Just a FP+ Thought...Don't Have to Like My Opinion!

[DaisyNY]

Just maybe FP+ will force all of us to relax and enjoy all that Disney has to offer...We have been crazy touring people in the past...wanting to get on all rides, etc, getting there at RD to experience everything...and all our kids wanted to do after a few hours in the park was to sit in the pool...

And perhaps my view is jaded after so many visits...been there, saw that, let's sit by the pool for a bit...enjoy a late breakfast at the resort and relax...we use to joke, that we were always so tired after a Disney vacation! Always on the go...trying to take it all in...(I do have to add that we are now DVC members, as of December, 2013 and will have the opportunity to visit one-two times a year)

Just a thought...I'm sure I am in the minority but just seeing your child interact with a character in the parks is amazing...and the parks overall are beautiful and need to be enjoyed!

PS...FP+ is still being developed...let's see where things go from here...and you're in Disney...make the most of it!!!

 

[DopeyforDonald]

Well your opinion gets a big thumbs up from me!

Am I bit concerned about how the new system will affect our upcoming trips? Sure

Do I think there'll be a few glitches and hiccups here and there? Of course

But ask me am I still beyond excited, bouncing off the walls, don't wanna wait any longer, anticipating those trips? Yes of course! Haha

 

[KaLyn]

I feel the same way!

We may have glitches, and it may not go perfectly. We are keeping in mind that this is still a test, so we're staying chill about it all. We will be in Disney, with our two princess loving girls, having a ton of fun, on their first trip! I'm not going to let MagicBands take my happiness away from that. In fact, thanks to some reviews from friends, I'm excited to try them out!

 

[dvczerfs]

Just maybe FP+ will force all of us to relax and enjoy all that Disney has to offer...We have been crazy touring people in the past...wanting to get on all rides, etc, getting there at RD to experience everything...and all our kids wanted to do after a few hours in the park was to sit in the pool...

And perhaps my view is jaded after so many visits...been there, saw that, let's sit by the pool for a bit...enjoy a late breakfast at the resort and relax...we use to joke, that we were always so tired after a Disney vacation! Always on the go...trying to take it all in...(I do have to add that we are now DVC members, as of December, 2013 and will have the opportunity to visit one-two times a year)

Just a thought...I'm sure I am in the minority but just seeing your child interact with a character in the parks is amazing...and the parks overall are beautiful and need to be enjoyed!

PS...FP+ is still being developed...let's see where things go from here...and you're in Disney...make the most of it!!!

 

[crostorfer]

Can they "force" my 10 year old on Living With the Land? I've never been able to.

That's really the point. If you have very young children under 40 inches tall, or are older, no longer travel with your children, or are a childless couple on your honeymoon, I'm sure this system is wonderful for you and what you want to do. Parents of 8-13 year olds who want to ride the thrill rides over and over again are presumably less enthusiastic. My 10 year old could give a hoot about beauty and ambiance. She no longer wants to meet princesses in her new BBB gown. She wants to ride Everest and the RnR 10 times in a row. If we aren't riding anything, she's bored. I'm not forking over $5-6,000 for my kid to be bored and unhappy. Therefore, Disney isn't "forcing" me to Universal, but I'm choosing to vacation there from now on.

 

[ArwenMarie]

Can they "force" my 10 year old on Living With the Land? I've never been able to.

That's really the point. If you have very young children under 40 inches tall, or are older, no longer travel with your children, or are a childless couple on your honeymoon, I'm sure this system is wonderful for you and what you want to do. Parents of 8-13 year olds who want to ride the thrill rides over and over again are presumably less enthusiastic. My 10 year old could give a hoot about beauty and ambiance. She no longer wants to meet princesses in her new BBB gown. She wants to ride Everest and the RnR 10 times in a row. If we aren't riding anything, she's bored. I'm not forking over $5-6,000 for my kid to be bored and unhappy. Therefore, Disney isn't "forcing" me to Universal, but I'm choosing to vacation there from now on.

Yep. Same age group here. My husband and I enjoy the atmosphere...my kids want rides.

 

[Texas Barbie]

I agree with you, op. I have always been a commando style tourer myself, but am looking forward to slowing down a bit on our April trip. It would be nice not to come home exhausted.

 

[prudence64]

Honestly, if my family was really into thrill rides above all else, I'd opt for a regular amusement park and not disney. a six flags or something is better for that type of experience, IMO.

 

[mrsltg]

I have actually used the system, and my experience was quite the opposite of the OP. In fact, we felt way more rushed. We're mostly a rope-drop family, and we spend the entire day at the park. That said, we were relaxed from the get-go knowing we could use fastpasses to our advantage and ride many things throughout the day. Fastpass+ has changed this. We hit rope drop like we were on fire. We were so concerned with "doing everything" before the crowds built that we did not stop to enjoy the little things. We, too, enjoy seeing our kids meet characters and love to have Photopass pictures taken upon entering the parks. That stopped this last trip. There was no time for that photo in front of the castle because it meant that the kiddos might not get to get on all of the rides they wanted to ride without a long wait.

Each experience is individual, and yours may be different than mine. However, I've actually been there with FP+, and I am not a fan.

 

[KaLyn]

Honestly, if my family was really into thrill rides above all else, I'd opt for a regular amusement park and not disney. a six flags or something is better for that type of experience, IMO.

Exactly! Disney, to me, does not even come close to thrill rides.

 

[AlohaAnnie]

Just maybe FP+ will force all of us to relax and enjoy all that Disney has to offer...We have been crazy touring people in the past...wanting to get on all rides, etc, getting there at RD to experience everything...and all our kids wanted to do after a few hours in the park was to sit in the pool...

And perhaps my view is jaded after so many visits...been there, saw that, let's sit by the pool for a bit...enjoy a late breakfast at the resort and relax...we use to joke, that we were always so tired after a Disney vacation! Always on the go...trying to take it all in...(I do have to add that we are now DVC members, as of December, 2013 and will have the opportunity to visit one-two times a year)

Just a thought...I'm sure I am in the minority but just seeing your child interact with a character in the parks is amazing...and the parks overall are beautiful and need to be enjoyed!

PS...FP+ is still being developed...let's see where things go from here...and you're in Disney...make the most of it!!!

We are in this group, but we have been here for a few years.

Can they "force" my 10 year old on Living With the Land? I've never been able to.

That's really the point. If you have very young children under 40 inches tall, or are older, no longer travel with your children, or are a childless couple on your honeymoon, I'm sure this system is wonderful for you and what you want to do. Parents of 8-13 year olds who want to ride the thrill rides over and over again are presumably less enthusiastic. My 10 year old could give a hoot about beauty and ambiance. She no longer wants to meet princesses in her new BBB gown. She wants to ride Everest and the RnR 10 times in a row. If we aren't riding anything, she's bored. I'm not forking over $5-6,000 for my kid to be bored and unhappy. Therefore, Disney isn't "forcing" me to Universal, but I'm choosing to vacation there from now on.

Yep. Same age group here. My husband and I enjoy the atmosphere...my kids want rides.

My kids are 12 and 17, my kids want rides but also enjoy pools, and all the little fun extras in the parks that are not rides. My family must be the odd ones out.

 

[ariane37]

Can they "force" my 10 year old on Living With the Land? I've never been able to.

That's really the point. If you have very young children under 40 inches tall, or are older, no longer travel with your children, or are a childless couple on your honeymoon, I'm sure this system is wonderful for you and what you want to do. Parents of 8-13 year olds who want to ride the thrill rides over and over again are presumably less enthusiastic. My 10 year old could give a hoot about beauty and ambiance. She no longer wants to meet princesses in her new BBB gown. She wants to ride Everest and the RnR 10 times in a row. If we aren't riding anything, she's bored. I'm not forking over $5-6,000 for my kid to be bored and unhappy. Therefore, Disney isn't "forcing" me to Universal, but I'm choosing to vacation there from now on.

I've avoided replying to any pro or con FP+ threads up till now, but this.......yup

 

[prudence64]

My husband and I had a lousy time the day we spent at universal islands of adventure, but if you are thrill ride people, I can see that being a better option. It was all thrill rides or kiddie rides, nothing really interesting for us.

 

[peripixie]

Just maybe FP+ will force all of us to relax and enjoy all that Disney has to offer...We have been crazy touring people in the past...wanting to get on all rides, etc, getting there at RD to experience everything...and all our kids wanted to do after a few hours in the park was to sit in the pool... And perhaps my view is jaded after so many visits...been there, saw that, let's sit by the pool for a bit...enjoy a late breakfast at the resort and relax...we use to joke, that we were always so tired after a Disney vacation! Always on the go...trying to take it all in...(I do have to add that we are now DVC members, as of December, 2013 and will have the opportunity to visit one-two times a year) Just a thought...I'm sure I am in the minority but just seeing your child interact with a character in the parks is amazing...and the parks overall are beautiful and need to be enjoyed! PS...FP+ is still being developed...let's see where things go from here...and you're in Disney...make the most of it!!!

Exactly! Perfect, stop and smell the roses and quit worrying that the new system isn't "perfect"....yet. Like any other new concept, the kinks need to be worked out. Change is good.

 

[kmc]

She wants to ride Everest and the RnR 10 times in a row. If we aren't riding anything, she's bored. I'm not forking over $5-6,000 for my kid to be bored and unhappy. Therefore, Disney isn't "forcing" me to Universal, but I'm choosing to vacation there from now on.

I don't believe legacy fast pass ever could accomplish riding either of those 10x in row.....but if thats what your kids like and you are staying on site at universal they will actually be able to that. Universals express pass is pretty amazing!

 

[rt2dz]

Just maybe FP+ will force all of us to relax and enjoy all that Disney has to offer...We have been crazy touring people in the past...wanting to get on all rides, etc, getting there at RD to experience everything...and all our kids wanted to do after a few hours in the park was to sit in the pool... And perhaps my view is jaded after so many visits...been there, saw that, let's sit by the pool for a bit...enjoy a late breakfast at the resort and relax...we use to joke, that we were always so tired after a Disney vacation! Always on the go...trying to take it all in...(I do have to add that we are now DVC members, as of December, 2013 and will have the opportunity to visit one-two times a year) Just a thought...I'm sure I am in the minority but just seeing your child interact with a character in the parks is amazing...and the parks overall are beautiful and need to be enjoyed! PS...FP+ is still being developed...let's see where things go from here...and you're in Disney...make the most of it!!!

I have kids that range from teenage down to preschool--a couple thrill seekers, a couple not. With FP+, I can no longer please them all. We were never Rope drop people! which make FP all the more important. We never ran around the parks crazly, which is why FP was so important. In order to enjoy the shows, the characters (for those that are interested), and the rides, I NEEDED FP. My kids can hang out at the pool almost 365 days a year (we live in the south), what they can't do is take in all Disney has to offer 365 days a year--and certainly not without FP.

You don't have to like my opinion, but that is how it is for us. Hopefully FP will be tweaked, but I don't see it happening anytime soon. 3 is based on capacity issues. Nothing else.

 

[rt2dz]

I have actually used the system, and my experience was quite the opposite of the OP. In fact, we felt way more rushed. We're mostly a rope-drop family, and we spend the entire day at the park. That said, we were relaxed from the get-go knowing we could use fastpasses to our advantage and ride many things throughout the day. Fastpass+ has changed this. We hit rope drop like we were on fire. We were so concerned with "doing everything" before the crowds built that we did not stop to enjoy the little things. We, too, enjoy seeing our kids meet characters and love to have Photopass pictures taken upon entering the parks. That stopped this last trip. There was no time for that photo in front of the castle because it meant that the kiddos might not get to get on all of the rides they wanted to ride without a long wait. Each experience is individual, and yours may be different than mine. However, I've actually been there with FP+, and I am not a fan.

OMG, I wish I had read this before posting. That is exactly how we felt, except that we are NOT rope drop people. It wasn't necessary with FP. We could arrive after everyone woke up naturally and had a good breakfast. Not now. Now, it's wake up at the alarm clock, maybe you'll get the breakfast you want, maybe not. Coffee deprived Mom isn't as easy going. Not good.

 

[prudence64]

I guess we did use the old system effectively enough. I only got 2-3 a day and that was fine for us, so I anticipate a similar experience on our next trip.

 

[crostorfer]

I don't believe legacy fast pass ever could accomplish riding either of those 10x in row.....but if thats what your kids like and you are staying on site at universal they will actually be able to that. Universals express pass is pretty amazing!

We stayed on site at Universal for three days after an extremely lackluster trip in August 2012. It was a breath of fresh air. We were kicking ourselves for going back to Disney after seeing how good staying at Universal can be.

I wanted to give WDW one more chance. My decision to not return isn't an irrational snap decision based on FP+, it's just the straw that broke the camels back.

 

[mom2rtk]

If I want to relax, I'll go to the beach. They don't charge $100 a day to take in the atmosphere there.