Letter to Disney re: FP+

[Strmchsr]

After having experienced it twice, I'm fed up with FP+ and decided to write to Disney about it. This conveys my thoughts and feelings on the experience to my fellow Intercotees as well. I hope all of you will take the time to write and give Disney feedback on the issue (including if you like it) at
[email protected] They need to hear what's going on and they don't often pay attention to the discussion boards. Here's my letter:


Dear Disney,

I wanted to respond with some feedback to our recent visit. My family have been annual pass holders for a number of years and generally visit Walt Disney World 3-5 times each year. We thought that number would go up now that we are Florida residents and we had been considering joining DVC.

I want to say that I really like the Magic Band concept. The bands are comfortable, well-designed, and are generally easy to use. Well done on that. I have enjoyed using it on our last couple of trips this fall.

However, I want to convey that I absolutely despise the Fastpass+ concept. I don't mind change if change is good. In fact, I've always appreciated how Disney tries to improve the guest's experience. This is one change that is not good and I seriously hope the system is revamped or scrapped immediately. Let me me say in no uncertain terms that we will not be joining DVC and we will not renew our Annual Passes in January. In fact, as much as it breaks my heart to say this, we will not visit the Disney parks again unless FP+ is seriously changed or scrapped. We love the Disney parks. They have been part of our family for years, but this one change has ruined it. And please allow me to explain why:

1.) Timing - I've tolerated, and even been okay, with making Advance Dining Reservations 180 days out, even if that feels a little excessive. But, trying to decide what ride I want to get on in which park even a week before I arrive is ridiculous. I live by schedules and calendars all the time and now a Disney vacation is getting where it's necessary to plan out every second of every day in advance. I get that I can choose to wait and get FP in the park the day of, but let's be realistic. If everyone else is gobbling up the popular rides in advance waiting until the day of is not an option unless I just want to take the leftovers.

2.) Number of selections - 3 is way too few selections. Under the old system we were very careful about our FP selections and were able to get 5-6, even 7, per day which really enabled us to maximize our park time and enjoy ourselves. I don't care how "next-gen" you make a queue, I don't want to spend 45 min or an hour standing in line. Only allowing 3 per day is ridiculous, especially when you're including almost every ride as a potential selection now. 5 would be a more reasonable number.

3.) Limitations - The current tests at Epcot and DHS are ridiculous. For instance, my favorite rides are Soarin and Test Track, but now you're telling me I can't get a Fastpass for both? I realize this is a test and I hope it's quickly realized this test is a failure. Guests shouldn't be told what rides they can and cannot get a Fastpass for. If the FP is available, guests should be able to choose what they want. And by limiting the FP selections to 1 park, rather than multiple parks per day, you're essentially killing the value of the park hopper option.

4.) New queues - Putting FP lines at attractions like Journey into Imagination and Pirates of the Caribbean is another huge mistake. Neither of those rides, along with several others, needs a Fastpass line. At least not during the non-peak times of the year. I would suggest making those seasonal FP options during peak times. At Pirates now everyone has to go through 1 standby line which has increased wait times considerably while the other side, the FP line, is basically empty.

5.) Why change? - Once Disney made the decision to start enforcing return times I thought the previous FP system was pretty much perfect. It worked great and flowed smooth. There was no need for a change. With this change Disney has failed to enhance the guest experience and has, in fact, very negatively altered it.

6.) Accessibility - While this is not an issue for me, it is for others - no smartphones. Not everyone has a smartphone so they can't fully experience the MDE app and are at a real disadvantage in the parks. Also, the way you have the FP+ system set up the guest essentially has to have a room and tickets pre-purchased in order to use it. The accessibility issue has created mass confusion and frustration. I moderate a Disney fan site and I can tell you the discussion boards are filled with angry guests who truly hate the FP+ system. You might want to dismiss discussion boards, but these aren't random people posting. These are long term guests and fans of the Disney parks who are feeling angry and alienated by this debacle called Fastpass+.

I could go on and give several other faults, but I think my point is made. The fact that I'm cancelling my Annual Pass, no longer considering DVC, and, for the first time since before my children were born have no Disney vacation planned beyond a working trip in January 2014 really saddens me. I hope Disney will listen to the guest feedback on this. If so, we'll eagerly resume our Disney vacations. But if not, our vacation dollars will be spent elsewhere.

Thank you for taking the time to listen.

[CanadianWDWFan]

Nicely written. I can only wonder what their response will be beyond the generic reply that is usually sent out.

We will be there in 4 weeks to try the system out first hand. It bothered me that we have to plan our visit out to the minute. No more spontaneity, just running back and forth from one pass location to another. Don't even get me started on the only one park issue as well. So much for park hopping.

Let us know how Disney replies.

[Strmchsr]

I definitely will, Brian. The good news is while I sent this to the standard guest relations I also have done several teaching conferences with one the head VPs (and will be with him again in January) so I sent it directly to him, too. Hopefully they'll make some adjustments or scrap the system totally.

[SBETigg]

Chris, this is a sad state of affairs. You've written it all out beautifully, addressing all the issues. It really does break my heart a bit to hear about even one guest feeling so disheartened by the experience, and I know you're one of very many to feel this way. And I don't even work for Disney! I can't imagine that anyone who feels real passion for their work could fail to be moved by your letter.

Fingers crossed that yours and probably many other guest letters and complaints fall on willing ears and changes are made. I want it all fixed. I don't even know what to expect for my next visit, which will be in early April 2014, and I'll be at the Dolphin. It doesn't bode well. We might decide to make it a resort-only visit, since we'll be there for a conference. Time will tell. But, well done, Chris.

[Gregandmel]

That's awesome. Very objective and professional. Although I doubt you will get anything other than the standard reply - I hope that "behind the scenes" they are taking this into consideration. You have inspired me to write as well - this entire FP change literally has altered our vacation plans and we are doing Universal instead this next summer. I'm taking a "wait and see" approach before I come back. :(

[Ms. Mode]

Didn't I read the other day that they have actually been working on this system for 5 years? I just can't see them scrapping it now. And, (not to be a Debbie Downer) as long as the parks are as crowded as they have been reported to be I can't see them changing anything soon. Sorry, still it's worth a try.

[faline]

Thanks for sharing your letter with us, Chris. I am waiting for our next trip so I can observe and experience what it is currently like first hand. I know what I experienced in August when I did not have the bands and/or access to fastpass+. On our next trip, we will have both so will see how it goes.....

[cer]

5.) Why change? - Once Disney made the decision to start enforcing return times I thought the previous FP system was pretty much perfect. It worked great and flowed smooth. There was no need for a change. With this change Disney has failed to enhance the guest experience and has, in fact, very negatively altered it.

I agree with this. Once the fastpass times were being enforced, the ONLY thing that I think could have improved the fastpass experience would be to have the more centrally located machines, and so we would not have to go all the way to the attraction to pick up the fast pass.

We started to see this some in Fantasyland where you could pick up your Fastpass for Winnie the Pooh next to Philharmagic...

It seems they were starting to do this....

ALSO, I will miss the days of being able to gift my unused fastpasses. It was always so cool to be able to help someone out who was entering a long queue, or to be the recipient of someone's kindness.

[Donald Duck]

Great letter !
I hope someone at Disney listen and does something about it.

We're going right after Christmas and while I should be excited, all of this FP+ nonsense is taking that away. It is the most crowded time at Disney and only having 3 FP+ per day is ridiculous !

[Crow]

nice job. I don't want to have to plan where I will be each minute either. part of the fun was seeing random things, meet and greets, watching shows wo planning to ahead of time, etc.
as stated , not all of us use smartphones all the time for planning, booking. and one in my party may not have a pass to link to the bands until we arrive
ill be there on the 30th and see how things go.

[dnickels]

Thanks for sharing your letter.

I agree with much of it, although I'll say that letting people get more than 3 FP+ selections would make things even more worse for locals and guests staying off-site than the whole FP+ testing has already been for us.

With the current 3 FP+ selection system, locals and off-site guests are showing up and, with a large chunk of FP slots already 'pre-booked,' are finding long standby lines and late FP return times even when they arrive early. Giving people 5 or more FP+ selections just means that Soarin' and Test Track and the other E-ticket level attractions will run out of FP that much sooner. I understand that would benefit you staying in a Disney hotel, but if you push on the balloon on your side, it protrudes on my side because of the way FP+ is set up. That's why they went to the 1 premium setup at Epcot and Hollywood Studios, they were angering local passholders and off-site guests.

I'd be all in favor of being able to pre-book one attraction only, and then having the traditional paper FP system for the rest. That would allow people to book their can't-miss attraction but not at the expense of the flexibility the traditional FP system allowed. Disney seems bent on going all FP+ and doing away with the traditional system however so who knows hos this mess will turn out.

[missymouseworld]

It is unfortunate and sad to say that I agree with your points outlined in your letter. While I have not experienced the new system yet, from what I have been reading everyday here online via members reports, not one person likes or says that the system works.

Having a June 2014 trip planned, not having a smartphone myself, having a room-only reservation without tickets purchased ahead of time, I am very concerned that our "Disney" part of the trip may be really wasteful.

Good luck with getting someone to listen and respond and let us know about your answer from them.

[KylesMom]

Chris, thanks for sharing your very well-written (and personal) letter with us all. I encourage everyone to voice their opinions directly to Disney who have firsthand experience with FP+. They may have spent years and billions on this program, but clearly they have NOT succeeded in improving the guest experience. I cannot imagine being a first-time Disney guest and have to navigate this nightmare.

It saddens me greatly when I hear so many of our members having such utter disdain for what we all used to call "The Most Magical Place on Earth". I can honestly say that for the first time in 14 years my family has no trips in the pipeline, and I am secretly relieved that I will not have to witness the frustration that is rampant with the rollout of FP+. These are not just hiccups and I sure hope that Disney Corporate is not too blind to see it.

[PopPhan]

Sad to hear you feel this way about the new FP+ system. I will be trying it in two weeks and have already had changes in my plans that will negate at least one day of those pre-selected FP+ options.

I would think that it would be easy for The Disney Company to see that this is an ill-advised and ill-implemented (to this point, at least) idea.

Simplify it by:

1) Issuing all ticket media as MagicBand. This would include allowing AP holders to customize their band(s) upon ordering their AP/renewal.

2) Keep the "original" style of FP, but instead of printing out paper passes, link them to the bands & MDE immediately. (This would still be problematic for those without smartphones, but would allow for an 'on demand' FastPass system.) The same type of device used for scanning the RFID on the band for park entry could be used to "attach" your FastPass to the band.

3) Add FastPass 'selectors' to a central locations inside the entries of each park, as well as installing the "new" 'selectors' at the attraction itself. This would negate the 'run to the attraction for FP' at rope drop, yet allow for those visitors already in the park to get FastPasses (if available) at the attraction rather than having to head back to the 'central location'

ONLY HAVE FASTPASSES/FASTPASS SELECTORS FOR ATTRACTIONS THAT HAVE "NEEDED" THEM IN THE PAST. CONTINUOUS LOADING ATTRACTIONS DO NOT "NEED" FASTPASS.

4) Maintain the "2 hours, or any time after the window opens for your currently held FastPass" rule for obtaining your next FastPass.

5) Maintain the "window" for FastPass return times. If you cannot get there within the 60 minute window, sorry, you missed your chance. Hop in the Stand-By queue.

6) If The Disney Company wants to 'reward' those who stay 'on property', then devise a way to allow people to select one park to receive "all day" FastPasses - sort of like they had with the YoAMD FastPass cards that were given out. One FastPass per attraction that is usable any time during park hours - including EMH - on that specific day.

None of this is, or should be, earth shattering or all that difficult to implement. The system already had aware of any outstanding FastPasses on a visitors' account - How else would they be able to deny you a FastPass if you already held one and were not eligible for a new one?

Whoever came up with this current implementation of - "Let's see how difficult and confusing we can make the FastPass system" - should be sent back to whatever school they got their IT (or Marketing) degree from and be forced to start learning it again from scratch.

************************************************** ***

If I find that the system fails me on my upcoming trip, I may copy this verbatim and send to The Disney Company, and anyone else who will listen!

[JMTStone]

Having been on these boards a number of years, I am also disappointed in the feedback for FP+

I'll experience this program first hand at #runICOT. I will be sure to give my feedback as well.

I like the idea of keeping the magic bands and a centralized kiosk when you come into a park where you can say "we will be here till 3, then head over to MK so lets see if RnR is available before then.." If not, we are waiting in line or skipping it.

Sure, use the Magic Bands but make sure its fair. That way, you don't alienate the people who aren't staying on site. You have to be in the park to use them. You won't get unused fastpasses for people who intended on spending their day at DHS but went to MK instead, leaving their TSM passes to waste.

I will also miss the "magic" fastpasses when we were too hungry to use and handed to a group of people headed toward the line.

We have smartphones but keeping the DME application up and running the entire time I'm in a park is annoying as well. I'm already annoyed by the constant phone checks in the parks by my family. Heads down, scrolling while in line. But that's another story.

[NJGIRL]

Excellent Letter.....My feelings exactly!

[VWL Mom]

Thanks for sharing your letter with us Chris, well thought out and well written. I'm interested in seeing their response.



You won't get unused fastpasses for people who intended on spending their day at DHS but went to MK instead, leaving their TSM passes to waste.


We're trying to get down for a quick weekend in January. Had a weekend booked and set up but then found out that DS18 had a county track meet. Changed everything, went in to get new FP+ and there were the old ones, even though everything is "linked" they didn't cancel. I had to go in and cancel them. Think of how many slots will go unused with people canceling or changing reservations.

[Belle of the Ball 051411]

Beautifully written and well thought-out letter, Chris.

[minnie04]

:thumbsup: Great letter!!! I hope they do get back to you and at least try to explain what is going to happen in the future of this mess.. I too will not be renewing my AP passes next year. I have until March and I really haven’t given it much thought if I want to go back from now till then. I was looking forward to going during Spring Break again, but I'm not sure it's worth the hassle... :( It's really sad this is happening. I feel for all the families that are coming down here and have no clue what they are in for.

[peterpan at heart]

Why not try writing to the Board of Directors?

Chairman of the Board
The Walt Disney Company
500 South Buena Vista St.
Burbank, CA 91521-0931

I will be there in May and am now gearing up for what may or may not be a major headache. I am hoping this system gets the attention it needs by my trip dates. Good luck to those that are and will experience this new Fast Pass + ...

[Kenny1113]

Nice letter. I plan on writing a letter to share my thoughts as well. We were disappointed with the preplanning and spending too much time on the phone to unsuccessfully change FP times.

[JerseyDad]

....Bravo....Bravo!! Excellently worded ...to the point ...and insightful letter from the most important person influencing the Disney "payroll" ...THE GUEST!!

...several weeks back, I too sent a letter to Disney related to my last stay in Aug/Sept ....it touched on my lack of love for the FP+ system ...but was mostly initiated by the poor attitudes of the Disney CM's and operations of the resort (POP). Only difference was that my letter was a bit more on the acerbic side.

.....I know that these boards are but a small slice of the overall Disney vacation "populous" ...but I can't imagine that there aren't others out there that just aren't feeling "the love" for WDW given the recent events / changes.

[DisneyBarb]

Great letter Chris! I didn't see your post until now and I just emailed Disney myself on the same issues. Who knows if they will do anything but maybe if everyone writes, especially the loyal disney people.

[Gregandmel]

I also sent a letter yesterday (thanks for the inspiration Chris!). I had 4 paragraphs and each one had a title: "Our first trip 1997" "Fastforward 11 years" "My current thoughts/concerns" and lastly "Going to Universal next summer". In a nutshell: Our first trip was in the summer and before FP (no desire to go back) 2nd & 3rd trips (11 years later and trips18 months apart) were 100% due to the FP and our success in utilizing them, falling in love with Disney, planning trips for other people and creating new Disney addicts. My current concerns mimic the other concerns on this board and my last one says it all. We decided to move our vacation plans from Disney to Universal next summer - not even planning a day trip to Disney for now. I need to see how it all plays out - it sounds so very disorganized and even for the most Disney savvy travelers, it is a mess.

My last sentence to them was not to underestimate the power of social media, blogs, word of mouth, etc.. to please listen to the concerns and recognize that some things work, others do not. For "First Time Visitors" who are already overwhelmed with the cost and planning - what sort of experience are they going to have and will they also wait 11 years before returning? And to please restore the FP system the way it was. I really hope they listen.

Sidenote: I truly do understand the thought behind what they are attempting to do - this affects those guests who don't get to the park until later in the day, or who want to park hop. I "get" that FP's might be gone for their favorite attractions the later in the day it gets. I "do" understand the attempt. However, doing it this way has affected EVERYONE....not just those who get to the parks later and it has made everything so much more complicated and frustrating and this is the end result of a system that needs to be fixed as soon as possible.

[DonaldDuckUSA]

Thanks for sharing your letter.

I agree with much of it, although I'll say that letting people get more than 3 FP+ selections would make things even more worse for locals and guests staying off-site than the whole FP+ testing has already been for us.

With the current 3 FP+ selection system, locals and off-site guests are showing up and, with a large chunk of FP slots already 'pre-booked,' are finding long standby lines and late FP return times even when they arrive early. Giving people 5 or more FP+ selections just means that Soarin' and Test Track and the other E-ticket level attractions will run out of FP that much sooner. I understand that would benefit you staying in a Disney hotel, but if you push on the balloon on your side, it protrudes on my side because of the way FP+ is set up. That's why they went to the 1 premium setup at Epcot and Hollywood Studios, they were angering local passholders and off-site guests.

I'd be all in favor of being able to pre-book one attraction only, and then having the traditional paper FP system for the rest. That would allow people to book their can't-miss attraction but not at the expense of the flexibility the traditional FP system allowed. Disney seems bent on going all FP+ and doing away with the traditional system however so who knows hos this mess will turn out.

I gotta agree here and I'm glad you made this point.

It may make me unpopular, but I like the limit.

We're FL residents. The fact is that we CANNOT afford to stay on site. We just can't. It's nice knowing that people like us (who won't be able to book FP+ several months prior to arrival) will have a shot too.

Honestly, I think its fair.

[NJGIRL]

Funny story....I was in Primo's (a chain sub shop) today and I heard a delivery man talking to the woman at the register. The delivery man just got back from Disney and was not happy with the new FP+. He said he has not plans on going back.

[Imalismom]

Very good letter. I am also waiting for a large price hike. Those bands are much more expensive then tickets to manufacture I am sure... The cost has to be past on to the consumer...

[VWL Mom]

Very good letter. I am also waiting for a large price hike. Those bands are much more expensive then tickets to manufacture I am sure... The cost has to be past on to the consumer...

Not only the bands but the pre trip usb package, is that really necessary?

[WiltonJohn]

I've sent emails and a snail-mail letter also.... broad subject range. Well before this thread. Waiting for a response. None yet.

best,

.......................john

[stephicakes]

Great letter Chris. REALLY well written and it shows that you spent a lot of time putting your thoughts together and you didn't just spew your overall dissatisfaction at them. It was organized and all your main points were supported with SOLUTIONS that could easily fix the issues. Please let us know if you hear back from them with something other than the "run of the mill" response.

We just booked our FP+ options for our January trip. It took some playing/moving around of times to get things where we thought they would work best for us but it leaves me worried that our usual spontaneity will be gone. *sigh* We are also AP holders so this will be the test to see if we will be renewing or not. Fingers crossed...

steph :)

[WiltonJohn]

I've sent emails and a snail-mail letter also.... broad subject range. Well before this thread. Waiting for a response. None yet.

best,

.......................john

Had a very professional phone call today from Disney Guest Relations. We had a wide ranging amd pretty long conversation. I felt like they were listening.

best,

..............john

[cer]

Had a very professional phone call today from Disney Guest Relations. We had a wide ranging amd pretty long conversation. I felt like they were listening.

best,

..............john

This is encouraging. :mickey:

[Strmchsr]

Thanks for the update John!

[Strmchsr]

I also got a call from Disney on Friday. Had a good conversation with the guest relations CM. She was asking a lot of specific questions about what worked/didn't work and said it helped her a lot because I was knowledgeable about all things Disney and not just saying "I don't like it." The end of the conversation was basically she didn't know what would happen in the future with FP+. She said it's still definitely considered to be in the testing phase and the upper management is listening closely to guest feedback (so get those letters in about the current disaster of the way FP+ is presented). What she said jives with conversations I've had with friends who are in Disney management (just not in the area of FP). They are honestly listening to feedback and need as many guests as possible to provide feedback.

[LVT]

Impressions: fastpast was unknown and unused to many 1st or 1 time visitors. This may include them better. Much more in-your-face than the brief mention in the vacation literature.
They did need to do something for people who would not/could not arrive early and rush to a kiosk in the back of the park. (they lose out on TSM for example)
The fastpasses should not be able to be all gone before noon. There should be some holdbacks per hour of some sort that only become available to someone in the park 2 hours before a possible ride etc.
I was hoping that part of the problem is 2 systems up at the same time. The rides have physical patron limits per day. The fastpass system has to respect that and leave room for the standby people since only a few rides are pre-selectable.
Maybe the upper level management do not know how many rides a customer needs to be able to get on to be "happy".
I suspect they do not want to build more capacity in rides. Just make do with less like all managers. I have had a time and motion person tell me they consider all the 1 or 2 minutes between functions should be usable. Thus they are "wasted".

[JMTStone]

Not only the bands but the pre trip usb package, is that really necessary?

By the time I had my USB, I had all my FP+ and other items booked.

[stephicakes]

By the time I had my USB, I had all my FP+ and other items booked.

DITTO!! I was like, "Um... I already watched that video on MDE. How much money did they spend on that??" :confused:

[JMTStone]

DITTO!! I was like, "Um... I already watched that video on MDE. How much money did they spend on that??" :confused:

As we go at least once a year, maybe they can dispense with the additional cost of these items - or at least let us opt out.

Maybe there's a setting where if you haven't been there in XX months, you get the USB.

However, I was thinking.... there are a lot of people out there who don't have INTERCOT

[princessgirls]

Thank you Chris for writing! Let's hope someone hears it!

Who in their "right" mind, thought this would be a good idea????? 3 fast passes???? We were like you, up to 7 a day! My family is going to be miserable, and I am thinking twice about going until this all gets resolved. I get Magic bands are here to stay, but why can't the system be similar to the old way, when you run over to the attraction, you scan your band, and it gives you the time to go back.
I AM NOT SCHEDULING EVERY MINUTE OF MY VACATION! My life is on a schedule....
The dining we tolerated, but not this!
Julie:mickey:

[JMTStone]

I agree, we were doing 5 Fast passes a day at different parks. The only improvement I would have imagined for Fastpasses would be some centralized kiosks at each park.

But I think 3 is enough go get the "must-see" pre-planning at any park. Especially since it already limits the locals. But as a DVC/Annual Pass member, I'm watching INTERCOT carefully and will give my feedback here and to Disney directly upon my return after #runICOT.

We're planning to be locals some day. I imagine a day where my husband and I say "lets take next Friday off and do MK in the morning and EPCOT at night". I don't think we can get fastpasses for Soarin with this new system as a local.

[WiltonJohn]

Recieved another unsolicited phone call from "my" person at Disney Guest Relations, and an email as well.

They are listening folks. Send them your constructive feedback directly.

best,

...........john

[twinboyz]

Great letter! Thanks for taking the time to write it. I sincerely hope it falls on ears that will listen. We, too, feel as frustrated as you. We have our next vacation planned, we however will be spending 4 of the 7 days off grounds. We haven't done that in 10 years. I hope they get this worked out soon!:mickey:

[Buttercup]

Sent in an email two days ago along the same lines. Just talking about the fact that I have 3 vacations to WDW planned in the next 3 months but two of those I will be staying off site so I can't use FP+ at all until the day of... And the third trip I'm meeting someone down there who will be buying her park ticket at the gate... so I don't want to book my FP+ yet since it won't match up with what's available for her when we arrive. So I have to wait until we get there and she buys her park ticket so that we can both get the same FPs.

Three trips... Can't reserve FP+ for any of them. As a new Annual pass holder I fail to see how this is a benefit or perk for me, a 35+ year customer of Disney.

I wonder, have you guys heard of ANYONE who is happy with the FP+ system? I've only heard complaints. I wonder if anyone is actually thinking "Wow this is great!"

I'll let you know if I get a reply.

[WiltonJohn]

I wonder, have you guys heard of ANYONE who is happy with the FP+ system? I've only heard complaints. I wonder if anyone is actually thinking "Wow this is great!"

There are a few poeple posting on here in scattered threads that they like it.

Like in most things, the people who are satisfied with something don't usually tend to speak up... but those that have an "axe to grind" (or are the 'glass half empty' types) are more vocal.

While I can see the downsides of FP+ (as currently implemented) it was not the main focus of my letter and emails to Disney. It's just one part of the new system changes.

FastPass+ pretty much worked for us... but I can easily see how it would not work for some others. But we got in before the tiered system was put in place too. And we did not use any regular Fastpasses in addition while there either even though we had the Keycards too. And we did not change any FP+s with the inpark phone app either (slow).

We are not ones for things like rockin roller coaster or tower of terror (never been on either... never will). Test track and soarin are on our top ten list though...and we FP+ed them and also hit them via the standby lines (which were NOT always all that long).

best,

.............john

[Mitzie]

"I wonder, have you guys heard of ANYONE who is happy with the FP+ system? I've only heard complaints. I wonder if anyone is actually thinking "Wow this is great!"

Umm that would be us! We utilized the whole system this past October and it worked great for us. I do not believe the system we worked under in Oct. will be the final product. Too many problems/complaints. I am a planner so planning FP ahead of time is great. I really hope though that whatever the system ends up being they try and address as many peoples traveling style as possible. We always stay on property but what of those who don't?

[Buttercup]

Got a reply from someone at Disney and she thanked me profusely for my feedback. She said that they need to know this stuff from guests, especially those with long histories of visiting the parks so they can roll it out properly. She also wants to chat with me by phone to talk about my thoughts.
So keep those letters coming people. They're listening.

[DonaldDuckUSA]

Yes, there are people who like it. They have posted in this thread and others about how they don't mind it. (See my post.) They're just drowned out by the rage.

I think the limit is fair. Did I like the old system more? Sure. Do I hate the new system? No. I'm not going to let it ruin my vacation. I'm still eating Dole Whip, riding all the "Mountains" and watching fireworks. I'm sorry, but it's no big deal for us.

[Mickey'sGirl]

Yes, there are people who like it. They have posted in this thread and others about how they don't mind it. (See my post.) They're just drowned out by the rage.

I think the limit is fair. Did I like the old system more? Sure. Do I hate the new system? No. I'm not going to let it ruin my vacation. I'm still eating Dole Whip, riding all the "Mountains" and watching fireworks. I'm sorry, but it's no big deal for us.
We're here now and loving the fastpass+ and magicband set up. It's working soooooo well for us! Having a FANTASTIC holiday!

[WiltonJohn]

The Guest relations person whome I have talked with a couple of times already a good while ago.... just called me "out of the blue" to check on what we were thinking. I missed th cfall but a long very nice message on my machine. Unsolicited. Following up.

Polite, factual, professional physical letters and emails do work folks.


They're just drowned out by the rage.

Yup.

best,

....................john

[Goes4FastPass]

I hope these complaints get heard and changes take place.

Remember when those genuises replaced Exra Magic Hours with the "Character Caravan" (or whatever they called it)? A bus carrying characters visited the resorts while the marketing department told us that's what we really wanted.

Guests complained and EMH was restored.

And I am sure there were many guests (3 or 4 even) who said, "We never stayed for EMH but we adored the Character Caravan."

[faline]

Remember when those genuises replaced Exra Magic Hours with the "Character Caravan" (or whatever they called it)? A bus carrying characters visited the resorts while the marketing department told us that's what we really wanted.
"

Funny! I almost forgot about that!

[LostBoys]

Am with you, thanks for a well written letter.
Don't like only 3 FP a day and the planning (which I've done for our little family's yearly vacation for years) is even getting to be a bit too much.

Am hoping I can change FP's in park the day of with my iPhone if I haven't gotten to the assigned time and other times are available.

Also don't't like not begin able to have more than one FP's for the same attraction. I might want a morning 'Soaring and a night 'Soaring FP

Definitely don't like the tier system of what fast passes you can choose, I have to pick between Soaring or Test Track? :stop:

[tinksmom02]

Very well written letter.

We're heading down for a long weekend trip in May and I'm almost relieved that we're splitting between WDW and Universal. We're arriving late at night and are doing one of the water parks, so we'll only have 2 days to deal with FP+ headaches. I feel that DD 11 and I had the FP system down to a science and used it to make the most of our time in the parks. This new system seems like we'll be forced to move slower than we're used to. :confused:

[mrte62]

We are a family of six with our youngest being 21. Our last vacation together with DW and I picking up the tab for everything but airfare. We will be heading to WDW for the Food & Wine Festival October 3 - 11, 2014. One DD and one DS will be joining us for half the visit due to school and work obligations. We have enough unexpired days from our various trips to cover us all. We have access to a time share off site free of charge. We also can stay onsite do the dinning plan,etc. We love to park hop. I like to have our WDW trips somewhat laid out in advance and pride myself of finding new things to see and do, but trying to keep up with the FP+ discussions and the changes has my head spinning and about to explode.

I really don't like the idea of planning my vacation planned to such a degree. I need a :beer: just to plan the trip.

[Gator]

They are honestly listening to feedback and need as many guests as possible to provide feedback.

This is good news. Maybe I also need to write. I'm doing a Disney vacation in November for sure, but it's up in the air whether I drive down to DL or fly to WDW. DL is so much better than it used to be and we had a great time last month. I do miss Epcot and AK, but all this FP+ makes me very hesitant.

I had a friend go last week and she said she loved FP+; but they are also a family who doesn't rush to every attraction like we do. I get more done in 1 day than they do in 3, but I guess that's what buying into DVC does to people.

I'm frustrated that we only get 3 FPs. That seems low. Whether we order ahead of time or not, it's just three. I hate that idea. How does my son and I hit Expedition Everst 4 times in a day without the FP? I say keep the Magic Bands, but you can keep the +.

[BigRedDad]

FP+ will deter me from going to WDW. Only allowing 3 maybe 4 FPs per day and having to plan them is not my idea of a vacation. I don't even make dining reservations because it is too much of a hassle and pain.

Like others have said it is a broken system. What I could see working is keeping both. FP+ allows you to get 2 fast passes scheduled before your trip and not count against time restrictions. Then at the parks the day of, you use the system as it has been.

For me I will go to Universal Studios and stay on site. I call their system "Front of Line", but I am not sure what it is called. It is so much easier and hassle free. We literally walk on a rides with no waits at all. We went on The Cat in the Hat passing a guy 5 times in a half hour. His family had not been on and we went 5x in a row. I know this can't be done at Disney, but the new FP+ system is lightyears behind.

[MargaretMessler]

[QUOTE=BigRedDad;2392951]Like others have said it is a broken system. What I could see working is keeping both. FP+ allows you to get 2 fast passes scheduled before your trip and not count against time restrictions. Then at the parks the day of, you use the system as it has been. QUOTE]

I agree. Admittedly, I have not been to WDW since the implementation of the new systems (twice this year while it was in planning, but we were not included) but I, like others, do not like to plan every moment of my vacation months ahead. Sorry, that's just not to for me. It seems like to enjoy the top tier attractions with minimal waiting, that's what it takes.

I am just glad I travel during what are traditionally low traffic times of year. The current system of FP almost wasn't necessary to use in September this year.

I don't like the idea of "wearing" my park pass and credit card either, but I could deal with that I suppose.

[janebanks]

Wow. I'm having a miserable experience planning Fast Passes over at disney.com and came on here to see what was up...

I've been crazy busy and head in the sand about this trip since we booked it, and hadn't read any of the fastpass+ details or looked into it until today...

I'm just not able to wrap my head around the fact that I can't get fastpasses for both Soarin' and Test Track on the same day, or that I can't now plan on riding either of those rides with the friends I'm meeting there because I can't reserve passes for them or that I have to plan my ENTIRE FREAKING DAY out right now even though I haven't even boarded the plane yet... and this is just one day! I haven't clicked on the other days and I hardly have the heart to. :( But for the kids's sake so we can have at least one quick not-standing-in-a-long-line experience, I guess I will.

I am SO DISAPPOINTED. When we get back, I'll write a letter to Disney.

[Dulcee]

For me I will go to Universal Studios and stay on site. I call their system "Front of Line", but I am not sure what it is called. It is so much easier and hassle free. We literally walk on a rides with no waits at all. We went on The Cat in the Hat passing a guy 5 times in a half hour. His family had not been on and we went 5x in a row. I know this can't be done at Disney, but the new FP+ system is lightyears behind.

Part of me so dislikes the Universal system because of just that. If you can afford to pay for it, its great. And a handful get that perk. At disney at least everyone is on a fairly even playing field (once you have a ticket). Will you get to do splash 6 times in a day? Maybe not, but you will get to ride, and so will families X, Y and Z.




I am SO DISAPPOINTED. When we get back, I'll write a letter to Disney.

Give it a shot, you may be surprised. We were apprehensive after dealing with the glitchy website. The app, and the ability to make change during the day of your fast passes, actually makes modifying your fast passes easier then when you'd "miss" a paper fast pass. We also found we didn't lose as much time in the day running around the park to gather fast passes, only to back track to ride.