MK feels different.

[Planogirl]

I don't get the whole "fairness" argument. As PPs have said Disney doesn't care about being fair, they care about making a profit. This is especially true in the on-site, off-site debate. Every business offers better incentives to customers that spend more, why should Disney be any different? Disney makes more money from people that stay on-site.

When offsite visitors pay less for their passes then I will agree that they should get a lesser experience in the themeparks. I believe that everyone pays the same for the themeparks and that people should be able to enjoy those parks in an equal way during regular operating hours. I realize that others don't agree.

 

[Tarheel girl 1975]

The problem with the old FP system was it catered to a certain demographic

The people I see arguing it was "great and fair" are in the demographic
1) agile enough to visit the same location twice in short order, but then able to quickly get to some other "fill in" ride
2) people who seem to like the challenge - getting the most out of the system
3) people who like to be goal driven
4) people who don't mind splitting up their party in order to hit the maximum number of fp's

Other demographics -
* people with disabilities
* people with small children
* parents who are trying to give the impression that a magical day at WDW is just that - not something to rush through.. more Carpe diem, less the goal is all that matters

i did not find the old FP model useful

I am a compulsive planner.. i did my homework on the parks 4 years ago. But realized dragging my 5 year old in circles in order to get that one additional FP ride would not make for a great trip

Over the last few trips, I've seen too much craziness - people stressed, rushing, yelling at their kids. All at the happiest place on earth(?)

I'm excited to try the new model.. While at home, I can take the time and plan out the day - leaving ample time to saunter from place to place. For my, now 9 year old, it can seem carefree

Hopefully this pre-planned experience will help some people slow down and enjoy the park

I don't think this argument holds water. I travelled to Disney when my children were small and my son is on the Autism Spectrum. Now we are lucky enough that we are usually able to go to Disney during less busy times of the year. We had pleanty of time to explore the magic of Disney in bwteen our fast pass return times. We didn't need to drag our kids all over. We would get a fast pass and then ride or do other things in the same area. Like grabbing a FPfor BTMRR or Splash and the heading over to Tom Sawyers Island.

Now, I'm dragging my kids across Animal Kingdom because 6 months ago I booked a FP for KS thinking would be in Africa by 11 am, but we're not and the only other time I can get a FP for is 4pm. (Or maybe not at all )

 

[johde]

I don't get how FP+ is "equal and fair" but FP- wasn't.

If 2 people work for the same company, but employee A shows up as soon as the office opens and works all day while employee B shows up a few hours later is it equal and fair they get paid the same total amount?

Effort being rewarded is hardly unfair or unequal. I understand Disney can do whatever they want, but to call FP- unfair makes no sense to me. It was always very fair and equal, but that doesn't mean everyone gets the same thing.

Let's change the situation slightly, let's say employee A works 9:00 to 6:00 and employee B works 11:00 to 8:00 and employee C works 4:00 to 1:00 a.m. Would it be Equal and Fair if Employee A got paid the most, Employee C got paid next best, and Employee B gets paid the worst. Because that's the reality of how people get "paid" when they visit the Magic Kingdom and the situation was exacerbated. The RD person got short standby lines and FP return times that were close together so they could pull more FP's and didn't need to crisscross the park. They got "paid" by being able to being able to ride the most rides in their 9 hours in the park.

The person who arrives at 11:00 arrives to longer standby lines and FP return lines several hours away necessitating crisscrossing . They wait in longer lines, get fewer FP's and get "paid" with the fewest attractions overall for their 9 hours in the park.

The person who arrives at 3:00 has long lines in the beginning and FP return times well in the future and probably FP's that are gone for popular attractions. But, as the hours tick by after the especially after the fireworks, the lines get shorter and shorter till eventually they are near walkons like the RD people had. They got more done than the 11:00 arrivals but not as much as the 9:00 arrivals because of fewer FP's.

Under FP+ all that's being equalized is access to the FP line. RD people and Late night people still have their advantages early morning and late night on the standby line. Continuing with hour analogy. Your first 3 FP+ have become a benefit of buying a ticket. Just like health insurance is a benefit is a benefit of full time employment. It doesn't matter if you work 30 hour a week or 80 hours a week you get the same health insurance benefit. What changes by being in the park longer and being in the park at the right time is experiencing more attraction through the standby line. Just like working more hours get's you more dollars in your paycheck not changes in your health insurance.

 

[JennaDeeDooDah]

Let's change the situation slightly, let's say employee A works 9:00 to 6:00 and employee B works 11:00 to 8:00 and employee C works 4:00 to 1:00 a.m. Would it be Equal and Fair if Employee A got paid the most, Employee C got paid next best, and Employee B gets paid the worst. Because that's the reality of how people get "paid" when they visit the Magic Kingdom and the situation was exacerbated. The RD person got short standby lines and FP return times that were close together so they could pull more FP's and didn't need to crisscross the park. They got "paid" by being able to being able to ride the most rides in their 9 hours in the park.

The person who arrives at 11:00 arrives to longer standby lines and FP return lines several hours away necessitating crisscrossing . They wait in longer lines, get fewer FP's and get "paid" with the fewest attractions overall for their 9 hours in the park.

The person who arrives at 3:00 has long lines in the beginning and FP return times well in the future and probably FP's that are gone for popular attractions. But, as the hours tick by after the especially after the fireworks, the lines get shorter and shorter till eventually they are near walkons like the RD people had. They got more done than the 11:00 arrivals but not as much as the 9:00 arrivals because of fewer FP's.

Under FP+ all that's being equalized is access to the FP line. RD people and Late night people still have their advantages early morning and late night on the standby line. Continuing with hour analogy. Your first 3 FP+ have become a benefit of buying a ticket. Just like health insurance is a benefit is a benefit of full time employment. It doesn't matter if you work 30 hour a week or 80 hours a week you get the same health insurance benefit. What changes by being in the park longer and being in the park at the right time is experiencing more attraction through the standby line. Just like working more hours get's you more dollars in your paycheck not changes in your health insurance.

Your situation is only similar if Employee B and Employee C have the option to work from 9-6 and receive the same pay as Employee A but choose to work 11-8 and 4-1 respectively.

 

[redsbe]

"I went last week and it does feel that they are jamming people into MK"

WDW does not "jam" more people into the parks, it is simply a reflection of spring breaks weeks, a terrible winter in the NE of the US, and an improving economy. Plus FP+ is redistributing people throughout the park and into SB and FP+ lines. WDW does have crowd control measures and means of using staged levels of crowd controls and "limiting access" to the parks as needed. There is no evidence that WDW is letting more people into the park then what the permitted capacity is. If people want to come WDW will welcome them all.

 

[ponyboy]

I don't really have a dog in this fight because we only use 2-3 fast passes per day anyway but I just have to comment that I think it's crazy that some of yall were using 10 or more fast passes per day. That's a lot of running around everywhere!

 

[redsbe]

I don't really have a dog in this fight because we only use 2-3 fast passes per day anyway but I just have to comment that I think it's crazy that some of yall were using 10 or more fast passes per day. That's a lot of running around everywhere!

Yes I never understood that approach as well, to spend all that time running to collect FPs and riding only a few attractions over and over again. For me the parks have so much else to offer to just be spending your time racing to the next ride - and doing so all day!

 

[ponyboy]

Yes I never understood that approach as well, to spend all that time running to collect FPs and riding only a few attractions over and over again. For me the parks have so much else to offer to just be spending your time racing to the next ride - and doing so all day!

I'm on vacation to relax and have fun with the kids and they'll ride something then want ice cream then do a couple of other little things then they want to eat then they want to buy something, etc, etc.

Everybody is different though, I just can't imagine running around all day trying to ride as many things as possible. It wouldn't be as fun for us. I get tired just thinking about it

 

[JennaDeeDooDah]

I don't really have a dog in this fight because we only use 2-3 fast passes per day anyway but I just have to comment that I think it's crazy that some of yall were using 10 or more fast passes per day. That's a lot of running around everywhere!

It really wasn't. I never "ran" anywhere in the park. I never crossed the park for the sole purpose of getting a fast pass. I was never rushed or stressed. I just took advantage of where I was and what was available.

 

[iheartpeterpan]

I don't really have a dog in this fight because we only use 2-3 fast passes per day anyway but I just have to comment that I think it's crazy that some of yall were using 10 or more fast passes per day. That's a lot of running around everywhere!

But that was the beauty of the system, it was flexible enough to meet the needs of a variety of touring styles - you could use it as much or as little as you wanted. Now that flexibility is gone. Just like you never understood my touring style, I never understood why people would be content waiting in line 60-90 minutes for a ride I walked right on. For us it never felt like running around.

Those days are gone, yeah? We will just need to figure out how to adapt. I am hoping that the rumored changes will make things better.

But this thread has been derailed to another FP+ thread. Back on topic, I agree with the OP that MK feels different.

 

[Planogirl]

It really wasn't. I never "ran" anywhere in the park. I never crossed the park for the sole purpose of getting a fast pass. I was never rushed or stressed. I just took advantage of where I was and what was available.

I never ran either but we still managed to get our 4 to 5 fastpasses just in the morning maybe into early afternoon. It wasn't hard.

After that we would often leave to rest a bit or we would just do easy things.

 

[PGHDisneyfan]

My wife and I just tried getting our FP+ set up for the last week of April what a nightmare! If FP isn't available for a perticular ride you want it just randomly chooses a ride for you if you want. I picked TSM, TGMR, and ST at Disney studios but since TSM isn't available it plugged in RR. I don't think the 5 year old or the 2 year old will be riding Aerosmith anytime soon. LOL if this system stays in place this will be our last trip for a long time and we usually go every spring. Using the old system with little ones we would average 5 or so FP a day. This POS schedule places FP+ Times in the middle of nap time and really doesn't work for us. So far it's been a really frustrating experience and we haven't even boarded the plane!

 

[reneeryan99]

Jeeez when I went we rode space mountain over and over til we were blue in the face. We rode Everest over and over and over. We did everything everywhere all day and night…and there was never a wait for anything more than a few minutes and it was all very very m.a.g.c.i..al
Am i missing something here? Oh yeah I WENT WHEN IT WASNT CROWDED Duh!

Go when the parks aren't crowded? Dayum, why didn't I think of that???

Oh yeah, THIS WAS THE ONLY POSSIBLE TIME FOR ME TO GO. DUH!

 

[EMode]

Yes I never understood that approach as well, to spend all that time running to collect FPs and riding only a few attractions over and over again. For me the parks have so much else to offer to just be spending your time racing to the next ride - and doing so all day!

That is a misconception that I see alot on here. We never got 10 FPs, we probably averaged about 6 but we were never running around back and forth, we'd collect them as we went. Sure we ended up back in certain spots later, but that was part of the plan anyway. When you are at the park for 12 hours its hard not to go back to the same place you were earlier.

 

[tim123]

Go when the parks aren't crowded? Dayum, why didn't I think of that???

Oh yeah, THIS WAS THE ONLY POSSIBLE TIME FOR ME TO GO. DUH!

Nothing is IMPOSSIBLE except the actual impossible.

 

[Love Tink]

The problem with the old FP system was it catered to a certain demographic

The people I see arguing it was "great and fair" are in the demographic
1) agile enough to visit the same location twice in short order, but then able to quickly get to some other "fill in" ride
2) people who seem to like the challenge - getting the most out of the system
3) people who like to be goal driven
4) people who don't mind splitting up their party in order to hit the maximum number of fp's

Other demographics -
* people with disabilities
* people with small children
* parents who are trying to give the impression that a magical day at WDW is just that - not something to rush through.. more Carpe diem, less the goal is all that matters
i did not find the old FP model useful

I am a compulsive planner.. i did my homework on the parks 4 years ago. But realized dragging my 5 year old in circles in order to get that one additional FP ride would not make for a great trip

Over the last few trips, I've seen too much craziness - people stressed, rushing, yelling at their kids. All at the happiest place on earth(?)

I'm excited to try the new model.. While at home, I can take the time and plan out the day - leaving ample time to saunter from place to place. For my, now 9 year old, it can seem carefree

Hopefully this pre-planned experience will help some people slow down and enjoy the park

Wow, only your 10th post on the Dis and already you are this nasty, condescending and judgmental. Kudos!

You obviously Know Everything and Are Right About Everything (probably in real life, too) but you should know that Walt Disney World is not "The happiest place on earth." Disneyland is the happiest place on earth. (I'll let you figure out what Walt Disney World is for yourself.)

Oh, and as for your three types of people who FP- just didn't work for...I went many, many times with a disabled husband, elderly parents, three to five little kids of every age (mine and my sister's) and we were FP Superusers. So don't condescend about who can and can't do things. I guess you just don't understand that FP actually made the day easier and less stressful. It wasn't this racing, confusing barrage that some people seem to think it was. You just didn't know how to do it right.

Oh, but your third example, people who wanted to show their kids a magical day and Carpe (sic) diem and stuff - yep, totally. We never want our kids to have any fun at all. We actually put them in a harness and just drive them through the parks, yelling at them to keep their heads down. Plus, they LOVE standing in lines all day. It's so *magical*!

 

[MuddyTires]

My wife and I just tried getting our FP+ set up for the last week of April what a nightmare! If FP isn't available for a perticular ride you want it just randomly chooses a ride for you if you want. I picked TSM, TGMR, and ST at Disney studios but since TSM isn't available it plugged in RR. I don't think the 5 year old or the 2 year old will be riding Aerosmith anytime soon. LOL if this system stays in place this will be our last trip for a long time and we usually go every spring. Using the old system with little ones we would average 5 or so FP a day. This POS schedule places FP+ Times in the middle of nap time and really doesn't work for us. So far it's been a really frustrating experience and we haven't even boarded the plane!

The system lets you change the attractions and times after you accept one of the initial recommendations.

 

[redsbe]

That is a misconception that I see alot on here. We never got 10 FPs, we probably averaged about 6 but we were never running around back and forth, we'd collect them as we went. Sure we ended up back in certain spots later, but that was part of the plan anyway. When you are at the park for 12 hours its hard not to go back to the same place you were earlier.

I guess I can not figure out how that was possible when WDW started enforcing the return time windows. And you would still have to move around the park as the major FP attractions are distributed all through out the park.

We would only collect 3-4 FP each day, but it would still require someone to crisscross back through one section of the park to another to get those FPs unless we were already there.

And you still were limited by the time you were allocated to pick up another FP, so plenty of limitations and restrictions with FP, it was not as easy as simply walking through the park and collecting as many FP as possible when and where ever you liked, it did require some effort and strategy.

Plus it was still limited by the crowd size during that day making picking up numerous FPs much harder when they would be gone by mid day or earlier for the most popular attractions when crowds were level 7 or higher.

 

[maxiesmom]

Go when the parks aren't crowded? Dayum, why didn't I think of that???

Oh yeah, THIS WAS THE ONLY POSSIBLE TIME FOR ME TO GO. DUH!

So you go when you know it is going to be crowded, and then complain because it is crowded?

 

[slickpoetry]

When you were pulling 10+ FP per day, how many of those were for rides that had short SB lines---say 15 minutes or less?