FP+ for large group

[LizEN]

I am going to WDW with two other families. We are all spending a different number of days at the parks but will def all be at MK the same day. It would be more fun for all the kids (I have 2, another fam has 3 and another has 1) if they could all get FP+ slots for the same times. Any idea how we can get this done? I think we are all staying off-site, if that matters.

The family with the most kids and staying the most days are the newbies, so I'd like to avoid putting them in charge of making reservations if it can be helped.

Also--is there a sticky or one big post with all the latest FP+ info, I can't seem to track one down.

Thanks!

 

[Robo]

-is there a sticky or one big post with all the latest FP+ info...

Many details, logistics, and FP+ priorities found HERE.

 

[IndianaJ]

I would highly suggest a call after you get everyone in the system. I'm planning for my party of 10 We have three MDE accounts in total, but the lovely lady on the phone made sure everything was perfect for us. Took control of my sister's account and fixed my Mom's error we couldn't see on our end. We did this the week of our FP+ window. Hope you have a great time!

 

[Sherrkel]

Are you going crazy like me?
I'm currently waiting for our window to open in about a week, for making FP+ for 20 family and extended family members (we're staying on-site, so have 60 days in advance). We're doing a lot together, but also have some separate plans.
If I can't get FP+ together when I make the selections, I'm going to try the copy function where you "copy" your FP+ to one or more other parties, and see if that works (if I have to).
We want to do Mine Train and a couple of them want to do A&E, so those will be challenging. I plan to skip to the last couple of days (less crowded prediction) of our trip to try to secure those first.
Getting all 20 of them lined up for MDE was quite challenging, and we still have one of my DNieces that has a duplicate account and my SIL has to get that fixed this week.
Good luck, and I hope you have an awesome trip.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I am going to WDW with two other families. We are all spending a different number of days at the parks but will def all be at MK the same day. It would be more fun for all the kids (I have 2, another fam has 3 and another has 1) if they could all get FP+ slots for the same times. Any idea how we can get this done? I think we are all staying off-site, if that matters.

The family with the most kids and staying the most days are the newbies, so I'd like to avoid putting them in charge of making reservations if it can be helped.

Also--is there a sticky or one big post with all the latest FP+ info, I can't seem to track one down.

Thanks!

We just did this last week.

All families did their own Fastpasses as we really didn't want our accounts linked. Then we just overlapped times. As it were, many times FP was not needed. But we would get the times real close and if worked well for many attractions.

I do NOT suggest linking accounts unless you plan to travel with these people on a regular basis. We were not related to the families we traveled with. And the main ones we over lapped--between us it was a family with 4 kids, 7 kids, and 8 kids.

Just my $0.02.

And having the kids ride rides together was a lot of fun for our group and definitely encouraged.

 

[Mikie]

I would highly suggest a call after you get everyone in the system. I'm planning for my party of 10 We have three MDE accounts in total, but the lovely lady on the phone made sure everything was perfect for us. Took control of my sister's account and fixed my Mom's error we couldn't see on our end. We did this the week of our FP+ window. Hope you have a great time!

I agree.i traveled with 12, extended family, and we were all "linked" in MDE so that I could make FPs for the whole group.
I called IT for a different question & asked them if I was set up properly to make all FP picks. She fixed something I didnt even see wrong on my end and I was easily able to make FP picks when the time came.

I highly recommend asking everyone what their top choices are, whether they want to be involved in the picking or just told what to do when they get there! The people who want to help pick should ideally physically get together, or at least be on the phone together.

Use the FP priority link given above by another poster to make your choices. If you need to split up at all (big rides vs more kiddie stuff) try to pick FP for the WHOLE group for the more difficult-to-get ride first, then edit that choice for the individuals who want a different ride.

To avoid setting too many meeting times if you plan t split and re-group at all, I liked scheduling one FP late morning, having lunch near that area, then 2 more FP back-to-back after lunch. You meet once for rides/lunch/rides, then are free to break off again if needed.

Good luck! Going with a group can be a lot of fun and I think FP+ is helpful for it.

 

[LizEN]

We just did this last week.

All families did their own Fastpasses as we really didn't want our accounts linked. Then we just overlapped times. As it were, many times FP was not needed. But we would get the times real close and if worked well for many attractions.

I do NOT suggest linking accounts unless you plan to travel with these people on a regular basis. We were not related to the families we traveled with. And the main ones we over lapped--between us it was a family with 4 kids, 7 kids, and 8 kids.

Just my $0.02.

And having the kids ride rides together was a lot of fun for our group and definitely encouraged.

Thanks--I have a similar situation to yours. 3 families and one of them is staying much longer and arriving well before the rest, so it seemed like it might cause trouble for them to link to the other two families. Glad to hear you were able to get things to work out. I'm thinking that is the way we should probably go. Plus, I don't want to have hard feelings if we miss out on what we need to do since they will have 7 days and we only have two to get everything in.

 

[LizEN]

Are you going crazy like me?
<<Clipped>>
If I can't get FP+ together when I make the selections, I'm going to try the copy function where you "copy" your FP+ to one or more other parties, and see if that works (if I have to).
<<clipped>>
Good luck, and I hope you have an awesome trip.

Wanted to mention that I read on the main FP+ thread (which I finally found--thanks ROBO!). That some folks have had trouble using the copy feature and if there weren't additional spaces for that time slot, they lost their original FP spots. 60 days out it might not make a difference, but you might want to read up on that before you risk it.

Hope you have a great trip too! Thanks.
EMEN

 

[dimndgal1]

I was in charge of FP+ for a group of 12 across 4 rooms for Christmas week.

As PP said, go in with a strategy and I recommend listing out who wants what so you can have the logistics mapped out. For instance, we have 4 on SDMT while 3 are on HM and 3 are taking two under 2s for M&G, all in the same 90ish minute span.

One thing I found that worked well when I couldn't snag a FP for all 12 was to book as many as I could for a time, then grab the closest time for the rest... it took some finagling and going back and forth, but I could often get them to overlap by at least 30 minutes and then we can all ride together. Also, if you have anyone who HAS to do E&A, book them with the minimal amount of people - I never was able to get a FP for E&A for a group of 5 or more but I was able to have a few options if it was just DH, DD, and myself. I booked the rest of the group on something else at the same time so no one is waiting around and DD still gets her face time.

Finally, and this is crucial as I had a horrible experience - the day before your window opens, log into MDE and ensure that everyone's ticket is linked and correct!!!! I checked when we booked... checked when we paid it off, and checked at day 70 and everything was fine but when I went into MDE on our 60 day, for some reason my room's tickets had disappeared! There was nothing I could do because tech support was closed that time of night so I watched E&A literally disappear under my eyes. I called first thing the next morning and after a really bad round of unhelpful CMs, finally got it straightened out and managed to still get what I needed but it did make logistics harder for coordinating our times with the group at large. Again, I know this is probably some random glitch but I was inconsolable and exhausted and loathed having to wake up a few hours later to sort it all out.

 

[Sherrkel]

Wanted to mention that I read on the main FP+ thread (which I finally found--thanks ROBO!). That some folks have had trouble using the copy feature and if there weren't additional spaces for that time slot, they lost their original FP spots. 60 days out it might not make a difference, but you might want to read up on that before you risk it.

Hope you have a great trip too! Thanks.
EMEN

Thanks and yes I have read about that too, I think I remember seeing that happens more when people try to copy FP+using the MDE app, versus accessing MDE via internet browser.
But I'll definitely be cautious and maybe test it with something less important than the Mine train or A&E!