Where are we going? And why are we in this hand-basket?

[LoriABil]

I know, it sounds like the name of a "Worst Trip Ever" trip report. But I am seriously lost.

I have been away from the Theme Parks…board for a little over a year. Our last visit to WDW was in November 2012. I am that person - the one who must live under a rock.

First, this whole FastPass+ thing sound…fun. I think I have an idea of how it works: 3 FastPasses, wait in line, spend more money, have less fun… Do we have an "Everything You Need to Know" thread?

What about these FPs for dining? So no more ADRs?

Finally, in the name of full disclosure, I feel it necessary to share. I might be a little to blame for all of this. You see, after visiting WDW every year for 5 years (with DCL cruises sprinkled between) we went on our first non-Disney vacation. It was a cruise. On Carnival. So I think the Tiki gods might be punishing me with this atrocity. And now, the wrath of Pele is upon us all.

So please feel free to advise, help, vent at the new system in general, or yell at me specifically. While I'm not sure where this hand-basket is going, I know one thing for certain - we are all in this together.

 

[Robo]

What about these FPs for dining? So no more ADRs?

There is only one "FP for dining" and it's for lunch (CS) at the Be Our Guest Restaurant.

The rest of the ADR system is still available for the rest of the TS eateries.

 

[surferdave]

Welcome back. Please be careful if you're seated on the edge of the hand basket.

Mesaboy's thread is the best for info: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3143281

The only dining related FP+ is for counter service lunch at Be Our Guest. I haven't used it, someone else can probably describe it better. ADRs are still there but now require a CC confirmation, that's a whole 'nuther hand basket.

 

[amberpi]

I don't have anything to add but that the title of this thread tickled me.

 

[dfb]

I might be a little to blame for all of this. You see, after visiting WDW every year for 5 years (with DCL cruises sprinkled between) we went on our first non-Disney vacation. It was a cruise. On Carnival.

AH HAA!! So now we know what brought this on!!!

Actually I think it is my fault, I think I took one too many FPs last year...but I only did it for kids, I promise!!

Don't worry we'll have this stuff figured out and FPing our behinds off before too long!

 

[leebee]

if you are staying onsite, you better be warned about the refillable mugs, also. They,too, now operate via RFID technology. The volume of your drink serving and the frequency with which you can refill your refillable mug is now magically controlled and monitored.

 

[jrtoastyman]

I'll just say this -- to read the boards lately, you'd think the world was coming to an end with this whole FP+ thing. Don't be dissuaded. It is definitely still a work in progress and is not perfect, but as someone that has used it in the recent past, it didn't negatively impact my trip at all.

 

[dfb]

if you are staying onsite, you better be warned about the refillable mugs, also. They,too, now operate via RFID technology. The volume of your drink serving and the frequency with which you can refill your refillable mug is now magically controlled and monitored.

Do the refillable mugs now have a refill limit?

 

[goofy4tink]

Do the refillable mugs now have a refill limit?

It's not so much a refill limit. You can't fill a mug, gulp it down (or pour it in another container), and go right back to refill. I think it's something like 5 mins in between refills. The little magical readers, on the soda stations, read the bottom of your mug....if you haven't waited the allotted time, it won't dispense any soda.

 

[TiggerBouncy]

It's not so much a refill limit. You can't fill a mug, gulp it down (or pour it in another container), and go right back to refill. I think it's something like 5 mins in between refills. The little magical readers, on the soda stations, read the bottom of your mug....if you haven't waited the allotted time, it won't dispense any soda.

Yup. There is a little image that shows a mug filling. It's about 1.5 of the resort mug. I tried to gulp and refill and it made me wait. Only thing that bothered me about those mugs. Well that and sometimes it didn't seem to unlock for me.

 

[LoriABil]

Thanks so much for the replies. MasaBoy's thread was very helpful, and almost helped me find my Disney Zen. Then the Resort Mug news! Geesh! Why can't we go to unlimited booze like Carnival?

I do tend to gulp when I am hot after a day in the parks. Maybe this will teach us to gulp some water, then fill our mugs with soda!

I think it WILL be okay. I just hate the thought of relearning a game you have mastered just because someone decided to change the rules.

But…

• Ride all of the "Musts" with only 3 FastPasses in hand
• No Parkhopping (or if you do, no FPs for you)
• Find a way to stay entertained while waiting in lines of the other rides
• Try to ignore the barage of Disney merchendise-related e-mails that are sure to come in the future (they will know our every move, after all)
• Attempt this while having the time of our life in our favorite place in the world...

Well played, Walt Disney World - CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!

 

[Sandy Fisher]

I, too, was intrigued by the title of your thread. However, I read it the day it was posted and decided against adding my opinion.
Now I think I can do it without going on another "poor me" trip. Suffice to say that our last Disney trip is coming up May 2nd. And I'm not being a really super-duper poor me saying that.
It's just a gathering of the planets --- distance, age and health. It would have been our last Disney centered jaunt to central FL with or without the FP changes and the bands.
So we'll be doing less and paying more. And we have enough years of experience at DisneyWorld under our belts to know that that's what we'll be doing. We aren't what I call technologically limited, but GASP neither of us has an iphone. Shocked? Right. And we won't be "linked" to anything. We'll forego the customization of the bands and we'll NOT do FP in advance. We'll rope drop as usual. Park hop as we care to. And try to enjoy our favorites. DH is in for a surprise. I gave up trying to explain the changes to him................
We're gonna wing it.
I'd like to say we'd come back in a couple years and see how the system(s) have matured. Or not.
I'm wondering what the ride in the handbasket will be like when we get to the parks in May.

 

[shyjade]

Okay, so my question is...seriously, how was the Carnival cruise?? I am looking at doing that instead of Disney for our next vacation and having never been on a cruise before, I'm just not sure we would enjoy it. Disney cruises are 2-3x the cost of Carnival, so I'm not considering that route.

 

[siskaren]

• No Parkhopping (or if you do, no FPs for you)

Most people are recommending getting FPs for the second park. If you get to the first park at rope drop, you shouldn't have big waits in the standby lines.

• Find a way to stay entertained while waiting in lines of the other rides

Even with legacy FP you might've had to wait in long lines. Some rides that didn't have FP could have long lines (Spaceship Earth and Dumbo come to mind), and you had to wait up to two hours to get your next FP after you pulled one, which meant that if you didn't want to wait until you could pull your next FP and then wait for the return time, then you had to get in standby.