Fastpass+ Stressing Me Out, I thought this was a vacation

xdan0920

xdan0920

Think for yourselfer
KeithVH said:
Not to be Debbie Downer but for those planning on using the kiosks, be prepared for the possibility of waiting. In some cases for a LONG time. On Friday, as we walked thru MK, every single area had unbelievably long lines (just got back today, I'll try to find the pics). The CMs there are helpful and will take care of you but with only 2-4 active stations/CMs per kiosk, they only have so much thruput. Admittedly, the lines were much better earlier in the week but still, it was a very ugly sight.
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Curious to see those pics, if you have them.
 
Redhawk

Redhawk

Well-Known Member
jlsHouston said:
I was at WDW in November and crowds were pretty heavy but FP+ was still in "testing". When we moved to the Dolphin we were told to go to the CMS with the tablets at the park entry points and we could show our room key and make our FP+ selections. Probably because it was still testing and there were still legacy FP available we had no waits.
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Same situation with me from January 7-10. I was at the Swan. Used same-day FP+ by going to CMs specifically for the Swan and Dolphin. They were very helpful and there was no line whatsoever and no problem getting the FPs that I wanted.

In the MK I also observed the lines for FP+ kiosks and some kiosks were completely open, no waiting at all. They were low-crowd days so I know things will be different when it's more busy.
 
Bryansworld

Bryansworld

Active Member
My Usual method for Attacking any Amusement Park is Getting there at opening and hitting the LOW Capacity attractions first. So at MK. I go to Tales with Belle, then Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh, Tea Cups, Barnstormer, Dumbo, Little Mermaid, It's a Small World, then Mikey's Philharmagic. (I come back for the Carousel at night). Once 7 Drarfs opens I will probaly hit that right after Tales with Belle.

Then I hit Haunted Mansion. Normally this is where I would get a FP for Splash Mountan and then ride Big Thunder Mountain, Eat Lunch at Pecos and then go relax on Tom Sawyer Island. Then was usually time for the FP at Splash. (Now I guess I would have to try to schedule the FP for around Noon for Splash)
Then it was getting a FP for Jungle Cuise. Followed by Pirates, Tiki Room, and Aladdin. By then it was time for the FP on Jungle. Then I would catch Hall of Presidents and then move onto Tomorowland. (one land left and it is usually only 3:30/4 PM at that point)

I would get a FP for Space, then enjoy the People Mover, Stitch, Laugh Floor, Buzz Lightyear, Carousel of Progress... then it normally would be time for the FP on Space. Then it was Dinner at a restaurant or Cosmic Rays, Get a Spot for the Night Parade, Fireworks, then finish the night with repeat rides on Big Thunder, and end with the Carousel, or do the Astro Orbiter if I really wanted.

The 3 FP+ picks for me would be Splash, Jungle Cruise, and Space Mountain. Those are the only ones I ever used FP for.

I've used that system for the past 12 years. Never had wait over 30 minutes for anything. (Most were 20 or less) Not sure how im gonna have to change things with the New System.
 
N

noelanddusty

New Member
GrumpyFan said:
If all the planning stresses you out, then stop. It's not like you HAVE to make advanced reservations and Fastpass selections in order to have a good time.
You can still go to the parks and ride quite a few of the major attractions and even find dining availability on the day of arrival. There are a few things that might not be available for dining, but WDW has so many restaurants available that there will always be something available at the last minute, it just might not necessarily be what you wanted. So go, enjoy and stop worrying about it.
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Yes, you can still "have a good time." If you have the right attitude you can have a good time under much less than ideal circumstances. The problem is, even though the old system had it's drawbacks and difficulties, if you knew what you were doing, you could ride a ton of rides without waiting longer than a couple of minutes. Under the new system, if you try to ride and see everything ( which to my family is the point ), you will wait a lot more. We have made our last 4 trips in January or early February and we used at least 5 FP a day and often much more than that. We loved being able to ride our favorites multiple times in addition to riding/seeing everything else, except an attraction or two at each park we don't care for. Now, you have to get to the park by rope drop, plan carefully, stay all day, and have everything go smoothly in order to have a chance at accomplishing close to that. I actually enjoy being able to plan things, so choosing attractions and times ahead of time is great. Paper passes were a pain to deal with and I don't miss them at all (although the new tech is not without it's hiccups either). Not having to run to and from each FP attraction to get paper passes is nice. But in the end, for my family and some friends, all the positives don't outweigh the fact that we can't enjoy as many attractions as quickly as we used to and we can't avoid waiting in lines like we used to. And then, if you are an off-site guest you don't even get the ability to go in with a plan you can count on. I hope Disney can learn ways to improve the system and that eventually we will enjoy the benefits of the new system with more of the functionality of the old system. Can someone tell me how they settled on the 3 FP limit? We can't be the only people who averaged double that. I know they tested 4. Unless it was Christmas week, I don't see how at least that many wouldn't have worked. I've been a long time reader around here but never said much, sorry for the fairly lenghty, fairly negative post, but this system had an over-all negative impact on our vacation and the vacation of other friends. Yes we still have fun, but not as much as we used to.
 
MaryJaneP

MaryJaneP

Well-Known Member
GrumpyFan said:
If all the planning stresses you out, then stop. It's not like you HAVE to make advanced reservations and Fastpass selections in order to have a good time.
You can still go to the parks and ride quite a few of the major attractions and even find dining availability on the day of arrival. There are a few things that might not be available for dining, but WDW has so many restaurants available that there will always be something available at the last minute, it just might not necessarily be what you wanted. So go, enjoy and stop worrying about it.
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THIS! Infinity times this! What did we all do before ADR and FP+ ?
 
Kate Alan

Kate Alan

Well-Known Member
Once you are on site, do you have to use the kiosks to set your FP+ choices, or can you use smartphones/laptops to continue to choose them from the website? Is there a point they lock you out of planning via the site?
 
stevehousse

stevehousse

Well-Known Member
Kate Alan said:
Once you are on site, do you have to use the kiosks to set your FP+ choices, or can you use smartphones/laptops to continue to choose them from the website? Is there a point they lock you out of planning via the site?
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As long as u r staying at one of their resorts, you will be able to use the website and your phone to make changes on the fly! The kiosks are only limited to non resort guests. If u want to use te kiosks you are more than welcome to though!
 
N

NC Del

Member
Glad I'm not the only one who feels like this is super stressful. Thankfully my kids don't know enough to even have their hearts set on certain things but I feel like I have to 'try' to figure out what will be best for them! I think they'll hate anything fast or remotely scary so that narrows it down...
Even reading posts by people who clearly have all sorts of plans is stressing me out!
 
Kate Alan

Kate Alan

Well-Known Member
stevehousse said:
As long as u r staying at one of their resorts, you will be able to use the website and your phone to make changes on the fly! The kiosks are only limited to non resort guests. If u want to use te kiosks you are more than welcome to though!
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Thanks for the info. I've been to WDW more than 30 times, but this is the first FP+ trip and to top it off I'm with a group of six that has two adults who have never been, so I'm trying like heck to make sure it's as stress free and "magical" as possible for them...while trying not to drive myself crazy in the process. :)
 
stevehousse

stevehousse

Well-Known Member
Kate Alan said:
Thanks for the info. I've been to WDW more than 30 times, but this is the first FP+ trip and to top it off I'm with a group of six that has two adults who have never been, so I'm trying like heck to make sure it's as stress free and "magical" as possible for them...while trying not to drive myself crazy in the process. :)
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We got to try it in November ad did not have any problems with it whatsoever! What time of year r u going! I think that's the main factor in making sure u get tondo everything. And plus, being a veteran, u will know exactly what u need a FP for and when not to use it. Te best advice I have is that if the wait for your FP pick is less than 20 min, do standby and change your FP to a different ride!
 
Kate Alan

Kate Alan

Well-Known Member
stevehousse said:
We got to try it in November ad did not have any problems with it whatsoever! What time of year r u going! I think that's the main factor in making sure u get tondo everything. And plus, being a veteran, u will know exactly what u need a FP for and when not to use it. Te best advice I have is that if the wait for your FP pick is less than 20 min, do standby and change your FP to a different ride!
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We leave on Saturday...getting close! :) That's exactly it...so many of the FP+ options I take one look and go "yea, not needed for THAT ride, or THAT show"...it should be fine. I think it's just the fact that it is unfamiliar - once we're there I'm sure it will all fall into place and we'll be able to get to everything we want.
 
JerseyDad

JerseyDad

Well-Known Member
stevehousse said:
As long as u r staying at one of their resorts, you will be able to use the website and your phone to make changes on the fly! The kiosks are only limited to non resort guests. If u want to use te kiosks you are more than welcome to though!
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.....not fer nuthin' .....why is it assumed (by WDW ...I suppose) that EVERYONE ...has a 'smartphone'.?
 
stevehousse

stevehousse

Well-Known Member
epcotisbest said:
I don't have one. Why is it I should have one? I should have what meets my needs. I have never once in 30 plus trips taken a phone into a theme park.
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Don't you want to have conversations with Scarlett Johanssen? LOL an I'm sure your cell phone company has upgrades for a free smart phone!

it doesn't really matter if u have a cell phone or not, either way, u still have access to the same system!
 
epcotisbest

epcotisbest

Well-Known Member
stevehousse said:
Don't you want to have conversations with Scarlett Johanssen? LOL an I'm sure your cell phone company has upgrades for a free smart phone!

it doesn't really matter if u have a cell phone or not, either way, u still have access to the same system!
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And Scarlett calls me on my home phone, so I'm good! :joyfull:
 

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