Interesting "Rumor" About More FP+

[rteetz]

I said adding TO WWoHP. But if you want to compare, Forbidden Journey blows away anything in New Fantasyland. 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017. Announced in late 2013, opening in 2017, looks like 4 years to me. So, half the time, roughly.

construction didn't start on avatar until this month tho so really it is 2014-2017 three years

 

[Lewisc]

Magic Bands make it easy to treat guests differently with respect to FP+. Charge guests who want extras. Give more to guests staying in deluxe resorts. Unlimited FP+ to guests staying a concierge level. Obviously these are things Disney could do, currently just rumors and speculation.

Consider an attraction which run close to capacity, Toy Story Manaia and Soarin was that way for months (years?) after they opened for at least peak park days.

Every extra FP Disney sells or gives to "special" guests is one less FP (or standby slot) available to regular guests. This kind of policy could have a dramatic impact on regular guests.

This could be one of the ways Disney hopes to get back some of the $$$ spent on magic bands.

Do we know how Disney is allocating FP+? Is it based on the date you make your reservation? Guests who book a trip a month or so out may have limited dining options. Will the same thing be happening with FPs for popular attractions?

I wouldn't have an issue Disney limited the number of advance FP+ ensuring some availability of FP the same day and holding back enough so "standby" guests have at some availability.

 

[NickyKnack]

So you only ride rides with fastpasses? And you were able to pull how many per day? I'm sure you'll lie and say you did 7 or 8 FP per day now.

And how many rides have not only 60+ minute waits, but the queue's for those are outside? Not many at all.

Nice hyperbole, though.

Actually pulling that many wouldn't be hard if you get there at rope drop, draw whenever you have the opportunity, and stay until close. Even during slow periods the parks are open for roughly 12 hrs... even at the full 2 hrs between that would be 6 FP, and the morning ones usually weren't for a full 2 hrs ahead.

 

[Silock]

construction didn't start on avatar until this month tho so really it is 2014-2017 three years

Only if it opens in January of '17. And only if it opens in a full fledged form. New Fantasyland "opened" a long time ago, but is still incomplete.

I still start counting from when it was announced, because they were making physical moves at the park even before the announcement.

 

[rteetz]

Only if it opens in January of '17. And only if it opens in a full fledged form. New Fantasyland "opened" a long time ago, but is still incomplete. I still start counting from when it was announced, because they were making physical moves at the park even before the announcement.

I have a feeling we may see another expansion that opens in phases with this.

 

[Jetta8300]

first off there was a time when FP wasn't a thing and everyone survived. Also you can manage with three FP very well I have a family of five and we don't use more than that a day. You don't have to buy these extra FP+ it's only if you want more. I'm pretty sure disney has looked into statistics and seen the average persona and how many FPs they use in a day. I would imagine its around three. Thousands of people go to WDW and don't even use a single FP. And right now MK and AK are FP+ only and the standby lines have not been to bad they have been very very reasonable. Yes it is down time in WDW but even during busy times I don't think its going to be much different than what it has been in the past.

The problem (to me) is not the three fast passes. I actually think that's about right, we usually use more but we could deal with this. The actual problem is that when you add extra fast passes for a fee, then the more people that buy these, the AVAILABILITY OF FASTPASSES for those who choose not to pay is dimished. (I'm assuming here that if you choose to pay extra then you will get priority of ride times) Either that, or, they sell a ton more fastpasses, which makes the standby lines LONGER. So those people who keep saying that it doesn't affect those who choose not to pay, I feel are very wrong.

There are going to be a ton of people willing to pay for this. Ridiculous, I know. But that's the problem. (My family definitely pays $49 extra a person to go to Universal and jump to the line on EVERY ride, there is value in it for us). But they limit the number of passes sold, and also are only available to resort guests (which are MUCH less people than the amount of disney) and nobody else. They do not give everybody that enters the park 3 free "express pass rides". With Disney doing this, that is FASTPASS OVERLOAD. So either problem will be 1) availability of fast pass times for headliners will be scarce if they don't circulate more passes, OR 2) standby waits will be long for those who choose not to pay with tons of extra FASTPASSES circulating.

Who gets priority then when choosing attractions? The resort guests who paid to stay on property for their 3? Then what if there are no TSM times left for those who pay extra? Do they just give more out? Then probably last would be the off site guests with nothing left? Very slimy to me. Pay all of that money and feel like you can't ride anything. Obviously i'm speculating here, but there's just no way they can do this and not have some group very mad.

 

[Cielei]

I may be in the minority, but I think the changes to the fast pass system could be positive. I think this new system is potentially their way of limiting and enforcing better control of the fast pass system. It could improve wait times for everyone.

With the old system, it was a free for all with first come/first serve distribution with few limits. I see a lot of people voicing how unfair the new system will be, but the older system was still unfair in many ways. Some people would get multiple passes for the same attraction while others never got a pass for that attraction (the early bird gets the worm? ). On several of our trips, we observed times when fast pass lines were almost as long as stand-by lines and they were anything but "fast". Fast pass return times were routinely ignored and people just came back anytime after their return time (guilty myself :raises hand: so I'm not picking on anyone, it was just the way it was ). The new magic bands and fast pass+ system may make it easier for them to enforce the fast pass window which should help the standby lines move more efficiently and make the fast pass lines themselves move faster. They are limiting people to 1 fast pass per attraction which seems to me to be their way of trying to ensure at least some fairness.

I have no problem with them offering early fastpass+ booking and additional passes to those staying on property. People pay a huge premium to stay on property, and the benefits for paying extra aren't exactly awesome and have been dwindling. While a premium hotel room runs about $250/night off property, one can easily pay about $500/night for a deluxe resort. Convenience is one thing (I happily paid for it when my boys were younger), but is it worth double? A perk like extra fastpasses could easily make it worth the extra money for some families to stay on property. I don't think I'll ever understand the argument that it's not fair for them to offer perks like this to their onsite guests or to charge an equivalent amount to off site guests for those perks. I see these as perfect perks and incentives to entice people to stay on property.

The one thing that I do think that needs to be amended is the one park restriction for fast passes. It severely diminishes the value of adding the park hopper option if you don't have the ability to get passes at more than one park. You can keep the tiers and number of passes per tier, but they should allow multiple parks. Something else they should perhaps consider allowing would be the option of treating the fast pass tiers like dining tiers - you can use 2 of a lower tier to get 1 from the premium tier or vice versa.

 

[Missyrose]

Really the only people complaining are the people on the message boards. These boards make up a very very small percentage of what the parks see in a year.

Yep, the ONLY PEOPLE COMPLAINING are on Disney message board. Keep believing that and then read this. Let me know if you'd like to amend your previous statement.

 

[Rumors Rocks]

This thread has gone entirely down hill. It's just like those pitiful threads on themeparks and strategies board.

 

[mvk]

Yep, the ONLY PEOPLE COMPLAINING are on Disney message board. Keep believing that and then read this. Let me know if you'd like to amend your previous statement.

The biggest takeaway from this linked article?

I haven't had a chance to try the new system yet, but obviously, I'm not excited about it.

Says all you need to know about the article, to be completely honest.

 

[Rumors Rocks]

The biggest takeaway from this linked article?

I haven't had a chance to try the new system yet, but obviously, I'm not excited about it.

Says all you need to know about the article, to be completely honest.

Stop! You're making too much sense.

 

[DRDISNEYMD]

Stop! You're making too much sense.

~LOL. This is too funny!

 

[Silock]

I have a feeling we may see another expansion that opens in phases with this.

I'm getting that feeling, too. And I'm getting that feeling in the way that the minor stuff will be open in 2017, like the random boat ride (whatever that's going to be), the shops, a meet and greet and maybe a CSR and table service, and then the e-ticket comes along sometime in late 2018 or early 2019.

My HOPE, though, is that Universal's accelerated timetable will cause Disney to put their foot on the gas and crank out a quality attraction on time, or before.

 

[Missyrose]

The biggest takeaway from this linked article?

I haven't had a chance to try the new system yet, but obviously, I'm not excited about it.

Says all you need to know about the article, to be completely honest.

Stop! You're making too much sense.

~LOL. This is too funny!

Oh, right, I forgot. Experienced travelers aren't allowed to read live reports of how the system is working and use their common sense to deduce that the system isn't as FABULOUS as others have tried to make it out to be.

 

[mvk]

Oh, right, I forgot. Experienced travelers aren't allowed to read live reports of how the system is working and use their common sense to deduce that the system isn't as FABULOUS as others have tried to make it out to be.

Or they can be a good journalist and wait to try it out before "reviewing" it.

 

[morethananyonex]

Oh, right, I forgot. Experienced travelers aren't allowed to read live reports of how the system is working and use their common sense to deduce that the system isn't as FABULOUS as others have tried to make it out to be.

Haven't you heard? Only people who haven't tried the system themselves don't like it, as evidenced by the multiple negative reports on the theme parks board from MK FP+ only rollout.

 

[Rumors Rocks]

Pathetic. The one million down hill threads on theme parks and strategies board must not be enough. Some posters have to spread their nastiness everywhere like a plague. As expected, this discussion has ceased from being civil. Knock yourselves out.

 

[morethananyonex]

Pathetic. The one million down hill threads on theme parks and strategies board must not be enough. Some posters have to spread their nastiness everywhere like a plague. As expected, this discussion has ceased from being civil. Knock yourselves out.

Im sorry, does the rumours board have a members only policy and separate definition for "nastiness"? I guess this..

Stop! You're making too much sense.

Must be exempt.

 

[Silock]

Or they can be a good journalist and wait to try it out before "reviewing" it.

I haven't been yet while the system is in place, but I'm going in two weeks... and I've already experienced severe frustration with the MDE app and trying to schedule FP+. Too many time slots are already unavailable, and this is during the supposedly second-lowest crowd week of the year.

 

[Disneychick75]

first off there was a time when FP wasn't a thing and everyone survived. Also you can manage with three FP very well I have a family of five and we don't use more than that a day. You don't have to buy these extra FP+ it's only if you want more. I'm pretty sure disney has looked into statistics and seen the average persona and how many FPs they use in a day. I would imagine its around three. Thousands of people go to WDW and don't even use a single FP. And right now MK and AK are FP+ only and the standby lines have not been to bad they have been very very reasonable. Yes it is down time in WDW but even during busy times I don't think its going to be much different than what it has been in the past.

Well, yes, it is true people survived without FP. There was a time when people survived without indoor plumbing, electricity, etc.too but life is nicer with them just as Disney trips were nicer with the old fast pass system.