Explain to me how problems with MBs and FP+ could destroy your WDW trip?

[redsbe]

I guess I simply do not get it - how problems would with MBs and/or FP+ would completely ruin a WDW visit? I have been to WDW or DL ten times since 1995 including recently using FP+ and besides missing out on three confirmed rides/attractions why do people get so excited and concerned if MBs or FP+ do not work or have problems?

During all our visits we never depended on FP or needed certain rides/attractions (or experiencing them multiple times) to have a great WDW experience. Just get into a park, perhaps arrive early, stay late, beat the crowds, plan your priorities, look to have a more fuller complete WDW experience besides whether you got to ride TSM four times. Is WDW more then simply a few key rides/attractions in each park? How to visitors handle the other unexpected crisis that can come up during a trip that could also ruin their experience, like rides closed, bad weather, renovations etc....

I am going again in December for 6 days, already set up days in each park, options for counter service meals, and know which FP+ to book, but frankly FP+ adds little value or quality to my visit as can get done what I need to do and as much as like without depending on FP+. Frankly the weather and potential for ride closures would have more of a serious impact, and I certainly can not control those at all - at least with FP+ I can try.

 

[wilkeliza]

Some people are over dramatic. We took our nephew for his 2nd birthday. It was the first Mickey's Not So Scary when all resort guests had magic bands. Since we bought all tickets online there were issues because they were all automatically linked. I told my brother in law to bring all the tickets with him to the gates in case of any issues. He didn't bring them so the first day we spent 45 minutes at guest relations. All he did the rest of the week was complain about how the system was crap and it ruined his time because now he had cranky kids who had been in a park for 45 minutes without riding a thing. Mind you they gave the family 3 no strings passes to ride whatever we wanted to make up for the lost time.

Then the next day it was my issue. I was a CM and needed to get my comp tickets switched to hard tickets since the papers don't scan any more. Of course there was a massive line at outside guest relations since at MK the ticket windows are at TTC. I wanted to use the ticket window at TTC but family kept pushing me to just get to the front. So frustrating to say the least. Well we told them to go ahead and meet Mickey or let the kids explore main street and the DBF and I would catch up. 30 minutes later he is yelling us at how we ruined the vacation because they had been in the MK for 30 minutes and his kids didn't get to do a damn thing. Mind you I told them go in the main gates and under the bridge. Take a right and you will see the theater that has Mickey. They claimed they got lost and the kids were now cranky. Kids were cranky one bit just dad.

 

[momto3gsds]

'destroy the vacation' no, but cause issues, yes. And quite frankly, I really don't want to have 'issues' on my vacation. I'm not the one that changed the FP system, Disney did. I simply follow what they say to do so that I can take advantage of what they have SOLD TO ME. Since I have PAID for this I should be able to expect it to work.

Same with the Magic Bands. I've PAID for the resort, I've paid for the tickets. I should be able to expect them to work. It is a huge issue to me if I get to the park and these silly bands don't work. Again, I've PAID for time at the parks and don't think its right that I should have to waste my time waiting in yet still another line trying to fix an error made by Disney.

I'm also staying on site. In part this is due to the EHR offered to resort guests and now that has changed as well.

Disney wants us to plan where we will be and when 60 days out, where we will eat 180 days out. Why shouldn't I be angered when they make changes suddenly or expect that I 'go with the flow' when the bands don't work? Every time they make one of these sudden changes (like park hours) its like a slap in the face to all of us who have taken our time to plan these things and who suddenly have to waste their time to make changes.


I like these boards but so many people here seem like Disney can do no wrong and put down members whenever they darn say anything against Disney. I realize this is the Internet and filled with all kinds of people, but at times its just so overboard.

I like Disney too, but how about some accountably here?

 

[JimmyV]

During all our visits we never depended on FP or needed certain rides/attractions (or experiencing them multiple times) to have a great WDW experience.

Others do. Don't assume that all guests have the same wants and needs. If a child had her heart set on meeting A&E and the family showed up only to find that their FP had been wiped and their one and only day at the MK now entailed a 4 hour wait in a SB line, that could be considered ruinous to some. You apparently go with the flow. That's fine. But not all guests' expectations are the same.

Here is something to keep in mind. When a person posts here that their trip was flawless and they had a great time, no one has any reasoned basis to question their experience or conclusion. But likewise, when someone posts here that some snafu ruined their day or their vacation, no one has any reasoned basis to challenge that conclusion either. Calling someone a liar or accusing them of being overly dramatic is just as wrong in one direction as challenging a person who says they had a great time is in the other direction. Just because you wouldn't have been put off by a bad break doesn't mean that every other person should feel the same way.

 

[ldymcbth]

Our upcoming trip is a very short 3 night trip with 2 days in parks - one day at MK, one day at DHS. If our Magic Bands crapped out at MK and we had to wait for 2 hours at customer service to get them fixed, etc., and then our Anna/Elsa, Mine Train, etc FP+ got lost with no hope of fixing, etc., then honestly, yes, it would ruin our trip. Because we're there for such a short period of time that if we have to carve out time like that for technology issues, it will really eat into what we can accomplish. Would I still try to have a good attitude? Sure! But it would suck royally.

 

[wdw4rfam]

Well I read yesterday that hundreds spent 2 hours trying to get in MK because MB wouldn't work. If you got up early to make rope drop and had to stand in line for two hours instead, may be upsetting.I have heard people say that they can't get in their rooms (huge deal if you are staying n the back of POR or CBR and have to get all the way back to check in desk. I have read people losing their fast passes in the system. If I only get 3 I think it would be upsetting to lose them. These are all pretty big deals to me. I can't say they would ruin my trip or not, until it happened to me. Personally, ride closures aren't that big of a deal to me, there are so many others to ride, so I guess everyone's opinion of major trip issues are different

 

[momto3gsds]

Others do. Don't assume that all guests have the same wants and needs. If a child had her heart set on meeting A&E and the family showed up only to find that their FP had been wiped and their one and only day at the MK now entailed a 4 hour wait in a SB line, that could be considered ruinous to some. You apparently go with the flow. That's fine. But not all guests' expectations are the same.

Here is something to keep in mind. When a person posts here that their trip was flawless and they had a great time, no one has any reasoned basis to question their experience or conclusion. But likewise, when someone posts here that some snafu ruined their day or their vacation, no one has any reasoned basis to challenge that conclusion either. Calling someone a liar or accusing them of being overly dramatic is just as wrong in one direction as challenging a person who says they had a great time is in the other direction. Just because you wouldn't have been put off by a bad break doesn't mean that every other person should feel the same way.

Thank you.

 

[Disneylover99]

Others do. Don't assume that all guests have the same wants and needs. If a child had her heart set on meeting A&E and the family showed up only to find that their FP had been wiped and their one and only day at the MK now entailed a 4 hour wait in a SB line, that could be considered ruinous to some. You apparently go with the flow. That's fine. But not all guests' expectations are the same.

Here is something to keep in mind. When a person posts here that their trip was flawless and they had a great time, no one has any reasoned basis to question their experience or conclusion. But likewise, when someone posts here that some snafu ruined their day or their vacation, no one has any reasoned basis to challenge that conclusion either. Calling someone a liar or accusing them of being overly dramatic is just as wrong in one direction as challenging a person who says they had a great time is in the other direction. Just because you wouldn't have been put off by a bad break doesn't mean that every other person should feel the same way.

Nicely said. Thank you!

 

[Jennasis]

Taking a stab at the condescending question posed by the OP, but I'd say the problems with MB's or FP+ can potentially lead to long, frustrating, continuous waits at guest services. Having CM's accuse folks of lying. Causing missed ADR's, lost park time etc.

 

[OhioStateBuckeye]

Well there is a pretty simple answer to that question.

How can a magic band ruin a trip: if the magic band never works and you spend hours at guest service and the hotel concierge trying to get it to work. That is several hours a day for multiple days.

 

[Dizzyworld]

'destroy the vacation' no, but cause issues, yes. And quite frankly, I really don't want to have 'issues' on my vacation. I'm not the one that changed the FP system, Disney did. I simply follow what they say to do so that I can take advantage of what they have SOLD TO ME. Since I have PAID for this I should be able to expect it to work.

Same with the Magic Bands. I've PAID for the resort, I've paid for the tickets. I should be able to expect them to work. It is a huge issue to me if I get to the park and these silly bands don't work. Again, I've PAID for time at the parks and don't think its right that I should have to waste my time waiting in yet still another line trying to fix an error made by Disney.

I'm also staying on site. In part this is due to the EHR offered to resort guests and now that has changed as well.

Disney wants us to plan where we will be and when 60 days out, where we will eat 180 days out. Why shouldn't I be angered when they make changes suddenly or expect that I 'go with the flow' when the bands don't work? Every time they make one of these sudden changes (like park hours) its like a slap in the face to all of us who have taken our time to plan these things and who suddenly have to waste their time to make changes.


I like these boards but so many people here seem like Disney can do no wrong and put down members whenever they darn say anything against Disney. I realize this is the Internet and filled with all kinds of people, but at times its just so overboard.

I like Disney too, but how about some accountably here?

Well said!!

 

[ariane37]

Taking a stab at the condescending question posed by the OP, but I'd say the problems with MB's or FP+ can potentially lead to long, frustrating, continuous waits at guest services. Having CM's accuse folks of lying. Causing missed ADR's, lost park time etc.

Yes. We only had a problem with our MB's one of our 10 park days in Feb. It was after getting up and arriving very early at EPCOT, and being pretty much right up at the gate. Instead of being one of the first in the park we spent over an hour at guest relations. Annoying, but did not ruin our trip.

HOWEVER, had this happened every day of our trip-or every other day? Or had it been a 2 day trip rather than a 10 day? Definitely would have put a huge damper on that trip.

 

[surferdave]

"Destroy" and "ruin" are are hyperbolic words usually latched onto and used by people who favor the new system to describe the feelings of those who don't. When people do use the words in frustration I tend to overlook it as readily as I do when someone describes their trips (as JimmyV said above) as absolutely perfect and flawless; I know better than that as well. But this is the internet and hyperbole is everywhere.

My trip certainly wasn't ruined when I used it but it did frustrate me enough to consider other vacation alternatives (more relaxing ones that require less planning than WDW does) as much more relatively attractive now.

 

[dkrauss]

Others do. Don't assume that all guests have the same wants and needs. If a child had her heart set on meeting A&E and the family showed up only to find that their FP had been wiped and their one and only day at the MK now entailed a 4 hour wait in a SB line, that could be considered ruinous to some. You apparently go with the flow. That's fine. But not all guests' expectations are the same.

Here is something to keep in mind. When a person posts here that their trip was flawless and they had a great time, no one has any reasoned basis to question their experience or conclusion. But likewise, when someone posts here that some snafu ruined their day or their vacation, no one has any reasoned basis to challenge that conclusion either. Calling someone a liar or accusing them of being overly dramatic is just as wrong in one direction as challenging a person who says they had a great time is in the other direction. Just because you wouldn't have been put off by a bad break doesn't mean that every other person should feel the same way.

Doug

 

[agavegirl1]

"Destroy" and "ruin" are are hyperbolic words usually latched onto and used by people who favor the new system to describe the feelings of those who don't. When people do use the words in frustration I tend to overlook it as readily as I do when someone describes their trips (as JimmyV said above) as absolutely perfect and flawless; I know better than that as well. But this is the internet and hyperbole is everywhere.

My trip certainly wasn't ruined when I used it but it did frustrate me enough to consider other vacation alternatives (more relaxing ones that require less planning than WDW does) as much more relatively attractive now.

Agreed. Most posters who start with a negative MM+, FP+ or Magic Band thread title use less hyperbolic words. They also personalize it for the most part as in "FP+ disappointed ME" or "I hate MM+".

I go on many vacations that require planning in advance. Popular National Park campgrounds require advance reservations months ahead. Certain museums such as Alcatraz require advance tickets. Many times I have planned lovely vacations several months in advance due to necessity. However, no other vacation requires me to plan my hourly schedule in such detail. Not anywhere. If they do, they had better deliver what they promise without any glitches whatsoever. Relying on a plastic wristband and a glitchy IT system which may or may not work as promised, is unacceptable. Calling it a "Test" for more than a year, is no excuse. This is not a "Test", this is a problem. A problem that I hope is fixed before I get there. I have planned a trip to Italy with less hassle.

 

[JoeA]

I think it was late Sept 2012. A nice trip by all accounts and we had tremendous luck with rides, last minute dinner reservations, got to stay on the 16th floor of Bay Lake (we're DVC so we spent lots of time at the lounge), were treated to a boat for the opening of the "scary" event and I kicked my wife's rear (finally) on Toy Story, but....

It was a split stay and that played havoc with our cards - CARDS, and passes. We had to spend about 40 mins on two of the three days with GS to get them ironed out. One was at EPCOT and the other was at HS.

The moral or the story, if there is one, is that ticket problems existed well before MB. I've been back twice since then, both with split stays and both times the experience was flawless. And both times we used MBs.

I'll never discount the bad experience some have had, or put them down, but the world isn't falling apart and for every bad experience I am sure there are 10 good ones.

Just one dudes opinion, of course.

 

[LadyRayado]

Suppose it is the one and only trip a family gets to take. OP, and many of us, have been to WDW multiple times, some people don't have that opportunity. I know plenty of people who have saved for years to take a five-night, four-day hit-every-park once trip. If their Magic Bands lock them out of the park or lose their FPs and they have to lose precious hours tying to fix it - image how crushing that would be. Imagine a kid having his heart set on riding 7DMT just once and now he has to wait two hours or perhaps never ride it, or what the family might miss or have to skip on their one and only trip. I'd be upset if it happened to me and I've been there, done that on pretty much everything at WDW. That's how it could ruin an entire trip.

 

[Angel Ariel]

Our trip in November is a short one. We'll only have 4 day tickets, plus the ticket for the spectator event in epcot for the wine and dine 1/2. 2 out of the 4 days of the park ticket will only be partial days, as they are arrival and departure days. The other 2 days are full days. If I had to spend an hour+ at guest services during those 2 full days, I would be an unhappy guest.

Would it "destroy" my trip? Honestly,it would depend on how often it happened and for how long. 1 single hour wouldn't ruin anything, though I'd be frustrated. But the same problem occurring over and over again, even after being constantly told it was fixed? Yes, that would bug me. I'm dealing with crap like that enough in real life - companies making promises to take care of something and not following through and me having to continually waste time to follow up and make them do their freaking job. I'm going to Disney to get *away* from that crap, so yes, it would significantly affect my feeling on the trip if I had to deal with that kind of crap there.

 

[practicallyperfect77]

I read yesterday there were folks that waited 2 hours to get into MK. I am only guessing how this would make me feel but I am thinking I would be peeved beyond belief if this happened to me on my next trip especially the first day when I have 8:15 ressies at CP. I would miss my one and only shot at having a picture of the castle without gobs of others, would miss breakfast with pooh and friends (the only characters my niece and nephews are dying to meet) and also miss the first hour of lower crowds where we can ride standby. This is a once in a lifetime trip for my niece and nephews. I would be extremely disappointed knowing I had done everything in my power to have an amazing first day but for it to be botched by a system. Ruined....no....disappointed/frustrated/bummed out...absolutely.

 

[Jennasis]

I think it was late Sept 2012. A nice trip by all accounts and we had tremendous luck with rides, last minute dinner reservations, got to stay on the 16th floor of Bay Lake (we're DVC so we spent lots of time at the lounge), were treated to a boat for the opening of the "scary" event and I kicked my wife's rear (finally) on Toy Story, but....

It was a split stay and that played havoc with our cards - CARDS, and passes. We had to spend about 40 mins on two of the three days with GS to get them ironed out. One was at EPCOT and the other was at HS.

The moral or the story, if there is one, is that ticket problems existed well before MB. I've been back twice since then, both with split stays and both times the experience was flawless. And both times we used MBs.

I'll never discount the bad experience some have had, or put them down, but the world isn't falling apart and for every bad experience I am sure there are 10 good ones.

Just one dudes opinion, of course.

True dat! We were also there September of 2012...also a split stay, DVC...BLT and AKL (maybe we saw you!). One of the BEST trips we've ever had. Not a single problem from check in to check out. No issue with the cards or our tickets or anything.

The moral of the story is, you are right. One person can have a bad experience while someone at the exact same time and place is having a stellar one. The best one can do is to hope you get to be the stellar one.