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You now will have to pick 1 Headliner
Soarin
Test Track
Maelstrom
or special spot for Illuminations only on certain nights
or Epcot Character spot (consistent waits 18 min or less)
and then 2 lesser rides to finish your 3 choices.....
This is going to make a lot of people very upset. All the 4 days 4 parks people too
60 min in a standby for Soarin or Test Track at a minimum if they choose to do Epcot in all day....
Im so glad I did my Epcot FP+ for Nov 25 and Nov 29 and they are still there and I have screenshots to prove it....
This is going to make a troubled test in some areas way worse......
But that happens when you only have 2 rides that truly need a fast pass for as large a park as Epcot.....
Maybe it will force them to add rides here lol....
Last edited by trixiedixie; 11-01-2013 at 10:15 PM..
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I think there are going to be a lot of unhappy people about this - Deb Wills told us about this yesterday when we saw her for lunch and we were surprised by the change they were making, especially as they've let people get Fastpasses to whatever they want, in terms of headline attractions, for so long in the testing phase already...
Boy, am I glad we were there for the test a couple of weeks ago. We had our FP+ times reserved for Test Track, Soarin' and Mission Space, which I knew would be the three most likely to need a reserved time. I would not have been at all happy if they restricted us to only one of the thrill attractions. It will be a while before we are back there, probably two years, so I really hope they have all these bumps in the road smoothed out before then.
Good luck to all those who are going to Epcot soon and will have to deal with this change. This seems very un-Disney to me.
I don't like the sound of this at all. Most of those secondary rides don't even need fast passes. Let's face it, if you aren't willing to wait 20 min. or so, that's pretty bad.
When I was there two weeks ago, a lot of people were very upset that there were no Fastpasses available that day for Test Track because they were all used up with Fastpass+ reservations. I guess this is their way to try and compensate for it . . .
I saw guests literally screaming at the Test Track CMs about it . . . it didn't make sense to me. If you want to ride it that much, you would get in the regular line, wouldn't you?
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Yes, but with the current system of FP I can see a bunch of them getting reserve and then not used. If you actually get the FP the old fashioned way, I would think most would be used. To those not getting all of the FPs they wish, they could always get there for rope drop and ride them early, as they'll know well in advance that is the only way they'll get on those rides.
Yes, but with the current system of FP I can see a bunch of them getting reserve and then not used. If you actually get the FP the old fashioned way, I would think most would be used. To those not getting all of the FPs they wish, they could always get there for rope drop and ride them early, as they'll know well in advance that is the only way they'll get on those rides.
Also still the only way to be guaranteed a legacy or paper FP -
Test Track FP's have been gone by 10 and 11
Soarin same
SO - if you cant get them FP+ you still are there at rope drop and running to get the FP's or you wont get them - whereas with old system even if you waltzed into park at noon you could get them for late that night...
Again I think this affects Epcot the most as a whole
TSM is another huge problem
SAME as they were before the new system so again bare minimum - too much of Epcot just sits there empty - it needs 1 to 2 more big headline attractions to spread the crowd.....
Yes, but with the current system of FP I can see a bunch of them getting reserve and then not used. If you actually get the FP the old fashioned way, I would think most would be used. To those not getting all of the FPs they wish, they could always get there for rope drop and ride them early, as they'll know well in advance that is the only way they'll get on those rides.
....well ...here I am ...waving my hand as one that had FP+ reservations (in August when we were last at WDW) ...and didn't use them all. Personally ...I hate being SO locked in to multiple reservations. It kills the spontaneity of the theme park experience ...and the bottom line is that if I'm having a good time somewhere else in the park (in particular ..at Epcot) ...I will miss the FP+ reservation. But there is a bigger picture to all this...
......Epcot, the park where they are again "experimenting" with the FP+ system .... used to need 2-days to 'do' because there was so much to do. But, NOW... it is a 2-day park because there is so little to do as a result of the FP+ restrictions / limitations. Disney's biggest problem is a lack of rides ...MAJOR rides at Epcot.
....and then ...what are classified as the MAJOR Epcot attractions to choose from? TT and Soarin ...and? ...and? ....and? ....please ...someone jump in here and help me. Are they going to say Maelstrom? Living With the Land? Spaceship Earth?(which btw it's ridiculous to have a FP for SSE anyway ....I guess that's why they added the FP line while I was there)!!
....it seems like Disney's got this bigger plan in mind to get people to stay onsite (in their resorts) and stay longer to be able to do the minimum at the parks. I have an idea that FP+ and it's associated perks will be restricted to onsite guests in the near future. It's likely that you'll be required to book a vacation of a certain minimum length, with maybe a mandatory added dining plan so that you can get the FP+ perk. And with that "nominal added purchase" ...you'll maybe get an added FP+ reservation. Or ...I could see a resort guest option to pay EVEN MORE to get added FP's ....and that perk will not be available on any of the stays that are 'promotions" like room or food discounts....and have minimal stay lengths of say ...+7 days. All the above are ways to keep you in the park ...longer ...and spend. They want you at a specific park ....for maybe the whole day ....and this may even lend itself to the elimination of park hopper tickets. They are heading in the direction of Universal ...where you pay to get the unlimited "FP" ...and it's a given to their hotel guests (of course it's factored into the price of the stay). Disney will "tier" the FP+'s first ...like they are doing now. Then ...it's going to be further tiered based on the "poshness" of your WDW resort. (ie: value people ...'no soup for you"!!) ...then ...if you want MORE FP's ...$8 or $10 bucks each will get you one. Multiply that by a family of 4 .........$$$ cha-ching!! (or at least that's what Disney thinks ..hopes)
....they (Disney) need to be very careful with this ...because ...to be honest ...it's no longer a place that people will pay any amount to go. I know ...because after 10 yrs and 11 straight trips ...we're 99% sure that we're not going back next year. All these mandatory planning steps that need to be taken ...and the added cost ...makes the overall value (to me) quite a bit less. This trend of Disney charging more and giving less ....under the guise of the whole My Disney Experience system ...is a load of garbage. It will come back to bite them ...I predict that ...and will stand by it.
(btw ...took me +1hr to type this ......busted up my shoulder pretty bad a few weeks back ...falling "up" the stairs with a load of stuff in my hands. I'm not a lefty ...and certainly not a lefty-one-handed-typist)
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Last edited by JerseyDad; 11-02-2013 at 09:47 PM..
hmmm. feel like i am coming in late on this, and if i understand it correctly, the three fastpass plus per day are now 1 prime/hot attraction and two lessors.
I am planning for our next trip and have two scenarios, A based on our usual plan of using EMH to get our fast passes and B based on what if we could choose our fast passes and how would that change our park days, touring and dining plans.
I was looking forward to the B plan but now am feeling very pessimistic about the new fast pass plus system after reading this!
Is it just a test or us this what we have in store?
hmmm. feel like i am coming in late on this, and if i understand it correctly, the three fastpass plus per day are now 1 prime/hot attraction and two lessors.
I am planning for our next trip and have two scenarios, A based on our usual plan of using EMH to get our fast passes and B based on what if we could choose our fast passes and how would that change our park days, touring and dining plans.
I was looking forward to the B plan but now am feeling very pessimistic about the new fast pass plus system after reading this!
Is it just a test or us this what we have in store?
....I'm sure they are calling it a 'test' ...but it's the road that they will eventually implement all over. How can they not!!?? Look at Epcot: You book WDW ...you now say that you'll go to Epcot on the 1st day there ....what FP+ picks are YOU going to make? Most likely TT or Soarin' .....just like everyone else. Why wouldn't you ..or anyone else do that very thing. What other "prime" attractions are there? So...everyone wants THOSE 2 attractions ...and deplete the pool of potential available FP's. Therefore ...there are no FP's for the person that doesn't use the FP+ option ....or ...the off-site guest.....to whom FP+ is not (yet) available. They are doing away with the paper FP's that everyone scrambled to get at 'rope drop' ...so ...if you're not at the computer on the WDW website at the right date ...planning ...not just your vacation ...but planning YOUR DAY ....months ahead of time ...you are left out in the cold. And the whole scramble for FP's at rope drop is now history......
....and to those out there that subscribe to the idea of "touring plans" ....forget it. I sincerely doubted their effectiveness in the 'good ol' days" ...but now ....toss that idea out the window. There are those that plan their WDW trips to the Nth degree (personally I could never do that ...it's a vacation ...not a trip to the North Pole). I can see some degree of planning ....what day & what park, and maybe an ADR thrown in here and there. But now ...this is not the usual trip planning ...this is like strategic business planning ....and I have enough of that in my real everyday life.
Jersey Dad - I cant tell you how right you are
Listen to WDW Today podcast 1259 about Epcot FP+
Ive never listened before but the title caught my eye -
Its 23 min and interesting but the last half - you wont like
Everyone is saying same thing - Disney needs to be very careful
YET -
I see value in rewarding onsite guests vs offsite unless they are AP holders
but
to use a tiered system - they need to be careful
I dont think Walt would be pleased.
I PM'ed Chezp this am after I listened to it and told her I wasnt going to bring it up and I am not going to report the details because I pray they change their minds.....
We are DVC who then stay a couple days at values sometimes to stay longer but we have AP's so it makes me wonder how on earth they will treat us....
Jersey Dad - I cant tell you how right you are
Listen to WDW Today podcast 1259 about Epcot FP+
Ive never listened before but the title caught my eye -
Its 23 min and interesting but the last half - you wont like
Everyone is saying same thing - Disney needs to be very careful
YET -
I see value in rewarding onsite guests vs offsite unless they are AP holders
but
to use a tiered system - they need to be careful
I dont think Walt would be pleased.
I PM'ed Chezp this am after I listened to it and told her I wasnt going to bring it up and I am not going to report the details because I pray they change their minds.....
We are DVC who then stay a couple days at values sometimes to stay longer but we have AP's so it makes me wonder how on earth they will treat us....
...thanks for the heads up ...just listened to it (first time I did ...ever ...listened to a podcast). It's frighteningly similar to what I said in my first post in this thread ....it's going to be "pay to play" ....and a creation of the "haves" and "have nots" ...even among the WDW resort guests. There will be value guests walking around ...literally ...(really miffed) in the parks because they won't get as many FP+ reservations available to them ...and all the higher level resort guests will be on the FP lines.
....AND ...the concept of "rewards" for those that are "high spenders" ...isn't so far fetched ....particularly now that they (Disney) ...can track your every move ...and every purchase ...from the MagicBands. They can see what you buy, where you bought it, how much you spent ...and ...they can tell when you didn't buy anything because they can track your movements in the parks, stores, restaurants. I'm not liking this one bit ...and it's probably one of the reasons we're 99% sure we're not going back next year.
....oh ...and a really strange similar coincidence: I was planning a day in Atlantic City ...to use some of my 'comp" points ...and logged into my account with Caesars Casino / Hotels to book a room. Well ...since this is the first time I logged on ...I was amazed to see how the Caesars / Bally's / Harrah's casino-hotels track you ...not only on gambling spending ...but in restaurants and gift shops too!! I got points for eating and buying. So ...if it's easy for them to track that info ...and give me a few days of free hotel rooms ...why can't Disney do the same?....but 'comp" in other ways? It may come to pass that there could be a 'better experience" for the frequent guest" or repeat customer?
...can't decide if I should be miffed ...or depressed?
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Last edited by JerseyDad; 11-03-2013 at 01:24 AM..
Reason: ...additional thoughts added
...thanks for the heads up ...just listened to it (first time I did ...ever ...listened to a podcast). It's frighteningly similar to what I said in my first post in this thread ....it's going to be "pay to play" ....and a creation of the "haves" and "have nots" ...even among the WDW resort guests. There will be value guests walking around ...literally ...(really miffed) in the parks because they won't get as many FP+ reservations available to them ...and all the higher level resort guests will be on the FP lines.
....AND ...the concept of "rewards" for those that are "high spenders" ...isn't so far fetched ....particularly now that they (Disney) ...can track your every move ...and every purchase ...from the MagicBands. They can see what you buy, where you bought it, how much you spent ...and ...they can tell when you didn't buy anything because they can track your movements in the parks, stores, restaurants. I'm not liking this one bit ...and it's probably one of the reasons we're 99% sure we're not going back next year.
We love Disney and we will adapt - I have more of a problem with the data mining the government is doing rather than Disney knowing I spend a fortune on pins. I have a bigger problems with media blackout of Fukushima than if Disney starts rewarding high spenders...
What I have serious problems with is the changing of how value resort experiences will differ greatly in the parks vs. Deluxe. The idea was - the resorts determine the luxury of your stay but the parks are the same for all. Classical Disney.
Kind of like the souvenirs - yes merchandise is everywhere but there is something for every budget you can pay $10 for a stuffed Mickey or $75 for one bc there are choices...but in the parks the only thing extra money could buy you was the VIP tours and other type events like that...in the future apparently it will buy you rides....or access to booking them way ahead or getting more choices or however they do it...
What makes Maelstrom a "prime" attraction? IMO it is one of the lamest rides I have ever been on, so to weigh it evenly with Test Track and Soarin is ridiculous.
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