Paid Fastpass.

[lockedoutlogic]

So essentially you'd be paying $280-360 for a family of 4, for 4 extra FP+. If it's just one time use, for the one park per day. No way do I see this taking off here. But, if you could do the rides multiple times and use it on multiple days/in multiple parks, then yes. I could see people doing it.

I can see fools lining up HERE...and justifications cascading from the heavens...
I'm surprised if it works there...

 

[Lightsoutx12]

Probably an obvious answer, but when you buy the single attraction you can only access that ride once in the fast pass queue and not over and over again? It still surprises me that Disney has not implemented a paid fast pass similar to Universal where you can purchase the express pass and use it over and over and over again for the entire day.

 

[Lee Matthews]

Absolutely disgusting to even think about charging for fast passes, when they charge $115 a day to get into the parks.

 

[Lightsoutx12]

It's crazy when you look at families that go to Universal. A ticket for both parks is around $140 I believe, and I think a fast pass is around $80? That's $220 a person just for getting into the park with express passes. It's insane.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

It's crazy when you look at families that go to Universal. A ticket for both parks is around $140 I believe, and I think a fast pass is around $80? That's $220 a person just for getting into the park with express passes. It's insane.

Well...you stay at a hotel there...which even though pricey, is far cheaper than anything at WDW and you get the express pass...

...always an angle

 

[lockedoutlogic]

Absolutely disgusting to even think about charging for fast passes, when they charge $115 a day to get into the parks.

Wait a second...have you not been a defender of "free market" when these pricing issues have come up prior?

Supply and demand, Adam smith, no?

 

[Lightsoutx12]

Yes I did forget that you do receive the fast passes for staying on their three premiere properties. But they are much higher than the other two resorts but much less expensive than any Disney property.

 

[rteetz]

Well...you stay at a hotel there...which even though pricey, is far cheaper than anything at WDW and you get the express pass...

...always an angle

Not all of their hotels do only 3 of them.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

Not all of their hotels do only 3 of them.

Granted...but based on the prices that's more than worth the upcharge

(You think maybe I've been crunching these numbers?)

 

[amberpi]

7 fps for the day extra? I'd pay for it. Especially if I could do it between parks. I'd be stoked! If they gave more perks to the deluxe hotels and they were actually "deluxe" I'd move from my beloved Swolphin and go back to CR or YC all the time instead of just randomly if WDW would do something to make the offer more enticing. But the deluxes are full, so they don't have to.

 

[Lee Matthews]

Wait a second...have you not been a defender of "free market" when these pricing issues have come up prior?

Supply and demand, Adam smith, no?

Usually I am, at the end of the day I and everyone else can expect small price increases, but when they then consider taking away free fast passes and charging for them, what are you actually paying for? $115 to Walk around without doing anything. Switch it round and make admission free the yeah, you can charge for fast passes.

But like others have said, this is unlikely to happen in the west

 

[lockedoutlogic]

Usually I am, at the end of the day I and everyone else can expect small price increases, but when they then consider taking away free fast passes and charging for them, what are you actually paying for? $115 to Walk around without doing anything. Switch it round and make admission free the yeah, you can charge for fast passes.

But like others have said, this is unlikely to happen in the west

Fundamentally...there is no difference to swallowing any price increases without pause...they all
Lead to the same destination on the road.

 

[Turn the Page]

I have to say I am really surprised fast passes weren't an extra charge from the very beginning. But I REALLY hope they don't move to that. It wouldn't surprise me but I always liked how they were free for everybody.

 

[Planogirl]

I could see a fee for this particularly off-site visitors. It might start as a relatively small fee but would go up as people become used to it.

 

[wilkeliza]

The paid ones aren't replacing the free ones. They probably took a small amount of free ones out of the rotation but didn't completely abadon free FP im Shanghai. Again they price it just high enough for the average visiter
to say hmm not for me but those with money to spare say oh sure. Before anyone complains about the pay more to play more that's been Disney from day 1 it use to just not be so open for everyone to know it was going on.

 

[amberpi]

Fundamentally...there is no difference to swallowing any price increases without pause...they all
Lead to the same destination on the road.

While I don't agree with your conclusions, I love the harmony of your thoughts over time. Your views are consistent, as are mine, even if we don't find the same conclusion. I love a pure argument.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

While I don't agree with your conclusions, I love the harmony of your thoughts over time. Your views are consistent, as are mine, even if we don't find the same conclusion. I love a pure argument.

Just so we're clear, my stated argument for the viewers at home is:

"The pricing policies have become reckless and it will either a. Price all of us out or b. Cause catastrophic damage to disney when they destroy their theme park market and there's no going back"

 

[cdnusagurl]

It's crazy when you look at families that go to Universal. A ticket for both parks is around $140 I believe, and I think a fast pass is around $80? That's $220 a person just for getting into the park with express passes. It's insane.

We are going to Universal for 4 days next year and got the express pass as part of our hotel room. When I broke down the math it basically came out to the room being like $92 a night when you subtracted the fast pass for both my husband and I from it with the Canadian exchange. If we had kids then it would have been even cheaper, which I doubt Disney would do. Even if they did, they would probably up the price of the Deluxes and slap the unlimited fast pass on as a "free" offer while having the rate hover in the $500 to $600 a night range.

 

[TXAKDisneyFan]

Well...you stay at a hotel there...which even though pricey, is far cheaper than anything at WDW and you get the express pass...

...always an angle

Based on my (admittedly limited) research, Universal hotels are only cheaper if there are four or fewer people in a room. Any more in the party and you'll need either two rooms or a suite. Compare this to WDW, which has plenty of five person moderate rooms, and they don't count an infant in a crib toward room capacity. Obviously larger families pay more for things in general, but Universal's four person room capacities versus WDW's five plus infant means that our family of six pays significantly less at WDW.

For example, we could stay at Port Orleans Riverside (pool view) for three nights in July for an undiscounted price of $261 per night ($221.85 including the Summer Room Offer, or 35% off the rack rate for military). For the same dates, only three resorts come up at Universal: Cabana Bay ($244 per night, but does not include Express Pass), Pacific Royal for $1024 per night, and Portofino Bay for $879 per night. Add in military pricing, and the PO-R room drops to approx $170 per night, and Portofino to $615.30 per night. (As a side note, we're staying in a CL PV room at the Poly for less than that Portofino room, although Portofino does look like a lovely hotel and we definitely plan to stay there sometime.)

Adding Express Pass to regular 3 day park-to-park tickets for four people in July adds $1,559.88 (+ tax) to the ticket price for a grand total after taxes of $2,811.46. We bought WDW APs (which obv include FP+, in addition to other benefits like parking and MM) for not significantly more than that.

The cost of adding Express Pass for four people to a room at Cabana Bay takes the price difference between CB and Portofino down to only a few dollars. Total cost for three nights at a Uni hotel plus EP (either paid for or included in room price) comes to approximately $2,100 once military rates are applied (park tickets not included). Compare this to $508.95 (+ tax) for three nights at PO-R on the same dates with military pricing applied (cheaper if staying at the Campsites), and obv WDW always includes FP+. (I just checked and it costs more to book two rooms at Uni than one suite on the same dates.)

Our situation is not unique. Plenty of families with 5+ members travel to Orlando. We all know that things cost more for larger families, but I think the assertion that Uni is cheaper than WDW should be qualified that it's only for families of 4 or fewer.

 

[cdnusagurl]

Based on my (admittedly limited) research, Universal hotels are only cheaper if there are four or fewer people in a room. Any more in the party and you'll need either two rooms or a suite. Compare this to WDW, which has plenty of five person moderate rooms, and they don't count an infant in a crib toward room capacity. Obviously larger families pay more for things in general, but Universal's four person room capacities versus WDW's five plus infant means that our family of six pays significantly less at WDW.

For example, we could stay at Port Orleans Riverside (pool view) for three nights in July for an undiscounted price of $261 per night ($221.85 including the Summer Room Offer, or 35% off the rack rate for military). For the same dates, only three resorts come up at Universal: Cabana Bay ($244 per night, but does not include Express Pass), Pacific Royal for $1024 per night, and Portofino Bay for $879 per night. Add in military pricing, and the PO-R room drops to approx $170 per night, and Portofino to $615.30 per night. (As a side note, we're staying in a CL PV room at the Poly for less than that Portofino room, although Portofino does look like a lovely hotel and we definitely plan to stay there sometime.)

Adding Express Pass to regular 3 day park-to-park tickets for four people in July adds $1,559.88 (+ tax) to the ticket price for a grand total after taxes of $2,811.46. We bought WDW APs (which obv include FP+, in addition to other benefits like parking and MM) for not significantly more than that.

The cost of adding Express Pass for four people to a room at Cabana Bay takes the price difference between CB and Portofino down to only a few dollars. Total cost for three nights at a Uni hotel plus EP (either paid for or included in room price) comes to approximately $2,100 once military rates are applied (park tickets not included). Compare this to $508.95 (+ tax) for three nights at PO-R on the same dates with military pricing applied (cheaper if staying at the Campsites), and obv WDW always includes FP+. (I just checked and it costs more to book two rooms at Uni than one suite on the same dates.)

Our situation is not unique. Plenty of families with 5+ members travel to Orlando. We all know that things cost more for larger families, but I think the assertion that Uni is cheaper than WDW should be qualified that it's only for families of 4 or fewer.

You must be looking at a suite to get that high of a price for Royal Pacific. It's $370 CAD a night for us to stay there in a standard room in late April for four nights. And although I'm sure the price increases in the summer, I doubt it would jump that high. If we had a family of 3 adults and 3 children we could get a suite and the price would be $974 CAD a night, or $727 USD for the same dates. Of course that room would also be a little over 1000 sq feet which is bigger than some houses in our area. When you subtract the price of the fastpasses which is $90 for the cheapest days, from that, you get a room rate of essentially $187USD a night for a bigger room than what you will get at any moderate at WDW for the same price.

Edit: Portofino Bay is even cheaper at $559USD a night, granted the room is half the size as the Royal Pacific Room. But if cost is a factor then that knocks your rate down to essentially $20 a night.