I'll tell you why I hate FP+ / Now Resolved -post #38

[Missyrose]

One of the most frustrating aspects of the system is Disney purposefully built the FP+ section of MDE with no digital paper trail. If an ADR gets messed up, a CM or manager can go into the system and see the history of that reservation. For example, I showed up for an Akershus breakfast ADR one morning and the lovely CM at the host stand said my ADR didn't exist, which was wrong and I showed her my confirmation email. The manager took over and did a little digging on the computer and said it said the system (not a CM and not me) cancelled the ADR about 6 weeks before. The system itself poofed my reservation for no good reason. They got me in that morning without a problem.

But with FP+ reservations, there is absolutely no internal tracking of what attraction you have had booked and when you booked them. Having no paper trail makes it much easier for Disney to basically shrug their shoulders when guests encounter problems with their FP+ reservations.

 

[kiltclan]

yep lets blame FP+ for a CM changing your dates which would void the fastpass+ selections you made.

Unlike OP, all my Fp+ selections got changed without us changing dates, resorts, etc. we literally did nothing and woke up to 3 completely different fp+


I wouldn't say No one has had trouble, but there certainty needs to be some kind of solution like for ADR's that have a problem.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Yes, that's a big problem Missyrose. Wouldn't even have to be a literal paper trail, just being able to track the history via computer, show the FP booking was made and not later cancelled.

 

[Networth]

One of the most frustrating aspects of the system is Disney purposefully built the FP+ section of MDE with no digital paper trail. If an ADR gets messed up, a CM or manager can go into the system and see the history of that reservation. For example, I showed up for an Akershus breakfast ADR one morning and the lovely CM at the host stand said my ADR didn't exist, which was wrong and I showed her my confirmation email. The manager took over and did a little digging on the computer and said it said the system (not a CM and not me) cancelled the ADR about 6 weeks before. The system itself poofed my reservation for no good reason. They got me in that morning without a problem. But with FP+ reservations, there is absolutely no internal tracking of what attraction you have had booked and when you booked them. Having no paper trail makes it much easier for Disney to basically shrug their shoulders when guests encounter problems with their FP+ reservations.

Their is a paper trail I promise. Just not for the guests benefit and one 99% of CM's can not access/knows exists. I hope it works out for you OP.

 

[disney world dreamer]

While simultaneously dismissing the OP's experience. Quite the high bar your setting for it too.

i can understand the frustration but i cannot understand taking it out on FP+ when it was a CM changing her dates when she did not authorize it that is to blame.

i would have been a bit more sympathetic had her title actually mentioned the real problem and not just judging FP+.

 

[mom2rtk]

i can understand the frustration but i cannot understand taking it out on FP+ when it was a CM changing her dates when she did not authorize it that is to blame.

i would have been a bit more sympathetic had her title actually mentioned the real problem and not just judging FP+.

Under legacy FP, having a CM change dates on something in the computer would have had absolutely no impact on FP times.

 

[disney world dreamer]

Under legacy FP, having a CM change dates on something in the computer would have had absolutely no impact on FP times.

true because you could not select fastpasses until you were in the park. (i see being able to select them 60 days out a real advantage not disadvantage)

but now that changing a date could delete your fastpasses CM's should know that and warn the person.

again i don't see how THAT would be fastpass+'s fault.

 

[Jennasis]

i was simply poi9nting out that not EVERYONE has problems with it.

The thread title says specifically "I'll tell you why I hate FP+"...it says nothing about how everybody else does or should feel about it. And yes, her issue is a FP+ issue. The system is prone to failure (for a variety of reasons that). And often the fix for lost Fastpasses, that are lost through NO FAULT OF THE GUEST, is "too bad...so sad".

 

[MKMomma]

i was simply poi9nting out that not EVERYONE has problems with it.

This is about the op's experience, not yours. She rightfully dislikes a system that had a negative impact on her vacation. Her vacation, not yours.

 

[JimmyV]

i was simply poi9nting out that not EVERYONE has problems with it.

Is that the litmus test for liking or disliking FP+? In the absence of unanimous disdain, it must be great?

 

[MKMomma]

i was simply poi9nting out that not EVERYONE has problems with it.

This is about the op's experience, not yours. She rightfully dislikes a system that had a negative impact on her vacation. Her vacation, not yours.

 

[disndatworld]

i can understand the frustration but i cannot understand taking it out on FP+ when it was a CM changing her dates when she did not authorize it that is to blame.

i would have been a bit more sympathetic had her title actually mentioned the real problem and not just judging FP+.

No worries... I get your point, but to be clear: the Guest Services did not drop the FP+ from my reservation when I was on the call - or even at least for a day or two (I just noticed today). I have a strong suspicion there is a system/software feature that when guests change resort dates that the system automatically drops all FP+ reservations.

In this case, my son broke his arm and needed surgery. The surgery looked like it would be during our trip early on, potentially requiring us to cancel or postpone. I called WDW to ask what could be done, what would be the cost, fees, etc. and even gave potential dates since were booked on a PIN and they had to check pricing for exact dates. The CM put me on hold for about 15 min during which time she contacted Guest Services who made the change. I did get kind-of choked up when she transferred me to guest services and 'Solomon' told me 'I changed your reservation for you.' Needless to say, I checked all my reservations were restored after hanging up and everything was good at the time, so I think the problem goes deeper than the CM/Guest Services... or maybe something more sinister at a later time? I certainly hope not.

This is where I think everything falls apart:

1) a human CM made an error - big deal. I make lots of errors. Fixing it is the only concern to me.
2) a human should know the change to the reservation will cancel the FP+ - Either a training issue (CM's don't know) 't it was concealed from me (which is called a lie)
3) WDW should be able to fix the problem - they can... sort of
4) Whether Cast member, My Disney Experience, FP+ - it's all one integrated solution. Whether it's human or automated it's the same to me

 

[minniemous]

i can understand the frustration but i cannot understand taking it out on FP+ when it was a CM changing her dates when she did not authorize it that is to blame.

i would have been a bit more sympathetic had her title actually mentioned the real problem and not just judging FP+.

I really personally like fast pass +........but if I had an experience where all of a sudden my well prepared fast pass plans were wiped out I would adopt a really quick negative attitude toward fast pass too....my guess is so would you.

The OP has very right to judge, blame etc. fast pass+.

Personally what I take from this is to be as careful as possible in the future when speaking with CM's about my vacation after I have selected fast passes. I appreciate the information and wish the OP the best in getting back the fast passes.

 

[Robo]

One of the most frustrating aspects of the system is Disney purposefully built the FP+ section of MDE with no digital paper trail. If an ADR gets messed up, a CM or manager can go into the system and see the history of that reservation. For example, I showed up for an Akershus breakfast ADR one morning and the lovely CM at the host stand said my ADR didn't exist, which was wrong and I showed her my confirmation email. The manager took over and did a little digging on the computer and said it said the system (not a CM and not me) cancelled the ADR about 6 weeks before. The system itself poofed my reservation for no good reason...

Yes, that's a big problem Missyrose. Wouldn't even have to be a literal paper trail, just being able to track the history via computer, show the FP booking was made and not later cancelled.

Nobody (at least in this thread) has mentioned the "no paper trail" relating to the hottest dining spot at WDW... The Be Our Guest Restaurant (Beast's Castle.)

That is the only restaurant that offers FASTPASS+ (and NOT an ADR) for lunch reservations!

If you are so lucky as to actually manage to GET a FP+ for a BoG lunch, you are given NO confirmation number! That fact made me very nervous during our recent trip, because if the system would have lost our FP+ for lunch there, we'd have no way to "prove" that we, in fact, HAD a FP+ there.
Of course I did take a screen shot of that FP+ (I also took screen shots of ALL of our FP+ reservations) and printed them for each day in the parks, and carried that day's printed copies with me every day.
I didn't have to use the printed back-ups, but I DID have lots and lots (and lots) of trouble trying to access MDE and our FP+ on my iPhone throughout the trip.
The system is severely unreliable for massive guest use on a wide scale.

 

[mesaboy2]

No worries... I get your point, but to be clear: the Guest Services did not drop the FP+ from my reservation when I was on the call - or even at least for a day or two (I just noticed today). I have a strong suspicion there is a system/software feature that when guests change resort dates that the system automatically drops all FP+ reservations.

In this case, my son broke his arm and needed surgery. The surgery looked like it would be during our trip early on, potentially requiring us to cancel or postpone. I called WDW to ask what could be done, what would be the cost, fees, etc. and even gave potential dates since were booked on a PIN and they had to check pricing for exact dates. The CM put me on hold for about 15 min during which time she contacted Guest Services who made the change. I did get kind-of choked up when she transferred me to guest services and 'Solomon' told me 'I changed your reservation for you.' Needless to say, I checked all my reservations were restored after hanging up and everything was good at the time, so I think the problem goes deeper than the CM/Guest Services... or maybe something more sinister at a later time? I certainly hope not.

This is where I think everything falls apart:

1) a human CM made an error - big deal. I make lots of errors. Fixing it is the only concern to me.
2) a human should know the change to the reservation will cancel the FP+ - Either a training issue (CM's don't know) 't it was concealed from me (which is called a lie)
3) WDW should be able to fix the problem - they can... sort of
4) Whether Cast member, My Disney Experience, FP+ - it's all one integrated solution. Whether it's human or automated it's the same to me

May I ask what the result of your call was, or are you still on it?

 

[kangaroodle]

In other breaking news, I was unable to enter the Disney Flipside sweepstakes this morning because the site was acting up. Shocking, I know.

I've given up on this. The Disney Flipside site won't recognize my user name and password, even thought I use the same one on all the other Disney websites

 

[SnipsNSnails]

I will definitely be taking screen shots after I make my FP+ reservations and each time if I change anything. Not sure if it would help anything but I'm going to do it.

 

[disndatworld]

May I ask what the result of your call was, or are you still on it?

Let me at least give the resolution on this topic.

I have no idea what the root cause was: I suspect the CM/Guest services this week (see my prior posts in this thread). Maybe some other systems glitch. I have no idea.

But, I did speak with WDW and between the call center and guest services they rebooked me all new FP+ for our 6 night stay. Several were unavailable (sold-out) for the day as far as the inventory went. For those cases I was given FP+ from a non-inventory supply. They cannot be modified using MDE app/online, only through Guest Services. But they are for the premium attractions and we shouldn't need to change them. But, essentially they gave me exactly what I asked for after they made a decision that they had caused the issue. They were extremely apologetic to me, and took an 'incident report' of sorts.

The process took 1hr 40 min on the phone. While inconvenient, I was satisfied with the service and really was just concerned with correcting it. From a statistical point, I'm sure FP+ does for WDW what they want.... but this is a potentially devestating issue that can arise and I'm glad that they were able to help. There was a chance I would have simply requested all funds back for my trip had they not. I suppose the way they resolved it was a judgment call on the part of WDW, and it probably could have gone either way.

I give them major credit for their willingness to resolve it to complete satisfaction. I should state for the record that I was very kind, and never rude or pushy.

The other thing I should clear up is my gender: I am a male. I saw several feminine pronouns referencing me. Not sure why I care about stating it, but I just wanted to set it straight

All the best everybody who read & commented. Keep an eye out.

 

[mesaboy2]

Let me at least give the resolution on this topic.

I have no idea what the root cause was: I suspect the CM/Guest services this week (see my prior posts in this thread). Maybe some other systems glitch. I have no idea.

But, I did speak with WDW and between the call center and guest services they rebooked me all new FP+ for our 6 night stay. Several were unavailable (sold-out) for the day as far as the inventory went. For those cases I was given FP+ from a non-inventory supply. They cannot be modified using MDE app/online, only through Guest Services. But they are for the premium attractions and we shouldn't need to change them. But, essentially they gave me exactly what I asked for after they made a decision that they had caused the issue. They were extremely apologetic to me, and took an 'incident report' of sorts.

The process took 1hr 40 min on the phone. While inconvenient, I was satisfied with the service and really was just concerned with correcting it. From a statistical point, I'm sure FP+ does for WDW what they want.... but this is a potentially devestating issue that can arise and I'm glad that they were able to help. There was a chance I would have simply requested all funds back for my trip had they not. I suppose the way they resolved it was a judgment call on the part of WDW, and it probably could have gone either way.

I give them major credit for their willingness to resolve it to complete satisfaction. I should state for the record that I was very kind, and never rude or pushy.

The other thing I should clear up is my gender: I am a male. I saw several feminine pronouns referencing me. Not sure why I care about stating it, but I just wanted to set it straight

All the best everybody who read & commented. Keep an eye out.

Good for you, I'm glad you got some great CMs. it certainly shouldn't take 100 minutes of your life, but at least they made you whole again. Thanks for reporting back, and have a great trip!

Once you've gone to the parks and used actual FPs, please let us know how fabulous it was! I've heard it's not a total failure for EVERYONE.

 

[disney world dreamer]

Let me at least give the resolution on this topic.

I have no idea what the root cause was: I suspect the CM/Guest services this week (see my prior posts in this thread). Maybe some other systems glitch. I have no idea.

But, I did speak with WDW and between the call center and guest services they rebooked me all new FP+ for our 6 night stay. Several were unavailable (sold-out) for the day as far as the inventory went. For those cases I was given FP+ from a non-inventory supply. They cannot be modified using MDE app/online, only through Guest Services. But they are for the premium attractions and we shouldn't need to change them. But, essentially they gave me exactly what I asked for after they made a decision that they had caused the issue. They were extremely apologetic to me, and took an 'incident report' of sorts.

The process took 1hr 40 min on the phone. While inconvenient, I was satisfied with the service and really was just concerned with correcting it. From a statistical point, I'm sure FP+ does for WDW what they want.... but this is a potentially devestating issue that can arise and I'm glad that they were able to help. There was a chance I would have simply requested all funds back for my trip had they not. I suppose the way they resolved it was a judgment call on the part of WDW, and it probably could have gone either way.

I give them major credit for their willingness to resolve it to complete satisfaction. I should state for the record that I was very kind, and never rude or pushy.

The other thing I should clear up is my gender: I am a male. I saw several feminine pronouns referencing me. Not sure why I care about stating it, but I just wanted to set it straight

All the best everybody who read & commented. Keep an eye out.

i am happy to hear that all was worked out.
i hope now you can experience FP+ in the parks and i'd love to hear what you think of it after you've done so.