jiminyfan
Daddy, Dreamer and WDWnut
- Joined
- Oct 2, 2000
- Messages
- 995
First, I want to start this off by saying I was not thrilled about nor excited to try the new system for our Thanksgiving trip.
To start things off I do not like anything on my wrists ever, so when I checked into Pop Century on Thanksgiving I asked to have a KTTW card cut for me instead of the MB and my wife did the same. There were no hassles about this and it was done with smiles. We made our son be the test dummy for the MB and he was semi-alright with this decision.
We had AP vouchers and mine was able to be linked before vacation by Disney IT and a 90 plus minute call. It was not as easy as most people had to do, but working in IT I was happy to help them work out a bug or two. My family's APs were not able to be linked at that time. When we arrived at Studios our first park, we all entered without any issues and then proceeded to Guest services as instructed by the IT staff to have my family's APs be linked to their MDE and my accounts. They were able to be linked by the CM, but due to the busy holiday schedule had to be given hard FP+s instead of being linked to mine as all times were "sold out".
First, issue with FP+ was at our first attraction - RnR - mine was recognized and it told the CM I should be at ToT at 4:10 and not RnR at 1:10 - I should my FP+ on my iPhone to a CM over at Tot and he walked me back and approved my entry. Wife and son had no issues as they had no real FP+ and could use it on any ride they wanted.
Next up on the FP+ list was TSM - I figured they may be a problem, so I went to the CM an hour before my time to ensure than my FP+ was there and alright. They scanned my card and poof it was there - YEA! well, we rode a few attractions, talked to a CM friend and went back for the FP+ at the scheduled time and POOF - mine was gone AGAIN!!! Fortunately, TSM has their own power CMs with their magic iPads and I was put through 0-2 for the system so far. Not a good way to start your vacation, but not being rope drop people we at least go to get on TSM. So, this was a plus for the FP+.
We headed back to Pop to drop off the wife before heading to MK with the son to close the park and found out that our KTTW cards didn't work on the gate to let us into the resort, but the MB worked fine. Score a victory for the MB.
Enjoyed the late night at MK and only used the KTTW and MB for food as the BIGGEST negative of FP+/MDE reared its ugly head - one park per day only.UGH! we always park hop - fortunately we had APs and could get real FPs for Space Mt (yes they were still available). No flaming on double dipping as we were told we could do it by a CM even though it is not advertised. That is another discussion.
Headed back to Pop and decided to give the RFID card another try and after much struggle the gate went up and we went in. Not happy about the struggle, but whatever.
Day 2 - EPCOT day. We booked before the Tiers went into effect and my family was added without issue to my FP+, so we did Soarin, Test track (hate the new ride design and car building - another story not for here) and Spaceship Earth (yes - lines were long enough for us to justify using them).
No hassles nor issues on this day using the new system.
Day 3 - Wife and I decided enough fighting with the RFID KTTW cards allowing us into the resort and our room (her card was hit and miss on opening the door) and we had the MBs activated for the last two days of the stay to see how we liked them. Headed to AK - all went well for FP+s and food buying. we did a double dip for KS and did EE single rider, but overall a good showing. Once again, we then headed to dinner and MK to close the park for late night. Her again, being able to book more than one park on one day would have been nice as we just picked Dino to use up the AK FP+, but would have really liked it for MK.
Day 4 - MK for the day. Had three FP+ booked and ready to go, decided to see what would happen if we wanted to change one on the day it was scheduled to see what we could get and how easy it was to do. We changed Jingle Cruise (MAJOR disappointment) for BTMRR. Found a suitable time and made the change without any issue nor hassle. Once again, did use APs for two extra FPs (space and buzzy), but overall not a bad experience.
After wearing the MBs for two days, wife said she didn't even realize it was there. I still was bugged by having it on my wrist, but it was not unbearable. I will be adding some type of cloth on the underside for the warmer weather trips as I feel it will be hot and sweaty at those times.
My thoughts on the system - it is not as bad as I expected, but do have some serious concerns.
1: lose spontaneity, have to plan everything in advance. We like to get up in the morning and go to a park on a whim. If we are taking buses, we go to the park of the first bus that arrives. With this system, that will not work as you may be shut out of FPs.
2: You cannot plan ahead with friends (CMs) and family who are not resort guests. This seems to go against everything Walt said on why he build Disneyland - he wanted a place where families can go and spend their entire day together. Well, this system does the opposite - if you are not staying all on property you can watch your friends and family ride while you wait in line.
3: BIGGEST issue for me - one park per day. We have APs and always park hop. I can count on one hand how many times we only did one park on one day and we have gone on over 50+ trips to WDW. If you ticket media is for multiple parks, you should have the option to choose FP+ at as many parks as you like. Hopefully, this will be addressed asI am sure it will cost the Disney Company $$$$$ when people quit buying park hoppers.
4: Amount of FPs per day. I would like to see this raised to 5-6 per day as that is what we normally could get with FP-. 3 just isn't enough for the average family to do what they want to do in my opinion. Especially if they allow for more than one park per day.
5: Tier levels - this did not impact us, but it would have. Limiting the number of E-ticket attractions to one per day is horrible. Most people go for the big attractions and would use their FPs for them. In the legacy world you went to those attractions first to get your FPs and then rode the minor attractions while you waited for your time to arrive. Seemed to work fine this way. And rally how many times do you need a FP for Living with the Land, Mission Space or many other second tier attractions.
6: Full roll-out: what benefit is there to stay on property if all guests get the same amount of FP+s? I think this needs to be defined and worked out as well as how APs will be handled.
Am I am thrilled with the changes to the new system - No. Was it as bad as I thought it would be - No. Do I think it needs tweaked - Yes. Will it stop me from going ot WDW in the future - No, but it will change how I plan my trips and the amount of days I spend on WDW. I can see us going to stay at Universal a little more often staying onsite and getting front of the line priv all day every day (nicest benefit between the two resorts).
I do not wear Disney rose colored glasses
, but the new system is not as bad as it is being made out for. It could be better, but since Disney has committed a lot of money ($1 Billion) this system is here to stay, so we have to either get used to it or take our business elsewhere.
I was given a really nice overview and look at the system from a CM in guest services while she was trying to initially fix our issues. I started my career in customer service and now am in IT, so I know how important it is to be patient and be as clear as possible if you have a problem, so they know what to fix. And to be patient and give them time to correct the issue. I have to say I was impressed with the layout and ability of the system.
My last concern is the "BIG BROTHER", 1984 aspect of the system as the ability to track your every move is scary. I was amazed how much information was stored on me already through my numerous trips and etc. The MBs and RFID gives Disney even more power to track your movements through the resort. In some ways this should make us feel safer, but in other ways it is unnerving.
Hope this post puts some of you at ease with trying the new system. If not, there are a lot of other great vacation opportunities to be had in this great country of ours.
To start things off I do not like anything on my wrists ever, so when I checked into Pop Century on Thanksgiving I asked to have a KTTW card cut for me instead of the MB and my wife did the same. There were no hassles about this and it was done with smiles. We made our son be the test dummy for the MB and he was semi-alright with this decision.
We had AP vouchers and mine was able to be linked before vacation by Disney IT and a 90 plus minute call. It was not as easy as most people had to do, but working in IT I was happy to help them work out a bug or two. My family's APs were not able to be linked at that time. When we arrived at Studios our first park, we all entered without any issues and then proceeded to Guest services as instructed by the IT staff to have my family's APs be linked to their MDE and my accounts. They were able to be linked by the CM, but due to the busy holiday schedule had to be given hard FP+s instead of being linked to mine as all times were "sold out".
First, issue with FP+ was at our first attraction - RnR - mine was recognized and it told the CM I should be at ToT at 4:10 and not RnR at 1:10 - I should my FP+ on my iPhone to a CM over at Tot and he walked me back and approved my entry. Wife and son had no issues as they had no real FP+ and could use it on any ride they wanted.
Next up on the FP+ list was TSM - I figured they may be a problem, so I went to the CM an hour before my time to ensure than my FP+ was there and alright. They scanned my card and poof it was there - YEA! well, we rode a few attractions, talked to a CM friend and went back for the FP+ at the scheduled time and POOF - mine was gone AGAIN!!! Fortunately, TSM has their own power CMs with their magic iPads and I was put through 0-2 for the system so far. Not a good way to start your vacation, but not being rope drop people we at least go to get on TSM. So, this was a plus for the FP+.
We headed back to Pop to drop off the wife before heading to MK with the son to close the park and found out that our KTTW cards didn't work on the gate to let us into the resort, but the MB worked fine. Score a victory for the MB.
Enjoyed the late night at MK and only used the KTTW and MB for food as the BIGGEST negative of FP+/MDE reared its ugly head - one park per day only.UGH! we always park hop - fortunately we had APs and could get real FPs for Space Mt (yes they were still available). No flaming on double dipping as we were told we could do it by a CM even though it is not advertised. That is another discussion.
Headed back to Pop and decided to give the RFID card another try and after much struggle the gate went up and we went in. Not happy about the struggle, but whatever.
Day 2 - EPCOT day. We booked before the Tiers went into effect and my family was added without issue to my FP+, so we did Soarin, Test track (hate the new ride design and car building - another story not for here) and Spaceship Earth (yes - lines were long enough for us to justify using them).
No hassles nor issues on this day using the new system.
Day 3 - Wife and I decided enough fighting with the RFID KTTW cards allowing us into the resort and our room (her card was hit and miss on opening the door) and we had the MBs activated for the last two days of the stay to see how we liked them. Headed to AK - all went well for FP+s and food buying. we did a double dip for KS and did EE single rider, but overall a good showing. Once again, we then headed to dinner and MK to close the park for late night. Her again, being able to book more than one park on one day would have been nice as we just picked Dino to use up the AK FP+, but would have really liked it for MK.
Day 4 - MK for the day. Had three FP+ booked and ready to go, decided to see what would happen if we wanted to change one on the day it was scheduled to see what we could get and how easy it was to do. We changed Jingle Cruise (MAJOR disappointment) for BTMRR. Found a suitable time and made the change without any issue nor hassle. Once again, did use APs for two extra FPs (space and buzzy), but overall not a bad experience.
After wearing the MBs for two days, wife said she didn't even realize it was there. I still was bugged by having it on my wrist, but it was not unbearable. I will be adding some type of cloth on the underside for the warmer weather trips as I feel it will be hot and sweaty at those times.
My thoughts on the system - it is not as bad as I expected, but do have some serious concerns.
1: lose spontaneity, have to plan everything in advance. We like to get up in the morning and go to a park on a whim. If we are taking buses, we go to the park of the first bus that arrives. With this system, that will not work as you may be shut out of FPs.
2: You cannot plan ahead with friends (CMs) and family who are not resort guests. This seems to go against everything Walt said on why he build Disneyland - he wanted a place where families can go and spend their entire day together. Well, this system does the opposite - if you are not staying all on property you can watch your friends and family ride while you wait in line.
3: BIGGEST issue for me - one park per day. We have APs and always park hop. I can count on one hand how many times we only did one park on one day and we have gone on over 50+ trips to WDW. If you ticket media is for multiple parks, you should have the option to choose FP+ at as many parks as you like. Hopefully, this will be addressed asI am sure it will cost the Disney Company $$$$$ when people quit buying park hoppers.
4: Amount of FPs per day. I would like to see this raised to 5-6 per day as that is what we normally could get with FP-. 3 just isn't enough for the average family to do what they want to do in my opinion. Especially if they allow for more than one park per day.
5: Tier levels - this did not impact us, but it would have. Limiting the number of E-ticket attractions to one per day is horrible. Most people go for the big attractions and would use their FPs for them. In the legacy world you went to those attractions first to get your FPs and then rode the minor attractions while you waited for your time to arrive. Seemed to work fine this way. And rally how many times do you need a FP for Living with the Land, Mission Space or many other second tier attractions.
6: Full roll-out: what benefit is there to stay on property if all guests get the same amount of FP+s? I think this needs to be defined and worked out as well as how APs will be handled.
Am I am thrilled with the changes to the new system - No. Was it as bad as I thought it would be - No. Do I think it needs tweaked - Yes. Will it stop me from going ot WDW in the future - No, but it will change how I plan my trips and the amount of days I spend on WDW. I can see us going to stay at Universal a little more often staying onsite and getting front of the line priv all day every day (nicest benefit between the two resorts).
I do not wear Disney rose colored glasses
, but the new system is not as bad as it is being made out for. It could be better, but since Disney has committed a lot of money ($1 Billion) this system is here to stay, so we have to either get used to it or take our business elsewhere. I was given a really nice overview and look at the system from a CM in guest services while she was trying to initially fix our issues. I started my career in customer service and now am in IT, so I know how important it is to be patient and be as clear as possible if you have a problem, so they know what to fix. And to be patient and give them time to correct the issue. I have to say I was impressed with the layout and ability of the system.
My last concern is the "BIG BROTHER", 1984 aspect of the system as the ability to track your every move is scary. I was amazed how much information was stored on me already through my numerous trips and etc. The MBs and RFID gives Disney even more power to track your movements through the resort. In some ways this should make us feel safer, but in other ways it is unnerving.
Hope this post puts some of you at ease with trying the new system. If not, there are a lot of other great vacation opportunities to be had in this great country of ours.
