Lack of FP+ options

[AmishGuy91]

Dining reservations have nothing to do with what FP+ you are offered correct?

With dining reservations seemingly being plentiful if I have a better chance at FP+ by canceling all my dining reservations I would think about that.

Correct, only brought up because availability of dining reservations can be used as a barometer to how busy the parks will be.

 

[Welsh_Dragon]

Dining reservations have nothing to do with what FP+ you are offered correct?

With dining reservations seemingly being plentiful if I have a better chance at FP+ by canceling all my dining reservations I would think about that.

I am not sure that I follow your logic. ADR availability for the first three weeks of July is plentiful, even for places like BOG and CG. That would suggest lower attendance and therefore more FP availability. You can overlap ADRs and FPs, MDE doesn’t prevent that.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

While this is a generalization for sure, for those that don’t usually go in the summertime, plentiful ADR availability is often the norm from my experience. We’ve gone the last few July’s and one of the best parts of that time of year is how relatively “easy” it is to get dining reservations, plus typically lots of resort options and great discount availability. It’s one of the reasons why we love summer.

That doesn’t explain weird FP availability, but just a general observation of our past summer experiences.

 

[HuskieJohn]

I am not sure that I follow your logic. ADR availability for the first three weeks of July is plentiful, even for places like BOG and CG. That would suggest lower attendance and therefore more FP availability. You can overlap ADRs and FPs, MDE doesn’t prevent that.

This is in reference to the reduction of FP+ more than normal for 60 to 60+8 right now.

Just wanted to make sure that I was not closing myself off to any FP+ because of my many ADRs

 

[HuskieJohn]

Really last min here but my FP+ day is Monday and I am willing to pay more for better FP+ picks...what do I have to do to pay for 3 days worth of throwaway rooms, Im guessing at the campground, and hook them up to my account to get to pick FP+ today?

As this goes off topic I would appreciate a link to the appropriate thread that this info likely already walks me through it.

 

[MomOTwins]

There

Really last min here but my FP+ day is Monday and I am willing to pay more for better FP+ picks...what do I have to do to pay for 3 days worth of throwaway rooms, Im guessing at the campground, and hook them up to my account to get to pick FP+ today?

As this goes off topic I would appreciate a link to the appropriate thread that this info likely already walks me through it.

There is a fastpass sticky at the top of this board that goes through it, but essentially, Disney has largely closed this loophole by only allowing guests to book FP for the duration of their on-site stay at 60 days. So if you have a 5-day ticket and a single night throwaway campsite, you'll only be able to book FP for your "arrival" and "departure" day of the campsite "stay" and not for the remaining 3 days of the ticket.

 

[DisSurfer878]

There


There is a fastpass sticky at the top of this board that goes through it, but essentially, Disney has largely closed this loophole by only allowing guests to book FP for the duration of their on-site stay at 60 days. So if you have a 5-day ticket and a single night throwaway campsite, you'll only be able to book FP for your "arrival" and "departure" day of the campsite "stay" and not for the remaining 3 days of the ticket.

Yup. Furthermore, if you have a split stay (ie checking in to say, Animal Kingdom Lodge for 3 days, then moving to, say, All Star Sports for 5 days) you cannot book for all 8 days at your 60 days date of check in for Animal Kingdom.

60 days before you check into Animal Kingdom Lodge, you may make fastpasses for your 3 day stay there. 60 days before you check in to All Star Sports (aka, 3 days after your Animal Kingdom Lodge FP Day) you may make your fastpasses for those 5 days.
Important because this change is fairly recent

 

[zemmer]

deleted. I had the wrong information.

 

[disneygrandma]

How recent was the change for split stay FP booking? Last month we booked for our upcoming Memorial Day checkin, split stay at 3 resorts, and was able to book for our complete stay.

Of course, it probably won't happen now, but we got terrific FP's! So sad. But was this change in split stay done in the past month?

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Under normal circumstances, for a split onsite resort stay with no date gaps in between, MDE will let you book FPs for the entire trip starting 60 days from check in for stay #1.

Often when people report not being able to book all dates, something else is involved such as one of the stays being at one of the off site resorts that has 60 day FP privileges. Sometimes those resort stays don’t interact with MDE the same as a real onsite resort stay, leading to strange results.

There have been times in the past that even with normal onsite to onsite split stays that - for unknown reasons - it doesn’t allow booking for both stays. Last year when they made some MDE tweaks it stopped working for everyone. It eventually came back and worked as before. Sometimes MDE gives head-scratching results.

There have been some recent reports on the FP sticky of it maybe not working again, but I’m not sure if I’ve seen enough conclusive reports to know what’s up. The topic usually needs numerous experience posts so we can establish a “body of work” for how MDE is behaving.

 

[DisSurfer878]

How recent was the change for split stay FP booking? Last month we booked for our upcoming Memorial Day checkin, split stay at 3 resorts, and was able to book for our complete stay.

Of course, it probably won't happen now, but we got terrific FP's! So sad. But was this change in split stay done in the past month?

Pretty much what DisneyDad said above. It's inconclusive, but has been reported a lot more lately (even preclosure) on the FP+ Sticky.

 

[tlmadden73]

At this point .. getting one night at the campground two days before you true arrival date may be worth it since it essentially gets you a two day lead on getting FPs for the rest of your stay .. for about $90 (or less).

All I know is the only way I was able to get a SDD and a FOP Fast pass in 2018 was when my cousin made them for me ( because they were arriving 4 days before us and our trips overlapped a few days. So they were able to book the "good" fast passes for me at the end of their trip (but the beginning of mine that I wouldn't have been able to get had I made them myself days later).

Maybe the FP+ system will be upended after all this and the technology in place for virtual queues like Rise. While I have liked being able to plan 60 days in advance, not being able to get FPs for the "big" rides makes it less and less desirable. I don't need to make a FP for It's a Small world 60 days in advance. I think I'd rather have the Max Pass system that DL has (without the per day cost of course ).

But .. since Disney will need a revenue boost, Iam sure they are looking HARD at ways to monetize FPs now more than ever.

There just needs a way to equitably be able to get FPs on ANY day of your trip. As it stand now .. if you want a Tier 1 FP at DHS .. seems like it needs to be scheduled for the last day of your trip.

 

[HuskieJohn]

I tried to pay for 3 nights campground before my trip online and it wouldn't let me. So I called and told the CM on the phone what I needed to do and she said it doesn't work like that anymore. I could make FP+ for that check in to check out but not afterwards. Since my real check in day is not a park day that is not helpful.

Shrug I guess I will just do it on Monday and take what I get. I will report back Monday as to FP+ availability so I can get this post back on topic!

 

[THE BARRON]

Well I got on Monday mornin, for my June !2-21 reservation and was able to get all the best Fastpasses , we are going to HS 3 times, and was able to get MF, MMRR, and Slinky , don’t mind spending 3 days there, got SDMT, at MK and at first could not get FOP. But got it 3 days later on Wednesday after giving up Navi River. so I feel pretty good

 

[tlmadden73]

Well I got on Monday mornin, for my June !2-21 reservation and was able to get all the best Fastpasses , we are going to HS 3 times, and was able to get MF, MMRR, and Slinky , don’t mind spending 3 days there, got SDMT, at MK and at first could not get FOP. But got it 3 days later on Wednesday after giving up Navi River. so I feel pretty good

Right .. if you have a trip of 9 days . .there should never be an issues getting any FP you need.

I think we are discussing the general availability of FPs for shorter trips (or FPs at the front end of long trips). Those seem oddly well consumed for a time where a lot of people aren't even sure they will be able to go.

 

[vinotinto]

Well I got on Monday mornin, for my June !2-21 reservation and was able to get all the best Fastpasses , we are going to HS 3 times, and was able to get MF, MMRR, and Slinky , don’t mind spending 3 days there, got SDMT, at MK and at first could not get FOP. But got it 3 days later on Wednesday after giving up Navi River. so I feel pretty good

I would love to know for which days and times you were able to get MMRR, MF and Slinky, FoP, and SDMT. The reduced availability we are seeing means difficulty getting these headliners within the first 5 days or so.

 

[brockash]

Yup. Furthermore, if you have a split stay (ie checking in to say, Animal Kingdom Lodge for 3 days, then moving to, say, All Star Sports for 5 days) you cannot book for all 8 days at your 60 days date of check in for Animal Kingdom.

60 days before you check into Animal Kingdom Lodge, you may make fastpasses for your 3 day stay there. 60 days before you check in to All Star Sports (aka, 3 days after your Animal Kingdom Lodge FP Day) you may make your fastpasses for those 5 days.
Important because this change is fairly recent

I think this depends on the type of ticket you have and only applies if you bought tix with your package? We have a split stay coming up first night at a value followed by 5 nights at a moderate and have military tix. I was able to book all 5 days of fastpasses based on my first "trip/night stsy" at the value. - They're completely separate reservations, but I had no issue booking all my fastpass days for the entire trip.

 

[DisSurfer878]

I think this depends on the type of ticket you have and only applies if you bought tix with your package? We have a split stay coming up first night at a value followed by 5 nights at a moderate and have military tix. I was able to book all 5 days of fastpasses based on my first "trip/night stsy" at the value. - They're completely separate reservations, but I had no issue booking all my fastpass days for the entire trip.

See the other comments around mine as well as my second comment for clarification.

 

[NMK62303]

Got on this morning and had to go to 60+ 3 days for any afternoon DHS headliners. Had our choice at DHS on 60+ 7. Got TOT and Star Tours at 60+1, otherwise was all shows, and those were in late afternoon/evening. Party of 5. Able to book for our entire stay, split stay between YC and CB, using same ticket spread across the dates.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Got on this morning and had to go to 60+ 3 days for any afternoon DHS headliners. Had our choice at DHS on 60+ 7. Got TOT and Star Tours at 60+1, otherwise was all shows, and those were in late afternoon/evening. Party of 5. Able to book for our entire stay, split stay between YC and CB, using same ticket spread across the dates.

Thank you for the detailed post, very helpful.