What is going on with the FP+ crackdown?

[robinb]

Perhaps you were on the wrong board? This was someone who shared their lock out experience personally.

You can usually share the name of other boards. Which one was it?

 

[Westcoastwild]

It never even dawned on me to try after the 4th! Thank you!

Maybe that explains why so many people complain about lack of fast passes? They may be under the same impression?

That's why people recommend starting early. The earlier you're through with your three, you can either start booking fps on less popular rides or you can parkhop and go get one fast pass at a time at all afternoon at your other park. I think I stood in standby only 3 times my whole trip (twice to see queues, once for Frozen.) and I rode pretty much everything. There were always fastpasses available somewhere.

 

[Westcoastwild]

Disney boards are a small amount of the people in the parks on a daily basis. I just don't see how the bad PR could have been large enough for that to have been the reason.

I think it's possible that those methods started popping up on popular blogs. A lot of things don't become an issue until they're out in the open like that. Disney might have decided it was becoming widespread enough to potentially be a problem and shut down the loopholes.

I was generally surprised to find out how many "planning" and advice blogs there are for Wdw.

You sometimes see this with other travel "loopholes". Tours that buy out attraction tickets and sell them at inflated prices, for example. It's not forbidden until it becomes more and more visible in guidebooks or online, and then the company takes action becasue they're tired of dealing with it.

 

[Q-man]

Maybe the market doesn't demand it yet, but I think buying another day of entry is kind of the same thing and Disney doesn't have to implement anything to do it

This. Disney would get a roasted selling extra FPs but can 'sell' them by looking the other way for people that buy two tickets and enter the park(s) twice.

 

[Boski]

You can usually share the name of other boards. Which one was it?

Clearly I am. The only other place I saw a post was not first hand report

PM Sent

 

[danikoski]

My guess is this is not only Disney closing a loophole that had been heavily promoted by third party tour guides, and potentially give rule abiding guests with more opportunity for hard to get 4th FP+, but also to set Disney up to offer more ways to get extra rides on popular attractions and make more money. As others have stated, they already due this with EMM and evenings, and with Pandora up now, and SWE and TSL coming, Disney is going to want to offer something no one else can. And one of those things would be rides on popular attractions. So, although some of this, I believe, is to give a better guest experience (I can hope right), there is definitely an element of Disney looking at best ways to make money.
And to be fair, for SWE, I would most likely pay an up charge for an exclusive event that included the rides, and I'm pretty sure there are lots of Star Wars fans who would say the same.

 

[Q-man]

As for the cost - an AP costs $830. I will spend about 40 days in WDW parks this year, which means that I am paying about $21/day for park entry, and about $7 per FP+. So, for someone like me an additional investment of $830 makes sense to double my FP+. For someone visiting less frequently - maybe less so. And for a local FL resident going every day - not only is the AP cheaper, but the cost per FP+ would be much, much lower.

My point - most people doing this would not be spending $33/FP+. They would be spending anywhere between $2 and $10 per FP+. Not as crazy as it sounds.

You spelled out the next step for the unofficial guides. Buy a bunch of APs and send $10 an hour employees(or a free day in the park but no FPs trade) thru the gate and hand the MB/FPs off to the clients.

 

[ThistleMae]

... and I HAVE entered after it's turned blue too. The mickey turns blue when you are within your 15 minute grace period. You have no idea why people are being allowed in on a "blue mickey".

Suppose you don't have a MB.....you have a hard ticket....nothing to turn any color? I didn't know the MB turned blue for the 15 min. thing.

 

[AngiTN]

Suppose you don't have a MB.....you have a hard ticket....nothing to turn any color? I didn't know the MB turned blue for the 15 min. thing.

It hasn't when we've gone in within the 15 min period (we do a lot). I have found green Mickey every time as long as we scan in 5 min before all the way till 15 min after. If you try 6 min before or 16 min after, blue. All other we have gotten green. A hard ticket does the exact same thing as a MB. They work 100% interchangeably as far as FP are concerned. And park admission for that matter.

 

[DonaldDuck77]

I still don't follow the logic that includes throwaway rooms as being a loophole. As long as the rooms are paid for and not cancelled, they are onsite bookings available to anyone.

 

[AngiTN]

I still don't follow the logic that includes throwaway rooms as being a loophole. As long as the rooms are paid for and not cancelled, they are onsite bookings available to anyone.

It's when one compares them to being the same (or different) as a ticket that is paid for and using the FP that go with the ticket. Either none or both are loopholes. It can't be one or the other.
But, there are also folks who do cancel the rooms and do still use the FP advantage and the free MB.

 

[DisneyMom93]

I still don't follow the logic that includes throwaway rooms as being a loophole. As long as the rooms are paid for and not cancelled, they are onsite bookings available to anyone.

Are they booked length of stay?

Or does the guest book one night and then stay elsewhere the rest of the stay? If so, that's a cheat.

 

[Party.Of.4-NY>>>FL]

Are they booked length of stay?

Or does the guest book one night and then stay elsewhere the rest of the stay? If so, that's a cheat.

I must admit, like @DonaldDuck77 I'm also a little confused.

If I spilt my stay between AoA and The Holiday Inn. Who am I 'cheating' out of lost revenue? The Holiday Inn or AoA?

 

[jknezek]

I must admit, like @DonaldDuck77 I'm also a little confused.

If I spilt my stay between AoA and The Holiday Inn. Who am I 'cheating' out of lost revenue? The Holiday Inn or AoA?

A throwaway room isn't a split stay. It's when you buy a room, check in, get the benefits of staying onsite, but don't stay in the room because you are really staying offsite for a longer period. You can make your FPs and ADRs at the extended window for your whole set of tickets, and partake in EMH plus free parking for the length of your room reservation plus 1 more day (check out day).

It's only a big deal at resorts that sell out. Especially at Fort Wilderness because with 10 to a site, as opposed to 4 to a room in the Values, you can split the benefits among 2 families of 4 or 5 parties of 2. Free parking for 5 parties of 2 is over $100, so it more than covers the cost of a tent site and even some Full Hook Up sites depending on seasonal rates. So often people that want to stay at The Fort actually can't book, even though there are open sites. Again, this got really bad over Memorial Day weekend when Avatar opened. People wanted the access to booking FPs that staying onsite provided, even if they had no intention of staying onsite.

 

[AngiTN]

I must admit, like @DonaldDuck77 I'm also a little confused.

If I spilt my stay between AoA and The Holiday Inn. Who am I 'cheating' out of lost revenue? The Holiday Inn or AoA?

A throwaway room isn't a split stay. It's when you buy a room, check in, get the benefits of staying onsite, but don't stay in the room because you are really staying offsite for a longer period. You can make your FPs and ADRs at the extended window for your whole set of tickets, and partake in EMH plus free parking.

It's only a big deal at resorts that sell out. Especially at Fort Wilderness because with 10 to a site, as opposed to 4 to a room in the Values, you can split the benefits among 2 families of 4 or 5 parties of 2. Free parking for 5 parties of 2 is over $100, so it more than covers the cost of a tent site and even some Full Hook Up sites depending on seasonal rates. So often people that want to stay at The Fort actually can't book, even though there are open sites. Again, this got really bad over Memorial Day weekend when Avatar opened. People wanted the access to booking FPs that staying onsite provided, even if they had no intention of staying onsite.

Right. The problem is when people book campsites to get 60 day FP, free parking, free MB, never check in, and then take away from those who actually do want to camp. Checking in and using 1 night is not a throw away room.

 

[DonaldDuck77]

It's when one compares them to being the same (or different) as a ticket that is paid for and using the FP that go with the ticket. Either none or both are loopholes. It can't be one or the other.
But, there are also folks who do cancel the rooms and do still use the FP advantage and the free MB.

The ones that cancel cheat. The ones that pay don't. Regarding if one or the other can be a loophole, that is an opinion, and for now at least, it seems Disney disagrees.

 

[jknezek]

Right. The problem is when people book campsites to get 60 day FP, free parking, free MB, never check in, and then take away from those who actually do want to camp. Checking in and using 1 night is not a throw away room.

I believe you do have to check in to get your free parking pass. But with the ability to do it online, it's not like you have to spend the time to go over to Fort Wilderness and wait in line...

 

[AngiTN]

I believe you do have to check in to get your free parking pass. But with the ability to do it online, it's not like you have to spend the time to go over to Fort Wilderness and wait in line...

No, they don't even give those. It's all on the MB

 

[jknezek]

Well, then it is just a technology issue. Closing these loopholes is probably more expensive than it is worth to Disney. Irritating because I love Fort Wilderness and while I know to book 499 days out, there are a lot of people that are excited to camp there but lose that excitement since it is so hard to get in to for a weekend trip.

 

[amcc]

I still don't follow the logic that includes throwaway rooms as being a loophole. As long as the rooms are paid for and not cancelled, they are onsite bookings available to anyone.

You are absolutely right. From Disney's TOS, these bookings don't seem to be doing anything wrong. But they inordinately hurt people who are really camping as it is an activity that is not easily done for a short length of time (you have to drive there, then set up) and these bookings mess with the calendar. So, if as a tent camper, I can't book a length of time that is reasonable, I can't go to Fort Wilderness. It's not as simple as choosing one of the other 1,000s of hotel room because in comparison there are a tiny number of tent sites. I have 4 kids - for me to afford a room to "legally" accommodate all of us means that I can't stay onsite at all. I think it's a situation that hurts other Disney fans instead of the Disney corporation.