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

[Laketravis]

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

And increasing the necessity of a contingency plan such as this.

 

[Toad_Passenger]

Can you provide a source for this statement?

No one can. Nor is there any evidence to the contrary, either.

I will say, however, that regardless if people love, or hate, the system, 97%-100% capacity for POR/POFQ for this past weekend (1/30-2/1) is pretty impressive. Doesn't seem Disney is losing anything under the new system. The system has been in place, with tiers, long enough to start to see some sort of dent in Disney's numbers, but it hasn't seemed to affect anything.

 

[JimmyV]

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

Or perhaps something more revolutionary...a limit to the number of days that the AP can be used. That's the direction I would go if I were Disney. I wouldn't want people with APs being able to squeeze 20-50 days a year out of them. Maybe 15 days, and then you have to buy a new one. An AP holder using their pass for the 30th time in a year is likely generating no profit for Disney whatsoever.

 

[erc]

The whole point to all of this is that these two statements are not mutually exclusive.

I completely agree with your statement. But anyone who isn't completely naive knows that this whole thread was presented as the usual "Screw you Disney. If you won't bring back the old FastPass, I'll just spend my money elsewhere" type of tantrum. Another in a long line of threads that the moderators let go for a few pages and then shut down because it is going no where and presents the same old tired arguments.

 

[Hokie2000]

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.

Yep. This is the adaptation that everyone's been talking about. If you love WDW, but don't like (or even hate) FP+, you basically have 3 options:

1. Continue to go as you normally would, but most likely spend your trip frustrated and angry.
2. Adapt your WDW vacation to make the system work better for you.
3. Don't go anymore.

As I see it, Lake is choosing Door Number 2. I think it's a good choice and I'll be interested to see how it works out.

 

[JimmyV]

No one can. Nor is there any evidence to the contrary, either.

Rather odd logic. If I make an outrageous statement that cannot be disproved, then my statement should be given weight? "Of the MK's 18 million guests last year, 16 million of them consider Mickey Bars to be their favorite snack." I can't provide any support for that statement, but no one else can provide any support to refute it. So we are supposed to just leave it hanging as a distinct possibility?

I will say, however, that regardless if people love, or hate, the system, 97%-100% capacity for POR/POFQ for this past weekend (1/30-2/1) is pretty impressive.

Depends on the rate charged. If they have to severely discount the rate to get to 97%, then what have they achieved? If they can get 97% at full rack rate, then they have hit a milestone. Do we know what the occupancy rate really was from some verifiable source and do we know what the average rate charged was? (Or if they had to add free dining to the packages to sell the rooms?)

 

[SeanTomorrow]

Take from the commandos. Give to the leisure crowd. It was intended to do this, and it is doing it.

This is so true. I think FP+ supporters (I'm one) would do well to acknowledge this. In business, sometimes this is called "firing customers". It can be a good business decision.

However, now I have the image of someone coming home after being fired and saying: "Good news honey! I'm going to have a lot more time to relax from now on! Plus we will save so much money on gas, because my commute just shrank to zero!"

 

[JimmyV]

But anyone who isn't completely naive knows that this whole thread was presented as the usual "Screw you Disney. If you won't bring back the old FastPass, I'll just spend my money elsewhere" type of tantrum.

So if this is true, then Hokie2000 is naive.

Yep. This is the adaptation that everyone's been talking about. If you love WDW, but don't like (or even hate) FP+, you basically have 3 options:

1. Continue to go as you normally would, but most likely spend your trip frustrated and angry.
2. Adapt your WDW vacation to make the system work better for you.
3. Don't go anymore.

As I see it, Lake is choosing Door Number 2. I think it's a good choice and I'll be interested to see how it works out.

I didn't read the original post to be a tantrum so much as it was a realization that if the New World Order has caused drastic change, then one should scale back their spending and figure out a more efficient way to visit WDW. I can't imagine that LT is the only one who is doing this, especially with FOTL privileges being offered up I-4 for staying on site there.

 

[cakebaker]

Makira,
I think Lake is claiming via a rather convoluted train wreck of a thread, to have just today discovered for himself that FP+ would indeed work well to visit a park for a short span, use one's 3 FP+, and leave. Even tho he demonstrated on his trip report thread that this is pretty much what he did, and it worked awesome for him then despite his statement that one could only expect to ride 3 headliners and thereafter one better like to shop. You can take it to the extreme, and visit 365 days in a year on an AP to ride over 1000 rides all by FP+. Who cares if it has long since been pointed out that an underlying goal is to get resort guests into the parks, thru a few rides, and then freed up to do other things from the beginning... 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. And he gets a new car. Seriously. How can anyone not commend a plan that begets a new car? Hockey players have to work their whole career to get invited to the All Star game, then not get picked for a team till last to get a new car (poor Ovechkin)... and Lake gets one just by embracing FP+.

I do some offsite things. We love LEGOLAND. It's just the way it is. In fact LL opening up in Florida has been a major factor in our decision to go to Florida as often as we do. So we spend a couple nights at LL and about a week at WDW, and that works well for us. It's what we love, so it's what we do. If Lake wants to do some random things he doesn't even know about, for the better part of his day, so be it. If it makes him happy, and he has found a way to make FP+ work for him, then I'm happy for him.

I agree completely. He should do this- he should definitely do this.

 

[Laketravis]

But anyone who isn't completely naive knows that this whole thread was presented as the usual "Screw you Disney. If you won't bring back the old FastPass, I'll just spend my money elsewhere" type of tantrum. Another in a long line of threads that the moderators let go for a few pages and then shut down because it is going no where and presents the same old tired arguments.

As the author of this thread, I can assure you with 100% certainty that was neither the message nor the intent. I hope your anger subsides and you will allow the discussion to continue in a productive manner.

 

[Toad_Passenger]

Rather odd logic. If I make an outrageous statement that cannot be disproved, then my statement should be given weight? "Of the MK's 18 million guests last year, 16 million of them consider Mickey Bars to be their favorite snack." I can't provide any support for that statement, but no one else can provide any support to refute it. So we are supposed to just leave it hanging as a distinct possibility?

I'm not saying that you should give it any weight, just as those no verifiable way of giving weight to the other side. So I wouldn't even consider it in the argument. Seeing as I'm not the original poster of the statement, though, I'm not sure how much weight they wanted you take from the statement. I was just saying that there is no real way of proving one, or the other.

Depends on the rate charged. If they have to severely discount the rate to get to 97%, then what have they achieved? If they can get 97% at full rack rate, then they have hit a milestone. Do we know what the occupancy rate really was from some verifiable source and do we know what the average rate charged was? (Or if they had to add free dining to the packages to sell the rooms?)

Again, there is no way of verifying each and every person's rate. However, I received the same number from 2 different sources, 1 at each resort (POFQ & POR). I have no reason to believe they would lie about something like that, or that they would both, independently, relay the same exact information, but who knows? I'm just relaying my anecdote from my trip.

Was there an outside reason for it? I believe that Universal's Harry Potter Con this past weekend definitely affected Disney's crowds ... and in a positive way. A Universal event will certainly benefit WDW, just as a WDW event will certainly benefit Universal. That's why I never understood why people pitted the two against each other. TBH, at the end of the day, they are both very happy with where they are.

 

[erc]

As the author of this thread, I can assure you with 100% certainty that was neither the message nor the intent.

I already told you my friend. You can't BS a BSer.

 

[JimmyV]

I already told you my friend. You can't BS a BSer.

Through this quote and the one before it, you are admitting to being a BSer. And if that is the case, then why should anyone think that your Post #164 is anything other than BS? Once you admit to being a BSer, how can anyone take anything that you say seriously? Others may think that I am a BSer, but I would certainly never admit to being one.

 

[erc]

Through this quote and the one before it, you are admitting to being a BSer. And if that is the case, then why should anyone think that your Post #164 is anything other than BS? Once you admit to being a BSer, how can anyone take anything that you say seriously? Others may think that I am a BSer, but I would certainly never admit to being one.

You have clearly never heard the phrase before. The cleaner version is "kid a kidder", but I always liked my old Army Drill Sgt's version better. It basically means that you can never pull a fast one on anyone who has seen it all. And I've seen many a BSer going back to the days of Usenet pre-WWW.

 

[Laketravis]

DAY ONE of Park Strategy "More for Less"

I'll be arriving in Orlando next month on the 6th. Late flight doesn't land until 7:50pm so the agenda for the first evening will be fairly light. I won't be able to take advantage of EMH at Epcot but MK is open until 11pm for all so I'll make my FP reservations there.

Staying at Rosen Shingle Creek resort, Google Maps indicates it is 14 minutes from MCO, and then 15 minutes to the MK gate. I estimate I can collect luggage and rental car, head to Rosen, check into and leave the Rosen and be thru the gate at MK by 9:20pm. I hope I'm right but no harm no fowl because I can try to schedule my FP's 8-9, 9-10, and 10-11 knowing that the first one is sacrificial so I've got a margin of almost 40 minutes extra.

I'm not staying up until midnight tonight to reserve my first day of FP's, I'll do that in the morning and shoot for HM, SM, and something else for the first wasted one. Wishes is at 10pm and MSEP is at 11 so with any luck it should be a productive 90 minutes in the Magic Kingdom.

 

[JimmyV]

It basically means that you can never pull a fast one on anyone who has seen it all.

Strange. I think I know what "BS" stands for, and where I come from, it doesn't mean "one who has seen it all". It means a falsehood--perhaps intentionally so. So a BSer would seem to be one who constantly tries to convince people of things that are not true. But I guess I never met your Drill Sargent. I'll take your word for it.

 

[Hokie2000]

So if this is true, then Hokie2000 is naive.

I didn't read the original post to be a tantrum so much as it was a realization that if the New World Order has caused drastic change, then one should scale back their spending and figure out a more efficient way to visit WDW. I can't imagine that LT is the only one who is doing this, especially with FOTL privileges being offered up I-4 for staying on site there.

Sometimes yes, but not in this case.

While I personally like FP+, I can see the value in this approach to the parks. I might want to do something similar in the future, although my Orlando home-base will always be WDW b/c we own DVC. The only problem for me would be paying for tickets to all the different parks: Uni, WDW, Legoland, Sea World, etc. Oh, and the fact that we really, really like not having to drive. At home we live way out in the sticks so everywhere is a haul. It's such a relief to not even look at the car for an entire week. We're a one-resort family for at least another trip; then our WDW APs run out and we'll see what happens then!

 

[Laketravis]

Surprised to see that a thread on theme park planning and strategy get moved to the Theme Park Community graveyard for reason: "Not Planning"

 

[Shaden]

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.

Such a joke. Really, so if they bulldozed the castle ??? Nothing but "I don't like change" would be a valid complaint. Or if they filled in all the swimming pools Nothing but "I don't like Change" would be a valid complaint.

Get off your high horse, FP+ dramatically changes they way many people experience WDW, and if you were paying any attention, to these boards, to social media, to new papers and magazines, a LOT of people are unhappy about it.

 

[Shaden]

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.

And I would bet Millions of people don't enjoy the new FP+ system and don't think they are enjoying the type of WDW vacation they wanted to. But of course, you will just point to the people you agree with - "Look, someone likes FP+ just like me, I must be 'right'"

The only person I see throwing a tantrum is yourself "I don't like what he said about Disney ... I will show him ! I will tell him to go HOME !" blah blah blah.