WDW Veteran Just Back -FP+ Exp.

[mrsltg]

I am just back from a family WDW vacation lasting from 1/3-1/11. We have vacationed at WDW 15 times in the last 12 years, so I consider us veterans. Further, I have been on the DIS for 12 years, so this is not a 'troll' post. Our last trip to WDW was in May of 2013, just before the testing began. I'll be honest and say I was nervous about this trip. The reviews on Magic Bands were so-so, and FP+ were pretty mixed, too. I was not a fan of FP+ before using it. We are rope-droppers, and we use FP throughout the day, the idea of being limited to three was not a happy thought. Our stay involved two nights at All Star Movies, and six at Saratoga Springs.

Checking in to the Movies, there was a long line that took a really long time. The Magic Bands are responsible for this. People either weren't aware of them, didn't understand them, or didn't want them but had to use them. The line was a decidedly unfun way to start vacation. Oh, and the pre-check-in line was no better. We brought our bands from home and the CM couldn't say enough great things about the bands. Apparently, these little bands really ARE magic, because they were going to revolutionize my life! Not so much. We walked from the main building to our rooms in 101 Dalmations. Three of the five bands worked to open the door (yes, we did the scan the first one, then scan each additional, waiting for the green light so as to sync them). Each time we left the room, a different band would work. It was like the lottery, but not as worthwhile. By the time we checked out two days later, one of the five bands worked. I'm not sold on Magic Bands. In fact, I think they should be doused in kerosene and set aflame. They were also spotty getting into the parks. We had to wait to have a CM come over and type the number into a handheld computer, then run the band again. All in all, they need work, and I'm not looking forward to finding out just uncomfortable they can be in the heat of summer.

FP+ is a nice idea, but it's applied so unfairly it makes it hard to enjoy. Let me explain. I am given 3 FP+ I can utilize. That's nice. We went to MK on Saturday, 1/4. We knew it would be busy, but our daughters wanted to ride Splash and the cars before they went down for refurb. Great. As the day progressed and the park got busier and busier, wait times got longer and longer (obviously). However, as onsite guests stuck with FP+, we couldn't pull regular FP. Therefore, offsite guests were able to enjoy as many FPs as they could pull, while Disney penalized their onsite guests with the ability to utilize only 3 FP+. I was not happy. I'm not going to continue paying Disney's onsite prices if the company chooses to continue with this practice. Further, I don't want to choose my rides months, weeks, or even days in advance. And, the tiering is ridiculous. I don't know how Maelstrom is on par with Soarin, but apparently Disney sees it that way.

That said, we checked out of Movies and into Saratoga, and I had a long talk with the CM checking me in. She commiserated on the bands and the issues I had, and promptly presented me with KTTW cards. Yes, I used them to pull FP. I'm normally a big time rule follower, in this case, I could not abide. Something needs to give.

So, at the end of the day it looks like this: I am disappointed in the direction Disney has gone with the "Magical Experience". It didn't feel particularly magical to me. I realize everything changes, and I have no problem with Disney making changes to enhance their business. I am/was planning to celebrate my 40th with a two-week long trip in August of 2015. Multiple family members were planning to come to celebrate with us. At this point, that trip is up in the air. I want so see where this "test phase" ends up. If it's not satisfactory, I'm not spending $10k. I don't expect this to change Disney, and it's not an idle threat. Simply put, if the experience is no longer positive, we won't be heading back. (Yes, I put this is a letter to Disney, as well as in my survey responses).

I'm happy to answer any questions.

 

[patty57]

I haven't used the MBs, so have no personal experience. It seems amazing to me that some people have absolutely no problems with them, and others have so many glitches. What a crap shoot. It must be really unpleasant when they don't function.

 

[mrsltg]

I haven't used the MBs, so have no personal experience. It seems amazing to me that some people have absolutely no problems with them, and others have so many glitches. What a crap shoot. It must be really unpleasant when they don't function.

That's the real problem. The system is not ready, and while it's being called a test, there is not a discount associated with the test, just a lot of headaches. We roll with the punches and know what we want to do, but for someone brand new to WDW? It's a bad experience that will color their opinion.

 

[QueenofScott]

We were there the 4th-11th. Having read stories like yours for months before our trip, I was a bit worried about the Magic Bands, but we were some of the lucky ones. Our bands worked like a charm from day one. We never had one problem getting in the room, getting in the parks, using them for fastpass+, or for charging back to our room. We loved them! I'm so sorry yours didn't work well That would have put a damper on our vacation if we'd had to spend time hassling with the bands.

 

[agavegirl1]

That's the real problem. The system is not ready, and while it's being called a test, there is not a discount associated with the test, just a lot of headaches. We roll with the punches and know what we want to do, but for someone brand new to WDW? It's a bad experience that will color their opinion.

This is a HUGE part of the problem. The long lines at check-in would not be there if Disney communicated the parameters of the "test" to guests prior to arrival. In addition, being part of a test, usually involves some compensation for the inconvenience. Disney seems to think they are above the usual "rules" of common decency when it comes to messing with someone's vacation. Right now, on any given day, the rules change. Can I use FP- in MK? Well you could on Monday but not anymore. What about HS or EP? Well, not if you are staying at this particular list of resorts. REALLY????

This "testing" phase was not ready for prime time and is the most convoluted imposition on guests' vacations ever to go uncompensated in the history of "tests" of new systems ever.

Eventually, when this is no longer a "test", communication to the guest will be integrated in their marketing (as it already is for me for October).

I feel so bad for uninformed Disney guests showing up and trying to sort this mess out.

 

[Laketravis]

I'm sorry to hear it turned out to be a bust for you, but I gotta tell you - I really like your writing style.

I hope your letter to Disney was just as clear, concise, and level headed as your post.

You noted that you were there from 1/3 thru 1/11. With the exception of your first day on the 3rd, the rest of the days were predicted to be fairly light crowds.

Were the conditions you observed aggravated by higher than predicted crowd levels? Or were the crowd levels relatively light and the conditions could get worse with higher crowd levels?

 

[Bluestars]

Your experience doesn't sound fun at all. I see no advantage to the fast pass + other than not having to go to a machine to get one. We have always gotten more than 3 passes a day and always gotten them in two parks a day. I am glad we are going in September, because I wouldn't want to waste my money going during a busy time.

I agree with you about not wanting to decide which park to be in on a particular day. We would pick a park when we woke up in the morning and choose fast passes when we felt like it. Then we would park hop and get more fast passes. I guess those days are over. If we end up spending all of our time in lines in September, we won't be back. We've never waited in long lines before and I'm not going to spend thousands of dollars on a vacation where I spend hours waiting in lines.

Maybe things will get better and Disney will at least allow additional FP+ for park hoppers at the second park.

The only people I see benefiting from the new FP+ are the people who didn't utilize the old fast passes very much.

 

[lugnut33]

I'm waiting for the first person to come in here and tell you, "don't go in 2015, less waiting for me!"

 

[jtowntoflorida]

We were at Disney in October and our bands didn't work to get us into the room initially...they had to apply some fix to get them to work (and even then, my husband's "magically" stopped working the last day for no discernible reason). It really does put a damper on your vacation to walk to your room--that you're so excited to see--and not be able to get in. We did have our KTTW cards, but I wonder how many irritated guests had to go back to the front desk when they couldn't get into their rooms. It's disappointing that this room access issue still hasn't been resolved all these months later. You shouldn't feel like you're playing the lottery every time you go to open your room door! That's a pretty simple, basic function that should have no bugs associated with it, IMO.

 

[wdwfreak]

I'm trying to stay positive for our upcoming March trip, despite so much evidence to the contrary. Like the OP, we consider ourselves DW veterans, having gone over a dozen times in the last 10 years. I am an obsessive planner, but the FP+ system seems like too much even to someone like me. Who knows what our mood, situation, or location will be 2 months from now? I am reserving judgment until we get through our March trip, but staying positive and open-minded is becoming harder and harder the more I read...

 

[mrsltg]

I'm sorry to hear it turned out to be a bust for you, but I gotta tell you - I really like your writing style.

I hope your letter to Disney was just as clear, concise, and level headed as your post.

You noted that you were there from 1/3 thru 1/11. With the exception of your first day on the 3rd, the rest of the days were predicted to be fairly light crowds.

Were the conditions you observed aggravated by higher than predicted crowd levels? Or were the crowd levels relatively light and the conditions could get worse with higher crowd levels?

Thanks for the compliments! We knew going in that 1/3 was going to be tough crowd-wise. The standby lines were long, and I'm not only referring to the headliners. I think everyone expects Peter Pan to have a long line in the afternoon - if you don't, here's a hint - there WILL be a long line for Peter Pan in the afternoon! However, at 1pm, Jungle Cruise was running at 80 minutes, Pirates at 65, even Small World was flirting with a half hour. Those are the sorts of things that give the indication of crowds. No ability to fast pass these rides was problematic. Working in our favor was the fact that we had seven more park days ahead of us, so we were not worried. For someone else, that was miserable. It did bother me that while we were paying for Disney rooms, we were getting less than the offsite guests. They could use the FP system (which works really well, for the most part), while Disney resort guests could not.

The rest of the week was less crowded, and the cold did wonders for MK on Tuesday (high 30s-low 40s). We spent 13 hours at MK that day and just bundled up. We also double dipped on FP, planning that this may be it for us as far as Disney goes (at least until this is all sorted out). On a truly crowded day, this system has no hope but to be a mess. The only difference will be adding hot, cranky people to the mix - not my idea of fun!

I know lots of other people have no problems with the bands, and that's great (truly). It also worked out in Disney's favor that we just sort of went with it instead of going gangbusters back to guest services or the front desk. We were able to do what we needed to do as far as accessing the room, but I would like the ability to have everyone's bands working so we're not afraid to split up! Also, the park entrance was a total mess. Again, we're patient and I recognize that the person working at the gate is not doing this to annoy me. Couple that with a sense of humor, and people are generally a little more interested in helping you .

 

[Laketravis]

Who knows what our mood, situation, or location will be 2 months from now?

For some people (me included) it probably seems pretty cool to pick out your 3 minute ride experience 2 months in advance.

And some people (me included) may also think while their doing it that it sure is a silly thing to do. Nawwww.... it's cool. But silly. Nawwww...it's cool.

Imagine some suit at Disney talking about how long the waits are at Toy Story, bet those people would really like being able to reserve their spot on Toy Story up to 60 days in advance (now imagine a bunch of other suits clapping at the idea)......

I don't think that really is the case. People wait in those lines because they want to ride that ride NOW. Like you said - who is going to anticipate that feeling/mood/situation two months ahead of time?

But it is a cool concept.

 

[mrsltg]

I'm trying to stay positive for our upcoming March trip, despite so much evidence to the contrary. Like the OP, we consider ourselves DW veterans, having gone over a dozen times in the last 10 years. I am an obsessive planner, but the FP+ system seems like too much even to someone like me. Who knows what our mood, situation, or location will be 2 months from now? I am reserving judgment until we get through our March trip, but staying positive and open-minded is becoming harder and harder the more I read...

Do try to stay open-minded, but ask for the KTTW cards up front. It doesn't hurt to have them, and they always worked for us. Try not to stress. I did at first (while planning), and I realized it was taking away from my enjoyment as well as my family's. So, while I am by no means all sunshine and roses, I did try to keep an attitude of humor. Even my kids started approaching the doors and park gates saying things like, "Ok! Who's not getting in today?!?" while laughing. I hope you have a wonderful time on your trip, and you are able to enjoy the time leading up to your vacation, as well!

 

[Laketravis]

On a truly crowded day, this system has no hope but to be a mess. The only difference will be adding hot, cranky people to the mix - not my idea of fun!

Nor mine.

Now that the paper FP's have been shut off in MK and all guests are on a level playing field in that regard, it will be interesting to see what effect that has on the lines. If 3 FP's really turns out to be the limit, that might be okay if the typical standby line is equalized to 15 minutes or so. But if the standby lines still have the potential to regularly exceed 30, 45, or even 60 minutes then those 3 FP's are really not going to seem like enough.

 

[wdwfreak]

Imagine some suit at Disney talking about how long the waits are at Toy Story, bet those people would really like being able to reserve their spot on Toy Story up to 60 days in advance (now imagine a bunch of other suits clapping at the idea)......

Well, the joke's on us. Hypothetically, the less we're in lines for rides, the more potential time/$$ we're spending in shops and restaurants. Or just milling about waiting for our next FP+ reservation time.

Plus, most reports are that lines are just as long as (and, in some cases, longer than) ever.

Ha! There goes me trying to stay positive...

 

[karenklo]

WE were there 12/30 to 1/3. Spent 1/3 at the Mk too! Our MB worked without an issue every time, from charging, park entry, FP+ and room entry. But we did witness many people having trouble getting into the parks. The MB has not been well explained to the masses at all. I read every FP+/MB post on here! But some people did no understand that this was their ticket! Some people couldn't get into EP NYE. Why? Because they had been at AK and did not have park hoppers. They thought the band was "magical" and gave them that. Also we witnessed quite a few people in the FP+ return line that did not have reservations made for that ride. They thought the Band was all that was needed to get into that line. Some CM just waved people who turned blue thru and others sent people away. Even though it worked great for us and we LOVED it, they do need to work out the kinks and educate people!

 

[mrsltg]

Nor mine.

Now that the paper FP's have been shut off in MK and all guests are on a level playing field in that regard, it will be interesting to see what effect that has on the lines. If 3 FP's really turns out to be the limit, that might be okay if the typical standby line is equalized to 15 minutes or so. But if the standby lines still have the potential to regularly exceed 30, 45, or even 60 minutes then those 3 FP's are really not going to seem like enough.

I completely agree, which is why we're not canceling our planned trip, just keeping on eye on things to determine whether or not the trip to Disney is worth it this time around.

 

[wdwfreak]

I hope you have a wonderful time on your trip, and you are able to enjoy the time leading up to your vacation, as well!

Thank you, mrsltg! Working on it. And thanks for the report!

 

[wdwfreak]

Even though it worked great for us and we LOVED it, they do need to work out the kinks and educate people!

Well said! I don't think the average (or first time) guest has any idea what the heck is going on. Think about how much trouble the veterans are having with it...it must be miserable for the uninformed.

I'm glad your trip went off without a hitch. Gives me hope for ours.

 

[doctornick]

Do try to stay open-minded, but ask for the KTTW cards up front. It doesn't hurt to have them, and they always worked for us.

Seems to me that the biggest way to avoid the massive MB related problems is to make sure you get "backup" KTTW cards at checkin. You should be able to get them -- yes, at some resorts (and soon all of them), they won't have the mag stripe or be usable for paper FP, but they would be handy if your MB can't get you in your room or in the parks. That way, if your MB stops working, you don't have to go immediately to Guest Relations and spend time fixing it. Use the KTTW card instead and go to GR when it is more convenient/less disruptive to get the MB fixed.