Waterparks - afraid FP+ will ruin our WDW trips

[moreymouse]

First, Jade1, we go to water parks as soon as they open and stay until mid-late afternoon (3:00/4:00) or may leave earlier if it gets overly crowded. What we do later in that day depends. Downtown Disney, fireworks at MK or Illuminations at EPCOT. It depends also if we have dinner reservations. We typically stay 7 nights (8 days) and usually Thursday to Thursday.

I'm actually glad we've pushed this off until next year and currently booked a trip to the Keys. I know someone else that is going at the end of April and I'm anxious to see what they think. They've been to WDW before so it will be good to see what they think. She told me that they FP+ rides are different teirs and that you can only pick one ride from each teir per day???

I guess my beef about this is that the game has changed and I don't see how it benefits the consumer (I first used the word "me" here but I think it is all of us) and yet it has made my vacation a little more combersome. So, waiting a year won't hurt and hopefully by then all of the bugs will be worked out and more books will be written to help me plan my vacation.

Again, thanks for your responses and I hope to see more posts from people explaining how they worked the water parks using FP+.

moreymouse

 

[WILDERNESS FAN 55]

First, Jade1, we go to water parks as soon as they open and stay until mid-late afternoon (3:00/4:00) or may leave earlier if it gets overly crowded. What we do later in that day depends. Downtown Disney, fireworks at MK or Illuminations at EPCOT. It depends also if we have dinner reservations. We typically stay 7 nights (8 days) and usually Thursday to Thursday.

I'm actually glad we've pushed this off until next year and currently booked a trip to the Keys. I know someone else that is going at the end of April and I'm anxious to see what they think. They've been to WDW before so it will be good to see what they think. She told me that they FP+ rides are different teirs and that you can only pick one ride from each teir per day???

I guess my beef about this is that the game has changed and I don't see how it benefits the consumer (I first used the word "me" here but I think it is all of us) and yet it has made my vacation a little more combersome. So, waiting a year won't hurt and hopefully by then all of the bugs will be worked out and more books will be written to help me plan my vacation.

Again, thanks for your responses and I hope to see more posts from people explaining how they worked the water parks using FP+.

moreymouse

No tiers in MK or AK . Go to Water parks stay till whenever and then enjoy those prebooked FP+ later that night ! Never would happen under old system all those FP's would be gone. Pretty great new system....not perfect yet but nothing worth cancelling anything over.

 

[RalphinSC]

No tiers in MK or AK . Go to Water parks stay till whenever and then enjoy those prebooked FP+ later that night ! Never would happen under old system all those FP's would be gone. Pretty great new system....not perfect yet but nothing worth cancelling anything over.

This advantage right here can make am waterpark touring a HUGE win if done wisely. Like stated, before FP+, you could NEVER hope to go to the waterparks until mid-afternoon and then catch a fastpass for Toy Story, Soarin, or to a lesser extent Rock N Roller Coaster or Space Mountain. Now you can hit waterparks, go have a nice early dinner, and still be able to go to a park and ride a few headliners with little wait. IT does take a teeny bit of pre-planning, but the benefit is something that was pretty much impossible to do six months ago. Might even try it on my waterpark days this summer.

 

[jade1]

First, Jade1, we go to water parks as soon as they open and stay until mid-late afternoon (3:00/4:00) or may leave earlier if it gets overly crowded. What we do later in that day depends. Downtown Disney, fireworks at MK or Illuminations at EPCOT. It depends also if we have dinner reservations. We typically stay 7 nights (8 days) and usually Thursday to Thursday.

Nice. So you realize you may as well (cost wise) have an 8 day pass I would assume, maybe even a hopper.

If you were to schedule late afternoon into the evening FP+'s, you would be able to decide any day of-if you want to open a water park, and not effect the scheduled FP+'s. So you can play the weather-but every spring we have gone (and it is many) the weather has always been sensational.

With FP- you went to MK and would have no shot at any FP's for that park, so with the old system-4 of your days would not have any FP's at all (3 water park and arrival day, maybe even departure day).

But now, all 4 days can have FP+.

Arrival day kick it off the with an evening at MK or DHS with FP+'s you would never have had.

During the week when you are there (even without changing on the fly) and you know you have the MK mountains for thurs eve (ex), you no longer just have Wishes but a pretty fun night waiting for you. Same with EPCOT-not just Illuminations, or TSM/TOT and Fantasmic.

If you decide no water park one of the days-big deal, go to DTD or open a park and burn off what you want, then hit your pool or DTD with an evening set already.

I just can't see it is a bad thing at all for what you are planning, compared to the old system.

 

[Sammie]

Slp87 & Lazer understand my concern and have offerred solutions. Thank you to all of you that responded (FYI - I didn't think any of you we're rude one bit, although maybe I should look up what OP stands for, LOL) However, ultimately I see that we'll (DW & I) need to either make compromises or possibly even miss out on some things that we otherwise wouldn't have because of a more regimented system that is being imposed upon us. I prefer to go to the other parks first thing in the morning and einjoying those rides throughout the day than getting on them late in the day. That way we beat the crowds. To me, its too much planning.

I hear what the rest of you are saying about just go and enjoy and that its not as bad as what the others say it is. However, I don't think you can totally discount what they're saying completely. Inevitably, until the bugs are really worked out (or most of them at least) things happen and it seems to always happen to DW. I think we'll wait at least until next year to go to Disney. In fact, we already booked for the Keys.

I'm curious to know if anyone was truly able to get a FP while they were at Disney (e.g. a day or two before) for a ride like soarin for some time before 2:00? When you spend thousands of dollars for a vacation you and plan so much, you hate to miss out on something. We have been fortunate and have been able to come back. I feel sorry for those that can't. Again, thanks for everyone's replies.

moreymouse

I just checked and for tomorrow. I was offered Soarin' at 9-10am and 12-1pm, so yes you can get it a day before and times before 2pm

 

[moreymouse]

Jade1, yes 8 day pass and hopper. DW takes care of this and I never can remember what we get anymore.

These last posts are making this look better than what I thought. People tend to resist change and I think DW & I fit that category pretty well. I must admit that I'm still not sure about the teired system in EPCOT & DHS. But I guess as time moves on someone will write a book about it. Hey, there's an idea. Who's in to write the book??? Or is Birnbaum's already publishing it,

The DISboard should open a category just for the FP+.

 

[DisneyDiana]

I think some people are over stressing/ worrying about FP+. You really are not locked in to anything unless you choose to be. We were at Disney recently and I was able to make changes for my FPs on my iPad from the room which I loved! We woke up one day to pouring rain. We originally had FPs for the morning but I moved them to the afternoon and we just hung around the resort and had a leisurely breakfast. We also decided one night that we wanted to go to Epcot the next day instead of AK. I again switched around my FPs. I had no trouble finding availability. I felt like I had more flexibility because I could move things around without even being at a park.