FP+ "Problems" - I Just Don't Get It

[jo-jo]

Even though I had read the tips in advance, in the excitement of booking FP+, I forgot the cardinal rule - book the times YOU DO NOT WANT first. .

I'm not computer smart, I don't even have a smart phone. My DD bought me a kindle and I had to ask what it was. My 8 yr old DGD had to show me how to turn it on.

But I guess it pays to be dumb sometimes. I didn't know about the "cardinal" rule. I took one of the choices disney threw at me and worked around it.

And since I don't have a smart phone, I can't do last min checking or anything unless I wait at a kiosk. That's my fear, those glitches that occur that having a smart phone acts as a back-up is a good thing.

By the time I got done making FP for 8 days, I was totally stressed.

 

[DisneyKidds]

That's a pretty deep hole you're digging LOL.

Hey, while I say what I believe and believe what I say, I'm willing to see how far down the rabbit hole goes.......

 

[Suvadoo]

Perhaps, but I really struggle to see how my multiple experiences can be so atypical, so lucky. Hey, maybe I was just lucky last night when the A&E meet and greet showed up for December 30, perhaps the second busiest day of the year after NYE? The reward for being in at 12:00:01? Well, no, because I just went in now and I can still pick it up. I guess I have to drop my own rhetoric and try and be objective.

There are things I just don't understand about how the system work, I'm sure. You are generally a FP+ fan. You know how to use the system. I bet you can even feed yourself. Yet, you were unable to get A&E. Still confuses me, but I accept it.

Someone had a good point about the percentages. Likely the percentage of people who have any kind of problem is very low overall. However, if a good chunk of those rare problems are experienced by people who post here, negative posts being more common than positive ones, it can lead to an impression that problems are widespread.

As to your point about the user-friendliness of the system, I hear you. Could it be easier? Sure. Is it difficult now? Honestly, even though it's a multi-step process as you described.....no, it's not difficult. I spent 25 minutes securing a week's worth of FP+, then 7 more minutes tailoring the times to my exact liking. At least you can call the system less than ideal on the user-friendly front, but you don't use that to impeach the system as a whole. There are others who would bring up the same 'inconvenience' and state that the system is a total fail that ruined their vacation. I guess I have lost my patience with those types.

.......just like many in this thread have lost their patience with me!

Actually, I agree with a PP who questioned your truthfulness. How do we know you were able to get everything you wanted? You could be exagerating your success with the system because of your personal agenda. Implying that people are liars goes both ways, agreed?

 

[OtherScott]

Parable:

Wise man sitting on the side of the road half way between towns A and B.

Couple walking from town A to town B stops. "We're moving from A to B because we just can't stand the people of A anymore. They whine and complain about everything. What can you tell us about the people of town B?"

Wise man says, "You're going to find the people of B to be the same way."

Second couple walking from town A to town B stops. "We're moving from A to B because my husband's company relocated to B. We loved A and the people were cheerful and upbeat. What can you tell us about the people of town B?"

Wise man says, "You're going to find the people of B to be the same way."




For the most part, we find exactly what we're looking for.

 

[Jennasis]

Hey, while I say what I believe and believe what I say, I'm willing to see how far down the rabbit hole goes.......

At least you're honest about your intentions to rile everyone up.

 

[ArwenMarie]

Here's the thing about the time period you're booking for. There is absolutely every last ounce of FP+ reservation capacity dumped into the system for those last two weeks of the year. The resort hotels will be more busy than usual, but the real uptick in guest numbers come from offsite -- people you aren't in competition with for FP+ reservations at this point.

I think this is key...Disney can control how many FPs are thrown into the prebooking bucket. And yep, 60 days is different than 30 days. We'll see what people are getting for 30 days in a few weeks.

And what will be really interesting to watch this year is how high the standby times get during that week

 

[romitaz]

We just got back from an 8 day trip. It was sort of last minute,for the way I plan, so I did not book our fastpass+ till around 44 days out. We got almost everything we wanted. This was an adults only trip so no character meet and greets were needed, though we managed to be in the right place at the right time for several, which was a bonus. The system is a bit glitchy. It also is SLIGHTLY annoying in the way its set up. As with everything though, it is a work in progress. We were at the parks at rope drop each day and were able to ride several of our favorites multiple times before the masses arrived. On some days, we did not even need the fastpasses. I never got 7DMT but was able to ride it during the second parade during MNSSHP and on another day during the Festival Of fantasy parade with only a 30 minute wait each time. I am a HUGE planner though. I even plan our route through the parks each day. The system worked for us, but as with everything,individual results will vary. My biggest wish would be to have more than 3 available to book in advance.

 

[cakebaker]

Sorry if I'm throwing the topic off subject- but there does appear to be availability released for sdmt in November..

Back to your scheduled programming...

 

[grimley1968]

Now, I'm off to learn how to feed myself. Someone please remind me: the fork goes in the left ear and the spoon in the right, correct? Or do I have that backwards?

I'm pretty sure the spoon goes in the right ear, so you are correct there. However, I'm not sure what happens with the soup spoon. Left ear? Also, what about the salad fork versus the regular fork? Oh, sorry, I'm

OP, just because there are some people who dislike FP+ or have had troubles with the system that they've related on here, they are not lying about their experience, or even exaggerating.

Disney has apparently decided they are sticking with the FP+ system, warts and all. Others can shrug off the problems with it all they like. I actually prefer to read about them, because I view it as an essential bit of research to make my theme park experience as pleasant as possible. Knowing of any problems with the system beforehand helps with that, and hopefully I'll read of fixes to those problems. The original post in this thread is fairly insulting to those in my shoes, as well as those who have reported legitimate problems with the FP+ system.

 

[pharaoh]

I have been on two trips to WDW in 2014 and haven't had any trouble with FP+. But I would never discount the experiences of others, even without viewing the many, many, many complaints on this board.

The entirety of MDE and even just the regular WDW website are glitchy and problematic as a whole, so it is not hard for me to believe that many folks have trouble with it. This thread is just rude.

 

[KimBean]

So much hate for the FP+ system over the lack of availability of FP+ reservations. MM+ inception right through this morning you see the frequent complaint that there were no FP+ reservations available for this, that, the other thing, almost everything......even when people go online at midnight 60 days out. People decry the FP+ system for the abhorrent amount of time that must be spent to plan and secure elusive FP+ reservations. Other than the general 'I don't like that Disney makes me plan my vacation so much' complaint, these two 'problems' seem to be at the very heart of the anti-FP+ movement.

Now, I'm going to try and be delicate about this, and will probably fail miserably......but I don't get it. I really don't. Yes, user experiences vary, but how much can they really vary? Based on my experiences I have to ask myself.....what is the problem? Is there really one, or is the majority of the FP+ backlash coming from people who just aren't that capable of figuring out the (relatively simple) system, or people that seem to find a way of exaggerating a small problem into a big issue?

I'm compelled to ask this question because last night I secured some FP+ reservations without any problem whatsoever. Not only that, but I changed some times and swapped a few experiences. In and out in 30 minutes, a week's worth of FP+ reservations secured and tailored, everything we could have wanted available, got everything we desired.

Now, before you say 'sure, that could be...if you were making reservations for an off time', let me clarify. These were for the week between Christmas and New Year's, THE busiest time of the year at WDW. You might say 'ok, great for you, you got REALLY lucky'. But this is the third time I've had no problem securing anything and everything we wanted with the FP+ system. 'But you are making reservations for a small party' you might say! No, I've been equally successful for 2, 5, or 12 people. Last year we used FP+ between Christmas and New Year's. No problems, but the system was new, so maybe not a lot of people were using it? Then we had a trip in July, another very busy time at WDW, and got everything (including Mine Train and A&E), and I did so at 45 days out. Ok, I figured maybe I was lucky there? Then there was last night, where I secured FP+ reservations, sans problems, for an even busier time at WDW. Mine Train, got it. A&E, there if I wanted it.

So, I'm thinking luck has nothing to do with it, and the 'problems' are either exaggerated or fabricated. How else do you explain it? Discuss amongst yourselves.......

I loved my FP+ experience so far (leave in 44 days). Booking was a cinch. However, I was not able to get A&E until my day 8. So if I was staying a shorter trip then I would be out of luck on that. I was on from 12am - 1am hitting refresh every 30 seconds. At exactly 1am I was in the system (odd night no one got in until 1am). It only took me 10 minutes to book all 10 days. I never saw a parade or wishes or illuminations or fantasmic offered as an option any of my days. I wasn't planning on booking those anyway, so NO issue for me. I got everything I wanted at the 60 day mark and within 5 minutes of the time I wanted them in.

So I am one happy customer. That being said if I had only been staying 7 days and really wanted an A&E and the parades and nighttime entertainment, I would be a VERY UNHAPPY customer on that front. I think when the stars align and they have available what you wanted anyway then you feel good about FP. If this isn't your experience then you don't.

I don't think people on these forums don't know how to use a very simple system.

 

[jtowntoflorida]

OP, you're discounting some very big factors:

1. If you look back, onsite had very little problems with FP+ availability for all attractions (including A&E and 7DMT) this summer. Keep in mind that during the summer, while parks are busy, resorts tend to have their lowest occupancy, and the park hours are long. So for days 60-30, we onsiters have a pretty sweet deal...relatively little competition and nice, long hours, so lots of availability.
Personal experience: We did a short, 3 day trip in late August. We had one MK day. I had no problems getting both A&E and 7DMT in morning slots, right when I wanted them, for a party of 4, even though my trip was only 3 days long.

2. Once the summer ended, and party season began, even onsiters started having problems with the most popular FP+s. Why? Shortened operating hours (especially at MK due to parties) and much higher occupancy at resorts during this time of year means less FP+ availability AND more competition for the spots that are available.
Personal experience: We have a trip planned in mid-December. Despite being up at 11:00 CT to make my FP+s, and despite knowing how to use the system (this is our 3rd trip with FP+), A&E was only available for the last two days of our trip (days 7 & 8). There was no availability earlier in the trip for even one person. 7DMT was easier to get, including on arrival day, though the ideal times were not available. Because I'm not a novice, I'm pretty sure this shows a supply/demand problem, and not a guest incompetence problem.

3. You didn't have any problems getting FP+ when your 60 day window opened for the busiest time of year. First, you're an onsite guest...again, not as much competition at 60 days, since park attendance is driven by offsiters and resorts aren't as heavily booked during the peak holiday time since they're so expensive. Plus, the heaviest park crowds during the year also means the hours are the longest they'll be all year. Again, little competition + more supply due to longer hours = onsiters have a pretty good deal going right now.
Personal prediction: Once the 30 day window opens for offsiters, we're going to see lots and lots of complaints about limited FP+ choices.

 

[Tarheel girl 1975]

Here's the thing about the time period you're booking for. There is absolutely every last ounce of FP+ reservation capacity dumped into the system for those last two weeks of the year. The resort hotels will be more busy than usual, but the real uptick in guest numbers come from offsite -- people you aren't in competition with for FP+ reservations at this point.

I think this is important. I find it interesting that there seemed to be more complaints about FP+ availability for Fall than there were during summer. I wonder how much of this related to park hours. At the time the OP is going, MK will likely be open from 8 am-1am, so 17 hours of park time. With all of the hard ticket parties, MK is often open for only 10 hours when we were there.

I'm pretty much a FP+ supporter, but your experience is not typical.

Getting SDMT and A&E during the busiest week of the year is indeed absolute luck. I am going two weeks earlier when crowd levels are less than half of what you will experience, and I can't get either or TSMM.

As for user experience, how is this a user friendly system.
Log on at midnight
Select one attraction you really want.
Get assigned that attraction at a time you do not want and 2 other attractions you do not want.
Return to start page and change time of first selection after clicking over to another page.
Return to start page to change experience #2 after clicking to another page.
Return to start page to change experience #3 after clicking over to another page.

That is as non-user friendly as any tech I have dealt with in the past decade, and I would be described as a techie.

Again I like the concept of FP+ just not the logistics of it.

I did my FP+ last night for a 2 day trip - Dec 27 & 28.

Even though I had read the tips in advance, in the excitement of booking FP+, I forgot the cardinal rule - book the times YOU DO NOT WANT first. I was stressed/excited and I forgot that. No availability for 7DMT until the evening hours. I ended up with a 9:50PM FP+. I think if I had done it the "correct" way and chosen times I did not want to start with, some morning FP+ would have opened up. Someone else booking dec 27 FP+ the same time said she got the morning slot.

I had similar problems with Toy Story for the evening of the 28th. After some tweaking I got what I wanted. I wanted Star Tours for 5:45 - 6:45 and the closest I could get is 5:35 - 6:35. My next FP+ is for 6:45pm. I know its stupid that I was stressing over 10 minutes, but my timing for that one is a little tight and I have a feeling I might end up in the 15 min grace period.

Anyway, I KNEW better but completely forgot all the tricks I had learned the day I did my FP+.

My take on it: FP+ is OK. Like legacy FP, it has its quirks and it will just take us all some time to learn the quirks and how to use the system for our families. I enjoyed legacy FP and knew how to maximize it. FP+ does have its advantages - nice to be able to show up at DHS at 6pm during Christmas week and have my FP+ in hand for Toy Story at 6:45pm.

I didn't have any problems booking our FP either, but it's not an intuitive system and we had the advantage of taking a long trip.

 

[Tarheel girl 1975]

OP, you're discounting some very big factors:

1. If you look back, onsite had very little problems with FP+ availability for all attractions (including A&E and 7DMT) this summer. Keep in mind that during the summer, while parks are busy, resorts tend to have their lowest occupancy, and the park hours are long. So for days 60-30, we onsiters have a pretty sweet deal...relatively little competition and nice, long hours, so lots of availability.
Personal experience: We did a short, 3 day trip in late August. We had one MK day. I had no problems getting both A&E and 7DMT in morning slots, right when I wanted them, for a party of 4, even though my trip was only 3 days long.

2. Once the summer ended, and party season began, even onsiters started having problems with the most popular FP+s. Why? Shortened operating hours (especially at MK due to parties) and much higher occupancy at resorts during this time of year means less FP+ availability AND more competition for the spots that are available.
Personal experience: We have a trip planned in mid-December. Despite being up at 11:00 CT to make my FP+s, and despite knowing how to use the system (this is our 3rd trip with FP+), A&E was only available for the last two days of our trip (days 7 & 8). There was no availability earlier in the trip for even one person. 7DMT was easier to get, including on arrival day, though the ideal times were not available. Because I'm not a novice, I'm pretty sure this shows a supply/demand problem, and not a guest incompetence problem.

3. You didn't have any problems getting FP+ when your 60 day window opened for the busiest time of year. First, you're an onsite guest...again, not as much competition at 60 days, since park attendance is driven by offsiters and resorts aren't as heavily booked during the peak holiday time since they're so expensive. Plus, the heaviest park crowds during the year also means the hours are the longest they'll be all year. Again, little competition + more supply due to longer hours = onsiters have a pretty good deal going right now.
Personal prediction: Once the 30 day window opens for offsiters, we're going to see lots and lots of complaints about limited FP+ choices.

This is what I was thinking, but you said this much better than I did.

 

[Mikie]

I can understand the proliferation of FP+ threads.. . Of course its a huge change, therefore a major learning curve to be discussed on a strategies board.

Then, as you move from casual observer who's not even planning a trip but keeping up on the chatter, to planner who has experience with the planning aspects of FP, and finally to vacationer who sees it in action - you compare all you've read and heard to your actual experiences. Where there's confirmation, you come here and say "I didn't want to believe it BUT. . . " or when there's disconnect, you come here and say "I don't get it!" We're looking for common ground or sometimes explanation for why all that planning didn't pan out. Or, in my case, I'm excited that FP+ worked for me but keep reading to see why I seem to be an anomaly in hopes that I'll be prepared for my next Disney trip (will it work again, or will it all come crumbling down around my ears?)

 

[Angel Ariel]

Incompetent liars? Well, I purposely didn't say that. That would be unkind and uncalled for. I do have what are likely unpopular opinions though.....

You didn't say those words, no, but:

Based on my experiences I have to ask myself.....what is the problem? Is there really one, or is the majority of the FP+ backlash coming from people who just aren't that capable of figuring out the (relatively simple) system, or people that seem to find a way of exaggerating a small problem into a big issue?

The bolded very much implies incompetence at using MDE

So, I'm thinking luck has nothing to do with it, and the 'problems' are either exaggerated or fabricated. How else do you explain it? Discuss amongst yourselves.......

And this very much implies lying. Fabricated = made up. Generally speaking [making something up] is considered lying.

So yeah..I'm going with your OP being "unkind and uncalled for" (your words). It was most certainly not respectful of those who have a different opinion than yours.

 

[Planogirl]

I would never scoff at people who report experiences different from mine because I assume that how they feel is reality to them and has nothing to do with me. I personally think that it's pointless to start another thread about how wrong people are but I'm not going to call anyone out on it. Except here that is.

 

[Planogirl]

You didn't say those words, no, but:



The bolded very much implies incompetence at using MDE



And this very much implies lying. Fabricated = made up. Generally speaking [making something up] is considered lying.

So yeah..I'm going with your OP being "unkind and uncalled for" (your words). It was most certainly not respectful of those who have a different opinion than yours.

I wonder when it became acceptable to discount opinions as being nothing more than incompetence or lying? This boggles my mind.

 

[Ellwood970]

At least you're honest about your intentions to rile everyone up.

i say what I observe it is the scientific method. Lol. Silly system.

 

[DebbieB]

I was there last week, loved it once again. Loved going into the park with 3 already reserved, which I typically used at around 10, 11, 12. That way I could do standby first thing with short lines.

I don't have the fond memories of legacy fastpass that many have, especially after they enforced the return time. You had to go to the attraction, see the return time, decide if it fit your schedule or not. We don't typically stay in the park from opening to close so it made it difficult. With FP+, you can pick your times. Another advantage - I arrived at around 12:45 on 10/18, I was able to schedule 3 fastpasses at Epcot for that afternoon. With the old system, I would never have gotten Soarin that late.