LOVE or HATE FP+ Anyone's mind been changed ??

[tweak89]

cakebaker can answer for herself, but for me the answer is that making maximum use of paper FP required being in the same park for much of the day. You refer to pulling one for later in the day and pulling others all day, but that has no value if you aren't planning on being in the park all day. As I said in my response to Jimmy V, if you wanted to take a break from a crowded and/or hot park in the middle of the afternoon, you wouldn't be in a position to use FP's available late in the morning or to pull them for use later. And, the more crowded the park, the less flexible paper FP became. For those of us who usually have to visit at Easter or Christmas, paper FP was never very flexible.

This is the other side of the question that I have about how people can feel like FP+ makes them feel like they have their whole day scheduled to the minute. When I make those FP+ reservations for later in the day, it frees up the rest of the day to do something else. This thread provides a lot of examples of what people might choose to do with that time.

For me (and only me, not anyone else in this thread) the advantage of legacy FP is that when you switched parks there was a very good chance that FP's would be available for pretty much anything. There are always exceptions like TSMM and Soarin', but other than that there were usually no issues for us and we would pull FP's until we were ready to head home. If we switched parks it would be around mid-day for us so that's obviously going to impact availability. We also traveled during moderate to heavy times but never had issues riding anything multiple times unless that ride broke down. And, before someone brings it up, we had no "runners". It just happened organically for us.

As to your second question. While it is only 3 FP+ reservations, that tie up at minimum 3 hours (depending on how closely you are able to schedule them and when you actually make it to the ride). That in and of itself is not the problem for ME. It's when it's pouring rain, or the crowds are not what was expected. With legacy FP we just turned around and headed to another park. If we got there (the other park) an hour or two after opening WE (in our experience) would have our pick of FP rides. What would our choices be at the new park if we did that with FP+? If we wanted to try another park and come back to our FP+ reservations then we WOULD NOT be able to pull any new FP reservations until we went back to our original park and used them. Sure, we could tough it out in the original park, but that's not how we have toured around in the past. And, since you are scheduling so far in advance there is no way to predict if you made the right choice in timing your FP+ reservations. I tried to make ours by taking into account our past riding habits from our previous visits and am hoping for the best.

So, that's how this change will impact US on OUR next visit next month. Will it be horrible like some have experienced? Will it be the greatest thing ever? Who knows, but whatever we experience is what WE EXPERIENCE. There is no wrong or right, and I think that's what some folks on these boards don't get. YOU tour how YOU like, WE tour how WE like and so on and on and on.

But, then again, if people actually did (respect someone else's experience instead of telling them how great/horrible it is if you do what they do/did) that these forums would be dead!

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I agree with this. It doesn't change much at all, in terms of one's ability to plan. But what it does change is my wait time at non-headliner attractions; changes my ability to get repeat FPs for headliners; and changes my ability to get FPs for all the rides of my choosing outside of the construct of tiers. So what it boils down to is that the "positives" of FP+ could have easily been replicated by good planning under FP-, and the negatives of FP+ are impossible to shake off. We all just now have to adjust to those changes with no ability to work around them.

This entire debate is now silly. The pros and cons have been laid out and placed on the balance scale. Some people prefer to lock in a FP time of 2:00 p.m. for Test Track 60 days in advance with the click of a mouse and find that this is a great benefit to them as they:

• know that they will be able to get on the ride...weather permitting, (which they cannot predict 60 days in advance);
• know that FPs will not run out;
• know that they will not need a "runner";

The people who value the above also understand that with these benefits come the side effects of:

• having to wait in a long line for Soarin' (unless they get to the park for RD);
• not being able to get a second FP for Test Track
• not being able to get a FP earlier in the day if it appears that their plans are changing;
• having to wait in longer lines at other attractions.

These are the trade-offs that people make. There is nothing "wrong" or irrational in people favoring the "positives" listed above over the negatives.

Other people find little value in the benefits of FP+ because with FP- they could have:

• gotten a FP for Test Track with a return time of 2:00 p.m. by walking over to a machine at around 10:30;
• knew that when they woke up that morning, all FPs were available to them and that nothing was off limits;
• knew that if the weather was not cooperating, they could skip Test Track and gotten a FP for Soarin' instead;
• could have gotten a FP for Soarin' in addition to the one they got for Test Track.

And these people understood that with these benefits came the side effects of:

• perhaps needing a runner to get their FPs;
• perhaps getting a return time that varied by 10 or 15 minutes off of their predicted return time;
• having to be in the park before noon to get their FPs.

There is nothing in any of that that makes such people "wrong" or irrational for favoring these positives over these negatives.

So let's stop pretending that FP+ is some miraculous technological advancement beyond that which it is, which is an electronic way of doing what one used to do on foot. My days at WDW haven't really changed all that much except that I have to use RD now as a mandatory touring strategy at tiered parks. Beyond that one change, I am not getting anything more out of FP+ that I didn't get out of FP-. And FP- did give me things that I now cannot get out of FP+. But I recognize that this latter point is one of usage numbers. I got more because others got less. Such is life. If your department awards performance bonuses out of a collective pool of money, every dollar that you get is because someone else didn't get it. Personally, I have no remorse for the people under FP- who didn't "get", and, as a result, allowed me to achieve more.

It seems you are hung up on a 60 day booking window, crowd conditions aside that may restrict availability--I have been playing around MDE and have been able to find most options available well within the 60 day window. I even found Christmas Day within a 2 week window. Mine train was the only ride not available (that I recall--but you can go and check the threads about someone planning a last minute Christmas visit and a few of us were posting our findings). I do not count meet and greets or parades and fireworks as those were not options in the paper system. So the ability to be able or not be able to get them would be irrelevant.

So one might suggest that the continued focus on the 60 days is a flawed argument because it has been shown many times that with very few exceptions, that this is not a requirement.

For the last several weeks, depending on the time of day I have checked, I have found almost everything at 30 days. Anna and Elsa is only thing that I never see as available.

As for FP- theoretically all are available--but truly only your first option would be. The rest of the availability is contingent upon that day's variables. So it is flawed to suggest that this is better because it may be better for one but not the other.

I have yet to see anyone claim FP+ is a miracle. It would be great if people not claim that others are claiming this.

Remember--while you feel you have to use rope drop now as a necessary touring strategy when you did not before, there is another guest with the opposite problem.

I have used rope drop since the 80s, for example. With no FP, with FP-, with FP+. And it has appeared in touring strategies during all three phases. It is not an original unique side effect of FP+.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Quick question. How do you do just one fast pass at a time? I did it last night for our trip this weekend and when selecting only one ride three fast passes come up. I don't want to do all three. Just the ones I want. Any help will be appreciated.

Pick the one you want. They will default to adding there others. Pick the option that suits you best for the one you want and book. Since you do not want the other two, I would change the times to as early in the day as possible so that they will clear sooner allowing a 4th option should you change your mind at the same park or a different park.

 

[dayvewc]

Tomorrow is a "2" per EasyWDW. I just pulled up FP's for HS for a party of three and was surprised to see that "FastPass+ Distribution Has Ended for Selected Day" for both TSMM and ToT.


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Hmmmm, maybe it is the difference between pulling for 1 and for 3, but ...



Just now.

 

[cakebaker]

"None", as in, "not a single one for any ride whatsoever"? I agree with you. That would not be the case.
"None" as in, "we decided to go to DHS at the last minute and there were none for TSMM"? Then I agree with disney08.

I agree that there are 2 rides in all of WDW you can count on most likely not being available 24 hrs in advance. The one you chose and SDMT. But 2 rides in the entirety of WDW does not come close to "none". None is pretty easily defined and hard to misunderstand.

Does that mean there won't ever be anything else out of supply? Nope. Just like Soarin' wasn't always out by noon- but sometimes it was.

 

[jade1]

Just booked BLT 2BR for a coworker in July.

FIL is retiring and taking the 2 kids (adults/married) and 3 kids under 3. What? Yep 6 months, 1 year and 2 and 1/2. Pulling the once in a life time trigger too early but that's what he wants. None have been to WDW ever.

I will be helping them with FP+.

The only thing they know for sure-is the 2 adult kids (couples) will be going out each night and G&G will be watching the youngsters, currently they go to bed early.

They will play every AM by ear (ie CLEAN SLATE), how the little ones slept, if everyone is up and at it, maybe just take the 2 yo to MK or AK wherever.

They also plan every afternoon at the resort, by the pool, sleeping in the room-and know it will rain around 4PM every day anyway.

So now-I can equip those 4 with up to 6 FP+'s each for the evenings, meaning TT and Soarin on EPCOT nights, and TSM and RNR and Fantasmic on DHS nights, will prob do a few nights at MK since they are a few minutes walk back to the kids, so that will be 2 7DMT each.

I picture the old days with FP-, is it just me or will this be a planet alignment (FP+) for this group?

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Hmmmm, maybe it is the difference between pulling for 1 and for 3, but ...

View attachment 79538

Just now.

I couldn't find for 2. I just checked. But it is after noon already. So I am not actually surprised at all.

And if it were indeed a crowd level 2 day, I would go old school and rope drop it and have both rides done within the first hour if park opening. Starting with Toy story first. Paper fast passes would prove to be unnecessary, right?

 

[cakebaker]

Tomorrow is a "2" per EasyWDW. I just pulled up FP's for HS for a party of three and was surprised to see that "FastPass+ Distribution Has Ended for Selected Day" for both TSMM and ToT.


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And if you choose for 2, they're both open.

 

[cakebaker]

I couldn't find for 2. I just checked. But it is after noon already. So I am not actually surprised at all.

And if it were indeed a crowd level 2 day, I would go old school and rope drop it and have both rides done within the first hour if park opening. Starting with Toy story first. Paper fast passes would prove to be unnecessary, right?

Odd, I just did this and got 2.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Odd, I just did this and got 2.

Curses! Lol.

Just checked again. TOT yes. Toy story no.

TOT only in 3:05 hour.

 

[JimmyV]

If I read your response correctly, you are basically giving the nod that "yeah, you've actually got a pretty cool day there... it's possible because of FP+ and some other good strategies, and I really could not replicate that under FP-...

Not saying that at all. I am saying that I could replicate your "awesome" day, quite easily in fact. Maybe the times woul match. Maybe they wouldn't. But that is not relevant. There is nothing that you could do on your awesome day that I would have been precluded from doing. And then, after your awesome day was over, I would invite you to take your smartphone with you and join me at Epcot for my awesome day. And I would get a FP for both Soarin' and Test Track. And I would watch as you struggle to accomplish the same thing.

 

[Laketravis]

But the number was "3" - "3" was the number. There are "3" of us, thus the number "3".

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[erc]

Is it a HS thing? This was the result of booking FP+ at 8PM the night before Epcot on Feb. 19 listed as a level 8 day on easywdw:

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

But the number was "3" - "3" was the number. There are "3" of us, thus the number "3".

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We know.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Is it a HS thing? This was the result of booking FP+ at 8PM the night before Epcot on Feb. 19 listed as a level 8 day on easywdw:

View attachment 79539

I am going to hypothesize that the crowd prediction is wrong.

 

[Laketravis]

Just tried again:



Certainly seems odd that on a Wednesday in late February both TSMM and ToT would no longer be available the day before for 3. So much for any FP's being "held back".


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[JimmyV]

It seems you are hung up on a 60 day booking window, crowd conditions aside that may restrict availability--I have been playing around MDE and have been able to find most options available well within the 60 day window.

This is bound to change over time. When PS was first introduced, you could get any table at any restaurant at any time. And then people started to figure out the system, and pretty soon, things went "viral" (in the pre-viral age). Before long, you had to be on the phone dialing like a mad person at 6:57 in hopes of getting breakfast at CRT. By 7:04 a.m., every table was gone. As time marches forward, the 60 day window is going to be less and less of a "luxury" and more and more of "the standard". It cannot be helped. We are only 8 months into this. Five years from now, 60 days will be pretty much required for headliners.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

DHS closes at 7 tomorrow.

 

[YesMickey]

Pick the one you want. They will default to adding there others. Pick the option that suits you best for the one you want and book. Since you do not want the other two, I would change the times to as early in the day as possible so that they will clear sooner allowing a 4th option should you change your mind at the same park or a different park.

That is a terrible system. I have one day at one park in which I only want one fast pass for one ride and two other ones show up. I would much rather get the one fast pass and then get others while at the park. Very bad system in which you have to take two fast passes for rides you can either walk up to or won't ride at all and you only get one more the rest of the day. I think I will just wing it when I get there. What is the difference between having no fast passes and two you won't use?

 

[dayvewc]

But the number was "3" - "3" was the number. There are "3" of us, thus the number "3".

.

I know, it is why I said it could be the difference in booking for 1 vs 3. Which, could mean that if you book 1 at a time (yeah, it takes a bit longer) you could then manipulate them to overlapping times.