FP+ ends for parades and fireworks

[Amy]

Just saw a blog post that WDW is no longer offering FP+ for parades and fireworks viewing. So far I haven't been able to confirm on an official WDW site, but I will look later.
We used FP+ for the Main Street Electrical Parade on our last trip and it was a bit on the confusing side. There was only one entry into the area and it wasn't well marked or staffed by CMs. There was also some confusion when scanning the Magic Bands to let people in. It worked ok, but it didn't make me want to use a FP on that again. And the only reason we had that FP was because the system had been so glitchy when we were there that that was one of my only options by that point. Without giving too much away before I finish my TR...ahem...Figment ended up watching from the viewing area, and I ended up with a prime spot on the train station platform.
Anyhow, I interested in hearing what y'all think about the FP for fireworks and parades going away.

[cy1229]

Haven't personally experienced FP+ so take that into consideration when reading my perspective.

I'd heard it suggested that using FP+ for a fireworks seating area was an almost sinful use of a FP+ because it keeps a person from picking up any more FP+ during the day since the original three hadn't been used already. Thus, I'm guessing if many people had followed this advice, few were "wasting" their FP+ choices on parade or fireworks viewing and it was pointless to have it as an option.

I'm kind of bracing myself for the day, whenever that may be, that we go to WDW again and have to use FP+. Having been to DLR twice in the last 12 months I was really happy to be using the paper FP system and wish WDW still had it.

[Amy]

Haven't personally experienced FP+ so take that into consideration when reading my perspective.

I'd heard it suggested that using FP+ for a fireworks seating area was an almost sinful use of a FP+ because it keeps a person from picking up any more FP+ during the day since the original three hadn't been used already. Thus, I'm guessing if many people had followed this advice, few were "wasting" their FP+ choices on parade or fireworks viewing and it was pointless to have it as an option.

I'm kind of bracing myself for the day, whenever that may be, that we go to WDW again and have to use FP+. Having been to DLR twice in the last 12 months I was really happy to be using the paper FP system and wish WDW still had it.

If they get the bugs worked out of the mobile app, then it really isn't too bad. It is nice not to have to run across the park to get a FP, go back to the other side and do things and then come back. But my experience was anything but smooth. I ended up using my computer to make the FP changes because the app just didn't work well. But then it didn't update on the mobile site. Luckily most of the CMs were pretty nice. I ended up writing the FP times on a piece of paper because the app just didn't work well for me in the parks.

[Wizzard419]

Quick question, which I am placing bets on right now, which version of the mobile app are you using? iOS, Android, or Windows (I think they have one for Windows)? I suspect the buggiest version would be on Android simply because GoolePlay has such a massive amount of hardware to support while iOS would only cover a dozen or so devices.

Also, when you said the app didn't work for you, was it not keeping track, not updating, or just impossible to connect in the parks?

[BenB]

I used the Android version last May and didn't notice any difficulties.

[Amy]

Quick question, which I am placing bets on right now, which version of the mobile app are you using? iOS, Android, or Windows (I think they have one for Windows)? I suspect the buggiest version would be on Android simply because GoolePlay has such a massive amount of hardware to support while iOS would only cover a dozen or so devices.

Also, when you said the app didn't work for you, was it not keeping track, not updating, or just impossible to connect in the parks?

I was using iOS. It wasn't updating with the changes I made on the computer, even though the changes would show up on the app while I was in the room with the computer. And it wouldn't connect while in the parks. I wasn't sure if it was the app or my service provider, although I tried with the wifi as well without success. Either way it didn't work well.

I used the Android version last May and didn't notice any difficulties.

That's good. I saw other people holding out their phones toward the CMs and complaining so I suspect I wasn't the only one with difficulties. Either way, we still had fun.

[BenB]

I used the Android version last May and didn't notice any difficulties.

That's good. I saw other people holding out their phones toward the CMs and complaining so I suspect I wasn't the only one with difficulties. Either way, we still had fun.

Sorry, I wasn't saying you didn't have issues, just that it seemed to work the right way for me. My complaint with it is that I would rather have more control over the times and choices. It would give three attractions, but sometimes I wanted one in one list and one from another, or I liked the time it gave me in choice 1 but the attractions in choice 3. If I could just choose one at a time it would have been nice.

[Wizzard419]

If all networking wasn't working/is spotty on your phone, then it would be the network rather than the app. Amy, did you mean that changes on the PC were not making it to the mobile app, or that changes on the PC made it to the mobile app but then were lost once you connected to a different network?

[Amy]

I used the Android version last May and didn't notice any difficulties.

That's good. I saw other people holding out their phones toward the CMs and complaining so I suspect I wasn't the only one with difficulties. Either way, we still had fun.

Sorry, I wasn't saying you didn't have issues, just that it seemed to work the right way for me. My complaint with it is that I would rather have more control over the times and choices. It would give three attractions, but sometimes I wanted one in one list and one from another, or I liked the time it gave me in choice 1 but the attractions in choice 3. If I could just choose one at a time it would have been nice.

Oh no, I didn't take it that way at all. I have heard people that have loved how well it worked and others who had worse problems than I did. I have to agree it would be nice to have more flexibility in the choosing, but I suppose they have to tier it in some fashion.

If all networking wasn't working/is spotty on your phone, then it would be the network rather than the app. Amy, did you mean that changes on the PC were not making it to the mobile app, or that changes on the PC made it to the mobile app but then were lost once you connected to a different network?

The changes would show up on the computer, and I would check my phone while I was still in the room by the computer and the selections looked like they had changed ok, but then when I got to the attraction we had a FP for, the FP selections were the old ones, or just as likely, the app wouldn't load the FP selections at all From the CMs reactions, I think the frustration in the app not working 100% all the time was fairly common. Like I said though, the CMs were generally pretty nice. The ones in the early morning hours just waved me on through or gave me a child swap return pass so I had something to hand over to the CM further up the line. There were some less helpful CMs later in the day that would give me a return pass for later based on the current wait time, sort of like the disability access pass, or simply say they couldn't help me and I could choose to stand in the stand-by line or not.

[Wizzard419]

Wow, that is weird, so the app will accept the changes, but then revert them.

[Amy]

Wow, that is weird, so the app will accept the changes, but then revert them.

Apparently. I don't know, maybe I was doing something wrong, but I don't know why it would show up one way and then not show up in the parks.