Which aspect of FP+ are you most bothered by

[ParkHoppers]

You think it took a Phd to understand how to get fastpasses and how to get more than 1 for the same ride...well I must be 1 in a million then, because I don't have a Phd in anything, let alone in touring a theme park. It really is/was quite a simple process. All you had to do was to ask a CM during your first trip what a fastpass was and how to get it or read something about it.

I also think it's pretty naive to think that Disney does anything for the "greater good" or to make things as an "equal playing field" for all of their guests. The only greater good they're concerned about is money. Not to mention the fact that in all honestly, I'm willing to bet more ppl. used the old fastpass system than those who will get online to plan and to reserve their fastpasses 60 days before they even go on vacation.

You obviously didn't get the hint of sarcasm with my PhD comment. What I was trying to say was about all these people patting themselves on the back for their so called park skills which was the reason they DESERVED all those passes they got. My whole point is how easy it was and that they really did not do much more than the average guest. The fact that these people really didn't do much more than the average guest but ended up with such a disproportional amount of the passes shows a big flaw in the old system.And yes Disney does things for money but I for one feel they do care about their guests experiences. And if Disney can make more money while trying to make the majority of its guests happy that is a good thing. no? Disney will never make everyone happy and people shouldn't expect that they could IMO.

 

[MrInfinity]

You think it took a Phd to understand how to get fastpasses and how to get more than 1 for the same ride... It really is/was quite a simple process.

I also think it's pretty naive to think that Disney does anything for the "greater good" or to make things as an "equal playing field" for all of their guests. The only greater good they're concerned about is money. Not to mention the fact that in all honestly, I'm willing to bet more ppl. used the old fastpass system than those who will get online to plan and to reserve their fastpasses 60 days before they even go on vacation.

It's not that it took a PHD to understand it. I was awesome at getting tons out of FP-. And as has been said, it's not for the "Greater Good"... unless of course the greater good is money.

Disney knows the metrics. They know their average vacationer would be happy with 3 FPs and would be content to go on those rides, go on a few more standby, and spend the rest of their time spending money on food, drinks, souveniers, misc entertainment, and alcohol. <-- This is very important! Read it again!

A day-passer that comes and wants to ping pong around from FP to ride to FP to ride is simply the LEAST PROFITABLE customer Disney has! Think about it. They ride the most (highest cost) and they spend the least (least revenue).

A day-passer might spend $300-$500 on a weekend getaway
A vacationer might spend $3000-$5000 on a family vacation.

It is a factor of 10X I'm sure just how much more valueable that family of 5 that saunters in and enjoys the resorts and amenities are to Disney, over the Day passer that wants to maximize rides.

Yes we all pay our admission. And yes, it's hard for Day-passers to accept that they are not optimal customers... they generally like to think of themselves as the "staple customers"... the "ones that are there thru the thick and thin" etc. But bottom line is, they're not. Disney does not make much money on them. Disney's bread and butter is, was, and always will be, thru the hard times and now thru the boom times-- the vacationing family dropping money on a resort vacation.

All FP developments are always going to be geared toward that vacationing family that is more likely to spend money. PERIOD. You used to be able to get 8 FP, now you get 3. So what. The family that used to get 1 or 2 now gets 3, has a better experience, and spends more money. The family that is spending $3000 wins. Disney wins. The day-passer spending $300 loses... but seriously if you want more rides just go another day and get 3 more FP.

THAT is more Disney genius at work. Want more FP? Go more days! Now you are locked into buying their food another day to get 6 FP, and you become a bit of a better value do Disney. Naturally the commando doesn't want this. They want to spend the least (minimize days) and get the most (maximize rides).

You have to come to grips with what it is you want -- and realize that is not how Disney makes its money.

I don't expect commandos to like this, as it is commonly accepted that it is going to get them on less... not to be mean or anything, but to make for a better environment for their vacationers who are spending $3000 or $5000. This doesn't change my view that with a little creativity you can make FP+ work for you and have a magical time no matter how you visit.

 

[ParkHoppers]

Fuzzylogic we know Disneys first and some would say only objective is to make more money. The fact that they are doubling the amount of guest who get FP is IMO for the greater good even if it wasn't Disneys real motivation.

 

[brockash]

It's not that it took a PHD to understand it. I was awesome at getting tons out of FP-. And as has been said, it's not for the "Greater Good"... unless of course the greater good is money.

Disney knows the metrics. They know their average vacationer would be happy with 3 FPs and would be content to go on those rides, go on a few more standby, and spend the rest of their time spending money on food, drinks, souveniers, misc entertainment, and alcohol. <-- This is very important! Read it again!

A day-passer that comes and wants to ping pong around from FP to ride to FP to ride is simply the LEAST PROFITABLE customer Disney has! Think about it. They ride the most (highest cost) and they spend the least (least revenue).

A day-passer might spend $300-$500 on a weekend getaway
A vacationer might spend $3000-$5000 on a family vacation.

It is a factor of 10X I'm sure just how much more valueable that family of 5 that saunters in and enjoys the resorts and amenities are to Disney, over the Day passer that wants to maximize rides.

Yes we all pay our admission. And yes, it's hard for Day-passers to accept that they are not optimal customers... they generally like to think of themselves as the "staple customers"... the "ones that are there thru the thick and thin" etc. But bottom line is, they're not. Disney does not make much money on them. Disney's bread and butter is, was, and always will be, thru the hard times and now thru the boom times-- the vacationing family dropping money on a resort vacation.

All FP developments are always going to be geared toward that vacationing family that is more likely to spend money. PERIOD. You used to be able to get 8 FP, now you get 3. So what. The family that used to get 1 or 2 now gets 3, has a better experience, and spends more money. The family that is spending $3000 wins. Disney wins. The day-passer spending $300 loses... but seriously if you want more rides just go another day and get 3 more FP.

THAT is more Disney genius at work. Want more FP? Go more days! Now you are locked into buying their food another day to get 6 FP, and you become a bit of a better value do Disney. Naturally the commando doesn't want this. They want to spend the least (minimize days) and get the most (maximize rides).

You have to come to grips with what it is you want -- and realize that is not how Disney makes its money.

I don't expect commandos to like this, as it is commonly accepted that it is going to get them on less... not to be mean or anything, but to make for a better environment for their vacationers who are spending $3000 or $5000. This doesn't change my view that with a little creativity you can make FP+ work for you and have a magical time no matter how you visit.

I just don't buy it. First, we nor the rest of my extended family have ever been day-passers. We're not locals. We go down to Disney for about 8 nights at a time, every year and we stay on Disney property, sometimes deluxe, sometimes values. That being said, yes we got very used to being able to generally only ride anything with a line with a fastpass and being limited to only 3 is a big change and I think will end up giving our family an excuse to visit other places.

My other issue, is that again, I just don't buy that these customers that Disney is so concerned about making things "even" for (that in itself makes no sense to me, obviously it was a pretty even playing field, some would argue more so than now, with the old fastpass system), are going to do their research, put forth the effort to figure out fastpass + plus, especially long before they ever leave on vacation, if they didn't care enough to stick their ticket in a fastpass machine before while they were actually at the park.

The line/attraction "must-do's" is just very different for different ppl. Those who it is really important to would have been the ones that would have figured out and utilized the old simple fastpass system. Those who did not hold it as much of a priority, I cannot imagine are going to "waste" their time in trying to figure out and utilize the new fastpass system.

 

[ParkHoppers]

That is the genius of Disney in they come up with FP+ a system that will make them more money while making a lot of people think they did it to even the playing field even if they didn't.With more than 50% of guest never using the old system Disney knows all the people who now get 3 FP instead of the 0 they had before will be on their side. Now if even half the people who used the old system accept the new FP along with the 50% new to FP Disney has a huge majority behind them on FP+ The fact is a lot more people will use the FP system than before and Disney will make more money. Why would Disney change their mind on something that is a big win for them and the majority of their guest. Disneys real motivation doesn't really matter on this specific FP project. Only the results matter. And the results are better vacations for the majority of their guest while Disney makes more money.

 

[fuzzlekins]

I just don't buy it. First, we nor the rest of my extended family have ever been day-passers. We're not locals. We go down to Disney for about 8 nights at a time, every year and we stay on Disney property, sometimes deluxe, sometimes values. That being said, yes we got very used to being able to generally only ride anything with a line with a fastpass and being limited to only 3 is a big change and I think will end up giving our family an excuse to visit other places.

My other issue, is that again, I just don't buy that these customers that Disney is so concerned about making things "even" for (that in itself makes no sense to me, obviously it was a pretty even playing field, some would argue more so than now, with the old fastpass system), are going to do their research, put forth the effort to figure out fastpass + plus, especially long before they ever leave on vacation, if they didn't care enough to stick their ticket in a fastpass machine before while they were actually at the park.

The line/attraction "must-do's" is just very different for different ppl. Those who it is really important to would have been the ones that would have figured out and utilized the old simple fastpass system. Those who did not hold it as much of a priority, I cannot imagine are going to "waste" their time in trying to figure out and utilize the new fastpass system.

Good point! My first reaction when logging into the new system was that it was WAY too much foresight for the "average" guest. Sure I micromanage my vacation because I'm that kind of crazy, but most people I know barely get their ADRs done (and don't lose sleep over missing any), much less which rides when. Planning those details 60 days in advance? Not likely. If they do free up FPs once you're in the park and have used your allotted ones, I suspect it will work out better than the old system. I made a lot of FP changes on the fly on my smartphone at the parks, and the one thing that struck me was how easy it was to slide my timeframe (barring TSMM of course). Even Test Track and some other "headliners" could be shifted mid-day. To me, that means a lot of people aren't utilizing the new system.

In the end, I do think Disney is working to make the best possible experience for their guests. Metrics and such aside, it's the happy guest that spends their money at Disney. It's the unhappy guest that doesn't come back. Disney isn't a one and done vacation destination. People come back year after year after year, and Disney obviously knows that.

 

[Imhere]

It's not that it took a PHD to understand it. I was awesome at getting tons out of FP-. And as has been said, it's not for the "Greater Good"... unless of course the greater good is money.

Disney knows the metrics. They know their average vacationer would be happy with 3 FPs and would be content to go on those rides, go on a few more standby, and spend the rest of their time spending money on food, drinks, souveniers, misc entertainment, and alcohol. <-- This is very important! Read it again!

A day-passer that comes and wants to ping pong around from FP to ride to FP to ride is simply the LEAST PROFITABLE customer Disney has! Think about it. They ride the most (highest cost) and they spend the least (least revenue).

A day-passer might spend $300-$500 on a weekend getaway
A vacationer might spend $3000-$5000 on a family vacation.

It is a factor of 10X I'm sure just how much more valueable that family of 5 that saunters in and enjoys the resorts and amenities are to Disney, over the Day passer that wants to maximize rides.

Yes we all pay our admission. And yes, it's hard for Day-passers to accept that they are not optimal customers... they generally like to think of themselves as the "staple customers"... the "ones that are there thru the thick and thin" etc. But bottom line is, they're not. Disney does not make much money on them. Disney's bread and butter is, was, and always will be, thru the hard times and now thru the boom times-- the vacationing family dropping money on a resort vacation.

All FP developments are always going to be geared toward that vacationing family that is more likely to spend money. PERIOD. You used to be able to get 8 FP, now you get 3. So what. The family that used to get 1 or 2 now gets 3, has a better experience, and spends more money. The family that is spending $3000 wins. Disney wins. The day-passer spending $300 loses... but seriously if you want more rides just go another day and get 3 more FP.

THAT is more Disney genius at work. Want more FP? Go more days! Now you are locked into buying their food another day to get 6 FP, and you become a bit of a better value do Disney. Naturally the commando doesn't want this. They want to spend the least (minimize days) and get the most (maximize rides).

You have to come to grips with what it is you want -- and realize that is not how Disney makes its money.

I don't expect commandos to like this, as it is commonly accepted that it is going to get them on less... not to be mean or anything, but to make for a better environment for their vacationers who are spending $3000 or $5000. This doesn't change my view that with a little creativity you can make FP+ work for you and have a magical time no matter how you visit.

Excellent post!!!

I am both kinds of vacationers in your scenario.

At Disney I enjoy the resorts, the parks and the atmosphere. I'm happy sitting by the pool, I'm happy sitting on a bench for a while with a beer. We know which rides we want to go on and we only do a few of them multiple times in a week long vacation. We are staying in the resort and spending lots of money.

I'm the other guy at Universal. I have stayed at the resorts only to get front of the line passes. I go from ride to ride to ride. We have been known to ride Spiderman 4 times in an hour. In the parks at Universal there is nothing I want to do EXCEPT the rides. Sitting on a bench at Universal and having a beer or people watching? Not gonna happen. Just walking aimlessly enjoying the atmosphere? Not so much at Universal.

The thing I don't get, though, is people who have had magic made by Disney their whole lives. Disney has been the one thing in their life that ALWAYS makes them happy. People have spent countless dollars, and gotten their moneys worth, making memories for their families. Then Disney changes the way they hand out free Fastpasses and all of a sudden they are money grubbing business people who don't give a hoot about guest satisfaction. They are now a well oiled business machine who would sell their own mothers for a dollar.

 

[buzzrelly]

You need a selection that says "All of the above."

That would have gotten my vote!

Question for anyone…If I make FP+ reservations to one park, say MK for example, and I decide in the am to head to EPCOT instead, when I get to EPCOT would I be able to change my FP+ reservations or will it not allow me since I have MK reservations for later in the day?

 

[buzzrelly]

I just have to chuckle…I was just checking back to see if anyone had answered my question and it appears as though I killed this thread. My apologies. And yet, I went to the list of current threads and the thread about a "Strategy for Maelstrom" is still going strong…go figure!

 

[rluey29]

Thanks Disney for the not so much fun day today. Long lines(FP+), long waits for kiosks, blue mickeys for all our FPs, and done and out of park by 4:30. Sad to say that I'm Ready for our passes to expire.

 

[mydisneykids]

I voted other because they all bother me.

 

[Missymouse18]

Having to wait till 60 days out. I want to play w them now!!

The other stuff really doesn't bother me too much.

DITTO for me!

 

[Dallas_Lady]

It depends on which park I'm going to:

Magic Kingdom: The limit of 3 per day. That's way too low. It needs to be 5 for Magic Kingdom.

Epcot and Disney's Hollywood Studios: Tiering. I'd be fine with the limit of 3 FP+ at each of these parks if tiering were eliminated.

Animal Kingdom: No issues. 3 FP+ is fine for this park, and there is no tiering.

Agreed. I voted for tiering because it bugs me the most, but I'd love 4-5 in MK.

I chose other. Only because the worst part is having to sort through tons of threads about how much people hate FP+ on this board.

Can we please get a FP+ sub forum here?

This. PLEASE???

 

[dizprincess27]

Sorry for my ignorance, but what is tiering? I was there for the MB testing this past October/early Nov and we were still able to get ticket fastpasses (not sure what they are being called) We really rode everything quite a bit and had no trouble but obviously things changed majorly. Just wanna know what I'm in for this coming May. Thanks!!

 

[Davey Jones II]

Hey I certainly agree HS needs a 2nd kid-friendly ride to offset the demand for TSMM. And I think we'll see it in 2018. You say SW is "on hold"... but given what they're doing elsewhere, I think it's in the works. MK in 2014, AK in 2016, HS will be 2018 timed with the new SW movies. Just watch. The Streets of America will be leveled and a new kid ride, thrill ride, and TS and QS restaurant (much like ETWB, SDMT, BOG) will go in. They will pick a world from the new movie and build that into the Streets area. Or, they'll go the other direction and blaze the IJ Stunt Show. But they didn't buy Lucas Arts to do nothing. Think about it. It's coming. Just in typical Disney fashion, mum's the word until the day they break ground.

Still, we'll have 4 years of HS being a mediocre park. Eh, ok. We'll still spend a day there. SWW opening day here we come!

A normally reliable source said that a lot of projects -- including new Star Wars attractions/lands -- were on hold because of cost overruns with the Magic Bands and FP+. If true, that would be the worst thing about FP+. Why should we have to pay for their mistakes?

Was that report wrong? I hope so. But so far, I haven't seen any signs that it is.

 

[Davey Jones II]

Sorry for my ignorance, but what is tiering? I was there for the MB testing this past October/early Nov and we were still able to get ticket fastpasses (not sure what they are being called) We really rode everything quite a bit and had no trouble but obviously things changed majorly. Just wanna know what I'm in for this coming May. Thanks!!

Tiering means that you're allowed one FP for a major attraction, and the other FPs are for minor, or less popular attractions. So only one of the FPs is needed and useful.

 

[doctornick]

My other issue, is that again, I just don't buy that these customers that Disney is so concerned about making things "even" for (that in itself makes no sense to me, obviously it was a pretty even playing field, some would argue more so than now, with the old fastpass system), are going to do their research, put forth the effort to figure out fastpass + plus, especially long before they ever leave on vacation, if they didn't care enough to stick their ticket in a fastpass machine before while they were actually at the park.

But Disney is handling FP+ completely different than paper FP -- they are advertising it heavily, including sending out the flash drives/brochures and sending e-mail reminders of "you are now eligible to book FP+". And while it can be annoying to fine tune FP+, for a person who is not looking for a specific touring plan, it's not that difficult to pick a park (where they might already have dining reservations) and either do "Fast Picks" or pick three rides and take whatever times are given in the "Best option". If you aren't picky about what times you get, reserving FP+ isn't that difficult or time consuming.

Furthermore, I think you'll see a lot of Disney affiliated Travel Agents scheduling FP+ for clients. That removes the guests from the scheduling equation, which couldn't happen with paper FP -- the TA might explain paper FP to them, but the burden was on the guest to actually use them. If a TA gets them FP+, then it's just a matter of showing up at a given time, much like a dining reservation.

Disney is pushing the FP+ use very hard and will continue to do so because they view the pre-booking (and "locking people in" to going to WDW) as a key aspect of the whole MM+ investment. Paper FP never had such potential, so Disney never pushed it and just passively advertised.

 

[Planogirl]

This is absolutely correct. But you know the people that don,t like the new number of FP don,t want to listen to the math which is the biggest reason for the 3 FP per. They don,t want to admit most of the reason they use to get so many passes was the lack of participation in the old system. Nope! They earned all those FP,s in the old system with their superior touring skills which was getting to the park by 9am,running to 3-4 headliner FP,hit some early short lines then circling back to get more FP. Must of had a PhD to figure that out (rolling my eyes).Sounds like you know exactly what the old system was and the potential of the the new one. Good for you adapting to the new system and not thinking Disney just tried to hurt you and your family for kicks. Disney was just thinking of the greater good with FP + and IMO they are in the process of accomplishing just that. I hope that people not happy with the new system start to think it through a bit more and why Disney did this.

How do we know that more people will participate? Will the advertising be enough? And if they don't participate, Disney of course just assigns FP+. Will Disney assign those hard to get rides and if they do, will people use them?

I'm not convinced that participation will necessarily increase that much.

 

[Planogirl]

It's interesting because I believe that having fastpasses available all day long was more likely to lock me into a park for the day. I don't see the same when I think of just using three fastpasses. I'm not much of a shopper and a person can't eat constantly. (No matter how much I might try at the parks. ) What then?

 

[Disneylover99]

How do we know that more people will participate? Will the advertising be enough? And if they don't participate, Disney of course just assigns FP+. Will Disney assign those hard to get rides and if they do, will people use them?

I'm not convinced that participation will necessarily increase that much.

I really don't think participation will increase much either. I think Disney knows this, but I think Disney believes the vast majority of people will perceive it as a fairer system.