Any new news about fast pass plus?

IMHO, a legitimate question on this thread would have to do with fast pass plus, not about " how dare you be negative in a discussion board."

To borrow an excellently coined phrase-- lighten up.

THIS thread is where Pirate posted the comments I responded to. Should I have started a new thread to ask him why he was so negative on Disney?:confused3

You shouldn't "quote" me making it look to others like that's what I wrote to Pirate, which of course I didn't.
 
Personally, I have huge concerns with Fastpass Plus. Like others have already stated, I'd like to ride the big attractions multiple times and think the tiered reservation system is a big negative for guests. I don't see any scenario where the average guests who's visited Disney World before the change will see an improvement on their experience. I don't go to DW to get a front-row seat for a parade or Fantasmic. We go for the entire thing and don't want to be hamstrung by so many restrictions. The convenience of having a set time for a few rides is okay, but what about the rest of the day? It sounds like a complete mess, especially to unsophisticated guests with limited money.

I'm trying to be optimistic and hope that the delays in rolling out this service are due to negative feedback that's already appeared all over the Internet. Disney is a big company that is trying to make profits for its shareholders. However, plenty of large corporations have believed their own hype and lost their edge. Disney made its name on great attractions and amazing service. They haven't been keeping up on attractions, and Fastpass Plus is a reduction in service to nearly every guest.

I've heard rumors that even the number of Fastpasses will be different based on the choice of resort on site. The time to book the FPs is much shorter with off-site guests, and it creates a class system of theme park visitors. At least Universal does it simply. If you stay on site, you get to the front of the line. Disney's Fastpass Plus system is purposely confusing and designed to have guests visit fewer attractions in a day. There may be a point where it's just not feasible for a family to visit DW and truly get the value for the ticket price.

Just so everyone's aware, I'm a huge Disney fan and not trying to be a troll in any way. I just hope Disney knows what they're doing with the guests by instituting this system.

I have to agree with your concerns. My family loves the many different restaurants WDW offers and began making more and more ADRs when going only to ultimately realize we were always a slave to the schedule instead of just experiencing WDW.

It started to bother us that our kids would be having a blast doing something and we would have to cut it short to make a dining reservation. It really started encroaching on our family's fun so we decided to scale back the ADRs (even though we now have 7 of them in 6 days coming up in September do to the Dining Plan offer).

I'm afraid riding rides might become the same thing to some extent. A ride "reservation" could actually affect our entire park experience like an ADR. Pulling the kids out of the playgrounds or skipping a parade to go make our ride time seems a bit rough (I'm sure parade/fireworks times will be the least reserved and easiest to get time slots).

Also, I believe the current FP system is about as fair as it gets. Anyone with a park ticket can get one and choose to use it if it's convenient or choose not to if they deem it isn't. Only early entry guests have a small advantage, but even that's for just one ride at a time. But if what you're describing has any chance of being true I think it takes a lot of that fairness out of the picture.

I am a planner so I may be able to overcome the additional scheduling but it sure seems like it might make having any free flow to your WDW trip more difficult.
 
THIS thread is where Pirate posted the comments I responded to. I should have started a new thread to ask him why he was so negative on Disney?:confused3

And thanks for "quoting" me and making it look to others like that's what I wrote to Pirate, which of course I didn't. Please, do not "quote" me any more.

By the way, what does your comment to me have to do with fast pass plus, dave?

So much anger.
 
DRDISNEYMD you are a breath of fresh air!!!:hippie:

You really brighten u p this thread!! Thanks :love:
 


Judgmental? I was asking a legitimate question, and not to you by the way, to understand where Pirate was coming from. But I obviously got in your crosshairs. You need to chill out and let me communicate with someone on this board, if thats OK with you. And I wasn't aware he's been gone for a while, but thanks for the info.
~Mr. Pirate's post was meant specifically for me. We banter back and forth as we tend to differ somewhat in opinion on some things pertaining to Disney. He's curmudgeonly by nature but it's never mean spirited and I find his disposition to be entertaining & humorous. I have nothing but the highest respect for Mr. Pirate.

~I saw a thread where a lot posters ganged up on him and he tried to rise above it but these poster(s) kept on attacking him so he left *momentarily*. I was trying to convince him that it isn't as bad as it seems and that he was overreacting -- and then your post came right on time to reaffirm this.

~I apologize for my response to you but that post was intended for me and not for anyone to take offense, as we tend to banter back and forth. Of course, you are free to address anything here that is written - but your post was acerbic, which is why you won't get a response from him. It's more of the same that Mr. Pirate, lockedoutlogic, myself & others have experienced quite recently on this board, again I apologize for coming across as too defensive.

~The boards are very boring when everyone shares the same opinion. Pirate and lockedoutlogic are not afraid to go there, and a lot of stuff goes over people's head, including mine "sometimes." But, it makes for exciting debate and discussion.

~For example, I had fun bantering back and forth with a guy about Starbucks, it was a fun exchange and we were heated but in a good way, I was going with this and he was coming back with that. Then it only took one poster to come in and kill the thread for me -- with no thought, no insight just a rude snarky comment "this is silly." The comment was so dumb, I immediately unsubscribed from the thread, lol. :rotfl:

~I don't think I misread your post or overreacted by I admit I could have. I'm just tired of seeing long time good posters bullied on this board by posters that don't contribute any insight or perspective -- not you. They just lurk and then pop in to take a jab at someone -- I'm not implying this is you. I've notice this happen to both Mr. Pirate and lockedoutlogic and I didn't stick up for them. So, if you feel like I overreacted to your post, I apologize and will respect that.

IMHO, a legitimate question on this thread would have to do with fast pass plus, not about " how dare you be negative in a discussion board."

To borrow an excellently coined phrase-- lighten up.
~Very well said, I totally agree -- thanks beerdave, as usual the voice of reason.

So much anger.
Definitely.

DRDISNEYMD you are a breath of fresh air!!!:hippie:

You really brighten u p this thread!! Thanks
:love:
~Awww, thank you!!! This totally made my day!!! I have seen you here before but WELCOME!!! I hope we didn't scare you away. :welcome:

No, I just don't like having words put in my mouth that I didn't say and being told I can't post a question to someone in this thread. So much misplaced criticism...
~Again, I never said you couldn't ask anyone a question. You just seemed a little judgmental of Mr. Pirate. He was bullied on this board by posts quite similar in tone to yours. But, in a nutshell I was just saying give him a chance and don't judge based on that, you'll probably like him in that crazy kind of way like "oh look, this guy is at it again."

Wow, I read this reply of yours to dwheaton after replying to your post about me being judgemental, harsh, and unfair. You are coming off as a DISBoards bully IMHO. People like you are making me want to stop coming here.
~I don't understand this post. Because I just adore dwheaton -- he was totally stressing over nothing more than rumors started by people who hate the FP+ concept. I advised him to just relax as he's planning a fabulous vacation that will not be ruined by magic bands and FP+. He responded in kind , lol. I definitely hope to see you and others around posting more! You have a lot to say and could contribute a lot to this board.

~As for the bully comment, I don't think so. If anything I am wearing a flipping "kick me" sign on this board. Again, I really hope we can all move past this and have some fun here -- we all love Disney more or less. If we can't, I totally respect that just put me on ignore or something, I'll find a way to cope. And, don't get mad at beerdave, there is no way anyone can dislike this guy. He is so funny and super smart too! Honestly, he is one of the nicest posters I've met here. And, like Pirate we don't agree on everything. beerdave is very pro Disney. I know it just irks him whenever we criticize Disney especially the Mine Train or anything that compares Disney to Universal, lol. :rotfl:

~ETA: I knew it. pirate:

~There is only one poster to date who has done this -- he appeared briefly after an old thread was resurrected but that exchange was ugly, that poster should have left him alone, lol. :rotfl2:
 
~Mr. Pirate's post was meant specifically for me. We banter back and forth as we tend to differ somewhat in opinion on some things pertaining to Disney. He's curmudgeonly by nature but it's never mean spirited and I find his disposition to be entertaining & humorous. I have nothing but the highest respect for Mr. Pirate.

~I apologize for my response to you but that post was intended for me and not for anyone to take offense, as we tend to banter back and forth. Of course, you are free to address anything here that is written - but your post was acerbic, which is why you won't get a response from him. It's more of the same that Mr. Pirate, lockedoutlogic, myself & others have experienced quite recently on this board, again I apologize for coming across as too defensive.

~I don't think I misread your post or overreacted by I admit I could have. I'm just tired of seeing long time good posters bullied on this board by posters that don't contribute any insight or perspective -- not you. They just lurk and then pop in to take a jab at someone -- I'm not implying this is you. I've notice this happen to both Mr. Pirate and lockedoutlogic and I didn't stick up for them. So, if you feel like I overreacted to your post, I apologize and will respect that.

~Very well said, I totally agree -- thanks beerdave, as usual the voice of reason.

Definitely.

~Again, I never said you couldn't ask anyone a question. You just seemed a little judgmental of Mr. Pirate. He was bullied on this board by posts quite similar in tone to yours. But, in a nutshell I was just saying give him a chance and don't judge based on that, you'll probably like him in that crazy kind of way like "oh look, this guy is at it again."

~As for the bully comment, I don't think so. If anything I am wearing a flipping "kick me" sign on this board. :rotfl2:

First, I noticed the oft-used "I apologize but..." in your response, which is supposed to mean what, exactly? And then you reply to Beer Dave saying "So much anger" to me by saying "definitely" back to him? There seems to be a lack of sincerity in that "apology", or at least some inconsistencies.

Second, what I wrote to Pirate, "I'm really confused as to why you're on DISboards if you're such a Disney downer?", is something you consider acerbic? That is incredibly thin-skinned. I think from reading what I wrote it was pretty obvious I was searching for insight as to why Pirate posts so much here if he's really not that into Disney. How was that harsh or out of line in any way, shape, or form?
 


Might I suggest that the off-topic (both conversational and confrontational) posts would be better served as private messages?



We (DH, DD, DS, myself, my mom, my sister and her two kids) had the opportunity to test out the FP+ for MK on our last trip September 2012.

Honestly, it was a PITA, especially trying to get similar ride times since we were on two separate reservations. There was only a very limited number of days left to choose from and the only one that fell within our reservation period was a day I had planned for us to be in Animal Kingdom and had a dinner ADR for Sanaa already. I tried to switch our ADRs around but when you're booking for 8 people during a free dining period, it was near impossible.

We ended up sticking to our original schedule and not going to MK at all on the day that we had the FP+ experience booked for. My feedback on the survey to Disney was that it is too difficult to plan FP+ when ADRs have to be made 180 days in advance. Perhaps if they had given us the opportunity to do FP+ at the same time we were booking our ADRs it may have worked out better.

That said, Disney's website is constantly giving me a stress headache. The less stuff I have to plan/organize/book on it, the better.

Luckily, since it was September, we hardly even needed to use any fastpasses anyway making the whole point kind of moot, lol! I can see FP+ being much more relevant during the peak periods.
 
180 ADR's are crazy enough. Pre-arranging your FP? Perish the thought, if you change days...then you're toast? This will really take the wind out of any possibility for making an itinerary change if your shackled with these pre-ordered FP. Their testing isn't very scientific or logical. I'm not sure what type of data they are getting. The limit seems to hover around 3. Geez we got 2 for BTMRR alone one day. This does put a wrinkle into the touring habits of more park-educated visitors. Varying the number and type dependent on resort wouldn't sit well with many folks, I'll allege. I can't imagine them doing that one. I will allege that Front of the Line passes will roll out at some point for an extra cost just like Universal. I think Disney implemented this RFID system (for which current FP machines don't operate) thinking they could streamline things from the moment you logged into their website until your last moment in the parks. That isn't real life.

I think your analysis is right on. It does all seem too impractical to pre-plan so much of the Disney experience and still keep it "real life". And I certainly hope you are right about "varying the number and type dependent on resort" not happening.

And I hope you are very wrong about instituting "Front of the Line passes". I am so opposed to the concept of people paying extra to skip families in a theme park line. I wouldn't be "that guy". I'm not skipping kids in line to get on Toy Story Mania. That seems pretty un-magical to me. pixiedust: I believe there are enough perks people with money can enjoy at WDWR without that including getting ahead of families that saved up for 5 years to go. I think (hope) Disney understands that.
 
Ok, I'm new to this and all these letter abbreviations are making my head spin :-/ I can figure out some of them but would like to know what MDE stands for. We are going next year and I would like to see what that app is app about before we go
 
Ok, I'm new to this and all these letter abbreviations are making my head spin :-/ I can figure out some of them but would like to know what MDE stands for. We are going next year and I would like to see what that app is app about before we go

My Disney Experience. It's the app.
 
I'm glad that we decided to hold off on our next trip until 2014 in order to be able to stay Club Level at the Poly again, and more importantly so that Fast Pass+ will be up and in full swing.

We got to test it out when we were there in December, and it was AWESOME! AMAZING!! Can't say enough good things about it!

Made us feel like we were super VIP's!!!

If you are a planner, like I am (Disney trips planned down into 30 minute increments!) they are TOTALLY worth it!

I had over 1/2 a day freed up just because of the FP+ and The Toy Story ride!

Originally I had planned on waking up at the crack of dawn, being at HS 45 minutes before the gates opened, standing in line, getting pushed and shoved trying to get a FP for it, and then hanging out until our FP time (HS is the park we spend the LEAST time at).

With the FP+, we were able to make a 2:10pm "appointment time", got up a bit late (8:30ish) had a leisurely breakfast in the lounge, went over and shopped a bit in the stores before getting on the monorail to Epcot to do a few things we missed the day before, then headed over to HS. We got to toy Story Mania about 5 minutes past our FP+ start time, walked through the que and were on the ride in about 5 minutes or so, then we hit the other things we wanted to do before our 5:00 ressies at Sci-Fi!

And the other rides and meet and greets we used them for, we always had less than 5 minute wait!

Unfortunately we actually had a father use some foul language at us and at the cast member because he and his daughters had been waiting 45 minutes to see Mickey Mouse, and we just walked up, showed them our FP+ and walked right in front of them and into the next group that were let into the room.

Oh, and the reserved places for parades and fireworks can't be beat!
No getting there to secure a spot 30-60 minutes prior and just waiting around on a corner.
We got there 5-10 minutes ahead of time and had prime, curb side seats, saved tons of time and got SO much more done than we would have without the FP+!

I am a HUGE fan of them!!!

I know there will be a ton of moaning and complaining, but for the 30% or so of us that are super planners, I think it is an AMAZING opportunity!

I just wish I knew what kind of price tag it is going to have on it or what stipulations it will have with it.

We usually go with a Room Only plan because it is a bigger (military) discount for us, but if they make it part of a package only deal, then we will have some big thinking to do about it!
~I doubt if you are still following this thread, but I like really like this post, so I will quote you again. :yay:

~Currently, there is another FP+ test underway at WDW, for guests staying at AKL, except this time it's with the Magic Bands. What's so funny is a poster described her experience and it was so similar to yours and the other reviews I've encountered. The poster said she felt just like a VIP, too! :rotfl:

~Anyway, by her accounts the test is going very smoothly and she is having a fabulous time, so hopefully this will be a sign of things to come!!! So get ready for 2014, it will be here before you know it! :cool1:
 
Enough already.

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How much do they plan on charging for this? I have been to Disney more times then I can keep track of and it does seen like a good idea not having to rush and get fastpasses at the parks. Hubby and I are planning a trip in Feb 14 and it's something I can see us doing
 
How much do they plan on charging for this? I have been to Disney more times then I can keep track of and it does seen like a good idea not having to rush and get fastpasses at the parks. Hubby and I are planning a trip in Feb 14 and it's something I can see us doing

At this point, it is going to be free for all.
 
doconeill said:
At this point, it is going to be free for all.

And disney painted themselves in a bit of a corner regarding charges, because when disney first unveiled this new magic band/fastpass plus system in jan/feb, a congressman sent an aggressive letter with all sorts of questions/allegations about privacy rights, etc (and other issues relating to the system), but disney shot right back with an aggressive response. But one of the questions was whether disney would be charging for the fastpass plus, and disney said no- and was pretty unequivocal. They may try to "wiggle" around their response in the future (eg, maybe some basic level will be "free", but charge extra for more/better service) but I assume they do not want to be accused of lying to congress - I was actually a bit surprised at the directness of the response at that particular question.
 

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