Paid FP options coming soon to WDW?

[leafylogs]

The fastpass+ system has grown and become a real pain and I wish it had never become the behemoth it has. I know there are planners out there but the old paper version was manageable easy and most of all fair. Now there are windows for staying on site, offsite, AP's for booking advanced fastpasses etc etc. Now the talk of charging for it? I've always assumed that Disney created a fixed number of fastpasses per hour per attraction to manage that the standby line would run at a set (and fair) rate. That's why they can run out for a day. Now if fastpasses are for sale, does that not mean that essentially you are paying to make other guests experiences worse? Bearing that in mind does that mean they would have to fix the number of paid for fastpasses as well. Then how would they manage how those passes are used across attractions? All who come to this happy place, welcome and if you can afford it we'll make you more happy than those who have to stand for hours in the hot sun. So my answer (it'll never happen), go back to only being able to get fastpasses on the day, only from within the park, one at a time (like the old paper version), like Maxpass at Disneyland, though that can become expensive for families on longer vacations, so maybe just include in the ticket price (novel I know). Then keep on running the after hours and special ticketed events with low crowds for those who can afford it without the negative impact on others' experiences. Just imagine standing at the AK bus stop for your resort bus in the hot sun. It arrives and suddenly a group who paid the "bus extra" payment to Disney cut in and fill the bus! Fair?

 

[dlavender]

The fastpass+ system has grown and become a real pain and I wish it had never become the behemoth it has. I know there are planners out there but the old paper version was manageable easy and most of all fair. Now there are windows for staying on site, offsite, AP's for booking advanced fastpasses etc etc. Now the talk of charging for it? I've always assumed that Disney created a fixed number of fastpasses per hour per attraction to manage that the standby line would run at a set (and fair) rate. That's why they can run out for a day. Now if fastpasses are for sale, does that not mean that essentially you are paying to make other guests experiences worse? Bearing that in mind does that mean they would have to fix the number of paid for fastpasses as well. Then how would they manage how those passes are used across attractions? All who come to this happy place, welcome and if you can afford it we'll make you more happy than those who have to stand for hours in the hot sun. So my answer (it'll never happen), go back to only being able to get fastpasses on the day, only from within the park, one at a time (like the old paper version), like Maxpass at Disneyland, though that can become expensive for families on longer vacations, so maybe just include in the ticket price (novel I know). Then keep on running the after hours and special ticketed events with low crowds for those who can afford it without the negative impact on others' experiences. Just imagine standing at the AK bus stop for your resort bus in the hot sun. It arrives and suddenly a group who paid the "bus extra" payment to Disney cut in and fill the bus! Fair?

I think, kind of like they pointed out in the podcast, that they will pull back some FP inventory from the “free” pool. They also might only give out 2 for free. This will “help” mitigate the increase stand by from the paid program. I too miss the prior version. But we are early risers so it worked better for us. With the rise in cost we wouldn’t pay for FP so I hope this doesn’t come to fruition.

 

[mamaofsix]

They probably could do a better job of explaining it, but nothing you said changes my opinion of the perk. A family that can only go for 4 days isn't going to all of sudden go for 14 days because they figured this out.

No, but they'd sure as heck choose to stay offsite next time instead and save a ton dough / disappointment. I completely agree with the poster - it's basically false advertising for Disney to infer you will get more / better fp's at 60 days out when you really can't get any of the desirable ones.

 

[5DisneyNuts]

Question for those that keep referring to the good old days of same day FP while in the park. What do you think rope drop will look like with the crowds and demand for the prime attractions? How early will guests start lining up? That sounds horrible to me and a safety hazard. I sure wouldn't want my son or daughter making minimum wage policing that scene.

 

[Summer2018]

Pretty soon we will have to pay for the air we breathe in WDW.

 

[leafylogs]

Question for those that keep referring to the good old days of same day FP while in the park. What do you think rope drop will look like with the crowds and demand for the prime attractions? How early will guests start lining up? That sounds horrible to me and a safety hazard. I sure wouldn't want my son or daughter making minimum wage policing that scene.

Hello, well my answer is. On a recent fairly last minute vacation to WDW, where we had the 30 day window available as Annual passholders we could get no fastpasses for any of the prime attractions at all for all seven days of our trip! So we were sort of forced into rope drops and the mad crowds that are already happening now. So I think no matter the FP system this will always be happening with the newer popular attractions. I'm all for on site guests getting perks (EMH for example) etc but maybe FP should not be one of them over any other guest. As far as people turning up to get their fastpass an app like Maxpass negates getting in line and still keeps a level playing field.

 

[5DisneyNuts]

Hello, well my answer is. On a recent fairly last minute vacation to WDW, where we had the 30 day window available as Annual passholders we could get no fastpasses for any of the prime attractions at all for all seven days of our trip! So we were sort of forced into rope drops and the mad crowds that are already happening now. So I think no matter the FP system this will always be happening with the newer popular attractions. I'm all for on site guests getting perks (EMH for example) etc but maybe FP should not be one of them over any other guest. As far as people turning up to get their fastpass an app like Maxpass negates getting in line and still keeps a level playing field.

I don't think FP is going to go the way of DLR. The crowd differences and investment made in MDE/FP don't make that likely.

Morning rush to get FP while in the park will make the early morning experience worse than it is now.

Disney needs to figure out crowd control no doubt while avoiding negative press, making 1st time guests happy, and keeping some loyality to returning guests. All while making $ which is their main goal. Not an easy task especially after years of ignoring supply and demand IMO.

 

[isabellea]

People complain that Disney sold the perk of booking FP+ at 60 days to good neighbour hotels but I'm pretty sure Disney doesn't care how their repeat customers feel about that as long as their hotels are near capacity all year long. For them, it's more money in the bank and if a WDW vet decides to skip a year or two, a first-timer will take its hotel room. It's a win-win deal for them.

WDW is my 'home' resort but with all those changes I don't think we will come back for 3-4 years after our resort-only stay at AKL this summer, and only to experience the new attractions at least once. We will spend our money elsewhere, including other Disney theme parks (DLR, DLP or TDR).

 

[evlaina]

And I agree, I just feel that this perk isn't really clear to most.

Imagine a second timer - a family that isn't "up to the know" like we are here.

It just isn't advertised/explained well that the shorter your stay there are people with longer stays booking fast passes DAYS before you for the exact same calendar day.

I disagree - I'm a second time visitor. My first trip ever was December 2018, and we are booked for this September. Any guest could learn the basics of staying onsite vs offsite, booking windows, and what rides/ADRs to book first in 5 minutes of reading any blog or Facebook post. I knew before I paid my initial $200 deposit we needed a longer trip than 4 days (I don't know anyone who takes that short of a trip to WDW but we live pretty far away). If someone is willing to throw thousands of dollars towards a trip and not do the most basic research, that's on them, not Disney.

I agree with the poster you replied to, guests staying longer should be rewarded for doing so. There should be benefits to staying onsite and for a longer time, and it does not bother me that someone staying 14 days gets a shot at FP+ before me - they earned it!

Whatever comes of this rumor of paid FP, I will be very annoyed if someone staying 2 nights offsite gets better FP than me staying 8 nights onsite. That just wouldn't make sense for Disney to do as a company, because I for sure would cut down my trip time and stay offsite if I have the same chances as someone paying to stay at a Deluxe resort for twice as long as me onsite.

A few people have mentioned CL FP+ books at 90 days, Onsite gets 75 days, Good Neighbors get 60 days, and Offsite gets 30 days...that sounds good to me.

 

[Sarah1024]

I too wish they would just do day by day system. Length of stay bonus simply isnt very fair -- basically that bonus makes Fast Passes a PAID perk (As some may choose a LONGER resort vacation simply to help improve their chances to get those high demand FPs)


I could see this breakdown - even though I often wondered why they dont break it down by resort TYPE (Deluxe/Moderate/Value) as well (Deluxe guests can book sooner than Value.

Though ..with the addition of the Skyliner, the concept of Value and Moderates sort of go out the window. I am sure that AoA and Pop (which already were more expensive than All Stars) will continue to rise in price -- same with Carribbean beach.

It feels that the system will be crushed under its own weight between all the good neighbor hotels and all the new Disney hotels opening. Just too many people that can get fast passes at 60 days. (which basically helps sell PAID fast passes of some sort).
So Disney, by offering 60-day fast passes to MORE guests (and who knows if they increase supply or not), they increase the demand for fast passes.

Why wouldn't you reward people who are staying longer and therefore spending more money on your product? That seems only fair.

 

[DisLiss]

I agree that whatever comes to pass with the FP system, I can't help but think that Disney ought to opt to do something tangible for actual on-site guests. Especially now that Disney's charging to park at the resorts (and with many folks expressing the opinion that the extra magic hours aren't very magical anymore) , I feel that reducing the other perks (or making them seem less valuable) seems like a good way to send more guests off-site.

 

[Sarah1024]

I agree that whatever comes to pass with the FP system, I can't help but think that Disney ought to opt to do something tangible for actual on-site guests. Especially now that Disney's charging to park at the resorts (and with many folks expressing the opinion that the extra magic hours aren't very magical anymore) , I feel that reducing the other perks (or making them seem less valuable) seems like a good way to send more guests off-site.

^^THIS^^

 

[leafylogs]

I agree that whatever comes to pass with the FP system, I can't help but think that Disney ought to opt to do something tangible for actual on-site guests. Especially now that Disney's charging to park at the resorts (and with many folks expressing the opinion that the extra magic hours aren't very magical anymore) , I feel that reducing the other perks (or making them seem less valuable) seems like a good way to send more guests off-site.

Agree, they should have onsite benefit that has some [real] value other than FP. Many years ago we had a park ticket that wouldn't play ball at the entrance to AK. Guest services sorted it eventually and when we were done gave my family all some fastpasses for a couple of rides [any] (8 in total). My wife [rightly] felt very pleased with the gesture, but I did have to ask, "so what have you just been given?". It cost Disney nothing and they just gave us a little of other guests' time in the standby line. So what I'm saying I suppose is that apart from the infrastructure costs of running FP, fastpasses appear to have no real value. Sure it means you have time to do other things, but you're not going to eat lunch twice or buy an extra shirt in that time (normally). So those clever Disney people are dressing a perk that costs them no extra as something worth paying for.

 

[tlmadden73]

I knew before I paid my initial $200 deposit we needed a longer trip than 4 days (I don't know anyone who takes that short of a trip to WDW but we live pretty far away).
.

Me.
Basically the people who live within driving distance of Orlando.

I opt for more frequent, but shorter trips. (heck I bought an AP in November so we could got 2-3 times this year).
Because of that, even when I do stay on-site (which I have chosen to do a few times), sometimes the high-demand FPs have been impossible to get. I'd be fine with that if I was logging in on day 57 to get my fast passes. But to do that at the first second on day 60 and have the big ones not available? A let down.

Only our last trip in November was longer than 4 days. (And I'll admit - that longer stay was nice). STILL, the only way I got a FP for FOP on the day I WANTED to go to AK was because my cousin's family were arriving 4 days earlier than us and made FOP fast passes for us. I only got SDD because I scheduled our DHS day on day 5 of our trip.

I shouldn't have to plan my AK or DHS day at the tail end of my trip just to maximize getting a certain FP. 60 days should be 60 days. Period.

To bring this back to the main topic. Because of this system and the high-demand around certain FPs, I think there IS a demand for being able to pay to guarantee a FP for those Tier 1 attractions .. no matter the length of stay. Paying extra for a FP is probably cheaper than staying another night or two .. just so you can get a certain "free" FP.

Depending on the cost, I would pay to get a FP for Slinky Dog. We are going next week and only going for 4 days. While we have done SDD, my sister is coming too and her family may not get to experience SDD because a FP wasn't available to us at 60 days. (You can't wait 90+ minutes in a line with 4-6 year olds).

 

[jade1]

Just imagine standing at the AK bus stop for your resort bus in the hot sun. It arrives and suddenly a group who paid the "bus extra" payment to Disney cut in and fill the bus! Fair?

Actually they already do, the Minnie van-so it doesn't effect the SB.

As for "further" paid FP+, waiting to see what happens is annoying.

 

[middlechild]

There was a time when Disney ensured the wait for the ride involved constant motion, that waiting long periods did not feel excessive. Haunted Mansion, Pirates, they all moved constantly through the queue making time pass quickly. I know, that was back in the late 70's during my first visits to Disneyland. I find it interesting that now we are discussing how the FP line is a long wait, that paid FP makes the free FP line full to the max and excludes times for people making reservations. The focus on duration and availability of bypassing the standby line almost appears as we have come full circle. I may suggest that Disney create a "Swift Pass", to bypass the delays and restrictions on FP!

 

[JaxDad]

Pretty soon we will have to pay for the air we breathe in WDW.

Why wouldn't you reward people who are staying longer and therefore spending more money on your product? That seems only fair.

Maybe they have concluded that just being in the bubble is reward enough. It sure seems to mean a lot to people on these boards.

 

[jade1]

What do you think rope drop will look like with the crowds and demand for the prime attractions? How early will guests start lining up? That sounds horrible to me and a safety hazard. I sure wouldn't want my son or daughter making minimum wage policing that scene.

In the words of Fantasmic: You are about to find out. SWGE is opening without FP+.

 

[Cinderumbrella]

For those casually following along, no one has been able to use the 74 day glitch so far today (Sunday 6/2/19).

https://www.disboards.com/threads/why-did-mde-let-me-book-fp-well-before-60-days.3736490/

The thread that discusses said glitch.

 

[DVC_KLP]

I agree that whatever comes to pass with the FP system, I can't help but think that Disney ought to opt to do something tangible for actual on-site guests. Especially now that Disney's charging to park at the resorts (and with many folks expressing the opinion that the extra magic hours aren't very magical anymore) , I feel that reducing the other perks (or making them seem less valuable) seems like a good way to send more guests off-site.

EMH is going to become one of the best (only?) ways to get into SWGE if DHS has EMH every morning. There will possibly be enough guests in line at the end of EMH that no guests who come at the normal opening time will make it into the land that day.