FastPass+ now fully deployed to all guests - let's reset the conversation and hear your views

[roj2323]

You can use your home computer to make FP reservations or one of the kiosks in the park. There is no NEED for a smart phone. Also, "periodically all day" is kind of an oxymoron, but I get what you are saying, I just don't think it would be true in reality. If you make your ressies in advance, you would only need to use your smart phone to make changes, and that's on you, not the system.

The reservations do not come printed on anything anymore so you do have to pull out your phone from time to time to at least check reservation times.

 

[BigTxEars]

The reservations do not come printed on anything anymore so you do have to pull out your phone from time to time to at least check reservation times.

Again I am with you in sprit not his, I might breakdown and "let" my wife carry her phone in the parks. Been married 22+ years, I know better than to say I "let" her do anything but you know what I mean

I am planning on printing a spreadsheet on what where and when for the week. Carry it in my pocket daily for FP, ADR etc. Only problem might be in the MB does not work there is no "proof" of a FP+ time I guess.

 

[Rob562]

I'm looking for clarification here. The annual passholder rules say that an annual passholder can make Fastpass+ selections for 7 days in a 30 day window. Does that mean advanced Fastpass+ selections or that they are only allowed to use Fastpass+ on 7 days regardless of when they make the reservation. By this I mean could an annual passholder go into a park without Fastpass+ reservations and make reservations without it counting against their 7 days?

They mean FP+ reservations of any kind.

An AP-holder that is not staying on-site can only have 7 days of FP+ booked at any one time. Going into a park and trying to make them for today would require one of those 7 days.

So if I were a local and I made FP+ for 7 random days in April, I'd have to use, cancel or allow one of those days of FP+ reservations to expire before I could make FP+ choices for an 8th date. If those 7 days I chose to reserve were all at the end of the month because I had family coming to visit, if I decided to go to the parks tomorrow I'd have to cancel one of those later days in order to make FP+ choices tomorrow.

-Rob

 

[RSoxNo1]

They mean FP+ reservations of any kind.

An AP-holder that is not staying on-site can only have 7 days of FP+ booked at any one time. Going into a park and trying to make them for today would require one of those 7 days.

So if I were a local and I made FP+ for 7 random days in April, I'd have to use, cancel or allow one of those days of FP+ reservations to expire before I could make FP+ choices for an 8th date. If those 7 days I chose to reserve were all at the end of the month because I had family coming to visit, if I decided to go to the parks tomorrow I'd have to cancel one of those later days in order to make FP+ choices tomorrow.

-Rob

Alright, so if I have an 8 day trip, I can make reservations for the first 7 days in advanced, and then after using one of the days I could make reservations for the last day?

 

[Rob562]

Alright, so if I have an 8 day trip, I can make reservations for the first 7 days in advanced, and then after using one of the days I could make reservations for the last day?

Assuming you're not staying on-site, that is correct.

(On-site stays can make as many days of FP+ as they have on their tickets, or in the case of APs, for every day of their reservation)

-Rob

 

[Next Big Thing]

Another thing, @ParentsOf4 , The fact that people are asking about Universal really speaks volumes as to how much of a name they have built up and people are interested. Should Disney be concerned?

I don't want to disregard Universal here at all, but this is nothing new. Guests have been doing this for years. Tourists will be tourists.

 

[ford91exploder]

The CM issue is another topic I'm sure they just pushed further and further down the pipeline.

If I were designing the feature, I would give CM's 'unrestricted' FP+ access in that they should be able to pull a FP+ reservation regardless of existing allocations being exhausted. Their total # of FPs would be limited similar to other users.

Why unlimited?
- Most CMs do not have the advantage of planning trips far in advance due to Disney's scheduling
- CMs like yourself who want to visit with family - by having your access not limited, you would be able to request a FP time that aligned with someone else's existing reservation.. allowing you to visit with family without stress.. allowing you to actual utilize the maingate pass perk you've been granted
- To reward CMs who visit on their own with a reasonable perk that makes them special compared to normal guests

By limiting the # of FPs similar to other guests... the CM 'ungated' access should be minimal impact while allowing CMs to visit with other guests easily and reward them as a perk.

It's a no brainer IMO - it's simply about 'when' do you roll it into the software. It also requires a connection between Disney's employment systems and MDE.. to be able to entitle MDE logins or provide a authentication option that leverages your existing internal logins.

The other reason to give the CM's unlimited access is to ensure they are familar with ALL the rides so if someone with special needs or simply does not like a certain style of attraction the CM is then able to speak knowledgeably about alternatives. And as @flynnibus noted it makes the CM's feel SPECIAL which is essential since parks are so crowded these days a bit of pixie dust goes a long way here.

 

[jlsHouston]

Ok, I'm going to be labeled a blasphemer now. I hope you're sitting down.

I wish Fastpass, in any form, would just go away. Get rid of it altogether. Go back to waiting in line. Why? Two-fold:

1. Disney attractions are designed starting at the queue. So much of the full attraction is missed when you zoom past the queue, where a lot of the backstory is presented. Many of the queues are absolutely fantastic.
2. I think part of the reason the parks are so crowded now is BECAUSE FASTPASS EXISTS! Not the whole reason...part of the reason. The ability to Fastpass the main queues mean more rides in a day, which makes people more amenable to fighting larger crowds since they can avoid them 3 times/day on the major attractions. If everyone had to wait in line, many would avoid the parks on the busiest days and/or become more efficient in their touring. (Remember when all we had were our wits and the Unofficial Guide's touring plans?) The crowds would be lighter, or at least be spread out. (Yep, this is anathema to the business side of things...I get it.)

I've read several comments on this thread that said, effectively, "It's a shame that the FastPasses were all gone by x'oclock. I won't be able to go on the headliner attractions." Sure you will!!! Get yer butt up early, get to the park, and get in line! And while you're there, talk to the fam! Enjoy the lush detail of the queue! Chillax!!

Oh, but I'm definitely getting a FP+ for Soarin'. That line BLOWS!!

Yep, I agree you are a blasphemer. I vaguely remember trips to DL in the late 80's and early 90's and there was no FP. Or if there was, I missed out on that feature during our few visits. I hated the lines. In fact I so hated the lines that I never once had a desire to visit WDW and experience lines there. Having grandchildren finally gave me a push to see Mickey and friends again and I am so glad FP in any form exists at WDW.

 

[LeafsFanNL]

I'm waiting a least a year or so to see how this sorts itself out. I've been at least once a year every year since 2007. I currently have no desire to book a trip.

 

[JoeT63]

Yep, I agree you are a blasphemer. I vaguely remember trips to DL in the late 80's and early 90's and there was no FP. Or if there was, I missed out on that feature during our few visits. I hated the lines. In fact I so hated the lines that I never once had a desire to visit WDW and experience lines there. Having grandchildren finally gave me a push to see Mickey and friends again and I am so glad FP in any form exists at WDW.

Well, it is a good thing that FP allows the line-averse to enjoy chasing the Mouse. Sadly, theme parks...be they Disney or not...will always have lines to deal with. It's part of the deal. Thankfully Disney does more with their queues than simply throw up the cattle-railings.

But you also proved part of my point. If Fastpass didn't exist, you might not go to the parks. Thus, they wouldn't be as crowded. I don't necessarily like that solution...believe me when I say that I'm glad you get to enjoy it with the grandkids (I just became a grandfather myself...can't WAIT until she's old enough to go!!), but the point was made.

 

[jaklgreen]

I LOVE WDW!! I would go anytime even if I do not ride a single ride. I love the warm weather and palm trees and the little lizards. I can just walk around the parks all day and be happy. The fastpass thing does not bother me at all. I remember going before they introduced them so its no big deal to me. I was able to try the fastpass+ last Oct and really liked it. I like to sleep in on vacation and pre booking them was great especially for rides like Soarin and TSMM.

 

[Tom Morrow]

I don't know if this has been noted in this thread or elsewhere, but the long lines for the kiosks we were seeing are basically non-existent now. There is a small morning rush, but it seems to die off pretty quickly. After that, anyone can walk right up to a kiosk without having to wait much, if at all.

I didn't think people would catch on so quickly, but apparently, they did. Now we just need the additional entitlements and park hopping ability, and FP+ will be all set.

 

[Todd H]

 

[Andrew C]

Question. Where did the $2 billion number come from? I can't remember ever reading the source of this number? From Iger?

 

[ford91exploder]

Question. Where did the $2 billion number come from? I can't remember ever reading the source of this number? From Iger?

@WDW1974 and other knowledgeable insiders, Also some bits and pieces can be found in SEC filings and analyst reports.

The important bit is Wall Street also uses the 2 Billion figure and they are getting antsy as proved by the past two earnings calls where Iger has repeatedly refused to answer questions about this project, On an earnings call things like that just are not done.

 

[Andrew C]

@WDW1974 and other knowledgeable insiders, Also some bits and pieces can be found in SEC filings and analyst reports.

The important bit is Wall Street also uses the 2 Billion figure and they are getting antsy as proved by the past two earnings calls where Iger has repeatedly refused to answer questions about this project, On an earnings call things like that just are not done.

Interesting to see if that HUGE investment will pay off. Seems like stakeholders are worried and it will take a bit of time for Iger to open his mouth about the returns.

 

[TimeTrip]

Finally got to use FP+ this past monday (4/14) as an AP. It is totally right up my alley. I like to do daytrip visits in the afternoon, and it allows me to hit rides that I would never bother to go on (because of the wait). If I want to get on Soarin some afternoon, i just book it the night before or even the day of. I was able to get an afternoon or evening Soarin FP at 1030am on that monday even though it was a somewhat busy day.

Now coordinating FP with visiting family (who plan separately) wasn't as nice. No longer can we go up to the FP machines together and get times for the same ride together. It pretty much requires me asking "what did you book and when?" then I try to manipulate my passes to match. Do-able, but not great.

Overall, I think I might be visiting the parks more often, especially if I can reserve a FP for SM, Splash, and BTMRR one day ahead of time. I just tried that for 4/17 (middle of a very busy week), and I can get SM at 245pm BTMRR 445pm Splash 545pm. Sign me up!

Too bad Disney isn't really getting more money out of me.. unless i pick up a snack.

 

[Bairstow]

Just got back from a 6-day trip.
This was the second time we had done a trip using the bands, but the first time since "full-implementation."

As far as we were concerned, the technology was working flawlessly. Zero problems on our end, and we even made the bands do some weird stuff, like linking FP+ times to another group of friends for the first 3 days and not for the latter half. Worked fine, as did re-scheduling some FP+ times for various rides throughout the day using our smartphones.

The only problem we had, which was on us, is that we neglected to set up a PIN number for our new bands this trip and couldn't use them to charge when we needed to. We assumed that our PIN from last October was still in place, since we used the same accounts, but different bands. As it turns out, when you start a new trip with new bands you need a new PIN (this is a good thing!) and once we realized what was going on it took 3 minutes for the front desk at Coronado to fix things.

Also, this time we used the bands to charge food and beer at the water parks, and had no problems with the bands being underwater or falling off on Summit Plummet or anything.

I didn't see long lines of people having trouble scanning in at either the front gates or the FP+ stations, though I did see tons of guest service people standing around just inside the gates with their i-Pads in Otterboxes, waiting to help people that needed it.

Maybe both of our MagicBand trip experiences have been atypically positive, but from what I've seen they're useful and reliable little gadgets.

 

[doctornick]

The only problem we had, which was on us, is that we neglected to set up a PIN number for our new bands this trip and couldn't use them to charge when we needed to. We assumed that our PIN from last October was still in place, since we used the same accounts, but different bands. As it turns out, when you start a new trip with new bands you need a new PIN (this is a good thing!) and once we realized what was going on it took 3 minutes for the front desk at Coronado to fix things.

Hmmm, strange. We just got back and we used the same pin from our previous trip and it worked fine. Interesting that you had a different experience.

Anyway, we've gone two times with MB/FP+ and we too had no problems either visit. MBs worked as they were supposed to. I'm a fan of pre-planning FP+ (I like to have structure to the day) but look forward to being able to get more than 3 a day in the future.

 

[ZodIsGr8]

My family and I got back in late March and the Magic Bands and FP+ worked great! we used a PIN to do all trnsactions, whicj made eating and shopping a lot easier. Compared to whenwe went last October, they have come a long way. I lost 3 hours of my trip by waiting in customer service lines in October. I knew they were in testing phase so I could not get too upset over it. In only 5 months they have come along way so i cant wait to see how well it works in May when we go back. especially if the park hopper option is added and the additional Fast Passes are available!!!