Returning After 11 Years...So Much Has Changed! Help!

FayeW

DIS Veteran
Joined
Apr 16, 2003
My husband and I will be in Orlando for a week, arriving on Black Friday. Our adult children are joining us from Dec 1 - Dec 5th. We are doing MVMCP and one day/2 parks at Universal. I plan to buy 2 day "mid day" tickets for the other two days the kids will be with us. My daughter and I were at MVMCP 4 years ago, but we haven't been in the other parks for 11 years. Back then we still had to go to the FP machines with our tickets and get a return time; now I apparently have to plan what rides and attractions we want to see 30 days in advance. I haven't even bought the tickets yet as I am still deciding which days we are doing the Christmas party and Universal. I have to make decisions and buy tickets today (the kids' early morning flight kind of screwed our plans to do the MVMCP on Dec 1st....but it was the best day to do it.. so I have to decide whether we keep that date or go on Tuesday).

We are definitely going to Studios and ToT and RRC are the only "must do" attractions there. At Epcot, Soarin' is the must do. To be honest it's been so long since we've been there I don't even really know what the new attractions are! I guess this long and rambling post is to find out if we are going to be totally out of luck to show up at a park without any FP "reservations" made? I'm planning to purchase the tickets from Undercover Tourist and I do have a "disney go" ac count and I believe I can register my UCT tickets there, and presumably make FP reservations. But should I bother or just wing it during the first week of December?
 
I'm planning to purchase the tickets from Undercover Tourist and I do have a "disney go" ac count and I believe I can register my UCT tickets there, and presumably make FP reservations. But should I bother or just wing it during the first week of December?
You need to make a MyDisneyExperience account (on Disney.go.com) Click HERE
and you CAN put your UT tickets into it.

Order the tickets (E-tickets) from UT, and do that today or tomorrow...
And DO make FP+ reservations as soon as you register the tickets in your MDX account.
 
So first off - Do not worry about how far you have to plan. The trick in your situation is to just be flexible. If the only tier 1 attraction you're interested in is Soarin', you should have too much trouble finding FP's for other attractions. My only recommendation is that DHS is going to face inflated crowds due to ROTR open and EPCOT may face inflated crowds due to both EMH and runoff from the DHS crowds. I'm breaking this rule because it fits my schedule better but the good thing about not planning is if you can roll with the punches, you have a lot more flexibility.

Are Dec 1-5 your park days or is Dec 1 your arrival & Dec 5 your departure?
 
So... I bought the tickets and have them in "my disney experience". The "get fastpasses" section says that I can book up to 3 fastpasses, but after I selected a FP for RnRC and continued and tried to book ToT, of course it told me I had "already selected an experience from this list". So then I picked Fantasmic from the list of available experiences, which I doubt we will even do anyway since I suspect we'll use that time running around trying to do all the rides we couldn't do FP for. So as far as I can see there was absolutely no value in purchasing the tickets ahead of time and having them linked to us since I could only book a FP for one ride, anyway. Unless I am missing something, wasn't this just a colossal waste of time? Right now I am really missing the days when one of us would sprint across the park with all the tickets to get FP.
 


So... I bought the tickets and have them in "my disney experience". The "get fastpasses" section says that I can book up to 3 fastpasses, but after I selected a FP for RnRC and continued and tried to book ToT, of course it told me I had "already selected an experience from this list". So then I picked Fantasmic from the list of available experiences, which I doubt we will even do anyway since I suspect we'll use that time running around trying to do all the rides we couldn't do FP for. So as far as I can see there was absolutely no value in purchasing the tickets ahead of time and having them linked to us since I could only book a FP for one ride, anyway. Unless I am missing something, wasn't this just a colossal waste of time? Right now I am really missing the days when one of us would sprint across the park with all the tickets to get FP.

So for all but MK, the parks have a "tiered" FP system where specific rides are in Tier 1 and then the others are in Tier 2. AK has the Avatar Rides in Tier 1, EPCOT has Test Track, Frozen Ever After, and Soarin' in Tier 1, and unfortunately due to Disney's attempt at crowd countrol, all but Star Tours are in Tier 1 at DHS. Tier 1 means you can choose ONE attraction from those that group as part of your three FP's while the remaining two FP's have to be from the Tier 2 group.

The best thing you can do for DHS here is the "tap & go" strategy - get FP's for attractions in the Tier 2 you don't care about (best to choose Star Tours & one show close to your FP times). Then you can tap in on those attractions.

So for instance:

Let's say I have an FP for RnRC at 10:00am-11:00am, Star Tours at 11:15am-12:00pm, and Muppets 3D at 12:00pm-11:00pm. The reason for this hour break is to rope drop an attraction or two before hitting up these FP's. I tap into RnRC as soon as I do that, I open up the app and try to change Star Tours (which is a ride) or even muppets to an earlier time. In either case, after you tap in you change the time to whatever attraction you have left. If it's muppets, just tap & leave for the next attraction. Once you've gone through all your FP's, you are eligible to book more based on what's available. You must use all of your FP's, including the two Tier 2's if you want to try to book additional Tier 1's. There is one exception (I believe but someone will correct me if I'm wrong): if you go to one park and only book two FP's, then you can book Tier 1's at another park if you hop over there (but you have to use your other two FP's)

So bullet point edition for your DHS day because that's a lot:

- Book FP's for two attractions (that means modifying your Fantasmic! FP) that line up closer to your RNRC time. That way your FP's aren't taken up by a show that's far too late for you to utilize the "4th FP"
-If your RNRC time is first, tap in & get in line. As soon as you get in line open up your app and change one of the FP's to an earlier time (make it a different attraction if you have to)
-If your non-interest FP's are first, tap in & leave. Open the app and try to change either your RnRC or the other non-interest FP. Follow the above or this depending on what you have left.
-After you've used all 3 FP's, you will be able to make others as long as there is availability. Keep refreshing the app because FP's pop up all the time.
 
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Thank you so much for the very detailed tutorial. I've cancelled Fantasmic and booked Muppets and Little Mermaid. So as soon as we are in line for RnRC I have to open the app, "tap in" (which I'm sure will be self explanatory when I'm doing it, lol) and then immediately change the "tier 2" FPs to be whatever attraction comes up earliest so I can tap them quickly to get another Tier 1 later in the day?

I am sure some people like this new FP system but it seems like an awful lot of work that causes unnecessary stress. Extremely frustrating to have to book things I don't want and manage an app all day. I have MVMCP tickets, I don't remember needing or having FP for that before... do I need to book FP for that event now too?
 
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Thank you so much for the very detailed tutorial. I'll cancel the Fantasmic and book some throwaway Tier 2 attractions. I am sure some people like this new FP system but it seems like an awful lot of work that causes unnecessary stress. I have MVMCP tickets, I don't remember needing or having FP for that before... do I need to book FP for that event now too?

I've never experienced the system any other way aside from the DHS changing Tier 1's from the TSL rides to all rides but Star Tours. So ignorance is bliss in this case I guess XD.

There is no FP for MVMCP. However, in recent years it has been known to be quite crowded. So just be aware going in it can be just as bad as a normal park day. Are you hoping to do rides, entertainment, cookie trails, a combination?
 


I've never experienced the system any other way aside from the DHS changing Tier 1's from the TSL rides to all rides but Star Tours. So ignorance is bliss in this case I guess XD.

There is no FP for MVMCP. However, in recent years it has been known to be quite crowded. So just be aware going in it can be just as bad as a normal park day. Are you hoping to do rides, entertainment, cookie trails, a combination?

We'll be doing a combination, but mostly rides. I feel like the first Sunday in December, right after your Thanksgiving won't be too bad, as I'm sure a lot of people who were in the parks over the holiday will be on their way home. We've done this party 3 times previously so this is more of a "nostalgia tour" and we will be happy to be there all together as a family. You don't often get to know when you are doing something for the last time, so I am savouring knowing with 99.99% certainty that this will be the last time just the four of us will go to Disney World. Our "kids" are now 23 and 25 so future vacations will most likely include significant others, grand children, etc. We have a lot of fond memories of our previous MVMCP and MNSSHP events.
 
We'll be doing a combination, but mostly rides. I feel like the first Sunday in December, right after your Thanksgiving won't be too bad, as I'm sure a lot of people who were in the parks over the holiday will be on their way home. We've done this party 3 times previously so this is more of a "nostalgia tour" and we will be happy to be there all together as a family. You don't often get to know when you are doing something for the last time, so I am savouring knowing with 99.99% certainty that this will be the last time just the four of us will go to Disney World. Our "kids" are now 23 and 25 so future vacations will most likely include significant others, grand children, etc. We have a lot of fond memories of our previous MVMCP and MNSSHP events.

I'm 35 and it's just me & my dad going XD. And part of this vacation is motivated a lot by "who knows what's in the store by the future". If it's rides, what you can do is reserve book a couple of FP's for the 4-6 period between when you as a MVMCP holder can enter and when the park closes to regular guests.
 

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