FastPass+ not really that bad...

[BJones82]

Before you all get your pitch forks out and chase me down the road hear me out...

I got back about a month ago from a 10 day trip at the world. I had been looking forward to this trip for a year sense our previous trip in 2013 but was very nervous because of this forum and all the negative information I read about FastPass+ and ADRs sense I was visiting during a free dining promotion. We hate planning and really want things to be spontaneous so we just ended up planning 2 ADRs and no FastPass+ times until the day we were at a specific park. And I have to say it worked great.

Because we don't like to plan our WDW trips we are not picky about where we eat or what FastPass we get so taking three in the morning and eating where ever worked great, we ate at all of our favorite restaurants and never had an issue of feeling over planned or rushed...

There is a lot of negativity around the FastPass+ system and there are bugs which will be worked out but it is huge when it comes to crowd control and will greatly reduce the wait times all around the park (as we have seen this past summer).

Over all our trip was still great and I look forward to my next trip in a year You get out of your vacation what you put into it, if you want it to be relaxed then be relaxed about everything and don't worry about every little detail.

And for anyone saying this is all good in September but you could not do this in the Summer months, Our first trip as a couple was planned in a 2 week window in June of 2011 and was amazing with no ADRs and peak time hours and heat.

Ok... Now you can chase me

 

[BigTxEars]

Uh ohhh your gonna get it now

We like it as well, it works very well for how we tour now. It does seem to favor the slower touring guest as opposed to the hard charging ones.

 

[YoJDew]

I'm relieved and thrilled to hear you say that, as I've already spent way too much time with the FP+ system and have a love/hate relationship with it already! I'd love to hear more specifics -- were there any attractions you couldn't get on due to wait times, or any FPs you were unable to get? Did you travel with little ones or just adults? Did you dine at any signature reataurants?

 

[Weather_Lady]

"Greatly reduce wait times" all around the park? That's what WDW wants you to believe, but that's not really the case. The number of guests and number of attractions hasn't changed dramatically: FP+ helps to even out the waits, but it doesn't reduce them overall. For example, now you may spend 10 minutes less waiting standby for any of the Magic Kingdom "Mountains," but you'll spend 20 minutes more waiting standby for Pirates of the Caribbean or the Haunted Mansion.

My reaction to FP+ is, "meh." It's nice to be able to make them ahead, but it's also a total pain in the neck, and the MM+ system is neither user-friendly nor reliable, which kept me in a constant state of anxiety that my FP+ were going to be "lost" somehow. On the other hand, I was able to score a coveted Anna & Elsa FP+ for our last trip, which in hindsight was probably worth all the MM+ hassle I went through, all by itself.

 

[BJones82]

I'm relieved and thrilled to hear you say that, as I've already spent way too much time with the FP+ system and have a love/hate relationship with it already! I'd love to hear more specifics -- were there any attractions you couldn't get on due to wait times, or any FPs you were unable to get? Did you travel with little ones or just adults? Did you dine at any signature reataurants?

The longest we waited for a ride was 30 minutes because TT broke down, though if we had not gone to MNSSHP we would have waited longer for 7DMT because we could not get a FP+ for that ride. Over all we got the rides we wanted including Everest, The Safaris, and Finding Nemo at AK, ToT, RaRC, and TSM in HS, Sourin in Epcot, and we spent a few days in MK so we got Spash Mountain, Space Mountain, and Pirates and like I said we never waited for the other big rides and went on all the rides multiple times.

In regards to ADRs we did Be Our Guest and Sanaa like I said for ADRs, we also ate at Tuskers in AK for lunch on a Saturday, We got dinner at San Angel Inn in Mexico without a reservation though this is with an * because we had gotten engaged only 30 minutes before in the Canada Pavilion so they they got us a table... But anyway we ate at Tonys in MK, and Sci-Fi Drive In in HS so we didn't do crazy meals but we aren't picky about where we eat and were more than happy with our meals.

As far as our party we were 2 adults only so I also accept that this makes not planning much easier. I would say just relax and have fun and you will still love Disney the FP+ system isn't perfect but it definitely should not break your vacation either...

 

[BJones82]

"Greatly reduce wait times" all around the park? That's what WDW wants you to believe, but that's not really the case. The number of guests and number of attractions hasn't changed dramatically: FP+ helps to even out the waits, but it doesn't reduce them overall. For example, now you may spend 10 minutes less waiting standby for any of the Magic Kingdom "Mountains," but you'll spend 20 minutes more waiting standby for Pirates of the Caribbean or the Haunted Mansion.

My reaction to FP+ is, "meh." It's nice to be able to make them ahead, but it's also a total pain in the neck, and the MM+ system is neither user-friendly nor reliable, which kept me in a constant state of anxiety that my FP+ were going to be "lost" somehow. On the other hand, I was able to score a coveted Anna & Elsa FP+ for our last trip, which in hindsight was probably worth all the MM+ hassle I went through, all by itself.

Meh my experience in September was different but that may be because I didn't really let the FP+ and MM+ effect my trip like others seem to be. I never waited more than 20 minutes for Pirates and I rode it 4 times this trip and the Haunted Mansion I never waited at all and I rode that 3 times even though it was the start of the MNSSHP and in my past trips I have waited for both of these rides a lot more and I have gone at all times of the year to try out different times.

I really like the idea of just having a wristband when I go to the parks, I don't need a wallet (unless I want alcohol which we don't do in Disney), I don't need room keys and I don't have to worry about losing the old FP paper tickets which was easy to do in your pocket with all the other things you had to carry.

We had one time where we even were late to our FP for Toy Story Midway Mania and they still let us in because we had a good reason (we got out of our lunch at Sci Fi Drive In late).

I would say the biggest issue they need to fix is they need to allow you to select your additional FP after you use your first 3 from your smart device instead of having to use a FP+ kiosk, we never did that and I suppose that is part of their plan.

I am okay with waiting an extra 5 minutes in all the D and C ticket attractions if it means I save 20-30 minutes in the E ticket attractions and this system is still leagues ahead of what is offered at other Resorts in the area which will not be named...

Edit:

I am not sure what you consider not user friendly about the MM+ system... you have a wristband or a card and you scan it and it holds everything... They email you confirmations for your reservations and FPs so if they are lost you have proof you had them for x time and day... And making these reservations and selections from a smart phone or a computer is way better than having to call to make ADRs which is what was required before this system lol... I have a rule when I am working with a business... If I cannot do anything meaningful with them through their website then I do not need to do business with them though that may be my computer programmer coming out in me lol... Anyway I digress, this is very user friendly and they give you confirmations so if something is lost in their system you have proof it was set...

 

[BJones82]

Get her with the pitchforks!!! Tar and feather her!!!

Nah just kididng, I like it too. I love overplanning, it's like my crack. Glad to hear it worked well for you, hoping to have smooth sailing in a few weeks.

lol I'm the guy in the picture though so please don't tar my Fiancée lol... I hope you have a great trip!!!!

 

[Weather_Lady]

Edit:

I am not sure what you consider not user friendly about the MM+ system... you have a wristband or a card and you scan it and it holds everything... They email you confirmations for your reservations and FPs so if they are lost you have proof you had them for x time and day... And making these reservations and selections from a smart phone or a computer is way better than having to call to make ADRs which is what was required before this system lol... I have a rule when I am working with a business... If I cannot do anything meaningful with them through their website then I do not need to do business with them though that may be my computer programmer coming out in me lol... Anyway I digress, this is very user friendly and they give you confirmations so if something is lost in their system you have proof it was set...

Apparently some things have changed since we went, then. My complaint was not so much with MM+ as a dining reservation vehicle (although it failed us on that acccount, too -- due to a "glitch" we weren't able to make our 180+10 reservations online, and had to wait to phone them in, by which point we were nearly shut out of the reservation we wanted most). For the purpose of FP+ reservations, MM+ was "down" repeatedly during the weeks we were planning our trip (as other members on these boards feverishly and often reported, and as I noticed on several occasions in attempting to log in -- sometimes our FP+ were there and sometimes they weren't, and sometimes they would only display for certain dates or certain members of our 6-person party). At that time, there was no such thing as an e-mail confirmation of FP+ reservations (only ADRs). I find the fact that you can't see what FP+ are available in other parks on a given day (without first canceling the FP+ you already have in a different park for that day) extremely frustrating, as well as the fact that you can't select FP+ times from all available slots -- you are shown a sample and have to continually "refresh," fiddle around, or simply come back and try another day, to see if other options are available. The system also does not allow you to make initial split FP+ reservations (my term for simultaneous FP+ that split the party between 2 different attractions) for the same times -- instead, you have to make one reservation for the whole party, and then go back and change the FP+ for some of the party members. If there are no convenient times for the second attraction, you have to go back and change the whole thing again until you find a combination that works. It's a lot of clicking and trial-and-error, and although I was satisfied with our results in the end, I know I spent significantly more time clicking around the MM+ website than I'd have spent walking to FP machines under the old system.

Deal-breaker? Vacation wrecker? Of course not. I just wish that WDW would have spent its billion-dollar effort doing something really dazzling. FP+ may be fine, okay, acceptable, or "not that bad," but dazzling it is not, and when you consider that WDW has recently shuttered several attractions and is choosing to throw last-minute "overlays" into old ones instead of build new ones, it just doesn't do it for me.

 

[BJones82]

Apparently some things have changed since we went, then. My complaint was not so much with MM+ as a dining reservation vehicle (although it failed us on that acccount, too -- due to a "glitch" we weren't able to make our 180+10 reservations online, and had to wait to phone them in, by which point we were nearly shut out of the reservation we wanted most). For the purpose of FP+ reservations, MM+ was "down" repeatedly during the weeks we were planning our trip (as other members on these boards feverishly and often reported, and as I noticed on several occasions in attempting to log in -- sometimes our FP+ were there and sometimes they weren't, and sometimes they would only display for certain dates or certain members of our 6-person party). At that time, there was no such thing as an e-mail confirmation of FP+ reservations (only ADRs). I find the fact that you can't see what FP+ are available in other parks on a given day (without first canceling the FP+ you already have in a different park for that day) extremely frustrating, as well as the fact that you can't select FP+ times from all available slots -- you are shown a sample and have to continually "refresh," fiddle around, or simply come back and try another day, to see if other options are available. The system also does not allow you to make initial split FP+ reservations (my term for simultaneous FP+ that split the party between 2 different attractions) for the same times -- instead, you have to make one reservation for the whole party, and then go back and change the FP+ for some of the party members. If there are no convenient times for the second attraction, you have to go back and change the whole thing again until you find a combination that works. It's a lot of clicking and trial-and-error, and although I was satisfied with our results in the end, I know I spent significantly more time clicking around the MM+ website than I'd have spent walking to FP machines under the old system.

Deal-breaker? Vacation wrecker? Of course not. I just wish that WDW would have spent its billion-dollar effort doing something really dazzling. FP+ may be fine, okay, acceptable, or "not that bad," but dazzling it is not, and when you consider that WDW has recently shuttered several attractions and is choosing to throw last-minute "overlays" into old ones instead of build new ones, it just doesn't do it for me.

That does sound pretty miserable and because we don't plan that far out(except one or two ADRs) we didn't experience those initial hiccups but that is what they are... I think in the long run (5 years or more down the road) the FP+ system will be looked at as a great idea and will be viewed as an industry leading process for crowd control in the parks... A billion dollars for this kind of computer system is not that crazy either, sometimes we need to spend money on infrastructure before we can add destinations like a new Star Wars land in HS...

 

[Figmentation]

I was hit or miss on my FP+ experience:

I went back in June right after it was first implemented and didn't run into too many issues. The biggest problem I had was I had fast passes for attractions that usually are busy. I didn' t have to use them.

This was due to the case that Anna and Elsa was still doing 4+ hour wait times back at Fairytail Princess Hall. Splash Mountain and Thunder Mountain were the first two rides on the list... and I didn't even need to use them. I just went ahead and went through the standby with no wait then used them to ride again.. though the standby again had no wait.

Space Mountain was the only one that day that got any real use out of the fastpass+ because it broke down earlier in the day and the line was back up hardcore.

I guess I need to go and try it again at another point in time to get any real feel for it.

But the wristband itself was rather handy. As mentioned above you don't need to worry about your wallet or losing your 'Key to the world' card or anything like that. It's just generally all around useful!

 

[durangojim]

We've used it on two separate trips now and like it a lot. It was great when my parents who are seniors with us and we never had to wait for more than 20 mins and were able to get on all the e tickets using the fps. The second trip we used it for 7dmt and the mountains and then used the kiosks to get fps for rides usually within 10 mins of the time I was at the kiosks. Only things I really wish they would change is to let you have more FPs at a time, to make them at different parks if you have hoppers and to be able to do everything via the app, other than that I like it a lot and so do many friends who have used it as well.

 

[DSMDGA]

We visited last week. Two adults for three days, then joined by two more adults for four days. My background is that I've made more than 30 visits over the past 25+ years, beginning back when the MK was the only park, and Disney only allowed you to stay a maximum of 4 nights on one hotel reservation. This trip, I was meeting up with adult children whom I had taken to Disney World since they were small children in strollers.

FF+ worked well for us. We experienced no glitches.

We arrived at MK at 3:45 PM on a Saturday the 18th, with 3 preplanned FF+. We stayed until 11:30 PM, using a total of 9 FF+s, including a FF+ paper ticket someone gave us that they had been given for a broken ride and didn't want to use. After using our 3 original FF+s, we would go to the kiosk to get something 30+ minutes away, and then go see something that had little to no wait for stand by, such as Country Bears. There were 17 things we wanted to do or see, and we accomplished 15 of them. This busy pace on our first day allowed us to tour the park at a more leisurely pace later in the week when we met up with the other people.

The only attraction that went down and stayed down on us all week was Splash Mountain. No paper FF were issued. People were told that their FF+ would be honored all day. We had already scanned ours twice and were about to board when it went down. We were told we could come back later, and when we scanned our MB and it showed blue, the cast member would know what time we had been there and that the ride was down. It worked perfectly when we returned that evening.

I had taken advantage of the FF+ gltch a few weeks ago that had dropped tiers for a few hours. Both tier 1 FF+s at HS and EPCOT were honored without issue.

All of the info I learned here, especially from Tom's posts, allowed us to make the most of the FF+ system. I researched, planned, and stayed up to make dining and FF+ reservations on our opening days. I wonder if WDW newbies would have made out as well. For instance, when getting additional FF+s at the kiosks, we were often offered times an hour or more away. We knew to take the FF+, and then go to the app and change the time to something much sooner. As soon as we had used our 3rd FF+, we knew to go to the kiosk, and not wait until the end of the last FF+'s time window.

I liked not having to worry about a room key, and it was easy to charge with the MB. As I had posted in another thread, I had added my watch to my MB, and that also worked out perfectly.

The wireless internet througout the park and hotels worked well, although there were a few times I had service on my tablet, but my kids had spotty service on their smart phones.

The only thing I would do differently in the future would be to book afternoon FF+ every third day or so. There were a few mornings we would have liked to sleep in, but we had "hard to get" FF+s that we didn't want to lose. Although we said we'd take a midday break, the reality for us was that once we were in the parks, we tended to stay in the parks. With afternoon FF+'s, we could have decided to sleep in on those days, or visit another park in the opening hours when the lines were still short.