Paid FP options coming soon to WDW?

[Garyjames220]

I wouldn't trust anything at the moment because noone knows. I know the steps being taken and where the testing for the various programs sits as of Saturday. Old fp+ passed live integration, new fp still in test environment- failed live integration, aps passed live integration, dining plans started live integration testing. Based on that. The guess would be if they are forced to roll out a fp system due to raising the capacity, likely would be old fp but with a new system on the horizon. However there is a live integration test on the new fp system this week. If it passes they could start in park testing and then have a choice of the 2.

could that mean the dining plan could be coming back soon to then

 

[mi*vida*loca]

They pay at Universal and other theme parks as well. I'm not sure, but I think Disney is the only one who ever had a free program. I have no doubt enough people would be willing to pay for it to be highly profitable for Disney. It would be a great "perk" for onsite guests as well- give them something they're charging everyone else for is tempting. The fact that they had already been giving it to them won't matter- offering something for "free" is a great marketing tool- sort of like "free" dining- neither are really free, but people love it anyway.

If they wanted to charge for it why didn't they just do that when they switched from Legacy to FP+?

 

[Mac30188]

My 2 cents.

1. Disney is the oddity. Universal, Six Flags, etc. all charge for fast pass. I think the consumer would accept the change because that is the experience the market presents.
2. Disney's demand is fairly unique as it is the premier theme park in the world, and therefore they may be compelled to offer something to ensure everyone perceives their money spent at Disney World was worth the investment.
3. The big perception problem Disney has is an item given to the consumer for free very quickly turns into a zero value in the consumer's mind. The attempt to charge any amount for something that was previously given for free will undoubtedly be perceived as a ripoff by some consumers who have already accepted this perk as worth $0.

Therefore my two cents is all options are possible with pros and cons, but I find it unlikely that Disney will leave money on the table. If they can find a balance between the three, they will do so. If the balance point makes no consumers happy, they will probably choose the option that satisfies the first 2 points, eat the short term negative perception problem with the hard core guests realizing they will forgive, forget, and return.

 

[cakebaker]

If they wanted to charge for it why didn't they just do that when they switched from Legacy to FP+?

The pandemic has shown them that they don't have to offer the bells and whistles for free- that people are willing to pay more and get less with no repercussions. It's a great way to implement things they could have never gotten away with before. There are dozens of ways they've been shown- shorter hours, no character meets, no parades, no shows, less dining higher resort prices with little housekeeping services- and yet people still come. I think they're going to continue down this road until they see signs that it's having a negative impact.

Had they re-opened and people stayed away due to all those cuts, we'd be seeing massive incentives. But they didn't and we're past using safety concerns as a reason for these things not to return. Some things can be blamed on staffing, but not all, not by a long shot.

That said, I'd be very surprised if it comes back as a paid system. It's much easier just to start it up exactly as it was done in the past. But if they're going to go with a pay to play, I think it will be now or never.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

If they wanted to charge for it why didn't they just do that when they switched from Legacy to FP+?

It's a major thing that has set them apart from their competitor-Universal. However, in recent years I'm not sure that Disney cares to fall back on that being the difference just because of the other changes they've made along the way. It's possible that with the pandemic people's opinions will have shifted enough that a paid system is more favorable than it would have been in the past had they done that even though the rumor of paid existed well before this pandemic was around. It's also possible they decide it's the wrong time to do something like this.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

The pandemic has shown them that they don't have to offer the bells and whistles for free- that people are willing to pay more and get less with no repercussions. It's a great way to implement things they could have never gotten away with before.

Like I mentioned in my comment the pandemic could have been more about timing but just in case people have forgotten this thread was started in March 2019. It's been a rumor for over 2 years at this point so I don't think that the pandemic showed Disney they don't have to offer bells and whistles for free, the paid FP rumor predates, by far, the pandemic.

 

[cakebaker]

Like I mentioned in my comment the pandemic could have been more about timing but just in case people have forgotten this thread was started in March 2019. It's been a rumor for over 2 years at this point so I don't think that the pandemic showed Disney they don't have to offer bells and whistles for free, the paid FP rumor predates, by far, the pandemic.

The rumor that FP+ was going to move to a paid system started I think about a day after the system was implemented. But Chapek himself has said that one of the silver linings to the pandemic is they had a chance to implement changes they would never have been able to do before.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

Like I mentioned in my comment the pandemic could have been more about timing but just in case people have forgotten this thread was started in March 2019. It's been a rumor for over 2 years at this point so I don't think that the pandemic showed Disney they don't have to offer bells and whistles for free, the paid FP rumor predates, by far, the pandemic.

Someone recently brought out a zombie thread from 2007 or so with the same topic. It's been a rumor since then too. lol

 

[mi*vida*loca]

FTR I do think they are going to charge something for FP+ but I think they'll leave us with something for "free." Maybe the initial 3, maybe 1. Who knows.

 

[Wandering Oaken]

I wouldn't trust anything at the moment because noone knows. I know the steps being taken and where the testing for the various programs sits as of Saturday. Old fp+ passed live integration, new fp still in test environment- failed live integration, aps passed live integration, dining plans started live integration testing. Based on that. The guess would be if they are forced to roll out a fp system due to raising the capacity, likely would be old fp but with a new system on the horizon. However there is a live integration test on the new fp system this week. If it passes they could start in park testing and then have a choice of the 2.

Precisely that. Nobody knows. So how do you know there is a new system coming?

 

[AnnabelleTheTalkingTree]

Seriously, I just need to know what's going to happen with this. The waiting has me on edge, I am tired of the radio silence. we have a trip in the spring and I'd like to know how this is going to affect us.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

The rumor that FP+ was going to move to a paid system started I think about a day after the system was implemented. But Chapek himself has said that one of the silver linings to the pandemic is they had a chance to implement changes they would never have been able to do before.

Sure but just remember this from the very first post:

its been rumored for some time that WDW will add a paid FP option.

According to Martin at WDWmagic later this year this will go into place. (which would have been fall/winter 2019 likely).

As far as paid FP goes they would have done it just may not have been as favorable and the tides may have changed due to the pandemic. It doesn't mean they would have never been able to do a paid FP system before. The Reservation System they have in play without a FP around is something I can for sure see they wouldn't have been able to do before because eliminating FP entirely out of the blue would have been very unlikely under normal operations. As is they are operating without a FP at the moment and the pandemic has allowed for that to be the case.

 

[New Mouse]

My 2 cents.

1. Disney is the oddity. Universal, Six Flags, etc. all charge for fast pass. I think the consumer would accept the change because that is the experience the market presents.
2. Disney's demand is fairly unique as it is the premier theme park in the world, and therefore they may be compelled to offer something to ensure everyone perceives their money spent at Disney World was worth the investment.
3. The big perception problem Disney has is an item given to the consumer for free very quickly turns into a zero value in the consumer's mind. The attempt to charge any amount for something that was previously given for free will undoubtedly be perceived as a ripoff by some consumers who have already accepted this perk as worth $0.

Therefore my two cents is all options are possible with pros and cons, but I find it unlikely that Disney will leave money on the table. If they can find a balance between the three, they will do so. If the balance point makes no consumers happy, they will probably choose the option that satisfies the first 2 points, eat the short term negative perception problem with the hard core guests realizing they will forgive, forget, and return.

Disney isnt giving away any of it for free. They have the highest room prices and ticket prices in the industry. Its not free, its built in to make you assume....well im paying a lot for a ticket, but at least it comes with fastpass....or at least it comes with bus service, free dining, etc. They have already sold it to you.

 

[Mac30188]

Disney isnt giving away any of it for free. They have the highest room prices and ticket prices in the industry. Its not free, its built in to make you assume....well im paying a lot for a ticket, but at least it comes with fastpass....or at least it comes with bus service, free dining, etc. They have already sold it to you.

I guarantee that some consumers who have previously went to Disney World and used the fast pass system without paying additional money perceived this as a free perk, and in many ways customer perception is more important than objective analysis.

 

[AnnaKristoff2013]

AWESOME!

What kills me is I have a trip on July 9th. I feel like I'm going to miss the return of fastpasses by like a week. Uggh.

 

[AnnaKristoff2013]

Here now, having a great trip but not a fan of the no fastpass system. DD has DAS, but with storms hitting daily, we've had bad luck with the rides she has the DAS for not working by the time we can ride, and they aren't converting into recovery passes or use on another ride passes so it's been rough.. DD cannot wait in a 45 minute line, even if it is better than a 70 minute line from precovid, so we used FP all day long.

Just our take. I hear people saying they don't miss FP but that hasn't been our experience. It's fine, we are just using the pools and riding fewer rides, but definitely not better.

It really says something when even someone with access to DAS misses fastpass. Doesn't bode well for the rest of us. They really need to bring it back.

 

[finedice]

Universal, Six Flags, etc. all charge for fast pass.

Their ticket prices are also much lower than Disney's.

 

[AvidDisReader]

It seems to me what will happen is there will be a small fee charged for FP, in the beginning. Remember the Disney Dining plan was originally $45 per adult and that included tip. That did not last long. I could see a similar start and than over the years it becomes quite a hefty sum.

 

[Mac30188]

Their ticket prices are also much lower than Disney's.

One could argue they are also inferior parks. If Six Flags tried to charge Disney prices, they would likely go out of business.

 

[AnnabelleTheTalkingTree]

It seems to me what will happen is there will be a small fee charged for FP, in the beginning. Remember the Disney Dining plan was originally $45 per adult and that included tip. That did not last long. I could see a similar start and than over the years it becomes quite a hefty sum.

Depends on what a "small fee" actually entails. Even a small charge could really add up for a family spending a week on vacation. Even if it was only $20 a day pp then for a family of 4 for 7 days, it's $560. We have a 10 day trip planned for the spring, so in my hypothetical example we'd be paying an extra $800 to have fastpass - which used to be included.