FastPass+ open to all guests including offsite beginning next week at Disney's Animal Kingdom

[MissingDisney]

People scheduling their Fastpass Plus options day-of are able to get all the good options, as long as they arrive early enough to do it.

You know, just like the old Fastpasses.

And that is just my issue. We are park hoppers, always have been. It would work out great as we could still get fast passes late in the afternoon for good stuff at the other parks. Most often we hit three parks in a day. Now our normal Disney routine is a thing of the past. We have a trip planned and paid for. Honestly, if our kids weren't so excited, we would probably cancel until this madness settles down. I have to keep prepping everyone that the Disney they expect is not the Disney we will experience. At least not this time.

 

[bubbles1812]

So... I haven't been here for a (long) while. Anyone able to give me a summary of how the trials of FP+ have been going these past many months? Judging from the little I just skimmed in this thread.. Not so well? Or are people still optimistic about it?

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

And it should be remembered Uni was offering early entry to resort guests to experience the Boy Wizard area, a perk I believe was also extended to Virgin holiday guests.

 

[Gabriela]

Do you know that has no chance to make reservations at My Disney Experience app for Fastpass+ for offsite guests? I can understand all benefits given to onsite guests, like the advanced reservations, but I can't understand why I can't make reservations at the same day through the app and have to go to a stupid kiosk to do the same thing.

 

[JerseyDad]

So... I haven't been here for a (long) while. Anyone able to give me a summary of how the trials of FP+ have been going these past many months? Judging from the little I just skimmed in this thread.. Not so well? Or are people still optimistic about it?

Summary:

• Disney spent a boatload of $$ on a "new way" to experience WDW.
• A lot of people have experienced it and hate it.
  
• A lot of people have experienced it and like it.
  
• A lot of people have not been to WDW with the new system and are blindly defending it.
• Disney is limiting the "prime" attractions you can book with FP+ and that's frosting a lot of folks marbles
  
• Disney has too many rooms in resorts to fill ...and not enough attractions at the parks to satisfy the guest needs.
• Disney would rather limit your park experience with FP+ and "spread out the crowds" than to spend on new attractions.
• Disney now has a tiered system of attractions, with many of the 'not so popular" ones being labeled as being "Top Tier" ...of which you get one / per day ...at only one park ...with 2 lesser attractions to fill your 3 FP+ / day quota.
  
• Disney is slowly phasing out FP's "in the parks" (Legacy Passes) ...and going to only FP+ to get them ...with the emphasis seeming to be that you need to be a guest in a WDW resort to reap the benefit.
• Disney bound day-trippers ...are apparently going to get the short end of the FP.
• Disney is discontinuing standard FP's at AK ..."as an experiment" ...just as the mega crowd season hits.
• Disney CM's at AK will be drinking heavily ....
  
• Disney is seemingly the only one that's "optimistic" about all this

....never being good at book reports and stuff like that ...I hope the summary is helpful ....and if I missed some key points ....please feel free to embellish the bullet point list.....

 

[danlb_2000]

I remember it did, but maybe that was the single-rider option? I'm losing track of all these lines.

I do believe it has a single rider line.

 

[GoofGoof]

Summary:

• Disney spent a boatload of $$ on a "new way" to experience WDW.
• A lot of people have experienced it and hate it.
  
• A lot of people have experienced it and like it.
  
• A lot of people have not been to WDW with the new system and are blindly defending it.
• Disney is limiting the "prime" attractions you can book with FP+ and that's frosting a lot of folks marbles
  
• Disney has too many rooms in resorts to fill ...and not enough attractions at the parks to satisfy the guest needs.
• Disney would rather limit your park experience with FP+ and "spread out the crowds" than to spend on new attractions.
• Disney now has a tiered system of attractions, with many of the 'not so popular" ones being labeled as being "Top Tier" ...of which you get one / per day ...at only one park ...with 2 lesser attractions to fill your 3 FP+ / day quota.
  
• Disney is slowly phasing out FP's "in the parks" (Legacy Passes) ...and going to only FP+ to get them ...with the emphasis seeming to be that you need to be a guest in a WDW resort to reap the benefit.
• Disney bound day-trippers ...are apparently going to get the short end of the FP.
• Disney is discontinuing standard FP's at AK ..."as an experiment" ...just as the mega crowd season hits.
• Disney CM's at AK will be drinking heavily ....
  
• Disney is seemingly the only one that's "optimistic" about all this

....never being good at book reports and stuff like that ...I hope the summary is helpful ....and if I missed some key points ....please feel free to embellish the bullet point list.....

I agree with most of this. One thing you left out:

• A lot of people have not been to WDW with the new system and are blindly trashing it.

It goes both ways. IMHO you don't have to experience the system to have an opinion on it, but at least in this thread the few people that were defending the system seemed to have at least experienced it in person. Maybe I missed some posts from people who never experienced it and were blindly defending it.

 

[flynnibus]

OR it now takes longer to accept each guest on the ride - thereby decreasing system capacity, Ride capacity is a constant fixed at design. However cycle (FP processing + Attraction load time) time has increased which will lengthen lines because it now takes 5-10 seconds at each scan station where with physical tickets it took under a second at each station.

Not a factor as long as the buffer behind the merge point remains populated.. and if FP were held up.. than standby fills in. Rides are not going out empty... nor should dispatches be impacted. In fact, ride capacity is one thing I offered up as a reason why these effects could be happening - if Disney is going cheap on ride capacity (less vehicles or slower cycles due to labor) than this effect can be seen. Of course many of the popular attractions are fixed capacity so that's a non-factor for those. (HM, PP, etc).

It's interesting how fast the queue drained at PeterPan WITHOUT FP usage during EMH as noted by a previous poster. There cycle time was constrained only by ride capacity + load time.

A queue draining simply means no one getting in line. Unless you are watching boats go out empty... the FP+ scanning doesn't impact actual ride count.

 

[kelknight84]

I see both sides of this discussion. In my younger days I ran around and scooped up Fastpasses, but now with 2 young children it is nice to stay together and not have to sprint everywhere. On our recent trip to Epcot on a busy day we made it on every single attraction multiple times and our longest standby was 30 minutes. I felt scanning the band was faster than paper FP because they didnt have to check the times. We were getting close to one of our reservations and didnt want to rush so I just went into the app and bumped it back. So even though we planned we could still be spontaneous. It was the best visit in years because we werent rushed. I'll see how MK is when we go in February. I also think a lot of problems could also be from user error. I logged on the website and had 0 issues with adr, fp+,resort res, and even ticket purchases. So overall I like how it balances the FP instead of the people who hoard them. Is it a success or failure is yet to be seen, but dont call it a fail because Disney is giving benefit to onsite guests and leveling the playing field. And i believe AP holders will be included soon as well. As a side note we stayed one night and got a 4day fl res pass and can still book FP+ so you dont have to have a current res.

 

[flynnibus]

Ahhhhhh my dear friend, Judge Flynni. My contention is where is the "some where else"? Is it POTC? HM? Also IMO there are more bodies using FP then ever before. Where FP seemed to be more spaced out what I think we are seeing is that thru out the day during peak times you have peak usage. Why else would FP be out for the major attractions so early in the day. I mean there has to be some issue we are not seeing. Are these anecdotes not true? Mathematically I suppose the program looked great on paper.

There are other factors - but the idea that FP+ is making all lines longer in itself is mathmatically impossible. Bodies in queue are bodies in queue... FP+ doesn't create more bodies, nor does it reduce or increase capacity. All it does is shift bodies between different lines.. and (as Parentof4 also pointed out) it shapes the demand as a function of time. So you can end up with a spike in demand at a fixed time.. causing a line to swell. But if a line swells on the left due to a rush of people.. that rush of people means a void of people somewhere else.

 

[flynnibus]

So far, MyMagic+ is shaping up to be a big dud financially. However, it's also premature to call it a failure. We won't know it's true impact until customers start evaluating the benefits of staying onsite vs. offsite (e.g. like the DAK FP+ announcement that started this thread) and change their purchasing patterns accordingly.

Well said - shifts like these take time to sink in and flesh themselves out in the real numbers. We may see tons of evidence ancedotally immediate ("im cancelling my trip!") but as a whole its going to take more. Plus, you may see initial blow back, followed by adoption once the sting wears off. From a fiscal side, it's so complex due to the way capital spending is handled and how this was so wide spread. But I do think the operational impacts are the things the company will have to face first. Those increased expenses can't easily be buried and spread out.. they are going to have to offset them with something. And if things go way off course and we get widespread blowback... could be a double whammy.

I could even see Disney backing off on some elements... only to phase them back in, more stealthy and in smaller increments later.

 

[bubbles1812]

Summary:

• Disney spent a boatload of $$ on a "new way" to experience WDW.
• A lot of people have experienced it and hate it.
  
• A lot of people have experienced it and like it.
  
• A lot of people have not been to WDW with the new system and are blindly defending it.
  Color me... not shocked in the least.
• Disney is limiting the "prime" attractions you can book with FP+ and that's frosting a lot of folks marbles
  This may be the one thing I could see changing eventually. I'd guess this is where many of the complaints will come/one of the things Disney will be forced to address even if they don't want to. But it will probably be a long time coming.
• Disney has too many rooms in resorts to fill ...and not enough attractions at the parks to satisfy the guest needs.
• Disney would rather limit your park experience with FP+ and "spread out the crowds" than to spend on new attractions.
• Disney now has a tiered system of attractions, with many of the 'not so popular" ones being labeled as being "Top Tier" ...of which you get one / per day ...at only one park ...with 2 lesser attractions to fill your 3 FP+ / day quota.
  I suppose they are hoping some poor unfortunate souls who don't know what the actual Top Tier attractions are will be suckered into choosing the lesser ones to balance the whole system out?
• Disney is slowly phasing out FP's "in the parks" (Legacy Passes) ...and going to only FP+ to get them ...with the emphasis seeming to be that you need to be a guest in a WDW resort to reap the benefit.
  Another thing that isn't shocking (though quite sad). Predicted by nearly everyone without rose colored glasses on.
• Disney bound day-trippers ...are apparently going to get the short end of the FP.
• Disney is discontinuing standard FP's at AK ..."as an experiment" ...just as the mega crowd season hits.
  Find this one especially interesting considering how little there is that is worthy of a FP. Are they just hoping people won't get mad that they can't book Everest at all or at least not until very late in the day? Did they add more FP+ to things there to try to make this work? I guess the crash and burn will at least be fun to watch...
• Disney CM's at AK will be drinking heavily ....
  
• Disney is seemingly the only one that's "optimistic" about all this

....never being good at book reports and stuff like that ...I hope the summary is helpful ....and if I missed some key points ....please feel free to embellish the bullet point list.....

Thanks!

 

[GoofGoof]

There are other factors - but the idea that FP+ is making all lines longer in itself is mathmatically impossible. Bodies in queue are bodies in queue... FP+ doesn't create more bodies, nor does it reduce or increase capacity.

If anything, based on some opinions shared in this thread FP+ sounds like it will decrease bodies not increase them

 

[ParentsOf4]

And that is just my issue. We are park hoppers, always have been. It would work out great as we could still get fast passes late in the afternoon for good stuff at the other parks. Most often we hit three parks in a day. Now our normal Disney routine is a thing of the past.

I'll let you in on a secret.

Here's how we handled park hopping staying onsite during the busy Thanksgiving week:

• Make FP+ reservations for the late afternoon or evening at DHS or Epcot. We were lucky; we made ours before these parks were tiered. Yeah, tiered FP+ experiences suck big time.
• Head to DAK for rope drop. Kilimanjaro Safaris and Expedition Everest are both high capacity attractions. If you are there for rope drop, it's possible to do both of these Standby without waiting too long, even during a week like Thanksgiving.
• FP+ doesn't really help with DAK's two big shows, Lion King and Nemo. Might as well do these Standby anyway.
• Enjoy whatever else you want at DAK.
• When it's time (be sure to give yourself plenty of time for park transfer), head over to Epcot and DHS and enjoy your FP+ selections there.

In the olden days, there's no way you would have been able to score a FP for either Soarin' or TSM with this approach. Depending on crowds, RnRC, TOT, and Test Track would have been difficult as well. You'd be stuck in 1-to-2 hour Standby lines. In the olden days, DHS and Epcot's Future World always were AM parks for us. (We've never been in the Standby lines at Soarin' or TSM. )

Starting at DAK works because Kilimanjaro Safaris and Expedition Everest are both high capacity attractions and FP+ is a waste for most shows.

Starting at MK works as well, only because MK has so many things to offer that it distributes crowds better than the other 3 parks. Lots of folks like to show up later for the parades and shows.

But, seriously, tiered FP+ attractions at DHS and Epcot sucks.

Being forced to chose tiered FP+ selections is enough to make me pass completely on those parks, hop in my car, and drive up to Universal instead.

There's a lesson to be learned there, if anyone at Disney is listening.

 

[doctornick]

Being forced to chose tiered FP+ selections is enough to make me pass completely on those parks, hop in my car, and drive up to Universal instead.

Tiering at DHS isn't nearly as bad since ToT is still a worthy option for FP+ and Star Tours is a good ride. On a busy day, getting a FP for Star Tours, while not the time saver for other rides, has some value. You get TSMM/ToT/ST and just suck it up with RNR standby -- which can actually be dealt with single rider if necessary.

Epcot tiering really sucks, though, since Soarin' and Test Track are the only rides that need it. It would be nice if you could at least get Maelstrom to pair with them, but they put that in the tier as well. When M:S is the the best option for your second FP+, it's less than ideal (let alone the third option where you end up with some ride that completely doesn't need it like LwtL, SSE or Nemo).

 

[Next Big Thing]

How are offsite folks (edit: or onsite folks who didn't plan ahead) going to feel after waiting 20 minutes to interact with a kiosk only to discover there are no E-ticket FP+s available?

I just got done with testing the system this weekend. While I obviously did it on-site, I can say that there was never a time we checked for a ride we wanted and we didn't get it (all of which were E-Ticket caliber or popular attractions). That's not to say the system is working the way it's intended or even close to it. CM's seem stressed and don't know half of what they are talking about, Guest relations lines are out the door every where you look at every park, and the system still has a lot of limitations which inconvenienced us.

However, at least during this testing period, it was very clear that it is beyond easy to manipulate the system. They are having such a hard time with the readers accepting people, that they are accepting just about everyone through. The tinniest piece of evidence that you once had the FP scheduled on the day and they will let you in (or make a big enough scene!). And all of that only at one park, 3 per day stuff? Yesterday, we used it at Epcot, Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom on Test Track, Tower of Terror, Rock n Roller coaster, Big Thunder, and Space Mountain (and we got on TSMM too for our inconvenience at Guest Relations...).

 

[doctornick]

They are having such a hard time with the readers accepting people, that they are accepting just about everyone through.

I've seen this complaint a bunch but when we were there last week, we never once had it not register for a ride that we had a FP+ for. I'm curious if this is really a common occurrence -- my guess is that most of the people who are coming up as not having a FP+ don't actually have one because they are mistaken about the ride/time they booked, changed it, tried to change but didn't complete the process, etc.

 

[JerseyDad]

I agree with most of this. One thing you left out:

• A lot of people have not been to WDW with the new system and are blindly trashing it.

It goes both ways. IMHO you don't have to experience the system to have an opinion on it, but at least in this thread the few people that were defending the system seemed to have at least experienced it in person. Maybe I missed some posts from people who never experienced it and were blindly defending it.

....agreed ...I did leave that out.

....and yes ...you need not experience the system to have an opinion ...even a negative one ...and not solely based on not what "hearsay" they find here or on other boards ...but just by what the "rules" of the new system are as published by WDW. What I mean by that is ...it's clear that a significant amount of pre-trip planning is required to utilize the system. Please note that I did not say, "get the most from the system" or "enjoy the system" ...because based, again, on the rules ...the system contradicts the basic ways that many people 'tour" the parks at WDW.

....I think ...people are ..in most cases ...creatures of habit. A prime example of that was how we visited WDW each year for the past 10 yrs. Many people that I know look(ed) at me and said, "You were there last year ...why go again and again"? My response was .."We spend a lot on vacation ...so at least I know what I'm getting at WDW ...and it's worth the money". But now ...you really don't know "what you're gonna' get" ...on what seems to be a pretty regular basis (time frame being: the recent past summer to some point in the next year or maybe longer).

....with that ...another thought just popped into me noggin': Wouldn't the new 'system' throw a huge monkey wrench into those 'steadfast-tried-and-true' ....Touring Plans ..and those that swear by them and see it as the only way to really "Do Disney"? I never even thought about trying to have a 'real' touring plan ...as proposed by many a WDW focused web site ...because the whole: Be at rope drop ...run here, get FP, run there, do ride , run back use FP, run there get new FP.......etc etc etc"....would have me drinking something at least 80 proof by 10am.! I might guess, perhaps, the web sites that 'give you' a touring plan ....must be having a coronary over these changes?

 

[GoofGoof]

....with that ...another thought just popped into me noggin': Wouldn't the new 'system' throw a huge monkey wrench into those 'steadfast-tried-and-true' ....Touring Plans ..and those that swear by them and see it as the only way to really "Do Disney"? I never even thought about trying to have a 'real' touring plan ...as proposed by many a WDW focused web site ...because the whole: Be at rope drop ...run here, get FP, run there, do ride , run back use FP, run there get new FP.......etc etc etc"....would have me drinking something at least 80 proof by 10am.! I might guess, perhaps, the web sites that 'give you' a touring plan ....must be having a coronary over these changes?

A good question for @lentesta. I think they already have FP+ built into the touring plans. I would say you probably need a touring plan even more now then under the old system, especially during busy times.

 

[JerseyDad]

A good question for @lentesta. I think they already have FP+ built into the touring plans. I would say you probably need a touring plan even more now then under the old system, especially during busy times.

....except ..my impression of the use of a touring-plan ...was to be able to get to all the 'important' rides & attractions with the utilization of the standard FP system. Now ...with that system seemingly walking off into the sunset ....you're more at the mercy of "the schedule" as set up in your FP+ ride/attraction reservations.