FastPass+’s Possible Impact on Standby Lines

[bubbles1812]

Wondering something and hope someone can answer. Has Fastpass+ been officially rolled out everywhere for all guests or are they still doing testing? (Please let it be still in testing) The regular Fastpass is still being used as well or no?

 

[BigThunderMatt]

Wondering something and hope someone can answer. Has Fastpass+ been officially rolled out everywhere for all guests or are they still doing testing? (Please let it be still in testing) The regular Fastpass is still being used as well or no?

It isn't officially rolled out anywhere. They've done 3 tests thus far. And none of them have really panned out the way they're intending. I think it keeps getting pushed back because they can't actually design a system to work the way they want it to.

 

[bubbles1812]

It isn't officially rolled out anywhere. They've done 3 tests thus far. And none of them have really panned out the way they're intending. I think it keeps getting pushed back because they can't actually design a system to work the way they want it to.

Haha. I've been gone from here for a little while so I haven't been paying much attention to how FastPass+ has been developing. But it looks like I'm getting a surprise trip to Disney/Universal next week and was hoping it was flopping so I wouldn't have to deal with it Thank you Disney for not disappointing me.

 

[flynnibus]

Currently, you can book ADR's without confirming you have tickets in any way... I'm wondering if they won't just keep the same policy in place. There are various reasons why people might not buy tickets till they arrive at the gate... I can't imagine they'd be stupid enough to alienate those people.

With a supposedly "dynamic" and "real-time" system like NextGen, it's possible that as FP windows approach for names that don't have active tickets tied to them (say, a couple hours before?) those FP's could go back into the pool to be grabbed by someone else attempting to get the exact same FP.

But BOY do a lot of things have to go right for that to work smoothly.

Yeah but ADRs now require a cc to have some teeth to prevent booking just to book. A fp+ system needs some kind of similar tool to keep bookings legit.

And I'd wager Disney is far more motivated to ensure a fp+ window is open for you than it was concerned if you could get an ADR

 

[Buried20KLeague]

Yeah but ADRs now require a cc to have some teeth to prevent booking just to book. A fp+ system needs some kind of similar tool to keep bookings legit.

And I'd wager Disney is far more motivated to ensure a fp+ window is open for you than it was concerned if you could get an ADR

You don't have to have a CC for EVERY ADR though, do you? I thought it was just sigs and character meals. Though I admit its been a year since I've made a ressie.

 

[flynnibus]

You don't have to have a CC for EVERY ADR though, do you? I thought it was just sigs and character meals. Though I admit its been a year since I've made a ressie.

It's a mix...
http://allears.net/din/reserv2.htm

 

[RSoxNo1]

Currently, you can book ADR's without confirming you have tickets in any way... I'm wondering if they won't just keep the same policy in place. There are various reasons why people might not buy tickets till they arrive at the gate... I can't imagine they'd be stupid enough to alienate those people.

With a supposedly "dynamic" and "real-time" system like NextGen, it's possible that as FP windows approach for names that don't have active tickets tied to them (say, a couple hours before?) those FP's could go back into the pool to be grabbed by someone else attempting to get the exact same FP.

But BOY do a lot of things have to go right for that to work smoothly.

This is a concern. I know for AP holders you could link it to your e-mail address online before, I assume that option would still be there but many people don't buy these in advance. For me personally, I play the credit card delay game when plunking down $1700 on two premier APs. I'll buy it when I arrive. It would be a small change having to pay the voucher in advance, but it will annoy some people.

 

[Rasvar]

I know there had been rumors about regular FP going away but I have learned that is not going to be the case anytime in the near future. There is no plan to eliminate it from the park but it will be rolled into using the same the system as FP+ to maintain the correct ratios.
I really don't have a problem with the current system and probably won't have an issue with FP+. I was fine with the window control. I have actually found FP to be much more effective and easier to get in many cases with the closed windows. So, instead of having four FP's past the window in my wallet, I might have one in the window and a new one. I've still made it work. I actually have been able to do more attractions in the evening with the closed windows. I'm going to wait for the whole FP+ system to go live before I condemn it or praise it. I do know that I have yet to experience an of the interactive queues as I have always FP'ed those lines. I will have to wait and see what happens when the park is busier.

 

[Kev1417]

i was there for the test phase of FP+ for haunted mansion. It was the dumbest thing ever. NO ONE was in line for it, but yet they made everyone go through the graveyard. It was a 20 min wait just because people want to play in the graveyard rather than walking to the entrace. If you tried to pass them, they thought you were cutting in line.

 

[RandomPrincess]

i was there for the test phase of FP+ for haunted mansion. It was the dumbest thing ever. NO ONE was in line for it, but yet they made everyone go through the graveyard. It was a 20 min wait just because people want to play in the graveyard rather than walking to the entrace. If you tried to pass them, they thought you were cutting in line.

If you are playing with the interactive queue instead of moving that is your choice but people should be able to go around you. I can imagine many times my kids would be playing with the interactive elements for a little too long but as the adult I would tell the other guests to go ahead of us in line. I would also tell anyone who stopped me from walking around them sorry but you were playing.

 

[GoofGoof]

I know there had been rumors about regular FP going away but I have learned that is not going to be the case anytime in the near future. There is no plan to eliminate it from the park but it will be rolled into using the same the system as FP+ to maintain the correct ratios.
I really don't have a problem with the current system and probably won't have an issue with FP+. I was fine with the window control. I have actually found FP to be much more effective and easier to get in many cases with the closed windows. So, instead of having four FP's past the window in my wallet, I might have one in the window and a new one. I've still made it work. I actually have been able to do more attractions in the evening with the closed windows. I'm going to wait for the whole FP+ system to go live before I condemn it or praise it. I do know that I have yet to experience an of the interactive queues as I have always FP'ed those lines. I will have to wait and see what happens when the park is busier.

That is welcome news. I could see this happening for less popular rides and on less busy days. If the day begins and you are only at half capacity for FP+ reservations for HM or Small World why not open them to everyone? No skin off Disney's back if I end up with 5 FP reservations in a day instead of 3 and it will make guests feel like they are getting something special for nothing. They could even send these out to you via the app. If they see that capacity in Adventureland Is low compard to other parts of MK start pumping out bonus FP+ to Jungle Cruise of Tiki Birds to redirect crowds. They do this now with regular FP. Of course none of that could work during peak times.

 

[Buried20KLeague]

I know there had been rumors about regular FP going away but I have learned that is not going to be the case anytime in the near future. There is no plan to eliminate it from the park but it will be rolled into using the same the system as FP+ to maintain the correct ratios.

If this happens to be true (and no offense, but I'm not sure I would bet on it), I wonder... Could it be a tacit acknowledgment that this nextgen ain't working out like they planned it to??

Hmmmmmm....

 

[ParentsOf4]

If this happens to be true (and no offense, but I'm not sure I would bet on it), I wonder... Could it be a tacit acknowledgment that this nextgen ain't working out like they planned it to??

Plans always were to have both FP and FP+ available for an extended overlapping period. It will take time to convert all tickets and get the biggest bugs solved. It's unclear exactly when all the APs are being converted. Disney already has a ton of "old" tickets sold. It's going to take time.

As I recall, the first deployment of MagicBands at BWI has been pushed back about a month. This is some indication of the problems they are running into.

Regardless of anyone’s opinion on the subject, just consider what Disney is trying to do. Each FP+ selection can be thought of as a reservation. People will have (at last report) 3 FP+ selections per day. Disney has 30 million visitors annually. Disney wants to integrate all transactions into a single system. It's an enormous project. It's going to have problems. Things are not going to work the way they wanted and they are going to have to come up with alternate plans.

Just because some senior executive puts together a Microsoft Project or Power Point presentation with a schedule doesn't mean that schedule has any basis in reality. Sadly, executives often are way over their heads when it comes to putting together "real" R&D schedules. Something of this magnitude is simply frightening. It's the old "if every task has a 95% chance of being completed on time, then we're only going to be about a year late." Executives almost always put together schedules based on what they want, not based on any sort of reality of what it's actually going to take. I can imagine all these senior Disney execs in a huff over what's happening while there are a bunch of engineers saying "We told you this was going to happen but you didn't listen. You never do."

Given the scope of what they are trying to accomplish, it will be a minor miracle if NextGen is only a few months behind schedule. If NextGen ends up only being six months behind, IMHO they would have done a pretty good R&D job.

 

[flynnibus]

reading this site is getting harder and harder to take. I can't take all the assertions based on complete and utter crap compared to how things are done in the real world.. not the fan view of business.

 

[Buried20KLeague]

reading this site is getting harder and harder to take. I can't take all the assertions based on complete and utter crap compared to how things are done in the real world.. not the fan view of business.

Conversely... I can't believe anyone would stand behind nextgen and the price that comes with it knowing all the problems (in every area) that exist at wdw.

This is a poor business descision with underestimated costs (maybe extremely) for potentially unrealistic gain aimed at a public they clearly consider to be little more than sheep.

 

[Rasvar]

Netxgen is far more than guest experience. It touches almost every operational function on the property. It is complex. Anything would be in a company this size. I've worked at a Fortune 500 company in IT. A project of this scale will never complete "on-time" since there are too many unforeseen items. You are talking a few years before the system even reaches maturity. This will likely end up being integrated even further into back of the house functions over time. Once all cast ID's are RFID, guess what will probably handle clocking-in and out along with inventory tracking some time down the road? Disney will be slow on changing a number of things over until the system has been proven. I expect some annual passes and cast ID's will be the last to change based on some of the multiple uses they have. So some folks may have to have their pass and another card to use some features once they roll out.

I actually think that Netgen can do what they want it to do. However, it won't be on the schedule or the budget they want. It is just too complex. So if it is judged on meeting a time frame and budget, it will be a failure. If it is judged on meeting certain operational expectations, it will probably get there. However, missing the time frame and going over budget will probably end up costing some people their jobs. That is the nature of how things work.

Edit: Plus, this may be three to five years down the road, once the system is mature and functioning completely, it will be forced on DLR if the One Disney idea is still alive.

 

[ttalovebug]

I've got to say, as someone who can only drop in here once in while, this topic is so hard to keep up with. Thanks, Parents of 4, for your explanations on the subject.

Every piece of new information I hear about this project infuriates me. Rolling out so-called "benefits" or "services" that gives certain guests an advantage over others might be Disney's most blatant way of saying that you are a statistc, not a person, to date. Among their many previous examples. Obviously this is how business works, but it's disgusting coming from a company that still likes to pretend that they care about their guests. They release their syrupy, pixie-dust laden press releases talking about the magical benefits they're creating for YOU- the customer who is too stupid to notice that they're only controlling your actions more and more.

A couple of questions for those in the know (if the answers are even forseeable at this stage):

Will all APs eventually use the MyMagic+ system? Can I still get an old-fashioned AP in the future (I know I wouldn't be able to use FP at all in this case)?

Credit card use is tied in to the MM+ system- will I still be able to use my credit card on its own in the future if I don't use the system?

 

[ttalovebug]

And on a side note:

Many moons ago, those of us who hated the cartoonish, inconsistantly-themed blemish on the complexion of a near-perfect attraction that is the Haunted Mansion Interactive Queue were repeatedly told one thing: you don't have to use it.

Unfortunately, the new WDWMagic emoticons don't do justice to my frustrations.
(insert the brick wall and vomit smilies here)

 

[Buried20KLeague]

And on a side note:

Many moons ago, those of us who hated the cartoonish, inconsistantly-themed blemish on the complexion of a near-perfect attraction that is the Haunted Mansion Interactive Queue were repeatedly told one thing: you don't have to use it.

Unfortunately, the new WDWMagic emoticons don't do justice to my frustrations.
(insert the brick wall and vomit smilies here)

A great point.

 

[flynnibus]

Will all APs eventually use the MyMagic+ system? Can I still get an old-fashioned AP in the future (I know I wouldn't be able to use FP at all in this case)?

Credit card use is tied in to the MM+ system- will I still be able to use my credit card on its own in the future if I don't use the system?

No - but how would you think an 'old fashioned AP' would operate differently?

Yes - there is nothing to infer the parks are moving to a cashless economy in the parks.