How I Hate FastPass+

[Ambear]

Well if you like the bee picture then you should totally appreciate this unedited pic from the same Sony Point n Shoot camera....

Very nice! I love pink and purple colors so that's pretty much ace in my opinion hah. I know nothing about photography but that camera seems nice.

 

[Mad Hattered]

It costs about $150 dollars and fits in your pocket. I have more expensive cameras but this one is more convenient. At least it used to be, in regards to our touring style.

 

[Alfalfa]

Don't ya just love how all the "negative" stuff gets moved over to the Alphabet side of the Board now?! LOL FP+ is THE MAJOR "trip planing and strategic" thing going on right now at WDW and all threads are buried in the "Name another word besides LINE that starts with L" side of things. LMAO!!! Good times indeed.

I've been thinking the same.

 

[Ambear]

Good to know, I've been considering buying a new camera. Don't need anything super fancy but definitely want an upgrade on my ten year old camera.

 

[larryz]

Don't ya just love how all the "negative" stuff gets moved over to the Alphabet side of the Board now?

Just a minor consequence of discussing WDW on a board run by someone with a vested interest in keeping the buzz positive. I certainly recognize their right to manage this (their) board as they see fit.

If one doesn't like their decision to move a thread, one could always go start their own board or something...

 

[Tarheel girl 1975]

I was just at WDW this week. At MK and EP there were a few extra FP+ kiosks set up that were not on the park maps. I used the MK kiosk at Heritage House (which I read about here) at 12:00 noon during the parade. I was the ONLY person in there on a crowd level 10 day! I was trying to make my way over there and asked a CM if it was open. She didn't know there was a kiosk in HH, checked the map, then directed me to a manager who was managing traffic flow. She said Heritage House was not on the map, but was open on very busy days - a secret kiosk! There was another one at EP, but when I tried it, they had closed it up. It was through a set of double glass doors on the right as you are walking from the entrance toward the fountain. I think it was just before Innoventions where the curved concrete benches/planters are. When I found it closed, I went to the one in Innoventions (the next set of double glass doors). I walked right up to a screen at 3:00 PM, again on a crowd level 10 day.

I really wish they would open up more kiosks. It would be a very easy change to make and would have really helped us a lot. We were not their during a peak time, so there were only 4 kiosks open in MK which was really inconvenient.

 

[smitch425]

Just a minor consequence of discussing WDW on a board run by someone with a vested interest in keeping the buzz positive. I certainly recognize their right to manage this (their) board as they see fit.

If one doesn't like their decision to move a thread, one could always go start their own board or something...

Totally agree, and let's be honest...this thread OP started could have just been posted as a comment in one of the many FP threads instead of starting a new one. I appreciate that the mods move these threads out of the strategies forum. It becomes too cluttered when there are multiple threads about the same exact thing, no matter when you post that you are for FP+ or against it. Lol

 

[Angel Ariel]

Totally agree, and let's be honest...this thread OP started could have just been posted as a comment in one of the many FP threads instead of starting a new one. I appreciate that the mods move these threads out of the strategies forum. It becomes too cluttered when there are multiple threads about the same exact thing, no matter when you post that you are for FP+ or against it. Lol

I understand how this thread got to the point of being moved, and want to be clear that I am not debating that at all. In referencing the original post alone, though- I don't see it as any different than any other "just back, this is our quick reaction to our trip" type threads that are frequently posted there.

 

[Alfalfa]

I understand how this thread got to the point of being moved, and want to be clear that I am not debating that at all. In referencing the original post alone, though- I don't see it as any different than any other "just back, this is our quick reaction to our trip" type threads that are frequently posted there.

Or posts about Getting Drunk in the Parks and Dirty Bathrooms.

 

[Planogirl]

And something about decorating a magic band.

It's funny but when I didn't see this thread immediately I quit looking and came here. I had a feeling.

 

[Silock]

I don't agree with the assertion that WDW vacations were always complicated.

I NEVER planned what day I was going where before FP+. We never did ADRs, because we always went in the low crowd season, and there was usually a table service opening somewhere in any park at any given time we wanted to sit down and eat (which was pretty rare . . . we like to eat at our condo).

We never consulted a guide book or strategy forum. In fact, I never even knew it was possible to come back to a FP- AFTER the printed return time until FP-s didn't even exist any more. We went for years just pulling them and using them within the specified window, still managing to pull and fully utilize 6-8 a day. It was nice getting up and knowing that if it was raining all day, you weren't screwed because you were locked in to a certain park. Instead of going to AK on a rainy day, we might have gone to Epcot instead. Or maybe the other way around. The point is that we could decide right then, and it wasn't a big deal. We were never planning more than 2-3 hours in advance, because we knew we could pull a FP for something wherever we might be. Not anymore.

I don't find that to be particularly complicated, and that was the case for us right up until FP- was axed. The trip we made with FP+ was far more stressful, far more locked in, and we felt a lot more rushed to get to a line so we could make the long standby wait time and get off the ride without missing our FP+ window. It was crazy, and we got far less done during the same time period that we've always visited.

As much as my wife and I long to get back to WDW and relive all the awesome times we always have, we've cancelled all of our trips until at least 2017. After going every year since we've been married, this is a huge change for us. Maybe it won't impact WDW's bottom line, but it's just not worth the money for us. I've seen quite a few people come to the same conclusion. I don't know if there are that many new visitors to make up for what they're losing. I suspect there probably are. But, we can only do what's best for us, and that's just to not visit for a while. Maybe by the time we go back, we'll be so overjoyed to be back in our happy place that all the negative things won't seem so bad.

 

[Chitownpeeps91]

So where is this now posted? I was able to find it since I had posted here before. New to this forum and noticed this does seem to happen on subjects that are not all glowing.

Does not happen on the other place I normally go to for advice for my nonDisney trips.

 

[ArwenMarie]

So where is this now posted? I was able to find it since I had posted here before. New to this forum and noticed this does seem to happen on subjects that are not all glowing.

Does not happen on the other place I normally go to for advice for my nonDisney trips.

It looks like it's in Community. If you are subscribed to it, it doesn't really matter, it will still pop up under Watched Threads when there is an update.

 

[Mkrop]

That too! Regardless, it was a very limited issue and easily avoidable. I don't think I ever waited behind more than 4 or 5 people in that FP line.





It sure did run out early. But not within 30 minutes.

Hopefully someone will share the kiosk line avoidance techniques. I'd love to know before our trip. I've heard the Stitch kiosk can be less busy. But I don't see how running over to TL to avoid the line in FL is any better than the FP runner of Legacy FP.

The one near Jungle Cruise was pretty reasonable. But I did laugh at your FP runner scenario bc we found ourselves crisscrossing a lot more than usual bc of trying to find a kiosk.

We had to book a split stay last year in order to get free dining, and we could not make FP selections for arrival day until we picked up our tickets. We were heading to EPCOT around 4:00, and made our selections during lunch at Pop. We chose LwtL as our tier 1 because it was the best thing available. When we arrived at the ride, it had a 10 minute wait, so I checked the app, and Test Track was there. It was a great surprise! Availability is constantly changing. While the system seems rigid in a sense that you have to do planning upfront, in practice, it is extremely flexible.

ETA: this was on a Friday night during Food and Wine.

We never had any luck changing things during Christmas week, we were even willing to change popular rides to other things bc we needed to sleep in due to head colds. The app would not let DS17 change or cancel our experiences at all. We just had to let the FPs go. With the old system someone else who showed up would have gotten them.

This system is way more complicated than the old...and I always crack up that this system is "more fair". How is it more fair if offsite gets less choice when their admission ticket cost the same? And how is it more fair if you dont know that if you just take whatever WDW offers whether at home or at a kiosk and change it to something better? People are gaming the system but bc they get what they want it is considered fair.

Why it isnt a drop down menu for each ride with the number of times for a FP+ available makes no sense...oh I know bc then WDW cant manipulate where you are going by trying to send you to other spots

 

[disneytraceyl]

When I was looking for things on fast pass plus, this is the kind of information I was looking for. Schedule the passes for early in the morning otherwise you can not get any other passes. This does have a back lash. You need to wake up early to go to the parks and do not stay out late at night.

 

[smitch425]

When I was looking for things on fast pass plus, this is the kind of information I was looking for. Schedule the passes for early in the morning otherwise you can not get any other passes. This does have a back lash. You need to wake up early to go to the parks and do not stay out late at night.

It depends on what early and late mean. We schedule our FPs between 10 and 2. We had no trouble using 8 FPs in a single day. We had a couple of 2am nights last trip, which still worked well with our FP scheduling. We rarely rope drop, but even when we do, the 10-2 timeframe still works perfectly.

 

[Chitownpeeps91]

Hi just a follow up to the emails I sent Disney. They sent a reply note. They asked for my phone number. Do they normally call people? Thought that was interesting. The note was nice enough. Seemed generic.

 

[smitch425]

Hi just a follow up to the emails I sent Disney. They sent a reply note. They asked for my phone number. Do they normally call people? Thought that was interesting. The note was nice enough. Seemed generic.

Yes, a follow up call is common.

 

[Gena001]

Is that Chip or Dale photobombing? I know they're everywhere, but sheesh.

It's Chip! Look at his nose.

 

[Adele Andrews]

I was googling to see if there were any changes to fast pass plus and found this thread. Because I am considering getting an annual pass but I stopped for a year because I HATE FAST PASS PLUS. I am not a Disney expert. I purchased annual passes the year they changed. The first few months it was the old system. Then they changed to the new system and I had no idea because I'm not a Disney obsessive. I thought giving them $ was enough. So I showed up to Hollywood studios with two small children and all the fast passes were already booked. I was there early in the morning. Maybe 10 minutes after opening. I waited in line for 1.5 hours with two kids under 5. It was heck. I waaaay prefer the old system and I used it just before they switched and I'm no expert gaming the system. So those two arguments don't work on me. If the ride I wanted to go on was a long wait, fine I'd get a fast pass and find something lame to ride. Now you have to predict what ride is going to be busy. And you might make a bad decision. And therefore go on less rides. Fortunately for me, I live in the Orlando area so if I only get a few rides in it isn't a wasted 10k or whatever crazy amount other people spend on these vacations. Still undecided about the annual pass.