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

[mom2rtk]

Or...if there is less FPs being distributed. If there are fewer people in FP line, standby will move quicker.

FP slots are the currency by which Disney intends to manipulate the masses. Since they get to decide how many to issue, I highly doubt they are issuing less.

 

[larryz]

And because people were using it to ride one ride while waiting for another instead of shopping and dining while they waited, it had to be changed in order to push people toward those latter activities instead of the former.

Well, it took them, what, 15 years to figure that out.

How does that bode for the current "Great Experiment"?

 

[crostorfer]

Or...if there is less FPs being distributed. If there are fewer people in FP line, standby will move quicker.

You are assuming that there will be less FP distributed. During slow season, that could be, but during slow season you wouldn't necessarily need them anyway. During high season, it's a whole different ball of wax.

 

[magicbob]

Or...if there is less FPs being distributed. If there are fewer people in FP line, standby will move quicker.

All indications point toward more FP+ being distributed, relegating standby to "sorry, you don't have a reservation" status.

 

[Tink-n-Belle]

Being a DVC member does change Disney for you. You do start to enjoy the resort more because they have so much to offer. We took a 9 day trip and went into the parks one day.

 

[shalom]

And because people were using it to ride one ride while waiting for another instead of shopping and dining while they waited, it had to be changed in order to push people toward those latter activities instead of the former.

Part of me wants to argue that they had this figured out long time past and it's all part of a decades long Evil Plan, and they've just been waiting for the technology to implement it.

Another part of me suspects larryz's theory ("took them that long to think of it") is closer to reality.

 

[crostorfer]

Respectfully, I disagree. We are both making assumptions here, yours being that the same total number of guests will have a FP for a particular attraction under the new system. For some rides, this may be true and the standby wait could be just a horrible as under the legacy system. My point is that by limiting the total number of FP available to a family and to a particular park, the number of FP guests for a particular attraction will be less and thus the standby line will move faster.

Again, this may not work and be a horrible failure but I do think something had to change. I know it is the America Way to not have to wait, instant gratification and all, but I am okay with a little waiting in line to experience an attraction. I still think it will be better overall once implemented. My experience with the current FP system (i.e. people running to get a FP instead of using standby or as I have also done getting a FP then getting in the standby line) has contributed to horrible wait TIMES for standby. Even it out I say.

The flaw in this plan is the theory that there will be equal distribution amongst the rides. I don't think there will be. Adding FP to the Teacups doesn't necessarily make anyone want to ride them.

Example: EPCOT. Everyone only wants to ride Test Track and Soarin'. (For whatever reason on the latter, I don't get the hype, but that's me.) The standby lines for those two attractions have seen zero change. Yet, Journey Into the Imagination suddenly has a standby wait for the first time possibly ever. The Toy Story Midway Mania FP is still apparently the most coveted of all FP's in WDW, that standby line has seen no change. For some reason, the Tower of Terror standby lines have seen a ridiculous increase. At the MK, everyone is going to want a combination of the same three from Peter Pan, Enchanted Tales, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, and Big Thunder Mountain. Let's not even delve into the massive chaos that will ensue when the Mine Train opens later this year. Perhaps the Toy Story FP Mania will finally die down.

 

[DaisyNY]

Tink-n-Belle (Quote Being a DVC member does change Disney for you. You do start to enjoy the resort more because they have so much to offer. We took a 9 day trip and went into the parks one day.

Tink-n-Belle...You are probably right that being a DVC member does change it up some for me. I know I will be visiting one-two times per year. That said, even though the entire FP+ version wasn't rolled out in my Oct/Nov visit, we were able to ride TSM for the first time in all our visits...never was one of those individuals who would run for FP- and the wait was always too long. Glad I was able to experience it and we scheduled it again for our upcoming visit. Again, the new system seems to be working better for us!

 

[crostorfer]

And because people were using it to ride one ride while waiting for another instead of shopping and dining while they waited, it had to be changed in order to push people toward those latter activities instead of the former.

And according to that article someone posted from Micechat from after the shareholders meeting a couple of months ago, apparently all is not going according to plan in this department, and there is some major panic going on in the corporate offices.

 

[magicbob]

The flaw in this plan is the theory that there will be equal distribution amongst the rides. I don't think there will be. Adding FP to the Teacups doesn't necessarily make anyone want to ride them.

Example: EPCOT. Everyone only wants to ride Test Track and Soarin'. (For whatever reason on the latter, I don't get the hype, but that's me.) The standby lines for those two attractions have seen zero change. Yet, Journey Into the Imagination suddenly has a standby wait for the first time possibly ever. The Toy Story Midway Mania FP is still apparently the most coveted of all FP's in WDW, that standby line has seen no change. For some reason, the Tower of Terror standby lines have seen a ridiculous increase. At the MK, everyone is going to want a combination of the same three from Peter Pan, Enchanted Tales, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, and Big Thunder Mountain. Let's not even delve into the massive chaos that will ensue when the Mine Train opens later this year. Perhaps the Toy Story FP Mania will finally die down.

If Figment is the only thing left when you reserve FP+, you're more likely to take it and use it, even though you might otherwise have skipped the ride.

And according to that article someone posted from Micechat from after the shareholders meeting a couple of months ago, apparently all is not going according to plan in this department, and there is some major panic going on in the corporate offices.

I'm not surprised.

 

[surferdave]

Haters just gonna hate!! It's sad that there are people here who seem to stalk the positive FP+ threads only to argue & debate with people. There are plenty of negative FP+ threads on here so I fail to understand the bizarre need to jump on these threads & insult peoples choice to be positive. But, like I said.... Haters just gonna hate!

This! I don't know why this is happening.

In all fairness, this thread had a provocative title. I hope you don't think the phrase you don't have to like my opinion is indicative of a "positive" thread that didn't invite argument and debate.

 

[larryz]

And according to that article someone posted from Micechat from after the shareholders meeting a couple of months ago, apparently all is not going according to plan in this department, and there is some major panic going on in the corporate offices.

IMHO, the only panic is about who's going to take the blame for this.

Sunk cost is how someone (was it Robo?) put it, and it is -- but it's infrastructure than can be well used even while they're trying to find a happy medium. The MBs make a great token for room entry, charging, entitlement verification and customer tracking. They'll get those benefits.

As for the FP+ part, the major limiting factor is ride capacity, and they're bound and determined to use FP+ to more evenly distribute guests across their existing rides. If they can increase resort occupancy rates and maybe even migrate to a pay-per-FP+ paradigm, so much the better (for the stockholders).

Let's hope they have all the bugs out before 7DMT and Avatarland open up.

 

[crostorfer]

If Figment is the only thing left when you reserve FP+, you're more likely to take it and use it, even though you might otherwise have skipped the ride.



I'm not surprised.

It's a very informative article that also delves into why this system will never work in Anaheim.

http://micechat.com/49401-my-magic-plus-failure/

 

[Laketravis]

According to someone in another thread, "Limiting choices and creating an environment where everyone has the same experience is why Trader Joes and Apple are so popular. There have been books written on this. It is the new successful business plan that all businesses are trying to emulate in 2014." I haven't read the books in question, but I thought it an interesting observation.

I saw that too, and thought it was interesting because my impression has been quite the opposite - it is not a new successful business plan and many of those chains are in deep trouble because they limited choices and created an environment that reduced their brand differentiation:

Casual Dining in Serious Trouble




"Keeping banter to a minimum since 2009"

 

[Robo]

IMHO, the only panic is about who's going to take the blame for this.

Sunk cost is how someone (was it Robo?) put it, and it is --

Not I
(but I HAVE been described as only posting negative, whining and complaining posts on this board.)


"Sunk cost" was referenced HERE by our resident ubiquitous irreverent CAVEMAN (who just posted above.)

 

[surferdave]

"Sunk cost" was referenced HERE by our irreverent CAVEMAN.

Reverence as a characteristic probably didn't develop until h erectus was around. Travis & the rest of those whiny hipster Geico cavemen look like h habilis to me.

 

[shalom]

many of those chains are in deep trouble because they limited choices and created an environment that reduced their brand differentiation:

That seems quite likely to me, but there are certainly trends businesses follow ("the Japanese model" was a popular one), and it's possible that's where Disney's coming from.

I'm still convinced that, once things shake out, if it turns out this current approach is losing Disney money, they'll add changes (likely with a surcharge) to FP+ so it'll function more as it used to. Not that it'll be exactly the same as it was, but it's not going to be the way it is now forever, either.

 

[larryz]

I saw that too, and thought it was interesting because my impression has been quite the opposite - it is not a new successful business plan and many of those chains are in deep trouble because they limited choices and created an environment that reduced their brand differentiation:

Casual Dining in Serious Trouble




"Keeping banter to a minimum since 2009"

Well, the good news is that the failure in that business model drove all the look-alike chains to deep discounting and increased differentiation.

If that trend holds, in about 5 years, WDW will come to the same realization.

And my apologies to our Texas Caveman -- and to Robo for drawing him out of his Sunday morning nap.

 

[annaaidan99]

All indications point toward more FP+ being distributed, relegating standby to "sorry, you don't have a reservation" status.

I actually have not seen any indication either way...but if they are trying to spread the attractions, then the headliners could possibly have less FP available. I don't know, and I don't think anyone on these boards do either.

 

[Laketravis]

Not I
(but I HAVE been described as only posting negative, whining and complaining posts on this board.)


"Sunk cost" was referenced HERE by our resident ubiquitous irreverent CAVEMAN (who just posted above.)

irreverent?

I'm watching you, Robo. Always watching. Always.