Extra Fastpasses: A Case Study

[Sammie]

See, it was just a matter of waiting and giving it time. Glad you are having a great trip.

 

[morethananyonex]

I'm fairly certain there is a third "guest recovery" pool. But this isn't something a guest should be able to leverage in any way, so I didn't mention it. If there's more than that I'd be surprised. You can only slice a pie so many times.

Edit: Anyone done a DVC pitch? Are they still offering FPs for that? That would be another pool.



We're about to head into summer. I'm sure we'll see how well FP+ does with some of the biggest sustained crowds. I think what's important to keep in mind is that all reports here are, by definition, anecdotal. Some will have great experiences, and some will have terrible ones. Hopefully more people have good than bad.

DVC pitches are offering gift cards, or at least that's what we got offered in February.

We were offered $50, but we ended up not going.

 

[SuperRob]

DVC pitches are offering gift cards, or at least that's what we got offered in February.

We were offered $50, but we ended up not going.

Is that all? We got $200 on ours on the last day of our Honeymoon. Of course, it ended up costing us $6000.

 

[Sammie]

Man- here we go again with the "fabulous" stuff. I can't seem to open one thread without some fella referring to her indirectly. She don't even post on this board anymore but some of y'all can't take ya mind off of her. I just don't get it. Enough.... it is annoying and it is an insult to all of the other women who are present here vying for attention and looking forward to engaging in meaningful discussion. We don't need to be constantly reminded of her. You got one thing right though......this system is looking pretty darn fabulous----way better than the Legacy FP!!!! The pro FP+ folk have always said not to overreact because the system was being tested out by Disney. Disney said this too- and they said they will make adjustments based on user feedback. So- a huge thank you is in order only to all of the people who actually went to Disney and tested the system and took the time to complete the surveys provided and by offering both positive and negative feedback. I am so glad I did not listen to all of the negativity and doom and gloom predications and cancel my trip because I would have been feeling really bad. I'm very glad I listened to the pro FastPass+ people like wisblue, jade1, sammie, wdwfreak, davidnyc, brian noble, mickey minnie mom, kaybird and so many other people here who have been very helpful in keeping the calm. Disney is running just fine without Legacy FastPass!!!!! Better than fine----when the complainers said it was NOT impossible.....New Coke and all of that. Ha! FastPass+ is not going anywhere!

You might as well just throw the towel in on convincing the naysayers that Disney had any part it the roll out of this new part of Fastpass+.

They will always feel they were totally responsible for the changes, because it is the only way they can justify how horrible they acted for months to those of us they knew it would get better with time.

I could have cared less how much they disliked it, except they honestly scared the beejeezes out of some really nice people trying to plan upcoming trips to the point some did not want to go.

The ironic part of all of this, those so upset with the initial Fastpass+ said Disney would not listen, did not care about their customers anymore, etc. etc. and yet according to them their complaints are directly responsible for these additions to the system.

 

[clsteve]

I'm fairly certain there is a third "guest recovery" pool. But this isn't something a guest should be able to leverage in any way, so I didn't mention it. If there's more than that I'd be surprised. You can only slice a pie so many times.

Edit: Anyone done a DVC pitch? Are they still offering FPs for that? That would be another pool.



We're about to head into summer. I'm sure we'll see how well FP+ does with some of the biggest sustained crowds. I think what's important to keep in mind is that all reports here are, by definition, anecdotal. Some will have great experiences, and some will have terrible ones. Hopefully more people have good than bad.

The biggest validation coming in so far seems to be that the in-Park FP pool is also subdivided, i.e.: what they first offer you as the next available time is not all that is actually available.

So, Rule #1 --- keep working it if you want a different or earlier time, either at the Kiosk or on your smart device once it's released to you.

It's a good start. Hopefully more Rules will pop up.

 

[morethananyonex]

Is that all? We got $200 on ours on the last day of our Honeymoon. Of course, it ended up costing us $6000.

Wow, they gave you a $200 gift card for attending the pitch? Jeez, we would have made time for $200

 

[SuperRob]

The biggest validation coming in so far seems to be that the in-Park FP pool is also subdivided, i.e.: what they first offer you as the next available time is not all that is actually available.

So, Rule #1 --- keep working it if you want a different or earlier time, either at the Kiosk or on your smart device once it's released to you.

It's a good start. Hopefully more Rules will pop up.

I don't know that I'd call that a different pool. Disney could be trying to spread people throughout the park (both distance and time), or it's possible it's just a glitch in the software. But we're splitting hairs now.

Yes, I think the thing people need to remember about the Kiosks is to hit the BACK button and see what other times are available, as the kiosk might not give you the next available time.

Wow, they gave you a $200 gift card for attending the pitch? Jeez, we would have made time for $200

I think they were very motivated for some reason. We put the card to good use, since I believe it paid off the rest of our room charges.

 

[OtherScott]

The biggest validation coming in so far seems to be that the in-Park FP pool is also subdivided, i.e.: what they first offer you as the next available time is not all that is actually available. So, Rule #1 --- keep working it if you want a different or earlier time, either at the Kiosk or on your smart device once it's released to you. It's a good start. Hopefully more Rules will pop up.

Isn't this just conditional weighting?

 

[OtherScott]

Wow. What a tremendous overread. If I was unclear, let me rephrase. The point of my post(s) was that the current iteration of FP+ was not the one anticipated at launch. If Disney knew that FP+ was headed exactly as it currently exists, why did they start the poll asking if people preferred the rolling three, the get more after three, or the get more after 1:00 p.m. options? If they had this master plan in place all along, what was the point of the poll. If nothing else, that should tell you that they knew that changes needed to be made, but they weren't quite sure which way to pivot.

They didn't ask "if," they asked "how." The polling didn't tell them simply that changes needed to be made, it added you voice to data to determine how they would be made.

They couldn't change something that wasn't changeable. And if it was changeable, what were they going to do if you didn't complain.

Mom thinks they would monetize/incentivize with excess capacity. I don't think the "they only increased capacity by adding secondary attractions" crowd will buy it, but who knows? Would you pay extra for POTC and IASW FPs?

 

[jade1]

From the 2007 Disney Patent

Publication number US20070203763 A1
Publication type Application
Application number US 11/468,284
Publication date Aug 30, 2007
Filing date Aug 29, 2006
Priority date Aug 10, 1999
Also published as US7400932
Inventors Jonathan Ackley, Gregory Hale, Kenneth Schweizer
Original Assignee Jonathan Ackley, Hale Gregory B, Schweizer Kenneth W
Export Citation BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan
Referenced by (7), Classifications (6), Legal Events (2)
External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet


1. Early Fastpass Access
a. There is the ability to offer guests early access to Fastpass via their in-room TV, (DTV or hotel kiosk), to select the attractions for a Fastpass is required.
i. The ability to access this access may be variable, such as the night before, day of prior to entertainment park open, and day of after park opens.
b. Pre-Arrival
i. The Fastpass may be obtainable via the WEB from a remote location such as a home computer
I. The Fastpass may be supplied as printed paper tickets
II. the Fastpass may be supplied electronically and wirelessly through a download to a PDA or cellular telephone
2. Multiple Fastpass accesses for Resort guests is possible
a. Each Guest per room is able to select same or separate Fastpass as others in the room. As each attraction is selected Guest can select which Guests want that selection.
b. The ability to offer different numbers (i.e. more than 3, could be variable) of Fastpass based on segmentation.
3. There is the ability to offer premium return times based on segmentation.
4. There is the ability to let segmented guests have first chance to certain inventory.
5. There is the ability to allow guests with parkhopper entitlements to choose a Fastpass for a second park on the same day.
6. There is the ability to issue a concurrent Fastpass for the day guest (with long virtual waits).

 

[Damien2213]

What is the advantage of using a Kiosk over the phone app?

 

[jade1]

What is the advantage of using a Kiosk over the phone app?

Depends.

For smart phone users-it's worse.

For folks without smart phones-it's necessary.

 

[LBIJim]

disney reserves a fraction of ride capacity to fp.

5/4 ?

a fraction of that is made available to book in the parks.

-(3/8) ?

Sorry, those wise-guy responses are typical in my company when someone states "a fraction of" without precise figures. No offense intended.

In Orlando now, but Disney was never in the plans for this vacation. However, our pre-arranged plans for Friday fell through. Maybe we'll go to a Disney park for the day and test FP+ as a stereotypical Joe Blow who buys a one day ticket at the gate. If so, I'll post my experience.

Jim

 

[Damien2213]

Depends.

For smart phone users-it's worse.

For folks without smart phones-it's necessary.

Thanks Jade! I have a smart phone so that should make things easier on the group.

 

[donnsuz]

I've been a voyeur on this site for several years and not much of a contributor - but this has been a pretty entertaining thread. I've only got a few things to add -

1 - Today when I got AP's at DTD I received a handout which stated, "Save Time. For your initial selections, choose up to three Disney FastPass+ experiences in one Theme Park...Once you redeem your initial selections see a Cast Member at a FastPass+ kiosk for information about availability and selecting an additional experience." I'm not sure how long this has been handed out, but obviously a 4th FP has been available recently.

2. My family goes to WDW or DLR about once a year (not the many times most of you have been) for the past few years, so I am not a Dis pro - however, I know way more about the system than nearly everyone I know. Most people simply do not go more than once or twice - ever. They do not know the ins and outs of the system. They will not max out the FP's. They simply buy tickets and show up and hope to have a magical time. These are the people that used to buy FP off ebay - as if they thought they were being smarter than the average attendee - remember?

3. When the whole MDE/FP system first rolled out I was very skeptical about how my upcoming family trip would go. I had finally gotten the hang of the legacy system. Fortunately- thanks to all of you - positive and negative - I have learned A LOT and will make our trip happen - working within the system as it exists right now. No change happens without bumps and updates. Get over it.

p.s. I hate to think that our world has come to a place that you have to have a smart phone to have fun. Those kiosks have got to stay

 

[jade1]

Thanks Jade! I have a smart phone so that should make things easier on the group.

Sorry, I wan't very clear. The kiosk is needed to add the 4th ect FP+-your phone currently will not work for that. Sounds like once you select a 4th-you can see it on the app and possibly move it around. Lots of feedback yet to come so stay tuned.

 

[GeorgiaHoo]

I refuse to acknowledge such a ludicrous idea.

Just like before FP+, extremely popular rides that have capacity issues (like TSMM) will be hard to get any time after 10AM. I'm not sure why people have forgotten why everyone was rushing to TSMM first thing in the morning, but it usually wasn't to RIDE, it was to get a FP (or ride, then get a FP if there were any left).

Disney reserves a fraction of ride capacity to FP. A fraction of that is made available to book in the parks. While I have absolutely zero knowledge of the ratio, I suspect there are far more saved for in-park than are made available for pre-booking, simply because they don't want someone showing up completely unplanned and buying tickets at the gate to have an overwhelmingly negative experience.

Oh, I don't disagree. Not surprised that Toy Story wasn't available. Was a bit surprised that neither Rock n Roller Coaster nor Tower of Terror were available. The other drawback was that when we returned to the resort I couldn't book Toy Story for the NEXT day until late at night when we departed mid-afternoon. Under the old system we probably could have arrived at DHS prior to opening and grabbed a FP- that we could use before noon. That said, the new system is what it is.

 

[clsteve]

I don't know that I'd call that a different pool. Disney could be trying to spread people throughout the park (both distance and time), or it's possible it's just a glitch in the software. But we're splitting hairs now.

No reason to split hairs but it isn't a glitch, there are different Subdivisions (if I really wanted to show my age, I'd go right into a Rush reference).
I'm sure there are occasions for crowd management by spreading allocations, But, not to justify a 3-5 hour swing. They slapped down a big chunk of change- of course they have to re-coup it.

No matter why they're doing it (and I hope we're getting beyond that), how to use the info for our benefit is what's most important.

Isn't this just conditional weighting?

Conditional weighting would have a much higher impact on the inter-relationships between the 3 selections. You're only selecting one at a time after those are done- for that new one, what are they weighting? Guest-type? If so, that would be a subdivision of the Pool. See above for things such as distance, etc., but it also can't be party size if other, more convenient times show up as soon as you start playing with it. And I would seriously doubt it's caused by huge numbers of guests changing/deleting a bunch of FP's on the fly- everything so far points to very understandable time lags in their real time capabilities (remember KTP, etc.).

 

[Laketravis]

Interesting Disney conference call early this evening, some interesting comments about MM+ and FP+ at these time marks:

10:00 - Discussion about FP+ impact in parks
25:35 - Question from analyst about FP+

Nice to hear the Disney "is pleased" with our behavior


You can listen here: DISNEY CALL

.

 

[KatieCharlotte]

You might as well just throw the towel in on convincing the naysayers that Disney had any part it the roll out of this new part of Fastpass+.

They will always feel they were totally responsible for the changes, because it is the only way they can justify how horrible they acted for months to those of us they knew it would get better with time.

I could have cared less how much they disliked it, except they honestly scared the beejeezes out of some really nice people trying to plan upcoming trips to the point some did not want to go.

I'm glad the naysayers scared me last fall into not booking a whole week at WDW for spring break, which ended up being one month before the rolling fourth FP+ was implemented. Perhaps some of us would have been less worried if FP+ fans like yourself hadn't said things like:

Yes you are correct, your style of park touring and use of Fastpass is over and you are not going to be happy with the changes.

People who were able to get multiple Fastpasses for headliners on the same day and even in different parks are going to be disappointed, as that is one of the main reasons for the changes.

Because what has happened is they have listened to the complaints of the masses that never got "any" fastpasses at all due to those that had multiples.

So yes you are right, I will coincide that some will be unhappy their way of touring at the expense of hundreds, thousands of others will end. You were not wrong to do this because it was allowed. But they have seen the error of the old system and fixed it to please more people.

I still prefer the simplicity and transparency of legacy FP, but I'm very happy that well-informed superusers once again have a huge advantage.