FP + What we know and what we want to know

[SaraJayne]

With all due respect I see by your ticker that your trip is in 2 weeks. The odds of YOUR trip being disrupted by the unknown change is highly unlikely.

But for myself, and I believe GreenCountryGirl and several others, our trips are in a few months, right when then proposed chaos is ensuing.

I think we are allowed to express concern over the "rumors," especially since they are being proclaimed by someone who claims to have knowledge of them (even if he won't reveal how or why he came by this information).

 

[doconeill]

I have worked for Disney - haven't done so in years. I maintain cordial relations with many people who I worked with.

Gotcha. I think I remember you saying that before. Too much to process lately.

Still, it seems awfully aggressive for them to meet the timeframe you are saying given they can't get the web site, app, POS terminals, etc. working right

 

[mom2rtk]

So doing something blatantly against the provided rules is not an abuse?

My argument would be with the term "blatantly".

And yes, I would give my child my FP slot if I were so inclined.

 

[Disneygirl 792]

Gotcha. I think I remember you saying that before. Too much to process lately.

Still, it seems awfully aggressive for them to meet the timeframe you are saying given they can't get the web site, app, POS terminals, etc. working right

I agree...I can't even make a payment online. When I called the CM in the IT department said she didn't know when it would be ready so I would just have to call to make a payment.

 

[g-dad66]

Spend more on food.lodging than if you had a 4 day ticket while using less resources of a person on Day 1. Yes, that's exactly the reason they made it.

OK, thanks, but I still don't quite get the "using less resources on Day 5 than on Day 1" part.

If I ride less rides on Day 5 than Day 1, how does that save Disney any money? The rides still have to operate.

I guess you're saying that using fewer Fast Passes on Day 5 means fewer complaints from guests who aren't able to get Fast Passes?

At any rate, I guess time will tell if FP+ reduces guest complaints. (Seems like I've said that before. )

 

[mesaboy2]

My argument would be with the term "blatantly".

And yes, I would give my child my FP slot if I were so inclined.

 

[WillAustin]

Nice.

 

[doconeill]

OK, thanks, but I still don't quite get the "using less resources on Day 5 than on Day 1" part.

There are in general two costs to operate an attraction - the overall cost of operating it on any given day, regardless of the number of guests utilizing it (power, minimum staffing, maintenance, etc.), and the "per guest" costs, which are affected by the number of guests utilizing that day - additional staff for a line management when needed, operating more units where they are variable, etc.

I don't think the latter would really vary significantly with a guest on their 5th day vs. their first. The park crowd is what it is. Whether TSM is fully utilized by all 1st day people or a mix won't change the operational costs.

 

[WillAustin]

My apologies then if I unfairly lumped you into that group.

Thanks, no problem.

 

[mousermerf]

OK, thanks, but I still don't quite get the "using less resources on Day 5 than on Day 1" part.

If I ride less rides on Day 5 than Day 1, how does that save Disney any money? The rides still have to operate.

I guess you're saying that using fewer Fast Passes on Day 5 means fewer complaints from guests who aren't able to get Fast Passes?

At any rate, I guess time will tell if FP+ reduces guest complaints. (Seems like I've said that before. )

Depending on what you do, you physically cost Disney less than a Day 1 park guest on average.

Say you go to MK on your Day 1 - ride a bunch of rides, visit guest relations for a birthday button, stick around for the parade and fireworks, etc..

Well, every single moment cost them money to produce. Nothing is natural and sprung up from the earth - not the grass, not the trees, not the water. All of it cost money to put there. Plus staffing, etc..

So then Day 5.... You visit MK, ride a "few" attractions, don't stop by guest relations for a button, don't stop to see the parade, and don't watch the fireworks because you've done that already.

You've cost them less money. Yes they still had people at Guest Relations but only 3 instead of 4 to cover yours and all the other day 5 guest questions/button requests in a reasonable amount of time. Same for the parade and fireworks.. yes they still have it.. but they're not doing the parade twice like they do during busy seasons and they're not having to open the backstage gates and reroute people and hire more crowd control staff like they would if all the Day 5 guests were behaving like Day 1 guests.

And that's why you cant sell a ticket to someone else.. because it reverts to a Day 1 ticket when a new person uses it and thus the calculations for how much a guest "costs" is thrown all out of whack and costs Disney more than they expected to keep you safe, happy, etc..

Epcot needs 10,000 paying guests to stay in the black, btw. Otherwise it loses money just by being open.

 

[Cinderumbrella]

OK, thanks, but I still don't quite get the "using less resources on Day 5 than on Day 1" part.

If I ride less rides on Day 5 than Day 1, how does that save Disney any money? The rides still have to operate.

I guess you're saying that using fewer Fast Passes on Day 5 means fewer complaints from guests who aren't able to get Fast Passes?

At any rate, I guess time will tell if FP+ reduces guest complaints. (Seems like I've said that before. )

I don't get that logic either. People start Disney vacations every day of the week. So what is one person's day 1 at MK is also someone else's Day 5. Its not like a cruise ship where we are all on day 5 together...

 

[mom2rtk]

 

[mom2mickeyfan]

My argument would be with the term "blatantly".

And yes, I would give my child my FP slot if I were so inclined.

I wonder if the Disney execs are in meetings saying "We have got to stop all these moms from pulling a legal FP and letting their child ride!!"

Hard to believe that Disney would frown on me giving my child the gift of extra ride on Splash Mountain. But maybe so! I sure wasn't going to be using that FP for anything else. This summer I will be sure to pull FP's for any ride that I'm not going to do, wait for my family to ride and then throw mine away. Will that help the FP lines?? Not that I would really do that but then again I have no problem with anyone using a FP no matter who pulled the darn thing.

 

[mousermerf]

There are in general two costs to operate an attraction - the overall cost of operating it on any given day, regardless of the number of guests utilizing it (power, minimum staffing, maintenance, etc.), and the "per guest" costs, which are affected by the number of guests utilizing that day - additional staff for a line management when needed, operating more units where they are variable, etc.

I don't think the latter would really vary significantly with a guest on their 5th day vs. their first. The park crowd is what it is. Whether TSM is fully utilized by all 1st day people or a mix won't change the operational costs.

TSM is near 100% utilization and the demand exceeds the available capacity so it's not subject to changes in crowds or guest patterns aside from hirign extra crowd control when the line is not just long but obscenely long (see New Years Eve).

Many other rides don't operate like that. The easiest example is the Speedway. Less people mean less cars, which means less gas and less staff. Simple as that. If everyone in the park was a Day 1 guest there'd be a significant amount more people on that ride than there are with Day 1 and Day 5 guests mixed together.

 

[mousermerf]

I wonder if the Disney execs are in meetings saying "We have got to stop all these moms from pulling a legal FP and letting their child ride!!"

Hard to believe that Disney would frown on me giving my child the gift of extra ride on Splash Mountain. But maybe so! I sure wasn't going to be using that FP for anything else. This summer I will be sure to pull FP's for any ride that I'm not going to do, wait for my family to ride and then throw mine away. Will that help the FP lines?? Not that I would really do that but then again I have no problem with anyone using a FP no matter who pulled the darn thing.

It's not a legal FP once it's given to the child. You seem to be ignoring that.

And yes, they really have sat around and thought of ways to stop people from giving away their FP. It's called a band you wear on your arm.

 

[Cinderumbrella]

It's not a legal FP once it's given to the child. You seem to be ignoring that.

And yes, they really have sat around and thought of ways to stop people from giving away their FP. It's called a band you wear on your arm.

That I take off and put on my child's arm before he enters the ride. Unless they are going to use biometrics at each FP+ return entrance this will STILL happen.

 

[mom2rtk]

I wonder if the Disney execs are in meetings saying "We have got to stop all these moms from pulling a legal FP and letting their child ride!!"

Hard to believe that Disney would frown on me giving my child the gift of extra ride on Splash Mountain. But maybe so! I sure wasn't going to be using that FP for anything else. This summer I will be sure to pull FP's for any ride that I'm not going to do, wait for my family to ride and then throw mine away. Will that help the FP lines?? Not that I would really do that but then again I have no problem with anyone using a FP no matter who pulled the darn thing.

I'm going to assume Disney won't care if I give my daughter my FP for ToT next time we get there.

Because if they were indeed the sort of company that would refer to me as "scum" for doing so, then I would have to immediately stop going. To any of their parks. Ever.

And before anyone asks, yes, I am the sort to cut my nose off to spite my face.

 

[mom2mickeyfan]

It's not a legal FP once it's given to the child. You seem to be ignoring that.

And yes, they really have sat around and thought of ways to stop people from giving away their FP. It's called a band you wear on your arm.

But it was legal when I pulled it.

 

[Disneygirl 792]

That I take off and put on my child's arm before he enters the ride. Unless they are going to use biometrics at each FP+ return entrance this will STILL happen.

I agree, something else has to be in place to stop people from switching wristbands.

 

[UNCFanatik]

But it was legal when I pulled it.

I have asked this of you before but will again.

By your logic. If you pull a legal FP, do you think you are free to do whatever you want with it, including selling it?