should we do a thread on what fp line waits actually are?

[tinkerpea]

I remember reading threads with reports of long FP+ returns that weren't just "oh look at this picture, it is so long" - but that were actual reports from the person who went through the line that they were long. I don't remember what threads they are, and I'm not combing back through to search and find which threads they were. But they definitely happened. Your choice to believe it or not, but I'm not making it up (nor was mom2rtk)

Like I said, I'm happy they seem to have resolved the issue.

I'm really pleased to hear that they have resolved this issue,
The reason I did this thread was because of the posts about long waits,not sure why people would not believe that the posts happened??
I would not have posted otherwise lol

 

[thebs19]

We just returned from a 4/15 - 4/20 trip (stayed at CBR). Were in the parks on the following days:

Tuesday 4/15: Epcot
Wednesday 4/16: MK
Thursday 4/17: DHS
Friday 4/18: Epcot
Saturday 4/19: MK
Sunday 4/20: AK

I was bracing for the worst. This was my first trip during a holiday week ever, and I had heard horror stories. Also first FP+ experience, and same thing on rumors.

I have to say, unequivocally, it was my favorite WDW vacation ever. It was me, wife, son (7) and daughter (1). We didn't wait in a line longer than 15 minutes all week and did all the headliners (most multiple times) but for Tower of Terror. FP+ worked amazing - the sometimes long queue's you see leading up to a ride are usually due to a temporary ride stoppage or someone who tried to get on without actually having a FP+ reservation and the CM taking the time to explain the system to the confused would-be rider (Which in turn does hold up the flow). My wife and son were going to go on BTMRR using their FP+ and saw a line that backed up to the Splash Mountain bridge and then curled around a roped-queue before getting to the scanners and almost didn't do it - I encouraged them to, they got through that line in about 10 minutes and pretty much walked on right after. At the geyser where I was waiting in no more than 20 minutes after they first got on the line.

The weather was mild (too mild, IMO - I wanted SOME "hot"), the crowds were not noticably worse* than what I had experienced on previous summer trips when crowds are supposedly more in the 5-6 level range and our son had some of the most amazing "extras" I'd ever seen:

1. He and wife got selected out of the blue by a passing Alice and White Rabbit to ride the teacups - they weren't even on line!
2. He got selected to be Beast in Enchanted Tales with Belle
3. Had a swordfight with one of the cast members in the Pirates shop after he did Pirates League, with a large crowd around him taking video
4. He did the Jedi training academy and got to fight Maul instead of Vader, which was his definite preference
5. A friendly castmember gave him a light up mickey sword in Epcot before fireworks for no good reason other than he said he looked like he was having fun.

Really, just a great trip. I do wonder what happened with crowds and maybe its a cyclical thing, in that last year's were reported to be so bad that it scared folks away this year (and perhaps the counter will happen next year??).

*The one exception here was when we returned after our mid-day break on Weds to MK. You couldn't move in the Fantasyland-to-Liberty Square section. And then trying to get down Main Street to the Confectionary for a little treat before the Parade was insane - people went nuts on parade spots (when there were actually spots to be found, and we did, near the Liberty Belle). BUT, that morning MK opened at 7 - we didn't quite make rope drop, but from about 7:15 to 10:30, we did every attraction in Tomorrowland and Fantasyland, some multiple times (e.g., Buzz) with nobody in the park. So it was give and take that day.

 

[ks-man]

After reading these posts it really makes you wonder what the next best move for Disney would be.

It sounds like there is capacity to add more FP+ as old FP- would often be a 10-12 minutes wait. If many rides are currently walk-on from the FP+ queue you could give all guests another FP+ and not really affect the FP experience all that much.

Of course this would come at the expense of the Standby which is already crazy long on these busy days (and it seems longer than it was on before FP+). By giving all people a 4th FP+ the standby line would get even worse.

OR

What they could do is start to alleviate the standby line at the expense of the FP+ line by allowing fewer FP+ customers per standby customer. This would shorten the standby line from where it is now but people would not like FP+ as much.

So essentially it gets at would Disney like to further encourage people to use FP+ and schedule their days with fewer on the fly standby rides (and enjoying the FP additions) or would they prefer to not have such huge wait times for standby.

My guess is we will see more FP+ and longer standby times as people will start to plan their day around a few rides which are in schedule blocks and spend less time waiting in Standby lines by either eating at the parks or shopping which are of course both net positives to Disney.

Just my thoughts on this.

 

[redsbe]

I remember reading threads with reports of long FP+ returns that weren't just "oh look at this picture, it is so long" - but that were actual reports from the person who went through the line that they were long. I don't remember what threads they are, and I'm not combing back through to search and find which threads they were. But they definitely happened. Your choice to believe it or not, but I'm not making it up (nor was mom2rtk)

Like I said, I'm happy they seem to have resolved the issue.

I have no doubt that there were issues with some FP+ lines at certain attractions when FP+ first rolled out, but without data and supporting observations from people in the park who experienced them, hard to say how widespread or long those problems exists beyond a few days or the first week of FP+ only in place.

My point simply was that there were no long term or persistent issues reported by visitors or other sources of continued delays and long lines with FP+ and certainly as evidenced by heavy crowds in March and Easter, no other reports from visitors about long FP+ line waits (with the possible notable exception of when a ride is down).