More updated Fastpass+ information

[Robo]

Yes, those are the ones

Its only (facing the castle) the left corner of that lower seating terrace so not the entire section. I think the ones to the right are also roped off at some point, although not entirely sure - but I have no idea what for if they are or who gets the privilege of sitting there.

AAA (Auto Club) Travel, reserved Wishes viewing.

(Must book through a AAA Travel agent and make special reservations.)

 

[Robbi]

You see this frequently at the corporate level.

The "suits" ask the padawans to tell them about the cool new thing.

Then, after everyone agrees that it's "*****," then the suits assign the
creation of the new "***** project" to the padawans, and big bucks start
funding it.

Months later, padawans preview the "***** project" to the suits.

Suits, of course, don't get it, but hey, it's GOT to be cool as that was the whole point, no?

So, more bucks roll into the "***** project" and it gets set in concrete.

NOW, we're ready for the grand public announcement.
THAT comes from the suits.

The announcement is not exactly CLEAR, of course.
(Not primarily because of secrecy, but because the suit doesn't fully understand what the project is
or how it works... never has.)

So, armed with very little clear background info from the grand announcement,
those who are the intended "beneficiaries" of the "***** project" start to ask questions.

Since the padawan creators had never ever actually EXPERIENCED what really happens on the front lines, the intended "beneficiaries" of the "***** project" questions are dismissed... as them not fully understanding the magnitude of the blessing about to be poured down their throats Oops, I mean "offered unto them."

Next, they start to implement the "***** project" in the form of dipping-toes-into-the-water "tests."

It's at this point the intended "beneficiaries" really begin to ask the tough what/why/where questions and the suits...
restate what was said at "last April's announcement" (because that's as much as the suits know about it, to this day.)

What happens next is always the hard part to predict.

Could be:

A. The intended "beneficiaries" try the real-deal rollout and are happy.
Goodness, light and joy prevail. Big bonuses. Promotions, padawans start wearing suits.

B. The intended "beneficiaries" try the real-deal rollout and are NOT happy.
Finger-pointing. Suits duck and throw pink slips. Padawans go to work for JCP advertising dept.

C. The tests are delayed and delayed and delayed.
Due to unforeseen circumstances...

The intended "beneficiaries" never get to try the real-deal...

and are happy.



-Burma Shave

Both hilarious and sad because you've nailed the Disney way of "improving".

 

[jade1]

That's my problem with the whole thing. I'd rather just find a non FP spot to plant my behind at the end of a long day in the park. I can get off my feet and rest while we talk about our day, have a bite to eat and guarantee a front row seat. They just can't guarantee a front row seat even with a FP.

So who wants to give up a FP for that?

Same-except for Fantasmic, that's a slam dunk FP+ for us, as long as it means we can walk in just b4 it starts.

 

[fflmaster]

I think the people that LIKE to plan their rides 60 days in advance are very few and extremely far between.

If that is the case then you will most likely have one of a two senarios:

1. Most FP+ headliners will still be available when people DO want to plan.

2. People will book the headliners just to have the FP+ and not use them. Thus, making the stand-by lines move much quicker.

I think another poster is probably correct with the idea of Disney sending you constant messages of attractions that are available now for you to ride via a FP+.

They want you to enjoy your time and want you to STAY in the park riding rides and buying items (clothing, food, nick nacks, etc.)

I just think a big time planner is going to be able to use the system to their advantage.

 

[ftballfan7]

~Yes! My prayers have been answered, lol. Thank you, jtown! Love, love, love your posts! No one has ever described FP+ in the poignant & elegant way you have. I'm even more excited about FP+. And, this is not drinking the kool-aid, it's called logic & I love it!!!

If you get any more excited you may have to change your clothes.

 

[hollygolitely93]

Clearly not enough to make a definitive opinion is known, but I am hopeful the 3 FP+ rule means advanced FP's...and once you get to the park, you can get more...perhaps not the paper booths but jump on mydisney experience and snag a reservation for attractions still available...the expansion of attractions getting RFID readers makes me believe there will be options beyond your 3 prior reservations.

If that happens this is a win for us!

 

[disneymagicgirl]

You see this frequently at the corporate level.

The "suits" ask the padawans to tell them about the cool new thing.

Then, after everyone agrees that it's "*****," then the suits assign the
creation of the new "***** project" to the padawans, and big bucks start
funding it.

Months later, padawans preview the "***** project" to the suits.

Suits, of course, don't get it, but hey, it's GOT to be cool as that was the whole point, no?

So, more bucks roll into the "***** project" and it gets set in concrete.

NOW, we're ready for the grand public announcement.
THAT comes from the suits.

The announcement is not exactly CLEAR, of course.
(Not primarily because of secrecy, but because the suit doesn't fully understand what the project is
or how it works... never has.)

So, armed with very little clear background info from the grand announcement,
those who are the intended "beneficiaries" of the "***** project" start to ask questions.

Since the padawan creators had never ever actually EXPERIENCED what really happens on the front lines, the intended "beneficiaries" of the "***** project" questions are dismissed... as them not fully understanding the magnitude of the blessing about to be poured down their throats Oops, I mean "offered unto them."

Next, they start to implement the "***** project" in the form of dipping-toes-into-the-water "tests."

It's at this point the intended "beneficiaries" really begin to ask the tough what/why/where questions and the suits...
restate what was said at "last April's announcement" (because that's as much as the suits know about it, to this day.)

What happens next is always the hard part to predict.

Could be:

A. The intended "beneficiaries" try the real-deal rollout and are happy.
Goodness, light and joy prevail. Big bonuses. Promotions, padawans start wearing suits.

B. The intended "beneficiaries" try the real-deal rollout and are NOT happy.
Finger-pointing. Suits duck and throw pink slips. Padawans go to work for JCP advertising dept.

C. The tests are delayed and delayed and delayed.
Due to unforeseen circumstances...

The intended "beneficiaries" never get to try the real-deal...

and are happy.



-Burma Shave

so true!

 

[jagruti6]

I haven't read the entire thread, but it seems like there is no new information posted. Except for the fact that they're starting to debrief CMs. This makes me nervous, that this Will roll out while we are there.We are about 30 days out from our trip. This is exactly the kind of time frame I would have thought they would need in order to bring CMs up to speed on the new system. I hope that's not the case. I want to use the old system at least once more.

 

[Angel Ariel]

I think another poster is probably correct with the idea of Disney sending you constant messages of attractions that are available now for you to ride via a FP+.

This is banking on everyone having a mobile device - not just on their person, but out and being used constantly. There's a few issues with that - #1, battery life. My battery was dead between 5-6 on the days that I used MDE to any extent, and I wasn't using it frequently at all.

#2 - It basically requires people to have their devices out constantly. Now, trust me, at home I'm not far from my phone. I'm on it rather constantly. We were at Disney this past week, though, and I was hardly on it at all. It went in the pocket of our backpack/diaper bag, and I only took it out when I needed to check MDE for the most part. I would have totally missed anything being texted to me like that, and I wasn't the only one in my party like that.

 

[BridgetR3]

Not sure I like it at all but not panicking just yet....


HOWEVER, someone about 12 pages back and too long ago to quote mentioned that it will all be o.k. because you can use your EMH to ride the rides that you don't FP except Disney is cutting down on all of those too. They have drastically cut down EMH hours in the last year or two with little to no indication as to why.

I honestly think that Disney believes that FastPass Plus is a good thing and maybe it is but so far it's not good for my family.

 

[SharonS]

From what I have heard from sources inside Disney, they do plan on only allowing 3 per day. I personally believe that Disney wants all of us to spend more time in lines. For those that are old enough to remember per fast pass days, it took more than a day to do MK and EPCOT. You had a lot at least 1.5 days for each. Since fast pass, it is much easier to get everything in a park done in a day. If folks are able to get Disney parks done quicker, that may leave them with free time to perhaps do Universal or Sea World.

To me, further evidence that Disney believes more people will be spending more time in line is all the money they are spending on interactive queues. They would not be doing that if the magical fast pass + was going to reduce wait times.

 

[mesaboy2]

From what I have heard from sources inside Disney, they do plan on only allowing 3 per day. I personally believe that Disney wants all of us to spend more time in lines. For those that are old enough to remember per fast pass days, it took more than a day to do MK and EPCOT. You had a lot at least 1.5 days for each. Since fast pass, it is much easier to get everything in a park done in a day. If folks are able to get Disney parks done quicker, that may leave them with free time to perhaps do Universal or Sea World.

To me, further evidence that Disney believes more people will be spending more time in line is all the money they are spending on interactive queues. They would not be doing that if the magical fast pass + was going to reduce wait times.

I've tried to make this point before in other similar threads.

 

[dadddio]

Yet another reason why the existing FP system can't go away completely. With the number of people who don't have smartphones and the number of people visiting from other countries who likely won't use their phones here the current FP system needs to exist in some form or fashion.

Think of it this way. Even though you can book your vacation online including dining, etc, there is still a phone number you can call and talk to a person to handle your reservation. One would think that the phone system would be irrelevant now that the online system is in place, but there is still a large amount of people who don't have viable internet but want to book at Disney.

People without smartphones can use the in-park kiosks or Internet-enabled devices like iPod touches.

 

[dadddio]

I think that may turn out to be misguided.

I mean...it's called Fast Pass PLUS, right? Like...you have FP already...and we want to give you MORE (fireworks, parades, scheduled times if you want 'em).

The DVC letter quoted a few posts back seems to say that.

I've been making that exact point for months.

 

[Planogirl]

People without smartphones can use the in-park kiosks or Internet-enabled devices like iPod touches.

That might only be of much help if you can roll around a kiosk everywhere you go. If you are notified of some desired availability, how long do you have to answer? Some lines could take longer than a person's chance to jump on an opening.

 

[jtowntoflorida]

See, you I can reason with.

To multiquote, just click on the little double-quotes immediately to the right of the Quote button for all posts you want to capture, then click Post Reply at the bottom of the thread. All selected posts will appear.

AH-HA! This was the step I was missing! Thank you!

I feel a day late and dollar short for the earlier conversation (missed a lot again), but I will say that after our last vacation when we accidentally wound up in one of Robo's green Wishes areas, unless Wishes FP+s involve a spot in one of those ideal areas, I would never use them. I'd rather hang out with all of humanity and experience Wishes the best way possible than sit off to the side and deal with less people. If I wanted to have a less than ideal Wishes experience with few people around, I'll head over to the Contemporary and watch from there.

 

[dadddio]

On another note, people here are talking about FP+ causing fewer fast passes and longer standby lines. I can't see that happening for the population as a whole although it could occur for some individuals. If I use 8 fast passes in a day now and I'm going to be limited to 3 FP+ in the day that's 5 FP+'s that I'm not using that will go to other people. Those people will not be in the standby line (I will be if I want to ride it). So, I have a longer wait, but someone else has a shorter wait. But for the population as a whole the average wait hasn't changed.

i think that it gets even better.

Imagine that you used three of your old FPs for multiple trips on the same ride and that Nader the new system, you can only FP a ride once per day. This moves two people from the SB line to the FP line and doesn't replace those people in the SB line because you don't want to wait SB for a ride (twice) once you've already FPed it.

 

[dadddio]

This is all about money and EVERYONE knows it. Disney can say anything they want about enhancing the customer's experience, but its all about the money.

The two need not be mutually exclusive.

 

[dadddio]

Then there is the problem of weather and if a parade(s) have to be cancelled, I would not want be in guest relations when that happens!

That would be handled exactly the same as a ride going down. You would get a FP back in your bank to either use for a different attraction (or a different time at the same attraction).

 

[dadddio]

That's my problem with the whole thing. I'd rather just find a non FP spot to plant my behind at the end of a long day in the park. I can get off my feet and rest while we talk about our day, have a bite to eat and guarantee a front row seat. They just can't guarantee a front row seat even with a FP.

So who wants to give up a FP for that?

Different strokes. You'd never wait an hour in a SB line, but don't mind waiting an hour for a parade. Others might choose to wait in a long SB line, but FP the parade.