Latest from easywdw re: crowds at MK

[lala]

Apr 15, 2016 13:34:25 GMT -5 irishbride2 said:

Apr 15, 2016 12:01:55 GMT -5 lala said:

You can get a FP to ride mine train the morning of or ride it w/ 15 minutes or less most times you visit? 

I don't hate fast pass plus but for now anyway, I don't think it's improved my DW experience. I'm so excited to visit DL this year and use classic fast pass to tour. 

The last time we were in DW we did not get a FP+ for mine train. We beelined for it at rope drop and there was still a 20-25 minute wait. Not horrible but outside of what we usually wait. 

It used to be that I could hit up pretty much every ride I wanted to w/o ever waiting more than 15 minutes. 

I've found Elsa and Anna the morning of as well as Mine Train. I can't ALWAYS find everything I want, but I generally can. But my point is, I don't see why someone would be so anti fast passes that they would say they are fighting it. Its made my trips to Disney so much easier. I can see being indifferent. But the strong reaction baffled me. 

It might just have a lot to do w/ not being local. We come every 2-3 years, so if I don't get a fast pass for a major attraction w/ long lines, I have to wait for hours or wait until my next trip. There is no, "Oh I'll get to it next time." I actually didn't ride Mine train last time for various reasons and I'm still bitter! 

Like anything else, I loved the old system, I knew how to make it work for me. Maybe someday I will feel like fast plus+ works for me well, but for now it doesn't. IIRC, there is talk that due to FP+ on rides that don't need it or that weren't busy before, those rides now have crazy lines. I think some of it is just working out the kinks of a new system - but something on this level takes years not days. 

[curbsideprophet]

Hmm, I am not not local and I really liked having FP on our most recent trip. FP did not exist the previous time I was there, so I o my have one trip experience with it. It was nice to know I should have a minimal wait for at least a few big attractions. I also liked having magic bands.

I am also a little confused by the strong negative reaction to FP and magic bands.

[alleinesein]

Apr 15, 2016 13:34:25 GMT -5 irishbride2 said:

Apr 15, 2016 12:01:55 GMT -5 lala said:

You can get a FP to ride mine train the morning of or ride it w/ 15 minutes or less most times you visit? 

I don't hate fast pass plus but for now anyway, I don't think it's improved my DW experience. I'm so excited to visit DL this year and use classic fast pass to tour. 

The last time we were in DW we did not get a FP+ for mine train. We beelined for it at rope drop and there was still a 20-25 minute wait. Not horrible but outside of what we usually wait. 

It used to be that I could hit up pretty much every ride I wanted to w/o ever waiting more than 15 minutes. 

I've found Elsa and Anna the morning of as well as Mine Train. I can't ALWAYS find everything I want, but I generally can. But my point is, I don't see why someone would be so anti fast passes that they would say they are fighting it. Its made my trips to Disney so much easier. I can see being indifferent. But the strong reaction baffled me. 

There is a difference between the traditional FP at DLR and the FP+ at WDW.  For locals who frequent DLR at the last minute having to schedule your FP+ online is a huge hassle.  It is so much easier to just pop into the park and grab a FP for a ride you want and then hit up other rides while you wait.  DLR doesn't require much scheduling and massive spreadsheet planning; you just hit things up as you come upon them in the park.  Park hopping is much easier for us since DCA is just across the entrance plaza so we have more options if the parks are crowded.  The FP system they have at DLR works and we like it.  They don't need to fix what isn't broken!  Nor do they need to make everything in Fantasyland a FP experience; aside from Peter Pan and Dumbo most rides have a 15-20 minute wait. 

 

[wannabe]

I am strongly against FP+ for Disneyland. Like PP said, it just doesn't require as much planning as WDW does, and the thought of having to schedule rides in advance vs. just popping down whenever we feel like it is a huge turnoff. I'm willing to bet that the locals would absolutely hate it, and I'm glad there are no plans to bring it here anytime soon.

Why fix it if it ain't broken?

[lala]

Apr 15, 2016 14:45:26 GMT -5 curbsideprophet said:

Hmm, I am not not local and I really liked having FP on our most recent trip. FP did not exist the previous time I was there, so I o my have one trip experience with it. It was nice to know I should have a minimal wait for at least a few big attractions. I also liked having magic bands.

I am also a little confused by the strong negative reaction to FP and magic bands.

I think if you don't know any different, it seems great. I like magic bands. I loved the classic fast pass. The current fast pass + is okay but I'd prefer to go back to the classic fp.

[irishbride2]

I've experienced both systems as a local. I have never ever made a spread sheet to get a FP+ lol. I get why people who are planning a once in life time trip do it because they want to hit everything. But as a 'local" it takes me all of 30 seconds to grab a FP+ online either on my way to the park or once I'm there.

[TBM]

Apr 16, 2016 7:20:09 GMT -5 irishbride2 said:

I've experienced both systems as a local. I have never ever made a spread sheet to get a FP+ lol. I get why people who are planning a once in life time trip do it because they want to hit everything. But as a 'local" it takes me all of 30 seconds to grab a FP+ online either on my way to the park or once I'm there.

This.  

Actually, it takes me no time at all, because DH usually pulls it up on his phone without me knowing, then casually talks to me about what I want to do that day, and by the time I figure out what he is doing he already has gotten our FP taken care of. lol

The luxury of being local and an AP is not feeling the pressure to do everything.  We have only been here 3 years and actually haven't done everything, but we aren't going anywhere so we still have plenty of time.

[bl]

Apr 16, 2016 7:20:09 GMT -5 irishbride2 said:

I've experienced both systems as a local. I have never ever made a spread sheet to get a FP+ lol. I get why people who are planning a once in life time trip do it because they want to hit everything. But as a 'local" it takes me all of 30 seconds to grab a FP+ online either on my way to the park or once I'm there.

Another local with a AP chiming in.  I have been able to grab last minute pre-park open BOG reservations the day before and have never pre-planned my FP+ selections.  I have dropped into the parks on a random weekday off or even after work in the evening and gotten FP for major rides by making them while I make my coffee or on the drive.  Can I do it every single time, no, but it works most of the time, and since I have an AP I'm not majorly upset if I need to catch it next time.

I can however understand the frustration with wdw and all the planning as I have tried to coordinate and help friends when they are in town, and it is a much bigger headache than being a local.

[curbsideprophet]

Apr 15, 2016 15:49:46 GMT -5 lala said:

Apr 15, 2016 14:45:26 GMT -5 curbsideprophet said:

Hmm, I am not not local and I really liked having FP on our most recent trip. FP did not exist the previous time I was there, so I o my have one trip experience with it. It was nice to know I should have a minimal wait for at least a few big attractions. I also liked having magic bands.

I am also a little confused by the strong negative reaction to FP and magic bands.

I think if you don't know any different, it seems great. I like magic bands. I loved the classic fast pass. The current fast pass + is okay but I'd prefer to go back to the classic fp.

I did not experience the classic FastPass but I prefer the current system to waiting in line for two hours for the one ride you definitely want to do. The classic FastPass sounded like a lot of running around to get the passes. Is that not accurate?

[lala]

curbsideprophet Depending on what you chose to do, yes there was a little back and forth - but we did it w/ and w/o kids and never had an issue. We used a touring plans plan and had great success with hitting up everything we wanted and never waiting more than 15 minutes. I've never waited 2 hours for anything - or even closed. I think the longest we've waited, because I just refuse to otherwise, was 45 min to see Anna & Elsa. The girls were 3 & 6, so it was a must-do.

[jeaniebueller]

Apr 17, 2016 13:59:36 GMT -5 curbsideprophet said:

Apr 15, 2016 15:49:46 GMT -5 lala said:

I think if you don't know any different, it seems great. I like magic bands. I loved the classic fast pass. The current fast pass + is okay but I'd prefer to go back to the classic fp.

I did not experience the classic FastPass but I prefer the current system to waiting in line for two hours for the one ride you definitely want to do. The classic FastPass sounded like a lot of running around to get the passes. Is that not accurate?

Yeah, the old FP system sounded like a nightmare to me. Running around to a bunch of places to get a paper FP? No thanks. The thing I love about FP+ is the ability to switch your FP choices while you are at the park. When we were at AK, at the last minute, DS decided he didn't want to do Everest, so I simply went on my phone and swapped Everest for Primeval Whirl. NBD. 

[alleinesein]

Apr 17, 2016 13:59:36 GMT -5 curbsideprophet said:

Apr 15, 2016 15:49:46 GMT -5 lala said:

I think if you don't know any different, it seems great. I like magic bands. I loved the classic fast pass. The current fast pass + is okay but I'd prefer to go back to the classic fp.

I did not experience the classic FastPass but I prefer the current system to waiting in line for two hours for the one ride you definitely want to do. The classic FastPass sounded like a lot of running around to get the passes. Is that not accurate?

Nope.  Not accurate.  The old system did not have as many rides for FP; they were limited to the old school e-ticket rides/most popular rides.  Any running around was done purely by choice and you could only get one FP at a time so you couldn't run from ride to ride getting them for the whole day.  You had to be smart about it.  The only 'running' I ever did was to grab a FP for a ride that everyone wanted to do; one person in the group would grab the FP while everyone else was hitting the bathroom or getting a snack.

With the classic FP system at Disneyland you can head over to Tomorrowland and grab a FP for Space Mountain and while you wait for your FP time you can ride Star Tours and Buzz.  After you ride SM with your FP you can grab another FP.  The system allows you to get a new FP every 2 hours or when your current FP window starts (if you grab a FP at 8:30am and your time slot is 9:10am you can get a new FP after 9:10am OR if you grab one at 8:30am and your time slot is for 11am you can get a new one after 10:30am).

Back when The Studios used the old system it was super easy to get to the park when it opened and head over to ToT and grab an FP and then go ride RnR while you waited for your FP time.  You could easily knock out 2 of the biggest rides in the first hour of the park opening and then head off to catch a show or another ride.  

People still 'run around' with the FP+ system since sometimes you take what you can get and you might end up with stuff at opposite ends of the park.