FastPass Plus Version 2.0 (you can get more than 3-- STARTS APRIL 28!)

[jenninaustin]

This thread has been quite interesting discussion of FastPass Version II.... until the same bickering FP+ has started again.

Wish you would carry on THAT discussion else where. Start a thread "Let's argue over pros/cons of FP"
Many of us do not want to hear it. PERIOD.

Please, Please, Please. Give. It. A. Rest.
Some of us would like to read a civil discussion regarding the actual topic of the thread.


Hopefully
-Kate

For what it's worth, I agree with Kate. I came back to this thread hoping for some tips/ideas about what folks are doing with their June FP+s as we wait for more info. Not fun to read the bickering (good word, Kate) when I am expecting ideas. I bet a pro/con thread would be a good idea and VERY popular.

At this point, I do think I'm really clear on the nuances of both sides of the argument (although I realize Disney is changing the details almost every day)!

 

[WillAustin]

Prob most important is time of year. 6 may equal 6 in mid Dec.

I think it's going to be very different depending on the time of year. I do think there will be times where the 4th and beyond could still be worthwhile and not just for rides where a FP won't make much difference.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

I think it's going to be very different depending on the time of year. I do think there will be times where the 4th and beyond could still be worthwhile and not just for rides where a FP won't make much difference.

I think that it also depends on the park and whether or not the 4th, 5th, 6th can be repeats of previous rides or can be used for tier one rides. At Epcot, if you can't repeat, any beyond 4 would be a waste. If you can't use the 4th for an additional tier one ride, any past the original 3 would be a waste.

At MK I could easily use 6 FPs for 6 different rides - no tiering and lots of rides.

 

[WillAustin]

I think that it also depends on the park and whether or not the 4th, 5th, 6th can be repeats of previous rides or can be used for tier one rides. At Epcot, if you can't repeat, any beyond 4 would be a waste. If you can't use the 4th for an additional tier one ride, any past the original 3 would be a waste.

At MK I could easily use 6 FPs for 6 different rides - no tiering and lots of rides.

I think they'll hear more complaints if they limit FPs beyond the first three to "anything below tier 1 that you haven't already used a FP for".

As I wrote above, I just picked ours for our next trip, and in the tiered parks, it was difficult to even pick the lower tiered rides.

I'm still not going to reserve 3 of the earliest slots and race for the 4th though, at least not in a tiered park. That might change depending on first-hand reports.

In MK, A&E screwed up the idea of getting early FPs because the earliest I could get was 1:30pm 60 days out.

 

[Shaden]

I think it's going to be very different depending on the time of year. I do think there will be times where the 4th and beyond could still be worthwhile and not just for rides where a FP won't make much difference.

I think that it also depends on the park and whether or not the 4th, 5th, 6th can be repeats of previous rides or can be used for tier one rides. At Epcot, if you can't repeat, any beyond 4 would be a waste. If you can't use the 4th for an additional tier one ride, any past the original 3 would be a waste.

At MK I could easily use 6 FPs for 6 different rides - no tiering and lots of rides.

Gottu say, if this really does roll out this way, I am going to try and take full advantage of it IF its in place by the first 2 weeks of May ... 23 days to go so I think its possible ...

Anyway right now most of my FPs are planned 10:30 - 11:30, 11:30 - 12:30. 12:30 - 1:30.

I could pretty much finish up by 12:30, then hop to the lowest (or next lowest) crowd level park, and grab an FP right when I walk in the door ... or head back in the evening and do the same for a couple FPs, our over all crowd levels are 5s ... which means if we head to the lowest parks, they will be even lower and there should be FPs still available.

 

[mom2rtk]

I think they'll hear more complaints if they limit FPs beyond the first three to "anything below tier 1 that you haven't already used a FP for".

As I wrote above, I just picked ours for our next trip, and in the tiered parks, it was difficult to even pick the lower tiered rides.

I'm still not going to reserve 3 of the earliest slots and race for the 4th though, at least not in a tiered park. That might change depending on first-hand reports.

In MK, A&E screwed up the idea of getting early FPs because the earliest I could get was 1:30pm 60 days out.

Agreed.

I think the announcement of this change coming did a lot to diffuse the frustration of limiting FPs to 3.

But the longer it drags out, the harder it's going to be for them to then come along and say "oh yeah, no repeats, and it has to be from one of the lower tiers". I think people would feel "had" at that point. If there was a negative to go along with this, they probably should have dropped that news at the same time.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

I think they'll hear more complaints if they limit FPs beyond the first three to "anything below tier 1 that you haven't already used a FP for".

I agree - I just don't want to get my hopes up too high. Not everything that Disney has done in this arena has made much sense.

 

[wisblue]

Absolutely untrue. Have done this, and others like it, many, many times. Have pulled two FP for TSM, two for Soarin', three for Test Track, three for Space Mountain. Test Track FP - at the times of year we visit (never mid summer or holiday times) were often available into the early evening.

Which is why I said "at busy times of the year". Time of year and park crowds are just another one of those variables that make simplistic arguments like "6>3" ridiculous.

For those of us who often have to visit at Christmas or Easter because of family member schedules, getting 3 FP+ reservations in the late afternoon or evening is extremely valuable. We can take advantage of the frequent AM EMH to do things in the morning and still do some major rides at a second park later in the day.

 

[wisblue]

I think they'll hear more complaints if they limit FPs beyond the first three to "anything below tier 1 that you haven't already used a FP for".

As I wrote above, I just picked ours for our next trip, and in the tiered parks, it was difficult to even pick the lower tiered rides.

I'm still not going to reserve 3 of the earliest slots and race for the 4th though, at least not in a tiered park. That might change depending on first-hand reports.

In MK, A&E screwed up the idea of getting early FPs because the earliest I could get was 1:30pm 60 days out.

If one of the goals is to maximize the number of guests who can experience an attraction once on a given day, I could see why they might want to prevent someone from using their rolling FP for a second reservation for one attraction.

I think there would be less reason to limit those same day FPs to just tier 2. If there are still FPs available for a tier 1 attraction, they might as well be made available to guests who want them, especially if they haven't had a FP for the attraction already.

Regardless of how it ends up, I wouldn't assume that how it works when this first rolls out will be how it will work a few months later.

 

[mom2rtk]

If one of the goals is to maximize the number of guests who can experience an attraction once on a given day, I could see why they might want to prevent someone from using their rolling FP for a second reservation for one attraction.

I think there would be less reason to limit those same day FPs to just tier 2. If there are still FPs available for a tier 1 attraction, they might as well be made available to guests who want them, especially if they haven't had a FP for the attraction already.

Regardless of how it ends up, I wouldn't assume that how it works when this first rolls out will be how it will work a few months later.

If that's where they go with it, then additional FPs are nearly worthless in 3 of the 4 parks.

 

[Angel Ariel]

"hater" and "stupid" kinda fell out of favor on the boards, which has been quite pleasant...

That has been rather nice, I agree.

 

[mom2rtk]

That has been rather nice, I agree.

 

[FlipHipster]

Agreed.

I think the announcement of this change coming did a lot to diffuse the frustration of limiting FPs to 3.

But the longer it drags out, the harder it's going to be for them to then come along and say "oh yeah, no repeats, and it has to be from one of the lower tiers". I think people would feel "had" at that point. If there was a negative to go along with this, they probably should have dropped that news at the same time.

I could be wrong for sure, but I would be surprised if they said this. I don't think they need to since we are talking about same day FP's and tiers and no repeats were meant to regulate advanced booking. By the time you get around to picking your extra FP's everyone who wanted to adv book has already done so and there's no reason to not let you have another FP for Soarin' if one exists. You aren't keeping someone else from pre-booking that ride slot. Making guests feel like they have an opportunity to grab a hot ticket even though they never really will be able too still sounds like a perk.

 

[jimmysmom74]

Agreed.

I think the announcement of this change coming did a lot to diffuse the frustration of limiting FPs to 3.

But the longer it drags out, the harder it's going to be for them to then come along and say "oh yeah, no repeats, and it has to be from one of the lower tiers". I think people would feel "had" at that point. If there was a negative to go along with this, they probably should have dropped that news at the same time.

And risk another backlash. I am sure they are saving the negatives for the fine print. DISNEY Announcement would go something like....ALL THE FPs YOU WANT, ISN'T IT MAGICAL!!!no repeat rides, all additional FPs from tier 2 only attractions, enjoy the tea cups, mickey's philharmonic, and small world (since that is all that will be available) as a true bonus (even though there is probably no wait anyways) ISN'T IT GRAND!!!!

 

[mom2rtk]

I could be wrong for sure, but I would be surprised if they said this. I don't think they need to since we are talking about same day FP's and tiers and no repeats were meant to regulate advanced booking. By the time you get around to picking your extra FP's everyone who wanted to adv book has already done so and there's no reason to not let you have another FP for Soarin' if one exists. You aren't keeping someone else from pre-booking that ride slot. Making guests feel like they have an opportunity to grab a hot ticket even though they never really will be able too still sounds like a perk.

I'm just a little cautious about all of this after reading Andyman's thread about the rumor of them selling more FP. The way that rumor was floated (which I know might mean precisely nothing) was that you couldn't even BUY a repeat. If that remains the case, this "enhancement" is fairly close to worthless (to me) in 3 of 4 parks.

And risk another backlash. I am sure they are saving the negatives for the fine print. DISNEY Announcement would go something like....ALL THE FPs YOU WANT, ISN'T IT MAGICAL!!!no repeat rides, all additional FPs from tier 2 only attractions, enjoy the tea cups, mickey's philharmonic, and small world (since that is all that will be available) as a true bonus (even though there is probably no wait anyways) ISN'T IT GRAND!!!!

Yep. Always have to be careful of that small print.

 

[famy27]

I've been thinking about what I'd want to try to get (and what would likely still be available) as a 4th FP.

If park hopping is included, I'd probably just hop to MK several nights, as I think I'd have the best chance of snagging something I want. So, my new strategy would be to arrive RD (ish) and ride a few things with low waits, do my three FP+ rides late morning/early afternoon, hop to MK and get FPs for PotC, HM, Barnstormer, Dumbo, etc.

Without hopping, here would be my likely targets for each park (provided that the rides aren't walk-on):

EP:
Book Soarin, Turtle Talk, and MS
Use extra FP+s for Maelstrom, SE, LwtL

HS:
Book TSMM, ToT, ST
no need for anything else here. I would do Disney Junior if anything.

AK:
Book KS, EE, Dinosaur
Use additional FP for PW and character, if available

MK:
Book A&E, SM, BTMRR
use extra FPs for Barnstormer, PotC, HM, JC, Dumbo

Next MK day:
Book PP, Splash, and Rapunzel/Cinderalla
Use extra FPs for WtP, PotC, LM

Obviously, some of these extra FPs would be more valuable than others. For me (with small children), getting extra FPs that I can use for character greetings without having to sacrifice e-ticket rides would be great. It's not as good as rolling 3 FPs, but it's better than the existing system. Repeating rides would be fantastic as well.

I am very interested to see how this all plays out and when. I leave in 7 weeks, so I am hoping there will be some reports before I go so I know when and how to move my existing FPs.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

I've been thinking about what I'd want to try to get (and what would likely still be available) as a 4th FP.

If park hopping is included, I'd probably just hop to MK several nights, as I think I'd have the best chance of snagging something I want. So, my new strategy would be to arrive RD (ish) and ride a few things with low waits, do my three FP+ rides late morning/early afternoon, hop to MK and get FPs for PotC, HM, Barnstormer, Dumbo, etc.

Without hopping, here would be my likely targets for each park (provided that the rides aren't walk-on):

EP:
Book Soarin, Turtle Talk, and MS
Use extra FP+s for Maelstrom, SE, LwtL

HS:
Book TSMM, ToT, ST
no need for anything else here. I would do Disney Junior if anything.

AK:
Book KS, EE, Dinosaur
Use additional FP for PW and character, if available

MK:
Book A&E, SM, BTMRR
use extra FPs for Barnstormer, PotC, HM, JC, Dumbo

Next MK day:
Book PP, Splash, and Rapunzel/Cinderalla
Use extra FPs for WtP, PotC, LM

Obviously, some of these extra FPs would be more valuable than others. For me (with small children), getting extra FPs that I can use for character greetings without having to sacrifice e-ticket rides would be great. It's not as good as rolling 3 FPs, but it's better than the existing system. Repeating rides would be fantastic as well.

I am very interested to see how this all plays out and when. I leave in 7 weeks, so I am hoping there will be some reports before I go so I know when and how to move my existing FPs.

This is a great post because it shows just how different the FP+ choices are and will continue to be. Everyone assumes that everyone else is targeting FPs for the rides that are their favorites, but the truth is that everyone has different favorites.

10 years ago our FP choices might have looked like yours. Right now they would look much different.

 

[FlipHipster]

I'm just a little cautious about all of this after reading Andyman's thread about the rumor of them selling more FP. The way that rumor was floated (which I know might mean precisely nothing) was that you couldn't even BUY a repeat. If that remains the case, this "enhancement" is fairly close to worthless (to me) in 3 of 4 parks.




Yep. Always have to be careful of that small print.

I think you are right for anything above avg crowd level the value of the extra FP will be iffy. I don't think Disney needs to limit the extra ones though. They will say something like "You can now book an extra FP for whatever you want when your original 3 are used up*"
*Based on availability

By doing this, if they do it, they have addressed the big 3 complaints, > 3, tiering and hopping (for the extra ones) and they really didn't have to make concessions to do it. They are basically just saying, if there is anything left, sure you can have it.

 

[imltpth]

By virtue of the fact that we're all on here discussing this, I'm assuming that for the most part we're all the planners. But how many of the total in the parks are planners? Before FP+ I don't think it was that many. Then FP+ came along and even the non-planners thought they needed to plan.

Now, if I wasn't the planning type, this announcement would say to me there's plenty of FP available because you can get a fourth, fifth, and so on after you use the first three. So, if I wasn't a planner, I'd be pulling back on my advance FP+ reservations and figure I'd wing it when I get there - show up when I show up and then pick something soon that I want to do.

As a planner, I think that means RD won't change much. Either those people won't have a FP or they won't show up for it. I actually have a suspicion that it might be used somewhere between the old FP and the FP+ we're just getting used to.

But it's all speculation based on things we don't really know yet. If you get to your 60 days with only the information we have right now, I'd still plan as if it won't change anything and adapt once you get there. But I don't think anyone should fear that it will ruin a trip because none of us really know what will happen yet.

 

[Shaden]

I agree, but there are a lot of people here who seem to value quantity over quality. You can recognize them when they reduce their argument about why they hate FP+ to "6>3".

To be fair, if those people were getting 6 they were likely getting quite a few "quality" FPs. Even if they were spaced out over an hour each ... that would mean they would be pulling FPs from 9am til 3pm ... those are "quality" FPs after all timing wise.

And if you want to bring in quality, please let me know how your Star tours or Muppets your Figment or Living with the Land or Captain EO FPs are "quality" ... and hell I love star tours, but its a walk on ...