Magical Day in MK Using 10 Fastpasses

[FLchick415]

The gist I get is once the 3rd one is used then you can get another one.

Yes

 

[Momma2PrinceNPrinces]

I guess I should clarify. I realize you can get a 4th once the 3 are used, but when can you get a 5th, 6th, etc? Do you always have to use the FP before getting another or is there a window of time like before? i.e...45 min wait between getting another FP....

 

[JimmyV]

I'm sure the nay-sayers will be coming in soon saying "Well, it was a slow time and the weather was bad. We'll see in the busy summer months."

I'm sure that there will be nay-sayers. There always are. But it is difficult to argue that there is any negative to how the OP was able to use the system. The argument that this was a slow time is hard to make when he was bypassing 35-45 minute SB lines with his FPs. I suppose a real nit picker could argue that he didn't use FPs to re-ride the Mountains, and it is unclear if that is because FPs were not available or because they chose not to. That would be an interesting nugget to find out. But he used FPs for:

• FP for Barnstormer for 1:50-2:50.
• FP for Dumbo for 2:20-3:20.
• FP for Winnie the Pooh for 2:50-3:50.
• FP for Pirates of the Carribean for 3:20-4:20.
• FP for Jungle Cruise for 4:25-5:25.
• FP for Buzz Lightyear for 5:15-6:15.
• FP for Rapzunel and Cinderella for 9:20-10:20.

Granted, those aren't the mountains, but those are some pretty sweet attractions. Nope. No negatives at all. As the OP points out, without the current rendition of FP+, he would have left the park in the middle of the afternoon due to the length of SB lines. And that is what the nay-sayers were really complaining about when FP+ was introduced. Now that Disney has seen the light and eliminated the afternoon frustration, it is hard to call this anything other than a win for the guest. Is it a win for Disney? Not sure. On my next trip, I hope to do exactly what the OP did here, each and every day. And when I do, my per day spending won't increase a dime over what we used to spend under legacy FP. So the financial viability of letting people return to their commando ways and use 10+ FPs per day is suspect. But I hope it holds.

 

[FLchick415]

I guess I should clarify. I realize you can get a 4th once the 3 are used, but when can you get a 5th, 6th, etc? Do you always have to use the FP before getting another or is there a window of time like before? i.e...45 min wait between getting another FP....

Yes, I believe you have to use the previous FP before getting another.

 

[snorkelyn]

I'm impressed! Nice work OP!

 

[ks-man]

I'm sure that there will be nay-sayers. There always are. But it is difficult to argue that there is any negative to how the OP was able to use the system. The argument that this was a slow time is hard to make when he was bypassing 35-45 minute SB lines with his FPs. I suppose a real nit picker could argue that he didn't use FPs to re-ride the Mountains, and it is unclear if that is because FPs were not available or because they chose not to. That would be an interesting nugget to find out. But he used FPs for:

• FP for Barnstormer for 1:50-2:50.
• FP for Dumbo for 2:20-3:20.
• FP for Winnie the Pooh for 2:50-3:50.
• FP for Pirates of the Carribean for 3:20-4:20.
• FP for Jungle Cruise for 4:25-5:25.
• FP for Buzz Lightyear for 5:15-6:15.
• FP for Rapzunel and Cinderella for 9:20-10:20.

Granted, those aren't the mountains, but those are some pretty sweet attractions. Nope. No negatives at all. As the OP points out, without the current rendition of FP+, he would have left the park in the middle of the afternoon due to the length of SB lines. And that is what the nay-sayers were really complaining about when FP+ was introduced. Now that Disney has seen the light and eliminated the afternoon frustration, it is hard to call this anything other than a win for the guest. Is it a win for Disney? Not sure. On my next trip, I hope to do exactly what the OP did here, each and every day. And when I do, my per day spending won't increase a dime over what we used to spend under legacy FP. So the financial viability of letting people return to their commando ways and use 10+ FPs per day is suspect. But I hope it holds.

Agreed, I think the biggest obstacle to a lot of people doing this will be the kiosks. If a ton of people start wanting to add afternoon FP+ then the lines for the kiosks will grow. The solution will be to let people book those new ones through their phone which initially could tax the system but will continue to get better and better overtime. This will lead to far more utilization of the afternoon FP+ for numbers 4+ but the convenience can't be ignored. My guess is the norm will be to have your regular 3 advance FP+ and capacity for about 5-7 total once it finally reaches an equilibrium.

During slow park days the potential for 10-15 FP+ could be there once you are booking through the phone which is pretty cool to think about. You could plan your next attraction while waiting in a 5 minute line for this attraction (already having used a FP+ or if you went standby) and pull out your phone and plan it out. A lot more convenient than getting to the kiosks and trying to figure out where you want to go now.

 

[johde]

I posted earlier in the week about my experience using extra FastPasses at the Magic Kingdom and promised to described my full day later on. Here is the breakdown of everything:

Mission: Maximizing fun for thrill-seeking 6 year old daughter. Meet and greet as many characters as possible on a moderately crowded day at Magic Kingdom

10:15-10:45: Walk to Space Mountain, ride standby (10 minute posted wait, actual wait 5 minutes), ride again using FP

(4) Rope drop matters. You can do so much early. Also, don't schedule your FastPasses too early (at least at MK) because they do not add value when everything is a walk on early. The 11-2 pm framework is the best bet.

Sounds like a great day. In line with your point 4, The one change I probably would have made, especially if I had a smart phone would have been possibly riding standby twice since the line was so short and hunting for a new FP+ then. I'll admit though it's a calculated risk. Moving now, you can use your smart phone and theoretically have more choices and may snag a headliner. On the downside, the earliest return time you could have picked would have been after A&E M&G FP+ time had expired. Once used though you could try to move the time up. Obviously it worked out great for you. But, as the expected crowds get busier something for everyone moving up the FP+'s to consider.

At EPCOT and DHS with the tiers, I look at it a little bit different. Burning a Tier 2 FP+ for a walk-on is no great loss because it brings you that much closer to being able to possible being able to book another Tier 1 FP+. If it's your Tier 1 FP+ that has a surprisingly short wait I'd definitely consider pushing it back or booking it's complement ie Soarin & TT or TSMM & RnR and waiting standby unless I'd already used my two Tier 2 FP+ and can book another Tier 1 as soon as I get off. Then I'm not sure it would be worth the risk of the line being significantly longer than the posted wait time.

 

[MikeandReneePlus5]

I'm sure that there will be nay-sayers. There always are. But it is difficult to argue that there is any negative to how the OP was able to use the system. The argument that this was a slow time is hard to make when he was bypassing 35-45 minute SB lines with his FPs. I suppose a real nit picker could argue that he didn't use FPs to re-ride the Mountains, and it is unclear if that is because FPs were not available or because they chose not to. That would be an interesting nugget to find out. But he used FPs for:

• FP for Barnstormer for 1:50-2:50.
• FP for Dumbo for 2:20-3:20.
• FP for Winnie the Pooh for 2:50-3:50.
• FP for Pirates of the Carribean for 3:20-4:20.
• FP for Jungle Cruise for 4:25-5:25.
• FP for Buzz Lightyear for 5:15-6:15.
• FP for Rapzunel and Cinderella for 9:20-10:20.

Granted, those aren't the mountains, but those are some pretty sweet attractions. Nope. No negatives at all. As the OP points out, without the current rendition of FP+, he would have left the park in the middle of the afternoon due to the length of SB lines. And that is what the nay-sayers were really complaining about when FP+ was introduced. Now that Disney has seen the light and eliminated the afternoon frustration, it is hard to call this anything other than a win for the guest. Is it a win for Disney? Not sure. On my next trip, I hope to do exactly what the OP did here, each and every day. And when I do, my per day spending won't increase a dime over what we used to spend under legacy FP. So the financial viability of letting people return to their commando ways and use 10+ FPs per day is suspect. But I hope it holds.

If I was on the FP+ team, I could absolutely imagine myself sitting around a conference room table with you and some others and coming to the conclusion that it's pretty much impossible to get the commando to spend more money than he or she already is by frequenting Disney as often as they do.

so cut that group loose, let em still commando, and let's go after the revenue for the folks who WILL spend more if they are wandering around vs standing in line.

win-win-win

 

[JimmyV]

This will lead to far more utilization of the afternoon FP+ for numbers 4+ but the convenience can't be ignored. My guess is the norm will be to have your regular 3 advance FP+ and capacity for about 5-7 total once it finally reaches an equilibrium.

This is exactly right. When FP+ was introduced in January with a limit of 3 per day, there were several posts about the "math" behind the new system, and no one was able to make out an argument for 7-10 FPs per day being sustainable on moderate to crowded days. Granted, people were focusing on the "E" Ticket attractions back then. But as Disney adds FP as an option to more and more attractions and experiences, the number of FPs per day may rise above what the math originally suggested, but many of those extra FPs are going to be for Keel Boats to Tom Sawyer's Island, Dole Whips and Meet and Greets with the Sheriff of Nottingham. Better than nothing, I suppose.

 

[JimmyV]

If I was on the FP+ team, I could absolutely imagine myself sitting around a conference room table with you and some others and coming to the conclusion that it's pretty much impossible to get the commando to spend more money than he or she already is by frequenting Disney as often as they do.

so cut that group loose, let em still commando, and let's go after the revenue for the folks who WILL spend more if they are wandering around vs standing in line.

win-win-win

That's exactly what I am thinking. As long as there are people waiting in those 45 minute lines, that proves that there are people who are not maximizing FP+ the way the OP did. And as long as the majority contiune to eschew the commando lifestyle, the financial model may work. Note that earnings report showed 4% increase in guest spending with MDE, but that much of that is attibuted to ticket price increases. The "MDE will cause people to spend more money" idea is slowly giving way to: "MDE will allow us to squeeze more people into the parks". Increased gate revenue is just as good for Disney as increased in-park spending.

 

[MikeandReneePlus5]

This is exactly right. When FP+ was introduced in January with a limit of 3 per day, there were several posts about the "math" behind the new system, and no one was able to make out an argument for 7-10 FPs per day being sustainable on moderate to crowded days. Granted, people were focusing on the "E" Ticket attractions back then. But as Disney adds FP as an option to more and more attractions and experiences, the number of FPs per day may rise above what the math originally suggested, but many of those extra FPs are going to be for Keel Boats to Tom Sawyer's Island, Dole Whips and Meet and Greets with the Sheriff of Nottingham. Better than nothing, I suppose.

dole whip could actually be pretty valuable lots of days.....

 

[JimmyV]

dole whip could actually be pretty valuable lots of days.....

I was only half kidding. If you assume that many of the most crowded days are also hot days, getting a FP for a Dole Whip would make a lot of sense. When you see it introduced in a few months, you will know who to thank!

 

[elaine amj]

Isn't one of the goals of FP+ to redistribute some of the lineups to increase park capacity? If they can use this to increase the number of guests experiencing the less popular attractions, that would be a win since the park can then handle more people.

OP: You are amazing!! I love how detailed you were too. I'm subscribing since this will be the perfect thread for nitty gritty planning!

 

[Daddy Mack]

I am glad you had such a great day! Your plan sounds very similar to the strategy I intend to use when we visit in September. We have an early Crystal Palace ADR, and I think we will start in Frontierland since the masses seem to race to Fantasyland. Just curious, did you base your strategy on Josh's touring plan from easywdw? It is structured the same way, and is the framework for my plan.

I played with different plans on Touring Plans entering pretty much everything we ended up actually doing. The software there kept recommending starting with Under the Sea and then Ariel's Grotto. I really felt, however, that the best bet was to start with BMTR. One of the drawbacks of touring software (at least the one I know about) is that it cannot account for intensity of preference. For example, if we had missed Ariel and Under the Sea, that wouldn't have been the end of the world, but we absolutely had to ride BTMR and Space Mountain twice. So I went with my gut, and I accomplished in the first hour and fifteen minutes what I thought I would (BTMR 2x, Splash, HM, and IASW).

 

[Daddy Mack]

What did you do the next day? Wow this is a lot of stuff for anybody. With a 6 yo this is amazing. I'm wondering if your 6 y/o and yourself had anything left in the tank to do anything the next day.

Next day we did the Princess Tea Party at 10:30 at the Grand Floridian. Then afternoon at the pool, time at Downtown Disney, and went to an indoor trampoline place near Universal. If we were going to a park on that day, we would've rope dropped somewhere (despite our tiredness), but we would have come back a few hours later to rest.

 

[Daddy Mack]

How do the kiosks work? Does everyone in the party have to be there with MBs it can your group have a runner?

Everyone does not have to be there, but I do not know if everyone in the party has the ability to make FP reservations for everyone else or if people have to be designated for that specific purpose.

 

[ArwenMarie]

Next day we did the Princess Tea Party at 10:30 at the Grand Floridian. Then afternoon at the pool, time at Downtown Disney, and went to an indoor trampoline place near Universal. If we were going to a park on that day, we would've rope dropped somewhere (despite our tiredness), but we would have come back a few hours later to rest.

Off topic, but how was that Princess Tea Party? It looks cute.

 

[Daddy Mack]

Sounds like a great day. In line with your point 4, The one change I probably would have made, especially if I had a smart phone would have been possibly riding standby twice since the line was so short and hunting for a new FP+ then. I'll admit though it's a calculated risk. Moving now, you can use your smart phone and theoretically have more choices and may snag a headliner. On the downside, the earliest return time you could have picked would have been after A&E M&G FP+ time had expired. Once used though you could try to move the time up. Obviously it worked out great for you. But, as the expected crowds get busier something for everyone moving up the FP+'s to consider.

At EPCOT and DHS with the tiers, I look at it a little bit different. Burning a Tier 2 FP+ for a walk-on is no great loss because it brings you that much closer to being able to possible being able to book another Tier 1 FP+. If it's your Tier 1 FP+ that has a surprisingly short wait I'd definitely consider pushing it back or booking it's complement ie Soarin & TT or TSMM & RnR and waiting standby unless I'd already used my two Tier 2 FP+ and can book another Tier 1 as soon as I get off. Then I'm not sure it would be worth the risk of the line being significantly longer than the posted wait time.

I agree totally with this. The more I have analyzed it, I think the play is to schedule FPs for MK and AK in the 11-2 pm range and then book extras as the day progresses. For HS and Epcot, I would book the FPs as early as possible in order to open up the gates to the other Tier 1 as soon as you can. Being locked out before the fact changes the strategy dramtically.

 

[JimmyV]

Isn't one of the goals of FP+ to redistribute some of the lineups to increase park capacity? If they can use this to increase the number of guests experiencing the less popular attractions, that would be a win since the park can then handle more people.

That only works on paper. Not all attractions are created equal. If Space Mountain can sustain a 90 minute wait, and you move 30 minutes worth of those people to another attraction, then you have freed up space for 30 minutes more worth of people to line up for Space Mountain. But that only works if you have a second attraction worth waiting 30 minutes for. In practice, there are certain rides that people simply have no patience waiting for, so you will never be able to shift the crowds over to those attractions beyond the natural (or emotional) breaking point of the line. Try as you might, you will never get people to wait 45 minutes to ride the Tea Cups. So you will hit a limit as to how you can redistribute the crowds.

In truth, the best crowd redistributing strategy is to add more attractions that people will want to ride. When people start queueing up for those new attractions, you will free up space at other attractions such that you can add more people into the park. The number of people who will have been "redistributed" to the 7DMT, A&E, ETWB, and Journey of the Little Mermaid will be far more impactful on the waits at other attractions than any artificial redistribution that FP+ can manufacture by trying to get you into line at the Tea Cups with a FP.

 

[glamdring269]

Thanks for sharing. I like that you were able to get a fastpass and rather then waiting in line could do other things like look around, shop, get snacks, just relax - rather then standing in line. I would love to get a FP for each ride I wanted to go on through the day before I got there and instead of waiting in lines in mid afternoon, having fun between FP ride times.

This is the way to go. If they want to maximize revenue then this is what really needs to happen. People waiting in standby can't spend money. People walking around, basically still in standby, certainly can.

I for one would much rather walk around holding a return time than weave through a standby line.

Kudos OP, you give me hope. Especially considering the crowd calendar when I'm visiting in October looks similar to what you're experiencing now.