Is staying up til midnight really necessary for FPs?

[dskib]

I'm not looking to get Anna and Elsa, and we're going the week before Thanksgiving which has low crowd levels. It sounds like overkill to be online at midnight to get Fastpasses? The only one I think I'd worry about is Mine Train.

Has it really gotten to the point where I should do it at midnight? I'll do it, but just wondered if people have really found that it was necessary.

Thanks!

 

[ziravan]

It's really necessary for A&E, but since you're not interested in that, you should be OK till morning. A&E was all but gone 45 min into my window last week.

7DMT will get scarce before the 30 day mark, but not so much so the first night of your window.

You should be OK in the morning.

 

[bcinohio]

We were there July 5-12 and I made our FP+ at 6am before work at the 60 day mark. I did not need A & E. I got he 7dmt FP+ for both days we were at MK.

 

[decon]

I'm going end of September, been checking the 30 day window for 7DMT. Maybe by then it will not be gone so fast?

 

[nkereina]

We'll be there the same week as you, also not interested in A&E. I posed this same question because I'm traveling back from a work trip on our 60 day mark and won't get to a computer until dinner time that night. The comments I got were that I should be fine with the exception of A&E, and availability isn't really impacted by then.

 

[dlove28]

A&E were completely gone last night by 12.15 for my 60day checking and the next 6 days if my trip. 12.15! For September!

 

[dlove28]

Sorry, to your original point, there are still many options available this morning. I would assume November shouldn't be too different. You likely don't need midnight, but I would suggest waking up early.

 

[Indio]

I've scheduled all our fast passes during normal waking hours - didn't sit up til midnight and didn't get up at the buttcrack of dawn. Got everything we wanted. The week before Thanksgiving is very low crowds -were there that week this past year) - you should be fine.

 

[jtowntoflorida]

We only have one day in the MK and I wanted A&E and 7DMT and only had one day to get them, plus I live in the central time zone and am a night owl anyway, so I was still up at 11:00 p.m., so staying up wasn't that big of a deal for me. That being said, I have gone in and tweaked my times for everything (except A&E & 7DMT) several times and have had no issue with availability for anything else. It's my understanding that pretty much everything except those two is readily available right up until the day of, with TSM, Soarin', and Test Track being the only ones that get more limited as a particular date approaches, though even they have availability the day of.

For even 7DMT, I just went in to check and at 39 days out, there is still plenty of availability for my party of 4, although the times showing for me are all after 5 p.m.

 

[jar]

how quickly does FP+ go for rides if you aren't interested in the character meet and greets? do you even have to book at exactly 60 days out if you just want the big rides like Space or Splash?

 

[Planning Mama]

I was up a little after 7 EST this morning and it was my 60 day mark. I wasn't interested in A&E either but I still looked for it. It was the only thing that was gone. Everything else had a ridiculous amount of availability. Even 7DMT had multiple time slots on multiple days. I had all my fastpasses done for 6 days in the parks done in less than an hour. It really shouldn't be difficult for anyone to get everything their looking for (with the exception of A&E) if they wait a little bit.

 

[Lynn57]

how quickly does FP+ go for rides if you aren't interested in the character meet and greets? do you even have to book at exactly 60 days out if you just want the big rides like Space or Splash?

No, You will be fine!

 

[Iralyn]

My experience is similar. Besides A&E, there is no reason to stay up late if you don't want to. Mine Train still had availabilty when I went in to tweak my FP+ about a week after my 60 day window. I guess if you wanted mine train for one specific window of time, you would want to stay up, but I would be confident that you'll be able to get it for some time during your stay if you made reservations in the morning instead of at midnight.

 

[ekidwell0001]

Honestly, i tried to stay up and passed out around 11:30!! and im 26 years old, whats up with this picture!! Anywho, i got up and on the computer around 7am EST and i had availability for everything, including A&E toward the end of our trip! Our big to do was the mine train and i got it for both days we'll be in MK so i think you'll be fine!

 

[MKMomma]

I'm not looking to get Anna and Elsa, and we're going the week before Thanksgiving which has low crowd levels. It sounds like overkill to be online at midnight to get Fastpasses? The only one I think I'd worry about is Mine Train.

Has it really gotten to the point where I should do it at midnight? I'll do it, but just wondered if people have really found that it was necessary.

Thanks!

No, it isn't necessary.

 

[jar]

I have another question -- I have my upcoming reservations (not til 2015) but do I also need to convert my old paper tickets (I have park hoppers from our last trip) with Disney before I can make FP+ reservations online? Or do I just need my DVC reservation #?

 

[MAD on Disney]

I would say it is not necessary based on my (limited) experience.

Our sixty day window came just over two weeks ago, and I did stay up until midnight (1:00 AM Eastern actually, there are plenty of threads out there about that particularly recurring issue!). I had lists of what we wanted, backups just in case, and all the usual paranoid over-planning to which I am prone. I got everything I wanted, and then went to bed.

Over the next couple of weeks, as I am also prone to do, I fretted over our FP selections, and in particular my decision to FP Rock-n-Roller instead of Toy Story Mania on one of our days at Studios. Just this weekend I finally decided to see if I could switch out the Rock-n-Roller for Toy Story. Even though we were now at about 45 days out or so, I was able to get Toy Story for us at the exact time I wanted on the first try.

Given that Toy Story is one of the more popular rides, and I assume the FP most sought at Studios, the ability to get it at 45 days out suggests to me that waiting to the morning on day 60 will usually be okay.

All that said, I do feel I should point out the following:
1. This is only my experience, and others may have a different experience;
2. We are going during a slow period in September, and it may be different for busier periods;
3. Though Toy Story is popular, it may not be a good metric for judging how soon you need to try for things like A&E or 7DMT; and
4. Notwithstanding my reasoning that waiting until morning should be okay, I must admit that the obsessive part of me will probably have me staying up past midnight anyway next time we are planning another trip to Disney!

 

[Altoqueenkelly]

I really think it is only necessary if you want to get A&E. Otherwise you should be fine

 

[mjohnson96]

We are trying for the A&E passes so will be up till the wee hours tonight waiting for window to open. And then if not, I will be trolling the site for one to open. But since I have yet to be lucky enough to get a dress online I don't think my chances are looking that good

 

[KimK2006]

I booked ours about 57 days out. I had no problem getting anything I wanted. (Didn't try for the A&E...) I even shuffled times and/or days around before the 30 day mark and had no trouble.