Memory Maker and FP+

OH! And how do they handle FP+ when you want to park hop?

2. FP+ seems rather rigid. It seems like you don't get to have anywhere near as many as you could before. Can you NOT plan them in advance, and just wing it once you arrive? I see that they can also be used for non-rides now. Does that mean all of the good viewing spots for parades, shows, and fireworks are now off limits to people who don't want to waste a FP on a non-ride?

Depending on when you go will depend on the FP+ situation is i was getting options the day i was in the park. but the time options might seem tricky to work around. good viewing is usually a front row or a good visible spot. does that mean that you wont get a good view? of course not there are plenty of good spots. does that mean you might not have a FP+ spot to sit maybe maybe not. its all depending on the fp situations that day.

3. My family has some old tickets we'd like to use. Is it possible to change them over to bands once we check into the hotel. I assume the card tickets are no longer usable?

If there are available days on your old tickets im sure they can move them over but your hotel might not be able to help you there (doesn't hurt to ask tho) but you may end up TTC or at a will call station at the parks

As for park hopping and FP+ when i was there its hard to use park hoping and fp at the same time because you're locked into a park. that doesn't mean your trip will be the same tho

badwolf;2431716 wrote: 1. What exactly is Memory Maker, and how is it different than PhotoPass. When do you purchase it? I keep reading something about how photos added within 3 days of purchase are not eligible. I'm very confused. We used to get all of the pictures on a cd. Is that still an option?

2. FP+ seems rather rigid. It seems like you don't get to have anywhere near as many as you could before. Can you NOT plan them in advance, and just wing it once you arrive? I see that they can also be used for non-rides now. Does that mean all of the good viewing spots for parades, shows, and fireworks are now off limits to people who don't want to waste a FP on a non-ride?

3. My family has some old tickets we'd like to use. Is it possible to change them over to bands once we check into the hotel. I assume the card tickets are no longer usable?

1. MemoryMaker is very much like the old Photopass. They want you to pre-purchase it so they put in the rules about the 3 day limit. I believe a CD option is available at an extra cost.

2. FP+ is more rigid. You can not pre-plan and just go to kiosks in the parks but you run the risk of having bad options, especially on the most popular rides. The non-ride fastpass options allow for access to some special prime areas. So, to get into those prime areas you need the FP setup. Non-prime areas are still very good. I'd never use a FP for something so minor. Hopping is harder with FP+ bands. Currently, you can only pre-plan one park. If you hop, you use the kiosks in the second park. You can still get fastpasses but it's more limited.

3. Sure can. I did it a couple weeks ago. I used the MyDisneyExperience website to do it once I got the bands in the mail.

Yes, MemoryMaker is the renamed PhotoPass. The major differences are that:
* You really need to pre-purchase to make full use of it due to the 3 day restriction. If you purchase after arrival, any pictures taken during that 3 day period are not included as part of the purchase price.
* A CD containing all the pictures is no longer mailed to you. You now have to download the pictures to your computer or pay extra for a CD.
* Ride and dining photos are now automatically included as pictures available to you.

Fastpass+ IS very rigid. If can "wing it" if you'd like but it is likely that the most sought after rides will not have any availability, or very limited availability, if you do so. When you reserve fastpass+ times now, you need to reserve them in a group of three and all three need to be in the same park - you can't book 2 for the Magic Kingdom in the morning and 1 for Epcot in the afternoon. If you have booked 3 for the Magic Kingdom, use the 3 and then go to Epcot, you can book another once you enter the park by going to one of the fastpass+ kiosks but, of course, availability may be limited and may not be available for the ride(s) you're interested in. On our last trip, we used a fastpass+ for Illuminations but I believe we could have gotten just as good a viewing spot, if not better, than the one available with the fastpass.

Tickets may be able to be linked but may depend on the type of ticket(s) and when they were purchased.

Super, you guys are so helpful!:thumbsup: That's a shame about FP being restructured so rigidly, but I'm sure we can work around that. How long is the window they give you now? Still one hour? What if you miss your window?

The window is still an hour. If you miss your window, you miss your opportunity to ride.

Something to keep in mind about park hopping ... book your FP+ for your second park!

We did this a couple of times and found it to be quite valuable. For us (in late August), early morning was still fairly quiet and we were able to get a lot done without FP+, and then when we hopped, we had attractions waiting for us at the second park.

It may not work all of the time, but something to think about when park hopping.

So you CAN make FP selections for 2 parks on one day?

One more question (I'm sure I'll think of others later!) Since we'll have a room only reservation, can we still purchase the Memory Maker and do the FP+ selections ahead of time? I can't find that info on the WDW site. And how much is Memory Maker?

badwolf So you CAN make FP selections for 2 parks on one day?

One more question (I'm sure I'll think of others later!) Since we'll have a room only reservation, can we still purchase the Memory Maker and do the FP+ selections ahead of time? I can't find that info on the WDW site. And how much is Memory Maker?

My understanding is that you would book fastpasses for the second part you plan on doing that day, not for both as that's not yet an option. The previous poster I believe meant that they would go to one park in the morning, and due to it being morning not need fastpasses, and then they had booked fastpsses for the park they plan on going to in the afternoon. The only way you can have fastpasses for two parks is if you've used up all three of your passes, you go to a new park, and then make a selection for that park once there (I believe).

badwolf;2431790 wrote: So you CAN make FP selections for 2 parks on one day?

One more question (I'm sure I'll think of others later!) Since we'll have a room only reservation, can we still purchase the Memory Maker and do the FP+ selections ahead of time? I can't find that info on the WDW site. And how much is Memory Maker?

In advance, you can only make fastpass+ reservations for one park. If you go to that park, use all your fastpasses and then hop to another park, you can visit the kiosk at the second park, after you arrive, to book a fastpass there. Or, as another poster suggested, do without fastpasses in the first park you visit on a given day and make your reservations for the park you plan to hop to later in the day.

The advanced purchase price for Memory Maker is $149. Information here.