ticket/resort cautionary tale

[johde]

Yes. If the search function is ever back up, read about people's experiences for MNSSHP and MVMCP in 2013.

At this point, all guests are using FP+ not just onsite gusts like it was in 2013 so things may be different this year. Unfortunately we will need to wait and see what's going on this year. There are several possibilities.

1. You will be able to make same day FP+ reservation in the park. Either at 4:00 or earlier in the day.
2. You'll be able to link your hard event tickets to a seperate MDE account and make FP+ reservations in advance like an offsite guest.
3. You'l be able to make 2 distinct sets of FP+ for that day (least likely)
4. FP+ will change in such a way that this is a moot point.

 

[MamaBear58]

But it's not. The pre-booking feature has been rolled out to on-site guests earlier than to off-site guests. But it is not a "perk" of staying on-site, if by perk, one means something that others cannot get. Once the roll out is complete for AP Holders, off site guests and CMs, this will become more transparent. But until then, people continue to linger under the impression that this is a "perk" like EMHs. In the end, FP+ will operate the way ADRs do. Anyone and everyone will be able to book in advance. Disney has been pretty consistent on this point.

By your own definition it is currently a perk for onsite guests. The fact that someday it will be available to everyone and therefore no longer a perk does not mean that it is not NOW a perk. It most certainly is.

 

[JimmyV]

By your own definition it is currently a perk for onsite guests. The fact that someday it will be available to everyone and therefore no longer a perk does not mean that it is not NOW a perk. It most certainly is.

That is not my definition of a perk. A perk would be something that is created for the specific purpose of benefitting a sub-class. Here is a list of the roll-out schedule for the various resorts to begin testing FP+:

October 7 to October 31 2013
•Disney's All-Star Sports Resort
•Disney's BoardWalk Inn
•Disney's BoardWalk Villas
•Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort

October 14 to October 31 2013
•Disney's All-Star Music Resort
•Disney's Coronado Springs Resort
•Disney's Old Key West Resort
•Disney's Wilderness Lodge
•Villas at Disney's Wilderness Lodge

October 21 to October 31 2013
•Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground
•Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa

October 23 to October 31 2013
•The Villas at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa

September 30 to October 31 2013
•Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge - Kidani Village
•Disney's All-Star Movies Resort
•Bay Lake Tower at Disney's Contemporary Resort
•Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa
•Disney's Port Orleans Resort - French Quarter

So was the testing phase (which Disney is still in...even their ads say that) a "perk" of the All-Star Sports resort to the exclusion of its sister resort, All-Star Music, or Coronado Springs? Or did All-Star Sports merely get to test the system before guests at Coronado Springs? Right now, on-site guests are in a testing phase that has not yet been enabled to off site guests in the same manner that All-Star Sports got into the test before Coronado Springs. No one ever claimed (because they could not) that staying at All-Star Sports came packaged with the "perk" of FP+. The early testers of FP+ at All-Star Sports were fortunate in the timing of all of this. But they were not the recipients of a "perk", such as EMH or Magical Express.

 

[GigiDisneyfreak]

By your own definition it is currently a perk for onsite guests. The fact that someday it will be available to everyone and therefore no longer a perk does not mean that it is not NOW a perk. It most certainly is.

I have seen threads on here from others staying off-site and AP Holders that are getting to book FP+ in advance now. If that is true than it is most definitely not a perk. When I received my information packet from Disney it did not say anything about FP+ being a part of my resort stay. It was included with my ticket purchase. The magic band was a part of my resort purchase.

 

[MamaBear58]

That is not my definition of a perk. A perk would be something that is created for the specific purpose of benefitting a sub-class. Here is a list of the roll-out schedule for the various resorts to begin testing FP+:

October 7 to October 31 2013
•Disney's All-Star Sports Resort
•Disney's BoardWalk Inn
•Disney's BoardWalk Villas
•Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort

October 14 to October 31 2013
•Disney's All-Star Music Resort
•Disney's Coronado Springs Resort
•Disney's Old Key West Resort
•Disney's Wilderness Lodge
•Villas at Disney's Wilderness Lodge

October 21 to October 31 2013
•Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground
•Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa

October 23 to October 31 2013
•The Villas at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa

September 30 to October 31 2013
•Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge - Kidani Village
•Disney's All-Star Movies Resort
•Bay Lake Tower at Disney's Contemporary Resort
•Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa
•Disney's Port Orleans Resort - French Quarter

So was the testing phase (which Disney is still in...even their ads say that) a "perk" of the All-Star Sports resort to the exclusion of its sister resort, All-Star Music, or Coronado Springs? Or did All-Star Sports merely get to test the system before guests at Coronado Springs? Right now, on-site guests are in a testing phase that has not yet been enabled to off site guests in the same manner that All-Star Sports got into the test before Coronado Springs. No one ever claimed (because they could not) that staying at All-Star Sports came packaged with the "perk" of FP+. The early testers of FP+ at All-Star Sports were fortunate in the timing of all of this. But they were not the recipients of a "perk", such as EMH or Magical Express.

Your first guess at the definition was better. Merriam Webster say that a perk is "a good thing that you have or get because of your situation". It has nothing to do with whether or not it was created for any purpose in mind. So yes, if it's a good thing to be able to book FP+ 60 days ahead (subjective but I'd say most folks would say it is) then yes, it's a current perk for onsite guests. Not really sure what the roll out schedule has to do with anything, but it also works with the definition. If participating in a testing phase was good or a benefit (again. subjective) then yes, the guests at those resorts that got it first had a perk for some period of time, at which point others got it and then eventually everyone got it so it is no longer a perk (because it isn't because of any situation--where you are staying--it's just the case for everyone. FP+ is now the system in place for anyone with a ticket).

 

[JimmyV]

I have seen threads on here from others staying off-site and AP Holders that are getting to book FP+ in advance now. If that is true than it is most definitely not a perk. When I received my information packet from Disney it did not say anything about FP+ being a part of my resort stay. It was included with my ticket purchase. The magic band was a part of my resort purchase.

Off Site guests are now being target-emailed for participation in the test. We can expect the roll-out to involve more and more people and soon, it will be enabled for everyone with admission. The problem with calling this a "perk" is that people at the All-Star Sports Resort could complain when their "perk" was watered down through the addition of other resorts to the test, and soon, people who stay on site will start moaning that their "perk" has been taken away (or watered down) now that AP Holders in Florida and other off site guests can do the same thing as them. Best not to think of something as a perk, and that way, you won't miss it when everyone else has it.

 

[Reddog1134]

I have seen threads on here from others staying off-site and AP Holders that are getting to book FP+ in advance now. If that is true than it is most definitely not a perk. When I received my information packet from Disney it did not say anything about FP+ being a part of my resort stay. It was included with my ticket purchase. The magic band was a part of my resort purchase.

MamaBear is sort of right. It's a perk by circumstance not design.

Call it a "benefit" if you like. It's still an advantage that onsite guests are currently receiving.

 

[MamaBear58]

I have seen threads on here from others staying off-site and AP Holders that are getting to book FP+ in advance now. If that is true than it is most definitely not a perk. When I received my information packet from Disney it did not say anything about FP+ being a part of my resort stay. It was included with my ticket purchase. The magic band was a part of my resort purchase.

If that is true then I agree with you. But it was still a perk available only to onsite guests until they opened it to everyone else. And no, it's not part of the resort stay because if you don't have a ticket you can't book FP+. But at one time if you did have a ticket and a resort stay, you could pre-book. Now, allegedly, you just need a ticket or an AP. Still a perk to them if specialty tickets (CMs, YES, etc.) can't pre-book.

 

[JimmyV]

Not really sure what the roll out schedule has to do with anything, but it also works with the definition. If participating in a testing phase was good or a benefit (again. subjective) then yes, the guests at those resorts that got it first had a perk for some period of time, at which point others got it and then eventually everyone got it so it is no longer a perk (because it isn't because of any situation--where you are staying--it's just the case for everyone.

"First" and "perk are not synonymous to me. If you are first in line to check out of the grocery store, and there are 3 people in line behind you, your situation affords you access to the cash register before them. You are merely ahead of them. You have not been afforded a perk.. Guests at All-Star Sports were ahead of guests All-Star Music. That does not equal a perk. On site guests were ahead of certain off site guests. And now some off-site guests are ahead of other off-site guests. Pretty soon, this will all be moot when the testing is over and everyone can pre-book. So why the need to classify anything as a perk, especially if that perk is going to go away in about a month?

 

[JimmyV]

It's a perk by circumstance not design.

Yes. A happy accident, if you will. And one whose sun is setting. Quickly. With all that, it is easy to call it an advantage, for sure. But not really a perk, which, I think, has to be by design.

 

[MamaBear58]

"First" and "perk are not synonymous to me. If you are first in line to check out of the grocery store, and there are 3 people in line behind you, your situation affords you access to the cash register before them. You are merely ahead of them. You have not been afforded a perk.. Guests at All-Star Sports were ahead of guests All-Star Music. That does not equal a perk. On site guests were ahead of certain off site guests. And now some off-site guests are ahead of other off-site guests. Pretty soon, this will all be moot when the testing is over and everyone can pre-book. So why the need to classify anything as a perk, especially if that perk is going to go away in about a month?

No one said first and perk were synonymous (although if they were they would be regardless of what you thought...your use of "to me" suggests that you can make up the definition of words and decide which ones are and aren't synonymous. with all due respect, I think most people rely on dictionaries for that, not you).

If being "first", which is objective, isn't a benefit to someone or deemed "good" to them, then it isn't a perk to them. I agree. It doesn't mean it's not a perk to someone who does value being first. There may have been people who wanted to be part of the pilot and deemed it a perk of staying at All-Star Sports.

 

[Dis703]

Personally, I feel that if you have an on property reservation, you should be allowed to book FP+ for each day of your reservation, regardless of whether you have a ticket linked to your account. There can be many reasons why you might not want to buy tickets in advance, or why you might need to change the number of days on a ticket when you arrive, or you might even be planning to upgrade to an AP. If it's going to be advertised as an on property perk to book FP+ in advance then it should be tied to your stay, not your tickets.

However, I'm not the one in charge, so I have to do it their way . . . .

I'm not sure that would make sense though. Plenty of people stay onsite but go to the parks for less days than they are staying at the resort. Especially those that take days for nonDisney parks or always plan resort days. Why should they be allowed to take up FP for days they won't have and can't be on the parks without a ticket.

 

[aleksandr]

I booked a room only reservation at Fort Wilderness Cabins for 7 days several months ago. I then purchased a 4 day ticket separately but through disney. (I don't usually do packages because of the more severe cancellation penalties compare to a room only reservation.) About a week before fast pass plus eligibility, we decided to increase the room reservation to 9 days. I figured I would increase the number of days on our tickets once we got to WDW.

When I went to book my fastpass plus reservations, I was only able to do so for 4 days of our 9 day trip because of the ticket length I had originally bought. I called disney to see if I could add days to our ticket and was told no. All upgrades had to be done in person at WDW meaning I would be unable to book fastpass plus for half of our trip. I was rather upset about this as I feel that spending $300 (after discounts) a night on a room and buying undiscounted tickets directly from disney should give the customer some freedom in changing the tickets when one of the major perks disney advertises for staying on site is prebooking of FP+ (and now I can't book it for half my trip.) Here I am, giving disney more of my vacation dollars and time by lengthening my resort stay, and they won't even let me pay more money to them for a longer ticket! The CM I spoke to suggested I just buy a new 3 day ticket which would obviously be far more expensive than adding days to the original ticket.

After talking (very calmly) to two more cast members, one of them gave me a phone number for ticket inquiries to see if someone else could help me out. I called and spoke to a very nice and understanding lady who ultimately added more days to my tickets at the appropriate price.

So moral of story, maybe a package is better because you can change it and add more days more readily than with room only and buying tickets separately. Alternatively, if you buy tickets separately and booking FP+ in advance is important, err on the side of buying tickets with more days.

In general though, I think it's crazy you can't upgrade tickets over the phone if the tickets are basically electronic and never issued in paper anyway. I hate to sound like the entitled disney customer and in general, this is the first major issue I've ever had with disney. But when you spend over $10k a year between WDW and disney cruising, have the disney credit card, buy all the stuff and movies, etc, it feels like disney could at least help you out a bit when something isn't exactly right (which, to disney's credit, they ultimately did).

I've been mostly ignorant about FP+ related things as I typically stay off-site and tour differently than most. Anyhow, if they wouldn't let you upgrade over the phone (and I do see where you said you finally got someone to upgrade you), what would have been the downside of adding days to your ticket at guest services once you arrived at WDW and then booking your FP+ for those extra days at that point? Or am I missing some fundamental fact about how this system works?

 

[Reddog1134]

what would have been the downside of adding days to your ticket at guest services once you arrived at WDW and then booking your FP+ for those extra days at that point? Or am I missing some fundamental fact about how this system works?

There are only so many FP+ passes available for each ride.

The longer you wait to book them, the less chance you have of getting the "good rides".

 

[fla4fun]

Why do you think that it would be fair for someone to theoretically tie up FP+ ressies that they will not use? The OP stated that their original tickets were only four day passes for a seven day stay--meaning that they would not be going to a park for three of their days. If Disney did what your suggesting--the OP would potentially tie up nine FP+ ressies/person and not use them. It can already be difficult to get FP+ ressies for the most popular rides at busy times. Trust me--I have not heard of anyone dieing an early death d/t not being able to make FP+ selections ahead of time or even not being able to ride a particular ride. Life is too short to stress over such things!!

Please no neg responses about WDW being too expensive to loose out on such things as FP+ selections or rides. If you're just looking to ride rides--go to Six Flags or elsewhere. WDW is sooooo much more than just rides!!

I didn't get the feeling that the OP was going to make FP they didn't plan to use. I was one of the early AP testers who ran into the seven day rule during a time period where I had two ten day trips booked five weeks apart. It was frustrating. From the beginning I have personally felt that if you have a stay booked you should have the option of booking FP if you choose to - especially in my case where I did have a valid ticket good for all days. A big part of my feelings probably stems from those early frustrations, even though the experience has improved a lot the past few months.

Everyone wants the situation to be as fair as possible. I agree that there is a lot more to WDW than just rides, and have even spent long weekends at a WDW resort without visiting the parks at all. However, I keep seeing more and more commercials on TV touting the benefit of staying on property so you can book FP ahead of time, and I'm not seeing anything about a ticket being required to do so. Maybe they just need to change the ads in some way to make the information more clear.

 

[catra121]

I booked a room only reservation at Fort Wilderness Cabins for 7 days several months ago. I then purchased a 4 day ticket separately but through disney. (I don't usually do packages because of the more severe cancellation penalties compare to a room only reservation.) About a week before fast pass plus eligibility, we decided to increase the room reservation to 9 days. I figured I would increase the number of days on our tickets once we got to WDW.

When I went to book my fastpass plus reservations, I was only able to do so for 4 days of our 9 day trip because of the ticket length I had originally bought. I called disney to see if I could add days to our ticket and was told no. All upgrades had to be done in person at WDW meaning I would be unable to book fastpass plus for half of our trip. I was rather upset about this as I feel that spending $300 (after discounts) a night on a room and buying undiscounted tickets directly from disney should give the customer some freedom in changing the tickets when one of the major perks disney advertises for staying on site is prebooking of FP+ (and now I can't book it for half my trip.) Here I am, giving disney more of my vacation dollars and time by lengthening my resort stay, and they won't even let me pay more money to them for a longer ticket! The CM I spoke to suggested I just buy a new 3 day ticket which would obviously be far more expensive than adding days to the original ticket.

After talking (very calmly) to two more cast members, one of them gave me a phone number for ticket inquiries to see if someone else could help me out. I called and spoke to a very nice and understanding lady who ultimately added more days to my tickets at the appropriate price.

So moral of story, maybe a package is better because you can change it and add more days more readily than with room only and buying tickets separately. Alternatively, if you buy tickets separately and booking FP+ in advance is important, err on the side of buying tickets with more days.

In general though, I think it's crazy you can't upgrade tickets over the phone if the tickets are basically electronic and never issued in paper anyway. I hate to sound like the entitled disney customer and in general, this is the first major issue I've ever had with disney. But when you spend over $10k a year between WDW and disney cruising, have the disney credit card, buy all the stuff and movies, etc, it feels like disney could at least help you out a bit when something isn't exactly right (which, to disney's credit, they ultimately did).

I don't think you should be able to book FP+ reservations based on length of stay at your resort and it SHOULD be tied specifically to your ticket length. I would imagine that is one of Disney's many goals with FP+...to tie you into that longer ticket instead of buying a shorter length one and MAYBE upgrading once you get there.

As other people posted...why should someone get to tie up FP+ reservations unless they have already made a commitment (ie...ticket purchase) for that number of days? You'd have people doing all sorts of things like booking rooms and not purchasing tickets but staying offsite to get double the FP+ options or buying tickets separately and getting double FP+ options or any number of other things that I am not smart enough to figure out on my own...lol!

FWIW...I DO think you should be able to upgrade your ticket over the phone...but it would need to be made VERY clear that once you DO upgrade...that's not refundable. After all...you are trying to give them MORE money. This is where a package deal might be better for those who are really not sure and might change their minds...you can still cancel a package but not a ticket if it's purchased separately.

 

[chloelovesdisney]

It seems quite absurd you can't add on days prior to arrival when you book directly through Disney.

 

[aleksandr]

There are only so many FP+ passes available for each ride.

The longer you wait to book them, the less chance you have of getting the "good rides".

Thanks, that makes sense and was the piece I was missing.

What are your chances of missing out on FP+ passes at 4 days prior to a visit? Is it now to the point like dining reservations where you have to book at 180 days?