TSM standby-less test Oct. 6-9

[cakebaker]

The legacy system worked because it was simple, it allowed for hopping and didn't force you to pick 3 right away.

Park hopping?

That's exactly our main problem with legacy, it didn't allow for park hopping.

 

[mom2rtk]

True. But even if they had not done that (it wouldn't be feasible to replicate major rides), at least the wait, even if it took just as long, would be less excruciating than the old way of inching forward, back and forth, winding ever so slowly toward the goal.

Maybe they could come up with something less high tech than pagers. I don't know, something like giving you slip of paper with a time to come back and ride printed on it?

Nah. It would never work.

 

[faneuil]

Park hopping?

That's exactly our main problem with legacy, it didn't allow for park hopping.

Does FP+ work any better for that though? You're still at the mercy of FP+ being available in park #2.

That's why I wish you could pick from two parks straight out of the gate. Like, "I want Soarin' in the morning, but I know I'm going to MK in the evening, so I want Splash then."

No system will be perfect, but for park hopping, I think that may help some guests at least.

 

[grimley1968]

Park hopping?

That's exactly our main problem with legacy, it didn't allow for park hopping.

So all the times over the last 15 + years that my family went to multiple parks on the same day with our park hoppers, and later, MYW tickets with hopping, while using fastpasses at each park, we weren't park hopping?

I could have sworn we were park hopping.

 

[flicx]

Park hopping?

That's exactly our main problem with legacy, it didn't allow for park hopping.

Really I always have had park hoppers and left parks and got fast passes at the other parks under the legacy system. I used to go to the studios from open til noon then to epcot and never once got shut out! Always did the headliners and it worked super for us!

 

[flicx]

So all the times over the last 15 + years that my family went to multiple parks on the same day with our park hoppers, and later, MYW tickets with hopping, while using fastpasses at each park, we weren't park hopping?

I could have sworn we were park hopping.

Glad to know I am not the only one. I was hoping I wasn't having a senior moment. I am still too young!

 

[over50visits]

Universal's system would never work. Have you seen the crowd level difference? While I can't begin to tell you the level of my dislike of Universal after our first and what will be my last visit- their fotl system is great.... I think.

We only used it a couple of times because the park was so empty- not light crowds- EMPTY- that it just wasn't needed. Most times we walked thru either line without being checked. Who cared, no one was there. This was all while Disney was packed with people.

Which btw, leads me to conclude Disney's problem is that they're just too good!

I hope they continue to refine the system and add more features too. Testing is part of that. While not happy to be inconvenience, I also understand the need for real world testing and announcing would stop that from happening.

Disney is first in our hearts. But, they aren't the whole world. Universal is stunning, the CMs are universally welcoming, Universal spends their money on the world's best rides, they don't squeeze every last penny out of your pockets, and their express pass system can be explained in 30 seconds.

Disney is wonderful, rich, and a vacation destination. But they are blatantly looking to empty your wallet, and their FP system is a Rube Goldberg machine. Luckily, we know how to not go broke visiting, and we understand the FP+ system, as do many here. So we love our many visits.

The TSMM experiment is just another step in trying to patch up this FP+ system that unfortunately, can't be put back in the box. More to come.

 

[Angel Ariel]

Park hopping?

That's exactly our main problem with legacy, it didn't allow for park hopping.

In your experience that was the case, but it wasn't ours.

We've always done DHS/AK as 1/2 days parks...morning at DHS (for TSMM), afternoon at AK. We never had an issue getting FPs at AK (even for KS/EE). Crowd levels decreased dramatically after the parade, and FPs were easily available and for times that were not far out.

Any other hopping we'd do, MK would be the afternoon park. With how many attraction options there are at MK, we never had issues getting FPs there as during our visits FPs rarely ran out for any attraction that we saw, and if it did it wasn't til pretty late anyway.

There would definitely be issues trying to hop TO DHS or Epcot in the afternoon and wanting rides like Soarin/TT - but depending on how you chose to arrange your hopping, legacy did work well

 

[cakebaker]

Does FP+ work any better for that though? You're still at the mercy of FP+ being available in park #2.

That's why I wish you could pick from two parks straight out of the gate. Like, "I want Soarin' in the morning, but I know I'm going to MK in the evening, so I want Splash then."

No system will be perfect, but for park hopping, I think that may help some guests at least.

Absolutely it works better, for us at least. I can choose afternoon or evening times and then do rope drop for a morning park riding the less popular, virtually no line rides. Then on another day, do that morning park getting in the more popular rides with a fp in the afternoon.

We were always at the mercy of fp availability, nothing new. With legacy, in the afternoon parks, the fp's were almost always gone. In the morning park, without getting to the machines quickly, the times were late enough to mess up park hopping.

I agree, I want to be able to book rides without having to be in the parks- I also want to be able to book without going to a kiosk. I hope those are coming soon.

 

[faneuil]

Really I always have had park hoppers and left parks and got fast passes at the other parks under the legacy system. I used to go to the studios from open til noon then to epcot and never once got shut out! Always did the headliners and it worked super for us!

I didn't always get the headliners, but I was able to get the stuff I really wanted. The major headliners I did in the AM anyway, so at night I didn't have issues getting my "night ride" favorites.

 

[mom2mickeyfan]

Nevermind...going to take elsa's approach here

Thanks!! Now I'll have that song running through my head all day!

 

[surferdave]

cakebaker, you are not new here, and you know when you disparage Universal and state that FP+ is better for hopping that you are introducing other arguments into this thread.

That is passive aggressive.

 

[Angel Ariel]

Thanks!! Now I'll have that song running through my head all day!

Glad I could help

 

[faneuil]

Absolutely it works better, for us at least. I can choose afternoon or evening times and then do rope drop for a morning park riding the less popular, virtually no line rides. Then on another day, do that morning park getting in the more popular rides with a fp in the afternoon.

Okay, yeah, I do see that now. You tour a little differently than I do, but that's most likely cause I'm local now. It's so weird touring when you live close. ahhh, the perils. lol.

 

[cakebaker]

In your experience, that may have been the case, but it wasn't ours.

We've always done DHS/AK as 1/2 days parks...morning at DHS (for TSMM), afternoon at AK. We never had an issue getting FPs at AK (even for KS/EE). Crowd levels decreased dramatically after the parade, and FPs were easily available and for times that were not far out.

Any other hopping we'd do, MK would be the afternoon park. With how many attraction options there are at MK, we never had issues getting FPs there as during our visits FPs rarely ran out for any attraction that we saw, and if it did it wasn't til pretty late anyway.

There would definitely be issues trying to hop TO DHS or Epcot in the afternoon and wanting rides like Soarin/TT - but depending on how you chose to arrange your hopping, legacy did work well

I suppose a lot of it depends on the crowd levels, so that might explain our different experiences. Our trips are rarely during lower levels.

I'm going to bet that if fp+ were in effect, if we went in the afternoon there would be no fp available for SDMT or A&E- should we ever be chained and forced to need A&E that is.

Could we get some fp's at MK? Sure, but not the headliners at the time. It's the same complaint you hear about fp+- only I can actually get them now if I book in advance. With legacy, I was in the park, couldn't get it, couldn't wait for it to pop up- if it was gone, it was gone.

At AK, Everest was consistently sold out by afternoon. Epcot- anything and everything with a FP was gone- Same with HS.

 

[cakebaker]

Okay, yeah, I do see that now. You tour a little differently than I do, but that's most likely cause I'm local now. It's so weird touring when you live close. ahhh, the perils. lol.

Truly, my heart aches for you.

Every time I'm in car, especially right in the middle of that 2400 mile round trip with a 2 yr old, I think to myself-those poor locals!

 

[MaryKatesMom]

How about overlapping FP+ times so you could move seamlessly from one to another?

The herky, jerky touring style was off putting to put it mildly.

At least I'm not hearing the tired old, "You haven't tried it excuse" or "You just don't like change".

I went to make ADR's for a quick mother-daughter trip in April. Website wasn't working for days. It has been over a year now, how long are we going to be testing?



How about instead of spending time and resources "testing" things like stand-by lines we get what IS here working?

 

[grimley1968]

Thanks!! Now I'll have that song running through my head all day!

Let me see if I can replace that with a bigger classic (IMHO) that was discussed earlier in the thread:

The guests deprive FP+ of their tourist dough
But they just can't make it go!

cue Felder and Walsh.

Okay, so my lyric writing sucks.

 

[MaryKatesMom]

cakebaker, you are not new here, and you know when you disparage Universal and state that FP+ is better for hopping that you are introducing other arguments into this thread.

That is passive aggressive.

Poor Universal, always gets gets dragged into the argument. In August we did 6 nights at WDW and 4 nights at Portofino Bay. Uni was so much more fun even though it was crowded. Cakebaker, I know you like to wander around and enjoy non-attractions and nothing can beat Diagon Alley for theming, agreed?

Over the last 10 years the value of early entry has significatly diminished as more resort rooms came online. Nice to again feel like you have the park to yourself for the first hour.

Portofino Bay is a true deluxe, not just in price like WDW.

 

[mom2mickeyfan]

Let me see if I can replace that with a bigger classic (IMHO) that was discussed earlier in the thread:

The guests deprive FP+ of their tourist dough
But they just can't make it go!

cue Felder and Walsh.

Okay, so my lyric writing sucks.

At least this gives me more than 1 line to run over and over in my head!