It's simply gotten too big, too commercial, too regimented.The article goes into specific examples of the things causing high stress. Frantically running around trying to meet the Fastpass+ schedule and trying to keep hungry kids happy is one example. Large, no make that huge, crowds, and taking the enjoyment out of shows, stressing facilities and increasing the chances of getting sick - which is defnitely not a minor problem anymore.
I miss the days when I could go to Disney World, get up in the morning, and consult with the family about where and how to spend the day. We could make decisions based on mood, weather, and majority vote. But the "fly by the seat of your pants" approach simply can't be done anymore at Disney. Now you must plan out your every movement--from parks to rides to meals--and you must do so several months in advance.So this is an example of a large company turning their back on repeat, loyal customers who are now finding it much more difficult to do the things they used to do. Maybe Disney thinks there is an endless supply of first time visitors who are willing to submit a detailed project plan in order to have fun. Many others do not find this fun.
So starting Monday, after guests have used their first three FastPass+ selections, they will be able to select another one at one of the kiosks located in each of our WDW parks. When they’ve used that one, they’ll be able to select another, and so on, ultimately providing guests with even more ways to customize their Walt Disney World Vacation. Guests will also be able to select and use their additional FastPass+ entitlements when they hop from park to park.Adding park hopping Fastpass ability removes a limitation that annoyed many people. Using kiosks to add extra Fastpasses may be a temporary fix until the My Disney Experience app is updated to allow this. At least that is what should happen. One has to wonder why the system was initially setup to limit Fastpass selection to a single park per day.
Check out this link at LaughingPlace.com for some reaction to this.
You will be able to make FASTPASS+ reservations 60 days out from arrival, plus 10 days, similar to resort reservation dining. The guest will select the park and the three preferred experiences. The system will then return up to 4 groups of availability from which to pick - early, mid day, late, or all day. Grouping of guests allows one My Disney Experience user to copy the details to others traveling in that party with same FASTPASS+ reservations. FASTPASS+ allows one park per day.
One of the most interesting points he touched upon was just why Disney has decided to implement this program and allow Fastpasses to be reserved so far in advanced. The reason? Parents who were surveyed about their experience and perception of the Disney Parks "overwhelmingly" said that it was "the most terrifying experience of their life." These are the words he used, unaltered. Parents said this because they know they will have to split up their family in a park of thousands, having people do other things while Mom gets Fastpasses and Dad goes to wait in line to get something to eat with the kids. This creates a vacation of nothing but stress, and Disney (World, more than anywhere else) has been in a sort of crisis-mode trying to figure out just how to handle this. Thus, the implementation of My Disney Experience, Fastpass+, and Dining programs which allows you to have things planned far in advanced, thus allowing the family to stay together.So this kicked off many pages of discussion which makes for interesting reading. There's something odd about the above quote, namely that families splitting up is their decision and not a requirement. Families can (and do) wait while one member gets all the Fastpasses, and this generally only takes a few minutes. The idea of having to split up while someone gets the Fastpasses seems puzzling, especially if this causes a lot of stress.
"Walt Disney World is now enforcing both the beginning and end times, allowing guests holding a (FastPass) to only return during the one-hour window stated on the slip.
"This is the first time I've ever sold any FastPasses," the unidentified seller stated in an e-mail. "You might be better off asking someone with a little more experience. If Disney didn't scam ME every time I blinked, I wouldn't feel it necessary to try to make a little money back from our trip. You can put that in your write up. :) Thanks for asking."
