Suddenly trying to remember how FP+ works, tiers, priorities, timing...

[coolbrook]

As I am planning a trip for the end of August and one for the beginning of November, I have been reading rumors and rumblings of the imminent return of FP+. Who knows when, but I started thinking about it and I couldn't remember all the details. I need to be ready... Off to read the old FP+ thread. Is anyone else feeling this bit of unprepared panic/excitement?

 

[coolbrook]

Wait, where is the old FP+ info? I know things may be a bit different when they bring it back, but I doubt they changed it much. I can't find the old info on which rides and tiers and priorities. Was it removed from the boards?

 

[disneydentist]

Honestly, until Disney announces both when and HOW Fastpass is going to work, there's nothing to worry about. There's no guarantee that anything from the old system will carry over as it was.

 

[_19disnA]

No one on this forum has any inside knowledge of when/if FP will return or in what form. People posting 'rumors' is simply speculation or opinions, none of which may ever happen. I wouldn't bother about how it used to work since you have no idea at this time how it might work differently IF they bring it back.

 

[maryj11]

I’m going to start figuring out what rides at what time in case they throw them out there at the last minute
We go the last week in August.

 

[Mambo Junkie]

It seems every year I go there are always last minute changes or other factors that make me obsessively start stalking strategy boards. My 60 days are in just over 2 weeks and while I'm pretty sure if they do reinstate fp+, like everything else, it will happen after October 1. However, just in case... I'll be obsessively stalking.

 

[holyrita]

I'm right there with you! As my Fall and Winter trips for 2021/2022 start approaching, I've started reminding myself about how FP+ used to work, which rides were in which tier at each park, etc. Planned it out in a spreadsheet, this way I can be prepared to book just in case they become available without notice!

 

[gharter]

Personally, I wouldn't be wasting time trying to figure out what might happen.
Currently, there has been no information about FP+ coming back in its previous configuration or with changes.
I suspect that if FP+ comes back similar to what they used to have or modified, there will be plenty of notice. It won't be FP+ starts tomorrow.

 

[Marthasor]

I wouldn't waste my time trying to figure out the old FP+ system. No one has any clue what it will look like and how the rides might be tiered if or when it comes back. I would wait until something is announced and then learn the new system, if there is one, from there.

 

[auntlynne]

I keep reading about FP+ and how refreshing your screen allowed you to keep getting more FPs. I just didn’t visit WDW during that time. I went from the days of running across the park, hoping they were still issuing paper FPs - to COVID era lines for everyone.


This post from 2016 looks like a good jump down a rabbit hole to information in which you may be interested :

Yes, but their tickets must be purchased and linked in MDX first. You may find the FP FAQ helpful.

In his signature, you can click to go to additional threads. It may be fun for you.

 

[auntlynne]

Duplicate.

 

[captain america 2003]

Unfortunately it seems that the days of free FP+ are over . I would expect that the Premier Access Pass system that was just announced for Disneyland Paris is coming soon to both WDW and DL . Bob "Paycheck"...I mean Chapek continues to monetize everything he can and destroy everything he can that made Disney different and special . May as well be Universal or Six Flags...other than the IP's there won't be much difference by the time Mr. Paycheck is done with his changes

 

[DavidNYC]

Unfortunately it seems that the days of free FP+ are over . I would expect that the Premier Access Pass system that was just announced for Disneyland Paris is coming soon to both WDW and DL . Bob "Paycheck"...I mean Chapek continues to monetize everything he can and destroy everything he can that made Disney different and special . May as well be Universal or Six Flags...other than the IP's there won't be much difference by the time Mr. Paycheck is done with his changes

Agreed - any sort of pay per ride system at WDW would basically destroy it for me and I think destroy what makes Disney different. And of course it will be accompanied by press releases about how much of a benefit it will be to increase the cost per family by $500 per day in the park (which is a fair estimate if this remotely resembles the DP system). The silence on the return of FP to WDW has been deafening in light of how almost everything else has been announced in one way or another. At one point the people who ran Disney understood that at some point monetizing every penny you can was not their goal - it was a place everyone could go to for "magic". The path away from that has been accelerating at a greater pace every year.

 

[DisneyFive]

I keep reading about FP+ and how refreshing your screen allowed you to keep getting more FPs. I just didn’t visit WDW during that time. I went from the days of running across the park, hoping they were still issuing paper FPs - to COVID era lines for everyone.


This post from 2016 looks like a good jump down a rabbit hole to information in which you may be interested :



In his signature, you can click to go to additional threads. It may be fun for you.

It didn’t really work like that. Basically what you would do is pick an attraction, say, Pirates of the Caribbean. Let’s also say that it was 1 PM in the afternoon. Pirates might show up as a fast pass for 5 PM. You could choose that fast pass and then modify it, keep refreshing the screen, and many times that fast pass window moved up much closer to your actual 1 PM time. People are adding and dropping fast passes so much on a regular basis throughout the day, basically you were grabbing someone else’s who just released that fast pass. It worked really well. Then, once you tapped in at Pirates you could do that FP search again with another attraction.

this is how the fast pass system worked all the way up until the Covid closure

Dan

 

[gharter]

Unfortunately it seems that the days of free FP+ are over . I would expect that the Premier Access Pass system that was just announced for Disneyland Paris is coming soon to both WDW and DL . Bob "Paycheck"...I mean Chapek continues to monetize everything he can and destroy everything he can that made Disney different and special . May as well be Universal or Six Flags...other than the IP's there won't be much difference by the time Mr. Paycheck is done with his changes

This really should be in the rumors section for now.
Nothing has been announced at WDW either way.

 

[gharter]

Agreed - any sort of pay per ride system at WDW would basically destroy it for me and I think destroy what makes Disney different. And of course it will be accompanied by press releases about how much of a benefit it will be to increase the cost per family by $500 per day in the park (which is a fair estimate if this remotely resembles the DP system). The silence on the return of FP to WDW has been deafening in light of how almost everything else has been announced in one way or another. At one point the people who ran Disney understood that at some point monetizing every penny you can was not their goal - it was a place everyone could go to for "magic". The path away from that has been accelerating at a greater pace every year.

That already happened previously if you were staying on the Club floor where you could pay for an additional 3 FPs. No idea what they will do when Club level comes back.

 

[AnnabelleTheTalkingTree]

Unfortunately it seems that the days of free FP+ are over . I would expect that the Premier Access Pass system that was just announced for Disneyland Paris is coming soon to both WDW and DL . Bob "Paycheck"...I mean Chapek continues to monetize everything he can and destroy everything he can that made Disney different and special . May as well be Universal or Six Flags...other than the IP's there won't be much difference by the time Mr. Paycheck is done with his changes

This has been confirmed for DLP but not announced for WDW. Just because something is happening at DLP does not mean it will happen (or happen in the same way or structure) at WDW, especially because they are two very different parks. I wouldn't be surprised to see some paid component to FP but it's too early to say that it's coming soon to WDW.

 

[Heather07438]

I’m the same boat as you. We have a mid Sept trip. Who knows what will happen? I’m figuring no FP at that point. The park hours seem long enough to manage.

Still… must be prepared If a system drops I’ll just try to pick our favorite high demand rides early in the day.

 

[auntlynne]

It didn’t really work like that. Basically what you would do is pick an attraction, say, Pirates of the Caribbean. Let’s also say that it was 1 PM in the afternoon. Pirates might show up as a fast pass for 5 PM. You could choose that fast pass and then modify it, keep refreshing the screen, and many times that fast pass window moved up much closer to your actual 1 PM time. People are adding and dropping fast passes so much on a regular basis throughout the day, basically you were grabbing someone else’s who just released that fast pass. It worked really well. Then, once you tapped in at Pirates you could do that FP search again with another attraction.

this is how the fast pass system worked all the way up until the Covid closure

Dan

Thanks for the clarification. I kept reading posts about how people optimized the system (posts were after the COVID restart), so they were more waxing poetic how they missed the FP+ system. Sure sounds better than my running all over the parks.

My real intent was to steer the OP to what might be information that he was looking for, whether or not it will have practical application in the future. Then I threw in an extraneous story. Probably like just now.

 

[DisneyFive]

so they were more waxing poetic how they missed the FP+ system. Sure sounds better than my running all over the parks.

I do really wish FP+ was back. We'll be at WDW in 19 days and I'm not liking what I'm seeing right now for wait times. I also loathe the idea of being forced back into being rope droppers so we can hit the uber popular rides with short waits.

Dan