My FP+ Park Strategy WILL SAVE ME ALMOST $20,000!!!

[Laketravis]

....And who cares if he is willing to wait in his car an hour, and enter the park every day for 4 weeks or whatever. Obviously there's time wasted there, but if he has time on his side then kudos! If it makes his vacation happy to think that he has not waited in a line, then that's great. So he goes back to his hotel every night and sits there for 8 hours over 4 weeks. Or he takes in the local movie theater or any of the other 427 attractions, of which he knows so little he has to go look them up on Trip Advisor..

I honestly thought you were grasping the entire concept until just now. Oh well - I know the idea isn't for everyone, and that's fine because if it were then it probably wouldn't work as well as it appears it will. We're still going to need those folks who board ME and stay inside WDW the entire time until they get back on ME. Because they are helping to subsidize operations for the rest of us who are learning how to get more out of WDW with less time and dollars in the parks.

 

[mom2rtk]

Seriously, if you have done nothing but WDW vacations for 40 years, you are so far out of the median that losing that small amount of business won't amount to half a penny for Disney. They only had FastPass since 1999. What the heck did you do before that?

It is amusing to see people basically taking their proverbial ball and going home in a tantrum over FastPass changes. Way to look grown up.

For the longest time, those who love FP+ have been saying "adapt or quit going". That's what the OP is doing.

Why the harsh attitude?

 

[Cormoran]

Seriously, if you have done nothing but WDW vacations for 40 years, you are so far out of the median that losing that small amount of business won't amount to half a penny for Disney. They only had FastPass since 1999. What the heck did you do before that?

It is amusing to see people basically taking their proverbial ball and going home in a tantrum over FastPass changes. Way to look grown up.

I don't see anyone posting on this thread and having a tantrum, except for the one I'm responding to right now.

 

[CampbellzSoup]

Seriously, if you have done nothing but WDW vacations for 40 years, you are so far out of the median that losing that small amount of business won't amount to half a penny for Disney. They only had FastPass since 1999. What the heck did you do before that?

It is amusing to see people basically taking their proverbial ball and going home in a tantrum over FastPass changes. Way to look grown up.

If you don't adapt with change you get left behind.

Ask Blockbuster, Landline telephone providers, various book and magazine publications and VCR companies how their doing.

Disney has luckily updated their technology to go with the times, and to cater to a new younger generation who is tech savvy and enjoys planning their vacation. If you don't want to try to adapt with change - don't worry Disney's a huge company with many IPs/Property - they won't miss your money. I can understand if they were doing something in which hurts customers, but nothing outside of I DONT LIKE CHANGE has any validity on here.

 

[mom2rtk]

If you don't adapt with change you get left behind.

Ask Blockbuster, Landline telephone providers, various book and magazine publications and VCR companies how their doing.

Disney has luckily updated their technology to go with the times, and to cater to a new younger generation who is tech savvy and enjoys planning their vacation. If you don't want to try to adapt with change - don't worry Disney's a huge company with many IPs/Property - they won't miss your money. I can understand if they were doing something in which hurts customers, but nothing outside of I DONT LIKE CHANGE has any validity on here.

Now you've totally lost me.

Isn't the OP here doing just that.......... adapting?

He is completely changing up the way he vacations at Disney. How is that "I don't like change?"

 

[Laketravis]

Seriously, if you have done nothing but WDW vacations for 40 years, you are so far out of the median that losing that small amount of business won't amount to half a penny for Disney. They only had FastPass since 1999. What the heck did you do before that?

It is amusing to see people basically taking their proverbial ball and going home in a tantrum over FastPass changes. Way to look grown up.

What a disappointing post. This isn't about taking a proverbial ball and going home, this isn't about some sort of boycott to get Disney's attention, this is about how to restore the balance of benefit and value that some might have felt was being tilted out of their favor by using the tools WDW has provided in an efficient and effective manner at the lowest cost possible while enhancing the experience by other means.

 

[mom2rtk]

I think it's becoming increasingly clear that many believe there's only one "right" way to enjoy Disney. If you don't do it that "right" way, you are taking your ball and going home.

Oh, and you don't like change.

 

[JimmyV]

So he goes back to his hotel every night and sits there for 8 hours over 4 weeks. Or he takes in the local movie theater or any of the other 427 attractions, of which he knows so little he has to go look them up on Trip Advisor.

Xanadu: Home of the Future!!

 

[SmithSmith]

I saw that, but the dates don't work for us. DS doesn't get out of school for the summer until 6/5 so we'd only be able to get our first week discounted. The second week would be full rack. But even if we could get 30% off the entire two weeks, a small room at CSR would still be more than a 2 bedroom condo by almost $40 a night. And besides, I've been able to beat my own deal by booking a three-star 1-bedroom condo thru Hotwire for $485 for TWO weeks 6/6-6/20. That's less than $35 a night and another $1,000 in savings:

I don't understand something. Are you telling us you wouldn't have gone after discounts when booking your future WDW vacations?

 

[Laketravis]

Now you've totally lost me.

Isn't the OP here doing just that.......... adapting?

He is completely changing up the way he vacations at Disney. How is that "I don't like change?"

LOL! What's bizarre is that if anyone knew me personally they'd know I've been a corporate change artist for over a quarter century. I love change, and I enjoy looking at change from all angles in order to derive maximum benefit from change.

My fun will begin tomorrow as I start the process of making 30-day FP's and an itinerary that involves as much as possible within a few hours at a WDW park supplemented by other activities outside of WDW.

While I can smell the savings, I am more looking forward to seeing just how much "vacation" can be squeezed out of a day in Orlando by using FP+

 

[erc]

What a disappointing post. This isn't about taking a proverbial ball and going home, this isn't about some sort of boycott to get Disney's attention, this is about how to restore the balance of benefit and value that some might have felt was being tilted out of their favor by using the tools WDW has provided in an efficient and effective manner at the lowest cost possible while enhancing the experience by other means.

Disappointing because I'm one of the few who doesn't take you seriously. You can't BS a BSer.

You have convinced yourself that under FP+ you can no longer enjoy the type of WDW vacation that you got used to under the old FastPass system. Fine. We got it. Even though millions seem to think the new system works very well. So you can save $20,000 over 5 years. Good for you. Now take your $20,000 ball and go home.

 

[Laketravis]

Disappointing because I'm one of the few who doesn't take you seriously. You can't BS a BSer.

You have convinced yourself that under FP+ you can no longer enjoy the type of WDW vacation that you got used to under the old FastPass system. Fine. We got it. Even though millions seem to think the new system works very well. So you can save $20,000 over 5 years. Good for you. Now take your $20,000 ball and go home.

Wow, okay. Love you too, erc.

 

[Letsbgoofy]

Laketravis,

I understand exactly what you mean because I came to the same conclusion myself. We are going to stay at FW in September. I probably would have gotten the DP under the old FP system and planned to eat my meals in the park, but with FP+ we will go for rope drop, ride the headliners early, and go back to FW for lunch and dinner in our camper. We'll use our FP+ to revisit the park in the evening. We can even do the EE park and not need to hop to a different park at night; saving us over $60/ticket. That should save us over $100/day and we will probably eat better.

What I need is your job - to have the time and money to travel so much! I'm very envious.

 

[RmeDad]

I believe FP+ can save me OVER $20,000 also. Don't go to WDW for 4 years because FP+ is **** which will save me over $5,000 per year!!!

 

[JimmyV]

You have convinced yourself that under FP+ you can no longer enjoy the type of WDW vacation that you got used to under the old FastPass system. Fine. We got it. Even though millions seem to think the new system works very well.

The whole point to all of this is that these two statements are not mutually exclusive. That is the whole point to "adapting". Under FP+, you can guarantee yourself rides on headliners months in advance. But with tiering and ride reallocation, you cannot ride headliners as often as you used to, assuming that what you are used to is constant headliners. If you are in the "I only rode Test Track once per day anyway, so FP+ hasn't hurt me" crowd, then none of this has any meaning. But if you were in the "my trips to Epcot were not complete unless I rode Test Track 4 times a day" crowd, then there is no question that FP+ has changed the game. So your first statement..."under FP+ you can no longer enjoy the type of WDW vacation that you got used to under the old FastPass system" becomes true for that person. So they adapt and find a new way to enjoy WDW, using a system that works quite well at doing what it is supposed to do, making your second statement..."the new system works very well" equally true. Why do so many people have a hard time understanding that FP+ really has changed the way headliner commandos enjoy the parks? That is an intended consequence. Disney intentionally built a system that discourages, if not obliterates, the ability to ride headliners over and over again, leaving other guests with no opportunity to experience those attractions without huge waits. And when someone points out that the intended consequence is actually coming to fruition, some FP+ supporter has to chime in and say: "No it hasn't". But if you love the new system, you should love it for all of its consequences, and one of those consequences is ride redistribution. Take from the commandos. Give to the leisure crowd. It was intended to do this, and it is doing it. The OP is now positing a way to enjoy WDW under new and different circumstances. Would I want to ride 3 or 4 rides a day and call it quits? No. But I have no problem with anyone who wants to do that, especially if they have the luxury of multiple weeks to enjoy WDW. Heck. I have a brother who used to work there and he did that all the time. Go to park. Ride a few rides. Leave. In some circles, that was an envious life. The OP says that he is going to try it and he is called everything from illogical to idiotic.

 

[Laketravis]

We are going to stay at FW in September. I probably would have gotten the DP under the old FP system and planned to eat my meals in the park, but with FP+ we will go for rope drop, ride the headliners early, and go back to FW for lunch and dinner in our camper. We'll use our FP+ to revisit the park in the evening. We can even do the EE park and not need to hop to a different park at night; saving us over $60/ticket. That should save us over $100/day and we will probably eat better.

You bring up another great option! Setting up a TT or even a Class A with a towable and establishing home base at FW which can be incredibly inexpensive as far as RV parks go. Gotta look into that as well!

 

[Cormoran]

Disappointing because I'm one of the few who doesn't take you seriously. You can't BS a BSer.

You have convinced yourself that under FP+ you can no longer enjoy the type of WDW vacation that you got used to under the old FastPass system. Fine. We got it. Even though millions seem to think the new system works very well. So you can save $20,000 over 5 years. Good for you. Now take your $20,000 ball and go home.

Can you provide a source for this statement?

 

[JimmyV]

Double post.

 

[Cormoran]

You bring up another great option! Setting up a TT or even a Class A with a towable and establishing home base at FW which can be incredibly inexpensive as far as RV parks go. Gotta look into that as well!

On top of that, if you stay at FW you can book your FP+ reservations at the 60 day mark. So, you get the on site benefits without paying the onsite prices!

 

[TLSnell1981]

So you can save $20,000 over 5 years. Good for you. Now take your $20,000 ball and go home.

Or...take a nice long vacation to Europe, and probably, still have change leftover.

 

[Mad Hattered]

I think it's becoming increasingly clear that many believe there's only one "right" way to enjoy Disney. If you don't do it that "right" way, you are taking your ball and going home.

Oh, and you don't like change.

I haven't taken my balls to WDW in two years because of FP+. Instead, this will be our 4th trip to Universal in those two years without visiting WDW. I'm taking my balls and going there!!

 

[lugnut33]

The problem with that, though (and I'm putting my stockholder's hat on now) is that I'm instigating cost while contributing little if anything to revenue. There are a couple of analyst articles floating around about how AP's are Disney's biggest threat to profit. Each time I use it, I'm worth less to Disney from a financial standpoint.

In fact there's an old joke about that - you know what you get when you give everybody at WDW an annual pass?

Answer: Six Flags.

So while we may find this new strategy works for us we also have to hope a lot more don't try it either.

Hence the reason you're likely to see huge increases in AP prices.