Fastpass Plus ruined my vacation

[DisneyHardin]

I am so sorry that you had such a terrible trip. I imagine it must be a terrible feeling to spend so much money and not have an enjoyable time.

We have been twice since FP+ was in effect and we have really liked how it worked out for us. But, that being said, we are rope drop people and can get so much done in the first 2 hours the park is open.

 

[bookgirl]

Sorry you had a bad trip.

I was lucky and got to ease in to it as my first FP+ trip was during the testing phase of MB/FP+. First trip was fine and then by the time the full roll out happened I was already use to it.

However, I think there was some personal issues above and beyond FP because the reactions you describe are way out of proportion to the situation.

Some people do not adapt quickly or well, maybe the second trip will be smoother and less meltdown inducing for your husband, so you'll have a better trip.

 

[wisblue]

Because the reality of visiting WDW is that you now pay more and experience less.

I think the reality is that some people are experiencing less, some people are experiencing more, and some people don't think there's much, if any, difference.

Regardless, jumping on someone who had a bad experience like some on this thread have done (not you, of course) is not appropriate.

 

[disney world dreamer]

OP- your husband screaming at everyone to get up was not FP+'s fault.
if he agenda was to be there at RD and your agenda was not then thats a lack of communication.

i think you just don't like change cuz FP+ would actually help eliminate having to wait in very long standby lines.

think about it this way... if it was still the old fastpass system you would have had to get to the park early just to get ONE fastpass for a headliner and then you could not have gotten another fastpass until you used that one or enough time had passed to get another one.

with FP+ you can choose THREE initially and can then go to the kiosks to get a 4th and beyond.
and as long as you were not looking to get a coveted FP+ beyond your initial 3 you could very easily get one that had a starting window in the next 5 minutes. (we could not believe that we could get one for POTC that started in 5 minutes. we walked right on while watching the poor standby line not move).

and you should have been able to get the majority of what you wanted 30 days out.
maybe not A&E, 7DMT, or TSMM but everything else pretty much should have been get-able.

and so you could have listened to your husband and got up to do RD and easily done those headliners that were unobtainable.

i have no sympathy for folks that have a bad attitude and ruin their own vacation and then try to blame the system.

its one thing if disney loses your luggage, or buses take way longer than they should, or your magic band does not work.

but claiming that the new fastpass system ruined your vacation simply because you don't like it that is laughable.

are there things about FP+ that i don't like?
SURE but would never let the negatives "ruin" my vacation.
instead i just work the new system to my advantage. (i've had 2 trips with FP+/MB and i'm going again in april and i think i've done a decent job at using it to my advantage)

 

[bumbershoot]

I just returned home from WDW and had the most stressful, miserable trip of my life. My family was not able to ride the rides we wanted unless we waited in long stand-by lines. Then, my husband was screaming for us to leave the hotel super early, while we were exhaused and not ready to get up from the night before. I feel like any spontaneity is gone from this vacation. NO one should come home from Disney screaming at your spouse about frustration from your trip. I am frustrated that even as an annual pass holder, I cannot make the fastpass reservations that I want even 30 days in advance. I have to go back this summer because I have a Premier pass and need to use it to get my money's worth. I hear that they are bringing this to Disneyland and I am terrified. Most visitors to DL decide within a day to visit. Help! Does anyone have any advice?

I have come home from disneyland vacations very very frustrated, no FP+ to blame. While I never screamed at the family, I have been frustrated at the difference in touring styles both at DLR and WDW. I don't think Disney is so magical that it takes out the interpersonal relationships, difficulties in communicating wants and needs immediately, or jet lag. Those things can be part of anyone's vacation to absolutely anywhere.

It was a trip to Ireland with my then best friend that taught me the importance of communication in navigation. It was doubled by the driving then fiancé and I had to do for wedding planning, in a difficult part of a different town. So many arguments mainly based on "I didn't like how you told me to turn left at the next street" and nonsense like that.

On our second big trip to DLR one morning the guys were sleepy. I was not. I woke them accidentally while getting ready. Dh thought I was being passive aggressive when I said they could sleep in and meet me at the parks. I didn't know how to convince him I was being open and truthful. What ended up happening was that they got up and ready, when they wanted to sleep. I ended up getting to the parks half an hour later than I wanted to. No one was happy that day. When we got home I was really unhappy because they didn't want to move as fast as me. After many talks, that's when my solo trips started.

People aren't immune to that stuff just because we are on vacation and it's utterly useless to think we are, just because it's Disney. Take the lessons, have loving talks about what everyone's needs (especially early in the trip...though I have noticed that nothing keeps my family from collapsing about 3 days into the trip, so we might as well see what we can see), and work out the game plans for the future trip.


What was happening that you couldn't get FP+s at 30 days? People would like to know and help you.

Having been there done that, on the side (though non screaming) of your husband, I feel without a doubt THAT is likely truly what was at the heart of your ruined trip.

 

[Planogirl]

I think it's the word "ruined" that ignites a response. You can take out FP+ and substitute it with ECV's, strollers, tour groups, etc.... ruined my vacation. And the thread will take off.

The OP feels that FP+ ruined her vacation. That doesn't make her wrong, that's just what is true in her eyes. People liking or not liking FP+ won't change her own perception.

 

[maxiesmom]

The OP feels that FP+ ruined her vacation. That doesn't make her wrong, that's just what is true in her eyes. People liking or not liking FP+ won't change her own perception.

A quick look shows that the OP is used to rolling out of bed and hitting the park whenever. A tactic that might work at DL, which is the park they visit most, but if you want to hit all of the big rides definitely won't work at WDW. Not without a lot of frustration, as she unfortunately found out the hard way. FP+ may have played a small part in their frustration, but it really didn't have the starring roll.

 

[CampbellzSoup]

The OP feels that FP+ ruined her vacation. That doesn't make her wrong, that's just what is true in her eyes. People liking or not liking FP+ won't change her own perception.

I'm jus wondering what the alternative to her not to have her vacation "ruined" the old system where she would be waiting hours to return to a ride? Not understanding how it can "ruin" a vacation at all.

 

[Marthasor]

OP, I understand your frustration. We go to WDW 5-6 times per year and had our first shot at FP+ during the first roll-out phase. We also have a special needs son, so on that first FP+ trip we were also trying to navigate the very recent change from GAC to DAS. The CM's couldn't really help us with either because they were all new to both, too! That trip was so frustrating! But the more we went and the more Disney worked on FP+, the more I became familiar with using FP+ to help us tour the way we like to tour as a family. I also have a DH who vacations very differently from me, so we compromise every day with time entering a park, time spent in parks, etc. I can completely understand how, after being so familiar with how to tour DL with their present system, it would be difficult to tour WDW! The systems are now completely different. In fact, we plan on going to DL in August and I have no clue what to do! I will be doing a lot of research! Anyway, I'm sorry it was a difficult trip. I do think if they bring it to DL and you visit often, you will soon figure out how to change your touring style to have it work to your advantage.

 

[Laketravis]

If I claimed my vacation was ruined because I was knocked down and injured by an ECV and I attributed the cause of that to crowded park conditions, would I be wrong?

Maybe. Maybe not.

So exactly how many angels can dance on the head of a pin?

 

[larryz]

The OP feels that FP+ ruined her vacation. That doesn't make her wrong, that's just what is true in her eyes. People liking or not liking FP+ won't change her own perception.

Sing with me (to the tune of My Favorite Things)...

Waiting in line for a ride that is broken,
Bellicose tourists who come from Hoboken,
Large chanting tour groups with bracelets and rings,
These are a few of my favorite things!

Fastpasses, MagicBands, legs made of turkey,
Steaks in Le Cellier tougher than jerky,
Lumberjacks cutting and axes they fling,
These are a few of my favorite things!

Animatronics and elephants flying,
Parents that shout and their kids who are crying,
ADRs missing and princes and kings,
These are a few of my favorite things…

When the band breaks, MDE’s slow,
Mickey’s head turns blue
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I won’t yell at you!

 

[Laketravis]

Sing with me (to the tune of My Favorite Things)...

Waiting in line for a ride that is broken,
Bellicose tourists who come from Hoboken,
Large chanting tour groups with bracelets and rings,
These are a few of my favorite things!

Fastpasses, MagicBands, legs made of turkey,
Steaks in Le Cellier tougher than jerky,
Lumberjacks cutting and axes they fling,
These are a few of my favorite things!

Animatronics and elephants flying,
Parents that shout and their kids who are crying,
ADRs missing and princes and kings,
These are a few of my favorite things…

When the band breaks, MDE’s slow,
Mickey’s head turns blue
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I won’t yell at you!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[disney world dreamer]

If I claimed my vacation was ruined because I was knocked down and injured by an ECV and I attributed the cause of that to crowded park conditions, would I be wrong?

Maybe. Maybe not.

So exactly how many angels can dance on the head of a pin?

funny you should mention that.
in 2007 at epcot during RD a little old lady behind me that had no business operating an ECV ran into the back of my foot and my foot got stuck between the wheel and the foot rest.
she would not let up on the "gas" until i screamed a few things out of pain and then someone else putlled her hand away.
i could have allowed that to "ruin" my vacation but instead through tears i told my friend we should just keep going since we wanted to get on soarin.
to this day my foot aches as i'm sure i now have arthritis in it but i certainly did not allow it to ruin my vacation then or any time since.

 

[Unearned Happiness]

my husband was screaming

NO one should come home from Disney screaming at your spouse about frustration from your trip.

I suggest instituting a new family rule. No screaming, period.

 

[hill6]

Did you stay off property? If yes then you were restricted to the 30 days. If not you should have had 60 days if you stayed on site. I often do late day/afternoon fast passes since we normally hit a park with an hour of rope drop.

 

[maxiesmom]

I suggest instituting a new family rule. No screaming, period.

I will admit to screaming at WDW once. The great thing was how a CM handled it. He had giant Mickey Hands on, and he walked over to me and started mocking me, waving his arms around. I guess it could have backfired horribly, but it made me laugh and made me realize I was being an idiot.

I don't think people mean to scream, so making a rule against it won't prevent it.

 

[Disneylover99]

The OP feels that FP+ ruined her vacation. That doesn't make her wrong, that's just what is true in her eyes. People liking or not liking FP+ won't change her own perception.

I never said she was wrong to feel that way. I was just commenting on the word "ruined" and how it evokes a response in others. It's a word that divides people. Some people will sympathize with the op and others won't.

 

[yankeepenny]

Another WDW and DL vet here. The trip to WDW is very , very NOT cheap. Sure you plan and plan and plan again. Being a first timer there you are still spending the week getting into the flow. Add in a time zone change and what sounds like A LESS THAN ENTHUSIASTIC PARTNER and you have a recipe for unhappy. Don't blame what you called a ruined trip on fastpass.
IF you are determined to go again to "get your money's worth" I suggest you either leave the partner at home, or have a realistic plan that you stick to. Add in the summer heat and crowds and I don't see this future trip being much fun either. JMHO.

I have a pass, and I allow for the fact that something you did not plan on (constant 90 min wait for Peter Pan) may mean you have to wait or skip it altogether. You need to be realistic that you cannot do everything you want to do on any trip, that is just not possible. A few days at DL and you used to be able to do that. Wont happen when the new system is in place.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

I will admit to screaming at WDW once. The great thing was how a CM handled it. He had giant Mickey Hands on, and he walked over to me and started mocking me, waving his arms around. I guess it could have backfired horribly, but it made me laugh and made me realize I was being an idiot.

I don't think people mean to scream, so making a rule against it won't prevent it.

Agreed, but rules are important. They remind us what we will or will not allow in our lives. Perfection in following those rules is not as important as the effort, and a willingness to apologize when we cross the line. Blaming someone or something else for crossing that line does not constitute an apology.

 

[MillauFr]

I can see why people don't like FP+. We went to Disneyworld last August for the first time. It was great and a few things we liked better than Disneyland (staying at the Poly for $189, Animal Kingdom, and wide variety of restaurants) but for the most part we prefer Disneyland because it doesn't require excessive planning.