I'm officially a convert to FP+

[practicallyperfect77]

If this doesn't convince people that FP+ is not a downgrade, I really don't know what will. Thanks for the report, Rebekka. Have a great rest of your trip!

Have yet to see how it works in the crowded times. And could be seen as a downgrade for folks that.don't like to preplan.

 

[PoohsFan1]

This is very refreshing and I am happy to hear that FP+ worked out for you. We too like to ride our favorite rides over and over again (such as Space and BTMRR), I was worried that we wouldn't be able to ride more then once with our FP+. We will be in WDW 2 weeks from tomorrow and I am wondering if we will have the same luck as the OP since it will be more crowded then. I guess only time will tell.

 

[SuperRob]

Have yet to see how it works in the crowded times. And could be seen as a downgrade for folks that.don't like to preplan.

You don't have to pre-plan. FP+ has a pool of passes saved for in-park selection. He had his three picked early, but anyone walking into the park can go to a kiosk and pick them just like they normally would, except that they can do it at ANY kiosk, not just where the ride's FP would normally be distributed.

So yes, while he walked into the park knowing he had three rides "guaranteed", it's a really only a modest advantage over someone walking into the park, who has to pick them one at a time, because they're pulling from a different pool than the pre-planner did. By the time the pre-planner is pulling his fourth, you're very likely going to be caught up to him.

That said, you should go ahead and pick some passes. Again, they're coming from a separate pool, and it goes a long way towards your anticipation to know you have at least three things you'll be doing for sure.

From everything I've seen and read, it sounds like the old strategies should still work. Get there early, use FastPass judiciously, avoid the busiest times of day.

 

[claryche]

OP, thanks so much for sharing. I still have my issues with FP+, but maybe it isn't has bad and I'm expecting.

My thing though is since you have to use your 3 FP before getting your 4th one, then doesn't that mean that most people will get all 3 of their FP's early in the morning, so that they can have a day like you had. It also means that if you opt for a wishes FP, you are just out of luck as far as getting other FP's. Just seems like a problem there.

 

[SuperRob]

My thing though is since you have to use your 3 FP before getting your 4th one, then doesn't that mean that most people will get all 3 of their FP's early in the morning, so that they can have a day like you had. It also means that if you opt for a wishes FP, you are just out of luck as far as getting other FP's. Just seems like a problem there.

It doesn't appear from Rebekka's list that she used any FP until Noon. She might have left some off, but this is exactly the strategy I would use. Pull my fastpasses for late morning, early afternoon. Ride standby as much as possible until lines build. Use my pre-booked fastpasses after that. The pull a fourth, and use the downtime to eat lunch. From that point on you should be able to either ride standby or use Fastpasses until close to the end of the day.

Basically, my strategy would be exactly what Rebekka did, and it seemed to work great for her, so I'm optimistic. Helps that we're going in September, too.

 

[practicallyperfect77]

You don't have to pre-plan. FP+ has a pool of passes saved for in-park selection. He had his three picked early, but anyone walking into the park can go to a kiosk and pick them just like they normally would, except that they can do it at ANY kiosk, not just where the ride's FP would normally be distributed.

So yes, while he walked into the park knowing he had three rides "guaranteed", it's a really only a modest advantage over someone walking into the park, who has to pick them one at a time, because they're pulling from a different pool than the pre-planner did. By the time the pre-planner is pulling his fourth, you're very likely going to be caught up to him.

That said, you should go ahead and pick some passes. Again, they're coming from a separate pool, and it goes a long way towards your anticipation to know you have at least three things you'll be doing for sure.

From everything I've seen and read, it sounds like the old strategies should still work. Get there early, use FastPass judiciously, avoid the busiest times of day.

From everything I've read it sounds like during slower times the older strategies still work. No one has any clue what will the summer season will be. And I still think some folks will see it as a downgrade b/c they feel they have to preplan if they want to experience certain rides...ex: mine train, tsm, a&e meet. Where before folks could have decided the night before that "hey tomorrow I wanna go to HS" and they knew they could arrive by 10:30 and get a FP- for this ride. I've read many accounts where folks looked the night before and couldn't get FP+. I can certainly see FP+ has positives to it, but I can also see there are some negatives too.

 

[claryche]

This thread had actually made me start thinking that FP+ isn't that bad, but then I saw another thread where Pooh and Tigger meet and greet at UK is a tier one FP+ only meet and greet. No stand by line at all. So now I have to pick between soarin, test track and my favorite character Pooh. Not good Disney.

 

[PEC]

This thread had actually made me start thinking that FP+ isn't that bad, but then I saw another thread where Pooh and Tigger meet and greet at UK is a tier one FP+ only meet and greet. No stand by line at all. So now I have to pick between soarin, test track and my favorite character Pooh. Not good Disney.

I saw that, but I wouldn't worry. I think Pooh will be more than available for the 4th FP. He doesn't even start appearing until 1 O'Clock. By then you could easily have done your 3 FPs.

 

[SuperRob]

I've read many accounts where folks looked the night before and couldn't get FP+.

Yes, because the FP inventory available for pre-booking was used up. There is separate FP inventory held aside for in-park selection.

 

[CarolinaBlue]

Were one of the early rides also FP because from your report it looks like you got a FP from a kiosk after using only 2 FP+

Wondering the same thing.

 

[mrs.ariel]

Thanks OP for your post!

I am a DL veteran- We are commando, too! My family groans when I am rushing us our the door early in the morning for RD, but they are always so happy once we get there and SB lines are still short! I am always the fastpass runner- my in-laws tease me about it- I have power-walked across DL and over to CA so many times to get FPs! (Man that CARS ride (RR) is totally worth it!!!)

You give me hope that our FIRST EVER WDW trip in Sept will be all that we hope and as successful as our DL trips have been.

Last December by 3 year old rode Space mountain 4 times in a row!!! (While I was in CA with everyone's tix to get FP for RR) BTMM was closed for refurb, so both my kids will love to ride BTMM more than once when we are there!!

I'm glad you had such a great day yesterday!!!

 

[hooch11bear]

This is great to hear!! I am curious, as others are, to see how touring the parks will be come July. Should I stick with my plan to RD and then get Fastpasses for later in the day? I am able to pick Fastpasses in about a week and am still a little confused on what I should do. If I schedule them for the morning, will I still be able to pull Fastpasses after we use our 3? I don't want to waste them in the morning if we will have little to no wait for rides and then not be able to get additional Fastpasses after our 3rd. Does anybody have any suggestions??

 

[JimmyV]

... this is exactly the strategy I would use. Pull my fastpasses for late morning, early afternoon. Ride standby as much as possible until lines build. Use my pre-booked fastpasses after that. The pull a fourth, and use the downtime to eat lunch. From that point on you should be able to either ride standby or use Fastpasses until close to the end of the day.

Basically, my strategy would be exactly what Rebekka did, and it seemed to work great for her, so I'm optimistic. Helps that we're going in September, too.

I agree, but with one possible audible depending on crowd levels. If you find that the SB lines are building more quickly in the early hours than you anticipated and the RD effect wears off by 10:00-10:30, then I would try to change my third FP+ to any ride I could, as early as I could so that I could start using up my FPs from 10:30-early afternoon instead of early afternoon-late afternoon. So if your third FP is for BTMRR at 3:30, try to change that for a less popular ride at 10:30 and start burning your FPs more quickly. And don't make 7DMT or A&E your third FP of the day, because you wouldn't want to throw those back into the pool. Try to make your third FP one that you could likely re-book the day of.

 

[SuperRob]

I agree, but with one possible audible depending on crowd levels. If you find that the SB lines are building more quickly in the early hours than you anticipated and the RD effect wears off by 10:00-10:30, then I would try to change my third FP+ to any ride I could, as early as I could so that I could start using up my FPs from 10:30-early afternoon instead of early afternoon-late afternoon. So if your third FP is for BTMRR at 3:30, try to change that for a less popular ride at 10:30 and start burning your FPs more quickly. And don't make 7DMT or A&E your third FP of the day, because you wouldn't want to throw those back into the pool. Try to make your third FP one that you could likely re-book the day of.

Good call. Being able to adjust times would be very helpful in such a case.

 

[DRDISNEYMD]

My first thought when I realised FP+ was going to happen before my current Disney trip was that I wouldn't be able to ride Space Mountain repeatedly, and I HATED it!

I spent 9am to 9pm today at Magic Kingdom, and I'm a convert. FP+ kicks FP-'s butt.

I could have ridden Space Mountain more than ten times if I'd wanted to (I didn't, I get sick after four times in a row, as I found out in Hong Kong, where it was a walk on!)

My sister was with me in the morning, and she doesn't get the commando thing (she actually insisted on sitting in the sun and having a coffee yesterday at HS at 9.30am!!!) and we had two sit down meals booked (Crystal Palace breakfast and BOG fastpass for lunch).

Here's what we did:

9.10am Peter Pan
9.25ish Winnie the Pooh
9.50am checked in for Crystal Palace
11.20ish left Crystal Palace (which was awesome btw, and they brought my sister a card signed by all the characters and a cupcake with a candle for her birthday) and wandered towards Haunted Mansion
11.30ish got distracted by Little Mermaid and rode it (said 20 min wait, was actually a walk on)
12ish Haunted Mansion (FP)
12.30ish monsters inc laugh floor
1pmish Space Mountain (FP)
Immediately went to get another FP - no queue at kiosk and got BTMRR with 3.25pm return
1.45pm checked in for BOG FP (highly recommend! absolutely beautiful surroundings and the food was great for counter service)
3.25 rode BTMRR (FP)
3.40ish caught train back to Main Street then my sister went back to the hotel - freedom to commando ride Space and BTMRR for rest of afternoon if I want!
3.50ish collected FP for Space with 4.40pm return
4.10ish rode Space (SB, 20 min wait)
4.35pm rode space again (FP)
4.50ish Went to get another FP for space, 5.20pm return
5.15pm rode Space (FP)

Needed a sit down! Went to get another FP - got Pirates with return time 5 mins in future (which as they let you in five minutes before return time is essentially just skipping the queue). Walked to pirates, which was down. Changed pirates FP on phone to jungle cruise.

6.15pm rode jungle cruise (FP)
6.45pm went to collect another FP, got Pirates with immediate return time.
6.50pm rode pirates (FP)
7.15pm went to collect another FP, got big Thunder for 7.25.
7.30pm rode BTMRR (FP)
7.50ish Went to get another FP - got HM again for 8.20pm
8ish sat down to eat a citrus swirl
8.15pm rode HM (FP)
8.35ish went to get another BTMRR FP - got return time of 8.50pm
8.50pm rode BTMRR (FP)

Came back to hotel (I'm pretty tired!)

I checked availability as I left the park, still plenty for all three mountains and most other rides. Nothing left for fireworks (I wasn't staying anyway, was just curious).

Why I loved it?

11 fastpasses in one day, and a day with two sit down dining reservations at that, and I didn't stay til close, only til around 9pm. Return times of less than an hour, except when I picked a later time. Ability to pick up FPs without crisscrossing the park - I didn't have to go all the way back to the end of Tomorrowland to get space FPs if I wasn't in that part of the park. I did space four times. I did BTMRR daytime and nighttime. I didn't have to wait more than two or three minutes to get a fastpass. I didn't have to wait more than about five to get on a ride.

When you can book the additional fastpasses on your phone it will be even better. It's not much of a bother to go to a kiosk (certainly less than running around the park to get the next paper FP was) but it would be even less of a bother to sit down with your phone and pick your own.

Anyway, colour me converted. The new system is awesome.

Didn't try to get a fourth at HS but did get a fourth for test track at Epcot - after lunch with a return time at 5ish, so not too bad.

Should be easy enough to hop, too (particularly to magic kingdom in the evening)

~Wow!!! Color me impressed -- this is just fabulous & it's the second report I've read this late night morning with amazing results like this!

~Again, *this* is how it's done! Thank you so much for sharing this. I am totally impressed with how these new and lesser known posters have gracefully mastered the new FP+ system -- and are totally upstaging the "experts" here! You have no idea just how helpful and encouraging this is for so many people -- myself included! I really can't wait for my Disney trip!!!

 

[Melissa8905]

Thanks for posting your positive experience with FP+. I've been skeptical, and some negative reviews haven't helped a bit. I'm definitely looking forward to not having to run across the parks to get a FP, as I've always been the FP "runner" in the family (although I always attributed my lack of weight gain while at WDW to my runner status)

 

[rastuso]

Anyone loving this report, and getting your hopes up better get to WDW in the next 3 weeks, or be waiting until November.

If they ever let you get bonus FPs with your phone, I could see how a dead time would be nothing but FP on everything. You could be going up the lifts on splash, getting your next FP.

Regardless, when posted SB is 30 minutes or less, FP is fairly meaningless. SBs at that point are probably really 10-15 minutes. You can burn that going to get your FP. But, phone integration would make it worth it.

BUT, that would then give all us recovering "abusers" a new way to abuse. And all the FP+ lovers hated all the abuse that used to go on. Remember, that is the reason FP+ was so needed, because SOME people were getting to many of them.

However, now they are really happy that there is a way to abuse FP+, especially since it makes us FP+ haters wrong.




-Jason

 

[jade1]

Anyone loving this report, and getting your hopes up better get to WDW in the next 3 weeks, or be waiting until November.

If they ever let you get bonus FPs with your phone, I could see how a dead time would be nothing but FP on everything. You could be going up the lifts on splash, getting your next FP.

Regardless, when posted SB is 30 minutes or less, FP is fairly meaningless. SBs at that point are probably really 10-15 minutes. You can burn that going to get your FP. But, phone integration would make it worth it.

BUT, that would then give all us recovering "abusers" a new way to abuse. And all the FP+ lovers hated all the abuse that used to go on. Remember, that is the reason FP+ was so needed, because SOME people were getting to many of them.

However, now they are really happy that there is a way to abuse FP+, especially since it makes us FP+ haters wrong.




-Jason

There is truth to what you are saying Jason.

But keep in mind, many "haters" never stipulated "time of year" that FP+ would be fine-it just had to go no matter what, even "haters" that travel slow season.

3 < 6
no multiple riding headliners over and over
no hopping
tiers
nothing available at 60 days plus 1 hour (much less 30 or 1 day)
backed up kiosks
no app connection
scraps after the 3rd
nothing available day of

All debunked at least in slow season.

Just like FP- the busier the season the fewer the FP's and quantity/quality available.

But 3 is awesome for many of us during peak weeks.

And with the ongoing feedback-many folks will once again have to decide for themselves when to visit-but at least we know it works well for slow season.

 

[Rebekkap]

Someone pointed out on page 2 that I'd only listed two initial fastpasses - apologies, Peter Pan was also FP.

My general strategy has been FP 9-10am, another 10-11am and the third 11-12. The most popular headliner first of the FPs. I ride another headliner at rope drop and then use the first FP at the very end of its window, followed by second FP right at the start of its window, then try to move the third up on my phone. The day I listed was atypical because of having breakfast booked (not my choice!)

It's a good strategy for the tiered parks particularly because it maximises your chances of getting a second tier one FP as your fourth.

If you get one and it's for quite late, keep checking on the app - earlier times open up as others swap/cancel

 

[MaryKatesMom]

I don't know what yesterday was, but today is a 2 on touring plans. So not crowded.

Awesome day OP, thanks for sharing!

I've said from the begining it will be all about the crowd level.

Awesome!
I expect it will be a little more difficult during more crowded times, but touring the parks is always more difficult during crowded times.

I was there over Easter as I have in the past with a crowd level of 9-10. Not the same. Did less. Wan't happy. I would always be happy with a crowd level of 2.

If this doesn't convince people that FP+ is not a downgrade, I really don't know what will. Thanks for the report, Rebekka. Have a great rest of your trip!

Nope. It says going during value season is better to tour the parks than going during peak. Like it always has been. The real downgrade is Peak with FP+. Three or four than out.

The only other caveat is MK vs. the other parks. MK has more to do so I would be just as happy with any FP (except M&G). Wait until the only FP+ is Captain EO.