Paid FP options coming soon to WDW?

[intertile]

Thats a good point. Didnt they already test these FP packages already at MK ..letting you choose a pre-chosen set of FPs (for your 3) at MK?

They key will be:
Will this just be paying for ONE FP per day (basically paying for the 3rd FP that may be removed)
OR
Will this be paying for MANY FPs for that day
OR
Will this be for 3rd FP .. but can be used any time .. anywhere.

or will there be tiers?
$50 for a 3rd fast pass
$100 for a FP package of several rides. (like a Toy Story Package)
$200 for an unlimited FP for every ride in the park once - (no scheduling)

There are so many possibilities, impossible to know. My point was that there will still be free FP, and there will still be some form of advantage for onsite guests.

I'd be interested to see if we could use this to make FP across multiple parks. So i make my free selections at MK, and purchase a package at AK for same day. That might be interesting if we decide to shorten our trips in the future.

 

[umichigan10]

Not every resort at WDW has close proximity or a view.

EMH has been watered down with many thousands of offsite guests.

Not leaving the bubble and transportation are about all that's left. It's getting harder and harder to justify the onsite surcharge.

And they don’t run all the rides they used to during EMH. I remember last year or the year before, both splash mountain and jungle cruise weren’t running during evening EMH

 

[Joe Arkansas]

The question is .. will they TIER the rides? Like .. would I only be able to get the FREE fast passes for Tier 2 rides, but have to pay for the Tier 1? Would they then introduce tiering to MK where you can only get free FPs for things like Small World or Dumbo, but pay for the mountains?

I think we will see something along these lines. Only I could more rides drop into Tier 2 (such as Soarin, TT, and FEA ...maybe some of TSL), while Tier 1 (paid) consists of the hot new super-headliners -- FoP, SWGE, and soon-to-come Tron and GotG. One key is that if you ante up for the Paid FPs, you better be guaranteed to get those high-demand FPs.

A system like this could actually help WDW manage the intense demand for these new super-headliners.

 

[mshanson3121]

Going into MDE and pickup up FPs throughout the day after you use the pre-booked ones. There are a ton of threads on it.

Getting day of fast passes. Occasional headliners become available throughout the day, but there are often quite a few of the moderate and low priority attractions available for fourth and beyond fast passes. There are threads on this in the TPAS Forum.

I wouldn't worry too much about learning about it, it's going the way of the carnotaurus (if rumors be true).

Thanks. I thought it was something different!

 

[jo-jo]

I am not sure this will be a nightmare. It ALL depends on how they implement it.

As a frequent guest (and AP holder currently) -- would I pay for the convenience of being able to FP the new HOT attraction? Heck ya -- just how TONS of people pay for the events and parties.

I paid money for that old Park Hopper Express bus .. a convenience that did nothing but save me time for hopping between DHS and MK. Worth EVERY penny. I saved probably 90+ minutes.

If a paid fastpass saves me from waiting 90+ minutes for Pandora or SDD (considering I cant get those NOW unless I stay 5-6+ nights), is it worth it? Yes. The only reason I got SDD and FOP FP on my last trip was because I had my cousin (who was arriving days earlier than me) book mh FPs for me.

Also . if third fast passes are now PAYABLE . in theory . (since not EVERYONE is getting a 3rd fast pass) that would make standby lines shorter with less guests cutting the lines.

Right?

The question is .. will they TIER the rides? Like .. would I only be able to get the FREE fast passes for Tier 2 rides, but have to pay for the Tier 1? Would they then introduce tiering to MK where you can only get free FPs for things like Small World or Dumbo, but pay for the mountains?

But you paid $30 (???) for a week of hopper bus, so that saved you 90 mins time and time again. What would be the cost for saving 90 mins one time on a ride?

By the way, I so wish hopper bus would come back.

 

[umichigan10]

Nope. My millennial son is a cheapskate and would never pay for this.

It’s also funny to think that millennials, such as myself, have the kind of income to pay additional perks that were once free

 

[ashmac8]

Am I crazy in thinking folks might flip out if they paid money for a fast pass and the ride goes down?????

 

[SaharanTea]

There are so many possibilities, impossible to know. My point was that there will still be free FP, and there will still be some form of advantage for onsite guests.

I'd be interested to see if we could use this to make FP across multiple parks. So i make my free selections at MK, and purchase a package at AK for same day. That might be interesting if we decide to shorten our trips in the future.

Your speculated system sounds like a nightmare. If this system comes to pass anything close to how some people are imagining it, all those additional day of fast passes are gone. We'd get 10+ fast passes per day at MK, and this was in the summer. They wouldn't all be top tier rides, but we navigated enough to make for a very fun day. Now, it's pay x just to get back to that initial three fast passes?

Talk about greatly diminishing the value. It makes paying for parking look like a drop in the bucket. How does anyone find a silver lining in this?

 

[firefly_ris]

It’s also funny to think that millennials, such as myself, have the kind of income to pay additional perks that were once free

Yeah... "older" millennial here, 3 kids, ain't nobody got time for your upcharge fastpass, Disney (and I don't even have car payments, or cable TV, or get my hair done, and my groceries come from Aldi, so not sure what I could cut out from my life to pay to ride Big Thunder after I just dropped 2 grand to get INTO the park ). I'm not the target demo, I get it -- we just managed to do our recent 7 night Disney trip for a flimsy $3900 for 5 people flying in from NY -- they are wanting to cater to higher incomes...So it works for now.... I dunno if it will work 10, 15, 20 years from now.... not that current shareholders care about that.

 

[intertile]

Your speculated system sounds like a nightmare. If this system comes to pass anything close to how some people are imagining it, all those additional day of fast passes are gone. We'd get 10+ fast passes per day at MK, and this was in the summer. They wouldn't all be top tier rides, but we navigated enough to make for a very fun day. Now, it's pay x just to get back to that initial three fast passes?

Talk about greatly diminishing the value. It makes paying for parking look like a drop in the bucket. How does anyone find a silver lining in this?

1) Was pointing out that the system "most probably" is not going to full on pay to play.
2) There would still be same day fast pass availability(probably not for headliners, but those are real tough to get now anyway)

All this being said, I never said anything about a silver lining. Just sharing what was shared with me.

 

[PrincessArlena'sDad]

Talk about greatly diminishing the value. It makes paying for parking look like a drop in the bucket. How does anyone find a silver lining in this?

Silver lining = it might not start until after my stay. Hoping at least.

 

[SaintsManiac]

Theory:

They roll this out with 2020 packages. Now that we know there won't be FP for GE rides at first it kind of makes sense for them to do that.

Selfish Opinion:

It wouldn't affect my trips, so I hope my theory is correct.

 

[NJlauren]

Theory:

They roll this out with 2020 packages. Now that we know there won't be FP for GE rides at first it kind of makes sense for them to do that.

Selfish Opinion:

It wouldn't affect my trips, so I hope my theory is correct.

Actually an announcement in May that they are overhauling the FP system for 2020 doesn’t seem to far fetched. I wouldn’t love it but I think it would give people more time to plan and get used to the idea. If it affects my 2019 trips I’ll be annoyed, but I’ll deal.

 

[5DisneyNuts]

Theory:

They roll this out with 2020 packages. Now that we know there won't be FP for GE rides at first it kind of makes sense for them to do that.

Selfish Opinion:

It wouldn't affect my trips, so I hope my theory is correct.

In addition to a paid FP option announced in May for 2020 pkgs (instead of June), I could see options to pay for exclusive FP access to SWGE since the announcement said FP to be offered later this year.

 

[mom2rtk]

Silver lining = it might not start until after my stay. Hoping at least.

Hah! Wish I could say the same.

 

[saskdw]

Theory:

They roll this out with 2020 packages. Now that we know there won't be FP for GE rides at first it kind of makes sense for them to do that.

Selfish Opinion:

It wouldn't affect my trips, so I hope my theory is correct.

I'm not convinced that the lack of FP for the opening of SWGE has anything to do with this.

I think it's because they are opening with only one ride. With every single person trying to get a FP for that one ride, the ride FP's would be unattainable for most and the ride almost impossible to ride without. If they had 2 rides open I think they would both open with FP.

 

[amberpi]

How does anyone find a silver lining in this?

Depending on how it's rolled out, if DH and I could pay for more FPs while staying in an offsite resort, we'd be extra happy planning our next trip - if they could be anytime FPs we'd pay even more, as we aren't early people (especially DH and the kids), and don't rush anywhere on vacation. If they tie it to onsite stays we'll have to decide if we'll make some unwanted concessions for WDW's crap hotels. Either instance, WDW is getting more money from our family. In the first instance we will be happily spending more money. In the second, there would be a lot of grumbling but it could change the way we travel now.

So, there are people who think it could be great. I don't want them to take away from the current offering, but if we could buy say 3 more a day, we would. In MK we'd buy a lot more, in DHS we wouldn't need any. I'd love it even more if they would let you buy extra fps for the same ride.

 

[SaintsManiac]

I'm not convinced that the lack of FP for the opening of SWGE has anything to do with this.

I think it's because they are opening with only one ride. With every single person trying to get a FP for that one ride, the ride FP's would be unattainable for most and the ride almost impossible to ride without. If they had 2 rides open I think they would both open with FP.

I think it's both. I think if they had opened with both rides they would have started charging then.

 

[PrincessV]

I wonder what this means for AP's? We are a family of 6 and APers. There is no way we can afford to pay MaxPass prices ($15-$20 per person per day) every time we go. This would decrease the value of my pass tremendously IMO

FL AP holder here - I had to downgrade to a Silver AP because I can't afford the Gold level anymore: NO WAY can I afford to pay for FPs on top of it! Just another frustrating (assuming this comes to pass) instance of WDW's costs quickly outpacing my income.

 

[SaharanTea]

1) Was pointing out that the system "most probably" is not going to full on pay to play.
2) There would still be same day fast pass availability(probably not for headliners, but those are real tough to get now anyway)

All this being said, I never said anything about a silver lining. Just sharing what was shared with me.

Sorry. The silver lining comment was more in general for those who seem to be looking forward to these changes (or even ambivalent toward them).

There is about one ride per park outside of Epcot that is super hard to get (e.g., 7 Dwarfs, FoP, SDD from what I'm told). They might come up during a day, but everything else, with diligence and flexibility (and outside of super high crowds) can be found. This change completely eradicates that ability.