Old FastPass vs FP+

[Dis703]

I'm not debating that you may not have known the information, or that you personally necessarily had a way to get that information - but there was a way to get that information as long as you had a smartphone.

Disney had a "Mobile Magic" app for a while well before MDE came around (2009, now that I found the link) that had wait times as well as posted FP return times. There were also a lot of (accurate, from our experience) unofficial apps where users could input wait time information and it time stamped how recent that information was (wait times and FP return times). Mousewait, for example, has been around since at least 2009, and Touring Plans' Lines app has been around since at least 2009. So, speaking for ourselves, we generally did have a pretty good idea of what the FP return times were.

Disneyland had Mobile Magic too, but now MDE does what Mobile Magic used to even though DLR still has the legacy system. And for those who don't have smartphones, Disneyland also has a fantastic phone system called "ask Otto" which has been in place since 2012. You can call it and ask anything, including current FP return times. I still used it on our trip this past November. Otto's kind of fun to call There's no reason WDW couldn't have implemented something similar.

So, while I appreciate that being part of why you like FP+ better, the above quote that one "never quite knew what return time they were going to get" was not true for everyone once the age of smartphones and apps hit.

Well since I've only had a smartphone for maybe 2 years now none of those apps would have helped me. And even if they did what a pain to watch an app all day and have to schedule a run to grab a FP for the return time that I want. Scheduling it ahead of time just seems so much easier.

 

[Angel Ariel]

Well since I've only had a smartphone for maybe 2 years now none of those apps would have helped me.

Which is why I said "I'm not debating that you may not have known the information, or that you personally necessarily had a way to get that information". I knew that era was the early days of smartphones and not everyone had one

It's also why I pointed out about the "ask otto" system that Disneyland still has, as it makes that information accessible to guests without smartphones as well. Plus he is fun to talk to (not a real person, it's an automated system, but a much better automated system than anything I've encountered anywhere else. They've programmed him as though you are talking to a real person.) WDW could have easily chosen to do something similar in the days of their legacy system.

And even if they did what a pain to watch an app all day and have to schedule a run to grab a FP for the return time that I want. Scheduling it ahead of time just seems so much easier.

We actually did use those features, and it wasn't a pain at all. We never scheduled a run to grab a FP for the return time that we wanted, or watched the app all day. It was more like "we're in tomorrowland wanting to go to Buzz - what's the FP return for Space Mtn? The window opens in an hour? Let's get that FP, then ride Buzz once or twice, and maybe Nemo if we can (we were in Disneyland), then go use our Space Mtn. FPs."

While I completely understand why scheduling ahead is easier for some, we have always toured by land and because how long it takes to tour a land will vary depending on the daily crowd level, it's difficult to know 60 days in advance when we'll be done with that land and ready to move on to the next. FP+ caused a lot of backtracking and criss crossing between lands for us because of hiccups like that. We can plan them better next time, yes, but overall it's still less convenient - even moreso now that we have a toddler who adds in unpredictable elements all the time

 

[Planogirl]

We actually did use those features, and it wasn't a pain at all. We never scheduled a run to grab a FP for the return time that we wanted, or watched the app all day. It was more like "we're in tomorrowland wanting to go to Buzz - what's the FP return for Space Mtn? The window opens in an hour? Let's get that FP, then ride Buzz once or twice, and maybe Nemo if we can (we were in Disneyland), then go use our Space Mtn. FPs."

While I completely understand why scheduling ahead is easier for some, we have always toured by land and because how long it takes to tour a land will vary depending on the daily crowd level, it's difficult to know 60 days in advance when we'll be done with that land and ready to move on to the next. FP+ caused a lot of backtracking and criss crossing between lands for us because of hiccups like that. We can plan them better next time, yes, but overall it's still less convenient - even moreso now that we have a toddler who adds in unpredictable elements all the time

That's exactly how we toured. We knew to head to certain attractions first but the rest never gave us much trouble. If something was backed up we would just come back later.

Nowadays it seems like a lot more work once you get past the first three FP+. Maybe the new rules will help but it was a pest to go to a kiosk and try to figure out what we could ride soon without an endless wait. Talk about criss-crossing the park!

 

[myers2170]

You still are rewarded for getting to the parks early. Rope drop arrival is still as productive as ever in getting a lot of rides done quickly, and with the massive popularity of 7DMT and A&E in Fantasyland, many good non-Fantasyland rides (like Big Thunder & Splash) are walk-ons for the first hour.

Why the change? Many guests (who visited less frequently than you) were unhappy with the long standby waits before, because they didn't know how to use FP- effectively, which was an insiders' system for the most part. Disney increased customer satisfaction for first timers and those who can't visit frequently, because FP+ is so heavily advertised & bookable in advance, most guests now actually make use of the system, whereas a sizable percentage did not use FP-.

Also, many guests are physically incapable of running around the park grabbing tickets. If you were disabled, or a single mom with kids, or if you were unfamiliar with the park layout, you were out of luck with FP-, while heavy using frequent vistors were riding the headliners multiple times per day. FP+ leveled the playing field for different kinds of guests, and I'm glad.

I haven't found it hard to plan FP's in advance. If you're going to Epcot, for example, is it really any mystery which rides you're going to want FP's for? You must have had a solid idea in advance if you were able to run into the park at rope drop & quickly nab passes for your favorite rides. This is the same process, just by computer. It's a bit more work in advance, but it helps me relax when we're actually at the parks, knowing we've got times set for our favorite rides.

We'll be there in July, too, and I hope you go with an open mind. It's great to be able to do rope drop & ride a lot of rides standby, then go on our FP rides in the late morning or early afternoon when the crowds are swelling. By then the parks are so full (you can't blame the crowded walkways on FP+ as WDW has more visitors than ever) we want to break at our resort, & we return for dinner & fireworks. FP+ also lets us schedule a few sleep-in days each trip, & it's great knowing that we can have a leisurely morning & nice, unhurried breakfast at WDW, then stroll right into a park at noon and get on our favorite ride.

Is the system perfect? No. As others mentioned, WDW needs more rides outside of MK in a big way. But like the big crowds, that is a separate issue from FP+.

Thank you for such an in depth response. This is very good food for thought and I am really beginning to look forward to our first FP+ trip. You and others have given me some positive insight that will definitely help in my planning. Thanks a million!!!

 

[GaryDis]

Which is why I said "I'm not debating that you may not have known the information, or that you personally necessarily had a way to get that information". I knew that era was the early days of smartphones and not everyone had one

I think it largely predates the smartphone. Our last trip was circa 2001/2002. FP- was definitely available, but the iPhone didn't appear until 2007. Even if that's not the majority of time that FP- was around, it's still a significant period of time, and it colors the view of FP- for many of us in a way that shouldn't be discounted.

But another thing that shouldn't be missed for many of us is that we're older. I didn't mind running across the park back then to get passes. I would now.

 

[mom2rtk]

I think it largely predates the smartphone. Our last trip was circa 2001/2002. FP- was definitely available, but the iPhone didn't appear until 2007. Even if that's not the majority of time that FP- was around, it's still a significant period of time, and it colors the view of FP- for many of us in a way that shouldn't be discounted.

But another thing that shouldn't be missed for many of us is that we're older. I didn't mind running across the park back then to get passes. I would now.

Speak for yourself. I'm actually younger than I was in 2007.

And didn't they post some of those return times in the parks before Mobile Magic? I know they had them on the big boards at Epcot. Did they ever post them in the MK?

I guess this never was a big issue for me. We tend to spend all day in one park, so a return time never mattered all that much. I knew we'd use it, and worst case scenario we could pull something else in 2 hours.

 

[Angel Ariel]

I think it largely predates the smartphone. Our last trip was circa 2001/2002. FP- was definitely available, but the iPhone didn't appear until 2007. Even if that's not the majority of time that FP- was around, it's still a significant period of time, and it colors the view of FP- for many of us in a way that shouldn't be discounted.

I'm not discounting it at all. Just saying that Disney did eventually figure out ways to mitigate those concerns, both for smartphone users and those with cell phones without data. All I am saying is that while MM+ addresses these concerns in one way, it was not the *only* way they could have been addressed, as evidenced by how disneyland continues to use the technology to address those issues will still using the legacy system.

But another thing that shouldn't be missed for many of us is that we're older. I didn't mind running across the park back then to get passes. I would now.

I'm not missing that point either. Back then it was just dh and i. Now we have a young child. Our circumstances definitely changed, so i absolutely acknowledge that to be true for others too. We were never running across the park or criss crossing in the old days to get legacy fp, nor did we at DL this past November.

The new system ended up with us doing far more running back and forth and criss crossing. And that was also on an adults only trip (so it can't be attributed to having a child with us now, as she wasn't with us on that trip).

 

[Angel Ariel]

I guess this never was a big issue for me. We tend to spend all day in one park, so a return time never mattered all that much. I knew we'd use it, and worst case scenario we could pull something else in 2 hours.

This was us too. On our trips with presmartphone days of legacy, the return times we got were rarely longer than an hour or an hour and a half away. We just picked up the fp, did the minor attractions in that area while waiting, rode the fp ride and moved on to the next land. We very rarely had return times that were for hours and hours away back in those days.

 

[GaryDis]

This was us too. On our trips with presmartphone days of legacy, the return times we got were rarely longer than an hour or an hour and a half away. We just picked up the fp, did the minor attractions in that area while waiting, rode the fp ride and moved on to the next land. We very rarely had return times that were for hours and hours away back in those days.

That sounds generally true to our experience, with the exception of Test Track soon after it opened. I don't think I ever got a FP- for TT at a time that worked - unless it chose that time to go down.