SDFP: CHANGES COMING!! Beware the 7th of June?!

[ScrapYap]

Thanks for this great post!

Here is my situation.
We are going in May.
Reservations for 3 people on my MDE.
Myself, hubs, 21 yo daughter.
We have 2 rooms. One is club level and shows all 3 of us staying in the room. But, we also booked a standard room for our daughter to use. She won't be using our room - I just put her as staying in the room so she can get CL access with us and only got her a Standard for sleeping. The second room (standard) only shows me. So - I'm shown as being in 2 rooms.

Our park tickets are not part of a package. But they are linked to us in the CL room. (No tickets linked to the standard room.)

The Standard room starts one day later than the CL room, because our daughter is arriving one day later.

The CL room, and the standard room can each accommodate 4 adults.

I did not know about SDFP. Thanks for explaining it.

I want to create phantom IDs and get bands for each of us.

Is it best to create 1 phantom person (PP1) for the CL room, and 2 more (PP2 & PP3) for the Standard room? That way we get the bands for free.

On day 1, my husband and I will use our own MBs for FP, and our daughters MB and PP1 MB for 2 sets of SDFP. Then starting on day 2, we use PP1, PP2, and PP3 for our SDFP. We do NOT want our daughters park ticket to start until day 2. (We have 6 day tickets for me and hubs but only 5 day ticket for her since she is arriving one day later) so we don't want to accidentally start her tickets on day 1.

Will that work?
I'm not sure if my being shown on both rooms will affect anything.
Do PP1, PP2, PP3, need to be a certain age? Can they be 1 year old? (So we can keep them around as under 18 for 17 more years)
Is it against any policies to show people as being in the room, when they are not?

It doesn't matter that you're on two reservations - happens all the time for a variety of reasons. (Though if you choose to get a band for each room, they will obviously be clones of each other.)

These reservations are on the same MDE? If so, there are tickets associated with both reservations - because the tickets are linked to the profiles, not to the reservations themselves. Or is the standard room on a different MDE where you have no tickets?

You'll have to call guest services to add the phantom guests. If you make them all infants, you'll get comments from the CM who checks you in - who will probably ask you if they're triplets. Better to make them 6, 8, and 10. That still gives you years. And it's not that big a deal to establish new under-18 phantoms as you move forward.

Disney's Terms of Service doesn't make you swear that you are telling the truth about how many people are in the room. If nothing else, fire code requires Disney to collect information about guests in a room. Obviously, they'd like the most accurate information - for a variety of reasons, including your safety. If that gives you pause, then don't add the phantoms. But remember that there is no way for Disney to maintain accurate information about how many people are in a room (and it would be super creepy if there was!). Four people are on a reservation, but two had planned to leave early from the outset. So for five nights, there are four of them in the room. For three more nights, there are only two. Disney doesn't know (and doesn't care). This happens all the time. Two teenagers decide they'd rather hang out with grandma and grandpa instead of mom and dad, and they switch rooms. Uncle Ted decides he can't keep up the pace, and he flies home early. Families bring along an air mattress for the youngest child who is not on the reservation. Happens all the time. So Disney has no practical expectation of true accuracy. But as always, you should do as you think is right.

 

[gumbo1009]

If you're staying at the Swan, Dolphin, or Boardwalk Resorts the IG back entrance to EPCOT is awesome for getting Soarin' and/or Test Track around 8:40 when they let people in. There are 2 kiosks right near the IG exit that nobody else saw (they're actually in a poorly visible spot if you weren't looking for them). Twice I entered, booked one of them, and left the park so I could walk and take the bus to MK out of one of the resorts early enough to book another set at the City Hall kiosks (faster than walking through EPCOT, taking monorail, then taking the boat with hoardes of people waiting)

So you can get a SDFP at Park1, not use it 'til later, then head to Park2 and get another SDFP? That's pretty darn cool! (I didn't realize that...)

 

[KathyTN]

These reservations are on the same MDE? If so, there are tickets associated with both reservations - because the tickets are linked to the profiles, not to the reservations themselves.

THANK YOU!

Yes - they are on the same MDE.

I think the easiset thing, then, is to NOT use my daughters MB on the first day, when she is not there, (because I'm paranoid I'll accidentally mess it up)
and instead create 4 phantom IDs, one in the CL room, 3 in the standard room (all for younger kids, as you suggest) and use these bands to get our SDFP. (I want 4, because althought there are only 3 people on this trip, we have 5 in our family, and I want to get phantom bands for as many family members as possible - to use when we all go togther next time)

It doesn't even matter that the standard room doesn't start until day 2, right? (And, yes, I did read the OP, just want to make sure I really, truly understand because I had never heard of this marvel until yesterday.)

I'm planning on making the phantom names in our reservation first name = middle name preceeded by a Z, and last name = last name preceeded by a Z - again, so I don't accidentally get them mixed up, and to get the phantom bands in the color gray (none of our real bands are gray).
Then, I can use these phantom names, and phantom bands forever, right? (Or until the rules change....)

Does this sound like a good plan?

 

[SgtTibbs]

THANK YOU!

Yes - they are on the same MDE.

I think the easiset thing, then, is to NOT use my daughters MB on the first day, when she is not there, (because I'm paranoid I'll accidentally mess it up)
and instead create 4 phantom IDs, one in the CL room, 3 in the standard room (all for younger kids, as you suggest) and use these bands to get our SDFP. (I want 4, because althought there are only 3 people on this trip, we have 5 in our family, and I want to get phantom bands for as many family members as possible - to use when we all go togther next time)

It doesn't even matter that the standard room doesn't start until day 2, right? (And, yes, I did read the OP, just want to make sure I really, truly understand because I had never heard of this marvel until yesterday.)

I'm planning on making the phantom names in our reservation first name = middle name preceeded by a Z, and last name = last name preceeded by a Z - again, so I don't accidentally get them mixed up, and to get the phantom bands in the color gray (none of our real bands are gray).
Then, I can use these phantom names, and phantom bands forever, right? (Or until the rules change....)

Does this sound like a good plan?

Don't forget to sharpie the names onto the gray bands so you can tell them apart. With the phantoms attached to your MDE account you (and you alone) will be able to see when the time are. We used a full set of gray's for our party of Six (I used pet names) and all day long I'd get notices of FP times for everyones gray bands.

 

[KathyTN]

Don't forget to sharpie the names onto the gray bands so you can tell them apart. With the phantoms attached to your MDE account you (and you alone) will be able to see when the time are. We used a full set of gray's for our party of Six (I used pet names) and all day long I'd get notices of FP times for everyones gray bands.

Thank you!
Do you meanSharpie on the inside or outside? (Aren't the names already on the inside?)

How did you receive the notices? Text?

 

[indyumd]

My apologies if this is covered in this very comprehensive thread and i missed it, but is there a list of the FP+ kiosks in each park and when they tend to start being available?

 

[KathyTN]

Better to make them 6, 8, and 10. That still gives you years.

Since these are phantom names/profiles, that we we only ever use to get rogue bands, does the age even matter? (As long as they are under 18 now, since they will be part of our room reservation, and I don't want to pay the 18+ room surcharge)

And the OP says, for this situation "
As of fall 2016, the kiosks are going to show you the prebooked FP of the primary profile on the MDE when you tap a phantom card from a profile managed by that same MDE. This doesn't mean that you can't book SDFP at the kiosks for your phantoms cards/bands, but it can be a little confusing.

There is a way, on the kiosk screen, to uncheck the primary profile so you only see the phantom profiles for the cards you're tapping. It's an extra step and it feels confusing - but it really isn't. You can always ask a CM to help you."

Do I need to uncheck the primary profile for the phantom profiles?
And do I only need to do it once - or each day?
And then I do this anytime we use the phantom profiles (i.e. on next year's trip)

Last questions!!

Thank you - thank you!

 

[SgtTibbs]

Do you meanSharpie on the inside or outside? (Aren't the names already on the inside?)

Outside. Easy to see. I purchased the gray bands from the Disney Store so they just had ID numbers on them. No names.

How did you receive the notices? Text?

I'm thinking it was alerts from the mobile MDE app, but it could have been text.

 

[SgtTibbs]

Since these are phantom names/profiles, that we we only ever use to get rogue bands, does the age even matter? (As long as they are under 18 now, since they will be part of our room reservation, and I don't want to pay the 18+ room surcharge)

Am I missing something? Why are they part of a room reservation? I just added the the Gray's to my MDE without making them part of any trip. From a Disney point of view they are potential guests that don't happen to be part of this vacation.

 

[KathyTN]

Am I missing something? Why are they part of a room reservation? I just added the the Gray's to my MDE without making them part of any trip. From a Disney point of view they are potential guests that don't happen to be part of this vacation.

From the OP
"Other ways to collect rogue bands for SDFP?
If you are staying in a room that accommodates five people (for example), it might be a good idea to put five guests on the reservation (or even six guests if one is under age three), even if only two guests will actually be present (making any phantom guests under age 18 to avoid higher nightly resort rates - $25 extra for each adult after the first two). That way, you'll have two (or three) extra MBs which could be used for SDFP now and on future trips."

I have 4 extra spaces (1 in room 1 and 3 in room 2 - but I guess actually 2 more, by adding an infant to each room). I can get the MB for free if I add them to the reservation. i.e. not have to buy them online or at a store.

 

[gumbo1009]

If you are staying in a room that accommodates five people (for example), it might be a good idea to put five guests on the reservation (or even six guests if one is under age three), even if only two guests will actually be present (making any phantom guests under age 18 to avoid higher nightly resort rates - $25 extra for each adult after the first two). That way, you'll have two (or three) extra MBs which could be used for SDFP now and on future trips.

I have a followup question to this. If I request extra MBs for phantom people on a reservation, can I put the extra MBs on a second/phantom MDE (or do they need to be on my own MDE)?

 

[Lisa F]

This summer, which of the major Tier 1 rides offer the best chance of a SDFP or a 2nd FP? Specifically - at Epcot, do I have a better chance at Soarin', TT, or FEA? At HS, RnRC or Toy Story? Any guesses on Pandora - do you think there will be any SDFP for Tier 1 at AK?

Such guesses are forbidden vis-a-vis SDFP. No one can forecast the entirely random. Which is what your choices will be at the precise moment you visit the kiosks.

Are we allowed to say that FEA is probably going to be a complete no-go as a SDFP and most recommended as your advance FP+? some people find they can't even get availability at the 30 day window, let alone same day. it OCCASIONALLY opens up but not as much as Soarin' and TT. IMO FEA and 7DMT are the two that you should always book in advance if you are interested in doing them.

Then I would just follow typical RD strategy to do both Soarin' and TT. Soarin' has more capacity/smaller lines than TT. I would first thing hit the kiosk and see if I can get one or the other and if I couldn't get either, go to TT first and then head to Soarin'. This way you will get to do all 3 with or without SDFP.

I did, however, on my trip in early december when it was quite crowded find availability for both TT and Soarin' FIRST thing in the morning. in my experience, which was albeit limited, it is worth it to hit the kiosk at Epcot before rides at RD because availability was decent right then for both soarin' and TT, and they are very conveniently geographically located to do that as well. You won't be with the crowd running to be first in line but mama don't do that anyway. Also in my experience you have a little bit before Soarin' starts to truly back up due to the opening of the third theater so the couple of extra minutes at the kiosks won't ultimately cost you in the long run in a worst case scenario.

at HS it seemed like among my planning group, RnR SDFP were available all day long while Toy Story was more of a crap shoot. Friends of ours we met on the DIS were doing RnR pretty much all day long using SDFP (booked on the app one right after the other after their regular FP were gone, not even on phantom bands). of course again there is no guarantee but if I were to strategize I would be booking toy story in advance based on what I know from my last trip.

As far as I know AK is not tiered FP. Does this change with Pandora opening? edited to add, looks like it did. Since none of those are even open I am not sure anyone knows. I'm surprised RoL and the safari are tier 2 though, to me it seems like you could very easily manage AK still with good rope drop strategy. Book one of the Tier 1, safari and RoL if no dining package or Everest if dining package and rope drop the other Tier 1. Easy Peasy to get it done except for inefficient walking patterns going to Pandora first. I found SDFP availability to be pretty good at AK and I have seen reports echoing that experience.

IMO the way to use SDFP most effectively is to use it in conjunction with rope drop/morning EMH/PPO strategies. Availability is best for SDFP first thing in the morning of all day and knocking out a few biggies right at RD eliminates the need for SDFP for them. You can't just look at SDFP in a vacuum and think it can solve all of your problems.

 

[Cuddlemama]

I think I have this SDFP thing figured out, but would love someone to tell me if the scenerio I've got planned will work to give us SDFP-capable magic bands.

We're DVC members, so we have a drawer full of MB's that are all linked to the account we've been using for years. That is our primary MDE account.

In October, we'll be doing another split stay (these are why we have SO many bands). First night at Poly, then a week at GF or Saratoga and then a final week at AKL-Kidani.

I have just created a brand new MDE account. When I make our reservations, I plan to link only the 1 night Poly room to the new MDE. We'll connect our MNSSHP tickets to this account since we'll go to the party on that night.

Then, I'll add the two other reservations to our long-term MDE along with our regular tickets.

So, if I do that the way I've stated, will the MB's from the 1 night Poly stay work to make SDFP's for the rest of the trip and not interfere with the pre-planned FP's made at the normal time?

Thanks in advance for talking this out with me. Booking the trip starts on Wednesday morning, so I want to know what I'm doing.

 

[Party.Of.4-NY>>>FL]

Are we allowed to say that FEA is probably going to be a complete no-go as a SDFP and most recommended as your advance FP+? some people find they can't even get availability at the 30 day window, let alone same day. it OCCASIONALLY opens up but not as much as Soarin' and TT. IMO FEA and 7DMT are the two that you should always book in advance if you are interested in doing them.

Then I would just follow typical RD strategy to do both Soarin' and TT. Soarin' has more capacity/smaller lines than TT. I would first thing hit the kiosk and see if I can get one or the other and if I couldn't get either, go to TT first and then head to Soarin'. This way you will get to do all 3 with or without SDFP.

I did, however, on my trip in early december when it was quite crowded find availability for both TT and Soarin' FIRST thing in the morning. in my experience, which was albeit limited, it is worth it to hit the kiosk at Epcot before rides at RD because availability was decent right then for both soarin' and TT, and they are very conveniently geographically located to do that as well. You won't be with the crowd running to be first in line but mama don't do that anyway. Also in my experience you have a little bit before Soarin' starts to truly back up due to the opening of the third theater so the couple of extra minutes at the kiosks won't ultimately cost you in the long run in a worst case scenario.

at HS it seemed like among my planning group, RnR SDFP were available all day long while Toy Story was more of a crap shoot. Friends of ours we met on the DIS were doing RnR pretty much all day long using SDFP (booked on the app one right after the other after their regular FP were gone, not even on phantom bands). of course again there is no guarantee but if I were to strategize I would be booking toy story in advance based on what I know from my last trip.

As far as I know AK is not tiered FP. Does this change with Pandora opening? edited to add, looks like it did. Since none of those are even open I am not sure anyone knows. I'm surprised RoL and the safari are tier 2 though, to me it seems like you could very easily manage AK still with good rope drop strategy. Book one of the Tier 1, safari and RoL if no dining package or Everest if dining package and rope drop the other Tier 1. Easy Peasy to get it done except for inefficient walking patterns going to Pandora first. I found SDFP availability to be pretty good at AK and I have seen reports echoing that experience.

IMO the way to use SDFP most effectively is to use it in conjunction with rope drop/morning EMH/PPO strategies. Availability is best for SDFP first thing in the morning of all day and knocking out a few biggies right at RD eliminates the need for SDFP for them. You can't just look at SDFP in a vacuum and think it can solve all of your problems.

Hi Lisa,

With regard to your comments on FP tiering at AK. I suggested on one of these threads last year that I could see Disney implementing FP tiering at AK in the near future (of course, that was with regard to ROL opening). Many of those that responded disagreed due to the limited number of attractions at AK that are in high demand. But that didn't stop them from tiering at HS.

Now that Pandora is going to increase attendance at AK, I can only assume that the FP tiering is there to stay. It wouldn't surprise me if ROL, EE and/or Safari is added to the list of tier 1's there too.

 

[haleofafamily]

I'm so afraid I'm going to ask a question that has been covered and get in trouble...but here goes. I have a big family and a lot of MB's attached to my account. On my upcoming trip only 2 people are going. Can I use 2 of the magic bands from people not going (but on my MDE) on the trip as SDFP?

 

[Party.Of.4-NY>>>FL]

I'm so afraid I'm going to ask a question that has been covered and get in trouble...but here goes. I have a big family and a lot of MB's attached to my account. On my upcoming trip only 2 people are going. Can I use 2 of the magic bands from people not going (but on my MDE) on the trip as SDFP?

Yep, sure can. But why only bring 2 extras? You can use MBs of all the family members not going if your inclined to.

 

[haleofafamily]

Yep, sure can. But why only bring 2 extras? You can use MBs of all the family members not going if your inclined to.

Thanks for the quick reply! We are scouring the house for MB's right now!

 

[Lisa F]

Hi Lisa,

With regard to your comments on FP tiering at AK. I suggested on one of these threads last year that I could see Disney implementing FP tiering at AK in the near future (of course, that was with regard to ROL opening). Many of those that responded disagreed due to the limited number of attractions at AK that are in high demand. But that didn't stop them from tiering at HS.

Now that Pandora is going to increase attendance at AK, I can only assume that the FP tiering is there to stay. It wouldn't surprise me if ROL, EE and/or Safari is added to the list of tier 1's there too.

is it right now just speculation that only the pandora attractions will be Tier 1? or is that true? I guess I could check MDE in the next few days since pandora is opening on may 27th and at some point it will be within my 30 day window. I have tickets linked.

 

[Party.Of.4-NY>>>FL]

Thanks for the quick reply! We are scouring the house for MB's right now!

Your welcome. Just keep in mind that if any one member of your family has multiple MBs assigned to them, you only need to bring one if their MBs.

So if little Johnny has a MB from your trip in 2012 and another MB from your trip in 2014, there is no benefit to bringing both of Johnny's MBs because no matter how many MBs Johnny has, he can only have 3 SDFP at any one time.

 

[Party.Of.4-NY>>>FL]

is it right now just speculation that only the pandora attractions will be Tier 1? or is that true? I guess I could check MDE in the next few days since pandora is opening on may 27th and at some point it will be within my 30 day window. I have tickets linked.

Nope not speculation. When FPs opened for Pandora attractions the other day some reported being able to book both. Shortly after 7am though (like only a few minutes) that went away. Now it's only one each. Some were calling it a website glitch because FP booking opened at 6:50 am that morning. And we both know that never happens LOL. Early birds got the worms it seems.