What gets me most is the hypocrites on this board

[BayouMickey]

That may work for awhile, but I've got my doubts about long term when the real volume hits. I still have access for a few more days, so I just tried reserving some Epcot Fastpasses for tomorrow (I'm doing this at about 3:30 in the afternoon). The earliest I could get Soarin' for tomorrow was 2:20pm-3:20pm. I presume that by 6pm I would get worse choices.

BUT! you could get it!

 

[Postal68]

But when the paper is gone and all that's left is kiosks...there will be no same day FPs. Mark my words. If people can reserve them 60 days out, there will be NOTHING available on the kiosks the day you walk into the park. Same as what happened with table service restaurants. People will run to reserve ahead of time so they don't miss out. And there will be nothing left for people who don't want to plan every second of their trip months ahead of time.

You are 100% correct, and that is why I think I may have spent my last day in WDW. I'll enjoy the Disney "Magic" on the cruise line which we have done the last 2 years and is now more enjoyable than the Parks. And even when the ships are at capacity, we can enjoy the vacation just as much as if it was empty. No having to worry about "on" or "Off" seasons, unless we want to save a little money

 

[franluvsbubba]

You can't move your TSM time same day very successfully now. You are going to have to make a plan and stick to it when this is fully rolled out. It's pretty cruddy and unlike the ADR system there is no way to cancel a FP+ that you aren't going to be able to make it to so there will be tons of unused slots that other ppl want but can't get.

You are able to cancel your resv. It gives you an option on MDE. You can cancel or change and it won't get rid of your current resv until you confirm. We are going in Dec and it'll be interesting to see how it goes. I myself stopped doing TSP and just picked the QSP for the same reason as OP's. Don't like having to be forced to go to a certain park on a certain day cause weather may be bad, crowds may be bad, or we may just want to relax that day. All things you don't know 60 or more days out. <Sigh>.

 

[saskdw]

As others have said, it won't be long until you have to get up at 6am to book your FP+ times at 60 days out or you won't be able to get them for popular rides.

I don't believe that. The system is pretty much 100% live at all resorts for December. I've had no problem booking whatever I want so far and going back in days later to make adjustments. The only part of the new policy's that won't be 100% when we are there is the ADR's. There will still be some people with multiple ADR's booked before Oct. 31st, but I think the whole experience will be very close to the finished product.

Keep in mind the small number of people on DIS boards compared to the overall number of WDW vacationer's. 90% of them will not be booking FP+ the morning the 60 day window opens.

 

[BayouMickey]

Surferdave, maybe you can answer this.. Everyone is assuming FP- is going away, has this been officially stated?

 

[izzy]

I just got back to my room from spending the day at Epcot. I am so glad that I decided to do the magic bands, otherwise I would have been screwed. I was walking to Soarin at 10:15 this morning, and there was a sign that all fast passes had already been distributed for the day! I feel really bad for anyone who us staying in a non-participating resort or off-site. Essentially you are out if luck if you want to do any if the headliner attractions unless you do standby. I almost didn't do the magic bands and FP+ because I don't like my vacation to be that structured. However, if I hadn't done it, then I would have been waiting in some really long standby lines. I have to think that guest services is getting an earful from disgruntled guests, particularly the ones staying on-site in non-participating resorts.

So far the bands are working OK for us. The only hitch was getting into Epcot this morning. We were in line a few minutes before 9, and it took almost 25 minutes to get to the scanner. The scanners on the side we were on just didn't seem to want to scan the bands. It was really frustrating.

 

[LSUfan4444]

and that's part of my point. Basically if you don't reserve your FP 6 months out, your odds of getting one at the park are slim to none because they'll all be gone(at least for the main attractions) And because every FP is gobbled up the stand by lines are impossible unless you feel like spending a quarter of your day at each attraction

6 months is a slight exaggeration.

Right now people are only able to start customizing their MBs about 70 days out and the expectation is that FP+ reservations will be able to be made 60 days out.

Being that ADRs are made very regularly 6 months out, it isn't inconceivable that alot of people will have a good idea of what parks they will be in some time over that 4 month period between making ADRs and the ability to make FP+ reservations.

Now, for the ones who don't plan and don't make ADRs either, yeah, this is probably going to suck for you.

 

[sjs314]

That would be me. We arrive at Wyndham Bonnet Creek in six days. I get this sick feeling that our MK days will be limited to Stitch's Great Escape and the People Mover.

Don't feel so bad I arrive in 13 Days staying onsite @ AKL but have been denied the use of FP+ since I bought our tickets from UT and can not link them to our reservation.

IT says go to guest services they can fix it when I arrive, IT says I can get the much coveted BOG lunch FP after check in go to the concierge.

So far the whole new FP+ has not been friendly to me. Why it is tied to your park tickets when I have a onsite reservation is beyond reasoning to me.

 

[Postal68]

First. You can ride whatever you want. You dot need a fast pass at all that's why there are stand by lines. You say running the risk of not riding at all but that's not true.

The Stand By lines are unbearable when all FPs are gone for the day. For the people that don't like to plan, that means you show up to the Park for the day, there is ZERO chance of getting a FP for the main attraction because their gone. The Stand By lines for all of these are 90+ minutes so you get to do about 4 or 5 attractions in an entire day because of the waits in Stand By created by FP+.

No thanks, riding 5 attractions isn't worth 90 bucks a day X family of 4

 

[LSUfan4444]

I just got back to my room from spending the day at Epcot. I am so glad that I decided to do the magic bands, otherwise I would have been screwed. I was walking to Soarin at 10:15 this morning, and there was a sign that all fast passes had already been distributed for the day! I feel really bad for anyone who us staying in a non-participating resort or off-site. Essentially you are out if luck if you want to do any if the headliner attractions unless you do standby. I almost didn't do the magic bands and FP+ because I don't like my vacation to be that structured. However, if I hadn't done it, then I would have been waiting in some really long standby lines. I have to think that guest services is getting an earful from disgruntled guests, particularly the ones staying on-site in non-participating resorts.

So far the bands are working OK for us. The only hitch was getting into Epcot this morning. We were in line a few minutes before 9, and it took almost 25 minutes to get to the scanner. The scanners on the side we were on just didn't seem to want to scan the bands. It was really frustrating.

If you were in line before the park opened (and you didn't have magic bands) you could have walked directly to Soarin and done it via standby then with a short wait or grabbed FPs for later in the day.

Now, had you not arrived after 10 am, yeah, your options really start to diminish.

 

[meredith1]

Well said, OP. Well said.

 

[LSUfan4444]

For the people that don't like to plan, that means you show up to the Park for the day, there is ZERO chance of getting a FP for the main attraction because their gone. The Stand By lines for all of these are 90+ minutes so you get to do about 4 or 5 attractions in an entire day because of the waits in Stand By created by FP+.

 

[Son of Gadsden]

 

[surferdave]

Surferdave, maybe you can answer this.. Everyone is assuming FP- is going away, has this been officially stated?

I haven't seen any official statement on that; then again, I haven't seen many official statements on Fastpass+ and MDE at all.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

I feel really sorry for the folks who have offsite trips planned in the next few months, with expensive things like flights and rentals, and who don't even have access to FP+ yet. They didn't know all of this when they booked, so they couldn't have planned for it. I think this is the new reality though going forward...same-day availability is just not going to be there, especially for the top rides during the busy weeks.

I wish I owned stock in Universal. Because I think they will be the big winners

 

[Postal68]

I think one point that's really being missed here is that you won't be able to book FP+ 6 months in advance and won't need to book ADR's 6 months in advance. The average family will be able to book FP+ and ADR's 30 days out and get everything they want. There will be a huge decrease in the number of ADR's and the need to book places like Le Cellier 6 months in advance. ADR's will most like be available anywhere you like as close as 30 days out.

How do you see that? The new system encourages people to book more things in advance. We rarely get ADR because frankly we don't think most of the places aren't worth it. But occasionally we'll do the Hoop-De-do, Luau, or Chef Mickey's if it's available the day of or day before. With the new system I really doubt that will ever be a possibility unless we happen to call right after someone cancels.

 

[Talking Hands]

Since I can never plan my trips until the week prior because I don't receive the schedule for the interpreted shows until then, FP+ was a flop for me. Never could figure how to change times after I received the schedule so I could coordinate the show times with the few rides I am able to do. Not liking the system at all.

 

[meredith1]

AND this is after you've spent a ridiculous amount of money to get there.

 

[Schmeck]

Many people including myself are not happy with this FP + mess. I have been going to WDW almost annually for 30 years or so. Most of those trips have been in the "slower" seasons and I have never once did a rope drop or have I planned what my schedule was for the day. We have always been able to do basically everything we wanted to do, we worked around the crowd and used our FP when they came into effect.


This FP + system is a joke. I don't want to plan on when I'm going to eat and when I'm going to ride this ride or that 3/4/5/6 months out. That's utterly ridiculous. Now you can't even go to the Park and get a FP because they are all gone early in the day because most are taken up by these people getting them in advance. And forget about getting in a stand by line now for the big attractions. And a good part of this is not only because of the crap FP + system but from the people on this board that are scamming the system and double and triple dipping with all these FP's. People complain about the crowds on this board but then they're quick to point out how they got triple the FPs they should have because they used their Magic Band, Their KTTK card and their old room key. Ridiculous.

I agree with Disney charging people who don't show up for Dining Reservations, in fact they should charge them the price of the minimum meal X number of guests the reservation is for. If they catch you in the system with more FPs than the permitted amount, you should have your FP privileges revoked for your entire length of admission.

So silly. The permitted amount is all you can get - you're just assuming the permitted amount is one at a time, and it isn't.

You still don't have to make rope drop, etc. Just be prepared to wait in the stand by queues. They should be shorter since in your reasoning everyone else has FPs.

 

[DRDISNEYMD]

~LOL. I just read the first post but this really needs to be said, just go somewhere else. Seriously.

~A hypocrite is someone who repeatedly creates a "postal" type thread every single week ranting on a message board about their disdain for Disney and "announcing" to everyone how their "done with Disney." But yet, they continue to return. Ugh.... Just go.....

~People who love Disney World and who express excitement about their vacations are *not* hypocrites -- they're smart people because they're investing their time, money and resources into something that makes them happy and an experience they find value in! We're the winners! Yay!

~The people who continue to visit Disney after they discover the experiences are no longer of value to them are not very smart -- they need to move on. They're the losers. Awww. If I don't like some place, I don't go. Simple. So apologist, that.

~Also, I have never heard of packed parks in October, somewhat busy yes. Disney is busier than ever, which is kind of ironic. With all of the "I'm cancelling my Disney trip" comments for the past couple of years, the parks should be empty! Right?