Fastpass perk?!??

[Unclelude]

Consensus seems to be fastpass will be for-pay once they come back.

It's hard to believe there won't be *some* advantage in the new system for resort guests... (consider all the arguments lately that there is no advantage to stay on site) And typically, deluxe stay guests see a bit better advantage ... I'm hopeful this is how it sorts out and DVC gets a 'new deluxe' fastpass perk!

 

[Sandisw]

Well, if this becomes a pay option, and DVD gets involved, I would bet they will try to negoiate a discount for it for a blue card benefit like they did for a discount on an AP.

I am not sure I want FP back. We really enjoyed the trip without it so I am not sure if I would pay for it. I felt the lines moved so much faster.

However, I think Disney would be crazy not to include some level of free to onsite guests, including DVC.

 

[DVCSunDevil]

Well, if this becomes a pay option, and DVD gets involved, I would bet they will try to negoiate a discount for it for a blue card benefit like they did for a discount on an AP.

I am not sure I want FP back. We really enjoyed the trip without it so I am not sure if I would pay for it. I felt the lines moved so much faster.

However, I think Disney would be crazy not to include some level of free to onsite guests, including DVC.

Do you think your experience would hold true when Covid is in the rearview mirror and parks are at full capacity again? Just curious on your thoughts. I haven’t been to WDW since the pandemic.

 

[DVCSunDevil]

Well, if this becomes a pay option, and DVD gets involved, I would bet they will try to negoiate a discount for it for a blue card benefit like they did for a discount on an AP.

I am not sure I want FP back. We really enjoyed the trip without it so I am not sure if I would pay for it. I felt the lines moved so much faster.

However, I think Disney would be crazy not to include some level of free to onsite guests, including DVC.

As Sandisw said, I find it hard to believe there will not be some benefit for resort and DVC guests. I think Disney will always keep a benefit in place to promote staying on site. And to be fair, the “consensus” to which you are referring is speculation.

 

[Sandisw]

Do you think your experience would hold true when Covid is in the rearview mirror and parks are at full capacity again? Just curious on your thoughts. I haven’t been to WDW since the pandemic.

I do think it would hold true but the waits could Certainly be more, Space Mountain was listed at 45 minutes and we waited less than 20.

FOP line was huge..about 25 minutes actually wait but we only stopped 3 times for more than 1 minute, For someone with major back issues who can’t stand still for long periods...and have DAS...I didn’t need to use it because of how the lines moved regularly. Of course, I realized this trip that Peter Pan is more my speed so not sure how many of those big rides i have in my future.

We also liked being able to be flexible with what we did when, and didn’t feel like we had to waste time waiting for the next one to begin..

If they bring it back, I think it should be one at a time, like it was from the start...but you can enter any time after your return time but can’t schedule a new one until you use it..

 

[DVCSunDevil]

I do think it would hold true but the waits could Certainly be more, Space Mountain was listed at 45 minutes and we waited less than 20.

FOP line was huge..about 25 minutes actually wait but we only stopped 3 times for more than 1 minute, For someone with major back issues who can’t stand still for long periods...and have DAS...I didn’t need to use it because of how the lines moved regularly. Of course, I realized this trip that Peter Pan is more my speed so not sure how many of those big rides i have in my future.

We also liked being able to be flexible with what we did when, and didn’t feel like we had to waste time waiting for the next one to begin..

If they bring it back, I think it should be one at a time, like it was from the start...but you can enter any time after your return time but can’t schedule a new one until you use it..

Thank you. That is good feedback. I definitely agree it should be the way it used to be, where you get the fast pass ticket and cannot use another one until you ride that ride.

 

[limace]

I love the Maxpass system at DL-much prefer to do day of fast passes rather than months in advance (my family haaates that level of planning and rebels against it-one of many reasons we prefer DL). There are no DVC or onsite benefits for maxpass or DL fast passes in general.

 

[Unclelude]

As Sandisw said, I find it hard to believe there will not be some benefit for resort and DVC guests. I think Disney will always keep a benefit in place to promote staying on site. And to be fair, the “consensus” to which you are referring is speculation.

I agree. Consensus poor choice of words... Speculation better

 

[SL6827]

To think that FP is coming back without some sort of price attached to it is unreal. But there still could be free FP for hotel guest. The free ones may be where they can only be booked a week prior and the paid ones get 60-90 days prior, who knows? But there is going to be a pay to play scenario in the works.

 

[Brian Noble]

My money says that, if FP+ returns, there will be at least some form that is free and available to all guests. Resort guests may well get early access (as they did in the Before Times), some resort guests may get an additional allocation (ditto), and there may be a way for non-Resort guests to pay for extra access in one or both forms.

Disney is the only theme park operator that has had a freely-available form of virtual queuing for the entire time it was used. Others either began charging for it (Cedar Fair and Universal), or charged from the beginning (Herschend and Six Flags). The ones who began charging switched to that model years ago. Never say never, of course, but Disney had plenty of chances to eliminate free access over the years---particularly when the MaxPass/FP+ systems came online. They didn't do it then, and while I would never say never, I will be surprised if they do it now.

Yes, things are different in the After Times, and maybe they decide to squeeze marginal revenue. But, the advantage of FP+ at WDW is that it encourages Orlando visitors to pre-plan their time at Disney. That helps lock in those guests against being lured by discounted experiences at other Orlando-area attrations, and this has been acknowledged as one of TWDC's biggest goals, dating back almost 20 years.

https://www.laughingplace.com/w/leg/?legacyasppage=news-id507040.asp
Note that Universal reports that their theme park business broke even in Q4, mostly through shedding enough employees to cut costs steeply. It is possible to operate the theme parks at lower capacity as they are structured now, you just have to lay off enough TMs/CMs.

https://www.businesswire.com/news/h...eports-4th-Quarter-and-Full-Year-2020-Results

 

[philbrody]

My own guess is 3 free FP's for deluxe guests, 2 for moderates and 1 for value. After that it's $10 per FP per ride per person and pay as you go day of only.

 

[DVCSunDevil]

My own guess is 3 free FP's for deluxe guests, 2 for moderates and 1 for value. After that it's $10 per FP per ride per person and pay as you go day of only.

I could absolutely see that tier structure for onsite resort guests. Universal charges anywhere from $40-$150 for their express pass depending on the season, and I could see Disney doing something similar for offsite guests. The difference is that Universal's is unlimited rides. In slower seasons, Disney could do something like $20 for three FP's and have it scale up to $30 for three during busier times. Or they could do something like Universal's where it is more expensive but you get unlimited FPs. I actually think Disney will come up with some sort of pricing that is somewhat competitive, mostly because however they price it will be immediately compared to Universal. No matter what Disney decides to do, they will absolutely have to offer free FPs to onsite resort guests. Doing so will provide an added incentive to pay the higher WDW resort prices. IMO, doing so would also quiet a lot of the people who are saying that Disney is stripping the "extras" away from the magic.

 

[Brian Noble]

The difference is that Universal's is unlimited rides.

Their resort product is, but they sell two different versions to day guests. One provides one entrance per attraction, the other provides unlimited entrances.

 

[sethschroeder]

My own guess is 3 free FP's for deluxe guests, 2 for moderates and 1 for value. After that it's $10 per FP per ride per person and pay as you go day of only.

I don't see Disney charging per ride that is old school pricing and harder to market "the value". Instead if they offer it expect it to be in a tiered system and a requirement to purchase for length of ticket.

The major downside of doing a per ride offering is that people are likely to use it at MK on a couple rides and possibly at HS. They would be unlikely to use it at Epcot and AK. Instead by having a tiered system they can instead force you to purchase all days of your trip (even if you don't go to a park).

I expect any tiered system to be inclusive for Deluxe and by extension DVC.

 

[DVCSunDevil]

Their resort product is, but they sell two different versions to day guests. One provides one entrance per attraction, the other provides unlimited entrances.

Aha, I didn’t know that. Thanks for sharing. I only knew about the unlimited one because that was included with our deluxe room when we went to Universal, so I priced it out to see what we were saving. It would be brilliant if Disney did something similar and added unlimited FP to deluxe rooms and tiered it so moderates and values got a reduced FP package, with moderates and values then getting discounted pricing to purchase the upgrade to the unlimited package. That would result in an incredible demand for staying at a WDW resort. And it’s not like Disney is really having to give anything up...they have always not charged anything for FP. So now they still provide FP for free only to those staying on property, which will keep their resorts in high demand. And Disney would also see a huge increase in revenues from those guests staying off property. Win-win for Disney. And for those on these boards asking why they should stay on property, well, here you go.

 

[Yinn]

Well, if this becomes a pay option, and DVD gets involved, I would bet they will try to negoiate a discount for it for a blue card benefit like they did for a discount on an AP.

I am not sure I want FP back. We really enjoyed the trip without it so I am not sure if I would pay for it. I felt the lines moved so much faster.

However, I think Disney would be crazy not to include some level of free to onsite guests, including DVC.

This is interesting. The lines definitely moved faster, but for us it was much longer lines. We were in lines for almost two hours in some cases and we severely missed FP

 

[gisele2]

I want FP to come back, we did very little number of attractions without them. I am a planner , and as soon as we were on the third ride, I was taking FP for the next one and so on. So even with a party on 10 , on the fourth of July, we were able to do all the rides we want (15 in a day) with less waiting. I have to say that we are in the parks near the opening until diner time around 7 or 8 pm.

 

[gisele2]

How does the system works at Disneyland?

 

[limace]

Disneyland has been either legacy fast passes-pull a new paper fast pass every two hours or when you e passed ride time. Or you can buy maxpass, which lets you pull on your phone, and every 90 minutes. I looove that I do day of, not two months in advance.

 

[Yinn]

Disneyland has been either legacy fast passes-pull a new paper fast pass every two hours or when you e passed ride time. Or you can buy maxpass, which lets you pull on your phone, and every 90 minutes. I looove that I do day of, not two months in advance.

We used to be able to use those paper fast passes so efficiently at WDW, back when they had them. That system was truly broken back then. At open you could run around and collect return times and since it was open they'd all be valid now and you'd be eligible to grab the next one. Then once you grabbed one that was about 30 minutes out, you go back and use all the tickets. It was so broken...

I can say I went to another theme park with the kids where they exclusively had a pay to skip model. It was an absolutely nightmare the way they ran it. Because they prioritized payments, if you didn't pay you basically got on no rides. They had a pass that you could pay to get quick access to all rides, individual passes that you could buy to go on a single ride. It was such a miserable experience that we never did go back again. I do think it's more a factor of how they implemented the ride/line prioritization than the fact that it was paid to skip though.