FP+ Advice?

Unless there are changes I haven't heard of, and I've been away all week, there are no paper fastpasses for anything, not Frozen, not Soarin. It's all FP+. And there are always options available.

You can go to a kiosk in park and check out options there on a day of visit, but once you have a reservation tied to tickets, you can use the Disney app to see what FPs you could arrange for any given day of your stay within the time that it becomes available to you (is it 60 days out? I think that's it). I wouldn't let it stop me from planning a trip, even if it was with little advance warning. You will still find options available and plenty to do. Though Soarin and Mine Train go fast, and the longer you wait, the less available they are. But if you go first thing in the morning, stand by is still an option, too.

Good to know!

Word on the street is that Disney is testing out new paper FastPasses as a sort of 2nd tier for attractions like Soarin' and Frozen.

We're well-versed in ride line attack strategy from the pre-FastPass days and other theme parks, but really don't want to spend so much money to be at a clear disadvantage to most other guests. This new system creates more of a challenge to handle the ride queues than in the pre-FastPass days because other guests are able to "get in line" in the summer for September lines. Realistically, we may have trouble to getting to all of our favorites and don't want to just settle for what is available. Without seeing what FP+ reservations are still available before we purchase, we'll potentially have a very different experience than those who have already purchased their tickets for late September prior to 7/29/14. It makes the $220 we'll pay just to get in the door a little hard to swallow.

I just hate not being able to see what's available for rides AND restaurants before laying out the $$$. I really wish there was a way to see what's out there so I can make an informed decision.

Mfarquar;2426243 wrote: Good to know!

Word on the street is that Disney is testing out new paper FastPasses as a sort of 2nd tier for attractions like Soarin' and Frozen.

Ah, thanks. I figured I must have missed something. Good to know.

It seems like it should fix some of the issues people have been reporting with FP+, making the guest experience better, but for now - it's so confusing!

Has anyone taken a look at FastPass availability at MK on or around September 30th?

Does it generally look like there is still availability for the most popular rides like Seven Dwarves Mine Train, Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, etc.?

If anyone recalls and can share their impression, I most greatly appreciate it :)

I was there this week. There were still fastpasses available for the same day for most attractions.

I do not have any real insight for answering your questions. BUT ... I have to believe that if you arrive at park opening (if you aren't staying on site, just make sure it's not an EMH day), you can still hit several of your must-do rides during the first couple of hours in the morning without much of a wait, then check the fastpasss+ kiosk for available times for rides during the day .... especially if you are traveling in September during a week day.

At least ... I would hope that is still the case. I have not traveled to WDW since FP+ and have actually turned down a couple of trips simply because it seems too much of a hassle.

Exactly, MizMissy. It's seeming like a lot of hassle for a 1 day visit :(

I agree with your advice - if we decide to go and we buy tickets only to find out the FP+ times for the rides we want are already taken, we'll have to take the olden days approach and keep checking the kiosks (and maybe we can use the ap too?). This is the first time I've visited Disney that I don't feel like I'm on an equal playing field and that all the planning in the world may still not yield the desired results.

At least in say, in July 1998 when there were no FastPasses everyone was in the same boat...

I'm hopeful that maybe someone on Intercot is visiting the same week and has an idea of how availability is looking for the week of September 30th.

I'd have my sister check, but she didn't renew her annual pass this year :(

We will be there that week, arriving on the 30th. At this point, we're still more than 60 days out (63 to be exact) so I can't see availability for that day until Friday).

What I can see is availability for the next 30 days - out to August 28. For Tuesday, August 26th, there are FP+ available for everything EXCEPT 7 Dwarfs Mine Train and the Anna & Elsa Meet and Greet. This is also the same thing I'm seeing for tomorrow. Even for today it shows the same thing, except all the FP+ for Wishes are gone as well.

I suspect this situation will be the same for September 30 when you're able to make FP+ at the 30 day mark (Aug 31?)

Hope this helps some.

Steve

Although this might well be different for the day you're talking about, as a reference, the entire last week of June, there was no availability for 7DMT or Anna & Elsa meet and greet. All other attractions still had times available throughout the day.

Thanks so much for all of your input! This is VERY helpful and gives us a great frame of reference.

I think our game plan would need to be:

1) Buy tickets as soon as possible so we can jump in on the 60 day out reservations.

2) Make advance FP+ reservation for either Splash Mountain or Space Mountain and then be strategic about the regular line for the non-FP+ ride.

3) Arrive before park opening and make a beeline for the Seven Dwarves straight away and hope for no ride malfunctions.

4) Maybe try BOG for lunch by lining up at 11:30am.

5) I'm thinking we'd be fine without a FP for Wishes - never had trouble snagging a nice spot in September only about 30 minutes beforehand. Unless the FP+ viewing area is gigantic?

Thanks again for ALL of your help! I'm starting to feel better about knowing what I'm up against with availability

Mfarquar;2426392 wrote: 1) Buy tickets as soon as possible so we can jump in on the 60 day out reservations.

Remember, if you you're not staying on propery, then the FP+ window opens at 30 days, not 60.

But even so, your plan is a sound one.

Have fun!

Steve

Yes forgot about that - thanks for the reminder! I think I shall purchase my one-day tickets on day 31 if we decide to go - that is, if I can get an email option - otherwise I'll need to account for shipping!

I bought mine through the Disney site (after logging in with my MDE account credentials). The tickets immediately showed up on MDE, even though the physical media didn't arrive until a couple of weeks later.

Steve