Perhaps FP+ will make WDW better for more people?

[elyse43230]

Okay, I had a thought...

A lot of people on this board are complaining about FP+. I get that people don't like change (who moved my cheese, and all that). Us WDW freaks had it figured out! Now it's all thrown into a tail spin with the loss of Legacy FP's.

Since us WDW planners can no longer get 4-7 FP's a day across the parks, RD to EMH close, perhaps FP+ and the limit of FP's means that more "normal" park guests can perhaps get on a rides (3 at least!) with little wait when normally a personal who is clueless would walk into the park and maybe get 1 FP and then wait like crazy and have a terrible trip (we've all heard from those people).

I know it means we can't go crazy with FP's and never wait in standby with FP+, but maybe FP+ means more people can get a chance to ride rides without waits than in the past. Like sharing the love a little more?

And before you yell at me saying you pay $$$ to go do Disney and all that, know that I get that. But non-planners spend $$$ to go to Disney too and they can have a crappy trip if they didn't realize you have to be an expert to not wait in line.

Just a thought!

 

[mesaboy2]

Reading is all that was required to understand FP.

Oh, and kumbaya.

 

[wen8jr]

I still think a lot of people will be clueless. And without a lot of excessive planning or even with (from reports this week) they will still get to wait in line. I don't see it as a win-win situation for anyone except Disney. FP- was equally available to everyone in the past, this system isn't equal for anyone and just because you get 3 doesn't mean it will be the 3 you even want.

 

[morethananyonex]

The thing is, in order to make a system with capacity limits better for those who didn't take advantage of it it only makes sense that you have to make it worse for those who did. It's not that FP+ makes touring better for more people, it just gives everyone the same thing, leaving some people better off and some people worse off. It makes it better for different people.

And yeah, if someone didn't take advantage of the system that existed that is really not my problem. My family did, and we still will. Those who don't know how to utilize FP+ still aren't going to be able to tour efficiently just because they have 3 in their hand. Those people who didn't know what they were doing are always going to exist FP+, FP-, or nothing. People in the know will book FP+ earlier for more useful attractions at more useful times utilizing other touring strategies to get more out of WDW.

Non researchers (not planners, non planners can still know how to tour efficiently) will be the ones holding a FP+ for Fantasmic, Disney Jr and Muppets while the researchers will have TSMM, ToT and (insert useless FP here) while hitting RD for RnRC. This isn't being done to "spread the love" it's being done so Disney can lock more people into their schedules in advance.

 

[Laketravis]

A lot of people on this board are complaining about FP+.

Here, let me fix that for you:

A lot of people are complaining about FP+.

 

[crostorfer]

You are forgetting the most important factor in all of this, however. I don't CARE about anyone else's vacation. I didn't fork over $4000 for anyone else to go to WDW, I don't care if anyone other than our family rides 1 attraction or 10. I would expect the same in return.

 

[PlayaMan]

Reading is all that was required to understand FP.

Oh, and kumbaya.

I am not sure why the sarcasm and snark is necessary just for someone who is just offering their thoughts on it in a non-confrontational manner.

However, since you said reading was all that was required to understand FP, why did so many people that plainly read that FPs were for an hour window but returned after that time frame? Surely you can read Disney's signage, maps, and any other printed material within the parks. How did you come to understand that FPs could be used in this matter when it wasnt printed anywhere within the parks. Surely, more was needed to understand the ins and outs of how to use FPs especially when several people on this board were told about how to maximize their fastpass use directly from the CMs themsleves.

 

[jwfla422]

My 2 cents...

We just got back from a 2 day park visit from this weekend. This was probably our first stay in about 20 years that we did not stay "on property" and quite frankly we found FP+ to be anything but helpful for us.

As a matter a fact, we wouldn't have even known how prominent it is now in the parks if it wasn't for my consistent visits to the DIS or my receipt of allears newsletters.

Not only was it a busy weekend because of the MLK holiday but we found attractions that would normally never have lines busy with lines because of FP+. We found ourselves spending more time in lines more than we ever have, lines trying to get FP+...

On the first day we waited over a 1/2 hr at Guest Relations at MK which was unexpected, to purchase our FL resident Discovery Disney Pass. Ok so this happened because it was a busy weekend. The CM there explained the FP+ program somewhat but wasn't familiar with the "added" kiosk locations. We walked around to try to find the locations and stumbled upon a special location with CM's.

What we found was extra locations added that had CMs with tablets that would set up your FP+ for the day. We waited another 20-30 minutes for that. (we noticed later the long lines at the regular Kiosks, more lines to get a FP? There never used to be lines like that to get a FP!)

We then probably spent an additional 10 minutes with the CM as he explained how it all worked and tried to get our FP+. He brought up our first choices for FP+ which all came out extremely late in the day however he said if we wanted to wait again and try 10 minutes later we may be able to get better times. But since he knew we had already waited quite a while, he tried entering our choices again and with a little pixie dust we were able get times within an hr of that time and they were all within an hr of each other.

Now that all being said, I'm glad we didn't plan a lunch ADR in between all this as we may have had to give up one of the FP+ since you can't blow off an ADR without being charged.

I read somewhere that someone mentioned they felt like they needed a spreadsheet to plan their vacation and I get that. This is what it feels like to me and we ARE planners!

We got a late start on that day and really the only main things we were able to do were those 3 attractions and a few other things here and there which would not have been doable if we had lunch ADRs.

Maybe some people see this as a great thing, we just don't, not right now, while we walked onto the Speedway with our FP+ (which was a 30 min standby) we still waited almost that same amount of time to get the FP+ to begin with. As a matter a fact, we waited in lines for almost an hr before we even got our park day started...

And Epcot is a whole other story...we tried the kiosk there but nothing was available until night time (at 11:00 in the morning) and while there was a CM in the area she was useless and offered no help to any newbie using the kiosk. Sorry just not happy with this system right now, WDW is usually much better getting things right before bringing them all out.

 

[mesaboy2]

Huge yawn, UNC. Huge. Maybe come back when you have something different to say. Anything. Different. Or vaguely helpful. I beg you.

Assuming the phrase "ad hominem" is soon to follow.

 

[Jennasis]

You are forgetting the most important factor in all of this, however. I don't CARE about anyone else's vacation. I didn't fork over $4000 for anyone else to go to WDW, I don't care if anyone other than our family rides 1 attraction or 10. I would expect the same in return.

Dang it. Someone beat me to it. This. ALL of this.

 

[morethananyonex]

You are forgetting the most important factor in all of this, however. I don't CARE about anyone else's vacation. I didn't fork over $4000 for anyone else to go to WDW, I don't care if anyone other than our family rides 1 attraction or 10. I would expect the same in return.

And to add, I think it's pretty rich this is posted on the same forum where people go multiple times a year hogging all the good ADRs, room discounts, and resort reservations the second they can get their hands on them leaving scraps to those not in the know. Awful behaviour, just awful.

 

[Rosanne]

I think old FP was pretty darn easy to understand and use. If they didn't understand that I don't see how they would understand FP+.

I've tried to imagine myself a total newbie. I think the last thing I would want to have to deal with, walking into the "Happiest Place on Earth", would be suddenly having to deal with the FP+ kiosks.

 

[famy27]

With tiers, I am still not sure who benefits. These poor non-planning people will now get the chance to skip one, count it, one, major ride line at EP and HS (maybe two at HS, if you count ToT). From a pure numbers standpoint, almost everyone is a loser under this scenario. At almost every single time of year, you can get at least one Tier 1 FP, even if you waltz into the parks pretty late in the day. I just looked at my Spring Break 2012 FP usage, and I pulled Soarin' FPs at 11:30 and RNRC at 12:30 pm. And my return time was 2:30 for Soarin' and 5:55 for RNRC, so those were hardly the last FPs of the day. Guests arriving well into the afternoon could have pulled Tier 1 FPs with no issue.

I hardly feel like I was a super-user, pulling 2-3 FPs at all parks other than MK (with 4-5 at MK). The only park we routinely did a RD was HS. I can get behind much of the idea of FP"+", but the tiers are a deal-breaker. And so are the recent reports of FP lines that are significantly longer than FP lines of the past.

 

[PlayaMan]

Huge yawn, UNC. Huge. Maybe come back when you have something different to say. Anything. Different. Or vaguely helpful. I beg you.

Assuming the phrase "ad hominem" is soon to follow.

Reading is all that is required to follow DISboard rules as well which state that people should not use sarcasm and stay on topic.

I was commenting on the topic. Not sure why you are ignoring Cyrano's warning to you and others and keep making accusations towards me. It is here for you to read and understand.

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=50500001&postcount=315

If you have a matter that you feels requires moderator input please send us a PM. Do not post on the boards.
There are no rules being broken if posters have other identifies; unless it is to deceive, and frankly the Poirot brigade are becoming boring.

Please get back to discussing Theme Park strategies rather than each other

 

[btk2333]

You are forgetting the most important factor in all of this, however. I don't CARE about anyone else's vacation. I didn't fork over $4000 for anyone else to go to WDW, I don't care if anyone other than our family rides 1 attraction or 10. I would expect the same in return.

No one expects you to care- however, I do expect Disney to care because if the other families decide not to spend $4000 in the future to come to WDW, then Disney loses that money in the future. Disney is betting that they will lose fewer people out of the 3+ FP per day group and get more of the <3 FP per day group to come back (and maybe stay on property if they keep the system the way it is).

 

[MelissathePooh]

If I hadn't seen the overall increase in the size of both stand by and fp+ return lines I would agree (somewhat), but they have created lines and demand for things that didn't before and don't need it now (PoTC).

I don't have anything to confirm, but it seemed to me that the numbers of fp+ that are being given out per attraction have increased - thus increasing the fp+ line. Again - I can only speculate that based on what I saw and waited in the last 3 days, but I've never had to line up at the Laughing Place store to get into the BTMRR fast pass return line before... I've never had to line up outside the PoTC (please explain why Pirates needed fp at all???) building or almost to Rafiki's Planet Watch sign to get into Safari's fp line - until this weekend.

They have put fp+ on attractions/shows that don't need it and it has slowed the whole thing down - just so they can say SOMETHING is available as a fp+ option if the big draws are already booked.

Supposedly AP holders are going to get their own bands soon and when that happens - the impact on people booking ahead of time will be noticeable. Only a handful of AP holders have booked ahead so far - when it opens up to FL resident AP holders, in particular, the availability of FP+ online will change significantly.

 

[WillAustin]

You are forgetting the most important factor in all of this, however. I don't CARE about anyone else's vacation. I didn't fork over $4000 for anyone else to go to WDW, I don't care if anyone other than our family rides 1 attraction or 10. I would expect the same in return.

Agreed. This is the important factor.

 

[mesaboy2]

Goodbye forever again, UNC. Until you reincarnate as yet another user.

 

[morethananyonex]

No one expects you to care- however, I do expect Disney to care because if the other families decide not to spend $4000 in the future to come to WDW, then Disney loses that money in the future. Disney is betting that they will lose fewer people out of the 3+ FP per day group and get more of the <3 FP per day group to come back (and maybe stay on property if they keep the system the way it is).

The attendance numbers don't point to Disney losing people because of FP- though, do they? If anything, don't they point to the opposite?

A family who doesn't know how to tour efficiently is still a family who doesn't know how to tour efficiently with 3 FP+ (or 2, or 1, depending on the park) in hand. Spoon feeding people FP+ does not eliminate crowds and waits.

 

[MelissathePooh]

My 2 cents...

We just got back from a 2 day park visit from this weekend. This was probably our first stay in about 20 years that we did not stay "on property" and quite frankly we found FP+ to be anything but helpful for us.

As a matter a fact, we wouldn't have even known how prominent it is now in the parks if it wasn't for my consistent visits to the DIS or my receipt of allears newsletters.

Not only was it a busy weekend because of the MLK holiday but we found attractions that would normally never have lines busy with lines because of FP+. We found ourselves spending more time in lines more than we ever have, lines trying to get FP+...

On the first day we waited over a 1/2 hr at Guest Relations at MK which was unexpected, to purchase our FL resident Discovery Disney Pass. Ok so this happened because it was a busy weekend. The CM there explained the FP+ program somewhat but wasn't familiar with the "added" kiosk locations. We walked around to try to find the locations and stumbled upon a special location with CM's.

What we found was extra locations added that had CMs with tablets that would set up your FP+ for the day. We waited another 20-30 minutes for that. (we noticed later the long lines at the regular Kiosks, more lines to get a FP? There never used to be lines like that to get a FP!)

We then probably spent an additional 10 minutes with the CM as he explained how it all worked and tried to get our FP+. He brought up our first choices for FP+ which all came out extremely late in the day however he said if we wanted to wait again and try 10 minutes later we may be able to get better times. But since he knew we had already waited quite a while, he tried entering our choices again and with a little pixie dust we were able get times within an hr of that time and they were all within an hr of each other.

Now that all being said, I'm glad we didn't plan a lunch ADR in between all this as we may have had to give up one of the FP+ since you can't blow off an ADR without being charged.

I read somewhere that someone mentioned they felt like they needed a spreadsheet to plan their vacation and I get that. This is what it feels like to me and we ARE planners!

We got a late start on that day and really the only main things we were able to do were those 3 attractions and a few other things here and there which would not have been doable if we had lunch ADRs.

Maybe some people see this as a great thing, we just don't, not right now, while we walked onto the Speedway with our FP+ (which was a 30 min standby) we still waited almost that same amount of time to get the FP+ to begin with. As a matter a fact, we waited in lines for almost an hr before we even got our park day started...

And Epcot is a whole other story...we tried the kiosk there but nothing was available until night time (at 11:00 in the morning) and while there was a CM in the area she was useless and offered no help to any newbie using the kiosk. Sorry just not happy with this system right now, WDW is usually much better getting things right before bringing them all out.

Just wait for someone to come here and tell you that you got exactly what you should have since you didn't choose to stay on-site... I've already seen that floating around. On property vs off property and who deserves what perks? Ugh!

As a DVC owner we stay on site a lot, but we also stay with my mom in Clermont at times. This is a slap in the face to the back bone of Disney's most loyal - their Florida Residents.