FastPass+ Basic Info, Suggested Priorities, And Strategies--Part II

[lea25]

This thread has been a wealth of information!

Looking for recommendations...
1. this is our first trip with FP+ and we have a large party with 3 separate reservations that are linked. So from what I can tell by browsing some of the 188 pages, as long as they're linked and I can see them on MDE, when I log on at midnight to do FP+ I should be able to link all of the FP requests...correct?

2. While we have 4 kids going (10, 11, 12, 17), they are not interested in the coveted Meet the Frozen girls and most likely will not be interested in Tales witih Belle. So what should we spend our FP+ on instead?

I've been looking at 2 day MK touring plans for months and have decided to mainly go with one I found online, but need to modify them to take Anna and Elsa, Belle, Splash Mtn

Day 1:
Space Mountain, Buzz, (and then other Tomorrowland options of Astro/Speedway, etc)
7DMT (fp)
lunch
Little Mermaid (fp)
Barnstormer, Dumbo, WP, Teacups, Carousel
Dinner
Parades/fireworks

Day 2:
BTMM, jungle cruise (fp?)
aladdin, Pirates(fp?)
lunch
Peter Pan (fp)
Philharmagic
Haunted Mansion (fp)
Small world
dinner

So what would be a good recommendation on which rides/events to use them on? We're going to be there during the busiest week of the year (Dec. 20th - 25th), which I'm completely dreading. :/ Of the 12 people in our party, 5 have never been and 1 hasn't been in almost 20 years. So I'm banking on the fact that they're just going to be excited to be there and won't know exactly what they're missing if we don't get to it.

 

[siskaren]

This thread has been a wealth of information!

Looking for recommendations...
1. this is our first trip with FP+ and we have a large party with 3 separate reservations that are linked. So from what I can tell by browsing some of the 188 pages, as long as they're linked and I can see them on MDE, when I log on at midnight to do FP+ I should be able to link all of the FP requests...correct?

2. While we have 4 kids going (10, 11, 12, 17), they are not interested in the coveted Meet the Frozen girls and most likely will not be interested in Tales witih Belle. So what should we spend our FP+ on instead?

I've been looking at 2 day MK touring plans for months and have decided to mainly go with one I found online, but need to modify them to take Anna and Elsa, Belle, Splash Mtn

Day 1:
Space Mountain, Buzz, (and then other Tomorrowland options of Astro/Speedway, etc)
7DMT (fp)
lunch
Little Mermaid (fp)
Barnstormer, Dumbo, WP, Teacups, Carousel
Dinner
Parades/fireworks

Day 2:
BTMM, jungle cruise (fp?)
aladdin, Pirates(fp?)
lunch
Peter Pan (fp)
Philharmagic
Haunted Mansion (fp)
Small world
dinner

So what would be a good recommendation on which rides/events to use them on? We're going to be there during the busiest week of the year (Dec. 20th - 25th), which I'm completely dreading. :/ Of the 12 people in our party, 5 have never been and 1 hasn't been in almost 20 years. So I'm banking on the fact that they're just going to be excited to be there and won't know exactly what they're missing if we don't get to it.

The recommendations for what to use FP for are in the second post of this thread.

 

[ColoradoDis]

FP+ window just opened. My husband, daughter and son-in-law are starting a 5-night, 6-day stay at POP in December. My husband and I are non-florida resident AP holders. He and I are also have a 9-day stay in October where we already have FPs. So...here's the problem, the system won't let me reserve FPs for my husband and I on our last two days (says we've reached our FP limit). Is there a 13-day limit to FPs? I didn't see this issue addressed in the first post (sorry if I missed it).

Thanks

 

[Planogirl]

I was checking my MDE and I noticed that my party shows correctly under Family and Friends and I manage everyone. I also see that everyone has passes.

However if I go to the FP+ page and click on New Fastpass then only I show up in the next page. Is this correct? I'm not eligible for a few days so maybe this will change? I'm concerned since the website seems to have so many problems.

 

[BigMommaMouse]

I was checking my MDE and I noticed that my party shows correctly under Family and Friends and I manage everyone. I also see that everyone has passes.

However if I go to the FP+ page and click on New Fastpass then only I show up in the next page. Is this correct? I'm not eligible for a few days so maybe this will change? I'm concerned since the website seems to have so many problems.

Don't worry they will change on your FP day at midnight.

 

[BigMommaMouse]

FP+ window just opened. My husband, daughter and son-in-law are starting a 5-night, 6-day stay at POP in December. My husband and I are non-florida resident AP holders. He and I are also have a 9-day stay in October where we already have FPs. So...here's the problem, the system won't let me reserve FPs for my husband and I on our last two days (says we've reached our FP limit). Is there a 13-day limit to FPs? I didn't see this issue addressed in the first post (sorry if I missed it).

Thanks

From OP -

1. Annual Pass (AP) holders can prebook attractions up to 60 days in advance of the beginning of an onsite stay, for a maximum of 7 days or the length of the onsite stay--whichever is greater. As with above, FP+ selections can be made for the entire length of stay.

If your onsite it should have worked.
You might have to call.

 

[Planogirl]

Don't worry they will change on your FP day at midnight.

I did this once at 30 days out but didn't look at anything ahead of time. That's what I get for poking around.

Thanks so much!

 

[doconeill]

FP+ window just opened. My husband, daughter and son-in-law are starting a 5-night, 6-day stay at POP in December. My husband and I are non-florida resident AP holders. He and I are also have a 9-day stay in October where we already have FPs. So...here's the problem, the system won't let me reserve FPs for my husband and I on our last two days (says we've reached our FP limit). Is there a 13-day limit to FPs? I didn't see this issue addressed in the first post (sorry if I missed it).

Thanks

Are the remaining days outside the 60-day window at this point? Did you have any FP reservations that were outside a resort stay? It _shouldn't_ matter, but there have been strange glitches with APs mixed with on-site stays.

 

[Cluelyss]

From OP -

1. Annual Pass (AP) holders can prebook attractions up to 60 days in advance of the beginning of an onsite stay, for a maximum of 7 days or the length of the onsite stay--whichever is greater. As with above, FP+ selections can be made for the entire length of stay.

If your onsite it should have worked.
You might have to call.

Also from OP:
Onsite guests (which includes those staying at the Swan and Dolphin but not at Shades of Green nor any Downtown Disney-area hotels) can prebook attractions up to 60 days in advance of the beginning of an on-site stay and for their entire trip. In other words, at 60 days before a check-in date one can make FP+ selections for the entire trip--up to 14 days

So you may be limited to 14 for both trips. Though the fact that it stopped at 13 is odd??

 

[ELSA711]

Okay - I have two questions - hopefully unique enough to post as I didn't see the answer in the first two posts.

I was one of the individuals who had their parades cancelled and I was rebooked to another FP+ attraction without given a choice. I called Disney IT and they added in an extra 'golden FP' for those two parades and let me keep the 3rd one they assigned me. They did give me a 'golden pass' that states in the details for Thursday night it's for MSEP. (Great! That's the one they cancelled on me)

The problem is they gave me 2 extra FP+ for my Friday night. One for FOF and one for MSEP when really I only needed them to give me back FOF.

So here are my questions:
1. Do I have to use them for what they state they are for? I was told last year 'no'
2. What happens when I use my initial 3 in MDE and still have the 'golden ones' - Can I technically rebook a 4th? or do I need to use golden ones too before I book any more?

 

[siskaren]

I was checking my MDE and I noticed that my party shows correctly under Family and Friends and I manage everyone. I also see that everyone has passes.

However if I go to the FP+ page and click on New Fastpass then only I show up in the next page. Is this correct? I'm not eligible for a few days so maybe this will change? I'm concerned since the website seems to have so many problems.

I know BigMommaMouse answered your question, but just as an FYI, this is addressed in bullet point #3 under Booking Windows and Scheduling in the first post.

 

[vt2nyc]

Hi! Going to WDW with my family in December. (13-20) 7 adults and 1 teen. Staying at OKW. I am the "planner" and have set up my MDX account and linked everyone as part of my party. Our tix are already linked. We are coming up on our date to book FP. This will be my first time using the new FP+ system. I am trying to read through all these threads, but there is so much info, I'd like to cut to the chase since my time is short to figure this out. So, please forgive me if my questions have been answered ad nauseum here. We have already planned what parks we will be in each day and what rides we would like to FP each day. We aren't going for any character meets , but we are trying to get Peter Pan, Soarin, SDMT, Toy Story, and most of the thrill rides. Since we are a large group, I know it could be difficult.
So, my first question is : can Another member of my group log on to our MDX website at the same time as me to "tag-team" making our reservations? If so, does the other person need to have their own login, or can they also use mine?
2: is that even a good strategy for the best chance to get the FP we want? I figure we could each take a day that has the highest-priority FPs, and be working on the reservations at the same time.
3: for the most desirable FPs, should I even try to book 8 at once, or is it most likely we will have to book smaller groups that overlap?
4: there are some rides that my Dad, for example, will not be able to go on. It seems easiest to just book our whole party on the same rides however. My understanding is, his FP must be used before whe can book any in-park FP. What do we do if we would like to keep our group together? I'd prefer not to book my Dad and one of us on some other ride at the same time everyone else is doing "soarin", for example. I know it may be possible to send my nephew on a ride twice, using my Dad's FP. Any other suggestions?
I appreciate any tips or advice you have. Thanks for helping to make our trip magical!

 

[slbgnb]

FP+ works the same way as Legacy FP with regard to child swap/rider swap/rider switch policies.

Could someone refresh my memory on how child swap works? There is me, DH, DD and DS who will want to ride the thrill rides. Then there is DD, who is tall enough, but too scared. Is it...I ride with the 2 kids, then after the ride, my DH gets on and the kids can ride with him as well? Does it matter if DD is tall enough...just doesn't want to ride? Is there a separate entrance once DH is going after I already went? Thanks!

 

[doconeill]

Could someone refresh my memory on how child swap works? There is me, DH, DD and DS who will want to ride the thrill rides. Then there is DD, who is tall enough, but too scared. Is it...I ride with the 2 kids, then after the ride, my DH gets on and the kids can ride with him as well? Does it matter if DD is tall enough...just doesn't want to ride? Is there a separate entrance once DH is going after I already went? Thanks!

You can see the link in my signature for the details.

Officially, if they are tall enough, you are not eligible for the Rider Switch pass. However, if the CMs feel it would be the easiest way to accommodate a situation such as yours, they can give the pass, or offer some other alternative.

 

[slbgnb]

You can see the link in my signature for the details.

Officially, if they are tall enough, you are not eligible for the Rider Switch pass. However, if the CMs feel it would be the easiest way to accommodate a situation such as yours, they can give the pass, or offer some other alternative.

Excellent info. Thanks! One more ? - when you say "greeting CM"....does that mean there is a CM at the entrance of all the rides and that is the person you talk to?

 

[doconeill]

Excellent info. Thanks! One more ? - when you say "greeting CM"....does that mean there is a CM at the entrance of all the rides and that is the person you talk to?

All all the attractions with a Fastpass line, there will be a CM at the entrance. That it who you talk to about Rider Switch passes, etc.

 

[BrianL]

Can Another member of my group log on to our MDX website at the same time as me to "tag-team" making our reservations? If so, does the other person need to have their own login, or can they also use mine?
2: is that even a good strategy for the best chance to get the FP we want? I figure we could each take a day that has the highest-priority FPs, and be working on the reservations at the same time.

I can't answer your other questions, but honestly, if you are booking 60 days out, the only things that are difficult to get is 7DMT and Anna & Elsa. If you aren't doing any M&Gs then 7DMT becomes the only difficult one. I would not worry about having multiple people trying to log in and grab them up. One trick is to start with the last day of your trip (or latest MK day really) and lock those in first.

 

[vt2nyc]

I can't answer your other questions, but honestly, if you are booking 60 days out, the only things that are difficult to get is 7DMT and Anna & Elsa. If you aren't doing any M&Gs then 7DMT becomes the only difficult one. I would not worry about having multiple people trying to log in and grab them up. One trick is to start with the last day of your trip (or latest MK day really) and lock those in first.

Thanks for telling reply! Good to know...

 

[vt2nyc]

Thanks for telling reply! Good to know...

"the"reply...not "telling" reply! Autocorrect fail!!!

 

[nuzmom]

I'm stumped...

Myself and DS#2 check in on Dec 7th. DH and another DS#1 check in on the 12th and we all move to a larger room. We all stay until Dec 22. We all have APs that expire on Dec 14th and additional 8 day passes that are all linked in MDX. (this gives us tickets for all days we are in WDW)

My FP+ booking window opened yesterday (60 days from Dec 7th). Today, I was able to book FP+ for length of stay for DS#2 and myself. I was also able to book FP+ for DH and DS#2 for 8 of the days (non consecutive) they are there.

However, I have 3 days that I have not been able to book for DH and DS#2. (btw - they are not the last 3 days, they are the last 3 days I went to book, which are scattered throughout our stay).
Why? And, when will I be able to book those?