New Fast Pass + is a money grab

[Tropical Wilds]

Just 5 minutes ago (at 3:25pm EST) I attempted to make 3 FP+ reservations at MK: Pan, ETWB, and Space mountain. All three were available between 5:00pm and 8:30pm.

I know its MLK,jr day weekend, but I know its not the busiest day of the weekend...Josh says a "6."

Regardless, this might be interesting information for people who think that making FP+ reservations 60 days out ties you to those rides and times for life. They can be altered, even day of.
If you decide to change parks that morning, you can still make FP+ reservations.

God, I'm slipping... What the heck is ETWB again? I'm usually so good with my abbreviations. LoL!

 

[magicbob]

God, I'm slipping... What the heck is ETWB again? I'm usually so good with my abbreviations. LoL!

Enchanted Tales with Belle

 

[Tropical Wilds]

LoL, yeah, I know that it's not Toontown anymore... You guys have the misfortune of talking to somebody who still calls HS MGM and makes no attempt to fix it, and as I never, and I mean never, have set foot in whatever it's called now, so it will forever in my mind look like it did in the 90s. LoL!

 

[magicbob]

LoL, yeah, I know that it's not Toontown anymore... You guys have the misfortune of talking to somebody who still calls HS MGM and makes no attempt to fix it, and as I never, and I mean never, have set foot in whatever it's called now, so it will forever in my mind look like it did in the 90s. LoL!

We still call it MGM sometimes, too!

And think about it... does it makes sense that Disney HOLLYWOOD Studios is in Orlando and not IN Hollywood? Universal Orlando and Universal Hollywood are named for their actual location. Why do you suppose WDW didn't name it Disney Orlando Studios or Disney Studios Orlando? Maybe because it would sound even more like US and a lot of people already confuse the two?

 

[Poly-Anna]

Vacation used to be a fun and relaxing time, where you could go to a Disney park and actually enjoy rides and being together. And I am talking about the last few years not 20 years ago. Disney has just brought vacation to an entirely new level with this FP+ system and magic bands; it is now considered WORK. I refuse to have to "schedule" my time to go on a ride. Where is the fun with that? There is no spontaneity at all. And if I don't "schedule" my time, will I ever be able to go on a ride without a 2 hour wait? Paper Fastpasses were bad enough, but at least there was some wiggle room and not the insanity with the new system. If I want to work at my vacation I will stay at WORK.

Some may complain about Universal's Express Pass for resort guests, but honestly it is the most sane system I know. Universal actually appreciates its onsite guests. We stayed onsite at Universal last year during Fourth of July Week when the wait for the new Transformers ride was 2 hours and because we were onsite guests were able to use the Express Pass lane and go on the ride multiple times in a row with no wait! That's a no brainer to me. We plan on going at the same time this year and staying onsite again. At least at Universal you get much more than what you pay for. Wish I could say the same for Disney.

 

[Son of Gadsden]

I think this is pretty overly dramatic.

Offsite resorts won't be closing down because fastpass policies changed.

I don't feel sorry for offsite guests. I pay a lot more than they do, and I should have something to show for it. There's plenty on these forums that brag about how they get such a nice room and all these amenities, and how stupid it is to stay onsite with a crackerbox room while paying more.

I stay onsite every time. We're paying twice as much as offsite people. Why exactly should offsite people get the same thing we get?

It's a simple decision: Nicer room, cheaper price, less Disney benefits, or smaller room, more expensive, more Disney benefits. Makes sense to me.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

I think this is pretty overly dramatic.

Offsite resorts won't be closing down because fastpass policies changed.

I don't feel sorry for offsite guests. I pay a lot more than they do, and I should have something to show for it. There's plenty on these forums that brag about how they get such a nice room and all these amenities, and how stupid it is to stay onsite with a crackerbox room while paying more.

I stay onsite every time. We're paying twice as much as offsite people. Why exactly should offsite people get the same thing we get?

It's a simple decision: Nicer room, cheaper price, less Disney benefits, or smaller room, more expensive, more Disney benefits. Makes sense to me.

I agree with the bolded part. Everyone has choices and can weigh the pros and cons for themselves. I also see a third choice which is simply not to go. We did an offsite trip in August. With a little strategy and planning, regular FP was plentiful. We rode everything we wanted, multiple times. We had a huge townhouse with bedrooms for everyone, washer/dryer, kitchen, living room, private pool, etc. for $140 a night. Personally, I can't imagine going back to a small room, no matter the benefits. I'm very glad we took our trip before everything really changed. I'm also very glad that we live within a reasonable drive of Disneyland. For now, we will get our Disney fix there. I can't see planning another WDW trip for quite a while. My choice. My money. But WDW isn't going to get it.

 

[MichiganDVC]

There should be a game called "Count the Tickers!"

Whenever you find a negative post about FP+, or price of Disney resort, or rising park tickets, or of whatever it is people are complaining about....look at the bottom of their post. Do they have a ticker that reveals an upcoming WDW vacation? A check in the hypocrite column.

There have been so many people who SWEAR that they're going to tell Disney how they feel with their wallet! And there it is at the bottom of the post: "135 days til our Magical stay at the Polynesian resort!"

One way to reduce standby lines is if people would quit showing up everyday. But magically they keep showing up.

Yes, in a perfect world Hollywood Studios would have 400 attractions and there would be no lines at all. And I, as much as anyone, love new attractions to be built. However, for each new attraction built, another 100 million people are added to the earth. So the only way for shorter lines is for everyone to choose Disneyland or Sea World or Legoland. Whatever. Especially in mid-June of 2014 please.....

 

[KatieCharlotte]

There should be a game called "Count the Tickers!"

Whenever you find a negative post about FP+, or price of Disney resort, or rising park tickets, or of whatever it is people are complaining about....look at the bottom of their post. Do they have a ticker that reveals an upcoming WDW vacation? A check in the hypocrite column.

There have been so many people who SWEAR that they're going to tell Disney how they feel with their wallet! And there it is at the bottom of the post: "135 days til our Magical stay at the Polynesian resort!"
QUOTE]

We'll be at WDW in April, but we're still telling Disney how we feel with our wallet, because we cut back from three park days + water parks to one park day, which we're paying for with saved up Disney Visa rewards. A lot of people are also going through with their next trips, especially if they already bought APs or nonrefundable airfare, but are reconsidering any future trips.

 

[Planogirl]

I agree with the bolded part. Everyone has choices and can weigh the pros and cons for themselves. I also see a third choice which is simply not to go. We did an offsite trip in August. With a little strategy and planning, regular FP was plentiful. We rode everything we wanted, multiple times. We had a huge townhouse with bedrooms for everyone, washer/dryer, kitchen, living room, private pool, etc. for $140 a night. Personally, I can't imagine going back to a small room, no matter the benefits. I'm very glad we took our trip before everything really changed. I'm also very glad that we live within a reasonable drive of Disneyland. For now, we will get our Disney fix there. I can't see planning another WDW trip for quite a while. My choice. My money. But WDW isn't going to get it.

I like how you think.

I do agree that onsite should get more benefits but Disney shouldn't completely trample the offsite visitors in all of this. So far all of it is looking pretty awful and I see no sense in paying to deal with all of this. In fact both onsite and offsite look bleak right now.

 

[CanadianPaco]

I like how you think.

I do agree that onsite should get more benefits but Disney shouldn't completely trample the offsite visitors in all of this. So far all of it is looking pretty awful and I see no sense in paying to deal with all of this. In fact both onsite and offsite look bleak right now.

I agree as well, but I think there are many more wrinkles to iron out with this system ...

 

[Jennasis]

There should be a game called "Count the Tickers!"

Whenever you find a negative post about FP+, or price of Disney resort, or rising park tickets, or of whatever it is people are complaining about....look at the bottom of their post. Do they have a ticker that reveals an upcoming WDW vacation? A check in the hypocrite column.

There have been so many people who SWEAR that they're going to tell Disney how they feel with their wallet! And there it is at the bottom of the post: "135 days til our Magical stay at the Polynesian resort!"

One way to reduce standby lines is if people would quit showing up everyday. But magically they keep showing up.

Yes, in a perfect world Hollywood Studios would have 400 attractions and there would be no lines at all. And I, as much as anyone, love new attractions to be built. However, for each new attraction built, another 100 million people are added to the earth. So the only way for shorter lines is for everyone to choose Disneyland or Sea World or Legoland. Whatever. Especially in mid-June of 2014 please.....

Hogwash.

One can complain about a component of a vacation without wanting/needing to cancel the whole thing. The prices are ridiculously high...so we save and save to afford it. But we'll cut out things where we can...Fewer TS meals. No souvenirs. Maybe less days than we used to go for.

 

[larryz]

If I want to work at my vacation I will stay at WORK.

It's a lot cheaper, too. In fact, most people make money if they vacation at work.

 

[d-r]

Well ... kind of. When the new Cabana Bay Resort (value level) opens at Universal, there's no guarantee that the value level guests will get that same perk. It's not yet noted on the website. When you click on "On Site Benefits" for Cabana Bay, you get:

HOTEL GUESTS ENJOY EXCLUSIVE THEME PARK BENEFITS, INCLUDING:

• Early Park Admission to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™, one hour before the theme park opens (valid theme park admission required)
• Complimentary shuttle buses and walking paths to both Universal Orlando® theme parks and Universal CityWalk
• And More!

Now, I suppose unlimited Express Pass could be part of the "and more!", but you'd think they'd note that, as it's a tremendous selling point. So ... jury is still out regarding whether staying at the value is getting you more at Universal than you get at Disney. The deluxe? Unlimited FOL is definitely a huge perk. But if they don't offer that at the value -- or if it's offered, but only for an additional cost or at a lower level (not "unlimited") -- then it's a little less of a slam-dunk.

Right now at WDW, you stay on property, you get the same benefits across the board, whether you're value or deluxe. If staying at a value at Universal means you have to pay more to have the same perk someone gets at a deluxe, then it's a little less of a "value" compared to the park up the street.

FWIW they told me when they first announced cabana bay that it wouldn't get front of the line, I guess that could change though but that was the plan originally.

 

[damo]

FWIW they told me when they first announced cabana bay that it wouldn't get front of the line, I guess that could change though but that was the plan originally.

It isn't listed on the Universal website as getting express access. Only the 3 deluxe hotels are.

Right now, the offsite hotels give early admission to Universal if you purchase a package through the universal website. I would imagine that will disappear and only onsite will get that perk in the near future. Otherwise, I don't think Cabana Bay will get the occupancy that Universal wants.

Another new hotel is also supposed to be breaking ground at the end of this year. No word on what level or style that hotel will be or what perks it may have.

As more and more rides are built at Universal in the next several years and if the rumoured 3rd gate comes to fruition, then perhaps all onsite hotels will have the unlimited express pass perk.

 

[Junebugwv]

Everyone makes adjustments because of the economy and we can expect changes in business practices at Disney. We used to have a wide choice of off-season dates and went 2 or 3 times per year. As the amount of off-season weeks diminished, we adjusted our dates accordingly. When AP prices dramatically increased, we stopped buying them. Now that it seems a bit more complicated to find uncrowded dates coupled with my difficulty in understanding apps/MBs/FP+ we are once again making adjustments. We will go once a year, pay whatever price we want to rent points for a 2br DVC, enjoy the whole resort experience and limit our parks days to 4. I am at a point in life where the money isn't as much of a factor as the desire to enjoy a relaxing vacation.

 

[Junebugwv]

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[wen8jr]

Some may complain about Universal's Express Pass for resort guests, but honestly it is the most sane system I know. Universal actually appreciates its onsite guests. We stayed onsite at Universal last year during Fourth of July Week when the wait for the new Transformers ride was 2 hours and because we were onsite guests were able to use the Express Pass lane and go on the ride multiple times in a row with no wait! That's a no brainer to me. We plan on going at the same time this year and staying onsite again. At least at Universal you get much more than what you pay for. Wish I could say the same for Disney.

I totally agree and I have no idea why anyone would complain. It is an absolutely well devised system. They do not overload capacity either - we were there on Christmas Day and the week after and never waited more than 15 minutes for a ride and that only happened a couple of times, most often it was 5 minutes or walk on. No kiosks and no crashing app required. Easy peasy. A true perk for the onsite guest.

 

[johde]

Some may complain about Universal's Express Pass for resort guests, but honestly it is the most sane system I know. Universal actually appreciates its onsite guests. We stayed onsite at Universal last year during Fourth of July Week when the wait for the new Transformers ride was 2 hours and because we were onsite guests were able to use the Express Pass lane and go on the ride multiple times in a row with no wait! That's a no brainer to me. We plan on going at the same time this year and staying onsite again. At least at Universal you get much more than what you pay for. Wish I could say the same for Disney.

Why would anybody complain about Universal's system. The majority of park goers are waiting in line for 2 hours to get one ride while you pass them multiple times in the express pass line. Hopefully you weren't planning on booking the 4th to the 5th, the hotels are all booked up for that night.

 

[Joe Dirt 1972]

Fastpass+ sucks