FP + What we know and what we want to know

[Disney_Princess83]

I'm so sorry to have troubled you. But it warms my heart that you care.

Disney cares, I have a statement that says they care! That's good right?

(I stopped reading at page 164 so I have no idea what happened after that.... )

 

[Disney_Princess83]

DH and I never hoarded FPs, but we did give FPs away. Usually as we were leaving the park for the day (especially on our last day there). We'd grab a FP for something on the way out and hand it to another couple we saw on our way. How did we take a FP away from anyone?

By giving away FP's, that is considered abuse! (according to some people on this thread) They are non transferable so you MUST ride or destroy them!

 

[Tink-n-Belle]

Having to plan which parks I visit so I can get FP's is not something I want to be doing. I stopped eating at the restaurants for the very same reason. Imho, the DP has ruined it. I'd rather eat Cs for a few days and spend my money on nice restaurants closer to home. That way I can go out 2 times more. My Dh& DD went to the Japanese Rest at Disney and spent $86 for 2, last night 4 of us went locally and it cost us $92.

Disney is taking the magic right out of our trips.

I'm a Dvc member and I stopped giving Disney a CC at check in so they can't track me and my spending. Because if they did track my spending I'd be kicked out of Disney for not spending enough.

Instead of eating at the Disney resorts I go to the swan and Dolphin where DVCers get 20% off most restaurants there or go off site. I eat lunch at my fav rest becuz its cheaper than dinner and at least you may be able to get in that day.

So even though I'm a Dvcer Disney parks are losing me at this point. I'm spending a week there in March and I wasn't even going to go to the parks until they announced the new Fl resident deal on tix's. I was going to go to Universal and Sw. but the deal was to hard to pass up. However, I'm not even spending the extra for pass hoppers this trip either and I don't know why anyone would if you can't get FP's at 2 parks. wow! did Disney stop to think about the lost revenue there.

But Disney will do just fine, look how popular the DP is. However, I'll do fine too, because I'm 1.5 hours away I can visit anytime and go when it is slow. I have a car so I can eat off premises and I own DVC so I don't have to pay rack rates to stay in deluxe. However, for families that save for years to go, I hope they still have a magical time especially if they are not planners.

 

[WishnDisney]

So you're okay with having the ethics and morals of a publicly traded corporation?

Isn' t Disney a publicly traded corp?

 

[Tuffcookie]

OMG, I have just started trying to educate myself about FP+ and now this thread is up to page 169!

Do you think FP+ will be up & running the first 2 weeks in May?

I am not happy about the new changes for several reasons:

#1 I do not have a smart phone or any high tech device that uses "apps". Even if I did, I certainly wouldn't want to be at the mercy of carrying it around the parks with me so I could be "in the know". I'm suppose to be on vacation!

I know a number of people have already touched on this: Why would you opt into FP+ and buy Park tickets with the hopper option? That does not make sense. If you signed up for FP+, you are stuck at one park because you can't get any FPs at another park on the same day.

I also don't care that Disney wants to limit the number of FP+ you can have on any given day at only 1 park. So what if I like SM and want to use all 3 of my FP+ on that. But according to WDW rules I cannot ride the same ride twice with FP+.

I'm just thinking, that if we are this confused about it, what are the chances that anyone will actually sign up for this program and reserve their FPs ahead of time? I think alot of people (myself included) are intimidated by this new technology and will not use it when it initially opens. Maybe later in the year, when it's been in use for a while, then it will be wise to consider it, especially if you go during a peak time (Halloween, F&W, Christmas).

So, for those reasons, I will take my chances and not use FP+ on my trip in May. I will be using regular, un-leaded FP!

TC

 

[Angel Ariel]

I will be using regular, un-leaded FP!

TC

Assuming that option exists once they roll out FP+...who knows how long they'll keep regular FP around once FP+ starts.

 

[traviesojmt]

You have a different definition of "gracious" than I do.

Ok, so far Disney has potentially alienated AP holders, locals, tweens/teens and foreign visitors (that come for weeks at a time) with these potential changes.

So who's left?

Don't forget us military who buy our tickets at Shades of Green. IF everything is tied to tickets, we won't have them until we get there. We will doing a split stay in May/June. We have room only reservations. It will be unfortunate for us if we can't utilize the new system. Longer wait in lines will not encourage us to keep coming back.

 

[katdralion]

i will gladly book something 60 days out over getting there at opening and rushing all over the park. Which is the reason we gave up even trying to use fastpass and yes every time we were surveyed and asked did we use fastpass, we replied no, and why, due to the passes being gone when we arrived.

I don't understand why all the passes were gone if you were there at opening? Were you there on Christmas day? We have been to Disney in every month of the year except Jul, Aug, Jan & Feb and the only ride we have ever had difficulty getting a FP for is TSM and we are NEVER there at RD, usually mid-afternoon!
I also don't understand why it was necessary to rush all over the park? We would just walk over to the ride we felt like riding and if it had a long line we would pull a FP and go and do something else. No rushing involved!

Originally Posted by mousermerf View Post
The guests who are going to not benefit from this change are the minority. The majority of guests will benefit.

How is that not good for guests? Again, seeing past the end of one's own nose.. whatever happened to caring about other people?

We are DVC and PAP and have spent more money on Disney vacations over the last 20 years than on any other single item including our own home! Yet you seem to be implying that Disney sees us as the minority and doesn't care if this change makes us unhappy. Apparently this change is to benefit the majority who were unhappy at standing in lines because they chose not to use FP to their advantage. That was their choice, they had exactly the same opportunity as everyone else to use FP. Why should we have a system that was fair and that worked well taken away from us because of this? It doesn't make sense to me! And I do think that "the minority" might turn out to be a larger number than you think!

 

[bababear_50]

OMG, I have just started trying to educate myself about FP+ and now this thread is up to page 169!

Do you think FP+ will be up & running the first 2 weeks in May?

I am not happy about the new changes for several reasons:

#1 I do not have a smart phone or any high tech device that uses "apps". Even if I did, I certainly wouldn't want to be at the mercy of carrying it around the parks with me so I could be "in the know". I'm suppose to be on vacation!

I know a number of people have already touched on this: Why would you opt into FP+ and buy Park tickets with the hopper option? That does not make sense. If you signed up for FP+, you are stuck at one park because you can't get any FPs at another park on the same day.

I also don't care that Disney wants to limit the number of FP+ you can have on any given day at only 1 park. So what if I like SM and want to use all 3 of my FP+ on that. But according to WDW rules I cannot ride the same ride twice with FP+.

I'm just thinking, that if we are this confused about it, what are the chances that anyone will actually sign up for this program and reserve their FPs ahead of time? I think alot of people (myself included) are intimidated by this new technology and will not use it when it initially opens. Maybe later in the year, when it's been in use for a while, then it will be wise to consider it, especially if you go during a peak time (Halloween, F&W, Christmas).

So, for those reasons, I will take my chances and not use FP+ on my trip in May. I will be using regular, un-leaded FP!

TC

I love the "regular un-leaded FP' I think I'll go with this for my March break trip.

Hugs Mel

 

[Disney_Princess83]

LOL ,yeah...we all know THOSE people...
I still get as many as we can...even if we dont use them
I have found that the "15 min" grace period is really more like 20-30.
We havnt been denied yet..being somewhat late..
But, i get fast passes for all of us...EXACTLY almost to the minute..when the ticket says we can. Use them or not.

You are an uber-user. Clearly you are partially the reason they have created FP+. Expect to be dealt with shortly!

 

[mikegood2]

Maybe I'm looking at this wrong, but don't the 3 FP+ a day relate to registering the tickets up to 60 days in advance? Isn't it possible that once you are in the park you would be able to pick up additional, although probably much more limited, fast passes thru the app (not the machines). Maybe they could even position the fast pass stations with the stations that will be used to access your My Disney Experience site.

 

[DizDragonfly]

I am sorry you dont like the word but it is the root of the problem here.

<snip>

Some people think now they should not have to wait in SB lines and never have to wait beyond 15-20 minutes for an attraction no matter what time of the year.

They think that Disney should always make their previous touring style possible and thus this creates an entitlement mentality.

Just listen to people.."if i cant tour the way i always have then i will not be coming back"..."i NEVER wait in lines more than 20 minutes"...etc.

Again, it is a sense of entitlement and one that was frankly enabled by Disney.

No, entitlement is not the root of the problem here. I do not feel that Disney owes me anything (other than what they and I agreed to in my DVC contract and park admission for 365 days for the purchase of my annual pass). However, my time (and yours) on this planet is limited and I choose to not spend 120 minutes waiting in line, no matter how many gimmicks they put in them to "entertain" me.

If my park experience is reduced to long waits for short pay offs, I'll just take my vacation dollars and go somewhere else.

I don't think entitlement has anything to do with it.

Disney offers a product for sale. As the customer we decide if we want to purchase that product. It's that simple.

The current problem is that Disney is changing the product that some of us have already booked and paid for, but they haven't said exactly what all the changes are.

Agreed. My trip is paid in full and I check in three weeks from today. I have no idea what to expect. I'm _really_ unhappy that Disney isn't more forthcoming with details.

What I'd like to see is the combining of the current system and the new system. Reserving up to 3 FP in advance (with whatever restrictions Disney wants in regards to headliners) and then any number of FP while in the parks without restrictions (other than the current 2 hours between FP). That would be an improvement over the current system. What Disney has currently announced is not an improvement for me!

Allowing folks to save a spot for their "must dos" ahead of time isn't a bad idea. But, taking away from the flexibility of getting additional same day FPs is not a "+" in my book. It's definitely a "-".

No, it's the complete disregard for other guests enjoyment of the park that troubles me.

Oh, please! As with everything in life, you get out of it what you put into it ... whether that be time or money, etc. I'm sure a lot of folks have not only answered questions here or on other message boards, but also in the parks. My son and I spent a whole day with a family that we struck up a conversation with, while waiting in the SB line for Space after RD one day. The mom said, "Hey, you guys seem to know what you're doing. Would you mind if we tagged along for a while?"

We found out what they had hoped to do that day and adjusted our plans on the fly. My son and I spent the rest of the day playing tour guide. That was our third visit. They had been yearly visitors and had never been on half the rides we took them on and had never used FastPass. She told me that they did at least twice as much that day than they were usually able to get done in a day. We all had a great time, made new friends and still keep in contact via Facebook. She now knows how to tour and use FP and has sent me messages thanking me for helping her learn how to tour, on the trips they've taken since.

Most everyone who everyone who books a WDW vacation is going to have internet access and has the ability to do some searching to find out a bit about their chosen destination. If they choose not to educate themselves, then that is on them or on Disney for not better educating their guests. No one here wants anyone to not enjoy the parks, but they also do not want to have their own enjoyment lessened. Why would they?

No one needed "inside information". Fastpass was publicly advertised by Disney. Yet there were those who didn't understand it, couldn't understand it, couldn't use it.

There are plenty of web sites, guide books, etc. that explain it, how to utilize it best, etc. Yet some guests didn't avail themselves of that information. Didn't ask, either.

And no one here was part of a secret cabal trying to keep Fastpass a secret. Nor ways to maximize it's use. We were here helping people.

So to keep claiming that people needed to be members of the Super-Secret Fastpass Cabal in order to use it is disingenuous.

And all the new system does is shift the audience who can take the most advantage of it. Instead of Rope Droppers, it's those who can get online up to 60 days in advance, can navigate the Disney web site without it breaking on them, get all their information input correctly, and make those FP+ reservations. The audience may get shifted around a bit, but there will still be plenty who will not understand it, not be able to use it, and now, according to a previous post by you, may be completely excluded from it.

Agreed!

 

[Rosanne]

Every morning I drink coffee. On the weekdays I choose one of my "refillable mugs". On the weekends I look forward to using my favorite mug. It makes me feel warm and cozy and brings back great family memories. It brings back memories of watching "The Wonderful World of Disney". I loved how Walt would talk to me as though I was his very own and I felt so cared about.

So, every weekend I am happy to see my mug and I take it down and fill it with a smile. It is a warm brown with "Disneyland" in ivory with fake stitching, 50's style. On the inside rim it says,

"To all who come to this happy place: welcome."

After feeling a bit down from some comments about (at least claimed) corporate meetings in which some guests are (according to the claim) disparaged and resented and ways are figured out to "stop" them. I remind myself ...

Walt Disney was a business man but I believe he would have been able to increase profitability without making me feel that I was insignificant, repugnant dead weight. I believe he would have made me feel welcome. I believe he enjoyed bringing joy to others.

We'll see what happens with FP+ but if these less than magical meetings truly have the tone portrayed here I think there is a larger problem afoot.

 

[jaz0308]

Don't forget us military who buy our tickets at Shades of Green. IF everything is tied to tickets, we won't have them until we get there. We will doing a split stay in May/June. We have room only reservations. It will be unfortunate for us if we can't utilize the new system. Longer wait in lines will not encourage us to keep coming back.

This is my concern too. Not sure what i will do about getting my military tickets.

 

[doggydoc]

Maybe I'm looking at this wrong, but don't the 3 FP+ a day relate to registering the tickets up to 60 days in advance? Isn't it possible that once you are in the park you would be able to pick up additional, although probably much more limited, fast passes thru the app (not the machines). Maybe they could even position the fast pass stations with the stations that will be used to access your My Disney Experience site.

This has been covered ad nauseum here, your description is what many had hoped the system would be. Unfortunately there have been posts from some intimating inside knowledge that claim not only will FP+ be limited to 3 per day total, in 1 park, but also tiered so that you would have to choose rides from groups allowing only 1 FP pick from the most popular rides.

 

[bcrook]

Maybe I'm looking at this wrong, but don't the 3 FP+ a day relate to registering the tickets up to 60 days in advance? Isn't it possible that once you are in the park you would be able to pick up additional, although probably much more limited, fast passes thru the app (not the machines). Maybe they could even position the fast pass stations with the stations that will be used to access your My Disney Experience site.

This is the hope of many! Dreams can come true! Right now it doesn't look like that is the direction they are going. One big reason is that it would create the same type of "gridlock" they are trying to fix. But who knows.

 

[Sammie]

I don't understand why all the passes were gone if you were there at opening? Were you there on Christmas day? We have been to Disney in every month of the year except Jul, Aug, Jan & Feb and the only ride we have ever had difficulty getting a FP for is TSM and we are NEVER there at RD, usually mid-afternoon!
I also don't understand why it was necessary to rush all over the park? We would just walk over to the ride we felt like riding and if it had a long line we would pull a FP and go and do something else. No rushing involved!

I said I prefer to book in advance than be there at opening. Since we were not there at opening, passes were gone. We were there in Feb, March, May, June, July, August, October and early Dec. You were lucky to get passes then, we have not been that lucky.

Some will like this change, others won't. If it worked well, they would not be changing it. As to what "well" is I am sure that varies and even varies for Disney as a business.

 

[Lorilais_mommie]

This is the hope of many! Dreams can come true! Right now it doesn't look like that is the direction they are going. One big reason is that it would create the same type of "gridlock" they are trying to fix. But who knows.

My biggest question is say the do offer some extra FP+ when you get to the park,, how is their site/app going to handle it??!?!?

If the disney sites can not handle a Few of us who like to buy dolls, make ADRS, or collect pins..
How will is handle the mass hoard of people getting to the parks, then jumping on the app/site.. To get extra FP+

Now that being said.. When I try to press here/now on the app.. It does know my location and won't let me in that part of the app..
So maybe they are planning to do something with it......

Anyone care to take a guess?

 

[katdralion]

Every morning I drink coffee. On the weekdays I choose one of my "refillable mugs". On the weekends I look forward to using my favorite mug. It makes me feel warm and cozy and brings back great family memories. It brings back memories of watching "The Wonderful World of Disney". I loved how Walt would talk to me as though I was his very own and I felt so cared about.

So, every weekend I am happy to see my mug and I take it down and fill it with a smile. It is a warm brown with "Disneyland" in ivory with fake stitching, 50's style. On the inside rim it says,

"To all who come to this happy place: welcome."

After feeling a bit down from some comments about (at least claimed) corporate meetings in which some guests are (according to the claim) disparaged and resented and ways are figured out to "stop" them. I remind myself ...

Walt Disney was a business man but I believe he would have been able to increase profitability without making me feel that I was insignificant, repugnant dead weight. I believe he would have made me feel welcome. I believe he enjoyed bringing joy to others.

We'll see what happens with FP+ but if these less than magical meetings truly have the tone portrayed here I think there is a larger problem afoot.

Thank you for posting this. I agree and I am glad I am not alone in feeling shocked and saddened by some of the (claimed) comments made by Disney executives and cast members. Hopefully there was no truth in it!

 

[bcrook]

My biggest question is say the do offer some extra FP+ when you get to the park,, how is their site/app going to handle it??!?!?

If the disney sites can not handle a Few of us who like to buy dolls, make ADRS, or collect pins..
How will is handle the mass hoard of people getting to the parks, then jumping on the app/site.. To get extra FP+

Now that being said.. When I try to press here/now on the app.. It does know my location and won't let me in that part of the app..
So maybe they are planning to do something with it......

Anyone care to take a guess?

Well that is an intriguing button. Has it always been locked like that? I thought I had been in there before "looking around". They will know what park we are in and then unlock that button. Maybe that is where the "surprise and delight" comes from?

I am thinking if there was same day passes available there would be rules in the terms and conditions. I am not holding out for customer control of that option - especially while the paper fastpass would be in place. Can you imagine people not on FP+ running all over the park trying to collect FP while the FP+ people sit down in the shade on a bench and gather whatever they want?

Also that would cause a lot of people to get to the park for rope drop and schedule their extra fastpasses. I don't see it.