They sure don't make it easy for west coasters!

[GeneralTso]

Dang--logging in at 4am to book FastPasses is INSANITY!
It was so much better when it was midnight EST, 9pm PST.

I will say though--it is completely necessary if you want popular rides.

There were tons of times, all days, available for FOP, 7DMT, Frozen, etc.
I was able to book a base and then maneuver around and finalize. All times remained available.

Even 2 hours in, plenty of availability. We will be there Oct 27-Nov 4.


In this case, the early bird really does get the worm! Don't despair, you'll get all your choices if you bite the bullet and log in right at your 60 day mark, on the hour.

 

[mom2rtk]

I would have liked 9 PM local time as well! But whatever time they choose, someone isn't going to like it.

They moved it to 7 AM Eastern so there would be customer service staff available if issues come up.

Glad you got what you wanted! It helps a lot that they added park hours before your FP day. A few days ago plenty were logging in to find FOP gone already 60 days out.

 

[tinkerbella16]

Good job getting everything you wanted! I actually prefer 7am EST, being on the east coast since I am up early for work each day anyway and I work from home so I am on the computer. Having to stay up until midnight when I start work at 4am wouldn't have been fun but the years when it was midnight, our FP day luckily fell on the weekend. I do agree, the early bird gets the worm! We had no issues getting FOP, Frozen, 7DMT, etc for our upcoming trip.

 

[Klayfish]

Yeah, I can see where it's a pain in the rear for left coasters. Sorry it's such a pain...

I'm an east coast resident and get up at 4am, so 7am is right about perfect for me.

 

[Pakey]

I feel your pain. I had to do this last Wednesday. If it had not been for the need to get FOP fastpasses, I would have just waited until my normal wake up time. My WDW trip last year, I didn't get up early as I don't care about any of the other rides. I guess it could be worse; if I lived in Hawaii it would have been the middle of the night!

 

[GeneralTso]

It was nice to see so much 7DMT available. When I went to WDW a few years ago (the year it opened) it was crazy, nearly impossible to get a FP. Got one, but man oh Betty.
FOP is the new 7DMT.

I can hardly wait til Cars Land opens

 

[Klayfish]

It was nice to see so much 7DMT available. When I went to WDW a few years ago (the year it opened) it was crazy, nearly impossible to get a FP. Got one, but man oh Betty.
FOP is the new 7DMT.

I can hardly wait til Cars Land opens

Yes, 7DMT is much easier now, and FoP is very, very hard to get.

No Cars Land for WDW...Toy Story Land and Star Wars Land currently under construction. And yes, when those two open...holy moly, especially Star Wars.

 

[RangerPooh]

This was our gripe when living on the west coast and planning WDW vacations. Now we live in the south and are in the central time zone, so only a 1 hour time difference. Were still up by 5am to make dining reservations...

 

[peteykirch]

Boohoo you have to wake up at 4AM.

If you're a sports fan, being on the west coast is amazing.

Football starts at 10AM.

You get playoff games actually starting at 5 or 6PM not 8 or 9PM that doesn't end until after midnight.

 

[WishICouldSpeakWhale]

7am stinks for some families on the east coast too, if it is a weekday. 7am to 8am is prime getting ready time when the school bus comes shortly after 8am. I won't be able to sit still and just make the FPs in that first hour, and we are going Thanksgiving week, so it will be critical.

I'd prefer 6am like dining reservations. Midnight wasn't bad either. But 7am is going to be a giant pain. My last 60 day Mark was right before it switched to 7am.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

Not again...
No time is going to be convenient for everyone.
The reason they changed the time was so that if people were having problems they could call for help.
I'm glad you got what you wanted and that is all you should be thinking about.

 

[klairbear]

The times do surprise me somewhat, since it seems to be a benefit to us in the UK rather than US guests - my slot opened today at 12 noon (and its a bank holiday so not at work - double bonus!)

 

[CAS239]

The times do surprise me somewhat, since it seems to be a benefit to us in the UK rather than US guests - my slot opened today at 12 noon (and its a bank holiday so not at work - double bonus!)

It's to coincide with call centers for help opening at that time should any guests have issues. When they did the booking at midnight, if someone had an issue they had to wait hours before they could call and sort anything out

 

[Micca]

@GeneralTso good to hear you got what you wanted, at least it was worth getting up for! Nice chicken BTW.

 

[Auntie_Maim]

It is what it is. I'm West Coast and got up early for FPs and ADRs. It was no biggie, and worth it in the long run.

 

[hakepb]

And then, once you arrive, you get treated to all parks closing at the equivalent of your internal clock's 7pm PST

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

And then, once you arrive, you get treated to all parks closing at the equivalent of your internal clock's 7pm PST

Would you say 10am-9pm and 10am-8pm is better? That's what the west coast parks hours are today.

 

[notrub98]

I'm glad you got what you wanted! 7 is a nightmare for me as an East Coaster because of kids school. It is damned near impossible at 7 as that is prime get ready for school time. I have to do the major couple FP and then hopefor the best for the rest two hours later.

 

[KyGirl]

7am stinks for some families on the east coast too, if it is a weekday. 7am to 8am is prime getting ready time when the school bus comes shortly after 8am. I won't be able to sit still and just make the FPs in that first hour, and we are going Thanksgiving week, so it will be critical.

I'd prefer 6am like dining reservations. Midnight wasn't bad either. But 7am is going to be a giant pain. My last 60 day Mark was right before it switched to 7am.

This was a major issue for me last year and will be in a couple months again too. We're on eastern time so I can start at 7:00 but DD has to get to school sometime between 7:15 and 7:45. At seven I'm generally trying to force feed breakfast to a sleeping five year old. Last year she was still in PreK and they weren't as strict so I just blasted through the important FPs before waking her and we were a few minutes late to school but this year it actually matters. DH works 24 hour shifts until 7:30 and FP day seems to always fall on a morning that he's getting off so not home yet.

Anyway, these are all first world problems and I know that no time is convenient for everybody and the call centers are available and all that, but personally I miss being able to book at midnight! I can handle being sleepy for a day. That didn't affect anybody but me in my family.

 

[hakepb]

Would you say 10am-9pm and 10am-8pm is better? That's what the west coast parks hours are today.

That early closing felt bizarre when I went during the summer of 2014, too. At least they haven't reduced closing by 3 hours like WDW.