My husband didn't believe me about FP+

[cakebaker]

I think you just accidentally argued against yourself.

Nope- if you don't cancel a FP+ then as I understand it, you have to wait for that time to pass before you can book another one. It's in one's best interest to cancel as soon as you know you can't or won't use it. There's more incentive to cancel a fp+ you aren't going to use other than just being considerate.

Other than patting yourself on the back about what a great person you are to "share", there's no incentive to handing fp's out to strangers.

 

[Angel Ariel]

We were there the first week of august and had no trouble getting our FP for A&E and 7dmt, even day of. I have had 3 trips under the new system and never had any trouble getting what I wanted. July 2014, December 2014 (during parade filming weekend) and 1st week of august 2015, no problems.

I think many people get up in arms and give up before even trying.

There were well documented issues with fp+ availability during party season last year -,mostly during October and November. For whatever reason, availability opened up again in December.

We traveled in November last year. The experience I relayed earlier today was from that trip. there was no.lack of trying on my part.

 

[itchin2go]

We always gave away FP-s if we could not use them, we never took them out of the park

Same. It was fun being able to surprise people that way.

 

[Mkrop]

What relying on others cancelling means is that even if you're unable to get a fp+ at first, you still have a chance at securing one when and if someone changes their selections. We made literally dozens of changes to our choices leading up to our trip. I'm sure we're not alone.

I read very few posts from people saying the intentionally did not cancel their fp+'s they decided not to use. So we'll just have to disagree on the frequency with which that happens.



I doubt seriously if anyone choosing SE or Figment cost anyone else from getting one. These are not hot tickets. lol

They were at the beg of Aug when the standby lines were super long. I took a time for Figment, it was a 60 minute wait!!!! and yes maybe they were others to have later in the day but if someone wanted to ride it then and it worked with their schedule, my family of 4 took that opportunity where in the past, you could walk on it or we would have walked right on by.

 

[Lucius Best]

Nope- if you don't cancel a FP+ then as I understand it, you have to wait for that time to pass before you can book another one. It's in one's best interest to cancel as soon as you know you can't or won't use it. There's more incentive to cancel a fp+ you aren't going to use other than just being considerate.

What if you're leaving the park? Where is the incentive to cancel a FP+ reservation if you're on the way out? When I gave away unused paper FPs, it was typically when we had changed our plans and were leaving.

Other than patting yourself on the back about what a great person you are to "share", there's no incentive to handing fp's out to strangers.

I don't appreciate the snootiness. The incentive was to brighten someone else's day at the park. We had someone give us some extra paper FP one day and it was great. We also had someone pay for our lunch once because they were headed to the airport and had extra dining plan credits. So on future trips we tried to pay it forward to other strangers whenever we could. Sorry if my "patting myself on the back" bothers you.

 

[cakebaker]

What if you're leaving the park? Where is the incentive to cancel a FP+ reservation if you're on the way out? When I gave away unused paper FPs, it was typically when we had changed our plans and were leaving.

Do you really think it happens very often that someone walks out of the MK without using their A&E or SDMT fp+? I'm sure it's happened, but I bet it's pretty rare and has little effect on the supply.

I was not referring to you personally, btw. Just in general that the incentive to give away fp+'s is the feeling you get from doing a good deed. No need to take offense. I still maintain it's a lousy way to distribute fp's. And I still maintain that it was a rare event. We too gave away fp's a few times. It's a nice feeling. But I got the same feeling when we cancelled our second A&E fp+'s. I know someone got a nice surprise when availability popped up. I don't have to be there to see it happen to enjoy it.

 

[bcrook]

WDW has never been a relaxing vacation to me, neither has DL. If relaxation is my goal I choose cruising or the beach, not the parks.

If you've got your adr's planned then you already know what parks on what day. Plan your fp+'s for those parks.

Strange. That is an interesting statement.

 

[bcrook]

I loved fp+! My only issue is the multiple lines for the kiosks. Why can't there be only one line that feeds into the kiosks? Each had its own line and if you chose poorly, you'd be stuck waiting for awhile, as the other lines would move.

I think I saw only one kiosk station in Epcot that had one line and it worked great.

I think the kiosks are a mess all around.

 

[bcrook]

Totally agree with your post, and we just got back last Sunday. The other thing about FP+ is you get one ride on the headliner, that's it.
Here's a list of rides that were unavailable the night before (because we wanted to be spontaneous and go to a different park than I had planned)
MK- PP, 7DMT, A&E, MSEP, Wishes, Parade
EP - TT, Soarin', Turtle Talk w Crush
HS - TSM, GMR, ToT
AK - KS, EE

That is a helpful list. I can't wait to see the hubbub around the frozen ride.

 

[Lucius Best]

Do you really think it happens very often that someone walks out of the MK without using their A&E or SDMT fp+? I'm sure it's happened, but I bet it's pretty rare and has little effect on the supply.

I don't recall anyone saying that, not sure the point of this discussion. With old paper FP, how many people pulled FP for Soarin' or TSMM and walked out of the park? I'm sure it was also a very small percentage, and thus had little effect on anything.

 

[magicbob]

I think most people's challenge is they keep thinking they have more control over Disney, than Disney does. And that just isn't ever going to be true. Hundreds of thousands of people wanting to be in essentially the same place at the same time necessitates crowd control specialists. The FP system is more about people flow. Every park has limited space and this is how Disney is working on moving guests through it. Basically, learn to work inside the system (rope drop, rides during peak mealtimes etc) and you will actually find a whole lot of fun & magic.

Translation: Magic THEIR Way.

 

[bcrook]

Disney has never been all that relaxing a vacation. If you want relaxation, I suggest a secluded Island beach. I always figured things this way. You have to plan at some time. So why waste park time deciding what to do next all day when you can waste time doing it beforehand instead of watching reruns of dance moms? Even with the old fast pass system, you had to plan ahead. You didn't actually get the fast passes ahead of the day in question. But there was planning involved.

I just don't know how this can be stated like a fact. I find it very relaxing. I found it much easier and more fun when I could get up in the morning and decide which park I wanted to go to.

And I found it less stressful when I didn't have to worry about getting zapped with a credit card ADR guarantee. But no matter what, I like WDW world as a vacation location. The does probably help, and I never took young kids.

 

[BeachClub2014]

At least with FP+, if you're considerate and cancel them, others get to pick them up. I'm sure any of the most popular attractions are picked up and don't go to waste.

If people were truly considerate they wouldn't book FP+ they know they won't use. Much of this thread discussion has been about the frustration with having to plan, and get lucky way in advance with this new FP+ system. The old system wasn't perfect but you at least had to be there to game it.

I think the argument that people booking fp+'s they don't need and it's depleting the supply is weak at best. I doubt many want to just let them go without cancelling thereby giving up one of their 3 fp+'s for the day. It's much more likely they do as we did- book, then cancel and replace.

I understand that you are trying to rationalize the practice of overbooking, and then perhaps cancelling thus freeing up the FP+ opportunity for someone else. But of course it depletes the supply for everyone else. For every FP+ issued, that's one less that is available. If it's only one family doing it then it's no big deal, if it's 100 then it's a bigger deal, if it's a 1,000 an even bigger deal.

 

[bcrook]

you missed the sarcasm, lol, we had a "free flowing" trip when we went in December too, one of the best times we've ever had, When I posted OUR FP experiences, I was promptly informed that "well we were there at a slow time" "the crowd hadn't showed up yet" all the excuses, almost everything except the headliners were walk on, yes we had a great time but was informed I couldn't have had a good time because of FP+

This also is fascinating.
It's possible to have a good time with FP+ - lots of reasons for that. Low crowds help a lot. Not wanting to ride headliners more than once. Spending half days in the park for longer periods. I read lots of stories about FP+ leading to good times.

It is also possible that people who don't get online early in the game and get what they need could be sorely disappointed and out of luck. They could have a terrible time.

It is possible that some people get to do far less than they used to do and not like it as much if they can't ride tower of terror multiple times in a day.

It's possible that FP+ return lines are much longer than before and that causes frustration.

There are so many issues at play, that is difficult to categorize good, better or worse.

The only thing that is indisputable is that FP+ is a ride rationing system and WDW doesn't have enough attractions. These FP+ arguments will continue until Disney takes care of the ride shortages. Oh what that Two Billion could have done. It makes me ill thinking about the lost opportunity.

 

[bcrook]

I agree there are so many more possibilities than what is currently offered. They've got a lot of data. Big Data is the future!

Big Data! Dangerous!

Is that a coaster?

 

[cakebaker]

I understand that you are trying to rationalize the practice of overbooking

Booking whatever attractions you care to book for the number of times you are allowed to book, is not overbooking.

I'm trying to rationalize nothing. I don't need to. I booked A&E twice, knowing we'd use 1 of them and cancel the other which is exactly what we did. I'm still amazed anyone could book every day of their trip when so many can't find one at all at the 60 day mark. This means that they found availability from day 1- something we certainly did not see. And as I understand it, A&E are usually booked 3-4 days beyond the 60 most times, so it's a puzzler.

But, I'm fully entitled to book whatever attraction I want for as many days as I have a ticket for, whether I actually intend to use them or not. Personally, I wouldn't waste my fp+'s like that and I doubt many people would.

But I've played into this argument all I intend to. Have a great evening!

 

[mesaboy2]

And yet there is implicit wrongdoing in "work[ing] the system in such a way that you collected fp's to use later".

 

[bcrook]

Booking whatever attractions you care to book for the number of times you are allowed to book, is not overbooking.

I'm trying to rationalize nothing. I don't need to. I booked A&E twice, knowing we'd use 1 of them and cancel the other which is exactly what we did. I'm still amazed anyone could book every day of their trip when so many can't find one at all at the 60 day mark. This means that they found availability from day 1- something we certainly did not see. And as I understand it, A&E are usually booked 3-4 days beyond the 60 most times, so it's a puzzler.

But, I'm fully entitled to book whatever attraction I want for as many days as I have a ticket for, whether I actually intend to use them or not. Personally, I wouldn't waste my fp+'s like that and I doubt many people would.

But I've played into this argument all I intend to. Have a great evening!

I wonder if Disney will institute a credit card guarantee in the future to stop this? It sure has kept me from irresponsibly booking Restaurant Marrakesh ADRs. right now for my October trip, I grabbed as many 7dmts as I could, I just figured I would let them go about two days before my trip. I think a lot of people are doing this.

Actually I think it might help if there are a few more rides at th other parks siphoning away the demand from MK.
Frozen will force people to use days on Epcot far in advance. And the Rivers of light might cause a DAK stampede and drag The Safari into tough availability with it. I can't wait to see how it turns out.

Btw I wasted my Epcot Fastpasses last trip. Probably will this time too. After Soarin, no need.

 

[BeachClub2014]

Booking whatever attractions you care to book for the number of times you are allowed to book, is not overbooking.

I'm trying to rationalize nothing. I don't need to. I booked A&E twice, knowing we'd use 1 of them and cancel the other which is exactly what we did. I'm still amazed anyone could book every day of their trip when so many can't find one at all at the 60 day mark. This means that they found availability from day 1- something we certainly did not see. And as I understand it, A&E are usually booked 3-4 days beyond the 60 most times, so it's a puzzler.

But, I'm fully entitled to book whatever attraction I want for as many days as I have a ticket for, whether I actually intend to use them or not. Personally, I wouldn't waste my fp+'s like that and I doubt many people would.

But I've played into this argument all I intend to. Have a great evening!

I am sorry if I offended your sensibilities. I actually didn't even comment on any FP+ selections you may, or may not have made or whether or not you used them. You were defending the practice, which was the discussion point I was reacting to. You are correct in saying that anyone is fully entitled to book whatever attraction they want for as many days as they want, nobody disputed that. It just reinforces the original point of view that the new FP+ is not a good system in the eyes of many.

 

[disneyseniors]

Now it is a system relying on people cancelling them and people are saying they arent they are just letting them go.

We never needed FPs for Spaceship Earth and yet we are booking them, we booked one for Figment and we didnt want to ride it, but we did, so yeah we book FPs all the time for things we dont really want bc we have to book 3, thus taking away spots for people who might really want to ride the ride

Yes, but you see, you are using logic and common sense, and that is in short supply on this subject