Looks like a lovely trip!So, what does everyone think?
Some folks have covered many of these points above as well, but here's what I learned. Going to re-state some of the obvious stuff as well in case helpful.
- $50 per person, per day - 3 day minimum
- Only available 3/13/2018 and beyond
- It is bookable 90 days from your check-out date (yes, your check-out date, not check-in date) and must be done via DSS
- You cannot make the extra FPs via MDE
- The extra FPs can be in any tier and any park
- The extra FP times can't overlap with other FPs (ETA: this appears to be an open question, in practice, so perhaps TBD until more real experiences come out)
- Includes one reserved viewing area selection per night; choices are MK/HEA, Epcot/Illuminations, HS/Fantasmic!, AK/ROL
- You can't book it before the 90 day from check-out mark (although you can submit what you want to DSS before 90 days and they'll book it when they get in that day)
- Again, the 90 day mark is from your CHECK-OUT day, not your check-in day (I was told it was check-in but many others have been told it’s check-out, so I’m going with that)
- You select the extra FPs and nighttime viewing choices at the time of booking (although can be modified via DSS later) (note, the 'modification' part of the extra FPs is also an open question at the moment, need more real-time info to confirm)
- Your regular three FPs are still bookable at the normal 60 day from check-in mark (ETA: this has been changed, you can now book your three ‘regular’ FPs at 90 days with this program)
- The minimum three days do not need to be consecutive
- Reserved viewing locations:
- MK/HEA - Plaza Garden West (this is the fake grass/garden area in front of Casey's, the opposite garden from where they do the Plaza Garden dessert party)
- Epcot/Illuminations - Germany, on the water near the glass blowing cart
- HS/Fantasmic! - Near the dessert & VIP viewing experiance area
- AK/ROL - Enter via the FP area, close to the water in that general FP area
- There is a 1 day cancellation period
I will caveat that this is very new and they stressed it is a trial. Information and details are not really tested, and with something so nuanced I suspect details may be fluid as we go along.
- If you book this and then cancel a CL (or otherwise eligible) reservation after booking or modify it to a non-eligible room, the package will be cancelled and you'll receive a refund
Let me know if you have any questions or if anything isn't clear. Hope it helps!
I would recommend a disney trained TA for Disney. They know everything about booking Disney and everything else. We always use our Disney TA and she handles any questions, problems, all transactions, etc. If you book with them, there is no cost to you for this service - it is included in their service for those who book with them.Hey all, working on plans for our family’s second trip. I’m fairly well versed in all things FP+, ADR’s, and all rides and restaurants. However I still am finding it completely overwhelming in even getting the basics out of the way. Things like “staying at BWI, what park should we hit first, second, third”, “if we’re planning on taking mid day breaks should we return to the same park or hit a different one in the afternoon”, and “how will all the add ones like EMH and Christmas party affect our planning”, simply have me overwhelmed.
What I’m not looking for is for someone to book things for me, I’m happy and capable to do that. More like “critique my plans” or opinions on best overall strategies to get the most out of the parks—for my specific dates. This is something I would definitely be happy to pay a little $ for.
I know there’s a wealth of info on these boards, but it takes quite a lot of time and effort to get through it all. I have a travel agent and maybe that’s something I should be relying on her for, but so far I haven’t been able to get much advice from her.
Sounds good! WDW isn't cheap with all the add-ons but I find this one a particularly good value. Plus you'll have 3 night shows with preferred view, which can save the $ from adding dessert party at MK.Thanks! Yep I’m pretty certain we’ll get the CL FP, though it’ll be $600 as there are 4 of us. Still worth it to know we’ll get to ride everything we want to.
I also got hopper tickets for flexibility but I’m curious what you mean by using that + our location to maximize HS and EP? We’re happy to bounce around parks, but I’m curious how that’ll help.
Sounds good! WDW isn't cheap with all the add-ons but I find this one a particularly good value. Plus you'll have 3 night shows with preferred view, which can save the $ from adding dessert party at MK.
What you do here largely depends on arrival time vs. park closing time. I feel like EP is pretty much always 9PM. Is the Food & Wine Fest going on?
Please do not save a FP for the nighttime show. I am somewhat certain you will be able to get one of those as an extra FP right up until an hour before the show starts. You don't even really need one for Fantasmic! Book all 3 FPs early and then a 4th, and a 5th, etc... You might even get lucky and get multiple rides on FOP with FP that way. You can't get 4th FP until your original 3 are used or expired, so I always make them early and cross my fingers.
There's really nothing to critique here without more detail. You can see the show from a lot of places - I suppose the extra tickets can be worth it for some, but not for me though. I can always tolerate a little bit of a crowd for 20 minutes or so, and I don't like crowds or lines either.
As others have said, depending on what happens with RotR, you might want to reverse those.
While entirely up to you, I would save DS for a trip when you are there longer than 5 days.
That's pretty accurate. Parties are almost always Sunday, Tues, Thurs, Fri.Does anyone know how accurate Touringplans predicted events are? Right now it's saying that Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party is predicted to be:
Tues 11/10
Thur 11/12
Fri 11/13
If that stands I think it should fit my schedule well. Whether we actually choose to attend or not (that's up in the air)--if we do want to go, I think Thur evening we can skip EP and go to MK for the party.
Yes the views come with the Extra FP Package, 1 for each day you add (in addition to your FPs). These locations seem on par with dessert party views and are somewhat better than areas reserved thru FP.Can you explain more about “preferred views”? Is that a CL perk, or are you referring to using the extra FP to get better seats?
Because this isn't mentioned here, the price of a VIP tour ranges from $425/hr to $750/hr, depending on the season, and the tour must be booked for a minimum of 7 continuous hours, which means the lowest possible price (depending on season) would be $2,975 and the highest price would be $5,250 for a 7-hour tour. The price of the tour does not include park admission.If you are concerned about not being able to do all the attractions you want, consider a VIP tour guide. You could easily do 90% of what you want in one day.
FYI - for the future, a travel planner/agent who specializes in Disney should be exactly what you're looking for... the DIS and touring plans are great resources as well.
I think youll find that people invested in the parks who go a lot, will always have much more information and tips than any TA, even ones specific to WDW.We do have a Disney specific TA, and she's great. But in talking with her I'm not getting the sort of specific advice I was looking for. She can talk all day about FP+ tiers and the like, but I'm more looking for "first you want to go to this park for such and such a reason".
I will say nearly all my questions have been answered in this thread so thanks disboards!
Wow, that does sound great! Any chance you have a link to anything official about that perk? I guess the program itself is not yet official so nothing about it is in writing. That’s just one perk I hadn’t heard before.Yes the views come with the Extra FP Package, 1 for each day you add (in addition to your FPs). These locations seem on par with dessert party views and are somewhat better than areas reserved thru FP.