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

[stevehousse]

Can someone tell me how to schedule this? My family will be there March 29-April 6, 2014. When I log in to My Disney Experience, and go to schedule fastpass+, it tells me we aren't eligible for the dates posted and won't let me change to our dates. I called to make a payment and the CM said we could schedule them! I am getting frustrated!!!!

You can only schedule FP+ once you are 60 days out. Until then all you can really do is schedule ADRs and customize your magic bands.

 

[ford91exploder]

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).



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.

My point was that WITHOUT fastpass of any sort the ride loaded and unloaded fast there was a line but it was processed quickly.

 

[ford91exploder]

....the "what & when" (attractions to go to) used to be completely up to the free-choice of the guest. Now ...choosing "what & when" is not up to you ...it's assigned based on availability.

...if, for example, 5000 people are standing at the gates to Epcot ...and they all initially planned to be "first in" at rope drop ...it's likely that they'd have chosen (or should I say, wanted to choose) Soarin or Test Track as a FP+ attraction. There's NO WAY that all of them would have received a 9:15am FP+ time for Soarin. WDW is breaking up the crowds because the rides (# of attractions) just aren't there ...and other reasons. So, the touring plan logic ...based on historical data, people movement trends and patterns, geographical locations of rides, and simply "what rides to do before others can do them" (aka: running like crazy to said rides) can't play out ...unless someone has access to WDW's database for that day, that park, and has the specific FP+ times given to a person or persons (as in everyone that's headed to the park).

....that's what I was basically trying to say ...that, in THIS version of WDW ....the guests that ascribed to touring plans, because they felt that they had a secret weapon and were "in the know" more than other guests ..doesn't fly any longer. And ....I think WDW knows this ...they intend to break any "trend" related to crowd levels and movements (guests free will) ...and will play with FP+ times as they see fit, in order to:

1. Appease the requests of resort guests
2. Steer crowds to parks as they see fit to maximize revenue and minimize cost.
3. Make the FP+ system not seem like the train wreck it is.

And TDO will FAIL miserably at this as has everyone else who has tried.

 

[Fe Maiden]

Can someone tell me how to schedule this? My family will be there March 29-April 6, 2014. When I log in to My Disney Experience, and go to schedule fastpass+, it tells me we aren't eligible for the dates posted and won't let me change to our dates. I called to make a payment and the CM said we could schedule them! I am getting frustrated!!!!

Relax! You’re getting way ahead of yourself. Remember you’re going to WDW on vacation which is like trying to solve the world’s most complicated puzzle. Don’t worry about getting on silly rides, you should be asking your family what they’re in the mood to eat today so they can eat that 3 months from now.


This is the time where you should be gathering data, creating spreadsheets, pulling your hair out, you know, all the fun stuff leading up to your vacation. It sounds like you might have kids, I’ve got three myself. I’m not on any moms panel but a little tip I’ll share is that by this point I’ve got them all trying to bathe, dress , and eat breakfast as quickly as possible. They are becoming a well-oiled machine. I might get a little loud with my 4yo, which she doesn’t like, but that’s the price you pay if want to see those princesses.


Oh and don’t forget to synch everyone’s body clock so you can all take bathroom breaks at the same time. Nothing ruins a vacation quicker than having to get out of line because someone is not in tune with their bladder.

 

[jakeman]

My point was that WITHOUT fastpass of any sort the ride loaded and unloaded fast there was a line but it was processed quickly.

Oh good this argument again.

Are ride vehicles going around empty? If not then FP does not have an effect on load and unload times.

 

[ford91exploder]

FP+ should do a better job than FP at reducing wait times on super headliner attractions for less experienced onsite guests.



If MM+ succeeds in its business objectives, then everyone waits in line longer.

Not if people STOP going to WDW.

FP- has done the impossible for Disney ie make visiting UNI an attractive option, I've done a LOT of big conventions in Orlando and a common thread was to RENT IOA for a night for a 'Appreciation Night' so my opinions of UNI was forged as a place to have a corporate event.

Not any longer it appears...

 

[Disneyfamily4]

Firstly, I would imagine that during Spring Break, with waits of 2-4 hours, you weren't getting more than 3 FPs in a single day anyway (assuming you get one at 9 am for 10 am, but 10 am you are probably looking at a 1 pm FP for anything worthwhile, and by 1 pm you'd be lucky to get a 9 pm FP for Peter Pan). The point of the Park Hopper? Go to one park in the morning, get on w/o much wait, and have FPs reserved for your evening park; under the current system, evenings in a theme park are frequently filled w/ fluff attractions, not E-Tickets, due to wait times. Now you can actually arrive at Epcot at 3 pm during Spring Break and ride Soarin.

No system is perfect, but I think FP+ could actually benefit folks during the busiest weeks if used effectively. During the quiet months, when you could reasonably get a FP for Soarin, Test Track, and Maelstrom in one day, FP+ is a negative.

My biggest bone to pick w/ the new system is how much it seems to have cost and, therefore, the fact that it has cost us MANY new attractions.

Last year I was there on Easter. Got to MK 8am - 2am, throughout the entire day, I had more than 6 fast passes. We went on SM, TM, SM, Buzz, Peter Pan, Small World and Buzz again and did all without waiting in any lines. That is pretty much the norm throughout all are yearly vacations there.

I know I might be in the minority with utilizing fast passes and putting such an emphasis on them, but who wants to spend $5000.00 to vacation to Disney, and now be apart of a new program where you have to spend the majority of time either waiting in line, or not doing the attraction at all.

I truly think that after the testing is done, something is going to be added to make it all better again. Google articles written by Disney from the past about the old fast pass system. They prided themselves on having a better system than Universal and praised themselves in every article about how the old system worked.

A common rumor that is spread around all the forums and Podcast that I have read or listened to suggests that when testing is over, you will get 3 fast passes if you are staying in a value resort guests, 5 for moderate and 7 for deluxe guests, Florida residents with annual passes and DVC Members. It was rumored that Off site guests will only have an option to buy into the three fast pass option available to only value resort guests.

I know if you read the rumor mill, nothing ever comes true, but this kinda makes sense. Disney does have 3 tiers of resorts, I can see them putting a fast pass tiering system in place as well depending on where your staying.

 

[ford91exploder]

Oh good this argument again.

Are ride vehicles going around empty? If not then FP does not have an effect on load and unload times.

It bloody does when there is a fixed FP- to Standby ratio in effect, Which causes the 40 person standby line to take an hour to drain.

Visit DL or DisneySea - take a look at the lines there - even during CHRISTMAS at DL TSMM has at most a 30 minute line.

The difference NO FASTPASS!

 

[ford91exploder]

Last year I was there on Easter. Got to MK 8am - 2am, throughout the entire day, I had more than 6 fast passes. We went on SM, TM, SM, Buzz, Peter Pan, Small World and Buzz again and did all without waiting in any lines. That is pretty much the norm throughout all are yearly vacations there.

I know I might be in the minority with utilizing fast passes and putting such an emphasis on them, but who wants to spend $5000.00 to vacation to Disney, and now be apart of a new program where you have to spend the majority of time either waiting in line, or not doing the attraction at all.

I truly think that after the testing is done, something is going to be added to make it all better again. Google articles written by Disney from the past about the old fast pass system. They prided themselves on having a better system than Universal and praised themselves in every article about how the old system worked.

A common rumor that is spread around all the forums and Podcast that I have read or listened to suggests that when testing is over, you will get 3 fast passes if you are staying in a value resort guests, 5 for moderate and 7 for deluxe guests, Florida residents with annual passes and DVC Members. It was rumored that Off site guests will only have an option to buy into the three fast pass option available to only value resort guests.

I know if you read the rumor mill, nothing ever comes true, but this kinda makes sense. Disney does have 3 tiers of resorts, I can see them putting a fast pass tiering system in place as well depending on where your staying.

Difference between then and now 2000 Disney CARED about the guest experience, 2013 Disney cares only about separating guest from money.

 

[jakeman]

It bloody does when there is a fixed FP- to Standby ratio in effect, Which causes the 40 person standby line to take an hour to drain.

Visit DL or DisneySea - take a look at the lines there - even during CHRISTMAS at DL TSMM has at most a 30 minute line.

The difference NO FASTPASS!

So you are saying that the hourly capacity of rides is affected by FP?

 

[flynnibus]

My point was that WITHOUT fastpass of any sort the ride loaded and unloaded fast there was a line but it was processed quickly.

Bleh - you were blaming the time it took to process a FP+ user and claiming that impacted the overall system. A truth that is insignificant as long as the buffer behind the merge point is not drained completely. It may shift a line somewhere in the queue.. but won't actually impact your total wait time unless the post-merge is drained. You simply stand longer in spot A than you would in spot B - your total wait is unchanged.

As for how quickly a line is processed - its still processed the exact same. The difference is two lines with unequal priority. Your wait will depend on your priority - the line itself is being processed the same.

 

[George]

Oh and don’t forget to synch everyone’s body clock so you can all take bathroom breaks at the same time. Nothing ruins a vacation quicker than having to get out of line because someone is not in tune with their bladder.

Just go all NASA and put everyone in diapers. http://en.allexperts.com/q/Walt-Disney-World-234/f/kids-wearing-diapers-Disney.htm

 

[George]

Bleh - you were blaming the time it took to process a FP+ user and claiming that impacted the overall system. A truth that is insignificant as long as the buffer behind the merge point is not drained completely. It may shift a line somewhere in the queue.. but won't actually impact your total wait time unless the post-merge is drained. You simply stand longer in spot A than you would in spot B - your total wait is unchanged.

As for how quickly a line is processed - its still processed the exact same. The difference is two lines with unequal priority. Your wait will depend on your priority - the line itself is being processed the same.

Correct. The big question is which line organizational system do you like better? No fastpass, old fastpass, or fastpass +.

 

[flynnibus]

Visit DL or DisneySea - take a look at the lines there - even during CHRISTMAS at DL TSMM has at most a 30 minute line

I can tell you from personal experience just standing in a 45min queue at TSMM at DLR that you are full of it. And the attraction normally hovers around 30-60mins on busy days.

Even today.. a day forecasted as a 4 out of 10 for DCA by touringplans... the forecasted wait for TSMM? 30mins

 

[jakeman]

Correct. The big question is which line organizational system do you like better? No fastpass, old fastpass, or fastpass +.

Fastpass 2: Electric Boogaloo

 

[Buried20KLeague]

Relax! You’re getting way ahead of yourself. Remember you’re going to WDW on vacation which is like trying to solve the world’s most complicated puzzle. Don’t worry about getting on silly rides, you should be asking your family what they’re in the mood to eat today so they can eat that 3 months from now.


This is the time where you should be gathering data, creating spreadsheets, pulling your hair out, you know, all the fun stuff leading up to your vacation. It sounds like you might have kids, I’ve got three myself. I’m not on any moms panel but a little tip I’ll share is that by this point I’ve got them all trying to bathe, dress , and eat breakfast as quickly as possible. They are becoming a well-oiled machine. I might get a little loud with my 4yo, which she doesn’t like, but that’s the price you pay if want to see those princesses.


Oh and don’t forget to synch everyone’s body clock so you can all take bathroom breaks at the same time. Nothing ruins a vacation quicker than having to get out of line because someone is not in tune with their bladder.

Post of the day. You win three internets!

The sad part is most of this isn't that far off.

 

[TimeTrip]

Oh good this argument again.

Are ride vehicles going around empty? If not then FP does not have an effect on load and unload times.

Was finally looking for a relevant post to chime in on my experience on the Haunted Mansion on 12/8. IIRC the standby line was about 30 minutes, with the line extending outside the gates. And there was NO REASON it should have been that way. Now I think this is specific to how HM decided to work its standby line through the new cemetery. What happened was that people in standby line would get bogged down by playing with the stuff in the cemetery. As a result, there were points for minutes at a time, where noone was exiting the cemetery and there weren't enough people from the cemetery standby line to "fill the room" so to say. As a result they started pulling people out of standby to bypass the cemetery to try and make up the difference. The end result was that when we got inside the stretching room, it was only half occupied. When we got out of the room, there wasn't the usual crush of people to line up for the buggies. We happened to be the first out of the room, and there was NOONE queued up for the buggies. When we got to the buggies, they made us wait until enough of the switchback was filled with people.

So, even with a 30 minute standby time, they were sending out many many empty buggies. Now, I wouldn't blame this specifically on FP+ being in use, but rather a side effect that is specifically happening at the haunted mansion by forcing standby through the cemetery. The wait should have been 10 minutes, but it wasn't. Still it is a case where ride vehicles are being sent around empty and FP is a contributing factor.

 

[jakeman]

So, even with a 30 minute standby time, they were sending out many many empty buggies. Now, I wouldn't blame this specifically on FP+ being in use, but rather a side effect that is specifically happening at the haunted mansion by forcing standby through the cemetery. The wait should have been 10 minutes, but it wasn't. Still it is a case where ride vehicles are being sent around empty and FP is a contributing factor.

That is poor queue management by the CMs, not a FP issue.

On the other hand, I'm not sure I believe you. All the other threads here say that everyone hates the interactive features in the HM queue and they are always broken. Not sure they could have held up the line in such a reviled and broken state...

 

[Fe Maiden]

Just go all NASA and put everyone in diapers. http://en.allexperts.com/q/Walt-Disney-World-234/f/kids-wearing-diapers-Disney.htm

Diapers are for amateurs. That post was from way back in 2006, so much has changed since then, except for a lot of new attractions. Intense bladder training is needed for a trip to WDW nowadays.

 

[donsullivan]

That is poor queue management by the CMs, not a FP issue.

On the other hand, I'm not sure I believe you. All the other threads here say that everyone hates the interactive features in the HM queue and they are always broken. Not sure they could have held up the line in such a reviled and broken state...

This sounds like a CM issue completely. The queue has a built-in relief gate for use if guests are taking a long time in that area of the queue to keep the stretch rooms and doom-buggies fully loaded and move the line along. There is a gate on your right, just before you enter the graveyard that can be opened by a CM to move guests from the SB queue directly into the staging area bypassing the graveyard to keep the line moving. I've seen it used multiple times myself on busy days. This doesn't have anything to do with FP+, solely a CM training/operations issue.