Just back from 8 days in The World thought I’d give my two cents on some hot topics.
Fastpass+ & fastpass-:
Some days we used only our three fastpass+ and it was enough fastpasses for us. This was especially true at EPCOT and Animal Kingdom. We used fp+ for the headliners and had no problem with standby lines even with moderate crowds predicted. We are at the parks by rope drop so that helps.
Some days we used both fp+ and fp-. I think we pulled one fp- at HS so that we could ride TSMM an extra time. I felt a bit greedy doing this, knowing that fp- would be gone that much quicker for those who it was their only option but I still did it. Also one day we used fp- at one park in the morning then hop to another for evening fp+.
Some days we only used fp-. Mainly because part of our party did not get Magic Bands. This was mainly in MK. There are just so many rides with moderate lines. FP- return times aren’t too long. So it just seemed easier to pull a FP- for Barnstormer, ride Dumbo and then ride Barnstormer, for example.
In the long run I think fp+ can be successful. Though I think it will take lots of growing pains and adjusting of expectations. The way some of the headliner lines work now is just crazy – 90min standby waits even though there is no one in line because there are so many coming in through fastpass.
MDE:
The first few days the app worked beautifully. I changed fp+ on the fly, adjusting times to where we were in the park. Then the MDE app stopped working on my phone (iphone4s, if it makes a difference). When I went to My Reservations to check my fastpasses+ it would say “We’re Sorry A blip in the network kept us from retrieving your information. Please try again.” Maybe there was another way to check my fastpasses+ but I didn’t find it. I reloaded the app and it work again ONCE, and then I started getting the same error message again. I used DH’s phone (android) sometimes but it seemed to run slow. So I did use some of the fp+ kiosks in the park. There was never a line, they worked quickly and they were conveniently located (except in EPCOT). The only complaint was that sometimes cast members would be watch everything I did and even try to do it for me. I assume it was just part of the testing process but it was annoying.
Glow with the Show ears:
They are almost impossible to wear. They are too small to fit a normal adult sized head and the elastic is too loose to keep them on a child sized head. I had read they were uncomfortable ahead of time and only bought one set for our family of five. DD (age 7) was infatuated with them and by sheer determination managed to keep them on her head, so they are pretty much her’s now. She was amazed how the lights went with Fantasmic! It is a cute little nifty thing but that’s about it.
Jingle Cruise:
Let me preface by saying I am not a fan of Jungle Cruise but I do love all things Christmas so I was in. First thing I noticed was the awesome Christmas hats the CM’s were wearing, very Jungle Cruise authentic. There were decorations and Christmas theming all over the cue and each of the boats had been renamed to go with the theme. So far, so good.
But then it ended. There was not a drop of theming on the ride. Our skipper mixed in some Christmas themed jokes which were ok.
Overall I would not wait extra time in this line just for the Christmas themeing. You could walk up and see all the extra themeing without riding.
Be Our Guest:
I managed to get a reservation even though it wasn’t a high priority for me. I went in with ambivalent feelings. But WOW was it beautiful. We were seated in front of the Christmas tree in front of the ‘snowing’ window. It felt so warm and cozy and really swept me away. Everyone in our party (4 adult, 4 kids) enjoyed the food and LOVED the desserts. We pretty much got one of each dessert and shared. The only negative was that our server was not great, he was constantly rushing and stumbling.
After eating, we toured the castle. I was amazed at all the wasted space at dinner time??? I also felt bad for the people seated close to the rose. They seemed disturbed by the few people constantly milling around. (Though we were right by the Christmas tree and the people milling around there didn’t bother us.) Meeting the Beast was a blast and then we were out of there. The ‘grounds’ of the castle were pretty impressive too. I wish I would have gone back in the daylight to get better pictures.
ETA
I forgot a big one, not sure if this applies to anyone but here goes.
We had extended family members join us midway through our trip. Therefore they were not on the same package as us. I was instructed to add them at check-in as 'Room Only' guests. Then they would be listed on the reservation and would get resort guests perks (Magic Express, EMH, ect) I asked specifically and was told here and by Disney reservations CMs that they would get Magic Bands at arrival. This did not happen. I spoke to multiple managers and wasted alot of time but this was not possible in their system.
This was a disappointment, some of our party could have fp+ and some could not. In the end we were able to work around it but it took some changes in plan.
Fastpass+ & fastpass-:
Some days we used only our three fastpass+ and it was enough fastpasses for us. This was especially true at EPCOT and Animal Kingdom. We used fp+ for the headliners and had no problem with standby lines even with moderate crowds predicted. We are at the parks by rope drop so that helps.
Some days we used both fp+ and fp-. I think we pulled one fp- at HS so that we could ride TSMM an extra time. I felt a bit greedy doing this, knowing that fp- would be gone that much quicker for those who it was their only option but I still did it. Also one day we used fp- at one park in the morning then hop to another for evening fp+.
Some days we only used fp-. Mainly because part of our party did not get Magic Bands. This was mainly in MK. There are just so many rides with moderate lines. FP- return times aren’t too long. So it just seemed easier to pull a FP- for Barnstormer, ride Dumbo and then ride Barnstormer, for example.
In the long run I think fp+ can be successful. Though I think it will take lots of growing pains and adjusting of expectations. The way some of the headliner lines work now is just crazy – 90min standby waits even though there is no one in line because there are so many coming in through fastpass.
MDE:
The first few days the app worked beautifully. I changed fp+ on the fly, adjusting times to where we were in the park. Then the MDE app stopped working on my phone (iphone4s, if it makes a difference). When I went to My Reservations to check my fastpasses+ it would say “We’re Sorry A blip in the network kept us from retrieving your information. Please try again.” Maybe there was another way to check my fastpasses+ but I didn’t find it. I reloaded the app and it work again ONCE, and then I started getting the same error message again. I used DH’s phone (android) sometimes but it seemed to run slow. So I did use some of the fp+ kiosks in the park. There was never a line, they worked quickly and they were conveniently located (except in EPCOT). The only complaint was that sometimes cast members would be watch everything I did and even try to do it for me. I assume it was just part of the testing process but it was annoying.
Glow with the Show ears:
They are almost impossible to wear. They are too small to fit a normal adult sized head and the elastic is too loose to keep them on a child sized head. I had read they were uncomfortable ahead of time and only bought one set for our family of five. DD (age 7) was infatuated with them and by sheer determination managed to keep them on her head, so they are pretty much her’s now. She was amazed how the lights went with Fantasmic! It is a cute little nifty thing but that’s about it.
Jingle Cruise:
Let me preface by saying I am not a fan of Jungle Cruise but I do love all things Christmas so I was in. First thing I noticed was the awesome Christmas hats the CM’s were wearing, very Jungle Cruise authentic. There were decorations and Christmas theming all over the cue and each of the boats had been renamed to go with the theme. So far, so good.
But then it ended. There was not a drop of theming on the ride. Our skipper mixed in some Christmas themed jokes which were ok.
Overall I would not wait extra time in this line just for the Christmas themeing. You could walk up and see all the extra themeing without riding.
Be Our Guest:
I managed to get a reservation even though it wasn’t a high priority for me. I went in with ambivalent feelings. But WOW was it beautiful. We were seated in front of the Christmas tree in front of the ‘snowing’ window. It felt so warm and cozy and really swept me away. Everyone in our party (4 adult, 4 kids) enjoyed the food and LOVED the desserts. We pretty much got one of each dessert and shared. The only negative was that our server was not great, he was constantly rushing and stumbling.
After eating, we toured the castle. I was amazed at all the wasted space at dinner time??? I also felt bad for the people seated close to the rose. They seemed disturbed by the few people constantly milling around. (Though we were right by the Christmas tree and the people milling around there didn’t bother us.) Meeting the Beast was a blast and then we were out of there. The ‘grounds’ of the castle were pretty impressive too. I wish I would have gone back in the daylight to get better pictures.
ETA
I forgot a big one, not sure if this applies to anyone but here goes.
We had extended family members join us midway through our trip. Therefore they were not on the same package as us. I was instructed to add them at check-in as 'Room Only' guests. Then they would be listed on the reservation and would get resort guests perks (Magic Express, EMH, ect) I asked specifically and was told here and by Disney reservations CMs that they would get Magic Bands at arrival. This did not happen. I spoke to multiple managers and wasted alot of time but this was not possible in their system.
This was a disappointment, some of our party could have fp+ and some could not. In the end we were able to work around it but it took some changes in plan.
