AP's to get 20 FP+ per quarter

[pampam]

Perhaps, but they are going to have to offer a lot more than 4 per day to achieve that balance. I can't imagine anyone with any vague knowledge of the park picking Hall of Presidents as one of their 4 vs PotC or Jungle Cruise (much less one of the Mountains)

I guess it depends on how badly you need a nap.

 

[Robo]

I'm thinking it's only the pubic-facing parts that have issues (except when they do upgrades to the Resorts back end), and I'm guessing (guessing!) that's because they probably out-source their web hosting, which requires intricate coordination to let the web apps thru the firewall to pull up data off the company's servers holding reservations and releasable parks information.

When you get down to it, for the most part, the back-end networks seem to work pretty darn good -- the rides run, the food gets delivered, the billing is mostly correct, staff is scheduled, payroll gets made...

Good thing FP+ won't be "pubic-facing."




Oh, wait.

 

[bjakmom]

Good thing FP+ won't be "pubic-facing."




Oh, wait.

 

[disbound09]

That would be nice perk to have. But too much FP would make that line longer. I would limit it too.

 

[bjakmom]

At our family party last week we all got to talking about FP+. We are a large family of Disney lovers - all 5 of us sibs now 50+, 2 DVC owners, DBro has kids and grands living near WDW. We all still go to WDW multiple times per year (at least once for some). We plan and help $$ trips for our kids and our grands - sharing our DVC points, etc.
Every single person agreed that if FP+ includes having to schedule FPs in advance of our trips (especially well in advance) and be restricted to one park with no park hopping to use FP - we can not imagine how or why we would still return to WDW the way we do. And if FP is no longer a part of our park day touring (unless you have prescheduled them in advance) - then we don't see how that is not a return to the old days of standing endlessly in every standby line. Everyone said "No Way!!" Been there - Done that!
We have been going to the parks since 72 and we all feel that FP drastically enhanced our enjoyment of the parks and is a major reason why we enjoy our repeat vacations there so much. And let me say I am a planner - love planning- but also love flexibility once I'm there. Just cancelled a Brown Derby ADR for next week because we won't know for sure if we'll be in DHS that day until we arrived - switched to Raglan Rd - I will not give Disney $$ because they will not let me cancel a dinner ADR that morning. So we also all agreed that we schedule and eat far less table service meals due to the new ADR charge.
Now maybe Disney has something up it's sleeve here that does not include my having to schedule and limit my ride days and times - like an upgraded FP system that you can get into on your phone once in the park (wouldn't that be sweet!) - but I'm not feeling very optimistic about that with what I'm hearing about the test runs.
All that said , I do believe that Disney pays very close attention to customer satisfaction when implementing and changing new programs - I have seen it many many times over the years. I believe these discussions among WDW fans are important, even if we are just conjecturing - they monitor everything and are always listening. That's what I DO love about them!lol
I'm just holding off on buying more DVC points until I see how this pans out and/or how long it takes them to register our dissatisfaction if/when it occurs.

 

[Kanga1]

I'm just holding off on buying more DVC points until I see how this pans out and/or how long it takes them to register our dissatisfaction if/when it occurs.

And I'm holding off on buying DVC period until I see how all this plays out. I'm a huge fan of Disney, but not if things go in the direction that people are suggesting they will in this thread. Come on Disney. Listen to your faithful ones and LEAVE FP ALONE!!!!!

 

[mousermerf]

For those still clinging to the idea that regular FP will be offered when FP+ goes live...

Where are the FP kiosks for Enchanted Tales with Belle? It's a FP+ attraction with a built-in FP+ queue that has already been used during testing.

You can't rationalize that they built that extra queue just for the test. You can't rationalize that they're simply not using FP at the attraction because of "reasons."

They quite simply never intend to install regular FP at that attraction - FP+ only. All of the other attractions that exist without FP right now and will add FP+ will also never have regular FP.

So for anyone saying "well i'll just not convert until I'm forced to" - you're agreeing to a really long standby wait for even fast loading rides like Spaceship Earth, Seas with Nemo, and Haunted Mansion because while FP+ users are walking on you'll be standing in the extended queue with no option of getting FP+ until you convert.

 

[mom2rtk]

So for anyone saying "well i'll just not convert until I'm forced to" - you're agreeing to a really long standby wait for even fast loading rides like Spaceship Earth, Seas with Nemo, and Haunted Mansion because while FP+ users are walking on you'll be standing in the extended queue with no option of getting FP+ until you convert.

This part is absolutely true. I know ETWB is a higher demand attraction than those others, but FP+ was only in its test phase when we were there and its mere presence did a quite a number on our standby wait.

 

[katdralion]

And that is my point in a nutshell. If FP+ increases the planning required, and it seems like it does; if it reduces the number of attractions I can reasonably get into without standby lines of 45, 60, 120 and 180 minutes; if it reduces my ability to have a decent day at the parks without 6 months of planning; and if it raises the baseline of the slow times to higher crowds (effectively eliminating or severely reducing the slow times) ... then I'm done with Disney. Seriously.

One of my favorite things about Disney has always been that while some people like to plan the whole deal months in advance, I never have and never will. I liked getting up in the morning and playing Disney bus roulette to decide where I go that day sometimes. I don't want to decide where to eat 180 days before the meal. I don't wanna decide that even 180 MINUTES before every meal. (I'm ok with arranging a couple in advance)... And I sure as heck don't want to decide what rides (from a limited list) at what very limited times of the day 60, 120 or 180 days out.

Disney is convinced there's money at the end of this FP+ rainbow.. and there might be. But not one red penny will be mine if the stipulations above are the side-effects of this 'guest benefit' ...

My feelings exactly!

I have been a loyal Disney fan all my life. My family have been DVC members for 15 years and are also PAP holders. Every year for the last 19 years we have spent at least 21 nights on Disney property.

Our vacations are very laidback, we don't do rope drop, we don't do dining plan ( tried it twice - hated it! ), we don't have a schedule. We go with the flow and do what we want to do when we want to do it. The current FP system allows us to this very successfully and we have always been able to ride our favourite headliners multiple times using FP (except TSM,which isn't a big deal to us anyway!).

We will not be forced or manipulated into booking ride times in advance nor will we forced into pulling FP+ for minor attractions because that is all that is left on the day. We don't want any part of Disney's Great Crowd Control Experiment and will simply take our money elsewhere! Even though we are DVC it still costs us big bucks to travel to Disney for 3 weeks from the UK, this money will allow us to explore other parts of the world in style. Maybe it's time we showed our son the real Italy or Japan instead of the World Showcase versions!

 

[doconeill]

For those still clinging to the idea that regular FP will be offered when FP+ goes live...

Where are the FP kiosks for Enchanted Tales with Belle? It's a FP+ attraction with a built-in FP+ queue that has already been used during testing.

You can't rationalize that they built that extra queue just for the test. You can't rationalize that they're simply not using FP at the attraction because of "reasons."


They quite simply never intend to install regular FP at that attraction - FP+ only. All of the other attractions that exist without FP right now and will add FP+ will also never have regular FP.

I haven't seen it or read a report on how it was utilized - is it a queue in the traditional sense, to just be able to sit and listen, or is it for the personalized stuff?

One possibility I can think of (and before mousemerf goes all "You're wrong" on me again, but this reminded me of something I thought of some time ago), is that FP as it functions mechanically will go away, but the concept (get a FP for free with a return time later, etc.) might stick around, at least for the off-site/day tripper types. But it will also be converted to an RFID system. I can't see them maintaining two separate systems for very long anyways.

In this case, they would not add new FP kiosks to the attractions that are getting FP+ for queue purposes, they would simply become available later once everything is converted.

They just need to come up with a way for people to get an RFID Fastpass dynamically. And I think they'd still need to generate a ticket if only to remind those people what their return times are, which is easily done by adding RFID readers to the existing kiosks where they exist now, and at the "generic" kiosks that will be available for FP+. The ticket isn't valid for the admission - the RFID card/bracelet/surgically implanted fob/whatever is the only thing that will get you in.

That is, if they still wanted to maintain a system similar in a way to how it is now. Which is by no means certain, and I'm thinking at this point is a longshot.

 

[dawnhaze]

At Six Flags America in Maryland, they have their (paid) express queue system that uses wristbands similar to the ones that I keep seeing pictures of on these boards. There are kiosks throughout the park at which you hold up your wristband, select a ride and time, and then a little tiny screen on the band displays your ride time to remind you.

I could see something like that being implemented to manage FP+ and MAYBE, long shot, continue regular FP for some period of time during the transition to RFID ticket media.

I fully expect regular FP to go the way of the dodo by the end of the year at the absolute latest. I'm not happy about it, but I won't be shocked when it happens.

 

[larryz]

Good thing FP+ won't be "pubic-facing."




Oh, wait.

Well, whether or not you can see it on your PDA, your FP+ will be there in the background...

 

[mousermerf]

Just lol.. so much lol...

 

[larryz]

Just lol.. so much lol...

As long as they don't start selling Soylent Green Burgers...

 

[bcrook]

As long as they don't start selling Soylent Green Burgers...

Gross!

Was MK still using the Ticket Booklets in 1984?

 

[angelmichelle]

Just lol.. so much lol...

What was 1984?

 

[mom2rtk]

What was 1984?

Is this no longer a rite of passage in middle school? Maybe that ended in..... 1984. I guess I'm dating myself........

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nineteen_Eighty-Four

 

[WillAustin]

What was 1984?

A book.

 

[angelmichelle]

OH the book! Yes, I've very much heard of it...
Sorry!

 

[lugnut33]

And I'm holding off on buying DVC period until I see how all this plays out. I'm a huge fan of Disney, but not if things go in the direction that people are suggesting they will in this thread. Come on Disney. Listen to your faithful ones and LEAVE FP ALONE!!!!!

Pretty good bet people staying DVC will have full access to FP+