disappointed with new FP so far

[Park Hopper]

Defender here, and I found the crisscrossing of the parks to obtain FPs to be a very unenjoyable part of visiting WDW, and I am glad FP+ has ended it. I tested FP+ in October 2013 during a period where I could use both FPv1 and FPv2 and it really made it aware, when using both systems side-by-side, how much I hated the crisscrossing to a paper FP machine.

Well, if you planned it right, with far less planning required than it takes to make FP+ reservations months in advance I might add, you do not crisscross the park much at all. You need to compare apples to apples. Since FP+ really only gives you one shot to get on one major ride in a single park per day, you should only compare that to getting one of the old FPs. Thus, in your scenario, you would only be crisscrossing the park once to get the equivalent. And, one would hope that you could easily plan to get that one FP while you were in the area anyway. You are trying to compare crisscrossing the park several times to get multiple meaningful fast passes to not having to crisscross the park and only getting one.

[DonaldDuck1117]

I love the new FP+ system. I also love planning, so yes, I know what park in going to be at 60 days out. I find it fun. And staying up till midnight isn't a burden for me. I like knowing I've got 3 rides already locked up before even getting inside the park. I like sleeping in. I like not having to keep thinking of my next fast pass move while in the park. Now I've got that all figured out before I even get to Florida.

And, if there is something I want to ride and I don't have a FP for it, I just get in line.

[Park Hopper]

I think the new system has benefits for me, and I am not someone who may want to get to the park later, do not necessarily care to go on a lot of rides, and want to have a guarantee of riding the major rides once during their visit.

FP+ has definitely limited my ability to loop attractions like I did in the past, but explosive growth in attendance has probably done more damage to that than FP+, the timing was just a coincidence.

I am not sure what you are saying (and it may partially be my fault for the original sentence). If you are saying that you like to ride a lot of rides and ride them multiple times, then you are the only one that I know who thinks the new FP+ system is better for this. The new system, for all practical purposes, limits you to one major attraction per day without standing in long standby lines. With the old system, even on the busiest of days, you could get FPs for more than 1 major attraction per day.

There is another website (I am sure that I cannot link it here) that monitors and attributes the increase in standby wait times to FP+ as much as the increased attendance. My personal experience tells me this is true as I can remember being able to get much more done in June with the old FP system than I have in recent low attendance times with the FP+ system. It seems to really have affected rides that never needed a FP, but now have FP+ in place.

[Park Hopper]

Obviously you were not the person in your party that always had to go get the next Fastpass while everyone else was having fun.

Actually, I was. I would always go ahead and get the FPs for my wife and kids. I enjoyed it. The 5-10 min that it would take, if I were going out of our way in the first place, and the chance to ride major attracts several times without having to wait in the long standby lines, was far more worth it than having to micromanage my Disney itinerary months in advance for a single major attraction per day.

[Park Hopper]

I disagree with the premise that FP+ has extended standby times, although I will not claim to know anything other than what I read or experience.

Buy IMO the lines are longer because the attendance at WDW is swelling astronomically. An attraction still has the same throughput whether or not FP+ existed or not, and the exact same number of people are being corralled through those lines every day.

Like you, I do not have concrete evidence, other than what I have experienced. Personally, I was able to get more done on busier park days with the old system than I can now on less crowded days with the new system. Your point about the overall attendance sounds valid, but again, there is another site that has evidence to point to the fact that the FP+ standby times are greater, even considering the increased attendance.

[Park Hopper]

I love the new FP+ system. I also love planning, so yes, I know what park in going to be at 60 days out. I find it fun. And staying up till midnight isn't a burden for me. I like knowing I've got 3 rides already locked up before even getting inside the park. I like sleeping in. I like not having to keep thinking of my next fast pass move while in the park. Now I've got that all figured out before I even get to Florida.

And, if there is something I want to ride and I don't have a FP for it, I just get in line.

As I mentioned, there are some cases where I think the FP+ is beneficial. Like I said before, I think the new systems favors those that tend to get to the parks later and that are only concerned with riding the major attractions once (without long standby lines) in a given day. If you like planning to that level then it is a great system for you.

Different strokes, I guess. I enjoy some level of planning beforehand, but I like to have flexibility once I get there as well. Getting on rides is important to my family and we try to get there early and ride as much as possible. The old system allowed us to get on the major attractions several times in a day without the standby lines, even during busy days. For people like us, the FP+ system is not preferred.

[Goofy4TheWorld]

I am not sure what you are saying (and it may partially be my fault for the original sentence). If you are saying that you like to ride a lot of rides and ride them multiple times, then you are the only one that I know who thinks the new FP+ system is better for this. The new system, for all practical purposes, limits you to one major attraction per day without standing in long standby lines. With the old system, even on the busiest of days, you could get FPs for more than 1 major attraction per day.

It's not your fault, there is a contradiction in my thoughts, much of it having to do with my current phase of life and where my WDW universe is currently centered. With two young kids, I am focused on MK and AK, which of course does not suffer the plague of tiered FP+ distribution. The tiers at DHS and Epcot drive me bananas, but I guess I have become resigned to them.

Prior to kids I was all about looping RnRc & ToT (or Splash & Big Thunder, Everest & Safari, or Soarin' & Test Track) in a continuous rotation between standby and FP lines. I freely admit that the days of looping E-ticket attractions are gone, and I admit that a portion of the blame lies with FP+. I don't think the FP+ system is better for looping the big attractions, but for whatever reason (maybe I am getting weak in the knees) I have decided that the positives of FP+ are worth the trade (an opinion I may very well think is ludicrous in 8 years when I have a 16 and 12 year old wanting to loop RnRc).

My limited experience is that I can be happy with my day at MK and AK with FP+, and since that is where my focus is anyway, I have not walked away feeling shortchanged. Now if you want to talk about the technical issues with MDE and FP+ not working as promised, well that's a whole 'nother thread for me....

[taleasoldastime]

I really think that the people who enjoy the old FP system and those who like the new system simply just have different priorities. Just like Apple PC's and Windows PC's attract different people based on what they like to use their computers for.

I think if you prefer the old FP system then you value the ability to wing it or make changes to your plan. You also don't mind walking around the parks. (Personally, I prefer this. Its the same reason I always get park hoppers. So i can change my mind if I wish. I also enjoy the walks around the park. I like the smells, sounds, sights. It does not bother me one bit to walk back and forth.)

If you like FP Plus then you value having a plan and a guarantee (which is even questionable now). You also prefer taking it easy. You want to go into the parks with a concise plan on how you are going to navigate in order to reserve energy. (I can see the enjoyment in this as well. Especially if your priority is relaxation.)

Unfortunately, not everyone can be happy. I guess us old FP lovers had our time, and now it is time for the new FP system to make a different bunch of people happy.

[Buttercup]

This is a scenario that's happened to me a BUNCH of times. What I discovered was this: if you log into My Disney Experience from an actual COMPUTER, you will get a whole bunch of different available times than you would on the app on your phone. So, even though it's not giving you the option on your app, it doesn't mean that time isn't available. Try logging in from a computer and see what happens....

The other option is to just accept the times you get, and then go in to "Modify Existing Fastpasses" and you'll get a whole bunch of other times to choose from.

[RunDMV]

I disagree with the premise that FP+ has extended standby times, although I will not claim to know anything other than what I read or experience.

Buy IMO the lines are longer because the attendance at WDW is swelling astronomically. An attraction still has the same throughput whether or not FP+ existed or not, and the exact same number of people are being corralled through those lines every day.

If you look just beyond that Disneyodendrum, you can see a forest of fake trees. WDW uses FP+ for one reason, to "manage" crowds. Hence, they allow more crowds in.

[RunDMV]

Obviously you were not the person in your party that always had to go get the next Fastpass while everyone else was having fun.

The problem with this argument is that Disney can still have FP+ and not the 60 day window. Technology is there to grab a fast pass for any ride at any kiosk in the park. You don't have to be at the TSM fast pass machine to get a fast pass for TSM.

[DizneyFreak2002]

Defender here, and I found the crisscrossing of the parks to obtain FPs to be a very unenjoyable part of visiting WDW, and I am glad FP+ has ended it. I tested FP+ in October 2013 during a period where I could use both FPv1 and FPv2 and it really made it aware, when using both systems side-by-side, how much I hated the crisscrossing to a paper FP machine.

If you were criss crossing the parks just to get FP then you were doing things wrong and that is totally on you... Not the old system...

[DizneyFreak2002]

I disagree with the premise that FP+ has extended standby times, although I will not claim to know anything other than what I read or experience.

Then you would be wrong... While rides such as Splash haven't seen much of a stand by queue line increase, other rides such as Haunted Mansion and Pirates have... Two rides where FP is not necessary, yet the morons put it there to trick unsuspecting guests (or the Disney Can Do No Wrong Crowd) into thinking FP+ is a wonderful thing (it isn't), and great value (it's not)...

[1DisneyNut]

I completely agree with DisneyFreak2002. I think the people that argue that FP+ is not the cause of some of the longer lines and argue the throughput point, fail to realize that the reason the standby lines at Haunted Mansion, Pirates of Caribbean, and even Spaceship Earth for crying out loud are long is because people that do not know any better are scheduling FP+'s for those rides and thus causing long standby's. It really isn't the guests fault though, it is Disney's for doing FP+'s on attractions that do not need and should not have them. The fact that they have them on those attractions and then funnel them through while holding the standby line is the problem.

The other problem caused by FP+ is early morning (think rope drop up until lunch) they allow FP+ scheduling for all the rides so if you get there early and do not have FP+ scheduled until later in the day, you are a secondary guest waiting in all the standby lines watching them just funnel through the FP+ guests. This happens even though the park is not crowded at all by any means and if it was standby only, all guest would be flowing right through the line and riding with very minimal wait. This is one of the biggest problems with FP+. The solution is simple, change the system to no FP+ until after Noon....problem solved.

I never crisscrossed the parks for old paper FP's either. We worked around the park in an orderly fashion. If we came upon an attraction that had a really long wait time or a favorite we wanted to hit again later in the day, we grabbed a FP while we were right there and moved on. Later in the day or that night we went back hitting favorites and doing the paper FP's. A lot of times we didn't use a FP at all.

I have been to the parks prior to any FP, with paper FP many many times and now with FP+. I preferred no FP at all and then paper FP and despise FP+. Keep in mind I have been on the prior systems when it was crazy busy and I have been with FP+ when it wasn't real busy so I have first hand experience with all the scenarios. I got more done prior to FP+ on days when the park was reaching capacity on 4th of July week than I could in November with moderate crowds on FP+.

One final thought I will throw out there: Every extreme is almost always followed by another. Whether it be weather, war and peace, or business. Right now theme parks are booming (all theme parks not just WDW) and the flip side is coming watch and see. When the other shoe drops, we will find out just how popular/unpopular FP+ in its current form really is and I am fairly confident I already know the answer on that one. As someone else posted earlier, one day an executive will pull the plug on or radically change FP+ and everybody will act like he is some sort of genius.

[Park Hopper]

With two young kids, I am focused on MK and AK, which of course does not suffer the plague of tiered FP+ distribution. The tiers at DHS and Epcot drive me bananas, but I guess I have become resigned to them.

You are right that DHS and Epcot have definitely been the most affected by FP+. If they had more E ticket attractions in those parks, it would certainly help!

[Goofy4TheWorld]

Then you would be wrong... While rides such as Splash haven't seen much of a stand by queue line increase, other rides such as Haunted Mansion and Pirates have... Two rides where FP is not necessary, yet the morons put it there to trick unsuspecting guests (or the Disney Can Do No Wrong Crowd) into thinking FP+ is a wonderful thing (it isn't), and great value (it's not)...

So if tomorrow Bog Iger is hanged by the neck in a spectacular show inside Liberty Square, and FP+ is disbanded, what happens to the lines at Splash and at Haunted Mansion and Pirates? Are 120 minute waits at Splash and 5 minute waits at Haunted Mansion and Pirates the ideal solution to WDWs line problem? If the same number of people remain in the park after the termination of FP+, what does the utopia of no FPs look like? Where do all of these people go?

[j2k]

the reason the standby lines at Haunted Mansion, Pirates of Caribbean, and even Spaceship Earth for crying out loud are long.

Reading this had me curious so I checked the wait times on MDE app and all three of these currently are around 30 minutes. I also noticed the Jungle Cruise is around 50 minutes. This is in the morning...Wowzer!

I haven't visited since the days of paper FP in 2012 so I am shocked to see this. When we were there in 2012 we walked into Epcot in the late afternoon (4:00ish) and walked straight onto Spaceship Earth. There were no lines. We also did Pirates and Mansion twice, on separate days, and I think we waited about 10-15 minutes each time. There were no paper FP for any of those.

This enlightens me and now I will be keeping an eye on the wait times more in planning for our 2017 trip.

I'm a big planner but when I'm on vacation I don't like to be tied to plans because it causes me more stress and less relaxation. This is one of the reasons why we only scheduled one ADR on our 2012 trip.

At the end of the day, each person has a different vacation style and not everyone will be happy with everything.

[Altair]

So if tomorrow Bog Iger is hanged by the neck in a spectacular show inside Liberty Square, and FP+ is disbanded, what happens to the lines at Splash and at Haunted Mansion and Pirates? Are 120 minute waits at Splash and 5 minute waits at Haunted Mansion and Pirates the ideal solution to WDWs line problem? If the same number of people remain in the park after the termination of FP+, what does the utopia of no FPs look like? Where do all of these people go?

If FP+ was terminated?
First the invisible FastPass line would go away. Then what was the Stand-by line would become self regulating. If the wait times are too long guests will move to other attractions in the park. From experience, wait times fluctuate at E-Ticket rides though out the day. With FP, some guests have no wait while others have long stand-by times, without it, everyone would have a moderate wait for most rides. Some won't like even a moderate wait, so they may stop coming. If this happens, Disney will be forced to raise prices (which the do anyway), add more attractions to keep everyone happy and thin the lines or or just live with smaller crowds with happier guests. Just a thought.

[j2k]

What if you don't schedule FP+ in advance? or utilize FP+ at all? What is the park experience like these days if you just walk through and standby on the attractions you want? Of if you wait to visit park kiosks to get FP+ instead of scheduling in advance?

I'm just thinking "outloud" as I ponder this.

[DizneyFreak2002]

So if tomorrow Bog Iger is hanged by the neck in a spectacular show inside Liberty Square, and FP+ is disbanded, what happens to the lines at Splash and at Haunted Mansion and Pirates? Are 120 minute waits at Splash and 5 minute waits at Haunted Mansion and Pirates the ideal solution to WDWs line problem? If the same number of people remain in the park after the termination of FP+, what does the utopia of no FPs look like? Where do all of these people go?

If you read what I wrote, I said Splash's wait time has not been dramatically increased... Splash had FP from the start.... And while yes, FP in general does cause longer stand by lines, FP+ did not increase nor decrease Splash's waiting times... FP did, however, increase Pirates and HM..

Want to know what would solve the issue? More attractions... MK is bursting at the seams... FP+ isn't the answer that the uppers tried to pass it off as... More attractions, more to do is...

Iger been horrible for the parks... HORRIBLE... Staggs is no better... Remember Staggs was Eisner's pick to head up Strategic Planning, you know, the group that was formed and started this downward trend of WDW... Better hope Staggs does not become CEO... He doesn't get it...