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

[wisblue]

I do have to comment on this. The math never works because FP- was regulated and limited so FP commandos could never monopolize the ride's entire capacity. And commandos don't wait 80 minutes for rides. Put another way...no one who ever got into the SB line at Test Track or Soarin' at 7:00 pm was ever turned away. So the idea that under the old system people were being denied the opportunity to ride headliners because other people were riding 4 times doesn't hold. No one has ever posted here that they could not ride a headliner because there was no capacity for them. Show up. Get in line. Done.

It isn't just a matter of someone not being able to ride at all, but a matter of someone not being able to ride without a long wait. I'm sure there are a lot of guests (the vast majority of whom do not post on boards like this) who wanted to ride something but weren't willing to wait in a line of an hour or longer. Now more of those guests are getting some of the FPs that used to go to the commandoes who would get several a day.

 

[JimmyV]

It isn't just a matter of someone not being able to ride at all, but a matter of someone not being able to ride without a long wait. I'm sure there are a lot of guests (the vast majority of whom do not post on boards like this) who wanted to ride something but weren't willing to wait in a line of an hour or longer. Now more of those guests are getting some of the FPs that used to go to the commandoes who would get several a day.

Agree. But others have used numbers and extrapolations to conclude that a minority of guests were using up all the capacity, long wait or short. That is the point that I was addressing. No matter what math one employs, 100% of all guests who wanted to ride a ride could do so merely by showing up.

 

[Monykalyn]

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!

LOL-we are renting an RV to stay onsite this trip! Cheapest way (for the space) for family >4. DH is freaking a bit about price even then but we are going mainly for SWW so I really wanted to be onsite-if older kids wanted to go back and swim they can.

We have otherwise always stayed offsite-we are timeshare owners at Lake Ozark in MO-so we trade for a great condo in Orlando (doing that for second week this trip) If you are really wanting to be offsite and explore options-look at a timeshare (buy) in an area that trades well but has low fees (our area has some of the lowest in country). We are looking at buying another week that trades with the other big company (we have interval international, RCI is the other company and one that trades into Disney DVC). Funny because last trip we did alot of what it sounds like you are proposing for your upcoming vacation: offsite, maximize rides/fast pass (we did RD most days at WDW) and explore other Orlando options. I think the kids most fun day was the day we went to Clearwater Beach (Sandy lake park side) and then seafood dinner that night (??think it was Joe's crab Shack?). Then the day we did BB in am (slept in), back to condo late afternoon-nap-clean up-offsite dinner (happy hour at Ale House-we couldn't believe check-so used to having a bill >$150 that the $50-with drinks!- check was great) and onto MK for late night FP+ (A&E, 7DMT, PotC and Buzz multiple times during parade).

This trip we are doing US (and one night onsite to get EP) during our condo week. And US gives 10% to AAA members.

I think it's great to explore options!! Who knows-you may end up in the "Offsite convert" thread

 

[JimmyV]

Seems to be a new approach by the mods perhaps ... though your post was clearly a strategy ... which is interesting.

So "Do You Remember Dreamflight?" is a strategy thread and this is not. Curious.

 

[wisblue]

Agree. But others have used numbers and extrapolations to conclude that a minority of guests were using up all the capacity, long wait or short. That is the point that I was addressing. No matter what math one employs, 100% of all guests who wanted to ride a ride could do so merely by showing up.

I was actually going at it the other way around. The fact that it wouldn't take that many guests riding 4 times a day to exhaust the capacity tells me that there can't be that many of them.

 

[JimmyV]

I was actually going at it the other way around. The fact that it wouldn't take that many guests riding 4 times a day to exhaust the capacity tells me that there can't be that many of them.

Sure. No one questions the fact that four-timers are an incalculably small number. Twice a day? That's another story.

 

[Angel Ariel]

Sure. No one questions the fact that four-timers are an incalculably small number. Twice a day? That's another story.

I would also suggest that it depends on the attraction discussed. I'd venture to say the # of people likely to FP Buzz 3x/day could potentially be higher than the # of people likely to FP BTMRR 3x/day because of the competitive nature of Buzz that encourages riding it more than once.

 

[JimmyV]

I would also suggest that it depends on the attraction discussed. I'd venture to say the # of people likely to FP Buzz 3x/day could potentially be higher than the # of people likely to FP BTMRR 3x/day because of the competitive nature of Buzz that encourages riding it more than once.

That ride is like crack. TSMM too.

 

[Angel Ariel]

That ride is like crack. TSMM too.

lol, ITA! When DH ran the TOT 10 miler in 2013, I went to the after party by myself. Rode TSMM 6 or 7 times in a row (walk off, walk back through the line and immediately on the attraction) - it was awesome!

 

[Laketravis]

So "Do You Remember Dreamflight?" is a strategy thread and this is not. Curious.

Groupthink at it's best. Or worst, depending on your point of view.

 

[Mad Hattered]

Groupthink at it's best. Or worst, depending on your point of view.

Guess it depends on who posts what. I haven't even been around here in months but it appears some things never change! I think I will post a "Designated Smoking Section Strategy" thread just to see if it gets moved to the "Alphabet Game" section of the board. What a crock!

 

[Shaden]

I think what you don't realize is that: accomplishing as much as possible, in the shortest amount of time possible, for the least possible money is how MOST people already vacation! This is nothing new to us!

So then this is perfectly a strategic approach, and should be included in the strat board. As opposed to "decorating your MBs" ????

 

[SmithSmith]

So then this is perfectly a strategic approach, and should be included in the strat board. As opposed to "decorating your MBs" ????

What strategic approach?! If "accomplishing as much as possible, in the shortest amount of time possible, for the least possible money" is the objective, then LT is failing. The only "strategy" he's hinted at is visiting 3 attractions per day via FP+, for 4 weeks, and accomplishing this by paying the high price of AP's. In other words, he's visiting 84 attractions, over 28 days, costing him $8.04 per attraction. For comparison, on my last trip, I visited (on average) 15 attractions per day via 6 day park hoppers. In other words, I visited 90 attractions, over just 6 days, costing me $4.40 per attraction. Therefore, LTs "strategy" accomplishes the exact opposite of his quoted objective. So how can this ill-thought strategy even be called a "strategy"? It can't, and it was never intended to. The only intention this thread ever had was to announce that he is no longer staying and eating on property and how he's saving x amount of dollars by doing this. Then it evolved when the rest of the FP+ opponents chimed in to try and lend some legitimacy by exclaiming his nonsense is an actual strategy! It is indeed, groupthink at its worst.

As for the "decorate your MBs" thread, I'm not seeing it on the TPAS board. Link?

Seriously guys... "Do you remember Dreamflight?" thread is referring to an attraction, not a strategy. Which is perfectly suited on a "Theme Park ATTRACTIONS and Strategies" board.

 

[cakebaker]

As SmithSmith said, there's no strategy here, except for devising a scenario in which WDW not only fails in their attempt to attract more people onsite, but actually accomplishes the opposite- thereby "proving" his point that FP+ is an abject failure. The only problem is, there's nothing new in this plan. Offsite is cheaper- was before fp+, is now, will always be. No news here but that's his big "gotcha Disney".

Honestly, how many people are willing to shuck out the big bucks for their entire family to buy AP's and then visit the park for at most a couple of hours a day? How many people can afford 10K a year in vacations or have the freedom to take off a month to go to Florida? If this works for him, great. But there aren't many people who 1) can afford it and 2)would want a schedule like he sets out.


He's got another one started since this one won't get much attention anymore. We'll see if that one can fly. I can't imagine being so obsessed with an issue that I'd go to all this trouble, but to each their own.

 

[infopurposesonly]

I can't imagine being so obsessed with LT's opinion on FP+ that you'd follow him all over the boards.

 

[cakebaker]

I can't imagine being so obsessed with LT's opinion on FP+ that you'd follow him all over the boards.

I can't either...you know someone who does that? Wow....crazy.

 

[Laketravis]

I can't either...you know someone who does that? Wow....crazy.

"Crazy"

Interesting choice of word.



.

 

[mom2rtk]

It seems to me the reason this thread would be moved is because under the guise of "strategy", it really was just someone announcing that they're no longer taking Walt Disney World vacations, and instead just taking trips to Central Florida.

And you know this how?

Seems to me the OP is still including Disney in his plans, maybe just not in the way a number of people consider to be the "right" way.

 

[MrInfinity]

What strategic approach?! If "accomplishing as much as possible, in the shortest amount of time possible, for the least possible money" is the objective, then LT is failing. The only "strategy" he's hinted at is visiting 3 attractions per day via FP+, for 4 weeks, and accomplishing this by paying the high price of AP's. In other words, he's visiting 84 attractions, over 28 days, costing him $8.04 per attraction. For comparison, on my last trip, I visited (on average) 15 attractions per day via 6 day park hoppers. In other words, I visited 90 attractions, over just 6 days, costing me $4.40 per attraction. Therefore, LTs "strategy" accomplishes the exact opposite of his quoted objective. So how can this ill-thought strategy even be called a "strategy"? It can't, and it was never intended to. The only intention this thread ever had was to announce that he is no longer staying and eating on property and how he's saving x amount of dollars by doing this. Then it evolved when the rest of the FP+ opponents chimed in to try and lend some legitimacy by exclaiming his nonsense is an actual strategy! It is indeed, groupthink at its worst.

Well said. I was going to give his thread some time, since a theoretical exercise of "how can one ride the most rides while spending the least time in line" is a valid theoretical question. The Day 1 / arrival day that he drew up is an example. Yes, one would conclude, that as a result of FP+, arrival days can be VERY effective. Because you hit up the parks for a short time but still get to use 3 FPs.

Now of course the NEXT day has yet to be seen.

In your calculation above, Smith, you only quote the AP price. But Lake has to consider that he's bearing a $109 off-site hotel cost, per day. Plus gas and food for so long. So really, his basis is not $600 or whatever for the AP, rather $600+$109xD, where D is the number of days he's staying. 28 days, that's $3652 for 84 rides, or $43 per ride.

This would not be considered "effective" to most. I.e. to DRIVE to a park, park there, take the boat to the Kigndom, ride 3 things, then... LEAVE. After being in the park for less than 3 hours, take the boat back, drive home, and repeat for 28 days. There is so much inefficiency there. Right off, I could surmise that one could EASILY ride 12 rides in a day. So that's 1/4 of the days necessary. Now, $600+$109xD is only $1363. Much less spent on the same number of rides. Waiting in some lines was necessary, for an hour here, an hour there, but 24 hours a day for the other 21 days (504 HOURS) were cut out of his vacation / life commitment to the plan. Surely even if he waited an hour each for the extra 9 hours per day, this is still ahead of the game.

But, I was going to let him play out the next few days just to see where he was going w it. Why not?

I think what we'd conclude, is that doing only 3 rides per day for 28 days is a complete waste. But, I'll defer so that he can demonstrate his ideal days.

Now if someone tours this way, as in they really do spend a month in Florida (I wish I could!) then sure, going daily to the parks will give you new FPs each day, which is great. But one could not make the financial / mathematical case that "if you typically stay a week and ride 84 rides in a trip via 12 rides per day, you should switch to staying 28 days because it will save you money by riding only 3 rides per day". I was going to see how he came to some definitive conclusion.

 

[Laketravis]

Well said. I was going to give his thread some time, since a theoretical exercise of "how can one ride the most rides while spending the least time in line" is a valid theoretical question. The Day 1 / arrival day that he drew up is an example. Yes, one would conclude, that as a result of FP+, arrival days can be VERY effective. Because you hit up the parks for a short time but still get to use 3 FPs.

Now of course the NEXT day has yet to be seen.

In your calculation above, Smith, you only quote the AP price. But Lake has to consider that he's bearing a $109 off-site hotel cost, per day. Plus gas and food for so long. So really, his basis is not $600 or whatever for the AP, rather $600+$109xD, where D is the number of days he's staying. 28 days, that's $3652 for 84 rides, or $43 per ride.

This would not be considered "effective" to most. I.e. to DRIVE to a park, park there, take the boat to the Kigndom, ride 3 things, then... LEAVE. After being in the park for less than 3 hours, take the boat back, drive home, and repeat for 28 days. There is so much inefficiency there. Right off, I could surmise that one could EASILY ride 12 rides in a day. So that's 1/4 of the days necessary. Now, $600+$109xD is only $1363. Much less spent on the same number of rides. Waiting in some lines was necessary, for an hour here, an hour there, but 24 hours a day for the other 21 days (504 HOURS) were cut out of his vacation / life commitment to the plan. Surely even if he waited an hour each for the extra 9 hours per day, this is still ahead of the game.

But, I was going to let him play out the next few days just to see where he was going w it. Why not?

I think what we'd conclude, is that doing only 3 rides per day for 28 days is a complete waste. But, I'll defer so that he can demonstrate his ideal days.

Now if someone tours this way, as in they really do spend a month in Florida (I wish I could!) then sure, going daily to the parks will give you new FPs each day, which is great. But one could not make the financial / mathematical case that "if you typically stay a week and ride 84 rides in a trip via 12 rides per day, you should switch to staying 28 days because it will save you money by riding only 3 rides per day". I was going to see how he came to some definitive conclusion.

$109 hotel cost per day? $43 per ride? 28 days? "Waste" time on a boat ride at WDW? I have to wonder where you are getting your numbers from or why you feel compelled to attack a thread because it doesn't appeal to your sense of direction. Honestly, from your response it seems like you stand to benefit from my exercise the most because it sounds like you are arguing one has to spend most of the day in a park to derive any benefit.

But, I was going to let him play out the next few days just to see where he was going with it....

So your strategy is to attack a thread you don't agree with in hopes it will get closed or moved? Thanks for the heads up, I'm sure the mods have noted your intentions as well.




.