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

[JimS4210]

I understand and respect that FP+ works out well for some people. It may or may not for my family...we will do our best to make it work for us, of that I'm sure. I just don't see the need to disparage how others choose to vacation, or what they find is valuable to them on vacation.

I certainly don't mean to disparage or devalue anyone's opinion concerning Disney! I understand that everyone sees the parks and how they chose to spend their time there differently.

I guess what it comes down to is this. Some people are unhappy, some (like me) are happy and some won't be affected much one way or another.

It's been many years since we've been Park Commandos. We sleep in, have breakfast and hit the parks around 11 AM. So this system works for us. But for many years the system worked against us since I wasn't willing to arrive at Rope Drop. No complaints because that was my choice, but the former system wasn't geared for those who preferred to stop and smell the roses. This levels the playing field and allows everyone to experience the headliners.

Are some people gonna see red? Sure, but some people are gonna see green (the green Mickey head when they go through the FP+ line) and appreciate the new system.

Jim

 

[shalom]

Questions - Those who ride the same rides over & over, which rides are those? Are there a lot of repeaters out there?

No idea how many repeaters there are out there, but I'm pretty sure you can't belong to the People Movers Appreciation Society unless you've gone around twice without getting off. And someone on the It's a Small World Appreciation Society thread likes to ride it back to back, once for each side.

I ride the TTA repeatedly myself. And Peter Pan every day I hit the MK. My daughter will ride Autopia (in Disneyland) over and over until you insist she does something else, and a bunch of my kids do Buzz repeatedly. And sometimes we're all up for a couple of Jungle Cruise rides a day.

 

[lovelygirl1975]

To the OP thanks so much for sharing your experience. We were just there two weeks ago and we enjoyed the MB's and the fastpass + also. We are not commando types and we refuse to set an alarm clock on vacation. No we hardly ever used the other fast pass system, if a wait was too long we just skipped the ride. We felt no need to rush and we only rode what we deemed important enough to wait in line for. Yes, we would be in the 60 minute line for Soarin. To be honest that day when we were drenched to the bone because their was a tropical storm raging it was nice to wait 60 minutes because we were dry by the time we got to the ride. We enjoyed already having it scheduled and just showing up as we wanted to during those times. We still did spontaneous activities that we enjoy.

We were there two days. First was Epcot where I made changes on the fly with the app on my phone because things that had a short wait we rode when we arrived so we used our fast passes for something else. On the second day we were at Animal Kingdom. That park was the most crowded I have ever seen it. We got there at about 9:30 our usual arrival time to most parks on most days. We usually travel during the summer and that was the most people we have ever seen at that park. I mean my bad was getting caught on people, you could barely move. I was glad to have my plans already made because of the crowds. With that being said we never waited more than 10 minutes in the fast pass line.

We used our bands to make purchases, for dining, and for fast pass +.

I don't think it was perfect though because I felt bad for all the people who didn't have the option to schedule ahead of time. I kept thinking it was lines for characters or some thing because the lines were so long but it was the line for the kiosk. So I am hoping this gets better now that more people can schedule ahead of time.

I think they are going to make changes eventually to accommodate the park hoppers. There is to much money being made there with the sale of those tickets.

I can understand why some people are weary of this new system and don't like it. I just hope they can find a way to still enjoy Disney.

 

[DividedSky]

3- I've only seen one person's report (posted over and over)
and even in that case, the poster did not actually TAKE the FP+ in the second park.
I've got to think that if this were true (being able to get another FP+ at a second park,)
there would be DOZENS of posts on this board from guests who had been able to do so.
Time will tell.

Agree, it is in doubt. I haven't seen anyone specifically try to cancel their reservations before park hopping and post about it either.

the system makes you have three which I would like to see changed. If you aren't interested in the third one at Epcot, why force it? Seems pretty shortsighted in the UI design IMO

 

[TwoAtDisney]

Thanks for the repeaters reponses. I found them all interesting. I was especially surprised by the Star Tours fans. I'm glad you enjoy, but that is one ride that to me is just a ride that uncomfortably jerks a person around. I love love coasters & ToT, but just being jerked around is not for me.

I also love Peter Pan. Once when my DGD was 3-4yo, we closed the MK & no one was at the ride, which was her favorite. We got to ride it over & over without getting off - I lost count - maybe 20 times! But that was due to her, not me!

Basically, I'm a 1 time person.

Enjoy!

 

[MolonLabe]

Thank you for the review, and I am glad that you loved your trip.

The bold tidbit helps me understand your touring style so I appreciate it very much. We are RDers, and we ride nearly 15 rides in the first two hours that MK is open. I have to admit that much of my fear about FP+ is that now we won't be able to ride as many rides. While our park days are fairly short, we basically walk on every single ride while we are there. Do you think that your opinion on FP+ would be different if you went focused on the rides rather than the atmosphere/activities?

Exactly, I think there is a huge bias there that is almost always ignored.

If you only do 5 rides a day, then sure, you'll love FP+. Who wouldn't.

If you are like my family who loves rides AND the rest of the WDW experience, not so much.

We would do the shopping / dining / and stage shows / fireworks / parades in between old fast passes.

At MK we'd collect 10+ Fast Passes a day and it worked well and we'd wait in stand by for a couple of rides.

The only way to do that now would be to be in at RD and stay till closing and unless it was a low crowd day, forget getting all those rides in.

The only ride we really like to do every day at MK (as an example) and twice if we can is Peter Pan. It's my favorite (and has been for 33 years) and my daughters favorite as well.

Now on EMH evenings, I'll act like a kid again and ride BTMRR back to back to back as fast as I can walk. Not really an issue there as it's a walk on/off ride at that point anyway.

During the day? Nope. I will ride it with a FP because it's the only coaster everyone in the family is willing to ride together, from young to old.

Small world is a ride I can only do once per visit.

I have never denied that for some people FP+ will be wonderful.

However most of the people who swear by the new FP+ never take into account anyone else in the world exists except them and how *they* do things and that FP+ really hurts a lot of other peoples touring plans.

 

[yeheyprincex2]

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.

Diskev, what was your experience with FP+ at Disney? Did you go in the low or high season?

 

[cgdmom]

I have never denied that for some people FP+ will be wonderful.

However most of the people who swear by the new FP+ never take into account anyone else in the world exists except them and how *they* do things and that FP+ really hurts a lot of other peoples touring plans.
__________________

EXACTLY!!!!! Well said!!

 

[Shaden]

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 something I have tried to point out several times, its about causality!!!

Many of the positive reports (and a few of the negative reports, particularly someone who complained about a ride being broken down and how FP+ sucked) seem to be reporting trips (especially over the last few weeks) that are awesome IN SPITE of FP+, not because of it.

People have reported "how awesome" FP+ is because they booked their 3 FPs and then didn't have to wait in line for anything else, just walked on to most rides or waited 10-20 mins maximum. Or rather than doing rides they chilled out at the resorts, toured around the parks and soaked in the atmosphere, spent more time just hanging out with the family, etc etc.

I am sure these are awesome trips, but its not because of FP+, its because of the season you chose to/are able to go in, and/or because you weren't focused on the attractions. Many of these reports people would have been able to "do" more with FP- and still get to "soak up the atmosphere/go back to the resort/do family time".

Now people can still argue how FP+ will work out better for them, particularly as the PP did saying that in high season they are looking forward to grabbing afternoon FPs in pre-booking and not having to worry about them all being gone because they don't want to RD. And that is perfectly fair and I genuinely hope we don't see availability limited (or taken so quickly) so as to remove this option for those same people.

But really, people need to look at causality, that is key.

 

[yeheyprincex2]

I have never denied that for some people FP+ will be wonderful. However most of the people who swear by the new FP+ never take into account anyone else in the world exists except them and how *they* do things and that FP+ really hurts a lot of other peoples touring plans. __________________ EXACTLY!!!!! Well said!!

You can say the same thing about people who dislike FP+ " they never take into account anyone else in the world exists except THEM and HOW THEY do things.

Both sides are biases to what is best for them,what works for them,how they do things.

 

[luvthemouse71]

You can say the same thing about people who dislike FP+ " they never take into account anyone else in the world exists except THEM and HOW THEY do things.

Both sides are biases to what is best for them,what works for them,how they do things.

Good point. We had a flawless experience with FP+ and MB in December. The MDE app worked well also.

 

[Dsny4fun]

You can say the same thing about people who dislike FP+ " they never take into account anyone else in the world exists except THEM and HOW THEY do things.

Both sides are biases to what is best for them,what works for them,how they do things.

 

[Luscien]

This is something I have tried to point out several times, its about causality!!!

Many of the positive reports (and a few of the negative reports, particularly someone who complained about a ride being broken down and how FP+ sucked) seem to be reporting trips (especially over the last few weeks) that are awesome IN SPITE of FP+, not because of it.

People have reported "how awesome" FP+ is because they booked their 3 FPs and then didn't have to wait in line for anything else, just walked on to most rides or waited 10-20 mins maximum. Or rather than doing rides they chilled out at the resorts, toured around the parks and soaked in the atmosphere, spent more time just hanging out with the family, etc etc.

I am sure these are awesome trips, but its not because of FP+, its because of the season you chose to/are able to go in, and/or because you weren't focused on the attractions. Many of these reports people would have been able to "do" more with FP- and still get to "soak up the atmosphere/go back to the resort/do family time".

Now people can still argue how FP+ will work out better for them, particularly as the PP did saying that in high season they are looking forward to grabbing afternoon FPs in pre-booking and not having to worry about them all being gone because they don't want to RD. And that is perfectly fair and I genuinely hope we don't see availability limited (or taken so quickly) so as to remove this option for those same people.

But really, people need to look at causality, that is key.

We went during the week between Christmas and New Year's and FP+ made our experience better.

- I was able to have my fast passes so they wouldn't overlap with our ADRs.

- We were able to schedule ADRs at resorts and travel there and didn't have to worry about missing our FP time.

- I didn't feel like we had to get to the park at rope drop to get fast passes during the busy season.

- It gave just enough structure to our day that we were able to plan some spontaneous experiences, but still hit the attractions and rides we wanted.

- It was great to be able to adjust my fast pass on the fly rather than have to hope I got a paper ticket and then figure out what to do from there.

- When the RNRC did break down, we came back and scanned our bands when it was back up later in the day, and they let us right on. (Not a change but the system worked the same as it used to)

- I didn't have to carry around slips of paper (I know this is a non-issue 95% of the time)

Regarding the assertion of being able to "do more" with FP-, I don't know that's true. Part of it depends on what is meant by "do more"; its a pretty ambiguous statement. Maybe ride more rides, maybe not. I might have been stuck in longer lines for the bigger rides for longer because all the FP would be gone, thus keeping me in line longer. It's not possible to know, so it makes sense to speculate both ways.

I know that everyone's experience is different, and you're welcome to your opinion based on your experiences (see my earlier post in this thread). Mine is that FP+ made our trip better because it fit for us, especially during a busy season. I think I would not have had as good a time without FP+ and its integration to MDE. I have no evidence of this, so I can't be sure, but I've got a pretty good idea that it would have been worse.

I know that others don't share that sentiment, and that's OK. But that being said, you'll have to decide if that's enough of an impact to the value of your experience where you won't go back. Again I say, vote with your feet if you really think this ruins your experience.

 

[leebee]

And this is where you'll get flamed. You tend to view/go to Disney with an eye towards lots of relaxing while the people upset and who will tell you that you're wrong about things are people who do lots of rides. For those people, this system will suck. For relaxers, people who sleep in, or people who don't care to hit tons of rides, this will be a perfect system.

I've always thought of my family as being in the "sleep in" group; we sleep in but stay at the parks until closing, every day. We never hit rope drop, and usually get to a park around 11am; our goal is to be out of the room and headed to the bus stop by 10. The only place we weren't able to get legacy fast pass was at DHS, for TSMM. Other than that, we rarely had a problem getting FPs for whatever we wanted to ride. SO… we could sleep in and still pull the FPs we wanted/needed for the rest of the day, and ride our favorite rides multiple times before park closing. Now, I don't see how this'll happen. We are going to either have to make rope drop OR give up experiencing our favorite rides several times each day. I am fairly confident in saying that, while we'll get 3 fastpasses a day, by not being able to get them for the attractions we want, coupled with having to wait in more standby lines than ever before unless we want to get up at 7am, and not being able to get FPs in more than 1 park on any given day, that FP+ will DEFINITELY diminish my family's Disney experience and fun.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

I just posted elsewhere. our trip as that FP was kind of neutral.

Yes, there was a limit of three fp, but the trade off is less time spent collecting fp. So of us, it kind of balanced out.

It was also perhaps not completely fair, because this time we went during a moderately busy time (MLK Jr weekend) and our prior trip was during a rather slow time. The parks were definitely more crowded this trip compared to our last two trips.

As far as I'm concerned, previously, there were only two *real* FP attractions in Epcot (TT, Soarin'), AK (safari, EE, maybe Kali on a hot day), and HS (TSM, RnRC, maybe Star Tours/ToT on very busy days only). Sometimes in the past, we used more than three FP for rerides.

So mainly we only felt the difference in MK. All in all it ended up a trade off for us. Instead of having to gather fp's, we spent a little more time in stand by queues, but I think collectively it was still a time savings to use fp+. Obtaining old style fp was quite time consuming. (and we are quick walkers)I think many naysayers are underrepresenting that factor.

One factor perhaps is that most of the time, the new FP+ queues were quicker than they used to be under old FP. Most of the time, they got us on the ride in under ten minutes. Many attractions that used to take ten with old FP were faster.

I will say...I'm comparing new fp to the way FP to ENFORCED old FP of the last year....for us...well... I liked it when we could use FP past the time window. We usually used them in the time window; it was just relaxing to know that if you did show up late it was okay. Mostly, when we did use our fp late- it was usually VERY late at night, so late night that the queues were down to almost nothing. Still, it was relaxing to have that promise.

 

[MolonLabe]

I just posted elsewhere. our trip as that FP was kind of neutral.

Yes, there was a limit of three fp, but the trade off is less time spent collecting fp. So of us, it kind of balanced out.

It was also perhaps not completely fair, because this time we went during a moderately busy time (MLK Jr weekend) and our prior trip was during a rather slow time. The parks were definitely more crowded this trip compared to our last two trips.

As far as I'm concerned, previously, there were only two *real* FP attractions in Epcot (TT, Soarin'), AK (safari, EE, maybe Kali on a hot day), and HS (TSM, RnRC, maybe Star Tours/ToT on very busy days only). Sometimes in the past, we used more than three FP for rerides.

So mainly we only felt the difference in MK. All in all it ended up a trade off for us. Instead of having to gather fp's, we spent a little more time in stand by queues, but I think collectively it was still a time savings to use fp+. Obtaining old style fp was quite time consuming. (and we are quick walkers)I think many naysayers are underrepresenting that factor.

One factor perhaps is that most of the time, the new FP+ queues were quicker than they used to be under old FP. Most of the time, they got us on the ride in under ten minutes. Many attractions that used to take ten with old FP were faster.

I will say...I'm comparing new fp to the way FP to ENFORCED old FP of the last year....for us...well... I liked it when we could use FP past the time window. We usually used them in the time window; it was just relaxing to know that if you did show up late it was okay. Mostly, when we did use our fp late- it was usually VERY late at night, so late night that the queues were down to almost nothing. Still, it was relaxing to have that promise.

I think that's a very good review. You related FP+ to your previous use of FP and how it affected you. Very cool and everyone knows exactly what you are talking about and describing.

Good point on the time it took to collect paper fastpasses. For my family it was never a big deal as I was the 'runner'. If we were due for a FP, I'd hustle to where I needed to pull them and then meet up with my family.

Pretty much unless I needed to go from SM to BTMRR (which I wouldn't do anyway) it was never a big deal and I could get off a ride and hoof it to virtually anywhere in the park and be at the next destination to rejoin my family in under ten minutes.

I never cared about "running" (speed walking) for them and my family had a chance to saunter on to the next stop. Worked out very well.

I agree 100% with AK and EP and FP+ being fine for those parks. DHS isn't bad, except if you can't make your TSM time you won't be able to change it to a later time in the day unless it's a Tuesday with a crowd rating of 1, perhaps Wednesday crowd ratings of 1 as well .

MK is the nightmare IMO. Considering we pretty much only travel off season now, it's not going to be the end of the world but it still is a huge detriment to the way we do things at MK.

That's setting aside the huge issues with MDE during peak hours in the park. I would hope they spend the money to upgrade the wifi and severs themselves, on peak times, even with 4G, the MDE lagged for me.

My friends who were there over MLK week with you had similar issues during peak hours and that weekend. Like my visit it was better in the days just before that weekend.

Also apparently off site guests will have to use kiosks and not the MDE for FP+? They had another couple who went with them for a few days and couldn't do MDE and were told they had to use kiosks. Don't have any more info than that on it.

The MB's or "Magic Trackers" as a cast member friend tells me they are called are nothing special to me.

Personally I'm not a fan of being tracked, real time, as I enter every single restaurant and shop (even if you don't buy anything) let alone them knowing exactly when I get on/off a ride and when I pass from one land into another.

That's just too dang creepy for my tastes. I didn't realize there was real time tracking in the bands as opposed to the passive RFID in the old room keys.

Next trip I may opt for passive key cards and not use the bands because of that. Again, it's too weird. A flat key card is waterproof anyway and my swim trunks have a zippered pocket. No worries there.