FP+, need a little help please

[Stephaniesue]

I'm trying to get a grip on our touring plans for the park and this FP + is hurting my brain. The last (and only) time we went to WDW we didn't use FP at all. We went in September, and it wasn't very busy. We were able to walk on most attractions or have a very short wait.

We are headed down over fall break this time and it looks like it's going to be busy.

I have a few questions:

Does everyone have to select the same FP or can I mix it up between different people?

Is it better to use the prescheduled FP selections in the morning? Or save for afternoon?

I have a little over 100 days before we arrive. I am trying to get a plan together so we aren't zig zagging all over the park all day. We will be there 4 days, one day for each park.

Thanks!

PS- We do not have park hoppers, just incase that matters .

 

[Alesia]

I'm trying to get a grip on our touring plans for the park and this FP + is hurting my brain. The last (and only) time we went to WDW we didn't use FP at all. We went in September, and it wasn't very busy. We were able to walk on most attractions or have a very short wait.

We are headed down over fall break this time and it looks like it's going to be busy.

I have a few questions:

Does everyone have to select the same FP or can I mix it up between different people?

Everyone can have different ones.

Is it better to use the prescheduled FP selections in the morning? Or save for afternoon?

That really just depends on how you like to tour.

I have a little over 100 days before we arrive. I am trying to get a plan together so we aren't zig zagging all over the park all day. We will be there 4 days, one day for each park.

I would highly recommend looking at the cheat sheets at easywdw.com

Thanks!

PS- We do not have park hoppers, just incase that matters .

I would also recommend taking a look at this: http://wdwprepschool.com/how-to-make-fastpass-plus-reservations-and-order-magicbands/ There is a video that shows exactly how the FP+ selection process works.

 

[Stephaniesue]

Thank you so much for posting this! I'm going to check it out right now.

I guess I should add to my question on using them for morning or afternoon. Is anyone having trouble getting additional FP after using the 3 pre scheduled ones? I wonder how much of a pain it is to go to the kiosk?

I have been planning to hit rides at rope drop, and then use FP for the popular ones in the afternoon time.

 

[Alesia]

Thank you so much for posting this! I'm going to check it out right now.

I guess I should add to my question on using them for morning or afternoon. Is anyone having trouble getting additional FP after using the 3 pre scheduled ones? I wonder how much of a pain it is to go to the kiosk?

I have been planning to hit rides at rope drop, and then use FP for the popular ones in the afternoon time.

I didn't find the kiosks to be a pain. We never waited more than 5 minutes, even when the line looked long. There will always be some FP available, but don't count on any for headliner rides. We really just looked at the additional FP as bonuses.

I think your plan is a good one - it's basically what we did most days.

 

[Stephaniesue]

Thanks again. This link helped me so much! Now I won't be flying blind.

Moving forward with the planning now lol.

I have a list of all the "required" rides/ meet ups for each person. This is getting confusing!

 

[Alesia]

I think the easiest way is to come up with a plan first and then figure out the best use for FP.

This is the easiest way (at least I think it is

1. start with the cheat shhet at easywdw.com
2. remove any rides or attractions you're not interested in
3. add in any rides you might like to do more than once (being mindful of location
4. add in your dining plans, if desired
5. come up with approximate times (which can be the tricky part)
6. Figure out where to use your FP

 

[AmyWill98]

Good idea to plan your FP+ early morning then you can really take advantage of what the kiosks would have to offer for later in the day

 

[Stephaniesue]

Now I'm confused.

I thought getting to the park at rope drop would help our odds more than using FP in the mornings?

 

[buzz2400]

Now I'm confused.

I thought getting to the park at rope drop would help our odds more than using FP in the mornings?

We are planning on going at rope drop and doing as many rides as possible. I will be choosing my fp+ for around 11-1 since after you use all three fast passes you can get more. That way after 1 p.m. we can "do whatever we want" and not have to plan. I hate that you have to plan everything 60 days before you even go.

 

[Alesia]

Now I'm confused.

I thought getting to the park at rope drop would help our odds more than using FP in the mornings?

You'll still be able to get more done in the mornings than you will the rest of the day. Some of the lines will begin building earlier in the mornings than they used to, but they won't be nearly as bad as they are in the afternoons.

A good plan really is key. We were there last month and the only thing we waited more than 20 minutes for was TSM.

If you're uncomfortable with coming up with a detailed plan, it might be wise to subscribe to touring plans and use that to generate a custom plan.

 

[practicallyperfect77]

Now I'm confused.

I thought getting to the park at rope drop would help our odds more than using FP in the mornings?

Personally I think it depends on which park you're talking about. My plan for Epcot and HS (because of tiers and lack of headliners) is to book them 9-12. I will still arrive at RD but hopefully by using FPs early, I'll be able to get a meaningful 4th FP (a headliner). For MK and AK I'll use b/t 11-1. MK has more rides and AK doesn't seem to have the craziness that Epcot and AK have.

 

[boufa]

Now I'm confused.

I thought getting to the park at rope drop would help our odds more than using FP in the mornings?

There is a theory that you go at rope drop and ride the headliners... WITHOUT FASTPASSES.

Then you use your FP+ on the top secondary attractions, and/or for repeat rides of the headliners later in the day.

The idea is that in the AM you might have a 20 minute standby wait on one of the mountains and that same ride might have a 15-20 minute FP+ wait in the afternoon. So why waste the FP+, when you could go first thing. Then use the FP+ on Pirates, or to re-ride one of the mountains.

This assumes a lot... first that you get there at rope drop, and that you focus your efforts on the headliners first, and then go directly from one to the other.

For me, I can't be assured that I can get there that early, and I really don't want to ride all the big things in the morning and then spend the rest of the day doing spinners, and shows. I would rather mix it up.

 

[Stephaniesue]

There is a theory that you go at rope drop and ride the headliners... WITHOUT FASTPASSES.

Then you use your FP+ on the top secondary attractions, and/or for repeat rides of the headliners later in the day.

The idea is that in the AM you might have a 20 minute standby wait on one of the mountains and that same ride might have a 15-20 minute FP+ wait in the afternoon. So why waste the FP+, when you could go first thing. Then use the FP+ on Pirates, or to re-ride one of the mountains.

This assumes a lot... first that you get there at rope drop, and that you focus your efforts on the headliners first, and then go directly from one to the other.

For me, I can't be assured that I can get there that early, and I really don't want to ride all the big things in the morning and then spend the rest of the day doing spinners, and shows. I would rather mix it up.

This was my plan and it makes more sense to me.

We will do RD at all parks except HS because will we be arriving later after having a late breakfast at Chef Mickey's.

We plan to RD in the morning, do as much "big stuff" as we can. Then we will have lunch and see how things go. It looks like the crowds might be higher than I expected. So, a afternoon break is being factored in *if* we feel we need it. We will head back to the parks for dinner and use our FP in the afternoon/evening.

We won't park hop, so it's not a huge deal if we don't get a 4th FP. I'm going to stick with my plan and hope it works I guess.