“Refresh” is my new favorite strategy

[JETSDAD]

Could someone who uses an iPhone answer something for me? If you use MDE on your phone's browser do you still have to select between two different times or can you keep clicking on the same time?

 

[Babe the Blue Ox]

Could someone who uses an iPhone answer something for me? If you use MDE on your phone's browser do you still have to select between two different times or can you keep clicking on the same time?

I had to switch between 2 different times on my iPhone last week.

 

[Roxyfire]

Usually it's just my husband and myself, so forgive me if this is a stupid question...we will be traveling with my brother's family of 4. Can 2 of us be logged in to my MDE account on separate phones and each be refreshing/making FPs for parties of 3?

I suggest using two different accounts that have friends and family sharing. When we tried to use my account on both phones at the same time it didn't cooperate. Even just you and your husband having an account each and creating separate groups for each 3 would be fine.

 

[desl10]

I had to switch between 2 different times on my iPhone last week.

I can’t confirm personally but the video posted earlier said/showed iPhone users had to switch between times (the first earlier time shown bc it searches within a time window) and android users clicked the same time. Hope this helps. Let me know if you find out differently.

 

[Klayfish]

So is this method mostly useful while in park that same day? Not 15 plus days out etc

Yes. You may get really lucky at 5, 10, 15 days out, but pretty unlikely. On the day of, the FP+ system becomes very "fluid" as people are constantly changing plans. So FP+ will constantly show up and disappear. If something pops up you want or is even "close enough", grab it because next time you hit refresh it may be gone.

Usually it's just my husband and myself, so forgive me if this is a stupid question...we will be traveling with my brother's family of 4. Can 2 of us be logged in to my MDE account on separate phones and each be refreshing/making FPs for parties of 3?

Yes

 

[Louie7080]

I guess, but there comes a point where it’s not worth it. If I have to spend an hour or more refreshing, I could have just waited in the actual line. I could see that being an ok trade off for a new ride that’s averaging 3+ hours, but for most of the rides, not so much.

I felt I put a lot of time into refreshing, so it’s frustrating to hear people say, well you just gave up too fast. I pretty much spent every minute in line, or in a holding pen for a show, or while we walked from A to B, even during a couple of meals, hitting refresh. I know I refreshed for a good 30 minutes straight during one meal. I spent the entire train ride refreshing, a full loop, and the best I could come up with was Barnstormer. I feel like if I’d spent anymore time refreshing, I wouldn’t have actually seen Disney. As it was, I was pretty much ignoring my sister refreshing constantly when we could have been spending time together. If anything, I felt I spent way too much time refreshing and looking at my phone. It made everything much less enjoyable, having to constantly try so hard to find something new to get and missing what was going on around me.

I probably didn't spend as much time as you, but feel like I refreshed for a long time and nothing good popped up in HS yesterday for me. TP had the crowd level there at a 7.

 

[YesterDark]

I did this last summer. No one thought to do this? I thought everyone with a smartphone did this.

 

[PrincessWithABlaster]

Could someone who uses an iPhone answer something for me? If you use MDE on your phone's browser do you still have to select between two different times or can you keep clicking on the same time?

Yes. As of May you still had to switch back and forth between two times and it recenters the time menu on each refresh so if your want to refresh quickly you end up walking later in time with each refresh and having to pull the time bar back. One of the reasons that I preferred using the webpage in a browser (although definitely a secondary reason - better success was primary).

 

[JETSDAD]

Yes. As of May you still had to switch back and forth between two times and it recenters the time menu on each refresh so if your want to refresh quickly you end up walking later in time with each refresh and having to pull the time bar back. One of the reasons that I preferred using the webpage in a browser (although definitely a secondary reason - better success was primary).

This is why I was asking....I know the app works that way so was going to recommend using the website instead if it didn't. I know it sounds minor but having to keep moving and sliding the time just reduces how many clicks you get in. Having it stay in one spot helps.

 

[PrincessWithABlaster]

I did this last summer. No one thought to do this? I thought everyone with a smartphone did this.

For anyone with at least some technical savvy, yes I believe so. I think if I handed my phone to my 9 yo, she would have this 'strategy' figured out in 10 mins (minus things like splitting a party which may not be so intuitive). My mother, on the other hand would probably never figure it out - but she's a technophobe.

 

[JETSDAD]

I did this last summer. No one thought to do this? I thought everyone with a smartphone did this.

I just thought it was the obvious use of the app once I played with it for a couple of minutes. I figured everyone did it but learned quickly that that wasn't the case.

 

[PrincessWithABlaster]

This is why I was asking....I know the app works that way so was going to recommend using the website instead if it didn't. I know it sounds minor but having to keep moving and sliding the time just reduces how many clicks you get in. Having it stay in one spot helps.

It does but the webpage also loads noticably slower than the app each refresh so I think the bonus of quicker clicks is offset by the loading speed. I did see noticably better success with the browser but I don't think it's explained by getting more clicks in.

Edited to add that for me using the website was also a more pleasant experience. I found the recentering of times in the app really annoying. If I'm remembering how the website worked correctly, you still had to switch back and forth between times but they didn't recenter so you could click back and forth between the two times you wanted easily.

 

[anomamatt]

I did this last summer. No one thought to do this? I thought everyone with a smartphone did this.

Once you have success with it, it seems silly to have not done it sooner. That said, constantly refreshing for 5 mins before getting a 'hit' can seem like a loooong time. But when it works for the first time, you realize how powerful this strategy is. And how much battery it drains.

 

[Klayfish]

Once you have success with it, it seems silly to have not done it sooner. That said, constantly refreshing for 5 mins before getting a 'hit' can seem like a loooong time. But when it works for the first time, you realize how powerful this strategy is. And how much battery it drains.

Yep. We bring a little phone power bank and charging cord into the park for this very reason.

 

[dreamit]

DW and the kids are picking me up in 30 minutes and we're heading down, can't wait to jump on some rides (well, tomorrow).

Have a great trip!

 

[mousestruck]

Wow... just when I thought I knew everything! I knew that refreshing could yield results, but did not understand the strategy of constantly refreshing for a period of time and never thought about adjusting the times of FP 2 and 3 to expedite the window for FP 4. In fact, I pretty much gave up on getting a 4th FP for a popular attraction. I will definitely give this approach a try... even though we're visiting over July 4th when the parks are very crowded.

Am I correct in understanding that there isn't much benefit for me trying the refresh strategy now - when I'm two weeks out? Seems like it works best "the day of."

 

[JETSDAD]

Am I correct in understanding that there isn't much benefit for me trying the refresh strategy now - when I'm two weeks out? Seems like it works best "the day of."

Correct. While you might happen to come across something, people aren't actively changing their plans a couple of weeks out like they are the night before and especially the day of.

 

[PrincessWithABlaster]

Wow... just when I thought I knew everything! I knew that refreshing could yield results, but did not understand the strategy of constantly refreshing for a period of time and never thought about adjusting the times of FP 2 and 3 to expedite the window for FP 4. In fact, I pretty much gave up on getting a 4th FP for a popular attraction. I will definitely give this approach a try... even though we're visiting over July 4th when the parks are very crowded.

Am I correct in understanding that there isn't much benefit for me trying the refresh strategy now - when I'm two weeks out? Seems like it works best "the day of."

You will sometimes get things to come up a week out. I got a mountain the week before after screwing up two years ago and making 3 of my FPs for the wrong day (oops). But there's probably no point in the constant refreshing approach that far out. It's not changing enough. You're probably better off just checking a couple of times a day.

 

[anomamatt]

Yep. We bring a little phone power bank and charging cord into the park for this very reason.

It's turned me into a big FuelRod fan. Only because getting a fully charged one is so easy... I thought it was a total rip off until I started replacing them 2-3 times a day...

 

[trainingupmy4princes]

Ok I will admit I'm not a tech person. So I have a Droid Moto Z phone, so android, with Verizon. Which would you recommend the app or logging into the webpage? We will be going 9/27-10/9 so during a busy time with a family of 4. Thanks.