Has FP+ changed anything for you if you are an AP holder??? I am nervous...

[edk35]

Are there any AP holders that wished they had NOT renewed or bought new AP's because of all the glitches????

I have to buy tickets in the next day or so. We just decided to go to Disney a few days ago. We arrive on Aug. 9th. I need to get tickets so we can GET THOSE COVETED fast pass times set up. We had AP's last year with our DVC discount....however I am so nervous about getting them. I have been scanning some threads about all the issues with FP and MB...and it is alarming how many problems people encounter.

Sometimes we get AP's and then go again next year before they expire. We have also used the special salute military tickets, but they only give 4 days so we would use 2 back to back for 3 of us and then buy an 8 day MYW for one person. However now I am reading that you can ONLY enter one 4 day ticket in MDE and once it is used then you can add the other in. So basically I would NOT be able to get FP's ahead of time for those 4 days.

We used to buy those salute tickets right before our trip and have even bought them at Disney when we arrive...now that is not an option if we want to book FP+. THEN...because we are staying at Shades of Green the first two nights and the last two nights we won't be able to get FP until 30 days out but can book right away for the OKW nights in-between. I had booked a room at FQ just to keep us on Property so to speak.... most of the trip so we could get set up the FP times all at once but the rooms at SOG are so HUGE and the price is SOOOO GOOD.. I decided to cancel FQ. I am so on the fence about everything.

 

[puffkin]

Go! You will love it!

We are DVC and PAP holders and we go 2x a year. I was very hesitant about FP+ and all the issues. We were pretty good at using the old system to our advantage so of course had to adapt to a whole new system. We were there June 15-21 so definitely not a slow time. We loved it

I think all the issues are blown WAY WAY WAY out of proportion on these boards. We did Rope Drop and rode tons of stuff walk on or very minimal wait (including headliners). We did Epcot FW one night and everything was a walk on except for the three biggies. We did not notice HUGE lines for the second tier attractions except for the afternoon hours. We didn't really need more than the 3 FP in any of the parks except MK. In MK, it was awesome for the 4th and beyond FP to get almost immediate FP for rides like IASW, HM, POTC, Buzz, etc. It was PRICELESS not having to do the FP dash every morning and criss cross the parks all the time. We got on so many more rides this trips and it was so much more relaxed. We love the waterparks and it was awesome knowing we could go to a waterpark in the AM and still have our favorite rides booked on FP+ for that night. Except for A&E and 7DMT, there really were no availability issues. I actually think we rode more things SB this trip than ever before. It really seems to be spreading people out in the parks.

It was a bit more time consuming to plan the trip but I was also getting used to a whole new system. Now that we have the first trip under our belt on the system, I love it. The only people the system won't work for is those that want to ride the headliners more than once or twice in one day. OTher than that it worked really well for us and we noticed a HUGE improvement in our vacation. It honestly was so much more relaxing.

 

[kaybird]

We love it! Have had great experiences, and renewed AP in a heartbeat!!

 

[ZehnJahren]

FP+ hasn't changed anything for me. I'm an AP owner as well; I used FP+ on my November and May trips and loved it, and I will also be using it on my upcoming October trip as well. We're staying offsite in October (first time offsite in about 14 years!), but I'll have my AP magic band so I'm not too concerned.

If I had multiple trips upcoming in the following year (which I do not), I would definitely renew. I haven't noticed any kind of decline that would make me not renew!

 

[PrincessV]

Has FP+ changed how we "do" WDW? Yes and no...

A major positive change is that we rarely make any attempt to hit RD anymore. And given that we're semi-local and often do day trips that require a 1.5-2 hour drive, and I'm the sole driver, that's a HUGE perk for me! For day trips, we'll book FPs through morning, fit rides with low wait times between, and see what's left with waits we're willing to endure (generally anything under 25 mins) before heading home in the afternoon. So far, that's meant about 5-6 attractions per day.

For longer, overnight trips, FP+ means we have more flexibility with timing. We keep finding ourselves skipping mornings in parks and booking FPs for evening - something that really didn't work well with FP-, when the headliner FPs would be long gone by 7pm. Should we feel like getting up early, we can still hit most parks on most days at RD to ride our faves with low waits and still have those pre-booked FPs waiting that night.

In perhaps a less positive light, FP+ has reduced our expectations quite a bit: our baseline expectation on any given park day is that we'll enjoy the 3 attractions we pre-booked and that's it. Very different from our old expectation that we'd cover pretty much everything we like in a park in a single day. BUT, TBH, this has turned out to be really, really good for us; I feel like we feel less pressure to do more, spend more time enjoying each others' company, and are stopping to "smell the roses" a whole lot more.

However, I can see all of the above being a big, fat negative for folks who have 1 week a year to enjoy everything they love at WDW. It works well for us as frequent visitors because we can truly say, "Hey, we'll FP+ BTMRR, 7DMT and Buzz this week, and book Splash, PP and Pooh next time we go!" I'd be really disappointed in the new normal as an infrequent visitor.

ETA: Realizing I hadn't commented at all on the mechanics of the new system... I don't love all of the pre-planning and, speaking as someone who handles an antiquated, cumbersome website for work, MDE is a hot MESS to deal with! But the more I use it, the better I get at making it work for me, so it's becoming less frustrating as I find workarounds. As an example, I've learned not to rely at all on access to the MDE app in the parks, so now I take screenshots of all ADRs and FP times to have them handy as we tour. So far, I've had no issues of disappearing FPs or FP machines not recognizing our reservations.

 

[*NikkiBell*]

I am an AP holder and DVC member who has used FP+ repeatedly. It's fantastic. I am very pleased with the system. Remember to take some of the threads your referring to with a grain of salt. Many people who are complaining have never used the system or don't understand how to use it properly. Change can also be difficult for some.

You should have received a confirmation number when you purchases your AP. You can use that in My Disney Experience right away to start booking your FP+s. Just go to the MB and Tickets option on MDE and enter the number. It won't activate your pass, just allow you to start reserving attractions.