Paid FP options coming soon to WDW?

[JakeAZ]

But based on the specific situation you outlined, if I were in your shoes (and apologies, I know you didn’t ask for advice so just ignore if it’s not welcome) I’d simply drop or change your ADR for the day in HS. Rope drop for your RotR BP and spend the day. I’ve found there is no specific restaurant special enough to make or break a vacation and some of the best meals were spur of the moment decisions.

Thanks for the advice and it is valid. However, we have 12 in our group, so the pre-planned meals are a way for all of us to hang out at least one time per day. So, while yes, your idea is possible, it's not as easy to pull off since not everyone wants to do RotR.

 

[PaladinButters]

I'd prefer some type of After Hours / Star Wars focused event though.

I think you hit the nail on the head with that! There's already a ticketed event just for Toy Story Land, and I'm sure the only reason we don't have one for Star Wars is they are waiting for Rise to be reliably functioning first.

It's already working on us- we are already hoping to book the (super overpriced) Ultimate VIP tour for Animal Kingdom because that's how you no stress get on FoP with a short trip! Would surely pay even more than that for a Star Wars type experience (Rise entry, choice of seat on falcon(?), priority seating near DJ Rex with actual elbow room in the Cantina?!!....).

 

[Iowamomof4]

I think you hit the nail on the head with that! There's already a ticketed event just for Toy Story Land, and I'm sure the only reason we don't have one for Star Wars is they are waiting for Rise to be reliably functioning first.

It's already working on us- we are already hoping to book the (super overpriced) Ultimate VIP tour for Animal Kingdom because that's how you no stress get on FoP with a short trip! Would surely pay even more than that for a Star Wars type experience (Rise entry, choice of seat on falcon(?), priority seating near DJ Rex with actual elbow room in the Cantina?!!....).

EMM at TSL has been put on hold indefinitely. They haven't had one since before MFSR opened. So yeah, there HAS been an event just for TSL, but there isn't currently. Just wanted to be clear for those who aren't paying close attention.

 

[jade1]

I'd prefer some type of After Hours / Star Wars focused event though.

I'm guessing the new Star Wars Hotel stays will be that. But also have some after hours as well I would bet.

 

[JakeAZ]

I'm guessing the new Star Wars Hotel stays will be that. But also have some after hours as well I would bet.

I'm sure you are right, but that's years away. Who knows that the economy will be able to handle at that time, but you can bet those prices will come from a galaxy far, far away.

 

[tink2424]

Was Paid FP+ implemented?

If not, I'm not sure I would go somewhere else because of something that hasn't been implemented.

That said, I would pay for some-esp new/er additions.

Even without paid FP it may be time to spend our dollars elsewhere for a bit. Obviously that is a choice that everyone has to make for themselves. And maybe Disney adding paid FP's will be the breaking point for many. I don't know. It is just a suggestion and my personal plan right now.

 

[Remy is Up]

Just from a personal perspective and opinion. I doubt WDW does away with the 3 free prebook and whatever after. And if they add in some sort of "paid" add ons like they are doing in the deluxe resorts to prebook more, eh. Doesnt effect me. I could see them doing something liek the max pass in Disneyland but even that isnt really a huge deal. Reality is diminishing returns and thinning the herd. Thats what they appear to be doing and when enough are priced out, they will have hit the ceiling and work from there.

 

[seashoreCM]

Bill O'Reilly, news commentator, heard on WRKO radio on Feb. 18, 2020 and including some proselytizing. I didn't tape the show so all I have is my recollection of what he said, for better or worse.

"It costs 1200. per day for a family of four.
"(I) could afford to bring (my) kids but due to the cost there are many kids who can't go.
"You (ed. note: Disney) can keep the high prices on special tours and fast track (sic) but lower the ticket prices for average folks."

Could Bill be hinting that he would favor paid Fastpass?

 

[5th gate dreamers]

count us in the "wed love to have paid fast pass" camp. I don't understand the complaints about it. people complain about crowds, but then say ticket prices are high enough (or too high). people complain about having to camp out for 2 hours for the best fireworks spot, then say the $80 dessert party is too much. premium access comes with premium prices. you cant have black Friday tv prices all year long where if you need a tv you gotta camp out overnight for the store to open cause they'll all be gone within a half hour...if parks are crowded, you gotta charge more to thin the heard. Disney is a premium vacation. we drive midtier cars because we don't want to pay the premium the luxury brands command. if you don't or cant pay Disney prices, there is always six flags or LEGOLAND, etc.

 

[michellej47]

The way it sounds is this will be across the board whether you are staying onsite or not. I do wonder how it will work with APs though.

Which for me takes away my need to stay onsite.

 

[Scoobie]

count us in the "wed love to have paid fast pass" camp. I don't understand the complaints about it. people complain about crowds, but then say ticket prices are high enough (or too high). people complain about having to camp out for 2 hours for the best fireworks spot, then say the $80 dessert party is too much. premium access comes with premium prices. you cant have black Friday tv prices all year long where if you need a tv you gotta camp out overnight for the store to open cause they'll all be gone within a half hour...if parks are crowded, you gotta charge more to thin the heard. Disney is a premium vacation. we drive midtier cars because we don't want to pay the premium the luxury brands command. if you don't or cant pay Disney prices, there is always six flags or LEGOLAND, etc.

I think the people complaining are the people who have been going for years - and know Disney used to advertise they were the best place to have a family vacation because they take care of you. So many things included in that high price. It made people feel good about the Disney brand, and they came to trust it. That has been slowly eroded over the last some odd years: with cuts, last minute up charge events tacked on to paid events, quiet price hikes, etc. I think a lot of people feel like Disney is just taking people for a ride now (not in a good way), instead of taking care of them. As to crowds, Disney is letting way more people in the parks now than they used to, and that is taking away from the overall experience for everyone. They don't seem to be happy making money, it's never enough now. You can have a business and still care about the people that make your business successful - many feel Disney has lost sight of that.

 

[Bearval]

I think the people complaining are the people who have been going for years - and know Disney used to advertise they were the best place to have a family vacation because they take care of you. So many things included in that high price. It made people feel good about the Disney brand, and they came to trust it. That has been slowly eroded over the last some odd years: with cuts, last minute up charge events tacked on to paid events, quiet price hikes, etc. I think a lot of people feel like Disney is just taking people for a ride now (not in a good way), instead of taking care of them. As to crowds, Disney is letting way more people in the parks now than they used to, and that is taking away from the overall experience for everyone. They don't seem to be happy making money, it's never enough now. You can have a business and still care about the people that make your business successful - many feel Disney has lost sight of that.

Unfortunately Disney is following the business practice of price elasticity of demand. They will continue to raise prices to where it will begin to affect demand and by judging how attendance hasnt been affected yet, expect more price increases to come. As for people thinking free dining is free,it is now just a marketing ploy. They started it during the great recession but could have ended it already.

 

[Scoobie]

Unfortunately Disney is following the business practice of price elasticity of demand. They will continue to raise prices to where it will begin to affect demand and by judging how attendance hasnt been affected yet, expect more price increases to come. As for people thinking free dining is free,it is now just a marketing ploy. They started it during the great recession but could have ended it already.

Yeah, and I know Disney is a business, but they didn't used to make everyone feel like it was a business. Now that fact is so much more "in your face". The magic was bigger than the those details, now they've somehow managed to diminish it while constantly reminding everyone they are in it to make money. Products are cheaply made now, food quality has suffered, less CM's working way more hours. They aren't just raising prices, they are seeing how much they can take away as well, and still raise prices. Quality is suffering, trust is wavering.

 

[Searc]

count us in the "wed love to have paid fast pass" camp. I don't understand the complaints about it. people complain about crowds, but then say ticket prices are high enough (or too high). people complain about having to camp out for 2 hours for the best fireworks spot, then say the $80 dessert party is too much. premium access comes with premium prices. you cant have black Friday tv prices all year long where if you need a tv you gotta camp out overnight for the store to open cause they'll all be gone within a half hour...if parks are crowded, you gotta charge more to thin the heard. Disney is a premium vacation. we drive midtier cars because we don't want to pay the premium the luxury brands command. if you don't or cant pay Disney prices, there is always six flags or LEGOLAND, etc.

Gosh, we sure have been missing the "let them eat cake!" posts around here.

 

[RamblingMad]

Gosh, we sure have been missing the "let them eat cake!" posts around here.

Eventually, more people will be priced out. Disney prices have gone up much faster than an inflation. Some who could afford the perks today might not be able to in ten years.

 

[YesterDark]

Who knows what the future holds for us now.

Pandemic, civil unrest, an economy that is incredibly hurt. These are unknown times. Our unemployment is massive right now and the only thing keeping things afloat is that additional money people are getting from unemployment. That's going to end soon unless the government does something.

I think Disney will be forced to do different things when it comes to pricing out their vacations. All businesses will be doing this to some degree.

 

[Lumpy1106]

Saw this in Orlando Weekly;
Disney may use Coronavirus crisis to overhaul FP+
I'm a little torn. FP+ is (was) imperfect at best. Why on earth was Fastpass on EVERYTHING? It just seems like it created a situation by which those in the know could game the system. The FP tiers too. I also think it gave an unfair advantage to smaller groups, said couples rather than families of 4 or 5. Certainly singles had the leg up as DFB proved - you could get DOZENS of FP's on even the busiest days if you were flexible with your plans and didn't need to find 4 or 5 FP's at a time.

BUT...
As a family, FP+ is great, in that my wife will not ride things like Space Mountain, and it is a GREAT way for me and my kids to get a quick ride without having her wait an hour plus while I do it. That in and of itself is priceless when it comes to vacation time.

OK, so what should Disney do?
While I like, and have heard great things about DL's MaxPass, I DETEST any system that allows someone to pay for cuts - i.e. paid Fastpassses. I think MaxPass falls just a hair short of that definition, but why would anybody pay for it if you weren't getting more fastpasses (and you are by not having to run across the park to get them - a grey area IMHO)?

So I guess in my perfect world;

1. Use park reservations (coming soon thanks to Covid). Why do I want this? Because;
2. Have BG's for uber-popular rides like FoP and ROTR that you get when you make your park reservation. This is tricky because I also think you still have to give preference to on-site guests, you also want to have a system by which off-site guests and local AP's an opportunity to ride each day too. IOW - You can't give out all of the BP's at 60 days. Maybe give out 1/2, then distribute the rest with...
3. MaxPass, and only Maxpass. Include it in the cost of admission. for everyone. Don't re-introduce paper FP's and do away with reserve-in-advance FP+...except the BG's. Put Maxpass only on rides and attractions (are there any ?) that need it. Not Muppets 3-D, not the Peoplemover, etc.

See any flaws with this? Well, here's one - maybe. What about park-hoppers? I think this still works - at least better than the system we have now. If you are starting in MK, you would have no FP's in any other park anyway and ZERO expectation of getting a BG or ROTR. That wouldn't change. There would be a little lag in that now, you could get your first, second park FP+ while en route on a bus, while MaxPass would require you to actually get to the second park. That seems like a fair trade for the better system IMHO.

I also see a problem in that you are not giving enough of an incentive to the on site guests. Here's a thought; why not give EMH to on-site guests only, every morning at every park? I always thought rotating the EMH around was dumb and confusing and resulted in the EMH park being so crowded that the incentive to go to that park was nill. This would solve that problem and would spread out the on-site guests so there would still be plenty of MaxPasses for the off-site guests when they got there. That would eliminate "rope drop", but sadly I think this is going away too thanks to COVID. I REALLY like rope-drop - genuine tears on that one. If I got EMH every day though I think I'd get over it pretty quick.

Thoughts?

 

[Jrb1979]

Saw this in Orlando Weekly;
Disney may use Coronavirus crisis to overhaul FP+
I'm a little torn. FP+ is (was) imperfect at best. Why on earth was Fastpass on EVERYTHING? It just seems like it created a situation by which those in the know could game the system. The FP tiers too. I also think it gave an unfair advantage to smaller groups, said couples rather than families of 4 or 5. Certainly singles had the leg up as DFB proved - you could get DOZENS of FP's on even the busiest days if you were flexible with your plans and didn't need to find 4 or 5 FP's at a time.

BUT...
As a family, FP+ is great, in that my wife will not ride things like Space Mountain, and it is a GREAT way for me and my kids to get a quick ride without having her wait an hour plus while I do it. That in and of itself is priceless when it comes to vacation time.

OK, so what should Disney do?
While I like, and have heard great things about DL's MaxPass, I DETEST any system that allows someone to pay for cuts - i.e. paid Fastpassses. I think MaxPass falls just a hair short of that definition, but why would anybody pay for it if you weren't getting more fastpasses (and you are by not having to run across the park to get them - a grey area IMHO)?

So I guess in my perfect world;

1. Use park reservations (coming soon thanks to Covid). Why do I want this? Because;
2. Have BG's for uber-popular rides like FoP and ROTR that you get when you make your park reservation. This is tricky because I also think you still have to give preference to on-site guests, you also want to have a system by which off-site guests and local AP's an opportunity to ride each day too. IOW - You can't give out all of the BP's at 60 days. Maybe give out 1/2, then distribute the rest with...
3. MaxPass, and only Maxpass. Include it in the cost of admission. for everyone. Don't re-introduce paper FP's and do away with reserve-in-advance FP+...except the BG's. Put Maxpass only on rides and attractions (are there any ?) that need it. Not Muppets 3-D, not the Peoplemover, etc.

See any flaws with this? Well, here's one - maybe. What about park-hoppers? I think this still works - at least better than the system we have now. If you are starting in MK, you would have no FP's in any other park anyway and ZERO expectation of getting a BG or ROTR. That wouldn't change. There would be a little lag in that now, you could get your first, second park FP+ while en route on a bus, while MaxPass would require you to actually get to the second park. That seems like a fair trade for the better system IMHO.

I also see a problem in that you are not giving enough of an incentive to the on site guests. Here's a thought; why not give EMH to on-site guests only, every morning at every park? I always thought rotating the EMH around was dumb and confusing and resulted in the EMH park being so crowded that the incentive to go to that park was nill. This would solve that problem and would spread out the on-site guests so there would still be plenty of MaxPasses for the off-site guests when they got there. That would eliminate "rope drop", but sadly I think this is going away too thanks to COVID. I REALLY like rope-drop - genuine tears on that one. If I got EMH every day though I think I'd get over it pretty quick.

Thoughts?

I would love a version of MaxPass to replace FP+ at WDW. What they can do is make it free for all resort guests and charge a fee for anyone not staying on property. Give a discount to AP holders.

I for one love the paid fastpasses that all other parks do. I use it all the time except at my home park as I go often enough that I don't need it.

 

[atathomas]

I would love a version of MaxPass to replace FP+ at WDW. What they can do is make it free for all resort guests and charge a fee for anyone not staying on property. Give a discount to AP holders.

I for one love the paid fastpasses that all other parks do. I use it all the time except at my home park as I go often enough that I don't need it.

I wonder if Photopass would still be separate? I know at DL, it is included with MaxPass.

 

[mattpeto]

I'm all for any ideas that allows me and my family not to waste time in line all day for the marquee attractions. I'm a fan of the FP+ setup and believe it's fair (free and resort guests get preferential treatment).

Disney has put a ton of infrastructure into the queues, I don't think it will go away. There might be some express system or virtual queues that exist I'd imagine.