It's not just fastpass+ that bothers me

[peaches00]

We had a week stay at yacht and beach club booked for September...after reading about fastpass+ in its present form, we are going to universal for that week. We are rd/fastpass people who have no interest in waiting over 15 minutes for porch or haunted mansion. That's just us. Originally my husband insisted on a monorail resort. Last time we were at disney, the monorail was so packed, it was uncomfortable. And that was with only bay lake towers...grand Floridian and Polynesian villas weren't built. The grand Floridian made the courtyard pool smaller by taking deep end out and most of the pool looks ankle deep. That is not a fun pool experience for me. Same for Polynesian...they filled in quiet pool and I think it's 4 feet now. Not to mention how horrible bus service is. But as the hotels add DVD, it seems they aren't changing anything. Just adding. So it lucky for us that we love universal and were spoiled by loews hotels. And we spend a lot of money every year and have decided it's just to much work to go to disney. We need a vacation after we take a disney vacation.

 

[tazadd0420]

Sounds like a great idea for you. Hope you have fun.

 

[ArwenMarie]

We just got back from an onsite Uni vacation at Portofino...so much fun! I still love the Disney parks, but I think we will be seeing them from there from now on. Love the Express Pass. Have fun planning

 

[Davey Jones II]

We had a week stay at yacht and beach club booked for September...after reading about fastpass+ in its present form, we are going to universal for that week.

I'm reading a lot of comments like the one above.

Hey Disney execs, still think it was a good idea to spend $1.5 billion on a new reservation system instead of new attractions??

 

[tazadd0420]

We had a week stay at yacht and beach club booked for September...after reading about fastpass+ in its present form, we are going to universal for that week.

I'm reading a lot of comments like the above.

Hey Disney execs, still think it was a good idea to spend $1.5 billion on a new reservation system instead of new attractions??

Do you think disney should provide the same offer for on-site guests that uni does? If you stay at a moderate or deluxe and above you get unlimited front of the line? Or maybe just deluxe and above?

I have heard people going to uni for this reason. Just wanted to know if disney did the same thing if people would be happier?

Really just wondering. Not trying to rile anyone up.

We are doing dis and uni this trip. Off site uni and on-site dis. Looking forward to both. Also looking forward to comments.

 

[ArwenMarie]

Do you think disney should provide the same offer for on-site guests that uni does? If you stay at a moderate or deluxe and above you get unlimited front of the line? Or maybe just deluxe and above?

I have heard people going to uni for this reason. Just wanted to know if disney did the same thing if people would be happier?

Really just wondering. Not trying to rile anyone up.

We are doing dis and uni this trip. Off site uni and on-site dis. Looking forward to both. Also looking forward to comments.

We changed an offsite Disney trip to an onsite Universal trip because we didn't want to deal with the situation for offsite right now at Disney.

Then we got to onsite Universal and LOVED it.

So did Disney lose our hotel dollars by going to FP+?...Sort of, but only because it encouraged us to try an onsite Universal vacation and then we ended up liking it more than the onsite hotels at Disney. Both because the hotel was better and because of Unlimited Express Pass.

 

[davedmaine]

Well said. We did a split stay a couple weeks ago - 5 days at Uni and 5 at Disney (we're DVC members). When all was said and done, we enjoyed ourselves more during our time at Universal. They just seem to have their act together more. It's amazing to think of everything they've built while Disney has been doing their Fantasy Land expansion - Transformers, the new Simpsons area, an almost completed HP expansion, etc. Disney showed its creativity by doubling the number of Dumbo rides.
Regarding FP+, the MK day was by far the worst for us. 30 minutes at Pirates, 20 at Small World, 35 at Haunted Mansion and forget about the popular rides..

 

[kitty2kidz]

Not to mention the "Deluxe Hotels" at Universal are all boat accessible and walking distance to the parks and entertainment AND they cost the price of a moderate Disney resort +++++ Unlimited Express pass! They also allow 2 adults and 3 kids in a room-- You can only do that in Port Orleans with the little pull down bed at Disney.

 

[tazadd0420]

We changed an offsite Disney trip to an onsite Universal trip because we didn't want to deal with the situation for offsite right now at Disney.

Then we got to onsite Universal and LOVED it.

So did Disney lose our hotel dollars by going to FP+?...Sort of, but only because it encouraged us to try an onsite Universal vacation and then we ended up liking it more than the onsite hotels at Disney. Both because the hotel was better and because of Unlimited Express Pass.

Thank you. Appreciate your response. See no mean or snarky response..

 

[Davey Jones II]

We stay at value resorts. For my budget, the Universal hotels are too pricey. There are some good places near Universal for a fraction of the price, and many even offer free shuttles.

Front of the line access is nice, but not usually needed at Universal. And early access to WWOHP is hardly the perk it used to be. Last time I was there, I strolled in and rode Forbidden Journey 8 times, using single rider.

 

[3happydancers]

We had a week stay at yacht and beach club booked for September...after reading about fastpass+ in its present form, we are going to universal for that week. We are rd/fastpass people who have no interest in waiting over 15 minutes for porch or haunted mansion. That's just us. Originally my husband insisted on a monorail resort. Last time we were at disney, the monorail was so packed, it was uncomfortable. And that was with only bay lake towers...grand Floridian and Polynesian villas weren't built. The grand Floridian made the courtyard pool smaller by taking deep end out and most of the pool looks ankle deep. That is not a fun pool experience for me. Same for Polynesian...they filled in quiet pool and I think it's 4 feet now. Not to mention how horrible bus service is. But as the hotels add DVD, it seems they aren't changing anything. Just adding. So it lucky for us that we love universal and were spoiled by loews hotels. And we spend a lot of money every year and have decided it's just to much work to go to disney. We need a vacation after we take a disney vacation.

It might help if you write to Disney and tell them about changing your vacation destination and why.

 

[Planogirl]

I agree that Express isn't usually needed at Universal but of course that depends on when you go. You still have to plan wisely and use rope drop.

We go to both WDW and Universal. One to visit old favorites and one to rest. I won't say which is which.

 

[3happydancers]

We stay at value resorts. For my budget, the Universal hotels are too pricey. There are some good places near Universal for a fraction of the price, and many even offer free shuttles.

Front of the line access is nice, but not usually needed at Universal. And early access to WWOHP is hardly the perk it used to be. Last time I was there, I strolled in and rode Forbidden Journey 8 times, using single rider.

What time of year do/did you go? We are going in August. Our first trip ever to US. We did take an onsite room but was wondering if it was needed.

 

[Msmithmd]

So many folks have these sentiments.

I work at a fairly large healthcare corporation, and every so often some administrator feels the need to change something that isn't broken. I guess it's to justify their existence within the organization. I really think FP+ was such an occurrence.

The bands and MDE were a nifty idea but the whole move away from traditional fastpass rules (one at a time, collect new one when first one is available or two hours transpires) was a terrible proposal.

We all knew Disney wasn't going to abandon a billion dollar investment. But why they won't resume the old fastpass rules within the new digital system is beyond me. They're ignoring their customer feedback and alienating an awful lot of loyal guests. Whether it will impact their bottom line enough for them to listen remains to be seen. It's certainly disappointing, though.

 

[prudence64]

We did one day at IOA as an off site guest and had a miserable time. This was when Harry potter was new though. That ride was broken and the rest of that area was too crowded to breath. We didn't care for the rides at the rest of the park, but if you are thrill ride people, you will like it. Lines in rest of park were short. If we ever go back, we'll give the regular park a try and maybe avoid the Harry potter area all together.

We did like the spider-man ride. That was the only thing we got on that we liked.

 

[catra121]

They're ignoring their customer feedback and alienating an awful lot of loyal guests. Whether it will impact their bottom line enough for them to listen remains to be seen. It's certainly disappointing, though.

What about all the people who really like the new FP+ system? There are a lot of them too...should Disney just ignore them?

For OP...I hope they have a wonderful time at Universal. I visited the hotels once (never stayed there) and they all looks absolutely beautiful. Unlimited Express Pass is a great onsite benefit. If Universal offers the best vacation experience for you...then that's absolutely where you should spend your time and money.

My dad always wants to spend 1-2 days at Universal when we go on family trips...I would rather spend those days at Disney. Don't get me wrong...there are rides I like at Universal and I love the Beetlejuice show...but nothing there brings me even close to the enjoyment that I get from being in Disney World. I can not go to Universal for years and never miss it...but I miss Disney World immediately and am sad when I have to skip a year.

 

[AJPPGH]

OP- The pool at the Beach Club is one of the best hotel pools I have ever seen. Blows all other WDW pools away and also the pools at the US hotels as well. So as someone who seems like pools are important you will be missing out if you cancel this trip.
Honestly, I thought I would hate FP+ as much as everyone and I have to say that I actually liked it. It was great to be able to arrange and organize rides all at once.
I will say though that Universal is a bit more fun for my boys-ages 9 & 12. The Disney rides are a little too young/boring or girlie for them. They love the thrill rides and the edgy rides that US offers.

 

[jgasko]

OP- The pool at the Beach Club is one of the best hotel pools I have ever seen. Blows all other WDW pools away and also the pools at the US hotels as well. So as someone who seems like pools are important you will be missing out if you cancel this trip.
Honestly, I thought I would hate FP+ as much as everyone and I have to say that I actually liked it. It was great to be able to arrange and organize rides all at once.
I will say though that Universal is a bit more fun for my boys-ages 9 & 12. The Disney rides are a little too young/boring or girlie for them. They love the thrill rides and the edgy rides that US offers.

I have to agree with this. Universal, actually islands of adventure, is a fun park with some really good coasters, but the size of the park makes the trip get old quickly for me. I am a huge fan of the new fp+, sure there are somethings that could use tweaking, but it works well in its current state. We live in Orlando and usually go to a park once a week and try to stay on-site once a month. I have not been to the beach/yacht club, but I have seen the pool and you mentioned pools being important to you. With the fp+ you can relax at the pool and know that you already have your spot in line booked, no more having to run to each ride to get a fastpass and wait around until it is it time to return. Where ever you go, enjoy your trip, but don't believe all the people complaining about the fp+ system, it definitely has its advantages.

 

[fairy8i8]

So many folks have these sentiments.

I work at a fairly large healthcare corporation, and every so often some administrator feels the need to change something that isn't broken. I guess it's to justify their existence within the organization. I really think FP+ was such an occurrence.

The bands and MDE were a nifty idea but the whole move away from traditional fastpass rules (one at a time, collect new one when first one is available or two hours transpires) was a terrible proposal.

We all knew Disney wasn't going to abandon a billion dollar investment. But why they won't resume the old fastpass rules within the new digital system is beyond me. They're ignoring their customer feedback and alienating an awful lot of loyal guests. Whether it will impact their bottom line enough for them to listen remains to be seen. It's certainly disappointing, though.

The Magicbands aren't really about Fastpasses. They are about tracking people in the park to optimize marketing and resources, like the number of CMs on duty in a given area. Eventually, Disney hopes to use the connectivity with their app and people activating texts from Disney to get people to make additional purchases in the parks and to affect crowd flow (kind of like the some of the old FP machines spitting out FP for extra less popular rides to try and get people to go on them. Only now they can do it in real time and based on the location of people). Execs aren't going to change it because they see it as a BIG marketing tool, and they can hopefully reduce costs of operations of the parks, which is significant. Fastpasses are just the candy that get people to wear the bands. They have already reported to shareholders that Magicband wearers on average spend more than non-Magicband wearers. It's financial, not a perk for guests.

 

[RMulieri]

Do you think disney should provide the same offer for on-site guests that uni does? If you stay at a moderate or deluxe and above you get unlimited front of the line? Or maybe just deluxe and above?

I have heard people going to uni for this reason. Just wanted to know if disney did the same thing if people would be happier?

Really just wondering. Not trying to rile anyone up.

We are doing dis and uni this trip. Off site uni and on-site dis. Looking forward to both. Also looking forward to comments.

It wouldnt work.Universal has 3 deluxe resorts, even the Newest resort ( a moderate) wont offer the express passes that the other 3 have.



We also stay at Universal now and go to Disney as dayguests,It isnt cheap, but the perks I get over at the Universal resorts are far more worth it