TSM standby-less test Oct. 6-9

[vacationer1954]

You keep saying that. But it doesn't make it so.

And saying it doesn't make it so doesn't make it not so. We have contrary opinions. I can respect that.

 

[FlipHipster]

I spend enough time as it is planning FP for just three of us with simple and shared interests; I can't imagine having to do it for a party of 10 with assorted ages and interests.

This is why I said I want to try to avoid as much as possible in a few weeks. 7 people 2 families, check for times, check for times, check for times, found 1, adjust times, copy friends X7. If they haven't wrecked SB and we can scoot around early with decent waits I think I'll take it. We are really only talking about 3 freakin lines a day .

 

[grimley1968]

I agree. I think guests who managed to book airline travel, who book hotels and who figure out how to stay fed have no problem with FP+.

Do you include people who manage to post on the disboards, quoting others, and nest-quoting others, sometimes on tiny iphone screens, in your list of guests who can book airline travel, hotels and keep themselves and their family fed?

I haven't seen any of these people with a username of Jed Clampett before he happened upon the bubblin' crude and I am confident in their, and my, technical abilities. Yet, many of these people have issues with FP+, as has been shown exhaustively throughout this thread, and it has nothing to do with their own technical prowess or lack of it.

Insulting, indeed.

 

[JennaDeeDooDah]

I'm saying it is fair and good to change things to allow more people to get FP+ for attractions in advance.

Do you believe the previous system was unfair?

 

[KatieCharlotte]

I remember telling my mother that. When I invited to come with us, my brothers and all the kids, she jumped at the idea and then started placing conditions on Disney. No long lines. No expensive food. No burning sunshine. No very loud movie presentations. We eventually decided together that she would have a great time sharing breakfast and dinner with us, which we cooked together as a family in our timeshare, and then relaxing by the pool at the resort while the rest of us went to the parks and struggled through all these terrible things. It was great. The little ones would be so happy to rush back to the timeshare to tell Grandma about all the wonderful things they did during the day.

Considering we get to see these grandparents at most twice a year, I know everyone treasured the park days we all enjoyed together. I feel that moving toward a ride appointment system doesn't take into account the million unique reasons why guests need flexibility day to day and hour to hour, whether its health reasons, weather, toddler meltdowns and other unpredictable kid behavior, accommodating different interests within the group, or relatives who refuse to make plans a month or two ahead. It's something that sounds good on paper but doesn't work for many people in the real world.

 

[JennaDeeDooDah]

That is the first time I've ever seen a compliment for Disney IT on these boards. Bravo Disney IT, you are turning it around.

All those threads about people losing their FP+ reservations, not being able to log in to the MDE website or app, people not being able to access the app in the park, FP+ being available for certain rides on the app but not the website, FP+ being gone 5 minutes into the booking process and then suddenly coming available randomly throughout the rest of the 60 days? None of those happened, apparently. All I know is, the FP machines rarely malfunctioned and when they did, there was a worker there who could override the system and get you a fast pass. I suppose that I was reliant on computers and the IT department to ride Space Mountain with fast pass two years ago, but I don't remember seeing near as many threads about problems with the fast pass system.

 

[grimley1968]

Considering we get to see these grandparents at most twice a year, I know everyone treasured the park days we all enjoyed together. I feel that moving toward a ride appointment system doesn't take into account the million unique reasons why guests need flexibility day to day and hour to hour, whether its health reasons, weather, toddler meltdowns and other unpredictable kid behavior, accommodating different interests within the group, or relatives who refuse to make plans a month or two ahead. It's something that sounds good on paper but doesn't work for many people in the real world.

I have to admit that this is an issue (meeting up with extended family or even traveling in large groups) I never really considered before in re FP+, but it sounds like the planning for it would be an enormous hassle that it wasn't before FP+.

 

[vacationer1954]

Insulting, indeed.

If there is any insult it is the insinuation you and others are making that Disney guests cannot figure out how to reserve FP+s.

Do you believe the previous system was unfair?

Neither system is unfair. Some people like one better. Some people like the other better.

 

[JennaDeeDooDah]

Neither system is unfair. Some people like one better. Some people like the other better.

Okay. I guess I just didn't understand the point of bringing up one system being fair if you thought both were. And I got the impression you didn't think the original was fair due to your comment about how everyone should have "firsts" before other people get to have "seconds".

 

[vacationer1954]

Okay. I guess I just didn't understand the point of bringing up one system being fair if you thought both were. And I got the impression you didn't think the original was fair due to your comment about how everyone should have "firsts" before other people get to have "seconds".

Both systems are fair because Disney makes the rules and so whatever they put in place is by definition fair. I do think it is better for everyone to have a reasonable shot at their first ride before others get in front of them to take their second ride on a day. That is another kind of fairness. But whatever rules Disney decides on is fair. I'm not going to complain about how Disney refusing to change to a standby-less system is "unfair" or anything like that.

 

[grimley1968]

If there is any insult it is the insinuation you and others are making that Disney guests cannot figure out how to reserve FP+s.

I've never said or insinuated any such thing. I haven't seen anyone else in this thread do that either, except for yourself. Disney's flawed FP+ system is responsible for people not being able to get them, not people's own technical abilities. People that can somehow post on these boards, even on an iphone screen, I think, could handle an app or website that worked well. MDE doesn't on a consistent basis, at least for FP+'s. That's on Disney, not on guests.

 

[faneuil]

If there is any insult it is the insinuation you and others are making that Disney guests cannot figure out how to reserve FP+s.

It does take several steps, and isn't super user friendly. You may think it is, but many would disagree. So I would say for a certain percentage of the population there is a learning curve. Some fight through it. Others give up.
It's like anything else. Some find it easy. Others find it difficult. So yes, some Disney guests cannot figure it out. Maybe they eventually do, maybe they don't.

I've helped ppl in the parks. I've seen CM's help ppl in the parks. Not with the kiosks. With the app.

 

[Jennasis]

My parents will never be able to figure it out. I figured it out, but I hated every second of it (especially the part where I had to stay up from midnight till 1am waiting for the window to open).

 

[vacationer1954]

I've never said or insinuated any such thing.

I know the feeling. I didn't say or insinuate what others claimed I did either. I said people can do things and instead people claimed I said people couldn't do things and for nasty reasons none of which I said.

Disney's flawed FP+ system is responsible for people not being able to get them

Every system has flaws even a 100% standby system.

It does take several steps, and isn't super user friendly. You may think it is, but many would disagree.

And that's fine. I'm hoping that Disney feels more people see things my way and I respect the fact that you hope that Disney feels more people see things your way.

 

[pbrim]

I agree. I think guests who managed to book airline travel, who book hotels and who figure out how to stay fed have no problem with FP+.

I manage to book airline travel and hotels, and feed myself quite well. I have an analytic mind, I've been a computer programmer for 35 years. I have a genius level IQ, if I say so myself. Yet trying to plan FP+ for myself and my friend for a trip last May almost drove me to tears. Trying to plan a trip down to the minute, months in advance, for a couple people who have medical problems that can radically change our ability to use the parks on a moment's notice, is about impossible.

I figured we could manage by going to the parks at off-peak times, and making liberal use of standby. But if all or most of the rides go to FP+ only, I don't think we'll be able to continue going to Disney at all, and I don't think we'll be the only ones.

 

[vacationer1954]

Again, I respect that some people don't like it.

 

[grimley1968]

I manage to book airline travel and hotels, and feed myself quite well. I have an analytic mind, I've been a computer programmer for 35 years. I have a genius level IQ, if I say so myself. Yet trying to plan FP+ for myself and my friend for a trip last May almost drove me to tears. Trying to plan a trip down to the minute, months in advance, for a couple people who have medical problems that can radically change our ability to use the parks on a moment's notice, is about impossible.

I figured we could manage by going to the parks at off-peak times, and making liberal use of standby. But if all or most of the rides go to FP+ only, I don't think we'll be able to continue going to Disney at all, and I don't think we'll be the only ones.

Very good post. IMO, this gets to the core of the problem with taking away the standby option and relying on a so far flawed FP+ system, both in its design and execution, to redistribute guests throughout the parks. And this is in addition to the PR disaster Disney brought on themselves by taking away standby without notice for those several days.

 

[faneuil]

And this is in addition to the PR disaster Disney brought on themselves by taking away standby without notice for those several days.

Can you imagine the marketing they would have to do before going to a reservation only system? I'm only quoting you because the above sentence suddenly brought that thought to my mind.

Holy smokes. Apologies if anyone mentioned it earlier.

 

[grimley1968]

Can you imagine the marketing they would have to do before going to a reservation only system? I'm only quoting you because the above sentence suddenly brought that thought to my mind.

Holy smokes. Apologies if anyone mentioned it earlier.

Good point. I was so incensed that Disney did this with no warning or marketing for those 4 days that I never considered what they'd have to do to actually convince guests to do this with warning/marketing. It would have to be quite a campaign! Even with the best of campaigns, though, it's hard for me to imagine such a transition being one that guests would appreciate very much.

I remember New Coke had a pretty slick campaign.

 

[vacationer1954]

There already has been a FP+ commercial on television. It made it sound as attractive as I feel it will be. You can find it by searching for "disney parks tv commercial fast pass plus".