FP+ is Live! Magic Bands in the park!

[agavegirl1]

I have yet to comment on any of these related threads. Just popping in to say, thank you Rileygirl for your well thought out post. Back to my regularly scheduled program.

 

[mom2mickeyfan]

Misconception #4

Booking in Advance will only be for resort guests, not for off site guests.

Please read Misconception #3, and you will know why I think this is a total crock. One of the reasons Disney spent the billions is because (IMO) that could get their hands on off - site guests, and suck them in.

Ok, this post is long enough, I will continue on another.

I understand and agree with several things you say but I still believe Disney has a HUGE uphill battle to pull these off-site guest into this booking in advance. They will have NO contact with these off-site guest until the day they show up at the park. No pays attention to commericals! How else will Disney reach them? I guess maybe Facebook?? But am I the only one that just gives the post from businesses a passing glance?? The fact is, planners are planners, will learn about the system and MAY decided to book FP+s in advance. These are the same ones that have been using the current system. Non-planners are non-planners and could very well have no idea this system is even in place. Disney can not change the way people are!! My DSIL is very much a non-planner. I can see NOTHING Disney will do that will make her book her FP+s 60 days out. I can't even get her to decide if they want to have dinner together tomorrow night!!! BUT that is a whole different problem than this FP+!

I think there is a chance that Disney hopes this will change things but I really believe it has NOTHING to do with making ANY guest happier or spreading around the FPs. There is a chance this may be the results but there is also a chance that some of the things we worry about may be the results also. It could very well be some of both! But I believe Disney's goal as nothing to do with the guest but with their bottom line. They just want to find a way to make everyone believe they are doing this to make guest happier. Some will be, some will not and some will know no difference but that is not their goal!

 

[larryz]

So here is a thought, you made a reservation for a Disney resort room only and that gave you the ability to book FP+s 60 days out. Does the system keep track that those FP+s are tied to that reservation and cancel them if you cancel the reservation??

To do otherwise would leave open a massive loophole that will, no doubt, be exploited by all those who don't care about the intent of a particular program.

Also if you have a reservation for 10 days but only a 5 day ticket included in the package, will you be able to book FP+s for all 10 days or for 5 days since your ticket only shows you will be able to be in the parks for 5 days, not 10?

Given WDW's on-line track record, I think it's beyond their ability to limit FP+ reservations to five days of a ten-day reservation. Besides, there's nothing that says you won't extend your five-day ticket to ten while there.

 

[Squidgyness]

I understand and agree with several things you say but I still believe Disney has a HUGE uphill battle to pull these off-site guest into this booking in advance. They will have NO contact with these off-site guest until the day they show up at the park. No pays attention to commericals! How else will Disney reach them? I guess maybe Facebook?? But am I the only one that just gives the post from businesses a passing glance?? The fact is, planners are planners, will learn about the system and MAY decided to book FP+s in advance. These are the same ones that have been using the current system. Non-planners are non-planners and could very well have no idea this system is even in place. Disney can not change the way people are!! My DSIL is very much a non-planner. I can see NOTHING Disney will do that will make her book her FP+s 60 days out. I can't even get her to decide if they want to have dinner together tomorrow night!!! BUT that is a whole different problem than this FP+!

I think there is a chance that Disney hopes this will change things but I really believe it has NOTHING to do with making ANY guest happier or spreading around the FPs. There is a chance this may be the results but there is also a chance that some of the things we worry about may be the results also. It could very well be some of both! But I believe Disney's goal as nothing to do with the guest but with their bottom line. They just want to find a way to make everyone believe they are doing this to make guest happier. Some will be, some will not and some will know no difference but that is not their goal!

In this climate though a lot of Disney's trade comes from return guests imo. Yes they need to attract new guests but they also need to keep attracting repeat guests.

Who are the ones who will know about FP already? Repeat guests. I know a lot of people in the UK who go and stay in a Villa regularly and who use FP. In fact I'd say the majority of people I know who go to WDW go offsite and use FP.

So I think there will be a fair number of repeat off site guests who will know of FP. If not, an aggressive poster campaign and suggestions from CM's they meet can help to spread the news.

I understand there will be a smaller percentage of offsite guests who know of FP than On-site guests, but it's no reason to exclude offsite from prebooking. And I do think people will start to learn.

I hope they set aside a lot of that budget for advertising though. They could make it a part of ordering tickets and vacation packages through Disney, one of the steps to go through. That might help spread the news.

 

[larryz]

...I just want to point out a different perspective other then the current one that appears to be prevelent on this thread.

If I think my post is going to be too hot, I may not actually submit it, because it does NO ONE good when intelligent threads get locked.

I don't see anything controversial in there yet...

 

[mom2mickeyfan]

In this climate though a lot of Disney's trade comes from return guests imo. Yes they need to attract new guests but they also need to keep attracting repeat guests.

Who are the ones who will know about FP already? Repeat guests. I know a lot of people in the UK who go and stay in a Villa regularly and who use FP. In fact I'd say the majority of people I know who go to WDW go offsite and use FP.

So I think there will be a fair number of repeat off site guests who will know of FP. If not, an aggressive poster campaign and suggestions from CM's they meet can help to spread the news.

I understand there will be a smaller percentage of offsite guests who know of FP than On-site guests, but it's no reason to exclude offsite from prebooking. And I do think people will start to learn.

I hope they set aside a lot of that budget for advertising though. They could make it a part of ordering tickets and vacation packages through Disney, one of the steps to go through. That might help spread the news.

We are off-site repeat guests and know about FP and the little we know about FP+. But we are planners. My DB's family are off-site repeat guest that know about FP but will have no idea about FP+ because they are non-planners. It has been about 4 years since they have been to Disney. But I would think that it is true that most repeat guest only go every few years. How long would it take to get all these guest on board with FP+?

It seems there are so many twist and turns in figuring out this new system it is hard to wrap your mind around it all!

 

[doconeill]

To do otherwise would leave open a massive loophole that will, no doubt, be exploited by all those who don't care about the intent of a particular program.

Given WDW's on-line track record, I think it's beyond their ability to limit FP+ reservations to five days of a ten-day reservation. Besides, there's nothing that says you won't extend your five-day ticket to ten while there.

Given that they seem to be associating MM+/FP+ to tickets and not reservations (unless Pete is right), it might easily be keyed to the number of park days you have available.

And although disney seems to be lenient to a point (you can change experiences up until they expire, not when they come due - which means they can't really put it back in the system because you missed it), I have a feeling you will be limited to the number of park days on the ticket. And if you don't release them yourself, when they expire you won't be able to make new ones for a different day - you've burned your FP+ access for one day (at least for pre-books).

A side effect - people will need to "right size" their ticket choices more, instead of going for the cheapest discount and upgrading later. And of course, there would be less hassle buying them direct from Disney at full price, as they can add that to your profile right away...

 

[g-dad66]

I just want to say that I am enjoying reading all of this discussion.

But I do think there is a problem with the Title of this thread, which says that Magic Bands and FP+ are now live.

Folks with trips coming up soon who are checking this thread may not want to wade through 43 pages of comments in order to find out that Magic Bands and FP+ are actually NOT live yet (assuming they can even find the right page for that info).

I wonder if there is any way the OP can insert the word "not" into the Title of this thread? Or at least modify the original post?

 

[Planogirl]

I guess that I'm still not clear on why this system would keep people in the parks more. I can see it freeing up more time for visitors but that would only be for that day. People might not be as inclined to leave during that same day but do they anyway? Do people actually tour a Disney park for part of a day and then go to an offsite attraction later that day?

Besides freeing up more time at DHS and AK doesn't necessarily sound like a good thing. There is only so much to do at those parks.

 

[gwmort]

I think off site hotels would have some incentive to inform their own patrons of the system as well, they wouldn't want their guests to have a bad experience and attribute it to the fact that they stayed off-site. Many of those hotels already offer shuttles and guide maps, it wouldn't be hard for them to let guests know about it at booking (unless you're staying at Universal or something).

 

[doconeill]

I guess that I'm still not clear on why this system would keep people in the parks more. I can see it freeing up more time for visitors but that would only be for that day. People might not be as inclined to leave during that same day but do they anyway? Do people actually tour a Disney park for part of a day and then go to an offsite attraction later that day?

Besides freeing up more time at DHS and AK doesn't necessarily sound like a good thing. There is only so much to do at those parks.

From their recent explanation, it seems they are hoping that by getting more people to pre-plan their day, less time is spent in the parks doing the planning ("Where should we go next?") and make people feel like they have the time to do lesser things (eat, buy...)

 

[gwmort]

I guess that I'm still not clear on why this system would keep people in the parks more. I can see it freeing up more time for visitors but that would only be for that day. People might not be as inclined to leave during that same day but do they anyway? Do people actually tour a Disney park for part of a day and then go to an offsite attraction later that day?

Besides freeing up more time at DHS and AK doesn't necessarily sound like a good thing. There is only so much to do at those parks.

From the quote, I believe it is more about making sure they have something Disney planned every day of their trip. If on landing in Orlando they know they have a ride on Expedition Everest on Tuesday, they are less likely to be lured away on Tuesday by a billboard for Seaworld.

 

[Robo]

I do think there is a problem with the Title of this thread, which says that Magic Bands and FP+ are now live.

I wonder if there is any way the OP can insert the word "not" into the Title of this thread? Or at least modify the original post?

I don't know how many of you have noticed, but it appears that the Original Poster of this thread
(and the original post, and the posts that quoted the OP) appear to have been REMOVED from the thread.

Don't know if this was by request of the OP, or otherwise.

(At least, I can't find the original post(s,) but that MIGHT be because multiple threads have been melded together
during one or more moderator edits.)



Otherwise, for those who don't know...

You can EDIT the TITLE of a thread that you originally posted in two ways-

1- Do not open the thread, but in the listing,
double-click in the dead-space just to the RIGHT of the thread title.
When the title "highlights," just retype the title and hit the RETURN/ENTER key.

2- Open the thread.
In the lower right corner, click on "Edit."
When that page opens, in the lower right corner, click on "Go Advanced."
In the box at the top of that page, retype your title.
In the lower center, click on "Save Changes."

 

[Planogirl]

From the quote, I believe it is more about making sure they have something Disney planned every day of their trip. If on landing in Orlando they know they have a ride on Expedition Everest on Tuesday, they are less likely to be lured away on Tuesday by a billboard for Seaworld.

I guess that even I'm too much of a planner for that so I didn't think of it. If I'm going to SeaWorld I schedule that at the start of my planning. The casual visitor could be lured to spend a day at another park at the last minute I suppose. However if they have planned fastpasses for that day they will want to use them of course.

I think that I can also see why only 3 fastpasses per day will be available. People have to spread them out more to get their "money's worth." I resent that a little if that's part of the idea.

As for eating and shopping more, that is still limited to some extent, particularly in DHS. I love DHS but I can't see ever spending a full day there as it is.

 

[disneymagicgirl]

I agree this is about making money. I also agree they have no idea how difficult the education will be. Most people don't have any idea this change is even coming...even friends/family that go to Wdw every year. Commercials won't do it...who watches those anymore? They can send a DVD mailer to those who book thru them, but how to reach off site guests like my SIL who goes every year? In her case, they scrimp together the money for one or two days in the parks each year and stay offsite. They don't spend extra money once inside the park as it isn't in their budget. No changes/investments Disney makes will change that fact. And I am sure there are a huge amount of offsite guests with the same scenario.

 

[mesaboy2]

If I may say--good, honest, civil, and fabulous discussion on this topic over the last few pages.

I heard Pete's recent comments on the AM drive this morning and will say that I believe his inclusion of onsite resort guests into the FP+ prerequisites is a mistake. Even though it sounded as if he was reciting written bullet points, somewhere someone between his source and those words goofed up. There are too many other indicators (all pretty unofficial in themselves) that indicate otherwise. Just recently Pete was pretty sure that free dining would not be offered this year and then he had to eat a little crow when FD was offered--props to him for that.

 

[Rileygirl]

edited to delete post

 

[magicbob]

I like to write as if my opinion and facts are definitive, and yet they can be wrong, off track, or inaccurate.

I can think of a lot of other posters for whom this disclaimer could apply. Too bad they will never admit it themselves!

Disney has a HUGE uphill battle to pull these off-site guest into this booking in advance. They will have NO contact with these off-site guest until the day they show up at the park. No pays attention to commericals! How else will Disney reach them?

Onsite guests are more likely to pre-purchase tickets as part of a package. Not all, but many off-site guests probably don't purchase their tickets ahead of time. And since the FP+ system may be tied to tickets, these guests will have no way to pre-book if they are purchasing tickets that morning at the gate. And Disney doesn't know they're coming until they show up.

As mentioned previously, Disney hopes to change this and get MORE people to purchase their tickets and plan their time in advance to ensure everyone is going on a Disney vacation and not an Orlando vacation. I can only assume we'll see the "mother of all marketing campaigns" when FP+ rolls out aimed at affecting this change.

The sweetest part for Disney? They can send off the 'newbies' to less popular rides, less popular restaurants, and less popular parks on any given day, making their whole operation run that much smoother!

Possibly the most genius (and perhaps insidious) aspect of FP+ is getting people to clamor for something they don't need (e.g., FP for Stitch).

 

[Planogirl]

A lot of these opinions assumes that people will actually read the documentation and that they will understand it if they do. It also assumes that people will be inclined to book these fastpasses when presented with the option.

It will be interesting to see how this all plays out.

 

[Rileygirl]

Im taking a break, I still have several more points I want to make, but it takes a lot of time for me to write them out. I have briefly read some of the respondant posts, and I hope to make some comments on them later.

Thanks to all of you who took the time to read them, I am very long winded.

Something to mull over - why do you suppose we are not seeing a 'whole bunch' of kiosks for those 'day of' planners in the theme parks? Shouldnt they be as prevelant as fast pass machines? Wont there be huge grid locks? If this program is close to roll out, why have we not seen a bunch of these things sprouting all over the parks? I was there in March, and did not see anything. Is this still the case?

I have had a thought regarding this, and also another regarding annual passholders limitations on prebooking fp's...