Trial Club Level Fastpass+ Purchase Program Planning & Discussion

[ninafeliz]

Does CL at Gran Destino qualify for CL FastPasses purchase?

Yes

 

[TigerlilyAJ]

I easily figured out that in a 4 day trip, I just won't have enough two-park-a-day exposure to justify the price for extra fast passes.

I get your point, but I don't see the program having to work that way. *Especially* with the parks with tiers for FPs. To me, the big bonus is getting all the Tier 1 rides on one day, one visit to the park, making the visit more efficient. I haven't committed to trying this program for our January trip, but if we do, it'll mean that for Animal Kingdom for example, I don't have to choose between:
1) Making absolute certain to be in front for RD to get on one Pandora ride while having a FP for the other,
2) Getting a FP for one Pandora ride and either languishing in line for the other when we could be doing other things or staying up late by taking my kids to get in line at end of day for the otherride, or
3) Doing two days at AK to just get a FP for each of the two rides.
You can imagine the scenario I could paint for DHS, where ALL the real rides (except Star Tours) are Tier 1. I also like the idea of possibly getting two FPs for a fave ride of my kids. Some of this other people can do by refreshing their phones like mad all day and getting same-day FPs. But mine is a party of six, making the odds more difficult; we don't have a data plan, so we're dependent on Disney WiFi to be able to use our phones; and frankly, I'm not into the idea of having to stare at my phone anytime we're in line or sitting for a meal to grab FPs.
Darn it, I had talked myself out of these FPs, hoping they'll announce EMMs and DAHs that we thought we'd rather do, but writing this post has kind of talked me into the astronomical $900 cost for six to do this.

 

[Sarah1024]

ROR opens Dec 5th. Have you contacted Disney Signature Service inquiring about the FP booking day for ROR? If your arrival day is after Dec 5th, I would keep CL until later day.

I haven't contacted them yet. Our stay is December 10 to 18 so both rides will be open. I'm also going in September (not CL) and am just so annoyed they haven't released any information about what they're doing. Both trips are stressing me out!

 

[TigerlilyAJ]

OK, DISboards hive mind, help me see issues or opportunities I am missing: For those who have used these CL FPs, how would you settle on the issue of FP+s or EMMs? Assume $900 is our trip's cap for magical extras. So, our party of six can do EMMs at MK and TSL (assuming dates are announced for our January trip) or we can do FP+ at the end of our split stay, when we're at BWI CL.
We did the 2016 EMMs, so the rides available have changed. We have never seen Pandora or TSL. We loved the EMMs for the glorious emptiness of the park (we got a great castle Photopass shot going into Fantasyland that morning), the meal, and riding SDMT and TSM over and over. (We didn't even have to get off TSM.) With the Tier 1 situation at DHS, we feel like we "have" to do something extra to get to the rides while also trying to navigate SW:GE and its two rides.
DH's one observation is that EMM requires one to wake up early, while FP+s do not. ;-)
If we did the FP+s, it would be more to storm through one park in one day, rather than knock out two parks. It would be three days, one each for MK, AK, and DHS. MK because my DD5 needs some princess/Tink FPs and my two eldest sons need multiple SDMT rides. AK for Pandora. There are, at most, three of us who would maybe possibly consider EE. (Those who have read my tales of all the times different people in my family vomited at WDW will know why.) DHS would be for TSL all the way, with two of the six total FPs going to TSM.
I like the go-with-the-flow of EMM over saying 90 days out what ride we'd like to go on at a specific time, BUT I *love* the idea that DSS will get my large party things we might get at all at 60 days out like FOP or SDD. I used DSS for our ADRs, and it was so easy and relieved me of a lot of effort and stress. Are the FPs just as lovely an experience to make and to use?

 

[yaya74]

OK, DISboards hive mind, help me see issues or opportunities I am missing: For those who have used these CL FPs, how would you settle on the issue of FP+s or EMMs? Assume $900 is our trip's cap for magical extras. So, our party of six can do EMMs at MK and TSL (assuming dates are announced for our January trip) or we can do FP+ at the end of our split stay, when we're at BWI CL.
We did the 2016 EMMs, so the rides available have changed. We have never seen Pandora or TSL. We loved the EMMs for the glorious emptiness of the park (we got a great castle Photopass shot going into Fantasyland that morning), the meal, and riding SDMT and TSM over and over. (We didn't even have to get off TSM.) With the Tier 1 situation at DHS, we feel like we "have" to do something extra to get to the rides while also trying to navigate SW:GE and its two rides.
DH's one observation is that EMM requires one to wake up early, while FP+s do not. ;-)
If we did the FP+s, it would be more to storm through one park in one day, rather than knock out two parks. It would be three days, one each for MK, AK, and DHS. MK because my DD5 needs some princess/Tink FPs and my two eldest sons need multiple SDMT rides. AK for Pandora. There are, at most, three of us who would maybe possibly consider EE. (Those who have read my tales of all the times different people in my family vomited at WDW will know why.) DHS would be for TSL all the way, with two of the six total FPs going to TSM.
I like the go-with-the-flow of EMM over saying 90 days out what ride we'd like to go on at a specific time, BUT I *love* the idea that DSS will get my large party things we might get at all at 60 days out like FOP or SDD. I used DSS for our ADRs, and it was so easy and relieved me of a lot of effort and stress. Are the FPs just as lovely an experience to make and to use?

Your DH is right... My family bought FP+ so we could sleep in during our trip. EMM is not for my family. Glad you enjoy it though. Perhaps your family can take advantage of the Extra Extra Morning Magic at DHS if still offered in January.

With CL FP+ you can definitely go to one park in the morning and another park later in the day. You don't need to stay in the same park on the day you have CL FP+

A few pages back someone posted that CL FP+ program might get "changed" when SWGE opens. It is still a trial program so not set in stone. CL FP+ is refundable up to 2 days prior to the first day of CL FP+ booking. So you have plenty of time to change your mind if you have a better plan to use that $900.

 

[ebenmax]

I’m interested in the replies that come in!! We, too are trying to decide if the extra CL FP+ are worth it for us. (The week after Christmas) Not knowing how/if SWGE will affect things adds to our uncertainty. Hopefully once they manage it’s opening, we will get some concrete announcements from WDW about SWGE add-ons or any changes to the CL FP program. Right now doing my best to be patient and wait...

 

[pwrline]

OK, DISboards hive mind, help me see issues or opportunities I am missing: For those who have used these CL FPs, how would you settle on the issue of FP+s or EMMs? Assume $900 is our trip's cap for magical extras. So, our party of six can do EMMs at MK and TSL (assuming dates are announced for our January trip) or we can do FP+ at the end of our split stay, when we're at BWI CL.
We did the 2016 EMMs, so the rides available have changed. We have never seen Pandora or TSL. We loved the EMMs for the glorious emptiness of the park (we got a great castle Photopass shot going into Fantasyland that morning), the meal, and riding SDMT and TSM over and over. (We didn't even have to get off TSM.) With the Tier 1 situation at DHS, we feel like we "have" to do something extra to get to the rides while also trying to navigate SW:GE and its two rides.
DH's one observation is that EMM requires one to wake up early, while FP+s do not. ;-)
If we did the FP+s, it would be more to storm through one park in one day, rather than knock out two parks. It would be three days, one each for MK, AK, and DHS. MK because my DD5 needs some princess/Tink FPs and my two eldest sons need multiple SDMT rides. AK for Pandora. There are, at most, three of us who would maybe possibly consider EE. (Those who have read my tales of all the times different people in my family vomited at WDW will know why.) DHS would be for TSL all the way, with two of the six total FPs going to TSM.
I like the go-with-the-flow of EMM over saying 90 days out what ride we'd like to go on at a specific time, BUT I *love* the idea that DSS will get my large party things we might get at all at 60 days out like FOP or SDD. I used DSS for our ADRs, and it was so easy and relieved me of a lot of effort and stress. Are the FPs just as lovely an experience to make and to use?

We are not morning people so we definitely prefer the CL FPs. I booked mine a few weeks ago for 6 people and three days came out to $958.50 after tax (extra $9.75/person), so if your absolute cap is $900, that's something to consider. Also, you can't get multiple FPs for the same ride in one day, so you wouldn't be able to use 2 of the 6 on your DHS day for TSM.
I think if you don't mind getting up early, and your group absolutely needs to do things like TSM and SDMT multiple times, EMM might make more sense since there's food and better photo ops as well. That being said, if you've never done Pandora and want to ride both Avatar rides, CL FPs are more helpful for that, otherwise you'll need 2 days of regular FPs dedicated to DAK.
How long is your stay? Would you have other days in the parks w/o CL FPs? If so, they could be a good way to supplement what you've already done rather than use them to knock out a single park.
The advantage of booking CL FPs 90 days out is definitely helpful. I was able to get everything I wanted without stress. The CM I spoke with was very nice and the whole process took me 30 minutes. I booked all my regular FPs for early in the day and my CL FPs for the evening so we could have a break and not be running from ride to ride and then we could book a 4th regular FP for late in the day if we wanted. The CM also suggested that any rides we may want to alter the attraction/time of be our regular FPs since that's easily switched via MDE rather than needing to call DSS like you would with the CL FPs. We also made sure to plan around my ADRs.
Personally, I find the CL FPs make it easier to go with flow, especially with a group of 6. Yes, a schedule is in place, but it takes away the challenges of booking FPs for 6 people on popular rides and relieves the stress of trying to get a 4th or 5th FP or wait in longer lines. Now we'll just go enjoy ourselves and not worry about if we'll be able to get on all the rides we want.

 

[TigerlilyAJ]

Also, you can't get multiple FPs for the same ride in one day, so you wouldn't be able to use 2 of the 6 on your DHS day for TSM.

Do you mean I cannot get two DSS CL program FPs for the same ride (understandable), or that I can't even get one regular FP (one of my first three) and then one CL FP for the same ride on the same day?

Yes, we have a split stay with five days in the parks before our CL days, although one of those is half eaten up by BBB and CRT at MK. ;-)

 

[pwrline]

Do you mean I cannot get two DSS CL program FPs for the same ride (understandable), or that I can't even get one regular FP (one of my first three) and then one CL FP for the same ride on the same day?

Yes, we have a split stay with five days in the parks before our CL days, although one of those is half eaten up by BBB and CRT at MK. ;-)

You cannot get one regular and then one CL FP for the same ride on the same day, so you would have to pick a different day to ride a 2nd time.

With that many days, I'd say it comes down to whether you prioritize going on the rides available at EMMs several times, or getting to ride a wider variety of rides a 2+ times with CL FPs.

 

[ninafeliz]

Do you mean I cannot get two DSS CL program FPs for the same ride (understandable), or that I can't even get one regular FP (one of my first three) and then one CL FP for the same ride on the same day?

Yes, we have a split stay with five days in the parks before our CL days, although one of those is half eaten up by BBB and CRT at MK. ;-)

You cannot get one regular and then one CL FP for the same ride on the same day, so you would have to pick a different day to ride a 2nd time.

With that many days, I'd say it comes down to whether you prioritize going on the rides available at EMMs several times, or getting to ride a wider variety of rides a 2+ times with CL FPs.

The official rule has always been that you cannot have 2 FPs for the same ride on the same day, even mixing one CL and one regular. However, many people have been able to initially book 6 separate rides, and then go in themselves and change one of the regular FPs to a duplicate of one of the CL FPs. You used to be able to do this as soon as you booked and hung up the phone with DSS, as early as 90 days, but I seem to vaguely remember more recently that you cannot alter even the regular FPs on your CLFP days until their usual 60 day mark, but I'm not sure about that. There have been a few reports here and there where people did have DSS "catch them" with having 2 FPs for the same ride and "helping" them by changing one back, and one report I read where someone scanned in for their first of 2 FP for the same ride and it took both FPs. But unless things have changed recently and somehow I missed it completely (I follow this thread and read the new replies, but certainly could be forgetting something) most people that try to double up are successful with it and get 2 rides on one of the headliners in one day. I never doubled up, we always wanted to maximize number of rides instead of re-riding the 2 times we used the CLPFs, but if it were me and I did change one to double up I know I would be very nervous about calling DSS and giving them reason to look at my plans. So if you want to double up and things haven't changed, know you probably can but there is a risk of being told you have to change one or worse, losing one FP like happened to one person with the system taking both FPs when you scan the first time. I hope that made some sense!

 

[TigerlilyAJ]

Wow, @ninafeliz , I never would have thought of all that! LOL No worries: trip planning is stressful enough without worrying that DSS could come for me. ;-) (But kudos to all who managed to pull off the FP menu of their dreams!)

 

[pwrline]

The official rule has always been that you cannot have 2 FPs for the same ride on the same day, even mixing one CL and one regular. However, many people have been able to initially book 6 separate rides, and then go in themselves and change one of the regular FPs to a duplicate of one of the CL FPs. You used to be able to do this as soon as you booked and hung up the phone with DSS, as early as 90 days, but I seem to vaguely remember more recently that you cannot alter even the regular FPs on your CLFP days until their usual 60 day mark, but I'm not sure about that. There have been a few reports here and there where people did have DSS "catch them" with having 2 FPs for the same ride and "helping" them by changing one back, and one report I read where someone scanned in for their first of 2 FP for the same ride and it took both FPs. But unless things have changed recently and somehow I missed it completely (I follow this thread and read the new replies, but certainly could be forgetting something) most people that try to double up are successful with it and get 2 rides on one of the headliners in one day. I never doubled up, we always wanted to maximize number of rides instead of re-riding the 2 times we used the CLPFs, but if it were me and I did change one to double up I know I would be very nervous about calling DSS and giving them reason to look at my plans. So if you want to double up and things haven't changed, know you probably can but there is a risk of being told you have to change one or worse, losing one FP like happened to one person with the system taking both FPs when you scan the first time. I hope that made some sense!

Yes, on the phone when you book you're told you can't duplicate, but some people have been successful in switching it on MDE. This is probably because of it being a "trial" and IT hasn't bothered to correct it. I'm not at 60 days yet and can't update any of my regular FPs through MDE right now. I'd be too nervous to anyway, I wouldn't want to risk it.

 

[simnia]

Booked our October trip FP+s (CL and Regular) this morning.
So easy and quick to do (and at the times I wanted).
What a relief to have that checked off my "to-do list".

 

[Craig W]

Done! Took about 20 minutes! Such an awesome program!! 5 days - 30 fast passes.

I will NOT be able to change anything until the 60 day mark unless I do it over the phone.

Now I will be looking into the Pirate League costume situation I booked. Will my 16 and 13 year old go for it?

 

[chimoe]

I booked my CLFP a little over a week ago. Everything was really easy to do. I tried to modify a few of the standard Fastpasses but MDE app errors out. I'm assuming I have to wait until 60day mark? (or call DSS to have them update it).

 

[chiisai]

Done! Took about 20 minutes! Such an awesome program!! 5 days - 30 fast passes.

I will NOT be able to change anything until the 60 day mark unless I do it over the phone.

Now I will be looking into the Pirate League costume situation I booked. Will my 16 and 13 year old go for it?

Congrats! Re: Pirates league, my 13 yo did not have interest, but the CMs were really cool with him while my 10 yo got the Redd package. They joked around with him and it definitely made it more enjoyable than just waiting. It was just me with both, and he didn’t feel comfortable wandering around without us (it was the week before Easter and pretty intense crowds).

Are your attending the Halloween party? I thought it would be fun to get done up at Pirates league before attending MNSSHP.

 

[Craig W]

Congrats! Re: Pirates league, my 13 yo did not have interest, but the CMs were really cool with him while my 10 yo got the Redd package. They joked around with him and it definitely made it more enjoyable than just waiting. It was just me with both, and he didn’t feel comfortable wandering around without us (it was the week before Easter and pretty intense crowds).

Are your attending the Halloween party? I thought it would be fun to get done up at Pirates league before attending MNSSHP.

Yes we are attending the party 5 hours later. And doing BOG dinner 2 hours before the party. Not by choice. All 5 of us are doing something with Pirates League but not exactly sure yet. I (dad) don't really want a ton of stuff on before a nice sit down meal at BOG. oh well. Gotta roll with it.

90 days away. Crazy. It seems it was just 120 days last week.

 

[chiisai]

Yes we are attending the party 5 hours later. And doing BOG dinner 2 hours before the party. Not by choice. All 5 of us are doing something with Pirates League but not exactly sure yet. I (dad) don't really want a ton of stuff on before a nice sit down meal at BOG. oh well. Gotta roll with it.

90 days away. Crazy. It seems it was just 120 days last week.

Fun! Well, BoG before will allow you to focus on treats during the party!

Pirates league is really neat inside; I wasn’t expecting it to be so themed (not sure why not, I guess I just didn’t look into it much).

All of you will have a great time that day.

 

[simnia]

I booked my CLFP a little over a week ago. Everything was really easy to do. I tried to modify a few of the standard Fastpasses but MDE app errors out. I'm assuming I have to wait until 60day mark? (or call DSS to have them update it).

That is what I was told on the phone. Call them to make changes to regular FP now or I can do so on my own at my 60 day mark.
I wish all fastpass bookings were that easy.

 

[Grasshopper2016]

I'm interested in hearing more about people's recent experiences with doubling up on headliners. I did this program in January, and what made it worth it for my family was (1) the ability to ride all of the Tier 1 rides in the same park without waiting in long lines, and (2) the ability to ride our favorite rides, like FOP and SDD, twice. If you take away that second benefit, I'm not sure this is worth the money anymore --- at least not to my family. I'm not interested in paying hundreds of dollars to get fastpasses for Buzz Lightyear, Star Tours, and Primeval Whirl!

Have others had recent success going in to MDE at 60 days and doubling up on headliners? Have people been "caught" by DSS and had their fastpasses involuntarily modified? I would very much appreciate hearing others' recent experiences. Thanks!