Fastpass + Revisited

            Recently, paper fastpasses have become extinct in all of the Walt Disney World theme parks.  After experiencing this change, I have made a few observations worth mentioning.  First, it is important to make your reservations early because now everyone has to use the FP+ system.  The My Disney Experience App is still having difficulties keeping up with the demand.  I find that at busy times during the day, the app takes quite a while to load.  However, in the parks now, there are many kiosks that are staffed with knowledgeable castmembers who can help you make reservations if the app is giving you trouble.  Once the app loads, I find that it is fairly easy to use, especially since you will be using it over and over again during your trip.  A negative aspect of the app is that I find I spend too much time staring at my phone screen to plan our touring agenda through the parks.  Perhaps, if I used the kiosks, I would spend less time staring at the phone.  Also, in order to make sure that I always have my times handy, I have started taking a picture of the times that I have scheduled so that I do not have to open up the app.  This saves a huge amount of time, and it has been helpful when the Magicband reader was not registering our times for Journey of the Little Mermaid.  I just pulled up the picture and showed the castmember that we indeed had reserved times to ride the attraction.

            Overall, I like FP+; I think it makes touring a lot easier.  I don’t have to run back and forth across the park over and over again to get fastpasses for later in the day.  I have more control over my ride times by making reservations.  However, there are still some issues.  For example, I used some of my reservations in Animal Kingdom, but then I couldn’t make any more reservations for the rest of the day.  Essentially, I cannot park hop and effectively use FP+.  Also, we used to get seven or eight fastpasses on a good day in the Magic Kingdom, but we are limited to three a day now in only one park.  I think that this will change when the system becomes more familiar to guests, and Disney will figure out how to use the system to its fullest potential. 

            Since we go to the parks so much, I have learned which attractions really need a FP+ reservation.  We will start with the attractions that definitely need a FP+:  Peter Pan, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain (when it is warm outside), Enchanted Tales with Belle, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Toy Story Midway Mania, Soarin’, Test Track, and Kilimanjaro Safaris.  In my experience, these are the attractions that have really needed a FP+ in order to avoid very long lines.  Omnimover type rides like Haunted Mansion tend to move very quickly, so they really don’t have too long of a wait anyway.  I will never wait in the very long Peter Pan line.  It is always at least thirty minutes long, and it is just not a fun line in which to wait.  I am also not a fan of the Soarin’ line; whereas the Test Track queue is more entertaining.  I mention these types of issues because Epcot and Hollywood Studios have a tiered system from which you must pick your attractions.  You cannot have a FP+ for both Test Track and Soarin’ on the same day.  You must make the decision on which line is less of a chore for you and your family. You don’t really need a FP+ for anything else in Epcot other than these two attractions, so you will have to choose wisely.  For Magic Kingdom, the tiered system has not been enacted yet, so you could still pick all of the mountains for your FP+.  It just depends on what your family enjoys.  We have also used FP+ for meeting Mickey Mouse, but it was not necessary to have reservations; there really wasn’t much of a wait to meet the Big Cheese.

            Now, when you are making your reservations, you will see nighttime spectaculars on the lists.  Do not spend your FP+ on Wishes, Illuminations, or Fantasmic. This is not a good use of one of your reservations.  I absolutely love Wishes.  I watch it several nights a week; it is one of my favorite things at WDW, but I would not use a FP+ for it.  For this show with a FP+, you are allowed to sit in the grass near the Rose Garden that is next to the Mickey and Minnie topiaries in front of Cinderella Castle.  This sounds great, but they only let you sit there if it hasn’t rained that day, and the grass is dry.  The problem with this is that is rains pretty much every day in Orlando, so the grass is very rarely dry.  It is a safety hazard to have people on the wet grass, so I understand why the decision is made, but the alternative to the grass is actually not that great of a view.  Therefore, do not spend you FP+ on this.  Next, Fantasmic is a wonderful show, and I watch it at least once a week.  However, do not waste a FP+ on it because your FP+ does not reserve you a certain seat or section.  With a FP+, you are allowed to enter the Hollywood Hills Amphitheater in a different entrance, and if the show fills up, you will get into the Amphitheater for standing room only.  This is not a reserved seat, so if the show is full, you will not get in, even with a FP+.  In order to see Fantasmic, your best bet is to arrive early and snag a seat.  Bring some snacks and just wait until show time.  Finally, Illuminations is a beautiful show with wonderful music, and it should not be missed.  Again, I would not use a FP+ on it.  It is in the same tier as Test Track and Soarin’, so I would definitely pick one of those attractions over Illuminations.  Unlike Wishes and Fantasmic, FP+ actually does get you into a reserved area to watch the show.  This area is right behind Port of Entry store, which is on the pathway that leads to Canada in the World Showcase.  This is a very nice viewing spot, and if you have no plans of going on attractions, then you could use one of your FP+ reservations on this show.

Overall, you really need to sit down with your traveling party and decide what you want to see and when you want to see it.  I know that many people say that this type of planning takes away spontaneity from a Disney trip, but the planning is a lot of the fun.  Disney trips are always smoother and more enjoyable when they are planned at least to some extent.  Fastpass + still has issues that need to be dealt with, but I think overall, it makes park touring less of a hassle.  You don’t have to send someone to run across the park, and I can leave home already knowing my reservation for attractions.  We even had FP+ times for New Year’s Eve; this made our evening far more enjoyable than in previous years because we arrived at the Magic Kingdom late in the day, and we just walked right on to our three attractions.  I am a fan of FP+, and I actually like wearing the Magicband.  It’s a fun addition to all of my other Disney odds and ends.  So, give the FP+ system a try on your next trip, but remember to be patient and ask castmembers for help if anything is confusing.  Eventually, this system will seem old hat just like paper fastpasses have become.  Until next time, have a magical day, and keep moving forward!