My 2 cents on FP+

[3DisneyFanz]

Well I disagree with you.

- You twisted my words a bit. I said there are two groups who don't like it (1) Legacy FP+ fans and understanding has nothing to do with their dislike. (2) I did not say the other group did not understand per se but rather they didn't like the process, which can lead to not understanding how to make it work well and quickly for you. And there can be a variety of reasons they don't like the process, some of which I listed.

- I have no problem with the process. I book, move things around in no time at all. I do not find it bulky. Adding a click or two to get the time I want is no big deal. When in the parks if I see my FP+ has a short line, I jump in and while in line I change my FP+ to another. No I don't travel with 8-10 people but often we are 4-6 people. Often we are not on same MDE or linked (I refuse to link because I think it does have issue, some Disneys and some the linkers). We together click through easily and coordinate. No issues.

- I completely disagree that advertising says FP+ is only for headliners. Currently there is ONE headliner that is difficult to get, but not impossible. Capacity vs Crowds is simple math, not everyone will get one. SO I didn't get 7DMT this time, I'll get in line, go to rope drop, attend MNSSHP, stay until closing ..... theme parks = lines. Anyone who reads the advertising to mean they will not have to stand in any lines needs to find a new vacation location.

- Yes, FP+ helps with crowd control and guaranteed in a few years these MBs will pay off by tracking crowds and initiating things that will help to move crowds more. But for me it has ABSOLUTELY improved my experience. I don't have to do rope drop (we prefer to close parks down and sleep in) and forfeit a long line ride because all FP are gone, I can park hop and still get on big rides at second park, I know going in I will ride a few of my favorites with no waits so in that time I used to wait I can ride several smaller attractions. We actually get much more done now.

- I do not buy in to the complaint that FP+ has caused longer SB lines. There is only so much ride capacity and so many FP+ times. What we have is a greatly improved economy, Disney occupancy rates that industry standard is very high, off site hotels and attractions being built due to the great crowds heading to Orlando. I am in the parks 5-6 weeks a year, all season for the last decade. The crowds each year are bigger and bigger and they have to go somewhere = lines.

I think the key point in this is the frequency of your visits. For people who visit as often as you do there isn't the same level of need to do things as there is for someone who gets to come once every few years. You can say oh well for 7dmt because you'll be back in 3 months but it's not as easy to chalk that up for someone whose next trip might be in 3 years. Also understanding the sheer amount of work to manipulate the system doesn't mean that someone else who doesn't want to do that doesn't understand it. Trying to tell someone to select the exact opposite of what they want in order to get what they want through 4+ additional steps is just ludicrous and further proof that Disney had zero interest in the consumer in this process. I also don't think anyone really thinks it gets them out of any lines but again the advertisements hype the big rides. In all your trips have you seen any billboards for Fogment with FP+?

As for the crowds they're just now topping what they experienced in the 90s so it's not just a capacity issue as much as it is they spent far more time closing than opening attractions over the past few years.

 

[DisneyFive]

For us the pros of relaxing more on vacation outweigh not riding something multiple times, but again we obviously visit WDW for other reasons. We live in the NE and we have access to many more parks with far better rides than WDW. If we hit each attraction we love once in our 10 day stay we are happy...and know their will be a next trip (at least for us - I know not everyone says that)

Yep, understand. We live within a few hours of Cedar Point, The "Roller coaster capital of the world". While those rides are certainly fun, and WAY more intense than those at Disney, I would not necessarily call them better. Of course, that is all personal opinion.

Dan

 

[bpadair32]

2 weeks ago for our party of 5 7dmt never came up as an option nor did PP or AE. We're were fine with things like JC and Little Mermaid but when going for our 4th we couldn't even get 5 for HM. My point was really that while things may work great for one person it doesn't negate the struggles of everyone else who has experienced issues. For every one person that finds Soarin a walk on there are thousands of others who end up waiting an hour.

And for everyone that comes on here (and keep in mind, the people on these forums are the VAST minority of Disney guests) and hates FP+ or had a bad experience with it, there are thousands that have had good experiences with it.

 

[3DisneyFanz]

I disagree with this... we booked for 10, and have all of ours in groups of 10 except one instance of A&E on our earlier day I split 5/5, only cuz I would do one 5, try to copy, and it would give me the next 5, 10 min later which was fine. That just tells me there weren't 10 connected around the time I wanted. Everything else (including A&E on a later day) is in groups of 10. I don't feel the # of people in our party was really an issue. A couple times it would not show everyone, so I'd book for whomever it did show, then do a copy and it worked as expected.



Interesting. To check this out, I just went to watch the promo video on FP+ (go.com, then FP+ Perk)... in the short 1:30 video, they spotlight Splash, Dumbo, Tea Cups, Small World, BTMRR, Pirates, JC, Philharmagic, BATB, Star Tours, Kali, Meet & Greets, and Fireworks. So they kind of hit a little bit of everything.

Maybe you just think of FP+ as only being useful on headliners? It's definitely not advertised that way.

Weird. I haven't seen a billboard or car wrap in the Orlando area with any of those things on it. We've seen 7dmt, Test Track, Soarin and the Safari but no Teacups. Maybe they should swap and promote the headliners on the systems you see before you get there and put the real options on the ads you see once you're there.

 

[boufa]

I found this site particularly interesting... http://www.thedibb.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=835236 It has been posted here many times, but every single thing has FP+ availability 53-59 days out. So if you are staying onsite, you have an extremely high chance of getting whatever you want. Of course this is during the "slow" season. Also, with the exception of SDMT and A&E all other non-parade, non-fireworks FPs are availible still at 30 days or less. TSMM is availible same day most of the time... and these time periods include Thanksgiving week!

Of course all of this is worthless if the computer systems don't work.

 

[Angel Ariel]

I don't think that folks are trying to say they shouldn't vent or we don't have empathy for them. There seems to be two types of folks who complain about the system:

- Those who hate the new FP+ because they don't get to use the FP system like they did in the past. It has to do with their touring style. Nothing is going to change with the system that will make it go back to what they want, so they are in the spot that they either have to work with it or not. I think it is their complaining that causes all the FP+ lovers to post that they are fans of the new system.

- Those who do not like the new FP+ booking process because: maybe they use their computer alot but the booking process is not something that flows for them, they are not techie at all and frustrated with the system, they expect to go in and put in the time they want and get it but programming wise that isn't feasible, they don't understand how to move about quickly to get what they want .............and more ..............which leads to frustration. When the FP+ fans respond, it is not to negate their feelings (we've all experienced frustration with something) but rather to explain that it can work well, move quickly, get you what you want once you understand it. Everything new is going to take a few minutes to get the flow but once you do, it is easy to navigate.

I would say there's a third group as well.

- Those whose touring style is not conducive to FP+, who know that legacy isn't coming back and don't expect FP+ to change at all, but who are trying their best to make it work for them, and who also get frustrated at the technical issues with the system.

That would essentially be me. We adjusted our touring plan for our trip last November to work with FP+ as much as we could. We didn't like it as much, too much backtracking, but we still had a great trip and we learned what not to do next time to make the trip even better.

That said, I'm fairly tech savvy and I was still online for an hour booking and trying to modify the FP+ times to what I wanted. It was not inuitive at all to book the times furthest out from what I really wanted, and then modify them..yet, that was the easiest way to go about it. Disney could, and needs to IMO, make the system more intuitive. Having to take their suggestions first, instead of just going for what you really want, is cumbersome. I understand it works for newbies...but at least somehow give the people who do know what they want an option to just do that without having to jump through the "recommended" hoops first.

 

[3DisneyFanz]

And for everyone that comes on here (and keep in mind, the people on these forums are the VAST minority of Disney guests) and hates FP+ or had a bad experience with it, there are thousands that have had good experiences with it.

Gauging from the guest relations lines and feedback from the CMs I don't think the experiences are as divided as you think.

I do think though there is a very large number of people who see Disney as certain classic attractions like Space Mountain, Jungle Cruise and Small World and they don't really care what times they are assigned as long as they see that Disney. I know we'll never see the data but I'd suspect a vast majority of the people using the system just take what's assigned by Disney and go with it. I think as long as everything works when they get there and they do there three things they're happy. Doesn't mean it's a great system but it was functional.

 

[Solas]

I guess I am in the minority, in that I really enjoyed the morning-powerwalk to all the FP Machines. I miss them!

 

[ELSA711]

Yep, understand. We live within a few hours of Cedar Point, The "Roller coaster capital of the world". While those rides are certainly fun, and WAY more intense than those at Disney, I would not necessarily call them better. Of course, that is all personal opinion.

Dan

Maybe LOL

I don't do rides but my kids do and they aren't roller coaster tycoons yet, to small. Although they love the Phoenix at Knoebels in PA.
I just don't get the hype of rides at Disney. Even within my own family. My fam loves TSMM and I just don't get it.

I love Monster Laughfloor and they think I'm wacky

 

[Lucius Best]

OP blamed all the technology issues on Disney when many of us do not have these issues .... which means it is highly likely it was on the OPs end that these speed issues occurred. The OP (and I know others) feel the process is tedious yet many of us click right through, pick our attractions in seconds, click close, click update, change times and get all we want in a matter of minutes. If we can do that - then the system is not clunky or tedious. The system is not written different for different folks, the system doesn't crash for one but not the other .... many of this issues are user issues.

You are right, there's no way of knowing the cause of OP's computer issues. Maybe it was on Disney's end, maybe the Disney website doesn't work well with the OS/browser that OP was using, maybe OP's internet connection was slow, who knows. But given how often Disney's computer systems go down, I am hesitant to classify computer problems as user issues by default.

However, saying the process is not clunky or tedious is just your opinion, and maybe you're experienced enough with it that it is now easy for you. But the fact that you have to pick your rides, then "click close, click update, change times" as you said, kind of illustrates that it is not simple and quick. You also left out a couple of steps. When I did it, it was pick the rides, select one of the 4 options, click close, click a FP+ to modify, change the date to the correct date (it defaulted to either today or the first date of trip), click the FP+ to modify again, then pick a new time. And sometimes that meant moving your FP+ reservations out of the way first. It is not intuitive that the best way to book FP+ reservations for the morning is to select the option with times later in the day to make it easier to move them to the times you want in the morning. A FP+ selection interface that wasn't clunky and tedious would allow you to pick both your rides and the times you wanted in one step, without having to go back and change everything to get the times you wanted.

 

[HopperFan]

I think the key point in this is the frequency of your visits. For people who visit as often as you do there isn't the same level of need to do things as there is for someone who gets to come once every few years. You can say oh well for 7dmt because you'll be back in 3 months but it's not as easy to chalk that up for someone whose next trip might be in 3 years.

Also understanding the sheer amount of work to manipulate the system doesn't mean that someone else who doesn't want to do that doesn't understand it. Trying to tell someone to select the exact opposite of what they want in order to get what they want through 4+ additional steps is just ludicrous and further proof that Disney had zero interest in the consumer in this process.

I also don't think anyone really thinks it gets them out of any lines but again the advertisements hype the big rides. In all your trips have you seen any billboards for Fogment with FP+?

- Oh but I do ride the 7DMT every visit because we really like it. Again as others have said, just because you don't get a FP+ doesn't mean you can't ride. Theme parks = lines and sometimes you will just have to wait. We chose to wait. If you don't want to be in lines then Disney is not your vacation destination. There are lines everywhere. That said if you are coming for your once in 3 year visit then you better book enough days to get what you want done because nothing is going to breeze you through the parks, doing everything in a short period of time. The parks are simply way too crowded now.

- I am understanding there is NOT a sheer amount of work to use the system. I don't even see where I am selecting the opposite. You see what is available, pick three, I then pick the times option that puts the most times close to where I want, click done, then when the page comes up of what I picked, I click once to either change experience (usually not this one) or change time on what doesn't fit. It shows me times, I pick and choose update. I really don't see how it could be any simpler. With the volume of people booking times, the software it would take to make it totally customized from page one is prohibitive and completely unnecessary.

- EVERY business will advertise their newest and biggest attractions which has nothing to do with FP+ or this conversation. As far as FP+ advertisement .... they are advertising every level of ride as previous poster said. I just went and glanced and what did I see: Dumbo, Under the Sea, Shows, Star Tours, Characters, Wishes, Safari, Teacups, Big Thunder and no emphasis on 7DMT, A&E, Soarin. And in this ad it's a wide range shown and every type is listed if you listen. No where do I feel promised to ride all the big rides with ease.

.

 

[Jennasis]

Sweet baby Jesus in the manger, I would hope others have experiences vastly different fron the OP...otherwise what a total failure MM+/MDE /FP+ would be.

 

[Lucius Best]

I really don't see how it could be any simpler. With the volume of people booking times, the software it would take to make it totally customized from page one is prohibitive and completely unnecessary.

When booking ADRs, you specify a restaurant, # of diners, and the date and time, and it gives you options closest to that time. If the ADR system worked like the FP system, you would list the restaurants you want to eat at for the week, and it would give you options "Ohana Monday 8am, Boma Tuesday 5pm, Wednesday Crystal Palace 1:45pm, etc". Then you would have to change CP to Monday at 8:05am, but you couldn't do that because you have Ohana Monday at 8am, so first you'd need to move Boma to Wednesday at 5:30pm, then Ohana to Tuesday at 6pm, then Crystal Palace Monday at 8:05am.

 

[MrInfinity]

You are right, there's no way of knowing the cause of OP's computer issues. Maybe it was on Disney's end, maybe the Disney website doesn't work well with the OS/browser that OP was using, maybe OP's internet connection was slow, who knows. But given how often Disney's computer systems go down, I am hesitant to classify computer problems as user issues by default.

However, saying the process is not clunky or tedious is just your opinion, and maybe you're experienced enough with it that it is now easy for you. But the fact that you have to pick your rides, then "click close, click update, change times" as you said, kind of illustrates that it is not simple and quick. You also left out a couple of steps. When I did it, it was pick the rides, select one of the 4 options, click close, click a FP+ to modify, change the date to the correct date (it defaulted to either today or the first date of trip), click the FP+ to modify again, then pick a new time. And sometimes that meant moving your FP+ reservations out of the way first. It is not intuitive that the best way to book FP+ reservations for the morning is to select the option with times later in the day to make it easier to move them to the times you want in the morning. A FP+ selection interface that wasn't clunky and tedious would allow you to pick both your rides and the times you wanted in one step, without having to go back and change everything to get the times you wanted.

Rather than click Close, then Update, then Change Times, after changing one time, you can press-and-hold on your back button until your history pops up, drop to the 2nd item down, and then you're right back on the pick-a-date screen. It saves a click.

I will say that picking FastPasses is "about as difficult" as doing anything else on the web. Have you set up a facebook account lately? Maybe Paypal? These all are fraught with problems and laborious clicks. Disney happens to have 75,000 guests going every day, so 75,000 guests picking FastPasses every 60-days before. That's a huge load on any server to expect perfection.

As to the best way to book FP+ is to select the option with the times later in the day to make it easier to move... I disagree. While that is not optimal for me or you, what makes it best is how it works as a system. The way Disney has it, they can get a typical user (who is not micro-managing) their FastPasses in one single database update. The way I'd prefer it, (pick, select... pick, select) would require 3 database updates. Do you see why they built it to streamline the fastest way to get 3 passes into the typical guests' MDE? Disney wants to minimize the load on their system for the guests that are okay with the first 3, then let them change one or two load-permitting. They do not want everyone to have to do 3 queries / searches, and then 3 selections / updates. It is inefficient.

 

[avic77]

So far i have been pretty much happy with the new FP+ system. We have a party of 13 and I got everything I wanted and was able to alter "suggested" times to times I wanted. The kids are all teens and have no desire to meet A&E (thank goodness!) Dining was more hassle then FP+ and that's because the dining didn't come up for almost an hour after the time it was supposed to. I still got table for 13 at Ohana for dinner. I had BOG (which i later dropped) but i plan in advance and its just easier to get it all done and when I get to WDW i know my ducks are all in a row and we can go enjoy our vacation knowing we have our Favorite rides and meals reserved

 

[Lucius Best]

I will say that picking FastPasses is "about as difficult" as doing anything else on the web. Have you set up a facebook account lately? Maybe a Paypal account? Or anything else? These all are fraught with problems and laborious clicks.

Took OP an hour and 45 minutes to book their FPs, which does not sound unreasonable for a large group. I'm pretty sure they could do just about anything in a shorter time.

While that is not best for me, or best for you, what makes it best is how it works best as a system. The way Disney has it, they can get a typical user (who is not micro-managing) their FastPasses in one single database update.

I agree, Disney is doing what's best for them, not what's best for the guests. Disney can reduce the load on their system, and also steer guests to specific FP+ times to spread the crowds around, and their app is simpler. I was talking about guests who actually care about their FP+ return times when I said it was best to choose the option that is opposite of what you want. I'm assuming that Disney is not intentionally making their app clunky and tedious to discourage people from clogging up their database changing FP+ times? Disney does advertise that you have the flexibility to change your plans at any time from anywhere.

How many database updates would it be of the MDE website/app allowed you to pick 3 rides along with 3 times? I'm guessing "one", the same as if they pick the times for you? But if the app allowed you to select times, there would be less need for guests to go back in and modify them individually.

 

[MrInfinity]

I was talking about guests who actually care about their FP+ return times when I said it was best to choose the option that is opposite of what you want.

Yes but we're a small minority of guests, who plan out days or have particular reasons for wanting something at 11:00 vs maybe 11:30. Since the system is designed to get the rest of the guests FP+'s w/o having to pick individual times, I'm okay w it since it does that, but still allows me the option to go back in and change them to meet my needs.

 

[Bullseye]

I would like it better if I could just go... pick a ride, pick a time. Pick a ride, pick a time. I really don't like the aspect of picking from a set of 3 somewhat random groups then changing them. That seems so abstract. I think they do this on purpose, to spread the choices out and make for quicker selecting for most people who do not care to micro-manage them, so I can live w it since it's designed to be faster for people with less specific intentions. Given I can get my specific choices by some tweaking, it's not really a problem, just some extra clicks.

Yes this is the only aspect that is a little bit of a pain in the butt. Being offered three times, picking one, and then having to go back and reschedule. But it's really no big deal, the whole back and forth takes less than a minute. I think you're right that they do that on purpose too. I believe there is probably some kind of programming algorithm that suggest times that are less heavily booked.

I've only booked FP+ twice but I do it for 6 guests for 11 days and it has never taken more than an hour. I'll admit I'm a day 60 at midnight planner so maybe that helps since it's late at night. The only time I've ever had trouble with Disney website is when everyone is having the same problem. I have booked DVC, ADR's, and FP+ with very little trouble over the years. I love the fact that if your ADRs are booked it doesn't allow a scheduling conflict.

 

[3DisneyFanz]

Yes but we're a small minority of guests, who plan out days or have particular reasons for wanting something at 11:00 vs maybe 11:30. Since the system is designed to get the rest of the guests FP+'s w/o having to pick individual times, I'm okay w it since it does that, but still allows me the option to go back in and change them to meet my needs.

To be honest since we stopped doing ADRs I really don't care about the times as long as it doesn't involve us crisscrossing the parks. I don't even care about the parades or fireworks but just once I'd like to see AE or 7dmt come up as an option for us. I'd even be happy with a PP before 7:30pm which we haven't found either. We've made 4 trips now with FP+ with groups ranging from 3-11 people and while we've had no problem with getting things like Space Mountain and Splash Mountain those aren't great rides for our 2 yr old or the other small kids we were traveling with.

I get there is a huge benefit of the system is for people who may be traveling on a day they also want to go to the parks and can reserve things for the afternoon they arrive where that probably wasn't an issue before. My main issue is that there are too many variables now that impact your ability to get what you want. Before you had complete control of your daily actions because they weren't granting admission based on check-in day.

All that said for MK there are so many options that you're going to get something and while it might not all be your dream list it will be things you enjoy. EPCOT and HS are completely different animals. The limited attractions combined with the tiering just exposes the issues with the park and the system itself. There is no way to justify taking two rides that never had lines like Great Movie Ride and Living With the Land and making them big ticket items.

 

[MrInfinity]

To be honest since we stopped doing ADRs I really don't care about the times as long as it doesn't involve us crisscrossing the parks. I don't even care about the parades or fireworks but just once I'd like to see AE or 7dmt come up as an option for us. I'd even be happy with a PP before 7:30pm which we haven't found either. We've made 4 trips now with FP+ with groups ranging from 3-11 people and while we've had no problem with getting things like Space Mountain and Splash Mountain those aren't great rides for our 2 yr old or the other small kids we were traveling with.

I get there is a huge benefit of the system is for people who may be traveling on a day they also want to go to the parks and can reserve things for the afternoon they arrive where that probably wasn't an issue before. My main issue is that there are too many variables now that impact your ability to get what you want. Before you had complete control of your daily actions because they weren't granting admission based on check-in day.

All that said for MK there are so many options that you're going to get something and while it might not all be your dream list it will be things you enjoy. EPCOT and HS are completely different animals. The limited attractions combined with the tiering just exposes the issues with the park and the system itself. There is no way to justify taking two rides that never had lines like Great Movie Ride and Living With the Land and making them big ticket items.

So you're not ever seeing SMDT or A&E? When are you booking -- are you in the 30-day group?