Disney to increase the number of FastPass+ entitlements per day and include park hopping

[cw1982]

Yes, it actually did. We rode EE using single rider option and the only thing with a long wait was Kali. All the parks were really busy that week but using mornings for the headliners and FP+ for the evening (since we park hop) worked where we usually either walked on the rides or the waits were less than 30 minutes...course keep in mind I was traveling with my boyfriend who has a heart condition so our pace was not brisk at all, and DGS7 who wants to do the immersive things so at AK we worked on badges, MK it was sorcerer, and EPCOT we played Agent Perry when we hit the WS.
I have complaints about the FP+ rollout but the concept I like. I was mostly annoyed about the app blips trying to change things on the fly with my phone, which is a galaxy. I gather the app is written first for IOS platform and I think I need Itouch, an Iphone or an Ipad mini to use the app without all the freaking blips...or maybe it was just a having a bad week...

I will say this much... I had issues with the app on my phone (I have a droid... was thinking of getting a Galaxy S4 since I get to upgrade in a few weeks and hope they will be cheaper with the S5 being out now), but then the app updated and it seems to be working splendidly. I haven't tried it in the parks yet, but I can easily pull up wait times, look for ADR's, and select FP+ choices without any real delay, whereas before it was freezing every time. So maybe this has been fixed.

 

[morningstar]

Am I missing the point of Fastpass+ now? Is it now to just say what your favorite attraction is and not to save time?

From Disney's perspective, saying what your favorite attraction is is an important part. It gives them data about their customers.

 

[morningstar]

ETA: Notice he skirts the issue of kiosks vs using the phone app for extra FP+ choices... hmm...

In other words he gave no additional information that wasn't in the original announcement. That indicates that that's all he's authorized to say. He might know more, but isn't talking.

 

[cw1982]

In other words he gave no additional information that wasn't in the original announcement. That indicates that that's all he's authorized to say. He might know more, but isn't talking.

Exactly.

I've said it before, though, and I'll say it again: I have a hard time believing that they would really make people go to the kiosks to add FP+ choices when the phone app does the same thing. This would be a waste of labor hours on their part, and clearly they are all about trying to raise profits.

 

[morningstar]

This. Exactly.

I have learned the hard way these last two days that disagreeing with those who know everything will only get you bashed and insulted until you either agree or let them have the last word.

Just let them have the last word. By then most people are ignoring them anyway.

 

[cw1982]

Just let them have the last word. By then most people are ignoring them anyway.

Hah! I could have saved myself a lot of time if I had learned this two days ago... live and learn!

 

[morningstar]

All this about Fastpass for shows being about "deception". Well Disney is in the business of deception! You think Cinderella really lives in that castle? If a family can get a Fastpass for Turtle Talk, feel more confident about not missing the show, and have a more relaxed vacation, what's the big deal? No one is forcing you to pick such a Fastpass.

 

[jlsHouston]

I will say this much... I had issues with the app on my phone (I have a droid... was thinking of getting a Galaxy S4 since I get to upgrade in a few weeks and hope they will be cheaper with the S5 being out now), but then the app updated and it seems to be working splendidly. I haven't tried it in the parks yet, but I can easily pull up wait times, look for ADR's, and select FP+ choices without any real delay, whereas before it was freezing every time. So maybe this has been fixed.

Really? I tried messing with the app last week and it froze on me, but I think you're right, I think it did do an update on my phone this weekend so I am going to try and see if it works better now. I'm fixing to get either a galaxy 4 or 5 this week while Sprint still has the upgrade option. I've just always had android.....
I'm going to try messing with the app tomorrow...

 

[cw1982]

All this about Fastpass for shows being about "deception". Well Disney is in the business of deception! You think Cinderella really lives in that castle? If a family can get a Fastpass for Turtle Talk, feel more confident about not missing the show, and have a more relaxed vacation, what's the big deal? No one is forcing you to pick such a Fastpass.

Amen!

 

[morningstar]

When will we be able to make FP+ selections for multiple parks? I just tried, but it says it is still only one park per day.

You cannot pre-book FPs for multiple parks. After you enter the next park, you can add additional FPs in that park - when the changes take effect, the date of which has not been announced. Some people are reporting it works already. That seems to be some kind of limited trial.

 

[Next Big Thing]

I asked Len Testa who confirmed that with the exception of the final American Idol show and Fantasmic! You can walk into a show 95% of the time 4 minutes in advance. That's fairly conclusive evidence to me that Fastpass+ on shows is deception, nothing more. Add in the fact that Disney has only run Fastpass on shows as an experimental basis during times of peak crowds, further reinforces this. Prior to Fastpass+, Captain EO ran Fastpass for one day, July 4th, the day it re-opened (If it wasn't the 4th it was around the 4th). MuppetVision 3D had it when Fastpass first rolled out and it was quickly removed. Many other shows never had it.

@BigTxEars and others are calling this an opinion, but it really isn't. It's a theory grounded in fact and logic. As I said earlier in this thread, I do think there is another alternative explanation other than deception for Disney's uber scheduling (other than deception) but even under this alternative explanation (which I still haven't seen anyone here mention) the scheduling of low demand attractions should not be necessary.

You keep calling this deception. Ypu can't and never will be able to prove that FP on shows is deceptive. I actually see a lot of potential for show fast passes. The big downfall right now is they just throw you in with the masses, there's no dedicated FP viewing, so there's no incentive to using it. That said, if someone wants to use a FP on a show, more power to them. Let people do what they want to do. If using a FP on Finding Nemo or Lion King is what someone sees as the best use of a third FP at DAK, then who's to tell them it isn't? Actually, in DAK, show FPs are fairly valuable comparatively considering the low ride count.

My point is, it shouldn't be a big deal. People can and will do what they want. I don't get why a thread about good things has turned into this.

 

[Next Big Thing]

This is a long way of saying they're deceiving guests because they don't have the roster of true Fastpass attractions to accommodate 3 per guest per day.

You keep saying they are deceiving guests. Disney added FP to a lot of attractions to up the capacity of the system, yes, but it also allows choice, which is a GOOD THING for the consumer. What if you have a family with younger children that are going to DHS? Are they going to be riding ToT and RnR that day? No. They could book a TSM FP, but for the other two, maybe they just want to make sure they catch Disney Junior and Indiana Jones Stunt spectacular for example, something to keep the kids entertained.

Not everything people do is done exactly based on what YOU like to do and on YOUR touring plans. Having kids (especially ones not tall enough for a lot of the rides) changes how you tour completely. I think those families will be the ones taking up some of the FPs for the rides that aren't the typical choice. If your kid loves Barnstormer and isn't quite tall enough for Space Mountain, you better be sure that families will use one for Barnstormer.

 

[Next Big Thing]

That's the thing, I think there's at least a chance that us as fans can still help shape this system. It's important to be vocal about what you want. I think you framed it correctly by saying we want the same thing it's just how we get there that differs. Having said that, I maintain you wrote, "let's just agree to disagree" to annoy me.

Not being able to drop a subject because someone won't admit you are right in your eyes is a problem. I'd get it checked out. Your ego I mean, it seems to be causing a lot of problems.

 

[DisneyCane]

I gather the app is written first for IOS platform and I think I need Itouch, an Iphone or an Ipad mini to use the app without all the freaking blips...or maybe it was just a having a bad week...

The reason for the difference is that the app is probably written from scratch separately for each platform. IOS apps are written in Objective C and Android apps are written in Java. There could very well be bugs in the IOS version that don't exist in the Android version as well.

 

[RSoxNo1]

Not really deception across the board, because as TX has pointed out, some see genuine value in FPs most of us would question. Or in MagicBands. Or pin trading. Or standing in line 5 hours to see a character. Or dropping in on a busy day to see Stitch's Great Escape at 12 noon without waiting in line because that's what the kids are begging for, and you sure want to work in that afternoon nap. Many don't see the value in those choices, but WDW is counting on the fact that some do. It's an integral component of FP+ that a few guests are "deceived" to make a larger number of other guests happy.

I am only guessing, but I would suppose WDW is hoping to use FP+ to spread out the crowds at their discretion, hopefully resulting in lower total daily wait times for most guests. That's why they "suggest" FP return times instead of letting you choose your own from the get-go. It's audacious and totally fascinating when you think about it.

The one constant in the WDW universe is that the best-informed guests still have an advantage. FP+ may alter how much of an advantage but that advantage still exists. Yes, it is largely a shell game. Under the old "house rules" I would have thought a FP for Pirates was ludicrous. But WDW has changed the house rules, and under their new rules, that FP+ I had for Pirates two weeks ago sure had a lot of value for me and my family. EDIT: Did I like it better when average wait times for Pirates were shorter before FP+? Yes, absolutely. But I also like getting to ride Test Track, Soarin or TSMM while sleeping in or arriving mid-afternoon. The new system is the New WDW Order, for now at least, so intelligent and informed guests will naturally find the best way possible to negotiate the parks while using the system to their advantage. That's what we do-- and I'll wager for some of us, it's the thrill of the chase as much as the thrill of the rides themselves.

The real issue is capacity, and they will have to address the problem sooner or later. Unless they are using FP+ (and its limited value for day guests) to deliberately upset a critical number of guests with the ultimate goal of actually *reducing* attendance. That seems a bit cynical, even for me, but the current parking prices for day guests has to make you wonder....

You bring up some great points in here. Most notable the "sleeping in and still getting marquee attractions" point. This is the biggest selling point of the advanced bookings and is a primary reason why I don't think advanced bookings should go away entirely. I do think that under the current system (with tiers) that for the most part the advanced booking is really only important at 1 attraction per day. This is one of the many reasons I would prefer to see the advanced booking aspect of Fastpass+ reduced to a single attraction per day.

The other component here is spreading out the crowds. Disney has wanted to do this ever since Fastpass' inception. They made the attempt with surprise Fastpasses with minimal success. It also points to your last point: capacity. The best way to spread out crowds is to build more high demand attractions. I think most people on here will argue that there are better attractions than Toy Story Mania or Peter Pan's Flight, but they are the most popular attractions (wait time wise) in the parks that they're in. Peter Pan's Flight is aided by 20+ other attractions in the park, but Toy Story Mania really suffers from a lack of family friendly rides in the same park. Adding to the attraction lineup has always been the best way to address "problems" with the Fastpass system.

 

[RSoxNo1]

No RSoxNo1 is so narrow minded he can't see beyond what FP was and can't process why others are falling in line with his position.

Ladies and gentleman, the first insult of the discussion...

 

[RSoxNo1]

You really should get your own schick instead of trying to tag along with others. You're a poor copy.

I'm a Gilette man myself, but I'll probably switch to Dollar Shave Club soon.

As for what you were trying to say, who's schtick am I stealing?

 

[RSoxNo1]

It depends on what you value.. which is the part the other poster was saying yet you kept missing. You're arguing it's better to drive across town to save a nickle on gas... while others are accepting that for convenience they are willing to pay a little bit more. That convenience is a product too. Businesses can shape, cater, and promote products on more than just one metric (cost). Just because YOU value one metric more than another, that doesn't mean that is the only way things are, or that other metrics are worthless.

I get the convenience aspect of the dining plan. I don't personally use it for that reason, but I get it.

I don't know who you are responding too.. but when people are talking about distributing demand, they aren't talking about leveling the playing field. You're arguing that the educated will have a lead over the non? Are you going to tell me the sun is going to rise in the east tomorrow?

This wasn't targeted at you, nor are you interpreting what I meant correctly. There have been people that explicitly will argue that the reason Fastpass+ is happening is to make things better for the first time guest relative to the experienced guest. My point was that the experienced guest will still know the system better than the first time guest, that's it.

 

[Virtual Toad]

With all this talk about it being great to get additional FP+ after your first three are used up, I have to admit I'm still a bit puzzled. How many desirable FPs will be left to choose from at that point? TSMM is already sold out several days in advance now (at least for APs but that's another topic-- are they holding and processing different "blocks" of FPs for different guests??)

Will there really be any good additional FPs left? Won't most if all already be gone by that time?

 

[RSoxNo1]

You keep calling this deception. Ypu can't and never will be able to prove that FP on shows is deceptive. I actually see a lot of potential for show fast passes. The big downfall right now is they just throw you in with the masses, there's no dedicated FP viewing, so there's no incentive to using it. That said, if someone wants to use a FP on a show, more power to them. Let people do what they want to do. If using a FP on Finding Nemo or Lion King is what someone sees as the best use of a third FP at DAK, then who's to tell them it isn't? Actually, in DAK, show FPs are fairly valuable comparatively considering the low ride count.

My point is, it shouldn't be a big deal. People can and will do what they want. I don't get why a thread about good things has turned into this.

You're making two arguments. You actually said I can't prove it's deceptive and then 2 sentences later say there's no incentive to use it. That supports my point that it's deceptive.

Making Fastpass+ for shows a preferred viewing situation is absolutely the way to go, IMO. It justifies the need.