Well... MagicBands and FP+, Our Experience

[mesaboy2]

Humor. It's not for beginners.

 

[Laketravis]

Humor. It's not for beginners.

Dude, you're bad. I mean...really, really bad.

I think someone's stalking me but every time I turn around they're gone.......

 

[Phil Dunphy]

I like magic bands but not fasspass+

 

[wisblue]

Humor. It's not for beginners.

If I was trying to be funny, I would be insulted.

I am just pointing out that neither FP system is perfect. Even people who prefer one over the other should be able to recognize that each has plusses and minuses.

 

[Laketravis]

If I was trying to be funny, I would be insulted.

I am just pointing out that neither FP system is perfect. Even people who prefer one over the other should be able to recognize that each has plusses and minuses.

Oh, was Mesa referring to you? I thought he was talking about me.......

 

[seashoreCM]

(May be repetitive because I did not read all 10 pages of this thread before posting this)

If the ride your Fastpass Plus was for is down, the "omni" FP+ given in its place should be honored physically simply by your showing up at your alternate choice of a ride. Without the need to reserve a slot electronically first.

Many of the problems mentioned in this thread show that paper fastpasses have their advantage over electronic fastpasses. With a paper system guests can't pull scams by saying that the electronic system is not working correctly. Either you have the slip of paper (the fastpass) or you don't.

 

[Shaden]

Sorry if I'm pulling this thread off-topic, let me correct that by saying:

I love MB and FP+. Sure, tiering sucks. And only 3 a day sucks. And being limited to one park a day sucks. And not being able to schedule the same attraction more than once sucks. But I love MB and FP+ !!!

Why isn't this on the "People who love FP+ thread" its basically a summary of half the posts there ...

 

[Angel Ariel]

I am just pointing out that neither FP system is perfect. Even people who prefer one over the other should be able to recognize that each has plusses and minuses.

Most people have been saying just that.

 

[vcgirl925]

For those considering going to universal/ioa you won't regret it. After 17 trips to DW in 14 years we decided to do a week at universal this past September. We were skeptical but went in with an open mind. We had an absolute blast. Their FOTL access to onsite guests can not be beat. Unlimited FOTL access to all but one ride, all day, as many times as you want. Their rider swap blows Disney out of the water. On most rides you have your own air conditioned waiting room playing a tv show or movie related to the ride. Service was great! Hotel was great. We were so relaxed and the kids had a blast on all the thrill rides. Add in being able to enjoy them over and over was priceless. I love Disney and I always will but this thread has me seriously considering skipping our yearly Disney trip. Really hoping they get their act together.

Thank you OP for your well written post and to all that added to it!

 

[magicbob]

Sorry if I'm taking this thread off topic, but I have to say that I am really peeved that Disney is eliminating the PERFECT paper FP system.

Sure, it sucked that you had no control over your return time and were stuck with what was available when you got to the attraction. And it sucked that you weren't sure if you would be able to get a FP for your favorite ride at a time that you could use. And it sucked that after you got a FP you usually had to wait 2 hours to get another one. And it sucked that FPs for some popular attractions often ran out in the first couple of hours after the park opened. And it sucked that you had to watch the clock all day to know exactly when you could pull another FP and to get back to the attraction to use the ones you were holding. And it sucked that if something came up and you missed your return time you were out of luck and couldn't get a replacement. And it sucked that, if you wanted to hop to a second park in the late afternoon or evening, all of the FPs for major attractions were gone. And it sucked that, if you didn't have a "runner" who was willing to run all over the park rounding up the FPs, it was harder to get them for the attractions you wanted.

But, I loved the old paper FP system.

Those things didn't suck for a lot of people.

 

[magicbob]

Sorry if I'm pulling this thread off-topic, let me correct that by saying:

I love MB and FP+. Sure, tiering sucks. And only 3 a day sucks. And being limited to one park a day sucks. And not being able to schedule the same attraction more than once sucks. But I love MB and FP+ !!!

Why isn't this on the "People who love FP+ thread" its basically a summary of half the posts there ...

And THAT is what makes it funny.

 

[wisblue]

Most people have been saying just that.

Many have been, but there are also MANY posts that have beaten on the fact that FP+ is awful, has made it impossible to do more than one headliner attraction without waiting in long lines, and is causing veteran WDW visitors to stop visiting.

While some of these posts may be seen as hilarious by the people who post them, and those who respond with their emoticons, I wonder how they are taken by first time and infrequent visitors who come to these boards for simple information to help them enjoy their trips.

If you don't follow these boards closely, you won't know that these posters represent a tiny slice of WDW guests who developed a touring approach that maximized the use of paper FPs. And they may not recognize the sarcasm behind some of them. What they see is people who are "experts" on WDW saying that visiting WDW is no longer any fun. And it causes them to second guess spending money on a WDW vacation and reduces their enthusiasm for their upcoming trips.

I think it's important that somebody provide some counterbalance to the gloom and doom that permeates these boards, even if that means that I have to take some shots from the hard core of frequent posters.

My goal is to help infrequent and first time visitors get some information to help them plan their trips. It isn't to develop a core of loyal followers who will respond with and at everything that I say. I don't pretend to be a comedian.

 

[bjakmom]

We cancelled our Mardi Gras trip,partly because of all the hoo-ha about FP+ and Magic Bands etc..and partly because of the lack of new"exciting"attractions,and partly because of the seriously inflated cost altogether...we've been 6 times in the last 8 years,and the increase in price,and decrease in value(in our opinion) won't allow me to spend my hard earned $$$$ on a WDW vacation this year...maybe some other time. We are thinking about going to DC,and checking out The Smithsonian Museums,and the other sites in our nations Capitol;it aint Disney,but it will be a LOT less expensive,and educational to boot;Loved it in the mid to late 70's on a Boy Scout trip....I think my kids will enjoy it too.

I just did DC with DGrD10 last spring break and we had an awesome time!! I hadn't been since taking my scout troop in the late 90s. If you contact your state representative they can usually arrange a semi-private tour of the Capitol- that was great! Hope you enjoy it as much as we did- DGrD loved every minute of it- we could have easily stayed another week if we'd had the time.
We are also looking for new vacation spots- Colorado is high on my list. Would love to take the grands to the Rockies while I can still hike and get up on a horse lol.
Our 5 days at USF last summer sold us on using 1/2 of our WDW trips over there- finishing the time at one of their resorts allowed us to truly relax and still enjoy the park atmosphere. They have definitely stepped up their game over the years.
So as much as I love WDW I'm starting to think they are doing me a favor.

 

[wisblue]

Those things didn't suck for a lot of people.

Exactly.

Just like the limitations of FP+ don't suck for a lot of people, and are more than outweighed by the benefits.

That was my whole point.

 

[magicbob]

Many have been, but there are also MANY posts that have beaten on the fact that FP+ is awful, has made it impossible to do more than one headliner attraction without waiting in long lines, and is causing veteran WDW visitors to stop visiting.

While some of these posts may be seen as hilarious by the people who post them, and those who respond with their emoticons, I wonder how they are taken by first time and infrequent visitors who come to these boards for simple information to help them enjoy their trips.

If you don't follow these boards closely, you won't know that these posters represent a tiny slice of WDW guests who developed a touring approach that maximized the use of paper FPs. And they may not recognize the sarcasm behind some of them. What they see is people who are "experts" on WDW saying that visiting WDW is no longer any fun. And it causes them to second guess spending money on a WDW vacation and reduces their enthusiasm for their upcoming trips.

I think it's important that somebody provide some counterbalance to the gloom and doom that permeates these boards, even if that means that I have to take some shots from the hard core of frequent posters.

My goal is to help infrequent and first time visitors get some information to help them plan their trips. It isn't to develop a core of loyal followers who will respond with and at everything that I say. I don't pretend to be a comedian.

Shhh... you're spoiling the plan! Scaring off all of the newbies means shorter lines for us sarcastic veterans.

 

[magicbob]

Exactly.

Just like the limitations of FP+ don't suck for a lot of people, and are more than outweighed by the benefits.

That was my whole point.

I agree. The benefits outweigh the suck for some and not for others. That's true of both FP- and FP+.

 

[wisblue]

Nm

 

[Laketravis]

Many have been, but there are also MANY posts that have beaten on the fact that FP+ is awful, has made it impossible to do more than one headliner attraction without waiting in long lines, and is causing veteran WDW visitors to stop visiting.

While some of these posts may be seen as hilarious by the people who post them, and those who respond with their emoticons, I wonder how they are taken by first time and infrequent visitors who come to these boards for simple information to help them enjoy their trips.

If you don't follow these boards closely, you won't know that these posters represent a tiny slice of WDW guests who developed a touring approach that maximized the use of paper FPs. And they may not recognize the sarcasm behind some of them. What they see is people who are "experts" on WDW saying that visiting WDW is no longer any fun. And it causes them to second guess spending money on a WDW vacation and reduces their enthusiasm for their upcoming trips.

I think it's important that somebody provide some counterbalance to the gloom and doom that permeates these boards, even if that means that I have to take some shots from the hard core of frequent posters.

My goal is to help infrequent and first time visitors get some information to help them plan their trips. It isn't to develop a core of loyal followers who will respond with and at everything that I say. I don't pretend to be a comedian.

That explains a lot.

 

[jon18uk]

4. I witnessed entrance point FP CMs not even WATCHING to see if the guests going into the FP line had bands, if the bands were turning green, etc. The CM would look away at some distraction and a group of people would rush in. Sometimes, the cast member at the "inside" FP scanner would catch them and send them back, but not always. Probably about 40% of the time I personally entered a FP line, the CMs weren't even looking at me when I scanned my band.

Does anyone think that there should a turnstile if they are just letting guests scan their own bands, so no entry into the FP queue unless your band scans correctly? Or just a rope across the entrance that won't be removed until the CM has checked the band is allowed?

Also a question for the OP, do you think overall including standby and FP+ you got on more or fewer attractions than with standby and paper FP on a similarly busy day? A lot of the expectation of only being allowed 3 FP+ will be that standby lines move quicker once no-one has paper FP.

 

[Laketravis]

My goal is to help infrequent and first time visitors get some information to help them plan their trips. It isn't to develop a core of loyal followers who will respond with and at everything that I say. I don't pretend to be a comedian.

I think that statement in itself is a cheap shot. Just because somebody provides an opinion that is different than yours doesn't mean they aren't trying to be helpful. Please review the posts made by the "small group" you are referring to and count the number of times those people, including myself, have responded to questions for assistance. You may not agree with all of the response, but that is no reason to take shots at people.