Disney , please don't do this...

[CinqueTerre]

I don't think he meant that everyone doesn't have the same options. He was saying that people who have more money can buy more of those options.

And saying Walt wouldn't like that doesn't really make sense since Disneyland used ticket books when he was alive. The more ticket books you bought, the more rides you could ride.

Of course people who have more money can buy more of those options. That is life! Just like people with more money can buy as many drinks as they want at Epcot, can eat at any restaurants they wish, and can book a theme park view suite at the Grand Floridian.

 

[Reddog1134]

Of course people who have more money can buy more of those options. That is life! Just like people with more money can buy as many drinks as they want at Epcot, can eat at any restaurants they wish, and can book a theme park view suite at the Grand Floridian.

Agreed. But there are people that think the parks should be 100% equal footing. They say it's unfair to allow people to buy extra in-park options whether it be directly or by booking a deluxe room.

 

[drew64]

I love pay more get more options. The more expensive the better as then less can afford to do it, making it an even better advantage.

 

[Angel Ariel]

Agreed. But there are people that think the parks should be 100% equal footing. They say it's unfair to allow people to buy extra in-park options whether it be directly or by booking a deluxe room.

IIRC, when ticket books were used, that was all you paid for - for the tickets for the rides you were going to ride. There was no all-over admission charge.

That isn't the case anymore. Disney went away from the A-E ticket books and went to a one price, all access admission ticket structure. We are all paying the same amount for admission to the park now. We should all have equal access to the rides while the park is open to the general public. ( I have no issue with onsite guests getting extra hours in the park, as the park is not open to the general public at that time).

If Disney wants to go back to more A-E ticket like access, then they need to readjust their ticket pricing to reflect that. Somehow I don't see that happening.

 

[CinqueTerre]

Agreed. But there are people that think the parks should be 100% equal footing. They say it's unfair to allow people to buy extra in-park options whether it be directly or by booking a deluxe room.

Yes I've heard that. But nobody has told me why it should be that way other than, "That's how Walt would have wanted it." Why should Disney World be different than any other place in the world? More money buys more perks.

 

[Reddog1134]

IIRC, when ticket books were used, that was all you paid for - for the tickets for the rides you were going to ride. There was no all-over admission charge.

That isn't the case anymore. Disney went away from the A-E ticket books and went to a one price, all access admission ticket structure. We are all paying the same amount for admission to the park now. We should all have equal access to the rides while the park is open to the general public. ( I have no issue with onsite guests getting extra hours in the park, as the park is not open to the general public at that time).

If Disney wants to go back to more A-E ticket like access, then they need to readjust their ticket pricing to reflect that. Somehow I don't see that happening.

There was still an admission price for both Disneyland and Magic Kingdom when they used the ticket books. So all guests were STILL paying the same amount to get into the parks.

Yes I've heard that. But nobody has told me why it should be that way other than, "That's how Walt would have wanted it." Why should Disney World be different than any other place in the world? More money buys more perks.

I'm agreeing with you there. With the added point of "That's exactly how it worked when Walt was alive". The more ticket books you bought, the more rides you got on.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Agreed. But there are people that think the parks should be 100% equal footing. They say it's unfair to allow people to buy extra in-park options whether it be directly or by booking a deluxe room.

And yet, it will never be.

Until you remove all extra-cost special experiences (BBB, Pirates League, etc.), eliminate the various levels of dining (CRT vs. Cosmic Rays vs. the snack stands), and close every souvenir shop (so no "privileged" child gets a balloon inside the park when other kids may not be able to afford one), guests will NEVER be on a 100% equal footing at a theme park.

You know which Orlando theme park comes closest to that format? Discovery Cove. Everyone is served the same food. The same drinks. Food and beverages are included for every guest as part of your admission. There are no fastpasses. Other than souvenir and photo purchases, there are very few "add-ons" or differences for guests, save for admission that includes a dolphin swim vs. no dolphin swim, and cabana rentals.

 

[amberpi]

I love the Universal System personally while not really needing to hit their parks as often as I do WDW. I'm happy to pay Portfino or whatever the upcharge is for my time. We don't ride MDE because it takes too long, we take cabs sometimes among parks due to time, we have friends who would NEVER do this because WDW gives them a similar option for free. Its just a matter of time vs. money. None of us in the modern world (or most) have an unlimited supply of either, and you gotta decide which is more important to you. At Six Flags we buy their front of the line thing, why should WDW be different? I wish they'd build more rides which would alleviate much of these issues.

 

[Planogirl]

I don't have a problem with people paying extra for more perks. I guess that I don't see staying at a particular resort as paying extra but if that were the case I wouldn't have a problem with resort guests getting more if offsite people have access to buy. It's the potential lack of access that bugs me.

 

[Damien2213]

While I agree FP should only be for Resort Guest and AP holders I disagree people who stay in more expensive hotels should get more of them. The difference in prices for rooms is already very obvious in what you get with a Deluxe versus a Value. I'd be even willing to pay a fee for FP if it were setup that you picked an attraction and right before you rode you could pick the next FP similar to how Q-bot works.

 

[DisneyFive]

Agreed. But there are people that think the parks should be 100% equal footing. They say it's unfair to allow people to buy extra in-park options whether it be directly or by booking a deluxe room.

I hope you don't think I'm one of the "they" you are talking about. I never said it would be unfair. That's sounds like a whiny.

Personally, I'm saying that I like the idea of equal footing for park guests when it comes to the availability of the attractions. It would bother/sadden me if it were changed.

I COMPLETELY understand the idea. I don't think it's unfair, I just don't like it.

Dan

 

[DisneyFive]

R-ride nights were a perk that predated EMH. I think they ended around 2004, when EMH began.

E-ride nights were only in MK, on select nights. You had to be onsite, and it cost $10. The number of guests was limited, but more importantly, advertising was limited. So most folks never knew about it. Only the e-rides were open, but you got to ride them all with almost no waits. It was like having an unlimited fastpass.

Back then, there was also the semi-secret Disney Club, which got assorted discounts and secret perks.

In the parks, there used to all kinds of little secret and semi-secret things to do. Like waking up Tinkerbell, the Sword in the Stone, secret certificates, secret bonus gold fastpasses, secret paintbrushes on TS Island. For that matter, we could lump in all the various behind the scene tours as differentiated guest experiences to. Most of these are gone now. I mostly blame the internet.

There are also fireworks cruises. I only know a tiny bit about the assorted private in-park options: corporate lounges, renting private pavilions. There's a private pavilion in Epcot on the water in the WS. for a fee, you can reserve that private patio, with food and beverages.

I get what you are saying. Certainly the idea of a widely advertised differentiated Fastpass system would be a new chapter in the WDW experience. However, Disney has thoroughly experimented with differentiated park experiences in the past. And the deluxe resorts have long been a part of it. Staying deluxe already goes beyond having a nicer hotel room. For a start, most of the deluxe resorts offer a prime location. Simply put, there is a huge difference between taking a bus from MK to Pop at park closing (with the hour plus wait), and taking the resort monorail to GF or walking from the WS to the BC. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.


I think that's why I don't have a big problem with the idea. I don't like paying a fee for nothing (the new dining no show fees really irk me!) but the idea of paying for an added perks doesn't really bother me. Park ticket prices are absurd, but I do like being able to customize the ticket perks.

I stay at the value resorts, and I 'get' the idea of not wanting to pay more for your resort- just using it as a place to sleep. But there are reasons why some folks choose to pay extra to stay at the deluxes. Disney has always offered guests who pay more a better overall experience, or at least the opportunity to have an upgraded overall experience.

Funny, I was just reading today that AAA members used to get special FP benefits early in the day. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fastpass

I get it. Believe me. All that I know about WDW (four annual trips 2010 - 2013) didn't allow the ability to buy extra attractions. I loved that aspect. Can I afford to pay for more? You bet. Do I want to pay more? Heck no. Especially when the old FP- system worked so well for us.

Dan

 

[Angel Ariel]

There was still an admission price for both Disneyland and Magic Kingdom when they used the ticket books. So all guests were STILL paying the same amount to get into the parks.

I stand corrected on there being a general admission charge as well...but in looking at the historical page on all ears, general admission was *separate* from the ride tickets. I.e. you could buy a general admission ticket and enter the park, and just not ride anything. You had to buy ride tickets to ride anything.

That is not the case now. Everyone has to buy the same ticket (no option to buy a ticket for admission w/o ride access), and that ticket gives you access to *all* attractions.

The point is that Disney changed their pricing structure to one where you had to buy rides a la carte (after buying admission) to one where all rides were included in one ticket. Unlike the 1970s "general admission charge," which simply let you into the park, today's admission gives everyone access to everything. We are all paying equally for that access, and thus should have equal access. Unless of course Disney wants to restructure their pricing to reflect a change back to something similar to the 1970s.

 

[Reddog1134]

I stand corrected on there being a general admission charge as well...but in looking at the historical page on all ears, general admission was *separate* from the ride tickets. I.e. you could buy a general admission ticket and enter the park, and just not ride anything. You had to buy ride tickets to ride anything.

That is not the case now. Everyone has to buy the same ticket (no option to buy a ticket for admission w/o ride access), and that ticket gives you access to *all* attractions.

The point is that Disney changed their pricing structure to one where you had to buy rides a la carte (after buying admission) to one where all rides were included in one ticket. Unlike the 1970s "general admission charge," which simply let you into the park, today's admission gives everyone access to everything. We are all paying equally for that access, and thus should have equal access. Unless of course Disney wants to restructure their pricing to reflect a change back to something similar to the 1970s.

My point is that its rediculous to say "Walt wouldn't like pay for play" when it was pay for play until 1982.

Also, not everyone pays the same. Some people pay extra for park hoppers which gives them an extra privilege.

 

[Angel Ariel]

My point is that its rediculous to say "Walt wouldn't like pay for play" when it was pay for play until 1982.

Also, not everyone pays the same. Some people pay extra for park hoppers which gives them an extra privilege.

I don't recall saying anything along the lines of "walt wouldn't like pay for play"? In fact, I don't recall making any comments at all about how walt would feel about anything

 

[Planogirl]

While I agree FP should only be for Resort Guest and AP holders I disagree people who stay in more expensive hotels should get more of them. The difference in prices for rooms is already very obvious in what you get with a Deluxe versus a Value. I'd be even willing to pay a fee for FP if it were setup that you picked an attraction and right before you rode you could pick the next FP similar to how Q-bot works.

So you don't think that offsite visitors should have any access to fastpass and should only wait in standby even though they pay a lot for admission? Or do you think that they should pay extra?

I'm trying to wrap my mind around this type of thinking.

 

[CinqueTerre]

I don't recall saying anything along the lines of "walt wouldn't like pay for play"? In fact, I don't recall making any comments at all about how walt would feel about anything

I don't think the PP was referencing you specifically as a poster who said it. But I can attest that many on this board think Walt was some male version of Mother Theresa who didn't want anyone to pay for anything. It simply is not true.

 

[Reddog1134]

I don't recall saying anything along the lines of "walt wouldn't like pay for play"? In fact, I don't recall making any comments at all about how walt would feel about anything

I never said you did, but others HAVE said it. I was just explaining why I was making those points.

 

[captain america 2003]

why so many people feel that they deserve preferential attraction line access (extra FP+) because they stay at a Disney resort . Why ? When you book a Disney resort you should be choosing it for its what you can afford and for its amenities . It also entitles you to special services like MDE , Disney Parks transportation , and EMH . Regarding the parks I still say everyone regardless of whether they are a day guest who lives locally , or a family visiting from the UK staying at the GF for a week should have the same opportunities to access and use the FP+ system and that no guest visiting the park is more deserving of extra FP+ than any other guest . I guess we'll have to agree to disagree .

 

[CinqueTerre]

why so many people feel that they deserve preferential attraction line access (extra FP+) because they stay at a Disney resort . Why ? When you book a Disney resort you should be choosing it for its what you can afford and for its amenities . It also entitles you to special services like MDE , Disney Parks transportation , and EMH . Regarding the parks I still say everyone regardless of whether they are a day guest who lives locally , or a family visiting from the UK staying at the GF for a week should have the same opportunities to access and use the FP+ system and that no guest visiting the park is more deserving of extra FP+ than any other guest . I guess we'll have to agree to disagree .

I'm fine with whatever system Disney eventually adapts. If they keep it as is, so be it. If they decide to give additional FP+ for Deluxe Guests then I will stay Deluxe. And if they decide to just flat out sell additional FP+, I will be the first to buy them. Whatever system they settle on, is fair and fine with me.