FP+ Report: Insights, 4th FP availability, and more !!!

[Laketravis]

Thanks for posting, and HAVE FUN!!

 

[Rosebud123]

Great info! Thank you.

I was in the MK on 4/24 and, while in line for Splash (using FP+), it went down for an extended period of time. They cleared everyone out of the line and everyone was given a FP that was valid for one week. It might have been valid for just the mountains? Can't remember exactly but I know it couldn't be used for Anna and Elsa. We ended up using it for Big Thunder.

 

[Angel Ariel]

Thank you for sharing, Shaden! It's good to know about the kiosks at Epcot closing early...we're spending a lot of time at Epcot in November, including arrival night. That info will be helpful!

I hope you're having a great trip!!

They let you on early? Hmm.

I thought the 5 min before, 15 min after grace period had been in place for a while? (Like with legacy as well as FP+)

 

[GeorgiaHoo]

We had a good trip. Some good and some bad with FP+ that I'll report on in more detail tomorrow. Crowds were pretty light so not sure how much someone can learn from our experience with FP+. The fact that we couldn't book Toy Story at all one day before we wanted to go to DHS doesn't really bode well in my mind for folks going to DHS and hoping to use a 4th FP for that ride. Same appears to hold true for those arriving at DHS late in the day. We were there on a day when it rained and crowds were otherwise low and still couldn't book the main attractions at DHS for our 4th FP. That said, being able to sleep in (Disney is EXHAUSTING) and know that you can show up at DHS at 945am and ride Toy Story right away with a FP is pretty cool. We had maybe a 10 minute wait from the front of the ride to boarding. Only issue with fastpasses we actually had was Tower of Terror - it broke during our timeframe and the line was way backed up (120 minute standby) so we got out of line and left the park. CM told us we'd receive an email that would get us an extra FP but that never happened.

 

[bjakmom]

Thanks for taking the time to post in such detail for us! Having to reschedule around inevitable changes while on vaca feels like a big negative to me - would not want to spend an hour of my pool time dealing with the frustrating MDEx site.
Enjoy AKL - one of my favorite resorts!

 

[practicallyperfect77]

I thought the 5 min before, 15 min after grace period had been in place for a while? (Like with legacy as well as FP+)

In Dec they allowed 5 mins before and 15 mins after too.

 

[bigtony777]

Thanks Shaden for the great information.

 

[GeorgiaHoo]

In Dec they allowed 5 mins before and 15 mins after too.

We arrived 25 minutes early for one FP (Rock n Roller Coaster) and couldn't use it and 2 minutes late for another (Buzz Lightyear) and had no problems.

 

[Dwheels]

Great report looking forward to the rest of your FP experiences this week!

 

[Shaden]

Thanks for the report. How have the lines been at the kiosks? Have you/will you be hopping?

Regarding the quote above - so at a kiosk you are doing all this yourself, there is no CM there? Just wondering if a CM will keep refreshing if you ask or if you were doing that.

The lines at kiosks vary... we haven't had to wait too long but we have seen some long ones ... like today in HS between TOT and RnR .... long ... not moving.

The problem is three part ... guests not knowing what they are doing, there ends up being a lot of talking between guests and CMs ... often just lingering in front of the kiosk while no one is using it. Secondly ... the interface ..it is extraordinarily sensation and precise. CMs suggest using a fingernail to click the touch screen buttons ... it's quite a pain in the button. Thirdly .. it's the CMs they are hovering and annoying ... they interfere constantly even going so far as to start reaching in and clicking things for you ... they have done this a few times already ... in just 2 days ... they end up slowing the process down for people who know what they are doing.

Too bad on the rain-spring has always been so nice when we visit.

Curious what the BTMRR SB wait was when you got the 1:50 FP+ at 1:10.

Also what time did you get TOT for 1:50 and what was it's wait?

They let you on early? Hmm.

Thanks for the reporting so far.

BTMRR was 40 and TOT was at least 40 ... might have been 60 when we booked addition FPs.

So yes ... literally booked those for a few minutes ahead and skipped significant lines.

 

[Barzeski]

Thank you for your research!

 

[ArwenMarie]

Thank you! Awesome thread. Hope you have a great trip

 

[bjscheel]

I would like to try the "back and next" thing in a month to see if new ones pop up if at first there is no availability. That sounds helpful- I bet most people give up at the first sign of no availability. Hope the CMs don't give me a hard time! I would rather not have one over my shoulder.

This weekend I moved all my FP to be noon/early afternoon so we can try for more.

 

[staxia]

You can not ... did I imply so ??? Sorry if I did.

I was under the impression from my interactions last week that you ARE able to book another FP+ at another park, however you must GO TO THAT PARK in order to do it. We were there M-F and while it had been my intention to book additional FPs, I was with my parents and my mom just couldn't hold up to the long days this time around and with the rain every afternoon, a nap sounded just as nice for me.

I guess it was tuesday, I was in DAK, and we had used all 3, so I went to a kiosk, asked about the 4th and they said, tap away and we'll see.. it said an additional one was available and then I asked about getting it for Epcot (our next stop) because there was time in between arriving there and my dinner reservations... I was told they'd be available if I went to the kiosks at that park. Unfortunately by the time we arrived at Epcot, we had other plans and I never got around to checking. This was a relaxing trip this time around.. more about the food, less about the rides.

I found that looking around, however, the kiosks ranged from 5 or 6 CMs just standing around waiting, to some with 20+ people in line... it all depended, I guess it's probably a time of day thing, location and park attendance.

I wanted to test things out more, but.. well.. vacation.

I'll be back in September, at least that's the plan, and I'll be more on my own and look forward to testing things out and see how things are working after being live for a few months!

 

[wdwlver]

I would like to try the "back and next" thing in a month to see if new ones pop up if at first there is no availability. That sounds helpful- I bet most people give up at the first sign of no availability. Hope the CMs don't give me a hard time! I would rather not have one over my shoulder. This weekend I moved all my FP to be noon/early afternoon so we can try for more.

Agree. I want to try the "back and next" thing too but don't want any CM's looking over my shoulder either!!

 

[jade1]

BTMRR was 40 and TOT was at least 40 ... might have been 60 when we booked addition FPs.

So yes ... literally booked those for a few minutes ahead and skipped significant lines.

Thanks, just meant if they were like 10 or 20 minute waits not a big deal. But sounds like it was worth while for the ones you did.

Have a great trip. 0% chance of rain the next week-more like we are used to.

 

[jimmysmom74]

Shaden, have a great trip!!! Thanks for taking time to update us at home. Your info is invaluable for us planners!

 

[OtherScott]

I thought the 5 min before, 15 min after grace period had been in place for a while? (Like with legacy as well as FP+)

The patent explicitly says the system is designed to allow guests to ride early based on park conditions. It is receiving real-time from every attraction.

No guarantee that you'll get on early.

 

[Angel Ariel]

The patent explicitly says the system is designed to allow guests to ride early based on park conditions. It is receiving real-time from every attraction.

No guarantee that you'll get on early.

I didn't say it was a guarantee...the way the pp said it was like shaden or the cm did something wrong by allowing him in 5 mins early. That's all I was responding to. It's not "wrong" when Disney has said there is a grace period on either side of the window...

 

[lsenquiz]

Awesome, awesome, awesome info. We will be there for 2+ weeks at the end of this month and I also plan to do alot of playing around with FP+ during this trip so we are fully prepared for our shorter 8 day trip in September.

Thanks for taking the time to post during your vacation!