Why is everyone so upset?

[ArwenMarie]

I wonder if the perceived benefit will be offset be the online scramble for advanced ride reservations weeks in advance?

Yeah, I dunno. If it's anything like the ADR rush for certain restaurants...

 

[ArwenMarie]

Do you think that's really a sizable group, though? Onsite guests informed enough to make ride reservations a couple months in advance but who weren't well informed enough to utilize the original FP system?

I think so, as long as Disney sends them reminders to make their selections, then sends them the bands, etc.

 

[mgrayar]

Do you think that's really a sizable group, though? Onsite guests informed enough to make ride reservations a couple months in advance but who weren't well informed enough to utilize the original FP system?

I'm not sure "organized" is really the issue. Most visitors choose not to always do rope drop or sprint for every fast pass. This new system is perfect for the average tour plan, not the more extreme.

If reports are true, and they are in fact releasing the FP+ inventory gradually, including day before and day of, then II can see it working for a lot of people.

 

[DebbieB]

I just changed my FP+ for Thursday. I switched from Epcot to MK. I was able to get 3 I wanted - Jungle Cruise, HM and PP.

 

[clsteve]

I'm not sure "organized" is really the issue. Most visitors choose not to always do rope drop or sprint for every fast pass. This new system is perfect for the average tour plan, not the more extreme.

If reports are true, and they are in fact releasing the FP+ inventory gradually, including day before and day of, then II can see it working for a lot of people.

Still a finite number available per ride per day, though, and FP+ has not been released to AP, off-site, etc., which is approx 50% not using the system.

Under your scenario, on-site and off-site planners will now be faced with continually checking, right up to day of, FP+availability for major headliners- especially for tiered parks.

If there is any additional tiering of guest types (like a 60 +10), it becomes even more important to planners of all types and will really highlight the lack of true headliners in certain parks.

This already happens to some extent with the ADR system, of course. But Disney does not face a critical shortage of same type restaurants as it does with headliners. If you don't get CG, you can still pick up Citrico's, Artist Point, Jiko's, etc.

 

[mom2rtk]

Under your scenario, on-site and off-site planners will now be faced with continually checking, right up to day of, FP+availability for major headliners- especially for tiered parks.

That's a special cat and mouse kind of magic I want no part of.

 

[DreamSweetsLove]

I don't know if upset is the right word but I do wish my party could make plans together which just isn't possible for us this time with the way the new FP+ system works. It's a shame because it's very rare that we can get all get together over the holidays but we are making the best of a not so great situation.

 

[ArwenMarie]

That's a special cat and mouse kind of magic I want no part of.

Yeah, that I won't do. I will mess around at home til I get what I want, but once I am there, I really don't want to have to use my phone all that much other than as a reference as to where I am supposed to be.

 

[AmyB2006]

Did you try to make changes the day of? Like I said, I have been told there are some that are held back until the day of. And I couldn't book what I wanted even the day before...much less four days before. But the day of - BAM I could all of a sudden book them.

I could too. I switched my TT and Soarin' FPs around the day of. It is possible. It may not be super easy but possible.

 

[Magpie]

Do you think that's really a sizable group, though? Onsite guests informed enough to make ride reservations a couple months in advance but who weren't well informed enough to utilize the original FP system?

I object to the idea that making minimal use of the original FP system means you're ill-informed. We rarely used even 3 FPs a day under the old system, and many days we used none.

Why? Because we're early risers who travel in the low season. FP was almost never necessary.

I love the idea of the new system. I like that I can book the Jungle Cruise and BTMRR at night, and enjoy riding in the dark. I like that I can switch things up, and instead of rushing to the headliners with everyone else in the morning, I can try something different, knowing I'll be riding the headliners later in the day.

I didn't find booking my FP+ difficult or time consuming, either. I thought it was quite easy, even if it could use a little tweaking as far as being able to make multiple changes at once.

So yes, I am informed enough to use the new FP+ system, AND I was informed enough not to need to use the old FP system.

I can't wait for my next trip!

 

[ttintagel]

I dunno, it just seems to me like everything has become so unnecessarily complicated for relatively little reward in return. I'd rather have a simpler system, even if it meant skipping a few headliners and coming back after the crowds had died down. It would give the management an incentive for keeping the C- and D-ticket attractions, and all the scenery, ambience, and non-attraction stuff in tiptop shape, which they don't really have now.

 

[AmyB2006]

Still a finite number available per ride per day, though, and FP+ has not been released to AP, off-site, etc., which is approx 50% not using the system.

Yes, but you're not taking into account that regular FP is still in use by the masses AND people using FP+ that are pulling regular FPs with their KTTW cards. And other select few groups pulling who knows how many with 10 year old KTTW cards. :/ Granted the latter is probably only a few.

But still, when regular FP is gone, I think it will make a big difference.

 

[AmyB2006]

I object to the idea that making minimal use of the original FP system means you're ill-informed.

I agree as well. We rarely used regular FP because it just never was necessary. Plus, we are not early risers and RDers so racing everywhere in the morning collecting FPs was never on my agenda.

But that was by my choice, not because I was ill-informed.

 

[OtherScott]

Still a finite number available per ride per day, though, and FP+ has not been released to AP, off-site, etc., which is approx 50% not using the system.

Under your scenario, on-site and off-site planners will now be faced with continually checking, right up to day of, FP+availability for major headliners- especially for tiered parks.

If there is any additional tiering of guest types (like a 60 +10), it becomes even more important to planners of all types and will really highlight the lack of true headliners in certain parks.

This already happens to some extent with the ADR system, of course. But Disney does not face a critical shortage of same type restaurants as it does with headliners. If you don't get CG, you can still pick up Citrico's, Artist Point, Jiko's, etc.

Do we have any numbers on what percentage of park guests use ADRs? (I know it's 1 gazillion percent on this board, but overall?)

I would assume that this could provide some insight into what FP+ participation might be.

My guess is that there will be ample FPs available same-day based on my belief that the number of FPs pulled now is disproportinate to the number of people pulling them. Once FP+ places advance limit of 3 per day, the number pulled on a given day by, say noon, will decrease and continue throughout the day because those not planning now won't be planning then.

Planners who used to run from this ride to that, manually pulling FPs, will do the same from their smartphones...along with a few newer guests who embrace the technology.

And don't forget about the millions who have sworn off ever going back to Disney.

 

[robpa]

Do we have any numbers on what percentage of park guests use ADRs? (I know it's 1 gazillion percent on this board, but overall?)

I would assume that this could provide some insight into what FP+ participation might be.

My guess is that there will be ample FPs available same-day based on my belief that the number of FPs pulled now is disproportinate to the number of people pulling them. Once FP+ places advance limit of 3 per day, the number pulled on a given day by, say noon, will decrease and continue throughout the day because those not planning now won't be planning then.

Planners who used to run from this ride to that, manually pulling FPs, will do the same from their smartphones...along with a few newer guests who embrace the technology.

And don't forget about the millions who have sworn off ever going back to Disney.

Don't forget that more people will be aware of fp+ once Disney starts really marketing it(which they have not yet). If it becomes a perk for onsite stay they are going to have to let the masses know about it and how it works(If they ever figure out how it works )

 

[OtherScott]

Don't forget that more people will be aware of fp+ once Disney starts really marketing it(which they have not yet). If it becomes a perk for onsite stay they are going to have to let the masses know about it and how it works(If they ever figure out how it works )

Procrastination. Until Disney starts assigning FPs upon booking, planner still has the advantage.

Metrics. The data collection will be staggering. Disney will know generally what the follow-thru rate is for a given ride, based on day of week/month/year, time of day, weather, overall daily crowd count. They will know the rate of follow thru for a given demographic, and for you and your family.

From all of this they can adjust minute-by-minute.

 

[DPCummerbund]

Do we have any numbers on what percentage of park guests use ADRs? (I know it's 1 gazillion percent on this board, but overall?)

I've never done ADRs. First of all, I never know what type of food I'm in the mood for, or what time I want to eat. Secondly, large meals and amusement park rides don't generally go together, at least for me. So, we eat at TS restaurants occasionally, but it's not a huge deal. If there's one nearby that we've wanted to try, and the wait isn't bad, we'll eat there. If not, we get CS somewhere else. It just isn't that big of a deal.


I think FP+ "reservations" will be similar, in a "self-fulfilling prophecy" sort of way. If everybody thinks that you must book your FP+ precisely at the beginning of the window, and you can never change them, then they will do so. This will lock up all the fastpasses, and nobody will ever get to change them.

Contrarily, if people don't want to plan their entire day out months in advance, then there will be plenty of FP+ available for whenever you want to book. If people want to change their FP+ the day they arrive or while they're in the park, there will constantly be FP+ opening up.

So, despite Disney's elaborate planning, the success and flexibility of FP+ largely depends on whether people feel like FP+ need to be hoarded or not.

Unfortunately, it looks like most DISers are going to be hoarders.

 

[rastuso]

I object to the idea that making minimal use of the original FP system means you're ill-informed. We rarely used even 3 FPs a day under the old system, and many days we used none.

Why? Because we're early risers who travel in the low season. FP was almost never necessary.

I love the idea of the new system. I like that I can book the Jungle Cruise and BTMRR at night, and enjoy riding in the dark. I like that I can switch things up, and instead of rushing to the headliners with everyone else in the morning, I can try something different, knowing I'll be riding the headliners later in the day.

I didn't find booking my FP+ difficult or time consuming, either. I thought it was quite easy, even if it could use a little tweaking as far as being able to make multiple changes at once.

So yes, I am informed enough to use the new FP+ system, AND I was informed enough not to need to use the old FP system.

I can't wait for my next trip!

But by your own admission, FP is fairly meaningless when you visit. If I normally visited the last week of January, I wouldn't care about FP+ either. But somehow, I don't believe Disney spent a billion dollars on making ghost season visitors happy.

Jason

 

[rastuso]

I just changed my FP+ for Thursday. I switched from Epcot to MK. I was able to get 3 I wanted - Jungle Cruise, HM and PP.

WOW, FP+ is awesome. You're going to have no wait rides on Jungle Cruise and Haunted Mansion in early November. Lucky you.


Jason

 

[OtherScott]

I've never done ADRs. First of all, I never know what type of food I'm in the mood for, or what time I want to eat. Secondly, large meals and amusement park rides don't generally go together, at least for me. So, we eat at TS restaurants occasionally, but it's not a huge deal. If there's one nearby that we've wanted to try, and the wait isn't bad, we'll eat there. If not, we get CS somewhere else. It just isn't that big of a deal.


I think FP+ "reservations" will be similar, in a "self-fulfilling prophecy" sort of way. If everybody thinks that you must book your FP+ precisely at the beginning of the window, and you can never change them, then they will do so. This will lock up all the fastpasses, and nobody will ever get to change them.

Contrarily, if people don't want to plan their entire day out months in advance, then there will be plenty of FP+ available for whenever you want to book. If people want to change their FP+ the day they arrive or while they're in the park, there will constantly be FP+ opening up.

So, despite Disney's elaborate planning, the success and flexibility of FP+ largely depends on whether people feel like FP+ need to be hoarded or not.

Unfortunately, it looks like most DISers are going to be hoarders.

1. DISers are a small number

2. Most of them are abandoning Disney

Seriously, most will not want to commit to which day they will be at which park 60 days out. Of those that do and make reservations, a certain percentage will change their minds before visit. Of that group, certain percentage will forget to change FP+ before getting to park.