FP+ vs old FP vs no FP

[practicallyperfect77]

It just seems that people are upset that they don't get to have everything. There's a lot of "I want to come when I want to, ride what I want to, and not experience a wait of more than 20 minutes"

And then there's the "I love planning that's why I come on the DIS!" but then "I don't want to plan this much!"

People complained about the old fast pass system and they complain about this one too. I think some people just complain.

Complaining is good if it brings about changes that make things better.

 

[dmychuds]

Complaining is good if it brings about changes that make things better.

I would argue that more appropriately constructive criticism may bring about change. However many people are just clamoring to yell that the system sucks, without providing a real solution to the issue. Given that we know Disney wants to use these magic bands for a multitude of reasons simply suggesting "go back to the old system!" is like saying "Bring back ticket books for rides" we know it's not going to happen so someone providing a solution would need to frame their solution in the confines of what we know to be absolute truths, that the magic bands are something that will be around for a period of time, and then you can start to make suggestions after that.

Complaining for the sake of it doesn't lead to positive change.

 

[practicallyperfect77]

Next year in next fall, I'm spending $0 for Disney Cruising and dedicating all my $ to a land trip in DLR, where the FP is like it used to be, and where almost the same amount of rides are compactly placed into 2 parks and where TSMM has a wait of about 30 min average. We will be going the 1st week of Dec and expect crowd levels to be pretty low.

Have a fantastic time out West. My BFF is more of a Disney fan than I am...her 6 year old son has been more times than me. But she just can't wrap her head around FP+ but doesn't want to miss out on her Disney fix either so they are also heading out to DL. I've been out there a few times and it's so nice. I liked being able to stay off site and still able to walk to the parks too. And it's so easy to hop as well. I love DL's Space mountain much more than WDW. It's fun to make those comparisons. Plus just being able to "walk where Walt walked". You'll have a great time I'm sure!

 

[practicallyperfect77]

I would argue that more appropriately constructive criticism may bring about change. However many people are just clamoring to yell that the system sucks, without providing a real solution to the issue. Given that we know Disney wants to use these magic bands for a multitude of reasons simply suggesting "go back to the old system!" is like saying "Bring back ticket books for rides" we know it's not going to happen so someone providing a solution would need to frame their solution in the confines of what we know to be absolute truths, that the magic bands are something that will be around for a period of time, and then you can start to make suggestions after that.

Complaining for the sake of it doesn't lead to positive change.

Ahh...I misunderstood your comment. Lots of folks think if anyone says anything negative about the system you're just complaining....you obviously don't feel that way. As I stated a few posts above, I know the old system isn't.coming back and I offered 2 changes that would make it a "plus" for me. Granted I know my opinion isn't worth squat to Disney and I know everyone else has their opinion too.

The title of this thread did lead me to believe that the OP wanted opinions on which system people liked better and why. I offered mine....YMMV.

 

[skater]

It just seems that people are upset that they don't get to have everything. There's a lot of "I want to come when I want to, ride what I want to, and not experience a wait of more than 20 minutes"

And then there's the "I love planning that's why I come on the DIS!" but then "I don't want to plan this much!"

People complained about the old fast pass system and they complain about this one too. I think some people just complain.

I'm just grieving the old system and trying to adjust to something I find mostly inferior. I never expected to "have everything."

I actually do like the magic bands. They're fun and convenient. I just miss the old fp system. What you're describing is not accurate for me and I suspect not for the other "complainers" either.

 

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

I'm just grieving the old system and trying to adjust to something I find mostly inferior. I never expected to "have everything."

I actually do like the magic bands. They're fun and convenient. I just miss the old fp system. What you're describing is not accurate for me and I suspect not for the other "complainers" either.

We get the same thing on the Carnival cruise board at cruise critic. It couldn't possibly be a bad cruise, it must be a buncha complainers...

 

[Daisy&Max]

There are pros and cons to everything, so we'll see how it works for us in a few weeks. However, I will be at Disney so it won't matter how long the waits are or how much I get done, I will still be on vacation enjoying myself.

We are trying rope drop for the first time, so we'll see how that helps us in our daily plans.

Daisy

 

[PEC]

That is what has us so upset. Everything is long lines. We always walked right on SSE, and it's been 30-40 min wait. Its now a FP ride. Figment, who waits for that? Its now got 40 min waits. Maelstrom was over 50 min. People feel like they have to get a FP for SOMETHING so when these are all that are left, there ya go, they are now choosing FPs for these attractions that typically never had them to begin with. Things like Great Movie Ride, we did walk on to it around 9:30 am but after that, the lines got silly too.

And then there is the topic of the Tiers at HS and the stand by lines for that. Because we had to choose one, we had to standby the other (and vice versa) which meant all of us waited for 60-80 min for the other. I felt bad for the RnRc people in SB because that ride was down constantly. And frankly as mentioned, we used to single rider this, but when I asked the CM about single rider line, she told me it was closed due to the long lines.

So there you go. Believe me, we wouldn't be that irritated about the FP if we could ride stuff regardless. The whole place was chaotic. When we came back with our FPs, the line for FP would stretch way way out by the food vendors for people checking into the FP line.

Don't get me wrong, i was VERY VERY glad that I DID have my 3 FPs, but if I could have had one for TSMM, I would have no complaints, because at least we got to ride SOMETHING. But in general, the parks were completely mismanaged. And the CMs themselves admit it. I really feel for them this summer.

Again, as mentioned, people have different vacation styles. My first 3 Day Disney cruise last year was one of the best trips we EVER had, so I was dying to do another cruise, and we made it a 4 day. But it also constrained the days we had to go to the parks (Sat it stormed and stormed and was supposed to be our EP base day, so we switched it to DisneyQuest as a sort of bonus. Sun was sunny at HS day and that was the one that was soooo chaotic. Fri after the cruise we went to SeaWorld, and experienced ridiculous delays there too thanks to school kids making it their senior day etc, but because so many of their attractions are shows that accomodate 1500 people or even more, we still saw A LOT that day and then ran around at the end of the day and rode Manta 3 times before closing with 0 wait time. EP was moved to the Sat after the cruise and it was better but even at RD, TestTrack got to be 40 min pretty quick. We were smart enough to FP Soarin. We got straight in TT's line and had about a 30 min wait or less, not bad at all. One FP we didn't even use because we went on the ride when it had no line, and Nemo was a 15 min wait, our other FP, again showing that you just don't know what you need a FP for even one week ahead of time. Maelstrom got to be a lot higher and we would have ridden that, but we skipped it, but had we known, we would have FP that, because the other ones were busts. Soarin was a big help though...)

Point being, I never thought 1 whole day at EP and 1 whole day at HS wouldn't be enough to see those parks. We still had a great experience, but we ended up getting into such a huge fight a few days later about who had gotten to pick the tier 1 for HS and the blame game and honestly, I had never experienced anything like it. It has stolen some of my magic of the trip, although our photos are all awesome, and I'm trying to overlook that drama and appreciate it as the awesome trip for 2014. But it was totally different from our Land and Sea last year which was just one day at WDW and we still got to see ALL our favorites at ALL 4 parks AND have a sit down dinner.

That's what I'm emphasizing. They have screwed it up for us Half Land Half Sea trip people. We were gone 10 days as it was. Next year in next fall, I'm spending $0 for Disney Cruising and dedicating all my $ to a land trip in DLR, where the FP is like it used to be, and where almost the same amount of rides are compactly placed into 2 parks and where TSMM has a wait of about 30 min average. We will be going the 1st week of Dec and expect crowd levels to be pretty low.

If you don't mind me asking on a side note. How was the cruise?

 

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

If you don't mind me asking on a side note. How was the cruise?

Woohoo!!!! SO GLAD YOU ASKED!!!
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3276365

 

[PEC]

Woohoo!!!! SO GLAD YOU ASKED!!!
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3276365

Looks fun but yes it is expensive. Our family has looked at doing one every once in a while but the price tag scares us off.

 

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

Looks fun but yes it is expensive. Our family has looked at doing one every once in a while but the price tag scares us off.

For the sake of the thread, I'm going to PM you.

 

[JennaDeeDooDah]

I would argue that more appropriately constructive criticism may bring about change. However many people are just clamoring to yell that the system sucks, without providing a real solution to the issue. Given that we know Disney wants to use these magic bands for a multitude of reasons simply suggesting "go back to the old system!" is like saying "Bring back ticket books for rides" we know it's not going to happen so someone providing a solution would need to frame their solution in the confines of what we know to be absolute truths, that the magic bands are something that will be around for a period of time, and then you can start to make suggestions after that.

Complaining for the sake of it doesn't lead to positive change.

I think Fast Pass+ has the potential to be better than Fast Pass. I just don't think that they are there yet. My suggestions would be relatively simple to implement, I think. I would quit with the Fast Passes 90, 60, or 30 days out and trade that in for day-of. I'd open up the Fast Pass windows an hour before rope drop. So, if you are wanting to go to Epcot that day and the park opens at 9:00, at 8:00, you can start booking your fast passes. I think that being able to book from your phone is fantastic, so I'd keep that (and, for the love of cheese, get some better servers!) and have it so you can book ALL fast passes, including the 4th, 4th, 6th, etc. from your phone. I would also have it so you can have 3 out at any given time. I would change it, though, so that, like old Fast Pass, you can only book a ride for a certain time. There are windows that will open up. So, if you are wanting Peter Pan's Flight, you can't book it for 6:00 at night first thing in the morning. So basically, a typical day might look like this:

You wake up at 7:00, eat breakfast at your resort and head out to the park. You're a rope drop kind of person, so you are at the bus stop at 7:45. You are cruising on your way to Magic Kingdom. The alarm on your phone goes off alerting you to the fact that it is 8:00. It's go time! You log on to MME and you book yourself on Space Mountain at 10:00, Barnstormer at 10:30, and Little Mermaid at 11:15. Good times! You arrive at the gate, see the fantastic rope drop ceremony and head into the park. You head straight for Frontierland and ride both Thunder and Splash. You are even able to walk over to Adventureland and ride on Pirates before you cross the hub and head to Tomorrowland to cash in Space Mountain. You scan your bracelet and make your way through the line. Since you still have a bit of a wait, you log on to the site and see what is available. What luck! You can do Haunted Mansion at 12:30 or Jungle Cruise at 12:45. Since you want to do lunch at Columbia Harbor House, you opt for Haunted Mansion. You ride Space Mountain and then leisurely make your way to Barnstormer. You get there a little early, so you let the little ones play on Casey Jr. You end up riding Barnstormer and as you are leaving, log back on. Looks like another Space Mountain is open at 3:00. You take it! You ride Dumbo, the carousel, and the tea cups before heading to Little Mermaid. As you are standing in line, you log in and find that you can book Peter Pan's flight at 4:30. Not bad. After Little Mermaid, it's time for lunch at CHH. You get a table upstairs and look at Haunted Mansion, so excited to ride it next. It always lives up to expectations. You head to HM, scan your bracelets, and as you wait for the doors to open, you are back on the Disney site to see what might still be available. Looks like you can book priority seating for MSEP... and you do. No worries about that, though, because you will still be able to book other fast passes prior to the parade. After Haunted Mansion, you do the riverboat, Hall of the Presidents, and ride on the train. You still have some time so you get off at Storybook Circus, walk to Tomorrowland, and ride Peoplemover. Then it's time for another Space Mountain. You log on and are able to book Thunder Mountain for 8:00. It's late, but you love that ride and night and you take it. You do Carousel of Progress, Peter Pan's Flight (with fast pass) Philharmagic, and other rides that rarely have a wait. Then you grab some dinner. While there, you check to see if there are any fast passes left for anything, since you didn't check after Peter Pan. Nothing's left, but no big deal. You ride a couple more of your favorites, grab a seat for MSEP, watch the parade and Wishes, and then head back to the resort.



I love the idea of being able to book from your phone. That way, even if you aren't a rope drop person, you can still get fast passes before you ever enter the park. People who arrive at rope drop still have the added benefits that go along with being there so early, but the leisurely arrivers are also able to keep an eye on rides and book some fast passes for themselves. Oh, and since not everyone has a smart phone, I would certainly keep the kiosks available.

 

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

Sounds great, like a big fat magical fantasy!

It still keeps Disney from getting all the people to buy their tickets online 3-6 months early etc. and getting all that DOUGH. So this lovely fat fantasy will likely never happen...

Btw, I didn't think there are Tiers at MK, so your lovely fantasy doesn't address that. Would you like to write one up for HS?

 

[JennaDeeDooDah]

Sounds great, like a big fat magical fantasy!

It still keeps Disney from getting all the people to buy their tickets online 3-6 months early etc. and getting all that DOUGH. So this lovely fat fantasy will likely never happen...

Btw, I didn't think there are Tiers at MK, so your lovely fantasy doesn't address that. Would you like to write one up for HS?

Oh, I forgot. Those tiers are gone. They can go hang out with the dodo bird and the dinosaurs.


Funny thing about getting those tickets bought so far in advance. It doesn't work for us. We planed a rather impromptu trip this July. We decided not to go to the parks. Now we are questioning that decision because my daughter really wants to ride Splash Mountain (she just got tall enough and it was down on our last trip for refurb) and I really want to do Mine Train. However, we are sticking to the plan to not buy tickets because at this point, we feel it is too late. They're missing out on our money. If they had regular fast pass, we'd go to the parks and do those rides. As is, we can't be guaranteed that we can get fast passes and we don't want to stand in an 80 minute line with a 4 year old.

 

[CFioren317]

For the most part(not everyone, but I'd guess most), here's the breakdown:

Rope Drop People no likey FP+...LOVED FP-.

People like me...who go into parks 1-2 hours after RD at the earliest...LOVEY FP+.

AP people who don't stay on site...no likey FP+

People who go once every other year and stay onsite...LOVEY FP+.

I love the fact that I go in 2 weeks and I KNOW I will see Anna and Elsa...ride TSMM...ride Soarin. And I won't have to wake up and get everybody out of the room before sunrise to do it.

 

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

Add to that those of us who only have one day per park. (So we can't switch up the FP tiers.)

I've always felt like it was fixable, but the tiers are the worst.

 

[goneviral]

Complaining is good if it brings about changes that make things better.

Exactly. If we do not learn from mistakes, how will we -ever- learn?

 

[goneviral]

I love FP+ in theory. I am confident that 18 months from now, most of the kinks will be straightened. At that point, the system will be a vast improvement. For now, what I say with sincerity is that it impinged enough on our trip enjoyment enough that I wrote Disney about it.

As others have mentioned, the tiering system is the problem. We wound up walking much more than we would have liked because our ride options were rarely together. In trying to find a balance of choices for five people, we incidentally added several miles of walking each day. Tiering needs to be abolished. Limiting all choices to one ride a day accomplishes a similar result without forcing all of the backtracking.

I love the idea of planning what to ride months in advance. Once we are at the park and fighting the crowds, however, the flaws in the system are readily apparent. It doesn't help that a lot of the Disney staff is confused by the constantly changing rules. And the inability to add a ride at another park until we are physically in said park is deplorable. We could have spent our time waiting on buses doing something practical. The fact that we were arbitrarily prevented from that was disappointing.