How often do FPs come available and when are they posted?

k5xs · May 14, 2019

So spouse and I are arriving for a few days the last week of the month. Because of my work schedule we can never project trips more than a couple of weeks in advance. That makes getting Tier 1 FPs tough.

But last week I managed to get us AK FOP FPs for two mornings in a row through just dumb luck at D-21. And that started me thinking...Does the system reload cancelled FPs real time?

I ask because I'm curious if it does any good to keep hammering away trying to get a highly desirable FP. Or do they reload available FPs at a certain time each day? Am I wasting my time to keep trying whenever I get a chance?

jaysmom4285 · May 14, 2019

I have no firsthand knowledge of FPs being reloaded at any particular time. In fact, the availability of FPs and what you can get when you refresh constantly is a mystery to me. Often, when I'm refreshing to either get a FP or change the time for one, I'll get a time that I don't want, so I immediately refresh again, and that time is gone. I can refresh a second or two later and see that time and three other times. One more refresh, and only two of the times are available. One more refresh, and those times are gone. Then they may all reappear again with the next refresh. All within the space of seconds. It makes no sense to me. I don't think it can just be from people cancelling their FP, since often the same time will come and go multiple times. If anyone knows how this works, I'd love to find out. But I don't think you're wasting your time to keep checking to see what has changed, since there doesn't seem to be any science to it. I actually have better luck the day before or the day of. There seems to be much more fluidity in the FPs on the same day.

JETSDAD · May 14, 2019

They do (mostly) get released real time....whether everybody sees the same thing all the time or not is debatable. The thing with seeing differing FP's from one refresh to another may be due to other people also refreshing. For instance, if I refresh and see 7DMT available but take a few minutes to decide whether or not to confirm it, does it just hold there? With testing I've done anything under 5 minutes still allows me to confirm the FP so is that FP then pulled from availability until I refresh? And at that point is it just the next person who happens to refresh the only person who sees it? Or can multiple people essentially grab the same FP? So then I may see something available, refresh, it's gone, refresh again, and it's back simply because others are doing the same.

PrincessArlena'sDad · May 14, 2019

JETSDAD said:
They do (mostly) get released real time....whether everybody sees the same thing all the time or not is debatable. The thing with seeing differing FP's from one refresh to another may be due to other people also refreshing. For instance, if I refresh and see 7DMT available but take a few minutes to decide whether or not to confirm it, does it just hold there? With testing I've done anything under 5 minutes still allows me to confirm the FP so is that FP then pulled from availability until I refresh? And at that point is it just the next person who happens to refresh the only person who sees it? Or can multiple people essentially grab the same FP? So then I may see something available, refresh, it's gone, refresh again, and it's back simply because others are doing the same.

Great explanation, nicely written.

monkyby87 · May 14, 2019

The truth is nobody is quite sure. Because of the refresh strategy, it can be hard to tell if new stuff is actually released or if it's just old ones that happen to open up. Some people have been studying and claim that there are release windows through out the day when batches of FP are released, but I don't have any personal knowledge to confirm this. And truthfully nobody really does.

JETSDAD · May 14, 2019

monkyby87 said:
The truth is nobody is quite sure. Because of the refresh strategy, it can be hard to tell if new stuff is actually released or if it's just old ones that happen to open up. Some people have been studying and claim that there are release windows through out the day when batches of FP are released, but I don't have any personal knowledge to confirm this. And truthfully nobody really does.

There are FP drops released by Disney....drops appear much differently than FP's released by individuals. There are a couple of differences. First, many different times open for hard to get FP's at the exact same time. Even searching with a larger group availability suddenly shows up with many times available. Second, they are predictable. Nearly every day, at the exact same time, many times open up for certain rides that had no availability for weeks or months leading up to that date (aside from random FP's showing up). Third, they will often last for a few minutes. Available times may change but those FP's normally do not stick around for more than a couple of seconds when it's just a FP released by a guest. When somebody drops a FP you will see one time open up and then it will be gone.

Love Tink · May 14, 2019

monkyby87 said:
The truth is nobody is quite sure. Because of the refresh strategy, it can be hard to tell if new stuff is actually released or if it's just old ones that happen to open up. Some people have been studying and claim that there are release windows through out the day when batches of FP are released, but I don't have any personal knowledge to confirm this. And truthfully nobody really does.

Not true. There are drops and insiders* know when they are. I used them to great effect just last week.

*edited to clarify that I am not an insider myself, I pay for the information.

JETSDAD · May 14, 2019

Love Tink said:
Not true. There are drops and insiders* know when they are. I used them to great effect just last week.

*edited to clarify that I am not an insider myself, I pay for the information.

Or people who spend way too much time watching FP's

StacyStrong · May 14, 2019

Love Tink said:
Not true. There are drops and insiders* know when they are. I used them to great effect just last week.

*edited to clarify that I am not an insider myself, I pay for the information.

Are we talking about a certain pirate? If so, Eek...

Alison S · May 14, 2019

Love Tink said:
Not true. There are drops and insiders* know when they are. I used them to great effect just last week.

*edited to clarify that I am not an insider myself, I pay for the information.

Where do you pay for this?

Love Tink · May 14, 2019

JETSDAD said:
Or people who spend way too much time watching FP's

Not sure how you would know the exact times and exact rides just by watching FPs, but maybe. If you're at that level I would classify you as having inside knowledge.

StacyStrong said:
Are we talking about a certain pirate? If so, Eek...

Eek?

Alison S said:
Where do you pay for this?

Some of the subscription services have this information. Not sure whether I'm supposed to get specific about other sites on here...?

JETSDAD · May 14, 2019

Love Tink said:
Not sure how you would know the exact times and exact rides just by watching FPs, but maybe. If you're at that level I would classify you as having inside knowledge.

I've watched enough to know what's normal and what's not. Then screen shots to keep track of what and when, track daily for weeks +, and now just check from time to time. Add help from some friends who also watch who notice times/rides that I may not have noticed and trends become apparent.

Normal FP release from a guest (looking for 3 people)....lasted a couple of refreshes:

FP drop, again for 3 people, lasted a couple of minutes with various times but here's a few examples:

Love Tink · May 14, 2019

JETSDAD said:
I've watched enough to know what's normal and what's not. Then screen shots to keep track of what and when, track daily for weeks +, and now just check from time to time. Add help from some friends who also watch who notice times/rides that I may not have noticed and trends become apparent.

Normal FP release from a guest (looking for 3 people)....lasted a couple of refreshes:

View attachment 400877

FP drop, again for 3 people, lasted a couple of minutes with various times but here's a few examples:

View attachment 400878 View attachment 400879 View attachment 400880

Sorry, I'm not sure what the point of this is.

Is it that you track FP times to the point that you've figured out FP drop times on your own?

Impressive. But I don't have the time or the dedication and would rather pay $10 a year or whatever to have them spoon-fed to me. Doesn't make them less effective LOL.

Turksmom · May 14, 2019

i was surprised to see multiple times for FOP on 6/25 this morning. We added a day and I figured I'd book the safari and Dino, but very happy to get another FoP too. Not sure if there's a pattern or just luck, but there seemed to be a lot of availability.

JETSDAD · May 14, 2019

Love Tink said:
Sorry, I'm not sure what the point of this is.

Is it that you track FP times to the point that you've figured out FP drop times on your own?

Impressive. But I don't have the time or the dedication and would rather pay $10 a year or whatever to have them spoon-fed to me. Doesn't make them less effective LOL.

I was just saying that they can be found by simply looking and knowing what to look for. The lists typically come out well after the drops begin and aren't complete. I just have fun trying to find the drops before they are well known. They certainly are beneficial, they also are available on a number of sites (including free ones), but I enjoy the hunt for the new ones. I can't wait for the SWGE rides to have FP's to stalk. Enjoy the drops!!

Love Tink · May 14, 2019

JETSDAD said:
I was just saying that they can be found by simply looking and knowing what to look for. The lists typically come out well after the drops begin and aren't complete. I just have fun trying to find the drops before they are well known. They certainly are beneficial, they also are available on a number of sites (including free ones), but I enjoy the hunt for the new ones. I can't wait for the SWGE rides to have FP's to stalk. Enjoy the drops!!

We'll have to agree to disagree that it is "simple" to find the handful of exact minutes per day at each park that drops occur!

StacyStrong · May 14, 2019

Love Tink said:
Eek?

Not a fan. He charges for information that you can get places like here for free. Like the "refresh" strategy.

Personal preference. If it helps you, it helps you.

Love Tink · May 14, 2019

StacyStrong said:
Not a fan. He charges for information that you can get places like here for free. Like the "refresh" strategy.

Personal preference. If it helps you, it helps you.

If you needed someone to explain to you that by looking multiple times (i.e. "refresh") you could find more Fastpasses, maybe you do need a pay site for help!

His milieu is character information such as time and place for Characterpalooza, real-time updates on character training in Epcot, the weekly schedule for the current flagpole meet and greets, and exact schedules for characters (so you can arrive ten minutes early and wait less time). I can't get any of that information for free and it is well worth a few bucks a year for me, yes!

ArielSRL · May 14, 2019

Turksmom said:
i was surprised to see multiple times for FOP on 6/25 this morning. We added a day and I figured I'd book the safari and Dino, but very happy to get another FoP too. Not sure if there's a pattern or just luck, but there seemed to be a lot of availability.

That's probably because Disney added AK hours on Friday and, in turn, added FPs to those extended times. I looked today for someone for another June date and noticed the same.

PrincessWithABlaster · May 14, 2019

Love Tink said:
Not sure how you would know the exact times and exact rides just by watching FPs, but maybe. If you're at that level I would classify you as having inside knowledge.
?

I found a drop time on my own through knowing some of the other regular drop times and following the pattern. It can be done. Especially if you spend way too much time studying the FP system.

How often do FPs come available and when are they posted?

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