FastPass+ restricted to 1 major attraction at Epcot

[jlsHouston]

So were they trying to make you feel like a leper? If it isn't a Disney go to line, they should consider you are the first one to bother to call, given you can check in when you get there.

hahaha... I had to wait 20 minutes for tech support to come on the line after I was transfered to them. After she said that I told her maybe they all have hung up before one of you could answer...it just seemed like there was absolutely no interest in dealing with a technical problem....
And after that entire interaction and being directed and walked through the the other website for online check in and it not working she was like sometimes things just don't work...

I think technical support is just customer service with a new label. I don't think the technical support people have a clue about what is going on IT wise. Plus I think they must be burnt out. Never once heard have a magical day...

 

[jlsHouston]

Note that Disney's Magic Express is "free". However, it's not really free; it's built into the price of the room.

Rather than offering an upsell which could cause a lot of backlash ("I'm paying $500/night and you're going to charge me for it!"), it's better for Disney to build into the price of everyone's room, like DME.

One option that was considered was to offer Deluxe Resort guests better FP+ selections. The idea was that Disney would rather have you upgrade to a $500/night room than be in a $200/night Moderate Resort room and hope that pay for a FP+ upsell.

With WDW's tens-of-thousands of rooms and 3 levels of resorts, Disney needs guests to upgrade their rooms. They have a lot of empty Deluxe Resort rooms. From a business perspective, that's just potential revenue being thrown away. It's like manufacturing too much of a perishable good. In this case, the perishable good is the room and, when it's empty, it's just going to waste. WDW has an assembly line of rooms available every day. They want them filled.

I bet they hate the Swan and Dolphin..why did they even let them build on site ? It's deluxe at mod price right there at Epcot and HS....prime real estate...

 

[jlsHouston]

Not complaining about FP+. I fully understand it's here to stay. I'm just kind of confused about this one awful attraction on category 1.

Well I am complaining and I have yet to use it.

 

[Gabe1]

hahaha... I had to wait 20 minutes for tech support to come on the line after I was transfered to them. After she said that I told her maybe they all have hung up before one of you could answer...it just seemed like there was absolutely no interest in dealing with a technical problem....
And after that entire interaction and being directed and walked through the the other website for online check in and it not working she was like sometimes things just don't work...

I think technical support is just customer service with a new label. I don't think the technical support people have a clue about what is going on IT wise. Plus I think they must be burnt out. Never once heard have a magical day...

Stupid people. As I said before DS a CM, not within a park or resort. When they stayed at the Boarwalk last week when her folks came down, GF magic band never worked to admit her into any park the whole time. My DS wouldn't let the family try and fix. He knew to wave to the iPad CM and they'd look up her reservation.

This isn't worth it to Disney. There has to be more. Either the data they want or when it finally works a merge to charging a premium for priority FPs or both. Now with Pop being the leper without paper fast passes adds more indignity to the entire system. Rumor being an All Star nexts to be chopped from the paper FP and then the Poly and Contemporary. If they really do that to 2 deluxe resorts before it happens to all of the resorts we are going to see some major anger.

There has been some major bailing out of Pop with guests that already had MBs in their possession. Some not rebooking at all and others moving to a different resort. There has to be more to Their Magical Experience than what has been shared.

 

[jlsHouston]

I will be there in 2 more days.. We fly out Wednesday night. Staying on property until the last 3 days then going to the Dolphin. Got the magic bands a couple of weeks ago...have not scheduled one single FP+ except for myself for the Friday after Thanksgiving for Fantasmic seating. I have major reservations as to how many premium rides we get per day per park without long wait times. I always visit WDW during peak times so I know how the stand by lines can go, I know how to hit the parks to ride as many premium rides as possible early, or to hit those rides while the parades or wishes is going on, or use emh ...I will be okay, I was never a big FP user anyways, but the park commando DD32 and the grandkids may be in for a rude awakening.
I just cannot see how spending a billion dollars on this new infrastructure is going to enhance the bottom line to make it all worth it. I really think someone sold snow to the eskimos here...but what do I know.

 

[SSH]

There has been some major bailing out of Pop with guests that already had MBs in their possession. Some not rebooking at all and others moving to a different resort. There has to be more to Their Magical Experience than what has been shared.[/quote]

I'm a POP guest scheduled to check in next week with older paper tickets and I know I'm considering canceling my WDW resort reservation and moving to an off-site hotel instead. Since I have paper tics, I can't pre-book any attractions, so I'm stuck with all the bad things about FP+ without getting to enjoy any of the meager benefits. I have always stayed on Disney property, but these constant rule changes are giving me a headache. I had no idea re: POP's restriction until seeing this forum: phone agents and website don't disclose anything about this new FP+ only restriction, which is not right at all. I just want to stick w/FP, but hear from some people that gate agents and/or POP resort may be requiring people to surrender paper tics to put the tic info on their bands. Others say that's not so.

 

[JerseyDad]

It is supposed to be a preferred viewing location so that you are not forced to sit huddled with the masses.

.....well of course ...what a 'special' idea!! God forbid I'd have to express my very personal, "oohs and aahs" amongst the unclean hoards. Let me sit with the 'chosen people' to experience my separate serving of 'pyrotechnic magic'......

.....what a crock of 'used food expelled from the hind quarters of a male bovine creature'..!!

 

[ncgator77]

Question for the board. Last time I was at Epcot (3 years ago), Soarin always had standby lines of 90 min or more, while Test Track seemed closer to 45? Has that changed much with the "new" Test Track? Since I only get to pick a FP for one of them, I want to make the right choice - will do standby for the other. I'll be in a different park for the morning, so can't be there for rope drop for the one I don't choose. Any thoughts?

 

[G00fyDad]

Question for the board. Last time I was at Epcot (3 years ago), Soarin always had standby lines of 90 min or more, while Test Track seemed closer to 45? Has that changed much with the "new" Test Track? Since I only get to pick a FP for one of them, I want to make the right choice - will do standby for the other. I'll be in a different park for the morning, so can't be there for rope drop for the one I don't choose. Any thoughts?

Get the FP for Soarin. That line tends to be the longest of the two.

 

[jlsHouston]

Get the FP for Soarin. That line tends to be the longest of the two.

And was yesterday too...the other thing I have noticed is you spend a bit more time in the FP line than you did before FP+ coming up..we haven't done too much park time yet...just me and grandkids and I had all this early character dining booked Thurs/Fri/Sat, so we have done a few rides at MK/HS/Epcot and then gone to the resort to the pool, and done evening activities at either DTD or a resort.
Be interesting to see how this week of Thanksgiving handles the influx of people and the FP+ system. Today there are no FP+ options for MK. My daughter is headed to AK with the kids (THANK GOD SHE IS HERE FINALLY!!) which all the eticket rides are open for FP+ but she didn't like the times. We are meeting up for ressies at BOG at 4 ...we will just wing it at MK tonite..

 

[SSH]

And was yesterday too...the other thing I have noticed is you spend a bit more time in the FP line than you did before FP+ coming up..we haven't done too much park time yet...just me and grandkids and I had all this early character dining booked Thurs/Fri/Sat, so we have done a few rides at MK/HS/Epcot and then gone to the resort to the pool, and done evening activities at either DTD or a resort.
Be interesting to see how this week of Thanksgiving handles the influx of people and the FP+ system. Today there are no FP+ options for MK. My daughter is headed to AK with the kids (THANK GOD SHE IS HERE FINALLY!!) which all the eticket rides are open for FP+ but she didn't like the times. We are meeting up for ressies at BOG at 4 ...we will just wing it at MK tonite..

I am definitely hoping any forum members going this week report back on this...especially if you're staying at POP and can't access legacy FP. Want to know what I'm in for...since I check in Saturday

 

[jlsHouston]

In general, I can tell you that I don't care much for the new FP+ system. Other than not having to make a run for the favorite eticket ride at park opening I just don't see the advantage. Especially with TDO playing around with categories....
I haven't tried the double dipping system yet that some people have been able to utilize with a magic band and a KttW card. Of course I am not much of a FP or theme park person. I like to wander the parks and hang at my resort or visit other resorts and hit the stores. The new magic experience crap is not designed for someone like me. I am sure I will figure out how to ride the rides I want without waiting in long lines at some point when the system is fully online.
The magic bands are extremely convenient for opening your door and paying for items. Has not bothered me at all on my wrist which I was surprised. Looks like the material they constructed these things with is quality...haha and it's probably made in China...My DGS7 who is a little on the ADHD side couldn't keep it on. It bothered him. He would put it on to use it, but I have ended up wearing it for the most part while we were out and about.
So far my humble ignorant opinion is this was a billion dollar boondoggle for TDO, what were they really thinking ? I see no real guest enhancements at all for the money and gray matter they have invested in this technology.

 

[wvdisneyfamily]

I think I'm the only one who thinks all this planning Disney is forcing guests to do will backfire and get them off property.

"Since we have all our FP+ reservations in the evening at Epcot, let's spend the day at SeaWorld or Universal."

When people start getting into this highly detailed level of planning, it becomes easier to squeeze in things you hadn't planned. If management at Universal is smart, they would start exploiting that.

Very true...