My FP+ success story ..

[wisblue]

Spare me the grammar lessons. Tell you what, I'll forward all future comments to you first so you can proof them/screen them for me. Not.

You are among a small number of people who simply can't bear to see anything even remotely negative posted about WDW and when you do your absolute goal is to tear it apart word for word.

You bet this forum is about helping others with their trips to WDW. And that would include not promoting any pollyannish expectations that they are going to be able to do everything they want in the parks regardless of crowd levels and the size and composition of their group.

Because if it doesn't work out that way for them, well, according to you it's simply their fault and a result of their own inefficient touring.

Most people recognize that there are points in between being able to do everything they want regardless of crowd size and make up of their groups (which I have never said) and not being able to do more than 3 rides in a day without long waits (which you DID say). Yet somehow you have come to the conclusion that I am misleading people. Priceless.

 

[DisneyKidds]

I'll give you another day from our trip last week, Dec 28. Our friends from Jax came down for the day to meet us.....

AK was the plan. 7am EMH, but we didn't want to be up too early, so we got through the tapstiles at 7:45, just a little ahead of the GP. First we rode EE. With no wait, absolutely 0, like we walk straight through to our loading spots, the kids and I did it 3x. Over to Primevil Whirl, which we did 2x, absolute walk up, zero wait to load. Our friends finally arrive around 9:00, and we ride EE with them, 5 minute wait. Over to Dinosaur, zero wait. From there to the Safari, where we wait 20 minutes, then Tough to be a Bug, 20 minutes. That's 9 attractions, total wait time 45 minutes.

A quick break back at the Beach Club, a couple drinks over at the Boardwalk, and we meet up with the kids at Hollywood Studios, FP+ in hand. TSMM (FP) with a 5 minute wait, including the queue after the merge. Star Tours with a 5 minute wait, including queue after the merge. ToT (FP) with a 25 minute wait, but only because half the elevators were down. As we got off they shut the ride down. That's another 3 attractions and an additional 35 minutes of wait time, inflated because of ToT ride issues.

Up to 12 attractions with a total wait time of 80 minutes. The TSMM posted wait was 180 minutes, ToT was 300 minutes (due to ride issues)......you get the idea, I won't go on. We also saw the Osborne Lights and enjoyed a few drinks at the Brown Derby lounge, and made it over to Epcot for Fish and Chips, beer, and Illuminations.

Another great and productive day during the busiest week of the year. Boom....stick THAT in your pipe and smoke it Lake monster!!!!

 

[wisblue]

You said he didn't clarify his meaning I just bolder and underlined him doing EXACTLY that.

So, he "clarified" what he said from one blatantly inaccurate statement to a slightly different, but equally inaccurate, statement.

 

[Laketravis]

So, he "clarified" what he said from one blatantly inaccurate statement to a slightly different, but equally inaccurate, statement.

Inaccurate? Here's a post that just appeared in another thread that supports my comment. Maybe you guys can help this poor person by explaining to them how you think it's all their fault due to inefficient touring:

I am a planner, and I am not a fan of the new system. There is no flexibility, you are chained to the plan. Tiering! Epcot was a 3 day park for us before fast pass, now it is a 1 day park for us thanks to no promise of a FP for the ONLY 2 rides my family like in this park. The fast passes in the park are a joke, I get the privilege to wait in a line for an afternoon filler fast pass. Afternoon filler rides now have longer lines due to fast pass+ I could go on and on, even "planners" do not like this system!
I would like to sometimes choose that day, what park I choose to go to and have my fast passes at that park.

I have to be overscheduled at work, my kids sports, and school events.
I certainly do not want it on my vacation!

The backlash is simple the new system stinks to our family.

I just answered my Disney survey, and told them stop fixing rides that were great to begin with(the new test track is "lame" to quote my daughter), stop investing in tech to money grub another buck out me, and invest in some rides that are needed with the amount of people you serve in Epcot, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom. Have a variety of rides for all ages, that means rides that will appeal to little ones, tween/teens, and adults.
I have "lost that loving feeling" for Disney due to fast pass-

Let me know if you need more of these so you can help them out. There's tons of them.

 

[wisblue]

Inaccurate? Here's a post that just appeared in another thread that supports my comment. Maybe you guys can help this poor person by explaining to them how you think it's all their fault due to inefficient touring:



Let me know if you need more of these so you can help them out. There's tons of them.

How does thie support your statement?

The poster doesn't say that he could only do 3 rides. If someone is only interested in 2 rides in a park that doesn't mean he couldn't have done more.

On our recent visit to EPCOT we did Soarin, TT, MS, SE, Nemo, and Figment all before 11 AM and without using a FP.

Just keep digging your hole deeper with more irrelevant drivel.

 

[Laketravis]

How does thie support your statement?

The poster doesn't say that he could only do 3 rides. If someone is only interested in 2 rides in a park that doesn't mean he couldn't have done more.

Just keep digging your hole deeper with more irrelevant drivel.

You've convinced me that you simply refuse to consider anything beyond your own point of view. You really don't need to spend your time thinking about your next move or researching my archived posts in an attempt to find a t that wasn't crossed or an i that wasn't dotted or how you can best misinterpret my comment for the sake of an argument.

We don't agree. Let's leave it at that and stop the personal attacks.

 

[wisblue]

You've convinced me that you simply refuse to consider anything beyond your own point of view. You really don't need to spend your time thinking about your next move or researching my archived posts in an attempt to find a t that wasn't crossed or an i that wasn't dotted or how you can best misinterpret my comment for the sake of an argument.

We don't agree. Let's leave it at that and stop the personal attacks.

You've convinced me that you are too stubborn to admit that you made some grossly exaggerated and inaccurate statements. This is not a disagreement about an opinion or a point of view, it is pointing out that something you said is factually inaccurate.

If someone said that he didn't like paper FPs because you had to be at the park at rope drop to get anything good, you and others would be all over him. Saying that with FP+ you can only get 3 rides without long waits is an equally inaccurate statement of fact that is completely separate from the issue of which system anyone prefers. Just like it is inaccurate to say that you can't get any good FPs unless you snag them at midnight 60 days out. That's the fallacy that prompted the OP to start this thread in the first place.

I am more than happy to leave it that we disagree about the value of FP+.

 

[Laketravis]

You've convinced me that you are too stubborn to admit that you made some grossly exaggerated and inaccurate statements. This is not a disagreement about an opinion or a point of view, it is pointing out that something you said is factually inaccurate.

If someone said that he didn't like paper FPs because you had to be at the park at rope drop to get anything good, you and others would be all over him. Saying that with FP+ you can only get 3 rides without long waits is an equally inaccurate statement of fact that is completely separate from the issue of which system anyone prefers. Just like it is inaccurate to say that you can't get any good FPs unless you snag them at midnight 60 days out. That's the fallacy that prompted the OP to start this thread in the first place.

I am more than happy to leave it that we disagree about the value of FP+.

Are you having difficulty finding the brake pedal? Enough.

 

[Mambo Junkie]

This goes both ways, though.

I've seen numerous posts about how if a person did *not* like FP+ it was somehow their fault for not making it work, or not having realistic expectations, or some-such.

Really, I'm just here to learn. I would never discount anyone's experience; positive or negative. But I'm a big enough girl to be able to handle criticism about any component of WDW, which seems to be frowned upon across the board. I can take the good and the bad and make decisions with all the info.

I'm excited to try FP+ because if it works like I'm hoping it will--it's going to be awesome. If I end up not riding as much and standing in much longer SB lines then...not so much. Fingers crossed!

You should like it and I hope you do! As I said before, it was very useful for the things I wanted to do that had long waits. As far as getting to do as much as before, I think it'll depend on what time you go, time of year, crowds, etc. Also, how much time you're willing to spend in the parks. If you like the full on park adventure, it should work for you. I loved the magic bands, too. I liked the fact that they were your room key, charge card, park ticket, fp, etc. all in one bracelet. My touring style kept me from embracing the fp+ system fully, but it was very good for what I used it for.
Have fun!

 

[DisneyKidds]

Lake, I never said the FP+ system works for everyone. Disney changing hours/entertainment messes people up. Tiering isn't ideal. The lack of full change-on-the-go flexibility could be bothersome. Some people really dislike planning and being on a schedule. The system glitches. I agree, there are a lot of opportunities to create unhappy guests. Add in the prior experiences for many who like legacy FP better and that number grows more. Unlike some, I can recognize both sides of the argument.

However, none of that changes that your '3 attractions and long lines for the rest' statement is generally false and misleading. Sure, there is always going to be the family that goes in the summer, shows up at the park at noon, has no clue and no plan, doesn't know how to use FP, and has a miserable time. Know what? That family existed prior to FP, during FP-, and during FP-, and they will exist in the future, whatever iteration of FP is around. I know you don't like hearing this, but their miserable experience is their own doing, and they are the outliers.

We are here on the DIS, presumably to help DISers.....well, at least some of us are. DISers area savvy enough to secure their 3 FP+, even if they have difficulties, or don't get exactly the ones they want. They generally know you have to have a plan. Honestly, anyone who does those two things will have more success than you lead people to believe with your statements.

Is everyone going to be as kick-@ss intelligent and successful as me? Maybe not, but I'd rather show them what is truly possible, based on what we actually did, and have them shoot for the stars, even if they fall a few attractions short......as opposed to trying to frighten people and scare them off with false statements about only three attractions.

 

[DisneyKidds]

Are you having difficulty finding the brake pedal? Enough.

All gas and horn, baby!

 

[Sharpdisney]

Regarding my all-inclusive pool:

in a pool being used as a toilet by drunk guests.

See, I always learn something on these boards! I'm glad to know that there is no pee in the Disney resort pools!!

Only teasing....

 

[Laketravis]

Lake, I never said the FP+ system works for everyone.

I know you didn't.

However, none of that changes that your '3 attractions and long lines for the rest' statement is generally false and misleading.

It is only "false and misleading" if it is misinterpreted in an absolute sense. In much the same way your statements would be "false and misleading" of what you say you accomplished last week are interpreted to mean it is always that way. And we both know it isn't.

Both my statement and yours are also dependent on what PARK we are talking about. Mine is less frequently true in AK while I believe yours is less frequently true in HS or EP.

The fact is everybody gets 3 FP's. Beyond that, our only option is SB at all attractions or we can take a shot at what additional FP might be left at a Kiosk. And we both know that's generally slim pickings for attractions that normally only have SB waits equivalent to the time it takes to go get an FP at a kiosk and return anyway.

I'd suggest looking at the Wait times that are available via multiple sources to see that there are most definitely waits for SB, but then you've already disputed the accuracy of those as well.

To be honest, I think anyone who has been in the parks on a weekend or during a holiday period would have a hard time believing that you breezed thru just about every SB line you encountered. I'm not saying you didn't, but I'm saying it is also false and misleading to suggest it is always like that for everyone. You picked 12/30 to illustrate your example, but what about the next day - 12/31? Below are the wait times throughout the day for MK, EP, and HS - are you saying you could have breezed thru the SB lines on that day just like you did the day before?

So if you want to accuse me of purposely making a false and misleading statement when I said that once you use your 3 FP's you are left with long standby lines, then simply insert the word "often" between "are" and "left" and I hope you feel better.

 

[SuperTink]

You should like it and I hope you do! As I said before, it was very useful for the things I wanted to do that had long waits. As far as getting to do as much as before, I think it'll depend on what time you go, time of year, crowds, etc. Also, how much time you're willing to spend in the parks. If you like the full on park adventure, it should work for you. I loved the magic bands, too. I liked the fact that they were your room key, charge card, park ticket, fp, etc. all in one bracelet. My touring style kept me from embracing the fp+ system fully, but it was very good for what I used it for.
Have fun!

Thanks Mambo, I really plan to!

 

[MrInfinity]

That is exactly what others are referring to when they talk about the admonishments they receive when they post that it didn't work your way for them. They are told they are doing something wrong, it's their own fault.

It depends how you share your experience.

If you found that you only got on 3 and done via new FP+, and that was because that's all you used the system to do, and then you waited in long standby lines for the rest of the day, that's fine. But if you state that because YOU were not able to get on more than that, that the system is flawed and caused you to not get on more than that, then you are just pinning the result of your actions on a system instead of yourself, because other people ARE demonstrating on busy days that the system does enable them to get on far more than 3 and done.

So you have to accept that even with the new system, it is definitely doable to get on way more than 3 things per day without long standby lines. I did it every day in May including opening day of SWW. No kidding, I rode Star Tours like 3 times, TSMM, RR twice, TOT, and used my RD time to do JTA so I did all the rides without the benefit of prime RD time. Others are saying they're doing it over Christmas break. So it is clearly doable.

I think where you are going wrong is that you are concluding that because you were not able to get on more, that the system is at fault. Why you go blaming a system instead of looking for solutions for how others are able to tour more efficiently is unknown. Not saying you are at fault per se, just that based on the experiences of those out here, maybe you could take in some of the ideas on how to get on more than the 3 and done you're finding instead of just constantly flaming FP+ for being a 3 and done system. There are ways, via FP+, to get on tons.

Really if I can get a family of 5 on all that stuff plus have breakfast at the Galactic Dine and make the Feel the Force opening parade and closing ceremony on the same day (that's a ton of stuff!), do you not think it's even remotely possible that you're maybe not using all the options at your disposal if you're finding that you can do only 3 things in a day and then you have to wait an hour per ride after that?

 

[Hokie2000]

Get over it.

You just can't stand being called out, can you? I'd say you're the one who needs to get over it.

 

[MrInfinity]

Let's leave it at that and stop the personal attacks.

I have followed most of this thread and did not see any post in which Wis personally attacked you. Her arguments are pretty well thought out and stay on point. OTOH, to several posts I've made, you've retorted w comments like "well that is shady logic for you" and then nothing else. So you do regularly border on personal attacks in posts with no other content. Nothing that bothers me since I am confident in the arguments I make... but if you're going to request to stop the personal attacks, you could just do so yourself and be a step ahead.

 

[Laketravis]

So you have to accept that even with the new system, it is definitely doable to get on way more than 3 things per day without long standby lines.

You are making the same "absolute" false and inaccurate statement I have been accused of. First of all, it depends on what park. Take HS for example since that is where you said you were able to accomplish a lot in May.

But I spent several days in HS over the course of Thanksgiving week and the week after. I'm no novice when it comes to touring, but there is not much you can do when the posted waits at all attractions in the park you are at are no less than 30 minutes. I've already posted a picture of the line at the FP kiosks as an example, so I won't bother doing that again. We would park hop out of there but that isn't an option for everyone. Should we have arrived at rope drop? We could have, and had maybe an hour of short waits. And like you we are seasoned visitors and can leave a park for the resort and call it a day and perhaps go to a different park that evening. But we aren't typical, many guests go to a park and that is the park they are locked into for the day. So if they take advantage of RD at HS for an hour or so of advantage, what are they then faced with? What do they do for the rest of the day? My point was they will be standing in lines.

 

[Laketravis]

You just can't stand being called out, can you? I'd say you're the one who needs to get over it.

How many times are you going to post the same response? You posted the exact same thing at 5:11pm, post #240. Was that the end of your shift and now your back to resume the defense but forgot where you left off? I swear, it's like you guys are a tag team.

Here, let me call You out - because you essentially agreed with me:

Of course it's hard to avoid lines. How many books, blogs, planning sites, forums are devoted to avoiding lines at Disney?

 

[Laketravis]

I have followed most of this thread and did not see any post in which Wis personally attacked you.

I can understand why you don't see it so I won't bother going back and collecting his posts.