FP+ Details Are Out!

[BlueStarryHat]

See, this still doesn't quite clear it all up for me:

You will be able to modify your selected park until you use your first FASTPASS+. Once you use the first FASTPASS+ you can then only modify your remaining FASTPASS+ reservations at that park, and cannot switch park.

From reading the above, it seems that it's talking about modifying FP+ reservations at one park. It says nothing about using regular FP at a different park. *sigh* Trying to understand this new system is making me feel stupid.

 

[starshine19]

I'm getting a AP in July but I'm going with my friend and her family and they don't have AP's and we are not staying on site... Would I be the only one with a FP+ wristband?

 

[DVCBELLE]

I think this whole Fastpass+ thing is the stupidist idea Disney has ever come up with. I have been going to Disney World yearly since I was about 3 years old and now I am 30. Over the years Disney has changed things and has taken the spontinaity out of vacations there. You used to be able to wake up, decide what park to attend, and get dining reservations that day. Now, you have to decide 180 days in advance what you will feel like eating. That alone made planning time consuming and difficult. Now we are going to be expected to pick rides and times 60 days in advance.....that is just crazy. Someone posted that Disney isn't stupid and has probably thought of all the what ifs, but I unfortunately don't agree. I think at times that Disney is stupid and doesn't understand the needs and desires of their guests. I venture to say if you are only allowed 3 FP per day with no ability to get them the day of, people will be highly upset and this program will be a flop. I also think they may loose people over systems like this. Just my opinion. If it were not for my absolute love of Disney, I might consider not going agan, but that will never happen. I will continue to visit and just learn to deal with another major change.

I completely agree with you. I am trying REALLY hard to see how this system would benefit me and it just doesn't.

We don't go in busy times mainly because - we hate lines. And we are able to FP the longer lines and do the rides without lines while waiting for our FP window to open.

I don't know 60 days before my vacation if the FP window I choose will be the time that my 2 year old decides to melt down.

And if we have to wait in lines...we won't continue to go. Its that simple. We are DVC owners and go every 18 months right now. But I can see us changing those habits and going less often. Waiting in line is miserable and if that becomes the reality - I know my hubby doesn't have the patience for it and what fun is a vacation if Dad is Grumpy!?!?!

 

[DWillowBay]

Ahhhh, the Brave New World of Planned Spontaneity!!

 

[ArwenMarie]

We could be making more money if we sold FOTL passes like everyone else! But we can't sell them because our customers would ALL want one. Maybe if we just limit the number ... Hmm... and have them pay for the privilege of colors, customization, etc... this is sounding great!

Bingo! The goal here is to monetize the FP system IMO. Every other park I can think of charges for their FOTL pass (or uses it as an incentive like Universal does). Build an app, it's all loaded with people's credit cards...wheee! Think of all the "enhanced experiences" people can buy now! Kind of like how iTunes and the app store works now.

ETA: In addition to just charging outright, it can also be used as a way to get people to stay onsite, to upgrade lodging, to come during slower seasons...etc. Which all means more $ for WDW.

 

[Lindy Loo]

Please help. How will this be for our holiday last two weeks aug? We are from uk. Can I pre book my fast passes from uk? . The app keeps crashing? We are staying off site. Thanks

 

[ArwenMarie]

Hmm, Fastpass+ actually sounds pretty good. We have only used a couple FPs a day anyways, so this shouldn't be a problem. I especially like the advance booking, because having a little structure is fine for us. I know I'm in the minority here, but FP+ doesn't sound too bad after all...

I like the idea of advanced booking too. At 60 days out, I know which parks I am going to on which days. 3-a-day is fine for our family BUT they would have to be 3 FPs for rides we actually want (not fake FPs for rides that never needed them) and they would have to be in some timeframe within a couple of hours, not spread out during the entire day.

So while my gut says it seems good, I think there are a lot of ways it might not work for us either. But it's not for the same reasons as the folks who use more than 3 FPs a day currently.

 

[lugnut33]

Oh dear God...if this thing is up and running for my Dec trip (with the inlaws...15 of us in total) it will be a new added nightmare to planning this trip (we just almost had a family blow up over planning our ADRs). Please, please, please do NOT have FP+ running for Dec!!!!!!! Do you hear me Mouse?!?!?!

Holy crap, planning rides 60 days in advance for a group of 15 sounds like a total nightmare. I can hear it now:

"Since you're not coming with us this morning Grandpa Joe, all you need to do is use your smartphone to rebook your ride reservations within MDE for later in the day". LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLO

 

[CWdreamer]

I am a first-time poster and this topic is one that I thought of often on our trip a few weeks ago.

I have teenagers, so arriving for rope drop was not an option. We usually arrived at the parks around 11am and we used MDE while on route to determine where we needed to go first for fast passes based on wait times and FP times. Unfortunately, in some cases, the fast passes were already giving out times after 5pm or later and we had ADR's or other plans for the evening and the fastpass times didn't fit our schedule. This is especially true for HS. The first day we went there, all fastpasses had already been dispensed for Toy Story Mania.

If the FP+ option had been available, we would have definately used it and I absolutely look forward to having this feature available for our next trip.

 

[wookiebeck]

also, the 60days+10(for resort guests) similar to ADRs. There is the get people to stay onsite component.

HA! That is not going to happen for our family. Just has been WAY too much money for about a decade now.

So anyway, I fail to see how this helps anyone staying offsite. I already have tix from UT. How does dis know when I want to visit? Can I just book 3 fp+ for every day thru the end of the year and choose when to go? Or do I have to tell dis what days I will be using my 4-day tix over my 7 day stay in Orlando? No more flexibility makes me feel like Clark W. Griswold.

There have to be 10's of thousands of people who commute in every day.

 

[Princess_Au]

I'm just hoping that we won't have to be Disney's guinea pigs on our September trip. I'm also glad we won't be back for several more years. The kinks should be worked out by then.

 

[FigNewton]

I am a first-time poster and this topic is one that I thought of often on our trip a few weeks ago.

I have teenagers, so arriving for rope drop was not an option.

Having teenagers doesn't magically make you unable to make rope drop.

If you want to sleep in on vacation that's one thing and its understandable. But rope drop is an option for you just like it is everyone else.

 

[rebekah8284]

My family is visiting in February and I am worried about this. Technically we are staying on site as will be at SOG but its not a disney resort and we will be purchasing our tickets from SOG as are discounted. How are we going to be able to book our FP+? Will the MDE app just let you book them and then attach them to your ticket later? Plus there will be 15 of us so not going to be easy getting everyone on same page of what rides to go on which day that far in advance. Just wondering how it will affect the military families staying at SOG.

 

[lovin'fl]

Holy crap, planning rides 60 days in advance for a group of 15 sounds like a total nightmare. I can hear it now:

"Since you're not coming with us this morning Grandpa Joe, all you need to do is use your smartphone to rebook your ride reservations within MDE for later in the day". LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLO

Yup!!! And the teens never know where they will be and when...don't know what time they'll be getting up. It really will have to be 'every man for himself'...and that will be a nightmare cause my teens will want to do what their cousins are doing, but I'll have to book for us 5...and like you alluded to, grandma and grandpa will need someone to handle it for them as their 5 year old flip cellphone that has been collecting dust on their dresser cannot go online and they haven't a clue what MDE is.

 

[lugnut33]

I am a first-time poster and this topic is one that I thought of often on our trip a few weeks ago.

I have teenagers, so arriving for rope drop was not an option. We usually arrived at the parks around 11am and we used MDE while on route to determine where we needed to go first for fast passes based on wait times and FP times. Unfortunately, in some cases, the fast passes were already giving out times after 5pm or later and we had ADR's or other plans for the evening and the fastpass times didn't fit our schedule. This is especially true for HS. The first day we went there, all fastpasses had already been dispensed for Toy Story Mania.

If the FP+ option had been available, we would have definately used it and I absolutely look forward to having this feature available for our next trip.

I can see where it would help, but you better be willing to make sure you have everything on your trip linked together and then 70 days out right at 7a.m. ET you need to be online hitting the confirm button in order to get some of those magical TSMM late afternoon and evening fastpasses. It's going to be nuts, just like dining. I have stopped even trying to make ADRs

 

[tofubeast]

Ahh what a headache this all might be! And then we will all get used to it. Imagine if msg boards existed back when they switched the ticket books to the passes we know today?

Makes me think--- what if they classified attractions like they did in the old days and instead that determines how many FP you can get. i.e. 3 FP for E tickets, 4 for D....etc...etc..

 

[Jennasis]

It just appears, the more info they release the less I like it. So I'm just not going to use FP+ at all. I'm fine riding stand by. We go at less crowded times. I feel badly for those who feel as I do and who can only go at peak times.

Bummer.

 

[BalooPA]

I have a dumb question. I used to keep up with everything WDW here on the boards, but have not been to WDW in about 4 years, so I haven't been keeping up. Are FP+ and Magic Bands exclusive of one another? Meaning, could the FP+ system be in place before Magic Bands roll out? If so, how would that work? KTTW cards with RFID chips? Or will FP+ only come into use when everyone gets a Magic Band for their trip?

 

[melissac]

Ok I have looked and not found this answer and I'm sure it is somewhere but I can't see to find it.

When FP+ is rolled out and you are able to reserve 3 FP per day does that mean that there will no longer be FP machines in the park and you only are allowed 3 FP per day. Just confused and thanks in advance for explaining.

 

[d1gitman]

the more i read comments on this and think about it, i just don't see it being all that complicated based on assuming that FP+ will not be limited to only 3 FP+ per day pre-booked or same day FP+...

Prebooking will merely be to establish your 'anchor' park for the day. if they do not allow prebooking for multiple parks in same day, it may be keep things in the system working smoother until such time they have enough live data to better understand how hopping affects pre-bookings.

I would expect that same day FP+ will be available to all which is nothing more than an electronic implimentation of how the current FP system works except now, FP+ is tied into a real time, live system. More than one occasion i've seen FP's closed and then reopened for attractions throughout the day. To me this is their "manual" way of dealing with crowd control for attractions. Being live with FP+ allows the computers to run the algorithms instantaneously to control crowds. i see this as a good thing. I think FP+ pre-booking is nothing more than booking ADR's but more complex due to volume of guests who do attractions compared to volume of guests who do in park ADR's.

maybe i'm overly optomistic but i now feel like this is gonna work and work well. sure their will be kinks to work out but i think we are overthinking it all and not giving credit to Disney on this. I don't see how they are looking to confuse the guests or create a complex system that takes a DISr to understand.