Disney finally Made Me Mad

[mom2rtk]

A bunch of people think Disney knew exactly how they were going to roll all of this out from the get go. I wonder if one of them will chime in and let us know what's coming next.

I personally think they're just throwing crap at the wall to see what sticks. Then they high 5 one another and say "I can't believe we got away with that!" Then they step it up a notch.

 

[mom2rtk]

How can you be so sure?

I'm confident that's what Disney hopes happens, but they are not Anna and Elsa. They are available for meeting at multiple other places that don't require sacrificing a headliner to meet. People are much more likely to book this as an additional FP rather than the initial one, even the least savvy tourist can likely realize that Pooh & Tigger are available elsewhere and Soarin', TT, Illuminations, hell even Maelstrom are not. Otherwise, shouldn't the Character Spot FP+ appeal to families with children leaving the Soarin'/TT for others?

I think they may be a popular choice once Soarin/TT become harder to get as more people use their initial 3, but that hardly opens up more Soarin' and TT. I think this is done to give more options to make FP+ look better by putting FP where it wasn't needed, kind of like how Philharmagic and Figment have one.

Maybe when only 1 person books and that kid gets a 2 hour tea party with Pooh and Tigger, word will leak out in a Disney blog and everyone will want that too.

 

[ArwenMarie]

FP+ONLY makes perfect sense in light of the addition of the 4th FP.

It's not that you can't see an attraction same-day if it's FP-ONLY. It's that you have to get in line on the app using the 4th FP, not physically stand in a line. So it essentially changes what we think of as the standby line to a virtual standby line, even for same-day.

 

[bcrook]

I'm just holding down the Fort, making sure they don't FP-only La Cava...

Wth...don't talk like that! . I would have to sell my DVC if that happened.

Tier 2 fine, tier 1 FP only ... Deal breaker.

 

[bcrook]

FP+ONLY makes perfect sense in light of the addition of the 4th FP.

It's not that you can't see an attraction same-day if it's FP-ONLY. It's that you have to get in line on the app using the 4th FP, not physically stand in a line. So it essentially changes what we think of as the standby line to a virtual standby line, even for same-day.

It depends on the time of the year. I am not thinking people are going to book pooh with fastpass and then expect to get the TT or soarin fastpass as a fourth during peak time. Maybe pooh will be available for the fourth. Then this is a moot point.

 

[JeremyGNJ]

How can you be so sure?

I'm confident that's what Disney hopes happens, but they are not Anna and Elsa. They are available for meeting at multiple other places that don't require sacrificing a headliner to meet. People are much more likely to book this as an additional FP rather than the initial one, even the least savvy tourist can likely realize that Pooh & Tigger are available elsewhere and Soarin', TT, Illuminations, hell even Maelstrom are not. Otherwise, shouldn't the Character Spot FP+ appeal to families with children leaving the Soarin'/TT for others?

I think they may be a popular choice once Soarin/TT become harder to get as more people use their initial 3, but that hardly opens up more Soarin' and TT. I think this is done to give more options to make FP+ look better by putting FP where it wasn't needed, kind of like how Philharmagic and Figment have one.

I think you all overestimate the knowledge and research of a typical guest. The typical guest will not know about CP Pooh breakfast, and probably wont even know other places to meet Pooh....

they will just log in and say "Oh my gosh John, we can take little Johnny to see Pooh, lets pick that as one of our Fast Passes!"

(and the will likely not even be upset about missing Test Track, because they don't know what it is)

 

[famy27]

I think you all overestimate the knowledge and research of a typical guest. The typical guest will not know about CP Pooh breakfast, and probably wont even know other places to meet Pooh....

they will just log in and say "Oh my gosh John, we can take little Johnny to see Pooh, lets pick that as one of our Fast Passes!"

(and the will likely not even be upset about missing Test Track, because they don't know what it is)

If they're that clueless, I'm surprised they'd be prebooking FPs at all.

 

[morethananyonex]

I think you all overestimate the knowledge and research of a typical guest. The typical guest will not know about CP Pooh breakfast, and probably wont even know other places to meet Pooh....

they will just log in and say "Oh my gosh John, we can take little Johnny to see Pooh, lets pick that as one of our Fast Passes!"

(and the will likely not even be upset about missing Test Track, because they don't know what it is)

And I think you're underestimating typical guests. If we apply your logic to typical guests, tiers would not have been necessary, as people would be booking Nemo FP in droves ("little Johnny loves Nemo!") as well as Character Spot ("JOHN! Little Johnny can meet 3 classic characters at once!!!") instead of Soarin' ("what the heck is Soarin?") or Test Track ("we're already driving the cars in Magic Kingdom!").

Again I ask, why have we not seen the "Pooh effect" from the Character Spot FP+? 3 classic characters should have that same kind of pull with families.

 

[Planogirl]

I think you all overestimate the knowledge and research of a typical guest. The typical guest will not know about CP Pooh breakfast, and probably wont even know other places to meet Pooh....

they will just log in and say "Oh my gosh John, we can take little Johnny to see Pooh, lets pick that as one of our Fast Passes!"

(and the will likely not even be upset about missing Test Track, because they don't know what it is)

I agree. Many have argued endlessly that legacy fastpasses were unfair because people didn't understand. They seem to not understand a lot particularly the first-timers. If I was new and inexperienced I might be tempted to book FP+ for meet and greets just to make sure that little Jimmy or Janey got to see their favorites.

This might be really clever if being used to syphon guests from top tier rides.

 

[bcrook]

I hear you, it's bananas to think about. Here's the thing though...they might not have a choice. I don't know the capacity numbers for 7DMT (bcrook does I bet!), but what if there aren't enough spots to have a standby line and still have a functional FP+ line based on current prebooking numbers.

Based on what I have read...1650 theoretical ride slots per hour. 1500 is good guess for operating capacity. That means about 24,000 a day to allocate.

80,000 people at peak time. 1 out of 3 people can ride it a day.

 

[agavegirl1]

With full credit to "The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World"

"The DISNEY CHARACTERS

Character Watching

Watching characters has become a pastime. Families were content to meet a character occasionally. They now pursue them relentlessly, armed with autograph books and cameras. Because some characters are only rarely seen, character watching has become character collecting. (To cash in on character collecting, Disney sells autograph books throughout the World.) Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy are a snap to bag: they seem to be everywhere. But some characters, like the Queen of Hearts and Friar Tuck, seldom come out, and quite a few only appear in parades or shows. Other characters in a location consistent with their starring role......."

My observations: "Character Collecting" is a big deal for people who visit frequently. I couldn't care less about an autograph from Minnie or Pooh. If I've purchased a photo package, it is for ride photos and some staged scenes in front of the Castle or whatever. But...I go as an adult with my DBF. Make these M&Gs FP+ only and they become as rare as a photo with special characters on a party night. Make their autographs tough to get and someone will need to fill up that book. Frequent visitors may very well book a tier one FP+ to complete their book. It may take a while, but hey, it takes "A WHILE" to build anything new in Epcot or HS. In fact, it takes more time than the infrequent visitor is willing to wait.

 

[JeremyGNJ]

My observations: "Character Collecting" is a big deal for people who visit frequently. I couldn't care less about an autograph from Minnie or Pooh. If I've purchased a photo package, it is for ride photos and some staged scenes in front of the Castle or whatever. But...I go as an adult with my DBF. Make these M&Gs FP+ only and they become as rare as a photo with special characters on a party night. Make their autographs tough to get and someone will need to fill up that book. Frequent visitors may very well book a tier one FP+ to complete their book. It may take a while, but hey, it takes "A WHILE" to build anything new in Epcot or HS. In fact, it takes more time than the infrequent visitor is willing to wait.

Yep...its the ol'Baseball card trick. Make some of them "rare" and people will go crazy trying to get them.

 

[practicallyperfect77]

I agree. Many have argued endlessly that legacy fastpasses were unfair because people didn't understand. They seem to not understand a lot particularly the first-timers. If I was new and inexperienced I might be tempted to book FP+ for meet and greets just to make sure that little Jimmy or Janey got to see their favorites.

This might be really clever if being used to syphon guests from top tier rides.

But don't you think all the increased marketing of FP+ is going to cause folks to think about how it really works and which attraction would be most beneficial? I know they say 50% of guests didn't use FP- and even though I thought it was easy to read a map and see how it works, I could see some folks not knowing. But FP+ is being shoved down our throats. I don't see how a first time guest isn't going to know about it. And if they know it exists, don't think learn how it works and try to make the best use out of it? Maybe not.

 

[mom2rtk]

I wonder how long until they add FP to Characterpalooza at DHS.

 

[hollygolitely93]

I haven't read all posts but is anyone talking about what the interactive elements are going to be? How this is the next gen of Meet and Greats? I am just wondering if this is going to be longer interaction with the character and perhaps some really magical experience with it--more than the pose and autograph. If it truly is a value-added magical character experience I can see why the FP+ move could be a service...as pooh is still available at MK...they are doing this with less sought out characters with accessibility thus it has me thinking the experience is going to be something really different.

Or...it is a more sinister angle. Who knows! Guess we will find out soon!

 

[morethananyonex]

But don't you think all the increased marketing of FP+ is going to cause folks to think about how it really works and which attraction would be most beneficial? I know they say 50% of guests didn't use FP- and even though I thought it was easy to read a map and see how it works, I could see some folks not knowing. But FP+ is being shoved down our throats. I don't see how a first time guest isn't going to know about it. And if they know it exists, don't think learn how it works and try to make the best use out of it? Maybe not.

I agree with you, people are either researching more or getting lucky with their choices because if the majority of people didn't understand how to properly use FP+, and booked things like Character Spot because their kid likes Mickey, or Fantasmic because they like evening shows we wouldn't have tiers in Epcot or DHS. The majority do know that TT/Soarin' and TSMM/RnRC/ToT are the most beneficial FP+ in those 2 parks and pick them, even if something else is important to them.

I'm sure there are some people out there who book things that are unnecessary because they don't want to miss the attraction and don't realize that they didn't need the FP for it, but as is shown by the tiers and availability as the day goes on, that's the exception not the rule.

I don't think the typical guest is clueless to the point of booking useless FP because they like the sound of the attraction. Key word being typical.

 

[Planogirl]

But don't you think all the increased marketing of FP+ is going to cause folks to think about how it really works and which attraction would be most beneficial? I know they say 50% of guests didn't use FP- and even though I thought it was easy to read a map and see how it works, I could see some folks not knowing. But FP+ is being shoved down our throats. I don't see how a first time guest isn't going to know about it. And if they know it exists, don't think learn how it works and try to make the best use out of it? Maybe not.

I'm a poor judge because I thought that legacy was easy and very noticeable due to the kiosks outside of the fp rides. I'm told now though that it was hard to understand and a ton of people never used them some even if they understood them. I consider FP+ more complex than legacy due to the tiering. It would seem particularly difficult to decide what to go for if you've never been to WDW.

I don't know, it just seems strange that so many people who didn't get it will now understand what I feel like is a more complicated system. But then I'm probably wrong.

If most people know that the meet and greets are poor choices then why is Disney offering them? It'll be interesting to see how quickly they run out.

 

[bcrook]

I agree with you, people are either researching more or getting lucky with their choices because if the majority of people didn't understand how to properly use FP+, and booked things like Character Spot because their kid likes Mickey, or Fantasmic because they like evening shows we wouldn't have tiers in Epcot or DHS. The majority do know that TT/Soarin' and TSMM/RnRC/ToT are the most beneficial FP+ in those 2 parks and pick them, even if something else is important to them.

I'm sure there are some people out there who book things that are unnecessary because they don't want to miss the attraction and don't realize that they didn't need the FP for it, but as is shown by the tiers and availability as the day goes on, that's the exception not the rule.

I don't think the typical guest is clueless to the point of booking useless FP because they like the sound of the attraction. Key word being typical.

.

 

[JeremyGNJ]

But don't you think all the increased marketing of FP+ is going to cause folks to think about how it really works and which attraction would be most beneficial? I know they say 50% of guests didn't use FP- and even though I thought it was easy to read a map and see how it works, I could see some folks not knowing. But FP+ is being shoved down our throats. I don't see how a first time guest isn't going to know about it. And if they know it exists, don't think learn how it works and try to make the best use out of it? Maybe not.

Beneficial to who?

I tend to think that if you have a 5 year old and you just saved up enough to go to WDW for the first time (and might not go again for a long time if at all)...seeing Winnie the Pooh in person would be much more alluring than TT or Soarin.

You say beneficial as in "what would save you the most time in line", but you're assuming that all people care about the same rides as you. To many many people, skipping a M&G line with an anxious child is more beneficial than going on a "kind-of thrill ride".

 

[DrankTheKoolaid]

Ok, here's my theory...

This is a "test" to see how FP+ only works.
There is no way this stops here and there is no way this is just about Pooh in WS.

Did a little looking around in MDE and the FP+ Only is only available through May 24. Lends credibility to the idea of it being a test ... or (cue ominous music) ... something even more sinister is just around the corner...

As an aside, its a little surprising that no one has yet to abbreviate Fast Pass+ Option Only as FP-POO.

In all seriousness, the last week has made us realize how little control we have over our trip next month, despite a generous portion of planning. We booked flights, made (and paid for) resort reservations, paid for tickets, scheduled ADRs and picked FP+, all several months or weeks ahead of time. But Disney has the option to change just about any element of our vacation with about 24 hours notice. Opening the new ride or adding the additional fastpasses are good, others not so good, but all have caused us to have to stop and rethink if our plans were still good.

That said, I guarantee we're going to go have a good time, because that's what we do on vacation, ya know?