Some FP+ Info

[Tropical Wilds]

At this point, several of us have been able to say that CM's have been clear that both systems will run together, FP+ and in park FP, at least for awhile, if not permanently.

So... That's the assumption that I'm going to go on, as opposed to the highly changeable TOS on a website that people go on and on and on about how much they hate it and how inaccurate it is, or the "for instance" numbers that we crunch where we can say it does or doesn't work.

I see nothing to panic about just yet, and getting upset over the hypothetical, especially when they defy what has been stated by CMs who're "on the ground" is pointless fretting and pot stirring.

 

[dadddio]

The point is you CANNOT with the current proposed FP+ system obtain FPs for all of the rides you're going to want to ride.

I don't know if you can, or not. No details have been given.

There is now way that many FPs would ever be available.

I have no way of knowing how many FPs the company plans on giving. However, that many FPs could certainaly be given, if they chose to do so.

Not to mention you're only allowed to schedule 4 per day.

You are only allowed to PREschedule 4 per day. According to the CM that the OP spoke to, more could be scheduled same-day.

The point is that you never know how many FP+ users would show up at any given time. Therefore any posted SB wait time would have to be taken with a grain of salt because as you put it, they are not guaranteed a ride since they didn't have a FP for it. So, a 20 min posted wait could be a 10 min wait if no FP users show up (Highly unlikely) or it could be 30, 40, or even 50 min if you get a sudden influx of FP users. Just look at what has happened to Test Track and of the DIS board users who have come back complaining of their 20 min posted wait time becoming 120. So no, you can't plan for it.

It still can be forecasted. The company knows how many FPs are given out for a particular period. They will quickly learn how clumpy those guests tend to return and be able to forecast wait times to some degree. As discussed in other threads, that forecasting will never be perfect for the same reasons that it isn't now. It can be more dynamic, however, through the use of RFID readers.

 

[dadddio]

People who choose to FP+s for other attractions (so, not Space Mt.) would have to wait in the standby line for Space Mountain if FP and FP+ were mutually exclusive.

The scenario where WDW is also distributing FPs assumes that both systems can be used together. According to Disney's T&C, guests would need to have non-RFID tickets to have access to standard FP but in the near future, WDW will not be distributing those types of tickets.

This is not going to be great...

The mere fact that FP+ users will not be able to use the current FP machines does not mean that they will not be able to obtain same-day virtual FPs.

 

[mom2mickeyfan]

If you were able to obtain FPs for the rides that you were interested in riding, how would you be unable to ride those rides?

Do you really believe that a family can get a FP+ for EVERY ride we want to ride at MK???

 

[mom2mickeyfan]

If they run the FP+ number to fill most all the slots in an hour time frame. How do GAC passes figure in?? I don't know exactly how those work but most of the time it seems they are just allowed into the FP line. I'm not trying to say if they should or shouldn't be...that isn't what this is about. But how can Disney figure in those parties and what they may do to the FP lines when they are trying to fill them to the max. They would never know when those parties would show up.

 

[Grammy4Lizzy]

For child swap...just thinking with there being fastpasses on attractions that did not previously have FP...unless that is not the case. Like one that comes tom ind for our personal situation...Haunted Mansion. My kids always rode everything. They were not scared of thrill rides or dark rides. My nephew will be scared on HM. So, can they do a child swap? Or no? I don't know if it was ever an option...as I never had the issue. Just trying to iron things out since I am planning for two families that have varying ages from 2 to 17 (kid-wise).

We currently can't FP things like HM and Pirates. So, if we did that, the others would not ride with us. Is it the common consensus that we will not need to FP them? And they can be visited stand by?

Child swap is designed for rides with height regulations. You can swap parents while the small child does not ride. If the child is afraid of the ride, no child swap. Some cms have allowed swaps in this case, but that is not what it was set up for.

 

[golf4miami]

I don't know if you can, or not. No details have been given.
I have no way of knowing how many FPs the company plans on giving. However, that many FPs could certainaly be given, if they chose to do so.
You are only allowed to PREschedule 4 per day. According to the CM that the OP spoke to, more could be scheduled same-day.

I'm just going to discuss this one point because I don't feel like repeating myself too much today.

There are conservatively 24 rides and attractions at MK that will have FP+ when this thing finishes with it's roll out. Do you really think that a family, or even a couple in their 20's (of which I am apart of), could realistically get FastPasses for all of those?

I'm sorry it's just not happening.

 

[mom2mickeyfan]

I'm just going to discuss this one point because I don't feel like repeating myself too much today.

There are conservatively 24 rides and attractions at MK that will have FP+ when this thing finishes with it's roll out. Do you really think that a family, or even a couple in their 20's (of which I am apart of), could realistically get FastPasses for all of those?

I'm sorry it's just not happening.

And at Epcot, are there even going to be enough FP+'s for most everyone to set up 3 or 4 in advance and have anything left for the day of???

 

[dadddio]

I don't know if you can, or not. No details have been given.
I have no way of knowing how many FPs the company plans on giving. However, that many FPs could certainaly be given, if they chose to do so.
You are only allowed to PREschedule 4 per day. According to the CM that the OP spoke to, more could be scheduled same-day.

I'm just going to discuss this one point because I don't feel like repeating myself too much today.

There are conservatively 24 rides and attractions at MK that will have FP+ when this thing finishes with it's roll out. Do you really think that a family, or even a couple in their 20's (of which I am apart of), could realistically get FastPasses for all of those?

No, I do not. However, that's not because of limits to the number of FPs that can be added to the system, but instead due to the FP distribution rules. The so-called two-hour rule and the inherent difficulty of scheduling that many activities is going to break your ability to get a FP for every ride in the park. That being said, what's the percentage of guests who are currently able to hit every ride and attraction in MK on a single day? If it's not zero, it certainly approaches zero.

 

[golf4miami]

And at Epcot, are there even going to be enough FP+'s for most everyone to set up 3 or 4 in advance and have anything left for the day of???

Exactly! Epcot and AK especially are going to have to really look for places to fit in FP's if they want to do it this way.

Again one of the biggest reasons why I don't like the change is because the current system is based solely on current demand and nothing else.

 

[mom2rtk]

At this point, several of us have been able to say that CM's have been clear that both systems will run together, FP+ and in park FP, at least for awhile, if not permanently.

So... That's the assumption that I'm going to go on, as opposed to the highly changeable TOS on a website that people go on and on and on about how much they hate it and how inaccurate it is, or the "for instance" numbers that we crunch where we can say it does or doesn't work.

I see nothing to panic about just yet, and getting upset over the hypothetical, especially when they defy what has been stated by CMs who're "on the ground" is pointless fretting and pot stirring.

I don't think anyone here doubted that the 2 systems would run concurrently, at least for a while. I think the real question is what it will be once the rollout is complete.

And honestly, what the CMs have been told can change just as easily as the TOS on the website.

 

[mom2mickeyfan]

Exactly! Epcot and AK especially are going to have to really look for places to fit in FP's if they want to do it this way.

Again one of the biggest reasons why I don't like the change is because the current system is based solely on current demand and nothing else.

And it was purely a level playing field. It was first come....first serve.

 

[golf4miami]

No, I do not. However, that's not because of limits to the number of FPs that can be added to the system, but instead due to the FP distribution rules. The so-called two-hour rule and the inherent difficulty of scheduling that many activities is going to break your ability to get a FP for every ride in the park. That being said, what's the percentage of guests who are currently able to hit every ride and attraction in MK on a single day? If it's not zero, it certainly approaches zero.

You said:

If you were able to obtain FPs for the rides that you were interested in riding, how would you be unable to ride those rides?

And we already established that it would be next to difficult to ride a ride with a minimal wait without a FP. Do you not see where this becomes extremely difficult and cumbersome to the average family visiting the World?

 

[parkhopping]

I don't think anyone here doubted that the 2 systems would run concurrently, at least for a while. I think the real question is what it will be once the rollout is complete.

And honestly, what the CMs have been told can change just as easily as the TOS on the website.

Exactly. As long as FP is available, I have no problems with FP+. But it doesn't make sense for them to offer both indefinitely. As the 1st page of the "know/want to know" thread stated, "logic says [FP] will fade away."

 

[mom2mickeyfan]

That being said, what's the percentage of guests who are currently able to hit every ride and attraction in MK on a single day? If it's not zero, it certainly approaches zero.

I didn't mention doing everything. I just mentioned everything we wanted to do. Last year at MK, in June with over an hour spent just sitting waiting for a downpour to pass, my family rode.

Dumbo
Barnstormer x 3
Peter Pan w/FP
IASW
Winnie the Pooh
Philharmagic
HM
BTMR x 2 w/ FP
Splash Mountain DH & DS rode 2 times w/ FP
Pirates
Jungle Cruise
People Mover
Buzz w/ FP
COP
Played Sorcerer of Magic Kingdom
and
Had an ADR for a early lunch

There wasn't anything that we wanted to do that we didn't get to do. It doesn't seem like that is going to be possible anymore. Most all of those rides were without FPs and with the longest wait about 30 minutes.

 

[tarheelblue8853]

I just want to start off by saying that I don't know a whole heck of a lot about the coming Fastpass+ system. Here is my question though. Why are they going to 3 or 4 FP+'s per person. I think this system could definitely work and be beneficial if it was just 1 or 2 per person. That way you could sit down and get those FP+'s early to make sure you and your group will be able to ride that ride or those 2 rides on the day you will be in the park. I personally just think that when you start getting to 3 or 4 FP+'s per person it will start to gum up the system a little bit.

Also, why don't they just leave the original FP system in place alongside the FP+ system. That way after you have used your 1 or 2 FP+ then your park experience is pretty much exactly like it would have been anyway. FP+ would just give you a way to reserve what you want to do in advance and the limited # would keep from clogging everything up.

I know eventually we'll learn to live with it, and probably learn how to use it to our advantage, but right now it just seems like its going to make touring the parks more difficult and not easier.

Again, I think I understand the original idea: that you'll be able to ensure that your group will absolutely get to experience your favorite rides by locking in your FP+ before you get there. It's just I think the # of FP+ is going to be too high. Oh well, just my uneducated idea.

 

[Robo]

Also, why don't they just leave the original FP system in place alongside the FP+ system.

Not enough FP "seats" in a day to make both effectively work at the same time.

A ride can only carry X number of guests in an hour, and in a day.

 

[tarheelblue8853]

Not enough FP "seats" in a day to make both effectively work at the same time.

A ride can only carry X number of guests in an hour, and in a day.

Yeah I suppose that would be a problem. But if like I suggested everyone was limited to 1 or 2 FP+ would it be that huge of a problem? I guess I haven't done the math on it.

 

[Elandon]

The hybrid model does seem like it might be more fair. I mean, I'm all for planning my vacation but committing to rides 60 days in advance is a bit much. Is this going to be like ADRs where any "last minute" trips ( even those planned 6 weeks in advance) will not include space mountain, splash mountain, or soarin? Some of us work a lot and have to be a little flexible with our vacation plans. I don't have the luxury of planning 180 days in advance and routinely loose out on good ADRs because of it. Plus, I can't imagine how disappointed a first time visitor would be when they really start planning a week or two in advance only to find out that they will be waiting in long lines if they want to do headlining attractions.

 

[Robo]

The hybrid model does seem like it might be more fair. I mean, I'm all for planning my vacation but committing to rides 60 days in advance is a bit much. Is this going to be like ADRs where any "last minute" trips ( even those planned 6 weeks in advance) will not include space mountain, splash mountain, or soarin? Some of us work a lot and have to be a little flexible with our vacation plans. I don't have the luxury of planning 180 days in advance and routinely loose out on good ADRs because of it. Plus, I can't imagine how disappointed a first time visitor would be when they really start planning a week or two in advance only to find out that they will be waiting in long lines if they want to do headlining attractions.

None of this would be a factor if they had not decided to arbitrarily change the FP rules.

(Some committee somewhere has got to be quaking in their boots anticipating the guest
complaints when things go wrong with this unstable behemoth.)