AP's to get 20 FP+ per quarter

[A Mickeyfan]

That is incorrect.
(I can't believe nobody else said anything.)

The "ticket books" were not JUST available with ADMISSION.
The individual attractions were not limited to a guest at one-ride-per-day

In fact, the tickets did not specifically come printed with the name an individual attraction at all.

Each attraction was DESIGNATED at its entrance as requiring one of the following for admission to its queue:
A-ticket
B-ticket
C-ticket
D-ticket
and (later, as the attraction technology improved) an E-ticket.

The ticket books named which attractions required which "letter level" of ticket,
but if you had, say, 4 "E-tickets" you could use all 4 to ride and re-ride the same attraction if you wanted to.

Disney had additional ticket booths all over the park.
You could buy as many additional ticket books or individual tickets as you wanted.
(And, they were comparatively inexpensive to purchase.)
The books they sold inside the park had a multiple selection of tickets.
A-tickets
B-tickets
C-tickets
D-tickets
and (later, as the attraction technology improved) E-tickets.

Some books had an assortment of all levels of tickets.
Some books came filled with "universal" tickets, good on any
attraction in the park.
(My dad gave me a lecture on not using the "all E-Ticket" book coupons
on a B-ticket ride like Snow White and such... a waste of money, of course.)

As to not being able to ride a headliner attraction more than once per day...
We rode the D-Ticket (and later, E-ticket) attractions over, and over, and over, all day and into the night.

I mean, isn't re-riding your favorite attractions what going to Disney
(and most theme parks) all about?

Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion. Both E-tickets.
How many times did I ride those in a day, back in the good old days of my youth?

Wasn't anyone else in the parks back then?
Didn't you ride and re-ride your favorite attractions, E-ticket and otherwise?

Doesn't everybody know the time-honored catch-phrase of "chicken kids" who have finally
braved their biggest fear and ridden the scary attraction?
"Let's do it AGAIN!"

.

I didn't see that post or I would have said "not true" yep, they sold them ala cart.. and you could ride the HM as many times as you wanted, as long as you had that E ticktet to give them.. no names for attractions or who the tkts belonged to.. they were for any ride with the corresponding letter and anyone holding them.. so when my friends didn't want their specific tkt, I took it!

 

[disEAR]

Robo, I love you.

 

[Lil' Grumpy]

@ first i passed this thread , thinking it has nothing to do with
us. but i am glad i read all the way thru.

wow,! it's about time. & i tell you my reason just in case
i am missing facts that have not been posted.

i would have never realized there were problems until this was
presented. "protecting one turf" , speak loud/clear- there are those
having inside connections, abusing the system. and now "worry"
about the corrective measures.

so if you have this "group" then there is the second group- that
don't have the same privileges & have been taken advantage of.
to the point where this group is growing so large that they can
no longer hide.

now i don't think it covers all ap's holders but a sub-group under
that heading.

i think disney will need to extend this same problem solving
toward the handicap passes, because of the abuses there. &
so forth to scooters. and so on. ( i don't think anyone
has any problem waiting extra for true handicaps but hoping
disney did better stopping those that are manipulating )

i just wonder what were the abuses that got their attentions?
(i know our beginning experiences alerted us that something
was right inside dvc. sometimes i have read here, friends of
friends using cm benefits ... & then we have seen strange
things @ the parks.)

we are a first generation doing disney vacations. we only done
a few trips & more dcl cruises than anything else. but we will
never forget how unfair it was getting crt for our daughter.
it took us 3 days just to figure out what we were up against.
then to learn a couple years later about how the were being
"sell" to raise $ shows why these type of things do need
monitoring. this was when i first found the dis,2002 ...&
i will never forget one poor lady posting.."i know it is sad
that i am grown woman, crying over not getting crt."

i really don't understand this....not an ap holder.....but from
these responses ....it is evident that something is not right
& they are closing the door.

 

[Kaspar Houser]

I am certainly no expert on FP+, but I always assumed that for resort guests it was going to be linked to your KTTW (or wristband). They are expanding the online check in to 60 days, and during that 60 days you would be making the FP+ "reservations", so it would make sense for the RFID readers at the attractions to read your KTTW, compare it to the FP+ for the day, and allow/disallow entrance at the FP line based on that information. If it scans you and you don't have a KTTW, then it may be programmed to look for alternate RFID chips, such as in APs or MYW tickets. Since you are already in the park, the system should be assuming you have valid admission and wouldn't be confirming that.

Just wondering. What bout those that need no online check in?
We stay concierge and never need to use it.
I guess and hope the IPO will take care of it and we just have to mail them our preferred times.

 

[aubriee]

well I must not be your average AP holder. Most Fl Resident AP holders visit way more than 13 days per year.. especially those that live near the parks. I live 3 hours away and in the summer alone I go more than 13 days. That is not counting the remainder of the year.. So this 20 per qt is going to stink for me.

Yup... what is being reported is four per day.. that means 5 days per quarter do you get use of FP. Period.

I guess I'm not the average AP holder either. I go to WDW 4-6 times a year and each trip is usually 9 days (so 36-54 days a year). In fact, my upcoming trip is 11 days long. Some of those trips would fall in the same quarter (for example I was there Sept 1st-9th with my mom and then went back Oct 27th-Nov 4th with both my husband and my mom). According to what everyone is saying about Fastpass+, I would have had a big problem. My mom doesn't normally buy an AP, so what would we have done with her being on both trips?, plus I would have used my alotment of fastpass+ halfway through the Sept trip, so would not be eligible for any more fastpasses for the rest of that trip or for any at all during the Oct/Nov trip. My husband didn't go for the Sept trip, so he would have been elegible to use fastpass+ for the first half only of the Oct/Nov trip, but since I would have used up my quarterly alotment in Sept would not have been able to go on the rides with him in Oct/Nov. I used to be a big proponent of staying onsite, but for our Oct/Nov trip had an offsite deal fall into my lap that was just too good to pass up. We enjoyed offsite so much, that when I came back I started looking at other offsite options. For my upcoming May trip, I'll be cancelling my reservation at Pop and will be staying in a one bedroom villa at Wyndham Bonnet Creek (for cheaper than I could have stayed at Pop, even with an AP room discount). In fact, most (if not all) of my trips from now on will probably be offsite at Wyndham Bonnet Creek.

I also don't like the fact that you can only use fastpasses in one park per day. I like to make every rope drop, ride what I want, then leave around lunch time to go back to the resort to rest/swim, then go back out at night, sometimes to a different park and sometimes back to the same park. Fastpass+ just doesn't seem like it's going to work for us at all. Why should I be punished, just because I can go to WDW more frequently than some other guest. During the week I am there, I should be treated just like any other guest. It seems like Disney is wanting to penalize their most loyal customers.

I agree with Robo and some of the others: if it's not broke, why fix it. The way it is now everyone has the same opportunity to get to rope drop and get the fastpasses they want.

I also have an AP for Universal and love their front of the line perk that onsite guests get. It looks like Universal may be getting more of my business. WDW should not be treating their loyal AP holders like second class citizens. Used to AP discounts came out before the GP discounts, but now they come out very last and we get whatever is left over, plus discounts are alot less than what they used to be for AP holders. Now they're saying they will be limiting the use of fastpasses, to the extint that we can't even get enough to cover a nine day trip and some trips we won't be able to utilize fast pass at all (if that trip happens to fall within a 90 day period where we've already made a trip down there).

 

[mom2rtk]

I guess I'm not the average AP holder either. I go to WDW 4-6 times a year and each trip is usually 9 days (so 36-54 days a year). In fact, my upcoming trip is 12 days long. Some of those trips would fall in the same quarter (for example I was there Sept 1st-9th with my mom and then went back Oct 27th-Nov 4th with both my husband and my mom). According to what everyone is saying about Fastpass+, I would have had a big problem. My mom doesn't normally buy an AP, so what would we have done with her being on both trips?, plus I would have used my alotment of fastpass+ halfway through the Sept trip, so would not be eligible for any more fastpasses for the rest of that trip or for any at all during the Oct/Nov trip. My husband didn't go for the Sept trip, so he would have been elegible to use fastpass+ for the first half only of the Oct/Nov trip, but since I would have used up my quarterly alotment in Sept would not have been able to go on the rides with him in Oct/Nov.

You are right to anticipate that the new policy would be disruptive to your future trips. During the recent test period, the friends we met there had FP+ and we did not. In the end, we ended up splitting up for the day, despite prior plans to hang out in the parks together.

I agree with Robo and some of the others: if it's not broke, why fix it. The way it is now everyone has the same opportunity to get to rope drop and get the fastpasses they want.

No. Apparently people who like to sleep in don't have the same opportunity.

 

[mom2rtk]

@ first i passed this thread , thinking it has nothing to do with
us. but i am glad i read all the way thru.

wow,! it's about time. & i tell you my reason just in case
i am missing facts that have not been posted.

i would have never realized there were problems until this was
presented. "protecting one turf" , speak loud/clear- there are those
having inside connections, abusing the system. and now "worry"
about the corrective measures.

so if you have this "group" then there is the second group- that
don't have the same privileges & have been taken advantage of.
to the point where this group is growing so large that they can
no longer hide.

now i don't think it covers all ap's holders but a sub-group under
that heading.

i think disney will need to extend this same problem solving
toward the handicap passes, because of the abuses there. &
so forth to scooters. and so on. ( i don't think anyone
has any problem waiting extra for true handicaps but hoping
disney did better stopping those that are manipulating )

i just wonder what were the abuses that got their attentions?
(i know our beginning experiences alerted us that something
was right inside dvc. sometimes i have read here, friends of
friends using cm benefits ... & then we have seen strange
things @ the parks.)

we are a first generation doing disney vacations. we only done
a few trips & more dcl cruises than anything else. but we will
never forget how unfair it was getting crt for our daughter.
it took us 3 days just to figure out what we were up against.
then to learn a couple years later about how the were being
"sell" to raise $ shows why these type of things do need
monitoring. this was when i first found the dis,2002 ...&
i will never forget one poor lady posting.."i know it is sad
that i am grown woman, crying over not getting crt."

i really don't understand this....not an ap holder.....but from
these responses ....it is evident that something is not right
& they are closing the door.

Sorry but I didn't follow any of that. I've read this entire thread and haven't seen any "abuse" described at all.

Disney sells APs that have allowed people to go any day allowed under the terms of that particular AP, and access FP like anyone else in the parks. If they choose to go more days than others, how would that be abuse?

More than anything, if Disney doesn't want people maximizing their APs then they should not sell them that way. If I had an AP and lived close, I'd be using it a lot too.

Let's face it folks. Disney wants to continue to grow their business. They want more bodies in the parks. They have a limited number of ride slots available. This is about ride rationing pure and simple.

 

[JulyGirl]

I remember going to the parks before the days of Fast Pass and somehow I survived. If you run through your FastPass rations, then you have to do a little extra planning or wait in line. No big deal.

 

[Laketravis]

Sorry If I had an AP and lived close, I'd be using it a lot too.

We just got back last weekend from 9 days at WDW. It was by far the most crowded second week of December we've ever experienced.

And the correlation between that and this thread just dawned on me. I remember looking at the parking lots of each park as we would arrive each day and noticed that most - if not all - of the cars had, you guessed it - Florida plates.

Wow. I wonder how many of those were using AP's or resident passes for their day trip. If 90% of the packed parking lots are filled with Florida plates, would logic follow that a very high percentage of the crowds in the parks are Florida residents with season passes?

Now I'm starting to wonder - has Disney noticed this too? Has some number cruncher in a corporate cube somewhere pointed out how yes, it's nice to collect that lump sum payment up front for a visit-as-many-times-as-you-would-like-this-year pass, but hey boss - those people are actually USING those passes and contributing more and more to crowd levels and wait times without substantial, additional revenue.

It sort of violates the original premise in much the same way the profitability of all-you-can-eat buffets depends on most people not eating all they can eat.

Locally, I've seen the same thing happen with Sea World San Antonio, Six Flags Fiesta Texas and Six Flags Over Texas. We live equidistant to all three, and have season passes. We go probably a dozen or more times per year. And each time we go, we don't have to pay admission or parking. And we don't spend any money in the park. Not even on $5 pretzels.

And we are not alone. We are surrounded each day by thousands of other season pass holders who aren't spending anything either. That's not abuse, we are all just using what we paid for. But I'm betting the profitability of such passes was originally based on a much lower "actual usage" and impact to costs level.

I couldn't help but wonder on each visit how the parks could continue to incur daily expenses providing a level of service to a park predominately filled with guests who's contribution to revenue ran out of net profit several visits before and are now a part of that daily expense?

Undoubtedly, Disney has noticed this as well. I would not be surprised if creative ways to start realizing additional revenue from holders of AP's are on the table.

 

[Robo]

Poor Disney, the place is so crowded, nobody goes there anymore!

-Yogi

 

[Robo]

We just got back last weekend from 9 days at WDW. It was by far the most crowded second week of December we've ever experienced.

And the correlation between that and this thread just dawned on me. I remember looking at the parking lots of each park as we would arrive each day and noticed that most - if not all - of the cars had, you guessed it - Florida plates.

There's a pretty good reason for this.
Anyone?

 

[Laketravis]

Robo, I think I know where you might be going (they could be rentals, that doesn't represent everyone staying at the resorts, etc) but a large number of people in the park - the ones we talked to, the ones we stood in line with, the ones we shared tables with at Biergarten, the ones we watched fireworks with - many were Florida residents.

 

[reelmom]

There's a pretty good reason for this.
Anyone?

Rental cars

 

[mom2rtk]

There's a pretty good reason for this.
Anyone?

You beat me to it.

My friend from Missouri was there at the same time. She had FL plates for the week too. And she is not an AP holder.

 

[bauer1168]

There's a pretty good reason for this.
Anyone?

I might have a different answer than you're looking for here on this one.

This is a very popular time for people from the UK (and lots of other countries) to visit WDW. A lot of people stay off site with a big chunk of them booking a 'fly-drive' holiday.

I have done several 'fly-drive' holidays with my family in the past before. Everytime it has had a Florida Licence plate on it.
Have schools in Florida start breaking up for the holidays during that period?

 

[mesaboy2]

One point completely absent in this thread as yet is that there are still a decent contingent of guests who do not have access to or do not care to have access to the Internet and/or smartphone technology. FP+ is going to leave this group almost completely on the outside looking in.

One more reason why everyone will not be on "equal footing" before entering the park with FP+.

And yes I know, before its said: adapt or die.

 

[Laketravis]

Okay, forget my license plate remark but consider the rest of my reasoning.

I love AP's. I'm not knocking AP users. But I'm putting myself in the seat of a corporation and thinking - Once they've paid for their pass, I'm not getting enough additional revenue from that segment of customers yet they continue to contribute to my expenses.

A corporation is never going to stop trying to monetize their offerings. Just yesterday, FB floated the idea of charging for certain types of messaging. Gotta make money somehow, folks.

 

[mom2rtk]

And yes I know, before its said: adapt or die.

So why is it ok to tell people without the lastest technology they must adapt, but not the people who want to sleep late?

 

[Suellen]

There is so much misinformation in this thread at this point it no longer even makes sense!!

All the cars in lot have Florida plates because they are rentals! Not because they belong to locals.

Most locals get there during the week after regular school/work hours, a LOT of locals have out of state plates since they are snow birds and keep their car registrationin their home state. This logic is flawed.

Next - no one is abusing their passes or CM entrances. Our passes have no blackout days and we get FP just like every other guest - one per two hour period or your FP time - whichever comes first.

The perposed abuse comes from those that think pulling a Soarin FP - waiting two hours and using your next FP also on Soarin is abuse. Ridiculous. No one is getting anymore then they are allowed.

However under the new plan - a tourist with a ten day ticket will get FP+ for everyday of their visit - while an AP holder with the same 10 day trip will get FP+ for only half those days.

I'm pretty sure us locals who show up at 6:00 - grab a FP for Jungle Cruise or Buzz Lightyear - grab dinner - then Ride our ride ms head home are not the ones making it difficult for people to get FP.

Under new FP+ this is now impossible to do. WE are not any kind of "superusers" "FP abusers" or rest assured - we are not the ones arrivin at rope drop and running people over to get to the TSMM mess in the morning. As a matter of fact I've ridden it once since July and I waited standby.

And to the person who thinks they need to fix HC "abuse" is there some? Maybe - how are you going to prove it? While I was in my wheelchair with a broken leg we often went in regular line OR we went in a special entrance and sat and waited (well I sat - the rest of the family stood). If there was mire the. One HC family in front of us - forget about it! We would wait way longer then if I'd if been on foot. Now my leg is healed (somewhat) but I can't go up and down stairs without extreme pain. So I have a card that allows me to bypass stairs in a line. Wow - big abuse there too. In addition to that I am supposed to first attempt to get a FP for the ride BEFORE using my GAC. How is that supposed to work with only 5 park days per quarter I'm allowed to get a FP?? Luckily for me specifically there are only a few line queues that meet my special need - bit what if for some reason I needed it at all rides? This is a mess really. FP+ should either live in unison with FP or it should have died during the idea phase.

 

[bauer1168]

I can't remember every post on this thread, so my apologies if I'm way off the mark here.

I think using the terms 'abuse', 'abusing' the system, whether AP or FP system is a bit harsh. It's more a case of they have done their homework on the system in question within the terms and conditions of it.

Would you describe someone who has done their research/homework for a test and gotten a better mark than someone who hasn't studied for the same exam as 'abuse' or 'abusing' the exam if they had the same amount of time to study and used the same text books to gather their work?

Am I abusing the system if I am at MK at RD and go straight to PP to grab a FP with return time of 9:40am-10:40am, then go to ETWB, pick up another FP at 9:40am for another ride whilst someone else at RD on the same day goes straight to Mickey's Philharmagic or COP first, then gets to ETWB and finds a massive wait, then gets their first FP of the day for a ride with a return time of 12pm? Is that 'abusing the system' or is it that I have done my research and someone else hasn't?

If i was describe someone 'abusing' a system in WDW, it would be the people who bring in bags of plain nachos and plastic plates and will head to Cosmic Rays and help themselves to the topping bars.
People who are staying offsite and pool hop around Disney Resorts.
Or people who go to EMH with expired resort cards and get to go on rides during Evening EMH. Very small minority I know, but to me, that is abusing some of the systems in WDW.