BIG change to FP+ today

[nansmama]

Goody... I hope they do get rid of FP-. I've always thought it stinks.

This is all my opinion so no one should get mad.

 

[curemyreed]

With about 130,000 guests in the parks per day on average, and 25,000 hotel rooms with about 80% occupancy, I think 50/50 is a pretty darn good guess on onsite vs offsite visitors...

Now I have brain envy!

But seriously, thank you for breaking this down for me. I have wondered this myself. Based on absolutely no facts or reason, I felt like there was a higher ratio of off-site to on-site guests. Now I know better.

 

[Sheilby]

Thats how it was when we tested it back in Sept 2012...

Yeah, that is what I heard. Was it the same rides in the tiers back then and were the tiers at all parks?

Are we really making assumptions about expected capacity based on a change to a system that's currently in a test phase?

How did you get that out of what was written? The parks will be at a higher capacity during the holidays that is not an assumption, it is a fact. People are assuming that Disney re-instituted the tiers when they saw what happened a few weeks ago. If letting people choose whatever they want in October during an unexpected bush season resulted in the mess that was FP- last month, then the holidays would completely overwhelm the system with all the resorts online. Besides, now that they are adding in swan dolphin to same day FP+, they need more room in the system. Actually what they need is more rides.

I can't believe how many people are shocked by this development. Tiered selections and rationing have been telegraphed from the very beginning. Many of us have been shouting this from the rooftops for months, but are just dismissed as being "too negative."

Mark my words... the next big change in FP+ testing will be the elimination of FP- availability.

They are not going to remove the ability to pull same day FPs, they are just going to change how you do it.

 

[Planogirl]

Of course FP- will be going away, the question is when. Luckily for some of us they appear to have more testing to do so hopefully FP- will be safe until they get to the final phase. Whatever that is...

 

[magicbob]

They are not going to remove the ability to pull same day FPs, they are just going to change how you do it.

We shall see. We shall see.

I've said it before. Even IF there is a "same day" option, it will be interesting to see what availability for popular rides will be like.

P.S. That's an awfully definitive statement about a program that is "just in testing" and "we don't know what the final rollout will look like."

I readily admit that I am making a prediction. One might even call it (God forbid!) speculation. But I am confident that my assertions will bear out in the end. We'll just have to take a "wait and see" approach.

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

That is assuming that part of the FP+ pool is going back to traditional FP, and I think we got confirmation earlier in this thread that it's NOT that case...that this will free up FP+ availability for people who already have access to FP+. I see this as entirely neutral to those who don't have access to FP+. They still have the same limited availability to traditional FP as everyone does.

All just assumptions at this point - that they are going back in to the FP- pool, that they are going to the FP+ pool.

 

[Sheilby]

We shall see. We shall see.

I've said it before. Even IF there is a "same day" option, it will be interesting to see what availability for popular rides will be like.

P.S. That's an awfully definitive statement about a program that is "just in testing."

So is your "mark my words" silly goose.

 

[curemyreed]

I was just reading kennythepirate's website's comments under his newest update (same subject as this thread) & Kenny said, "The early bird gets the FP". That cracks me up!

 

[Missyrose]

Just to answer the "will paper FP be removed" question, the answer is yes. Eventually (sooner rather than later) Disney will stop using KTTW cards and ticket media with a magnetic stripe. That stripe is what the legacy FPs machines read. According to an imagineer, Disney had the option to retrofit the legacy machines to read the new RFID technology that the system is moving to but chose not to. So the legacy machines and paper FPs will go the way of the dinosaurs. The question that remains is whether FP+ will add a same-day component that mimics the legacy FP system.

 

[magicbob]

So is your "mark my words" silly goose.

I readily admit that I am making a prediction. One might even call it (God forbid!) speculation. But I am confident that my assertions will bear out in the end. We'll just have to take a "wait and see" approach.

If someone says, "FP- is going away" it is presented as an irrefutable fact. If someone says, "Mark my words, FP- is going away" it is presented as a very strongly held belief with great conviction. See the difference?

 

[Sammie]

I love it, because maybe all these people complaining about spending a bagillion dollars, etc, etc, will stay home and it will be less crowded for us that will still be going even with the changes.

 

[letsgoreds]

Makes sense to me that they are changing to tiered...although I can't say I am a fan of making everything more complicated than it already is.

It is a capacity sort of thing...first you test how the general MB/FP+ works on half of your population (onsite)...then you stack it so that everyone (onsite and offsite) has the same chance to ride the headliners. It simply would not work with just opening the current non-tiered system up to everyone. Too many people, not enough FP+ slots.

My guess is that they will test tiering all of the parks, look at the FP+ usage/capacity data, make any ride adjustments (tier up/down), and then drop FP- and it is one come one call for onsite and offiste.

or

They permit onsite people to book in advance, and offsite to book same day otherwise, everyone could jam up the FP+ system with fake reservations...if they can book anytime/anywhere, not having it tied to any particular arrival/departure date.

Hmm....

 

[wisblue]

My prediction/speculation, or whatever you want to call it, is that there will eventually be a same day FP system similar to the legacy system, in addition to advance reservation FPs. Those same day FPs will be available to people who actually appear at the attraction, like the old paper FPs. But, they will be added to the guest's MB instead of distributed as a paper ticket.

There are going to be a number of interim steps before this reaches a landing point.

 

[ahill004]

As Disney as stated in their FP+ FAQs it will be tied to a valid theme park ticket (not a resort stay) for offsite visitors and that will allow them to book in advance for the amt of days they have on their ticket. I definitely do not believe they will only have same day FP+ for offsite.

 

[Sheilby]

If someone says, "FP- is going away" it is presented as an irrefutable fact. If someone says, "Mark my words, FP- is going away" it is presented as a very strongly held belief with great conviction. See the difference?

No, I don't. This is a forum where people state their opinions. No one here is saying they represent Disney. When we state something it is simply our opinion. Do we really need to qualify everything with an IMO? Yeah, arguing semantics on the internet, always my favorite past time.

I love it, because maybe all these people complaining about spending a bagillion dollars, etc, etc, will stay home and it will be less crowded for us that will still be going even with the changes.

Now there is an original comment

 

[magicbob]

My prediction/speculation, or whatever you want to call it, is that there will eventually be a same day FP system similar to the legacy system, in addition to advance reservation FPs. Those same day FPs will be available to people who actually appear at the attraction, like the old paper FPs. But, they will be added to the guest's MB instead of distributed as a paper ticket.

There are going to be a number of interim steps before this reaches a landing point.

Very possible. But with hordes of guests pre-booking FP+ ahead of time, what do you think will be available for same day offerings? Have you tried to walk-up to a popular TS restaurant in recent years? Pre-FP+, the FPs for popular rides ran out early in the day. That is ostensibly the "problem" that needed to be "fixed." But using that historical data, one can easily extrapolate that those same popular rides will "sell out" even earlier since people can now reserve their time 60 days in advance. So where are all these "same day" reservations going to come from?

Ride capacity is a constant. So the only way to ensure "same day" availability would be to hold back a certain percentage of the daily capacity which would reduce the number of FP+ pre-bookings available.

(WARNING: speculation follows)

Mark my words, WDW is not going to hold back a percentage (certainly not a meaningful or even statistically significant percentage) for "same day." They are marketing FP+ as the ability to pre-book your rides in advance. In order to deliver on that promise, they would be shooting themselves in the foot if they hold back available times. The guest who couldn't get a FP+ between day 60-1 because all of the "pre-book" slots were gone will be TICKED if the schlub who arrived 5 minutes before him on the "day of" is able to get the FP+ he tried for two months to reserve because it was "held back." At best, you will be able to choose from the picked over scraps (Stitch anyone?) and if you get really lucky, you might be able to snag a "no show" FP+ if those get dumped back into the pool.

P.S. Note the overt use of "mark my words."

 

[Sheilby]

(WARNING: speculation follows)

Mark my words, ....

P.S. Note the overt use of "mark my words."

*snort*

 

[mom2mickeyfan]

With about 130,000 guests in the parks per day on average, and 25,000 hotel rooms with about 80% occupancy, I think 50/50 is a pretty darn good guess on onsite vs offsite visitors...

And this why I have said Disney needs to be careful how off-site guest are treated with FP+. Off-site guest help fund the parks just as much as on-site guest. They need their money too!

 

[magicbob]

*snort*

Gesundheit.

 

[Sheilby]

Gesundheit.

danke