Are all Disney resort perks fair?

[Luckybee]

If you're talking about me, I made no claims whatsoever about it being easy. I said AT 30 days I thought she could do it and in my experience , she can.

There's a is a bit of a difference between 30 days and 7.

I agree though, one should book asap and avoid last minutes changes if possible. I wouldn't expect a week out to be able to get the exact times and days I wanted for popular rides, although there is still a lot to choose from even then.

Well at 30 days none of the following were available for us for our MK days this weekend coming:

A&E
7dmt
Space
Wishes
MSEP
Festival of Fantasy

at 7 days add the following in (there were some times for the following but not any that worked for us)

Space
Jungle Cruise
Buzz
Splash

Didn't check many of the others. We took Under the Sea instead of Space....we stalked and got Buzz and Splash....and finally last night got JC

Now that's not to say that we couldn't/didn't get some of them by overly stalking because we did but it took a fair amount of effort and juggling. Now subsequent to making our changes I've continued to stalk repeatedly and have seen some of the first group pop up sporadically at various times but without any doubt it is mho that the pickings get very slim the closer one gets to their park days and it is indeed difficult and virtually impossible to get bookings at the 30 mark for most of the first grp. So no I wouldn't say there is "still a lot to choose from" . Im also not sure of what you meant by the "exact time". If you mean when we're going to be in the parks then yes I'd like my fp's to be then. For example we have Thursday at MK from 6:30ish until dinner at 9(we had a "throwaway day" on our arrival day) on our tickets(pun intended)....so we are limited as to when we can ride. I don't care what order and have been moving things around to fit. We're back in MK on Sunday with a lot more time avail working around our BOG dinner. If you're saying we should be happy if we can get anything that day ie: morning when we're only there at night ...well then you'd be accurate that we want "exact times" because I have no intention of working my entire trip around when fp's are available. Beating a dead horse once again but it was so nice under the old system to just have to plan dinner

 

[cakebaker]

Well at 30 days none of the following were available for us for our MK days this weekend coming:

A&E
7dmt
Space
Wishes
MSEP
Festival of Fantasy

1) Wishes is no longer difficult to obtain at 30 ( it used to near impossible at 60 as well) but since parades and wishes were never available before fp+, this really isn't a great loss nor something one can say- wow, it used be we could get this. No, you could never get it and now you have a chance. Take a look at the 30 day availability for Wishes. My guess is you say Saturday is the day you want a fp+ for that. What's odd is that this Sat and next are absolutely the only 2 days sold out for the entire month. It's amazing that 30 days ago this coming Saturday was not open.


2) Yours may be the only case I've ever read where Space was not available 30 days out. I'm not sure when you went or what was going on, but that just never happens. The Dibb doesn't even give fp+ availability for it as they only include the hard to get rides.

Many people report being able to make changes very close to their arrival. You seem to have had more trouble than others. Perhaps it was busy time, but I'm thinking it's probably a case of you not wanting to make any changes in your plans to work with what was available. And that's fine, it's up to each of us to decide what's most important on our trips.

So out of your list- A&E is one that I'm not at all surprised you didn't see available- but in all of WDW that's 1 ride. Just one that people are finding some trouble getting. And that is just the downside to choosing to stay off site.

When you choose off site, you choose 30 day availability. With that comes the need to be more flexible in your plans about when you will visit a park and what time you get for rides. If you aren't willing to be flexible, then you will have more difficulty in obtaining what you want. Choices- it's all about choices.

I thought I had read you choose to book a room on site for 1 day in order to get a jump on other off site guests for fp+? Why would you be looking at 30 day availability anyway?

Yes, it's a very dead horse.

 

[mom2rtk]

1) Wishes is no longer difficult to obtain at 30 ( it used to near impossible at 60 as well) but since parades and wishes were never available before fp+, this really isn't a great loss nor something one can say- wow, it used be we could get this. No, you could never get it and now you have a chance. Take a look at the 30 day availability for Wishes. My guess is you say Saturday is the day you want a fp+ for that. What's odd is that this Sat and next are absolutely the only 2 days sold out for the entire month. It's amazing that 30 days ago this coming Saturday was not open.
View attachment 92386

2) Yours may be the only case I've ever read where Space was not available 30 days out. I'm not sure when you went or what was going on, but that just never happens. The Dibb doesn't even give fp+ availability for it as they only include the hard to get rides.

Many people report being able to make changes very close to their arrival. You seem to have had more trouble than others. Perhaps it was busy time, but I'm thinking it's probably a case of you not wanting to make any changes in your plans to work with what was available. And that's fine, it's up to each of us to decide what's most important on our trips.

So out of your list- A&E is one that I'm not at all surprised you didn't see available- but in all of WDW that's 1 ride. Just one that people are finding some trouble getting. And that is just the downside to choosing to stay off site.

When you choose off site, you choose 30 day availability. With that comes the need to be more flexible in your plans about when you will visit a park and what time you get for rides. If you aren't willing to be flexible, then you will have more difficulty in obtaining what you want. Choices- it's all about choices.

I thought I had read you choose to book a room on site for 1 day in order to get a jump on other off site guests for fp+? Why would you be looking at 30 day availability anyway?

Yes, it's a very dead horse.

I doubt knowing that her case is an outlier makes the PP feel any better about her limited choices.

 

[cakebaker]

I doubt knowing that her case is an outlier makes the PP feel any better about her limited choices.

It should. One should read mulitple reports of what was accomplished and they will find LB's experience is definitely not the norm in many ways. The PP is quite positive in her attitude I think- is there a reason to try and convince her she has no reason to be optimistic and to take a positive attitude in regards to the choices she's made? She's willing to work at it to get what she wants- I don't see a problem with that.

 

[ArwenMarie]

1.) ALL "perks" are based on individual perception.
2.) WDW does not have enough on-property rooms to accommodate all the guests.

Agree. Take the transportation. Worthless perk to someone who prefers to drive. Priceless to someone who doesn't want/can't drive.

Also agree on point 2. Disney needs the offsite tourist customers, they need all of those hotels and other rentals. It may look like they are being kind to offsite by even letting them into the parks but they have to strike a very fine balancing act between perks for onsite and alienating offsite completely. I'm convinced this is why we haven't seen bonus FPs for onsite yet...the capacity isn't there without decimating the 30-day offsite FP pool.

I'm a big Disney resort guy, and a big "it's supply and demand" guy. But yes, at some point the aforementioned Four Seasons (inside the walls of WDW) starts to look like a better value.

The Four Seasons has some issues right now IMO. They have a 30-day FP booking window and their bus to the MK only goes to the TTC. I think they need to negotiate some better perks there more in line with what the S&D gets. Also, they require first and last night's deposit and their cancellation policy is strict. And they have double beds in their two-bedded rooms. But it does look like a beautiful property.

Magic you way base tickets. MYW with park hopper, MYW with PH and more, and finally MYW with fast pass option. How long do you think it will be before it' s an add on for your tickets? IMHO, it's not a matter of if, just a matter of when. You'll likely be able to benefit from staying onsite and getting FP for free or at a reduced rate, but the time will come. One way or another they will get their money as long as there is demand for it. I choose not to stay at Disney and yes it sucks to know that as long as I don't, I will never see a FP for a new attraction at a reasonable time of day if at all even. But that's what it has become. It's starting to squeeze me out of the picture and when I finally get priced out of what I see is a good value for my money, then I will stop going altogether.

The separation between those that are willing to pay a kings ransom and those that won't or can't will continue as long as the trend line points north. So enjoy your 60 day"perks" now. After seeing that people are willing to pay close to $300 for some lawn chairs and a piece of shade at a water park, I am convinced that there is no end in sight. The tipping point is here. LOL

I don't think they will ever sell FPs as an add-on. I think they wanted to, but once it got into motion, they just didn't have the capacity (that's why tiering came to be). Plus they already sell it...the VIP Tour.

I agree though, the tipping point is here for many add-ons. I honestly don't know what the price ceiling is for things before people stop buying them.

 

[mom2rtk]

It should. One should read mulitple reports of what was accomplished and they will find LB's experience is definitely not the norm in many ways. The PP is quite positive in her attitude I think- is there a reason to try and convince her she has no reason to be optimistic and to take a positive attitude in regards to the choices she's made? She's willing to work at it to get what she wants- I don't see a problem with that.

I'm sure it helps to know that maybe next time she'll have more choices.

That's a very expensive game.

 

[itchin2go]

1) Wishes is no longer difficult to obtain at 30 ( it used to near impossible at 60 as well) but since parades and wishes were never available before fp+, this really isn't a great loss nor something one can say- wow, it used be we could get this. No, you could never get it and now you have a chance. Take a look at the 30 day availability for Wishes. My guess is you say Saturday is the day you want a fp+ for that. What's odd is that this Sat and next are absolutely the only 2 days sold out for the entire month. It's amazing that 30 days ago this coming Saturday was not open.
View attachment 92386

2) Yours may be the only case I've ever read where Space was not available 30 days out. I'm not sure when you went or what was going on, but that just never happens. The Dibb doesn't even give fp+ availability for it as they only include the hard to get rides.

Many people report being able to make changes very close to their arrival. You seem to have had more trouble than others. Perhaps it was busy time, but I'm thinking it's probably a case of you not wanting to make any changes in your plans to work with what was available. And that's fine, it's up to each of us to decide what's most important on our trips.

So out of your list- A&E is one that I'm not at all surprised you didn't see available- but in all of WDW that's 1 ride. Just one that people are finding some trouble getting. And that is just the downside to choosing to stay off site.

When you choose off site, you choose 30 day availability. With that comes the need to be more flexible in your plans about when you will visit a park and what time you get for rides. If you aren't willing to be flexible, then you will have more difficulty in obtaining what you want. Choices- it's all about choices.

I thought I had read you choose to book a room on site for 1 day in order to get a jump on other off site guests for fp+? Why would you be looking at 30 day availability anyway?

Yes, it's a very dead horse.

Correct me if I'm reading the calendar wrong, or missing your point.

I *thought* your point was that Wishes is not difficult to get at 30 days out. I don't think the calendar supports that. Maybe I'm missing something ... but the blue dot on June 3 indicates 30 days out right?

Also, this statement bothers me: "Many people report being able to make changes very close to their arrival. You seem to have had more trouble than others." I personally haven't seen "many people" reporting this. I saw one thread that was hotly contested. Plus, even if your statements were categorically true, what comfort is that to the person who can't book what they want? It feels better because most others didn't have trouble?

 

[atilley01]

A&E seems to be the FP that's out of reach for the 30 day people. I'll definitely try for it but but I won't let it ruin anything if I don't get it. My daughter wants to see Anna & Elsa as much as any other little girl but I haven't told her they do their own M&G so if she sees them at the parade she'll be just as excited and nothing is lost for her. She went through her Frozen faze but now her favorite princess changes daily and she'll be overloaded anyway with other M&Gs and character meals.

I guess the ADRs that I worry about most is dinner at Be Our Guest. My daughter saw a picture of the restaurant with Beast in it and now I know there's no way we can go at breakfast or lunch. We'll have two days at MK and since we're doing RD both day, I definitely want to try for an earlier dinner. But like I said, I'm persistent and almost take it as a challenge to get what I want, especially when it's difficult. I'm lucky to have a job that gives me lots of time to stalk reservations on the internet.

 

[itchin2go]

A&E seems to be the FP that's out of reach for the 30 day people. I'll definitely try for it but but I won't let it ruin anything if I don't get it. My daughter wants to see Anna & Elsa as much as any other little girl but I haven't told her they do their own M&G so if she sees them at the parade she'll be just as excited and nothing is lost for her. She went through her Frozen faze but now her favorite princess changes daily and she'll be overloaded anyway with other M&Gs and character meals.

I guess the ADRs that I worry about most is dinner at Be Our Guest. My daughter saw a picture of the restaurant with Beast in it and now I know there's no way we can go at breakfast or lunch. We'll have two days at MK and since we're doing RD both day, I definitely want to try for an earlier dinner. But like I said, I'm persistent and almost take it as a challenge to get what I want, especially when it's difficult. I'm lucky to have a job that gives me lots of time to stalk reservations on the internet.

Even with me booking a throwaway room, A&E was not a possibility back in 11/2014 at 60 days out. I tried for BOG reservations 2 trips back and couldn't get them for dinner. We did lunch instead and it was pretty disappointing ... if that's any consolation.

 

[atilley01]

Even with me booking a throwaway room, A&E was not a possibility back in 11/2014 at 60 days out. I tried for BOG reservations 2 trips back and couldn't get them for dinner. We did lunch instead and it was pretty disappointing ... if that's any consolation.

Hahaha...kind of but not really. I guess we're most interested in the ambiance and seeing the Beast than the food. Although bad food would certainly be disappointing seeing how expensive it is.

 

[mom2rtk]

Hahaha...kind of but not really. I guess we're most interested in the ambiance and seeing the Beast than the food. Although bad food would certainly be disappointing seeing how expensive it is.

FWIW, we ate at BOG several times on our trip right after it opened. We really enjoyed it. But then we are huge BATB fans. It helps that we were on the dining plan so didn't pay OOP each time. But if you are paying OOP you can also do creative things like share a meal and an appetizer between 2 people just so you can get in and experience it. We ate both lunch and dinner there and I really enjoyed the dinner a lot more. Lunch did feel more like a cafeteria, with people lined up everywhere and people going back and forth to refill drinks and such. Dinner seemed much more relaxed. Seeing the Beast at walk through, and meeting him after was a great bonus too.

 

[cakebaker]

I *thought* your point was that Wishes is not difficult to get at 30 days out. I don't think the calendar supports that. Maybe I'm missing something ... but the blue dot on June 3 indicates 30 days out right?

June 3rd is 30 days out- of course remember that those who can book today could've booked many hours ago so who knows what was available at midnight.

According to that calendar, if one is booking today on a 30 day window, there are 2 days this month that they cannot get wishes for 4. So a 5 day stay- there's 1 day, 7 -10 day stay- 1 day not available. That seems to be decent availability to me unless I'm looking at that calendar wrong.

 

[Rash]

Maybe if you think of them as "incentives" instead of "perks" they won't seem as unfair. A "perk" is a fringe benefit, privilege, or reward used to retain a person of value. This makes it sound as if is Disney is "catering" to only a certain segment of it's customer base. An "incentive" is something that encourages or motivates someone to do something - in this case, the incentives motivate people to stay on site. When viewed this way, Disney is offering ALL of it's customers theses incentives to entice them to stay onsite. No one is being catered to - the incentives are there for all customers who choose to stay onsite to enjoy. Perk implies passivity on the customers part - they get spoiled by Disney and its' not fair. Incentive implies an active role by the consumer to take advantage of the incentives being offered - level playing field and thus fair.

 

[mom2rtk]

June 3rd is 30 days out- of course remember that those who can book today could've booked many hours ago so who knows what was available at midnight.

According to that calendar, if one is booking today on a 30 day window, there are 2 days this month that they cannot get wishes for 4. So a 5 day stay- there's 1 day, 7 -10 day stay- 1 day not available. That seems to be decent availability to me unless I'm looking at that calendar wrong.

If the system works for everyone except me, it's still a fail in my book.

 

[itchin2go]

June 3rd is 30 days out- of course remember that those who can book today could've booked many hours ago so who knows what was available at midnight.

According to that calendar, if one is booking today on a 30 day window, there are 2 days this month that they cannot get wishes for 4. So a 5 day stay- there's 1 day, 7 -10 day stay- 1 day not available. That seems to be decent availability to me unless I'm looking at that calendar wrong.

I only see one day available this month .... May 13th. The 30 day period would presumably be from May 3rd to June 3rd on that calendar. I think. Again, that calendar is very useful, but it has always been hard for me to read ....

 

[itchin2go]

FWIW, we ate at BOG several times on our trip right after it opened. We really enjoyed it. But then we are huge BATB fans. It helps that we were on the dining plan so didn't pay OOP each time. But if you are paying OOP you can also do creative things like share a meal and an appetizer between 2 people just so you can get in and experience it. We ate both lunch and dinner there and I really enjoyed the dinner a lot more. Lunch did feel more like a cafeteria, with people lined up everywhere and people going back and forth to refill drinks and such. Dinner seemed much more relaxed. Seeing the Beast at walk through, and meeting him after was a great bonus too.

So true about lunch feeling like a cafeteria! We waited an interminable amount of time on that bridge, and then the whole thing was just disappointing. I'm sure dinner is better.

 

[cakebaker]

I only see one day available this month .... May 13th. The 30 day period would presumably be from May 3rd to June 3rd on that calendar. I think. Again, that calendar is very useful, but it has always been hard for me to read ....

If someone's vacation starts June 3rd and runs through June 10th and assuming they have valid park tickects- for example- they could start booking today as of the MK closing last night. So they'd be booking wishes for 6/3, 6/4, 6/5 etc. And there is availability.

You're looking at availability for this month- which could've been booked last month. Now for those who want to make last minute changes and are arriving in May? Yes, very limited availability.

At least that's how I read the chart- I don't really use the chart, but many do.

 

[mom2rtk]

So true about lunch feeling like a cafeteria! We waited an interminable amount of time on that bridge, and then the whole thing was just disappointing. I'm sure dinner is better.

Well, in all fairness we spent some time on that bridge waiting for dinner too. But once inside it had a much different feel for us at dinner.

 

[itchin2go]

If someone's vacation starts June 3rd and runs through June 10th and assuming they have valid park tickects- for example- they could start booking today as of the MK closing last night. So they'd be booking wishes for 6/3, 6/4, 6/5 etc. And there is availability.

You're looking at availability for this month- which could've been booked last month. Now for those who want to make last minute changes and are arriving in May? Yes, very limited availability.

At least that's how I read the chart- I don't really use the chart, but many do.

Offsite gets 30 days + length of park tickets? I really did not know that.

Agree to disagree about reading the chart. I would think May 3rd to June 3rd would be 30 day bookings, and then June 3rd to July 3rd would be 60 day bookings (with onsite people being able to do 60+ length of stay, so taking it farther into July ....).

 

[cakebaker]

30 day bookings work just like 60 days. You book at the start of your trip, 30 or 60 days out. We booked for our 6/13-6/21 trip on 4/13 for the entire stay. It would work the same way if it were 30 days. We would've booked our entire stay starting 5/13.