Paid FP options coming soon to WDW?

[Bibbobboo2u]

Remind me why people should stay onsite any more?

THIS is the response Disney should really pay attention to! Look at how may die-hard Disney fans have liked this comment!! I said in another thread that I thought they would increase "pay-to-play" by doing something like this so that the "value" of a ticket/AP would be diminished because it basically serves to just get you into a park (that is IF you can get a park reservation). Maybe Disney will have something great to offer for paying so much to stay on-site, which has primarily been early access to book FP+, but I don't really think so. Hope they prove me wrong, and soon!

 

[ChrisM]

I'm kinda feeling like all bets are off at this point. It's been fun following this thread through it's various seasons, but now...

I think people are underestimating the affect the pandemic is going to have on attendance for a long, long time. The days of crazy intense crowds (and, therefor, the need for lots of fp's) likely won't be resurfacing for a number of years. The hit to the economy, the lack of international visitors for the foreseeable future... it's a game changer.

Disney's going to be struggling just to get enough guests in the park to make a profit. Not sure that revamping their fp system is going to be that high on their list of priorities...

Len Testa actually had some interesting commentary on this recently. He agreed with your assumption that attendance is going to be an issue going forward, but concluded Disney would be looking to monetize anything they can in an effort to replace lost revenue, which means paid Fastpass. It wasn't going to be a priority for the next 12 months, but after that it likely will be.

 

[WickstarRunner]

Are you just counting Poly, CR, and GF? I guess I figured AK and WL would get them too.

5,625 includes all deluxes (Grand Flo, Contemp, Poly, Wilderness Lodge, Boardwalk, Yacht Club, Beach Club and AKL).

 

[cgattis]

5,625 includes all deluxes (Grand Flo, Contemp, Poly, Wilderness Lodge, Boardwalk, Yacht Club, Beach Club and AKL).

Good grief. A) it’s been so long I can’t event remember all the deluxes LOL and B) even more wow on the numbers. Now get out there and convince Disney this somehow makes them more money!!

 

[mamaofsix]

5,625 includes all deluxes (Grand Flo, Contemp, Poly, Wilderness Lodge, Boardwalk, Yacht Club, Beach Club and AKL).

Would DVC "deluxes" not also have to be included? Riviera, Saratoga Springs, Old Key West, eventually Reflections...

That would likely increase the 5, 625 number by quite a bit.

 

[WickstarRunner]

Would DVC "deluxes" not also have to be included? Riviera, Saratoga Springs, Old Key West, eventually Reflections...

That would likely increase the 5, 625 number by quite a bit.

Adds 5,221 rooms IF Disney includes them (900 more if adding Reflections), add that to the list of variables that has to be dealt with in this system. Does Disney include DVC with this? What do they do about Moderates and Values? DO the Good Neighbors have something to say about this? Swan and Dolphin?

 

[guynhawaii]

Aloha,

For my family, the DLR FP system is far superior and greatly more enjoyable than WDW. Pull FP at the park. No planning required. Greatest flexibility and enjoyment. We also use Maxpass. We have not been to WDW ever since they implemented their FP+ and 180 day advance planning requirements.
Hoping the C19 pause will allow WDW to totally revamp their park experience to make it more pleasurable and greatly less stressful...like DLR.

 

[The Pho]

Aloha,

For my family, the DLR FP system is far superior and greatly more enjoyable than WDW. Pull FP at the park. No planning required. Greatest flexibility and enjoyment. We also use Maxpass. We have not been to WDW ever since they implemented their FP+ and 180 day advance planning requirements.
Hoping the C19 pause will allow WDW to totally revamp their park experience to make it more pleasurable and greatly less stressful...like DLR.

The necessity of the planning is greatly over exaggerated.

 

[chasgoose]

Would DVC "deluxes" not also have to be included? Riviera, Saratoga Springs, Old Key West, eventually Reflections...

That would likely increase the 5, 625 number by quite a bit.

If Disney were to do something like this I could see cash-reservations at DVC resorts being included, since it would definitely hurt that business for them, but they have no reason or obligation to provide it to current DVC owners. At most they might offer it as a perk to new DVC purchasers that buy directly from Disney in addition to offering it to those who have cash reservations at a DVC.

 

[chasgoose]

Remember Uni only gives it to their "deluxe" hotels so there's the artificial limiting factor. Those three hotels probably only add 7,200 or so Express Passes per day (assuming 2,400 rooms and 3 people per room average). You'd have to think Disney would do something similar. Disney's Deluxes have 5,625 rooms (from Wikipedia) so figuring around 17,000 Max Passes a day spread out amoungst 4 parks doesn't seem too bad.

I actually wonder if it costs Universal in some ways. My previous experience with the EP staying at Royal Pacific showed that we could easily see everything we want to in both parks in one day. This makes us far less likely to spend money on things like food and souvenirs since we'll be hustling in the park to get maximum value of the higher hotel bill. If Disney were to move to a similar system, I could see splurging one night in the cheapest Deluxe I could, using the Maxpass (or whatever it's called) for one day in MK and then going value or even off-site for the rest of the trip. $400+ per night for a hotel room + MaxPass for EP, HS or AK wouldn't be worth it to us, but YMMV.......

Part of the problem with introducing a Universal-style Express Pass for the Deluxe Resorts is that there is no free equivalent of FP at Universal. The only ones that get front of line privileges are those who pay up. FP on the other hand is designed to help Disney with crowd management, which is why it's offered to everyone for free. If suddenly everyone at the Deluxes had unlimited FP that could be used at any time, the entire FP system would break down because Disney couldn't manage the availability of FP for any attraction predictably.

I could see Disney ultimately going to a tiered FP system, but it would likely be more similar to the extra FP thing you can pay for if you stay CL. The tiers could grant more FPs that could be reserved earlier or maybe even the ability to book more day-of FPs within a shorter window than usual (like you can book additional FPs as soon as you enter the park instead of the 2 hours/whenever an pre-booked FP window opens). I think Disney probably could then include the highest tier with a Deluxe resort booking and the system would still work, but unlimited Universal style express passes would breakdown the FP system as we know it.

 

[a1tinkfans]

Imho, I think paying for it ..stinks!
Just like paying to park at the resort. Like paying to have a delivery at the resort. Like paying $20 for a cup ...for soda.. an endless list. It just feels like nickel and dime..ing to me. Certainly Not very Magical
It sounds like a money grab not a people flow/crowd control issue.

 

[Jrb1979]

Imho, I think paying for it ..stinks!
Just like paying to park at the resort. Like paying to have a delivery at the resort. Like paying $20 for a cup ...for soda.. an endless list. It just feels like nickel and dime..ing to me. Certainly Not very Magical
It sounds like a money grab not a people flow/crowd control issue.

I take it you never go to other theme parks that have a paid fast pass system? I prefer a paid system as it limits the amount of people able to use it. In turn makes the fast pass wait times short.

 

[tjkraz]

Aloha,

For my family, the DLR FP system is far superior and greatly more enjoyable than WDW. Pull FP at the park. No planning required. Greatest flexibility and enjoyment. We also use Maxpass. We have not been to WDW ever since they implemented their FP+ and 180 day advance planning requirements.
Hoping the C19 pause will allow WDW to totally revamp their park experience to make it more pleasurable and greatly less stressful...like DLR.

I was underwhelmed by MaxPass. Being able to secure 3 FP+, typically in a row, allows one to plan their day knowing those 3 desired attractions are already locked-in. MaxPass was a throwback to everything that was awful about the original incarnation of FP: not being able to start ”waiting” for even a single attraction until you’re in the park, one FP at a time (or 2 hours between), limited availability for many attractions, few choices for ride times, increased likelihood of criss-crossing the park to redeem the passes.

When we used MaxPass on a fairly laid-back Tuesday last April, we ended up with Incredicoaster around noon, Radiator Springs at 3 and GOTG at 6. That lead to a lot of wasted time roaming the park, trying to kill time in longish standby lines between passes.

When I schedule FP+, it’s a logical progression like TOT at 9am, RNR at 10am (9:30 arrival allows for riding both back-to-back), then Toy Story Mania at 11am. Having to pre-plan is a small price to pay for the ability to get best use from our time. And as another poster said, making changes on short notice, even same day is easier than most seem to believe.

 

[ilanakan]

I still think the regular FP+ system will return as soon as things go back to normal. Disney has to have some kind of perk for it's resort guests (60 day window). If they go to the system used in Disneyland, what advantage would DW resort guests have?

 

[Eric Smith]

I take it you never go to other theme parks that have a paid fast pass system? I prefer a paid system as it limits the amount of people able to use it. In turn makes the fast pass wait times short.

Yeah, don’t let those peons who can’t afford it ruin your vacation. I think Disney’s system is much better than the paid systems used by other theme park chains. It’s a bad look for rich people to be able to pay more than everyone else to be able to skip the line.

 

[mentos]

It’s a bad look for rich people to be able to pay more than everyone else to be able to skip the line.

Oh, but those coveted Club 33 FPs!

 

[Jrb1979]

Yeah, don’t let those peons who can’t afford it ruin your vacation. I think Disney’s system is much better than the paid systems used by other theme park chains. It’s a bad look for rich people to be able to pay more than everyone else to be able to skip the line.

Its not about it ruining my vacation. Its not a bad look that "rich" people can afford it. I use paid fast pass systems at most parks I visit. The reason most parks charge so much for fast pass is to limit the amount of people using it so the fast pass wait times aren't high.

That's the issue with Disney's system is that it's not limited enough like other parks. All fast pass queues wait times shouldn't be longer then 30 mins max any time of the day. Almost all other parks I visit that has a paid fast pass system I never wait longer then 30 minutes.

 

[guynhawaii]

I was underwhelmed by MaxPass. Being able to secure 3 FP+, typically in a row, allows one to plan their day knowing those 3 desired attractions are already locked-in. MaxPass was a throwback to everything that was awful about the original incarnation of FP: not being able to start ”waiting” for even a single attraction until you’re in the park, one FP at a time (or 2 hours between), limited availability for many attractions, few choices for ride times, increased likelihood of criss-crossing the park to redeem the passes.

When we used MaxPass on a fairly laid-back Tuesday last April, we ended up with Incredicoaster around noon, Radiator Springs at 3 and GOTG at 6. That lead to a lot of wasted time roaming the park, trying to kill time in longish standby lines between passes.

When I schedule FP+, it’s a logical progression like TOT at 9am, RNR at 10am (9:30 arrival allows for riding both back-to-back), then Toy Story Mania at 11am. Having to pre-plan is a small price to pay for the ability to get best use from our time. And as another poster said, making changes on short notice, even same day is easier than most seem to believe.

Aloha,
I guess the FP system which people prefer reflects how they enjoy the parks. My family and I always RD and use Maxpass. I guess we could be considered commandos.

 

[mentos]

I do like the MP system, even with reservations far apart in terms of time and location. It was designed to mix up the day... MP every 2-3 hours, with standby in between. DL/DCA in Anaheim is small enough that walking from one end to the other can be done in 15-20 minutes (I used google maps to measure, and it was about 4200 feet walking distance from SWGE in the far northwest corner to Radiator Springs in the far southeast corner).

But it's also built for a different park, style of park visit, and client base. I like the degree of spontaneity I'm afforded when folding MP into my plans. Most of my DL trips are planned just a few weeks in advance (exception my DVC stays which are booked at the 11 month mark due to capacity reasons).

 

[mamaofsix]

Its not about it ruining my vacation. Its not a bad look that "rich" people can afford it. I use paid fast pass systems at most parks I visit. The reason most parks charge so much for fast pass is to limit the amount of people using it so the fast pass wait times aren't high.

That's the issue with Disney's system is that it's not limited enough like other parks. All fast pass queues wait times shouldn't be longer then 30 mins max any time of the day. Almost all other parks I visit that has a paid fast pass system I never wait longer then 30 minutes.

Well, it's not a bad "look" from the perspective of the person who is able to afford it. Ask all of the people who can't afford it whether or not it's a bad look, and you might get a different answer...

I do agree that the wait times are shorter overall at parks that have a paid pass system, however.