic band. 2. Off site guests do not sign up for MDE. 3. Off site guests can only get FP+ at AK. 4. Off site guests can get FP- at other parks if they are available. 5. At AK they scan their tickets to make FP+ times. 6. Off site guests can not make advance FP+. Is this how it is playing out?

All true, at the moment.

 

[crystallovesmickey]

10 on a 1-10 busy scale...

Oh, that makes sense! Lol. Thank you.

 

[safetymom]

http://blog.wdwinfo.com/2013/12/18/fastpass-test-at-disneys-animal-kingdom/

FastPass+ Test at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

 

[Herah]

2. Off site guests do not sign up for MDE.

Off site guests can manage ADRs via MDE independent of MM+ features. I found it useful j just for that.

 

[Angel Ariel]

I realize things are changing day by day, but I'm thinking this is how it is. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

1. Off site guests do not get a magic band.

2. Off site guests do not sign up for MDE.

3. Off site guests can only get FP+ at AK.

4. Off site guests can get FP- at other parks if they are available.

5. At AK they scan their tickets to make FP+ times.

6. Off site guests can not make advance FP+.

Is this how it is playing out?

Offsite guests can have a mde account...you need it to make adrs. You can link tickets to it as well, it just doesn't give you access to fp+ unless you have a Disney resort reservation.

 

[Vidia2]

Is 10 days ahead of offsite guests not enough of a perk? It certainly is for dining. Those 10 days make a world of difference on being able to score a number of different ADRs.

It depends. Is it enough of a perk to get me to stay at an all star resort? NO!

Even some of the moderates have a lot of problems.

We can stay at the Nickelodeon resort and have character meet and greets as well as live shows right at the resort. The pool is much better which is a big plus for us. Disney has a lot of competition as far as resorts. They need to step up their game.

 

[Angel Ariel]

It depends. Is it enough of a perk to get me to stay at an all star resort? NO!

Even some of the moderates have a lot of problems.

We can stay at the Nickelodeon resort and have character meet and greets as well as live shows right at the resort. The pool is much better which is a big plus for us. Disney has a lot of competition as far as resorts. They need to step up their game.

The perks you mention at Nickelodeon are things that happen at the resort itself, not the parks. I have no issue with Disney expanding that kind of perk.

 

[Vidia2]

The perks you mention at Nickelodeon are things that happen at the resort itself, not the parks. I have no issue with Disney expanding that kind of perk.

Yes it's a resort perk. Disney isn't offering this so they should offer other things that I won't get if I stay someplace else, like advanced Fastpass booking.

Just want to add that EMHs are much less of a perk if you're going during off season which is a time that Disney would be trying to drive up resort stays.

Disney busses are terrible because of the packing in of people. I'm sure I'm not the only person who would rather drive to Florida or rent a car to avoid something that Disney tries to claim as a perk.

Edited to add: I understand what you're saying. I just don't agree. Disney wants resort guests to spend as much time in the parks as possible, spending money, so they aren't going to offer any resort character interactions without monetizing them.

 

[ckelly14]

As an "off site" guest most of the time (off site in quotes due to staying at the Dolphin), I would be perfectly happy with the current FP+ set up, IF they reserve a large number of FP+ reservations for same day distributions. For example, if over 50% of the park population are day guest, reserve half the FP+ reservations for same day reservations.

What I will not agree to, and what I would cancel my current reservation for, is if they open all reservations early for on site guests, and there is very slim pickings for same day reservations. The details on HOW this is implemented is more important than the actual ability to pre-plan fast passes, IMHO.

 

[ArwenMarie]

Is 10 days ahead of offsite guests not enough of a perk? It certainly is for dining. Those 10 days make a world of difference on being able to score a number of different ADRs.

Well, the current perks aren't enough if Disney has 20% vacant rooms during the course of the year. They want all of those rooms filled, those empty rooms represent hundreds of millions of dollars of revenue lost.

So it will be interesting to see how they use the new FP to do that, whether it's through booking windows, etc.

(Just to clarify where I am coming from, I was thinking of beginning to stay offsite, so it's not that I want offsite to get screwed. Just trying to think through what this particular AK test might mean for the future)

 

[kellyg403]

Is the Legacy fp back at AK? I noticed on MDE there is no fp return times listed so I am assuming the 'test' as continued into today?

Kelly

 

[Robo]

I am assuming the 'test' as continued into today?

AFAIK, it will be ongoing until CM's are told otherwise.

So far, Disney has told the general public (besides those who may have visited DAK) nothing at all about the test.

 

[doconeill]

http://blog.wdwinfo.com/2013/12/18/fastpass-test-at-disneys-animal-kingdom/

FastPass+ Test at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Thanks K...did you by any chance check the app to see if you could see the FP+ selections and change them? Did you have to pick from the random times given, or could you refine the times yourself?

 

[Angel Ariel]

Well, the current perks aren't enough if Disney has 20% vacant rooms during the course of the year. They want all of those rooms filled, those empty rooms represent hundreds of millions of dollars of revenue lost.

So it will be interesting to see how they use the new FP to do that, whether it's through booking windows, etc.

(Just to clarify where I am coming from, I was thinking of beginning to stay offsite, so it's not that I want offsite to get screwed. Just trying to think through what this particular AK test might mean for the future)

From my understanding of hotels, an 80% occupancy rate is pretty good, and decently higher than the national average.

Obviously I think any company always wants better, but I don't think it can be said overall that the majority find the perks not enough. All guests pay the same admission, and should have the same access to rides.

 

[Laketravis]

From my understanding of hotels, an 80% occupancy rate is pretty good, and decently higher than the national average.

Obviously I think any company always wants better, but I don't think it can be said overall that the majority find the perks not enough. All guests pay the same admission, and should have the same access to rides.

Yes, 80% is considered a pretty darn good occupancy rate.

But despite offers and discounts, the occupancy rate at WDW resorts is declining rather than growing (it is now down to 78% YTD) and that could be concerning to the bean counters.

 

[ArwenMarie]

From my understanding of hotels, an 80% occupancy rate is pretty good, and decently higher than the national average.

Obviously I think any company always wants better, but I don't think it can be said overall that the majority find the perks not enough. All guests pay the same admission, and should have the same access to rides.

Sure, but every hotel company would want a higher occupancy rate if they could get it. Clearly a lot of people don't find the onsite perks to be enough as evidenced by the sprawling offsite hotel industry in Orlando. Personally, I don't find the onsite perks to be enough versus the prices, which is why we were looking into finding offsite places to stay in the future.

Regardless, FP+ is expected to raise profits. How they do that is the question.