Staying off site- fast pass expectations question

Still not going to help you with Fop fast pass. I suggest watching the TP video that @girlbytheseashore posted.

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I see. I was confused since I thought the campground is considered a Disney resort, it would be the same either way. So book for all the days or book for one day is the difference.

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I was up at 4am every morning for 8 days straight over Christmas to try to snag FPs at the 30-day mark for my family of 6. This was a first-time trip for the entire family (except for me) and I was determined to do everything in my power to make sure everyone got to ride everything they were excited for and had the “perfect trip.”

I didn’t get a single FP that I really wanted (no FoP, no 7DMT) and had to settle for FPs that would save us some park time, but not a whole lot. In the end, we RD-ed FoP twice (would have done so every day, except we didn’t have hoppers so that wasn’t an option) and we never made it onto 7DMT at all because of a bad combination of long waits plus the ride going down the one time we decided to hop in line. My 12-year-old brother was very disappointed to miss the mine train, but guess what? He survived. Not only that, he didn’t spoil the day for any of us with a bad attitude. And believe it or not, he still had a marvelous time. We all did. And I have no lingering bitterness about those early-morning failed FP attempts. I have only fond memories of a wonderful family trip.

Bottom line: it is possible to have the happiest vacation ever at the happiest place on earth without a single ADR or FP.

It’s also possible to politely express past disappointments and frustrations without mocking other posters and making enemies.

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It is a Disney resort.

You will be able to book for both check-in and check-out days at once.

Then for the rest you will get a rolling window. 60 days out for each day individually.

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FWIW, I actually hated when I had a FP+ for FOP because you miss the entire queue which is BEAUTIFUL!!!

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Yes, very true.

Last year we went to Disneyland and the FP and ADR dynamics are drastically different so everything has been a sort of a culture shock. I’m not entirely sold on the WDW way of doing things. It just seems insane that people are tripping over each other just to get a reservation at a milkshake place. Disney World has a strange effect on people as if they devolve into a primitive state.

Disneyland is so much easier. No plan ahead for FP, you just show up on the day and reserve or wait in line like everybody else. It just seems like a fairer system, more family friendly, more spontaneous, more like…well Disney-like.

I’m just surprised that the same company offers entirely opposite experiences in different parks. At Disneyland it feels magical. At Disney World it feels like regimented fun for accountants. I’m a statistician so that is saying something!

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It’s partly the sheer scale of WDW that complicates things. It has 4 of the top 7 most visited theme parks in the world. That’s quite a lot of people lol!

The old FP system worked fine. I presume someone somewhere decided it would be nice to give everyone the chance to get some FPs in advance, so they knew they would get some even if they turned up at the parks later on in the day.

The trouble is that everyone wants to do the same rides. The tiers were an attempt to solve the problem at the parks where there aren’t enough popular rides to go round… And the huge number of extra FPs means stand-by lines have become longer.

To go back would mean taking away the perk that onsite guests get (the extra booking window), which would be problematic. Not to mention the vast cost of the system is too big to abandon it now.

They could cut the ADR booking period though very easily. And it would probably mean far less cancellations and rebooking, as people would have a better idea of what they wanted to do and when.

completely agree. stay at a hotel literally across the street from both parks, fast passes same day, can ride multiple big rides easily multiple times in a day without worry.

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My family just got back from a trip in early February where we stayed off site. I was able to secure FP for every ride on the 30 day mark, except for FOP and 7DMT. Fortunately, through my Liners Facebook group, when the hours changed, AK opened up more FP for FOP and we were able to snag them. 7DMT remained elusive though!

I would say too, as you’re in the parks, try booking your next FPP in smaller groups for bigger name rides. Large groups get tough to book on the same time slot, but many FPP times overlap. I would also recommend if you are planning on child swapping, that you divide and conquer with your group on FPP reservations and get essentially double the FPPs!

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Taking a more nefarious approach, I presume that someone somewhere decided that it would be nice to know how many people were headed to a specific park on a specific day. I would be shocked if the tiered pricing structure at the WDW parks wasn’t based, at least in part, on the information Disney gleaned from several years of FPP advanced reservations.

Additionally, the staffing modifications that have been widely discussed are probably helped, as well, by knowing 60 days ahead of time (and 30 days as well) just how many people are headed to a particular park on a particular day.

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Thank you for posting this!! Very helpful.

We were thinking of booking a room for one night to get the FP for this but now I think we will just RD both of them and then use our FP for other things!!

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ok, my first day in the park is MAY 6. my check in date for one night on site is may 5. what day is my fast pass day? march 5 or 6?

You should have access to FP 60 days prior to check-in. That should be March 6 - 60 days prior to May 5.

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