Just back... LOVED Magicbands... FP+ nearly perfect!

[gwmort]

Five rides? Yikes. I'm not paying WDW prices to sit by a pool. If I want to lounge around I'll go to the beach, where I have the ocean and a pool. I pay WDW prices to do things I can't do at home, like ride rides.

You are the new ideal Disney visitor. I'm disappointed that they favor you over me now but they've spoken with their changes and I'm speaking with my dollars. On the plus side, my kids will now get to experience what the rest of the world has to offer.

What are you talking about?

For a week's stay ticket prices are what, $50 a day? for his $50 he rode 5 rides, plus traveled to all the parks and enjoyed various entertainment options, sounds great. What are you going to do at the beach for $50 a day, see a movie, play mini-golf? Probably won't be as full and fun filled as his.

 

[diskev]

Maybe we are talking apples to oranges here... I only consider rides to be things I actually ride on. I don't count a character greeting or a show as a "ride".

I'm trying to count the number of (what I consider to be) rides at parks like DHS and AK... five seems like a lot.

Fair enough. So then, does five rides for you include multiple rides per ride? IE: You ride TSMM twice but only count it once in your "five rides"?

This past Thanksgiving, using FP+ and cheating with the previous year's KTTW cards, I did the following at the studios: TSMM x3, RNR x2, Star Wars x2, Backlot Tour, Muppet Vision, Great Movie Ride. I would have done Star Wars and RNR more, but we did Fantasmic plus several character visits. So to me, that's 10 rides. I picked a smaller park because it's easier to remember. You don't even want to know what I did at MK one day.

Editing to add that the three TSMM rides was *LESS* that I got with legacy FP in previous years. In 2012 I rode it four times.

 

[schrammalot]

Don't worry, it appears that you'll get "flamed" for liking FP+ no matter where you go on these forums. I thought it was perfect for us. Mid october, and pretty darn busy (surprisingly busy).

 

[diskev]

What are you talking about?

For a week's stay ticket prices are what, $50 a day? for his $50 he rode 5 rides, plus traveled to all the parks and enjoyed various entertainment options, sounds great. What are you going to do at the beach for $50 a day, see a movie, play mini-golf? Probably won't be as full and fun filled as his.

Well since I own the condo, I'm not doing anything for $50 other than eating. That said, my typical dinner at my favorite place (it's a small town) runs me about $80 for a family of five. It's worth every penny. What do I "do" at the beach? Sit, make sand castles with the kids, snorkel, boogie board, collect shells, etc. etc. There's also the pool and the hot tub. It's incredibly relaxing and I do whatever I want when I want. It's an awesome vacation that costs me very little. Even if I had to pay for it, I certainly wouldn't be paying Disney prices. And if I was paying Disney prices, I'd just go to Disney.

Oh, and don't forget to include hotel and travel costs into that "$50 a day" you mentioned. Since Disney tends to be captive, you might include food as well.

 

[daisy_77]

I am glad you enjoyed your stay and FP+. We also enjoyed FP+ and having the bands made things a lot easier. Traveling with kids and making sure we have what we need..it was one less thing we had to worry about.

I can see how some people don't like them and don't want them. For me, I am looking forward to trying them again on our next trip.

To each his own!

 

[tarak]

Maybe we are talking apples to oranges here... I only consider rides to be things I actually ride on. I don't count a character greeting or a show as a "ride".

I'm trying to count the number of (what I consider to be) rides at parks like DHS and AK... five seems like a lot.

One afternoon, we took the bus from AK to POR, then took the boat to DTD. It was a lovely time for us. We always go in the low season, but I booked a bounceback for the third week of August (I know it's slower than Thanksgiving, but will be busier than this past week). We consider all the things we do throughout the day, not just the rides, so we have a full day. We did the Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom game for the first time and even my already-jaded tween loved it. Next time, we're going to try the pirate game (can't remember the name of the top of my head).

And I agree with you about five rides pretty well covering what's available at DHS and AK.

I don't blame anyone who's upset about the changes to FP if it will fundamentally change their vacation, and I don't blame them for choosing to go elsewhere. What I don't get is the nastiness that ensues when people state they enjoyed it. "Well, bully for you - I thought it sucked."

Oh - one word of caution about the MB. The only time my came off was when I was carrying a wriggling toddler. Lost it twice (although only for a few seconds because I realized it was gone).

 

[Praying Colonel]

MagicBands work great...until they don't work great. There was a family in front of us at MK and they got the "Blue Mickey of Death" when they tried to enter. The CM had them try again, then they got told they had to go to Guest Relations. It looked like English wasn't their first language, and the CM had difficulty explaining to them they were going to have to step out of line and go stand in another line to work out their issues before they could then come back and get in line again to enter. As I saw that family drift off with a befuddled look on their faces, I really felt sorry for them. A visit from the Blue Mickey sucks.

 

[BlueStarryHat]

Not quite. FP+ wasn't fully implemented like it is now.

Sorry, I should have added that we were not given KTTW cards upon check-in at All-Star Movies, so for us FP+ worked as it was supposed to. I suspect when I go again in 2015 this will still be the case.

 

[Anonomom]

OP, I'm glad you had a good experience. Our experience was similar, though on a busier weekend.

 

[diskev]

Sorry, I should have added that we were not given KTTW cards upon check-in at All-Star Movies, so for us FP+ worked as it was supposed to. I suspect when I go again in 2015 this will still be the case.

Sorry, I should have clarified. My statement had more to do with FP+ vs Legacy FP than it did KTTW availability. In the new system, ALL FP are FP+ which seems have given a better picture of FP+ only. I think you'll find things different in 2015, either in FP+ due to consumer demand or in attendance due to inflexibility from FP+.

 

[gwmort]

Well since I own the condo, I'm not doing anything for $50 other than eating. That said, my typical dinner at my favorite place (it's a small town) runs me about $80 for a family of five. It's worth every penny. What do I "do" at the beach? Sit, make sand castles with the kids, snorkel, boogie board, collect shells, etc. etc. There's also the pool and the hot tub. It's incredibly relaxing and I do whatever I want when I want. It's an awesome vacation that costs me very little. Even if I had to pay for it, I certainly wouldn't be paying Disney prices. And if I was paying Disney prices, I'd just go to Disney.

Oh, and don't forget to include hotel and travel costs into that "$50 a day" you mentioned. Since Disney tends to be captive, you might include food as well.

No

People like to travel and stay at resorts, even ones that don't have amusement parks nearby. Some people like to relax and lounge, read, tan, go to the spa, etc...

The resort you choose is immaterial, if you like more resort perks stay at a nicer place (like a deluxe). You said you don't like to enjoy your resort because you want to ride rides and reride them and ride them some more or otherwise you wouldn't be getting your money's worth. What you pay for the ability to ride the rides is $50 a day (depending on length of stay). everything else is equal.

 

[TinkerBelle_325]

Here's the problem with your general statement "FP+ nearly perfect". Lines were short because you were there off off peak. Low attendance plays into FP+ limitations. The stark reality of FP+ is seen during peak times. How would your experience have changed during the middle of the summer, Pop Warner or Christmas? I think it's great you had an awesome time, but the only reason FP+ worked was due to when you went and not FP+ itself.

This is faulty logic to me! The time of year that you choose to visit has ALWAYS affected your overall vacation experience. Someone going at Christmas was ALWAYS going to have a dramatically different experience than someone going in mid-Feb. We haven't seen full flegged FP+ in peak season yet so we can't judge and say that "of course it works well, it's low season". The real test will be spring break and Easter. Legacy FP wasn't perfect when it was first introduced. There were adjustments - as there will be with FP+.

 

[diskev]

People like to travel and stay at resorts, even ones that don't have amusement parks nearby. Some people like to relax and lounge, read, tan, go to the spa, etc...

I would have to agree on this. And I guess this is where I might differ from others. I travel to Orlando for two possible reasons: Walt Disney World or Cocoa Beach. If i'm going to spend money to stay at a resort to relax, tan or go to a spa, I'll be going somewhere other than Orlando. The crime rate is horrible, and that's not including what Disney is doing to us with FP+

 

[ML_LovesDisney]

Magicbands are the best invention since sliced bread! The ease of not dealing with those ridiculous cards is out-of-this-world great! I cannot say enough good things! We used them for room key, park entrance, dining plan, charging everything we bought, EMH and FP+.

Fastpass+ worked quite well for us, too. Lines were short, so we didn't have to use them very often. But, when we did, they worked great. I loved that I could change them on the fly with my smartphone... I did that several times.

My only gripe was that we couldn't park-hop with them. On multiple days, we did AK in the morning for safari and EE. EP in the afternoon to eat and drink around the world. DHS at dusk for RNR and TOT. Then MK for wishes and over to EP for Illuminations.

On those days, I booked FP+ for RNR and TOT (and a throwaway one). But, I would have loved to use the throwaway for a safari in the morning instead of standing in line.

When they finally allow park-hopping, FP+ will be perfect. IMO

I should also note that I went into this with a lot of trepidation and angst because of all the naysayers on here. But, they worked great for us. We do have friends who traveled nearly the same days as us... she has a few complaints... but, she was so anti-MB before we left that I couldn't even talk to her about them. She contacted me several times before the trip complaining about them and saying that she didn't want them.

I think going in with a positive attitude and knowing there are minor limitations with the FP+ system will help you appreciate them more.

I'm hoping to write a trip report. But, if anyone has any questions, please ask here.

Sounds great! Glad they worked well for you, I am looking forward to trying them out here in 2 weeks

 

[diskev]

This is faulty logic to me! The time of year that you choose to visit has ALWAYS affected your overall vacation experience. Someone going at Christmas was ALWAYS going to have a dramatically different experience than someone going in mid-Feb. We haven't seen full flegged FP+ in peak season yet so we can't judge and say that "of course it works well, it's low season". The real test will be spring break and Easter. Legacy FP wasn't perfect when it was first introduced. There were adjustments - as there will be with FP+.

We *hope* there will be adjustments, but I don't think we've seen any yet. Still just three FP+ even in the larger Magic Kingdom where even a novice could pull more legacy FP during a peak week.

 

[DebbieB]

Why can't everyone just accept her report that she had a good time and liked FP+. Why does someone have to come along and dispute it? Take it for what it is, her personal opinion about her experience. Nothing more.

 

[diskev]

Why can't everyone just accept her report that she had a good time and liked FP+. Why does someone have to come along and dispute it? Take it for what it is, her personal opinion about her experience. Nothing more.

It's not about disputing that she had a good time. She said she had a good time, so clearly she must have had a good time. The problem I took was placing "FP+ nearly perfect!" in her title. It's very misleading, especially for those people who are here now, planning vacations for busier months. They see that FP+ is "nearly perfect!" and assume it will be for them as well. I mean, she had such a great time right?! However, that's not likely to be the case for all those people planning their upcoming summer vacations. They will likely find a very different WDW than they are used to. So far in the past few months we've seen a MAJOR shift in the Fast Pass system along with higher than anticipated crowd levels. I'm absolutely certain OP had a great time, but I think making such a blanket statement as "FP+ nearly perfect!" is misleading to countless others who won't be attending during peak months. Yes, it seems it was nearly perfect for OP, but that doesn't mean it's nearly perfect. In fact, for countless others it is the complete opposite of perfect.

 

[*NikkiBell*]

There is no way that Disney is going to lose money on the park hopper feature of its theme park tickets. Park hopping with FP+ is coming. Mark my words!

BTW, I have used FP+ and MBS and loved them both! I'm glad you had a great time!

 

[prudence64]

It's not about disputing that she had a good time. She said she had a good time, so clearly she must have had a good time. The problem I took was placing "FP+ nearly perfect!" in her title. It's very misleading, especially for those people who are here now, planning vacations for busier months. They see that FP+ is "nearly perfect!" and assume it will be for them as well. I mean, she had such a great time right?! However, that's not likely to be the case for all those people planning their upcoming summer vacations. They will likely find a very different WDW than they are used to. So far in the past few months we've seen a MAJOR shift in the Fast Pass system along with higher than anticipated crowd levels. I'm absolutely certain OP had a great time, but I think making such a blanket statement as "FP+ nearly perfect!" is misleading to countless others who won't be attending during peak months. Yes, it seems it was nearly perfect for OP, but that doesn't mean it's nearly perfect. In fact, for countless others it is the complete opposite of perfect.

Seems silly to have to point out that something like that is an opinion. Seems pretty obvious. If people have fp+ sucks, I don't automatically assume that will be my opinion either.

 

[diskev]

Seems silly to have to point out that something like that is an opinion. Seems pretty obvious. If people have fp+ sucks, I don't automatically assume that will be my opinion either.

You may give people too much credit. I've had very intelligent people tell me "facts" which were really just the opinions of others.