FastPass+ Basic Info, Attraction List, and Suggested Priorities--Part I

[gwmort]

Overall I like the list as it pertains to the rides, and I believe it to be accurate and useful.

I notice you put all of the parade and firework options in category C. Is that because of a personal bias against these (i.e. you don't normally wait in lines for them now) or is it based on an actual assessment of whether the viewing locations are as good or better than the ones some people spend significant amounts of time waiting for now (i.e. will someone who generally waits an hour for a prime parade spot save that hour by using fp+ and get near equivalent or improved viewing)?

IMO if it will save that person significant time, based on the grading criteria you provided they should be moved up.

 

[mom2rtk]

Overall I like the list as it pertains to the rides, and I believe it to be accurate and useful.

I notice you put all of the parade and firework options in category C. Is that because of a personal bias against these (i.e. you don't normally wait in lines for them now) or is it based on an actual assessment of whether the viewing locations are as good or better than the ones some people spend significant amounts of time waiting for now (i.e. will someone who generally waits an hour for a prime parade spot save that hour by using fp+ and get near equivalent or improved viewing)?

IMO if it will save that person significant time, based on the grading criteria you provided they should be moved up.

The problem I see with parade spots is that the sort of person who will wait an hour for a spot is the sort of person who wants a curbside spot. With FP+ I have seen reports of the viewing area being 3 deep 45 minutes out. That really would defeat the purpose for me.

The parade viewing is in a nice area, but the view is off to the side, so some will like this, some won't.

 

[jimmysmom74]

Overall I like the list as it pertains to the rides, and I believe it to be accurate and useful.

I notice you put all of the parade and firework options in category C. Is that because of a personal bias against these (i.e. you don't normally wait in lines for them now) or is it based on an actual assessment of whether the viewing locations are as good or better than the ones some people spend significant amounts of time waiting for now (i.e. will someone who generally waits an hour for a prime parade spot save that hour by using fp+ and get near equivalent or improved viewing)?

IMO if it will save that person significant time, based on the grading criteria you provided they should be moved up.

The list is to show the best use of FP+ for time saving. Parades and Fireworks can be viewed as nice locations. It doesn't seem to save you much, if any, time if you want to be in the front, near curb. Mesa is giving you a great look at where the lines will be the deepest. If the A list isn't of interest, than his B list becomes your A list. And so on.

 

[mesaboy2]

Overall I like the list as it pertains to the rides, and I believe it to be accurate and useful.

I notice you put all of the parade and firework options in category C. Is that because of a personal bias against these (i.e. you don't normally wait in lines for them now) or is it based on an actual assessment of whether the viewing locations are as good or better than the ones some people spend significant amounts of time waiting for now (i.e. will someone who generally waits an hour for a prime parade spot save that hour by using fp+ and get near equivalent or improved viewing)?

IMO if it will save that person significant time, based on the grading criteria you provided they should be moved up.

Your premise is incorrect. Neither MSEP or Fantasmic are Cs--Fantasmic is an A in fact.

Wishes, Illuminations, and CADCT are all Cs because in my experience none of them require you to arrive more than, say, 20 minutes or so before to find a good spot. Of course we may have different perceptions of what "good" means exactly, but that is normal.

 

[tofubeast]

Is the wait for Turtle Talk really longer than the wait for Character Spot at EPCOT? For some reason, this is the only thing that surprises me on your awesome list.

 

[mesaboy2]

Is the wait for Turtle Talk really longer than the wait for Character Spot at EPCOT? For some reason, this is the only thing that surprises me on your awesome list.

All reports are that ECS is not much of a wait at all since the refurb a few months back.

 

[gwmort]

Your premise is incorrect. Neither MSEP or Fantasmic are Cs--Fantasmic is an A in fact.

Wishes, Illuminations, and CADCT are all Cs because in my experience none of them require you to arrive more than, say, 20 minutes or so before to find a good spot. Of course we may have different perceptions of what "good" means exactly, but that is normal.

Sorry I missed MSEP, I am not really counting Fantasmic in this category.

My question was really whether the fp+ saves time for people who traditionally wait for parade spots (I'm not one of them), it seems you think it saves some time for MSEP but not much for the others, that is fine.

I just couldn't tell from what was posted whether it was a time consideration on their score or a judgment call on the value of these attractions over rides. Thank you for the response.

Good job on the list.

 

[mesaboy2]

Sorry I missed MSEP, I am not really counting Fantasmic in this category.

My question was really whether the fp+ saves time for people who traditionally wait for parade spots (I'm not one of them), it seems you think it saves some time for MSEP but not much for the others, that is fine.

I just couldn't tell from what was posted whether it was a time consideration on their score or a judgment call on the value of these attractions over rides. Thank you for the response.

Good job on the list.

It is a prioritized from a time consideration perspective above all. Coincidentally, earlier today (and before your post) I edited the OP to make the time consideration aspect more clear.

If someone believes they must see CADCT on Main Street and get a front-row spot, then FP+ for it will make sense for them. But in reality--a reality based on my experience and reading lots of others experiences--a front-row spot can often be found at other points on the parade route (e.g. Frontierland) shortly before it starts. I can't consider everyone's personal preferences and bake those into the list without making it far more complicated than it is.

Fantasmic is a bit of a hybrid between a nighttime spectacular and a traditional show. The finite number of seats is what makes this a higher priority, whereas something like Wishes or Illuminations is pretty easy to see because all you have to do is stand anywhere near the Hub or WS Lagoon and basically look up. There really is no "front row" for either.

, and thanks!

 

[troyseyfert]

Great list!

2 things to consider:

1). Little mermaids ride should now be an A. We went to the world on Sept. 6th-11th. The Little Mermaid ride had a longer wait than space mountain and big thunder...and this is during slow season!! Eventually the newness will wear off but right now, this ride has one of the longest waits without a fast pass.

2) I don't see anything about "be our guest" on here. They offered us a fast pass + through email...and this saved a lot of time waiting in line. Maybe there is a reason for that and I didn't find it in this thread, but I didn't look at every page so sorry if this has already been addressed.

Thanks again! I'm sure people who are not that experienced appreciate it!

 

[mesaboy2]

Great list!

2 things to consider:

1). Little mermaids ride should now be an A. We went to the world on Sept. 6th-11th. The Little Mermaid ride had a longer wait than space mountain and big thunder...and this is during slow season!! Eventually the newness will wear off but right now, this ride has one of the longest waits without a fast pass.

2) I don't see anything about "be our guest" on here. They offered us a fast pass + through email...and this saved a lot of time waiting in line. Maybe there is a reason for that and I didn't find it in this thread, but I didn't look at every page so sorry if this has already been addressed.

Thanks again! I'm sure people who are not that experienced appreciate it!

For Ariel, the posted wait time is commonly observed to be quite a bit more than actual. That, together with the fact that it is an omnimover with stupid-high capacity, keeps it a B in my eyes. I was there just a few days before you and in the height of the day the posted wait I don't think ever exceeded 45 minutes.

As for BOG, I believe it is currently scheduled for FP+ via a different method (a separate URL) and is not counted as part of the 3-4 MK limit. So it's "free" in a sense. That means it doesn't have to be prioritized as an either/or like the others do. When it does eventually appear as an option that comes from the same pool as the rest, I'll consider what I know about it and pop it in the list somewhere.

Thanks for your comments!

 

[rachellm]

How are the FP+ currently set up? Can you use all 3 for anything you want? Or are you restricted to 1 "headliner" and the others are less popular attractions.

Do we know yet how it will work once it goes live?

 

[mesaboy2]

How are the FP+ currently set up? Can you use all 3 for anything you want? Or are you restricted to 1 "headliner" and the others are less popular attractions.

Do we know yet how it will work once it goes live?

You can use all of them on headliner attractions. The only restrictions during this period are that the 3 FP+s must be all in the same park and cannot be used on the same attraction more than once. We do not yet know what the final product will look like.

 

[LisaTC]

My take, for what it's worth, on priorities for those attractions that now offer FP/FP+. Original list is courtesy poster Vertical: FP+ Attraction List, but has been modified to reflect changes since.

These rankings are based on my experience with all WDW attractions and familiarity with each one's popularity and capacity. These rankings are only meant to be an objective list of which FP+ selections have the potential to save the most guests the most time under most conditions. They do not reflect my own preferences with regard to "favorites", and do not attempt to reconcile all the different preferences any particular guest may have.

Ranking System:
A - A must-get or risk waits of an hour or more. Using FP+ here will usually save the most time as compared to the attraction's average standby wait.
B - Take it or leave it. Using FP+ here will usually save some time as compared to the attraction's average standby wait.
C - Chump. Using FP+ here will usually save little time as compared to the attraction's average standby wait.

*Attractions listed within the same priority group are in alphabetical order and not meant to suggest priority within the group.

MAGIC KINGDOM
A - Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
A - Enchanted Tales With Belle
A - Peter Pan's Flight
A - Space Mountain
A - Splash Mountain
B - Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin
B - Haunted Mansion
B - Jungle Cruise
B - Main Street Electrical Parade *Does not always appear as an option
B - Meet Ariel at her Grotto
B - Meet Cinderella and a Princess Friend at Princess Fairytale Hall
B - Meet Rapunzel and a Princess Friend at Princess Fairytale Hall
B - Pirates of the Caribbean
B - The Barnstormer
B - The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh
B - Tomorrowland Speedway
B - Under the Sea - Journey of the Little Mermaid
C - Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade *Does not always appear as an option
C - Dumbo the Flying Elephant
C - It's a Small World
C - Mad Tea Party
C - Meet Mickey Mouse at Town Square Theater
C - Mickey's PhilharMagic
C - Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor
C - The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
C - Wishes *Does not always appear as an option

EPCOT
A - Soarin
A - Test Track
B - Maelstrom
B - Mission: Space
B - Turtle Talk With Crush
C - Captain EO
C - Illuminations: Reflections of Earth *Does not always appear as an option
C - Journey Into Imagination With Figment
C - Living with the Land
C - Meet Disney Pals at the Epcot Character Spot
C - Spaceship Earth
C - The Seas with Nemo & Friends

HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS
A - Fantasmic *Does not always appear as an option
A - Rock 'n' Roller Coaster
A - The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
A - Toy Story Midway Mania
B - Star Tours
B - The Great Movie Ride
C - American Idol
C - Beauty and the Beast - Live on Stage
C - Disney Junior - Live on Stage
C - Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular
C - Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show
C - Muppet Vision 3D
C - Voyage of the Little Mermaid

ANIMAL KINGDOM
A - Expedition Everest
A - Kali River Rapids
A - Kilimanjaro Safaris
B - DINOSAUR
B - Festival of the Lion King
B - Finding Nemo
B - Primeval Whirl
C - It's Tough to be a Bug
C - Meet Favorite Disney Pals at Adventurers Outpost

Additional Notes
- FP+ will generally save more time when crowds are heavier. Therefore, it makes the most sense to choose FP+ windows in the afternoon and early evening--when crowds are at their daily peak.
- For the same reason, when park-hopping the best strategy is often to make FP+ selections in the second (or third) park each day. (The FP+ system currently allows selections in a single park only on any one day.)

Great and awesome list. It would nearly duplicate what I would've stated for even doing FP the old fashioned way (aka, paper tickets to soon be defunct) based on our wait times for these attractions prior, which was always our reason for using FP. Interesting! I agree with parades. We've always gotten great spots minutes prior...even at Christmas! I wouldn't use a FP+ for those, but that's just me. Glad the tiers are no longer on the table at this point. Bad idea. Looking at your sig, you've been so many times, wow!

I'd agree about Kali, not so for Splash.

Entirely different "wetness levels" and popularity quotients.


But the REAL problem is, knowing the weather/temps 60 days out.
45 days out.
30 days out.
15 days out.
Heck, 2 days out.

Exactly -- love Kali, not in love with Splash (last hill kills me) Get really wet on Kali, not to much on Splash! Weather in Florida like Ohio...wait 5 minutes and it will change.

Why don't we all just say, "No, thank you" when asked if we'd like a fresh slice of FP+?

I've been waiting this year out after going last 2 in a row. Don't quite know what to make of this because it's too much defined planning. We were generally rope-droppers (didn't need FP much in the am - could save for later) Could change our park day if we wanted, that seems less likely now. I'm waiting and seeing, but really impressed with this thread. Very informative! Kudos!

 

[DisneyDoc5]

your list rocks, spot on! Just sent you a PM with a quick question, when you have time, thanks!!

 

[MAGICFOR2]

It can't be that much better... We love the DL ride...but having it hidden by splash means no lines most of the time.

It's the same ride - I think people who wait a long time either don't know any better or they are die hard Pooh fans!

 

[sjhanksaz]

great information here

 

[CaraMiaBelle]

I just want to make sure, I noticed you rated Disney Jr Live on Stage a C. I assume that means you do not get any special seating or anything by having the FP+? Otherwise, yes, it does seem like a waste.

 

[alidunne]

fantastic thread! thank you so much for the work you put into this -- it's going to certainly help with my prioritizing in the next few days as we plan our testing for Oct! we're going with three kids under three though, so our strategy was going to be a little different no matter what the FP / FP+ landscape looked like! lol

 

[mesaboy2]

I just want to make sure, I noticed you rated Disney Jr Live on Stage a C. I assume that means you do not get any special seating or anything by having the FP+? Otherwise, yes, it does seem like a waste.

It means that standby waits aren't usually very long for this attraction and therefore using FP+ doesn't get you much.

 

[CaraMiaBelle]

It means that standby waits aren't usually very long for this attraction and therefore using FP+ doesn't get you much.

So no special seating then?