Upset with fastpass+ ???

[Main Street Jim]

Regular(Legacy) fast pass is a thing of the past now. Only FP+ is available now.

So, as of now, if I'm reading everything correctly:

1) You're *limited* to ONLY three FP's *per day*.

2) You're *limited* to ONLY three FP's *in one park*.

:/

Well that just stinks. #nothappywecantparkhop

[JerseyDad]

So, as of now, if I'm reading everything correctly:

1) You're *limited* to ONLY three FP's *per day*.

2) You're *limited* to ONLY three FP's *in one park*.

:/

Well that just stinks. #nothappywecantparkhop

....stinks? ......yup!

[Hammer]

You could still park hop, just can't get FP at the second park. What some people I know are doing is go EMH at one park and getting afternoon FPs at another park. Not something I would do (I don't do early EMH) but could work if you are into early EMH.

[JerseyDad]

You could still park hop, just can't get FP at the second park. What some people I know are doing is go EMH at one park and getting afternoon FPs at another park. Not something I would do (I don't do early EMH) but could work if you are into early EMH.

...that's a viable plan ...that requires 'work' ...again ...if you are into the early EMH's. (I too don't care for the early hours ...unless it's at AK ....because the animals are more active)

.....but what if WDW discontinues EMH's .....because they now decide that everyone now gets their "fair share" of popular rides without having to be at a park very early ...or very late ....because FP+ exists?

.....a theory of mine ..of course ...because it's a cost cutting measure.

[Hammer]

...that's a viable plan ...that requires 'work' ...again ...if you are into the early EMH's. (I too don't care for the early hours ...unless it's at AK ....because the animals are more active)

.....but what if WDW discontinues EMH's .....because they now decide that everyone now gets their "fair share" of popular rides without having to be at a park very early ...or very late ....because FP+ exists?

.....a theory of mine ..of course ...because it's a cost cutting measure.

We'll just have to wait and see what happens. They tried taking away EMH before (remember Character Caravan from about 5-7 years ago?) and it failed miserably. EMH was then brought back.

[JerseyDad]

We'll just have to wait and see what happens. They tried taking away EMH before (remember Character Caravan from about 5-7 years ago?) and it failed miserably. EMH was then brought back.

....that's true. But in the corporate world ...5-7 years ...is a lifetime. I'm not sure if anyone has noticed ...but Disney Corp is very much 'in your face' these days with their actions / decisions. Whereas, in the past ...everyone thought WDW / DL were run from a little office in that iconic castle.

....I just have very little 'trust' ....and start out looking at everything with an 'expect the worst' attitude. Then ...on rare occasion when something positive occurs ....I'm somewhat pleasantly surprised.

[Aurora]

You could still park hop, just can't get FP at the second park. What some people I know are doing is go EMH at one park and getting afternoon FPs at another park. Not something I would do (I don't do early EMH) but could work if you are into early EMH.

That's what my brother did on his recent trip, BUT since you're also limited by the number of headliners you can get as FPs, he passed by a couple of attractions whose lines were too long for a standby wait (e.g. Test Track late in the afternoon was at two hours, and he has little kids so he couldn't do single-rider line). If he wanted to get a FP for TT he had to visit Epcot another day.

[FamilyBand1]

I didn't like the idea of fast passes when they arrived what seems like eons ago. Just seemed like a headache for the cast members and would make the standby longer (which it was and it did), but I took eventually took advantage of it. I sandbagged FPs to when the FP lines were empty. I figured it was convenient for me to come back whenever and I was helping them out by coming back when the FP line was empty.
I grimaced when they started enforcing the times a couple of years ago. It's not always possible to make your time with a sleeping toddler and 2 under-10 kids. Didn't stop us from coming nearly once a month and spending thousands a year.

This new FP+ has me rethinking my pass-renewal for the first time in over 20 years though. It seems ridiculous that we can only get 3 FPs, when I like others, was "that dad". I'd Olympic speed-walk ahead of the rest of the family and get the FPs and meet them at another ride, then when another FP was available, I'd get that one. We'd easily get 5-6 a day.

I asked an Epcot cast member how she liked this and how I thought it was nuts that we had to stand in line in the sun (in 85 degree weather in February!) to check-in with her for FPs. I followed my question with "I know you're gonna lie to me and give me a 'Disney" answer." She whimpered and gave me a smile as sweat dripped from her forehead at 10am, and said that "they're in a transitional period" and that she "hopes it will be a better experience for guests and cast members." I felt I almost got a legitimate answer!

Seems odd that in a society of "same-same" Disney, of all places, is choosing now to roll out this "technology". The times of the Disney guest being right, no matter what kind of scene they were making ended a while ago.

Sorry for the rant, but 1-2 more FPs would go a long way in this new system.

[yankeesfan123]

I'm looking forward to my upcoming trip.

We plan on hitting one park in the morning for a few hours without FP+. Then head back to the resort for some pool time. We have ADRs for around 5pm every night, after which we will hit a second park. Thanks to FP+, we will be guaranteed to ride our favorite attractions at the second park, when it the past, most E ticket rides would have had super long lines and be out of FPs.

We are going for 6 days and plan on hitting HS, MK, and EPCOT for at least two nights each, so the tiering won't kill us. Also, we will be able to re-ride our favorites by hitting some at rope drop and some again after dinner with FP+.

[disneynarula]

Ugh

I just don't see this enhancing my trip at all.

[gottaluvtink]

I don't like the new system AT ALL! Not only are you limited to three, but in most cases, with the tier system, two of them are useless! We were there Jan. 11through the 18. A fast pass for Fantasmic does absolutely nothing for you! I complained to a cast member, and he agreed, and let us into the VIP seating section. It's definitely not the same as the old system. Too much planning ahead, and having to be on one side of a park then having a fast pass at the other side is just a pain! We have always used more than three. Like others, we are park open to park close.

[Dulcee]

We've used the system twice now and we're fans. Honestly, I enjoyed not having to run all over the park to gather fast passes. It was also nice to get to a park early, ride on standby lines like we always did with the knowledge that we already had fast passes for our second park later that day.

Another plus was being able to modify times via our phone. There were quite a few times that a paper fast pass would have been wasted because lunch ran long, the bus was late, etc etc. This time we were able to modify and still hop on our ride.

[Speedy1998]

Just to put this in prespective, I always hated Fastpass. I always felt that it made the lines longer. After, the introduction of fastpass I adapted my touring strategies, so that I still got to ride most of what I wanted to with very little wait. I assume that during my next trip, my touring strategies will begin to change again to maximize the number of attractions I get to experience under the new system.


Having said that, the 3 FP+ limit does not bother me much. I never used more than that in AK or Epcot anyway, and rarely used more than 3 in HS or MK.

What bothers me more is the limit on the number of E-ticket rides. In my opinion those were the only attractions worth getting a fastpass for most of the time (which is part of the reason I never used many).

[JerseyDad]

.....when I keep seeing all these "strategies" about going to a park at rope drop in order to get on the standby lines to do whatever attractions might appeal to you .....because you chose to keep your reserved fast passes for the afternoon or evening visit to a park, it seems that the planning has already been done for you. By that, I mean it's become apparent that it's the only way that you are going to get the maximum return on your investment.

That being said .....can it really be considered to be "your" vacation any longer? If a certain "way" of doing something .....is the only way that it'll work for maximizing your experience .....is it really your way?

....seems to me that the whole Disney / WDW vacation planning "Magic Your Way" tagline .....needs to be changed to "Magic OUR Way".

[yankeesfan123]

Well, for me, that's always the way I've vacationed (rope drop, pool, dinner and park til close).

However, that is obviously not how everyone travels. And yes, Disney could appear to be pushing a certain style of vacationing on you.

All I know is that if I go to my local park, I stand in line for 40 minutes for every single ****** ride. I've never paid extra for a "flash pass".

If I have to stand in a fun, themed queue to get on an awesome Disney attraction while also maintaining my 3 reserved rides, it still beats everywhere else. Just my opinion.

[Terra]

That being said .....can it really be considered to be "your" vacation any longer? If a certain "way" of doing something .....is the only way that it'll work for maximizing your experience .....is it really your way?

....seems to me that the whole Disney / WDW vacation planning "Magic Your Way" tagline .....needs to be changed to "Magic OUR Way".

But in a way, you still couldn't "choose" your FP return time before so it still wasn't 'all your way'. Yes you could get more.

It's looking at the glass half empty or half full. Yes there are some negatives, limited FP, you have to pick 3. The times *may* interfere with scheduling. Or make the choice to stand in the long lines. [Half empty]

OR

[Half Full] You still get FP. At least it's not done away with all together. You can plan your FP+ first and then your meal times after you have your FP times. If there's a big gap and you find yourself with nothing to do you can go back to the resort and swim. Catch a nice nap, have a cup of coffee...etc, etc. You get some of the best themed fantasy and magic around in the United States.

OR

Just choose to not go to Disney anymore since it's that bad. [The glass is empty ]

Well, for me, that's always the way I've vacationed (rope drop, pool, dinner and park til close).

However, that is obviously not how everyone travels. And yes, Disney could appear to be pushing a certain style of vacationing on you.

All I know is that if I go to my local park, I stand in line for 40 minutes for every single ride. I've never paid extra for a "flash pass".

If I have to stand in a fun, themed queue to get on an awesome Disney attraction while also maintaining my 3 reserved rides, it still beats everywhere else. Just my opinion.

This is my view. I live 20 minutes from Legoland Florida and while it's OK for my kiddos, the water park is OK too. It's cheaper for sure, but it's NO Disney at all and I'm bored to tears while there. And I've been there on days when they "big thrill ride" is 60+ minutes long and I kid you not, 2 minutes. And it's basically as scary as the Barnstormer

No real cool shops or eateries, mostly outside and hotter than hot.

I'll continue to give my dollars to Disney!
And now that as a FL AP holder, my FP+ and my son's disability pass, it makes planning my day with an ASD son much easier!

[1DisneyNut]

But in a way, you still couldn't "choose" your FP return time before so it still wasn't 'all your way'. Yes you could get more.

It's looking at the glass half empty or half full. Yes there are some negatives, limited FP, you have to pick 3. The times *may* interfere with scheduling. Or make the choice to stand in the long lines. [Half empty]

OR

[Half Full] You still get FP. At least it's not done away with all together. You can plan your FP+ first and then your meal times after you have your FP times. If there's a big gap and you find yourself with nothing to do you can go back to the resort and swim. Catch a nice nap, have a cup of coffee...etc, etc. You get some of the best themed fantasy and magic around in the United States.

OR

Just choose to not go to Disney anymore since it's that bad. [The glass is empty ]

I am an Engineer and every time someone gives me the "Glass half empty/Glass half full" analogy, I give them an Engineer response which is "Apparently the glass was designed improperly and has too large a volume requiring a redesign." In this case, the wrong "glass" (FP+) is being used and and needs a redesign.

[JerseyDad]

I am an Engineer and every time someone gives me the "Glass half empty/Glass half full" analogy, I give them an Engineer response which is "Apparently the glass was designed improperly and has too large a volume requiring a redesign." In this case, the wrong "glass" (FP+) is being used and and needs a redesign.

....engineer here too (civil) ....and I like the analogy you gave.

....I've always gone with the "GIGO" (garbage in ...garbage out) reply to denote poor results as a result of poor design.

....perhaps they need to put the "dispensers" (Legacy FP machines) back ...so everyone can get a full glass?

....again ...I just feel the "hand" of too much control on my shoulder to plan something that I feel will be enjoyable to my standards.

....granted, my standards are based on what I've done / experienced in my 11 visits over the past 10 years. We didn't have a "way" to do WDW ...other than the 3 or 4 ADR's we make for our 10 day trips. There was no set 'touring plan'. All we planned was what parks ...on what days ...and that was all subject to spur of the moment revisions.

[Terra]

Again, my advice is don't go then until things go back to your way or the way you like it. While there are things I'm not all "yay way to go Disney", I'm still going to be a glass half full person no matter what someone else thinks

Less lines for me

[Terra]

....e

....granted, my standards are based on what I've done / experienced in my 11 visits over the past 10 years. We didn't have a "way" to do WDW ...other than the 3 or 4 ADR's we make for our 10 day trips. There was no set 'touring plan'. All we planned was what parks ...on what days ...and that was all subject to spur of the moment revisions.

See, I don't see how that has changed any. You can still do all that. Just skip FP. Stand in the lines.

However, that said, I'm a Floridian and can go anytime and am very thankful for that. My view might be different if I could only go once every few years, know what I mean? And then I have to feel the need to get it all in.