Staying offsite and just booked advance FP+ for next week!

[clsteve]

That, too. We need some guinea pigs to test both ways! Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

However, I'll bet the combination of dining reservations and tickets purchased gives Disney the 'OK they are definitely coming here' reassurance they want before allowing FP to be booked. Otherwise, people might book up FP reservations for days they have no intention of ever setting foot in a park, which would make a mess. Onsite guests even have to make their room reservations before booking FP.

Just a couple couple of questions to help get an understanding of how/why you might have been selected:

Did you have an MDE Account from a previous stay?

Did you have MB's previously?

Are you receiving MB's as part of this offering - if so, do you have to purchase them?

Did they say they're going to contact you beyond this email or do you have to contact them??

Did the email state how you're going to be able to use them- such as, redeem them at GS or a kiosk if you're not going to get MB's?

Sorry for all of this but the follow-on is very important to how other off-site guests might also be handled.

 

[redrosesix]

According to the Disney Folks I spoke with that is what they are doing! If not people offsite wouldn't have an opportunity to get any major FPs. For certain on busy days.

But if I'm booking a stay onsite less than 60 days out and have already heard there are no FPs left for TSMM or 7DMT, I don't think I'd be satisfied with having a chance to get one day of. It would be like getting wait-listed. So I'd probably decide to just stay somewhere else -- probably US because then I'd absolutely get EP and early entry.

IMO people onsite have to have an opportunity to get major FPs too, no matter when they book.

 

[ArwenMarie]

But they can't increase the capacity of the rides. I'm interested to see how they are going to pull this one off. Offsite guests make up the vast majority of guests in the park. Basic math says they must do. So if there are all these queues now and it's currenly only onsiters able to book, when it opens up for everyone how is the system going to cope? I'm trying to figure out why it coped before FP+ but it's buckling under pressure now But it is. There are going to be some very unhappy guests at the parks in the coming months the way things are headed unless Disney pulls a really impressive magic trick out from up their sleeve.

I don't think offsite is the vast majority, 50/50 by most estimates. But if we look at profit, I'm sure it breaks down much higher in favor of onsite. It is going to be interesting watching this based on what has been happening so far.

 

[ArwenMarie]

Might be an advantage, but I sure as heck hope it doesn't come to having to book 60 days out or no major attractions will be available. That has been my biggest fear since this whole new FP system came out. I see it going the way of ADRs in that sense. Sure, you'll always be able to get It's A Small World fastpasses, but the new Mine Train might become the new Cinderella's Royal Table.

Mine Train is going to be the real test. So we could hypothetically have everyone booking online at 60 days and a new ride opening in roughly the same time period...wow, definitely going to be interesting.

 

[FlipHipster]

According to the Disney Folks I spoke with that is what they are doing! If not people offsite wouldn't have an opportunity to get any major FPs. For certain on busy days.

Yes but by opening it up to more people they just increased the competition for those FP. If you increase the number of people eligible to grab them and don't increase the allotment.......

If you increase the allotment to make everyone happy, SB is going to get the shaft and no matter what you can't allocate enough FP for everyone going to DHS in June to ride TSMM everyday even 1x per guest.

 

[2Tiggies]

I see it going the way of ADRs in that sense. Sure, you'll always be able to get It's A Small World fastpasses, but the new Mine Train might become the new Cinderella's Royal Table.

I think it's inevitable. I wouldnt mind as much if standby lines weren't being so negatively impacted by all this. Much as we've loved and used FP up to now, we do plenty of standby lines. It's just always been pretty simple: we're right there, we look up, see the wait time and decide to get in line ... or to move on. It's not so simple now. And the wait times are far from accurate from reports we are reading which doesn't help matters.

 

[JimmyV]

But if I'm booking a stay onsite less than 60 days out and have already heard there are no FPs left for TSMM or 7DMT, I don't think I'd be satisfied with having a chance to get one day of. It would be like getting wait-listed. So I'd probably decide to just stay somewhere else -- probably US because then I'd absolutely get EP and early entry.

I don't think people are suggesting that. At least, I'm not. The computer system can probably work wonders. Once you log into the system, it can tell if you are an AP, or if you booked a resort reservation inside the 60 day window, or if you are a FL resident. IF the system holds back a certain number of FP+ from the 60 day window, it can distribute them at any time, not just on the day of. So I would expect that on this Board in the near future, you will see someone post that they booked a resort reservation a year in advance, forgot to make their FP+ bookings 60 days out, and now it is 45 days out and there are no Mine Train FPs left. Then, another poster will reply that this is odd, because they just booked a room at Coronado Springs this very morning and got a Mine Train FP for the day that the OP could not. Simple. The computer detected that the second poster made a recent reservation and gave them a Mine Train slot that the OP could not get to show up on their computer. And then an AP Holder who lives in Lakeland will post that she was also able to get a Mine Train FP for that date. Why? Because the computer detected that she was an AP Holder from nearby.

There is an assumption here that all FP+s are going to be tossed into the same pool and that it will be a free-for-all to get them. I suspect that the system is far more nuanced than that and that there are many pools, with not all people having similar access. Just a guess. But that is absolutely the way I would do it, and what do I know?

 

[BuckeyeBama]

Yes but by opening it up to more people they just increased the competition for those FP. If you increase the number of people eligible to grab them and don't increase the allotment.

For those who stay off-site, this is awesome. For those who stay on-site, this is bad news.

We only travel to WDW in value seasons, so this will probably not hurt us, but this means that FP+ reservations are going to start running out well ahead of time. For those unwilling or unable to plan out their park days months ahead of time - you will now have to hope for same day FP+ reservations for your favorite ride. And, you will have to get up early to get those same day passes, because everyone else like you (or those changing their plans) will be in the same boat.

Gotta love this FP+ system. Keeps you on your toes.

 

[FlipHipster]

I don't think people are suggesting that. At least, I'm not. The computer system can probably work wonders. Once you log into the system, it can tell if you are an AP, or if you booked a resort reservation inside the 60 day window, or if you are a FL resident. IF the system holds back a certain number of FP+ from the 60 day window, it can distribute them at any time, not just on the day of. So I would expect that on this Board in the near future, you will see someone post that they booked a resort reservation a year in advance, forgot to make their FP+ bookings 60 days out, and now it is 45 days out and there are no Mine Train FPs left. Then, another poster will reply that this is odd, because they just booked a room at Coronado Springs this very morning and got a Mine Train FP for the day that the OP could not. Simple. The computer detected that the second poster made a recent reservation and gave them a Mine Train slot that the OP could not get to show up on their computer. And then an AP Holder who lives in Lakeland will post that she was also able to get a Mine Train FP for that date. Why? Because the computer detected that she was an AP Holder from nearby.

There is an assumption here that all FP+s are going to be tossed into the same pool and that it will be a free-for-all to get them. I suspect that the system is far more nuanced than that and that there are many pools, with not all people having similar access. Just a guess. But that is absolutely the way I would do it, and what do I know?

Now imagine being a CM or CS rep trying to navigate all those rules to determine why a guest can't book a FP. There really is something to the KISS principle.

 

[lugnut33]

According to the Disney Folks I spoke with that is what they are doing! If not people offsite wouldn't have an opportunity to get any major FPs. For certain on busy days.

I just don't see any way for them to hold fastpasses back for 30 days before, 10 days before, or day of. There are going to be a lot of upset guests if they don't get their fast passes for 7 Dwarfs, Space Mtn, Peter Pan, BTMRR, Splash, Soarin, TT, TSMM, ToT, and RnR.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

I just don't see any way for them to hold fastpasses back for 30 days before, 10 days before, or day of. There are going to be a lot of upset guests if they don't get their fast passes for 7 Dwarfs, Space Mtn, Peter Pan, BTMRR, Splash, Soarin, TT, TSMM, ToT, and RnR.

I agree - people will cancel vacations over this. I guess we have to wait and see if it starts to happen.

 

[JimmyV]

For those who stay off-site, this is awesome. For those who stay on-site, this is bad news.

Not really. It only appears that way because of the phasing of the testing roll-out. If they had opened up FP+ to guests of Deluxes first, and then to Moderates later, you could just as easily say: "For those who stay in Moderates, this is awesome. For those who stay in Deluxes, this is bad news." Just because one group got the benefit first doesn't mean that evening the playing field is "bad news". It just means that others are now enjoying what the first group enjoyed for a longer period of time. Had FP+ been rolled out as an "on site only" perk, and then Disney changed its mind and let in the riff-raff, then your statement would be more true. But it was never intended to be that way, and the schedule of the roll-out is neither good news for one group nor bad news for the other. Instead, the on-site folks can say: "It was fun while it lasted".

 

[lugnut33]

I don't think people are suggesting that. At least, I'm not. The computer system can probably work wonders. Once you log into the system, it can tell if you are an AP, or if you booked a resort reservation inside the 60 day window, or if you are a FL resident. IF the system holds back a certain number of FP+ from the 60 day window, it can distribute them at any time, not just on the day of. So I would expect that on this Board in the near future, you will see someone post that they booked a resort reservation a year in advance, forgot to make their FP+ bookings 60 days out, and now it is 45 days out and there are no Mine Train FPs left. Then, another poster will reply that this is odd, because they just booked a room at Coronado Springs this very morning and got a Mine Train FP for the day that the OP could not. Simple. The computer detected that the second poster made a recent reservation and gave them a Mine Train slot that the OP could not get to show up on their computer. And then an AP Holder who lives in Lakeland will post that she was also able to get a Mine Train FP for that date. Why? Because the computer detected that she was an AP Holder from nearby.

There is an assumption here that all FP+s are going to be tossed into the same pool and that it will be a free-for-all to get them. I suspect that the system is far more nuanced than that and that there are many pools, with not all people having similar access. Just a guess. But that is absolutely the way I would do it, and what do I know?

Just looking back on my own experience last week that doesn't appear to be the case. There was one day we decided to go to MK that same day and I was unable to secure FP for Peter Pan and BTMRR. I was looking for FP at around 11 a.m. for late that evening. Everything was booked. I was staying at AKL, a premium resort, why didnt' the computer recognize that? Why didnt' the computer hold back some FP for those staying on-site at premium resorts? They are the customers spending the most money.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

Not really. It only appears that way because of the phasing of the testing roll-out. If they had opened up FP+ to guests of Deluxes first, and then to Moderates later, you could just as easily say: "For those who stay in Moderates, this is awesome. For those who stay in Deluxes, this is bad news." Just because one group got the benefit first doesn't mean that evening the playing field is "bad news". It just means that others are now enjoying what the first group enjoyed for a longer period of time.

You know better - the implication for on-site guests is that there are now more people competing for a finite number of FP+ reservations ahead of time. That is absolutely a change for the worse for on-site guests.

 

[JimmyV]

Now imagine being a CM or CS rep trying to navigate all those rules to determine why a guest can't book a FP. There really is something to the KISS principle.

There is no CM or CS involvement. Your MDE system will book what it can book. This is nothing new. When people book cruises, residents of different states and/or different countries see different pricing all the time. A person from AZ who books a 7 day cruise on the same day as a person from NC might get a completely different price based on where the cruise line is targeting its marketing at any given moment. And people on cruise chat boards complain all the time. But as long as the system's computer detects that they are from AZ, or the UK, they are going to get the AZ or UK price and there isn't anything anyone can do about it.

I just don't see any way for them to hold fastpasses back for 30 days before, 10 days before, or day of. There are going to be a lot of upset guests if they don't get their fast passes for 7 Dwarfs, Space Mtn, Peter Pan, BTMRR, Splash, Soarin, TT, TSMM, ToT, and RnR.

Still not getting it. Let's assume that there is a subset of prospective guests who will not come to WDW unless they can get a 7DMT FP+. Some of them book more than 60 days in advance and some do not. Let's also assume that all 7DMT FP+ are in a general pool and demand makes it such that they are all gone on the 60 day mark. Isn't it true that all guests in the subset who haven't yet booked their trip by the 60 day mark will refuse to do so? Why would Disney want to systematically exclude all guest who book within the 60 day mark?Wouldn't it be better to make 70% of all FP+s available at the 60 day mark and then 10% more each between the 50-40 day mark, the 35-25 day mark and the 15-5 day marks thereby giving hope to the late bookers? The early bookers are still going to get whatever they want as long as they are vigilant. 70% is still a pretty big number.

 

[mkarizona]

We will be staying at the Swan, tickets are linked, have an ADR, but no ability to make FP+
I want a friendly e-mail!

Don't just wait for an email, check your MDE account regularly. We used FP+ on our September trip but did not get an email. It showed up in my MDE account as an option to pre-order our Magic Bands. I hadn't been checking my account so I don't know how long the option had been there but I did see it in time to pre-order.

 

[JimmyV]

That is absolutely a change for the worse for on-site guests.

I agree that it is a change for the worse. But it is not "bad news". It is simply the inevitable evolution of the system toward the way it was always designed. Just like the "glitch" that made tiering evaporate. Was it "bad news" for people when the glitch was detected and fixed, or was it simply "It was fun while it lasted."?

 

[lugnut33]

There is no CM or CS involvement. Your MDE system will book what it can book. This is nothing new. When people book cruises, residents of different states and/or different countries see different pricing all the time. A person from AZ who books a 7 day cruise on the same day as a person from NC might get a completely different price based on where the cruise line is targeting its marketing at any given moment. And people on cruise chat boards complain all the time. But as long as the system's computer detects that they are from AZ, or the UK, they are going to get the AZ or UK price and there isn't anything anyone can do about it.


Still not getting it. Let's assume that there is a subset of prospective guests who will not come to WDW unless they can get a 7DMT FP+. Some of them book more than 60 days in advance and some do not. Let's also assume that all 7DMT FP+ are in a general pool and demand makes it such that they are all gone on the 60 day mark. Isn't it true that all guests in the subset who haven't yet booked their trip by the 60 day mark will refuse to do so? Why would Disney want to systematically exclude all guest who book within the 60 day mark?Wouldn't it be better to make 70% of all FP+s available at the 60 day mark and then 10% more each between the 50-40 day mark, the 35-25 day mark and the 15-5 day marks thereby giving hope to the late bookers? The early bookers are still going to get whatever they want as long as they are vigilant. 70% is still a pretty big number.

It might be a big number but it's not enough to cover demand. One thing this will expose is the lack of headlining attractions, particularly at Epcot and HS.

Disney doesn't hold back ADRs for day of, why would they do it for attractions?

 

[JimmyV]

Disney doesn't hold back ADRs for day of, why would they do it for attractions?

Actually we don't know that. All we know is what the on-line ADR or Central Dining Reservations person tells us. Do we really know that "no availability during the time you requested" actually means "filled to the gills"? Concierges seem to be able to squeeze people in at the last minute. Not always. But often.

What we do know is that neither of us knows. In the coming weeks or months, we are either going to see posts that complain that locals, AP Holders and late bookers are getting completely shut out, or that they are finding spaces on popular rides.

 

[dfb]

I just don't see any way for them to hold fastpasses back for 30 days before, 10 days before, or day of. There are going to be a lot of upset guests if they don't get their fast passes for 7 Dwarfs, Space Mtn, Peter Pan, BTMRR, Splash, Soarin, TT, TSMM, ToT, and RnR.

Just passing on what I was told by Disney guest relations. For certain there will be alot of upset guest. There already are alot of upset guest. apparently there were alot of upset guest with FP legacy and if I had to bet my last dollar I would put it on there will always be a lot of upset guest!