FP+ Details Are Out!

[d1gitman]

Microsoft may not be the best example. There was a huge backlash against some of the things they had implemented for the new system, causing them to backtrack and change those things the public didn't like.

so we are led to believe. i can think of many examples of things being put out there, lots of uproar, and the final result is different than the supposed original idea.

 

[Jennasis]

so we are led to believe. i can think of many examples of things being put out there, lots of uproar, and the final result is different than the supposed original idea.

New Coke?

 

[jerivera]

Looks like Disney already has the MagicBand accessories for sale. So it looks like the rollout for FP+ and MagicBand is getting very, very near!

http://www.wdwmagic.com/other/mymag...zation-accessories-for-mymagic-magicbands.htm

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

Also, to be fair, the wait-and-see folks could also be accused of making things up. I have read PLENTY of stuff about how they think things will pan out (don't worry, of course Disney will let us get same day FP, or I'm sure Disney has carefully thought this all out...). So why don't they get taken to task too?

I suppose I see it differently because those choosing to -- BASED ON Disney's long HISTORY of customer satisfaction (though not perfect) -- remain optimistic aren't getting others all riled up and freaked out unnecessarily (or at the very least prematurely)!!

I've had many people tell me they were so turned off of these boards after seeing all the negativity over something that hasn't rolled out yet (and more generally the negativity on DIS). And that all the conjecture gets muddled with the actual facts, making it quite confusing.

If you look back, I'm also not taking any individual poster "to task" -- unlike the PP who accused me of stirring the pot!!

I'm giving my opinion on the overall tone of most of these threads. Pretty sure I'm allowed to do that...

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[jimim]

Looks like Disney already has the MagicBand accessories for sale. So it looks like the rollout for FP+ and MagicBand is getting very, very near!

http://www.wdwmagic.com/other/mymagicplus/news/27jun2013-photos---customization-accessories-for-mymagic-magicbands.htm

I had started a thread in this but it got closed. They have cover for the bands. They have a mickey slider. They also have diff characters u can attach to the bands like kids do on crocs. After u are done decking it out it will be 3 inches wide and and inch think. Fun for the Florida summer heat and humidity! Lol

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[Jennasis]

I suppose I see it differently because those choosing to -- BASED ON Disney's long HISTORY of customer satisfaction (though not perfect) -- to remain optimistic aren't getting others all riled up and freaked out unnecessarily!!

I've had many people tell me they were so turned off of these boards after seeing all the negativity over something that hasn't rolled out yet (an generally the negativity on DIS). And that all the conjecture gets muddled with the actual facts, making it quite confusing.

If you look back, I'm also not taking any individual poster "to task" -- unlike the PP who accused me of stirring the pot!!

I'm giving my opinion on the overall tone of most of these threads. Pretty sure I'm allowed to do that...

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So the folks whose sentiments you agree with, and are positive, AREN'T making things up.

Gotcha.

Can you see why some might question you? Personally I would LOVE if things work out they way you think it will. I WANT Disney to be a success. I just don't want to plan my vacation to death.

 

[d1gitman]

Exactly...there is a HUGE difference between made up and educated guesses.

FACT: FP+ will require my family to book a ride we want to ride 60 days out .... this seems like too much work to plan a vacation for me ... and I would just tickle my mare if you're touring with a large group. says who? all we know is that one CAN book 60 days out but that doesn't mean only guests who prebook can see an attraction or FP+ an attraction. we don't know yet

FACT: the new system relies heavily upon smartphones and wi-fi. service in the park is inadequate and it is unlikely that my phone will stay charged all day and by the end of the day I will no longer have access to the system as intended by Disney. from what we know, this is not fact. RFID cards and bracelets are provided and there are kiosks being installed. i highly doubt Disney is dumb enough to make such a have vs. have not system by requiring smartphones. i think wifi and smartphones will merely be a conveninece but not the crux of the system.
FACT: the current system is not compatible with the new technology. although testers have been able to use the legacy system .... both systems will not be compatible in the future ... Even if the legacy system can stay in place... Availability will decrease. not sure how this affects availability. RFID system is merely a delivery method, that happens to provide disney with better data. the FACT is that there are XX number of slots available for fast passing, this is a mathematical issue, not a delivery method issue. the RFID system that provides live data to Disney has better ability for Disney to maximize crowd control. i really doubt DIsney is trying to spend $1b to find ways to make us stand in longer lines....
These three FACTS are the most troubling and causing many people to lose faith in this new system. I hope those who are looking forward to FP+ are right and a year from now we are allwondering how we lived without it!

the final incarnation is not yet unleashed, i don't think any of this can be stated as FACT just yet.

 

[mom2rtk]

Disney's long HISTORY of customer satisfaction (though not perfect)

They also have a long history of IT debacles.

 

[rastuso]

We just don't agree on some of this stuff... maybe most of it!

I would love to hear your feedback on DL & D23 after your trip. I went to DL often when I lived in CA, but haven't been there in... it must be... 10+ years!! Wondering how it stacks up against WDW for a frequent WDW visitor. FP+ or not, we expect to plan a DL trip in the next couple of years. But that's for another/future thread...

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This is our first Summer DL trip, so I"m a bit worried. But, they have single rider for some big rides, which I plan on using heavily. Plus, FP is used quite frugally there, like it should be. I just wish they hadn't started the return time enforcement.

To show I do give Disney some props, I'm expecting D23 to be an improvement from 2011, which I've read was not great. I hope I'm right.

Jason

 

[Shaden]

Your post just made me think of another issue...

at 180 days out I plan my dining. I am there 4 days and can only get BoG reservations on Day 2. So of course I take it. Then it is time for rides at 60 days out...and I can only get TSM on Day 2.

So now I am either in 200 bucks for park hoppers for my family of 4, take my chance at RD on our day we have planned at the Studios except I booked my kids on a pirate cruise that morning so we will have to cancel that because there aren't any other ones they can go on...or tell my daughter that she can't go to BoG so her brother can ride TSM or tell my son he can't ride so his sister can eat at BoG!

Seriously, its like Universal sent in a group of employees to run Disney's development on this....

Absolutely great point.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

So the folks whose sentiments you agree with, and are positive, AREN'T making things up.

Gotcha.

Didn't say that, Jennasis. Come on now...

I said I see it differently because of the DIFFERENT EFFECT of those statements, IMO. Both can be based on history or made up. I PERSONALLY see one as detrimental, and the other not. My opinion.

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[MickeyMinnieMom]

They also have a long history of IT debacles.

Agreed. And that does concern me. On our last trip, I think that for our 2 DVC linked (or so we thought) reservations, I had 6 reservation numbers!! Lol!! And this is only one eg of many, IT debacle-wise. They work things out... EVENTUALLY... but that could certainly make a trip early-post-FP+ rollout unpleasant if kinks aren't worked out. I hear ya on this and share that concern.

This is our first Summer DL trip, so I"m a bit worried. But, they have single rider for some big rides, which I plan on using heavily. Plus, FP is used quite frugally there, like it should be. I just wish they hadn't started the return time enforcement.

To show I do give Disney some props, I'm expecting D23 to be an improvement from 2011, which I've read was not great. I hope I'm right.

Jason

Looking forward to hearing how it goes!

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[Shaden]

While some Disney folks may troll these boards, they're getting their real - most relevant - feedback from the guests going through testing - those who are actually experiencing the offer in its current incarnation.

Not that you're engaged in this, but talking of being scared to death and terrified about POTENTIAL aspects of the yet-to-be-introduced system that some other DISers have come up with isn't feedback. And there's a ton of that here.

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If Disney is basing their changes to or support of the FP+ system on the reports of the current testers, who aren't competing in a 60 day+ Free For All booking of the Headliner rides, or any of the other details we have head, when open to the Thousands and thousands of other park guests ...

Then we are in more trouble then I thought.

That would be like designing a park, and letting 100 people in, then asking about wait times, and traffic flow, etc. And when the feedback was great, saying, "we designed this perfectly !"

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

the final incarnation is not yet unleashed, i don't think any of this can be stated as FACT just yet.

Exactly.

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[Jennasis]

Didn't say that, Jennasis. Come on now...

I said I see it differently because of the DIFFERENT EFFECT of those statements, IMO. Both can be based on history or made. I PERSONALLY see one as detrimental, and the other not. My opinion.

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Of course you didn't say that. But it is absolutely understandable to feel differently about people doing the exact same thing when you fundamentally agree with one group and disagree with the other.

The bottom line is that, despite your claim, NEITHER side has made anything up. BOTH have been making guesses (based on the info Disney has released and how the company has historically behaved) as to what is going to happen.

I hope that is a point both sides can agree on.

 

[magicbob]

They don't know - they're "educated guessing".

I trust the combined WDW experience of DISers and their educated guesses

Kirk: Mr. Spock, have you accounted for the variable mass of whales and water in your time re-entry program?

Spock: Mr. Scott cannot give me exact figures, Admiral, so... I will make a guess.

Kirk: A guess? You, Spock? That's extraordinary.

Spock: [to Dr. McCoy] I don't think he understands.

McCoy: No, Spock. He means that he feels safer about your guesses than most other people's facts.

Spock: Then you're saying... it is a compliment?

McCoy: It is.

Spock: Ah. Then, I will try to make the best guess I can.


And... scene.

 

[Cafeen]

Looks like Disney already has the MagicBand accessories for sale. So it looks like the rollout for FP+ and MagicBand is getting very, very near!

http://www.wdwmagic.com/other/mymag...zation-accessories-for-mymagic-magicbands.htm

The Magic Bands do not rely on FP+ (nor does FP+ rely on the magic bands!), so it's entirely possible that the bands could end up being released as (optional) KTTW replacements, before the FP+ system comes online. In fact, I'd almost presume to say that they will be, since the general testing of the bands, apart from FP+, has been a relative success if you discount system-wide issues that are not a result of the bands (trouble at the RFID turnstiles being the primary one.)

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

If Disney is basing their changes to or support of the FP+ system on the reports of the current testers, who aren't competing in a 60 day+ Free For All booking of the Headliner rides, or any of the other details we have head, when open to the Thousands and thousands of other park guests ...

Then we are in more trouble then I thought.

That would be like designing a park, and letting 100 people in, then asking about wait times, and traffic flow, etc. And when the feedback was great, saying, "we designed this perfectly !"

By this logic, why test? Just roll it out, because feedback from any test won't fully represent full rollout conditions.

As others have said, so much data has got to be going into this: aggregate historical data from decades of running parks about crowd patterns, satisfaction, etc.; testing feedback - under changing conditions - in the current FP+ incarnation; feedback about POSSIBLE differences post-rollout vs testing -- ie testers being asked in focus groups how their opinion would change if they got rid of legacy FP system. I wouldn't be surprised if they also draw some on these boards and their own social media sites as well, and factor in feedback from those who write in.

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[MickeyMinnieMom]

After u are done decking it out it will be 3 inches wide and and inch think. Fun for the Florida summer heat and humidity! Lol

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LOL!! That's what I was thinking when I saw all the gear!! I can't picture wearing all the extras... I don't even wear a watch because it just bugs me. I'm going with the minimal band look, I guess... though the kids might want to deck theirs out some...

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[Shaden]

I know there is a lot of fear that FP+ is going to severely limit the number of FP a person can use in a day. Many of us are used to FP'ing 6 or more times a day under the current system. However, there have been several posts in the last few months about how bad stand-by lines have become - that FP'ers have basically "taken over". Would FP+, and it's limitations, not help ease this problem? Would stand-by lines now become quicker?

I know...no one knows the answer...but I'm trying to think positive here! Our trip is in January and I'm afraid it's still not all going to be sorted out by then

This is a GOOD question, one I have been putting a lot of thought into, but the answer I fear, is not one you will like.

While fast pass availability and usage would decrease, ride capacity would not increase. So, there are two possible outcomes... ride usage stays the same, or some people opt out of rides because they can't FP them.

In the first instance, at first glance it would seem for someone who would otherwise have rode standby their wait time will decrease. If normally while waiting in a standby line 100 people hopped on Fastpass, and got in front of them, thus increasing their wait, for every FP that is removed from the system, one less person cutting in front. However, this scenario only works if we assume a limited number of people, using the ride in a given time period, without people using the ride before or after them, like the first hour of the day in the park.
If rider usage stays the same, then even though fewer people are using FPs, those people would still be using Standby lines, which would mean, that by 12pm, or 3, or 6 .... you would have the backlog of not only Standby riders, but also the people who would have otherwise used FPs. Which means Standby times would not change. If ride Capacity does not increase, and ride demand remains the same, then wait times are unchanged.



Scenario 2, is probably the more likely, with limited FPs, there are fewer people using FP, which means that again, those people are forced into Standby, however, people will opt out of rides at a certain wait time point, which means ride usage will decrease, and therefore wait times will decrease.

In scenario 1, not much happens, except for people who currently use FPs well and plan their day well, wait longer.

In scenario 2, people do less while at Disney, because they skip rides due to lines.

You might try to envision a scenario 3, where ride usage is spread out over the whole day to make more efficient usage and decrease average wait time, and it might do so, however on the headliners, this is much less likely to be effective, since the demand is beyond the capacity for those rides.