What are DVC'ers opinion of the current FP+ program? I am concerned...

[Dee77]

Seems like Disney is spreading fast passes out in a more even and fair system with Fastpass +. I feel like a lot more people will now use the fastpass system. How many could you get with the old system. Was it a fair system for people who don,t enter the parks at rope drop? How is a new system that gets more people using it by spreading the passes out in a more even fair manner a failure. Sounds like sour grapes to me for those few that could take advantage of the old flawed system by showing up for rope drop willing to trample their fellow man or women for the lions share of the passes. Doesn't really have that Disney feel to me. The new system IMO is better than the old survival of the fittest fastpass system.

Agreed 100%

 

[wdwlver]

We never trampled anyone either and if sour grapes is paying more yearly and getting less, color me sour.

 

[jodifla]

My personal perceptions that others may or may not agree with:

1. Major problems that may some year be fixed: since the introduction of the MB's and FP+, Disney has proven once again what most have already known for many years: Disney and IT is an oxymoron. Whenever it rolls out anything new that involves computers and the internet, it fails miserably, and then takes years to fix all the problems that the incompetents it hires for IT apparently never contemplated. Its MDE site is often extremely slow or crashes from too much traffic (didn't Disney IT think that more bandwith was actually needed than previously available). Then there have been constant problems with the magic bands not working that have resulted in long lines at guest servcies at the parks. (Our magic bands wouldn't open our rooms or do charging but at least they worked for FP+, and for many that is not true). It has been rolled out for four months now and all the problems still exist. Disney's historical average of actually fixing things involving computers and the internet has been three years, so I guess everyone should just get used to all the problems. If Disney IT had been hired to do the Obamacare site, it would have actually been worse than it was.

2. Complexity beyond the slowness: the MDE systerm must have been created by individuals who apparently believe everyone has multipole computers, uses them daily and understands all the complexities that a website might present. With MDE, you have to go to numerous places on the site to get done all things you need to do. You need to add your reservation, you need to add your ticket numbers, you need to add all those going to WDW in a family and friends list, you need to to do FP+ for all those persons, you need to customize bands. Unfortunately, Disney, the reality is that there are still huge numbers of guests who are not that computer savvy and still do all their reserving via telephone. Apparently the option for those guests is just to no longer go.

3. Doing restaurants reservations you want on-line takes forever: in the old days you could call and make 7 restaurant reservations for 7 different days in about 5 minutes tops. To do seven restaurant reservations on line you better plan to spend an entire afternoon. Moreover, you should expect during that time for the system to crash at least once. You have to input day, time, number of guests, wait for everything to come up , choose a restaurant, and often input again time you want. Then once you have it, you need to identify guests, do credit card guarantee, click off on the long, unreadable legal conditions box (is there any reason that has to be done for every reservation you make?), accept the reservation and confirm and then go back and start over all those steps for your second reservation. Methinks the system is designed to assure you don't change a reservation because after making one you never want to have to go through the suffering again to cancel one and make another.

4. Getting FP+'s you want on-line takes longer than forever: why oh why is the system set up the way it is. You have to go through each day, choose each park, choose guests, and then you get blocks of three or four times that are never anything you actually want. Why is the afternoon block designed to often give you a time at noon and another at 5 or 6, or the evening block one at 9 p.m. and one at 4 in the afternoon. What most people want is three sequential times in the morning (if that block), or the actual afternoon (if that block) with two of the rides that are close to each other having times one right after the other. The system never gives you that. You can make modifications and actually accomplish that, proving that such desired itimes could have been provided in the blocks, but plan to spend hours doing it to get what you actually want because you can change only one ride or time for each attempt and have to go through the entire process of picking time, designating guests, confirming, etc. to get each change done and often you have change some things twice or more to finally get what you want. Why don't they just have it so you can pick three rides, have all available times for those three shown at once and you pick for all three in one transaction?

5. The FP+ system is favorable to some and extremely disfavorable to others. Sure there are many who will be happy with the system such as anyone who goes during slow to average crowd times or goes long enough to do each park in two days rather than one so they can work around the tiered system or the three ride limitation. But it is very disfavorable to many guests: (a) those who usually park hop; (b) with the tiered system that prevents you from getting the two most popupar rides in the park on the same day, those who go any crowded times of year and those who go only for enough days to hit each park once; (c) by limiting you to only three, those who go during crowded times of the year and usually use FP to do four or five rides in MK, including those with smaller kids who must do Dumbo, Pooh, Peter Pan, Under the Sea, Barnstorner, Jungle Cruise, and similar long line rides in one day or do one or more of those multiple times in a single day; my sense is this is a system that is telling those with young kids to forget about going any busy time of year and essentially to forget about going period once those kids hit kindergarten and trips are limited to crowded times of year.

Maybe Disney can fix all the problems (dream on) and maybe it will come to its senses on the tiered and 3 limit system (don't count on it), and maybe it will actually figure out how things can be done easily on-line (never happened before), but for now my rating for the system is a D- and the "suits' who created and approved it should be shown the door because I am guessing its failures are actually going to cost Disney money both in the likely huge cost already incurred for the failed system created and in lost revenues because some who would go to Disney will decide that going to Disney is now just too hard to do and not worth it if you cannot get rides you want.

This sounds GODAWFUL! Can't believe anyone likes this nonsense.

Why we have plans to do Universal and only two Disney Dining nights in our week at DIsney this April.

 

[rkold]

To be honest, as it stands right now, FP+ is not "fair" to those not staying on property. If you are not staying on property, you currently have to use the kiosks the day you arrive at the parks to book FP+, which means waiting in line for a kiosk and then seeing what is available. Now, since most of us are DVC and tend to stay at DVC properties, it has less of a negative affect on us, but I certainly don't think this is a plus for families staying off property. Currently, AP holders can not book ahead of time. They might be testing it with some AP holders, but I just received an email from Disney re: my AP explaining how to use the kiosks. (In my case, it's not necessary, I always stay on property and thus can book ahead of time.)

I should share now, it's usually just me and my DD going to the parks. We tend to go close to rope drop and leave by 2, so DD can nap. We don't usually go back to a parks in the evening and we rarely park hop.

I was a FP+ tester in Oct and loved it then. The limit of only 3 FP+s wasn't a problem because we could get occasional FP-. It was also easier to book and change FP+s since there were fewer people competing for them. I noticed a lot of people commenting on loving FP+ went before MK, Epcot and the Studios got rid of FP- and so they weren't competing against non-resort guests for FP+s.

I went again in Jan (and we're going again in Feb) and I'm not feeling quite as positive about FP+ now.

Our first day in MK 1/14 it was rainy and we didn't actually need any of our FP+s. I did one to meet Ariel, but it wasn't necessary. It was how I love the parks. 1/15 was a lot more crowded, and when I tried to change on the fly to add a Rapunzel meet n greet, all the times I wanted were gone. Luckily, we'd gone on most of the rides we wanted on the 14th, because on the 15th the lines were much longer. Our 3rd day we went to AK, where we didn't need any of our FP+s because nothing had more than 20 minute lines.

I've started booking for Feb, but I feel like I need to choose wisely now, because when I get to the parks, if I change my mind, I can change, but the good times tend to be gone.

I don't like the tiering. A lot of people are complaining about TT and Soarin' and TSM and RnR being first tier, but I have a problem with the Epcot Character Spot and Beauty and the Beast being first tier as well! My DD is 36 inches and 3. If I want to book TSM for us, we can't pre book Beauty and the Beast, and it's not even as if the FP+ for it gives the viewer special seating, it doesn't! The Studios are really challenging. If we didn't have an AP, we would just skip the Studios now.

I don't like the fact you can't just pick one FP+ option. We don't really need 3 for Epcot (unless Anna and Elsa get moved to FP+) Heck, with the B&B tiering we don't need 3 at the Studios right now, and we don't need 3 in AK either. I would love to not have to book 3 FP+ because then I need to attempt to figure out what won't take away FP+s from other riders. It's extra work, vs before I could pick to just get 1 paper FP if I needed it. In contrast, I would love to transfer my uneeded FP+s to MK, where we do need them. I don't like waiting more than 20 minutes with my DD. I find it a miserable experience.

I've not so far has problems with my MBs. They've actually worked better for me than the old KTTW, and I love that when I do the Princess 1/2, I'm not going to have to worry about where to slip my KTTW while running! I also love that I can wear my MB in the pool. Again, no worries about someone taking your card while you are in the hot tub.

MDE, I wish the damn thing would open up where you last used it. It was annoying to just want to check my FP+ times and have to wait through its long and slow initializing process before I was able to actually check. I also had to upgrade and buy a new phone to use MDE and the app as of Oct didn't work on non-Apple tablets. (you could use the main Disney site full of flash, but not the app.) MDE also crashes a lot. It crashed more often than any other app on my cell.

 

[AZMermaid]

Question I have not seen answered... When do you scan your magic band showing it us your FP time? At the entrance to the line I assume? Do you scan again prior to boarding to prevent people from jumping sides? Kali comes to mind with a long side by side FP and stand by lines.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Question I have not seen answered... When do you scan your magic band showing it us your FP time? At the entrance to the line I assume? Do you scan again prior to boarding to prevent people from jumping sides? Kali comes to mind with a long side by side FP and stand by lines.

It's the same as it was with the paper FP's where you showed to enter and then they took it just prior to boarding or entering the merged section of the line except now it's the Mickey head readers.

 

[AZMermaid]

thanks!

 

[AmyB2006]

To be honest, as it stands right now, FP+ is not "fair" to those not staying on property. If you are not staying on property, you currently have to use the kiosks the day you arrive at the parks to book FP+, which means waiting in line for a kiosk and then seeing what is available. Now, since most of us are DVC and tend to stay at DVC properties, it has less of a negative affect on us, but I certainly don't think this is a plus for families staying off property. Currently, AP holders can not book ahead of time. They might be testing it with some AP holders, but I just received an email from Disney re: my AP explaining how to use the kiosks. (In my case, it's not necessary, I always stay on property and thus can book ahead of time.)

I should share now, it's usually just me and my DD going to the parks. We tend to go close to rope drop and leave by 2, so DD can nap. We don't usually go back to a parks in the evening and we rarely park hop.

I was a FP+ tester in Oct and loved it then. The limit of only 3 FP+s wasn't a problem because we could get occasional FP-. It was also easier to book and change FP+s since there were fewer people competing for them. I noticed a lot of people commenting on loving FP+ went before MK, Epcot and the Studios got rid of FP- and so they weren't competing against non-resort guests for FP+s.

I went again in Jan (and we're going again in Feb) and I'm not feeling quite as positive about FP+ now.

Our first day in MK 1/14 it was rainy and we didn't actually need any of our FP+s. I did one to meet Ariel, but it wasn't necessary. It was how I love the parks. 1/15 was a lot more crowded, and when I tried to change on the fly to add a Rapunzel meet n greet, all the times I wanted were gone. Luckily, we'd gone on most of the rides we wanted on the 14th, because on the 15th the lines were much longer. Our 3rd day we went to AK, where we didn't need any of our FP+s because nothing had more than 20 minute lines.

I've started booking for Feb, but I feel like I need to choose wisely now, because when I get to the parks, if I change my mind, I can change, but the good times tend to be gone.

I don't like the tiering. A lot of people are complaining about TT and Soarin' and TSM and RnR being first tier, but I have a problem with the Epcot Character Spot and Beauty and the Beast being first tier as well! My DD is 36 inches and 3. If I want to book TSM for us, we can't pre book Beauty and the Beast, and it's not even as if the FP+ for it gives the viewer special seating, it doesn't! The Studios are really challenging. If we didn't have an AP, we would just skip the Studios now.

I don't like the fact you can't just pick one FP+ option. We don't really need 3 for Epcot (unless Anna and Elsa get moved to FP+) Heck, with the B&B tiering we don't need 3 at the Studios right now, and we don't need 3 in AK either. I would love to not have to book 3 FP+ because then I need to attempt to figure out what won't take away FP+s from other riders. It's extra work, vs before I could pick to just get 1 paper FP if I needed it. In contrast, I would love to transfer my uneeded FP+s to MK, where we do need them. I don't like waiting more than 20 minutes with my DD. I find it a miserable experience.

I've not so far has problems with my MBs. They've actually worked better for me than the old KTTW, and I love that when I do the Princess 1/2, I'm not going to have to worry about where to slip my KTTW while running! I also love that I can wear my MB in the pool. Again, no worries about someone taking your card while you are in the hot tub.

MDE, I wish the damn thing would open up where you last used it. It was annoying to just want to check my FP+ times and have to wait through its long and slow initializing process before I was able to actually check. I also had to upgrade and buy a new phone to use MDE and the app as of Oct didn't work on non-Apple tablets. (you could use the main Disney site full of flash, but not the app.) MDE also crashes a lot. It crashed more often than any other app on my cell.

That appears to have changed today!!!

Some on the TPAS board are reporting that when they link their tickets, they are able to make FP+ reservations as long as it's within 60 days of today!

 

[Sammie]

We used them, loved it, excited for upcoming trips. We found the experience easy to use, quick to book and experienced no problems with booking or using or making changes once we arrived.

 

[Airb330]

s.

Remember, we at the beginning of the technology change. After a year or two, the bumps will be smoothed out, in my opinion. Disney wants to cut the lines down and shopping and eating up. I think folks should complain about what impacts their trips. The mouse will try to adjust and the new technology will help make it easier to change.

A year or two doesn't seem quite acceptable though. That's a long time, and a lot of vacations that may be sub-optimal. Heck, we had massive issues with our KTTW last June! There have been teething problems with this whole system since Day 1. What I bolded, is what the original FastPass system did. I agree, I think they wanted FP+ to be even more efficient, in order to avoid lines so we can spend money. Fp+, however, just seems to have increased standby and FP lines.

I'm usually not for the "if it ain't broke..." but in this case it seems true. I don't see how magic bands would ever make me want to spend more money. The old FP system worked great. If they really felt a 'band' and RFID would make people spend money, they could have developed it to where you tap your magic band and a paper FP spits out, it sends you an Email & updates the app. Similar to the old system, but still working in the RFID. It isn't 60 days out though and I guess the real master plan is trying to control crowds even more. In regards to fairness, the new system is so slow and convoluted, first-timers are going to be just as overwhelmed or confused. If guests couldn't understand the old FP system, then they are not going to take the time to understand the new FP+ system either. As so eloquently put by drusba. I agree with his/her post 100%. Disney IT is just god awful, this was clearly too ambitious. I can see how FP+ could work, but I do not have the confidence it will ever work as well as the old system it replaces.

I'm an engineer, and generally get how much capital projects cost. For example, I wouldn't be shocked if the new mine train is 200 million dollars. FP+ costing over a billion though--and possibly being worse than what it replaces, boggles my mind! Make some changes to FP/website/app and build 2-3 new rides. That's one billion dollars better spent IMO.