Fastpass return or replacement?

[buzlite]

THIS IS ALL UNCONFIRMED!!!!

However, the following is out there from a couple of sources that the new version of FP for WDW will be announced soon (this month). Supposedly the implementation will be October 1st or soon after.

All of these options will be implemented at the same time as a replacement to fastpass:

Lightening Pass - Paid entry into the fastpass line (much like the Paris model)

Lightening Pass Plus - Costs more than LP but straight to the front of the line

Genie Basic - Free but only allows you to book a time to join the standby line. Once in the standby line you have to wait the same as everyone else.

Genie Favourite Attractions - Free and allows you to identify a specific number of favourite attractions. You then 'may' receive an alert informing you when the standby line is low. Only some folks will receive that message though so the attraction isn't overloaded.

Genie Plus - Paid customised touring plans, much like those already offered by the Touring Plans website.

Standby - (most but not all attractions) - traditional walk up and wait.

Boarding Groups - Will continue for ROTR and will be the only way to ride Ratatouille when it opens.

This is finally starting to make sense to me. The purpose of Genie is really going to be to spread out the crowds. I'm guessing they'll use machine learning and tracking to recommend attractions to certain groups at certain times.
The basic genie will be for people that don't want to follow a set schedule and don't want to pay.
The lightning pass will be for people that don't want to wait in huge lines but are okay waiting for later in the day. They may also not be big planners.
The lighting plus will be for people that want to the ride RIGHT NOW. They don't want to stand in line, wait or plan. They will pay the most but be given exactly what they want.
The Genie touring plan will probably be a plan that uses park data, machine learning to create a day for you based on your interests. It'll recommend certain attractions at certain times based on expected lines and your location. You likely won't expect to do everything.
The genies favorites will be a basic version of this in which you pick your favorite attractions and it builds a day for you. This will make sure different people are recommended to do different things at different times.
It seems that rope dropping will still be the best free option.
I hope the are able to connect genie touring plans with the lightning pass. That way you can get expected wait times for your itinerary for the whole day. Let you figure out what you will be able to accomplish and let you add in the lightning pass to do more efficiently.
So in theory rather then having a 2 hour line for space mountain and other rides empty they would try to have every ride be 30 minutes to ride. This would even up line times and give them so much control over crowds. In theory they could even create whole trips by spreading crowds out over a period into different parks in addition to park reservations.

 

[DJJimmy9]

I can see it now…the Genie tells everyone to go to Mickey’s Philharmagic at 1pm just like they tried to trick you with the free bonus paper FP they used to give you when you got a FP for Winnie the Pooh. What happens when no one listens (just like I used to throw away those junk free paper fastpasses)?

Mass chaos? People wandering around like zombies not knowing where to go?

Or do they do what the Genie says and they form the longest line in Disney history for Mickey’s Philharmagic?

 

[mercuryvenus]

Don't worry for you, @whiporee and a few others FP+ will return.

Really all I’m saying is Disney hasn’t said a word about what will roll out. Everyone is simply speculating.

 

[Jrb1979]

Really all I’m saying is Disney hasn’t said a word about what will roll out. Everyone is simply speculating.

I understand that. What gets me is how quick some of you are to dismiss these rumors. Cause many of you loved FP+ so much it feels like you won't accept paid FP

 

[mercuryvenus]

I understand that. What gets me is how quick some of you are to dismiss these rumors. Cause many of you loved FP+ so much it feels like you won't accept paid FP

I’m not dismissing them; I’m describing them as precisely what they are, which are rumors.

 

[ellbell]

I understand that. What gets me is how quick some of you are to dismiss these rumors. Cause many of you loved FP+ so much it feels like you won't accept paid FP

I'd pay for fastpass but the rumor posted today is ridiculous and won't happen. It's way to complicated for the clientele that most people in this thread claim is Disney's bread and butter.

 

[Cabius]

It's way too complicated for the clientele that most people in this thread claim is Disney's bread and butter.

If there's one thing we've learned from 180+10 and 60+10 FP+ booking windows, 7 AM and 12 PM virtual queue openings, and 30-minutes-early DHS rope drops, it's that Disney would never make things too complicated for the average visitor.

 

[ellbell]

If there's one thing we've learned from 180+10 and 60+10 FP+ booking windows, 7 AM and 12 PM virtual queue openings, and 30-minutes-early DHS rope drops, it's that Disney would never make things too complicated for the average visitor.

I'm just saying that everyone on this thread says that Disney caters to their one time visitors because that's how they make money. A travel agent can book fastpasses and ADRs. A travel agent will have to explain all these different option to a first time visitor and then that visitor is going to have to choose which one is worth their money after never having been there or wing it without any help when they show up. That sounds a lot more complicated than booking adrs to me.

 

[vicarrieous]

Ugh, most of this I am not a fan of (being a planner-preferred) but at this point I just want to know what is coming.

 

[snowwhite84]

The plan laid out this morning sounds feasible to me, the inner dialogues laid out by one poster later today seems unlikely to me. That Disney doesn’t want to charge for FP because it goes against core values? I don’t believe that for a second. If I understand correctly, some sort of paid queue access has been available at all other resorts, including Disneyland in California. Whatever is being rolled out, I think the plan is well in place. They are just figuring out how to sell it to us.

 

[ellbell]

The plan laid out this morning sounds feasible to me, the inner dialogues laid out by one poster later today seems unlikely to me. That Disney doesn’t want to charge for FP because it goes against core values? I don’t believe that for a second. If I understand correctly, some sort of paid queue access has been available at all other resorts, including Disneyland in California. Whatever is being rolled out, I think the plan is well in place. They are just figuring out how to sell it to us.

If they had it figured out they'd already be selling it to us. Everyday without it is a nickel they lose.

 

[snowwhite84]

If they had it figured out they'd already be selling it to us. Everyday without it is a nickel they lose.

I think they’re working out the IT side. If I had to bet, yes I would guess the actual plan has already been decided. Just my guess, of course!

 

[Boopuff]

I'm wondering how all of this would affect DAS (I do not use DAS in any way) but since the premise of DAS is to get a return time... isn't that sorta the same thing? And where the heck would the DAS line be? So much speculation.

 

[AnnaKristoff2013]

I'm wondering how all of this would affect DAS (I do not use DAS in any way) but since the premise of DAS is to get a return time... isn't that sorta the same thing? And where the heck would the DAS line be? So much speculation.

Yeah this is an interesting wrinkle. DAS would effectively have to get unlimited lightning passes (not lightning plus). I suppose they could not give DAS passes for rides that had gone to a VQ with the VQ filled up, but other then that, hard to see how they avoid this. The VQ alone doesn’t solve it since that would still result in them waiting in a physical long line at the end.

 

[SarahWI]

DAS would effectively have to get unlimited lightning passes (not lightning plus).

this is frankly a concern to me in terms of opening the system up for misuse. I am already seeing posts elsewhere about how their children can’t be expected to be in a line longer than 20 minutes and they need a DAS due to that.

 

[JPinkc]

I am so disgusted with this Paid FP idea, its about to cause our family to cancel our Nov trip. THis is just a shameless money grab to go to a Theme Park that cost 2 or 3 times more than some European vacations I have done in my life. The whole idea was that these parks were built for everyone not the Billionaire Boys club. I understand Disney is a business and needs to make money. I can respect that. But when your charging what they charge just to stay on Property, Park Tickets, and lowering the dining quality of the parks lower and lower. Its just plain disgusting and showing the WORST side of TWDC. The fact that they WONT do anything about Attraction Capacities, is also Mind Boggling, bring back MR TOAD, put Snow White in WDW, rides that can churn people thru. Hell bring back Aliens, they own it now. I am just about DONE!!! UO is gonna be seeing far more of our vacation money at least it costs HALF and that includes getting the Free Ride passes and Hard Rock is better than most of the Deluxe resorts for far less money.

 

[Renarr]

Not to veer this off-topic, but the talk about Genie and the three wishes: over what period of time would that be? Three wishes a day and Genie can essentially replace some of the elements of the FP system. Three wishes for the whole trip would... send me tossing the lamp back into the Cave of Wonders.

 

[JPinkc]

Not to veer this off-topic, but the talk about Genie and the three wishes: over what period of time would that be? Three wishes a day and Genie can essentially replace some of the elements of the FP system. Three wishes for the whole trip would... send me tossing the lamp back into the Cave of Wonders.

Get that Arm ready then. I hope when they announce Paid Fast Pass they get so much Push Back and Freakouts on Social Media that it at least makes them ashamed, but hey these people have NO SHAME!!!

 

[bsmcneil]

Not to veer this off-topic, but the talk about Genie and the three wishes: over what period of time would that be? Three wishes a day and Genie can essentially replace some of the elements of the FP system. Three wishes for the whole trip would... send me tossing the lamp back into the Cave of Wonders.

Given Disney IT issues, I'll be pulling out this GIF often (https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url...ved=0CAsQjRxqFwoTCMCwmMW5pfICFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD)

 

[mercuryvenus]

I am so disgusted with this Paid FP idea, its about to cause our family to cancel our Nov trip. THis is just a shameless money grab to go to a Theme Park that cost 2 or 3 times more than some European vacations I have done in my life. The whole idea was that these parks were built for everyone not the Billionaire Boys club. I understand Disney is a business and needs to make money. I can respect that. But when your charging what they charge just to stay on Property, Park Tickets, and lowering the dining quality of the parks lower and lower. Its just plain disgusting and showing the WORST side of TWDC. The fact that they WONT do anything about Attraction Capacities, is also Mind Boggling, bring back MR TOAD, put Snow White in WDW, rides that can churn people thru. Hell bring back Aliens, they own it now. I am just about DONE!!! UO is gonna be seeing far more of our vacation money at least it costs HALF and that includes getting the Free Ride passes and Hard Rock is better than most of the Deluxe resorts for far less money.

You’re going to cancel a trip over something that hasn’t happened yet?