There isn't any Disney Magic in this process!!

[jade1]

Maybe it's time to take a cue from LeCellier and revisit my early suggestion that they make 7DMT and A/E a "signature FP" experience and require 2 prebooking slots to reserve?

I'm good with that, but I'm also good with Deluxe get's A/E as a 4th FP+ at 61 days out.

 

[JimmyV]

I liked waking up and saying to the girls " what kinda day is it? AK kind? MK? etc"

Disney Bus Roulette is a losing strategy now. Unless your vacation is really, really long and you can handle a day at a randomly chosen park where you don't mind roaming around doing less than you are used to.

 

[MrInfinity]

And I hope you have an awesome trip.

Are you saying you don't think the people you are referring to have been called "haters" in the past? On more than one occasion?

No, I guess I'm saying that preemptively referring to oneself as "not that" isn't really a great argument. Of those who like FP+, many concede many of the points you dislike about it. Right? I don't label you a hater, nor do I disagree that you could get on TSMM more times before. But what I do see, is that Disney doesn't care if you can't get on TSMM 5 times if it means they can get 4 paying guests to each get on it once. That's just life and Disney making smart decisions. It might not be great for you, but really, who cares. You didn't care about the 4 people that couldn't get on at all when you were going 5 times. You'd say tough to them... they could use FP- if they want. Well, now, FP+ is a system in which everyone is using it and you see what it does to availability. So, we have to figure out new ways to get benefit out of FP+. One such way is by being in the know, we can get up at midnight and get some really cool stuff that most people won't know about. YOu have to find the little ins and outs of the new system that we can capitalize on. That is why we're here. Not to point out that the old nuances no longer work over and over.

The OP pointed out being up at midnight as a penalty of sorts. When really, it's a little known opportunity to book things before the general public. At the time when A&E was doing 6-hour waits at Epcot, having them flip to FP+ shortly before my trip was a huge score for us. So I stayed up at midnight. Big deal. I got to meet them in 10 min after scores of people waited a whole day at Epcot to do the same thing just weeks prior.

 

[SabbyR]

Disney Bus Roulette is a losing strategy now. Unless your vacation is really, really long and you can handle a day at a randomly chosen park where you don't mind roaming around doing less than you are used to.

We go for 16+ days

 

[oceanmarina]

This would absolutely be the answer to A/E. They also could make the time to start booking fast passes 60 days out the same everyday. However for whatever reason Disney doesn't seem to care. I feel they have lost sight of what made them such a great place a while back. Simply put attention to details and customer satisfaction. Disney could easily remedy these situations. I am quite sure they are aware, but they choose not to. Speaks volumes to me!

Yep, yep I agree. Disney should do another Anna & Elsa meet & greet in Epcot or Akershus (even smarter)

 

[JanaDee]

..... although I will add that I've been watching for some word that it will be in addition to, and not instead of..... the current M/B in the MK. So far no confirmation one way or another.

My guess is they will be in Epcot only once that area is finished, but that is purely a guess.

 

[flicx]

Maybe I'm just naive, but I don't see the harm in assembling an ad-hoc meet and greet in one of the many empty spaces that currently reside in Epcot, as a temporary solution until Frozen Land is completed (well over two years since they identified a problem). They certainly constructed a mini-theme park in Hollywood Studios quick enough.

No, your not naïve. By far not every meet and greet has elaborate backdrops and special areas built for them. It just plain excuse making for Disney. They have known about how popular this was back when it was in world showcase. Perhaps if they have figured out if they really limit this meet and greet than can squeeze an extra day out of the customers.

 

[GotLabradors]

They could even add them to a second park. Not just MOVE them to a second park, but ADD them to a second park.

Now that's just crazy talk.

 

[JimmyV]

Well, now, FP+ is a system in which everyone is using it and you see what it does to availability. So, we have to figure out new ways to get benefit out of FP+. One such way is by being in the know, we can get up at midnight and get some really cool stuff that most people won't know about. YOu have to find the little ins and outs of the new system that we can capitalize on.

I can't help but find a slight inconsistency here. FP+ is better because it levels the playing field for all 5 families. This is good for Disney. No one cares about the wants and needs of the selfish (except the selfish him/herself). But for some reason, a midnight booking window is a good thing because it creates some advantage that the cognoscenti are aware of and "average" guests are not. But if there is beauty in the FP+ system because if levels the playing field, shouldn't the booking window also be set at a time that benefits most people equally? Like mid-day or mid-afternoon? It seems as if you are saying that certain features that level the playing field are good...but as long as other features that benefit uber-users are retained.

 

[Brian Noble]

Unless you feel you have to have A&e and do the mine train on your first day, get a good night's sleep and do it when you get around to it. Have fun.

You only need it for A&E. As I type this, there is still 30 day availability for 7DMT, let alone 60-day.
http://www.thedibb.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=835236

 

[Cormoran]

What relevance is this statement:

That's odd, because it's a pretty common complaint around here that Disney has yet to enable us to book additional fp+'s....on our phones.

To what I said?

You specifically mentioned the use of phones in the park and that was what I was talking about. It would've been nice if Disney had found a way to implement whatever system without increasing guest iphone use while they were in the parks. I know guests don't have to use their phones in the parks just like they don't have to use FP+. Yes, I know every company is increasing their reliance on technology, but that doesn't mean it's beneficial.

 

[DisneyKidds]

Oh, I'll get there. I'm kicking around a plan right now. Which is why I keep up to date on this side of the board.

I've had am amazing time at DLR the past 2 years though and was very happy with the value for the money spent.

Would you rather I have taken that expensive and very short spur of the moment trip (in peak season) then come back and complained about how long the standby line was for the 7DMT? I know what I value. And I know what will diminish an experience for me. But I've been having WDW withdrawal lately and am trying to get back sooner rather than later...... in spite of the fact that I'm currently holding APs for DLR.

Sorry mom....just wondering here.....you've never actually been to WDW and used FP+? That surprises me, given how much you appear to 'not like' the system. Not sure how you can 'not like' something you have 'never used'. Anywho, I do look forward to you using it. Like a lot of people who get scared reading the negatives here, there's a great chance you will find after you have actually used it that it might just not be as bad as others have led you to think....

 

[mom2rtk]

No, your not naïve. By far not every meet and greet has elaborate backdrops and special areas built for them. It just plain excuse making for Disney. They have known about how popular this was back when it was in world showcase. Perhaps if they have figured out if they really limit this meet and greet than can squeeze an extra day out of the customers.

I'm not sure what's so special about the backdrop they are using now. A window with some curtains?

 

[shalom]

I seem to recall a poster who would book FastPasses with no plan of using them just to monkey with the system as some sort of anarchist attempt to stick it to The Man.

Which just speeds up the stand by line, and doesn't hurt Disney at all. Yeah, that's a great form of revenge.

One thing I haven't seen mentioned here is that, in the old FP system, plenty of things had no FP at all. If they got backed up, you waited or you went without. So if your kid particularly wanted to see some of the more popular characters, you waited in line for a very long time, or you decided the line was too long to wait, end of story. Now, parents have another option. In the case of Anna and Elsa, Disney miscalculated on how many people would want that option, but I will bet that the very fact that they now offer that option has made a lot of parents happy.

I also think people are underestimating the complexity of setting up another Anna and Else meet. Disney's policy of having only one version of the character in the parks at any one time bites them hard when they have new characters who're this popular. Special set ups where there are multiple versions but the kids can't tell there are more than one are the only solution I know of, and those take some time -- and considerable space -- to set up.

 

[MrInfinity]

Since WDW seemed so enamoured with "testing", I would have liked to see it come out of the box at 30 and 10 instead of 60 and 30. Hours are more certain. Plans are more certain. You might "even like it". We are seeing some reports of people with A&E FPs getting notification that they are being stripped away due to operational changes. While I can't guarantee that this would not happen with a 30 day window, it certainly lessens the chances.

Ok, my argument for why 30 (resort) and 10 (offsite) is not appropriate.

Disney wants you to pay at 45. This is a no-brainer. FP window for resort guests should be longer than 45. Because, they want you to be thinking about your trip, and have exciting things planned on it, before that big bill hits and you have to chunk out $5,000. Otherwise, if FP is at 30, when 45 hits, people might think... Oh, money is tight, and we have 2 days at Epcot, so we can cut that down to 1 day, shave off here, and pay $4,400 instead. Done. But... by it being 60, now the thought is... "Oh, money is tight, and we have this day where we're doing Soarin, Nemo, and Figment, and this day where we're doing Test Track, Mission, and Spaceship... which should we cut... hmm... nothing really works. Ok we'll keep it. Pay $5,000.

So Disney did not "lock you in" per se, but they want families thinking about their trip before they have to pay their trip off. They want you to have things booked... so you are not sacrificing just another day at a random park, to instead.. be sacrificing riding the Mine Train and visiting Rapunzel. By having activities planned, you are much more likely to keep what you planned, or even try to add more.

10 days is awful. By 10 days, it's now last minute. People should have their days planned well before this, cuz by day 10 you are practically in packing mode, trying to get advance homework done, trying to meet teachers, tie up ends at work, etc. The 10 days immediately preceding a trip are not best spent planning the trip any more. That should have been done a month ago.

So. I still think 60/30. I strongly disagree that your 30/10 is better. Above are just a few reasons.

 

[BugsDaddy]

Inevitably, these threads always get off course from the original topic at hand, which was being discussed reasonably until about page 4 or so with the appearance of "the usual suspects". At that point, the thread just devolves into The usual finger pointing. Everyone has the right to post on these boards unless told otherwise by the owners of the forum or those given the authority to take away that privilege. If you choose to post something on a public board, be ready for opposing viewpoints. It doesn't mean any one is being attacked, it doesn't mean anything really beyond the expression of an opinion. People can freely choose to comment, lurk, or stay away altogether.

Some seem to get very emotionally invested in the outcome of these debates. I don't think that anyone here could truly believe that any opinion given is going to change the way Disney runs their business. That being said, I am sure there are some who have a very high opinion of themselves that might.

 

[mom2rtk]

Sorry mom....just wondering here.....you've never actually been to WDW and used FP+? That surprises me, given how much you appear to 'not like' the system. Not sure how you can 'not like' something you have 'never used'. Anywho, I do look forward to you using it. Like a lot of people who get scared reading the negatives here, there's a great chance you will find after you have actually used it that it might just not be as bad as others have led you to think....

I've been lounging in legacy land the last 2 years (we typically go once a year) on the other coast.

Some of what I don't like about it will not change by trying it. We are ride repeaters. My daughter is 14 and is a thrill ride junkie. Some of our favorite park days were when we've been able to ride this or that headliner over and over (with the help of FP). No amount of researching will change that limitation.

I do know that when we do try it (could be sooner rather than later if my current scheme comes to fruition) we will definitely benefit from all the little tidbits I have picked up here. We'll have a fabulous time, but it won't be a typical FP+ experience.

 

[DisneyKidds]

I've been lounging in legacy land the last 2 years (we typically go once a year) on the other coast.

Some of what I don't like about it will not change by trying it. We are ride repeaters. My daughter is 14 and is a thrill ride junkie. Some of our favorite park days were when we've been able to ride this or that headliner over and over (with the help of FP). No amount of researching will change that limitation.

I do know that when we do try it (could be sooner rather than later if my current scheme comes to fruition) we will definitely benefit from all the little tidbits I have picked up here. We'll have a fabulous time, but it won't be a typical FP+ experience.

Mom.....I firmly believe the proof is in the pudding. Come back and see me when u got some puddin'!!!

Seriously, you don't know how well the system will work for you, on the whole, until you put it to work for you.

 

[flicx]

Special set ups where there are multiple versions but the kids can't tell there are more than one are the only solution I know of, and those take some time -- and considerable space -- to set up.

They could do it at all 4 parks no problem. There are numerous empty spaces in the other three parks. We saw mickey at epcot in innoventions a few years back. They had nothing elaborate for him.

 

[Laketravis]

I wish I could buy into what you said above. I've been just that way on the 'like' side of the aisle. I've always been the first to genuinely admit that FP+ has warts. Sure, I think there are pluses that outweigh some of those minuses, so I'm a net plus....

I took the liberty of not including your sarcastic comments so that the importance of the rest of your comments wasn't lost. It seems strange that I'd have to "sell" you on anything. Not sure why I would even need to unless that means I would no longer be the target of cheap shots and accusations. But the fact remains that I've tried to find the positives of the current system and make it work for us. You may not like how it works for us, but then I don't have to make it work for you. My outline of our future trips and posted plans are real, not a hypothetical exercise. It's what we are going to do because we want to continue to go to WDW and enjoy ourselves.

And yet there is an inescapable irony when those who's best advice is to deal with the situation at hand then criticize and ridicule how others then deal with the situation at hand.


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