TDR App FastPass Impact

[Markolodeon]

Edited as requested to follow rules of this forum.

Question for those who have visited the parks since the Japanese-only Official TDR app allows making FP reservations:

Are the paper fast passes from the machines now difficult to impossible to obtain for the popular attractions like Soarin’, Pooh, Monsters, etc.? Obviously weekends and holidays are the worst for this, I’m more curious how midweek visits have been.

It seems pretty likely the upcoming BatB attraction will be really tough to get the paper FPs, and non-Japan residents will likely want to go with a vacation package which includes FP’s?

Thank you!

 

[Agent 86]

It’s against the rules of this forum to discuss international visitors using the app.

Good luck finding the information and answers you’re looking for!

 

[nutshell]

It’s against the rules of this forum to discuss international visitors using the app.

Good luck finding the information and answers you’re looking for!

Why?

Just curious.

 

[Markolodeon]

Is it Ok to start a new thread asking part 2 of my question about the impact of the app to availability of paper FP’s?

 

[Haley R]

Is it Ok to start a new thread asking part 2 of my question about the impact of the app to availability of paper FP’s?

I feel like this should be fine as long as no one talks about your first question.

I haven’t been since the change, but I’ve read from multiple people that the paper FPS are much harder to get and have late return times. I know some on here have first hand experience though

 

[nutshell]

I’m confused. Is there a rule that says an international visitor can’t use the app? My wife is from Japan and we go every year. Because we happen to be flying from the US, does that mean we can’t have the app? I’m not following where there was a violation of rules. Sorry

 

[MKTokyo]

I’m confused. Is there a rule that says an international visitor can’t use the app? My wife is from Japan and we go every year. Because we happen to be flying from the US, does that mean we can’t have the app? I’m not following where there was a violation of rules. Sorry

Yes, there is, in a roundabout way. There is also a Disboards policy against discussing how to get around Disney rules.

Discussion of Circumventing Disney Rules is Not Allowed

In order to use the app, you must have a Japanese Disney account. In order to create a Japanese Disney account, the TOS state that you must be a resident of Japan. It is impossible for a foreign visitor to legitimately create a Japanese Disney account & thus it is not something that can be up for discussion here.

 

[Markolodeon]

Yes, there is, in a roundabout way. There is also a Disboards policy against discussing how to get around Disney rules.

Discussion of Circumventing Disney Rules is Not Allowed

In order to use the app, you must have a Japanese Disney account. In order to create a Japanese Disney account, the TOS state that you must be a resident of Japan. It is impossible for a foreign visitor to legitimately create a Japanese Disney account & thus it is not something that can be up for discussion here.

Plus there’s DUT working relationship as a TA with ABD, which has TDR add-on packages to Japan trips. Totally get why the boards can’t be providing how-to on something OCL is clearly against (at least for now, hopefully an English app coming soon).

 

[nono]

To answer your FP question, we did fine without the app in getting fastpasses for our trip during Christmas week. We had Happy 15, made it to rope drop daily, would go to Tokyo or nap in the afternoon, and then return in the evening to close out the parks. We were willing to wait up to 60-70 minutes in a line. We had a day with some decent rain so that was a great time to pick off some of the E ticket rides without a fastpass or excessive wait. We were not on a package.

If you have Happy 15, you could jump in the BatB line, get a FP as soon as that is done, and get on with your day. The 15 min jump does help. Be aware though, if you are in the back of the Happy 15 line, you may not get much of a jump on the regular opening.

 

[Markolodeon]

To answer your FP question, we did fine without the app in getting fastpasses for our trip during Christmas week. We had Happy 15, made it to rope drop daily, would go to Tokyo or nap in the afternoon, and then return in the evening to close out the parks. We were willing to wait up to 60-70 minutes in a line. We had a day with some decent rain so that was a great time to pick off some of the E ticket rides without a fastpass or excessive wait. We were not on a package.

If you have Happy 15, you could jump in the BatB line, get a FP as soon as that is done, and get on with your day. The 15 min jump does help. Be aware though, if you are in the back of the Happy 15 line, you may not get much of a jump on the regular opening.

Thank you so much. We’re considering going Monday-Thursday the last week of October. I have heard the Japanese have become really into Halloween and we’re concerned crowds will be really heavy even on weekdays. Our last visit was in 2018 the week after Golden Week and crowds/lines were reasonable plus obtaining FP’s was super easy. Now I’m seeing various sites and reviews saying Japanese guests are snapping up the FP’s on the app and if you’re lucky enough to get a paper one it will be for way late in the day or evening.

Now to your point doing the happy 15 and darting straight to E-ticket attraction, then getting a FP for non-E could work perfectly OK. But the wildcard of crowds plus app has us considering coughing up the extra $500 for a one-night vacation package. The latest reviews on TripAdvisor complaining of long lines are driving a lot of the concern.

 

[nono]

Our last visit was in 2018

Oh, if you aren't a first-timer you will be fine! But, if you have the means to get the package, why not?! I have kids who eat like linebackers, so I have to save any extra Yen for sushi tabs that are extreme.

 

[Markolodeon]

Oh, if you aren't a first-timer you will be fine! But, if you have the means to get the package, why not?! I have kids who eat like linebackers, so I have to save any extra Yen for sushi tabs that are extreme.

Good advice! With the locals all having the app it makes it feel like our first visit, lol.

 

[Agent 86]

Is it Ok to start a new thread asking part 2 of my question about the impact of the app to availability of paper FP’s?

I'm pretty sure that is fine.

In my limited experience (i.e. one visit since the app was available), it makes a HUGE impact on the availability of Fast Passes in general, digital or paper.

For example, in DisneySea, I think by the time you (quickly) walked to Soaring, the return times for the paper tickets were already after 2:00pm.

If the park opened at 9am, then come 11:01am, the Fast Passes would also go like crazy. At 11:01am, the return time for Indiana Jones might be something like ... say 2:00pm. But, within 15 minutes, it can quickly blow out to 3/4pm as everyone uses the app to grab their next Fast Pass. Of course, there's nothing stopping you being at the Fast Pass machine right on 11:00am (as everyone else is on their app), but the app means that a lot more people are "grabbing" Fast Passes all at once which throws the return times out.

The flow-on effect is that Fast Passes for every major ride can all be gone by midday. That's because the people who ordinarily couldn't be bothered racing all over the park on foot can now grab additional Fast Passes as soon as they've able to do so. The other flow-on effect seems to be that the major rides standby lines "close" earlier than previously. For example, it was sometimes possible to jump in the standby line for something like Journey 10/15 minutes before the park closes. But, because there are now so many Fast Pass holders already in line, I think the standby line closes ... say 45 to 60 minutes before the park officially closes.

Please note that all of the above is from a single visit when the app was in use. There are all sorts of factors which can throw Fast Passes in Tokyo Disney Resort into disarray, including the closure of popular rides, varying crowd levels, increased international tourism, etc.

 

[gelatoni fan]

Pooh and Monsters Inc are not difficult fastpasses to get. It's really Soaring and on busier days, Toy Story Mania that'll be difficult to get. You can probably add Beauty and the Beast to this list once it opens.

If you have Happy 15, none of this will be an issue because you'll be getting in before the regular guests so a vacation package isn't really necessary if the guaranteed show tickets aren't a priority. I have a very hard time winning Let's Party Gras and it's totally possible that Mickey's Magical Music World will be difficult as well.

 

[Markolodeon]

I'm pretty sure that is fine.

In my limited experience (i.e. one visit since the app was available), it makes a HUGE impact on the availability of Fast Passes in general, digital or paper.

For example, in DisneySea, I think by the time you (quickly) walked to Soaring, the return times for the paper tickets were already after 2:00pm.

If the park opened at 9am, then come 11:01am, the Fast Passes would also go like crazy. At 11:01am, the return time for Indiana Jones might be something like ... say 2:00pm. But, within 15 minutes, it can quickly blow out to 3/4pm as everyone uses the app to grab their next Fast Pass. Of course, there's nothing stopping you being at the Fast Pass machine right on 11:00am (as everyone else is on their app), but the app means that a lot more people are "grabbing" Fast Passes all at once which throws the return times out.

The flow-on effect is that Fast Passes for every major ride can all be gone by midday. That's because the people who ordinarily couldn't be bothered racing all over the park on foot can now grab additional Fast Passes as soon as they've able to do so. The other flow-on effect seems to be that the major rides standby lines "close" earlier than previously. For example, it was sometimes possible to jump in the standby line for something like Journey 10/15 minutes before the park closes. But, because there are now so many Fast Pass holders already in line, I think the standby line closes ... say 45 to 60 minutes before the park officially closes.

Please note that all of the above is from a single visit when the app was in use. There are all sorts of factors which can throw Fast Passes in Tokyo Disney Resort into disarray, including the closure of popular rides, varying crowd levels, increased international tourism, etc.

Hugely, hugely helpful - thank you so much!

The strategy for non-app guests appears to be:

a) Stay at a resort which provides Happy 15
b) Arrive at least an hour before rope drop
c) Head straight to E-Ticket attraction
d) After E is over obtain paper fastpass for D-ticket (and accept this may be the only FP you’ll get for the day)
e) Optional - Supplement above with a vacation package with guaranteed FP’s

Our current mildly crazy strategy is book one night reservation for a BatB room at DLH for Sunday, then same room for a one night “lots of attractions” vacation package on Monday (hopefully they’ll let us stay in same room both nights), transfer to MiraCosta Tuesday-Thursday with checkout on Friday.

The vacation package poses its own challenge as officially the packet with admission tickets and FP’s is not available for pickup until the starting admission day (Monday in our example), and to add to the fun they have to be picked up starting at 8:00 am from the Welcome Center at Ikspiari. This likely means not being able to take advantage of Happy 15 the first day. Some guests have reported being able to pick up the packet the night before or even having it delivered to your hotel, but this requires putting in a special request via phone or email (no guarantee this works at all).

To your point on international tourism I’m guessing/hoping they’ll release the app for other countries and languages, and adopt a paid Max-Pass-like approach by the time the Olympics rolls around. If they leave things as-is it seems likely they’ll be facing a lot of criticism from the massive influx of international guests this summer. Now a pay-for FP would cut into their vacation package business, but it could also be much more profitable. The only reason we would get a package is for the FP’s, totally can live without the breakfast, unlimited beverages, popcorn bucket and gift.

 

[Markolodeon]

Pooh and Monsters Inc are not difficult fastpasses to get. It's really Soaring and on busier days, Toy Story Mania that'll be difficult to get. You can probably add Beauty and the Beast to this list once it opens.

If you have Happy 15, none of this will be an issue because you'll be getting in before the regular guests so a vacation package isn't really necessary if the guaranteed show tickets aren't a priority. I have a very hard time winning Let's Party Gras and it's totally possible that Mickey's Magical Music World will be difficult as well.

All very helpful! I’m more and more looking at the vacation package as an insurance policy, and easiest way to get on new BatB a couple times in one day.

Did you get to see any of the shows without winning the lottery? If yes how were they, and how long did you have to queue for them?

Thank you!

 

[gelatoni fan]

All very helpful! I’m more and more looking at the vacation package as an insurance policy, and easiest way to get on new BatB a couple times in one day.

Did you get to see any of the shows without winning the lottery? If yes how were they, and how long did you have to queue for them?

Thank you!

What I do is probably not relevant to what you'll do because I go to TDR enough that I mainly go for the events.

For Halloween, I typically rope drop Festival of Mystique main stage for a first or second row standing spot for the first show (about 2.5 hours wait not including the wait to get in to Disneysea). If I lose the lottery for the second show of Festival of Mystique, I would arrive 5 to 30 minutes before the second show for the stage near Zambini Brothers to watch it and then be one of the first people let in to that seating area for the third show. Usually that's also a 2.5 hour wait and I can be first or second row on top of the stairs. For infrequent visitors, I recommend arriving 30 minutes to an hour before to watch the Zambini Brothers stage assuming normal crowds. It's a lot harder to get a good non-lottery spot for the other stages.

For Spooky Boo, I sometimes arrive an hour before and other times only a few minutes before it starts depending on crowds and which spot I feel like that day. I only watch Big Band Beat if I'm with someone who has never seen it before and it's usually fine to get in line like an hour before the first show if we don't win. I don't bother waiting for Song of Mirage or Let's Party Gras if I don't win because the standby wait for those can be like 4+ hours.

Depending on how crazy Mickey's Magical Music World is, you'll want to use your package show ticket for that or Let's Party Gras. The other shows are easier to win or manageable even if you don't win. All the shows are worth watching at least once but Festival of Mystique can be difficult because there's a lot of spots around the harbor that aren't good. You should try to get a spot with a decent view of one of the three stages.

 

[Markolodeon]

What I do is probably not relevant to what you'll do because I go to TDR enough that I mainly go for the events.

For Halloween, I typically rope drop Festival of Mystique main stage for a first or second row standing spot for the first show (about 2.5 hours wait not including the wait to get in to Disneysea). If I lose the lottery for the second show of Festival of Mystique, I would arrive 5 to 30 minutes before the second show for the stage near Zambini Brothers to watch it and then be one of the first people let in to that seating area for the third show. Usually that's also a 2.5 hour wait and I can be first or second row on top of the stairs. For infrequent visitors, I recommend arriving 30 minutes to an hour before to watch the Zambini Brothers stage assuming normal crowds. It's a lot harder to get a good non-lottery spot for the other stages.

For Spooky Boo, I sometimes arrive an hour before and other times only a few minutes before it starts depending on crowds and which spot I feel like that day. I only watch Big Band Beat if I'm with someone who has never seen it before and it's usually fine to get in line like an hour before the first show if we don't win. I don't bother waiting for Song of Mirage or Let's Party Gras if I don't win because the standby wait for those can be like 4+ hours.

Depending on how crazy Mickey's Magical Music World is, you'll want to use your package show ticket for that or Let's Party Gras. The other shows are easier to win or manageable even if you don't win. All the shows are worth watching at least once but Festival of Mystique can be difficult because there's a lot of spots around the harbor that aren't good. You should try to get a spot with a decent view of one of the three stages.

First off and meant to say this in original reply, we’re huge Gelatoni fans! So love your avatar!

We are not at all up on shows at TDR. For our first visit in 2018 the only thing we staked out a spot for was the nightly Electrical parade, and everything else we just stumbled upon. We did not get to see any of the indoor shows like the now defunct One Man’s Dream.

Also if we do a package it will be the lots of attractions FP’s (no shows) one. It’s not that we don’t want to see the shows we just want as much guarantee as possible for the major attractions, and very mindful of the huge increase in cost of the package (why one night instead of two). The one-night show vacation package swaps out a highly precious E-ticket FP. So we really need to figure out the show lottery without the app, if this is even possible now?

So much good stuff in your post to research/Google. Where near the restaurant is the Zambini brothers stage area? The new Forest Theater is 1500 seats, hopefully that will improve odds of getting to see MMMW (which is very much a must see)?

 

[Sarahboo]

We did not stay at TDR, and we never had trouble getting FP without the app or Happy 15. Though, if you want Soarin, you should get it right away. We did that very first when we got into DS and our FP return time was after 4:00pm. I suspect FP didn't last through the first hour of the park being open.

When we went to TDL, we got MI Fp first, then did standby for PHH and only waited about 15 mins to get on the ride.

 

[Markolodeon]

We did not stay at TDR, and we never had trouble getting FP without the app or Happy 15. Though, if you want Soarin, you should get it right away. We did that very first when we got into DS and our FP return time was after 4:00pm. I suspect FP didn't last through the first hour of the park being open.

When we went to TDL, we got MI Fp first, then did standby for PHH and only waited about 15 mins to get on the ride.

Very reassuring and similar experience to our visit in 2018. If by chance your recent visit was on a weekday at the end of October this really makes us feel less worried about getting FP’s!