Land or World? Opinions from recent FP+ users...

[tweak89]

Ok, I'm in the process of pulling the trigger on another Disney vacation. It will be 5 days at Disneyland (at the Paradise Pier) or Disney World (Port Orleans Riverside).

It's been over 3 years since our last visit to Disney World. In that time we have visited Disney Paris, Disney California and Universal Orlando (twice). Almost all the feedback on the new FP+ system (at least that I have read) has been negative. Our visits to Universal Orlando have also spoiled us with the unlimited fast pass system they have for resort guests.

So, for those of you that have recently experienced the FP+ system (and I say recent since it will likely be what we experience if we end up going there) given the choice between Disneyland and the old FP system and World and the FP+ system, what would you choose?

I'm mainly worried about losing the ability to move through different parks each day with what would have been minimal wait times under the old system. Also, this would be the first trip to either park for my niece (17) and nephew (21) and want them to have a great experience (they LOVED having basically no wait times for any ride at Universal).

 

[IWannaBuildASnowman]

We were there in December for the third year in a row and I have to say, I really liked the FP+ system. And I was someone who wanted to kill it with fire last year.

My key, I think, to getting the most out of the FP+ system was to monitor wait times in the weeks leading up to your trip. Just check the parks and see what's busiest and what's not and set your priorities for FPs. Once you get your FPs, if you don't like the times, keep stalking the system to see if you can get a better time. It does kill spontaneity (as do ADRs) but it kept our holiday moving. I do not do lines, so we got to do things we wouldn't have done if we'd had to wait two standby hours.

So for us, the FP+ was an almost universal win.

 

[SeilerBird]

I feel the backlash against FP+ is totally unwarranted. I use it all the time and love it. The only other option is standing in long lines in the heat and humidity. Don't make any decisions on FP+ until you have used it yourself.

 

[tweak89]

And I was someone who wanted to kill it with fire last year.

What changed your opinion? Just getting used to it, or something else? I think all the horror stories of hour long FP+ wait times for the Mine Train and other issues may have me more worried than I should be.

We actually not even considering WDW, but some major rides will be closed for refurb during our visit at DL (Soarin, Matterhorn, Jungle Cruise, Splash Mountain, Peter Pan and a few others) so that took a little of the wind out of that sail.

 

[wareagle57]

Honestly, I didn't hate FP+ IN THE PARKS as much as I thought I would. The biggest downside to me was that we couldn't get FP for both TT and Soarin or both RnR and TSMM. I would have liked to rode TT multiple times but FP+ kind of makes that impossible now. But other than that, I didn't feel like it took away from any enjoyment while there.

Now the planning on the other hand... That made things really stressful. I didn't like the fact taht I had to nail down which park I was going to be in and having to worry about hours changing.

 

[DebbieB]

I hate to bring this up but I read earlier this week that there are plans to rollout the my magic plus to DL.

 

[mom2rtk]

If you want a FP+ free vacation, your options could soon become even more limited. They just announced magic bands are coming to DLR in 2016. No word on whether that includes FP+, but I can't imagine it won't. So why not head west for one last shot at legacy FP?

Besides, DLR is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, and will roll out a new night parade, new fireworks show and updated World of Color. They are sprucing up the parks in a big way this spring. I can't wait to visit next fall!

We stayed at the Paradise Pier a few weeks ago and loved being within walking distance of the parks.

 

[Angel Ariel]

Ok, I'm in the process of pulling the trigger on another Disney vacation. It will be 5 days at Disneyland (at the Paradise Pier) or Disney World (Port Orleans Riverside).

It's been over 3 years since our last visit to Disney World. In that time we have visited Disney Paris, Disney California and Universal Orlando (twice). Almost all the feedback on the new FP+ system (at least that I have read) has been negative. Our visits to Universal Orlando have also spoiled us with the unlimited fast pass system they have for resort guests.

So, for those of you that have recently experienced the FP+ system (and I say recent since it will likely be what we experience if we end up going there) given the choice between Disneyland and the old FP system and World and the FP+ system, what would you choose?

I'm mainly worried about losing the ability to move through different parks each day with what would have been minimal wait times under the old system. Also, this would be the first trip to either park for my niece (17) and nephew (21) and want them to have a great experience (they LOVED having basically no wait times for any ride at Universal).

I would head to DLR,personally. But I really want to see Carsland and the new DCA now that it's all done being refurbed (there were a ton of walls up the last time we were there)

ETA: I don't hate FP+, but I don't love it. I'm pretty much at "meh" about it. We found it worked well on arrival day (well,basically any day you weren't getting to the parks early), but outside of that we felt it was more restricting than we like to have our park time be. I love the more relaxed approach at DLR (for everything, even meals!), and would love to head out there next if we could.

 

[prudence64]

I've never been to Disneyland, so can't judge there. But, we found our trip with FP + to be less stressful than our trip with the old system. We didn't have any problems moving things around when we wanted to and I liked being able to do TSMM when we wanted to do it instead of when we were told to come back hours later.

We are not ones to ride the same thing over and over again though. However, we did manage 3 rides on TOT, 8 on Star Wars, and 2 on Everest.

 

[tweak89]

I did read the article on some form of FP+ coming to DL. I wonder how well that will go over, because that is more of a "locals" park. I can't tell you how many folks we chatted with during our last visit that were locals that popped in to the park to ride a couple of rides here and there during the week as part of their daily routing.

Right now I'm comparing the ride closures at WDW vs DL. That could sway things as well as I want my niece and nephew to get as full an experience as possible.

Also, I know you can't do it officially, but is there anyplace to view FP+ ride reservation ability fora given date?

 

[IWannaBuildASnowman]

What changed your opinion? Just getting used to it, or something else? I think all the horror stories of hour long FP+ wait times for the Mine Train and other issues may have me more worried than I should be.

My main beef with FP+ was the staying onsite vs offsite. People staying onsite can book 60 days out, and people offsite 30. This means that if you're offsite, good luck seeing A&E or 7DMT - the FP+s are just gone. However, Disney gamed its own system, it seems - they dumped a whole load of FPs for both of these into the system within my 30 day window, so I snagged FPs. Then once I used it I really realized the advantage. I knew when I was going to be doing something within about an hour's range, so I could plan around it. After I used my initial 3, I also found it helped to use the 4th etc. to skip lines for rides that were now 30-40 minutes.

It's more organized and scheduled than people may initially like. But it works. And if it keeps me out of lines, I'm happy.

 

[BelleBeautyandtheBeast]

Either way you are at Disney!

I love the MagicBands at WDW. FP+ hasn't changed our touring style much, other than having to pick attractions and times in advance.

You can make FP+ adjustments as needed via the app or kiosk, which I really appreciate. We were able to ride Pooh (my favorite!) with little wait early in the morning so we swapped that FP+ for a different one via the app, for example.

I have not yet tried park hopping with FP+.

I did really enjoy the ease of collecting a FP at DL when we there in June. And walking from park to park was awesome.

Each park is special for different reasons.

 

[ethanwa]

I like Disney World better, and I think FP+ makes it even better. We moved from Seattle to Florida a little over a year ago and WDW was a big part of that. We have been to Disneyland many times but there just isn't as much to do.... we liked going on vacations for WEEKS (at WDW), not DAYS (at DL). So many resorts, restaurants, parks, water parks, etc etc.

And we LOVE FP+, especially as locals. It's made it so much easier to go on rides and skip lines. I HATED when we had to do rope drop and run from machine to machine to get more FastPasses before FP+. It was a big hassle and waste of time.

Ethan

 

[BrianL]

I was just at DL, but I did miss FP+. It would have come in handy for me. Really though, all that aside, I would go to whichever location you want to. If it's been a while since WDW, then FP+ is no reason to shy away. If you just like DL better, you can't go wrong there either. If it really comes down to just FP+, go ahead and give it a try.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

I think all the horror stories of hour long FP+ wait times for the Mine Train

Who has had hour long FP+ wait times for the mine train?

I've ridden it five times with FP+ and it took less than ten minutes from entrance to exit. Can't imagine what might make that wait 6 times as long, unless the ride breaks.

This means that if you're offsite, good luck seeing A&E or 7DMT - the FP+s are just gone.

Mine Train is currently available after February 7, even for those booking at 30 days. Don't know what times are available or for how many guests, the site running the searches looks for parties of 4. Anna and Elsa do regularly sell out to the 60 day folks.

 

[tweak89]

Who has had hour long FP+ wait times for the mine train?

This is why I asked for recent impressions. Some of the info was from FP+ reviews/comments and some was from direct communication from folks who went last year (and referenced this ride in particular).

 

[Mikie]

I think all the horror stories of hour long FP+ wait times for the Mine Train and other issues may have me more worried than I should be.

I went in October with FP+, so not sure if that was as recent as you want to hear, but I also hang around these boards quite a bit and I have never heard of long FP+ waits being any kind of problem.

One of my first questions was "is FP really fast?" Meaning, do you really have virtually no wait, or is it just shorter than a very long standby. The universal answer here, and it matched my own experience, was that FP takes you as long as it takes to walk through the queue and wait for maybe a couple of ride vehicles at most.

People have many reasons they complain about FP+, but I don't think this is one of them.

ETA I've never done Unversal, but from everything I've heard, nothing Disney has had before or now can match the unlimited front-of-the-line onsite guests can get there. FP+ may duplicate it for just those 3 rides, but you will definitely do *some* waiting at Disney!

 

[Networth]

World, for various reasons. My only issue with FP+ is the in ability to purchase more or remove tiering. Hear that Disney, willing to pay but I want RNRC and TSMM. Or if you would build more attractions at DHS and Epcot that would remove tiering on its own.

 

[Laketravis]

People have many reasons they complain about FP+, but I don't think this is one of them.

I'll echo that - I've been extremely analytical of FP+ since the early days of initial testing and of it's effects on the parks and guests, and I can honestly say I've never come across a 1 hour FP+ wait time for anything. Now, you've got a 1 hour window to use it - perhaps there was some confusion as to the meaning of that.

I've never done Unversal, but from everything I've heard, nothing Disney has had before or now can match the unlimited front-of-the-line onsite guests can get there. FP+ may duplicate it for just those 3 rides, but you will definitely do *some* waiting at Disney!

Universal's Express Pass isn't really front-of-the-line access. There is still a wait involved, it's typically a fraction of what the standby wait time is. For instance, if SB is 60 minutes then EP is most likely 10 minutes. Or 1/6th. The difference is that Universal uses a higher SB to EP ratio than Disney does.

So in that sense, WDW's FP system is actually more of a front-of-the-line system than Universal's is. I personally think WDW could adjust their SB to FP ratios more, let the FP wait times increase from almost zero now to a few minutes, and they could most likely reduce SB times substantially and allow for more than 3 FP's.

 

[Laketravis]

World, for various reasons. My only issue with FP+ is the in ability to purchase more or remove tiering. Hear that Disney, willing to pay but I want RNRC and TSMM. Or if you would build more attractions at DHS and Epcot that would remove tiering on its own.