Booking FP+ for large group/different reservations?

[TeresaG]

Hi all.

I need some help, so if anyone has some insight I would GREATLY appreciate it. I am not a newb when it comes to Disney planning and FP+ booking, but I've never travelled to the World with a large group of people on different reservations. We have 4 different reservations for our June trip. My family, my parents, my brother, and my sister for a grand total of 6 adults, 2 children and 1 infant. So that means lots of different sets of park tickets (because my family has AP's so I booked all the rooms with the AP discount which means all the other travelers have hard tickets that I need to link to the reservations -another thing I'm completely confused about because we always book packages which include tickets...)

Our FP+ window opens on April 21s. I should link the tickets to the reservations before that right? And will I be able to book the FP+'s for everyone in the party? Or just my family? My extended family is clueless and no help at all so I really need to be the lead on all of this. I just want to make sure I am 100% ready for the 21st because making FP+ for 9 people is stressing me (as if FP+ bookings aren't already stressful). Another thing, does the 'infant' count for FP+? He gets a Magic Band, but do I have to make FP for him? No right? He just goes where mom goes.

Thank you so much for any help at all. I really appreciate it.

 

[gunderda]

I'm not entirely sure but I think you can link all of the tickets in your MDE account and that way you can control all of the FP+s
I think you just need ticket numbers to be able to add people in your account.

 

[TeresaG]

Thank you!

I have all the tickets (I don't trust anyone else in my family to handle all this stuff LOL), but I haven't linked them to the reservations.

I just went in MDE and I can view all the reservations (resort and dining) and I can see where to add tickets. Is that where I add them? I'm afraid to do anything with them because I'm afraid they'll link to *MY* reservation and not to the other 3 who need them.

Gah. This is all so confusing to me!

 

[juliekzp]

Infant does not need FPs. Magic Band will work as a room key, but not needed for park entry or FP lines.

As for linking, do any of them have their own MDE account? If so, I would have them link their tickets to their own accounts. Then, you can go into My Family & Friends and invite them to be connected to your account (you can do this with their email addresses or reservation numbers, but with a recent trip I had trouble with the website and had to call the help number, but they were able to send the invites for me). Once they accept your invitation, you should be able to see their reservations and tickets and also make FP reservations for them.

If they do not have an MDE account already, you could set one up for them, or have them set one up, and then proceed like above. Or you could just add their names and reservations to your own account. Then they will show up in your My Family & Friends list, with the phrase "You manage this account". Then you can do FPs for them, because you are in charge. You can also leave open the possibility of linking to their own MDE account if they decide to get one in the future.

Does this make sense??

 

[juliekzp]

Here's a visual. Zoe is my daughter, so I manage her account. Steve is my husband's cousin, and we go to Disney with him sometimes but he also has his own MDE account, so we have linked them, and now we can see each others' reservations and make FPs and reservations together. Carol is my mom, who does not have her own MDE account, so her info is all on my account. But if she gets an account in the future, I could link it together by clicking on the envelope. Hope this helps!

 

[TeresaG]

Thank you *so* much!!!

None of them have an MDE account. And I don't know that any of them will WANT one. Right now I manage the accounts. I was able to make dining reservations because they are all linked to me. My biggest worry right now is adding their park tickets. Maybe I'm just not understanding it, but I'm afraid to add their tickets through *my* account. My family has AP's, and I guess I worry that I might accidentally add my extended families tickets to my account.

I have 7 days to figure this all out so I can make all the FP+'s. I thought a large family trip would be fun but I am so stressed! LOL.

 

[juliekzp]

Try calling the website help number -- I've found them to be very helpful!

 

[aimes0105]

You will be asked to assign each ticket you link to a specific person so no worries that it will override your family's tickets.

 

[NicciMouse]

I have been organizing and planning for our extended family of 8 going next month through one account. It really is super simple. Good luck!

 

[momof2n2]

OP - as you go through this process will you please continue to update? We are going next year with our own 6 kids, plus my mom and sister. I will have it all in my MDE (already started profiles) but I am seriously already stressing about having FP+ for, say A&E for 7 of us, but Space Mtn for the other three, KWIM? I am worried about separating them...

 

[juliekzp]

Two ways you could separate FPs:

1) Schedule in two (or more) groups to begin with -- e.g., pick the same 3 FPs for 3 of your party together, and then the same 3 FPs for the other 4. You can move times around after to try to get them to match up at the same time for rides you all want to do together.

2) Schedule everybody at one time with the same 3 FPs, and then change some of them. Changing just some is a little cumbersome, because you can't pick just 3 people to "change experience". Instead, you have to go to "change time", then pick 3 people (or whatever), then move them to a totally different time of day (doesn't matter when), THEN go into that new FP for just those 3 and "change experience" to whatever other ride and time you want.

Make sense? If you want 7 for A&E, I'd do the second option, because you'll want to be moving fast right when FP windows open. Or go to Disneyland, where you can pull a Fastpass (with no line) at 10 am for a meeting at 12:30 .

 

[Mikie]

Two ways you could separate FPs:

2) Schedule everybody at one time with the same 3 FPs, and then change some of them. Changing just some is a little cumbersome, because you can't pick just 3 people to "change experience". Instead, you have to go to "change time", then pick 3 people (or whatever), then move them to a totally different time of day (doesn't matter when), THEN go into that new FP for just those 3 and "change experience" to whatever other ride and time you want.

Make sense? If you want 7 for A&E, I'd do the second option, because you'll want to be moving fast right when FP windows open. Or go to Disneyland, where you can pull a Fastpass (with no line) at 10 am for a meeting at 12:30 .

I might be misunderstanding, but I think #2 isn't quite how it worked for my big group. I wanted to only change experience for part of the group at the same time as most were doing a different FP. I booked all 12 onto the same FP first. Then, even though I wanted the same time, different attraction for some, I had to click "change time", which gave me my list of people and I could select/deselect to get the right people. Even though I had clicked "change time", once I had selected the people, I could choose to change either the time or experience or both. I did not have to move the time, then pick another attraction, then move it again in 2-3 steps.

There may be an even more streamlined way, but I was very chicken to accidentally change or delete some of the group's FPs, so I wasn't willing to play around!

 

[jomass]

It took me a little time to catch on, but I did learn that breaking my group of 5 up into smaller groups helped immensely with getting certain FP’s and at certain times. For rides that I knew we all wanted to go on together I had to do the midnight madness to get my FP (mainly 7DMT and Wishes). For the others I broke us up into singles and doubles. This worked to get a pair of A&E FP for midday.
I was also able to double our FP for some attractions because we can use rider swap for things my granddaughter can’t/won’t go on. Rather than book 5 for Space Mountain, I booked 2. The other 2 can use the rider swap pass. So all in all the smaller groups made everything much more flexible.

 

[TeresaG]

Figuring out how to book fast passes along with rider swap is def causing me anxiety. And none of my family understands why. lol. Right now the group insists on riding with FP+ together (or as together as we can with an infant), so I am going to try for that.

Will getting 8 FP+ for 7DMT be impossible you think? I hadn't even considered breaking it up into 2 groups at different times. Oh man. My head is spinning.


Oh, but I did call Disney and they walked me through linking one ticket to a family member. It was actually really easy. Since no one in my group plans to have an MDE account I was able to take care of it all. I was originally worried about inputting the number on the back of the ticket in the computer because it didn't let me assign it to a person on that screen -you have to assign it AFTER putting in the number and hitting 'next'. My biggest worry was that it would automatically assign to me but that didn't happen. So it turned out to be pretty easy. I think I've hit the "overthinking" part of planning and so everything seems so much harder than it is. LOL

 

[colagirl]

We have a group of 7 traveling in mid-June. I just did the FP+ last night at midnight (60 day window) and had no trouble getting everything at the times I wanted for the whole group, including the 7DMT. The only thing I noticed that was not available was the Anna and Elsa thing for our first day, but we weren't interested in that to begin with. I found the process very easy.

 

[TeresaG]

You just made my whole day.

 

[juliekzp]

Mikie, I would love to be able to cut out the extra steps! So you click "Select New Time," then uncheck the ones you don't want to change, then what? Update?

 

[Mikie]

Mikie, I would love to be able to cut out the extra steps! So you click "Select New Time," then uncheck the ones you don't want to change, then what? Update?

I don't have any active tickets in my account, so I can't play around, but here,s what I recall:
On the main Modify FPs screen you have the choice of selećt new time or selećt new experience. When I did it, it didn't seem that I could select parts of my group under the "selećt new experience" option. Although back here on DIS after, people told me it would have eventually given me the choice of selecting only certain people, it just was in a different sequence depending on which path you chose first.
Anyway, "selećt new time", then my list of people shows up and I can pick only the ones I want to change. Once I've picked people, the next screen actually showed choices for "selećt new time" OR "selećt new experience". In my case, I wanted 2 sub-groups doing two different rides at the same time, so I picked "selećt new experience" and it gave me new choices of rides at about the same time as my existing FP.

If you also can't play with it ahead of time due to having package tickets, I recommend searching for youtube walkthrough of the process - it really helped put my mind at ease to have seen the screens ahead of my selection day. It won't show every little intricacy, but you'll get the basics.​

 

[juliekzp]

Anyway, "selećt new time", then my list of people shows up and I can pick only the ones I want to change. Once I've picked people, the next screen actually showed choices for "selećt new time" OR "selećt new experience". In my case, I wanted 2 sub-groups doing two different rides at the same time, so I picked "selećt new experience" and it gave me new choices of rides at about the same time as my existing FP.​

When I do "select new time", I don't get a "next screen", but rather just a pull down menu with alternative times. Oh well, I'm done with FP booking for upcoming trips. 'Till next time!