FP+ at 60 days, which are "selling out?"

[jon18uk]

It becomes more of a problem when you are trying to coordinate the time slots with your ADR's as I am trying to do at Epcot next Friday evening...I can't believe I have to do this much planning just to enjoy my vacation at WDW.

But under legacy FastPass you could have got to Epcot to find the Soarin' return time to be the same time as your ADRs (this happened to us several times), therefore at least with FP+ you know you are guaranteed a FP at the time you booked in advance, legacy was more of a gamble.

 

[thelaughinplace]

Ok, so I'm going on a quick trip in April the 11-13 while I'm visiting my family in FL. We have the AP vouchers that will not become active until we arrive on the 11th. We are staying on property but technically right now since the vouchers aren't activated yet it appears to be a "room only" res. Therefore, I will not get to "lock in" my FP+ ressies until I arrive. I'm trying not to get too upset about this bc I know we are doing our "real" vacation in October but I'm pretty sure that I won't get times for TSMM. I am also pretty curious as to what will be left for me to "lock in" on Friday my arrival day since I won't have my band and AP's linked until around 2pm. We were planning on doing an evening at AK that day. This is also spring break week and Palm Sunday weekend... I can't imagine I'm going to have much luck. But.... At least I'll get to spend a weekend where the magic is... And if no rides are available you can find me swimming at my resort! Trying to stay positive!

We were in the same boat for out trip this past January and we were able to link the voucher code on MDE over the phone and book our fastpasses... Not sure if you can do it online though...

 

[shalom]

Imagine your average Disney family showing up this summer. They get bussed to the All-Star concentration camp, go to bed, wake up all excited, just to get to the park and find that there are no FP machines, and they have to stand in a long line before they can even get in a line for a ride.

The question, though, is whether your average Disney family used legacy FP, and if they did, whether they used more than three a day. If the average Disney goer used three or fewer FPs anyhow, it's going to a shock only to a minority, possibly a tiny minority. I'm guessing they didn't, or Disney wouldn't have set FP+ up as they have.

I think the crowding due to the FP+ lines in so many rides that weren't designed for it may result in more negative feedback than FP+ per se, in that people won't like the crowded feeling but also won't know what to blame.

 

[ArwenMarie]

While the FP+ are not "sold out" per se, not every time slot is available so I guess it depends on how you define, Sold Out.

I am going to MK next Wed evening and my three FP+ are pretty much spreadout over the evening due to the limitations of the available time slots. I even went back in and tried to change my times individually but was not able to materially improve the schedule.

It becomes more of a problem when you are trying to coordinate the time slots with your ADR's as I am trying to do at Epcot next Friday evening...I can't believe I have to do this much planning just to enjoy my vacation at WDW.

This is a good point. Things don't have to sell out per se, but as the time slots book up you lose the flexibility to move park days around, move things around, etc. And then lay the ADRs on top...

 

[ArwenMarie]

I am quite the FP+ hater, but I don't see the 60 days out sellouts happening anytime soon. Too many people, especially the ones that just call Disney, buy everything and agree to get kidnapped at the airport, still have no clue.

A friend of a friend on FB posted a pic of her families MB's. When questioned, she said they were some new thing that allows charging to rooms, replaces their room key, and are park admission too. However, she made no mention of FP+. So, either she doesn't think scheduling FP early is important (and who would, if you have been there a year or so ago, you'll just remember FP as things you collect and use whenever), or wasn't even explained them.

I think this year will be filled mostly with people who will plan their Disney vacations like have been doing for years. They may play around with FP+ a bit, but the reality of "thou shalt count only to three, no more, no less" will not set in until they live it. There will be lots of reports from people saying their trip was ruined by FP+. Some of that will be because they didnt' plan ahead, but most will simply be the limits it puts on them.

Imagine your average Disney family showing up this summer. They get bussed to the All-Star concentration camp, go to bed, wake up all excited, just to get to the park and find that there are no FP machines, and they have to stand in a long line before they can even get in a line for a ride. And their favorites are already gone, or they have to choose between little Billy and Stephanie's favorites.

I'm quite surprised at what seems to be the lack of prodding that Disney is doing to get people to sign up in advance. I would have thought folks would be getting some very fancy "FP+ for Dummies" brochure in the MB box showing EXACTLY how to sign up. And I'm also shocked they aren't given the choice to simply put in their ages, and what parks they plan on going to each day, and Disney does the rest, as a default, for them.

Can't wait to see the chaos the first week of Spring Break.

Jason

I think they are sending out magnets with the important dates on it...including booking ADRs and FP, and payment date of course.

 

[kristac]

Going at the beginning of March and booked FP+ yesterday (so only 30ish days out). Toy Story had only 2 times available. Otherwise everything else seemed pretty open.

 

[frozengurl]

We were in the same boat for out trip this past January and we were able to link the voucher code on MDE over the phone and book our fastpasses... Not sure if you can do it online though...

REALLY!!! I'm going to call them now! I'll let you know how that works out! Thanks for letting me know this.... Things like this is exactly why I love the Dis!

 

[cvjw]

If you're making reservations for April now, it must be based on 60+, because today April 1 is day 60.

Maybe they make a limited number of slots for each time for the days that are more than 60 days out to keep people with longer stays from taking all of the spots away from people with shorter ones.

Maybe you will see more times available when you get fully inside the 60 day window.

I just tried to make FP+ reservations for April 1 (the farthest out I can go because I don't have a resort reservation), and all times were available for TSMM.

My trip actually starts the 28th of March and runs thru the 7th of April. I did not try and book at the official 60 day mark, I waited a few days, and found availability lacking like I said in original post. No TSM available for the afternoon, only morning and night.

Who knows, Disney may release new time slots daily. The thing is that I don't want to have to fight for FP+ slots like you do for BOG or some of the more popular restaurants. I don't want my Disney vacation to be so much work.

 

[wisblue]

Going at the beginning of March and booked FP+ yesterday (so only 30ish days out). Toy Story had only 2 times available. Otherwise everything else seemed pretty open.

When you say only two times available, do you mean that TSMM was only included in 2 of the 4 options you were offered?

Or, did you select one of those options and then try to change and you couldn't change to anything else?

 

[wisblue]

My trip actually starts the 28th of March and runs thru the 7th of April. I did not try and book at the official 60 day mark, I waited a few days, and found availability lacking like I said in original post. No TSM available for the afternoon, only morning and night.

Who knows, Disney may release new time slots daily. The thing is that I don't want to have to fight for FP+ slots like you do for BOG or some of the more popular restaurants. I don't want my Disney vacation to be so much work.

To be clear, I am asking these questions just for information and not to be argumentative.

When you say there were no afternoon slots available for TSMM, does that mean that there were no afternoon slots in the options you were offered, or did you try to change a time to the afternoon and were unable to do it?

 

[DebbieB]

But under legacy FastPass you could have got to Epcot to find the Soarin' return time to be the same time as your ADRs (this happened to us several times), therefore at least with FP+ you know you are guaranteed a FP at the time you booked in advance, legacy was more of a gamble.

This is what I disliked after they starting enforcing the times. What I like about FP+ is picking any time of the day.

 

[My3Princez]

.

I'm quite surprised at what seems to be the lack of prodding that Disney is doing to get people to sign up in advance. I would have thought folks would be getting some very fancy "FP+ for Dummies" brochure in the MB box showing EXACTLY how to sign up. And I'm also shocked they aren't given the choice to simply put in their ages, and what parks they plan on going to each day, and Disney does the rest, as a default, for them.


Jason

Isn't the flash drive they send that takes you directly to the MDE sit and videos a pretty fancy brochure for dummies? And they do offer the Fastpicks option for those who just want Disney to plan their days.

 

[snoopy352]

When I did mine it gave me four choices also. Then when I had to go back and change one, I went into "change time" and it gave me probably 10 or more options. Probably the best thing for anyone looking to "reserve" the FP+ is to choose a time that would potentially work for you, then go into "change time" and see if there are any times that work better. Because of an ADR and not wanting anything that might conflict with a parade time, I ended up with the Meet Mickey at 6:55. But when I went to change it, I could pick pretty much any hour from 11:00-the end of the day.

So regarding the ADRs: do i just take the three defaults from the system for FP+ and then change them individually? Or will I still have the ADR issue where the system won't let me? Really need to find this out definitively so i know whether or not to purchase the DXDP.

 

[jon18uk]

This is what I disliked after they starting enforcing the times. What I like about FP+ is picking any time of the day.

I always assumed the times were enforced anyway, when holding a piece of paper stating return between 6:30 and 7:30 I would assume I cannot use it after 7:30. It wasn't until I started reading these forums I even knew of the possibility of trying to use it later, even then i never tried using a FP after the end of the return time as I didn't expect to be able to use it.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

I have never seen any fastpasses sell out at all. Even on the day of the visit. Have seen limited times available (booking Toy Story Mania at 11 am while inside the park, it had to be for 6 PM, no other times would come up)

 

[rastuso]

Isn't the flash drive they send that takes you directly to the MDE sit and videos a pretty fancy brochure for dummies? And they do offer the Fastpicks option for those who just want Disney to plan their days.

But you still have to get signed in the MDE system, choose things, approve them. I would think there would be a VERY simplified way to just see a screen, have a place to put what parks for each day, and when you show up, you "magically" have FPs.

By the sounds of it, simply getting in the system is enough to scare off a lot of folks.

Jason

 

[My3Princez]

I have never seen any fastpasses sell out at all. Even on the day of the visit. Have seen limited times available (booking Toy Story Mania at 11 am while inside the park, it had to be for 6 PM, no other times would come up)

We did. Last week there were no FPs for TOT for our family of 4. We decided the day before which Park to visit. I tried that night and throughout the day and never had the option. I could find slots for one rider, and even tried copying the FP to the rest, but it was never available.

 

[wisblue]

But you still have to get signed in the MDE system, choose things, approve them. I would think there would be a VERY simplified way to just see a screen, have a place to put what parks for each day, and when you show up, you "magically" have FPs.

By the sounds of it, simply getting in the system is enough to scare off a lot of folks.

Jason

Because having an MDE account and having reservations and tickets linked to it is the minimum requirement for advance FP+, if someone is terrified of logging into the system, they are pretty much SOL.

If someone is unwilling or unable to do that in advance, it will be done for them at checkin or some other point in the process. What they do with it after that is up to them.

Other than having to log in to the system, the "Fast Picks" option on MDE does pretty much what you're saying. Pick a park and let them make the choices for you based on the profile of your group.

I have a feeling more people will either do nothing, or just take those Fast Picks, than people on the Dis think. And that will just reduce the competition for what planners consider the most desirable FPs.

 

[wisblue]

We did. Last week there were no FPs for TOT for our family of 4. We decided the day before which Park to visit. I tried that night and throughout the day and never had the option. I could find slots for one rider, and even tried copying the FP to the rest, but it was never available.

Do you mean the day of your visit or the day before. If you only tried the day and night before, did you try on the morning of your visit after the park opened?

There is increasing evidence that a number of FP slots are held for same day use, both for offsite guests getting their first opportunity to get FPs and for onsite guests trying to change theirs.

 

[wisblue]

I always assumed the times were enforced anyway, when holding a piece of paper stating return between 6:30 and 7:30 I would assume I cannot use it after 7:30. It wasn't until I started reading these forums I even knew of the possibility of trying to use it later, even then i never tried using a FP after the end of the return time as I didn't expect to be able to use it.

That's why a lot of people hated it when they started enforcing those times. It was like being a member of a secret club that knew the code word that allowed them to get an edge on the masses.

If the signs at the machines and on the tickets had said "return anytime after 1 PM", instead of "return between 1 PM and 2 PM", the FPs would have run out a lot sooner, and the practice of "collecting" FPs all day for use in the evening would have been less productive.

To be clear, I'm not saying anyone was cheating, but I don't think anyone had a right to be upset when that secret code was removed. I would compare it to when the cable company finally turns off your access to the pay movie channel that you were never paying for in the first place.