Step away from the ledge: An optimists view on FastPass+

[Suzie3126]

I wanted to chime in on the Fastpass+ situation. In full disclosure- I'm an optimist, so if that's not your thing, feel free to skip to the next thread.

I have been to Disney theme parks about 10 times, including Paris and Tokyo. While I realize I'm no expert, I am one of those people that enjoys researching Disney for fun and getting all the information that I can. There seems to be a lot of negativity and uncertainty surrounding the new FastPass+ so I wanted to add some positives to this.

I understand we are still in the testing phases and believe me, I know that the app hasn't reached it's full potential, amongst many other uncertainties. But just think for a minute - won't it be nice to not have that frantic, twitching, anxious feeling at rope drop? Maybe actually catch the opening show at the Magic Kingdom instead of sprinting off into the parks, dodging strollers, grandparents, and cast members on the way to Space Mountain?

I have a whole new outlook on Disney World now that I'm an adult (30 next week- eep!). When I visit, it's usually with my "senior" mother - at least that's what her AARP card says. I darn near killed her last visit, demanding we get to the parks at rope drop so that I could grab her ticket and sprint to Soarin' or Toy Story Mania. I was impatient with her, urging her on to the next attraction or show before sprinting to the opposite end of the park to grab us another FastPass. By about mid-day, I was the one who felt like a senior. I could have gone for a Dole Whip and an afternoon siesta. I exhausted myself by running around like a crazy person making sure we got to do "the big ones". All of that back and forth between FastPass kiosks had me in tears on night 1 (I should also mention that besides my optimism, I can also tend toward the melodramatic).

That being said, when I first started to hear about FastPass+, it was like Disney threw a life preserver to me. With FastPass+, I'll be able to plan "the big ones" in advance. I won't have to criss-cross the parks at a frantic pace and hope that there is a FastPass available, in a time that works for me. I can work around ADR's more readily. I won't be as exhausted from the extra mileage, I can take more time to really look around and pay attention to the small details that are what makes Disney so amazing. And even though the FastPass+ will have designated times like the old FastPass, it still offers an hour of flexibility for whatever other explorations might strike my fancy.

My next trip is scheduled for December 2014 and I'm really excited to see what FastPass+ brings to the table. From my perspective, being able to have a plan (that is changeable, if needed) is a huge relief. I don't want to fly through the parks dragging my poor mother behind me. I don't want to fizzle out before the afternoon parade. I don't want to be chugging caffeine just to make it through the day. Maybe I won't hit everything in one day, with longer standby lines. But maybe, just maybe- FastPass+ will enable me to really take time to look around, be present in the moment, and enjoy the time I have with friends, family, and the magic that Disney creates.

 

[jenninaustin]

I do think that's a huge bright side!

I'd love to have more at MK and I agree the tiering is monumentally crummy....BUT.....

I'm excited to try to notice some things on this trip that I didn't last time around.

 

[flutterby3744]

I echo your sentiments exactly...except insert 3 not so go go go children in place of your mother. We're all pretty laid back, so commando is NOT our thing!

 

[scooter7487]

Wish I could be as optimistic as you but can't. Will still need to do rope drop as now I can't get a fast pass for all the "headliners" as they have now taken that away by tiering the rides. So I if you don't want to wait for 2 hours for either TSM or RR then you will need to do rope drop. We were there last holiday season and had a wonderful time. If you have never been at this time you will certainly enjoy it. The lights, decorations and some surprises I won't tell you about because they are magical will make it worth the long lines.

In the spirit of trying to stay positive for your thread I will stop there because it would turn completely negative if I told the story of the FP+ system while we were at AK.

Have fun planning for your trip next year!

 

[Suzie3126]

Hi Scooter,

We utilize the single rider lines at RR, Everest, and wherever else they are offered (Test Track, if memory serves). Maybe that's an option? FPP at TSM and single rider at RR? And yes, I've been there in December before- it's amazing!!

 

[MrInfinity]

Hi Suzie,
Welcome! I'm an optimist as well... and while I can certainly understand why those who are annoyed with FP+ are so, I also look at FP+ as a natural evolution that brings ride queuing into the information age with tons of benefit for most people.

Already, I really like how I can plan my days to minimize criss-crossing of the park and splitting up from my family to run for FP- tickets. And for those that don't care to plan their days on a spreadsheet, you can simply take the defaults and be sure to get on 3 rides a day w minimal waits.

Another benefit is the 1-hour blocks... I'll plan a FP for say 2-3, and one for 3-4, and know that I'll probly get on something lighter in between, so I can "do" a localized region of a park pretty darn efficiently even during mid-day peaks.

I'm looking forward to our May trip, FP+ and all.

 

[pineapple04]

Thanks for bringing such optimism to the table--I definitely hear ya! Both DH and I were skeptical of FP+ prior to our trip, esp. since DH loves spontaneity, but once we were at the parks, we loved it! FP+ allowed us to experience all of our favorite "must-dos" around our ADRs and other non-park plans.

Also, for the first time ever on a Disney trip, we didn't do a single rope-drop! Thanks to FP+, DH could sleep in for an extra hour or so, without me freaking out that not a single FP would be left.

My biggest gripe about FP+ is the inability to reserve FPs for more than one park per day, esp. if you have a PH ticket. However, Disney certainly is doing its research, and I'm sure changes for the better will all come in good time.

 

[DRDISNEYMD]

I wanted to chime in on the Fastpass+ situation. In full disclosure- I'm an optimist, so if that's not your thing, feel free to skip to the next thread.

I have been to Disney theme parks about 10 times, including Paris and Tokyo. While I realize I'm no expert, I am one of those people that enjoys researching Disney for fun and getting all the information that I can. There seems to be a lot of negativity and uncertainty surrounding the new FastPass+ so I wanted to add some positives to this.

I understand we are still in the testing phases and believe me, I know that the app hasn't reached it's full potential, amongst many other uncertainties. But just think for a minute - won't it be nice to not have that frantic, twitching, anxious feeling at rope drop? Maybe actually catch the opening show at the Magic Kingdom instead of sprinting off into the parks, dodging strollers, grandparents, and cast members on the way to Space Mountain?

I have a whole new outlook on Disney World now that I'm an adult (30 next week- eep!). When I visit, it's usually with my "senior" mother - at least that's what her AARP card says. I darn near killed her last visit, demanding we get to the parks at rope drop so that I could grab her ticket and sprint to Soarin' or Toy Story Mania. I was impatient with her, urging her on to the next attraction or show before sprinting to the opposite end of the park to grab us another FastPass. By about mid-day, I was the one who felt like a senior. I could have gone for a Dole Whip and an afternoon siesta. I exhausted myself by running around like a crazy person making sure we got to do "the big ones". All of that back and forth between FastPass kiosks had me in tears on night 1 (I should also mention that besides my optimism, I can also tend toward the melodramatic).

That being said, when I first started to hear about FastPass+, it was like Disney threw a life preserver to me. With FastPass+, I'll be able to plan "the big ones" in advance. I won't have to criss-cross the parks at a frantic pace and hope that there is a FastPass available, in a time that works for me. I can work around ADR's more readily. I won't be as exhausted from the extra mileage, I can take more time to really look around and pay attention to the small details that are what makes Disney so amazing. And even though the FastPass+ will have designated times like the old FastPass, it still offers an hour of flexibility for whatever other explorations might strike my fancy.

My next trip is scheduled for December 2014 and I'm really excited to see what FastPass+ brings to the table. From my perspective, being able to have a plan (that is changeable, if needed) is a huge relief. I don't want to fly through the parks dragging my poor mother behind me. I don't want to fizzle out before the afternoon parade. I don't want to be chugging caffeine just to make it through the day. Maybe I won't hit everything in one day, with longer standby lines. But maybe, just maybe- FastPass+ will enable me to really take time to look around, be present in the moment, and enjoy the time I have with friends, family, and the magic that Disney creates.

~Fabulous post! I totally agree with this. For me, touring the parks with Magicband/FP+ was so different -- for the first time I felt carefree. It was so nice not racing from machine to machine and from queue to queue -- this really freed up our day. Thanks for the dose of optimism this morning. And, have fun on your trip!

 

[Silock]

But just think for a minute - won't it be nice to not have that frantic, twitching, anxious feeling at rope drop?

I've found that FP+ has actually been the opposite. I was never anxious about getting to ride something with FP-. I knew that if I wanted Soarin' or TSMM at a reasonable time, I had to be there at rope drop. Fine, I accept that. But I knew that I could get a FP for anything else I wanted at basically any point during the day.

I felt more rushed and frantic with FP+ because I was trying to squeeze in rides before my window closed (and there was no other availability for many rides for me to switch to). And why was I trying to squeeze in rides? Because I didn't get as many FastPasses, and half the ones I got I didn't really even need.

Not trying to rain on your thread or anything. I just find it amusing that we can have totally different feelings and experiences on pre-scheduling rides/attractions.

 

[Lolsmum]

It's nice to read a positive opinion on this.

Honestly, FP was always just a free bonus for those who chose to use it. It didn't cost any more to use it and still doesn't cost more to use FP+ (ignoring the issue of onsite being able to book sooner). It's not as though Disney suddenly took something away. Instead, they changed a free perk and you'd think people were being asked to give up their firstborn to ride Space Mountain.

I think my viewpoint is coloured by spending my childhood going to DL frequently, then largely taking a break from Disney parks for about 16 years due to moving to the UK. I never really got used to fast pass and certainly didn't consider it something Disney owed me.

I can totally see how knowing for certain (barring illness or ride break down) that we can ride a few top picks each day would lead to less stress about it, especially as my kids grow out of the kiddy rides.

 

[crostorfer]

Come back when you have children who want to ride the same ride 10 times in a row.

There are many of us that LIKE rope drop.

There are those, (I won't say many because I know what shape the average American is in), that have no problem with traversing the parks to go from one ride to another, and don't find walking a problem.

But, if FP+ works for you, great. Just stop trying to shove sunshine down my throat. Your single person with your parent vacation is completely different than a family with children.

Then again, I did choose to read and respond to this post. Moving on....

 

[JZCubed]

Come back when you have children who want to ride the same ride 10 times in a row.

There are many of us that LIKE rope drop.

There are those, (I won't say many because I know what shape the average American is in), that have no problem with traversing the parks to go from one ride to another, and don't find walking a problem.

But, if FP+ works for you, great. Just stop trying to shove sunshine down my throat. Your single person with your parent vacation is completely different than a family with children.

Then again, I did choose to read and respond to this post. Moving on....

I hate using My Disney Experience. It remains awfully glitchy after months of testing. It took far too long for me - an optimist with patience - to complete FP+ reservations. This included more than 2 hours on the phone with Tech Support. Disney should be ashamed of what far too many people have experienced from the bad software that remains glitchy.

But I also very much enjoy FP+ with my child. We now have far less uncertainty and we know which headliners we are going to enjoy before we get to Disney.

FP (+ or -) has nothing to do with riding an attraction multiple times....unless you kept pulling FP- at the expense of others not even getting a chance.

Would I prefer that Disney keep some type of FP- system and/or the ability to grab more than 3 FP+ when FP's remain available during slow periods - YES! But we rarely pulled more than 3 FP- to feel that we've lost something.

Lastly, since we have little to do in Hollywood Studios, not having to grab a Toy Story FP- at rope drop is simply priceless.

 

[Stitch123]

Never mind the kids, *I* want to ride some rides multiple times!

I appreciate the idea that it's a relief to some to not have to race from one FP machine to the next. It's just that I've never felt the need to do that. We usually arrived within the first hour of opening, went to our favorite ride first and then moved through the park at a leisurely pace, riding pretty much everything. If the line was 15 min or less, we did Standby. If it was longer, we grabbed a FP and rode later. Went on our favorite rides several times with FP. That touring style is no longer possible and I'm really sad about that. I actually had a nightmare about being at the MK, having used my 3 FP+, and facing nothing but Standby lines. That's going to be the reality from now on, no matter how optimistic you want to look at it. And it sucks in my opinion.

One more thing: The Single Rider line is now often mentioned as a great way to minimize wait time. But I want to enjoy the rides with my family, not by myself. One of the best moments of my last trip was riding BTMR with my daughter at night, looking at the illuminated castle and thinking, I want to do this with her when I'm 90! So it's less about the ride itself and more about having fun together.

With FP+ that fun for families like us is going to be limited, there's no other way to put it. Not being negative, just realistic.

 

[ConvenientTruth]

Come back when you have children who want to ride the same ride 10 times in a row.

There are many of us that LIKE rope drop.

There are those, (I won't say many because I know what shape the average American is in), that have no problem with traversing the parks to go from one ride to another, and don't find walking a problem.

But, if FP+ works for you, great. Just stop trying to shove sunshine down my throat. Your single person with your parent vacation is completely different than a family with children.

Then again, I did choose to read and respond to this post. Moving on....

Family of 5

Have done a couple of day trips with FP+

Never do rope drop

Got in the rides I wanted while booking fast passes at the park (again day trip).

Kids didn't complain

Wife was Happy

I was happy...

 

[JanaDee]

Never mind the kids, *I* want to ride some rides multiple times! I appreciate the idea that it's a relief to some to not have to race from one FP machine to the next. It's just that I've never felt the need to do that. We usually arrived within the first hour of opening, went to our favorite ride first and then moved through the park at a leisurely pace, riding pretty much everything. If the line was 15 min or less, we did Standby. If it was longer, we grabbed a FP and rode later. Went on our favorite rides several times with FP. That touring style is no longer possible and I'm really sad about that. I actually had a nightmare about being at the MK, having used my 3 FP+, and facing nothing but Standby lines. That's going to be the reality from now on, no matter how optimistic you want to look at it. And it sucks in my opinion. One more thing: The Single Rider line is now often mentioned as a great way to minimize wait time. But I want to enjoy the rides with my family, not by myself. One of the best moments of my last trip was riding BTMR with my daughter at night, looking at the illuminated castle and thinking, I want to do this with her when I'm 90! So it's less about the ride itself and more about having fun together. With FP+ that fun for families like us is going to be limited, there's no other way to put it. Not being negative, just realistic.

Your touring style sounds very similar to ours. Sadly, our touring style is no longer possible.

 

[Angel Ariel]

I wanted to chime in on the Fastpass+ situation. In full disclosure- I'm an optimist, so if that's not your thing, feel free to skip to the next thread.

I have been to Disney theme parks about 10 times, including Paris and Tokyo. While I realize I'm no expert, I am one of those people that enjoys researching Disney for fun and getting all the information that I can. There seems to be a lot of negativity and uncertainty surrounding the new FastPass+ so I wanted to add some positives to this.

I understand we are still in the testing phases and believe me, I know that the app hasn't reached it's full potential, amongst many other uncertainties. But just think for a minute - won't it be nice to not have that frantic, twitching, anxious feeling at rope drop? Maybe actually catch the opening show at the Magic Kingdom instead of sprinting off into the parks, dodging strollers, grandparents, and cast members on the way to Space Mountain?

I have a whole new outlook on Disney World now that I'm an adult (30 next week- eep!). When I visit, it's usually with my "senior" mother - at least that's what her AARP card says. I darn near killed her last visit, demanding we get to the parks at rope drop so that I could grab her ticket and sprint to Soarin' or Toy Story Mania. I was impatient with her, urging her on to the next attraction or show before sprinting to the opposite end of the park to grab us another FastPass. By about mid-day, I was the one who felt like a senior. I could have gone for a Dole Whip and an afternoon siesta. I exhausted myself by running around like a crazy person making sure we got to do "the big ones". All of that back and forth between FastPass kiosks had me in tears on night 1 (I should also mention that besides my optimism, I can also tend toward the melodramatic).

That being said, when I first started to hear about FastPass+, it was like Disney threw a life preserver to me. With FastPass+, I'll be able to plan "the big ones" in advance. I won't have to criss-cross the parks at a frantic pace and hope that there is a FastPass available, in a time that works for me. I can work around ADR's more readily. I won't be as exhausted from the extra mileage, I can take more time to really look around and pay attention to the small details that are what makes Disney so amazing. And even though the FastPass+ will have designated times like the old FastPass, it still offers an hour of flexibility for whatever other explorations might strike my fancy.

My next trip is scheduled for December 2014 and I'm really excited to see what FastPass+ brings to the table. From my perspective, being able to have a plan (that is changeable, if needed) is a huge relief. I don't want to fly through the parks dragging my poor mother behind me. I don't want to fizzle out before the afternoon parade. I don't want to be chugging caffeine just to make it through the day. Maybe I won't hit everything in one day, with longer standby lines. But maybe, just maybe- FastPass+ will enable me to really take time to look around, be present in the moment, and enjoy the time I have with friends, family, and the magic that Disney creates.

Reading your post, I can absolutely understand why fp+ is a great thing for your family.

That said, I honestly don't know how the things I bolded feel, because we have never toured that way. I have never been anxious waiting at rope drop (if we made it to rope drop in the first place, usually we were about 30 mins late), we didn't criss cross the parks throughout the day, we did take our time. And we still got all the headliners done plus the other things we love. So, for me, the things I bolded in your post aren't factors in how I feel about fp+, because they were non issues with legacy fp.

Eta: we toured very much like Stitch123 did as well.

I do agree that being able to get multiple fps from one location, and being able to use an app are great improvements, though.

 

[DRDISNEYMD]

Come back when you have children who want to ride the same ride 10 times in a row.

There are many of us that LIKE rope drop.

There are those, (I won't say many because I know what shape the average American is in), that have no problem with traversing the parks to go from one ride to another, and don't find walking a problem.

But, if FP+ works for you, great. Just stop trying to shove sunshine down my throat. Your single person with your parent vacation is completely different than a family with children.

Then again, I did choose to read and respond to this post. Moving on....

~My kids have no desire to ride the same thing ten times in a row. As a parent -- I would never entertain such a thing. I suppose there is nothing "wrong" with doing that but it's not something that I would ever do. I'm so grateful that my kids aren't like that.

~We are commando's -- we do rope drop every morning and close the parks.

~I am 5'7 1/2 and 115 lbs & DH is 6'3 220lbs and we are a very fit and active family -- we can walk circles around you on our worst day! We *love* FP +! Love it!

~The OP was not shoving sunshine down anyone's throat. I for one appreciate her comments and I hope to see more of them.

~I cannot wait to get back to Disney!

This isn't a thread for you then. Why do you have to shove YOUR opinions down everyone's throat? It's irritating. Just accept people tour differently then you.

~This. If you don't like a topic just don't read it. I ignored all of the FP+ complaint threads and don't read them. Quite frankly, they bore me.

"Just stop trying to shove sunshine down my throat"

Honestly, was this necessary? The OP is being positive and you're jumping on and trying to shove negativity into the whole post. It's DISNEY for god's sake, it's there to bring joy to you and your family. Not to bring a ton of work and stress and negativity. You don't HAVE to go.

~Fabulous response and very well said!!! There is no reason to be ugly to someone who is trying to be positive and uplift others. If that poster was trying to ruin someone's day -- she actually did the opposite. I'm even more excited about my Disney vacation. Over the weekend, I'm actually going to write Disney another a letter applauding them for FP+ and Magic Bands and how it's improved our Disney vacations so much.

 

[imLissy]

I agree. For us, there have been more positives than negatives. I can just tell my parents where to be and when, it's so easy for them. They went on TSM for the first time on this trip, and well, their opinion was: people wait two hours for that? But at least they got to try it. Yes, the system isn't perfect, but they're still working out some of the kinks. It'd be nice if you could get more fastpasses at MK, where there are many rides, the tiers don't work so well at Epcot and HS, they give out too many fp for certain things and not enough for others, and I have no idea how we're going to coordinate with my dad's cousin today who has a one day pass, but those issues have been minor for us compared to the positives.
Being able to schedule fastpasses around shows and ADRs, being able to change fp selections on the fly if I notice there's no line. The best part for us is that my parents can get to the park two hours after us, but we can still follow the same schedule in the afternoon. Overall, I feel much more relaxed this trip because I know it's guaranteed I'll see my top favorite things.
So sorry to those that hate fp+, and I can see why it wouldn't work for a lot of families, but it's been great for us.

 

[EMode]

Never mind the kids, *I* want to ride some rides multiple times!

I appreciate the idea that it's a relief to some to not have to race from one FP machine to the next. It's just that I've never felt the need to do that. We usually arrived within the first hour of opening, went to our favorite ride first and then moved through the park at a leisurely pace, riding pretty much everything. If the line was 15 min or less, we did Standby. If it was longer, we grabbed a FP and rode later. Went on our favorite rides several times with FP. That touring style is no longer possible and I'm really sad about that. I actually had a nightmare about being at the MK, having used my 3 FP+, and facing nothing but Standby lines. That's going to be the reality from now on, no matter how optimistic you want to look at it. And it sucks in my opinion.

One more thing: The Single Rider line is now often mentioned as a great way to minimize wait time. But I want to enjoy the rides with my family, not by myself. One of the best moments of my last trip was riding BTMR with my daughter at night, looking at the illuminated castle and thinking, I want to do this with her when I'm 90! So it's less about the ride itself and more about having fun together.

With FP+ that fun for families like us is going to be limited, there's no other way to put it. Not being negative, just realistic.

I could have written this post.

OP, I'm glad you can see a silver lining and I hope everything works out for you so you'll enjoy your trip

 

[DRDISNEYMD]

Family of 5

Have done a couple of day trips with FP+

Never do rope drop

Got in the rides I wanted while booking fast passes at the park (again day trip).

Kids didn't complain

Wife was Happy

I was happy...

~LOL. This is just too funny. I just couldn't imagine waking up and starting my day with that kind of negative and vile energy. Ewww.