Here now - Disney's "technology" is NOT magical

[bumbershoot]

We arrived on Saturday and the MDE system was down all day. Impossible to book new fast passes or make any changes. Cast members were great, but it was clearly visible that they were beyond frustrated. The system is back up, but the mobile app is a joke - we can rarely even check wait times, much less make changes to our fast passes during the day.

We also bought Memory Maker, which has worked fine up until this evening. We were chosen as "Family of the Day" at Chef Mickey's and the photopass photographers photographed the entire thing - from my girls opening Chef Mickey's, the two of them autographing Mickey's autograph book, and photos with Mickey - they transferred the pictures to my band, just like all the other photopass photographers have done, but the pictures did not show up. I'm heartbroken. Since we were part of the "ceremony" we didn't take pictures, and depended on the photopass photographer. None of our ride photos are showing up either, despite being told that they would be there more than once.

Aren't there still photopass/MM kiosks with CMs there? If there are, go there and have them look up the pictures for you. Why call or email if those kiosks and CMs are there?

interesting that you and casjen are there at the same time and having opposite experiences- just shows that everyone's experiences are different I guess - enjoy the rest of your trip!

Do you think they are having the same stuff happen, though?

casjen was at rope drop on Saturday. The OP here *arrived* on Saturday. casjen did a bunch starting at rope drop before starting on their FP+ rides. The OP seems to have expected to be able to do their FP+s from the get-go, but since the system crashed she was unable to. casjen wasn't making changes; the OP here was. Or...was trying to.

The two are literally having different experiences because they were doing different things, and it seems like they got there at different times. That'll change everything!



Sometime we use "experience" to refer to "someone's experience of a thing", which is often a veiled way of saying that one person will naturally be more positiive, and therefore their experience of a thing will be more positive.

But in this case, they are literally having different experiences, due to starting at different times on Saturday and it seems like different start times on the FP+ rides.

On ANY day where I can ride several things at rope drop, the rest of my day (even if it goes downhill) still feels better because I have those other things checked off! (and I'm not a naturally chipper person, as though anyone in this world thought I was LOL)

 

[abctriplets]

What? I didn't see that. I knew it was down earlier (as was splash mountain) but I thought it was being glitchy again. People were taken off a stuck ride? We rode it twice in the second half of the day....

 

[btk2333]

Aren't there still photopass/MM kiosks with CMs there? If there are, go there and have them look up the pictures for you. Why call or email if those kiosks and CMs are there?



Do you think they are having the same stuff happen, though?

casjen was at rope drop on Saturday. The OP here *arrived* on Saturday. casjen did a bunch starting at rope drop before starting on their FP+ rides. The OP seems to have expected to be able to do their FP+s from the get-go, but since the system crashed she was unable to. casjen wasn't making changes; the OP here was. Or...was trying to.

The two are literally having different experiences because they were doing different things, and it seems like they got there at different times. That'll change everything!



Sometime we use "experience" to refer to "someone's experience of a thing", which is often a veiled way of saying that one person will naturally be more positiive, and therefore their experience of a thing will be more positive.

But in this case, they are literally having different experiences, due to starting at different times on Saturday and it seems like different start times on the FP+ rides.

On ANY day where I can ride several things at rope drop, the rest of my day (even if it goes downhill) still feels better because I have those other things checked off! (and I'm not a naturally chipper person, as though anyone in this world thought I was LOL)

I was more trying to say that it is interesting how two accounts of the same day can be so different- it is easy to see when you look at varying posts of what happened Saturday- some people have vastly contradicting stories of what was possible and what was working. That's what makes basing opinions off of someone else's experiences so hard, circumstances can make things appear worse than they really were and vice versa.

 

[Mad Hattered]

Again- not necessarily progress but not the end of the world either...

See...we DO agree. I just take exception to the cost of said "progress". But let's get back to how bad Universal is doing.

 

[btk2333]

See...we DO agree. I just take exception to the cost of said "progress". Now back to Universal.

As I said the vast majority of the time I feel that there is "progress", however, when MDE crashes it's not like they were turning back the clock to 1987

Honestly I haven't been to Universal since 2005, I love Harry Potter (did midnight releases for all eight movies and the last five books), love Jurassic Park, and the Incredible Hulk is one of my favorite roller coasters but just can't justify the added expense of getting over to Universal (we always get APs at WDW and stay on property with AP discounts or DVC). I am nowhere near qualified to give opinions on the state of the parks over there. I'm thinking we may go in about 12 years when our kids are teenagers but honestly right now I have no interest.

 

[Mad Hattered]

As I said the vast majority of the time I feel that there is "progress", however, when MDE crashes it's not like they were turning back the clock to 1987

Honestly I haven't been to Universal since 2005, I love Harry Potter (did midnight releases for all eight movies and the last five books), love Jurassic Park, and the Incredible Hulk is one of my favorite roller coasters but just can't justify the added expense of getting over to Universal (we always get APs at WDW and stay on property with AP discounts or DVC). I am nowhere near qualified to give opinions on the state of the parks over there. I'm thinking we may go in about 12 years when our kids are teenagers but honestly right now I have no interest.

Well you would be truly amazed then. It's a shame you haven't seen it.

I just hate when every thread turns into "Universal also sucks because of ______". That is where I take exception. We were Disney fans way before Universal. But here we are again, talking about Universal.

A lot of people think Disney should be pumping money into WDW parks via attractions like Universal, that is the biggest argument I see here. Progress apparently means different things to different people. Gringotts uses technology like no other "dark ride" ever. Ever! Yep...they are having issues because of it. But then this thread isn't about Universal.

 

[btk2333]

I just hate when every thread turns into "Universal also sucks because of ______". That is where I take exception. We were Disney fans way before Universal. But here we are again, talking about Universal.

A lot of people think Disney should be pumping money into WDW parks via attractions like Universal, that is the biggest argument I see here. Progress apparently means different things to different people. Gringotts uses technology like no other "dark ride" ever. Ever! Yep...they are having issues because of it. But then this thread isn't about Universal.

fair enough- FTR I don't think Universal sucks, but I'll drop discussing Universal in this thread- bed time for me anyway- 180+10 is less than 6 hours away.

 

[Mad Hattered]

fair enough- FTR I don't think Universal sucks, but I'll drop discussing Universal in this thread- bed time for me anyway- 180+10 is less than 6 hours away.

And I go to Universal in 5 weeks. I will eat great meals without any of that mess. Been there, done that many times

 

[btk2333]

And I go to Universal in 5 weeks. I will eat great meals without any of that mess.

Oh I don't normally deal with 180+10 (I haven't booked a trip this far in advance ever... and we've been over 25 times). But since our twins were born in March we are holding off on a trip until they are 10 months (although they're so well behaved now that we're thinking we should have gone earlier).

I've never had any problem getting ADR's on short notice (most of our trips are booked within 60 days, several within 1 week). I'm actually excited about it this time- it's fun making ADR's online and plugging them into my spreadsheet and deciding where to go each day and setting up back up plans for when our kids no doubt make us change our plans. The only other time I've done this is when BOG reservations opened a couple years ago - it's fun (I'm not being sarcastic)

 

[Mad Hattered]

Oh I don't normally deal with 180+10 (I haven't booked a trip this far in advance ever... and we've been over 25 times). But since our twins were born in March we are holding off on a trip until they are 10 months (although they're so well behaved now that we're thinking we should have gone earlier).

I've never had any problem getting ADR's on short notice (most of our trips are booked within 60 days, several within 1 week). I'm actually excited about it this time- it's fun making ADR's online and plugging them into my spreadsheet and deciding where to go each day and setting up back up plans for when our kids no doubt make us change our plans. The only other time I've done this is when BOG reservations opened a couple years ago - it's fun (I'm not being sarcastic)

I don't usually have a problem with it because it's just DW and I. I've made 50 trips and she has been 20. Two years ago it was a cluster because I did all the planning for my parents 50th Wedding Anniversary trip that consisted of nine people. That was not fun at all.

 

[btk2333]

I don't usually have a problem with it because it's just DW and I. I've made 50 trips and she has been 20. Two years ago it was a cluster because I did all the planning for my parents 50th Wedding Anniversary trip that consisted of nine people. That was not fun at all.

Ouch that would not be fun- I don't envy you planning that trip

 

[Mad Hattered]

Ouch that would not be fun- I don't envy you planning that trip

So at least you can understand why I might have an issue with being asked to add scheduled rides to that mix with a crowd that consisted of anyone between the ages of 72 and 5. Ugh.

 

[surferdave]

Seems like everyone who dislikes FP+ would've gotten exactly what they wanted

That cuts both ways. I've rarely seen anyone come back here from WDW who got turned around by their experience from what they believed before they went.

 

[DjdBrit]

I arrive in 2 days and am seriously concerned about all the issues. This will be our 6th trip and one that seems the most stressful.

I have all my ADR numbers written down, should I really take screen shots of all my FP+ picks too?

 

[isaboo]

I arrive in 2 days and am seriously concerned about all the issues. This will be our 6th trip and one that seems the most stressful.

I have all my ADR numbers written down, should I really take screen shots of all my FP+ picks too?

I went under "My reservations and tickets" and just printed out the whole thing. We arrive Saturday. We were there last August and part of the test, but still had access to the old FP.

 

[AlixaLock]

I went under "My reservations and tickets" and just printed out the whole thing. We arrive Saturday. We were there last August and part of the test, but still had access to the old FP.

Hi ... Not directed at the OP (so sorry you had a rough day! No fun to spend vacation like that!! )

But the thread has gotten a little out of control and I'm just trying to understand what actually happened. Were FP+ completely gone and cancelled/unusable or were they just missing from the app and you couldn't check to see your times? Was this resort wide or just MK?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Mad Hattered]

Hi ... Not directed at the OP (so sorry you had a rough day! No fun to spend vacation like that!! )

But the thread has gotten a little out of control and I'm just trying to understand what actually happened. Were FP+ completely gone and cancelled/unusable or were they just missing from the app and you couldn't check to see your times? Was this resort wide or just MK?

Thanks in advance!

If you had them printed out or remembered your FP+ times then it worked. If you didn't know what time you were to ride what then they were lost (not used). It happened at all of the parks, not just MK.

 

[AlixaLock]

If you had them printed out or remembered your FP+ times then it worked. If you didn't know what time you were to ride what then they were lost (not used). It happened at all of the parks, not just MK.

Thank you! At least those in the know can protect themselves in advance from this to some extent in the future!