Overthinking FP+ times

[runwad]

I'm driving myself nuts trying to plan these in the most efficient manner!!

But is a more sound strategy to just get the ones I want and then go in and modify the times? Is that the easiest way you all do it? Seems like I have a hard time remembering the times. I feel like I'll be up against the clock and i need to hurry up and get them before they are gone.

And then it hit me maybe it's just better to pick 3 and then go back in and adjust the times to flow better?

Anyway I'm just going nuts. Do we want FP in the morning, afternoon, evening? Who the heck knows. I'm getting a headache.ha

 

[hiroMYhero]

I'm driving myself nuts trying to plan these in the most efficient manner!!

But is a more sound strategy to just get the ones I want and then go in and modify the times? Is that the easiest way you all do it? Seems like I have a hard time remembering the times. I feel like I'll be up against the clock and i need to hurry up and get them before they are gone.

And then it hit me maybe it's just better to pick 3 and then go back in and adjust the times to flow better?

Anyway I'm just going nuts. Do we want FP in the morning, afternoon, evening? Who the heck knows. I'm getting a headache.ha

Most people begin booking with their highest priority rides first. So skip around parks and get Pandora, FEA, 7DMT at the times you want and then go back and choose your filler FPs.

There's no reason to book a random time when you can select a return window that's available at the time of booking.

 

[Traver Freeman]

We just booked our fastpasses, granted, we aren't going to be there during Pandora. However, we just did them day by day and everything was fine and we got everything we wanted.

The reason some fastpass times are much later, say 4 PM, when you get to booking is NOT because 1,000 people booked fastpasses in the last 10 minutes. It's because the day you are booking was opened to other people for fastpasses a week ago because that's when their trip started. So the 10-15 minutes it takes you to book your passes WILL NOT really affect your times much.

The best way to get the times you want is to plan the really busy rides at the END of your trip, that way the people who have already had a chance to book passes are likely to have ended their trips already and thus they haven't picked FPs on that day. Make sense?

 

[Hootch]

We set up our times and dates for each FP. If we are looking at a heavy demand ride like Pandora this year, we will schedule for later in the trip and book that first. Choose the time closest and adjust.

If you have room only reservations with tickets in the system, you can play with the FP + system to get a feel for what rides have a lot of availability. Look at days that are 20 days out, you will likely have a an easier time getting those. April is not a great comparison for the summer, but Soarin' is available mid morning and Toy Story Midway Mania is available starting in the early afternoon about 20 days out. If that holds into June, There should not be an issue getting FPs two months out.

 

[soniam]

I try to get get the ones I want at the park on the day I want at about the time I want (5-20 minutes won't really matter much in the end usually). If I am having problems getting the time for something, sometimes I will book it at the opposite part of the day. So that when I try to change to a better time, I don't have a time conflict. Does that make sense As you book one, write it down on a piece of paper. I use a spreadsheet listing what time I want each FP for a day and what park. Unless it's for Pandora, I just start on my first day or my day that I absolutely can't change. I usually book all FP+ for one day at a time. Skipping around gets confusing. After I have booked everything, I review and change if necessary. If you get on when it opens, it's usually not a big issue. I have gone during New Years Eve too, so I have booked at some of the busiest times. Good luck. Don't stress. After booking FP+ for 4th time or so, you won't blink an eye at having to do it. Go practice too, if you can.

 

[PrincessWithABlaster]

I figured out what I wanted and then made a list in Excel in order of ease of getting them, the hardest to get the earliest in the week to hardest to get later in the week to easy to get and just walked down it once my window opened. Then I went back an drew modified the one she where I didn't get the time I wanted. I probably spent 20 mins modifying and got everything I wanted at a time I wanted (staying on site).

 

[jeffg4]

I figured out what I wanted and then made a list in Excel in order of ease of getting them, the hardest to get the earliest in the week to hardest to get later in the week to easy to get and just walked down it once my window opened. Then I went back an drew modified the one she where I didn't get the time I wanted. I probably spent 20 mins modifying and got everything I wanted at a time I wanted (staying on site).

So, you're advice is to book a FP no matter what - even if it is not the time you want - because you will have more options when trying to modify it later, as opposed to skipping it and starting from scratch at a later time? If that's true, it doesn't make much sense. If a FP time slot is available, it should be available regardless - whether you're trying to modify or whether you're starting from scratch. I can understand booking the FP in order to make sure you at least have one, even if it's not the time you want.

 

[PrincessWithABlaster]

So, you're advice is to book a FP no matter what - even if it is not the time you want - because you will have more options when trying to modify it later, as opposed to skipping it and starting from scratch at a later time? If that's true, it doesn't make much sense. If a FP time slot is available, it should be available regardless - whether you're trying to modify or whether you're starting from scratch. I can understand booking the FP in order to make sure you at least have one, even if it's not the time you want.

I wouldn't say no matter what. It probably doesn't matter if you don't want that ride at all if you can't get it at the time you want. In that case, don't book it and look again later. My experience was that if I took a time that was not quite right, I could move it by modifying it. You get more options because other people are doing the exact same thing and modifying their selections which means that something that wasn't open when you booked it the first time could be open when you modify (or book fresh) later. I have seen some people say there are more options that show up when they modify but I don't know if that's a glitch in the system or if it's just because they are now looking at a different snapshot in time. One thing that is easier is that if you're modifying on the app instead of the website, modifying a particular time on an attraction puts the times for that attraction at the very top of the list which is easier than scrolling down for a ride toward the bottom of the list (7DMT for example).

 

[Accident]

they also seem to be better at having fp available for everyone so while your time slot is not available at 60 days, at 30 when people who can't pay off the trip cancel and offisite start to look different things come out. also with the way times have shifted just before the month your traveling in, somewhere between the middle and end of the prior to your trip month things open up as people shift around schedules for new times or a moved emh. and then same day hard to get is not impossible. it's not somethign you can rely on but it's not impossible if you still couldn't get what you needed prior to the trip.

Basically, everyones schedule keeps changing and you just need to keep looking and not assume that you can't find it at 60 that it's not possible to get. same goes with adrs. I think the people who couldn't make final payment time frame is the most lucrative second only to the 60 day mark.

 

[Tina1]

Trying to book FP while at the park is just to stressful for me. I've found as long as I decide which park and do the 7am window opens for FP, you can normally get what you want. So have everything in front of you at 7am window, then if you don't get the exact times you want just get as close as possibly. Then after ther all made go back and tweak the times. If you have dinning res factor that in. So all my FP are the second park we hop to. I figure the longest lines are in the evening and there is no guarantee you can even get 3rd or 4th FP for the top rides. Here's a look at my schedule for 4/24/2017
HS morning at open, So we shoot for the top 2 rides at 9am . Then just enjoy the park and only ride what has low waits.
EP hop over to EP, we have the FP so we don't have to worry about lines.

Mon 24 HS M/ EP L

Gardin grill 3P 4:30 pm

Frozen ever after 3:45-4:45 Living land 5:30-6:30 Mission space 6:45-7:45

 

[runwad]

I know, I know, but its just stressful trying to figure out where you want to be when and how you want to ride rides. I want to keep them in order so we're not running all around the park, I"m not a spring chicken anymore. And then we have outsite friends who are in our MDE, and I'm going be booking their fast passes too at 60 days with us. The whole umbrella thing to do that, it's just causing a little brain overload for me. I'm sure I'll do fine, I've been practicing. And since no one is giving me any recommendations on what they want to do, whatever i pick is it and I told them I don't want to hear any yapping!!

 

[KittyKitty]

And since no one is giving me any recommendations on what they want to do, whatever i pick is it and I told them I don't want to hear any yapping!!

This made me laugh. I have traveling with Newbies, they have no clue what they want. So I am just booking FP+s for rides I want and when I want.
When the FP window opens, I plan on taking an hour or so to get them. I pick my #1 ride the time I want, then fiddle around with the other FP's for times that work for us.

Just found out that you can see other FP's at the same time as what you have booked. If you want to change you can do it.....

 

[Tina1]

I know most people like this new FP. I miss the less stress time

 

[DanInMN]

I just estimate when i can get everyone up, fed, and to the park. Get Fastpasses for the best attractions as close to that time as possible. By using them early, we can get more fastpasses through the app for later in the day.