Package hols and FP+

[Spencerfamily]

Wondered if someone could enlighten me with regards to whether you get FP+ Options if you have booked a package? I'm assuming it will be past the trial stage by December or is that not the case?

We're travelling in dec on a package booked with virgin holidays. Staying at POFQ. My ressie on MDE shows that we have magic your way plus deluxe dining. So even though I don't have actual tickets to link is there a chance I may be able to still do FP+ choices and personalise magic bands etc or will I have to wait until I have checked in?
So confused!
Any knowledge appreciated!

 

[2Tiggies]

You should be able to because you are staying onsite in a Disney hotel and have Disney tickets. You don't need to link tickets if you have a hotel, ticket and dining package. I don't know about VH but I can't see why it would be any different. They seem to be opening the option to customize your magic bands and select FP only about a month out, although it is anticipated that this will become (possibly) more in the 60 day region in the future. Best you can do is to keep checking your MDE app and watching to see if the option appears but I suspect you are still too early

 

[tinks90]

I'm booked with virgin holidays at wilderness lodge for the end of october with magic bands etc. I called WDW and spoke with their technical team and they said that because i have the 14 day for 7 ticket (which is uk exclusive), disney don't receive the ticket info until a few days before arrival. Check back from about 7 days prior to arrival and hopefully you can select FP+..otherwise it will def be a available to use once there.

Hope that helps!!

 

[Elise79]

I am travelling in December and I am not expecting FP+ to be out of testing.

You will still qualify as you are staying onsite. I would look for the option to customise magic bands towards the end of the month.

 

[BudgieMama]

I'm booked with virgin holidays at wilderness lodge for the end of october with magic bands etc. I called WDW and spoke with their technical team and they said that because i have the 14 day for 7 ticket (which is uk exclusive), disney don't receive the ticket info until a few days before arrival. Check back from about 7 days prior to arrival and hopefully you can select FP+..otherwise it will def be a available to use once there.

Hope that helps!!

Sorry to butt in... but does that mean it's possible that by the time our tickets are open for FP+, everything will have gone because guests from the US get them much earlier? (I'm going next August, by which point the full roll out should be in place)... Or am I getting muddled?

 

[tashasmum]

We are going in two weeks and have booked everything through virgin. Had to ring for our number but our tickets were automatically added at 5 weeks out. Must admit we were expecting problems after reading some threads but no. Yet our friends who are booked through Disney can't get there's linked until a couple days out.

 

[2Tiggies]

Sorry to butt in... but does that mean it's possible that by the time our tickets are open for FP+, everything will have gone because guests from the US get them much earlier? (I'm going next August, by which point the full roll out should be in place)... Or am I getting muddled?

No it will be the same for all guests. At the moment it is just in a testing phase so they are trying to keep it to smaller groups for easier control and monitoring I think. It will eventually be sorted out so that everyone has the same. I am going in the summer next year too and not worried about international guests being prejudiced in any way.

 

[chmurf]

I called WDW and spoke with their technical team and they said that because i have the 14 day for 7 ticket (which is uk exclusive), disney don't receive the ticket info until a few days before arrival.

I'm afraid you've been given inaccurate information (as is often the case with CMs)

I have a package booked with disney UK, on a 21 days UK ticket, and my tickets were showing on MDE at 90+ days out (as soon as tickets were displayed on MDE for the general public)
I have heard of many instances of French and UK guests, booked with UK tickets (14 and 21 days) who also ALL have their tickets displayed on MDE with FP+ ability

so unless it's a Virgin issue (I don't see why it would happen as they are the same tickets) the information given by tech support was inaccurate.

The only issue Disney faces with UK tickets is with 21 days tickets, since you can't book FP+ for more than 14 days at a time
but 14 days tickets are in their system as they fall inside the 14 days Magic Your Way limit

 

[2Tiggies]

I'm afraid you've been given inaccurate information (as is often the case with CMs)

I have a package booked with disney UK, on a 21 days UK ticket, and my tickets were showing on MDE at 90+ days out (as soon as tickets were displayed on MDE for the general public)
I have heard of many instances of French and UK guests, booked with UK tickets (14 and 21 days) who also ALL have their tickets displayed on MDE with FP+ ability

so unless it's a Virgin issue (I don't see why it would happen as they are the same tickets) the information given by tech support was inaccurate.

The only issue Disney faces with UK tickets is with 21 days tickets, since you can't book FP+ for more than 14 days at a time
but 14 days tickets are in their system as they fall inside the 14 days Magic Your Way limit

I suspect it is indeed a Virgin issue. Like you, my tickets showed as soon as the site went live. In fact, I used a proxy and checked it while it was still 'blocked' from international guests and the tickets were showing all along.

I can NOT see the tickets separately on the iPhone app but if I scroll down on my reservation on MDE on a laptop or desktop then it shows them.

chmurf, do you also have 21 day tickets? How are you going to get around the FP+ booking for the last week?

I guess since it is still in testing and you can use both FP systems for now it's not a big issue. I don't particularly feel like having the last five days of my trip (over 4th of July at that!) without FP lol

 

[chmurf]

chmurf, do you also have 21 day tickets? How are you going to get around the FP+ booking for the last week?

I do have a 21 days ultimate tix.

My problem is not that bad, here's why :

I also have a 1 day hopper for Disney, a 14 days ticket to DC, Seaworld, aquatica & Busch, as well as a 14 days ticket for Universal. So I will not need FP+ for each day

The 14 days limit on FP+ is not set on contiguous days. You can book FP+ as long as you have a hotel booking.
I have booked 3 nights at AoA and 21 nights at POR, and I can make FP+ selections for any of those 25 days (from AoA check in to POR check out), but only as long as I do not exceed 14 days of FP+ selections

So, since I have "days off" from Disney, I have FP+ booked for every day I will spend in WDW (actually I even have FP+ for days when I might not go to a Disney park (such as a 5pm closing, I don't know if we'll feel like doing a park that night)

But I asked IT nonetheless, and here's what they had to answer :

Thank you for contacting the Walt Disney World® Resort.

There is a limit to the number of days of Fastpass+ that can be booked
at one time. Once you have used the first of your Fastpass+ days, you
will be able to select another day of Fastpass+.

If you have questions or need further assistance, feel free to contact
us.

Sincerely,
Anne Watson
WDW Online Communications

BUT I also had tech support on the phone, and the CM then told me that I would be given a KTTW card at check in as a backup and I would be welcome to use the regular Fastapsses for the day I couldn't make FP+ reservations

as far as you're concerned, for a july trip, the system will probably be rolled out in full, I absolutely don't know what it's going to be like
my guess is that it will stick to IT's anwer : make FP+ reservation on day 2 for day 15 and so on.

 

[2Tiggies]

I didn't realize the 14 days didn't have to be consecutive that that makes sense. I'm actually ok with day 15 opening once day 1 is used and so on.... So effectively it's not that you can't have more than 14 days - you can't have more than 14 days at a time? Of course since you can only use them once you get there I guess that means only the first 14 days can be prebooked at the 60 day (or whatever they settle on) window? Or did I not understand that correctly?

It's workable though. We aren't doing any offsite so we would run into the problem that you have avoided but as you say, visiting when the not-yet-final plans for the system are rolled out, speculation is probably not my best friend ....

Don't forget you can double dip while you're there so use your regular FP's on the days when you have FP+ too

 

[Spencerfamily]

Hi- OP here- thanks for the wealth of information. I will take everyone's advice and be patient for a bit longer yet and see if the ticket numbers show up on MDE and if not I'll give VH a call for the numbers- so far I have had to ring them for every number from cruise booking number via dining number to flight booking ref (they must be truly sick of me!).
Don't know what I'd do without the dis!
X

 

[chmurf]

So effectively it's not that you can't have more than 14 days - you can't have more than 14 days at a time?

correct
this will probably work the same way with AP holders and DVC owners.
To put it in a more familiar way, FP+ are like 14 days of FP+ bookable over a period of 60 days (if 60 days is the window for FP+) just similar to a 5 days ticket being 5 days over a period of 14 days.

Of course since you can only use them once you get there I guess that means only the first 14 days can be prebooked at the 60 day (or whatever they settle on) window? Or did I not understand that correctly?

let me rephrase
As soon as your FP+ window opens (60 days out) you can book ANY day of your stay, as long as the total number of days is equal or inferior to 14.

So you could book the first 14 days and deal with the last week on a day to day basis (one day gone, book the next in line)
Or you could book the last 14 days and give up on FP+ for the first week (which wouldn't make sense unless you're sure you won't use FP+ on the first week)
Or you could book FP+ for the first week, nothing for week 2 and FP+ for week 3

once your FP+ window opens, it's open for your whole stay (or so it seems)
It is also possible that FP+ slots for a month are released on a 2 months prior basis. (like they used to open dates for the Wishes Dessert Party at the beginning of august for the whole month of october, september for november, and so on)
This is unclear as of now. Our stay spans the months of october and november, and november times for FP+ were only released a few days ago, while october times had been available for a few weeks.

Don't forget you can double dip while you're there so use your regular FP's on the days when you have FP+ too

Don't worry, I never forget things like these

 

[2Tiggies]

correct
this will probably work the same way with AP holders and DVC owners.
To put it in a more familiar way, FP+ are like 14 days of FP+ bookable over a period of 60 days (if 60 days is the window for FP+) just similar to a 5 days ticket being 5 days over a period of 14 days.



let me rephrase
As soon as your FP+ window opens (60 days out) you can book ANY day of your stay, as long as the total number of days is equal or inferior to 14.

So you could book the first 14 days and deal with the last week on a day to day basis (one day gone, book the next in line)

Ah got it now Thanks

So effectively it works (at present anyway) on the same principle as the ADR 180+10 system. I am perfectly happy for it to stay that way.

Yes, there have been a few AP holders posting in surprise when the system has flagged up that they have no more available ..... The rumors, both official and unofficial have leaned towards there being some sort of limit or control system for AP FP+'s so that makes sense.

I wish they would just get this testing done and let us know what's happening already!! Makes you wonder though .... are we all going to be sitting thrashing out the same topic on a new thread in a few months with a set of completely different rules .....

My ADR window is going to open up before the anticipated full roll out so it looks like I am going to be doing a lot of shuffling around in the early part of next year