Anyone already post that paper FP will be gone at MK as of 1/14?

[morethananyonex]

Bolding is mine. This is an assumption and it is wrong. With a DAS, you're given a return time that mirrors the standby time (minus a few minutes to account for a wait in the FP line). For many, the DAS allows guests who cannot wait in long lines wait somewhere where their needs can be met until it is time to ride.

The time between getting a FP- and the ride window was usually longer than the SB line was it not? That's what I'm getting at. That was the case at most rides that had those long waits. I know the DAS is the SB time minus a certain length of time allotted to get to and from the ride.

ETA: I don't mean to derail the discussion and turn it into a DAS one. My point was that most guests cannot tour the way PP mentioned, therefore it's not surprising that she may be in the minority. For many guests, 3 FP+ and then stand by lines for the rest of the day is very limiting, and that is not as much of a concern if you have the DAS to use too.

 

[Missyrose]

The time between getting a FP- and the ride window was usually longer than the SB line was it not? That's what I'm getting at. That was the case at most rides that had those long waits. I know the DAS is the SB time minus a certain length of time allotted to get to and from the ride.

Feel free to think the people with DAS cards are "lucky" in some way. But trust me when I tell you, needing one sucks a lot more than missing out on an extra FP or two.

 

[lovethattink]

I didn't mean FP- was available to you, I meant a FP- like system was. The DAS. That's exactly what it is. It gives you return times in X amount of time (usually shorter than FP- was anyways) that allow you to return in the FP line.

The DAS is an advantage in the sense that it allows you to get more attractions in than your non DAS counterpart should you choose to do so. People without the DAS cannot spend the stand by wait time enjoying other attractions, eating, shopping, going to the washroom, taking a break, whatever. The waiting it out elsewhere part is the part of the DAS that makes FP+ more desirable than a family just using FP+ alone who has to stand in stand by lines for any additional rides and can't do repeats without waiting in the line to. I don't dispute that you have to wait with the DAS, just that it allows you to be free to do other things in the park.

All I'm trying to say is, DAS gives you more flexibility which likely helps towards your enjoyment of FP+. That's why it shouldn't be surprising if you're in the minority of offsite guests who enjoy it.

I suppose if ds didn't have the disabilities he has and had much more endurance, we would have the potential to maximize attractions. Unfortunately, that isn't the case with him.

With GAC we averaged 3 to 4 attractions per visit. With DAS it's been 2, until our experience with FP+ at AK. There was one visit at MK where we got to do 4 attractions, but I was running like a chicken with it's head chopped off getting FP- and DAS return times. So it was so nice at AK to have that one stop shopping, get the 3 FP+ and that 1 stop at Dinosaur to get the DAS return time. It sure made it a lot easier on us and we had a much more enjoyable, relaxing and carefree day.

 

[morethananyonex]

Feel free to think the people with DAS cards are "lucky" in some way. But trust me when I tell you, needing one sucks a lot more than missing out on an extra FP or two.

That is not what I said. I even specifically said I am not envious of people who have DAS cards and the challenges they face in their lives that make them able to receive them.

What I did say was someone touring with the DAS has the ability to tour differently than someone without it, making FP+ a whole different ball game. All I said was it's not surprising someone like that would be in the minority.

 

[mom2rtk]

Up until now my focus has been on what happens when more and more people use FP+ and capacity isn't there for everyone to get what they want. Or what will happen when someone shows up at rope drop and finds NO availability on the headliner they want to ride.

Now that we are seeing this roll out and crowds are thinning after the New Years, I'm starting to see what the other side of the coin looks like.

If 3 really is the hard and fast number, is it possible that people will be in the park, have used up their 3 for the day, but not be able to get more while UNUSED CAPACITY sits there untouched? How crazy is that?

There has to be another chapter in this. So glad we don't have money on the line waiting for someone to pull out their quill and start penning that chapter.

 

[morethananyonex]

I suppose if ds didn't have the disabilities he has and had much more endurance, we would have the potential to maximize attractions. Unfortunately, that isn't the case with him.

With GAC we averaged 3 to 4 attractions per visit. With DAS it's been 2, until our experience with FP+ at AK. There was one visit at MK where we got to do 4 attractions, but I was running like a chicken with it's head chopped off getting FP- and DAS return times. So it was so nice at AK to have that one stop shopping, get the 3 FP+ and that 1 stop at Dinosaur to get the DAS return time. It sure made it a lot easier on us and we had a much more enjoyable, relaxing and carefree day.

I totally get that, I do. I think it's awesome that FP+ allows families who have had issues with the GAC to DAS switch enjoy their park time again.

I simply pointed out that there are some things you discussed doing (getting your wait time for Dinosaur and then riding an unpopular ride) that people without the DAS cannot do, therefore giving you a different perspective on FP+, which is why you likely view yourself in the minority.

 

[aaarcher86]

Can we just drop the DAS talk so the thread doesn't get heated and closed?

 

[lovethattink]

My point was that for us, I appreciated the convenience of being able to hold 3 FP+ at the same time and not having to run here and there to get a FP- once the window to hold one opened.

ETA: and it was great to just have to make one stop to get them.

 

[fbb]

If 3 really is the hard and fast number, is it possible that people will be in the park, have used up their 3 for the day, but not be able to get more while UNUSED CAPACITY sits there untouched? How crazy is that?

There has to be another chapter in this. So glad we don't have money on the line waiting for someone to pull out their quill and start penning that chapter.

One scenario: That unused capacity will be absorbed by the standby lines, making shorter waits for all.

Another scenario: That unused capacity will be cut off with reduced operations.

 

[morethananyonex]

My point was that for us, I appreciated the convenience of being able to hold 3 FP+ at the same time and not having to run here and there to get a FP- once the window to hold one opened.

ETA: and it was great to just have to make one stop to get them.

That I can see, and that definitely can apply to everyone using the system. They are easier to get, it just remains to be seen if desirable times will remain all day allowing people to do what you did (walk in in the middle of the afternoon and still get FP+ for what they want).

I apologize for any misunderstandings, I am not implying that your park time is easy, I know the DAS isn't assigned for no reason. All I am saying is that your experience (when you aren't talking about the convenience of getting all 3 at once) is quite different than the majority, therefore not surprising when you find yourself in the minority in discussions like this.

 

[magicbob]

My point was that for us, I appreciated the convenience of being able to hold 3 FP+ at the same time and not having to run here and there to get a FP- once the window to hold one opened.

ETA: and it was great to just have to make one stop to get them.

I think even the most vocal FP+ "naysayers" like this aspect of the system. Although there are things I have big concerns about, I do like the concept of being able to pre-book and being able to book from a single convenient location.

 

[Wood Nymph]

Up until now my focus has been on what happens when more and more people use FP+ and capacity isn't there for everyone to get what they want. Or what will happen when someone shows up at rope drop and finds NO availability on the headliner they want to ride.

Now that we are seeing this roll out and crowds are thinning after the New Years, I'm starting to see what the other side of the coin looks like.

If 3 really is the hard and fast number, is it possible that people will be in the park, have used up their 3 for the day, but not be able to get more while UNUSED CAPACITY sits there untouched? How crazy is that?

There has to be another chapter in this. So glad we don't have money on the line waiting for someone to pull out their quill and start penning that chapter.

One of the things that I see on threads like this is how worried people are over not being able to get fp+'s for the headliner rides. It seems to me that those few rides are the only real problem people will face when fp+ is the only option. And not everyone wants to ride the headliners, or at least ride them multiple times. I think for most people the new fp+ will be fine, in fact, it may even enhance their trips. As long as they don't want to ride a headliner multiple times, the new fp+ might just be fine. We used fp+ in December and found it very convenient.

We will be at WDW in less than two weeks and I am very curious to see how it all works out at MK. The thing I am most interested in seeing is how the lines are for headliners when people are no longer able to pull multiple fp-'s for them.

 

[morethananyonex]

I think even the most vocal FP+ "naysayers" like this aspect of the system. Although there are things I have big concerns about, I do like the concept of being able to pre-book and being able to book from a single convenient location.

Yup.

It's great to be able to book 3 (or 2, or 1, depending on the park) big rides before we arrive, or in the case of offsite, when you arrive. I don't think there's too many people who are going to dispute that. What sucks is being limited to those 3 (or 2, or 1) in a single park and having no choice but to wait in SB lines once those are used. For offsite guests, it also sucks if there ends up being limited availability at the kiosks, especially later in the day.

 

[magicbob]

One of the things that I see on threads like this is how worried people are over not being able to get fp+'s for the headliner rides. It seems to me that those few rides are the only real problem people will face when fp+ is the only option. And not everyone wants to ride the headliners, or at least ride them multiple times. I think for most people the new fp+ will be fine, in fact, it may even enhance their trips. As long as they don't want to ride a headliner multiple times, the new fp+ might just be fine. We used fp+ in December and found it very convenient.

We will be at WDW in less than two weeks and I am very curious to see how it all works out at MK. The thing I am most interested in seeing is how the lines are for headliners when people are no longer able to pull multiple fp-'s for them.

However, for many people, it's not a matter of riding headliners multiple times. Here's an example of typical FP- selections (one each) that we normally get:

Space Mountain
Splash Mountain
Thunder Mountain
Peter Pan
Winnie the Pooh
Jungle Cruise
Buzz Lightyear

We rode each of these things only once. But if we had to choose only three, we would have had to wait 45-60 minutes each for the others. If you get to go at slower times, then the impact is minimal. But even the non-headliners have long lines at other times.

The increase in wait time will be even more if the headliners are tiered and we can only get FP+ for ONE of the mountains. That could add another 2 hours to the time spent in line. Explain to me again how this system is designed to spend LESS time in line?

 

[crostorfer]

However, for many people, it's not a matter of riding headliners multiple times. Here's an example of typical FP- selections (one each) that we normally get:


The increase in wait time will be even more if the headliners are tiered and we can only get FP+ for ONE of the mountains. That could add another 2 hours to the time spent in line. Explain to me again how this system is designed to spend LESS time in line?

And for many people, like me, it is. My 10 year old has no interest in anything in Fantasyland. I have to beg her to ride Peter Pan, and she will only do it if we happen to saunter up and encounter less than a 10 minute wait. I have a daughter who only wants to go bigger, faster, taller. We pulled multiple fastpasses per day for the Mountains in the MK, the ToT, the RNRR and Everest. She really has no interest in doing anything else, ride wise. The inability to have more than 3, the inability to choose the same ride twice, and the inability to choose from more than one park punches my vacation in the gut.

The more I talk about this, the more I'm realizing that is may really just be a colossal waste of my money. I'm just sitting here waiting to find out if they are going to tier the MK. If they do, I'm cancelling. It's already not worth it, for the way we do the parks, if they tier the MK it will really be the final straw for me.

We have had a really good run. But, as Robert Frost penned, nothing gold can stay.

 

[magicbob]

And for many people, like me, it is. My 10 year old has no interest in anything in Fantasyland. I have to beg her to ride Peter Pan, and she will only do it if we happen to saunter up and encounter less than a 10 minute wait. I have a daughter who only wants to go bigger, faster, taller. We pulled multiple fastpasses per day for the Mountains in the MK, the ToT, the RNRR and Everest. She really has no interest in doing anything else, ride wise. The inability to have more than 3, the inability to choose the same ride twice, and the inability to choose from more than one park punches my vacation in the gut.

The more I talk about this, the more I'm realizing that is may really just be a colossal waste of my money. I'm just sitting here waiting to find out if they are going to tier the MK. If they do, I'm cancelling. It's already not worth it, for the way we do the parks, if they tier the MK it will really be the final straw for me.

We have had a really good run. But, as Robert Frost penned, nothing gold can stay.

Don't get me wrong... I don't have any problem with pulling multiple FP- for the same ride and have on occasion done so. My point was simply that many argue those are the only people negatively affected and I maintain it cuts across a much wider cross section of park-goers.

And I agree that those limitations make a big impact on a lot of people's vacations.

 

[Wood Nymph]

The increase in wait time will be even more if the headliners are tiered and we can only get FP+ for ONE of the mountains. That could add another 2 hours to the time spent in line. Explain to me again how this system is designed to spend LESS time in line?

I never said it was. Those rides have always been walk ons at rope drop. That part never changes. And even with the old fp- system, you could only pull so many per day and often had very long waits for the return times. The nice thing about fp+ is that you are guaranteed three fp+'s which you can schedule to fit your trip. There is a lot of fear and speculation that fp+'s will be all gone before the day even starts. And I don't think that will happen, mostly because the system can be manipulated to guarantee that it doesn't.

All I know is that I see a lot of fear on this thread and a lot of excited and happy people on other threads. There are actually people out there who are looking forward to their trips. And there are people out there who have used the fp+ system already and it did not ruin their vacation. It is like there are two different WDW parks out there, the one where everyone is unhappy and the one where people can't wait to go to.

 

[Angel Ariel]

All I know is that I see a lot of fear on this thread and a lot of excited and happy people on other threads. There are actually people out there who are looking forward to their trips. And there are people out there who have used the fp+ system already and it did not ruin their vacation. It is like there are two different WDW parks out there, the one where everyone is unhappy and the one where people can't wait to go to.

Just because someone has concerns (or even fears) about the new system doesn't mean they hate wdw or are unhappy when they are at wdw.

 

[morethananyonex]

Just because someone has concerns (or even fears) about the new system doesn't mean they hate wdw or are unhappy when they are at wdw.

Exactly.

I am very excited for my upcoming trip despite the monorail being down for our first monorail resort stay, FP+, and the possibility of the crane being up at MK. Doesn't mean I don't hate those aspects of the trip.

 

[KatieCharlotte]

My biggest concern is lack of flexibility. We are grateful that we do not need a DAS, but my kids do have motion/sensory issues and are endlessly unpredictable. This is what our two MK days were like on our last trip, with moderate crowds in early Jan. before "new" Fantasyland. Generally speaking, the standby lines we were skipping were in the 60 minute range, with some 90 minutes. Standby for Buzz was shorter, but using FP allowed us to ride our new favorite, the TTA, while we waited.

Day One: Stayed from RD until the afternoon parade and moved at a relaxed pace. Used FP on Space (for me, DH, and DD who hated it), Buzz twice (second time on the spur of the moment), Princesses, Mickey, and a second ride on Pooh because everyone liked it. Used the early morning hours for PP, Pooh, Dumbo, and Speedway.

Day Two: Stayed all day but very relaxed pace with time to wander Tom Sawyer Island. Used the early morning hours on meeting Tink and on Speedway because DS was addicted to it. Used FP on Jungle Cruise twice (once in the light, once in the dark), Peter Pan on the spur of the moment, Splash (only me...I would never have made everyone wait for me if I had to go standby), and BTMRR (but the kids weren't feeling up to it and we gave their fastpasses away to a stressed looking mom and kid entering the standby line...made me smile after being sad that my kids couldn't ride). Rode Haunted Mansion twice because the kids (who thought they'd hate it) loved it, with our longest line of the day, 30 minutes.