Non-resort guests can not reserve FP+ early

[AliceandAriel]

I could see a sliding scale of prices for MB, based on the number of days and options on tickets purchased. Maybe a "MagicBand Special" like a 7-day (or more) MYW with Water Park Fun and More option that includes a "free" MagicBand.

That... is actually a pretty good idea. Pay $5-10/band to add to your 1 day park ticket, or add more days and eventually get the band for free. Genius.

 

[blessedby3]

Maybe because I only stay at the GF or CR besides POR once or twice but don't the standard rooms Accommodate 5? I was just back at the Grand in December and the room right next to us(we had a king) had 2 queens and a coach/bed. That room sleeps 5 and it was not a suite.

They do sleep 5, but the price doubles or triples what you would spend at a value or mod. A family of 5 shouldn't have to pay so much more when they would prefer a cheaper accommodation onsite. I agree that chain hotels offer rollaways all the time and may charge $10 or so more a night. I wish Disney did this to give bigger families an option besides 2 rooms or a deluxe or villa.
We have stayed at all levels of resorts at WDW. We have had to look for other options after our family went from 5 to 6 and the 6th turned 3.
Offsite is the only way we can affordably go to WDW.

 

[Networth]

The 4 vs 5 sleeping accommodations make sense if you look at the square footage of a deluxe vs mod/value. I can see that being a pain for those that have 4 or more kids. I may have 4 one day and if we want to stay on site we will have to get a suite at the GF it looks like kinda sucks but luckily we have the means. For those that don't It must be tough with a large family.

They kind of shot themselves in the foot when it comes to roll always at their Value resorts. I don't have the square footage I front of me but I think its 175? Which would make it illegal to sleep 5 people in a room that size per FL fire code. Obviosly Disney made the choice to make those rooms smaller but I wonder if they ever thought about tollways etc.

 

[KrazeeK120]

In response to those that think the onsite visitors should have perks...of course they should. However, FP was for everybody and now you are taking something away from the masses. I think that is wrong. I understand EH and things like that but FP was offered to all of us. I agree that the magic of Disney is lessening and that makes me sad. And 4 people in a family does not seem to be the norm anymore.

The average family size is 3.14, according to the US Census Bureau.

 

[KrazeeK120]

They do sleep 5, but the price doubles or triples what you would spend at a value or mod. A family of 5 shouldn't have to pay so much more when they would prefer a cheaper accommodation onsite. I agree that chain hotels offer rollaways all the time and may charge $10 or so more a night. I wish Disney did this to give bigger families an option besides 2 rooms or a deluxe or villa.
We have stayed at all levels of resorts at WDW. We have had to look for other options after our family went from 5 to 6 and the 6th turned 3.
Offsite is the only way we can affordably go to WDW.

Disney can't offer rollaways due to fire code.

 

[OnceUponATime15]

Not sure where the PP got the info that roll away beds are not allowed due to fire codes....

We stayed at Pop Century this past December (2 to 8th) we had a roll away the entire time. It was available upon request, at a cost of $15.00 per night. We've been assured that if our request for 2 queens & a daybed can not be met at The Yacht Club in August - a roll away can be provided upon request.

 

[mom2rtk]

We stayed at Pop Century in December (2 to 8th) we had a roll away the entire time. It was available upon request, at a cost of $15.00 per night. We've been assured that if our request for 2 queens & a daybed can not be met at The Yacht Club in August - a roll away can be provided upon request.

But I'm guessing that didn't put you over 4 listed occupants in the room.

 

[OnceUponATime15]

But I'm guessing that didn't put you over 4 listed occupants in the room.

We didn't - we had 4. The square footage of the room decides occupancy. Which I believe is where the breach in "code" in values comes in. Value rooms are about 340sq ft.. Moderates are aprox 480 and allowed the permanent Murphy bed.
My understanding is that a child under 3(?) is not counted in that occupancy. But, I could have misread the posts containing this info...

 

[AmyB2006]

We all have our own feelings on the situation but personally, I find the FP+ system a PAIN not a PERK. Three passes for an entire day, for one park, add in the tier system = PAIN. The old system allowed everyone to chose the ride and were able to ride the same attraction many times if they wished. We were able to pull fast passes at one park, hop to another park later in the day, and pull fast passes there too. Sorry, but for the money we are being charged for hoppers and taking this feature away is very restrictive. And for the record, I stay on property.

The "perk" I referenced in this post was EMH, not FP+. You clearly didn't read the quote in my post.

 

[crusoe2]

But how does EMH not? If I pay $100 for my park ticket and get 12 hours out of if, but Jane stayed onsite and gets 16 hours out of it in the same day, who is affected negatively? People who stay offsite constantly say it's for money reasons- but I bet they don't think about how much money is being 'wasted' by not having EMH. I factor that knowledge into my onsite stays, which makes the price tags a little bit easier to swallow. How does that not negatively affect offsiters?

The comment I bolded above is one I've seen on some other threads. It's a good point but I don't think it actually addresses the current situation. The onsite guest is certainly getting more bang for their buck by maximizing park hours. But it doesn't necessarily follow that the offsite guest is negatively affected by this. The offsite guest has the option to select a non-EMH park to avoid the extra crowds and still gets a solid day of park-touring time. Hence why so many people have a neutral stance on EMH. There is a work-around for that if you're willing to put in a little time and effort - something most people can afford to do even if they are doing a budget, offsite trip.

On the other hand, there has been anecdotal evidence from Dis members to support that the current FP+ system as it applies to offsite guests will have a significant negative impact on their trip. It's all speculation at this point, but I think it's perfectly understandable that people would be upset over both the limitations of the new system compared to the prior system (regardless of where you stay) and the possibility that staying offsite might mean missing out on riding the headliners. For us personally, this is enough of a question mark to make us reconsider ordering park tickets until we see how this shakes out. I hate to spend that money and end up not getting in nearly as many of our favorites attractions as we usually do.

As for whether or not I think that Disney will extend the pre-booking to offsite guests - I think that's an awfully big pool of potential customers for them to alienate. I suppose it's a question of whether offsite visitors really will choose other entertainment and skip Disney. And whether Disney can recoup enough of that lost revenue from onsite guests. It's just too soon to say.

 

[Planogirl]

But how does EMH not? If I pay $100 for my park ticket and get 12 hours out of if, but Jane stayed onsite and gets 16 hours out of it in the same day, who is affected negatively? People who stay offsite constantly say it's for money reasons- but I bet they don't think about how much money is being 'wasted' by not having EMH. I factor that knowledge into my onsite stays, which makes the price tags a little bit easier to swallow. How does that not negatively affect offsiters?

Like I said before, I understand how something Disney used to have for all is in a sense being taken away from those offsite now, but it is and it isn't. People get to book them first thing in the morning- rather than run around the park like a knucklehead for that one coveted pass they must have like TSMM. I look at the availability of FP+ to offsiters the same way the DDP used to offer appetizers- it was once on the plan, but now you pay OOP. Not saying I like it or dislike like it, but I will learn to roll with the punches.

Maybe because they never had EMH but they did have an equal shot at fastpasses. It's a lot harder to give up something than to miss something that you never had to start with.

Also, it's good that you are happy to deal with changes but not all changes suit everyone.

 

[nkereina]

Not sure where the PP got the info that roll away beds are not allowed due to fire codes....

We stayed at Pop Century this past December (2 to 8th) we had a roll away the entire time. It was available upon request, at a cost of $15.00 per night. We've been assured that if our request for 2 queens & a daybed can not be met at The Yacht Club in August - a roll away can be provided upon request.

Many resorts will not permit rollaways in certain rooms due to fire codes, depending on room configurations. Has to do with ease of exit. If room configurations allow, its no problem.

 

[Networth]

We didn't - we had 4. The square footage of the room decides occupancy. Which I believe is where the breach in "code" in values comes in. Value rooms are about 340sq ft.. Moderates are aprox 480 and allowed the permanent Murphy bed. My understanding is that a child under 3(?) is not counted in that occupancy. But, I could have misread the posts containing this info...

Are you sure those square footage numbers are right? I have never stayed at a Value but stayed at the POR once and I don't remember that being close to 500 let alone 400 square feet for a standard.

I just did a quick google and it says rooms at a value are 260 square feet on average.

 

[KrazeeK120]

Not sure where the PP got the info that roll away beds are not allowed due to fire codes....

We stayed at Pop Century this past December (2 to 8th) we had a roll away the entire time. It was available upon request, at a cost of $15.00 per night. We've been assured that if our request for 2 queens & a daybed can not be met at The Yacht Club in August - a roll away can be provided upon request.

OK...I should have clarified. I was addressing the poster who was wondering why they couldn't have a rollaway in order that a 5th person may stay in the room. What I should have said is that there can't be 5 people in a room due to fire codes, and therefore, you cannot obtain a rollaway in order to sleep a 5th person. My apologies.

 

[ArwenMarie]

Are you sure those square footage numbers are right? I have never stayed at a Value but stayed at the POR once and I don't remember that being close to 500 let alone 400 square feet for a standard.

I just did a quick google and it says rooms at a value are 260 square feet on average.

They are around 260 sf. I think the moderates are 300+

 

[annacali]

But how does EMH not? If I pay $100 for my park ticket and get 12 hours out of if, but Jane stayed onsite and gets 16 hours out of it in the same day, who is affected negatively? People who stay offsite constantly say it's for money reasons- but I bet they don't think about how much money is being 'wasted' by not having EMH. I factor that knowledge into my onsite stays, which makes the price tags a little bit easier to swallow. How does that not negatively affect offsiters?

Like I said before, I understand how something Disney used to have for all is in a sense being taken away from those offsite now, but it is and it isn't. People get to book them first thing in the morning- rather than run around the park like a knucklehead for that one coveted pass they must have like TSMM. I look at the availability of FP+ to offsiters the same way the DDP used to offer appetizers- it was once on the plan, but now you pay OOP. Not saying I like it or dislike like it, but I will learn to roll with the punches.

We are offsite visitors who have been to WDW yearly for the past several years. EMH---yes, we miss out. But, I personally would avoid it even if we could access it. We can tour more efficiently in parks with lower crowds. Since most of my trips have been with my young children PM EMH would be of no benefit, and am EMH would have only locked us into the crowded park for the day---we are not generally hoppers. We also generally go at times when the regular park hours are pretty long (summer/holidays).

As for FP+ for off site--- Yes, we get to make them all at once AFTER the entire onsite population has had 60 days to make theirs. Previously we could walk up to the ride the day of and have the exact same chance as everyone else to ride it that day. So, no, we are not happy with this system---we make very few ADRs for the exact same reason...and resort guests only have a +10 advantage for that.

We have our reasons for staying off site. We travel as a family of 5 which, as has been previously discussed, doesn't fit well on Disney property without considerable expense. I also have children with food allergies and I need to have the ability to prepare food for them. Disney is good for allergies but it is too stressful to rely on others to feed them 3 meals a day for a week! It works better for us to stay offsite with access to a kitchen and a grocery store.

 

[KatieCharlotte]

Are you sure those square footage numbers are right? I have never stayed at a Value but stayed at the POR once and I don't remember that being close to 500 let alone 400 square feet for a standard.

I just did a quick google and it says rooms at a value are 260 square feet on average.

It looks like value rooms are 260 sq feet. The rooms at Universal that allow a rollaway for a fifth person are 330 sq feet, which is about the size of the standard rooms at moderate Disney resorts. What I can't find by googling is the fire code requirements, but I did find information that it is not a set sq footage/per person formula but rather considers other elements in the particular hotel, like exits.

Disney obviously could have provided non-suite rooms in their value resorts that could hold five or six people w/ a rollaway or pull-out couch, like some budget hotel chains. But, I don't mean to say Disney is a bad company because they didn't. It's just one important factor for families deciding whether they can afford to stay onsite.

We are actually staying at POR this spring, so FP+ onsite versus offsite differences won't hurt us this time, but I am thinking of longer future visits and, even more, friends who love Disney but can't afford to stay onsite because of family size.

To me, EMH were a nice bonus for staying onsite, but nearly always the offsite guests could avoid those parks and feel no negative impact on their trip. We don't know how much unavoidable negative impact prebooking could have if not offered to onsite guests -- ie how many desirable fastpasses will be available when they arrive at the park.

 

[AliceandAriel]

We are offsite visitors who have been to WDW yearly for the past several years. EMH---yes, we miss out. But, I personally would avoid it even if we could access it. We can tour more efficiently in parks with lower crowds. Since most of my trips have been with my young children PM EMH would be of no benefit, and am EMH would have only locked us into the crowded park for the day---we are not generally hoppers. We also generally go at times when the regular park hours are pretty long (summer/holidays).

As for FP+ for off site--- Yes, we get to make them all at once AFTER the entire onsite population has had 60 days to make theirs. Previously we could walk up to the ride the day of and have the exact same chance as everyone else to ride it that day. So, no, we are not happy with this system---we make very few ADRs for the exact same reason...and resort guests only have a +10 advantage for that.

We have our reasons for staying off site. We travel as a family of 5 which, as has been previously discussed, doesn't fit well on Disney property without considerable expense. I also have children with food allergies and I need to have the ability to prepare food for them. Disney is good for allergies but it is too stressful to rely on others to feed them 3 meals a day for a week! It works better for us to stay offsite with access to a kitchen and a grocery store.

Bolding is mine.

But technically, if we really want to pick at this, you didn't have the same chance as everyone else for those coveted FP- tickets, especially on prime examples like TSMM. Those tickets are typically gone by 9:30AM on a 9:00AM opening day. With the new system, you have the chance to possibly book one. It might not be the best time, but the chance is there.

A family of 5 is tough on Disney property, as I'm learning between multiple people on here. Especially with food allergies- I know exactly where you come from on that. I myself have a gluten sensitivity and am extremely sensitive to dairy and red meat, so most of where I eat in the parks at TS to ensure I'm not going to get screwed on food. (It can happen at TS spots, too, but at least there I can do something about it with a little more drive, and talk to people, or leave. It varies.)

My point is, for every guest Disney gets it right with and makes happy, there's going to be a guest that feels like they're being ignored, screwed, or forced into different methods. I don't like the changes Disney is implementing, but I won't let them stop me from enjoying my stay. I will simply re-work my plans and enjoy the same things I have in the past. Does that mean I'm happy with them, that they're easy? No, in some ways, they're not. I hate the CC-guarantee on all ADRs, because last-minute things DO happen. But FP+ for me and my traveling party is part blessing, part learning curve. People can freak about it all they want, but in the end it's here, and one can either adapt or collapse.

 

[AliceandAriel]

Maybe because they never had EMH but they did have an equal shot at fastpasses. It's a lot harder to give up something than to miss something that you never had to start with.

Also, it's good that you are happy to deal with changes but not all changes suit everyone.

You might want to re-read my post. But I'll quote the part that you're referencing to:

Not saying I like it or dislike like it, but I will learn to roll with the punches.

So, to reiterate. I didn't say if I liked it, or if I didn't. What I said was, I will learn to roll with the punches. Why? Because that's all you can do. Everyone can gripe about something until the cows come home, but at the end of the day those who aren't grumbling are probably thinking, "Okay, how can I take this new information and utilize it to make my trip still the best it can be?" We can argue about ride rationing, onsite vs. offsite, EMH vs. not, whatever, but at the end, it's all about how EACH PERSON handles it. Some won't like it, some will. For some, it will be a holy grail moment, and to others it will sour things.

All depends on how you look at it, and ultimately handle it.

 

[mom2mickeyfan]

But technically, if we really want to pick at this, you didn't have the same chance as everyone else for those coveted FP- tickets, especially on prime examples like TSMM. Those tickets are typically gone by 9:30AM on a 9:00AM opening day.

This was not true when we were there during the 2nd of week of June last year. Paper FPs lasted until 11 or 12 for TSMM. It has only be true since FP+ has started being rolled out or maybe during the couple of most busy weeks. We have had no problem pulling 2 FPs for TSMM even during summer months. If they were running out by 9:30, there would be no possible way for anyone to get more than one.