Does Disney World think it's an airline?

[elcid3]

I don't know why this didn't occur to me earlier, but with the roll-out of FastPass+ is buying a ticket to Disney World going to be any different than buying an airline ticket? Just as with an airline ticket now all you basically get is the seat, are we really that far away from a Disney World ticket only getting you into the park?

What airlines have claimed is that they're unbundling costs so that only the people that wanted specific services (eg. checking a bag, meals, selecting a seat) would have to pay for them. How is this any different than what Disney World is doing? I think they looked at the airline ancillary revenue business and realized that FastPass+ is a simple way to continue stripping away benefits traditionally included in park tickets and then selling those "only" to the people who want them (ie. everyone).

Think about it this way - Depending on the time of year, I used to be able to average around 5-6 fastpasses a day. Now I'm limited to 3 (maybe an extra depending on how the recent announcement plays out). Would anyone be surprised if a year from now we read the following Walt Disney World press release "Due to guest feedback, visitors to Disney World will now be limited to 1 complimentary fastpass per day. We have heard from our guests and time and time again they tell us how they would prefer to only pay for what they use. Additional fastpasses may be purchased at a rate of 1 for $14.99 / 2 for $25.99 / 3 for $30.99 / and so on (similar to a multi-day ticket)."

Or a longer term example is I have fond memories of vacationing at Disney World during the holidays. Now they've "stripped" the holiday parade as a benefit of a regular ticket and made it an additional cost (Mickey's Very Merry Xmas Party).

Disney is essentially selling a base fare that includes as little as possible and then adding "extras" on top of it. I guess in some ways they're going back to their roots - I have no doubt we will see dynamic fast-pass+ pricing for E-ticket rides (eg. Space Mountain) and A-ticket rides (eg. People Mover).

 

[elcid3]

And since I rarely post i'll throw out another theory...Disney says that the average guest prior to fastpass+ received 3 fastpasses per day. So if that's true, guests shouldn't notice any difference in the amount of rides they get on during a visit. I think there's enough anecdotal evidence at this point to suggest that lines at rides are now longer so guests are getting on less attractions than they previously were. All of this makes me wonder: the original FastPass was designed to get people on more rides but is Fastpass+ designed to get people to go on less rides? Think about this way: once you buy a ticket to the park, there's very little incremental revenue when you're on an attraction. The most they can hope for is you buy a photopass and/or purchase something in the gift shops attached to the end of attractions. However, if you feel the lines are too long, are you more likely to go shopping and/or eat a meal which I'm guessing have higher profit margins? So ultimately is Fastpass+ a way to get guests to spend more time at the higher profit centers by discouraging them from going to attractions? Just a (conspiracy) theory...

 

[Ravenne]

Look on the bright side, you still get to bring your bags for free.

 

[aacvacation]

Who knows what they are thinking...I shudder at the thought of purchasing fast passes....the parks would be unbearable without them. It would be one thing if it was like Universal, where not many people buy them, so they stay reasonably priced and get you on to rides in no time. But at a place like WDW, where EVERYONE would be buying them? I just don't see it working.

 

[kaytieeldr]

elcid3, meet 2005 - when WDW introduced Magic Your Way tickets, so guests were able to pay for just the options we use.

I couldn't find anything here http://www.disneyparade.com/disney-world-parade-timeline/ about specific holiday parades (except the Chrstmas Day parade). But I never went at Christmas. Are you saying there's no more holiday-themed parade at night except for party attendees? What about non-party nights? Did you know Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party was originally an event at the Contemporary?

All of this makes me wonder: the original FastPass was designed to get people on more rides

No, I'm relatively certain the original intent/expectation for the original version of FastPass was to allow holders to do something other than wait in line, such as eat or shop.

 

[NinaBella]

I don't recall ever using more than three fast passes per day. I think there is some truth behind that for the average guest. Of course DisBoarder's are not the average guest are they? The average guest does not strategies and build spreadsheets on how to hit the most attractions in one visit.

 

[ArwenMarie]

Interesting analogy.

And standby is really standby now, just like the airlines

 

[JeremyGNJ]

Major flaw in this analogy:

The VAST majority of visitors will see FP+ as a new added benefit to their admission.

Its only the very small group of people who used FP- a lot that feel like something is being taken away.

 

[2Tiggies]

Look on the bright side, you still get to bring your bags for free.

For now. Wait until they install the scales just past the bag check. $15 per excess lb

 

[2Tiggies]

e
No, I'm relatively certain the original intent/expectation for the original version of FastPass was to allow holders to do something other than wait in line, such as eat or shop.

 

[maxiesmom]

It was announced yesterday that Disney is already tweaking the FP+ system to allow guests to pull more than 3 a day.

I also don't think Disney stripped the holiday parades from the non party night as much as they realized guests wanted the opportunity to see both the every day parade and fireworks and the holiday themed ones. I'm glad they do it that way!

 

[mickeyluv'r]

I think your analogy is interesting, but it is based much on speculation.

Except for MK, we rarely pulled more than 3fp for AK, Epcot, or HS.
I can recall a number of Epcot days where we did one or less.

When considering the limits of new fp, I think many folks completely neglect the flaws of FP-. Under old FP, I had to walk all over the park to get any FP. That took time.

Making the most of new FP does mean a shift in thinking. I get that many folks hate change. Call me crazy, but I have always seen WDW touring as a kind of puzzle. Every time WDW tweaks something, I get to adjust my strategy.

Problem solving is fun. It is the essence of life.

If you doubt me, search DDP threads from back when it was new.

 

[TinkerElsasMom]

I agree with your view of it. Planning a trip is like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. The old system created a lot of wasted time in walking to get fast passes. It didn't let you tour the park in a path, and made you run back and fourth to different attractions at different ends of the parks. When people do this they cannot appreciate the parks tiny nuances. This new system lets you create a path for yourself to see the whole park. It would be awesome if they added more opportunities for fast passes, especially at MK, but I am really loving this new FP system overall.

 

[Planogirl]

We always had an easy time touring MK without crossing the park (except for Space Mountain - that one was always a pest). We simply chose fastpasses for a specific area and then stayed in that area and did other things until it was time to use the fastpass.

That aside, I do agree that they might be exploring ways to charge for fastpasses in the future. I don't see why they wouldn't at some point cash in on what other parks already charge for.

 

[johde]

Or a longer term example is I have fond memories of vacationing at Disney World during the holidays. Now they've "stripped" the holiday parade as a benefit of a regular ticket and made it an additional cost (Mickey's Very Merry Xmas Party).

I'm not sure the Christmas parade is the best example of your point. It is still shown around Christmas as the afternoon parade. During late November and Early December it's part of Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. MVMCP started at the Magic Kingdom in 1989 after 6 years at the Contemporary as a previous posted suggested.

A better Example would be MYW tickets. Prior to MYW all tickets were non expiring and beyond a certain number of days included park hopping, and beyond another limit included the water parks. Now Park Days, Park Hopping, Waterparks, and No expiration are sold ala-carte.

 

[elcid3]

elcid3, meet 2005 - when WDW introduced Magic Your Way tickets, so guests were able to pay for just the options we use.

very good point on the Magic Your Way tickets

as far as the Christmas parties, let me rephrase it - when I was growing up my family used to go to Disney World for two weeks every December. Back then we could just go to the Magic Kingdom and enjoy the holiday festivities pretty much any day we were there. We didn't have to worry about whether our tickets were valid on that day or whether we needed to purchase an additional ticket.

 

[redsbe]

What I recall was that WDW commented that the average park visitor was using less then 2 FP- per day. For what I observed yesterday while at MK even with the limit of three FP per day, many more people were using them with more people in FP+ lines then I have ever seen before (and it was not a high crowd day). FP+ lines moved fast but there was a wait of 5-10 minutes for some, they were not simply walk on.

 

[WillAustin]

Major flaw in this analogy:

The VAST majority of visitors will see FP+ as a new added benefit to their admission.

Its only the very small group of people who used FP- a lot that feel like something is being taken away.

I'd bet you'll find a LARGE group that thinks it's ridiculous to reserve a spot on a ride days, weeks, or months in advance.

According to a lot of posters on here, most people should and do expect to wait in lines and have little problem with it. I'd guess the "average" guest would be the same. I still don't see the significant gain for those people in having 3 FPs (and in most cases, limited choices of what they can pick) booked in advance.

I don't think the argument that it makes things significantly better for a majority holds much water unless you're just setting the bar at "better than nothing." I'd say those that arrive later to the parks would fit into the "better than nothing" category.

What I recall was that WDW commented that the average park visitor was using less then 2 FP- per day. For what I observed yesterday while at MK even with the limit of three FP per day, many more people were using them with more people in FP+ lines then I have ever seen before (and it was not a high crowd day). FP+ lines moved fast but there was a wait of 5-10 minutes for some, they were not simply walk on.

They are really starting to push FP+. We've been contacted 2 times by mail and once by email reminding us to make our reservations for our trip in 60 days.

 

[JeremyGNJ]

I'd bet you'll find a LARGE group that thinks it's ridiculous to reserve a spot on a ride days, weeks, or months in advance.

According to a lot of posters on here, most people should and do expect to wait in lines and have little problem with it. I'd guess the "average" guest would be the same. I still don't see the significant gain for those people in having 3 FPs (and in most cases, limited choices of what they can pick) booked in advance.

I don't think the argument that it makes things significantly better for a majority holds much water unless you're just setting the bar at "better than nothing." I'd say those that arrive later to the parks would fit into the "better than nothing" category.



They are really starting to push FP+. We've been contacted 2 times by mail and once by email reminding us to make our reservations for our trip in 60 days.

You've just proved my point. they contacted you two times by mail and once by email. For MOST visitors before they had "nothing" and now they can "skip 3 lines"

 

[over50visits]

They are really starting to push FP+. We've been contacted 2 times by mail and once by email reminding us to make our reservations for our trip in 60 days.

So one of the results of FP+ is an increase in spam email and junk mail?