It all ultimately comes out of the same pool of FPs, so the more FP+s booked, the less regular FPs or standby riders. And no, according to the Disney site, if you switch to FP+ you can't use regular FPs.
The possibility still remains that the current FP system would all be upgraded to use the RFID chips and thus would be come FP+, yet still function as the current system does.
Does anyone have an idea how FP+ will affect standby lines?
I think it will make them worse... My family normally gets 5-8 depending on time of year and crowds
So all those people like me will only get 4... Leaving lots of extra time to stand in those lines!
Since you will be limited in the number of FP you can hold, stand by lines will increase.
Most estimates I see is that there are approx 8 FP riders for each stand by rider on the FP attractions. Unless they add FPs to the FP/FP+ system the standby waits should remain relativelly unaffected. In theory the waits at the "premier" attractions could actually drop.
Consider the following. The way it is now, some get multiple FPs for one particular attraction, say RnR. While others just care to ride it once. Under the FP+ system each person would only be able to get one FP for RnR (both those who want to ride it multiple times and those that want to only ride it once). So now those that only want to ride it once are in the FP line rather than the stand-by line. Unfortunatlly those who want to ride it more than once are forced to go through the stand-by line for their return visits, which all things being equal would keep the stand-by line unaffected from what it currently would be. However, there is human nature to consider. While some people are willling to do FP multiple times for a particular ride, not all of them would be willing to wait in the stand-by line wait the same number of times, thus the number of people in the stand-by line will drop, and thus the waits will drop.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not looking forward to a time when the current FP system goes away (I keep going back and forth as to whether or not I think it will). Our family typically gets to the parks at RD and takes full advantage of the FP system by getting 5-7 FPs each day, mostly (or entirely) for the high profile attractions.
Here is how I see this all working.
1) Onsite guests will be able to make their FP+ advanced reservations ~60 days in advance. (The 180 days that is rumored is just way to far in advance, it is possible to make a few dining reservation that far in advance, but deciding exactly which parks you are going to be in every single day of your 7-14 day stay is something completley different. Plus you can change your dining reservations. You may not get the restuarant you want, or have to eat counter service, but you can still change. The attractions are the reason most people go to WDW. Having to miss out on an attraction becasue you planned park changes, won't go over very well).
2) Offiste guests holding a MYW ticket will be able to start making FP+ advanced reservations 30 days in advance.
3) For each park you will get 1 or 2 selections for the "E" ticket rides, and another 2 for the "D" - "A" ticket rides.
4) The current FP system will be modified to use the RFID scanners and "reservations" and be convered to "FP+ (in park)"
5) No one will be able to make a FP+ reservation (in advance combined with in park) for the same attraction more than once in a day. Meaning that you could make advanced FP+ reservation for say TSMM and RnR, then once you get to the park, you can get a FP+ (using the same FP system we are acustom to , but with the RFID technology) for ToT, but not another one for RnR or TSMM.
