FP+ i guess we're truly challenged!!

[disneyholic family]

So DD and i spent the past two days doing her FP+ selections on her MDE.

Somebody here posted that selecting FP+ is easy and it took them only 45 minutes to make all the selections for their trip.

Seriously?

it must have taken us about 4 hours to do 14 days worth of selections for 2 people.

We got so exhausted last night that we continued today (we did about 8 days yesterday and the other 6 today)...

either we were doing it wrong or we're just a lot more challenged than everyone else.

And even after spending all that time on it, we're still pretty doubtful that we used the correct touring strategy

 

[Cyrano]

Yikes Beth that is not good.

Hope your DD got the choices see was looking for.
I will need all the patience in the world to make selections for 11 people

 

[disneyholic family]

Yikes Beth that is not good.

Hope your DD got the choices see was looking for.
I will need all the patience in the world to make selections for 11 people

i have to admit i haven't read anything about what the correct strategies should be....but it was really really really hard.....at least for us...

we were 9 days late picking...that is, we started picking at 51 days, rather than 60...

which was only a problem for MK....the first two MK days we saw that everything popular was already booked up...
so i said, lets skip all the days and go straight for the last day.
it worked. She managed to get seven dwarves, anna/elsa and wishes for her last day (yes, i know that if she takes wishes, she won't be able to obtain any additional FPs, but she's willing to do that on the last day)..

but at all the other parks, she got everything she wanted...
our problem was trying to figure out what times to pick to try to minimize crisscrossing, but at the same time, not to waste a lot of time...(since her husband can only manage so much time in the parks each day -due to excruciating pain)...

anyway, it was a challenge for us..

i should add that we didn't go into it with any strategy.
we did have a schedule of which park on which day, but that's all.

i think it pays to sit down before the 60 day mark and really think through what you want to do and have a good idea of it, before you start actually trying to reserve the FPs. That's what i think i'll do next time.

by the way, they don't have any ADRs because she was afraid of the credit card guarantee. Because of her husband's medical condition, they never know when he'll have to leave the park to go back to the resort to lie down. So she never knows if they'll make the ADR or not and she doesn't want to have to pay any penalties.
So they'll try for walk ups....and if they can't get anything, they can always eat CS in the parks and then go to the resorts or DTD for TS.

 

[flortlebap]

It took me a long time too! It did get much easier though - by the time we were at the parks we found swapping FPs came really easily!

 

[disneyholic family]

It took me a long time too! It did get much easier though - by the time we were at the parks we found swapping FPs came really easily!

That's what I told her.
That I'd read on the boards that people are able to change them once they're at WDW and have a better feel for it
The most challenging thing was trying to figure out the times!!

 

[wilma-bride]

Beth, I honestly think you might be over-thinking it.

All I did was had an idea of which park on which day and which rides/atractions we wanted to FP.

I just then went for the recommended option, then went back in to each one individually and changed them so they follow on, i.e. 10-11, 11-12 and 12-1 or as near as I coud get.

That way, we can fit a couple of rides in at rope drop or sleep in a while if we want, do the first two rides one after another (one just before 11 and one just after), then a quick snack and drink before the final one between 12 and 1.

 

[Elise79]

Beth, I honestly think you might be over-thinking it.

All I did was had an idea of which park on which day and which rides/atractions we wanted to FP.

I just then went for the recommended option, then went back in to each one individually and changed them so they follow on, i.e. 10-11, 11-12 and 12-1 or as near as I coud get.

That way, we can fit a couple of rides in at rope drop or sleep in a while if we want, do the first two rides one after another (one just before 11 and one just after), then a quick snack and drink before the final one between 12 and 1.

This is how I do it unless I know we will be in a park later ie if we have something offsite planned in the morning then I put the FPs back to back in the evening

 

[scoobydooby]

I made customised touring plans off the touring plans website and used their suggestions for when to get FPP. Getting the FPP didn't take too long but making the touring plans took a few hours. Well worth it though. I won't queue more than 15 minutes as a rule for anything but like to do many attractions in a day. Worked for me.

 

[flortlebap]

Beth, I honestly think you might be over-thinking it.

All I did was had an idea of which park on which day and which rides/atractions we wanted to FP.

I just then went for the recommended option, then went back in to each one individually and changed them so they follow on, i.e. 10-11, 11-12 and 12-1 or as near as I coud get.

That way, we can fit a couple of rides in at rope drop or sleep in a while if we want, do the first two rides one after another (one just before 11 and one just after), then a quick snack and drink before the final one between 12 and 1.

We did this too with the same ride times and it worked really well.

We also found that if we went to our FP attraction but the wait was low, we could just switch for a more valuable FP later in the day

 

[disneyholic family]

Beth, I honestly think you might be over-thinking it.

All I did was had an idea of which park on which day and which rides/atractions we wanted to FP.

I just then went for the recommended option, then went back in to each one individually and changed them so they follow on, i.e. 10-11, 11-12 and 12-1 or as near as I coud get.

That way, we can fit a couple of rides in at rope drop or sleep in a while if we want, do the first two rides one after another (one just before 11 and one just after), then a quick snack and drink before the final one between 12 and 1.

we picked very early times as she wants to go for a walk on and then repeat the ride using a FP (for example at toy story)....

of course we said that if the standby is short, she won't use the FP and will change it to something else....

the issue is trying to stay in one part of the park and figuring out where you'll be at a given time...
say, if you're at toy story for rope drop, at what point will you get yourself over to the tower of terror (given that you don't want to walk back and forth through the park)..

and she doesn't know how long her husband will last on any particular day before he's in such pain that he has to get back to the resort to lie down....
you're right that we overthink it....but it's new and she'll have to get a handle on how to do it..

the problem is, until now they had a GAC and didn't have to worry about FPs at all....
even if they get a DAS (and there's no way to know for sure if they will), the DAS is very different and the only way to use it is in combination with FPs...and there is going back and forth because of the need to obtain DAS times....so the whole thing becomes very complex and daunting...
the anti-thesis of what a vacation should be really....i hope it works out for them ok and they manage to have a magical time despite the complexities....

 

[Soopafly]

We have to do 10 days worth tomorrow and I am dreading it, not enjoying this new system so far. Does anyone know what time can we start booking from? I think it's from 6am UK time and my wife thinks it's from 5am.

Thanks in advance

 

[peajay18]

We have to do 10 days worth tomorrow and I am dreading it, not enjoying this new system so far. Does anyone know what time can we start booking from? I think it's from 6am UK time and my wife thinks it's from 5am.

Thanks in advance

I believe it's 6am.
And unless it's Anna & Elsa Meet n Greet or Dwarves Mine Train you're very likely to get what you want pretty easily.

 

[Soopafly]

I believe it's 6am.
And unless it's Anna & Elsa Meet n Greet or Dwarves Mine Train you're very likely to get what you want pretty easily.

Haha yeah we are waking up at 5am to get ready to book for A&ae + the mine train. Everything else will be easy enough to get for sure. Thanks for confirming.

 

[wilma-bride]

You can book at 5am so best get up at 4

 

[Soopafly]

You can book at 5am so best get up at 4

5am? really?! ugh Disney don't make it easy do they. I will get up at 4 and make sure the coffee pot is already brewing haha. Thanks for your help.

 

[zippy99]

I got up at 5.10am

Managed to book 7 days worth including 7DMT (did not/want need A&E).

We already had written down our three rides for each day and whether we wanted morning, afternoon or evening - I simply went with the best option of those selected and refined the time after if I needed too

Having taken the day off it literately took me no more than 30 mins and I went back to sleep until 8.30 when it was time to go and get my DDs GCSE results (sorry shameful proud mummy moment 10 x A & A* )

Good luck & don't stress!

 

[Soopafly]

I got up at 5.10am

Managed to book 7 days worth including 7DMT (did not/want need A&E).

We already had written down our three rides for each day and whether we wanted morning, afternoon or evening - I simply went with the best option of those selected and refined the time after if I needed too

Having taken the day off it literately took me no more than 30 mins and I went back to sleep until 8.30 when it was time to go and get my DDs GCSE results (sorry shameful proud mummy moment 10 x A & A* )

Good luck & don't stress!

Haha congratulations to your DD! I feel better now I have read a few comments about what it's like. Sorry to the thread credit for hijacking your thread.