FP+ for everyone if some arriving later in week?

[GalInSpace]

Looking for strategy here. My family of 4 is arriving 4/14 and I'll be online booking fast passes this coming tuesday morning! However, my in-laws are joining us starting 4/16.....so I can't include them in my initial fast pass selections. I'll have to be online again morning of the 15th to book theirs. But which approach is more likely to get me times that are the same as ours?

1) just look for the same or overlapping times for them
2) modify the FPs I already booked for the 4 of us add try to add 2 people
3) other??

If it matters, these are the FPs I'll be trying to get: AK (Navi, EE, Lion King), EP (FEA, Spaceship Earth, Mission space), and MK (Peter Pan, Jungle cruise, Pirates).

thanks!!

 

[Robo]

1 and/or 2

--------
Why can't you include them in your original FP booking?
If, in your original FP session, you can book YOUR FPs for 4/16 and beyond,
you should be able to book FPs for anyone else who is linked to your MDE
at the same time.

Unless...
What kind of tickets do they have?
Did they book a "resort package" that includes tickets? (That is so often a poor choice.)

 

[bluezy]

I'm curious about this as well as we have a similar situation. Our family is arriving on a Monday but one family member isn't able to join us until Wednesday. Our family is booked as a package (room/tickets) but the late-arriving family member has an AP (along with a DVC reservation for their stay). We're all connected on MDE. I was assuming I wouldn't be able to make reservations for the late arriver until 2 days after I make the rest of the group's. Is that not accurate? Will I be able to make theirs the same day as the rest of us even though they're arriving 2 days later?

 

[hiroMYhero]

Is that not accurate?

Because the late arriver has an AP, you can book FPs for everyone when your booking window opens.

 

[mesaboy2]

The FP FAQ Booking Windows post may help answer your questions.

 

[bluezy]

Because the late arriver has an AP, you can book FPs for everyone when your booking window opens.

Thanks!

The FP FAQ Booking Windows post may help answer your questions.

I have referred to that thread many times (thanks for compiling and maintaining that information!), I just didn't see anything that specifically said when the AP holder could start booking other than that they had basically the same benefits as onsite guests. I knew that the AP holder could book 7 days of FPs, I just wasn't sure when their window opened...I wasn't clear on if it opened as soon as they had a room reservation on the books (regardless of how far out in the future that was) or if they had the same 60-day rule as other onsite guests with regular tickets. But I guess it should have been obvious to me that they can make FPs reservations *any* time since they could easily be living close by and just go to Disney any time. Duh! I was having a blonde day (....or blonde *months* as I've been trying to figure this out for several weeks now. )

 

[Robo]

But I guess it should have been obvious to me that they can make FPs reservations *any* time since they could easily be living close by and just go to Disney any time.

Sorry, but that's not the case.

They can only book up to 30 days in advance...
-OR-
Up to 60 days in advance (plus "length of stay" dates) if they have reservations at a WDW Resort.
-OR-
If they are connected to another guest's MDX and that guest is staying at a WDW Resort.
So, that guest can then also book FP+ for anyone who is connected to that MDX account up to
60 days (plus "length of stay" dates) before that guest's check-in date.

So...
Nothing about FP+ is ever quite as simple as it might appear at first glance.

 

[bluezy]

Sorry, but that's not the case.

Apparently still having a blonde day. So....when *can* the AP holder start making FP reservations if they have an onsite stay booked? Apparently it's more than 60 days out...but what is it?

 

[Robo]

Apparently still having a blonde day. So....when *can* the AP holder start making FP reservations if they have an onsite stay booked? Apparently it's more than 60 days out...but what is it?

Read my full post #7, above.

 

[hiroMYhero]

Apparently still having a blonde day. So....when *can* the AP holder start making FP reservations if they have an onsite stay booked? Apparently it's more than 60 days out...but what is it?

It’s dependent upon the onsite stay to which they are linked.

If you arrived 10 days prior to the AP holder’s Stay, in effect they would have a 70-day booking window.

 

[bluezy]

Read my full post #7, above.

Got it! Thanks for adding the additional information to your post. You're right, nothing is simple! All I care about right now is that I can make all of our FP reservations at the same time so I'm happy!

It’s dependent upon the onsite stay to which they are linked.

If you arrived 10 days prior to the AP holder’s Stay, in effect they would have a 70-day booking window.

I think I finally got it! Thanks!

 

[GalInSpace]

1 and/or 2

--------
Why can't you include them in your original FP booking?
If, in your original FP session, you can book YOUR FPs for 4/16 and beyond,
you should be able to book FPs for anyone else who is linked to your MDE
at the same time.

Unless...
What kind of tickets do they have?
Did they book a "resort package" that includes tickets? (That is so often a poor choice.)

Yes, we have packages (room + tickets). It didn't seem like a poor choice to us, given that we could cancel both room and tickets up to 30 days out if necessary (for small fee)....which when planning a trip with children AND older adults age 75+ seemed like a good idea. There were zero room discounts for Port Orleans during our travel time, so it's not like we missed out on a discount either.

I'm guessing that I have to just log on and try to get them FP times similar to ours....

 

[Robo]

Yes, we have packages (room + tickets). It didn't seem like a poor choice to us....

My point was that buying a resort package can limit the flexibility of tickets and FP+ booking.
Which in your case, it does.

 

[mesaboy2]

Yes, we have packages (room + tickets). It didn't seem like a poor choice to us, given that we could cancel both room and tickets up to 30 days out if necessary (for small fee)....which when planning a trip with children AND older adults age 75+ seemed like a good idea. There were zero room discounts for Port Orleans during our travel time, so it's not like we missed out on a discount either.

I'm guessing that I have to just log on and try to get them FP times similar to ours....

Yes. That you have package tickets complicates your FP options.

 

[GalInSpace]

My point was that buying a resort package can limit the flexibility of tickets and FP+ booking.
Which in your case, it does.

No, I get that, if you want to maximize flexibility in FP selection, a stand alone ticket clearly would be the way to go.

I guess my main question is whether modifying the FPs I do get on 2/13 to add 2 people would be more successful than just searching for 2 separate FPs. It might not make a difference though.....there either are 2 FP or there aren't for the time I'll be looking for. I've never done this before, so wasn't sure.

And here's to hoping the in-laws won't care if I can't get them on a couple rides!!!

 

[mesaboy2]

No, I get that, if you want to maximize flexibility in FP selection, a stand alone ticket clearly would be the way to go.

I guess my main question is whether modifying the FPs I do get on 2/13 to add 2 people would be more successful than just searching for 2 separate FPs. It might not make a difference though.....there either are 2 FP or there aren't for the time I'll be looking for. I've never done this before, so wasn't sure.

And here's to hoping the in-laws won't care if I can't get them on a couple rides!!!

For the rides you listed, with the possible exception of FEA, I doubt it matters.

 

[Nikki G]

I was just talking about this issue with my friend the other night. My family's reservation begins one day before theirs does. We won't be doing all the same things all the time, but the kids like to be able to ride things together when we are all together. My family will be 2 APs and 2 military park tickets, and the other family will be 4 military park tickets. We don't have packages. I didn't think that I (an AP holder) would be able to book all of ours at my 60 day mark, but that is what we are trying to figure out. We are all staying on site and are linked on MDE.

 

[mesaboy2]

I was just talking about this issue with my friend the other night. My family's reservation begins one day before theirs does. We won't be doing all the same things all the time, but the kids like to be able to ride things together when we are all together. My family will be 2 APs and 2 military park tickets, and the other family will be 4 military park tickets. We don't have packages. I didn't think that I (an AP holder) would be able to book all of ours at my 60 day mark, but that is what we are trying to figure out. We are all staying on site and are linked on MDE.

Why not? From the FP FAQ Booking Windows post:

- Annual Pass (AP) holders have similar benefits as onsite guests when staying at an onsite resort. The primary difference is that AP holders can book up to 7 days of FPs at all times, and more if the length of the onsite stay is greater.

 

[PrincessWithABlaster]

I guess my main question is whether modifying the FPs I do get on 2/13 to add 2 people would be more successful than just searching for 2 separate FPs. It might not make a difference though.....there either are 2 FP or there aren't for the time I'll be looking for. I've never done this before, so wasn't sure.

And here's to hoping the in-laws won't care if I can't get them on a couple rides!!!

Personally, I think if you can modify to add them to you FPs it can make it easier to change the whole group later. You can always split a group up again while modifying and it’s kind of nice to have the option to search for everyone together.

If you can’t get them the FPs by adding them, then look for separate FPs with overlapping times. It’s been a couple years since I’ve done this, but at the time it didn’t offer you the option of adding the other parties if the overlapping times available weren’t close. A half an hour of overlap might not allow them to be added to your FP but still works for you to get on the ride together.

 

[tjmw2727]

I was just talking about this issue with my friend the other night. My family's reservation begins one day before theirs does. We won't be doing all the same things all the time, but the kids like to be able to ride things together when we are all together. My family will be 2 APs and 2 military park tickets, and the other family will be 4 military park tickets. We don't have packages. I didn't think that I (an AP holder) would be able to book all of ours at my 60 day mark, but that is what we are trying to figure out. We are all staying on site and are linked on MDE.

At your T60 you can book all of yours (party a), for the party arriving the next day (party b) you can book theirs with yours as long as at least one person in your party (party a) shares that FP+.
So - you can not book a fp for a party of 4 that are all party b but you can book a fp+ for 4 if it includes at least one party a and 3 party B.

We often have family that arrives after we do and its a nice perk although it can be confusing depending on who, what and when