FP+ Royally sucks

[MaryJPixie]

The system is very frustrating try doing FP + for each person separately and then play around with the times ......this is what I have done in the past and it is ok ...... But time consuming. good luck

 

[Missyrose]

Trying to change my times at 7am = nothing. You can't be serious that there are no FP+ available for Space Mountain 60 days from now on a crowd level predicted 3 day before 3pm. This system takes all the magic of the past 3 months of planning and flushes it. Makes me just want to cancel the whole thing.

How many people are in your party?

 

[Anc96]

For what it's worth, I am not a planner. I dislike the fastpass+ system, but had my fastpasses in place for our trip. I didn't really panic that I couldn't get the attractions or times I wanted because I was fairly sure I wasn't going to be able to keep most of them. I was annoyed that I couldn't get 7DMT at all my 30 days out (AP holder, not staying on property).
Since getting here I've changed my fastpasses daily, if not more. We choose where we're going to go the night before and I change our fastpasses. I have not had a problem getting anything at all. I just checked for tomorrow and soarin is available for multiple times (always the first thing gone in the first tier). I got 7DMT 3 times this week (usually only one or 2 times available though, but I just move the rest around to suit that), and have even gotten Anna and Else two times, letting them go both times.
The only thing we couldn't get was Be Our Guest, but yesterday went on the standby line and only waiting 15 minutes, if that long. We were glad we got to try it, but we both agree the food and the atmosphere were nice, but nothing spectacular.
When this new system started I was very unhappy. And I still don't like it, but I wasn't going to let it ruin my vacation. Unfortunately there's not much I can do about being tied to my phone the whole trip, but it does come in handy when you're informed that an attraction is down via email, so I look at that bright side.

So, don't panic, no crying, it's a vacation. And take a bit of comfort knowing you're not locked out of things because you can't get them now.... Just get whet you can and tweak them to better times and switch attractions up as needed.

And just for the record, if anyone is trying to "fit" a headliner into a certain time between two other attractions, don't. The system will tell you it's not a available if it doesn't have that specific time. Cancel the whole day out and start over. I did this anytime I wanted 7DMT and was able to get a time. I just fit the other two around it and can usually get the times consecutive.

 

[Seeker615]

I am sorry OP for all the trouble you are having with the new system.

Planning a trip to Disney should be fun and it seems they are taking the "magic" out of it.

You would think with all the money they spent on this system they would have made it easy to use. My parents and my husband would be totally lost trying to navigate the FP system the way it is now. How crazy that you have to accept the crappy times they give you and then go back and change them.

People spend a lot of money going to Disney and to have to fuss over this new system as well as all the advance adrs and then plan everything accordingly really takes the wind out of your sails.

I hope you can work it out and have a great trip.

 

[btk2333]

If they're going to implement a system like this, it needs to be intuitive and easy to use. For ALL levels of comfort with technology.

The legacy system didn't even accomplish this- there were plenty of visitors who didn't understand it either- there is no way to create a system using technology that would fulfill this criteria

 

[Frozen2014]

That's awful...and totally know what you're saying. You spend hour ans hours trying to figure out the order of rides and which ones to book FP with the planned times. So frustrating and I really feel for you.

Sounds like the best thing is to take the time that it suggests and then go in and try and edit if afterwards.
Have a great trip. I'm sure it'll all work out.

 

[BuzzinDownToDisney]

LOL now the system has unlinked 2 people in my party from the reservation and has cancelled both their FP+s and won't let me re-book them. All in the name of technology

 

[EMode]

The legacy system didn't even accomplish this- there were plenty of visitors who didn't understand it either- there is no way to create a system using technology that would fulfill this criteria

Really? How about asking you to pick a ride and then give you all the available times for that ride on a given day?
Wow, too bad Disney didn't hire me!!

 

[Dopey1808]

It is much easier to edit times and rides after getting it set up. I felt the same way you did last week after doing the fp+ for the first time. Don't worry. Change anything you want times and rides after. Good luck.

 

[Anc96]

LOL now the system has unlinked 2 people in my party from the reservation and has cancelled both their FP+s and won't let me re-book them. All in the name of technology

Don't panic yet. It seemed to delete us too once last week. I tried a few hours later and everything was back. Other people have had similar problems.

 

[surferdave]

It doesn't work that easily for everyone. The system sucks-sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. It's not "some of us", it's Disney's terrible tech.

I still liken it to using self checkout at a big box store.

The process is simple enough, depending on certain factors. If I grab 5 or so items, all very low level commodities, all with a working bar code, all heavy enough to activate the scale so the code will let me continue, I use a kiosk with no hidden issues, and either there's no line to wait for or I don't get behind someone else who has issues using it, I'll probably be okay.

But if I try to buy something that has an offered extended warranty the kiosk freezes up for an employee to come pitch it (that's becoming more prevalent every day, they tried to sell me a warranty on a $6 Disney Infinity Power Disc recently). It will do the same for someone to check my age for an ever widening range of products. If I try to buy something like produce it goes into the routine to weigh the produce, and that fails half the time. If I buy a greeting card or something else with no appreciable weight the kiosk is unhappy that it didn't sense when I put the product in the bagging area. About every 20th product I've tried to purchase at a kiosk has not been in the database and brought my transaction to a grinding halt.

All this, and I also usually have to stand in line behind someone who is totally baffled by the process when it's working smoothly, or who was foolish enough to try to complete a transaction on something that's tricky on a kiosk. Or buying five weeks worth of supplies.

What WDW is like taking out all of the normal checkouts and replacing them with self checkout kiosks.

 

[StarWarsJez]

Just reading this thread makes me think that Disney has really screwed up with this initiative. Sure there will be people who will defend it but I think Disney has clearly forgotten that people are trying to book VACATIONS!

 

[Madame]

LOL now the system has unlinked 2 people in my party from the reservation and has cancelled both their FP+s and won't let me re-book them. All in the name of technology

I was almost to the point of tears at 1:30am as well so I totally get you. Part of the problem is that the technology stinks. The other part for me is that some are able log on at 12 & I was sitting there at 1am wondering if it was ever going to open up. I too found that all the am times (especially for large groups even if you try to copy it over to all your members) were gone for the hard to get FPs. For others it was 'easy,´ all kinds of availability. This is not the case for everyone even at 60 days out. Sending you some pixie dust OP. Maybe call & see if they can help you schedule them...

 

[MaryKatesMom]

Literally sitting here crying because I spent months planning every step of our trip around getting FP+ for the times we wanted. I'm sitting here heartbroken. Instead FP decides when and where I must use them.

It's so nice to see a post acknowledging that people have feelings and not trying to belittle them for it. Smiles, BigMommaMouse

I've been there too. The system wouldn't take my DH on my hotel reservation. It was 3 DAYS of being unable to book FP+ up at midnight and again on the phone at 7 AM. The IT guys kept telling me they would "reset" it and try again in 24 hours.

3rd day I refused to get off the phone and kept asking for a supervisor. I was on hold for wll over an hour and finally I plugged him in as the child on the reservation and my DD as the adult. It never got fixed but hasn't deleted the FP+ like it did the first time. And the earliest I could get 7DMT was 10 AM, but when I started I could get 9:15.

I love to plan my trips and I have always had an excel spreadsheet to keep track of everything. But this was just an awful experience and I wouldn't wish it on anyone.

 

[over50visits]

The legacy system didn't even accomplish this- there were plenty of visitors who didn't understand it either- there is no way to create a system using technology that would fulfill this criteria

Yes there is. I know of a system elsewhere in Orlando that everybody understands immediately and intuitively. With their pass, you walk up to any ride, any time, and go to the head of the line, as much as you want.

Period. It works beautifully.

However, Disney has bought into their FP+ system. They could make huge improvements in implementation, ease of use, understandability, customer satisfaction, and effectiveness. Fire the current director of IT, hire the right one, give him/her the authority and responsibility for its success and the ability to make changes that are needed, and stand back and watch it hum.

We use it when it works, and go with the flow when it is broken. We don't stand in a long line at a kiosk to get a pass to stand in a shorter line elsewhere. We have the luxury of visiting a few times a year, so missing a ride doesn't hurt our visit. But I really feel sorry for the once in a few years/once in a lifetime visitor who is faced with this daunting system that generates so much angst.

 

[prudence64]

Just come back to it in a couple of days and see if it's working better. Also, go through the website, not the app.

 

[ArwenMarie]

That stinks OP, sorry to hear it is giving you such trouble.

The Options screen is the worst. I know that they changed the Change screens and made that a bit easier (at least now you can change the experience and the time at the same time).

 

[BuzzinDownToDisney]

If this is something you're crying about it's time to step back and reevaluate things.

And yes FP+ does suck.

Sorry Judgey McJudgerton. Trying to make this once in a lifetime, first ever WDW trip for my lil' guy as perfect as it can be. Spent the last 3 months spending hours daily trying to plan everything out so when we get there, it is simply wave a band, have some fun. You keep being awesome, though, Kay!

 

[BuzzinDownToDisney]

Really? How about asking you to pick a ride and then give you all the available times for that ride on a given day?
Wow, too bad Disney didn't hire me!!

So much this!!!! Same for ADRs. I enter a window of 7 days, you show me if the restaurant is available any of them, so I don't have to check each day individually 3x daily = 21 checks (Or in the case of BOG, rejections) per week.

 

[Robo]

I still liken it to using self checkout at a big box store.

The process is simple enough...

Your whole post is dead-on to the "technology trap" that so often arrises, and very apropos to the whole MM+ disjointed mélange in which Disney is now stuck... like Brer Rabbit in tar (or honey, if you follow the Splash Mtn. version.)

Once you've committed to going "all tech" on something, the "tech" better be able to handle EVERYTHING, or one little hiccup can simply HALT the entire process.

And, guess what?
MM+ and FP+ tech cannot handle EVERYTHING.

Now, if the tears of many guests' disappointment could only grease the wheels of this thing, that might help solve the problem.