Offsite - consider scheduling FP+ first THEN rope drop

[LWdisney]

Following what seemed like sage advice to ride an attraction or two at rope drop PRIOR to making offsite FP+ reservations was an unfortunate course on Feb 1 - all FP+ for ETWB were gone gone gone by 9:30 or so. When I stared, dumbfounded, at the screen, CM tartly rejoined that this was a perk of staying onsite - getting to actually have access to the attraction, I suppose she meant. So take home lesson for now: if you are offsite and REALLY care about any given attraction - schedule first THEN rope drop.

While this was just a bummer for us, if either of the mountains had been out ... This was our one visit for the year … maybe our last ever.

But like others have reported, I have also had phantom screens the last couple of weeks with my linked UT tickets offering access to actually schedule offsite FP+ in April [splash screens always led nowhere, and my visit was actually this weekend, so it didn't matter much] … so maybe the rollout of scheduled FP+ will happen soon and render this advice moot.

Here's hoping ….

 

[andyman8]

Sorry about that experience, but thank you for reporting in. That info basically destroys most of the Disney blogs' touring plans for offsiters, so it much appreciated. Hopefully, this advice will soon become obsolete though as Disney begins to allow offsiters to reserve FP+s with MDE online.

 

[vicki_c]

I think that advice (ride then FP reservations) is probably still sage, but how well it works is always going to depend on the particular day. Yesterday (like many Saturdays I believe), Magic Kingdom is the least recommended park on easywdw's site. I know not everyone believes in the crowd calendars, so I don't want to debate that, or suggest in anyway it is somehow the OP's fault. I don't think that.

It's unfortunate that happened to you, it totally stinks when you have a plan and things don't work.

 

[nugov2]

That does stink, sorry. I would suggest to any off site to book one night on site as cheap as you can and then schedule all your FP in advance. You are spending so much to be in the parks that I would think the extra 50-100 it would cost would be worth it. No hassle of kiosks which right now are like playing russian roulette. You might get lucky, but it is just as likely you will face long lines and sold out attractions.

 

[LWdisney]

Very true, that following crowd recommendations always helps … but only so much when you are scheduling a very limited visit - it's not always possible to stay long enough to take advantage of the best days. Best I could do was choose what used to be a low time of the year. Not so much any more. I also think all the cold weather and rain the week before amplified the Saturday effect - I don't think the rain we got that day diminished the crowds any. I'll be watching Touring Plans to see if they end up moving the crowd number up any more retroactively ...

 

[bcrook]

Following what seemed like sage advice to ride an attraction or two at rope drop PRIOR to making offsite FP+ reservations was an unfortunate course on Feb 1 - all FP+ for ETWB were gone gone gone by 9:30 or so. When I stared, dumbfounded, at the screen, CM tartly rejoined that this was a perk of staying onsite - getting to actually have access to the attraction, I suppose she meant. So take home lesson for now: if you are offsite and REALLY care about any given attraction - schedule first THEN rope drop.

Why would the CM say the bolded part, if...

While this was just a bummer for us, if either of the mountains had been out ... This was our one visit for the year … maybe our last ever.

But like others have reported, I have also had phantom screens the last couple of weeks with my linked UT tickets offering access to actually schedule offsite FP+ in April [splash screens always led nowhere, and my visit was actually this weekend, so it didn't matter much] … so maybe the rollout of scheduled FP+ will happen soon and render this advice moot.

Here's hoping ….

This is going to happen? The misinformation being spread by the Disney people is maddening.

 

[LWdisney]

And of course I don't know, either … but I have believed the screens that indicate Disney will eventually allow offsite guests the ability to preschedule simply because it makes sense to me that they want that info. What the CM said was so counter to the public version that despite myself I pointed that out, and she just grimaced and repeated what she had said. Guess CMs have opinions about this new system, too. Actually, my favorite CM was the one at Philharmagic who opened his FP+ lane and waved us all in, saying, "I will not have you standing in the street while I have no one in my line." Now THAT is good thinking …

 

[bcrook]

And of course I don't know, either … but I have believed the screens that indicate Disney will eventually allow offsite guests the ability to preschedule simply because it makes sense to me that they want that info. What the CM said was so counter to the public version that despite myself I pointed that out, and she just grimaced and repeated what she had said. Guess CMs have opinions about this new system, too. Actually, my favorite CM was the one at Philharmagic who opened his FP+ lane and waved us all in, saying, "I will not have you standing in the street while I have no one in my line." Now THAT is good thinking …

That is a good story.