Fastpass+, a solution to "overwhelmingly negative" responses from families

[loboftbl]

Universal Studios charges like 20 bucks per person for theirs. I only see about 4 or 5 people in the express lane ever 15 or 20 minutes for Harry Potter. What sucks? I still had to wait one hour and fifteen minutes.

Harry Potter does not have an express pass line.

I like the new fast pass plus because there are only two outcomes to implementing it I see. Either the system collapses(hopeful but not likely) or it is changed to a pay/resort price system. Disney will figure out soon enough that people like me(suckers) will pay for a "premium" experience. How many people will be upset with paying for fast pass either by what resort you are at or by an additional charge.

 

[flynnibus]

The canned plans are likely up front because they are the easiest to use and work for most people, especially new-comers.

.. and that's kind of the point. If you are trying to make the system easier and more accessible (like the OP's quotes claim) - you don't respond by giving them 100 knobs and switches. Yes the latter is more powerful - but you need to know your audience and build to the task.

Flexibility is often a burden.. you would think with so many apple-lovers out there now you'd think people would have recognized that in the mainstream

 

[DisneyJoe]

It's not as easy as that. We use Fastpass in the park and that works because you're there. You can plan accordingly. So if we decide not to use it and not plan 180 days out when we will ride Test Track - we end up waiting in potentially extremely long lines.

You will still be able to use it same day. This is one case where I believe that Disney will reserve or allow for "walk ups".

 

[wdwgreek]

Its all so muddled, and at the end of the day I think whether we like it or not this will change the way we all interact with the parks. As much as I hate Fastpast +, like loath it, I geuss we have to say, fasten your seltbelts, its going to be a bumpy ride. Remember when they rolled out fastpass in the early 2000's and overdid it giving way to many attractions fastpass? It'll hopefully figure itself out to a workable solution in the end... one can hope? right?

 

[RSoxNo1]

You will still be able to use it same day. This is one case where I believe that Disney will reserve or allow for "walk ups".

Our understanding is that the number will still be capped at 3 per day, regardless if they're booked day of, or in advance.There has been no confirmation otherwise.

If you're telling me that Disney is holding back a significant percentage (75%+) of Fastpass+ availability for guests day of, and day of guests can acquire more than 3 Fastpasses, and it won't affect standby lines, I'd be a bit more optimistic. I just don't see it as realistic.

My proposal was allowing 1 advanced FP+ reservation for Resort guests, DVC guests, and AP holders per day (AP holders limited to a set # per quarter). Then all guests upon entering the park would have equal access to the Fastpass system and distribution would be based on the current rules.

The other option that I could see working is allow guests "either Advanced Reservations" or "Day Of reservations". The difference being that advanced reservations would be limited to 3 or 4 per ay, while day of reservations would be limited in the same way the current rules limit distribution.

 

[MattM]

Let me describe the optimized touring plan system. You put in 20 attractions you want to do in a park on any given day. You arrive at that park at 9 AM and hit the optimize button and it puts those attractions in order, and will add in things like acquiring Fastpasses as needed. Then say you get a phone call from the office and you have to sit on a bench and talk to your boss for 45 minutes. You go back into the app and hit the optimize button again and it will re-optimize the order of the attractions based on what you've already done and your 45 minute delay.

This isn't even a debate - Touring Plans' Lines app has superior functionality than Disney's app right now.

You don't want to get into the "who is better" argument, because you're not willing to listen to another opinion because you assume you are the smartest person in the room. You assume you have all of the information, yet you have proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that you don't have all of the information.

How can the app that gets second-hand data be better or more efficient than the source of the data? I'm really asking because y'alls conversation is way beyond my knowledge in this area.

 

[muteki]

How can the app that gets second-hand data be better or more efficient than the source of the data? I'm really asking because y'alls conversation is way beyond my knowledge in this area.

To be fair, I don't think anyone has really qualified the Disney app in real time either. It's a pretty big assumption to make that just because the app was made by Disney, that the data it offers is accurate and timely. We don't know how the system operates, what triggers updates, what the delays are like, etc.

It makes sense that if the app is an official Disney app that it would have the best data. It is a logical assumption, but it is just that, an assumption.

I haven't tried this myself, but the thing do would be to stand out in front of an attraction, see if the times match, wait until it changes, and see how long it takes the app to update (hard mode: use in park wifi ). Do this over a range of rides/parks/times and then you can gauge how well the Disney app stands against others.

 

[Buried20KLeague]

If you step back.. you do realize a lot of people find a Disney trip overwelming and confusing. I doubt the comments were along the lines of fear of life or limb

This is absolutely correct. In the handful of days we just spent at the parks, I decided ahead of time I was going to keep an eye out for people that looked like they were confused (by FP, by a park map, etc) and make an effort to help. I probably helped a dozen families with various things, but by far, the longest conversations I had were regarding FP.

At one point, I had just gotten FP for Mermaid (even though the ride doesn't need it!!), and as I was walking away, one family walked up to the FP attendant and said "how much does this cost?". The FP attendant gave them a rushed "just put your ticket in" and walked away to do something else. They stood there looking confused, and I went over and asked if they would like a little crash course on how the system worked. They were appreciative. But my point is, you're right. If us veterans just take a look around and take the time to notice, there are a LOT of confused people walking around the parks.

 

[mcurtiss]

To be fair, I don't think anyone has really qualified the Disney app in real time either. It's a pretty big assumption to make that just because the app was made by Disney, that the data it offers is accurate and timely. We don't know how the system operates, what triggers updates, what the delays are like, etc.

It makes sense that if the app is an official Disney app that it would have the best data. It is a logical assumption, but it is just that, an assumption.

I haven't tried this myself, but the thing do would be to stand out in front of an attraction, see if the times match, wait until it changes, and see how long it takes the app to update (hard mode: use in park wifi ). Do this over a range of rides/parks/times and then you can gauge how well the Disney app stands against others.

just last week, the app said that Mickey's Philharmagic had a 45 minute wait when in reality it was under 5 minutes

 

[luv]

To be fair, I don't think anyone has really qualified the Disney app in real time either. It's a pretty big assumption to make that just because the app was made by Disney, that the data it offers is accurate and timely. We don't know how the system operates, what triggers updates, what the delays are like, etc.

It makes sense that if the app is an official Disney app that it would have the best data. It is a logical assumption, but it is just that, an assumption.

I haven't tried this myself, but the thing do would be to stand out in front of an attraction, see if the times match, wait until it changes, and see how long it takes the app to update (hard mode: use in park wifi ). Do this over a range of rides/parks/times and then you can gauge how well the Disney app stands against others.

Disney wait times are less accurate than the Lines app.

 

[Buried20KLeague]

I haven't tried this myself, but the thing do would be to stand out in front of an attraction, see if the times match, wait until it changes, and see how long it takes the app to update (hard mode: use in park wifi ). Do this over a range of rides/parks/times and then you can gauge how well the Disney app stands against others.

I did a lot of this when I was just in the parks for a handful of days. When I could get the app to work (which was about 50% of the time, no exaggeration), the wait times and FP return times were accurate for me.

The whole experience was totally trashed by horrible wifi, spotty cell reception, app failure, and difficulty in finding the wait times and FP return times section in the app.

 

[Todd H]

I used the app during our last trip and it was never accurate as far as wait times are concerned.

 

[Genie of the Lamp]

My take on wait time lines apps, there really aren't any apps out their that are spot on accurate. I used Touring Plans my last WDW trip and while it was very helpful and a great app to use, for the most part it was only rough estimates to what the wait times for attractions,etc. were (which implied to me they were highly intelligent guesses). They're are so many apps out their for WDW wait times and it amazes me that when comparing them together that they come up with totally different times and none of them come close to the actual wait times posted outside the attraction. Ashame though that Disney's really isn't that great nor accurate. I guess the point I'm trying to make here is that no app really can't make spot on wait time conclusions. Touring Plans is the best app though to go with imo. So I agree with @muteki.

 

[flynnibus]

I used the app during our last trip and it was never accurate as far as wait times are concerned.

Accurate as not matching what was posted outside the attraction? Or not accurate to what the wait was?

Did you try a refresh?

 

[Buried20KLeague]

What does WDW put in the water to make people freak out over a restaurant reservation?

There's an easy answer to this one...

Fear of having to eat nothing but burgers and chicken strips for a week if you don't fight the masses for your spot in line at Liberty Tree.

 

[djlaosc]

This is absolutely correct. In the handful of days we just spent at the parks, I decided ahead of time I was going to keep an eye out for people that looked like they were confused (by FP, by a park map, etc) and make an effort to help. I probably helped a dozen families with various things, but by far, the longest conversations I had were regarding FP.

At one point, I had just gotten FP for Mermaid (even though the ride doesn't need it!!), and as I was walking away, one family walked up to the FP attendant and said "how much does this cost?". The FP attendant gave them a rushed "just put your ticket in" and walked away to do something else. They stood there looking confused, and I went over and asked if they would like a little crash course on how the system worked. They were appreciative. But my point is, you're right. If us veterans just take a look around and take the time to notice, there are a LOT of confused people walking around the parks.

I was in the Fastpass queue for TSMM at opening time back in 2011 (I am the designated Fastpass runner for our party, and it's a job that I don't mind doing) and there was a woman in front of me with two kids talking to a man in front of her (two different parties) about Fastpass and the rules of using it, but they didn't know about "the two hour rule" - they thought that you had to wait until the time on the Fastpass started, no matter how far away that time was, so I interjected and explained it, and the three of us had a conversation about it until the rest of our parties joined us, and we got to the TSMM machines.

 

[muteki]

Disney wait times are less accurate than the Lines app.

Which doesn't surprise me. They may just be pushing estimates to the app, or only a handful of updates a day, or there could be a large delay....

 

[Todd H]

Accurate as not matching what was posted outside the attraction? Or not accurate to what the wait was?

Did you try a refresh?

It never matched what was posted outside the attraction. And, yes, I refreshed.

 

[Buried20KLeague]

What time of the year are you going? I make ADR's but sometimes we cancel a couple days ahead and just wing it for a place to eat. We have never waited more than 5 minutes for a table after just walking up. I hear this "I can't get a table on a walk-up any more." stuff all the time here and listening to the people I personally know (and my own experiences) this just isn't the case. We are a family of 4 and I know two other families of 5 and 6 and none of us (including the smaller families I know) have ever had issues with getting a table on a walk-up.

At every single TS restaurant we ate at during our trip we just got back from, I hung around the podium after checking in (while waiting for a table) to see what people would say as they came in. At every single one, at least one person came to the podium asking if there was availability, and the people at the podium, without looking at their monitors at all, would reply that they were sorry, they were completely booked for the evening. The restaurants were:

Liberty Tree
Sci-Fi
Garden Grill
Ohana
50's Prime Time

The only one that didn't respond that way and allowed people to put their name on a list was Raglan Road... Which I believe is one of the best restaurants on property, ironically.

 

[muteki]

At every single TS restaurant we ate at during our trip we just got back from, I hung around the podium after checking in (while waiting for a table) to see what people would say as they came in. At every single one, at least one person came to the podium asking if there was availability, and the people at the podium, without looking at their monitors at all, would reply that they were sorry, they were completely booked for the evening....

I've seen this all over the place too. So is the show up rate on ADR's so good that a CM can not even check the tables to see if any thing is available? I would think that out of 100 or so ADRs for the night that 20 might be no shows...and their spots could be offered up to walk ins. Maybe they overbook ADRs to account for this.