No standby for Toy Story Mania this week?

[Terra]

It's always a good thing to put everything in perspective. Sending good thoughts out to your family members.....

When we went on our trip this year, I was very annoyed that I had to choose 3 atttractions a day to fast pass, 60 days in advance.

When I got there & was ushered onto those attractions within little to no line? I wasn't quite as annoyed.

I wonder what the percentage of on-site guests to off-site guests are? And will this FP+ eventually mean that its an extra perk of staying on-site for all tiers of resorts? I am kind of ok with this.

I've been saying - when I go to Universal again (haven't been there since 2000) - I'm staying on their propery to get the equivalent "fast pass" there. It stinks to have to pay for that - but when standing on line is painful (sciatica) and I can afford it - I'm doing it.

And back to the fast pass - they have to give you more than 3 in advance - I think 5 would be better......

Thank you

Yes, you put it into words better than I. I understand that though and kind of agree.
Not going to lie, I'd probably pay as well if I could afford it for the extra fast pass perk.

[NJGIRL]

Wow, they keep digging a deeper hole for themselves. Now for locals or people staying off site you won't be able to ride a lot of the more popular rides because fast passes are gone before the day of the visit and you can't stand in line either.....But these same people are paying the same price for their tickets as everyone else?????

This started out as a mess and with each step it has gotten worse. It was a nightmare when we were there last Oct and I really have no desire to go back, especially with this new "trial".

They basically have pushed many people away from visiting again. We have been going to Disney almost every year ( some years twice)since 1992. We had been spending a week at our timeshare and a week on property at a deluxe until we discovered Universal hotels about 5 years ago. I am a big shopper on vacation and we always have a table service everyday.

I guess my point is that when we are on vacation we don't worry about spending. We have spent thousands and thousands of dollars there since 1992 and I am honestly so frustrated with their over the top controlling methods that they have sucked out all of the fun of a Disney vacation. That is sad.

[EeyoresBestFriend]

This is really dumb. What am I supposed to do if I only get 3 FP a day and there are no standby lines for other rides? And for the shopping? Eyeah - Disney is getting less and less merchandise for adults and that REALLY blows!

I wish they would just drop ALL the FP and just have one line - first come first serve. A lot less complicated. *sheesh*

[NJGIRL]

FP+ is either going to be rammed down the guests throats until the point where people just learn to live with it or it's going to flame out in spectacular fashion and take a lot of WDW's leadership with it.

I hope it's the latter.

Controling every minute of my vacation and what I can or can not do is not acceptable to me....maybe die hard fans will keep going but I know a whole lot of occasional guests that will refuse to vacation there again.

[NJGIRL]

TSMM would not be so popular. The attraction itself is not that good.

I have been saying this for years...it's fun but not fun enough for the insane lines and waiting time....Plus the fact it breaks down all of the time. I have only been in line ONCE, when there wasn't a malfunction with a long delay.

[RunDMV]

I hope it's the latter.

Controling every minute of my vacation and what I can or can not do is not acceptable to me....maybe die hard fans will keep going but I know a whole lot of occasional guests that will refuse to vacation there again.

This^

We just got back from a non-Disney vacation in Colorado. Just a general itinery. Sponteneity was the order of the day. It was so relaxing to know that my entire vacation wasnt planned to the minute.

And i let Disney know, too.

[NJGIRL]

This^

We just got back from a non-Disney vacation in Colorado. Just a general itinery. Sponteneity was the order of the day. It was so relaxing to know that my entire vacation wasnt planned to the minute.

And i let Disney know, too.

I know. We take a non Disney vacation every other year and they are much more relaxing. Besides the point I enjoy seeing other parts of the country/world.

[BriarRose0708]

As Mel mentioned a couple pages ago, I was in the MK last week and was able to get in standby for Anna and Elsa. I had been nervous we wouldn't be able to take the kids to meet them since all reports previous to our trip were no standby, similar to the test they were doing for TSMM. I have to admit I was relieved since I was unable to get a FP+ for A&E even at 60 days out at midnight. The wait was 45 minutes at 9 a.m. and the time had climbed to 105 by 10 a.m. So whatever it was they were testing for A&E is done for now, at least.

I think it's extremely unfair to guests onsite and off, local or international to completely close an attraction to non FP+ holders. We would totally have waited in the 105 minute line for A&E if the kids had wanted to. We knew going into our trip that it was a possibility. That wouldn't have upset us as much as if we had gotten there and out of the blue suddenly there is no standby line at all. That's unacceptable. I really feel for those families and guests who are there for a once in a lifetime trip, planned on waiting for the ride or attraction, and then get completely shut out.

[NJGIRL]

I think it's extremely unfair to guests onsite and off, local or international to completely close an attraction to non FP+ holders. We would totally have waited in the 105 minute line for A&E if the kids had wanted to. We knew going into our trip that it was a possibility. That wouldn't have upset us as much as if we had gotten there and out of the blue suddenly there is no standby line at all. That's unacceptable. I really feel for those families and guests who are there for a once in a lifetime trip, planned on waiting for the ride or attraction, and then get completely shut out.

Agree 100%....everyone is paying the same price to get into the parks and to say some people will not get to do an attraction if they didn't reserve it in advance is totally unacceptable. If I was there during this "test" I would have been steaming.

[DonaldDuck1117]

Disney World has never been a relaxing vacation. It's many things-relaxing is not one of them. Well, I guess it can be if you allow it to be, but many here won't. You don't want to deal with FP+? Then don't. You don't have to use FP+. You can simply go to the parks and ride what you want, when you want. And you're not planning your entire day, you are planning 3 rides a day and then the rest of your day is wide open.

[PirateLover]

You don't want to deal with FP+? Then don't. You don't have to use FP+. You can simply go to the parks and ride what you want, when you want.

Except that the whole point of this thread was to discuss that during this test, Disney was not allowing people into the standby line. You HAD to use FP+ to ride Toy Story Mania. They have done similar tests with other attractions, so no, you cannot always ride what you want when you want if you don't book a FP+.

[Goofy4TheWorld]

Disney World has never been a relaxing vacation. It's many things-relaxing is not one of them. Well, I guess it can be if you allow it to be, but many here won't. You don't want to deal with FP+? Then don't. You don't have to use FP+. You can simply go to the parks and ride what you want, when you want. And you're not planning your entire day, you are planning 3 rides a day and then the rest of your day is wide open

Except that the whole point of this thread was to discuss that during this test, Disney was not allowing people into the standby line. You HAD to use FP+ to ride Toy Story Mania. They have done similar tests with other attractions, so no, you cannot always ride what you want when you want if you don't book a FP+.

[Hammer]

I was there during the exact dates they were running this test. There were FP+ times available for the ride during the week. My sister and I, though, only planned to go to DHS during evening extra magic hours on Sunday October 5. TSMM was actually closed during Evening Extra Magic hours! We were like, Really?! So, we did not ride it on this trip, as we weren't going back to DHS. Personally, we can take or leave the ride as it doesn't do much for us, but I do understand why people were upset that this was done without notice.

We approach Disney vacations different than many of you on the board. We enjoy the rides, but they are just a component of our overall vacation experience. No one ride is going to make or break our vacation. We apply this principle to all of our vacations. For example, my sister has a 5 day business trip to Paris leaving on Halloween. This is actually a trip where I can join her (sometimes Cheryl's meeting schedule does not make that feasible), but that was only confirmed just before we went to Disney. So, we have planned very little. We have the high points we plan to accomplish by taking a tour, but we know we won't hit everything in 4 full days, so we aren't going to stress ourselves out trying. We will enjoy just soaking up the energy of actually being in Paris!

[dudeman1975]

I do not like the idea of Toy Story Mania being Fastpass+ only. I like spontaneous and waiting in the queue. When I go to Disneyworld I used to have a vacation away from the stress of planning and using the smartphone or blackberry which I do everyday at work. It was my way of getting away from the modern technologies, also people in the park did not really have the smartphones constantly out so it was a nice relaxing vacation. Now I constantly am running from one attraction to another and checking the smartphone for the wait times. I am also checking when my meal is schedule in accordance with my Fastpass+ and forget it if a ride brakes now I am calling the restauraunt to explain why I am going to be late.

[baldburke]

So now that the one week FP+ only test is complete what is the conclusion? What was Disney trying to get from the test? Was it to see if you could eventually schedule your entire visit? It's a novel idea, but you do want to keep it flexible as you are on vacation. I agree with Hammer that no one ride defines our Disney vacations. There are always closures during almost any visit. We are there for the Disney experience!

[Terra]

Disney World has never been a relaxing vacation. It's many things-relaxing is not one of them. Well, I guess it can be if you allow it to be, but many here won't. You don't want to deal with FP+? Then don't. You don't have to use FP+. You can simply go to the parks and ride what you want, when you want. And you're not planning your entire day, you are planning 3 rides a day and then the rest of your day is wide open.

Though I realize this particular thread is about a no standby line, I 100% agree with you on the over all issue. People make it more stressful than it needs to be.

I was there during the exact dates they were running this test. There were FP+ times available for the ride during the week. My sister and I, though, only planned to go to DHS during evening extra magic hours on Sunday October 5. TSMM was actually closed during Evening Extra Magic hours! We were like, Really?! So, we did not ride it on this trip, as we weren't going back to DHS. Personally, we can take or leave the ride as it doesn't do much for us, but I do understand why people were upset that this was done without notice.

We approach Disney vacations different than many of you on the board. We enjoy the rides, but they are just a component of our overall vacation experience. No one ride is going to make or break our vacation. We apply this principle to all of our vacations. For example, my sister has a 5 day business trip to Paris leaving on Halloween. This is actually a trip where I can join her (sometimes Cheryl's meeting schedule does not make that feasible), but that was only confirmed just before we went to Disney. So, we have planned very little. We have the high points we plan to accomplish by taking a tour, but we know we won't hit everything in 4 full days, so we aren't going to stress ourselves out trying. We will enjoy just soaking up the energy of actually being in Paris!

Well put. Really if it's that bad that one thing will make a break it then maybe it's time to step away.
Don't get me wrong, I get being miffed over it. I'm not a fan that I can't do BOG of lunch unless I stay on property. I don't think that's "fair" since it is in a park and I have a pass.
At the same time, life isn't fair and it is what it is.

What I don't understand is the extreme reactions. I know people don't like when I ask this, but I ask in all sincerity with no malice.
For those who are truly done with Disney and believe in their opinion they have nothing left to offer and won't go back, then why continue on a Disney board where in the end we are promoting the wonderful magic of Disney?
If someone is finding it harder and harder to say anything in a good light, then in all honesty maybe we need to ask ourselves is it time to move on from Disney and forum alike.
Again, I mean no malice by the question, just an honest observation.

[DizneyFreak2002]

So now that the one week FP+ only test is complete what is the conclusion? What was Disney trying to get from the test? Was it to see if you could eventually schedule your entire visit?

They would never release the results to the public... So unless someone discloses the results to a known insider, and that insider releases them, no one will know what data they gathered or whether the results were what they were looking for or not...

They were trying to gauge whether the current two lines could be FP+ only once they open the third track... The talk has been about the current two lines going FP+ only, and the third track being stand by only...

Will they eventually go to booking ride times for all your rides? I think eventually.. but not yet... The system does seem built for that though... However, they can't get the system working right, so adding in even more nonsense would probably cause over load they won't ever be able to fix... and we know Disney with IT, they don't mix very well...

[DizneyFreak2002]

For those who are truly done with Disney and believe in their opinion they have nothing left to offer and won't go back, then why continue on a Disney board where in the end we are promoting the wonderful magic of Disney?

Easy... In the end we are all fans of Disney.. We want Disney to be the best it can be... And right now, in Orlando, they are far from it... And some of us hold Disney to their own high standards, standards they no longer hold themselves to.. Why? Cause of the fan reactions: WELL IT IS DISNEY THEREFORE IT IS AUTOMATICALLY PERFECT... That is why TDO has been allowed to let WDW become watered down, let maintenance falter... Let show die... Where money and the bottom line become the driving force instead of show... There were times when rides would be taken offline to fix an issue cause show trumpeted all (other than safety)... Now money trumps show, safety, efficiency... TDO and Disney look at guests as personal ATM machines... They treat guests like idiots...

TDO cuts, cuts, cuts but they don't add, unless forced to by Burbank... Yet, prices go up and up and up... You pay more for less... Yes, you have less to do today than you did 10 years ago (in the parks)... Entertainment gets cut or replaced by cheaper pathetic acts... But, people defend it... That is why they keep getting away with it... WDW does not have a voice like Disneyland did (Al Lutz)... He held TDA accountable... He became the voice of the Disneyland fan who were upset with management... He took them to task... And lo and behold, Disneyland turned things around under new management... WDW does not have that voice.. So the monkeys running WDW can continue to strip away without fear of ridicule...

And it is only cause of what has been happening in Universal which woke up Burbank and made them realize something needs to be done in WDW.... TDO was not doing it...

And we are not here to promote Disney... Disney has a PR team, they have a social media team, they have a marketing team whose job it is to promote Disney... It isn't my job to promote them... We aren't here to promote anything... We are here to discuss Disney, good and bad... If people cannot handle the bad, then oh well.. there are plenty of pixie dust laced fansites out there where not one negative word is allowed... Some should go there instead of a site where the owner and mods allow all talk (positive and negative) to occur...

[Hammer]

Easy... In the end we are all fans of Disney.. We want Disney to be the best it can be... And right now, in Orlando, they are far from it... And some of us hold Disney to their own high standards, standards they no longer hold themselves to.. Why? Cause of the fan reactions: WELL IT IS DISNEY THEREFORE IT IS AUTOMATICALLY PERFECT... That is why TDO has been allowed to let WDW become watered down, let maintenance falter... Let show die... Where money and the bottom line become the driving force instead of show... There were times when rides would be taken offline to fix an issue cause show trumpeted all (other than safety)... Now money trumps show, safety, efficiency... TDO and Disney look at guests as personal ATM machines... They treat guests like idiots...

TDO cuts, cuts, cuts but they don't add, unless forced to by Burbank... Yet, prices go up and up and up... You pay more for less... Yes, you have less to do today than you did 10 years ago (in the parks)... Entertainment gets cut or replaced by cheaper pathetic acts... But, people defend it... That is why they keep getting away with it... WDW does not have a voice like Disneyland did (Al Lutz)... He held TDA accountable... He became the voice of the Disneyland fan who were upset with management... He took them to task... And lo and behold, Disneyland turned things around under new management... WDW does not have that voice.. So the monkeys running WDW can continue to strip away without fear of ridicule...

And it is only cause of what has been happening in Universal which woke up Burbank and made them realize something needs to be done in WDW.... TDO was not doing it...

And we are not here to promote Disney... Disney has a PR team, they have a social media team, they have a marketing team whose job it is to promote Disney... It isn't my job to promote them... We aren't here to promote anything... We are here to discuss Disney, good and bad... If people cannot handle the bad, then oh well.. there are plenty of pixie dust laced fansites out there where not one negative word is allowed... Some should go there instead of a site where the owner and mods allow all talk (positive and negative) to occur...

I think what bothers me is that there are people who NEVER see anything as positive. Likewise, there are those who NEVER see anything as negative. I personally dislike both extremes.

Look my WDW trip last week had bumps in the road, which I posted, but we also had great parts as well (I love VGF!). I acknowledge the problems, but not without pointing out the good. As I said, I will not let one thing/ride/encounter make or break my vacation.

[DonaldDuck1117]

When I made my comment the discussion was shifting to FP+ in generally and how it is the end of mankind as we know it. I dont think any ride should be exclusively FP+. My point was that to say FP+ ruines sponteniaity is wrong. You book three rides-that's all. And if you do t want to use it you don't have to.

I do get a chuckle out of all the outrage about a ride going exclusively FP+ though (again I am absolutely against it 100%) because from reading this board it seems like many of you will only ride a ride if you have a FP for it. You are allowed to wait more than 30 minutes in a line. What do you do when you go to your local amusement park?