Disney doesn't like Florida Residents

[Daisy'sMom]

I know the Fast Pass + has been debated up and down, over and over again. But today I feel angry and I have to vent. Forgive me.
We are FL Resident APers. We have been for several years. We love nothing more than getting up on a Saturday morning and saying, " if we leave within an hour, we can have lunch at Epcot.
We loved being able to get to the park, get a fast pass and make a dinner reservation.
For the past few months, we have tried and tried to get a fast pass for Seven Dwarfs. Keep in mind that we can not book a fast pass unless we are in a 30 day window. It's impossible. Unless we are lucky to get one after nine at night. But we are both 60 and have a two hour drive home. So that is to late for us.
We tried to make one today for the next 30 days and guess what? They are not available. And our choices at restaurants are limited. I am beginning to believe that Disney would rather keep the FL residents home, what with all the changes they have made.
Thank you for letting me vent, I hope you will understand my anger.

[DonaldDuckUSA]

DBF and I stopped renewing our FL Res APs because we wanted to save money for other trips, but I started to feel the same way.

We weren't able to participate in any of the fun testing because we mostly decided if we were taking a trip the day before we set out to Orlando. There is no way we could book reservations or rides like that.

Don't let it spoil your fun. You have to wait in line longer than you would with a FP, but visit during "slow" times. You may not be able to do it every trip.

I agree with your overall point. I felt like AP Florida residents weren't factored in as well. We didn't really get to tinker with any of the new stuff.

[TheVBs]

I'm so sorry! I would be frustrated too.

[dnickels]

Sorry it's been a downer for you. I don't think they set out to do that to passholders or spur of the moment trips, but it's sort of one of the effects of FP+.

Remember, the goal of FP+ is really about crowd management. Just like a casino wants you on the gambling floor and not in line for drinks or up in your room, Disney doesn't want you standing in line for 2 hours because there are no opportunities for impulse purchases in line (yet anyway). With FP+ they can use those bookings to steer guests to different areas of the parks or to keep them from waiting in lines for the more popular attractions. In addition by knowing how many people have Fastpasses pre-booked they know pretty well exactly how many people are heading to that particular park on a particular day. That lets them better plan staffing so they don't get caught having to call in extra cast members at the last moment (and running up overtime) because a park is randomly flooded with guests one day.

I'm sure you have better things to do but the only advice is really to keep checking the App frequently and hope you can snag some Fastpasses that someone else just cancelled.

[CleveSJM]

That is frustrating. We understand your pain. Like others have mentioned, seems like AP "spur of the moment" use is best limited to low season or early in the day type visits where fastpass isn't really needed.

[AgentC]

I'm sorry you are frustrated. I don't think it as much that WDW doesn't want the FL passholders. If that were the case they could easily eliminate discount FL pass or give us no Fast passes. I think it is more that they want to give a benefit to the the customers WDW feels are the most profitable. But I understand when you get locked out of something you want to it doesn't really make a difference what their intent is.

I am a FL pass holder as well and it can be tough competing with on site guests who book at the 60 day mark for a few things. Unfortunately the Mine Train is one of them and I've had trouble getting that occasionally even when I was staying on site. dnickels has good advice on checking frequently to see if something opens up. I got a Mine Train FP same day that way in January. Of course going into spring break season it will get more difficult since the crowd level increases. I check quick and saw March 23-25 all had Mine Train FP for about 8 pm. The 26th opens up tomorrow for 30 day people which includes passholders and off site visitors. Checking a day early in the morning as it comes into the 30 day window might help you find a time you like.


I think the ADRs have been a problem long before FP+ started. I due find most of the time I can find some place I want to eat. I might have to cast my net a little wider (like check Epcot and the Boardwalk area) but there are usually options. Since they started the guarantee I've actually seen an improvement except at the most popular spots.

Sorry again for your understandable frustration.

[DonaldDuckUSA]

I would suggest you continue to embrace spur of the moment trips! It was so easy for DBF and I to grow frustrated that we weren't included (or even considered!) with a lot of the FP stuff, but we still got to go to take a few weekend trips to Disney and if we had to wait in line a long time, so be it. You'll miss a few things, but you'll hit it on the next trip. You pay too much money to be upset. :-)

[Katzateer]

It is not only Florida residents that feel that way.

Trying to book FP+ and meals while staying at Shades of Green has also been frustrating. Trying to get it all planned at 30 days out is not easy and having to go back to the site each day of the trip, instead of getting it all done when the first day is opened up is a pain.

You are lucky to be so close!

[minnie04]

Trust me I feel ya!!!

[RBrooksC]

I think the other issue is that while DL is considered mostly a locals park, WDW is not. This is why WDW does not get the holiday overlays and other limited run items that would take away the classic attractions for a short run.

In the same way, Disney looked at the numbers and saw that the FP+ would work best for their park with a majority of the people who come to WDW as vacationers who plan the trip and come for a long distance.

They may come to a balance eventually. If they want to implement this in DL, they will have to come up with something and that is when a change will be seen in WDW.

[MrsJ1022]

I feel for your frustrations because we like to be spontaneous when we go down to WDW and the constantly having to book fast passes kind of ruin that and make it feel kind of rigid...i dont think it is necessarily a florida thing i think its a thing for people that dont like their entire trip planned out for every hour. we like to wake up pick a park and go with the flow and not have to worry about fastpasses, but if you want to go on marquee rides its almost like you HAVE to have them...

on the other hand... you can drive to WDW whenever you want and that makes me jealous...i would LOVE to wake up on a weekend and just say "hey lets go have lunch at EPCOT and then watch Wishes".... so JEALOUS what are the chances they build a monorail from Massachusetts to Disney anytime soon :/ not sooooonnn enough