FP+ "Problems" - I Just Don't Get It

[cakebaker]

I was there last week, loved it once again. Loved going into the park with 3 already reserved, which I typically used at around 10, 11, 12. That way I could do standby first thing with short lines.

I don't have the fond memories of legacy fastpass that many have, especially after they enforced the return time. You had to go to the attraction, see the return time, decide if it fit your schedule or not. We don't typically stay in the park from opening to close so it made it difficult. With FP+, you can pick your times. Another advantage - I arrived at around 12:45 on 10/18, I was able to schedule 3 fastpasses at Epcot for that afternoon. With the old system, I would never have gotten Soarin that late.

There was a poster the other day who said--When you see people who have been on the boards a long time say something, you should listen? I agree.

 

[holden]

It all depends on your vacationing style.

My BIL just got back from Disney last week. He said he hated the new FP+ system. Why? He didn't book any ahead of time! But that's how he and his family rolls. They never plan ahead. They don't like to.

I, on the other hand, don't mind staying up until midnight 60 days out to book my FP+. I've done it several times now and have never had a problem. Party of 10 to see Anna and Elsa in the summer? No problem. 7 Dwarves Mine Train? Rode it several times (again, party of 10). I don't know if I've had good luck or I'm just flexible. I'm not set on being in certain parks on cerain days...maybe that's why I've been so successful?

The bottom line is, some will like it and some won't. It's not for everyone.

 

[DisneyKidds]

OP, you're discounting some very big factors: 1. If you look back, onsite had very little problems with FP+ availability for all attractions (including A&E and 7DMT) this summer. Keep in mind that during the summer, while parks are busy, resorts tend to have their lowest occupancy, and the park hours are long. So for days 60-30, we onsiters have a pretty sweet deal...relatively little competition and nice, long hours, so lots of availability. Personal experience: We did a short, 3 day trip in late August. We had one MK day. I had no problems getting both A&E and 7DMT in morning slots, right when I wanted them, for a party of 4, even though my trip was only 3 days long. 2. Once the summer ended, and party season began, even onsiters started having problems with the most popular FP+s. Why? Shortened operating hours (especially at MK due to parties) and much higher occupancy at resorts during this time of year means less FP+ availability AND more competition for the spots that are available. Personal experience: We have a trip planned in mid-December. Despite being up at 11:00 CT to make my FP+s, and despite knowing how to use the system (this is our 3rd trip with FP+), A&E was only available for the last two days of our trip (days 7 & 8). There was no availability earlier in the trip for even one person. 7DMT was easier to get, including on arrival day, though the ideal times were not available. Because I'm not a novice, I'm pretty sure this shows a supply/demand problem, and not a guest incompetence problem. 3. You didn't have any problems getting FP+ when your 60 day window opened for the busiest time of year. First, you're an onsite guest...again, not as much competition at 60 days, since park attendance is driven by offsiters and resorts aren't as heavily booked during the peak holiday time since they're so expensive. Plus, the heaviest park crowds during the year also means the hours are the longest they'll be all year. Again, little competition + more supply due to longer hours = onsiters have a pretty good deal going right now. Personal prediction: Once the 30 day window opens for offsiters, we're going to see lots and lots of complaints about limited FP+ choices.

Good points. Still doesn't account for those who had trouble at the midnight 60 day mark.....but those could be glitches?

The comments regarding Disney's ability to control how many available FP+ spots are available in the system intrigue me. One can't assume a level playing field I guess. Any hard evidence on possible control/manipulation/whatever you want to call it of released FP+, or is that here say?

I don't just want to stir the.........actually, I prefer my threads shaken, not stirred......pot, as there are likely factors that I'm unaware of. I'm open to learning and understanding, so my query is genuine.

Touché. I do think some people exaggerate and manipulate info to paint a negative picture of FP+/MM+, for whatever reason. Fair to ask if someone might exaggerate on the other side to further their agenda. I have no need to do that. Just took a screen shot of the A&E availability it is giving me for Dec 30, just gotta figure out how to post it.

Yeah, I'm a jerk. I'm stirring the pot some. I'm a bit insensitive to true problems people really have had. Mea culpa! But if I'm admitting that, you can admit their are more than a few dramatic types who had a 'problem' that 'ruined their vacation' and show 'FP+ is a failure', when all they really had was a relatively minor inconvenience. This thread is dedicated to all those people, with my apologies to the rest.

Now, back to jerk mode, and this may be somewhat cold......but a lot of problems ARE user created, which leads to somewhat unwarranted criticism of the system. Sure, maybe we'd prefer that there wasn't even a system, but what's there largely works. If someone knows they can make reservations at midnight, could have gotten what they wanted then, but chooses not to and doesn't get what they wanted the next day/week/month.....that's user failure, not system failure, is it not?

 

[Jennasis]

For the love of pixie dust, nobody take the bait.

 

[jtowntoflorida]

Good points. Still doesn't account for those who had trouble at the midnight 60 day mark.....but those could be glitches?

Do you mean the window actually opening at midnight at 60 days? Someone posted that a CM friend told them that the MDE window opening correlated to the MK's operating hours...when the MK is open later, the window opens later (at 1:00 a.m. vs. midnight) and at least for the days I watched, that theory seemed to hold true. So I don't know if that's a glitch or just SOP that's outside the norm?

You certainly can't deny that MDE has glitches, even if you haven't experienced them. Here's where I'll agree with you...I also believe that when MDE does have a glitch, people freak out and try to correct it immediately instead of waiting to see if it resolves itself, and then it's those actions that are trying to "fix" something that isn't really broken that cause data to really be erased/deleted. I also think that phone CMs don't help the situation, when such guests call and the CMs say the FP+s are gone. I think the CMs are generally flying by the seats of their pants, generally see the same information we do, and generally believe that if something isn't displaying on MDE at a particular time, it means it's "gone," when really it's not gone, but just hidden. This is all my theory, based on my personal experience of disappearing (and then reappearing, without any user input) data on MDE. My attitude is I know what FP+s I made, I make them and generally don't mess with them, write the times into my (low tech) park schedule, and if something doesn't display on MDE...oh well. If a blue Mickey shows up when I'm at the park (hasn't happened yet!), I'll deal with it then, but I'm not going to spend pre-vacation time fretting over a glitchy system.

 

[romitaz]

I was there last week, loved it once again. Loved going into the park with 3 already reserved, which I typically used at around 10, 11, 12. That way I could do standby first thing with short lines.

I don't have the fond memories of legacy fastpass that many have, especially after they enforced the return time. You had to go to the attraction, see the return time, decide if it fit your schedule or not. We don't typically stay in the park from opening to close so it made it difficult. With FP+, you can pick your times. Another advantage - I arrived at around 12:45 on 10/18, I was able to schedule 3 fastpasses at Epcot for that afternoon. With the old system, I would never have gotten Soarin that late.

It looks like we were there at the same time and had the same idea with fastpasses being used mid to late morning. It also sounds like we both had similar great experiences. The system fit my group well. I used MDE extensively on my phone while in the parks and was able to change several of our fastpasses day of or for the next day. Holy moly did that app suck power though! I had to use my battery backup several times, but that is a different topic. I do wish we could schedule multiple parks in one day though as we usually hopped to EPCOT for Food and Wine in the afternoon/evenings.

 

[Scootypuffjr]

I'm glad you are having such a great time. I hope fp+ will be a good part of our vacation once we are there too. That said, I would hope that it is understandable that there are those who have not had such wonderful experiences with the system. They don't deserve to be called liars just because someone else had a better experience than they did.

I'm fairly certain I didn't call anyone a liar. I just said that I don't understand it...Am I not allowed to not understand it?

 

[Jennasis]

I'm fairly certain I didn't call anyone a liar. I just said that I don't understand it...I am not allowed to not understand it?

They were referring to the OP, not you.

 

[elaine amj]

Do you mean the window actually opening at midnight at 60 days? Someone posted that a CM friend told them that the MDE window opening correlated to the MK's operating hours...when the MK is open later, the window opens later (at 1:00 a.m. vs. midnight) and at least for the days I watched, that theory seemed to hold true. So I don't know if that's a glitch or just SOP that's outside the norm?

You certainly can't deny that MDE has glitches, even if you haven't experienced them. Here's where I'll agree with you...I also believe that when MDE does have a glitch, people freak out and try to correct it immediately instead of waiting to see if it resolves itself, and then it's those actions that are trying to "fix" something that isn't really broken that cause data to really be erased/deleted. I also think that phone CMs don't help the situation, when such guests call and the CMs say the FP+s are gone. I think the CMs are generally flying by the seats of their pants, generally see the same information we do, and generally believe that if something isn't displaying on MDE at a particular time, it means it's "gone," when really it's not gone, but just hidden. This is all my theory, based on my personal experience of disappearing (and then reappearing, without any user input) data on MDE. My attitude is I know what FP+s I made, I make them and generally don't mess with them, write the times into my (low tech) park schedule, and if something doesn't display on MDE...oh well. If a blue Mickey shows up when I'm at the park (hasn't happened yet!), I'll deal with it then, but I'm not going to spend pre-vacation time fretting over a glitchy system.

Good point. I checked MDE one day and nearly freaked out when I saw my DD's linked park ticket had disappeared. Thankfully it "magically" reappeared a short while later.

I would not have been happy if this glitch had happened as we were trying to enter a park. And I'm sure it happens.

 

[maxiesmom]

I was there last week, loved it once again. Loved going into the park with 3 already reserved, which I typically used at around 10, 11, 12. That way I could do standby first thing with short lines.

I don't have the fond memories of legacy fastpass that many have, especially after they enforced the return time. You had to go to the attraction, see the return time, decide if it fit your schedule or not.

Debbie--That is exactly how we toured the parks this past week. I made my FP+ times for later in the day, so we knew we had the rides we really wanted to do covered. Some days we slept in, and some days we showed up to MK at rope drop so we could ride Space Mountain multiple times in a row. It was great!

I agree with your reasons for disliking old FP too. It was a pain to have to hike over to a ride and then see if the return time worked with the rest of your day or not. IF they had FPs available at all.

I do believe though that there are some who are having major glitches, and that can be no fun at all. Doesn't make them liars though.

 

[dae3dae3]

I was also able to get everything I wanted the week of Christmas. I could have gone on Seven Dwarves and visited Anna and Elsa every day if I wanted to. At least the four of seven days I checked.

Also, I see everyone talking about logging on at midnight. I hope everyone is remembering it is midnight Eastern time and not midnight local time. I was able to start at 11 PM. Don't lose an hour on everyone else.

 

[flatlandcycle]

Disney is boring.

 

[DisneyKidds]

Not everyone who has a problem is a liar. Aren't you paying attention!! Some people are just incompetent!

That was a joke, of course.....

Hey, do I think there are people out there who exaggerate a minor inconvenience, fabricating a 'problem' that calls the veracity of the system into question? Yes.

Do I think there are people out there who fail to use the system properly and to its best advantages? Yes.

So there are 'liars' and 'incompetents' out there if those are the words that someone wants to assign. However, there are also smart, level headed, objective people out there who have had legitimate problems. I'm glad I haven't had them, yet. Lots of good responses out there as to why some people might have had legit problems while my experiences have been flawless. I thank you all for aiding in my understanding.

 

[Angel Ariel]

I'm fairly certain I didn't call anyone a liar. I just said that I don't understand it...Am I not allowed to not understand it?

They were referring to the OP, not you.

Scootypuffyjr - if you thought I was saying you called people a liar, I apologize. I was referring to how this thread began with the OP implying people were liars.

 

[Bullseye]

I only used it once and the only glitch I experienced was the first couple hours 7DMT was added to the menu, but almost everyone that tried had trouble that night. I would agree that some people are not very computer/tech savvy and it leads to their frustrations with the system which causes them come to the Dis to complain.

I'm sure there some others that really experienced no availability at the 60 day mark which is troubling. Just like hotels and ADRs, if you get in on the very day your supposed to, then there should almost always be availability. If not then the whole thing is a joke. I don't mind pre booking the rides at the 60 day mark but I sure don't want to have to keep lurking on the site for days and weeks to see if a ride slot has opened up.

 

[Clawdya]

Does FP+ availability have anything to do with when most planners will go to the parks? I've noticed that I have had a relatively easy time scheduling my ADRs and FP+ (I got everything I wanted) and I'm going the week after Christmas (considered to be THE busiest time of the year). Is this because most of the planners don't go during this time? And during the dates that they do, most of the other planners are more likely to go and therefore making it harder to get ADRs and FP+?

 

[DisneyKidds]

I never said liar. I said fabricate. Two very different words, actually.

Yes, both are meant to deceive. However, a lie is a blatant false statement (someone saying they had a problem they really didn't have - which I don't think anyone here does), while fabricate means to invent or concoct something (by taking a real event and turning into a bigger problem than it is - which I think does happen).

 

[cakebaker]

Everybody grab their Websters...

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

For the love of pixie dust, nobody take the bait.

You should be offering fast passes for the bait parade.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Not everyone who has a problem is a liar. Aren't you paying attention!! Some people are just incompetent!

That was a joke, of course.....

Hey, do I think there are people out there who exaggerate a minor inconvenience, fabricating a 'problem' that calls the veracity of the system into question? Yes.

Do I think there are people out there who fail to use the system properly and to its best advantages? Yes.

So there are 'liars' and 'incompetents' out there if those are the words that someone wants to assign. However, there are also smart, level headed, objective people out there who have had legitimate problems. I'm glad I haven't had them, yet. Lots of good responses out there as to why some people might have had legit problems while my experiences have been flawless. I thank you all for aiding in my understanding.

You are going about this ALL wrong.

Do I think *some* folks exaggerate aka use hyperbole? Yes! They aren't lying--but they are making mountains out of mole hills. (I.e. Posters who claim they will never be able to ride anything ever. That is an exaggeration. Not necessarily a lie because it is their perception of what it was or will be like. But definite exaggeration as FP in any format is a recent addition to Disney and folks road rides despite lengthy lines in the Stone Age.)

And there are others who wasted most of their day fixing glitches on their park day. It happens.

That said--your OP easily allowed folks to infer that you believe people lie and are incompetent. Both are awful things to imply and you know that is exactly what you intended to do.

So--take this time to be like Elsa.