New Fast Passes in the works?

[k5jm]

So I have been reading this morning about a new kind of fast pass called "xpass." This fast pass, in theory, would work with attractions and dining. Anyone else heard anything?

Please discuss!!

 

[disneyholic family]

So I have been reading this morning about a new kind of fast pass called "xpass." This fast pass, in theory, would work with attractions and dining. Anyone else heard anything?

Please discuss!!

is that the thing that's going to incorporate mobile devices?
i've only seen very superficial references, without any details as to what it is or how it will work..

 

[Tricia1972]

I read the same thing, probably from the same source. So far my indepth research hasn't turned up anything to substantiate either.

It would be wonderful if it is true. For diners it would be the best of both worlds. Planners make reservations and a set amount of reservations are left for those that prefer to walk up.

I wonder if it'll be a centralized location to get your xPasses, or if it will be for mobile devices.

 

[mjp12831]

I'm interested because I'd hate for any changes to be made to the current FP system. It's a huge advantage to those of us that understand and use it.

Incorporating dining? Maybe for CS locations? That's interesting. For TS places though isn't that just an adr?

 

[doconeill]

Haven't heard of it. I'm wondering if this is just confusion over how they announced the "reserve your attraction ride in advance" thing as being "like making a dining reservation".

I'll have to do some research over the source of this.

 

[doconeill]

OK, the only reference so far is TheDisneyBlog, and it almost a throwaway line when talking about Be Our Guest restaurant:

Watch out for xPass, a new form of Fastpass that will also work for dining reservations.

Still, I'm not sure where this comes from, and not sure how this would apply to dining. But there is one idea I had a while back, based on a test that WDW did that didn't work right* - counter service Fastpasses. Have one register dedicated to "fastpasses" for counter service. Nothing more fun than standing in the heat for an hour at FlameTree to get some ribs...

* Failed test was an attempt to print coupons at the FP kiosks as a bonus that would be good for certain items at CS locations....

 

[k5jm]

OK, the only reference so far is TheDisneyBlog, and it almost a throwaway line when talking about Be Our Guest restaurant:



Still, I'm not sure where this comes from, and not sure how this would apply to dining. But there is one idea I had a while back, based on a test that WDW did that didn't work right* - counter service Fastpasses. Have one register dedicated to "fastpasses" for counter service. Nothing more fun than standing in the heat for an hour at FlameTree to get some ribs...

* Failed test was an attempt to print coupons at the FP kiosks as a bonus that would be good for certain items at CS locations....

I have a strong suspicion that xPass is RFID related.

 

[4under4]

Just took an online popup survey about FPs and Dining.

Just a summary of the questions...would you like to get FPs BEFORE your trip?; would you plan your trip differently if you could get dining FPs?; how would you feel about 90 day ADR window if you could in fact get dining FPs?;

I said I would love to get ride/attraction FPs early, but I like making my ADRs well in advance based on EMH/Crowd Levels, and what else we plan to do that day. For our upcoming trip in January I have all my ADRs set already! Of course I might tweak the ADRs over the next few months, but at least I know I'm covered for all my DP credits with restaurants that I'm happy with. I really can't imagine the rush of people trying to make ADRs if it was just a 90 day window

 

[TheTXTaylors5]

This is what I found . . .

The core of the NextGen concept is something that currently has the working title of XPass, which is the next generation of Fastpass. XPass would work with the backbone of the current Fastpass and PhotoPass systems, but would go far beyond anything offered today as visitors would plot out each day of their Disney vacation weeks or months in advance with XPass. The system would schedule not just the big E Ticket return times for you, but nearly everything about your visit from lunch seating’s and Fantasmic! viewing to meet n’ greets with your kids preferred Characters to the smaller attractions and shows. The attractions that currently offer Fastpass to any park visitor, and plenty of attractions that don’t have Fastpass currently, would be converted over to XPass so that the only way to access a priority boarding slot at the ride would be to book your vacation with Disney and give your vacation plans over to the XPass system in advance.

An XPass card with an RFID tag in it and the visitors own smart phones (or a loaner unit from Disney) and the new QR codes they can scan would be necessary for anyone booking their trip through Disney. With the XPass RFID tag monitoring your every movement around property, every single on-ride photo or video capture device would know which vehicle you are in on rides, and once you walked out the exit it would offer instant picture previews sent to your phone for your purchase consideration through PhotoPass. XPass would seemingly know no bounds when it comes to planning your entire vacation and then shepherding you through day after day of pre-planned reservations and appointments and Character greetings and ride return times.

The entire NextGen and XPass concept is near and dear to Bob Iger’s heart, and the WDW planners hope to be rolling this all out by the middle of this decade. It’s a massive undertaking, and with this management overhaul Tom Staggs wanted the NextGen team to report directly to him instead of going through Al Weiss as it had done since its inception a few years ago.

Not surprisingly, an XPass concept could wreak havoc with many of Disneyland’s Annual Passholders who just drop in for a few hours at a time. DCA already dealt with a stream of enraged AP’s last June when they arrived to see World of Color for the first time and were told they should have been there that morning to get a Fastpass. The AP crowd has figured out how to schedule in a World of Color Fastpass, or purchase a dining package to get one, but it was ugly for those first few weeks last summer. The transition to an XPass type of preferred experience is something best rolled out in WDW, and most people in TDA are more than happy to let the Floridians have at it.

(Above information obtained from MiceAge.com)

 

[disneyholic family]

sounds fabulous to me...

i'd love to have everything in the parks mapped out for me before i come..

preferably by someone else...


they ask me what i want to see, and then they'd schedule it for me...

it would save me running all over the park to get FPs (as the advance commando of the team)..

i would really love it....

some people could have every minute scheduled, others could have lots of chill time scheduled in between the attractions..

i envision them sending me a questionnaire asking me what i want to see/do (they already would know how many days i'm coming for)...

it wouldn't be a perfect world, but it would be better than racing around a hot, packed park not knowing whether i'm getting onto something or not...

 

[PeterPan09]

The number one complaint at Disney is "lines are too long" and this is an attempt to deal with that complaint. As a local resident who likes to pop in to the parks-I may not be a fan myself but I can see how it would be really good for people visiting for a limited amount of time.

 

[OKW Lover]

Interesting technology, and I love technology. Wouldn't work well for me though.

Why? We spend much of our WDW time just wandering around. We like to just take the parks as they come and seldom plan out a day. About all we do for our visits now is to decide where to stay and to book 1-2 nice dinners. Can't remember the last time I used FP.

I see the new technology as being a great way for people to schedule (over schedule?) they trips, but what happens when reality hits and they find its all too much? Or they want to stop to do something they just happened upon but can't because they are due at X in 10 minutes?

I'm probably not the target audience for this since I've visited so many times.

Is the first time visitor the target? How would they know (besides reading the DIS) what they needed to plan using this new technology and what is too much or not enough so that they can best enjoy their first visit?

Is it the family that visits once a year but has only been <10 times? Perhaps that's the sweet spot.

 

[4under4]

I'm right in the middle. I love to have a plan, but I also like being able to add/subtract as we go depending on kids/weather/hunger levels/etc. What if I scheduled lunch for 11:30 on xpass 4 months earlier, but got hungry at 10:30? Do I skip a snack just so I'm still ready for Pecos Bill's at 11:30? Or, what if there is a technical problem (i.e. test track shut down for rain). Am I out of luck? Can I do nothing until my next scheduled event? With FP we saw it closed and pocketed those dear little cards to use later.

It seems to me that they could/should keep the current fastpass system and run it in parallel with the xpass.

Let the the AP folks, and those that prefer to be spontaneous, keep the advantage of knowing how to deal with a long line day, AND let the uber planners have their plans. win/win

 

[schoen]

I think this sounds terrible, and could be a deal breaker for me. WDW is already not a terribly relaxing vacation. If have to schedule every single ride three months in advance I just think I would skip the experience altogether. It is not worth it to me.

I like to relax on vacation, I like to throw away the itinerary and schedule. I am ruled by the clock at work, and I don't need or want that on vacation. With the current system we can roughly plan out which parks we want to go to, and then play it by ear when we get there. This x Pass sounds like the antithesis of vacation.

Of course, I would have to see how they plan to implement it, but I am NOT for scheduled-to-the-minute vacations.

 

[disneyholic family]

what about the once in a lifetime people?

those who are coming once, for say a week or 10 days and want to see "everything"?

i just got that mission ..

a close friend, who's dying from cancer, is coming on a 1 week first time/last time trip to WDW with her husband and small children..

they want to 'do everything"....
and i've been asked to build them an itinerary (for next week)..

in my book, that's impossible....and i would never advise anyone to attempt it...
it's insane....and i always say just take it easy and enjoy...

but i understand where they're coming from....this is it for them and they want to do it all...

but there is no way they can do the whole commando thing....how could htey possibly given her situation...

so if they had a way to say in advance we want to see 'everything' - but taking into account mandatory rest periods throughout the day - that would be wonderful for them.....

i only was asked to do this yesterday (this is a last minute trip), and i'm stumped....i've built a million trips for people, but not in this situation...and in the height of summer no less....when perfectly healthy people are brought to their knees....

anyway, i think a system like this would help a family like that....one that really can't use fastpass to full advantage....

 

[WaltD4Me]

This is what I found . . .

The core of the NextGen concept is something that currently has the working title of XPass, which is the next generation of Fastpass. XPass would work with the backbone of the current Fastpass and PhotoPass systems, but would go far beyond anything offered today as visitors would plot out each day of their Disney vacation weeks or months in advance with XPass. The system would schedule not just the big E Ticket return times for you, but nearly everything about your visit from lunch seating’s and Fantasmic! viewing to meet n’ greets with your kids preferred Characters to the smaller attractions and shows. The attractions that currently offer Fastpass to any park visitor, and plenty of attractions that don’t have Fastpass currently, would be converted over to XPass so that the only way to access a priority boarding slot at the ride would be to book your vacation with Disney and give your vacation plans over to the XPass system in advance.

An XPass card with an RFID tag in it and the visitors own smart phones (or a loaner unit from Disney) and the new QR codes they can scan would be necessary for anyone booking their trip through Disney. With the XPass RFID tag monitoring your every movement around property, every single on-ride photo or video capture device would know which vehicle you are in on rides, and once you walked out the exit it would offer instant picture previews sent to your phone for your purchase consideration through PhotoPass. XPass would seemingly know no bounds when it comes to planning your entire vacation and then shepherding you through day after day of pre-planned reservations and appointments and Character greetings and ride return times.

XPass would seemingly know no bounds when it comes to planning your entire vacation and then shepherding you through day after day of pre-planned reservations and appointments and Character greetings and ride return times.

This bold just sounds robotic and creepy to me. And I don't want to be "shepherded" thank you very much.

If this actually happens as described above I will be done with Disney. I know that is an extreme statement, but the whole concept sounds awful IMHO. I don't like booking ADR's months in advance, that's bad enough, but rides and character meets too? That's ridiculous.

 

[safetymom]

I hope they think of the annual pass holders with this new idea. I don't ride a lot of rides but would like to still be able to just visit without having planned for it months in advance.

 

[Poohbug]

I think this sounds terrible, and could be a deal breaker for me. WDW is already not a terribly relaxing vacation. If have to schedule every single ride three months in advance I just think I would skip the experience altogether. It is not worth it to me.

I like to relax on vacation, I like to throw away the itinerary and schedule. I am ruled by the clock at work, and I don't need or want that on vacation. With the current system we can roughly plan out which parks we want to go to, and then play it by ear when we get there. This x Pass sounds like the antithesis of vacation.

Of course, I would have to see how they plan to implement it, but I am NOT for scheduled-to-the-minute vacations.

This.
Does no one think this amount of control is creepy?? IMO trying to make ADR's 180 days out is crazy, I don't want to plan every minute of my vacation.

 

[paulasillars]

is that the thing that's going to incorporate mobile devices?
i've only seen very superficial references, without any details as to what it is or how it will work..

I really hope its not specific to mobile devices. I don't own a smart phone and neither do my two regular travel companions.

I have an iPhone which work provides, but I don't have international roaming on it and it would be astronomical if I did - just to get a fast pass?

Not to mention that if I lost it or had it stolen it wouldn't be a good career move.

I can see them improving fast pass and giving the option for using Smart phones but I think they need to also cater for their huge international population and also those that don't use electronic devices for many reasons.

 

[WaltD4Me]

This.
Does no one think this amount of control is creepy?? IMO trying to make ADR's 180 days out is crazy, I don't want to plan every minute of my vacation.

Very creepy. Know what it reminds me of? ...... Wall-E.