Josh is the voice of reason on FP+

[Lindaland]

I am a huge FP+ supporter! I loved the MB & FP+ when we went in Oct/Nov of last year. I laugh at the people who act like they can ONLY ride 3 rides a day because they are so "limited" with FP+. I read one poster who said they "refuse to stand in line" for any ride, to which I think is just a personal problem and really has nothing to do with the program. And also the people who state "I paid good money" and who also feel they have the right to do what ever they want because of the money they spent. News flash...... WE ALL PAID GOOD MONEY!! Its not like I used the money I printed in my basement to pay for my trip, or that it was free in any way. I worked overtime to pay for my trip and I loved every minute of it (although I think the vodka helped a bit!). I am very glad to see that more people are having great experiences with MB & FP+ to counteract all the negativity on these boards.

 

[Iowajes]

I'm a FP+ fan, but I think this guy is overly optimistic. All those pictures of an empty park? This is not going to be the typical experience.

The empty park pictures were around 8 a.m. It was insanely crowded in his mid-day pictures. He went over a holiday weekend.

 

[CandleontheWater]

Josh does give great advice, but I think his post only highlights how FP+ is really going to change things. We used to be able to get a lot done at the parks, even if we missed rope drop by an hour or so, because we used FP smartly, and we were able to get many more than three FPs a day.

Now, it is imperative to not miss rope drop by even a few minutes if you want to get lots of riding in.

I also think that Josh's timeline is overly optimistic for most people, he is one person, moving efficiently through the park. There is no way I get could from Fairytale hall to Peter Pan in two minutes, rounding up the kids, parking and unloading the stroller, it all takes more time. All that extra travel time means less riding in the end, unfortunately.

 

[mom2rtk]

Good post. Funny as usual.

So rope drop is going to continue to be important..I guess we kind of knew that, but it's cool to see it in action.

The one thing I would disagree with was the comment where he said something like what's the big deal if you don't get to ride BTMRR one more time and you ride the Liberty Belle instead. I think that is definitely true if you live locally or if you travel there a few times a year. But for the family who has to save up, buy expensive flights, hotels, and gets to go maybe once every year or two years, losing those re-rides in the afternoon is a huge takeaway.

Yep. A billion dollars (or is it 2?) later it's still "get to rope drop".

And yes, I love Josh's posts. But I do think it's hard for a local frequent visitor to see it through the same eyes as the occasional visitor.

 

[JanaDee]

Josh does give great advice, but I think his post only highlights how FP+ is really going to change things. We used to be able to get a lot done at the parks, even if we missed rope drop by an hour or so, because we used FP smartly, and we were able to get many more than three FPs a day.

Now, it is imperative to not miss rope drop by even a few minutes if you want to get lots of riding in.

I also think that Josh's timeline is overly optimistic for most people, he is one person, moving efficiently through the park. There is no way I get could from Fairytale hall to Peter Pan in two minutes, rounding up the kids, parking and unloading the stroller, it all takes more time. All that extra travel time means less riding in the end, unfortunately.

I agree on all points. Josh is one person, who knows exactly where he is going and the most efficient/quickest way to get there.

 

[aaarcher86]

This IS a matter of galactic importance, after all!

 

[lugnut33]

I believe he was wrong on some of his conclusions.

 

[wisblue]

Good post. Funny as usual.

So rope drop is going to continue to be important..I guess we kind of knew that, but it's cool to see it in action.

The one thing I would disagree with was the comment where he said something like what's the big deal if you don't get to ride BTMRR one more time and you ride the Liberty Belle instead. I think that is definitely true if you live locally or if you travel there a few times a year. But for the family who has to save up, buy expensive flights, hotels, and gets to go maybe once every year or two years, losing those re-rides in the afternoon is a huge takeaway.

To be fair, he didn't say "what's the big deal". He said that if losing that one re-ride is going to cause you stress or keep you away from Disney World, "that is your own business". I don't think anyone can disagree with that.

Most of the posters here who say they don't think FP+ will affect them too much, or may even help them, have acknowledged that FP+ will probably be a negative for people who consider multiple rides on one attraction a critical part of their day. As he says, that is your business, and I would add, that is your right.

But, this step by step summary with pictures of what happened on the first weekend day at the MK without paper FPs (on a holiday weekend at that) should help to counter some of the hysteria about how you can only do 3 things without long lines, that standby lines are a lot longer than they used to be on days with similar crowds, and that FP return lines are always slower than they used to be. He also debunks the idea that all of the FP+ kiosks at which offsite guests can get FPs are jammed with huge lines from the minute the park opens, and that the availability of FPs is severely limited.

 

[Mkrop]

Good post. Funny as usual.

So rope drop is going to continue to be important..I guess we kind of knew that, but it's cool to see it in action.

The one thing I would disagree with was the comment where he said something like what's the big deal if you don't get to ride BTMRR one more time and you ride the Liberty Belle instead. I think that is definitely true if you live locally or if you travel there a few times a year. But for the family who has to save up, buy expensive flights, hotels, and gets to go maybe once every year or two years, losing those re-rides in the afternoon is a huge takeaway.

Or when your scaredy cat kiddo finally rides the big ride and looks at you and says "can we go again"...in the past we would be able to pull another FP-, now the only way to ride it again is to stand in a ridiculously long line, it is not happening.

 

[Silock]

Different people will draw different things from this report but, if nothing else, everyone should look at the conclusion:

Touring with FP+ is different. But different isn’t always worse. The three FP+ cap at Magic Kingdom is limiting. There is no getting around that, but there are positive takeaways too. It was really nice being able to walk into Enchanted Tales in the afternoon with a FP+ reservation made earlier that day – something that wasn’t possible before. I accomplished everything I wanted to that morning with virtually no waits, even with people being able to schedule FP+ first thing in the morning. The only thing I wasn’t able to do was run around Magic Kingdom collecting paper FASTPASSes to re-ride a couple attractions later in the afternoon. Is one less re-ride going to keep you away from Walt Disney World? Is it worth stressing over? Is the world ending because you find yourself on a relaxing Liberty Square Riverboat ride instead of huffing and puffing back to Big Thunder Mountain to ride for the third time that day? This is your own business. But I can assure you that it’s going to be all right.

If this doesn't provide assurance to people with trips coming in the near future, when crowds figure to be lower until President's Day, nothing will.

I actually have no problems with FP+ at MK. The rides there aren't worth a re-ride for me, anyway. It's the Tiering at Epcot and DHS that suck. DHS has more than two rides that are must do re-rides for me.

 

[ArwenMarie]

To be fair, he didn't say "what's the big deal". He said that if losing that one re-ride is going to cause you stress or keep you away from Disney World, "that is your own business". I don't think anyone can disagree with that.

I was being fair. You seemed to have missed the part where I was paraphrasing, not direct quoting, but if you want the actual quote here you go:

"Is one less re-ride going to keep you away from Walt Disney World? Is it worth stressing over? Is the world ending because you find yourself on a relaxing Liberty Square Riverboat ride instead of huffing and puffing back to Big Thunder Mountain to ride for the third time that day? This is your own business."

And my previous comment still stands in regard to that part. That's all.

 

[declansdad]

Or when your scaredy cat kiddo finally rides the big ride and looks at you and says "can we go again"...in the past we would be able to pull another FP-, now the only way to ride it again is to stand in a ridiculously long line, it is not happening.

I don't recall many times that you could get a FP to get you right back on if there were long lines.

Long lines are not uncommon at WDW.

 

[lugnut33]

I wrote this after our November trip:

My recommendations for a great Disney World trip once FP- is gone:

Vacation at a slow time of year like September and first part of November. Be very selective about the time you vacation. Pull kids out of school to get the most bang for your buck.

Stay for 7 days minimum. Plan on going to MK for 3 days, EP 2 days, DHS, 2 days, and AK 1 day. Due to the limit on the number of FP+ one can get, extended vacations will allow you to use FP+ on all the main attractions.

Don't worry about park hopping unless you're interested in seeing the lesser known attractions.

Do not change your schedule the day of unless you are OK with losing your headlining FP+ appointments. I will admit, this one may not come to fruition as it's possible there will be an ample supply of FP+ available.

At non busy times you will want to be at the parks at least a half hour before opening..at busy times get there an hour or two ahead. This way you can see the most attractions in a day, and perhaps even ride the headliners more than once. This will become more vital as FP+ becomes more established.

It's still ok to leave for an afternoon break, just make sure you get back in time for your FP+ appointments if you planned them for the afternoon.

Be prepared for huge lines to get into FP lines. That means bring ponchos.

Work with your kids on proper magic band placement to help keep the FP+ line moving.

Schedule your FP+ rides in the afternoons or evenings when the park is most crowded. You are better off using your FP+ selections at that time instead of waiting in huge lines for all non FP+ attractions.

If it's ever offered go ahead and purchase the unlimited FP no matter how much it costs.

Other than FP+ the day of changes I think I was pretty dead on.

 

[MichiganDVC]

The one thing I would disagree with was the comment where he said something like what's the big deal if you don't get to ride BTMRR one more time and you ride the Liberty Belle instead. I think that is definitely true if you live locally or if you travel there a few times a year. But for the family who has to save up, buy expensive flights, hotels, and gets to go maybe once every year or two years, losing those re-rides in the afternoon is a huge takeaway.

I'm sure each individual has their own attraction preferences and I DO go roughly 3-4 times a year for long weekends.

But...

I remember when I would go just once a year or less and we would ride BTMRR during Wishes. Literally, the "line" was how long it took you to walk from the exit back through the queue. I still, with zero people in front of me, only road it twice. I mean, personally, its the same ride again. There isn't anything new and you're going too fast to see something you missed last time.

Now that I go more often, I purposefully skip some of my favorites so that the next time I go, it will be like new. I love Spaceship Earth or Jungle Cruise, but I'll be okay if I miss them on one trip. I certainly don't need to ride them more than once a trip. I save that for the highly competitive Buzz Lightyear-type rides, where a vacation victor must be crowned!

 

[Lindaland]

WDW is soooo much more than just rides!! It seems that the people who are only concerned with the number of rides they can get in a day would be better served going to Universal and staying in one of their hotels to get the "front of the line" pass. Then they can ride all they want. I think that would also benefit the other people who are fine with standing in line for a Disney ride to not have to listen to someone next to them complain the whole time in line because they cant get paper FP anymore.

 

[wdwfreak]

I also think that Josh's timeline is overly optimistic for most people, he is one person, moving efficiently through the park. There is no way I get could from Fairytale hall to Peter Pan in two minutes, rounding up the kids, parking and unloading the stroller, it all takes more time. All that extra travel time means less riding in the end, unfortunately.

I don't get your point.

A single person, moving efficiently through the park is pretty much ALWAYS going to get more done than someone with small children or a larger party, regardless of FP+, FP-, or no FP at all. When our kids were small, we didn't get as much done as as we do now that our youngest is 10. No extended, frequent potty breaks, diaper changes, stroller parking, etc makes for an easier day with more attractions visited.

I also, personally, don't equate the success of my visit to how many rides I get to go on. Going to Disney World, for me, is as much about the atmosphere, the shows, the food, touring the resorts, riding bikes, soaking in the magic as it is about the rides. I know that is a personal feeling but most of my best memories aren't from riding Space Mountain 10 times.

 

[wdwfreak]

WDW is soooo much more than just rides!! It seems that the people who are only concerned with the number of rides they can get in a day would be better served going to Universal and staying in one of their hotels to get the "front of the line" pass. Then they can ride all they want. I think that would also benefit the other people who are fine with standing in line for a Disney ride to not have to listen to someone next to them complain the whole time in line because they cant get paper FP anymore.

This.

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

I don't get your point.

A single person, moving efficiently through the park is pretty much ALWAYS going to get more done than someone with small children or a larger party, regardless of FP+, FP-, or no FP at all. When our kids were small, we didn't get as much done as as we do now that our youngest is 10. No extended, frequent potty breaks, diaper changes, stroller parking, etc makes for an easier day with more attractions visited.

This is a great point. I'd love to see Josh try this with three other adults and four children.

 

[ArwenMarie]

WDW is soooo much more than just rides!! It seems that the people who are only concerned with the number of rides they can get in a day would be better served going to Universal and staying in one of their hotels to get the "front of the line" pass. Then they can ride all they want. I think that would also benefit the other people who are fine with standing in line for a Disney ride to not have to listen to someone next to them complain the whole time in line because they cant get paper FP anymore.

It is more than rides, I agree. I'm not a huge ride person myself...if I ride maybe 4 or 5 rides in a day (including the bottom tier rides lol). Throw in a show or a parade, I'm good.

But I do think there it's reasonable that people expect a certain amount of rides for the prices that Disney charges for their tickets.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

This is a great point. I'd love to see Josh try this with three other adults and four children.

I have been to WDW as a child (with my family), as a single adult, as a member of an adult party of 2 or more, as a parent (with my children), as a member of an extended family, and with a very large group (marching band). Add more people to your party and you add more complexity. Note the use of the word YOU. Disney isn't causing you to ride fewer rides, YOU are.

Josh did not claim that a family of 8 could follow his touring timeline. If asked, he would probably be the first to point out that it just wouldn't work. Even if all 8 were adults, you could never get 8 people moving together like that without other delays. But that isn't WDW's fault or problem. These are choices that we make.

Some of my best trips to WDW were as a child and with my children - part of a larger, slower moving group. We rode far fewer rides on those trips, but they still rank at the top. And these trips were both before and after FP-, long before FP+.

WDW is what you make of it, just like the rest of our lives.