Paid FP options coming soon to WDW?

[JakeAZ]

The FP+ system before covid was out of control distributed way too many, it slowed down the standby lines significantly, and some FP lines got pretty darned long.

If everyone has FP, nobody has FP!

 

[TiggerBouncy]

And Club 33, VIP groups and guest recovery.

During normal times it is all of those categories PLUS all the Fastpasses people booked. So, so many more people were in the Fastpass line and impacted the standby lines significantly. Barely impacts the line at all right now. The stop and start when FP+ was in place was ridiculous. They gave out way too many FP.

Again, Peter Pan here is my example. Last time pre-COVID I rode Peter Pan, it was a 35 minutes wait. I got to the front of the standby line in about 43 minutes. We then proceed to wait EIGHT MINUTES (I counted) while they let every person and their brother, cousin and best friend through FP+. I know this, because I was literally the next person in the standby line and was irritated, so I watched the minutes with every intent to complain to Guest Services.

I have been twice since they re-opened and never waited more then about 30 seconds for them to process the FP+ line. And that 30 seconds was really more them just directing the person and the time it took them to clear out of the social distancing area. Now I am sure on the whole of the wait, the DAS, etc added more than 30 second to my wait.... but it was not like they would stop standby for minutes while they brought those people on, and again, they still processed them and stayed under the expected wait time.

 

[Jmljasmine]

I don’t expect Disney to actually do something like this. It was meant as a joke.

As for traveling with toddlers, Hollywood Studios was the most challenging (waits in restrooms/gift shops/long ride waits and extremely rude cast members) and we gave up and left early. Epcot was ok. Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom were actually good and doable with toddlers and no fast passes. When we went our wait times were actually similar or higher (15 min) than posted wait times. We did not experience lines moving faster. I do agree that MK and AK were laid back experiences but we did that with fast passes as well.

I think giving virtual passes for the two longest rides in a park would also work, if you want to limit the standby lines but improve the guest experience.

I got that you weren't meaning it literally. It was hyperbole. Sounds more sane though then people thinking 2-5 year olds can stand in long lines conversing with their parents or playing on phones (hmmm, 2 adults 4 kids- that would mean we gave our kids phones that young... No thanks)

 

[Jmljasmine]

I actually just edited and added more context to my previous post but will share it here too with more details.

We personally found it annoying to pre-schedule FP+ with babies, toddlers, small kids because we much prefer to wing it based on their moods and cues. Kids are unpredictable, so we don’t like to over schedule/commit to times. Hungry? We’ll eat now. Want to go on rides? Let’s do that now. Want to sit here for an hour and just watch the ducks? Let’s do that now. We also have kids who did not nap well at the resort, so stroller naps in the park when they felt tired were the best solution for our situation. We prefer flexibility.

We were basically forced to use FP+ because of how much it impacts the length of standby lines. Not using it for certain rides would have been silly because of its impact on standby. But FP+ made it difficult to wing it. I would honestly have preferred to not have to make reservations 60 days in advance and just wait in standby lines that actually moved. But, since FP majorly slowed down the standby lines, we adapted to FP+ and it was fine. We did use it. I’m just not in love with it and definitely open to change.

Just offering the perspective that as a family with small kids, FP+ was not a perfect system for us.

I get that flexibility is nice but Disney is not going back to the pre fastpass days if they don't reintroduce it. The crowds back then we're non-existent compared to even right now. There is no returning to that. That leaves planning ahead or lacking flexibility because it's hard to be flexible if you have to commit to a long line to ride anything. Unless Disney has a much more creative plan then anyone has yet mentioned here.

 

[Jmljasmine]

I think that's generalizing a lot. I have been bringing my son to Disney since he was 3. He learned to wait in line (and he has Aspergers and ADD, so he is at a disadvantage in that area). So I wouldn't say it isn't doable. But you did answer my question - which is you choose your 3 rides and you are out. So FP+ would work for you as long as you never intend to rise standby. But that same is not true for the majority of park visitors (although I will say for the record that these days, I am more likely to visit my 3-4 FP+ rides and go back to the hotel too. For different reasons - mainly it's painful to walk on my feet. But I'm not going to say it's impossible if I wanted to wait in line for me to do so. I have certainly made that choice every now and again).




Yeah, so I might have exaggerated a bit. I did not count the numbers. But tour groups are where I was thinking of it. Pre COVID, I have literally seen 2-4 large tour groups go tromping through the FP+ line with those little cards. And I am talking big streams of people. If you doubt the impact on lines, it's not hard to figure out.

Peter Pan pre-covid standby lines would say 80 minutes. The line was not actually that long. If you have ever been in line at the end of the day and they are drawing from just the standby line, it takes maybe 30 minutes to process the entire line. So FP+ easily makes it 2x the wait.

Space mountain pre-covid would hit 120 minutes standby. Wait until end of day and you could get through in about half that or less (maybe 50 minutes. Less if they were on their game and running both tracks).

When everyone is in line (no FP+), the rides are running generally a little higher than no FP+, but significantly lower then with FP+. Meaning that people are making choices to not hit those rides with longer lines.

And again, the biggest problem is the randomness of it. You can get in a standby line and not have any tour groups and get through it quickly. Or you can get in the same line and have a number of them (like I indicate) and it doubles your wait. Either way, it makes it very difficult to plan your other activities in a place that pretty much punishes you for not planning (like giving away dining reservations if you are late or missing shows or other activities).

Sounds to me that it's not the fastpass people but the tour group people. Instead of ditching fastpass, limit the number of your groups (which they actually have for COVID). Perhaps it's really the selling too many tour groups that's the problem.

 

[Lumpy1106]

Again, Peter Pan here is my example. Last time pre-COVID I rode Peter Pan, it was a 35 minutes wait. I got to the front of the standby line in about 43 minutes. We then proceed to wait EIGHT MINUTES (I counted) while they let every person and their brother, cousin and best friend through FP+. I know this, because I was literally the next person in the standby line and was irritated, so I watched the minutes with every intent to complain to Guest Services.

I have been twice since they re-opened and never waited more then about 30 seconds for them to process the FP+ line. And that 30 seconds was really more them just directing the person and the time it took them to clear out of the social distancing area. Now I am sure on the whole of the wait, the DAS, etc added more than 30 second to my wait.... but it was not like they would stop standby for minutes while they brought those people on, and again, they still processed them and stayed under the expected wait time.

THIS - and I would say the worst FP standby line is Roger Rabbit in DL. We straight-up stopped riding that ride without a FP, and this is from someone who waited for the ride when it first opened (before FP) and the line was wrapped around and under the RR tracks. At least then the line moved, now it does not - for significant lengths of time.

I am so torn about FP. The one time we really appreciate it is when I ride things my DW will not ride, with my kids. Space Mountain is the best example. Right now, no big deal, line is around 30 mins, my DW finds something else to do and we are usually waiting for her to return when we get off. With FPs being used the +hour wait in the standby line quickly gets to be a non-starter and we just don't ride without a FP. With FP is nice though because we barely need to split up at all. Would we skip SM if there was no FP and the line was +hour? Yeah, maybe so. Certainly we'd rope-drop or wait until near closing and, remembering from pre-FP days, that's not such a bad option.

 

[MickeyWaffles]

I get that flexibility is nice but Disney is not going back to the pre fastpass days if they don't reintroduce it. The crowds back then we're non-existent compared to even right now. There is no returning to that. That leaves planning ahead or lacking flexibility because it's hard to be flexible if you have to commit to a long line to ride anything. Unless Disney has a much more creative plan then anyone has yet mentioned here.

Yeah, and they’re not going to bring back FP+ as it was either. I’d be open to a modified version of Disneyland MaxPass system. Especially if they didn’t oversell it. We wouldn’t mind paying a premium for something like that. Just not a big fan of the 60 day FP+ system. It was overloaded and I think there were flaws. Others liked it. And that’s fine. Just was offering a different perspective as a generalization was made about families with small children.

 

[Jmljasmine]

Yeah, and they’re not going to bring back FP+ as it was either. I’d be open to a modified version of Disneyland MaxPass system. Especially if they didn’t oversell it. We wouldn’t mind paying a premium for something like that. Just not a big fan of the 60 day FP+ system. It was overloaded and I think there were flaws. Others liked it. And that’s fine. Just was offering a different perspective as a generalization was made about families with small children.

We won't be able to pay for an add on for our 6 member family of small kids so if it's that or no fastpass, I guess our Disney days are done. My kids do get there hopes up and don't tolerate the disappointment of not getting to do what they look so forward to so it will be better to find alternative vacations that don't involve spending thousands a person for a couple rides. It's sad.

 

[MickeyWaffles]

We won't be able to pay for an add on for our 6 member family of small kids so if it's that or no fastpass, I guess our Disney days are done. My kids do get there hopes up and don't tolerate the disappointment of not getting to do what they look so forward to so it will be better to find alternative vacations that don't involve spending thousands a person for a couple rides. It's sad.

But that’s why I think the best system is actually all standby no Fastpass at all.

 

[Eric Smith]

We won't be able to pay for an add on for our 6 member family of small kids so if it's that or no fastpass, I guess our Disney days are done. My kids do get there hopes up and don't tolerate the disappointment of not getting to do what they look so forward to so it will be better to find alternative vacations that don't involve spending thousands a person for a couple rides. It's sad.

Look in to how the Disneyland system operates. There is a free component to the system. It's the old paper fastpass system. Maxpass allows you to make fastpass reservations on your phone without have to physically be at the ride. It's an improvement, but it's not necessary to be able to ride a lot of things. The problem is that FP+ has forced it to where you either have a fastpass or you're waiting two or three hours for the top tier rides. This happens because Disney gave you too many fast passes which brought the standby lines to a standstill. Without so many fastpasses, that wouldn't be an issue.

 

[MickeyWaffles]

Look in to how the Disneyland system operates. There is a free component to the system. It's the old paper fastpass system. Maxpass allows you to make fastpass reservations on your phone without have to physically be at the ride. It's an improvement, but it's not necessary to be able to ride a lot of things. The problem is that FP+ has forced it to where you either have a fastpass or you're waiting two or three hours for the top tier rides. This happens because Disney gave you too many fast passes which brought the standby lines to a standstill. Without so many fastpasses, that wouldn't be an issue.

Yes! Exactly.

 

[Jmljasmine]

Look in to how the Disneyland system operates. There is a free component to the system. It's the old paper fastpass system. Maxpass allows you to make fastpass reservations on your phone without have to physically be at the ride. It's an improvement, but it's not necessary to be able to ride a lot of things. The problem is that FP+ has forced it to where you either have a fastpass or you're waiting two or three hours for the top tier rides. This happens because Disney gave you too many fast passes which brought the standby lines to a standstill. Without so many fastpasses, that wouldn't be an issue.

One a day would be better then nothing. The problem with paper fast passes though is I could end up with a time that the kids are napping. It's seeming like the current system doesn't work not those who like to be spontaneous so the solution is to make it not work for kids who need a routine. I also remember the stampede that occured back in the paper fast pass days. Unfortunately, you all are probably right and it's going to go to a system that just doesn't work for us anymore. I admit I was hoping to get my youngest 2 a trip as they haven't been yet but this may be an early lesson in life is unfair. Our trip got cancelled for COVID and I just might have to explain to them they have to wait. If we can afford it when they are teens maybe then. That will be even more costly though.
Someone needs to open a paw patrol park.

 

[Eric Smith]

One a day would be better then nothing. The problem with paper fast passes though is I could end up with a time that the kids are napping. It's seeming like the current system doesn't work not those who like to be spontaneous so the solution is to make it not work for kids who need a routine. I also remember the stampede that occured back in the paper fast pass days. Unfortunately, you all are probably right and it's going to go to a system that just doesn't work for us anymore. I admit I was hoping to get my youngest 2 a trip as they haven't been yet but this may be an early lesson in life is unfair. Our trip got cancelled for COVID and I just might have to explain to them they have to wait. If we can afford it when they are teens maybe then. That will be even more costly though.
Someone needs to open a paw patrol park.

If you look at it, waits aren't bad at all right now.

 

[TinkB278]

Yeah, and they’re not going to bring back FP+ as it was either. I’d be open to a modified version of Disneyland MaxPass system. Especially if they didn’t oversell it. We wouldn’t mind paying a premium for something like that. Just not a big fan of the 60 day FP+ system. It was overloaded and I think there were flaws. Others liked it. And that’s fine. Just was offering a different perspective as a generalization was made about families with small children.

I wasn’t making an over generalization. I never said that’s how things work for ALL families with small kids. Seems like people on this thread really like to latch onto things, make statements into something they aren’t, and won’t let go. I was just explaining why it’s difficult to NOT has fast pass with small children. Just offering a different perspective other than all the over generalizations about how everyone wins and waits less without fast pass.

 

[TinkB278]

If you look at it, waits aren't bad at all right now.

50 minutes for frozen is about 40 minutes longer than my frozen obsessed 22 month old will stand in line.

 

[Eric Smith]

50 minutes for frozen is about 40 minutes longer than my frozen obsessed 22 month old will stand in line.

If your kid can't wait more than 10 minutes, a theme park may not be the best place to go.

 

[MickeyWaffles]

It's seeming like the current system doesn't work not those who like to be spontaneous so the solution is to make it not work for kids who need a routine.

I understand that people have different touring styles. I understand that people value different parts of their parks experience. I understand why the super planners liked FP+. I understand why more spontaneous people didn’t.

I personally don’t really think they should specifically cater the system to either group (the super planners or the spontaneous). I think the goal should be to get the most people on rides in the most efficient way possible. And I think they can do MUCH better than FP+. FP+ was the only reason wait times for certain rides like FOP ballooned up into the 3+ hour range. It would be so nice if someone who last minute decided to visit a park had a chance to ride a headliner in a reasonable way.

I just think there has to be some kind of improvement to the system. If you couldn’t get certain FP months in advance, you were basically in for an outrageously long line. There just has to be a better way.

 

[TinkB278]

If your kid can't wait more than 10 minutes, a theme park may not be the best place to go.

Or go to one that utilizes a FastPass system so my toddler doesn’t have to stand in a 50 min wait? Hence the whole concern for when FastPass will return??

Clearly a lot of people commenting don’t have kids or haven’t had very small children in recent years. The lack of empathy is just astonishing.

 

[Eric Smith]

Or go to one that utilizes a FastPass system so my toddler doesn’t have to stand in a 50 min wait? Hence the whole concern for when FastPass will return??

Clearly a lot of people commenting don’t have kids or haven’t had very small children in recent years. The lack of empathy is just astonishing.

It's not a lack of empathy, it's reality. The system that gave you the ability to get on to rides quickly also made the standby lines terrible for everyone. There has to be a balance.

 

[MickeyWaffles]

Or go to one that utilizes a FastPass system so my toddler doesn’t have to stand in a 50 min wait? Hence the whole concern for when FastPass will return??

Clearly a lot of people commenting don’t have kids or haven’t had very small children in recent years. The lack of empathy is just astonishing.

Good grief, this is about waiting in lines at a theme park. FP+ had negative impacts on overall wait time efficiency.

You can’t wait more than 10 minutes for a ride? This seems like pretty unreasonable expectation, IMO. We’ve had FP+ return lines longer than that.

And yeah, on our last 5 trips in 6 years my kids were 1, then 1 & 2.5, then 2 and 3.5, then 2.5 and 4 and 3.5 and 5. I’m pretty familiar with going to the parks with small kids. In the big picture, FP+ is not a great system for everyone, and I think they could do a better job of getting more people on rides in an efficient manner without it.