Paid FP options coming soon to WDW?

[danikoski]

For those who are thinking $25-50 for one ride or $150-200 for only four rides ... Nothing personal and no offense intended, but that's insane!! Universal includes Express access to every EP enabled attraction (which is pretty much everything) included with stay at their 3 original deluxe resorts and for purchase to everyone else at a cost significantly less than that and it's for every attraction that day. Like Hikergirl, I have no problem paying for FP access but it has to be reasonable cost comparison to the competition and for me personally, they'd have to do away with scheduling and not exclude any attractions.

The HP rides were not part of EP initially. It took several years. If WDW wants to monetize FP for top tier rides, you've got to bet that any package including the SWGE rides are going to probably be priced higher than EP. People are going to drop $100 easily to do EMM or DAH just at SWGE, so how much for a package that includes some of the other top tier rides? $150-200 is (sadly) not out of the ballpark, and I'm one who might, maybe pay (and I cringe even writing that, but I also would pay for EMM or DAH at SWGE to just avoid the mad crush).

 

[Tia1977]

I would/will be estastic as this hopefully unfolds...For all the OCD planning a Disney Trip requires...ADR’s 6 months in advance if you want popular places at just the right times, etc... it’s irked me for years they don’t have extra options to ensure shorter ride waits.. beyond pick your top 3 and Russian roulette same day afterwards (which I’ve been grateful for)...With how Disney blows places like your local Six Flags outta the water in every other category, it’d def be nice to have something similar to them/Universal....I’d pay whatever necessary even if it meant going less frequently (and ensuring a better experience) to lock in as many FP’s as possible.

 

[MyHappyPlace17]

I have said it before and I will say it again, this rumor has been around for over a decade and never happens, this is simply fake news meant to scare people. I seriously doubt we will ever see anything come of this.

There is a slim possibility that Disney has floated the rumor to see how the discussion forums would take to the idea, but I think they know the public backlash that would happen with this idea.

Everyone is free to choose to disregard this as "fake" of course. But, I can tell you I've followed the wdwmagic forums for many years and marni1971, aka Martin, is highly regarded as a very responsible and reliable source. I don't believe he would have made the comments he did unless he was quite sure of what he was saying. Obviously he can't say too much without compromising his sources but he's made it pretty clear that change is coming to the FP+ system sometime in the near future and there will likely be people who are not pleased with what's coming. He's mentioned that there will possibly be 1-3 free FP's still offered, likely those would be for lower tier attractions only, anything beyond the 1-3 free would be monetized in some fashion, and this won't be an onsite vs offsite thing. So really everything being discussed here and elsewhere as far as details is just conjecture.

The HP rides were not part of EP initially. It took several years. If WDW wants to monetize FP for top tier rides, you've got to bet that any package including the SWGE rides are going to probably be priced higher than EP. People are going to drop $100 easily to do EMM or DAH just at SWGE, so how much for a package that includes some of the other top tier rides? $150-200 is (sadly) not out of the ballpark, and I'm one who might, maybe pay (and I cringe even writing that, but I also would pay for EMM or DAH at SWGE to just avoid the mad crush).

You're right about the HP rides. The only way to get a jump on the crush of muggles was through early morning admission for onsite guests only. No extra charge. I would amend my earlier comment to say I would understand an exclusion of the 2 SWGE rides for a period of time. But only because, like HP, SWGE is going to be a huge draw beyond just a normal new ride opening.

 

[PrincessArlena'sDad]

Martin made a few more posts today. I'm not really feeling the doom and gloom to be honest. Big take aways for me from his latest posts:

1) Pricing and amounts are not set yet. These changes are not written in stone yet.

2) Onsite guests will still have a FP booking advantage when/if/whatever the changes are.

It sounds like they know changes need to be made, but haven't settled on the solution as of yet.

If the details are not set yet, then the changes can't be too imminent. So, there's still hope for my June 30 arrival.

I know Martin did say later this year... but does that necessarily mean before SWGE opens? Gut reaction says "yes," but, if the GE rides are not part of FP (at first), then I don't think there is any real reason for Aug 29 to be the deadline for this.

I really hope I'm not in the middle of this being rolled out. First, it'll make it hard to plan without knowing the ins and outs in advance. Second, I have no faith it'll run smoothly.

 

[rteetz]

If the details are not set yet, then the changes can't be too imminent. So, there's still hope for my June 30 arrival.

I know Martin did say later this year... but does that necessarily mean before SWGE opens? Gut reaction says "yes," but, if the GE rides are not part of FP (at first), then I don't think there is any real reason for Aug 29 to be the deadline for this.

I really hope I'm not in the middle of this being rolled out. First, it'll make it hard to plan without knowing the ins and outs in advance. Second, I have no faith it'll run smoothly.

My assumption is they would want this in place before SWGE.

 

[PrincessArlena'sDad]

My assumption is they would want this in place before SWGE.

How much before?

 

[saskdw]

How much before?

Most likely before the 2nd ride opens. So not necessarily before Aug. 29th.

 

[Jimmy Mouse]

Huh? This is literally taking something away from everyone.

no, it isn't. If you still get 3 "free" FP+ then nothing is being taken away.

 

[Wakey]

The suggestion people would be happy paying $25 a ride for a fastpass, is insane. Imagine a family paying $100 extra for every ride!

 

[Wakey]

If the details are not set yet, then the changes can't be too imminent. So, there's still hope for my June 30 arrival.

I know Martin did say later this year... but does that necessarily mean before SWGE opens? Gut reaction says "yes," but, if the GE rides are not part of FP (at first), then I don't think there is any real reason for Aug 29 to be the deadline for this.

I really hope I'm not in the middle of this being rolled out. First, it'll make it hard to plan without knowing the ins and outs in advance. Second, I have no faith it'll run smoothly.

It doesn’t say SWGE will not have paid for Fastpass. It will definitely be done before SWGE IMO.

 

[TXAKDisneyFan]

It's a little more expensive for their unlimited all FP than Universal but not outrageously more. I'm not keen on the prices and would want a discount for hotel stay, but it's not something I would completely balk at, like paying for each individual FP.



I could see that being more expensive if you have to get more than 1 room. Did you look into the AP rates at all? They almost always offer them, and their 2nd best AP is way cheaper than Disney's, like half the cost or less. Only 1 family member needs the AP for the discount. Checkout the AP rates thread on the Universal forum. We rarely get decent AP deals at WDW though. I have only gotten an AP discount at WDW twice. I have only not gotten an AP rate at Universal once, and the was Columbus Day weekend during Halloween Horror Nights. I have gotten them during Spring Break for 3 years in a row now and the week of Thanksgiving, including Thanksgiving day and Black Friday.



Where are you planning on going? We are going to Spain this summer and have been to a few other places. I love Europe, but the airfare during school breaks can be be ridiculous. The rest is really cheap though.



I find WDW easier to plan, because I know the "rules" and I am willing to jump through the hoops I am starting to feel more comfortable with Disneyland. I still don't know how I am going to pick our hotel in Barcelona, and we've been there before, so it's not completely unfamiliar. Plus, I can't buy an Unofficial Guide to Europe or use Touring Plans to create my path through the Louvre I am going to be completely lost if we end up going to Portaventura in Spain. I have been trying to figure out their stupid website. It has very little factual info about anything, except the park hours. I can't even tell what actual benefits, if any, you get buy staying at their hotels.

We got a military discount at US. It was still super expensive compared to WDW (comparing both discounted and nondiscounted). (We've used military and AP, depending on availability, at WDW.) I like US (greatly prefer WDW though), but the rest of the family is iffy on it (3/4 kids are still too small to ride most of their rides). I can see going back to US if it's just me and DH, or if I go with a friend, AND we have unlimited EP.

ETA: I also find WDW much easier to plan than other vacations. For example, at WDW I have 20-odd resorts to pick from (really a lot less, since we stay onsite deluxe); other places, I have a whole city/area to pick hotels from. I know the WDW resorts aren't in sketchy areas, that they'll be clean, that there will be activities for the kids, etc. I have to do quite a bit more research for other places.

 

[Nancyg56]

no, it isn't. If you still get 3 "free" FP+ then nothing is being taken away.

I think it depends which three free FP you get. And what is left in the pool of Fp after the paid FP are doled out.

I never understood opening 60 day FP to offiste guests, even if the resorts were "good neighbors," however if a paid option for onsite guests is opened, then it makes plenty of sense. Stay onsite and have the chance to book your FP early for the mere cost of $$$$.If the pool is reduced already due to the additional folks included in the booking window, and the number of folks vying for a limited number of attractions in increased, you may not have as much wiggle room to get your three FP unless you do make that Purchase. This could get very expensive.

 

[marcyleecorgan]

Ugh, this would be a nail in the coffin for any future trips for our family... dessert parties and fireworks viewing is one thing, P2P throughout the whole park is crazy.

 

[Disneylover99]

I really don’t want to pay for FP’s. We’ll probably go back to rope dropping everyday to do the headliners if this comes to be.

Unless they decide to charge a premium for using your ticket during the first hour of park opening each day as well.

 

[TDSAXX]

If Disney starts charging for extra FPs beyond the first three (or fewer), I bet they start inflating the wait times even more. What better incentive to get people to pay for these, than to make standby appear longer than it really is.

 

[jsand99]

The suggestion people would be happy paying $25 a ride for a fastpass, is insane. Imagine a family paying $100 extra for every ride!

We are a family of four and the thought of this is absolutely crazy. It's not really a question of can we afford it but if we want to afford it. Riding headliners is not worth an extra $1000+ per trip for us and I'm not paying for park tickets to ride living with the land and small world. We were there about 5 months ago and had a blast. Rode FOP, SDMT, SDD, and anything else we wanted multiple times a day with fast passes. If the ability to do this goes away we will take our money and have a blast elsewhere.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Summer of 2017, we rode FoP seven times on that trip. For my family, that would cost us an extra $420 under your "modest" system for that one ride experience. That was normal park hours, no ticketed events, too.

Maybe we are just bad at using the FP system, plus we usually stay off site so we literally have never been able to get a FP for FoP so have to rope drop it just to keep wait under an hour. Would never ride it 7 times but would consider paying a bit to guarantee getting on it once without having to be there so early

 

[TheMaxRebo]

The suggestion people would be happy paying $25 a ride for a fastpass, is insane. Imagine a family paying $100 extra for every ride!

I wouldn’t pay it for every ride - but we generally stay off site so never can get FPs for FoP, Slinky Dog, or Mine Train so I might consider it for one or two rides (still be way cheaper than staying on site)

 

[PrincessArlena'sDad]

I really don’t want to pay for FP’s. We’ll probably go back to rope dropping everyday to do the headliners if this comes to be.

Unless they decide to charge a premium for using your ticket during the first hour of park opening each day as well.

They already do. It's called EMM.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

My assumption is they would want this in place before SWGE.

But still OPEN SWGE on 8/29 without FP as announced, have this paid option in place elsewhere, then add it to SWGE later? Or are you guessing open SWGE with paid and regular FP in place there as well, counter to the announcement?