Just back, hate fp+ system

[LBIJim]

This may be another reason that DLR is becoming my favorite park. There are almost as many attractions and Carsland is a major hit with us. Very little advance planning, easy access to both parks, hotels across the street, and it's the original.

Flying from Alabama it is much easier to get to Orlando than Anaheim but I wonder if DLR is not a more fun and less stressful destination

Yep, Disneyland/California Adventure in Anaheim is a LOT more fun. I personally don't think WDW in Orlando is stressful, but if people do think so, they'll find DLR a LOT more relaxed and stress-free.

 

[famy27]

We swapped to DLR last year and are heading back in December, where we plan to purchase APs in order to return next year.

So yes, I agree it's far less stressful.

Add me to the list. We did DLR in March and loved it. We stayed at DGC and absolutely loved the separate entrance and just walking right into the park. No buses, boats, monorails, etc. And the security line was so much shorter.

Hopping is so fast and easy as well, and not having to deal with ADRs and FP+ was fantastic. We booked Blue Bayou a few weeks before the trip and Ariel's Grotto was a game-time decision. Even RSR was manageable, once with FP and once in the SR line. We got a few FPs that we didn't end up using because we also did RiderSwitch. I am staring at them wistfully as I type...

 

[Lees75]

We lined up to get a 4th FP today at MK at 5pm and managed to get Splash for 3 at 6.30pm - exactlky what we wanted

It was a 20 minute wait at the kiosk line, but stand-by on Splash was 60 mins, so it was worth it.

 

[slzer0]

We lined up to get a 4th FP today at MK at 5pm and managed to get Splash for 3 at 6.30pm - exactlky what we wanted

It was a 20 minute wait at the kiosk line, but stand-by on Splash was 60 mins, so it was worth it.

Seriously. 4th FP needs to happen via app. I can't imagine what the advantage of keeping it kiosk only accomplishes.

 

[MaryKatesMom]

Some kiosks can have a line of 40 people but if you walk 5 min away to a different one there might not be anyone in line.

With backtracking, that should be all about how you plan your FP's. Figure out what rides you want to do and plan them out on path to go to the next one. If you don't, it's definitely a pain backtracking to get back to rides at specific times.

One of the main problems we ran into was FINDING a kiosk for making additional FP+ reservations. People keep touting not have to run all over the park collecting passes, but the reality is with precious few kiosk locations you still have to hunt one down/run all over to get a pass. Plus now you have the added bonus of being stuck behind confused people who either don't know how computers work, FP+ works, or can't decide what they want to do.

I can't think of a single location 5 minutes away. If the park is crowded it is a long walk from Buzz to Jungle Cruise.

Aren't kiosk locations on the park maps? Can't find the maps we used to check...................

Doug

When we were there they were not on the map and they moved so much even the CM's didn't know where they were

We never had to sit and wait for our next FP. I originally book our FP's back to back. Once we did the first one, we were able to go into the app and move the time up so that we could go directly onto the next one. You don't need to wait until the FP time was up, just until you use the FP. Only a couple of things didn't have immediate availability, so we just moved things around.

28 days in the last 6 months in the park, all over crowd level 8 and NOT ONCE were we able to move any, and I mean any FP+ earlier. LWTL is was a perfect example. The SB line was 10 minutes BUT we needed to wait 20 for our FP+ so we could use the FP+ then go and TRY for a 4th.

You can certainly go tour while waiting for your next FP.

But, you can also go in at 9am, use that first FP. Open the app, and try to change the time of your 10-11am FP to 9:20-10:20. Go on that, then change your 11-12 FP for 10:25--11:25. Theoretically, you could be done with 3 FP's in less than 2 hours, and able to get started on your 4th, etc. depending on availability and attractions you want, of course.

We found this strategy helpful because we could quickly get things done in small areas without having to walk to different parts of the park between FP's.

Not happening during crowded times.

I've said it over and over again. There is a VAST difference between higher crowd levels and lower crowd levels.

I was so excited when someone reported being able to do this. Yea! Not having to hang around during FP+ times but nope, didn't work ever, not ever. Not even for SE, which, BTW the FP+ line is almost as long as the old SB line. No improvement there.

Again, crowd 8 and above, there isn't enough FP+ availability for any flexibility.

 

[Suvadoo]

Seriously. 4th FP needs to happen via app. I can't imagine what the advantage of keeping it kiosk only accomplishes.

It assures that the 4th FP is only given to people in the park at the time. I
think it's another attempt to have the 4th FP+ available for as long as possible on any given day.

 

[secretpantssam]

I just got back and really hate Fast Pass+. We don't have smart phones which really made the whole thing a hassle. And I really hate having Disney decide exactly when I will be in which part of the park. We ended up walking back and forth across the parks to get things done and sometime we didn't need fastpass for things we got fastpass for and then lines were long for the things we didn't get fastpass for and in the past have been short lines.

We also missed our only Soarin Fast Pass we had on our arrival date because the Magical express took the scenic route from Art of Animation to Pop Century and then the Epcot bus took 35 minutes to arrive there. The entire hour we had set aside for that was taken up by transportation issues. How was supposed to predict that 60 days in advance?

 

[JadeQ]

Seriously. 4th FP needs to happen via app. I can't imagine what the advantage of keeping it kiosk only accomplishes.

Hope it happens soon !

 

[JadeQ]

We lined up to get a 4th FP today at MK at 5pm and managed to get Splash for 3 at 6.30pm - exactlky what we wanted

It was a 20 minute wait at the kiosk line, but stand-by on Splash was 60 mins, so it was worth it.

Splash SB of 60 minutes in September ?

20 minutes wait at the kiosk ?

Miss old Disney

 

[MouseClubMama]

We lined up to get a 4th FP today at MK at 5pm and managed to get Splash for 3 at 6.30pm - exactlky what we wanted

It was a 20 minute wait at the kiosk line, but stand-by on Splash was 60 mins, so it was worth it.

Seriously. 4th FP needs to happen via app. I can't imagine what the advantage of keeping it kiosk only accomplishes.

So it appears as though kiosk wait times need to be added to the attraction wait times app so we won't have to run around the park looking for a low line kiosk; talk about adding insult to injury... this is insanity!!!! IMO I think a 20 minute wait in a kiosk line is unacceptable when you considered the huge amount of pre-trip planning that we now have to put up with. Disney should have refrained from rolling out FP+ until all of the app features were up and running that would allow guests to book the 4th FP on their phones. If and when we are blessed with the ability to use the app, MDE has so many glitches, one can only imagine what it would be like if we were all on our phones at the same time booking attractions
What a shame, I am not even there yet and I am already annoyed. I am a pretty flexible person, but this is over the top. I can see why so many of you have defected to DLR.

 

[CattailGal]

Here now and don't like the new fp. It's made standby lines very long so it's hard to do anything between fp. Tried to get a 4th yesterday at m k but most of the big ones were gone and kiosk lines very long. Couldn't get s d m t at all 45 days out.

 

[slzer0]

How does fp+ make the standby line longer? Confused..

 

[glamdring269]

Here now and have 3 primary gripes...

1) They really need to get the 4th+ FP selection added to the app. The worst part of this system for park hoppers currently is that you have to hop before knowing what is available.

2) Unable to cancel a 4th FP+ selection. We made a 4th FP+ selection at AK earlier and could not figure out how to cancel it via the mobile app. Had hopped to MK and would have asked at a kiosk to see if they could cancel but it expired before we made it over there.

3) Tiering. This is more a WDW problem than an FP+ problem. Oddly enough I never really paid so much attention about how few major rides some of the WDW parks actually have. MK>>>>>>HS>AK>EP. I really feel like using FP at EP is almost a waste of a day if you have park hopper.

 

[CattailGal]

Maybe the way they are tiered...more people riding things they didn't use to. It's a Small World used to be a walk on but now it's 20 minutes. Others like that too.

 

[mesaboy2]

How does fp+ make the standby line longer? Confused..

Attractions that didn't have FP before now have FP+, making standby lines longer at those attractions. See Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, or any number of other examples.

 

[CSchex]

This may be a little off topic, but everyone talks about the wi-fi being so bad that they can't change their FP+. Why not switch off wi-fi and use your data plan? If you have a smart phone, you have to have a data plan. Or, does this not work in the parks, also? I've read several posts on this thread that say they spent many times trying to change their FP+, but the wi-fi would not work.

 

[mesaboy2]

This may be a little off topic, but everyone talks about the wi-fi being so bad that they can't change their FP+. Why not switch off wi-fi and use your data plan? If you have a smart phone, you have to have a data plan. Or, does this not work in the parks, also? I've read several posts on this thread that say they spent many times trying to change their FP+, but the wi-fi would not work.

Maybe they have a WiFi-enabled device (iPod, iPad) without cellular capability? Maybe a guest is from a foreign country and using it is prohibitively expensive? Those are a couple off the top of my head.

 

[CSchex]

Maybe they have a WiFi-enabled device (iPod, iPad) without cellular capability? Maybe a guest is from a foreign country and using it is prohibitively expensive? Those are a couple off the top of my head.

Thanks! That definitely makes sense. I could understand those situations.

 

[xxDisneyDancerxx]

I just got back as well. After going once or more a year and having a plan for fast passes this fp+ really bugs me.

I like the idea of the app, but it crashes way too much. It really stalled my trip. I jut wish they kept the same system for fastpasses (go to kiosk and scan mb and see it on app etc.) it would have still be paperless and wouldn't be this much of a mess.

To get all the rides I wanted at HS I had to go there three different days for like one ride at a time. Did a lot of unnecessary traveling from park to park.

Back tracked ALOT because of the times.

Like I said, I had a system to how I'd do the parks and could do all of the things I wanted in two days of I needed to. Now I needed an entire week to do so, and I didn't even do everything k wanted. I think disney needs to reevaluate this idea and fix it so it can make the people who were used to the old way happy as well as make people who like this system happy. There can be a happy medium. But this isn't it.

 

[crazy4wdw]

According to Allearsnet, the FP+ only test has been expanded to the Be Our Guest restaurant at MK:

UPDATED: (10/8 4;25pm Eastern) This is a test by Disney. Resort guests are given priority for the lunch FPs to Be Our Guest. These are NOT part of your regular 3 Fast Pass+ for attractions/rides. Be Our Guest in the Magic Kingdom is currently only accepting FP+ reservations for lunch. They are not accepting walkups until further notice. However, that doesn't mean you can't try in person. Right now further notice means until the end of October. Just like anything else, Disney can modify or change the policy at any time depending on capacity.