Suggestion to Disnary no FP+ at rope drop for headliners

[SplashMo]

A suggestion for Disney would be to not offer FP+ at rope drop for headliners the first two hours the parks are open. A&E could still have FP+ at opening. This would let Rope Droppers have a more normal experience and folks that like to not rope drop would still have their FP+.

 

[Robo]

A suggestion would be for no FP+ at rope drop for headliners the first two hours the parks are open. A&E could still have FP+ at opening.

Are you saying that Disney should not offer them during that time, or that guests should not schedule them during that time?

 

[SplashMo]

Disney not offer them. I have updated my post. Thanks Robo!

 

[SydneyFalco]

I'd say just an hour would be more like it. Definitely any morning magic hour (unless that's aleady a rule; I'm off to do research).

 

[monkeybug]

Has FP+ negatively impacted lines during RD? My plan was to RD one park and plan evening fastpasses at a different park. Is it going to be harder to get on the headliners without much wait during RD than it has been in the past?

 

[MaryKatesMom]

Yes, plus extend MK's EMH during peak times to every morning. If you can't add capacity you can certainly extend the hours.

At 9AM at DHS (they opened the park about 10 minutes early) TSMM had a 60 minute wait. I said to the CM "Really, at opening" and she said "Well, the whole park heads here first."

Hmmmm. Why would that be? Oh, nothing new has been added since TSMM opened in 2008. 6 years of no ride capacity added but how many hotel or DVC units since then?

 

[MaryKatesMom]

has fp+ negatively impacted lines during rd? My plan was to rd one park and plan evening fastpasses at a different park. Is it going to be harder to get on the headliners without much wait during rd than it has been in the past?

yes! Yes! Yes!

 

[Robo]

Yup.

 

[jeanico2000]

Yup.

But, but, but... you just answered on my post about no FP+ pre-selections that we could still do our 'power rope drop' thing in the morning same as before! So... without FP+ the waits will be long, even at rope drop, right? I was afraid of that

To the OP: that's a great idea, and I approve! Now if only Disney would listen...

 

[monkeybug]

yes! Yes! Yes!

Yup.

Ugh! Planning for this vacation is stressing me out! I guess I'm just going to have to be content with doing far less than in years past. It just stinks that this is my parents first trip. I guess I'll talk up shopping and downplay the rides.
No more riding TSMM 3 times in a day I guess. But hey--we'll have time to see all the shows!

 

[SydneyFalco]

So is this information from Touring Plans out of date:

UPDATE: I've removed this info as it might be thought of as proprietary information from TP. Instead, I'll reiterate what I wrote in another thread that I recently heard Len Testa (via the Mousechat podcast) say that headliner standby times had actually come down a few minutes, just as B and C attractions had seen a similar small bump the other way.

Of course he may have been speaking in the median.

 

[Robo]

But, but, but...

1. you just answered on my post about no FP+ pre-selections that we could still do our 'power rope drop' thing in the morning

2. same as before!

1. You can.

That will still be the lowest wait of the day.

The reason is that so many guests will not make the effort to get up early and get to the park, even if they (at some earlier point in their planning) decided to make an early FP reservation.

2. I'm not saying that anything will be the "same as before."

 

[SydneyFalco]

The reason is that so many guests will not make the effort to get up early and get to the park, even if they (at some earlier point in their planning) decided to make an early FP reservation.

I'd be surprised if even FP+ gets people out of bed earlier at WDW. Maybe a few, since they have a comittment bothering them. But nothing up until FP+ has yet significantly reversed the trend that most people can't/won't make rope drop, at least that I've ever heard.

If standby is going up in the morning, then it would only be happening significantly at one of each park's two biggest rides, wouldn't it? And it would have to be because all the rope-droppers who used to beat feet now just reserve one or the other, right?

 

[johde]

Of course all the the RDer's would say "Yes, Yes, Yes" to this suggestion. During those first couple of hours when I want to ride using the SB line I don't want to compete with anybody in the FP+ line. Then once the crowds build and the standby lines start getting longer, I want the FP+ line to open up so I can bypass those now growing lines.

Look at Touring Plans wait times for yesterday at Space Mountain.

http://touringplans.com/magic-kingdom/attractions/space-mountain/wait-times/date/2014-07-30

or more broadly, Josh's wait time estimates on EasyWDW.

http://www.easywdw.com/cheatsheets/mk_cheatsheet_easyguide2.pdf For MK or
http://www.easywdw.com/cheatsheets/hs_cheatsheet_easyguide2.pdf for DHS

Even with FP+, the shortest wait times of the day are at RD. They may not be the as low as they were under FP- but they are still the lowest of the day with few exceptions. But that's not good enough. The "in the know" RD crowd wants their already shortest SB wait times even shorter.

By not having FP+ in that first hour, the people that would have booked FP+ during that time, even if it's unnecessary, now are booking FP+'s when the lines are longer. Making the SB lines longer the rest of the day.

 

[MaryKatesMom]

Of course all the the RDer's would say "Yes, Yes, Yes" to this suggestion. During those first couple of hours when I want to ride using the SB line I don't want to compete with anybody in the FP+ line. Then once the crowds build and the standby lines start getting longer, I want the FP+ line to open up so I can bypass those now growing lines.

Look at Touring Plans wait times for yesterday at Space Mountain.

http://touringplans.com/magic-kingdom/attractions/space-mountain/wait-times/date/2014-07-30

or more broadly, Josh's wait time estimates on EasyWDW.

http://www.easywdw.com/cheatsheets/mk_cheatsheet_easyguide2.pdf For MK or
http://www.easywdw.com/cheatsheets/hs_cheatsheet_easyguide2.pdf for DHS

Even with FP+, the shortest wait times of the day are at RD. They may not be the as low as they were under FP- but they are still the lowest of the day with few exceptions. But that's not good enough. The "in the know" RD crowd wants their already shortest SB wait times even shorter.

By not having FP+ in that first hour, the people that would have booked FP+ during that time, even if it's unnecessary, now are booking FP+'s when the lines are longer. Making the SB lines longer the rest of the day.

I wasn't saying Yes! Yes! Yes! to discourage anyone in particular from going to RD, since, that is the undeniably the shortest wait time of the day. Rather I was confirming that RD is most definately not as advantageous as it once was.

My experience from our April, June and July trips at RD have all been the same. SB wait times are increasing at a faster rate in the AM.

 

[monkeybug]

I wasn't saying Yes! Yes! Yes! to discourage anyone in particular from going to RD, since, that is the undeniably the shortest wait time of the day. Rather I was confirming that RD is most definately not as advantageous as it once was.

My experience from our April, June and July trips at RD have all been the same. SB wait times are increasing at a faster rate in the AM.

If they keep up what they're doing now with Soarin' than RD will still be a huge advantage in Epcot!

 

[redsbe]

1. You can.

That will still be the lowest wait of the day.

The reason is that so many guests will not make the effort to get up early and get to the park, even if they (at some earlier point in their planning) decided to make an early FP reservation.

2. I'm not saying that anything will be the "same as before."

Also depends alot on when you go and the crowds at that time. Now during the summer crowds are at peak, so yes RD will not been as advantageous including impact from early day FP+ users. But when crowds are low to average, RD can still be used to increase number of peak attractions in day if you ride early before crowds start to increase throughout the day.

I visited MK in early April for a one day visit, and used RD to ride several attractions within the first two hours, then FP+ for mid day second rides. RD was certainly a huge advantage and was not impacted by FP+ users, but that day was a 5 or 6 out of 10 crowd size in MK. Fewer people = fewer FP+ passes.

 

[SplashMo]

Some thoughts after reading the thread...

MK rope drop (RD) really helps and often 4th FP+
AK you can RD without FP+ (except maybe Kali Rivers in afternoon). And you can also start at 3PM as an alternate approach or park to hop to.

EP - FP SOARIN or TT is about all you get. RD can get you on both rides...

DS - FP TSMM and (if you are lucky rope drop TSMM and or jump in line minutes before park close.) That could be three times...

 

[SplashMo]

Of course all the the RDer's would say "Yes, Yes, Yes" to this suggestion. During those first couple of hours when I want to ride using the SB line I don't want to compete with anybody in the FP+ line. Then once the crowds build and the standby lines start getting longer, I want the FP+ line to open up so I can bypass those now growing lines.

Look at Touring Plans wait times for yesterday at Space Mountain.

http://touringplans.com/magic-kingdom/attractions/space-mountain/wait-times/date/2014-07-30

or more broadly, Josh's wait time estimates on EasyWDW.

http://www.easywdw.com/cheatsheets/mk_cheatsheet_easyguide2.pdf For MK or
http://www.easywdw.com/cheatsheets/hs_cheatsheet_easyguide2.pdf for DHS

Even with FP+, the shortest wait times of the day are at RD. They may not be the as low as they were under FP- but they are still the lowest of the day with few exceptions. But that's not good enough. The "in the know" RD crowd wants their already shortest SB wait times even shorter.

By not having FP+ in that first hour, the people that would have booked FP+ during that time, even if it's unnecessary, now are booking FP+'s when the lines are longer. Making the SB lines longer the rest of the day.

\Well said. I think this is a no brainer. Win-Win for everyone.