Fastpass disappearing and your DVC membership.

[DougEMG]

https://www.orlandoweekly.com/Blogs...nally-overhaul-fastpass-and-extra-magic-hours
After reading this article I have to confess I am really worried about what will happen. Having the 60 day priority windows on fastpass was a really good privelege granted to onsite guests. If that were to go away I don't think I would even want to keep my DVC property. I would expect them to replace it with a new benefit though but I am interested to hear what everyone thinks on the matter and if anyone wants to speculate on what might replace fastpass.

What I liked about the old paper FP was that not everyone used them or knew how, combine that with lower crowd levels and it was possible to get a lot done using paper FP. With FP+ the main benefit for us was that we could book FP+ for the afternoon and not have to worry about getting to the parks early which is a big benefit when you are coming from the west coast.

I really don't care what kind of system they put in place. What I care about is how long I have to wait in a line (20+ minutes is a no go for me) and how much I can do in a day.

I expect Disney would like to have tiered on-site benefits rather than having value, moderate, DVC and deluxe resorts all have the exact same benefit. So it wouldn't surprise me to see things like 60 days booking and early magic hours disappear and get replaced.

 

[Lumpy1106]

Well, first, it says, "overhaul", not "eliminate", so let's not panic. That said, yes, eliminating an on-site perk like advanced FP's would be a potential deal-breaker for me. When we purchased we were doing long-term comparisons to ON SITE accommodations, not off-site. You can stay off-site for FAR less, and the numbers comparatively would not pencil out NMW.

 

[nightwing12]

there is no way disney is going to eliminate a perk like this without replacing it with some other reason to get butts in beds in their hotels. you can stay offsite for a fraction of the price, typically even if you factor in renting a vehicle, often in accommodations with similar amenities to the disney hotels. DME isn't the only reason people stay in disney hotels, but fp+ as well as extra magic hours are, they or something similar will still be there for the guests that stay on site, it just might be more personalized with the new app.

 

[Noah_t]

What I liked about the old paper FP was that not everyone used them or knew how, combine that with lower crowd levels and it was possible to get a lot done using paper FP. With FP+ the main benefit for us was that we could book FP+ for the afternoon and not have to worry about getting to the parks early which is a big benefit when you are coming from the west coast.

I really don't care what kind of system they put in place. What I care about is how long I have to wait in a line (20+ minutes is a no go for me) and how much I can do in a day.

I expect Disney would like to have tiered on-site benefits rather than having value, moderate, DVC and deluxe resorts all have the exact same benefit. So it wouldn't surprise me to see things like 60 days booking and early magic hours disappear and get replaced.

Yes coming from the West Coast is really tough to rope drop especially with a 6 and 7 year old. On my last trip after we slept in till abou 9;30 on our first day i axed all rope drop plans. I also agree i am totally open to something else as long as wait times are kept below 30 minutes.

 

[justadreamaway77]

Has anyone thought about the idea that the only way to go to the parks would be to stay on site or have an AP? I'd be fine with no fast passes if I knew the crowd was manageable because you would have to have a resort reservation to get a park ticket......

 

[jarestel]

I wouldn't entertain the notion of selling DVC just because FP+ might be changed. I've been going to the parks since before there was any kind of line queuing system at all so I'm confident I can adapt and adjust to whatever comes next.

On a side note, I don't care for FP+ since even at exactly 60 days, more often than not, it's not possible to get the most popular rides. But I won't sell my contracts over it.

 

[vacationer1954]

Has anyone thought about the idea that the only way to go to the parks would be to stay on site or have an AP? I'd be fine with no fast passes if I knew the crowd was manageable because you would have to have a resort reservation to get a park ticket......

I don't see a big problem with that. If they have to reduce the number of guests visiting, any well-run business would aim to do it based on how much of a financial commitment that the guest is willing to make up-front.

 

[lawboy2001]

Has anyone thought about the idea that the only way to go to the parks would be to stay on site or have an AP? I'd be fine with no fast passes if I knew the crowd was manageable because you would have to have a resort reservation to get a park ticket......

I would love that. Disney it seems would not. WDW parks are packed with Florida residents on day trips....I guess it's all the quick service meals purchased that add profit??

 

[ray3127]

OP, I share your concerns/anxiety. We are planners, and the "old" system worked really well for us...

With FP+ the main benefit for us was that we could book FP+ for the afternoon and not have to worry about getting to the parks early which is a big benefit when you are coming from the west coast.

I really don't care what kind of system they put in place. What I care about is how long I have to wait in a line (20+ minutes is a no go for me) and how much I can do in a day.

...largely because of Doug's first statement above. To me, it is very relaxing to have everything planned out before we go. Having a dining reservation and 3 FPs all after, say, 5PM, allows us to have a late night, sleep in, enjoy the resort/pool during the day, and enjoy the parks at a leisurely pace that evening.

We bought DVC so we can stay longer and leverage our APs to follow this kind of a schedule on most days instead of constantly rope-dropping and over-scheduling. So I think the OP's concerns are valid; I've had similar thoughts of "what-if they change x, y, or z" (which has led to considerable anxiety).

As for the MaxPass system at DLR ... I enjoy the system a lot out there, but I don't think it translates well at WDW. The resorts are too different; the two big ways I can think of are size and clientele.

Size: All DLR on-site (and really off-site) hotels are walking distance, and the parks are side-by-side. It is comapct and much easier to get around, pop in early and go back to the hotel, etc. As long as you get into one of the parks by early afternoon, you can snag a FP for any attraction (on most days). I can't see it working like that at WDW ... I think you'd have to be at parks within an hour of opening to get Slinky or FOP, for example. And that means committing a lot more time due to how spread out WDW is.

Clientele: I'm referring to locals vs. tourists. I think MaxPass works really well given that there are fewer tourists at DLR than WDW. It's a more casual experience at DLR. But with so many more tourists at WDW, I don't see a MaxPass (i.e. "day-of") type system working as well.

So looking ahead to what WDW rolls out, I hope that:
- ADR's come back and move to 60 days permanently ... 180 was ridiculous.
- They institute some sort of replacement/modification that allows you to pre-schedule certain attractions ... whether it is FP+ or something else.
- With both of the above, I think you should be rewarded for length of stay ... i.e. ADR's at 60 days + length of stay ... same goes for FPs, or whatever the replacement is.

For me it really comes down to what Doug said above ... "What I care about is how long I have to wait in a line and how much I can do in a day." As long as that isn't negatively impacted in the long run by whatever the updated system looks like, then I'm still in. And while I do have some anxiety about that right now, I also trust that WDW won't make things worse (i.e. I am hopeful/optimistic to see what they roll out).

 

[Maistre Gracey]

I would love that. Disney it seems would not. WDW parks are packed with Florida residents on day trips....I guess it's all the quick service meals purchased that add profit??

Are you suggesting Florida residents only get quick service meals? If so, you would be wrong. Thus, the reason Disney has an Epcot after 4 pass for residents, and also residents are one of the three categories who can purchase TIW.

 

[ILoveMyDVC]

Adding my 2 cents:
As a person that takes sleep medication and also was born to not get up early - I would hate to go back to the early risers get all the fast passes. The 60 days option was truly fair to all. The other system favored those who could get to the park earliest (no small children, no special needs, people that didn't require extra sleep).

But I would love to see the ADRs moved to something closer to the FP day - not the same morning because that would be chaotic.

In all cases, I think it is crazy to make any reservations without park hours available.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Adding my 2 cents:
As a person that takes sleep medication and also was born to not get up early - I would hate to go back to the early risers get all the fast passes. The 60 days option was truly fair to all. The other system favored those who could get to the park earliest (no small children, no special needs, people that didn't require extra sleep).

But I would love to see the ADRs moved to something closer to the FP day - not the same morning because that would be chaotic.

In all cases, I think it is crazy to make any reservations without park hours available.

I think the system I liked was the original system, where they had the little machines that you put your pass in and out popped a fast pass.
They did run out later in the day, but for the most part they were available for all.

 

[DougEMG]

I think the system I liked was the original system, where they had the little machines that you put your pass in and out popped a fast pass.
They did run out later in the day, but for the most part they were available for all.

What I liked about the old system was that I could grab a FP then go on a rides that only had standby till I could grab another FP, then use all my FPs in the evening when the lines got longer because they didn't enforce the return time.

 

[ILoveMyDVC]

What I liked about the old system was that I could grab a FP then go on a rides that only had standby till I could grab another FP, then use all my FPs in the evening when the lines got longer because they didn't enforce the return time.

Didn't work for those of us that arrived at 11:00 a.m. But I loved sending the fastest competent runner with all the passes to get the FPs

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Didn't work for those of us that arrived at 11:00 a.m. But I loved sending the fastest competent runner with all the passes to get the FPs

Didn’t work at 11am...???
Are you sure you’re talking about the same system? The kiosks??
Always worked for us until about 5pm.

 

[CarolMN]

Didn’t work at 11am...???
Are you sure you’re talking about the same system? The kiosks??
Always worked for us until about 5pm.

The paper FP system for some of the more popular rides often ran out well before 11. TSM comes to mind.

 

[EM Lawrence]

When TSM first opened, those paper FP would be gone during morning EMH sometimes from what I remember. If you were not staying onsite, you may not get one.

 

[chicagoshannon]

I really hope that they go back to day of fastpass. I liked waking up and deciding which park I felt like going to that day. I also HATE that on site gets 30 extra days to reserve FP. Everyone is paying the same price to get into the parks (more or less) so everyone should have an equal chance to get on the rides.

I don't however see them getting rid of pre planning unfortunately. After the park reservations are no longer needed I"m sure they'll go back to pre planning. They don't want to have any extra staff on hand. Minimal staff to meet just the basic needs of guest seems to be their M.O. lately.

 

[kcp13b]

I'd be happy if they went back to day-of FastPasses for everyone. I hate having to plan every park day 2 months out. Ditto for the 180-day dining reservation system.

I agree, I prefer the system of going to the ride for the paper fastpass. I would be happy if it was something still based on MDE where you can get a fastpass once you enter the park for the day.

 

[momtwoboys]

What I liked about the old system was that I could grab a FP then go on a rides that only had standby till I could grab another FP, then use all my FPs in the evening when the lines got longer because they didn't enforce the return time.

good ol days for sure!