Trial Club Level Fastpass+ Purchase Program Planning & Discussion

[QueenElinor]

Would anyone consider doing a day of CLFP when the crowds are estimated to be low/moderate (about a 4?) A Wednesday at DHS. That's the one I'm on the fence about, my only concern is it comes early in the trip and when I get to the 60 FP window, might not be able to get SDD. But I'm not sure that ride is worth $250!

WWYD?

 

[QueenElinor]

Ahh! I am flustered, I don't know why but I was thinking I had until the end of March instead of tomorrow for my fastpasses for the end of May. I am doing a split stay so would that mean I have to do it twice on each check out day? And I haven't gotten an emails or calls so that means I have to contact DSS myself, right?

I don't know about the split stay situation, we have a split stay but none of the FP are during the first one so I didn't ask. You get right through so calling to ask is not a hassle at all.

the numbers for DSS 1(407) 939-3463.

Also, I know this question has been raised in the past, but the CM only mentioned my ADRs if it looked like we really might not make it to one or the other, not some arbitrary window they wanted to impose. She just wanted to be sure I knew the timing was close, but kept the ADR the way I wanted it.

 

[NYCgrrl]

Ahh! I am flustered, I don't know why but I was thinking I had until the end of March instead of tomorrow for my fastpasses for the end of May. I am doing a split stay so would that mean I have to do it twice on each check out day? And I haven't gotten an emails or calls so that means I have to contact DSS myself, right?

Sounds like you have your timing correct; you'll have to contact twice for CLFPs or FPs with a split stay. And yes you have to call DSS directly. Chances are pretty low they'll call you. And do call tomorrow for the CLFPs in particular as they seem to be using the general pool and do not have passes dedicated to their program. They will also book your FPs if you want them too.
https://www.yelp.com/biz/frontera-grill-chicago?osq=Rick+Bayless+Restaurants

 

[reluctantredhead]

Hi again everyone! Sorry it’s taken me over a day to write back...this trip has been crazy busy and this is the first chance I’ve had to really sit and type something out...and unfortunately I think what we experienced is related to the issue @CogsworthTN is dealing with.

So yesterday we finally broke down and decided to try to get help with our FP modification issue from a CM. The CL CM at the Boardwalk looked up our FP+ and confirmed that indeed the CM who booked our FP+ at the 90 day mark had booked them all as CL FP, which was why we couldn’t modify them. He said that only DSS could modify, but he could cancel...so we had him cancel the 3 EP FP+ we didn’t want to use and went back to our room to call DSS.

So the story DSS gave us was this...the CM said if you are an AP who already had 7 days of FP reserved, you couldn’t reserve any additional future FP+ in a standard way. Because we booked 90 days in advance for our current trip, AND when we booked these CL FP+ we had not yet gone on our December 2018 trip and used up the FP we booked for it, we fit that profile of being unable to book any “regular” FP+. So when the DSS CM booked our FP+ for us at 90 days, she never told me that the only way she could book our “free” FP+ at that time was to actually book them as CL FP+...which, like I said, I was never informed of, and which meant that we were unable to modify them. What that also meant was that MDE didn’t think we had any “free” FP+ already booked...which explains why it was allowing me to book 2 more on top of the 3 we already had. Theoretically this would’ve been great, because it meant we could’ve actually had 9 FP+ pre-booked if we’d known about this in advance. But obviously we didn’t know, and it was actually a big inconvenience because MDE wouldn’t allow us to overlap any of the times with each other...so in effect, it meant that 9 straight hours of time would’ve had to be booked. And the 3 hour chunk in the middle of the day was taken up by the EP FP+ we didn’t want to use.

Sooo...all that to say...super weird glitch. Really unfortunate no one bothered to tell us we couldn’t modify them because of the 7 day AP FP rule. Still not sure I fully understand it, lol. As an aside, we’ve been here since Saturday, and MDE was fine the first two days but has been horrendous since then with crashes, not showing any of our FP+, having a lot of “sorry” and Olaf messages...it’s been pretty frustrating. Other people we’ve talked to in the parks have been frustrated with it too.

@CogsworthTN , you might try calling DSS and booking the CL FP if you’re staying CL at the GF, because they can definitely get around the 7 day rule that way (as they apparently did with our FP), but you unfortunately won’t be able to modify them yourself.

Hope this helps someone!

 

[tjmw2727]

I thought if you had an onsite stay the 7 day max AP rule didn't apply/ I was told the onsite stay overrides the 7 day rule?

For several years we have had 2 onsite stays with a 30 day overlap (usually the holidays and then spring break(s) )and only once did we run into this issue. Two years ago guest relations had to book our FP+ for the second stay, they were traditional FP+ and then last year our overlapping trips were fine - I booked them all myself.

From the FP+ sticky here:
https://www.disboards.com/threads/fastpass-frequently-asked-questions.3491680/

- Annual Pass (AP) holders have similar benefits as onsite guests when staying at an onsite resort. The primary difference is that AP holders can book up to 7 days of FPs at all times, and more if the length of the onsite stay is greater.

 

[tjmw2727]

Sounds like you have your timing correct; you'll have to contact twice for CLFPs or FPs with a split stay. And yes you have to call DSS directly. Chances are pretty low they'll call you. And do call tomorrow for the CLFPs in particular as they seem to be using the general pool and do not have passes dedicated to their program. They will also book your FPs if you want them too.

Slight clarification - DSS will only book your regular FP+ for the days you purchase club level. You will have to book any non CL FP trial days (if any) yourself at each T60.

 

[NYCgrrl]

Slight clarification - DSS will only book your regular FP+ for the days you purchase club level. You will have to book any non CL FP trial days (if any) yourself at each T60.

True!

 

[vinotinto]

I thought if you had an onsite stay the 7 day max AP rule didn't apply/ I was told the onsite stay overrides the 7 day rule?

For several years we have had 2 onsite stays with a 30 day overlap (usually the holidays and then spring break(s) )and only once did we run into this issue. Two years ago guest relations had to book our FP+ for the second stay, they were traditional FP+ and then last year our overlapping trips were fine - I booked them all myself.

From the FP+ sticky here:
https://www.disboards.com/threads/fastpass-frequently-asked-questions.3491680/

- Annual Pass (AP) holders have similar benefits as onsite guests when staying at an onsite resort. The primary difference is that AP holders can book up to 7 days of FPs at all times, and more if the length of the onsite stay is greater.

Did you, by any chance, have an offsite stay the year that you had the issue that you could not make the FPs (i.e., did you make FPs while not having an onsite stay, even for 1 day)?

 

[focusondisney]

So the story DSS gave us was this...the CM said if you are an AP who already had 7 days of FP reserved, you couldn’t reserve any additional future FP+ in a standard way. Because we booked 90 days in advance for our current trip, AND when we booked these CL FP+ we had not yet gone on our December 2018 trip and used up the FP we booked for it, we fit that profile of being unable to book any “regular” FP+. So when the DSS CM booked our FP+ for us at 90 days, she never told me that the only way she could book our “free” FP+ at that time was to actually book them as CL FP+...which, like I said, I was never informed of, and which meant that we were unable to modify them. What that also meant was that MDE didn’t think we had any “free” FP+ already booked...which explains why it was allowing me to book 2 more on top of the 3 we already had. Theoretically this would’ve been great, because it meant we could’ve actually had 9 FP+ pre-booked if we’d known about this in advance. But obviously we didn’t know, and it was actually a big inconvenience because MDE wouldn’t allow us to overlap any of the times with each other...so in effect, it meant that 9 straight hours of time would’ve had to be booked. And the 3 hour chunk in the middle of the day was taken up by the EP FP+ we didn’t want to use.

Sooo...all that to say...super weird glitch. Really unfortunate no one bothered to tell us we couldn’t modify them because of the 7 day AP FP rule.

I booked CL FPs for April while I was holding FPs for Feb. The CM did have some trouble initially booking the last few days & asked if we had another stay, told her we were actually arriving the next day & had 6 days of FPs booked. She booked them all “another way”. However, they are all booked appropriately. I just looked at all of my FPs. The 3 free ones I can change every day. The 3 paid ones don’t show a modify option.

I have an AP, had 2 stays booked with more than 7 days of FPs booked. Still have 8 days of FPs booked for my 7 night stay. Everything is working just as it should be for me.

 

[tjmw2727]

Did you, by any chance, have an offsite stay the year that you had the issue that you could not make the FPs (i.e., did you make FPs while not having an onsite stay, even for 1 day)?

No - nothing different about that stay than any of our other stays before or after.

 

[reluctantredhead]

I booked CL FPs for April while I was holding FPs for Feb. The CM did have some trouble initially booking the last few days & asked if we had another stay, told her we were actually arriving the next day & had 6 days of FPs booked. She booked them all “another way”. However, they are all booked appropriately. I just looked at all of my FPs. The 3 free ones I can change every day. The 3 paid ones don’t show a modify option.

I have an AP, had 2 stays booked with more than 7 days of FPs booked. Still have 8 days of FPs booked for my 7 night stay. Everything is working just as it should be for me.

I’m really glad that yours got booked the right way and that you are able to modify them. . For us, it was a huge inconvenience that we couldn’t because 1) we like to move times up as we tap in so we can get more FP+, and 2) we often change our minds about what we want to do and rebook a different attraction. To be honest, I never would’ve booked the CL FP+ had I known that none of the 6 would have been able to be modified by us...that just doesn’t work with our touring style.

BTW, I forgot to mention before another thing the CM told us about these FP+. I know different CM have told people different things, but this CM claimed when we asked if the 3 FP+ could just be converted to regular ones that we could modify ourselves, that because the CL FP (and hence our 3 free ones that we couldn’t modify) came from a separate pool, they couldn’t be turned into regular ones. That was a surprise to me because I’d read before that people had been told that these CL FP+ did in fact come out of the general pool. I wonder which story is true...that they come from a separate pool, or that they come from the same pool as the regular FP+???

 

[focusondisney]

I’m really glad that yours got booked the right way and that you are able to modify them. . For us, it was a huge inconvenience that we couldn’t because 1) we like to move times up as we tap in so we can get more FP+, and 2) we often change our minds about what we want to do and rebook a different attraction. To be honest, I never would’ve booked the CL FP+ had I known that none of the 6 would have been able to be modified by us...that just doesn’t work with our touring style.

BTW, I forgot to mention before another thing the CM told us about these FP+. I know different CM have told people different things, but this CM claimed when we asked if the 3 FP+ could just be converted to regular ones that we could modify ourselves, that because the CL FP (and hence our 3 free ones that we couldn’t modify) came from a separate pool, they couldn’t be turned into regular ones. That was a surprise to me because I’d read before that people had been told that these CL FP+ did in fact come out of the general pool. I wonder which story is true...that they come from a separate pool, or that they come from the same pool as the regular FP+???

OMG, it so annoying how there are so many different stories from the CMs. Not only did mine get booked normally, she even told me I could change my free ones, but only the DSS CMs could change the paid ones. Twice. And yea, unbelievable that now you are being told about a “separate pool” for paid vs. free.

It really stinks you couldn’t use your free ones the way you wanted. I totally understand about wanting to change the times as you go. The only reason I buy them is so my DH can do SDD & TT. I can’t do either one, so I would only book TSM & Soarin. But 6 hours in the park is too much for us. So I like to be able to move ours up too.

 

[KateMW]

We did the CL FP+ for our trip in Dec and weren't planning on going back anytime soon, butttttt has anything been said/written about when/if the program will continue? Thinking about planning a surprise trip for next February and with the craziness of Star Wars opening, thinking the extra fast passes are a solid idea this time around.

 

[QueenElinor]

We did the CL FP+ for our trip in Dec and weren't planning on going back anytime soon, butttttt has anything been said/written about when/if the program will continue? Thinking about planning a surprise trip for next February and with the craziness of Star Wars opening, thinking the extra fast passes are a solid idea this time around.

If I had to guess, I'd say the entire point of this pilot program is to get it up and running smoothly for SW:GE.

But there hasn't been any indication it will end. On the contrary, I think they'll be making it official soon, and if I were coming in February 2020, I'd want to get my CL room booked before that happens. SW fans are among the most dedicated on the face of the planet, if they thought they'd have a leg up on getting SW:GE passes, I'm confident quite a few would be willing to pay extra to do it.

 

[KateMW]

If I had to guess, I'd say the entire point of this pilot program is to get it up and running smoothly for SW:GE.

But there hasn't been any indication it will end. On the contrary, I think they'll be making it official soon, and if I were coming in February 2020, I'd want to get my CL room booked before that happens. SW fans are among the most dedicated on the face of the planet, if they thought they'd have a leg up on getting SW:GE passes, I'm confident quite a few would be willing to pay extra to do it.

I agree about getting it booked asap. I wish you could book packages earlier than this summer! Or I wish you could book a room to hold and then convert to a package!

 

[jbb4me]

Hi all, I booked the CL FPs earlier this week and reported on the CL thread not being able to go back in and modify the "regular" FPs afterwards. I continued to try the last couple of days and still couldn't modify those regular ones. So I called DSS this morning to find out what the issue was. According to the CM, the system doesn't allow modification of those regular FPs until you reach the 60 day FP window. I indicated to him that I was able to do this before, when we last purchased the CL FPs in April 2018, and he said that was a glitch in the system - that I shouldn't have been able to modify those before the 60 day mark. He offered to go ahead and make the modifications for me (we needed to bump the time on a couple of the regular FPs), but also reminded me to be sure not to double-up on any FPs between what I had for the extras vs. the regulars each day. He also mentioned anecdotally that he knew of a customer who did double-up and ended up losing ALL of his FPs for that day. We hadn't been planning to double-up this trip since it's a short and sweet one, but I did want to pass along that additional info since it appears others have had issues with the doubling-up recently.

Has anyone else had an issue not being able to modify their regular FPs prior to the 60 day mark?

 

[ninafeliz]

Hi all, I booked the CL FPs earlier this week and reported on the CL thread not being able to go back in and modify the "regular" FPs afterwards. I continued to try the last couple of days and still couldn't modify those regular ones. So I called DSS this morning to find out what the issue was. According to the CM, the system doesn't allow modification of those regular FPs until you reach the 60 day FP window. I indicated to him that I was able to do this before, when we last purchased the CL FPs in April 2018, and he said that was a glitch in the system - that I shouldn't have been able to modify those before the 60 day mark. He offered to go ahead and make the modifications for me (we needed to bump the time on a couple of the regular FPs), but also reminded me to be sure not to double-up on any FPs between what I had for the extras vs. the regulars each day. He also mentioned anecdotally that he knew of a customer who did double-up and ended up losing ALL of his FPs for that day. We hadn't been planning to double-up this trip since it's a short and sweet one, but I did want to pass along that additional info since it appears others have had issues with the doubling-up recently.

Has anyone else had an issue not being able to modify their regular FPs prior to the 60 day mark?

I'm planning to book ours on or around march 29th, which is the 90 day mark from the last of our 3 split stays, so I'll know then! Luckily we don't want to double up, since we want to do as many rides as possible with FPs and are doing MK and DHS EMM to get those rides in, so I don't have to worry about that. We also did these back in June 2018 and were able to modify the regular Fps prior to 60 days.

It seems as if pretty much everything relating to FPs that we thought we were all used to is changing, so who knows what we might find as things move forward. With everything else, it wouldn't surprise me if they didn't eliminate the ability to modify them prior to 60 days and also build in a way to actually stop the doubling up. It seems to me that they are stopping little things that don't really matter to many and making split stays much worse for FP purposes, but not changing much that would really stop abuse except for the leading reservation one, which is why legit split stays are hurt. I hope I'm proven wrong as this plays out over time.

 

[goherdibg]

We are taking a trip this summer and would like some feedback on my 2 options for FP timing:

SFP = Standard/Normal FP
CLFP = Club Level FP

All times are approximate depending on when the parks actually open. They are all scheduled to open at 9:00am or 8:00 on EMH.

Most of our dinners (TS) are scheduled for 6:00pm.

Option 1:
9:00 -10:00 SFP
10:00 - 11:00 SFP
11:00 - 12:00 SFP

Lunch​

12:30 - 1:30 CLFP
1:30 - 2:30 CLFP
2:30 - 3:30 CLFP

Room/Swim/Rest​

5:30 - 6:30 4th SFP (scheduled immediately after 11:00 SFP)

Dinner​

7:00 - 8:00 5th SFP
8:00 - 9:00 6th SFP


Option 2:
9:00 -10:00 SFP
10:00 - 11:00 SFP
11:00 - 12:00 SFP

Lunch​

4th SFP
5th SFP
6th SFP

Room/Swim/Rest​

5:00 - 6:00 CLFP

Dinner​

7:00 - 8:00 CLFP
8:00 - 9:00 CLFP

While the 2 options look about the same, I am worried about the timing for getting the 4th, 5th, etc, FP. Would I have a better chance of getting the 4th, 5th, etc. FP for later in the evening for popular rides in option 1? However, I do like option 2 for the idea of not having to fight for FP's late in the evening when everyone is tired.

Anyone with real experience on the CL FP planning and execution would be appreciated.

As mentioned in other posts, I almost feel like the CL FP program is overwhelming and ties us down too much. The problem comes in that we haven't been to WDW since Pandora and Toy Story Land opened so we want to make sure we get FP's for FOP and SDD.

Thanks for any advice,
GoHerdIBG
http://www.distripplanner.com

 

[reluctantredhead]

We are taking a trip this summer and would like some feedback on my 2 options for FP timing:

SFP = Standard/Normal FP
CLFP = Club Level FP

All times are approximate depending on when the parks actually open. They are all scheduled to open at 9:00am or 8:00 on EMH.

Most of our dinners (TS) are scheduled for 6:00pm.

Option 1:
9:00 -10:00 SFP
10:00 - 11:00 SFP
11:00 - 12:00 SFP

Lunch​

12:30 - 1:30 CLFP
1:30 - 2:30 CLFP
2:30 - 3:30 CLFP

Room/Swim/Rest​

5:30 - 6:30 4th SFP (scheduled immediately after 11:00 SFP)

Dinner​

7:00 - 8:00 5th SFP
8:00 - 9:00 6th SFP


Option 2:
9:00 -10:00 SFP
10:00 - 11:00 SFP
11:00 - 12:00 SFP

Lunch​

4th SFP
5th SFP
6th SFP

Room/Swim/Rest​

5:00 - 6:00 CLFP

Dinner​

7:00 - 8:00 CLFP
8:00 - 9:00 CLFP

While the 2 options look about the same, I am worried about the timing for getting the 4th, 5th, etc, FP. Would I have a better chance of getting the 4th, 5th, etc. FP for later in the evening for popular rides in option 1? However, I do like option 2 for the idea of not having to fight for FP's late in the evening when everyone is tired.

Anyone with real experience on the CL FP planning and execution would be appreciated.

As mentioned in other posts, I almost feel like the CL FP program is overwhelming and ties us down too much. The problem comes in that we haven't been to WDW since Pandora and Toy Story Land opened so we want to make sure we get FP's for FOP and SDD.

Thanks for any advice,
GoHerdIBG
http://www.distripplanner.com

Hi there.

We are currently on our 2nd trip with the CLFP. We have found that the earlier in the day we use them, the better, for 3 reasons:

1) they block you from being able to get other FP during those times; and

2) you’re more likely to use them (i.e., not get tired and want to bail on them even though you paid for them, lol); and

3) yes, you might be more likely to get later return times for the headliners if late FP are all that are left for them.

So given the options you laid out, for our family we would choose option 1. However, some people (our family and I think @GADisneyDad14 for example) choose to have the CLFP be first so that you are “done” with them early and can modify the rest to your heart’s content (my family often strays from plans in the afternoon). And as long as you’re trying to move up your next “standard” FP time as soon as you tap in to each ride, we have found that we can have really great success at getting many FP+ beyond the initial “standard” ones...even for headliners.

HTH!

 

[JJ2017]

We are taking a trip this summer and would like some feedback on my 2 options for FP timing:

SFP = Standard/Normal FP
CLFP = Club Level FP

All times are approximate depending on when the parks actually open. They are all scheduled to open at 9:00am or 8:00 on EMH.

Most of our dinners (TS) are scheduled for 6:00pm.

Option 1:
9:00 -10:00 SFP
10:00 - 11:00 SFP
11:00 - 12:00 SFP

Lunch​

12:30 - 1:30 CLFP
1:30 - 2:30 CLFP
2:30 - 3:30 CLFP

Room/Swim/Rest​

5:30 - 6:30 4th SFP (scheduled immediately after 11:00 SFP)

Dinner​

7:00 - 8:00 5th SFP
8:00 - 9:00 6th SFP


Option 2:
9:00 -10:00 SFP
10:00 - 11:00 SFP
11:00 - 12:00 SFP

Lunch​

4th SFP
5th SFP
6th SFP

Room/Swim/Rest​

5:00 - 6:00 CLFP

Dinner​

7:00 - 8:00 CLFP
8:00 - 9:00 CLFP

While the 2 options look about the same, I am worried about the timing for getting the 4th, 5th, etc, FP. Would I have a better chance of getting the 4th, 5th, etc. FP for later in the evening for popular rides in option 1? However, I do like option 2 for the idea of not having to fight for FP's late in the evening when everyone is tired.

Anyone with real experience on the CL FP planning and execution would be appreciated.

As mentioned in other posts, I almost feel like the CL FP program is overwhelming and ties us down too much. The problem comes in that we haven't been to WDW since Pandora and Toy Story Land opened so we want to make sure we get FP's for FOP and SDD.

Thanks for any advice,
GoHerdIBG
http://www.distripplanner.com

Scheduling the CLs first and as early in the day as possible worked well for us and we liked knowing we could play around with our regular fast passes if we changed our minds. Having the CL first also made me feel like I wasn’t wasting money since we were able to stick with them in the beginning of the day.