Nemo32
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 3, 2007
- Messages
- 1,307
Currently I'm sitting at MCO waiting to go home after a wonderful week in WDW.
As a confessed commando and sworn non-believer in FP+, I must say I was pleasantly surprised with the experience.
But first let me start with the bad:
1. I hate wearing the Magic Bands! Esp. in the heat because they make you more sweaty. Also, having a small wrist and needing to double the band, it was a nuisance to put on.
2. I wasted a lot of FP+. At the beginning of my week I ended up not needing many because I go to rope drop, even for headliners, so a lot ended up being wasted.
3. There needs to be a better system when rides close. I got stuck on Pirates and had to be escorted off the boats. While a cool experience, I lost my subsequent FP and nothing was left that I wanted to ride. Yesterday when RnR was closed during my 8:50-9:50am window, the only options available as replacement were minor rides and I wasn't notified that the ride re-opened during my window. The system can be hit or miss in these situations. On the other extreme, BTMRR was closed during my window and MDE automatically updated with my options AND a CM booked my 4th FP+ for Epcot even though I hadn't left MK yet. So I guess it depends on the park and the CM. But in all these circumstances I found myself wasting a lot of FP.
4. In the same line, I hate tiering. When I lost my RnR FP I should've been able to swap it with something of equal value, like TSMM. Tiering complicates things and again, makes for wasted FP.
5. During heavier periods, FP+ kiosks had very long lines and were few and far between, esp. in MK. Also, often FP+ lines were just as long as standby. In particular, for Star Tours and Kilimanjaro Safari. They did move faster but I def. waited longer than in the past with FP.
And yes, there was good:
1. I love the ability to know beforehand I have FP. For the first time since I can remember I actually sat down and watched the MK opening show and didn't rush into the park with everyone else.
2. FP+ worked well for us on our first day. I had 3 pre-booked but loved being able to adjust those depending on standby lines. It is so easy to change the FP window while waiting in line for something else that might be across the park. By doing so, we accomplished all of the rides I had planned for later in the week. That made for a very stress-free week. This applied to all of the parks we visited early on.
3. When it did work for us, the automated ease of the system to update accordingly in re: to ride closures was great. I loved not having to go to Guest Relations to try and justify why I should have a FP for something else. In most circumstances, CMs were great, esp. after being stuck on Pirates for 45 min. We were given a freebie FP that expired end of May.
4. During the slower part of the beginning of the week, FP+ kiosk lines were small and much was left at the end of the day, except for things like RnR, TSMM, etc., but that was expected.
5. The greatest bonus to me was being able to adjust my FP from anywhere via MDE. Countless times I did so based on how we were feeling. This was great for me as a planner since I'm always tweaking my plans. However, I would love to be able to add the 4th FP+ from MDE in the future as well as double-book certain attractions so less FP are wasted.
Overall, I had a great week and I look forward to visiting again and seeing possible further improvements on the system. I am more optimistic now that I've experienced it firsthand.
As a confessed commando and sworn non-believer in FP+, I must say I was pleasantly surprised with the experience.
But first let me start with the bad:
1. I hate wearing the Magic Bands! Esp. in the heat because they make you more sweaty. Also, having a small wrist and needing to double the band, it was a nuisance to put on.
2. I wasted a lot of FP+. At the beginning of my week I ended up not needing many because I go to rope drop, even for headliners, so a lot ended up being wasted.
3. There needs to be a better system when rides close. I got stuck on Pirates and had to be escorted off the boats. While a cool experience, I lost my subsequent FP and nothing was left that I wanted to ride. Yesterday when RnR was closed during my 8:50-9:50am window, the only options available as replacement were minor rides and I wasn't notified that the ride re-opened during my window. The system can be hit or miss in these situations. On the other extreme, BTMRR was closed during my window and MDE automatically updated with my options AND a CM booked my 4th FP+ for Epcot even though I hadn't left MK yet. So I guess it depends on the park and the CM. But in all these circumstances I found myself wasting a lot of FP.
4. In the same line, I hate tiering. When I lost my RnR FP I should've been able to swap it with something of equal value, like TSMM. Tiering complicates things and again, makes for wasted FP.
5. During heavier periods, FP+ kiosks had very long lines and were few and far between, esp. in MK. Also, often FP+ lines were just as long as standby. In particular, for Star Tours and Kilimanjaro Safari. They did move faster but I def. waited longer than in the past with FP.
And yes, there was good:
1. I love the ability to know beforehand I have FP. For the first time since I can remember I actually sat down and watched the MK opening show and didn't rush into the park with everyone else.
2. FP+ worked well for us on our first day. I had 3 pre-booked but loved being able to adjust those depending on standby lines. It is so easy to change the FP window while waiting in line for something else that might be across the park. By doing so, we accomplished all of the rides I had planned for later in the week. That made for a very stress-free week. This applied to all of the parks we visited early on.
3. When it did work for us, the automated ease of the system to update accordingly in re: to ride closures was great. I loved not having to go to Guest Relations to try and justify why I should have a FP for something else. In most circumstances, CMs were great, esp. after being stuck on Pirates for 45 min. We were given a freebie FP that expired end of May.
4. During the slower part of the beginning of the week, FP+ kiosk lines were small and much was left at the end of the day, except for things like RnR, TSMM, etc., but that was expected.
5. The greatest bonus to me was being able to adjust my FP from anywhere via MDE. Countless times I did so based on how we were feeling. This was great for me as a planner since I'm always tweaking my plans. However, I would love to be able to add the 4th FP+ from MDE in the future as well as double-book certain attractions so less FP are wasted.
Overall, I had a great week and I look forward to visiting again and seeing possible further improvements on the system. I am more optimistic now that I've experienced it firsthand.
