AP's to get 20 FP+ per quarter

[bcrook]

I wonder if there will be kiosks in the resorts? The concierge will be able to help too. Laptops have to be ble to work. My Disney experience app and webpage are connected.

 

[angelmichelle]

I wonder if there will be kiosks in the resorts? The concierge will be able to help too. Laptops have to be ble to work. My Disney experience app and webpage are connected.

It would make sense for kiosks to be in the parks and at the resorts.

 

[Sammie]

It would make sense for kiosks to be in the parks and at the resorts.

Especially for those that do have a smart phone or want to travel with a computer/laptop/notebook/pad. Plus since the resorts went to wifi the service in the resorts has been horrible.

 

[jewjubean]

Seriously folks... The stuff coming is AMAZING. Enjoy what matters... Being with your family... Enjoying being away from work, a dirty house, your ad Disney world for crying out loud!!

 

[aubriee]

Ah, but we have discovered much from these threads. I understand quite a bit right now, I know the direction things are going, there are a few paths Disney can take, but we have probably mentioned them. The app and term and conditions are enlightening. There are a few curveballs coming, but I am prepared for the best and the worst.

I do think it matters to have at least speculation. I needed to make a decision about buying the DVC PAP for $399.00 before jan 1. I was ready to invest $1600.00. But because of this peak into the what ifs, I feel I made the correct decision and not purchase. Disney was encouraging me to invest in the next year but keeping their cards close to their vest.

I have two trips coming up this year, I can go to wdw, universal, or both on either trip. I would like to know more before I invest in something so costly.

I agree. I'm going to have to decide whether to renew my AP before my upcoming May trip. I'm also an Universal AP holder and at this time plan on going to both parks several times in 2013. However, if I can't get fast passes at WDW (other than the 20 per quarter that they say are going to be alotted to AP holders), I just can't see going to WDW just to stand in longer lines. My Universal AP expires the first week of May, so I'll need to renew it also. At the moment I'm seriously considering not renewing our APs for either park and just going somewhere other than Orlando this year. With all the changes and lesser room discounts, Disney may have finally broke the camel's back with this newest fast pass changes. Vacation is supposed to be restful and Fast Pass Plus sounds anything but (juggling ADR times with ride times, knowing that despite going to WDW maybe 20 days in a quarter, that I'll only be able to get fast passes for five of those days and will only be able to get four fast passes per day and that only one of those fast passes can be used for headliner and the other three would have to be used on some minor ride, show, parade, or even a CS ADR). If I make two ten day trips in a quarter, which I do frequently, I'd have 15 days where I couldn't even get a fast pass and would be stuck in stand by lines all day. That's just crazy!

If the park truly become FP+ only, I can't see us going any more. We are not super planners and trying to plan a handful of passes so rigidly and then waiting in regular lines for the rest just seems like a nightmare. I hope that anyone saying this is wrong.

Me too! No way am I going to WDW under those circumstances. I was there in early Sept and then again late Oct/early Nov. Those may have been my last trips. I was there for 20 days in just a little over two months. As an AP holder I would have only been able to get fast passes for five of those days. For my Oct/Nov trip I wouldn't have been able to use fast pass at all. Why should a loyal AP holder that goes 4-6 times a year receive less than someone who makes a once in a lifetime trip and won't ever be back? That's penalizing their loyal, frequent returning guests and what about all the locals? They are being penalized even more.

 

[aubriee]

Seriously folks... The stuff coming is AMAZING. Enjoy what matters... Being with your family... Enjoying being away from work, a dirty house, your ad Disney world for crying out loud!!

No, so far I have not heard a single thing about Fast Pass plus that I like. The old system worked fine for us. We have always been able to get a fast pass for any ride we wanted and have been able to ride every ride we wanted as many times as we wanted, because we knew to go during slow times of the year, make every morning EMH, make every rope drop, and knew how to use fast pass to our advantage. Now, I'll be limited to 20 fast passes a quarter and four must be used at one park/day, so that limits park hopping and only one of those four can be used for a headliner, so we'd have to waste the other three on minor rides/shows. It sounds like the stand by lines are going to be even longer now and some trips I won't be able to use fast pass at all, because I used them all up on the first five days of my previous trip (earlier in the quarter). How is that fair? What good is being in Disney World if you can't ride anything without long lines every day? If I make two trips in a quarter (and 4 -6 per year), I'll be spending alot more money than the person who is making a once in a lifetime trip, but if it's my first trip of the quarter I'll have only five days to use fast pass (four/day) and if it happens to be my second trip in that quarter I won't be able to use fast pass at all and will have to spend the entire day every day in long lines. How is that fair to their loyal AP holders? If they want to roll out fast pass plus for once a year visitors that's fine, but why not let a person choose between fast pass plus and regular fast pass? That would be more fair for frequent visitors who need more than five days of fast passes per quarter (or even more than five per trip). Because I'm paying so much less at Bonnet Creek, I can afford to buy APs and go 4-6 times a year, so Disney is still getting more money from me, but if they don't allow me to get the fast passes I need to make the lines manageable, then there is no use going. I'll just take my money elsewhere, where vacations are fun and enjoyable. I just wished they'd go ahead and come out with some official statement, so we know what to truly expect. I'm definitely not renewing either my WDW or my Universal AP, until I see how this plays out. If AP holders are only allowed 20 fast passes per quarter, I won't be returning. I've got a feeling I won't be the only AP holder they're alienating. I made 4-6 trips to WDW every single year since 2004. I work in a very high stress job and WDW is my place to get away and decompress, however, there are other places to go. I've worked for the state for years and get tons of vacation and comp time, but that time can easily be spent elsewhere.

 

[dawnhaze]

Seriously folks... The stuff coming is AMAZING. Enjoy what matters... Being with your family... Enjoying being away from work, a dirty house, your ad Disney world for crying out loud!!

What "matters" to me when I go on a Disney trip is being able to experience attractions I enjoy in a timely manner. I can be away from work and/or with my family without spending a thousand bucks on airfare, resorts, etc.

 

[doconeill]

Seriously folks... The stuff coming is AMAZING. Enjoy what matters... Being with your family... Enjoying being away from work, a dirty house, your ad Disney world for crying out loud!!

I don't know...even those of us not afraid of changes like this aren't particularly liking the restrictions that appear to be coming...

 

[SaraJayne]

If the park truly become FP+ only, I can't see us going any more. We are not super planners and trying to plan a handful of passes so rigidly and then waiting in regular lines for the rest just seems like a nightmare. I hope that anyone saying this is wrong.

Same here. I won't be renewing my AP when it expires and I'm hoping FP+ will not be rolled out before my April trip.

If it is, I'll deal with it and never come back.

 

[hookedonears]

If the park truly become FP+ only, I can't see us going any more. We are not super planners and trying to plan a handful of passes so rigidly and then waiting in regular lines for the rest just seems like a nightmare. I hope that anyone saying this is wrong.

I truly doubt that the parks are going to be FP+ only. There's no doubt they're going away from the paper FP's. I believe everyone will have some sort of wrist band, or something which will be used as their park ticket and used to obtain FP's. FP+ in my opinion will be just an extra benefit that some guest will have the opportunity to participate in, if they elect to do so. I also believe that eventually, there's going to be a FP++ that guest will be able to pay for that will allow unlimited FP's for all attractions. The only thing I'm concerned about is the total FP inventory for each attraction. With FP+ and FP++, will the entire FP benefit be diluted?

 

[mom2rtk]

With FP+ and FP++, will the entire FP benefit be diluted?

Yes.

And standby would be nothing like it used to be.

 

[hookedonears]

Yes.

And standby would be nothing like it used to be.

I guess we're just going to have to wait on the final product, before a judgment can be made.

 

[pigletto]

I truly doubt that the parks are going to be FP+ only. There's no doubt they're going away from the paper FP's. I believe everyone will have some sort of wrist band, or something which will be used as their park ticket and used to obtain FP's. FP+ in my opinion will be just an extra benefit that some guest will have the opportunity to participate in, if they elect to do so. I also believe that eventually, there's going to be a FP++ that guest will be able to pay for that will allow unlimited FP's for all attractions. The only thing I'm concerned about is the total FP inventory for each attraction. With FP+ and FP++, will the entire FP benefit be diluted?

Pure speculation here...

If there was to be a "++" option, I can only see the cost being astronomical
Unlimited fast passes for all attractions? Universal charges varying, but very large sums of money for the same thing (unless you are staying onsite) for ONE DAY. Can you imagine the cost for your week long vacation? I'd rather poke myself in the eye than pay Disney deluxe prices (which are already so inflated it's laughable) and add on more per day to get to ride what I want without ridiculous lines.
Again.. pure speculation. But that would price me right out of the equation.

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Seriously folks... The stuff coming is AMAZING. Enjoy what matters... Being with your family... Enjoying being away from work, a dirty house, your ad Disney world for crying out loud!!

You know, that is a good point, but some people who don't live close go only once or twice in the whole span of raising their kids. We have only been able to go with our boys once, and that was because someone else paid for the trip. We've gone since they grew up, but they weren't able to join us. With the trip we have coming up, we have been dreaming and planning on ALL of us going for years. While we'll make good memories no matter what, we also are excited for our kids and grandkids to experience everything - having so much frustration over the rides will definitely put a damper on our trip.

 

[mbrittb00]

Seriously folks... The stuff coming is AMAZING. Enjoy what matters... Being with your family... Enjoying being away from work, a dirty house, your ad Disney world for crying out loud!!

. . . and standing in more lines you have ever in the past. I guess the plus side is that get to use a FP for attractions that don't need one.

I'm not trying to pile on but I'm curious, what do you think that we (those who use FPs to their fullest potential), do when we are at the parks with our families? Do you think we do nothing but sit around waiting to pull the next fast pass and not spend any time with our families? Every time we go I spend 99% of my time with my family, the only times I'm not with them is when we split up to go to the bathroom, or I go to get another FPs while my family (who can't move as fast as I can alone) moves on to the next attraction. We have a great time together and it is great being away from work, dirty house, etc.

The problem I have with FP+ is that instead of being able to get 5-7 FPs mostly for the headliners with long lines, I am only going to be able to get 1 or 2, then another 2 for attractions that quite frankly don't need them. Then we get to stand in a long line for the other 4-6 times. That is assuming we get to use FP+ at all (we typically stay offsite, due to financial and other issues with staying onsite with a family of 6). Add to that the fact that you are going to have micro manage your vacation months in advance to get FP+ reservations for the attractions you want. I just don't see how that will be any fun. Spontenaity and getting away from the structured / scheduled life we all have is part of what a vacation is all about. Now with FP+ we get to have the structured / scheduled life and be on vacation at the same time. Woo Hoo.

 

[sandym718]

Wow, getting caught up on all the thoughts, speculation, debate on this. I'm dismayed by the "news" (for now, speculation, but backed up by some good points as far as verbage on the new website) that is coming out.

When I initially heard about FP+, and the way it was being tested, I was very excited about it. I *AM* a big planner. Deciding in advance which parks we'd likely hit on which days is not a big deal to me, something I already generally do. I was thrilled about the possibility of not having to do Rope Drop every day while still getting to experience everything we wanted to do.

Of course, that was when I thought FP+ was going to be offered in ADDITION to regular FP!! To resort guests and AP holders. I'd get those FP+ in advance and use them in combination with FP in the park to reduce our overall wait times and actually (through advance planning) give us MORE flexibility/ease in our stay. As in, not having to be at Rope Drop, not having to be IN the park to get those FP+, not having to send a FP runner across the park to grab them, etc. And my thoughts were that if we DID decide to change up our plans, go to a different park or whatever...no big deal. We'd just proceed as we always have and not use those FP+. Nothing lost.

But now to hear that regular FP will be done away with entirely!! To only be able to "skip" the standby lines for a few rides each day, in one park only. And then use Standby for the rest...including some of the headliners? NOT GOOD!

I don't know what Disney is thinking. Unless, of course, it is to roll out, as many have said, a pay-for-FP service. My feelings on that are not good overall, and unless it's VERY reasonable for onsite guests, my feelings would be downright hostile.

This is the second time today I'm posting about Cedar Point, but this reminds me of the Fast Lane program they rolled out this past summer. HATED it. We are Platinum Passholders. Fast Lane costs more than actual park tickets!! I go often with just my kids (no DH), with or without friends. Would cost me almost $200 (after forking out almost $700 for our passes) to get Fast Lane for one day which is crazy. And it Definitely messed with the lines! Especially with "small capacity" attractions. If you're familiar with CP, the one that I noticed the biggest problem with was Shoot the Rapids. First of all, for some reason (safety concerns I would guess), they don't fully load the boats, which can fit 10. They put 8 only in. 2 boats load at the same time. There is no limit on Fast Lane and both queues are totally visable. A Fast Lane holder can ride, get off, go right back through and ride again, over and over if they choose. My kids and I got in a line that said 30 minutes once this summer. The sun really started to beat down around this time, so the water rides got popular. Found out later that Thunder Canyon also went down during this time. So STR was tops on a lot of Fast Lane riders' minds. Every single loading time, 1 out of the 2 boats was filled with Fast Lane holders, thus decreasing the capacity for the standby line waiters by half. We watched one family/group of 6 ride FOUR times while we waited in line. That posted 30 minute time ended up being over an hour.

That's the problem I can see with a "pay for unlimited" system. Now, I do think Disney is smarter and better run (generally) than Cedar Fair properties. So if they kept with time restrictions, it could avoid the "ride 4 times in a row" scenario. But overall, the whole pay for it concept tends to leave a sour taste in my mouth. On the occassions I've been in a Disney standby line waiting awhile watching FP riders go by...it didn't bother me a bit! Because the FP system is available for everyone for no extra charge. We could have done FP for that ride, but because we made other Choices, we didn't. But after my experience at CP this summer, the fact that you can see others bypassing the line because they chose/can afford to spend big bucks to do so really does not make for a happy time. Especially when it makes it nearly impossible for the park to predict the actual standby time. Add to that, as many AP holders here have expressed, the fact that we are Platinum passholders and were still made to feel like "bottom of the barrel" visitors...it just wasn't good. Have not decided yet if we'll be renewing our CP passes.

I really hope that Disney sees the error of their ways (in my mind at least) if they go forward with this. FP+ could be a great perk to add on for Resort guests and AP holders to supplement what they already have. But not to replace FP. I'd MUCH rather they just leave FP the heck alone to quote a "famous" Dis-er!

 

[Missyrose]

Just as an FYI, for those of you who have APs, there's every indication that if you're staying at a Disney resort, you'd get the same allotment per day as any other guest at that resort. The rumors have pointed to the 20 per quarter allotment applying to non-resort guests.

 

[Robo]

Just as an FYI, for those of you who have APs, there's every indication that if you're staying at a Disney resort, you'd get the same allotment per day as any other guest at that resort.


The rumors have pointed to the 20 per quarter allotment applying to non-resort guests.

It can also be pointed out that the rumors have said just about everything.

 

[MichiganDVC]

So, let me see if I can get this straight...
1. As an annual passholder, I can get 20 FP per quarter.
2. Resort members can do this online as part of their reservation. (I'm sure for DVC members who don't have APs, there would be some system in place, too)

If so, count me in as THRILLED!

Why?

By the end of this February, I will have spent 15 days at Disney World in the last year - spaced out over four trips. I'll have used a whopping 3 Fast Passes in that time. One for Kilimanjaro Safaris in August, one for Dumbo (does that count?) and one for Test Track this February. Why so few?
A. Don't ride thrill rides, so EE, R&R, ToT, and SM are essentially out.
B. Went on BTMMR during MSEP and rode it twice in a row with no line.
C. TRIED to get TSM fast pass, but they were gone already. (Surprise)

This new FP+ will work wonders for me. My next trip to WDW is 50 some odd days away. I already know, weather permitting, what parks I will be at which days and roughly when. I could tell you right now that I'd like a Test Track fast pass for Thursday, Feb 21st for 10AM. And maybe a TSM Fast pass for Saturday at 11:00am. Perfect! Now I can plan my comings and goings based on those two simple reservations.

And since I go to Disney a lot, there is no need for me to race around each park trying to get on every ride every time. If I don't get on Pan this time, then maybe next time. Same for Thunder Mountain. But I'll get to ride Spaceship Earth and the Land with no problem. Same with Buzz Lightyear, TTA, PotC, HM, Jungle Cruise. Probably not going to AK, and won't go to HS unless Fast Pass+ is instituted and I can schedule my TSM ahead of time.

I will not, repeat, NOT stand there at rope drop like Jackie Joyner-Kersee at the start of the 100 yard dash and sprint the length of the park to obtain the elusive TSM Fast pass. Instead, I'll be on the balcony of my Beach Club villa sipping coffee and enjoying life.

 

[mom2rtk]

So, let me see if I can get this straight...
1. As an annual passholder, I can get 20 FP per quarter.
2. Resort members can do this online as part of their reservation. (I'm sure for DVC members who don't have APs, there would be some system in place, too)

If so, count me in as THRILLED!

Why?

By the end of this February, I will have spent 15 days at Disney World in the last year - spaced out over four trips. I'll have used a whopping 3 Fast Passes in that time. One for Kilimanjaro Safaris in August, one for Dumbo (does that count?) and one for Test Track this February. Why so few?
A. Don't ride thrill rides, so EE, R&R, ToT, and SM are essentially out.
B. Went on BTMMR during MSEP and rode it twice in a row with no line.
C. TRIED to get TSM fast pass, but they were gone already. (Surprise)

This new FP+ will work wonders for me. My next trip to WDW is 50 some odd days away. I already know, weather permitting, what parks I will be at which days and roughly when. I could tell you right now that I'd like a Test Track fast pass for Thursday, Feb 21st for 10AM. And maybe a TSM Fast pass for Saturday at 11:00am. Perfect! Now I can plan my comings and goings based on those two simple reservations.

And since I go to Disney a lot, there is no need for me to race around each park trying to get on every ride every time. If I don't get on Pan this time, then maybe next time. Same for Thunder Mountain. But I'll get to ride Spaceship Earth and the Land with no problem. Same with Buzz Lightyear, TTA, PotC, HM, Jungle Cruise. Probably not going to AK, and won't go to HS unless Fast Pass+ is instituted and I can schedule my TSM ahead of time.

I will not, repeat, NOT stand there at rope drop like Jackie Joyner-Kersee at the start of the 100 yard dash and sprint the length of the park to obtain the elusive TSM Fast pass. Instead, I'll be on the balcony of my Beach Club villa sipping coffee and enjoying life.

I can see where someone who doesn't do thrill rides might love this. But that's very much the minority of people at Disney.