Overall I think FP+ is a nice system

[kbmb]

First time using the FP+ system. Overall I really liked it. Couple of thoughts on it though:

1) Definitely book as soon as you can. We were staying on property and booked all our initial 3 the first day we could. We left a day open initially and went back in to book that day much closer to our travel date and we noticed a LOT of things booked up. So book early to lock in the crucial stuff.

2) Remember you can get in 5 minutes before and up to 15 after. That comes in handy if you are really busy or stuck in a line somewhere.

3) They really need more kiosks in the parks. This was our #1 complaint.....it was so painful to wait in long lines just to select a quick FP. I think just adding more kiosks throughout the park would help and allow people to quickly make changes. Just think, in the old system every ride had machines outside....why couldn't they add machines like that?

4) Back off CM! I realize the system is new and some people need help and I think it's great there are cast members there to help at the kiosks.....but I don't need help. I found more often than not the CM being pushy and not wanting me to just do my thing. They need unattended kiosks for those of us that know what we are doing.

5) The touch screens are AWFUL. C'mon.....it's 2014, can't we get a better system that doesn't required the tip of my fingernail, pointed just below what I want to select? Can't tell you how many people I saw struggled trying to select things. Sad when my local Bank of America ATM has a better touchscreen tech than Disney ;-)

6) Always check the kiosks.....sometimes you can get right on rides. We found that if you don't have a FP, ALWAYS go check the kiosks. Multiple times we were able to walk up, get a FP no more than 5-10 minutes from now, to get on a ride that had a 30 minute wait. Granted, these were rides like Small World, Pirates, Jungle Cruise.....but it was great. Get the FP, ride the ride, go right back to the kiosk.


Overall I think it's a really nice system. Wish they would allow you to make inter-park selections for when you are park hopping.

-Kevin

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

That's a good summary of FP+, thanks. I last visited when FP was a paper ticket issued at the front of each attraction - nice to see technology hitting the parks. Can't wait to see the FP+ line lengths in the parks next August !!

Quick question - can you book your 3 daily FP+ for EACH day of your vacation in advance ? (I am staying on property)

 

[kbmb]

Quick question - can you book your 3 daily FP+ for EACH day of your vacation in advance ? (I am staying on property)

Yup, you can book for each day that you have a ticket for. We stayed at the WL, but bought tickets through AAA. Once I linked them into the account, they allowed us to plan out for the number of days the ticket were for.

And do book right when the 60 days hits......to at least lock in rides then. You can always change your selections if you want.

-Kevin

 

[Wishes 1971]

Agreed, Kevin....

#4 - I found the same being true...SOME of the kiosks almost felt like "full" service stations....I walked in, and they took over...not sure if that was because of being new, or they just want to keep the lines moving, and felt the CMs could accomplish that better.

#5 - A pain....whether I was operating the navigation, or the CM, seemed like too many pokes to get to where I was headed...and even the CMs struggled. Things did improve as I learned to use less of my finger and more of the tip.


Good Summary....

 

[Wishes 1971]

That's a good summary of FP+, thanks. I last visited when FP was a paper ticket issued at the front of each attraction - nice to see technology hitting the parks. Can't wait to see the FP+ line lengths in the parks next August !!

Quick question - can you book your 3 daily FP+ for EACH day of your vacation in advance ? (I am staying on property)

...and another tip....if you are planning your FP via the MDE app, if a FP you have expires (outside the 15 minute window), the MDE allows you to change any unused FPs...so, that does not require a trip to a kiosk. You only have to go to the kiosk to add the 4th, 5th, etc.

 

[kbmb]

Couple other things:

7) They have kiosks right outside the Jungle Cruise. We found these to often be far less crowded when we were there last week. You mileage may vary of course!

8) Some kiosks the CM's actually put up a queue line (like the one next to the Diamond Horseshoe). These tend to be a littler fairer to people because everyone is in one line. The 2 sets of kiosks outside Philharmagic you have to pick a kiosk to line up behind. That can be tricky because sometimes you get stuck behind really slow people or people without Magic bands.

-Kevin

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

Very helpful guys - thanks

 

[Wags14]

First time using the FP+ system. Overall I really liked it. Couple of thoughts on it though:

4) Back off CM! I realize the system is new and some people need help and I think it's great there are cast members there to help at the kiosks.....but I don't need help. I found more often than not the CM being pushy and not wanting me to just do my thing. They need unattended kiosks for those of us that know what we are doing.

This is funny as we felt this way as well. Eventually, my wife and I just said, "we're good, we're pros." Or something of that sort as a CM was heading towards us. But ya they felt like vultures, not a bad thing but just speak up and let them know, you got it.

5) The touch screens are AWFUL. C'mon.....it's 2014, can't we get a better system that doesn't required the tip of my fingernail, pointed just below what I want to select? Can't tell you how many people I saw struggled trying to select things. Sad when my local Bank of America ATM has a better touchscreen tech than Disney ;-)

Overall I think it's a really nice system. Wish they would allow you to make inter-park selections for when you are park hopping.

Yup, this one drove us nuts as well. My wife had to do most of it because she had the "fingernails," for some reason fingernails work better. Why I don't know, come on Disney.

But overall like you, we enjoyed the system and FP+ and experienced a rather joyful time with it. Learn from it, and use it the way it was designed because very few people are using it effectively. The amount of rides we rode compared to the little time we waited in lines was terrific for our family.

 

[FrostyNaples]

I never found the FP+ Kiosk lines to be long at any park in June. Maybe good timing.

Another perk, was most of the kiosks were additionally staffed with CM's that had iPads. They simply asked what ride we wanted after scanning our magic band, and did it all on their iPad, never had to touch the machine.

How much could a bulk order of plastic stylus be and chain them to the machines so you don't have to use your fingernail?

It's an odd screen system, must be pressure sensitive, instead of touch 'heat' sensitive.

 

[Jahona]

I had a mainly positive experience with FP+ and the whole My Disney Experience. I will attest that they do need more FP+ Kiosks at more locations. Magic Kingdom had the best array of kiosks. The Cast Members for the most part were nice the first time but after that I was like it's all good I got this. The system needs a bit of an update for a better experience for touch screens. I found scrolling through available rides was a bit of a pain.

The cast members with tablets were probably the most annoying as they wouldn't show me what was available to begin with.

 

[Weather_Lady]

Our experience was positive, but only because we were staying on-property and able to benefit from the longer FP+ "window," AND because we went through the hassle of planning our daily touring more than two months ahead of time -- a process that was certainly rendered more stressful by the tiered FP+ system in HS and Epcot.

In other words, it was a complicated pain in the neck to set up prior to our trip (which the former system never was), but smoother to use than the old system once we were actually on vacation. I do feel bad for those off-site guests who are surely not getting the same benefit under the new system as the old, and in some cases are completely shut out of opportunities to gain the most valuable FP+. On our visit in May, as DH escorted my daughter through the FP+ line and bypassed the standbys who were waiting 3+ hours for Anna & Elsa, he said he felt almost guilty for having a FP+ when so few had gotten the opportunity, and could hardly look anybody in the eye.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

We thought the touch part of the touch screens could be very temperamental too, so we sometimes used a coin and that helped.