Do you have to have FP+

[charlielinda3]

Do you have to have FP+ to be able to enjoy your day at MK? How long have ride lines gotten? We are going second week of May. I hate that everything is so planned.

 

[Reddog1134]

It certainly helps. Overall there has been a decrease in wait time for headliners but an increase in wait times for secondary attractions. (which is one of the main intents of FP+)

Just don't let yourself get stressed if you can't get the FP's you wanted.

 

[compshu]

The second week in May is historically a pretty slow time of year. You can certainly have a decent time without using FP+, though some of the wait times may be around 75-120 minutes depending on the day, time of day, and attraction. We've gone in May before and have had walk-on rides for some things, and long waits for others. FP+ will help you catch some of those attractions that would typically have longer wait times (Anna+Elsa, 7 Dwarfs Mine Train, Peter Pan's Flight), but again, it is still possible to get into those attractions through stand-by if you are smart in your touring style.

 

[itchin2go]

You don't HAVE to have it, but why wouldn't you?

We went Thanksgiving week - certainly a busy time - and rode lots of stuff standby - but we were there at rope drop and MK opened at 8 am. We were very happy to have our 3 FPs to use after the standby lines started to get long. Plus, I don't think we would have ridden SDMT if we hadn't gotten FPs. The lines were just too long for us - even at opening.

I just wouldn't turn down the opportunity to (practically) walk-on 3 rides at times of my choosing. If you end up not using them, that's ok too, but I don't understand not booking something.

Maybe look at it as something that's not etched in stone, but 3 possibilities for things to do each day.

 

[TheDisGuy]

The down side of not using FPs has been significantly increased as of FP+. You don't have to have them, but they will make a big difference in what you do or don't get done.

Just the new reality of WDW vacations, less spontaneous, more planning.

 

[Alfalfa]

Do you have to have FP+ to be able to enjoy your day at MK? How long have ride lines gotten? We are going second week of May. I hate that everything is so planned.

I don't think so. There are plenty of wonderful attractions at MK that even under the busiest of crowds never seem to have much of a wait. For instance, with no FP's at all you could enjoy little to no waits for such classics as:

Carousel of Progress
PeopleMover
Country Bear Jamboree
Hall of Presidents
Mickey's Philharmagic

Often even It's a Small World drops to less than 20 minutes. Then there are the parades and fireworks that you don't have to have an FP for.

 

[prudence64]

I would book 3 but then not stress about if they didn't end up working out in your day.

 

[Ambear]

Like a pp said, book some you find interesting and if you don't get to them it's fine.

 

[Cormoran]

I don't think so. There are plenty of wonderful attractions at MK that even under the busiest of crowds never seem to have much of a wait. For instance, with no FP's at all you could enjoy little to no waits for such classics as:

Carousel of Progress
PeopleMover
Country Bear Jamboree
Hall of Presidents
Mickey's Philharmagic

Often even It's a Small World drops to less than 20 minutes. Then there are the parades and fireworks that you don't have to have an FP for.

That's a fantastic list, but you forgot the treehouse

 

[worm761]

You don't have to use FP to have a good day. The only one I found important was Anna and Elsa but that was for DD. And your waits shouldn't be that bad at that time of year even without FP. My husband has a rule, he won't wait in a line with a posted time longer than 25 minutes.

 

[Alfalfa]

That's a fantastic list, but you forgot the treehouse

Ah yes! As well as Monsters Inc, Stitch, and sometimes even Mad Tea Party can be less than 20 minutes when everything else is 60+

 

[Cormoran]

I think the wait times have gone up considerably since FP+ even during slower times. From what I'm reading, POC, HM, SW all have longer waits. I hate making ride reservations. But the question you have to ask yourself is which do you hate more: standing in long SB lines or making ride reservations? For me I hate lines more, so I'm stuck.

 

[itchin2go]

I think the wait times have gone up considerably since FP+ even during slower times. From what I'm reading, POC, HM, SW all have longer waits. I hate making ride reservations. But the question you have to ask yourself is which do you hate more: standing in long SB lines or making ride reservations? For me I hate lines more, so I'm stuck.

I read this too, before our last trip, and it worried me. The truth is, the wait times may have gone up a bit, but you can still ride stand-by without a problem IF you get there early. We rope dropped every day and had no problems. In fact, we were there at Thanksgiving, and it didn't seem appreciably busier than October or January ... probably because of rope drop AND the fact that we knew what to ride first.

That said, I still don't know why you wouldn't take 3 free fastpasses that let you (practically) cut to the front of the line ... especially when you can schedule them for a time when the lines would be prohibitively long. If (when) you look at it that way, I don't see the downside, especially when there's no penalty for skipping them if that turns out to suit your plans better.

 

[abner1776]

You have hit on my biggest complaint about FP+ - planning out everything. Gone are the days when I could just get up early in the AM and decide which park to go to depending on how I feel and the weather forecast. For the last 40 years every day has been planned out for me...work 5 days, work in the yard, church, work 5 days.... I use to love to go to Disney and just "wing it." Not anymore...now I feel like I have to not only plan the rides I want to go on but even where I want to eat dinner with ADR's ...whats next...bio break reservations !!!

I was not against the original FP system cause I could choose when and where I wanted to ride WHILE AT THE PARK. Now I have to plan this out 60 days ahead of time and god forbid I wait until 29 days out and find all of the times are gone.

There has to be a better way, because I feel we have gone from one extreme to another.

 

[jomass]

You have hit on my biggest complaint about FP+ - planning out everything. Gone are the days when I could just get up early in the AM and decide which park to go to depending on how I feel and the weather forecast. For the last 40 years every day has been planned out for me...work 5 days, work in the yard, church, work 5 days.... I use to love to go to Disney and just "wing it." Not anymore...now I feel like I have to not only plan the rides I want to go on but even where I want to eat dinner with ADR's ...whats next...bio break reservations !!!

I was not against the original FP system cause I could choose when and where I wanted to ride WHILE AT THE PARK. Now I have to plan this out 60 days ahead of time and god forbid I wait until 29 days out and find all of the times are gone.

There has to be a better way, because I feel we have gone from one extreme to another.

Amen to that!

 

[itchin2go]

You have hit on my biggest complaint about FP+ - planning out everything. Gone are the days when I could just get up early in the AM and decide which park to go to depending on how I feel and the weather forecast. For the last 40 years every day has been planned out for me...work 5 days, work in the yard, church, work 5 days.... I use to love to go to Disney and just "wing it." Not anymore...now I feel like I have to not only plan the rides I want to go on but even where I want to eat dinner with ADR's ...whats next...bio break reservations !!!

I was not against the original FP system cause I could choose when and where I wanted to ride WHILE AT THE PARK. Now I have to plan this out 60 days ahead of time and god forbid I wait until 29 days out and find all of the times are gone.

There has to be a better way, because I feel we have gone from one extreme to another.

I think you can still do what you want. I think there's a PERCEPTION that you can't anymore, but I don't think it's accurate.

As I said, we were at MK Thanksgiving week. We did 10 rides or so standby one morning. We did FP SDMT, and so, I guess there are SOME experiences where you either have to plan ahead or resign yourself to wait in line. The truth is, you always had to plan ahead to some extent. I just don't see the big deal. We've booked ADRs 180 days out for ages. Doesn't mean you have to do it. On one trip, we just called each morning to see what was available. We had great meals.

 

[mom2rtk]

That's a fantastic list, but you forgot the treehouse

Add Tom Sawyer's Island and the list becomes positively magical!

 

[Doug M]

I wouldnt ride small world if it was a time machine that turned the clock backwards each time you rode it.

 

[Angel Ariel]

Do you have to have FP+ to be able to enjoy your day at MK? How long have ride lines gotten? We are going second week of May. I hate that everything is so planned.

It depends on what you want to do, and how long you're willing to wait.

If you want to ride SDMT and see Anna and Elsa, then *personally* I would get FP+s. While SDMT at RD is possible, after having done the A&E rope drop craziness once, I wont' do it again. We actually got out of the line because we saw how little we were moving (not at all, literally). So, for me, if we're going to ever see A&E again (w/the kind of popularity they have now), it will be with FP+.

For the rest I wouldn't say it's required, but you do have to understand that choosing not to prebook means taking the risk that same day FP+ availability will be there for the rides you like it for. Unless you're totally open to doing standby waits all day. There's enough rides that get 30+ min waits, that using FP+ in some form - whether it be 60 days in advance, 30 days in advance, the night before, or the day of - is worth it. I, personally, wouldn't walk into MK with no FP+ and have no plan to get any.

 

[grecorj]

This year will be our 5th WDW trip since 2007. Truthfully I can't imagine what it would have been like without a plan on any of those trips!

The reality is your choices will be limited if you don't make some ADRs and book FP+. When you're spending this much money on a vacation why would you limit yourself by not taking advantage of some advanced planning?