We were in WDW last weekend for a last minute trip. Just a long weekend to take in some of the Christmas decorations. It was last a minute trip and I only made the reservations about 5 weeks in advance. At that time there were no "good" fast passes left for anything. Oh well they were going to be open late and I just figured we would be able to adjust and get some better ones the morning of that park day. That didn't happen. I tried all day starting when we got up, still nothing. So now not only do you have to choose what park you are going to be in six months in advance because of having to choose a restaurant NOW you have to also pick your rides too. This is not fun. This is not a vacation. And I know it's not going away, not after dumping a billion dollars in it. The place sure isn't what it used to be, but it could still be fun. Untill now. I'll most likely never stop going but this is going to slow things way down.
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Trip Report I Know It's Not Going Away-And I Don't Like It
- Thread starter Mr Wizard
- Start date
officialtom
Well-Known Member
Do I dare mention that you went during the busiest peak time? I do understand the new FP+ system makes impromptu trips during peak times less "planable."
We just booked a week's worth of FP+ for mid-late January and had no issues.
We just booked a week's worth of FP+ for mid-late January and had no issues.
If I'm reading things right you are coming up on your fifth trip to WDW ? Well I've been going since there wasn't any need to decide which park you were going to visit. And over the years they have been figuring out how to get more and more dollars, uh excuse me, people into the parks. They have succeeded. Yes they have built other parks but that wasn't enough which brings us to the original Fastpass. And now that their marketing division has managed to make sure that there are no slow times any more we have moved into the realm of Fastpass + and planning your whole vacation months in advance. So I turn my place in line over to you. Plan away, I want no parts of it. Unfortunately you never knew how nice it used to be and Disney is banking on that. It USED to be fun. Instead of doubling the size of their most visited park they spend a billion on ways to track your movement and more importantly your spending. YES Walt was a business man, YES he was a master at merchandising and generating money, but the parks were about a little more than money. And todays corporate robot knows nothing but to stand behind a chart with a bargraph showing profits and repeat with parrot like sincereity "we have to do it for the stockholders."
DVCOwner
A Long Time DVC Member
For me I love Fastpass+ and here is why. I go several times per year and I only want to make sure I do a couple of things each trip. I can book the "must ride" with Fastpass+ and not have to worry about them. The rest of the time I can take my time and enjoy the parks more. I do have to say that I am a planner and enjoy planning vacations almost as much as going on them.
Actually Roy was the business man. Walt was more of the creative genius.
officialtom
Well-Known Member
You're right, I'm no WDW veteran compared to people who have gone every year all their lives, but I'll say this: WDW is my favourite vacation spot because of the magic, the atmosphere, the people, the relaxation, the food, and so on. I guess maybe today's magic is different that yours was, and I'm sure that's disappointing. But my family and I love it. We love how pre-planning makes everything go so smoothly upon arrival. We love having a schedule of sorts (although we can change anything at any time by touching a few buttons on our phones) so we know where we'll be day-to-day months in advance, having to make very few decisions once we're there. It's a fluid family-friendly worry-free vacation system, despite its kinks here and there, and I expect it'll only get better as the parks grow, and as new ones (hopefully!) open.
AngryEyes
Well-Known Member
Right now, I can make FP+ reservations for Christmas Day for Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and there were all kinds of openings, all morning long. This likely means I could get every ride in the MK, except for the Dwarfs, all day long.
Extremely hard to believe there were no "good" fastpasses left five weeks ago.
Extremely hard to believe there were no "good" fastpasses left five weeks ago.
TinkerbellKate
Active Member
I've been to Disney over 50 times in my life and while the magic has definitely changed since I was 5, it's still magic. Disney is something that is special to me regardless of the changes. I thought I would mind FP+ but it actually has made things easier for my family. Are our vacations a little different now than when we were younger? Of course. Truthfully, by planning ahead, we can be more leisurely about how we go about things, rather than having to be at the rope drop right at 8am to try and get a FP for Toy Story. And, if we weren't able to get a FP+ for something, we waited in line like we used to before Fast Passes were even around. We've never had a problem getting reservations for dinner or FP+, even when we booked a trip 3 weeks in advance. I know not everyone will agree about FP+ and that's ok. We can all have differences. The world is changing and Disney is just following along with those changes. Once upon a time, you didn't have to go through bag check at Disney, you could wait at the gate at the airport for someone arriving and you could go into a baseball game without going through metal detectors. I'm sorry you didn't have the vacation experience you were looking for.
We are going in June and I can't help but think fp+ will be better the more I hear about it. I think about the times we have done a mad dash for an attraction only to get a FP for later in the day. Now I don't have to worry how long it's taking because rude people walk in the HOV lane.
Ella's Mommy
Active Member
I've been going to Disney since the early 80's and FP+ is a godsend. I've waited in line for SM for hour before, guess what, that sucks! Our first encounter with FB+ was this past spring break. Since my husband is military we have to wait till we check in to get our tickets and make our FB+ reservations. So we arrived the day after Easter and I was able to book Ariel, SM, and Peter Pan. I don't miss the days of standing in endless lines and sweating down to my underwear. Hail FP+
I was thinking the same thing. I have gone a handful of times since FP+ became the norm, have never been able to do anything but day of FP+ selections, all of my trips have been on weekends during holidays and/or special events and have not had an issue.
mrdrift
Well-Known Member
I haven't actually experienced the new FP system yet, but we are going in June of 2015. I hear lots of negative and positives about the new system. Hopefully when my 60 day count down comes I will be able to choose the options my family wants, even if we don't get everything we want we will still have a magical time.