FP+ increasing the standby lines?

[JimmyV]

Also if you only get 3 FP options wouldn't there be less FPs out there? Myself I have definitely got more than that in an extended day.

Not when they want (and push) everyone to use three, including everyone who never got any before.

Ahhh. But here is where statistics fail us. We are told that 90% of guests are using FP+ which mandates that we all pick 3. But if we are all picking Spaceship Earth or Nemo or Figment or Muppets, then there will be more total FPs disseminated, but that doesn't tell us if there are more being disseminated for rides that matter. Every FP grabbed for Living With The Land is, on balance, irrelevant in the overall metrics.

 

[hedberg1661]

Also if you only get 3 FP options wouldn't there be less FPs out there? Myself I have definitely got more than that in an extended day.

I think there would be less however, don't be surprised when they start offering to sell additional FPs. It is only a matter of time.

 

[puffkin]

Not when they want (and push) everyone to use three, including everyone who never got any before.

But they are banking on people "wasting" FP+ for rides that don't really need FP. I would think the amount of FP for the more headline attractions should remain fairly identical to the FP- system and may in fact distribute them better throughout the day since you can book times that work for your family.

 

[hedberg1661]

I hope the tier system improves. Not sure how they can accomplish that but when you see the lines for Pirates and TTA there are some major issues. Now I am not saying that Disney can't fix these problems but personally it doesn't seem like they are seeking a "fix" in a timely manner.

 

[donnajherren]

We haven't experienced FP+ on site yet, but I'm already not loving the overscheduled feel of the new system. Without utilizing touring plans, I'm not sure I'd have any idea where to start with making these ride reservations. And I'm padding those with a lot of extra time, simply because of the reports that standby queues are increasing in length. I don't want to throw off my schedule and end up with a cascade failure of missed reservations.

But I do want to share something that happened to us last summer, because I think it's important to remember that FP- had the potential to affect standby waits, too.

We hopped in the standby line for Kali River Rapids last June. The posted wait time was 35 minutes at that point, and I love the queue's theming, so we opted not to grab a paper FP. We waited in that line for an hour and a half--not due to ride breakdown, just poor wait prediction. As we got closer to the front of the line, it became clear that oodles of people were returning through the FP line, just droves of them. My husband and I kind of shrugged. It was a horrible wait, but ultimately it had been our decision not to get a FP, you know?

But there was a man in the next row of the queue who got violent, slamming stuff around and cursing. He had no idea why some people were getting to "skip" the line, and it made him furious. Obviously, he didn't know what FP was, and I considered telling him about it, but ultimately opted not to engage. Frankly, he was scaring my kids.

That's an extreme example, I know, and could easily be chalked up to the guy just being a ****, but I saw quite a bit of that during our trip. So even though I personally loved FP- and used it to my advantage quite a bit, the system as it stood was not optimal.

They could have done a lot of customer education with that billion dollars, though...

 

[hedberg1661]

We haven't experienced FP+ on site yet, but I'm already not loving the overscheduled feel of the new system. Without utilizing touring plans, I'm not sure I'd have any idea where to start with making these ride reservations. And I'm padding those with a lot of extra time, simply because of the reports that standby queues are increasing in length. I don't want to throw off my schedule and end up with a cascade failure of missed reservations.

But I do want to share something that happened to us last summer, because I think it's important to remember that FP- had the potential to affect standby waits, too.

We hopped in the standby line for Kali River Rapids last June. The posted wait time was 35 minutes at that point, and I love the queue's theming, so we opted not to grab a paper FP. We waited in that line for an hour and a half--not due to ride breakdown, just poor wait prediction. As we got closer to the front of the line, it became clear that oodles of people were returning through the FP line, just droves of them. My husband and I kind of shrugged. It was a horrible wait, but ultimately it had been our decision not to get a FP, you know?

But there was a man in the next row of the queue who got violent, slamming stuff around and cursing. He had no idea why some people were getting to "skip" the line, and it made him furious. Obviously, he didn't know what FP was, and I considered telling him about it, but ultimately opted not to engage. Frankly, he was scaring my kids.

That's an extreme example, I know, and could easily be chalked up to the guy just being a ****, but I saw quite a bit of that during our trip. So even though I personally loved FP- and used it to my advantage quite a bit, the system as it stood was not optimal.

They could have done a lot of customer education with that billion dollars, though...

Interesting experience with the violent person. I think (and perhaps this is more of a hope) that when the dust settles that this program and "enhancements" will truly be that...something that we can be happy to use.

I agree with you that it can make a vacation seem too planned out. In general for WDW I am alright with however, I can see where this could be annoying for many. I do feel for the last minute Disney trip folks. They are limited in what they can do/experience (ADRs, FP+, etc.).

 

[Music City Mama]

But there was a man in the next row of the queue who got violent, slamming stuff around and cursing. He had no idea why some people were getting to "skip" the line, and it made him furious. Obviously, he didn't know what FP was, and I considered telling him about it, but ultimately opted not to engage. Frankly, he was scaring my kids.

I've never seen anyone get violent, but I've had plenty of people make comments and/or give us dirty looks as we've gone through the FP line. "Must be nice to afford that" kind of comments. That's how clueless those people were about the way FP worked and that they could get/use it (for FREE) as easily as anyone else. Now that EVERYONE will have this thrust upon them (and for rides that didn't previously have FP), expect a lot more people using FP, hence, the longer lines everywhere. When I was there during November, we had the luxury of using both FP+ and legacy FP and I was amazed at how long the stand by waits were for rides with normally shorter standby wait times (and I normally go in the summer when the crowds are bigger). I have to admit, I'm pretty apprehensive about our trip in June.

 

[hedberg1661]

I've never seen anyone get violent, but I've had plenty of people make comments and/or give us dirty looks as we've gone through the FP line. "Must be nice to afford that" kind of comments. That's how clueless those people were about the way FP worked and that they could get/use it (for FREE) as easily as anyone else. Now that EVERYONE will have this thrust upon them (and for rides that didn't previously have FP), expect a lot more people using FP, hence, the longer lines everywhere. When I was there during November, we had the luxury of using both FP+ and legacy FP and I was amazed at how long the stand by waits were for rides with normally shorter standby wait times (and I normally go in the summer when the crowds are bigger). I have to admit, I'm pretty apprehensive about our trip in June.

I also have serious concerns regarding the lines for my next trip...July 4th week.

 

[siskaren]

I hope the tier system improves. Not sure how they can accomplish that but when you see the lines for Pirates and TTA there are some major issues.

But MK doesn't have tiering. I can see the tiering causing problems at Epcot and DHS since people are probably having to choose FPs for things that they wouldn't have before in order to get three, though. (I know this would definitely be the case for me because I can't come up with three attractions I would FP at either park.)

 

[hedberg1661]

But MK doesn't have tiering. I can see the tiering causing problems at Epcot and DHS since people are probably having to choose FPs for things that they wouldn't have before in order to get three, though. (I know this would definitely be the case for me because I can't come up with three attractions I would FP at either park.)

Right but I really think that when 7DMCR comes on board they will have to have some level of tiering. Maybe it will help lines?