Explain it to me like I'm 5: FPP and App Refreshing

[Cornucopiaoflove]

So I've seen quite a few people post about getting additional fp's through their app. I swear I tried when my DH and I were there in May, and yet we never really saw anything worth getting a FP for. Was I doing it wrong? What's your method for this?

 

[DizneyMommy]

So I've seen quite a few people post about getting additional fp's through their app. I swear I tried when my DH and I were there in May, and yet we never really saw anything worth getting a FP for. Was I doing it wrong? What's your method for this?

Just keep clicking on difffrent times and the options will keep changing I got several things last week that said they were gone for the day and after clicking back and forth from, say 12:00 to 12:30 if that was the time range I wanted, something appeared.

 

[GillianP1301]

Basically the premise is that day of, there are many changes happening to fastpasses throughout the day as people juggle their plans around. The idea of constantly refreshing is to "catch" a dumped fastpass as soon as it happens and before somebody else snags. It's not foolproof, it still requires that somewhere along the way somebody has either released or changed a time on a fastpass to something you're looking for. The more you refresh, the more likely you are to find what you're looking for.

 

[DisDreaming4116]

And when it says XXXX attraction is out of FP+ for the remainder of the day, do not believe that, especially for anything not called Flight of Passage. Click the same time or a new time and there will be a whole new slate of FP+ options to choose from.

 

[glocon]

I actually got a FoP fp by refreshing when originally there were none available. It was for 8pm. I wanted an earlier time so every so often for the next few days I would refresh, even when the app said no fp available. I got it moved to 4pm. I now am at 1:40 by refreshing even when mde says no fp available. Just don’t give up!

 

[BMAEC]

When you say “refresh”, is there a specific thing to click to do this? Or does it mean closing the app and reopening ?

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

We usually have good luck by just checking the app multiple times, sometimes the FP+ available don't make sense with our park plans like we're in adventureland and a FP+ is open in Tomorrowland, but sometimes they do. Also if we're near a kiosk and there's no wait, I will check those, bottom line is that the FP+ available change all the time. I usually just restart my searches in the app and try for different times or just select afternoon/evening and see what comes up. Hard to get FP+ will not always be available, but there is usually something we all want to do after we use up our 3rd FP+ that makes sense for our visit.

 

[dlavender]

So I've seen quite a few people post about getting additional fp's through their app. I swear I tried when my DH and I were there in May, and yet we never really saw anything worth getting a FP for. Was I doing it wrong? What's your method for this?

As I've stated before, our group seems to have less luck than others.

However, what I believe people are doing, and what we do, is keep changing the time to search for FP and checking to see what spits out. But you have to constantly do it. So think 100 refreshes in like a 10 min time frame.

 

[JETSDAD]

When you say “refresh”, is there a specific thing to click to do this? Or does it mean closing the app and reopening ?

Just click on the same time again (android) or switch between 2 times (iPhone).

 

[mamamelody2]

I have an android so I could continually click on the same time. So really every 2 seconds or so I would do another refresh. If you are looking for a certain ride, say Test Track, and it comes up but not for a time you want, grab it anyway. The list of available FPs is alphabetical, so you have to scroll to check TT. Once you have one, but you don't like the time, when you go to modify it, it will come up at the top of the list. Keep refreshing until you get a time you like. Say, you are waiting in another line, or at dinner, or taking a break, just keep refreshing until you get something you like. This can take literally 500 refreshes in 15 minutes or so. Better that, than waiting an hour or more in the standby line, IMO. Often, we would tap in for our FP, and I would get right on MDE looking for the next FP. Usually within a couple minutes I had one we wanted.

It's really amazing to watch how it changes with every refresh. First refresh, there may be no FPs at all (on a really busy day) next refresh, there's a couple non-desirable ones, next refresh, there's 3 times to choose from on a popular ride. I consider it a kind of game, to see what we can get.

 

[BMAEC]

Thank you so much for the clarification! Not to get too much off topic, but how do your phone batteries hold up with using the app all day? Do you bring an external battery, or do you have to recharge it at the park? I’m hoping to get a new iphone before our trip because the battery on my 6 drains so quickly after updating the OS but even with a good battery I’m wondering how it holds up after a full day in the park.

 

[mlnbabies]

We just spent 2 days in the parks on 6-19 and 6-20. I booked my first 3 in the first park. After I used them, I was able to book the next FP in the next park. I knew what ride we wanted and if it had a FP, I booked it. By refreshing the time I was able to get the time I wanted. I got 7 total FP's on day 1 and 6 FP's on day 2. I only had 7DMT and FOP as my scheduled 3. Lucked out and got FEA, ToT, RnRC, TSM, POC, Buzz, Pooh. I did use an external battery pack.

 

[TIME4DIZ]

Thank you so much for the clarification! Not to get too much off topic, but how do your phone batteries hold up with using the app all day? Do you bring an external battery, or do you have to recharge it at the park? I’m hoping to get a new iphone before our trip because the battery on my 6 drains so quickly after updating the OS but even with a good battery I’m wondering how it holds up after a full day in the park.

This is the easy part. Bring an external battery and recharge it each night or get a Fuel Rod. A Fuel Rod is brand of an external battery, but there are locations within each park where you can exchange an empty Fuel Rod for a fully charged one- basically a vending machine. You can buy a new Fuel Rod at the machine or save a few bucks and buy one before you arrive- no cost for the swapping of empty for fully charged once you buy the Rod.

 

[JETSDAD]

Thank you so much for the clarification! Not to get too much off topic, but how do your phone batteries hold up with using the app all day? Do you bring an external battery, or do you have to recharge it at the park? I’m hoping to get a new iphone before our trip because the battery on my 6 drains so quickly after updating the OS but even with a good battery I’m wondering how it holds up after a full day in the park.

I don't bring anything to recharge my phone in the parks even though I add a lot of FP's. We often take a mid day break and I'll recharge my phone then to be safe. If we don't take a break my phone lasts through the day anyways (Note 8).

 

[DizneyMommy]

Thank you so much for the clarification! Not to get too much off topic, but how do your phone batteries hold up with using the app all day? Do you bring an external battery, or do you have to recharge it at the park? I’m hoping to get a new iphone before our trip because the battery on my 6 drains so quickly after updating the OS but even with a good battery I’m wondering how it holds up after a full day in the park.

I have an iPhone 8 Plus. I disabled every I didn’t need, took all battery saving measures I could, and still needed a charge before dinner every day. I took a ton of photos and video too though.
I have a Rav Power charger from Amazon.

 

[mamamelody2]

We did take an external charger into the parks, but I rarely had to use it even though I was doing all the refreshing. And I did A LOT.

 

[Miffy]

Just click on the same time again (android) or switch between 2 times (iPhone).

And don't close the app in between!
ETA: BTW, FoP is definitely possible as a day-of FP+. I've gotten it several times, often with very little refreshing.

 

[Order66]

As others have said, when getting your additional FP's after the first 3, either a) choose the next attraction you are looking for even at a non-desired time. Then hit the modify button and keep selecting the time(s) you really want until a better time appears. It can take a couple tries or it could take a long time, or never appear at all (most commonly closer to park closings in my experience). I have sometimes modified it 4 or 5 times to keep getting closer to what I actually wanted. Or b) choose any attraction at your desired time and again modify it to attempt to change attractions for that time window. Again just keep selecting the time over and over until you find one.

We just returned from our trip on 6/16 and had mostly good luck. Our first park day we used our 3 advanced FP's at DHS. We wanted to make sure we got on TSM before the closing. After tapping in for our 3rd, I was able to get RnR for a short time later....giving us time to have some lunch first. After taping into RnR the plan was to hop to Epcot and I was able to get Test Track for about 8pm. While on the bus over, I was able to modify it again for 5pm. Rode some things without FP and short lines while wating. Tapped into Test Track and got one for Soarin' opening right away. While in Soarin' I was able to book Frozen, again for right away. We had dinner ADR's so weren't going to able to stop for a ride first, and I was able to push it back to 8pm. I consider doing the 4 rides open at DHS and all 3 Tier 1 rides in Epcot a pretty good day. On our best day we used 12 Fp's at MK. 3 pre-booked and got 9 more during the day, most were for times that we could finish the current ride and walk right over to the next.

regards

 

[jenniferhouston2]

However, as the refreshing strategy becomes more well known (through disboards and other media), I suspect it will lose its effectiveness. Enjoy it while you can.

 

[Klayfish]

However, as the refreshing strategy becomes more well known (through disboards and other media), I suspect it will lose its effectiveness. Enjoy it while you can.

As I mentioned in the other thread, it's definitely less effective now than it has been. I've been using this strategy for about 2 years now, and this trip is far harder than it has been in the past. Don't know why, but it is.

My battery makes it all day. But I have an ancient Android. Well, the phone is only 6 months old, but it was $25, so that tells you how old the technology of it is.