Fp +

[Tony Bush]

Allears.net has an article on proposed changes to the FP+ system. including allowing off site guests to FP+ in advance and purchase magic bands, allowing extra FP+ choices after you've used your three advance picks and including an option to be able to park hop and use FP+ at different parks

Tony

 

[wilma-bride]

A lot of that is old news now. Off-siters can definitely pre-book FP+ now, up to 30 days in advance. Swan & Dolphin guests can also now link their reservations and book FP+ up to 60 days in advance.

WDW Blog mentioned last week the rumour about being able to book another FP+ after using your first three and there has been a lot of discussion about it on the main boards. You can't do it on MDE, which is a bit of a pain since there always seem to be huge queues for the kiosks (although, with off-siters now able to pre-book and book through the app/website, hopefully the lines won't be as bad from now on).

 

[Elise79]

In addition to what Joh has said Offsiters can now purchase Magic bands for $12.95 plus tax at selected locations. It is still the same 7 colours for now: gray, blue, red, orange, green, yellow & pink

I wouldn't mind betting that we will see premium design magic bands on sale before too long

 

[2Tiggies]

It will be nice to get an extra FP for Journey into the Imagination at 10 pm, in addition to your three though

 

[smbowtie]

It will be nice to get an extra FP for Journey into the Imagination at 10 pm, in addition to your three though

 

[k8Davies]

So silly question but do you need to book your tickets through Disney to use Fp+ and Magic Bands. Or can you get your tickets from somewhere else get a Magic Band and have your tickets and you Fp+ loaded on to it at guest services???

 

[igk]

Reading the article I was struck with the comment

Guest feedback has been very positive

I know some like it but generally I think the whole thing is a nightmare...

The only slight glimmer of hope is this part:

We also heard that other guests liked the fact that with the FastPass+ service they could use FASTPASS when they park hopped. So we’re working on a service enhancement to add that feature to FastPass+ as well.

If that happens it would make it a bit less grim...
The way that last quote is spun as a positive - guests don't like the fact they can't use FP+ and hop but would like to, they don't like not being able to hop and want to...

 

[2Tiggies]

Reading the article I was struck with the comment
I know some like it but generally I think the whole thing is a nightmare...

The only slight glimmer of hope is this part:

If that happens it would make it a bit less grim...
The way that last quote is spun as a positive - guests don't like the fact they can't use FP+ and hop but would like to, they don't like not being able to hop and want to...

I think there is a lot of spin on there. A statement was made a month or so back that feedback had been 90% positive, yet they are diligently removing streams of negative comments about FP+ from their Facebook page. Disney is like the government when it comes to negative press

The park hopping doesn't bug me because although we hop almost every day, the way we structured our days and the purpose in the second park made us no worse off this way. It really does make things better for some: late sleepers, regular visitors who don't feel they need to ride everything 'today', perhaps those who really don't do any thrill rides and prefer the shows .... there are certainly some merits for some groups. Unfortunately we are not in that group reaping any benefits from this.

 

[scoobydooby]

I've just spent two hours re planning and changing some of our FP pluses. Now I'm getting my head around how to make it work I'm not hating it in principle so much. I have now engineered two more sleep in days for us which will make DD much more pleasant to be with. What I would reflect is that at this stage I think you really need to know your way around the parks and wait times to be able to plan this to best advantage. I wouldn't want to be dealing with this as a first time, off site visitor or a none planner. I am very 'Type A' when it comes to Disney though!

Being on more than three (four or five FP Plus would be ideal for me) and hopping ability with FP Plus and I think it would go from a pain in my *** to a definite improvement. They also need to get rid of the tiers at DHS and Epcot. They are a big load of rubbishness.......

 

[wilma-bride]

So silly question but do you need to book your tickets through Disney to use Fp+ and Magic Bands. Or can you get your tickets from somewhere else get a Magic Band and have your tickets and you Fp+ loaded on to it at guest services???

You can get your tickets from wherever you'd like, however if you don't have proper tickets in advance, you might not be able to link them to MDE and you cannot make FP+ reservations until yo0u have tickets linked.

Reading the article I was struck with the comment
I know some like it but generally I think the whole thing is a nightmare...

Just out of interest, have you actually used it? I know there are a lot who have used it that don't like it but I just think people should try it before they decide they don't like it.

If you go in with a negative take on it, most likely it will have a negative impact on your experience.

 

[2Tiggies]

What I would reflect is that at this stage I think you really need to know your way around the parks and wait times to be able to plan this to best advantage. I wouldn't want to be dealing with this as a first time, off site visitor or a none planner. I am very 'Type A' when it comes to Disney though!

I agree that to get the most out of this you need to know what you're doing. But then if you don't know anything and have never been I suppose you can't compare it to anything and be disappointed. What a daunting task though as a first timer. It would put a lot of people off. I know it already has.

Being on more than three (four or five FP Plus would be ideal for me) and hopping ability with FP Plus and I think it would go from a pain in my *** to a definite improvement. .

I don't think we are going to get more than 3. What's going to be left at 3 pm or 5 pm? If you book Wishes, you can't get another FP because by the time you've used your 3rd one the park is getting ready to close. So you can schedule all your FP's first thing in the morning (when they save you the least amount of time) and hope that there might be something worthwhile left over at a usable time by noon or so.

That's why I made the comment I did earlier on in this thread. To me this offer of an extra one is a smoke screen. In reality you're going to be left with pickings for attractions that you would not ordinarily want or need to FP. And do you want to spend 15 minutes in line at a kiosk to book a fourth FP for the Barnstormer because that's all that's left, when the line is 20 minutes and you could have gone right over there and just gone to the standby line, bypassing the kiosk? I am not so sure this is going to make much difference except pushing up the line wait times at rope drop as folk scramble for early FPs in the hope they can get an extra one.

They also need to get rid of the tiers at DHS and Epcot. They are a big load of rubbishness.......

I think those are here to stay.

 

[igk]

Just out of interest, have you actually used it? I know there are a lot who have used it that don't like it but I just think people should try it before they decide they don't like it.

If you go in with a negative take on it, most likely it will have a negative impact on your experience.

Fair comment - I have't used it but I'm not saying using it is a nightmare, I'm not enjoying the planning like I used to because the way it's structured is not in sync with my touring style. I'll try to put a brave face on it though

 

[wilma-bride]

Fair comment - I have't used it but I'm not saying using it is a nightmare, I'm not enjoying the planning like I used to because the way it's structured is not in sync with my touring style. I'll try to put a brave face on it though

I do agree it takes a lot of the fun out of planning. I'm a planner but even I don't even know exactly what park I will be in on a particular day, let alone what rides I want to do at what times. Having said that, when it came to actually using it in practice, I really liked it. Give it a chance

 

[2Tiggies]

I do agree it takes a lot of the fun out of planning. I'm a planner but even I don't even know exactly what park I will be in on a particular day, let alone what rides I want to do at what times. Having said that, when it came to actually using it in practice, I really liked it. Give it a chance

I am in the same position as igk. It's not the limitation of three, although that has a massive effect on our strategy; it is the scheduling. Every time we get our plans sorted the rules change and we are back to square one. I feel very over scheduled this trip so we got around it by putting our FP's back to back so that we can leave the park as soon as if we want to do something else after that - or elect to stay. It makes me feel I have some level of choice on the fly.

Actually if they had got their website and app ready for prime time before rolling it out as a mandatory basis for your planning and booking, it would have changed things a lot. They were premature in putting it out as the only way. It will be better when they are more reliable I think.

 

[wilma-bride]

I am in the same position as igk. It's not the limitation of three, although that has a massive effect on our strategy; it is the scheduling. Every time we get our plans sorted the rules change and we are back to square one. I feel very over scheduled this trip so we got around it by putting our FP's back to back so that we can leave the park as soon as if we want to do something else after that - or elect to stay. It makes me feel I have some level of choice on the fly.

That was pretty much what I did. Scheduled most of them for late morning back to back. Then used the strategy of going for the first one at the end of the window, then straight to the second one. A quick drink or snack then on to the third, meaning we were able to get three rides out of the way in just under 2 hours.

 

[Tink1987]

That was pretty much what I did. Scheduled most of them for late morning back to back. Then used the strategy of going for the first one at the end of the window, then straight to the second one. A quick drink or snack then on to the third, meaning we were able to get three rides out of the way in just under 2 hours.

That sounds like a good strategy!

Can somebody explain the tiers to me in DHS and Epcot - I hadn't read about those until now and have no idea what they are?

As we are not near the 60 days to book FP+ yet I am going to reserve judgement on how it helps us/hinders us in our day. I am a big technology geek and after seeing lots of trip videos etc of people using the magic bands, MDE and FP+ it only makes excited to experience it. However, as mentioned on another thread, everything has gone smoothly for us at the mo because we have had no problems with MDE - touch wood!

The only thing I don't like so far is as PP's have said - it's great you can get more then 3 now but just like the old system, only when the others have been used. I think this will stop us getting Wishes ones as they are so late in the day and using Wilma-Bride strategy of mid day and then hoping we can get more.

Is the only one headliner thing still in place too? Have a great day guys

 

[wilma-bride]

The way the tiering works is that you get to pick one 'top tier' ride or attraction and then two from the remaining list. Tiering is only in effect at Epcot and DHS. The tiers are as follows

Epcot:

Choose one:

Illuminations *Reserved Area
Maelstrom
Character Spot
Soarin
Test Track

Choose two:

Captain EO
Figment
Living with the Land
Mission Space
Spaceship Earth
Nemo
Turtle Talk

Hollywood Studios:

Choose one:

Rock 'n' Roller Coaster
Toy Story Midway Mania
Fantasmic *Priority Access
Beauty and the Beast - Live on Stage *Priority Access

Choose two:

Star Tours
Tower of Terror
The Great Movie Ride
American Idol Experience
Disney Junior - Live on Stage *Reserved Area
Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular *Priority Access
Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show
Muppet Vision 3D
Voyage of the Little Mermaid

In my opinion, the FP+ at Fantasmic! is NOT worth it. You get in the same time as everybody else, just follow a different (shorter) path but there is no reserved seating so it's a free-for-all once you're in the theater.

When we went we were lucky and there was a glitch in the system, meaning we could book all top tier FP+. However, in October our strategy for Epcot will be to pick Soarin' and do single rider for Test Track (apart from the day when we are in a group of 5 when we will choose Test Track). At DHS, we will choose Toy Story Mania on one visit and Rock n Roller Coaster on another.

One thing I will say is that, if you are desperate to get a good spot for the new parade at MK, watch out for the parade FPs (not usually released until around 30 days before) as that is worth having.

 

[scoobydooby]

That sounds like a good strategy! Can somebody explain the tiers to me in DHS and Epcot - I hadn't read about those until now and have no idea what they are? As we are not near the 60 days to book FP+ yet I am going to reserve judgement on how it helps us/hinders us in our day. I am a big technology geek and after seeing lots of trip videos etc of people using the magic bands, MDE and FP+ it only makes excited to experience it. However, as mentioned on another thread, everything has gone smoothly for us at the mo because we have had no problems with MDE - touch wood! The only thing I don't like so far is as PP's have said - it's great you can get more then 3 now but just like the old system, only when the others have been used. I think this will stop us getting Wishes ones as they are so late in the day and using Wilma-Bride strategy of mid day and then hoping we can get more. Is the only one headliner thing still in place too? Have a great day guys

You can still only get three. The Disney Blog has suggested they are considering changing that. But it hasn't changed yet!

 

[BigMommaMouse]

Hi All,

When we tour (past touring) we get there at rope drop, ride all the rides and gathered FP to ride the rides twice. We normally were finished by noon. Then when we went back, we do the other family favourites, that never have lines,
PM, COP, and such.

So my plan was still to tour the same, book the FP 60 days out because I don't want to miss out in case my plan does not work, and if it is to stressful, not use the FP if it does not fit.

Does that sound crazy?

 

[Tink1987]

You can still only get three. The Disney Blog has suggested they are considering changing that. But it hasn't changed yet!

Yeah thanks I knew that. Just assuming along with everyone else that it will be sooner rather then later now they have actually announced it - especially by the time we go! I should have worded my post better