Just returned from WDW and FP+ stinks

[Mickey28]

I just returned home yesterday from WDW, and as someone who has used FP extensively in the past, the new FP+ system is absolutely the worst idea to come out long time. I did all of mine before I left home, but they are handing out cards in the park you can fill out and give to a FP+ guest service member. On the front of the card the first thing it says is it will allow you to see more with more time. This is absolutley false and could not be further from the truth. IT COMPLETELY LIMITS YOUR DAY AND HOW YOU HAVE TO STRUCTURE YOUR DAY!! On top of that, are you are really suppose to be able to predict crowds, crowd flow and how you will tour the park 6mts before you arrive in the parks? I was also shocked at how busy it was for this time of year. I have been all times of the year to WDW from the beginning of Dec, Oct, Jan., and mostly May. I never expected crowds like I saw this past week. IASW had a 30 min wait and Peter Pan was 70-90 minutes. AWTP was 30-45+ and Kilamanjaro Safari was 60+min at times. Again the FP+ system is very limiting and you can only have one FP+ per day for a particular attraction. Also, if you are park hopping there was no way for me to choose multiple attractions from multiple parks on the same day. RANT OVER, but I am very dissappointed with this new system.

 

[sonofanarchy]

I'm shocked.

Everything sounded like it was going so well.

 

[smitch425]

I'm shocked.

Everything sounded like it was going so well.

 

[PlayaMan]

The booking window for FP+ is 6 months now?

 

[AquaDame]

Agreed. We were there Jan 19-24th lines were nuts from rope drop and repeats were hard to do, which we love. I just completed a survey about our stay from Disney and was shocked there was nowhere to fill in comments about this system. All they wanted to know about FP+ is if the bands/website worked or not as checkboxes. Not even a "no, we don't think we will be back in the next 5 years" could prompt a comment box.

 

[mrsltg]

Sorry you had a bad time OP. Get ready for the flaming. You're about to be called the equivalent of a 50's Commie. Obviously you hate Disney and all it stands for and you probably set fire to orphanages on Christmas Eve, too.

In all seriousness, I hope your next trip works out better for you!

 

[agavegirl1]

We DISers really need to agree on a sarcasm font.

Anyway, to the OP...I am in the beginning stages of planning day to day activities for my October trip. While I am hoping for things to even out a bit, I am a bit discouraged by the reports of wait times being longer at attractions that were previously "walk-ons" during slower times. I don't want to lose the flexibility that comes with traveling in less busy times.

I never did like ADRs but discovered last visit that not making them really limited our dining options so I'm biting the bullet and making them 180+10 days out this trip.

I was hoping that not having a crystal ball to consult on what rides would be busy months before I arrived wouldn't be that much of an issue. It appears it might add a bit more hassle than I am comfortable with.

 

[sonofanarchy]

The booking window for FP+ is 6 months now?

Might as well be. You have to book dining that far in advance unless you want to eat hot dogs and cheeseburgers all week. So, you need to know what parks you're going to be in. Might as well plan attraction time then.

 

[smitch425]

The booking window for FP+ is 6 months now?

No, it is 60 days.

 

[robinb]

It was just OK when I used it back in December but only because (1) I could change things easily on the fly and the night before and (2) FP- was still available in all but AK. I currently have a reservation at AKV for Christmas and trying to make a reservation for NYE at BWV and I'm having a hard time getting excited about it.

 

[momof2n2]

The booking window for FP+ is 6 months now?

OPs point is made even with this error.
Sorry OP. I get how frustrated you are.

 

[Jennasis]

Might as well be. You have to book dining that far in advance unless you want to eat hot dogs and cheeseburgers all week. So, you need to know what parks you're going to be in. Might as well plan attraction time then.

Now you know I'm with you when it comes to disliking FP+ and some of the other things Disney is up to these days, but let's not be silly. Disney is a BASTION of food choices that aren't hot dogs and burgers. In fact we do tons of QS meals and never touch a burger (other than maybe at Pecos Bill's because we love it there).

Carry on!

 

[PlayaMan]

Might as well be. You have to book dining that far in advance unless you want to eat hot dogs and cheeseburgers all week. So, you need to know what parks you're going to be in. Might as well plan attraction time then.

Let me get this straight:

1. A visitor HAS to eat onsite
2. A visitor is forced to eat ALL meals onsite.
3. A visitor HAS to make all ADRs 6 months in advance
4. If no ADRs then it means people will only be able to eat hot dogs & cheeseburgers.

Good to know.

 

[smitch425]

Might as well be. You have to book dining that far in advance unless you want to eat hot dogs and cheeseburgers all week. So, you need to know what parks you're going to be in. Might as well plan attraction time then.

In 7 straight years of going to WDW, I have never eaten a hot dog there. I don't think I've even had a burger the last two years. It's false complaints like this that make real complaints less believable.

 

[sonofanarchy]

In 7 straight years of going to WDW, I have never eaten a hot dog there. I don't think I've even had a burger the last two years. It's false complaints like this that make real complaints less believable.

Or misunderstanding of sarcasm.

 

[Cyrano]

We DISers really need to agree on a sarcasm font.

We DISers need to be cautious on the sarcasm front as the messages do not always translate humour on the screen

To the OP thanks for sharing your experiences and opinion

 

[sonofanarchy]

Let me get this straight:

1. A visitor HAS to eat onsite
2. A visitor is forced to eat ALL meals onsite.
3. A visitor HAS to make all ADRs 6 months in advance
4. If no ADRs then it means people will only be able to eat hot dogs & cheeseburgers.

Good to know.

1.If they don't have a rental car and don't want to spend money on a taxi.
2.See number 1.
3.Not exactly, but it depends where you want to eat. The longer you wait, the more difficult it is to get into certain places, like 'Ohana, Chef Mickey's, V&A's, California Grille.
4.That was sarcasm. But honestly, at the Magic Kingdom, your choices are quite limited if you're not eating at a sit down restaurant.

 

[sonofanarchy]

We DISers need to be cautious on the sarcasm front as the messages do not always translate humour on the screen

Neh - It's more fun to see what slim senses of humor people have.

 

[RnbwSktles]

I actually enjoyed FP+ quite a bit when we were there Jan 9-18, but it was relatively slow and half the FP+ we had weren't needed. The ones that were needed were great to have without having to rush to a FP machine at rope drop.

My only big complaint about it however is that it doesn't allow groups to tour well together. Our trip overlapped with that of another couple, but they stayed in a different hotel and had mostly different ADRs. It wouldn't have made sense for us to link our MDE accounts together. If we wanted to ride some things together, we had to try and coordinate the FP+ times by modifying what we already had. Most of the time that was possible, but not always.

 

[amg35]

Neh - It's more fun to see what slim senses of humor people have.

And possibly some people aren't as funny as they think they are.


(said in good fun)