I'm Done!!! Too Many Changes We Don't Like

[Granny square]

Possibly the biggest paradox about FP+ is that uber-planners really like the concept of being able to reserve ride times in advance. But almost to a person, there is tremendous dissatisfaction with the limitations that the accompanying policies are imposing. Those limitations counteract and far outweigh the benefit of being able to pre-book. I also think it's interesting that the vast majority of people posting that they love FP+ also state "but I never used FP much anyway." Coincidence? I think not.

Truth I think.

We used fp's. My mom travels with us and she is in an ECV. She parks and walks lines so shorter = better. It has always been perfect for us. This trip we are off site next week. So it is neither her nor there. The next trip we take will be in a year. We will see how it plays out when the time comes.

 

[Mad Hattered]

Just to throw out there that the sky isn't falling.

Rumor has it, some rides even have these things called "queue lines".

But a bus driver told me that, so take it for what it's worth.

Yeah, I've been to Disney nearly 50 times so I know what a "queue" is. It's the fact that we are getting less and paying more that rubs people the wrong way. Amongst a dozen other things or so.

 

[MikeandReneePlus5]

Just to throw out there that the sky isn't falling, and that Disney can be easily navigated without FPs.

Rumor has it, some rides even have these things called "queue lines".

But a bus driver told me that, so take it for what it's worth.

I think they are just called "queues" but point taken.

 

[MikeandReneePlus5]

Yuck...
Difference is I KNOW you can do the KTTW thing... It's been proven

with your caveat "at this time" you know this.


Listen - I see many of your posts. I like many of your posts. I agree with many of your posts. You seem like a glass half full person and that’s my kinda people.

I stated that the multi-billion dollar MM/FP+ program at WDW will affect that particular poster in some fashion, and I would go further and state that it will affect ALL guests in some fashion.

You are stating that many guests will not be affected at all.

I’ve thought about what you’ve stated.

I’m gonna stick with my original statement.

 

[Silock]

If you think that people no longer going is somehow going to make your experience better, you're crazy. Part of the problem is that irrespective of the crowds, FP+, especially if switched to a tiered system, isn't going to reduce your wait times for rides in a significant way. Second, less people going means less revenue, which means less money spent on upgrading the parks.

If you're happy that attendance will decrease, you better be careful what you wish for.

 

[MikeandReneePlus5]

Yeah, I've been to Disney nearly 50 times so I know what a "queue" is. It's the fact that we are getting less and paying more that rubs people the wrong way. Amongst a dozen other things or so.

well you are getting more of some things...all the expansions and what not.

Have you been to the new FL? It's really pretty impressive. And the crown jewel isn't even done yet (which is ridiculous btw, I'm pretty sure me and my 14 year old son could have had that thing built already in this amount of time if all you gave us was a socket wrench set).

 

[BayouMickey]

with your caveat "at this time" you know this.


Listen - I see many of your posts. I like many of your posts. I agree with many of your posts. You seem like a glass half full person and that’s my kinda people.

I stated that the multi-billion dollar MM/FP+ program at WDW will affect that particular poster in some fashion, and I would go further and state that it will affect ALL guests in some fashion.

You are stating that many guests will not be affected at all.

I’ve thought about what you’ve stated.

I’m gonna stick with my original statement.

Oh, but I agree to your acessment! if it goes out as is with KTTW taken out, yes it could genuinely be an issue. I was just stating the fact as of right now. I won't sugar coat anything, but I will give the beneficiary option if it's viable.

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

I'm withholding judgement on FP+ until it is rolled out and I experience it for myself.

However, the people complaining about crowds the past couple of months crack me up. Several of them are the same ones who said "we must have free dining" and "Disney charges so much they OWE me free dining." Now the parks are more crowded thanks to free dining and they don't like it.

 

[MikeandReneePlus5]

Oh, but I agree to your acessment! if it goes out as is with KTTW taken out, yes it could genuinely be an issue. I was just stating the fact as of right now. I won't sugar coat anything, but I will give the beneficiary option if it's viable.

agreed!

I'm just being difficult.

 

[Son of Gadsden]

Yeah, I've been to Disney nearly 50 times so I know what a "queue" is. It's the fact that we are getting less and paying more that rubs people the wrong way. Amongst a dozen other things or so.

That's where we disagree.

You're getting a 'different' FP service. Not one that has been proven better or worse yet. It's in a testing phase. My Redskins went undefeated in their preseason, and here I was SURE we were going to a Superbowl. But here we are, with 3 wins and half the season gone. The testing phase wasn't very accurate.

For all we know, they are causing as much stress on the system as possible, just to see how much it takes to break it. I'm not saying that IS or IS NOT going on, but that's perfectly normal to do during a testing phase.

As mentioned, they got the biggest expansion ever to the MK this year. Resorts are always being added, technology is always improving, attractions are always being added, and your money isn't worth near what it was 50 visits ago. Add all that to the whole annoying "supply and demand" rule that always gets in the way.

Not to stay on football, but when I go to see my Redskins lose, personally, I hate paying $10 for a beer, but my fellow fans obviously feel that's what the beer is worth, since they keep shelling it out, and I am too. Disney is no different. Clearly people still think the product is worth the $, since the park profits are only going up.

If you think you keep paying more and getting less, maybe you think it's not worth the money any more, and why would you continue going if you think that? Seems that your issue with Disney is less about FP and more about your opinion of the services/products they are offering, which is not a subject I have commented on.

 

[Mad Hattered]

well you are getting more of some things...all the expansions and what not.

Have you been to the new FL? It's really pretty impressive. And the crown jewel isn't even done yet (which is ridiculous btw, I'm pretty sure me and my 14 year old son could have had that thing built already in this amount of time if all you gave us was a socket wrench set).

Yes, I 've seen it over the years in different phases. It looks pretty but holds little substance for my wife and I (and no children). It LOOKS good but is just fluff to us. I can see other "families" thinking it's nice, though.

We rode Under the Sea at DCA long before NFL so that was nothing new to us. The fact that there won't be anything other than the Mine Train (which will be a FP+ cluster* in and of itself) we have to wait at least 4 years for anything else (attractions). I guarantee the hotel/ticket/restaurant prices will be increased more than the national inflation rate before next summer....and for what?

 

[Peanut Giggleface]

I'm trying to keep an open mind about this new program, because it's not fully implemented, but right now, it is negatively impacting my family. We're local AP holders who will stay on-site once or twice a year for celebrations or special occasions. We stayed in August when the testing was just starting, but our resort was not included in the test. So as of right now, no MB and no access to FP+. This past weekend we headed to theparks with the intention of going to MK. As we approached the parks, we checked the wait times and discovered the wait times were averaging about 30-50 minutes for a majority of the rides with no fast passes available. Checked a couple of other parks with similar results. We settled on AK because there were FP- still available. It wasn't a park we really wanted to go to, but hey it still works.

So at this point to have access to FP+, we either get there at rope drop which will never happen. Or, we book a hotel room to get the band. So until we are included in the roll out, we feel like second class citizens. Everyone staying onsite and now of,f to some extent, have access to something we don't. I guess we could just go and hang out and soak in all the atmosphere, but honestly we didn't pay $2000 to keep a bench seat warm. I can do that at DTD for free.

The way I see it, we paid for access to all the parks and all of its associated amenities and a good portion of those amenities (a big part that is important to my family) have been so drastically modified to be of no use to us.

Like I said, I'm trying to be open-minded about this because I don't know the end result, but right now, we're not fans.

Sorry for the long rant.

 

[MikeandReneePlus5]

I guarantee the hotel/ticket/restaurant prices will be increased more than the national inflation rate before next summer....and for what?

humidity?

(just trying to play along.)

 

[ShayBells]

Possibly the biggest paradox about FP+ is that uber-planners really like the concept of being able to reserve ride times in advance. But almost to a person, there is tremendous dissatisfaction with the limitations that the accompanying policies are imposing. Those limitations counteract and far outweigh the benefit of being able to pre-book. I also think it's interesting that the vast majority of people posting that they love FP+ also state "but I never used FP much anyway." Coincidence? I think not.

This is very true. I never used FP much because I hated the extra walking just to get a FP so FP+ appeals to me very much.

I think that the booking is the worst problem. Booking 60 days out is too much time. They shouldn't shorten that window. And by what most people say the should do it day of. But then you would have uber long lines at the kiosks because they are more technical thus more problems. They need to do either 15 days or 30 days before the day you are trying to book FP+ for so it's not so much planning so far away from your vacation.

I think there are a lot of problems right now. And I think there will be a lot of problems but it's going through. Disney won't pull out now and a few years from now we will all have the hang of it. It's about adapting and that's what humans are good at

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[JanaDee]

Another overreaction thread.

Experience it first. If you already experienced it and didn't like it, so much so that you don't want to go back, then sorry for my insinuation, and "Bye".

My wife and I have never used fastpasses much at all, and this simple change is far from enough to ruin our trip.

We enjoy more than just the rides. We can go to Busch Gardens or King's Dominion, both a couple hours away, for rides. We drive 10 hours for Disney.

If rides are the most important thing to you, and longer lines is enough to deter you from Disney, I suggest you give Six Flags or a local amusement park a try. You'll save money, and get what's most important to you.

Longer lines are pretty far down on the list of why I won't be returning. Yes, I did just experience the FP+/MB and didn't care for it.

 

[Jeslynb]

I have a feeling that those that are long time visitors that say they are not coming back........are coming back. That is the point of hanging out and posting at a Disney forum insisting you won't return....because you are venting and you know damn well you will return.

Yes! I've said many times I would never return to a particular destination - and even one hotel in particular - and yet, there I go, back again. Except I really, really, really mean it about the Hyatt Kauai.

 

[pdg123]

It seems to me many of you that are dissatisfied with the new technology and MDE system are forgetting that the Walt Disney Company is a business, not a non-profit, not a charity. These sweeping technological changes are designed so resort guests have a more seamless experience in the parks and at the resorts so they spend more time in their stores. And you know what, it's worked so far. Profit is up 17% in the parks division so far this year. Yeah they are looking to make money but it's supposed to be YOUR Disney Experience. They are aiming to personalize your vacation and make your trip unique. If you don't stay on property they will eventually make the MB available to you, but the priority is the people who spend the most: resort guests.

The transition from the paper tickets (both admission and fast pass) to RFID is not going to be an overnight perfect change. A complete overhaul of the entire system is not going to be without its glitches. Don't forget the paper tickets used to lose your fingerprint scan over time. Entry is a lot quicker without turnstiles now. FP+ I find to be better because you can guarantee yourself three rides at the park you may not have been guaranteed a FP for previously. You don't have to RD anymore if you reserve your FP ahead of time. At parks like Epcot and Hollywood Studios that have 3 really popular rides each, this is very helpful. Many times have I gone to DHS not being able to ride TSMM because of a 110 minute wait and fastpasses being not being available or only available near park. Why wouldn't you want to guarantee that you get to go on a family favorite ride (especially if the wait time escalates) and not have to dart across the park the first thing in the morning to pick up your fastpasses? FYI, you can move the FP+ times around, instead of just accepting your time allotted. Since you used your 3 FP+ on PRIORITY rides to guarantee you'll get on them during the day, you can use your KTTW card on paper FP tickets day-of, without any sort of plan (to everyone against "micromanagement").

As for the ADR CC policy change, I found it ridiculous that people were making multiple reservations for a single night. Just pick what restaurants you want to eat beforehand or eat off property if you can't handle that decision.

 

[MikeandReneePlus5]

It seems to me many of you that are dissatisfied with the new technology and MDE system are forgetting that the Walt Disney Company is a business, not a non-profit, not a charity. These sweeping technological changes are designed so resort guests have a more seamless experience in the parks and at the resorts so they spend more time in their stores. And you know what, it's worked so far. Profit is up 17% in the parks division so far this year. Yeah they are looking to make money but it's supposed to be YOUR Disney Experience. They are aiming to personalize your vacation and make your trip unique. If you don't stay on property they will eventually make the MB available to you, but the priority is the people who spend the most: resort guests.

The transition from the paper tickets (both admission and fast pass) to RFID is not going to be an overnight perfect change. A complete overhaul of the entire system is not going to be without its glitches. Don't forget the paper tickets used to lose your fingerprint scan over time. Entry is a lot quicker without turnstiles now. FP+ I find to be better because you can guarantee yourself three rides at the park you may not have been guaranteed a FP for previously. You don't have to RD anymore if you reserve your FP ahead of time. At parks like Epcot and Hollywood Studios that have 3 really popular rides each, this is very helpful. Many times have I gone to DHS not being able to ride TSMM because of a 110 minute wait and fastpasses being not being available or only available near park. Why wouldn't you want to guarantee that you get to go on a family favorite ride (especially if the wait time escalates) and not have to dart across the park the first thing in the morning to pick up your fastpasses? FYI, you can move the FP+ times around, instead of just accepting your time allotted. Since you used your 3 FP+ on PRIORITY rides to guarantee you'll get on them during the day, you can use your KTTW card on paper FP tickets day-of, without any sort of plan (to everyone against "micromanagement").

As for the ADR CC policy change, I found it ridiculous that people were making multiple reservations for a single night. Just pick what restaurants you want to eat beforehand or eat off property if you can't handle that decision.

 

[Granny square]

I haven't forgotten Disney is a business. How silly.

Thanks for the lecture though....

 

[Jeslynb]

It seems to me many of you that are dissatisfied with the new technology and MDE system are forgetting that the Walt Disney Company is a business, not a non-profit, not a charity. These sweeping technological changes are designed so resort guests have a more seamless experience in the parks and at the resorts so they spend more time in their stores. And you know what, it's worked so far. Profit is up 17% in the parks division so far this year. Yeah they are looking to make money but it's supposed to be YOUR Disney Experience. They are aiming to personalize your vacation and make your trip unique. If you don't stay on property they will eventually make the MB available to you, but the priority is the people who spend the most: resort guests.
.

Agree, but most of the posts on this subject suggest that this is understood. Understanding the business model and personally disliking a new product are not mutually exclusive. I own Apple stock, but I don't buy Macs.

ETA: I thought Disney was up less than 10% in the 3Q. Which is still great, of course.