FP+ - simply, how does it work?

[sjw211]

Hi all, on Monday is the 60th day before we go away to Disney....
We're staying in SSR and have sorted out Magic Bands and tickets etc.
I believe from Monday we can book FP+'s?
We've not been to Disney for 20+ years so don't have a clue how it all works now - although I understand the FP+'s to e new this year.
I've seen some thread with hundreds of posts talking about 'ways around the system' but to be honest they're too long and I've not read them.
Simply, how does the system work now? How many can we book a day? Once it's used, it that it for the day? We're there for two weeks - can we book FP+'s for all the holiday from next week or only the first X number of days? There are four of us travelling and we all will have Magic Bands?
At some point in the holiday we're meeting up with family who are staying off-site. Are the FP+'s not available to them yet?
Many thanks everybody!

 

[kmb584]

Hi all, on Monday is the 60th day before we go away to Disney....
We're staying in SSR and have sorted out Magic Bands and tickets etc.
I believe from Monday we can book FP+'s?
We've not been to Disney for 20+ years so don't have a clue how it all works now - although I understand the FP+'s to e new this year.
I've seen some thread with hundreds of posts talking about 'ways around the system' but to be honest they're too long and I've not read them.
Simply, how does the system work now? How many can we book a day? Once it's used, it that it for the day? We're there for two weeks - can we book FP+'s for all the holiday from next week or only the first X number of days? There are four of us travelling and we all will have Magic Bands?
At some point in the holiday we're meeting up with family who are staying off-site. Are the FP+'s not available to them yet?
Many thanks everybody!

At your 60-day mark you'll be able to book, in advance, 3 FP+ per day and all of those initial 3 need to be in the same park. After those 3 are used you can go to a park kiosk and book a 4th, and after the that is used a 5th, and so on. Epcot and DHS have a tiered system where you can pick 1 FP+ from Tier 1 and 2 from Tier 2, once all are used you can book another from Tier 1 if you wish (tiered rides listed here). Your family members staying off-site can book FP+ 30 days prior to their trip.

 

[Suzanne033]

Very simply, it's like a dining reservation but for a ride/show. You pick the time you would like to experience an attraction.

 

[Robo]

Very simply, it's like a dining reservation but for a ride/show. You pick the time you would like to experience an attraction.

Unfortunately, in practice, it is NOT that simple.

WHY it is not that simple is a puzzlement for the ages.

The advance FP+ system is actually awkward and non-intuitive.
See THIS post from just moments ago to see a slice of what I mean.

As a help, there are many specific details and FP+ priorities found HERE.

 

[sjw211]

Many thanks everyone, I think I get it.
If you tend to get to the parks early, is the idea to do FP+'s for the afternoon? You could then do the 'big' rides early and again in the afternoon?

 

[Robo]

Many thanks everyone, I think I get it.
If you tend to get to the parks early, is the idea to do FP+'s for the afternoon? You could then do the 'big' rides early and again in the afternoon?

Sometimes that's a good plan.

BUT...

Now that guests can obtain a 4th FP+ AFTER they have used (or at least reached the Return Time of) their original 3rd FP+, (and then a 5th FP+, and a 6th...) it makes the scheduling times of your original 3 FP+more important... so that you have a better chance of getting on a more popular ride as your 4th, 5th, FP+ choice(s.)

As I said, this is NOT such a simple system to negotiate.