The Incredible message for my trip :)

[Tomh]

FP+ is a mixed bag for me. I feel like I was able to accomplish more under legacy fast pass, but then again, I had a lot more experience with it. I've only used FP+ one time so far.

I can see the advantages to FP+ though, if you plan properly. It seemed to me that the early crowds were a bit lighter, and it took a bit longer for the parks to really fill up. Planning that first FP+ for a ibt later in the day, say starting at 9:30, or even 10:00, and then hitting the park for RD and knocking out some of the headliners before using that first FP+ (something we did NOT do last time) seems as though it could be a very successful strategy, and is the way I have set up our FP+ this time around in hopes of getting in some extra rides first thing in the morning before lines get long.

I suppose if you already have your big rides reserved, the rest of your day COULD be more spontaneous. Ours typically is not, there are so many rides that everyone wants to be sure to ride that we still have a pretty strict touring plan, at least for the morning. The afternoon is more spontaneous, but ours always have been, that is simply the way we tour the parks.

 

[PirateD]

I think FPs from 11-2 is a good strategy.

Also, I find that all I can do is make the best plans I can. They will change once things are underway. That's not THAT important, because we will choose what is best for us at the time.

What advance planning does, really, is just give us more options.

Thanks, I appreciate the feedback! And I agree. We go into our planning knowing that things can and will change. I like doing the research because I know that it will give us more options!

This is exactly how I'm also feeling. I used to be the type of person who decided the morning before whether we would go to disney or universal and decide the morning of which park we were heading to.
This is my first time staying on site and with all the fp+ planning, i'm finding myself in over my head. im getting to a point where im tempted to not even bother booking any fp because I don't want to feel tied to a reservation.

I totally understand. I think it's one of the reasons why I am so committed to rope drop this trip. I don't want to have to rely on FP+ as our only means of getting on our favorite rides. For some reason, I'm viewing FP+ more as our backup. The exceptions to this are 7DMT and Soarin. We currently don't have them anywhere else in our plans and will probably rely on FP+ to experience them.

*THIS* in MY OPINION these two types of visitors are on completely opposite ends of the spectrum. The level of anxiety for someone taking a 5-, 7-, or 10-day trip paying thousands of dollars JUST for airfare for their family, not to mention having to find a place to sleep -either on or offsite- assuming they do not have relatives in the area; to do AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE in their once every 2 or 3 or 5 year trip is very, very different than a local. Not discounting EITHER touring style's experiences; I expect there are negatives to touring as a local just as there are to touring as a well ...tourist.

I can definitely relate to this. When we first started going to WDW, I was all about rope drop and TP. Then we had family who moved to Florida and we all got APs and would stay with them going to WDW 2-4 times a year. We adopted the Lou Mongello style of touring. It was much more relaxed, and I felt like we could stop to smell the roses and take in all of the details. For various reasons, it's been awhile since we have been (including our locals) and I'm not sure when we will be back (hopefully we can plan another trip soon!). I'm back to relying on TP to try to make sure we get in those rides, but I long for those more relaxed days when we would just pick a park the night before (based on how we were feeling and the crowd calendar) and go enjoy whatever we could accomplish knowing we would be back soon to see anything we missed. Ultimately, I'm hoping that for this trip we can combine the two styles with a more commando touring morning and a more relaxed paced afternoon and evening.

 

[itchin2go]

You know, all the talk about stress, and I'm guilty of bringing it up too ... is kind of a separate issue.

The truth is some people stress more with their rides scheduled and their ADRs locked in, and for some, that actually equates to less stress. So that issue, I really feel is truly in the eye of the beholder, and subject to loads of differing opinions.

The issue of whether FP+ allows for MORE spontaneity is a narrower issue. I think it's defensible to say, we still have loads of time for spontaneity. I buy that. I don't buy that it allows for more spontaneity. That went one step too far for me.

 

[mom2rtk]

You know, all the talk about stress, and I'm guilty of bringing it up too ... is kind of a separate issue.

The truth is some people stress more with their rides scheduled and their ADRs locked in, and for some, that actually equates to less stress. So that issue, I really feel is truly in the eye of the beholder, and subject to loads of differing opinions.

The issue of whether FP+ allows for MORE spontaneity is a narrower issue. I think it's defensible to say, we still have loads of time for spontaneity. I buy that. I don't buy that it allows for more spontaneity. That went one step too far for me.

I very much agree with all of this.

 

[tlmadden73]

There was no need to feel that way with legacy. If you started early you could get FPs for all the headliners, many times including repeats.

"If you started early" .. to me that is the main perk of FP+. You don't have to have some grand plan to rope drop or sprint to a headliner ride so you can skip the line later in the day.

I went to DHS twice since Toy Story was built. I have never gone on because I never got there early enough to get a FP for that ride and I didn't want to wait 90 minutes when there were other attractions I could just walk on (shows mainly).
Now I know I'll be on it AT LEAST once (maybe twice if I choose to go there at rope drop) without any stress or worry. Plus I have the benefit of just strolling onto the park whenever I want in the morning .. and having no line to wait in (key with a 3 year old).

I enjoyed and used the old paper fast pass system, but to the casual visitor it was more of a "get what's available" type of system rather than a virtual guarantee to skip a line UNLESS you gamed the system like people familiar with it could do.

I totally understand. I think it's one of the reasons why I am so committed to rope drop this trip. I don't want to have to rely on FP+ as our only means of getting on our favorite rides. For some reason, I'm viewing FP+ more as our backup. The exceptions to this are 7DMT and Soarin. We currently don't have them anywhere else in our plans and will probably rely on FP+ to experience them.

I tend to look at FP+ to just help "sketch out" my day. I want all my FP+s in a relatively short timeframe (3-4 hours before 1:00 PM) in generally the same areas in the park .. that way you can either hit two fast passes right in a row without having to walk across the park .. or have some time in between them to ride rides (with low wait times) in between. So I don't see it as THE plan .. I just see it as how I'll start my day .. really no different than a touring plan where you decide to start here and do X,Y,Z in that order.

 

[momof2n2]

I had anxiety for legacy - went on a short trip in 2011 and we had to make sure we were at parks by rope drop (making everyone get up!) to get the fast passes for the "big" rides before they were gone. Now by anxiety, fun anxiety, but it was there.

Felt way less anxiety when I knew I already had a fast pass for The Mine Train this past trip.

But what about parks with tiering. Now you have to choose. What if I want both?

 

[momof2n2]

I always want to start early? I'm always amazed at people who pay for a whole day but only use part of it. If anything that increases the cost-per-hour of being there and making any time wasted in line even more costly.

 

[amg35]

But what about parks with tiering. Now you have to choose. What if I want both?

We still had to choose, if we wanted the Soarin' fast pass- we wouldn't get on Toy Story that day - would be gone by the time we got over to Hollywood Studios, you know?

Again, that was an anomaly of a trip - parents took all of us as surprise for 5 days. Wonderful trip.

Normally, we go for 10 days because we don't go all that often - so tiering doesn't bother me very much.

 

[Jfsag123]

You know, all the talk about stress, and I'm guilty of bringing it up too ... is kind of a separate issue.

The truth is some people stress more with their rides scheduled and their ADRs locked in, and for some, that actually equates to less stress. So that issue, I really feel is truly in the eye of the beholder, and subject to loads of differing opinions.

The issue of whether FP+ allows for MORE spontaneity is a narrower issue. I think it's defensible to say, we still have loads of time for spontaneity. I buy that. I don't buy that it allows for more spontaneity. That went one step too far for me.

I agree with this so much. We loved legacy FP, but I have to agree that I was able to feel much more relaxed on our past trip with FP+ because of having things locked in. As for allowing for spontaneity, I think it allows for planned spontaneity. At first this sounds counterintuitive, but it's actually a thing. For example, on our next trip, we may or may not decide to go to MK evening EMH after a full day at another park depending on how we feel. Whether or not we do the EMH will determine whether or not we will hit rope drop the next morning. Under legacy FP, we would have planned for RD no matter what because FP for certain rides would be gone if we waited until later in the day to show up. With FP+, we feel like we have the freedom to be more spontaneous as far as when we come and go in the parks. We were never spontaneous with our choice of which park to go to because we follow crowd calendar recommendations and book ADR's, so I don't feel like we've really lost any flexibility. I can definitely recognize FP+ as a loss of spontaneity for those who may not have toured this way.

 

[cakebaker]

I always want to start early? I'm always amazed at people who pay for a whole day but only use part of it. If anything that increases the cost-per-hour of being there and making any time wasted in line even more costly.

The only part of the day we miss in a park is when the heat is unbearable to us and when crowds are at their heaviest. We'd be miserable and just because we "paid for it" won't make us enjoy it. So rather than packing in every hour that the park is open, we opt to enjoy as many hours as we can.

Staying onsite and getting to add a couple of hours in the evening gets us more done than the 4 hrs or so we'd do in the heat of the day standing in long lines. This way we visit when it isn't crowded in the morning, then visit at night with FP+ and during emh's when crowds are very light again. I dare say we get as much done this way as someone who goes open to close. It's a matter of quality, not quantity for us.

I'm always amazed at those who can go open to close. I can't stand wearing the same clothes all day when it's so hot. If for no other reason, I'd take a break for that. But we all have our preferences and there's no right way for everyone.

 

[mom2rtk]

".

The only part of the day we miss in a park is when the heat is unbearable to us and when crowds are at their heaviest. We'd be miserable and just because we "paid for it" won't make us enjoy it. So rather than packing in every hour that the park is open, we opt to enjoy as many hours as we can.

Staying onsite and getting to add a couple of hours in the evening gets us more done than the 4 hrs or so we'd do in the heat of the day standing in long lines. This way we visit when it isn't crowded in the morning, then visit at night with FP+ and during emh's when crowds are very light again. I dare say we get as much done this way as someone who goes open to close. It's a matter of quality, not quantity for us.

I'm always amazed at those who can go open to close. I can't stand wearing the same clothes all day when it's so hot. If for no other reason, I'd take a break for that. But we all have our preferences and there's no right way for everyone.

Not everyone goes when it's hot. That's a primary consideration when planning our trips.

I know that it would drive me nuts to have to miss out on big chunks of the time I had paid for, so we try hard to find ways not to go then. When we were there in June, even a brief stop was enough to reinforce my feelings on the matter. I must have told my husband several times "I'd be so disappointed if this was all of Disney I had in the course of the year" (because of the intense heat).

And yes, I understand some don't have that option. Now that my daughter is high school aged, we will likely choose a couple long weekend trips over a weeklong trip for the express purpose of avoiding the summer heat.

 

[spartankid34]

When do you usually get this "incredible mail?

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

But what about parks with tiering. Now you have to choose. What if I want both?

You are prevented from getting a FP on both. But nothing prevents you from riding both.

So the answer depends on what you want--2 FP or 2 rides.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I always want to start early? I'm always amazed at people who pay for a whole day but only use part of it. If anything that increases the cost-per-hour of being there and making any time wasted in line even more costly.

Sometimes in life, it is probably better to not get to that level of detail. Because the moment a minute is lost, it just creates stress. I don't suggest showing up at 5pm. But if you show up at 10am, you can still have a good time without doing a cost analysis. I can see how that would drive someone crazy of they were watching $signs with each tick of the clock.

And even though I am local--it is how I approach any vacation. At some point you just have to decide--I went to X destination, I am not going to carry a calculator to ensure that my unit cost remains as low as possible.

(And just so we understand--I love and prefer rope drop.)

 

[momof2n2]

I had anxiety for legacy - went on a short trip in 2011 and we had to make sure we were at parks by rope drop (making everyone get up!) to get the fast passes for the "big" rides before they were gone. Now by anxiety, fun anxiety, but it was there.

Felt way less anxiety when I knew I already had a fast pass for The Mine Train this past trip.

We still had to choose, if we wanted the Soarin' fast pass- we wouldn't get on Toy Story that day - would be gone by the time we got over to Hollywood Studios, you know?

Again, that was an anomaly of a trip - parents took all of us as surprise for 5 days. Wonderful trip.

Normally, we go for 10 days because we don't go all that often - so tiering doesn't bother me very much.

You are prevented from getting a FP on both. But nothing prevents you from riding both.

So the answer depends on what you want--2 FP or 2 rides.

AMG had said he had far less anxiety knowing he could have a FP for 7DMT. In a park with tiering, he could only have one FP+. He went on to compare FP+s from two different parks.

My point is in a tiering park, you can only have FP for tier one rides.
I used to get two FP for TSMM and another two for RnRC.
Now I am able to get one of those four.
So sure - I can still ride both. If I want to spend hours in lines. Which I do not.

 

[momof2n2]

Sometimes in life, it is probably better to not get to that level of detail. Because the moment a minute is lost, it just creates stress. I don't suggest showing up at 5pm. But if you show up at 10am, you can still have a good time without doing a cost analysis. I can see how that would drive someone crazy of they were watching $signs with each tick of the clock.

And even though I am local--it is how I approach any vacation. At some point you just have to decide--I went to X destination, I am not going to carry a calculator to ensure that my unit cost remains as low as possible.

(And just so we understand--I love and prefer rope drop.)

And I believe you and I will never see eye-to-eye on that.
It will cost us $2,525.60 for five days. That is $505.12/day. I used to believe WDW provided that much pleasure in a day. Now I fear it does not.
Waiting in any line - highly themed or not - is a very poor ROI IMO. Lines are lines. The longer I am in one of them, I am not doing another attraction.
Maybe it was a bad thing to have so many incredible trips from 1994 - 2011. I know now what I was able to accomplish...

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

When do you usually get this "incredible mail?

I thought OP said it was on the website. ??

AMG had said he had far less anxiety knowing he could have a FP for 7DMT. In a park with tiering, he could only have one FP+. He went on to compare FP+s from two different parks.

My point is in a tiering park, you can only have FP for tier one rides.
I used to get two FP for TSMM and another two for RnRC.
Now I am able to get one of those four.
So sure - I can still ride both. If I want to spend hours in lines. Which I do not.

Strategies have been posted frequently by locals AND non-locals on how to avoid "hours in line". Such strategies are able to be implemented with early in the day touring styles.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

And I believe you and I will never see eye-to-eye on that.
It will cost us $2,525.60 for five days. That is $505.12/day. I used to believe WDW provided that much pleasure in a day. Now I fear it does not.
Waiting in any line - highly themed or not - is a very poor ROI IMO. Lines are lines. The longer I am in one of them, I am not doing another attraction.
Maybe it was a bad thing to have so many incredible trips from 1994 - 2011. I know now what I was able to accomplish...

For how many people?

 

[amg35]

AMG had said he had far less anxiety knowing he could have a FP for 7DMT. In a park with tiering, he could only have one FP+. He went on to compare FP+s from two different parks.

My point is in a tiering park, you can only have FP for tier one rides.
I used to get two FP for TSMM and another two for RnRC.
Now I am able to get one of those four.
So sure - I can still ride both. If I want to spend hours in lines. Which I do not.

"She" misunderstood your question. For Tiering - we went two days to parks, able to pick one for each day. Also utilized rope drop because we wanted to, didn't feel pressure to, so still able to ride both in one day. Also, in October, I did not experience really long lines ( to me anyway) for RnRC.

For Mine Train, it's still a huge wait even with rope drop, so we wouldn't even be able to take advantage of anything else at rope drop and later on in the day the wait was over 2 hours when I went. That's why I felt way less anxiety knowing I already had a fast pass for that ride.

 

[cakebaker]

I know that it would drive me nuts to have to miss out on big chunks of the time I had paid for

I paid for several things I want enjoy- the parks and the resort I stay at along with the things the resorts offer. I want to enjoy both and I don't enjoy being in the parks from open to close. It's too tiring, I don't like big crowds and now we have my grandson and he wouldn't last all day- but we took breaks long before he was around.

I simply don't look at it as not getting something I paid for. Disney is immersive to me- so whether I'm in the parks or pool side or watching a dinner show- these are things I want to do. I don't want a park only experience.