AP's to get 20 FP+ per quarter

[OurDogCisco]

The only loophole I can think of is making multiple reservations, many of which you won't use, so that you have options.

Also, it was actually Official Disney policy to accept FPs late.

I wonder if less people do this now. On our last trip June 2011, we had no problem changing reservations at the park. I thought it was easier as everything was online and you could cancel very easily. I thought the old system where you had to call to cancel or change was less user friendly as people probably didn't cancel like they should have.

I agree, they accepted late passes. I never had a CM tell me that my FP expired. It was their policy and I don't think people did anything wrong about it.

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

Typically during free dining. If you have 2 adults and 2 kids 10 or older, that's 4 adults. The dining plan could have been worth $45 per person, so $180. Rack rate for the room was around $100. Some DVC members did it too even though they were staying onsite.

Thanks for that info. I think that is classic! Lol. Like some people worked out on a cruise we were on that rather than take the DCL excursion to the Atlantis hotel in the Bahamas they booked a hotel room at the hotel next to The Atlantis which gives them access to all the The Atlantis facilities equal to what was being offered on the DCL excursion. They got a taxi from the port just checked in the hotel to get the wrist bans and saved lots of money. Me and DW were amazed by how resourceful people can be!

 

[mesaboy2]

Thanks for that info. I think that is classic! Lol. Like some people worked out on a cruise we were on that rather than take the DCL excursion to the Atlantis hotel in the Bahamas they booked a hotel room at the hotel next to The Atlantis which gives them access to all the The Atlantis facilities equal to what was being offered on the DCL excursion. They got a taxi from the port just checked in the hotel to get the wrist bans and saved lots of money. Me and DW were amazed by how resourceful people can be!

That's actually standard advice over on the DCL board.

 

[pixiechick]

Forgive me if I missed the answer to this question- 31 pages of reading starts to get fuzzy!

Will I be required to use 4 FP picks, or can I choose only 2 for my MK morning?

20 FP+ per quarter will work for us if we don't have to use the park maximum. But if we are forced to, APs aren't worth it for us anymore. We usually take a short trip at the end of June and then another longer one in August. Same quarter, I'll assume.

I know much of this is speculation, but thanks for your thoughts on this.

 

[Robo]

Will I be required to use 4 FP picks, or can I choose only 2 for my MK morning?

Nobody knows.

I know much of this is speculation...

An understatement, if there ever was one.

 

[DRDISNEYMD]

Really? Never say "can't" - Disney could do anything they want to do.

Whether it's profitable, successful, or popular isn't proven until it's implemented.

They COULD at some point in time allow only one "experience" per attraction as part of general park admission and then charge extra for additional "experiences" if they wanted to. It all depends on what their true motivations are and why they feel they need to change anything.

Is it for profit? Is if for guest satisfaction? Is it to grow attendance numbers? Is it to maximize ROI on every attraction? Although we can all guess, we don't know for a fact what the true motivation is other than what's publicly announced. And that always contains spin.

Read up on yield management to get an idea of the why's and how's. I think MouseMerf articulated very well some of the logical business reasons for FP+ in earlier posts.

~It was a joke! I am more than aware that Disney can do whatever they want! I am firmly in the "if you don't like it don't go camp." I *love* what Disney is doing right now, it's so exciting! I am so happy with FP+, I think I am going to have to book more frequent trips!

~I'm not trying to be mean, but I don't care about "reading up" on yield management -- reading a few pages in a field that's well outside my expertise will not provide me the kind of insight, I'm looking for. I'm not a fan of pseudo-intellectualism & I have no interest in trying to be some wanna be know-it-all expert on Disney. Disney has top experts with actual facts and data to do this for me, and this is part of why I shell out thousands upon thousands of dollars to vacation at WDW every year. I don't want to have to think about stuff like that.

~No offense to mousermerf, but he did not "come up" with those logical business reasons for FP+. I heard this first, several months ago from robo, mesa, docconeill, and others way before fp+ was announced -- we've been discussing x-pass for the past 13 months! This is not rocket science and it certainly isn't some groundbreaking info. Mousermerf is just repeating what has been said on these boards for well over a year now!

~Whatever Disney does is fine with me, if I don't like it, I simply wont go!!!

But it is possible to change the technology without changing the process. I for one welcome the technology change, just not the process.

On a typical day we get 7 or 8 sets of FPs, mostly if not entirely for the headliners. FP+ would reduce those FPs from 2 (or 3) for a particular ride that we really like, to one. We'll still get a 2nd ride in as we will still get there at RD. I understand that what Disney is going for is trying to prevent people like us from doing what we do, so as to open up more FP slots for other guests. But in doing so, could have the side effect of reducing our enjoyment of the parks.

Don't get me wrong we are Disney regulars. But due to our family size it is very difficult for us to stay onsite. (For a reasonable price). We tried staying in the value resorts the last couple of days of our last trip, and it was, well, awful. Part of it comes from us being accustom to staying at Windsor Hills, but the rooms were cramped and dirty/musty. And to make matters worse, my son and wife's allergies went into overdrive for those couple of days. All in all not a pleasant stay.

Regardless, we will be going back, the question, however if this new system forces me to stay onsite in order to prevent getting the FP "scraps", of if our enjoyment is severely reduced (by preventing us from doing our favorites multiple times) then it is highly likely that the frequency of our visits will reduce. Maybe Disney is banking that the new system will draw in more people (that would have otherwise not gone or gone less frequently) to offset those of us who chose to go less often.

Something else I've been thinking about. To those who say that this will be more complicated and that people already had a hard time understanding the current FP system and this will be worse. I have to disagree. Other than having so select which parks which day, this will be ideal for the non-planners, as it will essentially plan their day for them.

~Hi mbrittb00! I really don't think you will have to worry about the whole onsite, offsite thing, as it pertains to fastpass. I haven't seen anything credible as yet to suggest that will happen.

~I definitely understand your concern about the number of fastpasses, we'll just have to wait and see, I hope Disney increases the number. Also, I thought about the "thrill meter" -- I wonder if Disney will offer choices geared only to your specifications? I know FP+ has the potential to be very flexible. Like I said before, Disney has to make this very appealing for guests to want to use. There is a learning curve for all guests to overcome, in order to enjoy this new system, so I'm sure Disney will make FP+ as appealing as possible or else people won't use it. We'll see.

~I really can't wait for FP+, running around from FP machine to FP machine collecting tickets all day, is not my cup of tea! I want my FP's before I reach the park and loaded on my cute RFID bracelet!

 

[Laketravis]

Merry Christmas.

 

[WillAustin]

I want my FP's before I reach the park and loaded on my cute RFID bracelet!

I want that too, but I want FPs for more than 2 good rides in a day.

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Typically during free dining. If you have 2 adults and 2 kids 10 or older, that's 4 adults. The dining plan could have been worth $45 per person, so $180. Rack rate for the room was around $100. Some DVC members did it too even though they were staying onsite.

I might be dense here, and I haven't done it, but I am wondering why this is "cheating the system." They are paying for a room, and with the free dining, they are most likely still in the parks and still spending money on the same things they would - but they are adding extra money to the local economy too - where they sleep should be their business

 

[DebbieB]

I might be dense here, and I haven't done it, but I am wondering why this is "cheating the system." They are paying for a room, and with the free dining, they are most likely still in the parks and still spending money on the same things they would - but they are adding extra money to the local economy too - where they sleep should be their business

The question wasn't "cheating the system", it was "finding a loophole" to work around the system if you wanted to stay offsite and get free dining (or stay DVC).

 

[MAGICFOR2]

The question wasn't "cheating the system", it was "finding a loophole" to work around the system if you wanted to stay offsite and get free dining (or stay DVC).

I guess that's the meaning I gave it, as someone here said that the reason the DDP has been cheapened with lesser quality food and less offerings is because people found loopholes. This particular loophole was then mentioned in that context.

 

[fla4fun]

Other than having so select which parks which day, this will be ideal for the non-planners, as it will essentially plan their day for them.

You are assuming that non-planners want a plan in the first place - which we don't. I go on vacation to relax. My every day life, especially at work, is planned beyond belief. When I go on vacation, I want no plans. If I want to lie in bed and order room service all day, I will. If I want to go to a park and just people watch, I will. I will eat when I get hungry, and I will choose what I want to eat based on what I feel like eating when I'm hungry. I often just wander out to the bus stop and get on whatever bus comes first. Sometimes I'll take a bus to a park and see a bus to a more interesting place when I arrive, and jump on that other bus. It may not be anyone else's ideal way to vacation at WDW, but it's my way and it works for me.

That being said, I seldom use FP and I seldom make ADRs, because both require me to be at a certain place at a certain time - and that's not how I vacation. If I wander by an attraction and the standby line is reasonable, I get in it. If it's not, I'll catch it another time. I'm not big on thrill rides, so many of the hard to FP attractions I am not interested in anyway.

Personally, I feel that the planners will enjoy this change more than the non-planners, because they will be able to plan another aspect of their vacation way ahead of time. But for non-planners who want to ride the thrill rides, it may not work out as well as the current FP because I don't feel you can be as spontaneous with FP+.

But until it goes live and we see exactly what impact it has, we don't really know for sure what will happen. It's all just guesswork right now.

 

[pinkerbell]

You are assuming that non-planners want a plan in the first place - which we don't. I go on vacation to relax. My every day life, especially at work, is planned beyond belief. When I go on vacation, I want no plans. If I want to lie in bed and order room service all day, I will. If I want to go to a park and just people watch, I will. I will eat when I get hungry, and I will choose what I want to eat based on what I feel like eating when I'm hungry. I often just wander out to the bus stop and get on whatever bus comes first. Sometimes I'll take a bus to a park and see a bus to a more interesting place when I arrive, and jump on that other bus. It may not be anyone else's ideal way to vacation at WDW, but it's my way and it works for me.

That being said, I seldom use FP and I seldom make ADRs, because both require me to be at a certain place at a certain time - and that's not how I vacation. If I wander by an attraction and the standby line is reasonable, I get in it. If it's not, I'll catch it another time. I'm not big on thrill rides, so many of the hard to FP attractions I am not interested in anyway.

Personally, I feel that the planners will enjoy this change more than the non-planners, because they will be able to plan another aspect of their vacation way ahead of time. But for non-planners who want to ride the thrill rides, it may not work out as well as the current FP because I don't feel you can be as spontaneous with FP+.

But until it goes live and we see exactly what impact it has, we don't really know for sure what will happen. It's all just guesswork right now.

We have had an AP for a few yrs now and this last time will certianly be our last. Like you I want to have some spontanaiety (SP?) And I am a PLANNER, i have my color coded xcell spreadsheet started months in advance and love to go over and over and over it. But it's a plan, a guide, I wanna go and have fun. Disney is evolving and I am not sure who for. We often hear how the people on the boards represent a minoity of the people who go. Well who wants to get a 4 yr disney degree just to understand the complexity of the vacation options. What a mess. So glad our family was able to enjoy the parks before they entered this age of overthinking everything.

 

[OurDogCisco]

That's not the same as a system outage where they can't see or confirm anything. Your reservation was booked wrong.

And the dining CMs can book anything during the 180 +10 window for anyone - they're just not supposed to.

Yes, it was booked wrong but I didn't get any pixie dust. We've never gotten pixie dust. Remember the year, they were giving out free FPs for the day just because. For us it was New Years Day and we had been riding BTMR over and over as we got there at EMH in the morning. So, my dh had enough of the ride but our kids wanted to ride one more time. So, we did and when we got off the cast member gave us the free FPs for the day for every ride in the park. When I explained my dh who was standing 10 feet away was with us and needed one to. She said no way only for peole who rode the ride. What a pain in the butt... It worked out as we got FPs with our tickets for the other rides for him. From our experience if things are unfair we never get something in our favor. While I think Disney has great customer service on the surface, they are very inflexible when it comes to bending rules. I think, if the system goes down and there is a glitch and when it goes back up and it is wrong and you don't have proof you are out of luck!

 

[bcrook]

I want that too, but I want FPs for more than 2 good rides in a day.

Another issue will be...

The only ride I need a FP+ for will be TSMM. How far in advance would I have to book this to get my ideal time? Making another dining reference, will TSMM be like trying to get Le Cellier ( when it was 1 credit), 'Ohana, or CRT? Will everyone be logging in on their 60 day mark and grabbing TSMM? Even if they don't use them? And this is just a touch of hyperbole, but will we eventually have to connect a credit card to the e-ticket (signature) rides and pay $5.00 a person for not showing up?

It would be ironic if I checked in to my room on Monday, and wanted to make a FP+ reservation for TSMM on Wednesday, and the only reservation left was for 9:15 am. I would be right back to going to the park at rope drop to catch the ride.

Of course these are what ifs, but I only have 6 more days to decide if I want to buy APs. I need to know the possible scenarios - good and bad .

 

[Melodious]

I understand not wanting to plan everything, however the current fastpass system doesn't seem to be without plannning itself, at least to me. I just don't plan ahead of time currently. Since fastpass enforcement we've used less fastpasses anyway because it does include a lot of crisscrossing the parks. I'm the fastpass runner and I'm pretty tired of it

I have to plan to be at TSM early. By the time that I get to the front of the fastpass line, the return time is pretty far out and then I have to plan to be back in that area at a certain time. There's not a lot around TSM so I have to go someplace else and then plan to be back on time. I have to plan when to get another fastpass because to get a lot of fastpasses I have to get another as soon as the window opens. And I have to plan which fastpass to get next based on where I think I might be in the park by then, then go get them and them plan what I can do until the window opens but won't take longer than the window. As for technology, I already use a phone app so I can know what the fastpass return time is before I trek all the way over to Splash Mtn or something. That seems like a lot of planning What if I get stuck in a long line at the cash register or am simply not finished with my drink at the bar? To use fastpass, I have to plan around shopping and eating and drinking that day in the park.

Since enforcement, I have used less fastpasses but have still ridden my favorites multiple times. There will always be an advantage for people who research who know which rides are busy, know to get there early and stay late. There will also always been some kind of perk for staying onsite.

I'm not going to worry too much about the number of fastpasses yet. I think that's the thing that's probably most up in the air still. Especially for APs. I find it hard to believe that only one person knows how many fastpasses APs will get There are many posters and bloggers who seem to have inside information but never before has it been just one person who had all the information. Also from other comments, I don't think the OP is reliable, JMHO.

 

[Robo]

1- Will everyone be logging in on their 60 day mark and grabbing TSMM?

2- It would be ironic if I checked in to my room on Monday, and wanted to make a FP+ reservation for TSMM on Wednesday, and the only reservation left was for 9:15 am. I would be right back to going to the park at rope drop to catch the ride.

1- Count on it.
Forgetting the precise number of days in advance...
TSMM will be the hottest FP+ at WDW, followed closely (in rough order) by Soarin', Test Track, Space Mtn., Exp. Everest and Safari.



2- Somebody (group of somebodies) will have to take those times, yes.

 

[mom2rtk]

1- Count on it.
Forgetting the precise number of days in advance...
TSMM will be the hottest FP+ at WDW, followed closely (in rough order) by Soarin', Test Track, Space Mtn., Exp. Everest and Safari.



2- Somebody (group of somebodies) will have to take those times, yes.

I think anyone who thinks they'll be logging on last minute (or even a day or 2 after the window opens) to schedule a ride on TSMM with FP+ is living in Fantasyland. And we all know that's in a totally different park!

My biggest concern with this is how much the mere presence of FP+ will change (or eliminate) traditional FP, and the traditional standby line. Those are the devilish details that will make or break this.

 

[bcrook]

I think anyone who thinks they'll be logging on last minute (or even a day or 2 after the window opens) to schedule a ride on TSMM with FP+ is living in Fantasyland. And we all know that's in a totally different park!

My biggest concern with this is how much the mere presence of FP+ will change (or eliminate) traditional FP, and the traditional standby line. Those are the devilish details that will make or break this.

 

[Laketravis]

It's entirely possible that at times the FP+ lines could be longer than the Standby lines.

As was the case when we participated in the FP+ trials a couple of weeks ago - one of ours was for HM, and when we got up to the FP+ entry, there were more people in line at it than were in the Standby line. In fact, people entering the Standby line were in their Doom Buggies before we were.

And that's when I had a feeling much like the one's I've had before when I felt like I was wasting an FP because the Standby line didnt have a line.