Disney to extend 60 day FP booking to non Disney hotels

[anomamatt]

As an Annual Passholder, I'd like to see some kind of perk for us, too. Maybe if they don't want to give us 60 days, they could give us 4 FP per day, right off the bat.

I'm also an AP (as is my whole family). But let's be realistic... APs won't get anything new FP-related, unless it's an add-on, extra-$$$ item. There is no incentive for WDW to do anything for APs (FP-wise) and the AP sales won't suffer.

 

[LSUmiss]

This really is only a relatively recent perk for staying onsite. Just a handful of years ago, there was no FP difference between off vs. onsite. So to those crying "now there's no reason to stay onsite!" what was the reason pre-2013?

Extra magic hours that have since also mostly disappeared.

 

[MikeandReneePlus5]

This just seems to be extremely tone deaf to me. There are lots of people staying on-site now who can't book fast passes they want until day 5 of their trip. Let's see - there aren't enough passes available, so let's add more people to the pool.

I have been going around Christmas since before fast pass + was a thing. I have never seen the problems with lack of availability as I have this year. This is very discouraging.

I could see giving the good neighbor places a 45 day window. That makes some level of sense. You get an advantage - but on-site gets a bigger advantage. But not the same as on-site. Since I will have more competition, I am assuming I will get some other perk for staying on-site. Hahahaha.

I guess Disney did a great job touting FP+ and now more people use it. It seems to me that more people know about FP+ than ever knew about the original FP system.

 

[MikeandReneePlus5]

Extra magic hours that have since also mostly disappeared.

yes that is a bummer, even though we did zig zag away from the EMH park many times as it tended to draw the highest crowds on a given day. Still it was nice to drop in from time to time at night.

 

[melanielll]

This really is only a relatively recent perk for staying onsite. Just a handful of years ago, there was no FP difference between off vs. onsite. So to those crying "now there's no reason to stay onsite!" what was the reason pre-2013?

I stayed on-site before fast pass plus. Here's some of what I felt you got... an efficient bus system (not there now), generous EMH (not there now), unique little things that other hotels didn't do (things like maids making towels into animal shapes and arranging toys into in-room parties - not there now), really clean rooms (not so much now), hassle-free driving on-site (lately - ugh)....

Edited to add - the resort monorail used to be only for resort guests. They checked your room key before you could get on. I liked that and I paid for it and I miss it.

 

[Dakota731]

What are good neighbor hotels? I would so use my Hilton points! Do they provide good transportation to the parks?

 

[LSUmiss]

I stayed on-site before fast pass plus. Here's some of what I felt you got... an efficient bus system (not there now), generous EMH (not there now), unique little things that other hotels didn't do (things like maids making towels into animal shapes and arranging toys into in-room parties - not there now), really clean rooms (not so much now), hassle-free driving on-site (lately - ugh)....

Edited to add - the resort monorail used to be only for resort guests. They checked your room key before you could get on. I liked that and I paid for it and I miss it.

I didn’t know that used to be a thing. I wish they would bring that back. I usually stay on monorail & it infuriates me at park close to get on a packed monorail & wait in a long line & then everyone gets off at TTC!

 

[BigB0882]

We stayed on-site for these main reasons:

Magical Express from airport
Buses from resort to park
Fastpasses at 60 days.

If I ever drive to Orlando, then I won't have much of a reason to stay on-site. I can stay off-site and easily save more per night than the cost of parking.

 

[twodogs]

I just wish WDW would adopt DLR's FP methods. It is like FP-, but with the addition of MaxPass this summer/fall, you can book/cancel on your phone from either park once INSIDE either park. No pre-booking, all done day-of. Everyone walks in on equal footing, regardless of where you are staying or if you have an AP or whatever (though you can start booking during EMH for FPs that start after regular park opening if you have Max Pass, so a slight advantage to those who stay onsite OR have 3 day or more tickets and stay anywhere, as that is who gets EMH at DLR). You can get many more than 3 FPs per day if you manage it aggressively (especially with MaxPass). We just returned and I booked 45 different FP rides for our party of 4 over 3 park days with MaxPass. Everyone has equal access to the headliner FPs when you walk through the gates that day. It probably works less well for those who arrive late in the day than FP+ at WDW, but there is just more availability of FPs at DLR to me, all day long, than at WDW. MaxPass is an additional $10 pp/day (or $75/year for APs), but if you choose to walk to the rides and pull a paper FP, it is still free.

I'm saying this as someone who stays onsite at both DLR and WDW, and while the 60 day FP window is a perk at WDW, if they are going to devalue that by extending this to thousands of other guests at surrounding hotels, I would rather they ditch this system entirely and go to the DLR system.

 

[acwsmom]

This is making me much happier about our decision to stay off-site in the spring - especially because the hotel we chose is the on the Good Neighbor list! Honestly, FP+ was one of the only things keeping us onsite. We usually drive, so we rarely need Magical Express. Because we have our car and hate the wait for crowded busses, we've started driving our car to the park. Plus, EMH has pretty much disappeared and we never used the morning ones anyway. We were barely hanging on to staying onsite because of the magic we felt there and because of the 60 day FP+ but, honestly, they've outpriced us. And looking at what I could get off-site and then comparing that to what I can get with a VALUE onsite (even with our AP discount), it just made sense to try it next year. I suspect this may be one of our last years to stay onsite if this is true.

 

[dlavender]

I stayed on-site before fast pass plus. Here's some of what I felt you got... an efficient bus system (not there now), generous EMH (not there now), unique little things that other hotels didn't do (things like maids making towels into animal shapes and arranging toys into in-room parties - not there now), really clean rooms (not so much now), hassle-free driving on-site (lately - ugh)....

Edited to add - the resort monorail used to be only for resort guests. They checked your room key before you could get on. I liked that and I paid for it and I miss it.

I know its OT, but the taking away of mousekeeping was a pretty big deal.

It's those little touches that made the experience that much better. It's when you could almost justify the extra costs. We really missed it last trip, and its something I thought I wouldn't even notice...

 

[turtlechick6]

well Universal has what it likes to call "partner hotels" and they are non Universal hotels they work with. The Drury is one and that is actually where stayed and where we are staying for Disney in two weeks because we freaking love that hotel so much. They basically had deals with partner hotels as far as bundling packages of room plus tickets and other things like shuttles to the park and stuff.

So I mean if Disney wants to do that, I am okay with it. I am sure Disney still sees some benefit from it in some way or they would not be doing it

 

[patty57]

I have a BWV rental for May 2018. Might be my last stay on property unless I can get good rates at the Swan/Dolphin. I don't care about DME, or even EMH as much as I used to. The 60 day FP was the one thing that kept me on site.

 

[turtlechick6]

Because you're comparing apples to oranges. Prior to 2013, not every attraction had FP, so where you wanted/needed one was very different from now. Yes, everyone had the same opportunity, but not everyone took that opportunity. We are early EMH and rope drop users, so we could get to the parks and start collecting FP earlier than those who like to sleep late and close down the parks. Now everyone is on the same playing field which makes getting the FP harder to get. You're also limited to only 3 per day until you use them. Before, you could get and hold more than that at one time.

but sorry I don't feel like being a late sleeper is something you should be on equal footing with me an early bird. Its not a disability. If you sleep late you get longer lines. Seems fair. I give up my sleep in order to have shorter lines. Seems an equal trade off

 

[turtlechick6]

I miss the paper FP system. Especially when they didn't enforce the return window! That was great we used to stack up a fistfull of FPs!

me as well. I have not yet experienced the app fast pass experience but I really enjoyed the paper fast pass system. People gave us fast passes. We gave ours to others. No time enforcement. Can get as many as you want etc. Only downside was the runners that knocked people out of the way and then tried to cut into other lines.

 

[sharonabe]

If this is still offered, along with the 60-day FP+, then it would be a no-brainer for us to stay offsite: FREE FOOD!!

http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2017/...ck-service-dining-discount-offer-coming-soon/

 

[sharonabe]

but sorry I don't feel like being a late sleeper is something you should be on equal footing with me an early bird. Its not a disability. If you sleep late you get longer lines. Seems fair. I give up my sleep in order to have shorter lines. Seems an equal trade off

I'm definitely with you on the early riser part, but with FP+, the sleep in crowd can still experience shorter lines since they can schedule their FP+ for later in the day. In the old days, there was a definite advantage to getting up early, enjoying shorter lines, AND stacking FP.

 

[dlavender]

If this is still offered, along with the 60-day FP+, then it would be a no-brainer for us to stay offsite: FREE FOOD!!

http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2017/...ck-service-dining-discount-offer-coming-soon/

The food isn't free, just slightly discounted.

 

[eeyoreandtink]

What are good neighbor hotels? I would so use my Hilton points! Do they provide good transportation to the parks?

they are basically a list of hotels where you can buy park tickets, ect in their lobby, and they provide shuttles to and from the parks. They have a relationship of some kind with WDW.
here is the link to view the list:
https://www.wdwgoodneighborhotels.com/browse-hotels/

 

[Wubar]

If this is still offered, along with the 60-day FP+, then it would be a no-brainer for us to stay offsite: FREE FOOD!!

http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2017/...ck-service-dining-discount-offer-coming-soon/

Not really FREE, just discounted. I don't think that would be enough of a discount for me to jump on it, but for others, maybe....