Not to reopen that can of worms but...

[agame2323]

how is FP+ working out for everyone?

FP+ has been implemented since January of 2014. So with little over a year under its belt, now seems like the time to get a good feel on how the system has performed. I remember all the negative comments and reviews in being stages. But now it seems like those reviews have gone away or simply are not being discussed.

Not to mention I'm headed there in October so....

 

[mesaboy2]

Works well for some, not as well for others. That will never change.

Use the green link in my signature to learn the basics about it, and don't worry about others' experiences as they will differ anyway.

 

[Tatertot75]

I was there in early May, and the system worked just fine. Lines at the kiosks were a little hairy sometimes (once I got in line behind a woman who had NO IDEA how the system works!). My strategy, especially at MK, was to hit a kiosk right after using my 3rd, 4th, etc. fast passes to set up another. If you don't get a time you want at the kiosk, keep checking on the app. People change plans all the time.

 

[DrBanner]

Have they added any more kiosk's?

 

[kj2mom]

So far I have only experienced the 30 day booking of FP+ but I was extremely nervous about the process because we are traveling with a family who was able to make their FP+ 60 days out and we are going the week of 4th of July when crowds are expected to be high. I got everything I wanted at the times I wanted. I only had to play the time game with one FP and it was only the next day (I changed Splash from before the parade to after the parade). I was very skeptical about getting what I wanted but was extremely pleasantly surprised with how smoothly it went. Now just the waiting game, come on July!!

 

[ArwenMarie]

It is what it is.

The deciding factor for folks seems to be what they have been able to get at the kiosks after they use their first 3. Seems like in DHS and Epcot, the selection isn't too hot. But people seem to have better luck in MK depending on how crowded it is that day and how flexible they are with their times. People don't seem to be too affected at DAK by FP+.

Just my opinion!

 

[mesaboy2]

Have they added any more kiosk's?

The kiosks appear to have stabilized in recent months.

 

[Lucius Best]

As a hard core paper FP user, I was not thrilled to be picking FP+ 60 days out for our first FP+ trip. We lost some flexibility/spontaneity, and the app doesn't always work right, but it was fine, our trip was not ruined, we still had a great time.

There were two days on our trip where FP+ really worked awesome. On arrival day, we went to HS mid-afternoon and had 3 FP in hand for TSMM/ToT/ST. We never could have done that before FP+. There was also one very slow MK day (rained all morning). In the afternoon we got over a dozen additional FP at kiosks, most had return time only 5 minutes away. We never got that many FP that quickly with paper FP, and we didn't have to walk as far.

On the flip side, on the majority of our days, we didn't get as many rides on headliners as we used to. With old paper FP and rope drop, our first three FP of the day might be Thunder/Splash/Thunder, or Everest/Safari/Safari, or Soarin/TestTrack/TestTrack, or TSMM/RnRC/ToT. None of those plans are possible with FP+ tiers.

 

[Angel Ariel]

If you're going in October, I would think carefully about how you plan your FP+. If you want to try for a 4th FP+ and beyond, I would have your last of the 3 prebooked attractions scheduled to end by 1pm at the latest. We tried getting 4th FP+ in MK and DHS around 3:30pm (two separate days) in November, but there was virtually nothing left, especially in MK. With party guests coming in at 4pm (and being able to book FP+), and the park closing at 7, we really felt that impacted overall availability. We did not have as much flexibility as I've seen others post they've had here since January, and IMO party season had a lot to do with it.

 

[lugnut33]

I wrote this back in December of 2013, interesting at how well it has held up:


My recommendations for a great Disney World trip once FP- is gone:


Vacation at a slow time of year like September and first part of November. Be very selective about the time you vacation. Pull kids out of school to get the most bang for your buck.


Stay for 7 days minimum. Plan on going to MK for 3 days, EP 2 days, DHS, 2 days, and AK 1 day. Due to the limit on the number of FP+ one can get, extended vacations will allow you to use FP+ on all the main attractions.


Don't worry about park hopping unless you're interested in seeing the lesser known attractions.


Do not change your schedule the day of unless you are OK with losing your headlining FP+ appointments.


At non busy times you will want to be at the parks at least a half hour before opening..at busy times get there an hour or two ahead. This way you can see the most attractions in a day, and perhaps even ride the headliners more than once. This will become more vital as FP+ becomes more established.


It's still ok to leave for an afternoon break, just make sure you get back in time for your FP+ appointments if you planned them for the afternoon.


Be prepared for huge lines to get into FP lines. That means bring ponchos.


Work with your kids on proper magic band placement to help keep the FP+ line moving.


Schedule your FP+ rides in the afternoons or evenings when the park is most crowded. You are better off using your FP+ selections at that time instead of waiting in huge lines for all non FP+ attractions.


If it's ever offered go ahead and purchase the unlimited FP no matter how much it costs.

 

[Vaughn4380]

Just back from a seven night stay, FP+ was a complete failure for us. After the first day my wife's magic band quit working for park entry and fast passes. When we stopped by guest services at the MK they said they had to "reload" or "re-connect" her park ticket to our account. After they did this, she lost all of her fast passes for the remainder of our trip. Since we had made them months in advance, there was no way to get her back into our planned fast passes. She had to sit out when ever we had fast passes. We did try to let her use my band to use one of my fast passes, but the cast member caught her when my name appeared on the approval screen (my name is clearly not a common female name).

This was in addition to the inability to add additional fast passes from our phone app after the first three were used (which we found out at Disney is how the system was designed on purpose). My family also prefers to "wing it" when we go, often choosing which park we are going to the night before. The need to plan out months in advance which park we were going to or forgo the use of fast passes (at least for the popular attractions) was absolutely despised by our family. The whole experience really ticked us off and is a poor replacement for the previous version of the fast pass system.

Future trips will probably be planned without the use of FP+ for us.

 

[Vaughn4380]

Do not change your schedule the day of unless you are OK with losing your headlining FP+ appointments.

Everyone in our regular Disney trip group absolutely hated this on our last trip.

 

[Barnabe]

FP+ guarantees 3 rides prior to entering the park. It works great for arrival and departure days.

We have used it twice and have experienced less since FP+ implementation.
SB lines for secondary rides are longer and when we tried to book additional rides at the kiosks , the only things available we for A or B ticket attractions.

FP+ does not work for my family. My daily life is filled with schedules and itineraries, I don't want a trip to an amusement par, even if it is Disney, to be managed in the same way.

We also used to play Bus roulette. Whichever bus arrived first was our park of the day, but that' not possible with FP+ unless you and your family are willing to stand in longer SB lines. With FP+, spontaneity is gone for our family.

 

[Ambear]

I'm sure for every person who likes fp+ there is someone who hates it. As is the case with most things in life...

Based on other threads of this kind, it isn't okay to tell you that you won't know if you like it until you try it. So I guess then you'll need to read fp posts here and let other people's opinions influence you.

I don't find fp+ changed my touring strategy much. I agree with anyone who says to make the fp for afternoon. We found lines were short in the morning, and late evening. So having the fps in the afternoon was ideal. This was memorial day weekend.

 

[agame2323]

So... I have a question. We are night owls (for the most part) and would love the option of scheduling all over our FP+ rides for after 5pm. Is that possible? I'm thinking it is since we would be able to schedule FP+ 60 days in advance.

 

[Alesia]

We liked it fine. It didn't change the way we tour much, we still saw the same amount of attractions, and we still very rarely waited more than 20 minutes for anything.

 

[Angel Ariel]

So... I have a question. We are night owls (for the most part) and would love the option of scheduling all over our FP+ rides for after 5pm. Is that possible? I'm thinking it is since we would be able to schedule FP+ 60 days in advance.

you can schedule your fp+ for whatever availability is whwen you book. if you want all evening fp+, you can modify all of your fp+ times to reflect that

 

[maxiesmom]

Just back from a six night stay, FP+ was a complete failure for us. After the first day my wife's magic band quit working for park entry and fast passes. When we stopped by guest services at the MK they said they had to "reload" or "re-connect" her park ticket to our account. After they did this, she lost all of her fast passes for the remainder of our trip. Since we had made them months in advance, there was no way to get her back into our planned fast passes. She had to sit out when ever we had fast passes. We did try to let her use my band to use one of my fast passes, but the cast member caught her when my name appeared on the approval screen (my name is clearly not a common female name).

This was in addition to the inability to add additional fast passes from our phone app after the first three were used (which we found out at Disney is how the system was designed on purpose). My family also prefers to "wing it" when we go, often choosing which park we are going to the night before. The need to plan out months in advance which park we were going to or forgo the use of fast passes (at least for the popular attractions) was absolutely despised by our family. The whole experience really ticked us off and is a poor replacement for the previous version of the fast pass system.

Future trips will probably be planned without the use of FP+ for us.

You had an over-zealous CM, if they "caught" your wife using your FP. I have lent mine to my nephew many times (and my given name is obviously female) and no one has ever batted an eye.

You can get additional FPs in the parks at the kiosks. I honestly hope you give the system one more try before dumping it and resigning your family to an experience where you are stand by all of the time.

 

[Alesia]

So... I have a question. We are night owls (for the most part) and would love the option of scheduling all over our FP+ rides for after 5pm. Is that possible? I'm thinking it is since we would be able to schedule FP+ 60 days in advance.

Of course!

 

[MKMomma]

So... I have a question. We are night owls (for the most part) and would love the option of scheduling all over our FP+ rides for after 5pm. Is that possible? I'm thinking it is since we would be able to schedule FP+ 60 days in advance.

You can schedule them whenever there is availability. You'll have to realize that doing it that way lessens the chances of getting a 4th FP from a kiosk.