Do you think FP+ will come to DL?

[Suvadoo]

I don't get all the hate for fastpass +. I think that the concept is great and once they work out all the kinks it will be fantastic.

There are still hiccups in the system. I went last April and ended up spending a lot of valuable vacation time at guest relations. My magic band became invalid and I could not get into the park. When I spend $5,000 on a trip to WDW I don't want to experience their computer glitches. I want to experience attractions and shows.

You may think the concept is great, but it's awful when you're part of their grand experiment!

 

[momof2n2]

As a refugee from the WDW boards may I suggest we all just enjoy the fact it is still a "what if."
I'm not the only one switching coasts over this thing.

 

[Suvadoo]

As a refugee from the WDW boards may I suggest we all just enjoy the fact it is still a "what if."
I'm not the only one switching coasts over this thing.

I'm hearing that with increasing frequency. I wonder how many people are switching from WDW to DLR because of FP+?
I'm out at DLR ant the end of September and then WDW in April, but I've split the visit between WDW and Universal and that includes resort stays. In the past, I spent all of my time at WDW, but I'm seeing the benefits of vacationing a WDW rapidly declining.

 

[mesaboy2]

I think you answered your own question. A lot of the hate comes from all of the kinks. Folks wasting hours and hours because MDE loses their FPs in the etherworld or is way too slow and/or regularly crashes on their smartphone to the point of it being non-functional.

If they get all of the kinks worked out then some of the hate will subside.

Other valid reasons people can and do "hate" FP+ are that:

- they do not like to plan ride times 60 days (or any days) in advance. It reduces spontaneity for those who like spontaneity, and it reduces flexibility in going to a different park on a given day for those who like flexibility.

- apparently there are now substantial lines for rides that never used to have substantial lines - such as SpaceShip Earth and Figment JII.

I have not used it yet and even though I am more of planner type, I dislike the idea of choosing ride times in advance. However, I do like the idea of not having to rush around getting FPs. I do like the idea of being able to show up late to a park and still being able to get on top rides. I dislike the idea of teired rides where I have to choose between Soarin and TT at Epcot and cannot get both.

Those are some of the valid reasons for the "hate". Then there are folks who just plain dislike change. That is another discussion.

I think we might be twins.

 

[rtfelt]

I've been wondering this myself. I agree with HydroGuy's assessment. DLR is such a different animal than WDW. As a local AP I can see how I could benefit, but the reason I could benefit is also my concern. How do they keep locals from not just scheduling FP+ in the event they MIGHT go there. I could schedule 3 headliners for every Friday night. We often go on Friday night, but often the FP are all gone by the time we get there or are for very late times. If enough local AP schedule 3 FP+ for every Friday night, just in case, they will all be gone but not necessarily used. It's like what used to happen with the dining reservations. This wouldn't happen in WDW because most guests are on vacation and unlikely to change their daily plan on a whim.

In the end, I just can't see how it would make Disney more money--except on custom MagicBands and accessories, but the cost would be too great for that small return. The purpose of them in WDW, if I understand, was to keep more people on property at WDW thus increasing revenue. That simply would not work in any way at DLR--on property is way too small, and too many are day trippers, who aren't more likely to go to DLR because of pre-scheduled FP. How does it create more revenue at DLR? It hasn't even done it at WDW yet, and I doubt it will. The one thing it has done was spread out the guests more evenly throughout the park. The headliners are experiencing overall shorter lines, while non-headliners are having longer lines (as has stated before with Spaceship Earth and Filament) thus better distributing guests. Here's a link to data supporting this: http://blog.touringplans.com/2014/06/23/fastpass-lowering-waits-disney-world-popular-rides/

In the end I hope it doesn't come, even though I can see how I could benefit, and I think it's unlikely simply because the return on investment will be minimal if anything--but I've been wrong before and seen Disney do things that to me makes absolutely no sense

 

[kylie71]

Speaking for a lifetime, Disneyland Lover, and never being at another park.... all this talk of making ADR'S, more than 60 days out, and making a "reservation" to ride a ride, is just plain CRAZY TALK!!!
Us laid back West Coaters cannot even wrap our brains around all this planning... Its not needed in California, and I for 1....... and maybe more from this board, Hope it NEVER comes West!

--Lori

 

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

We've bounced around the idea of DLR as a "wouldn't that be kinda neat?" idea, but now its DEFINITELY IN the plans. Definite DLR refugee over here.

As for why it makes Disney more money, at least in theory besides a plastic bracelet and accessories to sell:
-Guests on property get to book FP 60 days in advance, so more may actually pull the trigger and pay the bucks to stay onsite so they can book A n E 60 days out instead of 30.
-Those who don't stay on sight will still order their tickets early in advance so they can book early. That means Disney gets your money at least 30 days before you go to Disney. Most people who used to show up at the gate and buy a ticket, well they want the money early and then you can't change your mind and go to Universal instead (in theory).
-With Tiers, if you want guaranteed FPs for tier ones, you book more days at the park so you can get TsMM one day and RR the next one. So you buy longer days of tix so you can book more FPs.

They saw that those who could book in advance spent more on their trip for things like ADRs so they said "let's get them to book everything early." Same for their Disney cruises, we would PIF early so we could book excursions (which admittedly do sell out) or Palo. Worked for other other vacation models, people staying up til midnight for opening, and now that's the demand they have intentionally built as a feeding frenzy. And then people feel like they have to book something, so they end up getting FPs for whatever is left over, even stuff like Spaceship Earth which never needed a FP....

Its like pushing cattle.... Mooo......

 

[AquaDame]

Speaking for a lifetime, Disneyland Lover, and never being at another park.... all this talk of making ADR'S, more than 60 days out, and making a "reservation" to ride a ride, is just plain CRAZY TALK!!!
Us laid back West Coaters cannot even wrap our brains around all this planning... Its not needed in California, and I for 1....... and maybe more from this board, Hope it NEVER comes West!

--Lori

You definitely aren't alone..! We went yearly from 2008 to this year but after January and trying out the FP+ its going to be awhile before we go back. Now we're headed back to DLR in Sept AND in January! Can't wait to r-e-l-a-x and go on what we want as we decide!

 

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

As for headliners with shorter lines, says WHO???

You only get to choose one that day in advance, and we didn't even know you could more at a kiosk because that changed about two days before we got there while we were frantically packing for the trip and when we thought 3 would be enuf. Anyway we got to FP one headliner, but we didn't get to FP the other (and vice versa) so basically we all sat in at least one 80 min line, which ever one we hadn't gotten to FP.

Shorter lines, whatever. 7DMT is still insane. And we got to HS at 9:04 (a miracle with my family) and the TSMM line was already 70 min!

Pshh. I'm in a crappy mood talking bout FP so called plus. That and this lousy sinus infection. Dreaming of DLR....

 

[rtfelt]

As for why it makes Disney more money, at least in theory besides a plastic bracelet and accessories to sell:
-Guests on property get to book FP 60 days in advance, so more may actually pull the trigger and pay the bucks to stay onsite so they can book A n E 60 days out instead of 30.
-Those who don't stay on sight will still order their tickets early in advance so they can book early. That means Disney gets your money at least 30 days before you go to Disney. Most people who used to show up at the gate and buy a ticket, well they want the money early and then you can't change your mind and go to Universal instead (in theory).
-With Tiers, if you want guaranteed FPs for tier ones, you book more days at the park so you can get TsMM one day and RR the next one. So you buy longer days of tix so you can book more FPs.

This is the exact reason I CAN'T see it making money at DLR. 70% of guests are local AP at DLR, while probably at least 80% are vacationers at WDW. WDW has enough onsite capacity for probably at least 60 if not 80% of its guests. DLR can only accommodate maybe 20% and be fully booked. Unless they plan on building A LOT more onsite resorts it's not going to add that much to the bottom line. Those resorts are already at or near capacity during summer and holidays. I think I read somewhere where WDW is generally at 60% capacity. Adding FP+ to get more people to book onsite at DLR, when they're already full and can't get additional revenue from non-existent rooms makes no sense. During off season, when they're not full, FP isn't as important anyway.

Also the idea of a tier 1 FP one day and another one on the next day only makes sense to people on vacation, who will be there for several days. Local AP, who again I remind you probably makes up about 70% of the guests, rarely if ever go two days in a row. We go once a week, or a couple times a month or something. Reserving a FP+ in advance is not going to get those 70% of guests to spend more money at DLR than they would without them. I know it would make no difference to me--except allowing me to ride more rides Friday evening instead of just eating at one of the DLR restaurants because the lines are too long. In that case, I would spend LESS at DLR than more with the FP+ I know I'm not the only local AP that thinks this way.

 

[zanzibar138]

Here's another issue that mainly affects international visitors. Wifi. DLR would need to implement resort wide free wifi so that we could check the app etc. It is far too expensive for most international visitors to use wifi on their phones and too much hassle to get access to a US network. From what I understand, it would be a major disadvantage to not be able to access the app in the parks.

Having said that, I think they WILL implement FP+ at some point. I only hope that it's a highly customised version which meets the very different needs of the average DLR guest.

 

[AmberStar]

I can't imagine telling my kids, "lets pick our ride out now but understand we won't be there for another 60 days!"

OMGoodness!! That is WILD. What happens when we get there and they see splash mountain in real life and spontaneously decide we want to go on that. Instead of grabbing a fast pass and saying, "Lets get a snack and wait until our fast pass time" I would have to say, "Sorry kids we did not schedule that today and standing in line would take up our entire afternoon." Um No!!!

That would be so disappointing. The rides are so close together and the delight of a child trying to pick and plan sounds terrible. I can't wait for my littles to see the park for the first time and for us to let them be the guides and for the current fast pass system to help us on our way.

The only thing I have booked for our December vacation is our hotel. Then I pre-purchased character dining. Not because I was worried we could not get into one upon arrival but just because I am trying to fully fund the trip.

Things like FP plus and ADRs make me not even a little interested to take my kids to WDW. If we do decide to venture East it won't be until the kiddos are MUCH MUCH older and the eyes of wonder are no longer shining brightly in their eyes. Too much work for a vacation IMO.

 

[Amilo]

I can't imagine telling my kids, "lets pick our ride out now but understand we won't be there for another 60 days!"

OMGoodness!! That is WILD. What happens when we get there and they see splash mountain in real life and spontaneously decide we want to go on that. Instead of grabbing a fast pass and saying, "Lets get a snack and wait until our fast pass time" I would have to say, "Sorry kids we did not schedule that today and standing in line would take up our entire afternoon." Um No!!!

That would be so disappointing. The rides are so close together and the delight of a child trying to pick and plan sounds terrible. I can't wait for my littles to see the park for the first time and for us to let them be the guides and for the current fast pass system to help us on our way.

The only thing I have booked for our December vacation is our hotel. Then I pre-purchased character dining. Not because I was worried we could not get into one upon arrival but just because I am trying to fully fund the trip.

Things like FP plus and ADRs make me not even a little interested to take my kids to WDW. If we do decide to venture East it won't be until the kiddos are MUCH MUCH older and the eyes of wonder are no longer shining brightly in their eyes. Too much work for a vacation IMO.

I agree 100 percent! Planning it all out it's just too restrictive for me!

 

[Suvadoo]

Here's another issue that mainly affects international visitors. Wifi. DLR would need to implement resort wide free wifi so that we could check the app etc. It is far too expensive for most international visitors to use wifi on their phones and too much hassle to get access to a US network. From what I understand, it would be a major disadvantage to not be able to access the app in the parks.

.

I wonder how the foreign visitors at WDW are dealing with this situation?

I'm just hoping that Disney finds the MDE to be a huge money loser, and they end up dumping a lot of it. I really think this is a possibility for the following reasons:

1. They've had to increase their customer service IT people to handle all of the problems people are experiencing while trying to make reservations prior to arriving in the parks.

2. They've had to increase their cast members in the park to handle all of the glitches and questions that arise while guests are on vacation.

3. Most of their guests are first time visitors who require a lot of help, so I really don't think the increased IT people and cast members will be substantially reduced.

There are some people that really like the new system, but I really don't think it is their average guest. Who has the time or inclination to plan a vacation the way that MDE requires?

I know that the person originally in charge of MDE has been fired, but I still wonder how this system got approved in the first place? I've read that it's a $1.5 billion dollar investment, but how much more is it going to cost annually to maintain? I just don't think Disney is ever going to see a ROI for MDE.

 

[AlliGirl]

I haven't read every post so I apologize if someone else has already shared this. During my time as a cast member at WDW I was told by my manager that the reason MyMagic+ would not be heading over to Disneyland had to do with with the two different environments. If you've seen pictures of the new turnstiles at the WDW parks, there's no barrier to keep people out. Simply someone standing with an iPod touch in a special case dealing with 4 people entering at the touch points at a time. Now, to get to the main gates of the Magic Kingdom is a slightly grueling process, either you've driven from off property to the TTC and paid $16 for parking, waited for the monorail, gotten to the front gates, gone through bag check, etc. Or you're coming from on property and added a bus ride to the TTC. Basically, my point is, the only people going through the process of getting to those main gates are (for the vast, vast majority) people on Disney World vacations who have travelled a ways to be there, tickets in hand.

Now, in comparison to DLR, the concern (at least that was shared with me) is that the DL and DCA gates are very exposed to the street and these very open turnstiles are not safe given the ease of just about anyone to push through. I'm not making any judgement about the people of Southern California vs. Central Florida, just that the concern of many, many, people attempting to just push in off the street in a very highly populated area is quite real.

 

[Suvadoo]

I haven't read every post so I apologize if someone else has already shared this. During my time as a cast member at WDW I was told by my manager that the reason MyMagic+ would not be heading over to Disneyland had to do with with the two different environments. If you've seen pictures of the new turnstiles at the WDW parks, there's no barrier to keep people out. Simply someone standing with an iPod touch in a special case dealing with 4 people entering at the touch points at a time. Now, to get to the main gates of the Magic Kingdom is a slightly grueling process, either you've driven from off property to the TTC and paid $16 for parking, waited for the monorail, gotten to the front gates, gone through bag check, etc. Or you're coming from on property and added a bus ride to the TTC. Basically, my point is, the only people going through the process of getting to those main gates are (for the vast, vast majority) people on Disney World vacations who have travelled a ways to be there, tickets in hand.

Now, in comparison to DLR, the concern (at least that was shared with me) is that the DL and DCA gates are very exposed to the street and these very open turnstiles are not safe given the ease of just about anyone to push through. I'm not making any judgement about the people of Southern California vs. Central Florida, just that the concern of many, many, people attempting to just push in off the street in a very highly populated area is quite real.

Boy I hope you're right! But what about FP+?

 

[LizzyS]

The Magic Band thing seems okay if it works correctly, but this FP+ thing just seems insane to me.

Can I do NOTHING on the fly?

I go in to a theme park with a general idea of my plans for the day, but I like to wing it!

 

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

We used the app in 2013 with smashing success. The only thing superior it has now are being able to see the wait times in all the parks, last year we couldn't load up the wait times until we had hopped already. But you could see all the wait times and the FP- return times before you ever had to physically run to the attraction. We watched with astonishment as TsMM went from 110 min to 50 min at 1pm in the afternoon in the amount of time it took to to our animation drawing! The App was a miracle for us. The problem came this year when they added the FP reservations. I could never remember either exactly WHEN my times were. I go so sick of getting my phone in and out of my backpack that I just either carried it in my hand constantly or stuck it in my bra. Everywhere you looked, zombies with smart phone a were trying to get to the next thing while simultaneously browsing their itinerary. I'm sure it was probably laughable. I know at least half in our group were phone zombies. The times being like 10:25-11:25, I just couldn't remember them. RnRc was down all day off and on and they had to give us a paper FP anyway which the entire buidling of people brought back to get in line when it fin ally did come back up anyway.

The app was great. The advanced ride FP is stupid, so our the tiers. Im not against ditching paper for electronic, I'm sure they aren't going back. But if they let people get them that morning, they wouldn't have to have tiers at all. And the poor people trying to pick their water park days are even more screwed since so much of their vacation park days will go off of the weather. Some of them are just planning a lot of half days and booking 3 FP anyway just in case...

 

[zanzibar138]

I wonder how the foreign visitors at WDW are dealing with this situation?

I believe there is free wifi at WDW. But apparently it's pretty patchy.

Some Australian visitors go out of their way to go to a store that sells cheap phones with data plans. Personally I couldn't be bothered, and don't WANT to buy another phone when I already have a perfectly good one.

 

[mesaboy2]

I believe there is free wifi at WDW. But apparently it's pretty patchy.

Some Australian visitors go out of their way to go to a store that sells cheap phones with data plans. Personally I couldn't be bothered, and don't WANT to buy another phone when I already have a perfectly good one.

There is. It's been pretty dodgy in the past, but I think it is improving over time.