VERY DIS oldtimer needs help with crowds, new fastpass +

[DopeyRN]

Hi, most of you will not know me, but I was here all the time a decade ago. My children grew up and we do not do WDW anymore, but we are going in January. I m lost and confused as many things have changed. I have a vestibular problem which greatly limits my ability to read, and so my exploring yesterday caused me to be very sick last night. (I used to know the Unnofficial by heart, but I have not read a book since March.) I need your help!

CROWDS...we are going January 7-14. Is this a busy time of the year? Will fast passes be critical to me? We are staying OFFSITE, so do not know what impact that will have. I used to know which days were good for each park, but now have no idea. Can anyone guide me on that?

FASS PASS +...I purchased my tickets at a discounted rate. I have the park hopper option. We will be driving and parking each day. Do you buy the fast pass +? I have heard you can do scheduling of fast passes online....what do I need to do that? Obviously I need to know crowd patterns to do that. Then I need to book a couple of food ressies.

I know I am starting this planning late. I have airline tix that are expiring and need to be used, hence the trip. I have been sick most of this year, so good planning is going to be important.

Thank you in advance for any help you can give me!

 

[DisneyBelle27]

Welcome back!

First, I recommend going to http://www.easywdw.com/ and checking out his crowd calendars and cheat sheets. Very helpful!!

- Also, if you don't mind sarcasm/snarkiness his blog posts are highly entertaining and informative.

As for FP+, there is no charge but it is CURRENTLY for onsite guests only (and Swan and Dolphin, which JUST started testing) and is in testing mode. You will not be able to make advance FP+ reservations for your trip since you are offsite, but you should still be able to pull regular legacy FPs from the FP machines. The issue that has developed is that regular FPs for Test Track, Soarin', and Rock n Rollercoaster seem to be running out by around 10-11am (see this post to see estimated times that FPs run out by. Just scroll down a little bit to the first paragraph).

Disclaimer: since it is all in testing this is the situation as of RIGHT NOW, and no guarantees are made about what will be the same/different by January!

 

[DemonLlama]

CROWDS...we are going January 7-14. Is this a busy time of the year? Will fast passes be critical to me? We are staying OFFSITE, so do not know what impact that will have. I used to know which days were good for each park, but now have no idea. Can anyone guide me on that?

FASS PASS +...I purchased my tickets at a discounted rate. I have the park hopper option. We will be driving and parking each day. Do you buy the fast pass +? I have heard you can do scheduling of fast passes online....what do I need to do that? Obviously I need to know crowd patterns to do that. Then I need to book a couple of food ressies.

Hi Dopey! I remember you from the old days You will be arriving the day we depart!

That should be a good week in terms of crowds, although the weekend of the 12th will see a larger turnout since it is Marathon Weekend.

Staying offsite, best plan is to avoid the Extra Magic Hours park on that day. We tend to strategize that if EMH is on a Tuesday for Epcot, going on a Monday is our best bet.

Here's the list of EMH park days:
January 7 :Epcot morning
January 8: AK morning
January 9: MK morning
January 10: Studios evening
January 11: Studios morning
January 12: MK morning
January 13: Studios evening and AK morning
January 14: Epcot morning


So our plan would be:
7th: Animal Kingdom
8th: Magic Kingdom
9th: Hollywood Studios
10th: Epcot
11th: anything but Studios
etc.


Offsite you will not be able to use the "in testing" FP+ system yet.

Best bet is rope drop to pull fast passes (the old way, in person at the ride) or ride standby lines first thing in the must-do headliners at this point.

Hope that helps!

 

[Dan Murphy]

Hi, most of you will not know me....

I sure do, Donna, great to see you.

Crowds should be fine, you are there after the New Year and out of there before MLK weekend. Fastpass+ is still in testing and it appears it will continue so into January. Offsites are not testing or using yet. Presumably, traditional fastpass will still be available, though it seems they run out quite quickly. Everything seems in a state of flux and confusion at the moment, maybe a bit more settled in the coming couple months.

Sorry to hear of the medical limitations, Donna. 's

Do I recall correctly you in the photo of the para-sailing behind a boat with another dis person so many years ago?

This might be of help also, Donna.


http://www.easywdw.com/calendar/january-2014-walt-disney-world-crowd-calendar/


Hoping your trip goes well.

 

[DopeyRN]

Thanks everyone. I will read the links a little later.

Mr Murphy!!! Nice to see you! Yep, I parasailed, but with my sister, not a DISer. Very good memory sir!

 

[curemyreed]

There is a Disney half marathon that Saturday and a full marathon Sunday. This will cause road closures and route changes within WDW. Since you are driving your own car to the parks you need to be aware of this. easywdw even suggests parking your car on-site and using WDW transportation as the Disney drivers will navigate the changes more easily than the public will be able to. When you go to easywdw read Josh's comments/suggestions for each individual day you will be there. This should help guide you as to the least crowded park. It looks like you will be there during a low-attendance time....that is great.

I note by your username that you are a nurse. If you were planning to obtain a Guest Assistance Card to assist you with medical/health issues that have developed since your last visit, then please know that system no longer exists. It is now called the DAS system and it is very different. There is lots of information and suggestions over on the disABILITIES thread. As a nurse myself, I can envision your vestibular problems potentially leading to a whole other touring plan than your previous trips.

The FP system is evolving and changing so fast. It really is hard to know what it will be like when you are there. At this point FP+ is only available to on-site resort guests, AP holders (I think), and in a different form to Swan & Dolphin guests. As of now the paper FP's you may remember from the machines near the rides are still available. You would insert your park ticket to retrieve a FP. However, they seem to be all distributed earlier in the day than you may have experienced. On a positive note, according to easywdw the crowd levels should be pretty low most days you are there, and that should lead to shorter wait times.

I hope you have a wonderful vacation!