Not to reopen that can of worms but...

[cakebaker]

I just do't think FP+ is more fair than FP- or than Universal's EP. The reason for my argument is there are FP+ superusers out there, I met a few at the parks. These are the people who in addition to the armbands on their wrists have baggies filled with additional MB's. I was talking to one woman in a Kiosk line and her family of 4 had been to WDW 5 times since FP+. So by using the bands from previous trips, everyone in her family had 15 FP+ rides. She did say it was only good at MK.

I don't like the abuses either, But there's an easy fix- require bands to have been used for entry. That Disney hasn't fixed it tells me that while it irks some of us, it's not so widespread that Disney thinks it's a big problem affecting availability. Same thing for the abuse of throwaway rooms- when enough people are doing it that it has a serious impact, they'll fix it.

 

[jtowntoflorida]

I often see posts comparing US Express Pass to WDW FP+, usually with an air of "and why was Disney so dumb as to put in FP+ instead of this awesome system"? (which I didn't get from you). The reality is that everyone can't have Express Pass, or it would be just like everyone rides standby. So when people write about how easy it was with EP, they are describing an experience that came at the expense of someone else having less "ride privileges" and a lesser experience than they did. Similarly, I think it's fairly well acknowledged that legacy FP was disproportionately utilized, and guests who pulled several per day and especially multiple FP for headliners were able to do that only because many were having a lesser experience.

I also don't really think that comparing FP+ to EP at Universal is a fair, or even valid, comparison. It's two totally different systems that work in two totally different parks for totally different reasons, the main reason being that due to a combination of lower attendance + more rides + fewer deluxe resorts means that Universal's system works really well, but it simply wouldn't work at Disney due to the sheer size of the population Disney serves. As I was thinking about our trip, I had an epiphany...Disney's immense popularity has created a situation where they simply can't adequately serve the number of guests that come to their parks. They have to ration their rides because they simply can't build enough rides to serve all the people who come to their parks.

I also realized that it's not the "only 3" aspect of FP+ that I don't like...I can actually live with that, because we're willing to RD, skip parades and fireworks, and stay late (if necessary) to get the headliner re-rides that we want. It really is the scheduling and the high stakes nature of FP+. We almost never arrive at the beginning of our windows, so that's not an issue for us. It's more having to be a certain place at a certain time while on vacation, and having to schedule so far in advance to get optimal times. And if you miss one, then it's questionable whether you'd be able to reschedule for later for a time that works well for your schedule. With ADRs factored in, and trying to work around times for shows that we want to see, a Disney vacation suddenly feels like one appointment after the next. We've been to Disney seven times since 2011, with FP+ in place for four of those trips. And to me, it feels more like work and less like fun. I respect that other people have different opinions, but to me, FP+ is just no fun and is a spontaneity killer. And it's not just me, the planner of the group. My family members all agreed that Universal was just more fun than Disney. Interestingly, we're not big thrill riders, so we actually prefer the tame rides at Disney (other than Gringotts, which was amazing), it was just the overall tone once we left Disney and got to chill out at Universal.

 

[Lucius Best]

We had a couple days like this as well, which is why I said it was actually MORE work than legacy FP. We used to just pull FPs for rides we were around, Ie Space has 20 or 30 min wait, grab FP for 10 min return time, either Ride SB and then ride immediately again with FP, or pop into Buzz or Astro with a 5 or 10 min SB, Pull another FP (for Buzz, Astro or even Space) Ride Space FP, Grab another FP, Use the 2nd FP, repeat ... just kinda wander and pull FPs for attractions we were around, no criss crossing the park etc.

From what I recall, the old paper FP never had a return time less than 35-40 minutes away. But with FP+ on a day that isn't very busy, you can get 5 minute return times. That is what we experienced, lots of rides with 20-30 minute posted standby waits, but we were able to pull a FP from a kiosk and walk right in. We spent a lot of time walking back and forth to kiosks, but the kiosks are more centrally located than having to walk all the way to Space/Thunder Mountain, and I'd rather walk 5 minutes to a kiosk and wait 5 minutes with FP than ride standby and wait 20 minutes.

 

[caroline1851]

As I was thinking about our trip, I had an epiphany...Disney's immense popularity has created a situation where they simply can't adequately serve the number of guests that come to their parks. They have to ration their rides because they simply can't build enough rides to serve all the people who come to their parks.

That's so true!

 

[Eandbmom]

We really enjoyed FP+. First time we were ever able to get a fast pass for Test Track, Soarin, and Toy Story. It doesn't work well for everyone's touring style but for us it actually helped make the trip more relaxing. Since we already knew what parks we would be in due to ADRs it wasn't constricting for us.

 

[Danni123]

My first time to the world will be in October, I'm hoping someone can clarify a few things for me about FP+

We are at AK one day then MK that night, can we book additional FPs at a kiosk as soon as we get to MK?
Can you only book one additional FP at a time?
Is it correct you alter the additional FPs with the app but not make them with the app?
Are FP available until the park closes?
During MNSSHP are FPs only available up until the party starts at 7?

 

[Skywise]

I just do't think FP+ is more fair than FP- or than Universal's EP. The reason for my argument is there are FP+ superusers out there, I met a few at the parks. These are the people who in addition to the armbands on their wrists have baggies filled with additional MB's. I was talking to one woman in a Kiosk line and her family of 4 had been to WDW 5 times since FP+. So by using the bands from previous trips, everyone in her family had 15 FP+ rides. She did say it was only good at MK.

I don't follow this - I've got multiple bands from several trips over the past 2 years and I've only ever been offered 3 FP+. FP+ are bound per day per TICKET, not per band. Now what she could've done is bought multiple tickets per day and applied them to the old bands. Heck you can just order bands straight from the disneystore now and apply tickets to them. If anything Disney is tacitly allowing that as you get increased admission into the park without actually getting more "people" into the park.

 

[ArwenMarie]

I also don't really think that comparing FP+ to EP at Universal is a fair, or even valid, comparison. It's two totally different systems that work in two totally different parks for totally different reasons, the main reason being that due to a combination of lower attendance + more rides + fewer deluxe resorts means that Universal's system works really well, but it simply wouldn't work at Disney due to the sheer size of the population Disney serves. As I was thinking about our trip, I had an epiphany...Disney's immense popularity has created a situation where they simply can't adequately serve the number of guests that come to their parks. They have to ration their rides because they simply can't build enough rides to serve all the people who come to their parks.

I agree, while I think it's obvious that the onsite experience at Universal is better than WDW in terms of ride access (if you are at one of the deluxe resorts), comparisons really aren't valid for all of the reasons you listed. I also think Universal is approaching a tipping point with their Express Pass system and as they keep building hotels, they will probably have to change it at some point.

From offsite, I think the ride access system is better at WDW. We were at Universal from offsite over Presidents Day and I would have loved to have 3 prebooked FPs lined up.

 

[mesaboy2]

My first time to the world will be in October, I'm hoping someone can clarify a few things for me about FP+

We are at AK one day then MK that night, can we book additional FPs at a kiosk as soon as we get to MK?
Can you only book one additional FP at a time?
Is it correct you alter the additional FPs with the app but not make them with the app?
Are FP available until the park closes?
During MNSSHP are FPs only available up until the party starts at 7?

Answers to FP FAQs like yours can be found in the green link in my signature. Most if not all of your answers are there.

 

[jtowntoflorida]

I don't follow this - I've got multiple bands from several trips over the past 2 years and I've only ever been offered 3 FP+. FP+ are bound per day per TICKET, not per band. Now what she could've done is bought multiple tickets per day and applied them to the old bands. Heck you can just order bands straight from the disneystore now and apply tickets to them. If anything Disney is tacitly allowing that as you get increased admission into the park without actually getting more "people" into the park.

There is a whole big thread on how to take advantage of the system so you can use old MBs to get same-day FP+s. Basically, you create new MDE accounts each time you have a new Disney stay. You can use your MBs for your current stay to pre-book three, and then use the old MBs for same-day FP+s once you actually arrive at the park. The old bands don't require park admission to make same-day FP+s.

 

[MKMomma]

My first time to the world will be in October, I'm hoping someone can clarify a few things for me about FP+

We are at AK one day then MK that night, can we book additional FPs at a kiosk as soon as we get to MK?
Can you only book one additional FP at a time?
Is it correct you alter the additional FPs with the app but not make them with the app?
Are FP available until the park closes?
During MNSSHP are FPs only available up until the party starts at 7?

The answer to all your questions is yes.

 

[Barnabe]

I don't follow this - I've got multiple bands from several trips over the past 2 years and I've only ever been offered 3 FP+. FP+ are bound per day per TICKET, not per band. Now what she could've done is bought multiple tickets per day and applied them to the old bands. Heck you can just order bands straight from the disneystore now and apply tickets to them. If anything Disney is tacitly allowing that as you get increased admission into the park without actually getting more "people" into the park.

For each trip, this woman opened a new MDE account. If the MB are not linked to your current trip, you can get additional FP's at the kiosks.

 

[Barnabe]

From what I recall, the old paper FP never had a return time less than 35-40 minutes away. But with FP+ on a day that isn't very busy, you can get 5 minute return times. That is what we experienced, lots of rides with 20-30 minute posted standby waits, but we were able to pull a FP from a kiosk and walk right in. We spent a lot of time walking back and forth to kiosks, but the kiosks are more centrally located than having to walk all the way to Space/Thunder Mountain, and I'd rather walk 5 minutes to a kiosk and wait 5 minutes with FP than ride standby and wait 20 minutes.

When I was there, we waited in line at the kiosks for anywhere from 20-30minutes each time. So if I add the 5 minute return time to the 20 minutes I waited in the kiosk lines, it was not an improvement over FP-.

 

[JennaDeeDooDah]

We got back on May 3rd. This was our third or fourth trip with FP+. For us, FP+ was a downgrade from legacy FP. Is it better than standing in standby lines only? Sure. However, not a lot better because we only had 3 rides where we were standing in standby lines. Sure, you can probably get a fourth FP, but they were always for rides that didn't need a fast pass in the first place. I don't see a point in getting a fast pass for Imagination when the wait is <5 minutes or Spaceship Earth when it is <10 minutes. We ended up getting fewer rides done and spending more time at the resort.

We are rope drop people by nature. We didn't set our alarms for the majority of the trip but we still woke up, were able to get ready at leisure, have breakfast, and be at the parks for rope drop each day. We just don't "sleep in" (we do, but our idea of sleeping in just isn't as late as most people's). We found the fist 2 hours at the parks to be very important, especially at Magic Kingdom. With most people heading to Fantasyland first, we would be able to get done so much in Frontierland, Adventureland, and Liberty Square with little-to-no wait before lunch. We would use our fast passes around lunch time. Usually, we had one before lunch, ate, and then used our two. By that time, lines were long and fast passes for rides that might actually need fast passes (the mountains, Peter Pan's Flight, 7DMT, etc.) didn't have passes available. We would usually go back to the resort and go swimming or go resort hopping.

One situation where the negatives of FP+ really stood out to us was on one of our DHS days. We had a FP+ for Tower of Terror at 11:00 and Hollywood and Vine reservations for noon. We made sure we were in line for Tower of Terror right at 11 and the line was very very long... and not really moving. Various people were walking up to the workers and coming back reporting that it was going to be 45 minutes, that the ride was down, that it had gone down earlier, and other different stories. Since we weren't really sure what happened, I went up to ask. The cast member told me that they were only able to run one of the elevators so the lines were moving very slowly. FP+ was expected to be about a 45 minute wait and standby was 2 hours. Since we didn't want to risk missing our dining reservation, we decided we needed to get out of line and do something else. We didn't want to wait 45 minutes only to figure out it was going to be longer, you know? Unfortunately, we were unable to switch our TOT fast pass for a better time that worked with our schedule. With legacy, this wouldn't have been as much of a problem because you weren't scheduling so much of you day and you could have overlapping fast passes. So that was one that really stood out to us as a pain.

We also hated having to go look for a kiosk if we decided we wanted to ride a ride with a FP+. I get amused at the people who say that they like FP+ because they no longer have to run across the park for the sole purpose of obtaining a FP and then head back across the park to join their party (something we never did anyway) or have a FP runner anymore (again, something we never did) because we ended up having to go searching for a fast pass kiosk to see if we could even get a fourth or fifth fast pass. At least before, you could look on your phone to see when the fast pass return times were and if any where still available. Now you have to go to a kiosk to find out. Hope there is a kiosk nearby when you decide you want to go get yourself a fourth or fifth fast pass. And I hope that they have something available that you will want. It seemed to us, though, that the only times a FP+ was available was when you didn't really need it, anyway. You weren't going to be able to get one for something you would actually need a FP+ for.

So I don't really care for FP+. It did not improve our trip at all, unless you count the fact that we spent less time in the parks which means less time shopping and buying snacks but, as a shareholder, I'm not a fan of the idea that people are spending less time and money in the parks. I have read that Disney execs were saying that FP+ was designed to keep people in the parks. I fail to see how.

 

[3DisneyFanz]

When I was there, we waited in line at the kiosks for anywhere from 20-30minutes each time. So if I add the 5 minute return time to the 20 minutes I waited in the kiosk lines, it was not an improvement over FP-.

But you could sleep in. Doesn't that solve everything?

 

[mom2rtk]

As I was thinking about our trip, I had an epiphany...Disney's immense popularity has created a situation where they simply can't adequately serve the number of guests that come to their parks. They have to ration their rides because they simply can't build enough rides to serve all the people who come to their parks.

I'd like to see them try. It's not like they're out of room at WDW. And it's not like they're out of money since every one of those additional guests is more money in the coffers.

Just what is stopping them? Are there not enough constructions crews?

 

[WillAustin]

As I was thinking about our trip, I had an epiphany...Disney's immense popularity has created a situation where they simply can't adequately serve the number of guests that come to their parks. They have to ration their rides because they simply can't build enough rides to serve all the people who come to their parks.

Well...they could build enough rides.

 

[mom2rtk]

We really enjoyed FP+. First time we were ever able to get a fast pass for Test Track, Soarin, and Toy Story. It doesn't work well for everyone's touring style but for us it actually helped make the trip more relaxing. Since we already knew what parks we would be in due to ADRs it wasn't constricting for us.

And if we ever visit Epcot again, it will be our first time ever to NOT get a FP for both Soarin and Test Track.

 

[Anal Annie]

I positively HATE all of the time involved in pre-planning every minute of every day (FP's must be scheduled around ADR's etc.) and I DESPISE the 1 park a day restriction - it totally 100% ruins park hopping. The tiers at Epcot make the system practically worthless for us there. I have spent HOURS planning for our upcoming trip this summer and I know once we get there we'll hate being tied to so many restrictions. I have been planning our FP's for our afternoon / evening parks so we can leave our mornings to be spontaneous and thus it doesn't leave us any wiggle room for even trying to get a 4th FP at a kiosk if our times are running right up to park closing. I hate to schedule our entry to the evening park TOO EARLY in case we're enjoying an afternoon at the pool or something. Then if I leave an hour somewhere for dinner all of sudden it's park closing. I would much rather be able to schedule in more than 1 park a day and would most definitely appreciate more than 3 / day. We used to get so much more accomplished with the old system. I detest the whole way it's set up right now. We went to DL last summer and it was SOOOO nice to not have to do all this planning. Talk about missing the good old days….

 

[JennaDeeDooDah]

And if we ever visit Epcot again, it will be our first time ever to NOT get a FP for both Soarin and Test Track.

It was for us. There was no getting Soarin' or Test Track later in the day for us.