Fastpass+ effect on resales?

[Doug7856]

Our experience in November was generally positive. One things is obvious: this is an evolving product that Disney is tweaking and changing to find the right mix.

While we don't like the limit of three (especially at the Magic Kingdom), nor the tiered limits at Epcot and DHS, overall the system worked for us. I'd say for us it was better than the old FP. I suspect that over time as Disney finds the right balance, there will be more than 3 FP+ at the MK.

The other parks are really suffering from a lack to attractions to keep FP in balance. There is no quick solution at Epcot or DHS. A potential partial solution, Fantasmic! FP became competition for the dining option and lost it's reserved section advantage negating the option for many.

We loved the Magic Bands, pre-reserving our times, the ability to change those times and some of the expanded options -- especially reserved Wishes and reserved seating for the Electric Parade.

I predict that year or two from now, Magic Bands and FP+ will enjoy wide acceptance and appreciation.

 

[DebbieB]

Even though we have fast pass plus can we use the paper FP? We are a group of 10 - some arriving and leaving at different times some do not have passes yet (we go in 2 1/2 weeks) and I just find this frustrating to have to decide our FP selection now. I have no clue what parks we will go to - we usually decide the night before. DH and I have AP voucher, 1- dd has 2 separate tickets that were non expire (she will only be there 2 park days) 2 - dd we think will get a AP which we have not ordered yet waiting to see if we get ressie for NYE and 3rd -DD will be getting AP again only if we get our NYE ressie, my niece has a will call for her AP. My aunt and uncle just ordered their passes last week from UCT so no numbers there, my brother FL resident has no idea what kind of pass he is getting since he is only going for 2 days ugh - my parents are the only ones with a physical 6 day park hopper. This will be a hoot entering every ones crap once we get down to Disney (it will be me doing it which is another thing to worry about doing!) Oh well we will see how it goes.

Any suggestions???? Will there be any FP+ a day or 2 prior if we plan our week the night we get there?

Paper fastpass is gone. They were taken out of AK before Christmas, MK a couple of weeks ago, DHS & Epcot this week. Those without magic bands (offsite) can book FP+ at a kiosk in the park on the same day.

 

[zavandor]

My record is having used a dozen of FP in one day (at Disneyland, where the two parks and some attractions are disconnected and before time return enforcement).
Do I qualify as a super user?

I know that I'm going to use less FP, and this is bad, but I'll get other advantages as a trade off, like this big one:

Oh and arrival day now will be sensational.

You are so right!
I just loved to be able to book FP+ at the MK for the evening of my arrival. Without that I might even have decided to skip that evening from the park.

And let's talk about how much less I'll have to walk going forward and back trying to optimize FP pull out.

Overall, good and bad points will even out and I think I'll be as happy as before.

 

[wdrl]

But I think the system has just changed significantly now that everyone will be using FP+ (whether from home or in the park). . . . I picture Splash Mountain getting to be like a ressie at Be Our Guest in the future once everyone's on board. No?

No, I don't think so. "Everyone" was on board for the old paper legacy FastPass system but there were very few, if any, attractions that routinely exhausted their allotment of FastPasses early in the day (Toy Story Mania being the exception). The new FastPass+ system will, at most, mirror the demand we have seen in the past.

Actually there are a couple of factors that might soften the demand for FastPass+ compared the the old legacy system. First, the limit of three FastPasses per day. Although people complain about the limit of three FastPasses per day. But that limit actually works in favor of letting more people get FastPasses for the more popular rides. And second, the FastPass+ system has increased the number of attractions for which FastPasses are available. Shows, parades, and some rides, such as Haunted Mansion, now have FastPasses that weren't in the system before. By having more attractions offering FastPasses, it lessens the demand for all attractions, even the top "e-ticket" rides.

 

[tjkraz]

After reading this thread http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3224162
I am wondering if we are going to see the volume of resales going up as folks are frustrated with their park experiences.

Someone posted a picture of BTMRR's FP+ line from this week and it's pretty disheartening. http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3224162&page=2

You do realize that thread and photos are from Martin Luther King holiday weekend, right? FP+ or no FP+, there were going to be lines that day. LONG lines.

(We tend to avoid holiday periods but were at Epcot on the Sunday of President's Day weekend in 2012. Waited 40 minutes for Seas with Nemo. Waited almost 20 minutes for Figment. Blaming MLK weekend lines on FP+ is pretty misguided, in my opinion.)

I'm sure things are compounded right now with thousands of people only learning about FP+ after entering the park. Many more know about it but still need to be educated.

I wouldn't take anything you see today as an indicator of overall guest satisfaction. And I doubt the current feeling toward FP+ is going to move the proverbial needle on resale values.

 

[tjkraz]

I picture Splash Mountain getting to be like a ressie at Be Our Guest in the future once everyone's on board. No?

No...not even close. Splash Mountain's ride capacity is 1800-2000 per hour. Even in a short 12 hour operating day, the ride is moving 22-24k guests. MK's attendance is often higher than that, but then the limit of 3 FPs per day comes into play.

Families with young kids will want to use FP for things like Dumbo and Peter Pan. Some will choose Wishes or parade viewing areas. Some will use FP+ for character meet-and-greets.

Magic Kingdom is actually the one park best equipped to handle FP+. Sure it hosts a lot of guests each day, but those guests often have widely different tastes in attractions.

The whole purpose of the 3 FP per day limit and the tiering at DHS and Epcot is to make sure that attractions DON'T get fully booked weeks in advance. The only attraction which may prove to be a problem is Toy Story Mania because its capacity is so low (only about 1200 per hour.) But it was purposely placed in a tier with Rock N Rollercoaster and Fantasmic, forcing guests to choose just ONE of those experiences.

Parade and fireworks viewing could also be troublesome if they become popular, because there's usually just one show per day. I'm sure there are limits to the number of guests they can accommodate in the reserved viewing areas.

But overall the intent is for guests to choose their FPs same-day...or make changes to existing plans...and still have their choice of just about every attraction at multiple return times.

 

[rlovew]

Even though we have fast pass plus can we use the paper FP? We are a group of 10 - some arriving and leaving at different times some do not have passes yet (we go in 2 1/2 weeks) and I just find this frustrating to have to decide our FP selection now. I have no clue what parks we will go to - we usually decide the night before. DH and I have AP voucher, 1- dd has 2 separate tickets that were non expire (she will only be there 2 park days) 2 - dd we think will get a AP which we have not ordered yet waiting to see if we get ressie for NYE and 3rd -DD will be getting AP again only if we get our NYE ressie, my niece has a will call for her AP. My aunt and uncle just ordered their passes last week from UCT so no numbers there, my brother FL resident has no idea what kind of pass he is getting since he is only going for 2 days ugh - my parents are the only ones with a physical 6 day park hopper. This will be a hoot entering every ones crap once we get down to Disney (it will be me doing it which is another thing to worry about doing!) Oh well we will see how it goes.

Any suggestions???? Will there be any FP+ a day or 2 prior if we plan our week the night we get there?

I had a much more detailed post but it disappeared before it posted but we were there for MLK weekend and we did not book FP for Sunday until 8am that morning and for Monday on Sunday night. The only FPs not available were Sunday night Illuminations(but Monday and other times in the week were available) and On Sunday night we could not book Toy Story for Monday(but we could for other times in the week and I could have on Sunday morning). So planning 2 days out will probably give you the option for anything and you will still get good rides before the park opens. I did bring a computer specifically for using to book on DME rather than using my phone.

We also still switched times while in the parks and didn't have a problem with that. This was for 5 people.

 

[anna08]

I really am not a horribly impatient person, usually very underderstanding that humans make mistakes, and love technology. But when I'm on vacation, I'm not interested in standing in line at Guest Services/front desk to get access to my room or the parks, both of which I paid a significant amount of money to be enjoying. This thread http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3219856 seems like a small example of the numerous posts with people having these issues.

I really don't think Disney would be getting such bad press if they had the technology part aced. For heavens sake, look at their Facebook page comments - there are negative posts there! Anyone noticed the big increase in advertising for DCL on TV lately? I think that's their one line of revenue that is not a headache for them right now.

I'm just sad. What we love about DVC is taking friends and family with us - now that has become a nagging (did you buy your park tickets yet? did you sign up for MDE? what would you like to do in the park? no, you can't sign up for both of those..) annoying time consuming task. We have decided after this next trip, it's a week a the beach for all - one phone call and it's done. Disney has got to improve or they are going to see a fall in profits. I am a huge fan and have spent tons of money at WDW in the past. I'm sure it won't make a dent if I stop bringing friends and family and cut my trips down to one per year. But if there are more like me out there...

 

[Doug7856]

...I'm just sad. What we love about DVC is taking friends and family with us - now that has become a nagging (did you buy your park tickets yet? did you sign up for MDE? what would you like to do in the park? no, you can't sign up for both of those..) annoying time consuming task....

Extended family members joined us for our November trip. I hadn't put my finger on the frustration but you summed it up perfectly. The nagging was a pain. In the past our family often purchased tickets when they arrived, but this time we had to make sure everyone was linked via MDE and select our reserved times. An added complexity.

 

[RobDoc]

We just returned from a 3 night stay - arriving Sunday about 1pm and leaving Wednesday morning. We took another couple for their first visit.

We have not toured commando for years, but decided to this trip to maximize their first Disney experience. (The guest wife had been to Epcot in the early 80's, the husband had never been to WDW.)

While Sunday afternoon/evening at Epcot was busy, with the help of FP+ we were able see the VoL, AA, movies in France and Canada, Soarin, Energy, SE, Living with the Land, Nemo, Capt EO, lunch at Sunshine Fair, take a couple of trips around World Showcase and watch Illuminations. Our friends were tired but thrilled with their experience.

Monday morning we headed to MK and (with the help of FP+) rode BL, TTA, Carousel of Progress, PP, IASM, Philharmonic, HM, BTMRR, PotC, JC and HoP, plus lunch at Columbia Harbour House and were back at OKW by 2pm for a break before heading into DHS for the evening. Without FP+ we didn't get to do much there except TGMR, VoLM and One Man's Dream before getting into Fantasmic but everything was manageable.

Tuesday, we headed to AK with FP+ for EE, KS and Nemo/Musical, Pangani Forest and Maharajah Jungle Trek. Did not need FP+ for EE but were able to do everything and leave by 12:30 to head back to Epcot for lunch at Coral Reef. We took a break back at OKW before heading back to MK for the evening, ride a few things and then took in MSEP and Wishes.

FP+ was wonderful and allowed us a fairly leisurely tour Sun/Mon when the parks were somewhat crowded with MLK vacationers. We had no snags or delays with FP+ or the Magic Bands at all.

We did note the long lines at the FP+ kiosks for those without MBs and I don't expect that to change much going forward for those staying off-site. It would have been nice to have been able to get a FP+ for TT in addition to Soarin (as the lines at both were around 100 minutes), so we did not get to ride TT this trip.

As noted in other reports, there are occasional bottlenecks where guests are unfamiliar with using the FP+ bands. We still experienced guests using legacy FP at Epcot and DHS, but it appears that is now a thing of the past too.

While FP+ will still need a few tweaks ahead to improve the experience, we found it to be a great addition to the Disney experience. It should certainly not be a factor that will influence DVC resales.

 

[wdrl]

I really am not a horribly impatient person, usually very underderstanding that humans make mistakes, and love technology. But when I'm on vacation, I'm not interested in standing in line at Guest Services/front desk to get access to my room or the parks, both of which I paid a significant amount of money to be enjoying. This thread http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3219856 seems like a small example of the numerous posts with people having these issues.

I really don't think Disney would be getting such bad press if they had the technology part aced. For heavens sake, look at their Facebook page comments - there are negative posts there! Anyone noticed the big increase in advertising for DCL on TV lately? I think that's their one line of revenue that is not a headache for them right now.

I'm just sad. What we love about DVC is taking friends and family with us - now that has become a nagging (did you buy your park tickets yet? did you sign up for MDE? what would you like to do in the park? no, you can't sign up for both of those..) annoying time consuming task. We have decided after this next trip, it's a week a the beach for all - one phone call and it's done. Disney has got to improve or they are going to see a fall in profits. I am a huge fan and have spent tons of money at WDW in the past. I'm sure it won't make a dent if I stop bringing friends and family and cut my trips down to one per year. But if there are more like me out there...

Do what you feel most comfortable with. Vacations should be something that causes enjoyment, that makes you feel good. Why should I take a vacation that causes me grief, stress, or disappointment? For all of us, there will come a time when a Disney vacation will be more trouble than its worth.

BTW, I wouldn't use the number of DCL commercials you see of TV as an indicator of Disney's current situation one way or the other. All cruise lines realize that the middle of winter is the best time of year to advertise cruises that are going to warm sunny destinations.

 

[DenLo]

I have to admit that BTMRR was the only FP+ line that had those long lines at MK. I still think it was because they only had one train running that morning.

As to it increase the number of resales, I find that hard to believe.

 

[Sammie]

Our experience in November was generally positive. One things is obvious: this is an evolving product that Disney is tweaking and changing to find the right mix.

While we don't like the limit of three (especially at the Magic Kingdom), nor the tiered limits at Epcot and DHS, overall the system worked for us. I'd say for us it was better than the old FP. I suspect that over time as Disney finds the right balance, there will be more than 3 FP+ at the MK.

The other parks are really suffering from a lack to attractions to keep FP in balance. There is no quick solution at Epcot or DHS. A potential partial solution, Fantasmic! FP became competition for the dining option and lost it's reserved section advantage negating the option for many.

We loved the Magic Bands, pre-reserving our times, the ability to change those times and some of the expanded options -- especially reserved Wishes and reserved seating for the Electric Parade.

I predict that year or two from now, Magic Bands and FP+ will enjoy wide acceptance and appreciation.

I would say you are correct about MK, we were given 4 for MK during our stay and I thought it was a glitch, so I asked. No, no glitch, they were randomly selecting guests to give 4 to for testing purposes.

I loved booking a place to watch Illuminations. We have gone to Epcot every year since it opened and this was the first time we had a spot where we could actually see everything projected on the globe, it was fabulous and we only showed up 10 mins. before showtime.

 

[Missyrose]

I would say you are correct about MK, we were given 4 for MK during our stay and I thought it was a glitch, so I asked. No, no glitch, they were randomly selecting guests to give 4 to for testing purposes.

I loved booking a place to watch Illuminations. We have gone to Epcot every year since it opened and this was the first time we had a spot where we could actually see everything projected on the globe, it was fabulous and we only showed up 10 mins. before showtime.

Where was the FP+ viewing area for Illuminations? Were there many people in that section?

 

[Sammie]

Where was the FP+ viewing area for Illuminations? Were there many people in that section?

It is behind the buildings that house the gift shop as you come into World Showcase that over look the lagoon and no it was not crowded. No more than any other area during Illuminations and probably less than some areas.

 

[anna08]

I would say you are correct about MK, we were given 4 for MK during our stay and I thought it was a glitch, so I asked. No, no glitch, they were randomly selecting guests to give 4 to for testing purposes.

I loved booking a place to watch Illuminations. We have gone to Epcot every year since it opened and this was the first time we had a spot where we could actually see everything projected on the globe, it was fabulous and we only showed up 10 mins. before showtime.

When did you find out you had four? 60 days out or just when you got to the parks?

When I booked, I didn't see any parades or fireworks listed. Is that added closer to date?

If you don't use a FP and the time lapses (for example you arrive too late to make one) will the system allow you to book another one?

WOW WebmasterDoc! That was an impressive schedule! I'm really encouraged by your experience. I assume no problems with room access or charging with the MB? Were you doing rope drop to get all those things in?

 

[Sammie]

When did you find out you had four? 60 days out or just when you got to the parks?

When I booked, I didn't see any parades or fireworks listed. Is that added closer to date?

If you don't use a FP and the time lapses (for example you arrive too late to make one) will the system allow you to book another one?

WOW WebmasterDoc! That was an impressive schedule! I'm really encouraged by your experience. I assume no problems with room access or charging with the MB? Were you doing rope drop to get all those things in?

If you miss, you can not book another in it's place.

Parades and Fireworks are released closer to the date you are wanting to book but go quickly.

Our extra one at MK was given to us a few days before the date.

 

[DebbieB]

If you miss, you can not book another in it's place.

Parades and Fireworks are released closer to the date you are wanting to book but go quickly.

Our extra one at MK was given to us a few days before the date.

I haven't tried it but I heard you can still change a selection if you miss it.

 

[dbs1228]

I had a much more detailed post but it disappeared before it posted but we were there for MLK weekend and we did not book FP for Sunday until 8am that morning and for Monday on Sunday night. The only FPs not available were Sunday night Illuminations(but Monday and other times in the week were available) and On Sunday night we could not book Toy Story for Monday(but we could for other times in the week and I could have on Sunday morning). So planning 2 days out will probably give you the option for anything and you will still get good rides before the park opens. I did bring a computer specifically for using to book on DME rather than using my phone.

We also still switched times while in the parks and didn't have a problem with that. This was for 5 people.

Thank you this gives me hope! I am going to try to get everyone I possibly can set up not sure how to link all of us but I am going to look at it tonight. Hopefully get my NYE ressie in place tomorrow and purchase DD's AP passes and hope that 3 different will call cf # will work in my MDE! Still not sure what to do with the 2 single passes we have left that are quite old and have 5 days of water parks attached to each ticket. Anyhoooo thanks again

 

[anna08]

You'd be surprised how old the tickets are that it will accept! We've got current PAPs, tickets with water park days only left and new 10 day no exp park hoppers with water park etc... now all loaded. I'm curious to see which ones get "used" when we go to Typhoon Lagoon after our APs expire.

I was surprised you could not see an inventory of what was used and left on a ticket. That would be nice, because I'll have to tie up guest services time looking that up every trip so I can figure out when I can stop bringing the paper tickets along.

As we enter our next frigid week in MO, the sound of Typhoon Lagoon is making me so eager for our next trip!!

Sammie - did you get an email about parades/fireworks or did you just have to look frequently? Thanks for all the answers!