Not a fan of FP+..positive update #193 (sort of...)

[jharaldson]

Because until you walk in the park that day, all options are still open. When you take the slip, you know what the weather is like. You know if your child is ill. You know what the standby wait is like. You know whether your child is finally brave enough to ride Rock N Rollercoaster. You know whether nobody slept well and you want to leave the park early.

Without a crystal ball, it's really hard to know those things 60 days out.

And most importantly, if you take a slip and it doesn't pan out, you aren't limited to only 2 more that day. The stakes are much higher when you can only get 3.

I would say most people on this board know most of the answers to the questions above before they leave for the park that day with the exception of the childs reaction to a ride, that is personal and could change up to the moment they are getting on the ride.

 

[PatMcDuck]

My last trip to WDW was last Fall, when we could use FP+ and pull paper FPs. SO my trip in May will be very different.

I am finding it hard to pre-book FP+, with the Mine Train not loaded into the system, the system not reflecting the 24 Hour Day promotion, and not having the schedule for both the 24 hour day and Star Wars weekend events in hand. (hey, I am lucky to be going and have that "problem", yes!)

Last trip, I loved the Magic Bands and FP+, but of course, I could still get paper FP then to use in addition to the FP+. I still like the Magic Band part of the whole deal, but I find myself wishing that they left the FP alone, lol. Just let us scan our bands for FPs, put the machines back! As if, haha. (We are just back from DL last month, ahh, so easy there.)

Question, are the standby lines getting longer now? I would think they would be, with the limit on the # of FP. And, because for some of the parks, we would not even use 3 FP, with the tiering system, I am choosing some I do not even really want or need, they are for rides that usually do not have long lines. The other thing I would expect during busier times, is people leaving the parks once their 3 FP+ are gone. Why stick around, to wait on long standby lines? Even having one FP for hours later, is enough to get guests to stick around a busy park (and shop, eat, etc while waiting for that FP to come around).

I think I will still have a great trip, learning to use the new system will be interesting. I may spend less time in the park, more at the resort though. And more time just walking around, enjoying the street performers, Castle show, etc.

 

[mickeysgirl17]

Been here for 5 days and we are doing fewer rides/attractions and spending less time enjoying the pixie dust due to the the limited FPs and limited flexibility.

Our family was never an abuser of the system but be usually had 4-6 FPs per day. We did "stand-by", too, but we always had time to stop and soak up the Disney atmosphere along the way. If we saw that we were going to miss a FastPass, we would give it away and get another for later in the day. We enjoyed making up our days as we go.

This trip, each FastPass takes longer to do (with the longer lines) and we are spending more time in Stand-by lines...... which is less time free to shop, spend, and soak up all things Disney.

Also, the "change your FPs on the fly" is not working out for me very well. Twice, I have tried to change times and/or attractions the day before and created a big mess. In one instance, I wanted to change TT for Soarin... two days in advance (not the same day), so I dropped TT but the times for Soarin' were 6:30 or later in the evening. We had plans for that evening, so I tried to get back TT but the same thing happened. So, I lost a good time spot for TT and got stuck with a time that will not work for us.

It would have helped my immensely to know what times are available before going thru the change/replace process.

For the major attractions, I am not finding availability throughout the day. That makes me nervous to change or drop or replace an existing FP.

All of these changes were made from a laptop in our resort room. I haven't tried to make changes from my cell phone in the parks.

Just another observation from a well-heeled DisneyWorld AP DVC fan.

I don't like this whole new system either. We are paying more for tickets and getting less fastpasses per day which is not right. I emailed Disney to let them know that I think this new system is ridiculous. Making attraction reservations 60 days in advance? Outrageous. Whats next? Reservations to use the restrooms? Sadly, a few people sending in their complaints isn't going to do much. People who don't like this new (and confusing) system need to send a quick email and voice their complaint in hopes that they will go back to the old way or figure out something else.

 

[mom2rtk]

I would say most people on this board know most of the answers to the questions above before they leave for the park that day with the exception of the childs reaction to a ride, that is personal and could change up to the moment they are getting on the ride.

I really am not sure how you would know any of those things 60 days out.

You must have a better weather forecaster than I do.

 

[minniemous]

No, they don't. And they are extremely pleased that you can no longer do that at the expense of others.

 

[morethananyonex]

I would say most people on this board know most of the answers to the questions above before they leave for the park that day with the exception of the childs reaction to a ride, that is personal and could change up to the moment they are getting on the ride.

Most people on this board know the weather, stand by waits, their mood, their child's mood and any other unexpected circumstances that can mess with a preset schedule? Wow, do I ever feel inadequate!

 

[2Tiggies]

I really am not sure how you would know any of those things 60 days out.

You must have a better weather forecaster than I do.

And non accident prone kids (if any at all).

Last trip I became very ill a few days into it and that led to a lot of last minute changes for the rest of the trip. On day two DD slipped and fell on the tiles getting out of the shower. I had to make sure she was ok and in a stable frame of mind before we left so we didn't make the 8 am EMH we were headed for but were still able to get to another park by rope drop without our plans being damaged. You just can't plan ahead for unexpected situations. That's why they are called unexpected!

 

[surferdave]

This makes sense. You are concerned that the glitches in the MDE app prevent you from doing the on-demand scheduling you prefer and that the popularity of the new FP+ system is taking up many of the slots and giving you limited selection when you are in the park mid-day.

Much more than that, but yes. Also WiFi/wireless not being up to the demand, cellphone charge rapidly diminishing and guest relations/FP kiosks having the longest lines this side of Arendelle.

I would say most people on this board know most of the answers to the questions above before they leave for the park that day with the exception of the childs reaction to a ride, that is personal and could change up to the moment they are getting on the ride.

I tried changing all my plans on MDE before leaving for the park one morning, it was maddening (though I don't doubt others will be along shortly to say it was a delightful experience for them). Of the examples Mom gave I say you know very few of them first thing in the morning: Florida weather changes by the minute, kids getting ill maybe faster than that, and FP+ has made wait times the most unpredictable factor of all.

 

[bobbie68]

Because until you walk in the park that day, all options are still open. When you take the slip, you know what the weather is like. You know if your child is ill. You know what the standby wait is like. You know whether your child is finally brave enough to ride Rock N Rollercoaster. You know whether nobody slept well and you want to leave the park early.

Without a crystal ball, it's really hard to know those things 60 days out.

And most importantly, if you take a slip and it doesn't pan out, you aren't limited to only 2 more that day. The stakes are much higher when you can only get 3.

 

[gottaluvPluto]

We just returned from a week at Disney and all I am not a happy camper. FP+ gets a big fat FAIL!!! We set our fast passes to the afternoon because we are not morning people and scheduled the FP+ two hours before we entered the park .... Due to full busses and late busses we had to run our butts off several times just to make our first fast pass. I have never felt more rushed on a vacation than this one. We tried to change the times, but it was impossible to get on the app and when we did get on the app we couldn't change them.

We also rode less rides and spent more time in line not enjoying Disney! In fact, several times the FP line became longer than the stand by line. When this happened the stand by line increased because Disney does a 1:10 ratio. So for every 4 people in stand by line they let 40 fast pass people go in.

I do like the bands for tickets, paying and getting in the room, but that is it.

We did speak to several park managers about the issues and they stated it is still in testing and they will eventually add more fast passes to the options. I seriously don't know how the can add more FP+ because the FP lines were already huge!

We may not go back to Disney again! I'm so sad.

 

[TLSnell1981]

I don't understand why so many people are upset at the lack of FP availability when trying to switch times/attractions.
We never had that option before MM+ so why can't everyone just accept the changes for the better and learn how to get the most out of the trip they have planned.
I personally like this new system, but I've learned how to acclimate it to our families needs.

It's difficult to plan every detail for each day...1-2 months out. And, that's coming from someone who plans vacations a year out, dining ressies at 180 days, etc.

 

[Shaden]

Most people on this board know the weather, stand by waits, their mood, their child's mood and any other unexpected circumstances that can mess with a preset schedule? Wow, do I ever feel inadequate!

yup, I totally know all those things.

There was a question earlier about ... how FP+ is any different than FP-.

You still get a block of time to use your FPs.

True, but in FP- I "booked" my FPs at the time, with first hand knowledge of the weather, park/crowd conditions, my mood, any kids/adults etc in my party's moods or ride tolerances, etc etc.

Now, I am taking a guess 60 days out.

Sure you can talk all you want about availability to change day of, but we already know that when things are busy that's absolute BS. We have lots of reports about the unavailability of changes day of during busy times, and that is without APs or Off site being able to prebook ... its only going to get worse.

 

[disney1990]

I think at the parks get busier and as more and more people use FP+, the idea of changing your ride times will no be an option because nothing will be available. I plan on picking my times and staying with them and suggest that others do the same.

 

[Angel Ariel]

I think at the parks get busier and as more and more people use FP+, the idea of changing your ride times will no be an option because nothing will be available. I plan on picking my times and staying with them and suggest that others do the same.

That is precisely my concern - especially once offsite guests have access to prebooking.

 

[Planogirl]

I agree with those who say that it's hard to preschedule so far in advance. We used to be able to schedule on the fly depending on crowds and weather and mood but that may become very difficult with the new system.

 

[Planogirl]

FP+ lover: "I Love FP+, but I don't like that you can only get 3, can't repeat rides, can't park hop, and I don't like tiers."

FP+ hater: "I don't like FP+ because I don't like that you can only get 3, can't repeat rides, can't park hop, and I don't like tiers."

Someone want to explain why it's such a mortal sin to dislike the same exact things that most proponents of the system don't like either????

Simply brilliant.

 

[Claudia1]

I, for one, am tired of getting apologies from Disney CMs for MDE and/or FP+ issues. I KNOW it is in the testing phase but we paid lots of money for this trip. I just want it to work like you say it should to enhance my experience.

I checked our FP+s last night for today and saw that one of our group had been left out. Hmmmmm...... Strange since we are ALL doing everything together and I always selected "all". Also, I am the only one with access. I tried to copy but the time was no longer available. "Chat" could not help me. I had to send 15minutes on the phone this morning to get it fixed. Everybody was apologizing and it was resolved but it has become a joke around here with all of the apologies.

While standing outside Toy Story Mania, a CM approached us to see if we needed help. No, we were fine but DH made a joke about the new system. The CM was actually or who dealt with these issues and he asked what we thought. We told him and, once again, he assured us it was not our fault but the system was still in testing.

DS and DDIL missed 2 of 3 FP+s because their 1 yr old fell asleep for an unusually long nap. By the time they realized they had a problem, FPs were gone. You just can't change headliner FP+s at 9am for earlyin the day or after they are all gone. They were at the park in the morning and would have gotten earlier FPs with the old system but not now. Again, the kiosk CMs were apologetic but none were available. (Yes, I know that people missed FPs with the old system but the old system let you make decisions based on your child that day...... Not make a guess weeks in advance.).

Honestly, we have not been griping and complaining all week. I have just been working out the issues and the apologies are getting old. This is the new normal and we are just trying to make it work for us. We have done fewer rides and attractions this trip than ever before because of the times I picked for our FPs and a pseudo-commando style that developed as we tried to do what we normally do.

And, yes, I know I have to learn to live with it. We will adapt and keep coming.

Hey, Disney......how about giving us all a little something for helping you tweak the system?! 10% off food or merchandise would be great!

Feeling like a lab rat in a maze tonight.

 

[EPCOTatNight]

I was there 2 weeks ago. Worked fine for me. No problems.

Sent from my IPad using DisBoards.

 

[leebee]

I am a planner. I have spread sheets, know what the park days and hours are, which parks have EMH, when the parades and fireworks shows are. I make ADRs for meals based on park days. HOWEVER.. I don't plan in advance, or at least not what "in advance" means around here. Up until the trip we are currently planning (#25), the furthest in advance I EVER planned a Disney trip was about 4 months in advance, and I thought that was a LONG time. Usually we decide "to go" about 2 months in advance, although one time we decided to go to WDW on a Tuesday evening and were IN Florida on Sunday afternoon. I guess you can see one of my issues with FP+: I am pretty sure that, very soon, there won't be any FPs LEFT for us to book by the time we decide we want to go to Florida! How far in advance will I need to decide that I want to go to Disney World? Right now, at least 60 days, but what happens when those book up faster than dinner at BOG? How far out will they then push it?

And it gets worse… I don't have a smartphone, so even IF they figure out the app and the glitchiness goes away, it's still not a benefit for me.
(just for the record, I don't like only 3FPs, tiering, and only 1 park per day, either!)

 

[WishnDisney]

I, for one, am tired of getting apologies from Disney CMs for MDE and/or FP+ issues. I KNOW it is in the testing phase but we paid lots of money for this trip. I just want it to work like you say it should to enhance my experience.

I checked our FP+s last night for today and saw that one of our group had been left out. Hmmmmm...... Strange since we are ALL doing everything together and I always selected "all". Also, I am the only one with access. I tried to copy but the time was no longer available. "Chat" could not help me. I had to send 15minutes on the phone this morning to get it fixed. Everybody was apologizing and it was resolved but it has become a joke around here with all of the apologies.

While standing outside Toy Story Mania, a CM approached us to see if we needed help. No, we were fine but DH made a joke about the new system. The CM was actually or who dealt with these issues and he asked what we thought. We told him and, once again, he assured us it was not our fault but the system was still in testing.

DS and DDIL missed 2 of 3 FP+s because their 1 yr old fell asleep for an unusually long nap. By the time they realized they had a problem, FPs were gone. You just can't change headliner FP+s at 9am for earlyin the day or after they are all gone. They were at the park in the morning and would have gotten earlier FPs with the old system but not now. Again, the kiosk CMs were apologetic but none were available. (Yes, I know that people missed FPs with the old system but the old system let you make decisions based on your child that day...... Not make a guess weeks in advance.).

Honestly, we have not been griping and complaining all week. I have just been working out the issues and the apologies are getting old. This is the new normal and we are just trying to make it work for us. We have done fewer rides and attractions this trip than ever before because of the times I picked for our FPs and a pseudo-commando style that developed as we tried to do what we normally do.

And, yes, I know I have to learn to live with it. We will adapt and keep coming.

Hey, Disney......how about giving us all a little something for helping you tweak the system?! 10% off food or merchandise would be great!

Feeling like a lab rat in a maze tonight.

How about a price increase for an already expensive vacation? Gotta pay for the "enhanced" guest experience.