JimmyV
Por favor manténganse alejado de las puertas.
- Joined
- Jun 4, 2008
- Messages
- 8,060
I think FP+ is designed to monetize what used to be a free commodity. Maybe that will be directly by charging for it or indirectly by providing an incentive to stay on property. That incentive might be that you get more, get them sooner, or some other way.
I don't care one way of the other about FP+ from a guest point of view. I didn't use legacy FP much and don't see myself FP+ much. But from a management point of view I like FP+. If they are going to eventually use it the way I think they will they which is take something they used to give away for free and turn it into a revenue stream.
I applaud Disney for the steps they are taking and realizing they were leaving a lot of money out there on the table with the way FastPasses used to be handled. If someone wants to use the system to maximize the number of attractions they see in a day it should be at a cost, not handed out. FP+ isn't really made to "level the playing field" from a fairness point of view. It is meant to provide a free baseline and then allow for upcharging of guests who want an experience different then that baseline. Want Soarin' and TT? Ok. Pony up the cash to make that happen. Want an extra FP? Ok. Pony up the cash to make that happen. Want FP reservations in multiple parks on the same day? Ok, Pony up the cash to make it happen. At least I think that is the eventual end game and why I think we are still a little ways off from seeing what FP+ will end up being. A freemium service.
ETA: Pony up the cash might be literal as in pay for more and it might be an incentive like stay concierge.
But after all that "ponying up" won't I be in the same position I was in before, only a little (or a lot) poorer? If so, how could I ever give positive word of mouth to such a system? Every cheerleader here would be forced to say: "The haters were right all along. Once you pay for all those extra FP+s, you are right back to FP-, only with fancy bracelets. And at a cost of a lot more money." They don't want that backlash.
Go over and read the "I just got a call fom customer service" thread. They are NOT going to be charging for FPs in the future. Like I said, I just don't think this fits in with their "we're not Universal" approach to guest experiences. I think that they just made a critical error in judgment as to the number of FPs that people want or would use. The number will be upped to 4 (or more), somehow, someway. Probably by opening up more availability on the "day of" based on crowd patterns. But they aren't going to sell their baby. It's advertised as a FREE feature. (Just look at the FAQ page). They can't go back on that.

If I used to pull one at TSM, two at RnR and two at ToT, and now under the new system, I get a freebie at TSM, a freebie at ToT, and have to buy three more, (two for RnR and one for ToT), then won't I have exactly what I had before at a much higher cost? Can anyone make the argument then that FP+ is a better system? I think that FP+ has to stay "different" or else the change makes no sense.
