Here it is - Announcement re More FP+ Beginning 4/28

[JennaDeeDooDah]

This sounds like (correct me if I'm wrong please) FP- where you HAD to go to the kiosks and get the passes and if they were out of them, well then you were out of luck.

Am I right? Basically, FP+ and booking ahead of time will just make it easier to avoid rope drop at things like TSMM or whatever your top tier attraction is.

Am I oversimplifying? Is this right?

In the past, if you didn't have a smart phone to check those things, yes, you went to, say, Space Mountain, to pull a fast pass and there were times you found out that they were all out. Now, you go to a kiosk, not necessarily at Space Mountain to book a fast pass where you might or might not find out that they are gone. So, there's that difference.

It does make it easier to aviod rope drop, but, as many have said, FP+ does take away a bit from people who did get there at rope drop because they used significantly more fast passes than just 3. Now, this is a step in the right direction, except that there is the threat that people will have booked fast passes for later in the day and there still might not be availability for the more popular rides - something people are currently running into now when they try to change one of their initial 3 fast passes.

 

[chrismb22]

In the past, if you didn't have a smart phone to check those things, yes, you went to, say, Space Mountain, to pull a fast pass and there were times you found out that they were all out. Now, you go to a kiosk, not necessarily at Space Mountain to book a fast pass where you might or might not find out that they are gone. So, there's that difference.

THANK YOU!!! That's where I was confused. I assumed by kiosks everyone meant at each attraction like when I was there in 2011!! This makes much more sense. Ok, hopefully, they will allow the use of smart phones eventually for this while at the parks.

 

[daisyx3]

On my DHS day I have FP+ scheduled in the morning for TSMM and Star Tours, then one at 730 PM for Tower of Terror (we are eating at 5:30). I thought we could spend the afternoon back at BWV if this worked out. If I rebook ToT for the morning, we will be there longer, so I think I'll pass. But I may use this option on our Epcot, MK and AK days, depending on the kiosk lines.
Daisyx3

 

[staxia]

Well.... My vacation starts Monday, so I'll literally be one of the first guinea pigs trying this whole extra FP thing out!!

I've gone the way of prescheduling most of my FP+ in the morning to get my priorities done and then the afternoon and evening allows for park hopping as the mood strikes. That's generally how I toured in the past, so I don't really have much to gripe about, yet, as this is the first time we're using FP+ (well, that's not really true either, we were there for 36 hrs after thanksgiving, so being able to preschedule priorities were key.. plus legacy FP still worked with old KTTW cards, but enough about that)

I'll be interested in seeing what is available and how the whole "next extra FP" will work. Like if I'm done with my first 3 at MK and decide to head to EPCOT, can I book from a MK kiosk something at EPCOT, or do I have to wait until I get over there. I haven't dealt with the kiosks at all as we did things via MDE app last time around.

All in all... this is gonna be interesting.

 

[JennaDeeDooDah]

I'm interesting in finding out if they will quietly exempt nighttime entertainment from the "must use all 3 FP+ entitlements" rule. Disney has to have thought about that scenario. I know they haven't mentioned anything about that, but there's always wishing!

Or maybe, just maybe, they will make it "detached" like Dumbo and Barnstormer once were. That'd be really nice. I doubt I'm that lucky, though.

 

[mickeysgirl17]

It's worse! Because people will be at the kiosks much longer than the old fastpass machines And if you finish your 4 FP+ by 12pm, you're not going to get any more. And people who book for fireworks will never get a 4th.

Yeah, I would agree. The lines at those kiosks are going to be a nightmare once it hits afternoon and everyone already used there 3 pre booked fastpasses. Disney is going to have to allow making those extras from the app at some point or have to add several more kiosks.

So. . . are any headliners available same-day right now at the kiosks at around 12-ish? Or, are they all gone by then? Should we now schedule FP+ early in the day or is it still worth it to do rope drop and then FP+ and then hope for things still open at around 2?

There's no way of knowing what will be available. People have been able to get fastpasses for an attraction that others were not for the same day and same attraction. It depends on several things. That's the one thing I dislike most about fp+. Before you could go to a park, see the wait and decide right there and then if you would like to get a fp or wait standby. Now you have to reserve months in advance and hope you made the right choices because there is no guarantee you'll be able to change on the day of and get what you want. What you want might be all gone.

I'm interesting in finding out if they will quietly exempt nighttime entertainment from the "must use all 3 FP+ entitlements" rule. Disney has to have thought about that scenario. I know they haven't mentioned anything about that, but there's always wishing!

No one is going to get fastpasses for nighttime entertainment if they don't allow you to get fastpasses for anything else during the day. I already think fp for night time shows are a waste of a fp because you can still get a decent spot a few min in advance. I would bet that Disney is going to allow other fastpasses or get rid of the night time options all together.

 

[SuperRob]

This sounds like (correct me if I'm wrong please) FP- where you HAD to go to the kiosks and get the passes and if they were out of them, well then you were out of luck.

Am I right? Basically, FP+ and booking ahead of time will just make it easier to avoid rope drop at things like TSMM or whatever your top tier attraction is.

Am I oversimplifying? Is this right?

This is how I've explained it. It's just like old FastPass except your first three you pick ahead of your visit, with the sole exception that the system does not allow you to Fastpass any ride more than once.

 

[practicallyperfect77]

I'm interesting in finding out if they will quietly exempt nighttime entertainment from the "must use all 3 FP+ entitlements" rule. Disney has to have thought about that scenario. I know they haven't mentioned anything about that, but there's always wishing!

Or maybe guests won't choose the nighttime entertainment as one of their original 3. Who knows....this might cause folks to book fp+ from 11-2 and then at 2 they can book #4 for wishes. Anyone know if there has been same day availability for wishes or MSEP?

 

[nancipants]

This is great news. I don't usually use more than three FP anyway, but it's great to have options.


Are the kiosk lines still long now that they allow pretty much everyone to pre-book Fastpasses?

 

[ArwenMarie]

So it seems you'll have to hop to the other park, then go to a kiosk there to see what is left for a 4th FP? Hmm, not too sure about the value in that unless you were headed there anyway.

 

[arthropodtodd]

so where are these kiosks located? just at the front of the parks currently?

If they need to add some, they should stick them near bathrooms so the wife/daddy/whoever can take the kids potty while the other books the next FP.

 

[MOM POPPINS]

subbing... I like the changes ... but this does not help much with park hopping if you have to go to the park to select another fast pass... by the time you park hop most likely all good fast passes will be gone. ..

 

[JosieMouse]

The article say
"So starting Monday, after guests have used their first three FastPass+ selections, they will be able to select another one at one of the kiosks located in each of our WDW parks. When they’ve used that one, they’ll be able to select another, and so on"

Correct me if I'm wrong, but this means that you can get as many FP+ as you would like after you using your initial 3. So say I used all 3 of my prebooked FP+ , I got a FP+ for SM while in the park. After using that would I be able to get another? Sounds to me like they should of just left FP the way it was before.

 

[practicallyperfect77]

So it seems you'll have to hop to the other park, then go to a kiosk there to see what is left for a 4th FP? Hmm, not too sure about the value in that unless you were headed there anyway.

I was wondering the same thing. It def seems like you have to use the first 3 in the same park. I was selfishly hoping we would be able to preplan in diff parks. One day start at Epcot and have a FP+ for Soar in and do all the tier 2 stuff and then hop to HS and do ToT and TSM. Next day start at HS and do RnRC and ToT and then hop to epcot for TT.

 

[Viva Las Disney]

Wow, best of both worlds!

No FP limit and the ability to park hop should make the commandos happy and pre-booking still available should make those that want to sleep in happy.

Curious to see how this affects touring. I used the rope drop, afternoon break, nighttime FP+ strategy and loved it. Will the mornings require FP now?

 

[chrismb22]

Maybe they will stagger the availability of some tier one passes? For example release X amount at 10 a.m. X amount at 12 p.m. etc.

This would help with them being gone by later in the day.

 

[MaryKatesMom]

Why will they be there longer? (Not being sarcastic although that sounds that way)

There were long lines at the kiosks last week without added guests booking a 4th FP+.

We were there during peak last week, at 10 AM we tried to move TT earlier or over to Soarin'. All slots were gone for Soarin' and TT by 10 AM. I am not hopeful anything good would be left by 2PM.

Also, as expected the Standby lines at RD got long faster. We were at Maelstrom when it opened at 11:30, the standby line started at 30 minutes. I seriously thought no one would FP+ that right at opening but I was wrong. There was nothing left in Group 1 but Maelstrom and a meet and greet. I watched people walk through the FP+ line and onto the ride about every 10 seconds.

 

[practicallyperfect77]

The article say
"So starting Monday, after guests have used their first three FastPass+ selections, they will be able to select another one at one of the kiosks located in each of our WDW parks. When they’ve used that one, they’ll be able to select another, and so on"

Correct me if I'm wrong, but this means that you can get as many FP+ as you would like after you using your initial 3. So say I used all 3 of my prebooked FP+ , I got a FP+ for SM while in the park. After using that would I be able to get another? Sounds to me like they should of just left FP the way it was before.

I think it's going to be different b/c now so many more folks are using FP+. It'll be interesting to read May trip reports to see what availability is left for the headliners.

 

[Acedink]

Guess i will try and move my FP+ times up to earlier in the day now.

 

[chrismb22]

There were long lines at the kiosks last week without added guests booking a 4th FP+.

We were there during peak last week, at 10 AM we tried to move TT earlier or over to Soarin'. All slots were gone for Soarin' and TT by 10 AM. I am not hopeful anything good would be left by 2PM.

Also, as expected the Standby lines at RD got long faster. We were at Maelstrom when it opened at 11:30, the standby line started at 30 minutes. I seriously thought no one would FP+ that right at opening but I was wrong. There was nothing left in Group 1 but Maelstrom and a meet and greet. I watched people walk through the FP+ line and onto the ride about every 10 seconds.

That makes sense. I think my biggest confusion was I thought kiosks meant at each ride (like the old days) but someone was kind enough to explain.

Thanks