Many Walt Disney World fans are reporting that Disney has removed parades and fireworks from its selection of attractions available for FastPass+ reservations. That's big news for people planning their Disney trips, as taking parades and fireworks "off the table" for FastPass+ availability could substantially change the availability of FastPass+ reservations for other attractions in the parks.
With FastPass+, visitors with registered Walt Disney World theme park tickets may reserve return times at three attractions per day of their upcoming visit. Guests staying at Disney World hotels may make their FastPass+ reservations 60 days in advance of their trip, while everyone else can book 30 days out. Once visitors have used their three FastPass+ reservations for the day, they can book additional reservations after the start of their third FP+ return time, using in-park kiosks or the My Disney Experience app on their smartphones.
Obviously, with FP+ no longer available for parades and shows, the people who would have used those events for one or more of their allotted FP+ reservations now will be looking to get FP+ reservations on other rides or shows. That means more demand for a now-smaller pool of available reservation return slots.
But it is the timing of the parades and fireworks no longer available for FP+ that promises to upset the system. The fireworks and electrical parade happened at the end of the day, leaving no time for visitors to pick up additional FP+ times after using them for those nighttime events. And with an unused FP+ reservation sitting on their profile for those end-of-day shows, visitors who used FP+ to reserve their seats for the night-time parade or fireworks could not book additional reservation times during the day.
Making fireworks and night-time parades cost Disney extra labor hours in having to assign cast members to guard the designated FastPass+ viewing areas for those shows. But their presence in the FP+ system helped to reduce overall demand for FP+ return times, as people who used their reservations on events late in the day were locked out of reserving additional times for longer than people who stacked their return times early in the day.
Now, there are fewer reasons not to just book all three of your FP+ reservations as early in the day as possible, so that you can get them out of the way and give yourself the chance to make additional FP+ reservations on the day of your visit. So we can expect that many of the Disney visitors who would have booked the late parades and fireworks now will be looking to book additional FP+ times throughout the day that they would not have been able to access before. That means even more demand for the limited number of available FP+ times in the parks.
All the more reason to lock down your plans early, buy your tickets in advance, and to register with Disney World's website so that you can start making your FP+ reservations as soon as you are able.
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"Once visitors have used their three FastPass+ reservations for the day, they can book additional reservations after the start of their third FP+ return time, using in-park kiosks or the My Disney Experience app on their smartphones."
It's a shame after doing all that work on the hub to put those there only to abandon the past "reservation" part of it after only a few months.
I guess the hub has more room at least now.
FP+ is not a plus in any way now, and is officially worse now than the paper system it replaced. Disney should be ashamed of what the system has turned into, because it did have so much promise and potential.
Also, a large percentage of FP+ reservations for parades and shows are made day-of anyway.
You continually hear people hate on FP+, but once you use it... It truly improves your day at Disney. We were really amazed at how easy it was to change FPs on the phone and/or a kiosk.
Then again, for those that would miss experiencing a line, you can skip FP+!
I liked that if it was a really nice day we could head for on of the beaches at Tampa or head to CoCo Beach relaxing on the sand for the day and not caring about what rides we have booked or don't have booked. I know some people enjoy running thru the parks to get on every possible ride and get some sort of bragging right if they do them all. Personally I could sit on a bench and watch my children enjoying themselves and not care if I don't get on the ride at all.
I know that they will never get rid of this system as they have to much money invested but I sincerely wish they would. I never had any trouble with the old paper system and we got to go on every thing my children and wife wanted to.
Again just my opinion.
It's also fun to set your time and date a month or two in advance as fastpass reservations can be treated as an "event" to celebrate the vacation getting nearer. I enjoy that. Fastpass+ has been a major win for our Disney World days! A good example of something that sounded sketchy when announced, but turns out to be of great convenience in practice.
As for what this article is actually about, yes its unfortunate parades and fireworks are off the FP+ roster since that will take away FP's for the rest of us. Now if only the Disneyland Resort would also go to a paperless system like this.
I just booked another trip to Orlando... To Universal. Staying at the Hard Rock, with Universal Express Passes. No Disney!
It will probably take a few years to forget how much I hated Fastpass plus and My Magic plus. The dining reservations that are gone months before I even get there, keeping me from eating at my favorite restaurants. My last trip to Disney was the most disapointing i have ever had. Until I forget, no more Disney!
James, thanks for the suggestion to go to Cedar Point. We have discussed this over the years and I think that the time has finally come go for it!
I mean they already have numerous upcharge events, and are testing after magic hours and preferred parking as well.
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