Reviews of FastPass+ (Retired)
Reviewed by CinderellaGirl Review Date: 01/26/2015
Rating: (8) Recommended
I just returned from WDW, and this was my first experience with Fastpass plus. After reading about the new system, as well as reading all of the negative reviews surrounding it, I was nervous that we would run into problems, but I decided to go into my vacation using the new system with an open mind... And I'm glad I did!
We purchased 5 day park hoppers, and booked our fastpasses 60 days in advance. I will admit, that it is frustrating that Disney is now having guests choose their fastpasses so far in advance, but again, I decided to just roll with it and make the best out of the new system. Since we had park hoppers, we decided that it would be best to go to one park in the morning, and not book any fastpasses for this park, as long lines had not yet formed. We would hop to a second park in the afternoon where we would have our fastpasses booked for early afternoon. We were able to schedule all three fastpasses for each day one right after the other. This strategy worked GREAT for us! After we used our initial three fastpasses, it was usually around 3pm, and we were always able to book an additional 1-2 fastpasses before they ran out!
One recurring complaint that I've seen about this new system is that people are being forced to "micro manage" their vacations. I found this to not be true at all. One really great aspect of this new system is the ability to change your plans. Under the old system, if you had a fastpass and the time ended up not working for you, the fastpass pretty much went to waste. With the new system, if you change your mind about what you want to do, you can change your fastpasses! We were able to change our fastpass selections with absolutely no issues. One day we had fastpasses for the Magic Kingdom, but the night before we decided that we wanted fastpasses for Hollywood Studios instead. We were able to cancel our fastpasses for Magic Kingdom, and secure new fastpasses for the same times as our old fastpasses for Rockin Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror, and Star Tours with absolutely no issues. Full disclosure, we visited in January during the "value" season, and so this process may not work as smoothly during peak season, but as far as changing our selections to "E ticket" attractions, we had absolutely no problems.
The one technical difficulty we did run into involved who in our party made changes to the fastpasses. I visited with my boyfriend, and he was the primary person on our reservation. If I tried to alter our fastpasses, the change would show up in My Disney Experience on our phones, but apparently the change did not make it's way through the system. When we would get to our fastpass attraction, Mickey's head would flash blue (oh no!) and the CM would say we didn't have a fastpass for that attraction. We would explain that we had made a change, and would show them that we did indeed have a fastpass on our phones, and they were able to add us with absolutely no problem. If my boyfriend made a change through his Disney account, we would not encounter any issues when entering the fastpass queue (Mickey always turned green). This didn't have a serious effect on us, so we didn't bring this to the attention of anyone, but I'm sure they would have been able to fix the issue. Just to be safe, you might want to use the account of the primary person on your reservation make any additions or changes to your fastpasses!
The limitations on what fastpasses you can choose is annoying, including the fact that your 3 pre-booked passes must be in the same park, and the tier system in Epcot and Hollywood Studios, although I understand why Disney needed to implement these restrictions. It is only possible for so many fastpasses per attraction per day to be available, and if you could book a fastpass for Soarin', Toy Story Mania, and The Mine Train for the same day 60 days in advance, day guests and those staying off site would be put at a SERIOUS disadvantage (more so than they already are!) And if you think about it realistically, would you really be able to get fastpasses for all three of those rides in one day under the old system? NO!
While it's great to be able to have all of your plans available at your fingertips in your smartphone, this new system is a lot of change to take in at once, and even though I have been to the World many times, I spent a lot of time researching this new system in order to familiarize myself with it. I will admit, that if I had never visited before, I would have been seriously overwhelmed. However, every CM that we encountered was EXTREMELY knowledgeable about the new system, and was always able to help. Disney really did a great job training the CMs in this new system and they are able to answer any questions you have.
While I realize that this is opinion does not match that of most others, I think that this new system is great. It definitely saves a lot of time collecting passes, and it's great to get passes right from your smartphone, or a centrally located kiosk, rather than at each individual ride. Instead of walking to an attraction, looking at the wait time and deciding if you want to ride stand by or get a fastpass, you can look at the wait time on your phone and decide if you want to change your fastpass plans, or add an additional fastpass after you use your 3. I think that as Disney continues to work out what few kinks in the system are left, that people will become happier with it. People do not like change, and I think that is the reason for all of the negativity surrounding this new system! Try to use the system with an open mind...you just might like it!
Pros:
Fastpasses are easily accessible through your smartphoneCons:
Huge learning curve, transition from the old system takes a lot of getting used to, tier system, can only book fastpasses ahead of time for 1 park per dayReviewed by promopete Review Date: 01/22/2015
Rating: (1) Not Recommended
The bottom line is this system was designed to make you stay at Disney longer to get in all the main attractions - and just like a casino, the longer you stay at Disney, the more $$$ you give back to Disney.
Look at it this way...I'm an able bodied person, and if not me, the kids in my family are, or someone in our party is. In the old system, someone could collect everyone's tickets, run across the park and FP everyone at once at a popular attraction, and return to the group. We did this all day. 1 day at each park was enough, because we could FP almost everything and rarely had to wait in a line - so we were operating all day at optimal efficiency.
FP Plus is a Disney Trojan Horse. It is a business plan wrapped in a shiny wrapper. On the surface it looks great - you seemingly have control of your trip in the palm of your hands. Make FP plans, Dining Reservations, all with the app and magic band.
But it strips you of so many things. The tiered FP system means your are no longer as efficient as you could be. Want to make a change just on a whim, or due to weather, or just because? Well, those FP times are gone, along with all the others because people started booking those months ago.
Disney has crossed the line from the thrill and fun of planning a trip with your family, to now micro-managing your trip down to the minute. It's just no longer enjoyable. Gone are the days of getting everything in at 1 park on 1 day, and I guess that is the point.
Pros:
None. Old system was better.Cons:
More time micro-managing trip, less time having funReviewed by lstehle Review Date: 01/21/2015
Rating: (1) Not Recommended
We had been Disney regulars a while back. We mastered the old FastPass experience by timing our location and hitting all the rides and using the FastPass to do it efficiently. This new way is terrible. Like the other reviewers, you have to have planned out your trip weeks in advance to get any great times. I was 28 days out to plan a trip to Magic Kingdom and all the times for the roller coasters were in the late afternoon or midnight. We are annual pass holders and like to hit the parks in the morning and leave by afternoon. I liked my FastPass printed out, not having to take a picture. You spend more time trying to select times, make adjustments later. I liked walking past the select rides that had the FastPass before, saw the time from a distance of when the FastPass ticket would be and then make my decision whether I wanted to do it or wait in line. We are just so disappointed with this.
Pros:
I guess less time waiting in a lineCons:
Restrictive, not an efficient way to see the parkReviewed by tpetty Review Date: 01/14/2015
Rating: (3) Not Recommended
This was our 3rd trip (12-2-14 to 12-11-14) using the FP+ system. The 1st trip was when they were testing it so won't count this trip but the last two trips when the system has been live for everyone we have had problems. Mainly with switching our FP+ experience to another experience. This past time we decided we wanted to switch Test Track for Soarin' and my phone told me we could have the same time as our Test Track ride time but then once it did the final confirmation it was for a completely different time. I didn't realize this at 1st and went on to change another experience and again got a ride time that wasn't the same as what it told me I would get. I know the system tries to be smart and not book FP+ during dining reservations but it didn't take into account that we were doing the Candlelight Processional (had a dinner package) so it kept putting ride times into that time frame. In the end we spent about 45 min. with a Cast Member the next day at a kiosk trying to figure out what went wrong. Final the Cast Member told us that b/c we don't have an iPhone the system will tell us we can have the same time as the FP+ that we are trying to switch but then once it does the final confirmation and that time really isn't available it will pick another time for us and give us that time instead. The way around that was to not use the My Disney App but to log onto the disneyworld.com website and make the changes that way. So much for getting to use an app that is supposed to make your vacation easier.
There was one day where we were by a kiosk and we had used up our 1st three FP+ so DH got a 4th one and he was able to get most rides at the MK to pick from.
We also got a FP+ for The Frozen Sing Along and when we got there between our window they were already seating non-FP+ guests and so the seats were picked over and we were presented seats with a pole in our way. We wouldn't have had a problem with this had we been late for our window but we weren't so we saw no advantage to using a FP+ for that.
Pros:
When a ride went down we were allowed to us the FP+ on another ride (or that ride if it came back up) for the rest of the dayCons:
System still isn't working correctly; no room for flexibilityReviewed by bmdisney Review Date: 12/17/2014
Rating: (2) Not Recommended
i recently returned from my first trip to DW using the new FastPass Plus system. i did not have a good experience with it at all. I stayed on property so I had made reservations 2 months in advance. Some people may like to decide 2 months in advance what park they are going to attend. I am a planner - but not that much. But if you want a FP to rides like 7 Dwarfs or Toy Story Mania or Soarin, you have to do it this way. I like to plan but also maintain a bit of flexibility. The new system won't allow for that. You have to decide on what day you will attend MK, HS, Epcot or AK weeks in advance. The My Disney Experience App never worked well in the parks for me - either on my phone or my iPad. When i tried to use the kiosks they told me i could not make changes to my FPs if i made reservations online - WHAT?!?! I know the new system is here to stay and for me the change is not a good one. For me, there is nothing about the new system that is better than the old one. It will make it more likely for me to return to Disney World but less likely.
Pros:
none off the top of my headCons:
eliminates spontaneity, eliminates flexibility, app was sluggishReviewed by John Review Date: 12/07/2014
Rating: (1) Not Recommended
The new FP+ system have taken away from any freedom that one might have had. Now you have to pre-plan every day.
I personally hate the new system.
Pros:
Allow long range planningCons:
Have destroyed the MagicReviewed by brianhat Review Date: 11/05/2014
Rating: (3) Not Recommended
We had experience of FP+ earlier this year and it was OK. I think at that time, many people had not got to grips with it and weren't taking full advantage.
That's because we're visiting again in a couple of weeks and things have changed dramatically for the worse. As I originally feared, the system is discriminatory and I say this for 3 reasons:
1 I live in the UK. To get a decent time for a popular attraction or in the case of some attractions getting a time at all, I have to go online at 5am (4am last week before daylight savings ended). If I want to sleep and wait until later in the day there are no decent times available and sometimes nothing at all.
2 We stay in a villa and are beaten to the FPs by 30 days by those people staying on site. This explains why we never get a sniff at a FP for the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. As the vast majority of park guests stay off-site, Disney aren't being fair to those who don't, who pay the same prices for tickets.
3 We are annual passholders and I found out today (with no warning through the apps or info on Disney website) that we can only have FPs over 7 days. We visit 4+ weeks a year and it seems for 50% of our days on Disney property effectively we are stuck with standby lines only. This takes me back to pre paper Fast Pass days - must we enter the parks at daybreak like the good old days (except this time there will be many more fortunate who have no restrictions on their FPs)? This isn't progress! If I bought a 2 week pass, I can book FPs for every day of my stay, so why should I be discriminated against as an AP holder?
We've made 20 trips to WDW of 2 weeks or more in the last 34 years and sadly we may be nearing our last as we're beginning to not feel wanted.
Pros:
NoneCons:
Discriminatory as it's currently structuredReviewed by SarahL78 Review Date: 11/02/2014
Rating: (1) Not Recommended
I've been a frequent WdW visitor for years and I'm quite a planner, but this system truly marks the death of any spontaneity in the parks. I am not a robot. I am on vacation. I don't want to choose exactly which park and which particular day and every ride-time a month in advance! If something changes, or there is an unforeseen circumstance, I'm screwed. I resent being glued to my phone. The system was fine. If it ain't broke don't fix it. I am far less likely to park hop for the reasons stated in the reviews above. I echo all the criticisms in the reviews on this site. I like a bit of flexibility at wdw - maybe I want to change plans and go over to Epcot one day and try for a fast pass for test track. Ha! Impossible now. The tiered system is a rip off. I'm taking every opportunity at guest services to tell Disney that this is trip-planning overkill. For first time visitors, this must be truly overwhelming. Walt would've hated this. I'm rethinking my decisions as to when and how often to go to WDW, and Will spend more time at Disneyland, where my day is flexible, I call the shots, and I don't have to deal with this truly anal retentive nonsense.
Pros:
NoneCons:
Lack of flexibility, unable to access as many attractions as before, spontaneity is gone, and everything else about this productReviewed by Villeguy Review Date: 10/22/2014
Rating: (1) Recommended
We had a horrible experience with Fast Pass+ on our trip last year and I am sorry to report it was the same this year (09/28/14 to 10/08/14). We can't understand how anyone like us who starts their days in the parks in the early afternoon and like all their so called thrill rides worth it. The tiers at EPCOT are unbearable. We were in Disney World for 10 days and were only able to ride Test Track once! We had to waste more fast passes on attractions we had to pick and not show up because we had absolutely no interest in riding. Once at EPCOT Maelstorm was not running, so we could not use or fast pass. When we received a message (about an 15 to 20 minutes after our original fast pass time had expired) that another fast pass was available, we were pretty excited. When we looked at our choices of attractions it was a joke (due to the tiers). We actually looked at each other and laughed. With our Hopper, one day, we were at EPCOT in the afternoon and heading to the Magic Kingdom in the evening. We actually had to wait until our last fast pass at EPCOT was expired (which was kind of late in the day due to the tier choices). We didn't ride the attraction, we used our bands at the attractions then got out of line and headed over to the Magic Kingdom. When we got to the Magic Kingdom and saw the line just for the fast pass kiosk, we looked at each other and laughed again. You have everyone trying to get a fast pass for every attraction in one line. There is no way to tell after all the waiting there will be a fast pass for the attraction you wanted. In the old days only the people who wanted a fast pass for that attraction would be in that fast pass area and you would be able to tell if there were any passes available by the machines that were not covered. Oh my god, the stand by lines this year were the worst we ever experienced. We have been coming to Disney World in the Fall for the past 10 years at the end of September because there were never any lines. We felt the trade off was that the parks closed early. This year the parks closed early and from what we experienced Fast Pass+ added 20 to 30 minutes longer waits on the Stand By lines. We rode less attractions this year than any other year. Starts to make you wonder if it's really worth the expense of a Disney World vacation.
Pros:
Nothing I Could SeeCons:
Longer Lines and Wasted Fast PassesReviewed by MM from Connecticut Review Date: 10/02/2014
Rating: (2) Not Recommended
Fast Pass+ forced me to micro-manage our vacation. Not only did we have to select 3 attractions per day, but now I had to coordinate those attractions with my dining reservations (location, time to get from one to the other, etc.) and had to predict a month in advance where and what time I wanted to be at a certain attraction?!? And what if we woke up in the morning and decided to go to a different park? Or decided to stay at the pool and go to the park in the evening? Out of luck -- no way to get any decent Fast Pass attractions. Completely took out all the spontaneity of the trip. Not a fan ...
