FastPass+ now fully deployed to all guests - let's reset the conversation and hear your views

[flynnibus]

Spending half of my day each day by myself instead of with my family is a MAJOR flaw which I had not previously considered. And it is not a problem restricted to CMs; anyone who meets up with others in the parks but did not micromanage their time together in advance will experience the same issue.

The CM issue is another topic I'm sure they just pushed further and further down the pipeline.

If I were designing the feature, I would give CM's 'unrestricted' FP+ access in that they should be able to pull a FP+ reservation regardless of existing allocations being exhausted. Their total # of FPs would be limited similar to other users.

Why unlimited?
- Most CMs do not have the advantage of planning trips far in advance due to Disney's scheduling
- CMs like yourself who want to visit with family - by having your access not limited, you would be able to request a FP time that aligned with someone else's existing reservation.. allowing you to visit with family without stress.. allowing you to actual utilize the maingate pass perk you've been granted
- To reward CMs who visit on their own with a reasonable perk that makes them special compared to normal guests

By limiting the # of FPs similar to other guests... the CM 'ungated' access should be minimal impact while allowing CMs to visit with other guests easily and reward them as a perk.

It's a no brainer IMO - it's simply about 'when' do you roll it into the software. It also requires a connection between Disney's employment systems and MDE.. to be able to entitle MDE logins or provide a authentication option that leverages your existing internal logins.

 

[Acolli18]

I'm sorry, but to what are you referring?

Sorry, in reference to the 14.95 for the Magic Bands

 

[surfsupdon]

Based on the park hopping and revolving 4th FP, I am now pretty happy. Hope it works out well.

 

[PrincessNelly_NJ]

I never really thought about it this way, but with the ever growing ticket prices, plus adding on another 12.95/person times the average family of 4, this is mildly irritating. I'm sure it's been discussed before, but I wish they'd add these in as a package maybe with on site resort guests or something like that.

Magic Bands are free for on-site guest & passholders. Off-site guest or guest who just want to collect ever color can now purchase the bands.

 

[Acolli18]

Magic Bands are free for on-site guest & passholders. Off-site guest or guest who just want to collect ever color can now purchase the bands.

Ahh my bad, thanks for this! didn't realize this way the case, still trying to figure the entire thing out lol

 

[stephkd]

I was wondering if off-site guests would be able to book FP+ at 30-35 days out, for example booking for May 2-7 today, in the same way that resort guests can book 60-65 days out when they hit the 60 day window for the first day of their trip. Unless there is another way of doing it, off-site guests will have to log in each 30th day before a trip day in order to book FP+. I just booked FP+ for May 2, and I was unable to continue selecting FP+ for any days after that even though I have a 7 day ticket.

 

[PrincessNelly_NJ]

I was wondering if off-site guests would be able to book FP+ at 30-35 days out, for example booking for May 2-7 today, in the same way that resort guests can book 60-65 days out when they hit the 60 day window for the first day of their trip. Unless there is another way of doing it, off-site guests will have to log in each 30th day before a trip day in order to book FP+. I just booked FP+ for May 2, and I was unable to continue selecting FP+ for any days after that even though I have a 7 day ticket.

Sounds like it. It is the same way dining reservations work. On-site guest get a 10 day window before off-site guest.

 

[Thumper14]

I was wondering if off-site guests would be able to book FP+ at 30-35 days out, for example booking for May 2-7 today, in the same way that resort guests can book 60-65 days out when they hit the 60 day window for the first day of their trip. Unless there is another way of doing it, off-site guests will have to log in each 30th day before a trip day in order to book FP+. I just booked FP+ for May 2, and I was unable to continue selecting FP+ for any days after that even though I have a 7 day ticket.

I am off site (Swan) and was able to select and change my all the days FP+ selections online once I was 30 days out for all of them.

I need a Disney PhD!  

 

[LuvtheGoof]

My opinions on FP+ are well known, That said the biggest problem is the extended advanced booking window for the attractions as it causes the headliners to fill up to the detriment of the day guest or those who do not plan their vacations extensively. A more reasonable solution would have to have given onsite guests say 7 day advanced booking, AP without a hotel 24-48 hours advanced booking.

We usually choose the parks based on the weather and no one has been able to reliably predict the weather two months in advance but a week would be reasonable. Such a system would also ensure that the FP+ slots were actually USED.

We will be there in just a few weeks, and were able to make FP+ reservations for everything we wanted to every day. It seems that there is still plenty of availability, but time will tell as more people learn and start using it.

 

[BigThunderMatt]

I always thought the point of FastPass was to give folks a chance to ride the one or two things that really matter to them. I personally see this as being far more important for a family who makes one trip a lifetime or every five or ten years than a cast member who works there or an AP holder who gets to go all the time and who can just come back later if the lines are too crowded. Also, do CM's pay for tickets? Don't AP's actually get a substantial discount on park admission if you look at the cost per trip? With that in mind, why shouldn't the folks who are paying full price and who don't have the option of coming back another day get a little advantage here?

It's not so much the 7 day window but rather the 30 day window for resort booking. Yes, Cast Members receive a discounted room rate but they are still saying onsite and able to take advantage of all the perks of a resort guest including EMH and advanced dining booking, so FP+ 60 day window should be included in that. Annual Passholders and even non-CM Day Guests by default get a 30 day window and get to partake in the 60 day window when staying on-site, which oftentimes includes a discounted room rate as well when it comes to Annual Passholders.

 

[Fractal514]

It's not so much the 7 day window but rather the 30 day window for resort booking. Yes, Cast Members receive a discounted room rate but they are still saying onsite and able to take advantage of all the perks of a resort guest including EMH and advanced dining booking, so FP+ 60 day window should be included in that. Annual Passholders and even non-CM Day Guests by default get a 30 day window and get to partake in the 60 day window when staying on-site, which oftentimes includes a discounted room rate as well when it comes to Annual Passholders.

I agree with you that CMs staying on site should have 60 day access. Other than that I actually don't think they should have advanced access at all.

 

[aka_emilicious]

The CM issue is another topic I'm sure they just pushed further and further down the pipeline.

If I were designing the feature, I would give CM's 'unrestricted' FP+ access in that they should be able to pull a FP+ reservation regardless of existing allocations being exhausted. Their total # of FPs would be limited similar to other users.

Why unlimited?
- Most CMs do not have the advantage of planning trips far in advance due to Disney's scheduling
- CMs like yourself who want to visit with family - by having your access not limited, you would be able to request a FP time that aligned with someone else's existing reservation.. allowing you to visit with family without stress.. allowing you to actual utilize the maingate pass perk you've been granted
- To reward CMs who visit on their own with a reasonable perk that makes them special compared to normal guests

...

Not to mention cast members can be quite vocal while playing the parks. If Disney had given them the initial release like you've stated (unlimited, etc.), I can almost guarantee they'd be bursting with the positives of FastPass+. Maybe they wouldn't feel like they need to brace for impact everytime a guest mentions MM+ or FP+.

I visit my CM friends every few months and it's an absolute headache. I can book fastpasses in advance, but our first stop is always a kiosk to see if similar times are open.

 

[BigTxEars]

Didn't Uni start this whole ideal of "going to the front of the line" if you stay with us each night? If anything Disney's version is more fair as it gives everyone who pays to get into the parks the ability to book a FP+ at some point. The perks of earlier booking are limited. With the Uni version it's unlimited and you have to pay for it unless you sleep with them, well you know what I mean.

Pretty simple, Disney have perks for staying with them, everyone has the option of doing that or not. If you don't you don't get the perks. If that offends then don't go. If this was not common knowledge with even a little bit of research then I could see people getting upset, but that is not the case.

For the record I am a big fan of perks for resort guests at either Uni or Disney, I think it's fair, open to everyone and fully known to everyone ahead of time if anyone does even basic research. And it's just good business to drive resort bookings. I have used it at both Uni and Disney and loved it.

 

[Belowthesurface]

Silly banter for useless things...

 

[BigTxEars]

Based on the park hopping and revolving 4th FP, I am now pretty happy. Hope it works out well.

Me too, but I am still working out how the "old" FP+ works so now I gotta tackle the "new" FP+ and how it works

We are park hopping so I guess I will keep my ear to the ground around here to see what I can leaner before I go in 59 days. And then throw in 7D Mine Train and possible FP+.....

 

[roj2323]

March 31 2014 was a big day for FastPass+. Offsite guests were brought into the system and can now make advance FastPass+ reservations. This now completes the guest rollout of FastPass+ - with all category of guests now able to use the system. (Note - Cast members are still not able to use advance FP+)

We've all been talking about FastPass+ and how it will impact the park experience, but all of that talk was based on incomplete information. Only now that everyone is using the system can we really see its impact.

So let's start this subject over and have a discussion about FastPass+ as it is now. Not during the limited tests, not based on what you have read from other people, but real experiences and opinions of the fully deployed system as it stands today. And let's focus on the impact of FastPass+ - this is not about whether the MyMagic+ project should have been started, or how much it cost.

Remember, all guests can now use FastPass+ with advance reservations. Now it is fair to judge the system - so let's hear it.

For any of you that have missed the latest news on the various FastPass+ rollouts - you can catch up at http://www.wdwmagic.com/other/mymagicplus/news.htm

I do not own a smart phone and I have no intentions of using one for this once I do get one. The idea of going to a disney park at least in my opinion is to leave your worries behind and let your imagination take over. The idea of having my head stuck in a phone periodically all day is counter to this idea and thus I am not a fan.

 

[orky8]

I do not own a smart phone and I have no intentions of using one for this once I do get one. The idea of going to a disney park at least in my opinion is to leave your worries behind and let your imagination take over. The idea of having my head stuck in a phone periodically all day is counter to this idea and thus I am not a fan.

Then use the kiosks. Or don't use the system at all and ride standby. Isn't it wonderful how Disney gives everyone options?

 

[BigTxEars]

I do not own a smart phone and I have no intentions of using one for this once I do get one. The idea of going to a disney park at least in my opinion is to leave your worries behind and let your imagination take over. The idea of having my head stuck in a phone periodically all day is counter to this idea and thus I am not a fan.

I have a smartphone and I do not even take it out of Texas when we go to WDW. I am kinda torn on this as well. I think my wife will carry hers in the park (a big no no in our family) this trip just to use the app) I have mixed feeling on this as well

But I still think the benefits far outweigh the issues.

 

[Fractal514]

I do not own a smart phone and I have no intentions of using one for this once I do get one. The idea of going to a disney park at least in my opinion is to leave your worries behind and let your imagination take over. The idea of having my head stuck in a phone periodically all day is counter to this idea and thus I am not a fan.

You can use your home computer to make FP reservations or one of the kiosks in the park. There is no NEED for a smart phone. Also, "periodically all day" is kind of an oxymoron, but I get what you are saying, I just don't think it would be true in reality. If you make your ressies in advance, you would only need to use your smart phone to make changes, and that's on you, not the system.

 

[RSoxNo1]

I'm looking for clarification here. The annual passholder rules say that an annual passholder can make Fastpass+ selections for 7 days in a 30 day window. Does that mean advanced Fastpass+ selections or that they are only allowed to use Fastpass+ on 7 days regardless of when they make the reservation. By this I mean could an annual passholder go into a park without Fastpass+ reservations and make reservations without it counting against their 7 days?