Fast Pass Problem

[jerseyduke]

One other note that may have already been mentioned: you are arriving two days after Rise of the Resistance opens.

OP is going 12/22. RoR opens 12/5

I think Slink Dog has become possibly more difficult to get than FOP.

Anyway, are you aware that you can only make 1 FP for the RIDES at HS (well, 1 and star tours). Basically 1 for either TSM, ToT, RRC, SDD, Alien Swirling Saucers (did not want to abbreviate that one)

You cant make them for either Smugglers Run or Rise of the Resistance.

And, for what its worth, I think Slink Dog is so much better at night, I never use a FP on it (since I want my FP to be early in the day)

 

[kboo]

This morning I was up at 5 to get ready for work and make sure I got my fast passes. Well when it came to hollywood studios i got the worst passes. Only toy story mania ! Is there any way I can complain. It took forever to get these passes. System was so slow on my disney experience.

My trip is December 22-27 I’m staying st my dvc. I thought avatar was the most difficult!

EDITED: I GOT MY DATES WRONG. Glad I had checked my dashboard for the countdown... Tuesday felt like a Monday this week.

You booked 24 hours (approximately) too late - on the 23rd, when your 60 day window opened on the 22nd. It's further complicated by the fact your trip started on a Sunday.

Our 60-day window opened on Monday Tuesday at 7am, and I was online booking FPs between 7-8:30 (while getting the kids ready for school). I got everything I wanted, though 7DMT was a little hard since our MK days are at the beginning of our trip. But we got everything else we wanted, booking 48 24 hours before you for essentially the same week. Frankly I was a little surprised at how easy it was. But the reality is that Disney plans for its on-site properties to be fully booked year-round, so competition is probably pretty much the same at the 60-day window, and the start date to your trip probably makes a bigger difference when booking hard-to-get FPs.


Sorry this happened to you. How many people were in your group?

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

You booked 24 hours (approximately) too late - on the 23rd, when your 60 day window opened on the 22nd. It's further complicated by the fact your trip started on a Sunday.

Our 60-day window opened on Monday at 7am, and I was online booking FPs between 7-8:30 (while getting the kids ready for school). I got everything I wanted, though 7DMT was a little hard since our MK days are at the beginning of our trip. But we got everything else we wanted, booking 48 hours before you for essentially the same week. Frankly I was a little surprised at how easy it was. But the reality is that Disney plans for its on-site properties to be fully booked year-round, so competition is probably pretty much the same at the 60-day window.

60days from December 22nd is October 23rd.

 

[kboo]

60days from December 22nd is October 23rd.

You're right. Sorry! (I will edit my post) Apologies to the OP!

So then the difference in FP availability was likely because you are checking in on the Sunday rather than the Saturday. I went back to look at my FP plans. It was pretty slim pickings at MK/EP for the days 12/21-12/25. I remember thinking that there might be people traveling to WDW to stay just up to, or through Christmas, because there were more options for Tier 1 FPs starting 12/26.

We were able to get all our first choices (including FOP) on 12/26 and 12/27, our planned AK days. We weren't even trying for HS until later.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

You're right. Sorry! (I will edit my post) Apologies to the OP!

So then the difference in FP availability was likely because you are checking in on the Sunday rather than the Saturday. I went back to look at my FP plans. It was pretty slim pickings at MK/EP for the days 12/21-12/25. I remember thinking that there might be people traveling to WDW to stay just up to, or through Christmas, because there were more options for Tier 1 FPs starting 12/26.

We were able to get all our first choices (including FOP) on 12/26 and 12/27, our planned AK days. We weren't even trying for HS until later.

No worries! Legit I went to a Day Counter to double check myself .

 

[CarolynFH]

FYI for @jerseyduke and others wondering — on the DIS Theme Parks board, Alien Swirling Saucers is often abbreviated AS2. The website will block the “instinctive” abbreviation!

 

[bashuck]

I did go backwards. Do I complain to member services

No

 

[Jennasis]

Of course there is somewhere for you to complain....right here on the DIS. Sadly, it is the only thing you can do.

You are going during the busiest week of the year. Couple that with the new way DHS does fastpasses (the tiering allows you only 1 choice from the tier 1 attractions, which are all the good attractions) and you are left with not a lot of choices. TSMM is a tier 1 ride. That means if you book it, you can not book Tower of Terror, Rock n Rollercoaster, Slinky Dog, Fantasmic, Alien Swirling Saucers etc. You can have all the Star Tours, Muppets Frozen Singalong, Indiana Jones, Little Mermaid your heart can take though.

 

[Jimmy Mouse]

For future trips you could always book Club Level and pay for 3 extra FP+ and it lets you book all your FP+ 90 days from checkout so everything is available plus no tiers! We are staying 12/19 - 12/28 and got everything we wanted at the times we wanted and Disney got what they wanted. More of my money.

 

[DebbieB]

Keep checking. I was able to move a 7DMT for 12/2 the other day, I had late afternoon, wanted early morning. I was surprised a 9:35 popped up. I did see a slinky dog pop up for 12/4 for 5:50 the other day, didn't take it because of a dinner reservation and was really looking for morning (have 7:15pm, which blocks tier 1 for the entire day).

 

[dez1978]

Why would you think you should complain to Disney??? Dvc does not entitle you to special fast passes

 

[sndral]

I did go backwards. Do I complain to member services

Member services has no control over FPs, that’s parks, so why complain to MS about something they have 0 control over? You wouldn’t complain to MS about an issue w/ service on a cruise booked w/ points because that’s under Disney Cruise line’s control not DVC’s, same deal w/ MS and FPs.
Christmas week is really really busy thus you won’t be able to get as much done park wise v. going at a less busy time, I find I need to lower my expectations and pack my patience to enjoy a WDW vacation during busy times - since I’m not too good at either I avoid booking during more ‘challenging’ times if I can

 

[sndral]

Why would you think you should complain to Disney??? Dvc does not entitle you to special fast passes

I can see why someone might think they are connected - if you take the DVC tour don’t they reward you with free FPs for your time? I’ve read of people complaining about things at resorts & getting free FPs to placate them. So I can see how someone might think complaining to MS might yield a couple of free anytime FPs, but I’ve never read of that happening.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I can see why someone might think they are connected - if you take the DVC tour don’t they reward you with free FPs for your time? I’ve read of people complaining about things at resorts & getting free FPs to placate them. So I can see how someone might think complaining to MS might yield a couple of free anytime FPs, but I’ve never read of that happening.

I count that as totally different.

DVC, to my knowledge, doesn't state anywhere that they have any control over FP distribution, that they can get you something others can not in respects to FP selections simply by being a member.

Disney giving you a FP to placate you (which often has restrictions on what rides it cannot be used for) isn't the same as someone walking up and saying "I paid for a park ticket you need to help me get what I want because I didn't get what I wanted"..replace "park ticket" with DVC and you can understand how people responded because that's more or less how it came off. The OP may certainly have not intended that to be the case though.

 

[Jack_Sparrow_NJ]

SDD has become harder to get that FOP. I just did my FP the other day and the only FP I had a hard time booking was indeed SDD. Best advice try rope drop or right before park close.