Tweak to 4th Rotating FP Needs to be Made

[SuperRob]

They really made this all too complicated. How about going back to the legacy FP, only using a magic band instead of a paper pass? OR let people pre-book two FPs and then use legacy-style once they are in the park.

It's really not. FP+ is exactly like FP- now, except that you can schedule your first three in advance, then hold one at a time the rest of the day. You weren't really supposed to be able to hold more than one Fastpass at a time before, but there were ways around that. This is more in the spirit of the original ... you're just using a band and a kiosk instead of your ticket and a receipt printer.

The problem with letting you hold three at any time is that the only people who will get Fastpass for evening shows are going to be people who get priority booking at 60 days (or more, who knows what they plan for later).. As it stands, while it sucks that you can't get a fourth pass if you FP a show, that's the tradeoff you make for KNOWING you'll have a prime viewing location.

So what Disney is doing now is saying, hey, if you really want a reserved spot for fireworks viewing, it's going to cost some time in line. I think that's reasonable, since otherwise you'd be spending the time holding a spot for fireworks. Seems like a reasonable tradeoff to me.

 

[MamaMeggie]

Best strategy for someone who's going to Disney in early May? I've picked my FPs based on the advice that you want them in the afternoon since the lines will typically be shorter in the morning. But if you can get more after your 3, then I'd want to use them up more quickly. ARGH.

 

[SuperRob]

Best strategy for someone who's going to Disney in early May? I've picked my FPs based on the advice that you want them in the afternoon since the lines will typically be shorter in the morning. But if you can get more after your 3, then I'd want to use them up more quickly. ARGH.

Book your Fastpasses for the busiest time of day (Early Afternoon on). Get to the park at Rope Drop, and ride standby while the waits are short. Use the Fastpasses to avoid the longer lines. Rumor is that the fourth FP will be active in May, but may or may not be in time for your trip.

Personally, I think it would be a waste to use a Fastpass for a fireworks viewing spot. There are ways to buy your way into better viewing (like the Fantasmic Dining Package), and you can't buy additional Fastpasses, so stick to using them for rides.

Good luck, and have a great trip!

 

[MamaMeggie]

Thanks! I know we will once we get there .

 

[Kristine316]

It sounds good doesn't it.. extra FP's after you have used your initial 3?

I think Easywdw makes sense on this issue, Josh seems to feel it could end up being a bad thing. He wrote about how it sounds great for you to have those extra FP's but, it also means everyone else gets those extra FP's too, which could end up making the situation with the stand by lines even worse than they are now. According to Easywdw stand by lines at attractions that never used to have FP, have doubled since the implementation of FP+. I tend to think he knows what he is talking about and if he is concerned about this, the rest of us probably should be as well.

Also... what will this do to Rope Drop? Right now those of us who plan know that RD is the best time of day to get things done but, could this new policy possibly change that? Will more people try to get to the parks as early as possible to get those extra FP's? What about all those FP's being issued earlier in the mornings so that families can get their 3rd FP done by early afternoon and grab some more? Potentially it could mean much longer stand by lines in the mornings, which in turn could take away the entire point of getting there at RD, if you go to RD to ride as much as you can before the crowds rush in.

I don't know, it sounds good in theory but, it might be one of those things where it's be careful what you wish for.

 

[goofy4tink]

I wonder...

So many here have conjectured that Disney wants people to spend a portion of the day in the parks and then leave to shop or dine somewhere else on property. However, this seems to indicate that Disney wants people to arrive early and stay in the parks.

I got two surveys, both pretty much looking at changes to FP+, as it stands now. One of the things that Disney seemed to be focusing on was whether or not particular changes to the current system would have you arrive at the parks earlier, or have you stay later. I imagine they are trying to keep us in a park for as long as humanly possible. I also think they are hoping to get us to cut back on park hopping. If you are park hopping, you aren't in a park, spending money.

It's not real yet. Disney stated that they are looking into the possibility of adding more FP+'s after all 3 are used. However, it's not a definite and there is no timeframe for implementation if Disney does decide to do this.

Later this spring has been the official statement. When 'later' is? Who knows. Hopefully in May.

 

[limitdis]

Those who are booking nighttime FP+s for attractions they can experience all day long are making a choice to experience it in the evening.

Not always. What if the night time fastpasses were the only ones still available?

 

[limitdis]

only people who will get Fastpass for evening shows are going to be people who get priority booking at 60 days

I don't believe that is true. I think they hold a certain number of fastpasses till the day of.

 

[Angel Ariel]

Not always. What if the night time fastpasses were the only ones still available?

You still have the option to ride stand by at any time of day. For wishes/fantasmic/illuminations/msep, there is no other alternative.

 

[JeffPort]

It's really not. FP+ is exactly like FP- now, except that you can schedule your first three in advance, then hold one at a time the rest of the day. You weren't really supposed to be able to hold more than one Fastpass at a time before, but there were ways around that. This is more in the spirit of the original ... you're just using a band and a kiosk instead of your ticket and a receipt printer.

This isn't accurate. The old Fastpass- system was intentionally designed to allow you to obtain a second Fastpass after 2 hours if the return time on your first Fastpass was more than two hours in the future. Disney saw fit to make sure that guests were not unfairly shut out of the Fastpass system just because their Fastpass reservation for their favorite attraction was much later in the afternoon or evening.

Disneyland in California still applies the 2 hour rule for obtaining another fastpass. You can get another fastpass at the EARLIER of (a) the start of your existing Fastpass reservation window, or (b) 2.0 hours after your last Fastpass was pulled/issued. It appears that they have ignored this prior concern/policy with their just announced "fix" to the new Fastpass+ system.

 

[mom2rtk]

Not always. What if the night time fastpasses were the only ones still available?

Then maybe you'll learn to schedule them sooner next time. The same way I learned after my first visit to Disney that I needed to get there at rope drop.

 

[Sparkly]

This isn't accurate. The old Fastpass- system was intentionally designed to allow you to obtain a second Fastpass after 2 hours if the return time on your first Fastpass was more than two hours in the future. Disney saw fit to make sure that guests were not unfairly shut out of the Fastpass system just because their Fastpass reservation for their favorite attraction was much later in the afternoon or evening.

Disneyland in California still applies the 2 hour rule for obtaining another fastpass. You can get another fastpass at the EARLIER of (a) the start of your existing Fastpass reservation window, or (b) 2.0 hours after your last Fastpass was pulled/issued. It appears that they have ignored this prior concern/policy with their just announced "fix" to the new Fastpass+ system.

Did the old FP have a option to book nighttime entertainment? If so, what did it do in that situation?

Then maybe you'll learn to schedule them sooner next time. The same way I learned after my first visit to Disney that I needed to get there at rope drop.

That's very true.

 

[mom2rtk]

Did the old FP have a option to book nighttime entertainment? If so, what did it do in that situation?

It didn't. But you can pretend this new system doesn't either. Nobody is making you book those. It's a choice.

 

[JeffPort]

Did the old FP have a option to book nighttime entertainment? If so, what did it do in that situation?

It did (and still does, at Disneyland). To accommodate this scenario, the old system issues special event fastpasses outside of the "network." This means that the fastpass issued for the special event in no way inhibits the user to obtain a ride fastpass immediately before or after its issuance. The special event issuance is completely isolated from the rest of the system.

Today, at Disneyland, this happens each and every day for the new World of Color show at the California Adventure park.

 

[mom2rtk]

It did (and still does, at Disneyland). To accommodate this scenario, the old system issues special event fastpasses outside of the "network." This means that the fastpass issued for the special event in no way inhibits the user to obtain a ride fastpass immediately before or after its issuance. The special event issuance is completely isolated from the rest of the system.

Today, at Disneyland, this happens each and every day for the new World of Color show at the California Adventure park.

Yes, but at Disneyland (and in this case DCA) you are not limited to 3 per day. So there is no issue of making policy for how to get your 4th. You just walk over to the machine and get it.

 

[Angel Ariel]

It did (and still does, at Disneyland). To accommodate this scenario, the old system issues special event fastpasses outside of the "network." This means that the fastpass issued for the special event in no way inhibits the user to obtain a ride fastpass immediately before or after its issuance. The special event issuance is completely isolated from the rest of the system.

Today, at Disneyland, this happens each and every day for the new World of Color show at the California Adventure park.

The only nighttime show at DLR that has ever had FASTPASS is World of Color.

The fireworks/MSEP/fantasmic (which is what we're talking about at WDW) did not have legacy FP in DLR or WDW (Illuminations also never had legacy FP).

 

[limitdis]

Then maybe you'll learn to schedule them sooner next time. The same way I learned after my first visit to Disney that I needed to get there at rope drop.

The whole point of the FP+ was to schedule the FPs in advance. And, I assume, to eventually fill in all the weak spots. Why would this tweak be a bad thing? I see it as a good thing. Why would you not want this?

 

[limitdis]

This isn't accurate. The old Fastpass- system was intentionally designed to allow you to obtain a second Fastpass after 2 hours if the return time on your first Fastpass was more than two hours in the future.

Then maybe it should be, allow you to schedule the 4th rotating fastpass at ANYTIME as long as it is not scheduled within 2 hours of any of the advanced 3.

 

[jade1]

Then maybe it should be, allow you to schedule the 4th rotating fastpass at ANYTIME as long as it is not scheduled within 2 hours of any of the advanced 3.

It's not a bad idea, and the system is designed for any of these implementations, good conversation.

So what are some examples of touring you are planning with this? Is it mostly to obtain a nightshow and be able to go about your day?

Seems like this would put us back to reserving late afternoon/early eve FP+ like before (since those are the busiest times and needed/desired more) and then hit RD for SB and grabbing the 4th every 2 hours, knowing your eve is set.

If you reserve the AM (9/10/11) you could schedule the 4th at RD, but it would have to be for after 1PM, then you could not try to reserve the 5th until at least 1PM (or 3PM if your 4th is at 1PM) when everyone claims nothing will be left anyway. If they indeed implement the rotating 4th, you could reserve 9/10/11 and grab the 4th at 11AM and 5th at 1PM anyway.

Like I say, I'm not against it-as long as I can reserve 3 later I'm good. But I think they want pressure on the system to reserve AM since everyone was planning PM.

 

[jtowntoflorida]

You still have the option to ride stand by at any time of day. For wishes/fantasmic/illuminations/msep, there is no other alternative.

What about not prebooking a FP+ and just watching from where 99% of the other guests will be watching? I've never staked out a spot for Wishes more than 20 minutes in advance, and I've never had a bad watching experience. I've never staked out a spot for MSEP more than 30 minutes in advance and never had a bad spot, either. Fantasmic always has the dining package available, which offers better seating than FP+ anyway. And there are plenty of spots around the WS to watch Illuminations. Honestly, I'm not really sure why anyone books FP+ for any of the nighttime entertainment because for me, they hold very little value, but clearly many people feel differently. I just don't understand why you'd blow a FP+ opportunity for seeing something like Wishes that can be experienced from practically anywhere inside the park, and even can be viewed rather pleasantly from outside the park as well.