Bug in MDE allowing some to book FP early

@bethro23 In my case, I have an AP on one weekend stay. Totally boring.

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It’s a case of poor programming and lack of testing for sure.

Someone has either tried to fiddle with the 74 days ahead that worked perfectly well before, or inadvertently taken out some code around it.
So instead of coding it to limit from the 60 day window, they’ve introduced a loophole that now allows some people to book 74 days ahead instead of 60 plus length of stay. Probably they’ve actually amended the existing coding, changed a “Select Every Action” to a “Select First Action” or vice versa depending on how it was coded!

I remember it well… as a team leader I used to have to send code back to programmers where they’d tried to “streamline” existing coding and ended up changing stuff that shouldn’t have been changed. And boy did the new over-confident programmers hate it! :joy:

Do you believe the rumors that Disney might be testing their new paid FPP options, that everyone who can book early is just a part of an unannounced test? This seems likely to me, that the 74 day openings are not a mistake. This is an easy way for Disney to make sure the programming allows certain people to book early and others not (based on who eventually will pay for an earlier window).

I don’t believe that. And if it’s true, it’s not working. Nobody seems to be having an easy time of it. Most reports are of getting one or two at a time, maybe a few more by switching devices, some days opening but some days not.

I bought a package (resort and tickets, not hoppers) purchased through Disney. I was able to book at day 71 for the first 4 days of my trip. My last 3 days are “grayed out” on the calendar.

I am also having day nightmares (as opposed to day dreams) that the people who were allowed to get the FP’s early are some how going to lose them around 14 days out and FREAK OUT.

AHHH yes REGRESSION Testing. Programmers hate me!

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It was definitely work. I had to go in and out of the website off and on for a few hours. I’d finally get in, choose my date, FP and time, click submit and it would say it could not confirm. Over and over. Then one time it would finally confirm. Sometimes the entire calendar was grayed out. Sometimes it told me I was still too early. Then I’d get out, get back in and the calendar was grayed out again. Back, refresh, then my first 4 days were available. I did this back and forth dance off and on all morning when I had time. I booked 3 days worth of fast passes, but it was a slow and painful (but worth it!) process.

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Well, we already know MDE is crap so the issues that have always plagued it, continue to plague it. :laughing:
Some people have been able to book all their days with no issues at 74 days. I saw this rumor on another site, and it really made me think whether it was on purpose to test things.

I have 4 UT tickets and an AP, all could get FP.
I have heard that people who’ve been to WDW recently may be locked out.

Of course, I’ve faced the same thing. People hate it when I’m on their code reviews. But another thing I hate is when a bug is reported as a “regression” when, in fact, the bug was always there and never caught before. But in the meantime, they won’t integrate a legitimate fix to a different issue because of the supposed “regression”. Sigh

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I don’t think so. There’s no consistency, plus CMs are telling DVCers that there are known issues with the split stay FP booking which IT are trying to fix. That suggests wider IT issues need to be fixed.

The suggestions from insiders of what will happen with the paid FPs don’t include earlier booking. Not to say they won’t do that, but the strong hint is that there will be FP “packages” available, much more along the lines of the tickets they trialled last summer where you could choose from different groups of FPs. The options are meant to be available for everyone to buy at their booking window, not extended booking windows.

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I did get mine all at once, no work at all. If someone hadn’t clued me in that it was not the usual policy I would never have known it. It worked just like the regular window.

NOW… I didn’t try it until well after I probably could have, and only for one day as those are the only ones I needed.

Oh it’s definitely crap. But if they were ready to test it, I don’t think it would be this crap. Maybe I give them too much credit!

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There is thread after thread about this on chat and very few have even managed to get 1 day without a struggle. But yes a small number (of those posting, obviously) have done it relatively smoothly.

I’m sure Disney was purposely trying to do something. But I doubt it was to randomly open up access to obtaining FPPs. Instead, they made a change to fix X or implement Y. But they caused Z to happen.

It will certainly be interesting to see how it all plays out.

I have my doubts, assuming they catch this, that they’d do that. But, I could see them removing the FPPs from folks if it is still before the 60 day mark.

ETA: My company offers employee discounts on their products. However, one day they were offering a discount on a variety of large-screen televisions for ALMOST free. Like a few dollars. This information spread like wildfire, and pretty soon almost everyone was ordering themselves a television at this employee discount. Then, two days later, everyone had their order cancelled. Sigh

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I agree with the bit about removing them ahead of the 60 day mark.

Some people have reported getting the emails about them being deleted. However, that part of the change doesn’t seem to have been implemented yet - the actual FP deletion. So at the moment, no one is panicking.

I would advise you keep checking back until your 60 day window arrives.

I think that is prudent. The day I got these for is the last day of our trip, and for EPCOT. So the downside of doing it for me was pretty low. If I were booking my whole trip, I’d definitely be up manning the computer vigilantly when my “real” window opens up.

As I’ve said before regarding “pixie dust”- Disney giveth, and Disney taketh away.

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Yep, I’m lucky- just sharing my experience, in case someone thought I was “gaming” the system again.

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