AP's to get 20 FP+ per quarter

[mbrittb00]

If we separate the FP attractions by desirability, it is unlikely that there would be (for an appreciable length of time) any of those FP available.

TSM, Soarin', Space Mtn., Exp. Everest, Safari, Test Track, and maybe a few others, would be very hard to get.

And, frankly, I don't really care if I can schedule a FP for the "lesser" attractions.

Parades, Fireworks, Fantasmic!... those would likely figure somewhere in the "desirable" mix, too.

Character meets are a wild card, depending on guest preferences.

Consider that under the current system there are between 15k, and 20k FPs avaliable for any one particular attraction. With the exception of Magic Kingdom each of the parks have 3 or 4 marque attractions.

Marque Attractions by park : (I've probably missed something)
MK : SpaM, BTMRR, PP, Pooh, Dumbo & maybe Jungle Cruise, & SplM
EP : Sorin', TT, MS
HS : RcR, TT, TSMM, ST
AK : EE, KS, Kali, and maybe Dino and PEW.


Except on the high season days figure that 25k - 50k people are in a particular park on one particular day. If the FP+ is limited so that you can only reserve one of the marque attractions then by simple math there would be about 50% of the remaining FPs (as under the current system) avaliable. However they may be wanting to shift to a system that utilized less FPs in favor of slightly shorter standby wait times.

If they do make it where you can get a new FP+ once in the park using your smart phone, I suspect that they would have a system where limit how often you can do that. (i.e. you wouldn't be allowed to get 5 new FP+'s the moment you walk in the park). Maybe you could get one an hour after opening then another one an hour later, etc.

 

[dadddio]

Yeah, 4 is a gimme under the current system. But I avoid visitng WDW at peak times like the plague.

I too am skeptical that there will be same day FP's available. I think they're staying squishy on that detail for a reason. Sounds like maybe they will during slow times, which is exactly when FPs aren't even necessary.

I hope I'm wrong and they have endless FPs for everyone the day they are at the park. On top of the 3 advance FPs. But I just don't think the math adds up.

The current system has a self-limiting factor of having to be IN the park, along with everyone in your party, early enough to get what you want. And you have to hoof it across the park to the kiosk to get the ticket.

Removing all those barriers sounds heavenly. Except that there is no longer a limiting factor. So I don't see how this all doesn't just becomes a feeding frenzy.

The only one of those barriers that appear to be being removed is the 'hoof across the park one' if you have a smartphone. Given that these same-day rules would remain in place and that they have stated that FP+ would be available for same-day visitors, I'm not seeing any reason to believe that same-day FPs wouldn't be available for all guests.

I guess that I'm having a hard time believing that they would replace FPs with something with fewer features. I'm also having trouble believing that the mere fact that they didn't talk about current features means that all of those features will go away.

 

[bcrook]

I guess that I'm having a hard time believing that they would replace FPs with something with fewer features. I'm also having trouble believing that the mere fact that they didn't talk about current features means that all of those features will go away.

I would say that I was where you are now last June. I was in the park for 2 weeks, and FP+ rumors were swirling. I was getting pretty excited about the possibility of logging into my computer the night before going to a park and booking a couple FP times in advance (TSMM for 6:00 pm and a ToT at 8:00). I would like to have one Fantasmic! FP for one day of the trip. This way I could go over to MK in the morning, grab FP all day enjoy the park. Head to a 3:00 lunch at the Grand Floridian Cafe and then go to DHS for the evening with a few FP in hand. This is how this should work. Robo warned me this would never happen, that it couldn't happen. He wasn't wrong.

I will stick with my contention about Disney not saying anything is a bad sign. Disney has clearly introduced this as a marketing tool to rearrange crowds and change the dynamics of the park - maximize infrastructure. That means getting people away from the e-ticket rides and into meet and greets, parades, shows, and underutilized rides. They have said that. Giving people advanced FP and unlimited daily FP will only make the headliner rides MUCH more crowded. Which leads to...

UNHAPPY customers demanding very expensive new rides to absorb more people so that the wait times will drop. And every time they add a new ride it causes more pressure on the e-rides and draws more and more people away from the cheaper things to maintain like the meet and greets, parades, and current infrastructure. Disney is NOT advertising this as the next best way to enjoy our thrill rides! And if that was their intent, it is what they would be doing.

 

[mbrittb00]

The only one of those barriers that appear to be being removed is the 'hoof across the park one' if you have a smartphone. Given that these same-day rules would remain in place and that they have stated that FP+ would be available for same-day visitors, I'm not seeing any reason to believe that same-day FPs wouldn't be available for all guests.

I guess that I'm having a hard time believing that they would replace FPs with something with fewer features. I'm also having trouble believing that the mere fact that they didn't talk about current features means that all of those features will go away.

I've yet to see anything that would suggest that same-day FPs will be available at all.

 

[bcrook]

I've yet to see anything that would suggest that same-day FPs will be available at all.

And the numbers you have been crunching have convinced me that they both can't exist.

 

[doconeill]

I've yet to see anything that would suggest that same-day FPs will be available at all.

Nothing is certain, but the video seems to suggest it is possible.

 

[mbrittb00]

Nothing is certain, but the video seems to suggest it is possible.

I must have missed something. What video? Was it saying that you could change your existing FP+ selections or make brand new one?

 

[doconeill]

I must have missed something. What video? Was it saying that you could change your existing FP+ selections or make brand new one?

See if this link works:

MyMagic+ interview

In it they have EVP Nick Frankin, the guy in charge of NextGen, talking about FastPass+. He says they'll let guests choose up to 3 FP+s, but that they have the "expectation" that they'll offer the guest "more as they go", along with other "surprises". It is still vague, but it sure seems like they are planning to allow more based on availability, and availability is best known day-of...

 

[bcrook]

Nothing is certain, but the video seems to suggest it is possible.

You are really optimistic about that snippet. I can't interpret those comments that way.

I must have missed something. What video? Was it saying that you could change your existing FP+ selections or make brand new one?

VIDEO
"guest select up to three, that they want to set for each day, then we have an expectation that we may have the ability to bring some more surprise and delight and bring you some additional ones as you go." That sounds like "bonus" FP+ for those under utilized sections of the park.

 

[doconeill]

You are really optimistic about that snippet. I can't interpret those comments that way.



VIDEO

I don't know...he's talking about offering more than three. That seems pretty certain. I think getting more day-of is more likely than randomly awarding some ahead of time.

 

[MAGICFOR2]

lol I wish I was a CM !

But for now - I am simply a stay at home mom

"So in your Family, Johnny gets his dream, Susie gets her dream, but sorry Bobby we couldn't choose yours. Then your choice on the second list is none of the above."

We dont know what the available "pre" FP+ would be atm - would they be the test list we have seen - or all of them open or limits on which list?

but in the situation you supply - with 3 per day in 1 park - since resort guests are likely to stay multiple days - perhaps you could do 2 magic kingdom days - Or - maybe Johnny's dream is in Epcot on Tuesday - and Susie and bobby are in Magic Kingdom which you visit Wednesday.

I am really looking forward to more concrete information being released

Also I said at the top of my post

Fp stays basically the SAME for all guests - I.e when guests get to the park - they have the same time limits and availability as they do NOW. I did read a post from a blog that said as much ..looking very Disney official - i will try and find it.
So - for those that like to ride Test track 5 times - sure - use your FP+ on Testtrack for lets say 1pm - get there at opening, grab a FP , ride stand by , use your FP, Ride standby, grab ANOTHER FP cause time window is open now, Use your FP+ cause the time slot is open -Heck ride it AGAIn standby and then come back to ride on your Last FP time slot.
Your doing nothing really different then you do now. Your still spending the day at testrack juggling standby and FP times - you just have one additonal FP+ you planned ahead on.

Disney is making a perk for ONSITE guests and limiting them to 3 "pre"FP+- and maximizing the experiences to everything people wait for - Not just rides
but meet and greets, parades, fireworks - these PreFP+'s make the vacation for guests.

Now lets add another twist - what if ONLY resort guests got to choose certain options - lets say the Firework and parade "pre" FP+ option - i.e regular guests can choose FP+ from the Standard selection of current FP options i.e rides. But the perk to have a Firework viewing area or parade area...thats for resort guests. That further thins our the impact of "preFP+" on line ques - because their making the choices to invest in experiences. Its another Perk to staying On site - and takes nothing away from off site because it was a free for all BEFORE the FP+ anyways - its business as usual. Stake out a spot 1 hour ahead.

I believe the exec in the video was saying they are doing away with the paper FP. So you would have to do the Magic+ program in order to FP at all once this gets implemented.

AT this point, those choices for fireworks and parades are on the same list as the ride, so you get to choose a ride or a parade for one of your 3. He is saying that all guests will have the same opportunity.

They are leaving it open for tweaking though, so it could end up with more perks before they are finished.

 

[bcrook]

I don't know...he's talking about offering more than three. That seems pretty certain. I think getting more day-of is more likely than randomly awarding some ahead of time.

Once your in the park for the day, Jungle Cruise, Tiki, CoP, Monsters Inc, Stitch, IASW, Haunted Mansion and PoC will all have availability, I am sure there will be lots of surprise and delight to give away from that tier of rides.

 

[mbrittb00]

And the numbers you have been crunching have convinced me that they both can't exist.

Yeah, the more I look at the numbers, the more I have to agree with you.

You are really optimistic about that snippet. I can't interpret those comments that way.

VIDEO
"guest select up to three, that they want to set for each day, then we have an expectation that we may have the ability to bring some more surprise and delight and bring you some additional ones as you go." That sounds like "bonus" FP+ for those under utilized sections of the park.

Yep, nothing in that video makes me think that day of FPs will be available.

 

[doconeill]

All I said was "possible".

 

[mbrittb00]

All I said was "possible".

Ok I'll give you "possible". However I would say it is long from "probable".
Based on what he said, I would suspect the "extra" would be maybe an extra parade viewing, or something like that, but not extra FPs.

At this point I'm expecting my 4-7 FPs (most for high profile attractions) be reduced to 1 or 2 for high profile attractions then 1 or 2 more for things that historically one hasn't needed them for.

But this is all speculation. Only time will tell.

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Then you either try for same-day FPs for the fourth ride or you wait in the standby line and play with the interactive queue.

What do you do now if you can only get FPs for three out of four must-do rides?

We get our butts out of bed early, get to the park before rope drop and get a FP for the 2nd ride while riding stand-by for the 1st ride, get a FP for the 3rd ride while riding FP for the 2nd, etc. until we have hit all the "bigs" Then we eat lunch, do a few smaller rides and see what the day brings after that. We have gone during busy times alot, because of school schedules, and this system has never failed us. The scenario where we don't get to ride everything we want has never happened to us.

Clearly then Mom gets one, Dad gets one and your 4 kids all have to arm wrestle for the last one

I don't think percentages matter, at this point. They will be easily adjusted as things progress.

This can quite clearly be summed up very easily with Disney math. We all use it to justify and extra day, right?

Me too.

I already know that the FP return time enforcement really changed the way we toured the parks last month. We used to pick up FPs through the morning and then come back to that park at night and use them. The FPs gave us a reason to return to a packed park (we go Christmas/NYE every year) so we could catch dinner, ride a few attractions, see the fireworks or parade, etc. On this last trip that we would go back to our resort for our afternoon swim/break and we only went into a park at night 3 nights out of 9. Once for IlluniNations, once to see the Osbourne Lights & once to see Wishes. And on the MK night we had a FP gathered at noon for 8:00 pm for Little Mermaid and a FP from BTMR that was good after the 1 hour timeslot because the ride went down. Without those two FP I doubt if we would have gone to the MK since we had already seen Wishes from the Contemporary. I was honestly surprised that we made it back into the parks so infrequently as we are usually more "commando". Disney lost out on all the meals that we would have eaten in the parks instead of offsite and all the snacks we usually purchase while waiting for the parade & fireworks.

I am really afraid that FP+ will make my touring even a bigger PITB over Christmas/NYE but like you I am trying not to get worked up over it until I understand how it's going to work. I know I don't like the first phase and I doubt I will like the rest of it either. We have DVC PAP certificates that we are planning to activate in March and I am having a hard time getting excited about going .

We didn't even know about showing up late until the last two trips, but it made our trip so much more enjoyable. And when we showed up in the evening it wasn't busy, so we actually helped by not showing up during the busy time and let some stand-by people get on sooner. So this actually helps spread people out - I don't know why they can't see this. In my estimation, people have already figured out how to add more "Magic" to their trips by doing what works for them. DSIS and her family love to roll out of bed at noon, get in the park at 1, and they know they won't get on everything, but relaxing is important to them, so they enjoy what they can and stay up late - getting on rides close to closing without much wait. For them that is the "magic" they have found.

For those who can't figure out how to work it out - they probably have many other situations in their lives that go that way for them. i.e. Picking Monday morning at 9 to show up at the DMV and then complain because the wait is so long. There are personality differences in every walk of life - for Disney to try to overcome that by scheduling more Magic for us is just silly - in the long run, it will still turn out that way because people are people, not robots.

That is what I thought.

I guess Disney is trying to create a system that creates Equality of Outcome rather than Equality of Opportunity. As things are right now everyone has the exact same opportunity. However some aren't willing to do what is necessary (i.e. get up early and make it to RP) in order to get the same benefit as someone else. In walks in a system that tries to create Equality of Outcome. After all is said in done however (unless they expand the system to micromanage your entire trip down to the minute), it still won't work as those that get there at RD will still get more stuff done.

This. I guess you said it the same way I did. It's like some people who win the lottery end up broke and unhappy within a few years. They are programmed to operate a certain way, no matter what opportunities come to them.

I will stick with my contention about Disney not saying anything is a bad sign. Disney has clearly introduced this as a marketing tool to rearrange crowds and change the dynamics of the park - maximize infrastructure. That means getting people away from the e-ticket rides and into meet and greets, parades, shows, and underutilized rides. They have said that. Giving people advanced FP and unlimited daily FP will only make the headliner rides MUCH more crowded. Which leads to...

UNHAPPY customers demanding very expensive new rides to absorb more people so that the wait times will drop. And every time they add a new ride it causes more pressure on the e-rides and draws more and more people away from the cheaper things to maintain like the meet and greets, parades, and current infrastructure. Disney is NOT advertising this as the next best way to enjoy our thrill rides! And if that was their intent, it is what they would be doing.

More expensive rides???? I would be up for that!!! Yes, they didn't say, enhance your thrill ride experience, they said "enhance your guest experience." They are going to decide what will make our day perfect.

You are really optimistic about that snippet. I can't interpret those comments that way.



VIDEO
"guest select up to three, that they want to set for each day, then we have an expectation that we may have the ability to bring some more surprise and delight and bring you some additional ones as you go." That sounds like "bonus" FP+ for those under utilized sections of the park.

"Surprise! You have a front of the line pass to Astro Orbiter! Run right over there now!" I could see that happening - you check in for your FP+ at SM, and it talks to you and tells you that you can do that. They have the RFID reader at Astro, and it says, "Welcome! we've been waiting for you!" It's so magical you forget that you have used up your 3 choices and will wait fore 60 minutes for Splash!

 

[bcrook]

"Surprise! You have a front of the line pass to Astro Orbiter! Run right over there now!" I could see that happening - you check in for your FP+ at SM, and it talks to you and tells you that you can do that. They have the RFID reader at Astro, and it says, "Welcome! we've been waiting for you!" It's so magical you forget that you have used up your 3 choices and will wait fore 60 minutes for Splash!

Very good! I can see that. I might even bite on that one, and the personalized greeting at the Astro Orbiter would be fun also.

And by the way, that is a perfect use of the "pixiedust" smilie!

 

[dadddio]

I would say that I was where you are now last June. I was in the park for 2 weeks, and FP+ rumors were swirling. I was getting pretty excited about the possibility of logging into my computer the night before going to a park and booking a couple FP times in advance (TSMM for 6:00 pm and a ToT at 8:00). I would like to have one Fantasmic! FP for one day of the trip. This way I could go over to MK in the morning, grab FP all day enjoy the park. Head to a 3:00 lunch at the Grand Floridian Cafe and then go to DHS for the evening with a few FP in hand. This is how this should work. Robo warned me this would never happen, that it couldn't happen. He wasn't wrong.

I will stick with my contention about Disney not saying anything is a bad sign. Disney has clearly introduced this as a marketing tool to rearrange crowds and change the dynamics of the park - maximize infrastructure. That means getting people away from the e-ticket rides and into meet and greets, parades, shows, and underutilized rides. They have said that. Giving people advanced FP and unlimited daily FP will only make the headliner rides MUCH more crowded. Which leads to...

UNHAPPY customers demanding very expensive new rides to absorb more people so that the wait times will drop. And every time they add a new ride it causes more pressure on the e-rides and draws more and more people away from the cheaper things to maintain like the meet and greets, parades, and current infrastructure. Disney is NOT advertising this as the next best way to enjoy our thrill rides! And if that was their intent, it is what they would be doing.

I feel like you are arguing against an impossible scenario, unlimited same-day FPs, when no one is taking the position that unlimited FPs could ever exist. They certainly don't currently exist.

I am merely taking the position that same-day FPs certainly will exist in some form.

 

[mbrittb00]

I feel like you are arguing against an impossible scenario, unlimited same-day FPs, when no one is taking the position that unlimited FPs could ever exist. They certainly don't currently exist.

I am merely taking the position that same-day FPs certainly will exist in some form.

Perhaps, but not for the headliners. The Rides only have so much ride capacity, and thus only so many FPs available. Once the pre-selections are done, there won't be any left.

 

[bcrook]

I feel like you are arguing against an impossible scenario, unlimited same-day FPs, when no one is taking the position that unlimited FPs could ever exist. They certainly don't currently exist.

I am merely taking the position that same-day FPs certainly will exist in some form.

Well of course there will be leftover fastpasses that can be obtained throughout the day. But those will be for those opting out of the FP+ or for those who haven't used their allotted three. Also, don't forget everybody on the bracelet will have the ability to switch their three FP+ choices out for new ones all day long.