Today was our first full day on our 5th trip with our DD(10). Thought others might be wondering how different things are with FP+ than traditional FP, as we were - and wanted to jot this down before I forget. I'll be happy to answer questions, although since we're still here it may be someone delayed.
We did today *totally* differently than in the past. Usually, we would hit each park one day, and early at each park. This trip, we're here for a week, using FP+, and won't always be at rope drop. We got 4 day tickets via Undercover Tourist, which came with a 'free' day, allowing us to do MK twice. Knowing we had the 'extra' day to be at MK, I booked FP+ after Chef Mickey today, planning to use those and leave. (We have a longer day at MK Wednesday.) FP+ let us do much more than planned, without crisscrossing the park to manage FP's.
As you read our ride choices - we all have motion sickness so don't do a lot of the 'headliners'.
* Today, we started with a 10:25 reservation at Chef Mickey. (Quick tip - use valet parking at the Contemporary if you're driving. $2 plus tip more than TTC, and much more convenient. BUT - make sure to have driver's license to get into the parking lot. I assumed (yes, first mistake) that DH would have his as he was driving, but he only brought a credit card knowing that one has 24 hours to produce a driver's license.) It may have just been the timing while we were there - but the timing of the characters was very different than in the past. We were there 20+ minutes before the first character came, and the others came in pretty rapid succession. In the past, it's been one every 10 minutes or so.
* From there, took the monorail to MK. Walked to Splash Mountain and arrived 4 minutes before our 12:10 FP+. Knowing we could use it 5 minutes in advance, we did. The line was slightly longer than FP in the past, but we were still off by 12:25ish.
* Walked over to Small World. 20 minutes posted, but was closer to 15.
Off about 1:10, maybe a bit later. Walked through the shop at Pooh and waited out a brief rain.
* Walked over to 7DMT. Got there at 5 minutes before 1:25 FP+. Maybe 7 minutes in line, including waiting a minute or two to be in the front of a car hoping to lessen the potential motion sickness for DD. In full disclosure, DH, DD and I all suffer from motion sickness. For DH and I, the ride was perfect - every time we thought about being queasy, it slowed way down. DD, however, was not so lucky and was pretty uncomfortable. The mine scene is gorgeous; the rest is fun but surprisingly short. (Ok - not surprising given the footprint...but I wouldn't want to wait long for that short of a ride.)
* Got off at 1:35. Switched HM FP+ from 2:25 to 1:40. Walked over, and got caught in rainstorm while the standby/FP+ lines got sorted out. (They appear to start in the same place and split after a bit. I *think* there's some logic to it, but if so it wasn't clear to us or to anyone around us.) Thankfully, we were under the canopy in < 2 minutes. Total wait was about 5 minutes
* Walked while deciding what to do next. Went to FP+ kiosk by Philharmagic. While the line looked a bit long, it moved very very quickly. However, the kiosks were...interesting. One CM by at least every two kiosks, if not every kiosk. The touchscreen only worked sporadically, and the CM advised to use a fingernail or knuckle ( ?). It worked marginally better that way. Initially, it only found me with my ticket, and DD and DH using DD's. The CM had to help us, and commented 'yeah, it only works sometimes'. After checking Under the Sea (2 hours away) we chose Pooh - 45 minutes away from then so not bad. The CM seemed surprised that we were picking up #4 - it's not advertised anywhere that you can do that.
* DD was hungry again so we went to Cosmic Ray's. I've never seen it that empty - no one in line in front of us, and easy to get a table.
* Rode Pooh - again, FP+ line slightly longer than the old FP, but not terrible at all.
* Went back to kiosk - got Under the Sea, this time an hour away.
* Walked over to Tommorowland Transit where there was...a LINE. It was odd, as no time posted, and sort of a 'makeshift' queue. It took maybe 7 minutes to get to the cars, and the obvious issue was staffing - at least 1/4 of the cars were empty. Had there been more CM's shepherding people/helping load, I'm guessing no line. It once again started raining, and started to pour when we got off. Looked on MDE, and saw that Stitch was only 10 minutes. We've never done it and decided to try as a means to avoid the rain if nothing else. It was great as rain avoidance, but we will likely not do again.
* Walked over to Under the Sea for our 4:30 FP+. We were 7 minutes early. DH didn't believe we wouldn't be able to get in. Nope. CM nicely informed us that we were a bit early. Started to pour again, so we waited in the semi-shelter of the kiosk across the way. At 4 minutes early, we went in. Once again, about 5 minutes in line.
* Done at 4:45ish, and it was pouring. We, and most others, waited out the worst in the covered exit. It let up a few minutes later. Checked MDE and saw that Splash Mountain was closed, but as it was clearing up we took our chances and walked over. (It's by far DD's favorite) Still closed, but a small line before the entrance and no one waiting outside in the queue. Decided on a 10 minute wait before we gave up. About 2 minutes later the line opened and we went it. We timed it - 14 minute 47 second wait. Started pouring again when we got off, and we had to leave soon after anyway, so we headed for the gate.
Other observations:
* Exactly one person called DD princess, and exactly one person told us to have a magical day. Both were late in the day, and while I hadn't noticed their absence before those happened, I immediately did afterwards. In prior trips, it was consistent/constant.
* While a few CM's were friendly, many appeared totally disinterested and a few downright cynical. (While waiting for the FP+ kiosk, the guy in front of us told the CM he liked FP better. The CM said he hears that a lot, and that more changes are coming 'which will be worse'.)
* It wasn't supposed to rain today, so we didn't take rain coats. Having said that, it was warm enough that it really wasn't an issue. We weren't tempted to get ponchos, and very few had ponchos or rain coats on. However, the crowds were very light in the afternoon, even though it was a 'not recommended' day on EasyWDW.
* DD got the Hidden Mickey book at the end of our last trip, and has been having a great time looking for them this time. It's been fun for DH and I as well, and has helped us see everything through new eyes/pay a little more attention. Highly recommend the $15 for the book, especially for older kids who can keep track of the book, check things off, etc.
Think that's it - sorry this got so long, but hopes this helps someone.
We did today *totally* differently than in the past. Usually, we would hit each park one day, and early at each park. This trip, we're here for a week, using FP+, and won't always be at rope drop. We got 4 day tickets via Undercover Tourist, which came with a 'free' day, allowing us to do MK twice. Knowing we had the 'extra' day to be at MK, I booked FP+ after Chef Mickey today, planning to use those and leave. (We have a longer day at MK Wednesday.) FP+ let us do much more than planned, without crisscrossing the park to manage FP's.
As you read our ride choices - we all have motion sickness so don't do a lot of the 'headliners'.
* Today, we started with a 10:25 reservation at Chef Mickey. (Quick tip - use valet parking at the Contemporary if you're driving. $2 plus tip more than TTC, and much more convenient. BUT - make sure to have driver's license to get into the parking lot. I assumed (yes, first mistake) that DH would have his as he was driving, but he only brought a credit card knowing that one has 24 hours to produce a driver's license.) It may have just been the timing while we were there - but the timing of the characters was very different than in the past. We were there 20+ minutes before the first character came, and the others came in pretty rapid succession. In the past, it's been one every 10 minutes or so.
* From there, took the monorail to MK. Walked to Splash Mountain and arrived 4 minutes before our 12:10 FP+. Knowing we could use it 5 minutes in advance, we did. The line was slightly longer than FP in the past, but we were still off by 12:25ish.
* Walked over to Small World. 20 minutes posted, but was closer to 15.
Off about 1:10, maybe a bit later. Walked through the shop at Pooh and waited out a brief rain.
* Walked over to 7DMT. Got there at 5 minutes before 1:25 FP+. Maybe 7 minutes in line, including waiting a minute or two to be in the front of a car hoping to lessen the potential motion sickness for DD. In full disclosure, DH, DD and I all suffer from motion sickness. For DH and I, the ride was perfect - every time we thought about being queasy, it slowed way down. DD, however, was not so lucky and was pretty uncomfortable. The mine scene is gorgeous; the rest is fun but surprisingly short. (Ok - not surprising given the footprint...but I wouldn't want to wait long for that short of a ride.)
* Got off at 1:35. Switched HM FP+ from 2:25 to 1:40. Walked over, and got caught in rainstorm while the standby/FP+ lines got sorted out. (They appear to start in the same place and split after a bit. I *think* there's some logic to it, but if so it wasn't clear to us or to anyone around us.) Thankfully, we were under the canopy in < 2 minutes. Total wait was about 5 minutes
* Walked while deciding what to do next. Went to FP+ kiosk by Philharmagic. While the line looked a bit long, it moved very very quickly. However, the kiosks were...interesting. One CM by at least every two kiosks, if not every kiosk. The touchscreen only worked sporadically, and the CM advised to use a fingernail or knuckle ( ?). It worked marginally better that way. Initially, it only found me with my ticket, and DD and DH using DD's. The CM had to help us, and commented 'yeah, it only works sometimes'. After checking Under the Sea (2 hours away) we chose Pooh - 45 minutes away from then so not bad. The CM seemed surprised that we were picking up #4 - it's not advertised anywhere that you can do that.
* DD was hungry again so we went to Cosmic Ray's. I've never seen it that empty - no one in line in front of us, and easy to get a table.
* Rode Pooh - again, FP+ line slightly longer than the old FP, but not terrible at all.
* Went back to kiosk - got Under the Sea, this time an hour away.
* Walked over to Tommorowland Transit where there was...a LINE. It was odd, as no time posted, and sort of a 'makeshift' queue. It took maybe 7 minutes to get to the cars, and the obvious issue was staffing - at least 1/4 of the cars were empty. Had there been more CM's shepherding people/helping load, I'm guessing no line. It once again started raining, and started to pour when we got off. Looked on MDE, and saw that Stitch was only 10 minutes. We've never done it and decided to try as a means to avoid the rain if nothing else. It was great as rain avoidance, but we will likely not do again.
* Walked over to Under the Sea for our 4:30 FP+. We were 7 minutes early. DH didn't believe we wouldn't be able to get in. Nope. CM nicely informed us that we were a bit early. Started to pour again, so we waited in the semi-shelter of the kiosk across the way. At 4 minutes early, we went in. Once again, about 5 minutes in line.
* Done at 4:45ish, and it was pouring. We, and most others, waited out the worst in the covered exit. It let up a few minutes later. Checked MDE and saw that Splash Mountain was closed, but as it was clearing up we took our chances and walked over. (It's by far DD's favorite) Still closed, but a small line before the entrance and no one waiting outside in the queue. Decided on a 10 minute wait before we gave up. About 2 minutes later the line opened and we went it. We timed it - 14 minute 47 second wait. Started pouring again when we got off, and we had to leave soon after anyway, so we headed for the gate.
Other observations:
* Exactly one person called DD princess, and exactly one person told us to have a magical day. Both were late in the day, and while I hadn't noticed their absence before those happened, I immediately did afterwards. In prior trips, it was consistent/constant.
* While a few CM's were friendly, many appeared totally disinterested and a few downright cynical. (While waiting for the FP+ kiosk, the guy in front of us told the CM he liked FP better. The CM said he hears that a lot, and that more changes are coming 'which will be worse'.)
* It wasn't supposed to rain today, so we didn't take rain coats. Having said that, it was warm enough that it really wasn't an issue. We weren't tempted to get ponchos, and very few had ponchos or rain coats on. However, the crowds were very light in the afternoon, even though it was a 'not recommended' day on EasyWDW.
* DD got the Hidden Mickey book at the end of our last trip, and has been having a great time looking for them this time. It's been fun for DH and I as well, and has helped us see everything through new eyes/pay a little more attention. Highly recommend the $15 for the book, especially for older kids who can keep track of the book, check things off, etc.
Think that's it - sorry this got so long, but hopes this helps someone.
