Was fortunate to discover this site prior to our visit last week. Four of us in the traveling party - two separate reservations that I was managing; with my daughter and SIL’s res linked to mine. Because of the site, was certainly better prepared! The experience.......
Pre-trip: Noticed a picture of the HM entrance on first time on this site with the new FP+ sign and wondered what that meant. Headed to the Disney site - read what little there was to read - and after some exploration found that I was able to create FP+ times for three out of the four of us. I was unable to select my daughter.
First call was actually sort of funny in retrospect. I explained what I could/couldn’t do and he asked if I had been “contacted”. I assumed that he meant someone from Disney, not outer space or from the dead, and said I had not. (I learned later that I had found out I could establish FP+ times before they actually told me I could - something that never dawned on CM #1 either.) He asked me if I had a band - which I took literally - no I did not have one physically in hand.
He then read a scripted response letting me know the program was in testing and would not be rolled out until next year yada, yada, yada. When he completed, I told him I understood all that, but I WAS able to create FP+ times, just that I could only do it for three of the four in the party. To which he responded - have you been contacted? Once again - answer – no. And once again - - he repeated the script.
OK - - I got that - - BUT - - I CAN select three of us - just not the fourth - - that’s my only problem. His response - have you been contacted. NO. And here came the script for the third time. It was three times for sure - and maybe even a fourth - which was when I flew the surrender flag and just said never mind. It was as if I was on Dumbo the Flying Elephant and each round revealed the same outcome.
Then, following the end-call script, he asked if there was anything else he could help me with - - and I started laughing - - then he started laughing. End of call one.
Dug a little deeper and found I could customize my bands, etc, so back on hold for call two. Gained a little ground this time as we decided I WAS part of testing based on my residency at Coronado - and my problem was Carrie had become a “friend” instead of “family” on my account - I assume when I changed her last name to reflect her new marital status! CM changed her back to family
Task at hand was to “unlink” their res from my account and then re-link - but we needed a systems person for that. I thought we got a ticket started to accomplish that - but after waiting almost two weeks - no dice.
Call three - no notes of any problem on my account - and nothing done - but now I at least knew what to tell my new assistant. CM #3 agreed what needed to be done - but he couldn’t do it. “Have you called the MDE people?” No. 407-939-3471.
Call four. I was finally in the right place. CM here couldn’t fix it himself, but put me on hold while he contacted the systems person who could perform the task. 5-10 minutes later - bingo. In business. By this time we already had our bands. I asked him if her’s was going to work or not and he wasn’t sure - so they sent us another one just in case.
Moral of the story - make sure all in your party are designated family.
I had a second issue where I couldn’t online check-in their res - kept getting an error - but this time I went straight to MDE and he took me to a site where I could do it directly. Only thing I couldn’t do was set their PIN, which only took a moment at the desk.
Trip itself: After this early sequence of events, and reading some not so glowing testimonials, was a bit nervous.
Arrived later Sunday; had time for a couple rides prior to an ADR at Via Napoli.
First things first - all four bands opened respective doors. Then no problem getting into EPCOT - and fittingly, first FP+ test - - was TEST Track. No issue. So arriving late on a Sunday, we were able to do two of the longest line rides - TT and Soarin’ - watched a bit of Night Ranger - all in plenty of time before our 8:30 ADR. DP was loaded properly on the band, and the added charge for the pitcher of sangria caused no issue.
That pretty much set the tone - aside from a few small items - the bands worked as designed for the entire stay - all charges and all FP. We had a pretty good initial plan, which meant the first three full days didn’t require changes, but we did juggle FP+ times and attractions the last couple days without issue.
The small glitches - we stayed Business Class which meant we had access to a lounge with a continental breakfast, and nightly snacks and beverages. My band opened the door - the other three did not. CM Nathan, who we got to know fairly well, told us that door was a troublemaker and they weren’t sure why. We said we were fine with just the one and left it at that.
A couple times they had to re-process at dinner. Don’t believe that was an issue with the band, per se, but maybe the way the server processed it? Not sure - but in both cases the second time was the charm.
One other thing - THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to the parties that posted the link to the BOG FP for lunch. Do not - - emphasize - - DO NOT - - head there without one. Our res was around 11:15 on Monday. Stand-by stretched all the way across the bridge and done pathway toward Gaston’s. Wait time from the end of the line was in the range of an hour and a half. No shade - they were handing out umbrellas and had a cart they were wheeling down the line with cold water.
When we got to the FP desk, we were third in line - which was the longest line there that we saw. Most times we walked by - - there was no one in FP - just the huge stand-by line. So FP into the joint was like the World’s best kept secret.
Sandwiches were fine - - but not melting in the sun for an hour and a half fine.
Final thoughts: After a bumpy start, which I think was more of a personnel training issue, we were VERY pleased with the bands. However......
In my mind, FP+ and the ADRs are the outline to your day. You take the outline, and then build the rest of your day around that outline. Having a knowledge of Park logistics - from the layout of each park to the popularity of the rides to the transportation system - really helped us maximize our park time. And we were still able to flex the final days to suit our moods.
That said, without that knowledge, a newbie MIGHT struggle a little bit in site navigation (slow being an understatement) to begin with, and then be a little lost when it comes to choosing where and when to spend your FP+ allotment.
In other words, “veterans” will probably end up with an advantage. I spent a decent amount of time putting our plan of attack together, but I actually enjoyed doing it. Quite obviously, others may find it more of a painful exercise.
I don’t wear a watch, nor rings or bands of any kind normally, but I got used to this one pretty quickly and really didn’t think about it. Once confident with the thing, left my wallet in the safe - which is something I would rarely do.
And that number to MDE - - if you booked on line and have any mechanical problems with your account - - I would call them first.
I have other thoughts - - but enough rambling for now!
Pre-trip: Noticed a picture of the HM entrance on first time on this site with the new FP+ sign and wondered what that meant. Headed to the Disney site - read what little there was to read - and after some exploration found that I was able to create FP+ times for three out of the four of us. I was unable to select my daughter.
First call was actually sort of funny in retrospect. I explained what I could/couldn’t do and he asked if I had been “contacted”. I assumed that he meant someone from Disney, not outer space or from the dead, and said I had not. (I learned later that I had found out I could establish FP+ times before they actually told me I could - something that never dawned on CM #1 either.) He asked me if I had a band - which I took literally - no I did not have one physically in hand.
He then read a scripted response letting me know the program was in testing and would not be rolled out until next year yada, yada, yada. When he completed, I told him I understood all that, but I WAS able to create FP+ times, just that I could only do it for three of the four in the party. To which he responded - have you been contacted? Once again - answer – no. And once again - - he repeated the script.
OK - - I got that - - BUT - - I CAN select three of us - just not the fourth - - that’s my only problem. His response - have you been contacted. NO. And here came the script for the third time. It was three times for sure - and maybe even a fourth - which was when I flew the surrender flag and just said never mind. It was as if I was on Dumbo the Flying Elephant and each round revealed the same outcome.
Then, following the end-call script, he asked if there was anything else he could help me with - - and I started laughing - - then he started laughing. End of call one.
Dug a little deeper and found I could customize my bands, etc, so back on hold for call two. Gained a little ground this time as we decided I WAS part of testing based on my residency at Coronado - and my problem was Carrie had become a “friend” instead of “family” on my account - I assume when I changed her last name to reflect her new marital status! CM changed her back to family
Task at hand was to “unlink” their res from my account and then re-link - but we needed a systems person for that. I thought we got a ticket started to accomplish that - but after waiting almost two weeks - no dice.
Call three - no notes of any problem on my account - and nothing done - but now I at least knew what to tell my new assistant. CM #3 agreed what needed to be done - but he couldn’t do it. “Have you called the MDE people?” No. 407-939-3471.
Call four. I was finally in the right place. CM here couldn’t fix it himself, but put me on hold while he contacted the systems person who could perform the task. 5-10 minutes later - bingo. In business. By this time we already had our bands. I asked him if her’s was going to work or not and he wasn’t sure - so they sent us another one just in case.
Moral of the story - make sure all in your party are designated family.
I had a second issue where I couldn’t online check-in their res - kept getting an error - but this time I went straight to MDE and he took me to a site where I could do it directly. Only thing I couldn’t do was set their PIN, which only took a moment at the desk.
Trip itself: After this early sequence of events, and reading some not so glowing testimonials, was a bit nervous.
Arrived later Sunday; had time for a couple rides prior to an ADR at Via Napoli.
First things first - all four bands opened respective doors. Then no problem getting into EPCOT - and fittingly, first FP+ test - - was TEST Track. No issue. So arriving late on a Sunday, we were able to do two of the longest line rides - TT and Soarin’ - watched a bit of Night Ranger - all in plenty of time before our 8:30 ADR. DP was loaded properly on the band, and the added charge for the pitcher of sangria caused no issue.
That pretty much set the tone - aside from a few small items - the bands worked as designed for the entire stay - all charges and all FP. We had a pretty good initial plan, which meant the first three full days didn’t require changes, but we did juggle FP+ times and attractions the last couple days without issue.
The small glitches - we stayed Business Class which meant we had access to a lounge with a continental breakfast, and nightly snacks and beverages. My band opened the door - the other three did not. CM Nathan, who we got to know fairly well, told us that door was a troublemaker and they weren’t sure why. We said we were fine with just the one and left it at that.
A couple times they had to re-process at dinner. Don’t believe that was an issue with the band, per se, but maybe the way the server processed it? Not sure - but in both cases the second time was the charm.
One other thing - THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to the parties that posted the link to the BOG FP for lunch. Do not - - emphasize - - DO NOT - - head there without one. Our res was around 11:15 on Monday. Stand-by stretched all the way across the bridge and done pathway toward Gaston’s. Wait time from the end of the line was in the range of an hour and a half. No shade - they were handing out umbrellas and had a cart they were wheeling down the line with cold water.
When we got to the FP desk, we were third in line - which was the longest line there that we saw. Most times we walked by - - there was no one in FP - just the huge stand-by line. So FP into the joint was like the World’s best kept secret.
Sandwiches were fine - - but not melting in the sun for an hour and a half fine.
Final thoughts: After a bumpy start, which I think was more of a personnel training issue, we were VERY pleased with the bands. However......
In my mind, FP+ and the ADRs are the outline to your day. You take the outline, and then build the rest of your day around that outline. Having a knowledge of Park logistics - from the layout of each park to the popularity of the rides to the transportation system - really helped us maximize our park time. And we were still able to flex the final days to suit our moods.
That said, without that knowledge, a newbie MIGHT struggle a little bit in site navigation (slow being an understatement) to begin with, and then be a little lost when it comes to choosing where and when to spend your FP+ allotment.
In other words, “veterans” will probably end up with an advantage. I spent a decent amount of time putting our plan of attack together, but I actually enjoyed doing it. Quite obviously, others may find it more of a painful exercise.
I don’t wear a watch, nor rings or bands of any kind normally, but I got used to this one pretty quickly and really didn’t think about it. Once confident with the thing, left my wallet in the safe - which is something I would rarely do.
And that number to MDE - - if you booked on line and have any mechanical problems with your account - - I would call them first.
I have other thoughts - - but enough rambling for now!
