AP's to get 20 FP+ per quarter

[aubriee]

My point is that while FP+ might work great for some, it just isn't going to work for others. I am of the camp that hopes that the 2 systems will operate in conjunction with each other. And if I can't have both simultaneously then I chose the current version. I don't want to be limited to only 4 per day and having to chose among the headliners (the way the current testing stands).

Same here. I go to WDW multiple times a year and each trip is usually at least 9 days long (my May trip will be 11 days long). Since early last Dec I have spent 45 days in the parks. I normally use at least 4 fast passes per day (at a minimum), so that's at least 180 fast passes I have used this year. Since I prefer to stay offsite at Bonnet Creek and am an AP holder, under Fast Pass Plus I would suddenly have to go from 180 FP a year to just 80 FP per year and would not even be able to use but 1/4 of those on the headliners I prefer to ride. I'd have to waste the other 3/4 on minor rides that FP isn't even normally needed for. So that would leave only 20 for the whole year that I could use for rides that I actually wanted to. 20 vs the 180 that I normally use for the better rides. No way am I going to like Fast Pass Plus.

 

[mom2rtk]

I participated in the program this last time and it was fantastic. We picked our times and we went. Took 5 minutes away from my day the week before and had a great time enjoying the attractions.

I used to be an obsessive planner.. Then I realized I was missing the small stuff, the looks on my family and friends faces when they see certain stuff, realizing the cinnamon buns at gastons are actually as awesome as the bakery's, seeing the dapper Dans salute a soldier during a show. Wake up and see the big picture folks... We arnt changing what policies they make. They put countless hours and money into making these programs. This is coming from someone who sees the information and works with it during testing.

There really wasn't much about the test NOT to like. They emailed and said "hey, pick out some attractions and we'll hold a spot for you". I would have loved it too.

But......

1) You were there during a low crowd time. It is historically pretty low crowds in early December. I was there the same time and enjoyed those low crowds. I got quite a bit done even without FP+.

2) You didn't have to commit on those rides 60 days in advance, as is rumored to be the case when this goes live.

and here's the critical point.........

3) Your regular FP rights were still intact. As gravy, I think FP+ could be pretty cool. As a replacement for regular FP? Totally different story.

 

[angelmichelle]

I do believe you are the spokesman for the new My Disney Experience! I think you have captured the essence of the new FP+ program. Combine your philosophy and predicted advertisements highlighting the new highly personalized character meet sessions and you can see a new ad campaign forming. Throw in some slick new technology.

The new app supports this perfectly.

It's like Disney is using the latest technology to create a retro Disney. Interesting.

I like this now that I've thought about it? Maybe standby lines will decrease over (maybe a bit) period of time...

I just wish Disney would announce this already.

 

[MichiganDVC]

If you use the FP system a lot and fear the new system, could you please take me through your typical day at DisneyWorld...Magic Kingdom day?

I feel like I'm missing something....

 

[bcrook]

If you use the FP system a lot and fear the new system, could you please take me through your typical day at DisneyWorld...Magic Kingdom day?

I feel like I'm missing something....

Head over to DHS in the morning. Ride TSMM without a FP and grab a FP for later.
Ride star tours standby
Get a coffee at the writers stop and browse the magic of Disney books on shelves.
Walk through the streets of America.
Either ride TSMM FP or head over to ToT standby.
Get a snack at starring Roles
Use TSMM FP or ToT whatever I didn't do before snack.
I would probably walk through the One Man's Dream. While my kids are FP riding Rockin Rollercoater.
I would FP star tours probably. While my kids grab a ToT FP for one more ride.

At some point we would leave and grab some late lunch/early dinner. We would mess around some resorts or our resort. And then about 5:30-6:00 we would head to MK until close.
We would grab FP for Splash and Peter Pan if we can over the next few hours. We ride haunted Mansion and POTC, walk through the treehouse. Later in the evening we would hopefully be able to standby big thunder mountain railroad.

At some point we would grab a bite to eat at Columbia harbor house or Pinocchios village haus.

We take lots of photos, my daughter and I have contests who can capture the best images.

Plus I like walking through the parks at night.

That is a conservative 5 FP at two different Parks. With new FP + rules, my kids would not be able to FP TSMM, ToT, and RnR on the same day and we would be out of luck for Splash and Peter Pan. Even low crowd times I don't get in those standby lines.

 

[Lorilais_mommie]

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.

So do you think it will be exact same... Or will AP holder also still get there 20 FP+ on top of that...
So they get there 4 FP+ from the resort and then get and extra 4+ pre day for being an AP holder

Sorry I havnt read the whole thread.. If this has already been asked..

 

[doconeill]

So do you think it will be exact same... Or will AP holder also still get there 20 FP+ on top of that...
So they get there 4 FP+ from the resort and then get and extra 4+ pre day for being an AP holder

Sorry I havnt read the whole thread.. If this has already been asked..

I'm not sure. I'm having some doubts that you'll be able to do both in a single day. But we don't know yet how AP holders will utilize the system.

 

[Cinderumbrella]

If you use the FP system a lot and fear the new system, could you please take me through your typical day at DisneyWorld...Magic Kingdom day?

I feel like I'm missing something....

Arrive for rope drop

Ride Peter Pan standby
Head to Tomorrowland and pull FP for Space Mountain
Ride Space Standby (unless the line is out the door)
Ride Buzz, Indy Cars and perhaps TTA until time for Space Mountain FP
Head to Frontierland and pull FP for either Splash or BTMMR, depending on current wait times and/or FP return time
Ride the other stand by if wait time is under 20 minutes
Into Adventureland for PotC and perhaps tiki birds while waiting for Splash or BTMRR FP
Pull FP for other Frontierland mountain as soon as eligible then use first FP

Depending on the return time of the current FP we will either stay in the area (Vinylmation trade, Sorcerors of the MK) or we will go to another area of the park and come back at the tail end of the FP return time.

Non-long line fillers include Philharmagic, CoP, Small World, TTA, PotC, Tiki Birds, Carrousel etc.

Once we are FP eligible again, we will pull one for one of the mountains (Space, BTMRR or Splash) use the one that is due and then have some lunch.

After lunch, use the FP we pulled right before (using above time fillers as needed) and then leave the park.

So in the course of about 5.5 hours we have used 4 FP's already. But as the current testing stands, when we go to another park for the evening, I am not eligible to use them because 1) my 4 per day quota is up and 2)According to the T&C, you are only allowed to use FP+ in one park per day.

The above scenario only happens to us 1 time per 8-10 day trip. We typically start at another park in the AM (also at rope drop at least 1 time for each park) and then hop to MK in the evenings (and we will do this 3-4 times over the course of a 8-10 day trip). Under the current system, during extended park hours of the summer months, we have always been able to pull FP's for at least 1-2 mountains, Buzz, Jungle Cruise (if necessary) when arriving in the evening. With the T&C stated as they are, we would not be able to do this if we already used FP+ in another park earlier in the day.

This is why I hope the current system stays. During the long park hours of peak season, 4 FP's isn't enough. Also, not being able to use them in different parks on the same day is ludicrous, especially when the parks are open for 15+ hours.

 

[mbrittb00]

If you use the FP system a lot and fear the new system, could you please take me through your typical day at DisneyWorld...Magic Kingdom day?

I feel like I'm missing something....

I'd be happy to. Our kids are a wide range of ages (4-13 last time we went) so on our last trip we had two MK plans, one that appeals to the younger two, and one that appeals to the older 2.

Plan 1 (The Dumbo Plan):

• RD -> Dumbo (FPV get FP for PP).
• Goofy's Barnstormer
• Winnie the Pooh, It's a Small World.
• Use FP for PP
• ** Somewhere in there it is time to get our next set of FPs (which we typiclly get for SpaM or sometimes Jungle Cruise.
• Head over to Adventure Land and ride Jungle Cruise, Pirates of the Carribbean, and BTMRR (lines are still farily short at this point).
• Eat lunch
• Take the train to Toon Town, and use the "secret walkway" to Tomorrow Land.
• Get FP for Buzz Lightyear, and use FP for SpaM.
• Astro Orbiter
• Carosel of Progress
• Laugh Floor
• Buzz LY (use FP)
• Somewhere in there we will grab another FP for SpaM (because the older kids love it).

At this point it is mid afternoon and we fill the rest of the day up with the lower crowd attractions like

• TTA
• Mickey's Philharmagic
• Hall of Presidents
• Country Bear Jamboree
• Royal Carosel
• etc
• All the while picking up more FPs for the high crowd attractions for us to use later.

Obvioulsy this will have to change some (or a lot) to accomodate the new Fantasyland Expansion.

Plan 2 (the Space Mountain plan)
This plan is similar but starts in Tomorrow Land then moves over to Adventure Land. The Availability of FPs determines which of the Fantasyland attractions we do that day.

 

[cbs0006]

I find it really funny how worked up people get about something that doesn't even exist for everyone yet and have no idea what the final format will be. Because we all know Disney wants us to stand in more lines and be less satisfied, that must be how this will work when it rolls out

 

[PrincessArlena'sDad]

I find it really funny how worked up people get about something that doesn't even exist for everyone yet and have no idea what the final format will be. Because we all know Disney wants us to stand in more lines and be less satisfied, that must be how this will work when it rolls out

Unfortunately, things aren't that simple. Many times, a business spends a fortune on something, and then those in charge will find a way to claim it to be a success, regardless of anything else. Otherwise, they would be admitting they mistakenly spent this fortune. Which would mean they should be fired.

Additionally, Disney is not just looking at guest satisfaction, but profit. If FP+ is used for profit (like, say, through resort incentives, if not direct purchase of FP+), then they may intentionally sacrifice guest satisfaction for said profit.

 

[wfjny]

I find it really funny how worked up people get about something that doesn't even exist for everyone yet and have no idea what the final format will be. Because we all know Disney wants us to stand in more lines and be less satisfied, that must be how this will work when it rolls out

I have not read the full thread. So please forgive me if this was mentioned before.

Look Disney is in business to make money. They way they make money is in a huge part, by keeping people happy.

However, I think they are thinking that the Annual Pass Holders are getting too much.

Case in point, I just found out that Disney has also lowered the merchandise discount with the Premium Annual Pass to 10% (down from 20%). It would be bad enough if this change was announced before we purchased our tickets, but this change apparently impacts new and current pass holders.

What will be next? Will they get rid of the free parking? Will they change the tables in wonderland discount (another item that was purchased) to 10%?

In the end, Disney is a company, and they will do what they can to maximize their profit, without losing too many customers. In other words, they will do what we let them do, as ultimately we can vote with our wallets.

 

[Cinderumbrella]

I have not read the full thread. So please forgive me if this was mentioned before.

Look Disney is in business to make money. They way they make money is in a huge part, by keeping people happy.

However, I think they are thinking that the Annual Pass Holders are getting too much.

Case in point, I just found out that Disney has also lowered the merchandise discount with the Premium Annual Pass to 10% (down from 20%). It would be bad enough if this change was announced before we purchased our tickets, but this change apparently impacts new and current pass holders.

What will be next? Will they get rid of the free parking? Will they change the tables in wonderland discount (another item that was purchased) to 10%?

In the end, Disney is a company, and they will do what they can to maximize their profit, without losing too many customers. In other words, they will do what we let them do, as ultimately we can vote with our wallets.

They already upped the cost from $75 to $100 to purchase it

 

[bcrook]

I have not read the full thread. So please forgive me if this was mentioned before.

Look Disney is in business to make money. They way they make money is in a huge part, by keeping people happy.

However, I think they are thinking that the Annual Pass Holders are getting too much.

Case in point, I just found out that Disney has also lowered the merchandise discount with the Premium Annual Pass to 10% (down from 20%). It would be bad enough if this change was announced before we purchased our tickets, but this change apparently impacts new and current pass holders.

What will be next? Will they get rid of the free parking? Will they change the tables in wonderland discount (another item that was purchased) to 10%?

In the end, Disney is a company, and they will do what they can to maximize their profit, without losing too many customers. In other words, they will do what we let them do, as ultimately we can vote with our wallets.

They did raise the cost of TIW to $100.00. That effectively lowers your discount. Hopefully you got yours before the increase.

 

[Planogirl]

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 can enjoy being away from work and with my family at many places. I don't need to spend the day waiting in lines to do that.

Kiosks were mentioned. I see another potential for waiting in lines at those too but I won't be THAT negative. At least not yet.

 

[Planogirl]

Call me strange, but as much as I've voiced my opposition for Fast Pass+ and the way it would limit AP holders, I would love the option to buy Fast Pass++. One of the things that I love about staying onsite at Universal is their front of the line perk that allows me to hop right on a ride, then immediately hop back on the same ride repeatedly if I want to. My husband is not as big a fan as I am, so will only go down there maybe twice a year, but encourages my solo trips. On those solo trips I love to ride my favorite rides over and over. I have no problem riding Mummy 10-15 times in a row. I'd love to be able to do the same thing for Soarin, Star Tours, EE, the MK Mountains,and a few others and would have no problem paying for the ability to do so.

I wish they would either leave fast pass alone or else charge for it and have it unlimited like Universal's front of the line perk for onsite guests. I love fast pass and hate to see it limited to 20 per quarter.

I can't see that working as well as the system at Universal does. Just the sheer number of resorts would preclude that being as easy at WDW. Remember that there are only three resorts at Universal and how many at WDW? Imagine everyone staying at the WDW resorts trying to get onto just a handful of very popular rides like TSM and Test Track.

 

[mom2rtk]

Kiosks were mentioned. I see another potential for waiting in lines at those too but I won't be THAT negative. At least not yet.

Relax. Maybe the'll have FP for that!

 

[lugnut33]

Walking around the parks the last couple of weeks I was amazed at how many of those RFID readers there are. They are placed everywhere.

 

[Rosanne]

Varying opinions, naturally. Probably even moreso as it hasn't actually started in its normal form yet. I did make reservations with the spring discount for room only. I almost did the package but then I remembered I would have to cancel more than 5 days out. I really want to see what they are going to do about the fastpass+ thing before I make a real committment. I realize a PP said they loved getting to ride their favorite ride at Universal many many times over with no wait . I would too. Who wouldn't? But, I was on the other side of that equation this past spring break. My sister had surprised us with tickets to Universal. For the full day we only got to ride 5 minor rides. Due to Universals front of the line type policy the line for this Dr. Seuss type ride was close to two hours long even though it was posted as 30 minutes. Not having known I'd be going to Universal I hadn't researched it and couldn't understand how the line could simply not move yet the ride wasn't "down". It wasn't until I got closer to the front and saw that when anyone got in that other line (front of the line) as long as there were people in that lane they just got to go straight on and we had to wait until their line was empty (which hardly ever happened). I was shocked. I wasn't shocked at the people who were in the FOL line because that is the policy I later learned. I was just shocked to be standing like a bunch of cattle in a pen, like the money my sister paid for the tickets wasn't good enough to have a decent park experience.

If Disney goes to that some will love it and that's fine for them. I love riding a ride over and over but if I'm riding it 10+ times without slowing down while others are waiting, barely moving, after paying for expensive park tickets I couldn't enjoy it.

We'll see what happens. I won't be angry. Whatever they decide is up to them but if some of these things come to pass I will just enter a different phase. After all, when they took away my Godiva Chocolate store I switched over to Little Debbies. Saved a TON of money, LOL.

Have to hit the road for several hours so hopefully my post is benign since I won't be able to post for a while.

 

[Planogirl]

Relax. Maybe the'll have FP for that!

True! And maybe assigned times.

Some have mentioned that Disney wants people to spend extra time shopping and dining and just "smelling the roses". That might be fine for some visitors but we don't all tour the same. We all have preferences as to how (and when) we want to enjoy WDW activities and sights.

Besides wasn't there some mention of some dining and parades and so on being included in the Fastpass+ system too? If that comes to pass we might all end up running into each other in the Emporium for much of the day.

Another thing, I can't see leaving those who stay offsite out of this or charging them a fortune to participate. Many who visit WDW stay offsite for budget reasons or size of family reasons or whatever. It seems bizarre to expect many of these people to fork over even more dollars to potentially get fastpasses for four rides each day with some of them not even being headliners. If any in fact. Offsite visitors already have the potential to spend more on passes and dining and certainly extras such as parking. I bet that Disney makes a good bit on them already and I can't see them wanting to potentially cause them to possibly spend their vacation dollars elsewhere.

All conjecture, I know.