FP window has now opened and I HATE it!

[Stephaniesue]

I'm curious for you, and for others who booked for shorter trips (less than 10 days) and found everything available....... did you get A/E and/or 7DMT on a party day in the MK or a non-party day?

We are staying for 4 days in October. When my window opened I went straight for our MK day to book 7DMT (kids aren't interested in A&E thank goodness). I had no trouble being able to select from several different times.

I will say A&E was already gone for that day. I did not notice the other days though, we will only do 1 MK day.

We booked 7DMT for a non party day.

All of my other selections went fine, I got everything I wanted within the times I wanted.

I am sorry everyone is having a hard time with the FP system. I never used the old FP system, this is only our second trip. Our first one was in September 3 years ago, and everything was basically walk on.

I have read many blogs and different posts saying as you get closer to your arrival things usually open up from people needing to change their plans.

 

[Kalea]

The biggest parts of the problem with FP+ (aside from the inherent crappiness of picking rides at 60 days) are the inconsistency and clunkiness of the program.

I don't know if WDW thinks they are being helpful in suggesting times and alternatives to what I select, but it is NOT helpful. It confuses an already not great experience. If I say I would like BTMMR, A/E, & 7DMT, I do not want to see time options for a Mickey M&G or Journey of the Little Mermaid.

With the way they "suggest" times, it would be very easy for most people to assume those are the only times available. With the way they switch experiences, it would be very easy for people to think they got what they want and then find out later they didn't.

Why not let the user experiment with making FP+ selections beforehand (just so you can familiarize yourself with the process)? Why not give access to availability before the 60-day mark? Why not let people select times (or at least morning, afternoon, evening) when they make an experience selection?

I feel they are setting people up for a stressful and disappointing experience. Looking at the software itself, and FP+ as a whole, there are so many small improvements they could make that would help their guests.

 

[JimmyV]

The biggest parts of the problem with FP+ (aside from the inherent crappiness of picking rides at 60 days) are the inconsistency and clunkiness of the program.

I don't know if WDW thinks they are being helpful in suggesting times and alternatives to what I select, but it is NOT helpful.

This is a simple one. Like many things associated with FP+, the "suggestion" feature is not designed to help you. It is designed to help them. The tech geeks who sat around the table plotting this thing out weren't interested in figuring out ways to make the guests' experience better so much as they were interested in creating efficiencies (and money) for Disney. (Let's be honest. There was no grass roots movement or overwhelming cry from the masses to jettison FP-, other than from people who didn't want any FP system at all, but that is another story.) To the extent that FP+ helps guests (and make no mistake, it does, in certain respects), that is a collateral benefit for which we can be thankful. But Disney hopes that guests will default to the suggestions as that manipulates crowds and moves people around the parks in ways that best suit them, not you. It would have been very easy to have FP+ and MDE work on the same platform as Open Table where you search for a restaurant reservation at 6:00 and are told whether that time slot is available, and if not, whether surrounding times are open. (And to be fair, the Disney ADR system works much the same way, but much clunkier). But they chose not to implement such a system and that choice was not an accident or an oversight. It was intentional.

 

[amg35]

I'm curious for you, and for others who booked for shorter trips (less than 10 days) and found everything available....... did you get A/E and/or 7DMT on a party day in the MK or a non-party day?

I was able to get 7DMT on my third day - late morning (party day), fifth day -night(non party -emh day), and sixth day - after 4 (party day - I'm going! )

For the emh night, we booked Mine Train at night, so it was probably easier to get that day.

 

[Kalea]

This is a simple one. Like many things associated with FP+, the "suggestion" feature is not designed to help you. It is designed to help them. The tech geeks who sat around the table plotting this thing out weren't interested in figuring out ways to make the guests' experience better so much as they were interested in creating efficiencies (and money) for Disney. (Let's be honest. There was no grass roots movement or overwhelming cry from the masses to jettison FP-, other than from people who didn't want any FP system at all, but that is another story.) To the extent that FP+ helps guests (and make no mistake, it does, in certain respects), that is a collateral benefit for which we can be thankful. But Disney hopes that guests will default to the suggestions as that manipulates crowds and moves people around the parks in ways that best suit them, not you. It would have been very easy to have FP+ and MDE work on the same platform as Open Table where you search for a restaurant reservation at 6:00 and are told whether that time slot is available, and if not, whether surrounding times are open. (And to be fair, the Disney ADR system works much the same way, but much clunkier). But they chose not to implement such a system and that choice was not an accident or an oversight. It was intentional.

I do understand this, to an extent. I understand that they are attempting to push me toward other experiences that have the greatest FP+ availability. But I guess what I would ask is--does that really work?

Who ends up really choosing those selections? Are they hoping people just aren't paying attention? In which case, doesn't it take up more resources when those guests want their FP+ selections fixed?

I think all it's doing is creating a situation where people think the time availability for what they want sucks and the only things left are rides they don't want. Which equals dissatisfaction with the system.

I'm comfortable w/ tech and theoretically ok with planning my park days in advance. I'm practically their ideal customer. But by making me go through multiple clicks and pages and effectively manually enter times, they took a 10-minute process and made it take 45 minutes. Which makes me cranky!

 

[JimmyV]

I do understand this, to an extent. I understand that they are attempting to push me toward other experiences that have the greatest FP+ availability. But I guess what I would ask is--does that really work?

No one outside of the inner sanctum really knows the answer to this. But I think that it is fair to assume, (or maybe not), that the braintrust at Disney has mapped this all out and concluded that it really does work. The folks there may not be the best and brightest minds in the corporate world. But they are probably bright enough to have studied this to the point where they have confidence that crowd manipulation works.

Who ends up really choosing those selections? Are they hoping people just aren't paying attention? In which case, doesn't it take up more resources when those guests want their FP+ selections fixed?

I think all it's doing is creating a situation where people think the time availability for what they want sucks and the only things left are rides they don't want. Which equals dissatisfaction with the system.

You are looking at this from the perspective of a "two percenter". Not in the economic/political sense, but in the "Disney savvy" sense. For the uber planners and Disney veterans, none of this makes sense. But for the other 98%, they probably are not paying attention, love that they are offered attractions that they read about in a Birnbaum book, and take what they can get and move on. And then they wait in 50 minute SB lines for other attractions and have a great time and never complain about a thing. And with any luck, they will waltz over to a DVC booth and schedule a tour and put down a deposit. It's a model that has worked for Disney for ages.

 

[Kalea]

You are looking at this from the perspective of a "two percenter". Not in the economic/political sense, but in the "Disney savvy" sense. For the uber planners and Disney veterans, none of this makes sense. But for the other 98%, they probably are not paying attention, love that they are offered attractions that they read about in a Birnbaum book, and take what they can get and move on. And then they wait in 50 minute SB lines for other attractions and have a great time and never complain about a thing. And with any luck, they will waltz over to a DVC booth and schedule a tour and put down a deposit. It's a model that has worked for Disney for ages.

You're right. I know plenty of folks who "just decided to go to Disney for a week next month." If they can walk away happy, more power to them I guess.

 

[OtherScott]

Thread recap:

OP couldn't get A&E for upcoming trip, and could only get 7DMT for inconvenient times - don't know how many in OP's group, don't know crowd calendar for day OP wants to be at MK, don't know OP's definition of inconvenient

Most others had no problem getting desirable times for the things they wanted to do

A&E times are highly sought after, and FP+ has pushed the disappointment of not getting one out from day-of to 30/60 days

Is it still ridiculous to bring up TSMM as a rationale for why FP+ is good?

 

[ms tom morrow]

Who ends up really choosing those selections? Are they hoping people just aren't paying attention? In which case, doesn't it take up more resources when those guests want their FP+ selections fixed?

I do have to agree with the others and say LOTS of people probably end up with the default suggestions. I traveled with 6 friends in March - all 20 somethings, tech savvy, been to Disney before -- and they all accepted the default every. single. day. They didn't even question it until we were in the parks and saw us re-schedule something on the fly. They just didn't think about planning the whole day out... they were happy to have the three rides booked and go from there. Personally, planning is half the fun for me, but they had a great time so I didn't interfere with their method. I think it really is a case of ignorance is bliss!

 

[JimmyV]

Is it still ridiculous to bring up TSMM as a rationale for why FP+ is good?

Not ridiculous at all, though I would not cite TSMM as proof that FP+ is good. Rather, it is an example of how FP+ can work well. Slightly different. In any event, I think that this thread, (and many before it) simply points out that FP+ could be improved in terms of overall fairness if the "length of stay" additur to the FP booking time were removed and "60 days in advance" really meant "60 days in advance". Would the net result of that be that everyone who wanted a 9:00 a.m. FP+ for A&E would get one? Of course not. But the disappointed people would have no one to blame but the Fates instead of blaming the system that allowed others to swoop in and grab what they had hoped to grab for themselves. It is human nature to be far less upset when Fate deals you a bad hand as opposed to a man-made system.

 

[OtherScott]

Not ridiculous at all, though I would not cite TSMM as proof that FP+ is good. Rather, it is an example of how FP+ can work well. Slightly different. In any event, I think that this thread, (and many before it) simply points out that FP+ could be improved in terms of overall fairness if the "length of stay" additur to the FP booking time were removed and "60 days in advance" really meant "60 days in advance". Would the net result of that be that everyone who wanted a 9:00 a.m. FP+ for A&E would get one? Of course not. But the disappointed people would have no one to blame but the Fates instead of blaming the system that allowed others to swoop in and grab what they had hoped to grab for themselves. It is human nature to be far less upset when Fate deals you a bad hand as opposed to a man-made system.

I get your point.

A&E unavailability is a simple supply problem. OP's lack of availability is not because a significant number of on-site guests had 60+10 access.What do you suppose the number is of guest staying longer than 10 days? Add in that 1/2 of Disney's guests stay offsite and don't have 60 day prebook access, while still others do little/no preplanning.

This is a problem for OP and others, but it has very little to do with FP+ and extended stay guests.

 

[horse11]

I'm curious for you, and for others who booked for shorter trips (less than 10 days) and found everything available....... did you get A/E and/or 7DMT on a party day in the MK or a non-party day?

My last day was a regular park day (Non-Party Day) this is when I saw everything available. My first full day at Disney which would be considered my 2nd day as far as being able to book FP+ is concerned was my party day and honestly I did not pay attention to whether I could get A&E or 7DMT since I was looking for other FP+ for that day. I would have to assume that they were not available though.

 

[JimmyV]

A&E unavailability is a simple supply problem. OP's lack of availability is not because a significant number of on-site guests had 60+10 access.

I am beginning to think that they should remove A&E from FP+ altogether and go back to the dreaded SB mess. While that may seem like throwing the baby out with the bath water, FP+'s involvement with A&E is plucking a lot of nerves right now and causing hard feelings about a new system that otherwise should be generating positive reviews. A system that could be 95% positive for most people is getting "meh" reviews because the 5% negativity is swallowing the good.

 

[OtherScott]

I am beginning to think that they should remove A&E from FP+ altogether and go back to the dreaded SB mess. While that may seem like throwing the baby out with the bath water, FP+'s involvement with A&E is plucking a lot of nerves right now and causing hard feelings about a new system that otherwise should be generating positive reviews. A system that could be 95% positive for most people is getting "meh" reviews because the 5% negativity is swallowing the good.

The complaint then would be that FP+ sucks because it doesn't cover A&E.

Personally, my kids would do better knowing 60 days out - when they have time to recover - than having something they've anticipated for months being denied day-of.

 

[JimmyV]

The complaint then would be that FP+ sucks because it doesn't cover A&E.

I suppose. But at least Disney could give a reason why and tether it to "fairness" which is hard to oppose, though people will anyway. Disney is trapped in a prison of its own making.