WIRED article: Disney's $1 Billion Bet on a Magical Wristband

[HydroGuy]

Those who say that MDE/FP+ reduces spontaneity, I think there is an obvious truth to that. Those who say that FP+ results in less FPs per day for those who knew how to work legacy FP, there is obvious truth to that. Being a DLR vet I am still astounded about the need at WDW to chose your park months in advance in order to get the ADRs you want.

For those who do not do ADRs then, yes, FP+ is tying you to a park with a loss of spontaneity. But if like many folks on this forum you do make ADRs, then you are already tied to a park at the 60 or 30 day point. The additional loss of spontaneity for FP+ at that point is not that much.

But as I posted in earlier in this thread, I am starting to see how the drive towards RD and legacy FP collecting (while yes, it was flexible in principle) it still had an inflexible element that drove you to get up early and get to the parks to get those FPs. In that way MDE/FP+ can result in more spontaneity. As in you can decide at the last minute to sleep in one day and/or have a late breakfast where before you did not feel you had that choice and had to get to the parks.

Before anyone jumps on me I am not saying that MDE/FP+ is more spontaneous than legacy FP. I am saying that there was some hidden inflexibility in the old system that many of us had gotten accustomed to. In some ways I can see how FP+ can help here. But as others have pointed out again and again, it does depend on how one personally tours and how much they like or dislike planning in advance.

 

[jade1]

It depends on ones definition of maxing out fp capabilities. We very easily got 6-8 fp in MK with how we toured. No running. But our re-rides were most often for Buzz and Space...close together, and available for the vast majority of the day on our trips.

Yea those were wide open with FP+ as well well into the evening.

 

[mesaboy2]

Those who say that MDE/FP+ reduces spontaneity, I think there is an obvious truth to that. Those who say that FP+ results in less FPs per day for those who knew how to work legacy FP, there is obvious truth to that. Being a DLR vet I am still astounded about the need at WDW to chose your park months in advance in order to get the ADRs you want.

For those who do not do ADRs then, yes, FP+ is tying you to a park with a loss of spontaneity. But if like many folks on this forum you do make ADRs, then you are already tied to a park at the 60 or 30 day point. The additional loss of spontaneity for FP+ at that point is not that much.

But as I posted in earlier in this thread, I am starting to see how the drive towards RD and legacy FP collecting (while yes, it was flexible in principle) it still had an inflexible element that drove you to get up early and get to the parks to get those FPs. In that way MDE/FP+ can result in more spontaneity. As in you can decide at the last minute to sleep in one day and/or have a late breakfast where before you did not feel you had that choice and had to get to the parks.

Before anyone jumps on me I am not saying that MDE/FP+ is more spontaneous than legacy FP. I am saying that there was some hidden inflexibility in the old system that many of us had gotten accustomed to and FP+. In some ways I can see how FP+ can help here. But as other have pointed out again and again, it does depend on how one personally tours and how much they like or dislike planning in advance.

A completely reasonable post, IMHO.

 

[Violet Parr]

What is min-maxing? I'm reading the comments on the linked Wired article on Metafilter and I'm not sure I understand what that is. It used to be that I could go a few years between Disney vacations and I'd get back on the disboards to plan again and it would take a day to figure out what was new and what had changed. Now, I go a few months between trips and I'm sooooo not clued in on what is up. I have no desire to game the system. I've been so many times that deep down I know it's gotten a little old (like a favorite sweater though, so I won't stop going) and I have the luxury of just sitting around on a park bench or stopping for a drink (or 4) at Mizner's, so I don't need quadruple fastpasses.

But what is min-maxing?

 

[jade1]

For those who do not do ADRs then, yes, FP+ is tying you to a park with a loss of spontaneity. But if like many folks on this forum you do make ADRs, then you are already tied to a park at the 60 or 30 day point. The additional loss of spontaneity for FP+ at that point is not that much.

But as I posted in earlier in this thread, I am starting to see how the drive towards RD and legacy FP collecting (while yes, it was flexible in principle) it still had an inflexible element that drove you to get up early and get to the parks to get those FPs. In that way MDE/FP+ can result in more spontaneity. As in you can decide at the last minute to sleep in one day and/or have a late breakfast where before you did not feel you had that choice and had to get to the parks.

Before anyone jumps on me I am not saying that MDE/FP+ is more spontaneous than legacy FP. I am saying that there was some hidden inflexibility in the old system that many of us had gotten accustomed to and FP+. In some ways I can see how FP+ can help here. But as other have pointed out again and again, it does depend on how one personally tours and how much they like or dislike planning in advance.

A great post thank you.

Now add in arrival day, fishing, golfing and yes UNI, at least certain times of the year.

 

[Violet Parr]

To be more specific, someone in the metafilter comments said that people were tricking the system into thinking they were two separate families by having their resort on one account and tickets on another? Are they just referring to the campground throwaway-room thing?

 

[ArwenMarie]

To be more specific, someone in the metafilter comments said that people were tricking the system into thinking they were two separate families by having their resort on one account and tickets on another? Are they just referring to the campground throwaway-room thing?

Hmm I don't think that is the throwaway room thing. That's the other loophole in the Maximize your FP thread. Where you get extra same days FPs

 

[Violet Parr]

Just did a quick scan of that thread. Good grief. I guess if you're really, REALLY into re-riding everything, that would be worth the effort. I just find that even with 3 FP+, we ride everything we want, sometimes more than once, and have never once even used SDFP. But even if we could, riding that many more rides means less time sitting on park benches, or drinking at La Cava. Or letting the kids hang out with ducks. At Epcot, we really do like riding Test Track more than once, but if we don't, no big deal. I just can't see how people squeeze in that many rides and still have time to relax, eat, swim, etc. Long leisurely afternoon tea at the GF, or hanging out in the UK garden area enjoying a pint while the kids run around in the maze.

I used to be a super WDW planner, but I think after taking a few trips overseas and to other places, I've found that there is something to be said for enough being enough. 3 FP+ works fine for me. One or two days out of our trips, I probably could use an extra 1 or 2, but not enough to go through all of that trouble, carrying around extra MB, etc. I have enough old MB that I could probably pull it off, too, but why bother?

 

[Angel Ariel]

Yea those were wide open with FP+ as well well into the evening.

Unfortunately, not on our trip.

 

[JimmyV]

On the other hand, already knowing what park we're going to, and knowing what rides we've got blocked out during that time, means that when we walk into Epcot first thing in the morning and see that the line for Spaceship Earth is only 10 minutes, we can SPONTANEOUSLY decide to jump into that line and ride, well aware that we have over an hour to get to Soarin'.

Sure. You could. But if you have a FP booked for Soarin', then perforce, you do not have one for Test Track. So while you are revelling in the glory of your spontaneity at Spaceship Earth, the Standby Line at Test Track is quickly building to 70 minutes. In reality, most people, (pre-planners or spur-of-the-moment folks) are going to make a beeline for TT when they walk into Epcot first thing in the morning, and the notion of spontaneity goes out the window. Having a single FP+ for a tiered attraction doesn't make most people spontaneous. To the contrary. It almost dictates what their first move of the day will be. This is not to say that some people won't jump in the Spaceship Earth line as they walk in the park. But if they wait 5 minutes there and 70 minutes for Test Track, they will spend more time in line than the person who heads straight to TT and waits 15 minutes there, and later waits 20 minutes for Spaceship Earth.

But there is a bigger picture to spontaneity that gets lost here. Most of the discussion centers on the "micro". But there is a "macro" to spontaneity. Do a quick search for threads asking for advice as to which park is the best one to visit when it rains. In reading those threads, you will note two constant themes. First, locals and people with experience will tell you that advance forecasts cannot be trusted. You have to wait until you are there to figure out what the weather will be. In other words, advanced planning won't help you here. The second thing you will see over and over again is that people have their own ideas as to which park is best. The whole reason people ask the question in the first place is to get good ideas where to go if their day is going to be a rainy one. But does any of that matter if you locked in your FPs for the day? Personally, I prefer Epcot as my rainy day park. By a wide margin. But if I arrive only to find that my one and only day of persistent rain is the day that I booked the MK (where BTMRR won't be much fun in a driving rain, nor would 7DMT, nor would Astro Orbiter, nor would watching the parade, etc., etc.), what do I do? Do I spontaneously decide at 7:00 a.m. to head to Epcot where the FPs for the headliners are all distributed? Before FP+, this was an easy "on the fly" change to make. "Honey! Ginger Zee says it's going to rain all day in Orlando. We should go to Epcot today instead of the Magic Kingdom." Boom. Done. It is a lot more cumbersome now, and there is really no argument to the contrary.

 

[jade1]

But if I arrive only to find that my one and only day of persistent rain is the day that I booked the MK (where BTMRR won't be much fun in a driving rain, nor would 7DMT, nor would Astro Orbiter, nor would watching the parade, etc., etc.), what do I do? Do I spontaneously decide at 7:00 a.m. to head to Epcot where the FPs for the headliners are all distributed? Before FP+, this was an easy "on the fly" change to make. "Honey! Ginger Zee says it's going to rain all day in Orlando. We should go to Epcot today instead of the Magic Kingdom." Boom. Done. It is a lot more cumbersome now, and there is really no argument to the contrary.

I don't think in 40 trips we have had a whole day of rain and rarely even one day has any rain (although in summer trips it rained every day an hour or so), but regardless-that is why we reserve evening FP+, if it is MK then we would just hit EPCOT (if that's your rainy day park) and hit MK that night.

Of course of lot of us will see it raining and not leave the hotel.

And then there's the just get them when you get there-with rain there will be even fewer folks anyway.

 

[JimmyV]

I don't think in 40 trips we have had a whole day of rain and rarely even one day has any rain

Don't you typically go around Christmas/New Year's?

December
Average Precipitation: 2.58 inches

January
Average Precipitation: 2.35 inches

I have been in the summer and fall and had many days of "all day rain"

June
Average Precipitation: 7.58 inches

July
Average Precipitation: 7.27 inches

August
Average Precipitation: 7.13 inches

September
Average Precipitation: 6.06 inches

It's tough to try to win this argument by asserting that there are never days of persistent rain from June through September. And the rainiest trip I ever took was in February. One could certainly not call those storms "one hour storms".

 

[Magpie]

I like change...... good change. That's where this breaks down.

If I hate change, why did I enjoy Carsland and the huge renovation of DCA? If I hate change why do I actually (unlike many here) look forward to the new Frozen ride in Epcot? If I hate change why am I looking forward to new things coming to DHS? If I hate change why do I look forward to changing things up at DL for the 60th anniversary?

Simply reducing this to people fearing change is a comment meant to insult.

No more of an insult than suggesting that this can be reduced to people disliking choice. Thus, the winky face.

Sorry if you missed that!

 

[Magpie]

Sure. You could. But if you have a FP booked for Soarin', then perforce, you do not have one for Test Track. So while you are revelling in the glory of your spontaneity at Spaceship Earth, the Standby Line at Test Track is quickly building to 70 minutes. In reality, most people, (pre-planners or spur-of-the-moment folks) are going to make a beeline for TT when they walk into Epcot first thing in the morning, and the notion of spontaneity goes out the window. Having a single FP+ for a tiered attraction doesn't make most people spontaneous. To the contrary. It almost dictates what their first move of the day will be. This is not to say that some people won't jump in the Spaceship Earth line as they walk in the park. But if they wait 5 minutes there and 70 minutes for Test Track, they will spend more time in line than the person who heads straight to TT and waits 15 minutes there, and later waits 20 minutes for Spaceship Earth.

But there is a bigger picture to spontaneity that gets lost here. Most of the discussion centers on the "micro". But there is a "macro" to spontaneity. Do a quick search for threads asking for advice as to which park is the best one to visit when it rains. In reading those threads, you will note two constant themes. First, locals and people with experience will tell you that advance forecasts cannot be trusted. You have to wait until you are there to figure out what the weather will be. In other words, advanced planning won't help you here. The second thing you will see over and over again is that people have their own ideas as to which park is best. The whole reason people ask the question in the first place is to get good ideas where to go if their day is going to be a rainy one. But does any of that matter if you locked in your FPs for the day? Personally, I prefer Epcot as my rainy day park. By a wide margin. But if I arrive only to find that my one and only day of persistent rain is the day that I booked the MK (where BTMRR won't be much fun in a driving rain, nor would 7DMT, nor would Astro Orbiter, nor would watching the parade, etc., etc.), what do I do? Do I spontaneously decide at 7:00 a.m. to head to Epcot where the FPs for the headliners are all distributed? Before FP+, this was an easy "on the fly" change to make. "Honey! Ginger Zee says it's going to rain all day in Orlando. We should go to Epcot today instead of the Magic Kingdom." Boom. Done. It is a lot more cumbersome now, and there is really no argument to the contrary.

Nah, because I've already decided that I'll be riding Test Track in the single rider line, and I know if I get there any time before 11am, I'll be able to walk right on with minimal waits. So a quick ride through Spaceship Earth costs me nothing.

My point was that pre-FP+, we followed a strict touring plan. First this ride, then this ride, keep to the schedule! "No, you're not riding Test Track today, that's on our Wednesday, Epcot Part 2, plan!" Now that we have FP+, we've adopted a more free-and-easy touring plan and we don't worry that we're missing things.

So, for us, FP+ increases spontaneity. For you, maybe not.

And, you know what? BTMRR is AWESOME in the driving rain!!! Did that last trip, and it was the most amazing ride we've ever been on. Plus, now that we were totally soaked, we felt completely free to go charging through the puddles and riding Splash Mountain, then back to BTMRR and everything else without waits, while the other guests huddled in shops, trying to stay dry.

Now I'm hoping one of my Animal Kingdom days turns out to be rainy. I really want to do Everest in the rain!

 

[jade1]

Don't you typically go around Christmas/New Year's?



I have been in the summer and fall and had many days of "all day rain"



It's tough to try to win this argument by asserting that there are never days of persistent rain from June through September. And the rainiest trip I ever took was in February. One could certainly not call those storms "one hour storms".

So your argument is entirely rain related? 2.5 inches is .08 inches if it rained every day. And we stopped going in the summer long ago-but even then it was now way a day long rain-every night was when we typically went back out after the late afternoon thunderstorm.

I noticed you bypassed responding to just getting them when you get there. No rain that whole week by the way.

 

[jade1]

And by the way-TT is more likely to go down than anything at DHS-which would be our recommended rainy day.

Certainly the night before you would know if its going to be an all day rain, and we got these "indoor" attractions the night before on XMAS eve:

 

[MikeandReneePlus5]

I really don't think there is a winning argument in the whole spontaneity debate. different strokes and all that.

I am booking my FP+ for our May trip tonight. I hope it goes well.

I am finding that it is a bit of a pain to get a schedule set but now that it is pretty much set I like it. I am also finding I quite like things like going to AK for a day, eating at Boma and then heading to DHS for Fantasmic - and knowing with certainty I can ride RnR and ToT before the show with my FP+. That's cool.

 

[jade1]

Furthermore-we could just get those "INSIDE AT THE KIOSK" as well.

 

[mom2rtk]

Look, I totally get that some people are loving getting to plan more details in advance. That's a matter of personal preference. We an argue til the cows come home about whether the majority of guests will prefer that, but we won't know for some time.

But it's beyond ridiculous to try to sell this as something that increases spontaneity. That's just nuts.

 

[jade1]

I quite like things like going to AK for a day, eating at Boma and then heading to DHS for Fantasmic - and knowing with certainty I can ride RnR and ToT before the show with my FP+. That's cool.

An awesome day-not possible until FP+ during busier weeks anyway.

And by the way-TT is more likely to go down than anything at DHS-which would be our recommended rainy day.

Certainly the night before you would know if its going to be an all day rain, and we got these "indoor" attractions the night before on XMAS eve: