Lack of FP+ options

[HuskieJohn]

They have never reduced FP availability due to low crowds before. No reason to start now.

I believe WDW has been reducing FP during slower periods. Not sure where to pull that data but from keeping an eye on Dibbs and the various bloggers there is a noticeable FP+ cut back during the cheaper ticket seasons which result in longer lines. Now some of that is due to rides being run at 50% capacity but still the FP+ numbers are reduced.

 

[AtlantaDisneyDreamer]

I believe WDW has been reducing FP during slower periods. Not sure where to pull that data but from keeping an eye on Dibbs and the various bloggers there is a noticeable FP+ cut back during the cheaper ticket seasons which result in longer lines. Now some of that is due to rides being run at 50% capacity but still the FP+ numbers are reduced.

This makes complete sense- although I hate it for guests. That is one reason why there is no "light crowd" season any longer. When Disney knows they have lighter crowds, they reduce capacity, which costs them less money. Therefore, even in times when fewer people are in the parks, the lines are just as long.

That may be why, in the last few years, July has been the time when lines seem the shortest and the restaurants seem less crowded. They are running the rides and restaurants and buses at full capacity.

From a business standpoint, it makes no logical sense to always offer the same number of fastpasses regardless of crowds or staffing. When they reduce ride capacity and staffing, they have to reduce the number of fastpasses. Otherwise, fastpass lines would be horrible (even worse than we have seen them already).

With what we have seen so far, it would appear that- if the parks actually open in June- they will be operating at severely reduced staffing and capacity. We have seen reports that the summer college program has been cancelled- so that is a reduction in staff. With travel restrictions, we can assume that foreign workers who are typically there on J-1 visas will not be there this summer. They probably have many employees who would be afraid to work this summer even if it opens due to age or underlying health conditions that put them at risk. And with all of the reports of severely limited fastpasses, we have lots of anecdotal evidence that fastpasses have been reduced.

I would imagine that the current reduction in fastpasses we are seeing is due more to low staffing and capacity than to social-distancing concerns.

My guess- and that is all any of have right now- would be that, if the parks open, they will be operating at severely reduced capacity, and that those of us who plan to go will see far fewer people, but it will feel crowded because of reduced capacity.

 

[havoc315]

I believe WDW has been reducing FP during slower periods. Not sure where to pull that data but from keeping an eye on Dibbs and the various bloggers there is a noticeable FP+ cut back during the cheaper ticket seasons which result in longer lines. Now some of that is due to rides being run at 50% capacity but still the FP+ numbers are reduced.

You realize --- Lines go up when FP distribution is INCREASED. When you cut back on FP distribution, lines get SHORTER.
Lines are solely the people who don't have fastpasses.
If a ride can handle 1500 people per hour...
And you give out 750 fastpasses.... and 750 people get on line, they will all still get through in under an hour.
But if you have 1300 fastpasses... and 300 people get on line.... Then the FP will still get through promptly, but the standby line goes over an hour.

So what you're seeing in slower periods is NOT a reduction in FP distribution. It may be a decrease in overall ride capacity, thereby giving a greater proportion of capacity to the FPs...

Put another way... Take Toy Story Mania.... I forget the exact numbers, but say it has 3 tracks, and each handles 500 people per hour.
At full capacity, they give out 800 FPs per hour, leaving 700 standby slots per hour.
But imagine during slow season, they close 1 of the tracks -- They keep giving 800 FPs, but now only have 200 standby slots per hour. The net effect is a massive increase in the line.

 

[tlmadden73]

I think adding all the off-site hotels to the 60-day fastpass list (plus adding several new onsite hotels) has devalued the 60-day FP "advantage" unless you stay for 6+ nights now.

All these reports of people making FPs for 6/13-6/20 and not getting anything "good" make me realize I won't be able to get anything "decent" on my SHORT trip (6/16-6/20). Heck it may be so bad that even the "bad" FPs may be gone. Will I be stuck getting Muppets, Frozen Sing Along and Little Mermaid at DHS by the time Friday morning rolls around?

To NOT be able to get any DHS Tier 1 fast passes on any day of my trip (because they are apparently already gone TWO days before I can even attempt to make them) .. is EXTREMELY frustrating. Are there really THAT many people going the middle of June on 6+ day trips that fast passes for three rides at DHS on 6/19 and 6/20 are already ALL consumed?

This is why I don't like the "length of stay advantage. 60 days should be 60 days. Yes . .it would be a "pain" to make fast passes every morning for a week, but there would be a lot more equitable availability on these days since people from DAYS (or a week) before haven't already scooped up the "good" fast passes. Everyone going to the park on that day should get their fast passes at the same time .. just like everyone in the park at 8:00 AM for a Rise Boarding Group has equal chance. There isn't a way to get a boarding pass earlier than someone else. FPs should be the same way.

I mean.. all this is just an exercise anyway, since we don't know if WDW will be open .. or if it is what its limits will be (which may make it not worth even going anyway). At this point, I think I have determined unless Disney is limiting capacity (which will make FPs less needed) or unless Disney throws me a HUGE discount to NOT cancel, I probably will just go later in the year. Sadly ..

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

We booked on Friday for 6/8-6/13. We're Florida residents and felt like we have a better chance of being able to stay in-state for vacation. I called to check availability for military discounted resort reservations - in other years they've been pretty hard to come by at less than 60 days out. I was able to get quotes for at least 5 different resorts.

I bought our Florida resident Discover Disney ticket vouchers at Target (Redcard discount) on the same day. We were 59 days out and I had trouble getting into the FP+ portal at all. Finally on Sunday, I called Disney and found out that my ticket didn't link to me, even though I had an email confirmation that it did. After that, I was able to get into the FP+ portal to look for availability.

So, roughly 57 days out, I was not able to get any of the big attractions, even at the end of our trip. We saved DHS for our last day (Friday, 6/12) so that maybe we could get Smuggler's Run or the new MMRT. Nothing. No SDD, no RNRC, no TSM. I got ToT. For our Epcot day, I was able to get Soarin' a couple of days ago. I had no trouble getting EE for our AK day, and got one for KS yesterday, but no FOP. I can't get Space Mtn at all, nor BTMRR, or SDMT. I did get one for Splash Mtn. I'm going to try several times a day to see what I can get when people cancel.

My thought are that they are holding down capacity on purpose. When they start making a plan to reopen, hopefully more slots will open up. We booked on-site (our preference, anyway) in case they give priority to on-site guests. When I made our reservation on Friday, I told the CM that we were booking with fingers crossed that they'd be open by then. She said they were hoping for May.

 

[THE BARRON]

So Monday the 13th was our Fastpass time for June and we are staying June 12-21 and we chose to go to HS 3 days of our stay and I was able to get SD, MMRR, MF, along with the hot 2nd tiers, but I was unable to get FOP for our AK day, but this morning after about an hour I got it! So I feel very luck. Now we just wait to see if it will open.

 

[fly girl]

All these reports of people making FPs for 6/13-6/20 and not getting anything "good" make me realize I won't be able to get anything "decent" on my SHORT trip (6/16-6/20). Heck it may be so bad that even the "bad" FPs may be gone. Will I be stuck getting Muppets, Frozen Sing Along and Little Mermaid at DHS by the time Friday morning rolls around?

To NOT be able to get any DHS Tier 1 fast passes on any day of my trip (because they are apparently already gone TWO days before I can even attempt to make them) .. is EXTREMELY frustrating. Are there really THAT many people going the middle of June on 6+ day trips that fast passes for three rides at DHS on 6/19 and 6/20 are already ALL consumed?

This is why I don't like the "length of stay advantage. 60 days should be 60 days. Yes . .it would be a "pain" to make fast passes every morning for a week, but there would be a lot more equitable availability on these days since people from DAYS (or a week) before haven't already scooped up the "good" fast passes. Everyone going to the park on that day should get their fast passes at the same time .. just like everyone in the park at 8:00 AM for a Rise Boarding Group has equal chance. There isn't a way to get a boarding pass earlier than someone else. FPs should be the same way.

I never liked length of stay advantage either. And holy cow it is a HUGE disadvantage right now. We have our trip planned June 21-25, so I can't even make FP's for another week ... and they are already starting to go now. (but fwiw, I have never been a fan of FP+, DLR has the definite win with MaxPass.)

We never stay that long, WDW is not a long haul massive trip for us. It is a 2 hour plane ride away, and we prefer going a few times a year where we don't have to use up our vacation time from work. Plus, although we love WDW, we would be "Disney-ed out" by day 6. We go for short stints and maximize our time. I have no advantage for going twice a year onsite stays which I accepted ... until now. I am paying a premium to stay onsite too, and a huge benefit is FP's. But apparently that advantage no longer applies. That stinks. It just does.

 

[wilkydelts]

Those of you saying Disney is going to limit entrance to onsite only, I think is crazy. Disney would of had to make that announcement already for such a plan. Disney takes planning and requires booking resort rooms months out. They can not just suddenly tell everyone who has vacations planned you can not enter because you are not onsite. Disney is not inconsiderate which is why if that was the plan it would have been announced.

 

[Erica Ladd]

I don't have a problem with Disney giving people with longer stays an advantage by booking 60+ FP...after all they are staying longer and most likely paying more for it. And this is coming from someone who has only taken 3 or 4 night trips.

 

[fly girl]

Those of you saying Disney is going to limit entrance to onsite only, I think is crazy. Disney would of had to make that announcement already for such a plan. Disney takes planning and requires booking resort rooms months out. They can not just suddenly tell everyone who has vacations planned you can not enter because you are not onsite. Disney is not inconsiderate which is why if that was the plan it would have been announced.

I think everyone is throwing out theories. It would be hard, esp with AP's. Honestly, I don't even know if Disney knows how they are going to handle all of this. When they have a definitive plan my guess is that they will share it. Especially if it reduces the chances of visitors staying offsite entering the parks. I don't think they are at that stage yet. I don't believe if they had a sure fire plan in the works they would intentionally hold back crucial information that could impact guests staying both off and on site. No way. I imagine their plans change constantly, too many pieces in the puzzle to put into place.

However, if you were an onsite guest and denied entry into a park because they reached capacity at 9am by letting everyone in, I could see an issue. I am already irritated I paid a premium to stay onsite and my FP+ selections will not be available. Imagine that double whammy!? Poor guest relations will be dealing with very unhappy people who just dropped a large sum of money and couldn't even enjoy a park? Oh boy ...

IDK. It is such a delicate balance of creating a safe environment, providing a premium product, all the while turning a profit with a largely reduced capacity. Not easy. Not envying their status. People are going to be unhappy no matter what they decide.

 

[fly girl]

I don't have a problem with Disney giving people with longer stays an advantage by booking 60+ FP...after all they are staying longer and most likely paying more for it. And this is coming from someone who has only taken 3 or 4 night trips.

I understand they are paying more, but if I have 2 trips a year for 5 night stays I get zero advantage for multiple bookings and I am paying the same price.

Yes, I chose to not stay 10+ nights. It is too much for our family. I always accepted that it is what it is. But now, with my upcoming trip, and knowing I will most likely not get any headliners ... yeah, I'm irritated. A FP+ for Living with the Land at 6:30pm is not an onsite advantage.

 

[tlmadden73]

I never liked length of stay advantage either. And holy cow it is a HUGE disadvantage right now. We have our trip planned June 21-25, so I can't even make FP's for another week ... and they are already starting to go now. (but fwiw, I have never been a fan of FP+, DLR has the definite win with MaxPass.)

We never stay that long, WDW is not a long haul massive trip for us. It is a 2 hour plane ride away, and we prefer going a few times a year where we don't have to use up our vacation time from work. Plus, although we love WDW, we would be "Disney-ed out" by day 6. We go for short stints and maximize our time. I have no advantage for going twice a year onsite stays which I accepted ... until now. I am paying a premium to stay onsite too, and a huge benefit is FP's. But apparently that advantage no longer applies. That stinks. It just does.

Agree .. we are the same way (9 hour drive or VERY short flight (not direct, so we always drive).

It's not like someone pays "MORE" for a 1 long trip a year over 2 shorter trips, you probably pay more for the shorter trips (because two sets of 4-day tickets is more expensive than an 8-day ticket), but don't have the "long stay" advantage.

So the issue I have with it .. if I choose to stay on-site for two trips of 4 nights each, I may have ZERO chance of getting a FP for a high-demand attraction for both trips. But if took one 8-day trip, I'd easily be able to get most of the high-demand FPs near the end of my trip. So .. it just isn't getting worth it to stay on-site for short stays, for the FP+ advantage.

It just needs fixed ... even if you have a long trip, you are sorta forced to get those FPs at the tail end of your trip, not necessarily when you'd want them (Day 1 or 2).

Though I suspect the FP system as we know it could potentially change altogether because of the success of things like MaxPass or virtual queues.

People are going to be unhappy no matter what they decide.

So very true.

 

[AtlantaDisneyDreamer]

Those of you saying Disney is going to limit entrance to onsite only, I think is crazy. Disney would of had to make that announcement already for such a plan. Disney takes planning and requires booking resort rooms months out. They can not just suddenly tell everyone who has vacations planned you can not enter because you are not onsite. Disney is not inconsiderate which is why if that was the plan it would have been announced.

It may sound unusual, but this entire situation is unusual. They might have to tell everyone who has a June reservation- people who booked a year ago, people who got up early to make dining and fastpass reservations, people who have spent hours planning- that they can't come because the entire resort is closed. They already did that for half of March and all of April. It wasn't really inconsiderate. It was requisite.

Maybe they won't say that no people from off site can come. But if they are forced to operate at reduced capacity, which they could be due to state mandates or to low staffing, then they will give priority entrance to on-site guests and passholders, as they always have when it comes to capacity issues.

Phase 3 closures allow in the following:
Phase 3 Closure
The only guests allowed through the turnstiles and into the parking lots are:

• Those staying at a Disney Resort
• Annual Passholders
• Those with in-park reservations or appointments.

I wonder if we could see some phase 3 or even 4 type closures at the parks due to limited capacity issues.

 

[AtlantaDisneyDreamer]

I understand they are paying more, but if I have 2 trips a year for 5 night stays I get zero advantage for multiple bookings and I am paying the same price.

Yes, I chose to not stay 10+ nights. It is too much for our family. I always accepted that it is what it is. But now, with my upcoming trip, and knowing I will most likely not get any headliners ... yeah, I'm irritated. A FP+ for Living with the Land at 6:30pm is not an onsite advantage.

I think they do it because of the big inconvenience to people who have to get up early or change their morning plans ten days (or four days or six days or however long their stay is) in a row so they can make fastpass reservations. It makes sense to let people make all of their reservations at once.

 

[fly girl]

I think they do it because of the big inconvenience to people who have to get up early or change their morning plans ten days (or four days or six days or however long their stay is) in a row so they can make fastpass reservations. It makes sense to let people make all of their reservations at once.

I understand that, I know it is a huge ball of nerves 6:58am on your 60 day window. But it gives a sweet advantage to longer bookings. In that regard, if you do multiple stays you should receive that type of cushion too. Maybe, your window opens at 70+ days on your second visit so you are guaranteed the headliners like extended stay guests receive? No bone is being thrown to the multiple visit guests. Does that make sense?

It has never really bothered me this much until now. Yes, it is unprecedented times but when I looked back and really thought about it, it really is a significant disadvantage to those that stagger trips throughout the year.

 

[OKWFan88]

I have always taken shorter trips but this trip we are staying longer, 14 days. Each family and situation is different when it comes to length of stay. I can certainly understand the frustration for those with shorter trips and being hit with a smaller selection of FP vs those with longer trips who might have a better selection, but that is the way the system is set up. Disney is my happy place whether I have good or bad FP selections. We still don't even know how the parks will be come June. I wouldn't be surprised if our trip gets cancelled, but regardless, something is going on with the lack of FP's being available in June.

 

[wilkydelts]

It does seem that some people are arguing different things at this point whether it be the set up of the fast pass system or that this is a long term problem. I say this as a reminder to stay on topic so mods don't close or move this thread because it is important to see what people are able to book for FP+

Please remember to focus on the fact that Disney is still not technically open and until we hear about FP+ availablity issues for over 3 or so months it is not a trend. We are still only in mid-June windows

 

[DisSurfer878]

That is the length of stay advantage though.
Likewise, with a 4 day stay you have an advantage over those with a 1,2, or 3 day stays that occurs during the latter part of your trip. It's all relative.

I'm not sure what the solution would be for that? Daily booking of fastpasses? That would be horrendous.
I don't see a problem with length of stay advantage personally.

I'm watching this thread closely though as seeing how FP availability is and what they do with park operations will definitely have an impact on if we keep our trip or not.

It works in California. I know WDW diehards who rave about the Maxpass, and wish it would replace FP+. Even ones on these boards.

 

[DisSurfer878]

Yeah, many ideas on this thread but my gut is telling me it is going to be a combo of things. Unless i hear differently from Disney themselves, i haven't seen anything or anyone that could make me think otherwise.
All parks and Disney resorts will open on June 1st only allowing 30-60% max capacity per day. I can almost guarantee they are not at that yet. too many scared or cancelled or rescheduled already, deservedly so.
you will go through temp control 'tunnel' to get your non-contact temperature checked. anything above 100.4 you will not be allowed in.
fastpass availability will be at 30-60% as normal, spaced out with circles everywhere 6 feet apart for people to stand
Standby lines will only be allowed to be 30-60% length as normal, having circle everywhere that are spaced 6 feet apart for people to stand
Total ride rates for each day will be close to half due to spacing and/or cleaning they will do after each ride before new riders get in seats
shows/meet and greet/dinners/etc with close contact will be either canceled or spaced out to only allow 30-60% capacity

That is June and July IMO

I agree-except stopping to clean each vehicle between people. Short of having some sort of industrial lysol mister, there is no way this is feasible. Disney would also be opening themselves up to liability because so many people have chemical and fragrance allergies. Also, certain continuous moving rides (Peter Pan) can't actually be stopped without shutting off the whole ride. Big discussion about that over on the disabilities board recently.

 

[DisSurfer878]

Our dates are 13-20 June and we had the same experience. What I found the oddest was Thunder Mountain availability - not one day, not one time.... huh? Its not scheduled for refurb, its not new or particularly popular. This alone tells me something is going on with FP+ that might make us reconsider our trip. My theory, sorry if this one has already been put out there - is that Disney is going to announce they are opening in June but may not make that announcement until May. If this happened with a "normal" availability of FP for us in April then NOTHING would be left for people making reservations in May for June only a few weeks away. So Disney is "fencing" a significant portion of FP reservations until that announcement is made....

Big Thunder Mountain IS scheduled for a refurb. The last two weeks of May. Speculation is that it will be pushed into early June due to current situation.