Curious how FP+ has changed your touring style, if at all?

[TJA]

I'm curious how FP+ has changed your touring style if at all?

HUGE change for us! We no longer feel compelled to rush to the parks each morning! It's heavenly. I book our 3 favorite must-do rides beginning at the time that is best for us to get to the parks. No more pressure/stress trying to all get ready and rush out the door. We do enough of that here at home...

 

[dkrauss]

For us............its just had us plan a bit more carefully. We need to consider our ADR's along with our 3 must do attractions. I always try to have alternatives just in case..............but it is what it is. If we don't get something..........on FP.......we'll live

Doug

 

[Mary2e]

Judging from what I"m reading, it seems the people who like it the most are those who do rope drop.

I can honestly say that in nearly 20 years of going to Disney I have witnessed rope drop exactly once, and that was because we were on an early morning tour at EC.

It's vacation, I sleep later and usually don't leave the room much earlier than 10am.

That's likely why I feel pressured to be somewhere. I get fastpasses for the rides I really want, and in the past, I was able to ride some of the minor rides in the morning and go back at night to get to my favorites.

 

[jc040404]

Biggest change for us was the amount of time we spent with guest services! We just let our APs expire due to the trouble it's been. I'll focus on the days before we were averaging 45-60 minutes getting things "fixed" each weekend.

Epcot was interesting. We started eating breakfast at the park, knowing Soarin was covered for just after we finished. That was nice. I did shop more, earlier in the day. Disney made a little more money from us and it felt more relaxed. However, we only bothered with Test Track once after FP+ began. Huge negative. That one time, we spent thirty minutes in the fastpass line. Sure, there were probably other issues going on that day, but it wasn't worth skipping a ride the entire family could do to try again. Rushing for this at rope drop was never going to happen. We always had fastpasses that went unused here.

I can't decide if I liked FP+ for DHS or not. Having TSMM covered was pleasant, especially when we only went in the evening to see the Osborne lights. It was great during Star Wars weekends, too! Unfortunately, the planning ahead sucked for regular visits. Before, we could decide to go over to DHS the night before. After, TSMM would be gone days in advance. Whatever Disney made in our new morning purchases, they lost more on those days we didn't bother going at all. We were also always at our AP FP+ limit, as I had days planned just in case we went. I did cancel if plans changed, but this was a ridiculous game.

MK was fun and I mostly liked FP+ here. We have a bit of a routine in this park, so it was easy to adjust. We didn't really do any more or less here. My family was fine missing the big stuff when it was gone, so that really helped. It was awesome for a spur of the moment visit last month. We decided at noon, and I was able to see what was available before jumping in the car! (We're in St Pete)

ETA - I don't remember doing AK at all after FP+ began. That's why it was left out!

I have to bring up that time at guest services again though. Miserable. We had so many issues with bands at resorts and in the parks. I listened to so many explanations and resolutions that went nowhere. It was fun hearing how it must be my fault each time, too. My phone number is on the account too many times. My family isn't entering the fastpass lines in the correct order. I have too many bands. My one month old band is too old. My resort expectations dropped to hoping just one band might open the door. By the end, I started getting nervous whenever we approached a fastpass line. Will it work? How will the CM treat us if it doesn't? They seemed to assume I'm lying when it didn't work. It's embarrassing and stressful. How much time will we spend getting it fixed this time? That was the biggest way FP+ changed our touring! I do love Disney, but we're taking a long break.

 

[larryz]

Biggest change for us was the amount of time we spent with guest services! We just let our APs expire due to the trouble it's been. I'll focus on the days before we were averaging 45-60 minutes getting things "fixed" each weekend.

Epcot was interesting. We started eating breakfast at the park, knowing Soarin was covered for just after we finished. That was nice. I did shop more, earlier in the day. Disney made a little more money from us and it felt more relaxed. However, we only bothered with Test Track once after FP+ began. Huge negative. That one time, we spent thirty minutes in the fastpass line. Sure, there were probably other issues going on that day, but it wasn't worth skipping a ride the entire family could do to try again. Rushing for this at rope drop was never going to happen. We always had fastpasses that went unused here.

I can't decide if I liked FP+ for DHS or not. Having TSMM covered was pleasant, especially when we only went in the evening to see the Osborne lights. It was great during Star Wars weekends, too! Unfortunately, the planning ahead sucked for regular visits. Before, we could decide to go over to DHS the night before. After, TSMM would be gone days in advance. Whatever Disney made in our new morning purchases, they lost more on those days we didn't bother going at all. We were also always at our AP FP+ limit, as I had days planned just in case we went. I did cancel if plans changed, but this was a ridiculous game.

MK was fun and I mostly liked FP+ here. We have a bit of a routine in this park, so it was easy to adjust. We didn't really do any more or less here. My family was fine missing the big stuff when it was gone, so that really helped. It was awesome for a spur of the moment visit last month. We decided at noon, and I was able to see what was available before jumping in the car! (We're in St Pete)

I have to bring up that time at guest services again though. Miserable. We had so many issues with bands at resorts and in the parks. I listened to so many explanations and resolutions that went nowhere. It was fun hearing how it must be my fault each time, too. My phone number is on the account too many times. My family isn't entering the fastpass lines in the correct order. I have too many bands. My one month old band is too old. My resort expectations dropped to hoping just one band might open the door. By the end, I started getting nervous whenever we approached a fastpass line. Will it work? How will the CM treat us if it doesn't? They seemed to assume I'm lying when it didn't work. It's embarrassing and stressful. How much time will we spend getting it fixed this time? That was the biggest way FP+ changed our touring! I do love Disney, but we're taking a long break.

Good detail. Thanks for sharing!

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Doesn't it change the headache or running or waking up at the rope drop to get your FP+ - now you can book in advance and relax instead of making the rope drop a race track.

Tiering is part of it, We used to get FP for both TT and Soarin'. I suppose folks who did/do few e-rides before feel being able to book FP in advance is better. They walk in the park with their FP.

Under the old system guests had no control over FP time windows, but we found if we started early in the day, we easily got far more than 3 FP. It was much a matter of effort.

Also, FP+ rules have changed multiple times since it was first introduced. For a start- at first FP+ was combined with paper FP. So may folks post about the rules that were in place during their visit, which may not be the same as current FP rules.

Under the new system, mid-day stand by lines for many attractions are longer and slower than ever before. For us, that was the case in all seasons last year. Rides that used to be walk-on, are no longer that way. Rides like Figment were okay when they were walk-on. It isn't worth a 30minute wait, especially for a ride that is so very dated. Many rides now suddenly look very dated.

In short, guests who want to ride more than 3 e-rides, or want to avoid waiting for rides like Figment, find the peripheral hours to be more important.

Plus prices have gone up quite a bit, so more $ for less attractions.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

I have to bring up that time at guest services again though. Miserable. We had so many issues with bands at resorts and in the parks. They seemed to assume I'm lying when it didn't work. It's embarrassing and stressful. How much time will we spend getting it fixed this time? That was the biggest way FP+ changed our touring!

This is an excellent point!

I think often guests dismiss this part of the equation. We've also had many problems with our bands that took much time from our visit. One trip we tried FOUR times and then gave up, because trying to fix the hotel function messed up the park ticket which was far worse!

Automatic Photopass didn't fully work either. We had somebody else's ride photos in our account. (Buzz comes to mind.) I didn't bother doing anything.

On a crossover trip -where bands were just getting started and we used old tickets, we had many problems. I haven't posted about it. I'm not sure how much $ we lost. I know we had old tickets with days left, but we had no way of proving they did beyond what we had written on them with a sharpie.

 

[hiroMYhero]

We now stay longer in our first park of the day. We used to park hop right after lunch, but now due to needing to use the first 3 FPs in one park before getting a 4th in another park we tend to stay later in the afternoon in the first park. We found using a FP at rope drop to be a waste, so we save them for mid day - early afternoon and just do standby the first 2 hours. If we didn't have APs I'm not sure I'd pay to park hop anymore.

It isn't necessary to use all three FPs prior to hopping to a second park. The FP CM will clear your FPs at the kiosk and you'll be allowed to book a FP and in many reported cases - 3 FPs in the second park.

FPs are not a deterrent to park hopping. We hopped from Epcot late in the evening and at the DHS kiosk, all 3 Epcot FPs were showing on the screen even though one had been used. The CM cleared the selections and we were able to obtain a Fantasmic FP. DISers have reported they have selected 3 FPs at the 2nd park even after 3 FPs were used at the first park.

FPs when hopping can be advantageous - no need to change your touring style to remain in the first park longer than necessary.

 

[mom2rtk]

Tiering is part of it, We used to get FP for both TT and Soarin'. I suppose folks who did/do few e-rides before feel being able to book FP in advance is better. They walk in the park with their FP.

Under the old system guests had no control over FP time windows, but we found if we started early in the day, we easily got far more than 3 FP. It was much a matter of effort.

Also, FP+ rules have changed multiple times since it was first introduced. For a start- at first FP+ was combined with paper FP. So may folks post about the rules that were in place during their visit, which may not be the same as current FP rules.

Under the new system, mid-day stand by lines for many attractions are longer and slower than ever before. For us, that was the case in all seasons last year. Rides that used to be walk-on, are no longer that way. Rides like Figment were okay when they were walk-on. It isn't worth a 30minute wait, especially for a ride that is so very dated. Many rides now suddenly look very dated.

In short, guests who want to ride more than 3 e-rides, or want to avoid waiting for rides like Figment, find the peripheral hours to be more important.

Plus prices have gone up quite a bit, so more $ for less attractions.

Well, to be fair, that should probably read "more than 1 e-ride" when you're talking about DHS and Epcot.

 

[crostorfer]

When my daughter was younger we had the luxury of visiting in September and May, when fastpasses are not necessarily crucial to vacation enjoyment. Now that I have a 7th grader, we can only realistically travel over Fall Break and Spring Break, which means rolling seas of humanity. Fastpasses are an absolute necessity, and I'm not thrilled with FP+.

FP+ has formed a new kind of mad dash, I don't know what some of the others here are talking about when they say they don't have to run as much. Every other park guest seems to have caught on to the whole, "if you arrive at RD, you don't need fastpasses" idea. Rope drops at the MK and DHS in high season are total chaos. At the AK we make an 8am Tusker House reservation on a non-EMH day, so that right at 9 we can sprint back to EE as soon as we are done eating. We can usually ride twice before the gate crowds arrive.

The tiering policy in place means that we no longer visit DHS, or try to actually ride anything at EPCOT. We only go to the AK if we can get in before rope drop and then we only stay there for an hour or so, before the crowd swells. We only use our fastpasses in the MK, where you get the most bang for your buck. Anywhere else feels like a waste. We've started to spend A LOT of time in the WS at EPCOT. We visited F&G every day of trip last March, and had a lovely time sampling food and drinks from the stands. In essence, that is really how FP+ has changed our touring strategy, we only plan to visit during festival times, and we plan on spending a lot of time at said festivals. If it wasn't for the WS, we would not get park hoppers. Its not worth it.

 

[crostorfer]

I will also echo what other posters have commented on and say that we eat far less TS than we used to. Its a hassle trying to plan the fastpasses around dining reservations. We used to make two dining reservations a day, and now its more like two per one-week trip.

 

[Planogirl]

We spend less time in the parks. We book our FP+ for later and then we might or might not go to the parks until later on. We only spent two days during our last trip so we were there all day but for longer trips it's easy to book FP+ for the evening and do other things during the day.

 

[agavegirl1]

I actually wrote an entire trip report on what FP+ did to my normal touring style and what adjustments were/could have been made. To summarize how it has changed ( and will change):

1: I rode fewer rides.
Standby times increased, limiting what could be accomplished. In the future, I will make sure FP+ reservations are at least 1:15 minutes apart leaving time for a standby ride in between and allowing for ride breakdowns.

2: I was overscheduled. I will make fewer TS ADRs in the future.

3: I had to stay longer to experience what I felt justified the cost of a trip to Orlando. I won't do it again due to the "boredom factor".

4: I will make FP+ reservations for secondary rides rather than multiple "headliner rides". No more waiting in Standby for HM or Pirates or Jungle Cruise.

5: I spent (and will spend) less time in the parks. With standby waits and the "boredom factor", I will just go for certain experiences, eat TS, and get out.

If you are interested in my Trip Report: A Commando Does Disney, the link is in my signature. It includes my plans, observations, obstacles to completing my plan and suggested solutions.

Unfortunately, "adjust expectations" is one of them.

 

[dawgsgirl]

Interesting how so many posters have said they do less TS dining due to FP+. Seems like this might be an unintended consequence that Disney didn't think about.

 

[ryanhuey]

I think its a good question, but flawed. There are too many ways people PREFER to tour WDW. I am a commando touring person, so of course I had to make major changes to my touring plan. For the leisurely touring folks and others I would imagine they tend to love the new FP+. Before the commandos were up at the crack of dawn to eat breakfast and arrive an hour early. We got the coveted FP times and rode more rides by 11am than most others would ride all day. Now the non-commandos can be lazy, sleep in and ride almost the same amount of rides.

How did MY commando plan change? Throw it out. You can plan your RD and 1st 3 FPs and then you have to wing it with what is available. You just have to know which FPs will be available as a 4th FP and which will not. We went ahead and made ADRs and we managed to manage our FPs around them. We did cancel one but we went to the restaurant and they canceled it w/o charging the $10pp without issue.

 

[3DisneyFanz]

A question for the people who are saying that you pop in to ride your FP+ rides then leave are you pass holders or do people paying "full price" really come in for a few hours to ride 3 things then leave?

Less TS and less time going around the parks seems to result in the opposite effect of what Disney said this process would accomplish.

 

[ryanhuey]

We did that a few days. We took a more leisurely approach those days. At some point its only like $10pp to add an extra day/ticket. Because of the FP+, we did an EMH morning with 3 early FPs and came back to the resort around 10:30am where normally we would have just had a full day at the resort. Also on our checkout day we went to the park at noon after checkout because we knew we could ride at least 3 good rides.

 

[wdwlver]

Biggest change for us was that we used to buy our tix right before trip, now we need to have them bought and linked before 60 days out.

 

[jc040404]

I'm going to add something, because I see so many others mentioning TS. I actually planned more TS ADRs after FP+ started! I found it was much easier to plan around them and there was no worry that I'd pull a FP we couldn't use. I never skipped TS because of the old system, but I definitely planned some things due to the new one. I did leave a time gap to cover possible delays at the restaurants, but overall FP+ made this easier for me to plan.

 

[crostorfer]

A question for the people who are saying that you pop in to ride your FP+ rides then leave are you pass holders or do people paying "full price" really come in for a few hours to ride 3 things then leave?

Less TS and less time going around the parks seems to result in the opposite effect of what Disney said this process would accomplish.

Not an annual pass holder to WDW here. We go on 4 day Military Salute park hoppers.

I completely disagree with you, not about the less TS reservation part, but about the three rides and out part. I wholeheartedly believe that that is EXACTLY what they want, no matter what they say. It's a crowd control measure. They want you to arrive around the time of your first scheduled FP, do your three rides, eat in between or after, buy a bunch of souvineers, then leave to make room for the next family. I don't think they want people waiting 75 minutes in a standby line at the Jungle Cruise, taking up space and not spending any money, I think they want you out of the park and back at your resort, dropping dough on resort merchandise and spending $14 per cup on a specialty drink at the pool bar.

Eating our meal CS, at our leisure, is about the only spontaneity we have left at WDW.

I agree with the previous poster who commented on the "boredom factor". We are not willing to wait 45 minutes to an hour in standby for any ride. Because of this, I schedule our FP's to run consecutively, and once we use them we just leave. Because we are only able to go in high season, the lines just never go away. The only exception to this is when we can go at the MK on a non-EMH night, and arrive during Wishes. You can get a lot done in that last hour the park is still open, when the masses are heading for the exits, particularly in Frontierland and Adventureland. For some reason Tomorrowland seems to stay packed, and don't even think about still getting on the 7DMT.