FP+ is now completely worthless if you are staying offsite.

[cakebaker]

Which I deleted above as it came off the wrong way. I didn't mean it as something negative, just pointing out some of the similiarities between the two. I in no way meant it to be a negative. When you want to go for a concert, you log on ticketmaster at 10 am on the on sale date and normally by 10:30 the popular shows are sold out. FP+ you log on at day 60 and right now due to the newness 7DTR is normally unavailable soon thereafter. That was the point I was trying to make. Like I said above, I was unable to get a lot of FP+ to the popular rides and it didn't affect my trip one bit.

It's fine, really I was just pointing out we all say things off the cuff that aren't exactly what we mean. We're all good here.

 

[flicx]

Fastpass+ is actually an improvement over the original. Less paper (save resources) and limiting to 3 until you get there it actually provides for increased ride availablility.

I'll give you the paper savings, but not the availability thing.

 

[Angel Ariel]

Eh, I think it was just a little hyperbole- like this thread title "fp+ is completely useless if you stay off site".

Which was my point...I even used the word hyperbolic when describing it the first time

 

[Angel Ariel]

You're misunderstanding. I didn't say your post was saying fp+ ruined your life. But to say fp+ is turning to having to know someone or find a scalper is quite an exaggeration.

For all FP+, certainly not...but for A&E I don't know that it's that much of an exaggeration. I only managed to get my friends FP+ for A&E because of the cancellation/trade thread here. I'm not saying it's not exaggerating at all, but the cancellation/trade threads do make it feel a bit similar.

 

[cakebaker]

Which was my point...I even used the word hyperbolic when describing it the first time

And this is why I should read all replies before posting- you invariably get caught short.

 

[CTDisneyfan816]

I'll give you the paper savings, but not the availability thing.

I found it easier to get rides like Soarin' and such whereas in the past if you didn't get there right at rope drop or soon thereafter, if you got one for evening you were luckly. Now I am able to get it set up before I even shoiw up. I have only been to one trip since it started but so far I had a much easier time on FP+ than the old way.

 

[magicbob]

Eh, I think it was just a little hyperbole- like this thread title "fp+ is completely useless if you stay off site".

There are more than a few posts that have really made fp+ seem much more difficult than it is and worried lots of people needlessly. You can see it from the just back reports- a great many of them express relief because they actually went, used it and had a great time.

So, yeah- ruining their lives probably isn't true in the literal sense.

There have also been many first-hand trip reports where FP+ was, in fact, difficult and caused people to have a much worse time than in the past (for some it even, gasp, ruined their trips... albeit not their lives).

Of course, those people just had bad attitudes or else they would have realized how fabulous FP+ was. So those reports must be discounted and dismissed as hyperbole and just worrying people needlessly.

Since there are as many negative reports as positive ones (many have been complaining about all the "negativity" which would seem to indicate there are actually a lot more poor experiences being posted), it could just as easily be said that those positive reports downplay the flaws and needlessly lull unsuspecting visitors into a false sense of security.

What you see as needless hyperbole and alarmism, some might perceive as a needed and helpful warning to assist others in avoiding potential landmines.

 

[Satchmo128]

I don't think off-siters should get any FP+s

Why should Disney reward you when you won't stay at their hotels?

People who stay at Disney hotels eat all their meals at Disney restaurants. They buy their souvenirs at Disney stores. Off-siters eat their meals off site, they buy their souvenirs at Target. Why should Disney reward you with any FP+?

You want to go to the parks, great. But you should have to wait in line for everything. The very few FP+s should be a benefit to those who are willing to stay on site and give Disney more of their money.

........

People who stay off-site still pay the same amount for their park tickets. So, I don't understand why they should be treated like second-class citizens once they go through park gates.

 

[magicbob]

........

People who stay off-site still pay the same amount for their park tickets. So, I don't understand why they should be treated like second-class citizens once they go through park gates.

Because PP owns DVC and would therefore be among the first-class citizens.

 

[cakebaker]

There have also been many first-hand trip reports where FP+ was, in fact, difficult and caused people to have a much worse time than in the past (for some it even, gasp, ruined their trips... albeit not their lives).

Of course, those people just had bad attitudes or else they would have realized how fabulous FP+ was. So those reports must be discounted and dismissed as hyperbole and just worrying people needlessly.

Since there are as many negative reports as positive ones (many have been complaining about all the "negativity" which would seem to indicate there are actually a lot more poor experiences being posted), it could just as easily be said that those positive reports downplay the flaws and needlessly lull unsuspecting visitors into a false sense of security.

What you see as needless hyperbole and alarmism, some might perceive as a needed and helpful warning to assist others in avoiding potential landmines.

Oh for the love of god, did I say everyone who complains is over doing it? Did I say every report of having a bad time on their trip was making it sound worse than it was? In fact did I say, every, all or anything close to anything that made it sound like even the majority of negative reports are overblown?

NO. I said more than a few. And I stick to it- some of them really make it sound like it's rocket science. Does it fit well with everyone? Nope. But some people find out, once they try it, it worked just fine- even some of those say they still don't like it or parts of it, but it wasn't as bad as they thought it would be based on what they had read.

And I haven't done a count, but it seems lately there seem to be more positive reports than negative. Maybe, **gasp**, maybe ...it's getting better. Wouldn't that just be awful!!!!

 

[magicbob]

Oh for the love of god, did I say everyone who complains is over doing it? Did I say every report of having a bad time on their trip was making it sound worse than it was? In fact did I say, every, all or anything close to anything that made it sound like even the majority of negative reports are overblown?

NO. I said more than a few. And I stick to it- some of them really make it sound like it's rocket science. Does it fit well with everyone? Nope. But some people find out, once they try it, it worked just fine- even some of those say they still don't like it or parts of it, but it wasn't as bad as they thought it would be based on what they had read.

And I haven't done a count, but it seems lately there seem to be more positive reports than negative. Maybe, **gasp**, maybe ...it's getting better. Wouldn't that just be awful!!!!

Oh for the love of god... you don't have to literally say "everyone" to imply it (or at least imply a majority). You're implication is quite clear. "More than a few" taken literally could mean a handful of people, but we both know that's not what you meant. "More than a few" is a figure of speech that means "a large number" when taken in context. We can all hide behind the literal statements we make here and claim "I never said ALL" but isn't it more honest to own up to our veiled jabs if we believe that the vast majority of negative reports are just whiners and complainers?

And if things get better that would not be awful. It would be great. I just get tired of negative reports being dismissed as anecdotal, irrelevant, and nothing more than the product of negative people who are needlessly worrying others while every gushing review is proof positive that the new system is a vast improvement.

I'm very happy that many people are having great trips. But I don't dismiss those who don't as being negative people with bad attitudes who went in expecting to have a bad time and so it was a self-fulfilling prophecy. I have compassion for those people whose trips were impacted by MDE glitches, etc. rather than judgment.

 

[famy27]

Oh for the love of god, did I say everyone who complains is over doing it? Did I say every report of having a bad time on their trip was making it sound worse than it was? In fact did I say, every, all or anything close to anything that made it sound like even the majority of negative reports are overblown?

NO. I said more than a few. And I stick to it- some of them really make it sound like it's rocket science. Does it fit well with everyone? Nope. But some people find out, once they try it, it worked just fine- even some of those say they still don't like it or parts of it, but it wasn't as bad as they thought it would be based on what they had read.

And I haven't done a count, but it seems lately there seem to be more positive reports than negative. Maybe, **gasp**, maybe ...it's getting better. Wouldn't that just be awful!!!!

With me, I've gone through wild swings with my opinions on FP+. The first time I used it, there were no tiers and only onsite had access, and I liked it overall. I was able to easily change things on the fly, switch park days around even the day of, get FPs for TT and Soarin' on arrival day, etc. No more running of the bulls for TSMM. We did feel a touch over scheduled and I really wanted to be able to prebook at more than one park per day, but those were the main negatives. We still had paper to fall back on, so it was the best of both worlds.

Fast forward to the tiers. Ugh. I was very frustrated and unhappy and really disappointed with tiers and the limit of only three per day. Paper FPs were gone. Pretty much all the positives of FP+ disappeared for me.

Then, May rolled around, and the 4th FP was added. Woo hoo. We were back in business to some degree. Making FPs available to everyone had cut down on the ability to prebook "the good stuff" and it was much harder to move things around. We felt very tied to our prebooked FPs for the headliners. But we were able to get A&E, SDMT, TSMM, etc with little trouble. And we rocked the 4th FP, getting 12 FPs at MK in one day.

But somewhere prior to August and September trips, FP availability dried up. I've seen a few different theories as to why it happened, but it's thrown me firmly back into the anti-FP camp. Even as an onsiter, I had a hard time getting FPs, and I felt like there was zero same-day flexibility. We really wanted to change FPs because of weather issues, but we had no decent options. For our last-minute trip, I wasn't able to get FPs for TSMM at all. I didn't even try for SDMT. We were there in a slower time of year, with a group of two people, and we couldn't get FPs for a six-year old ride for any of three days more than two weeks in advance. In its current form, I just can't find much to like about FP. I still like it for arrival day,and I'm glad they added the 4th FP option. But with the tiers, limited availability of headliners, lack of flexibility, and inability to prebook in multiple parks, it's really hard for me to get back on the FP+ train.

 

[Goddesstree]

On our last trip we were able to book FP+ for everything but SDMT and A+E less than 3 weeks before our first day at the parks. We rode SDMT twice at night, with a 50 minute wait, and we didn't do A+E but everything else was available. We will plan rope drop and EMH around our FP+ on our next trip, just like we did for this trip. It was easy and we had a great time.

 

[saskdw]

........

People who stay off-site still pay the same amount for their park tickets. So, I don't understand why they should be treated like second-class citizens once they go through park gates.

Don't think of it as taking perks away from off-site people, it's adding perks for onsite people.

WDW has about 25 resorts to fill. Most of which are more expensive to stay at than off-site. It's smart business to use all the tools at their disposal to fill those resorts. Park tickets are irrellavant, there is much more moeny to be made from the people who completely submerse themselves in the WDW experience. I personally don't think WDW does enough to seperate the onsite experience from the offsite.

At Universal the onsite Express pass perk and the fact that we can walk to the parks is huge. If they didn't offer things like that they would never be able to fill their rooms with MUCH cheaper hotels just up the road.

It's just smart business!

 

[Tarheel girl 1975]

Fastpass+ is actually an improvement over the original. Less paper (save resources) and limiting to 3 until you get there it actually provides for increased ride availablility.

I think making people go to the park to pul FP actually increases availability. We never saw legacy FP run out before noon or even later.

You're misunderstanding. I didn't say your post was saying fp+ ruined your life. But to say fp+ is turning to having to know someone or find a scalper is quite an exaggeration.

Consider that many here rely on the cancellation thread to get FP I don't think this statement is quite the exaggeration you make it out to be. And how many people would think make FP for one person in your group and then try to copy it over to the other or to make overlapping FP. Most people would quit after being told that FP weren't available for your whole party. I was able to take full advantage of the legacy FP system on out very first family trip after reading the Unofficial Guide. I have been to Disney six time since then and I still don't feel like I understand it as well enough to take full advantage of it. I even had a hard time finding some of the FP kiosks at the park. The system is just not intuitive or user friendly.

 

[magicbob]

And how many people would think make FP for one person in your group and then try to copy it over to the other or to make overlapping FP. Most people would quit after being told that FP weren't available for your whole party.

True story... just tonight I applied what I learned here about the little "tips and tricks" necessary to book FP+ and saved a bundle on airfare.

I had priced a trip yesterday. When I went to book it today, the cost showed up as significantly higher. So I changed my search to 2 passengers instead of 3. I then was shown a piece of information that wasn't previously there (i.e., two more seats left at this price). Had I booked 3 seats simultaneously, it was going to charge me the higher price for all three. But booking two seats only, gave me the lower price and then I only had to pay extra for one seat booked separately 5 minutes later.

So it's true... everything you need to know in life can be learned from Disney!

 

[mom2rtk]

Don't think of it as taking perks away from off-site people, it's adding perks for onsite people.

WDW has about 25 resorts to fill. Most of which are more expensive to stay at than off-site. It's smart business to use all the tools at their disposal to fill those resorts. Park tickets are irrellavant, there is much more moeny to be made from the people who completely submerse themselves in the WDW experience. I personally don't think WDW does enough to seperate the onsite experience from the offsite.

At Universal the onsite Express pass perk and the fact that we can walk to the parks is huge. If they didn't offer things like that they would never be able to fill their rooms with MUCH cheaper hotels just up the road.

It's just smart business!

But if they are freeing up extra slots for 25 resorts full of guests, those spots have to come from somewhere. If they offer more at 60 days, then there will be a lot less left for the offsite guests at 30 days. There really is no way around that.

 

[Suvadoo]

But if they are freeing up extra slots for 25 resorts full of guests, those spots have to come from somewhere. If they offer more at 60 days, then there will be a lot less left for the offsite guests at 30 days. There really is no way around that.

True, but doesn't it make you feel better if you look at as increasing perks for onsite guests?

 

[Laketravis]

True story... just tonight I applied what I learned here about the little "tips and tricks" necessary to book FP+ and saved a bundle on airfare.

I had priced a trip yesterday. When I went to book it today, the cost showed up as significantly higher. So I changed my search to 2 passengers instead of 3. I then was shown a piece of information that wasn't previously there (i.e., two more seats left at this price). Had I booked 3 seats simultaneously, it was going to charge me the higher price for all three. But booking two seats only, gave me the lower price and then I only had to pay extra for one seat booked separately 5 minutes later.

So it's true... everything you need to know in life can be learned from Disney!

I owe you a beer for this.

 

[mom2rtk]

True, but doesn't it make you feel better if you look at as increasing perks for onsite guests?

I only stay onsite and I still can't look at it that way!