Paid FP options coming soon to WDW?

[SaintsManiac]

If it’s free & not crowded.

Of course!

With the rise of social media, blogging, vlogging people need to understand that this destination is more popular than ever before.

 

[Miffy]

Be careful, Disney. Right now, if you make FP+ selections and the ride you've got a FP+ for is down, then, well, that's how things roll. Maybe you can get back on later. But if you have to pay for FP+s? Suddenly the ride being down has become unacceptable and the FP+ has become a scam. Meanwhile, if one has to pay for FP+s and even 60 days in advance, for example, you can't get the rides you want at the days and times you want? Then, what, exactly, are you paying for? The privilege of being able to book possibly nonexistent FP+s? I think customers would be pretty ticked off, to say the least.

Yet, reading this thread, I get the impression that people are actually happy about the prospect of paid FP+ because they see it as a way of keeping crowds down. I can think of no other reason why anyone who wasn't a Disney exec would think paid FP+ is a great or even good idea.

IMHO, the only way crowds at WDW are ever going to be reduced is if there's a huge economic downturn. At which point, perhaps FP+s won't even be necessary. Or, as I said in a much earlier post, WDW could just astronomically raise all their prices and offer no discounts. That'd keep the crowds down. If one day at WDW starts costing a minimum of $5K per person, for an (I hope) exaggerated example, I think the parks would be relatively uncrowded. Someone upthread responded to my post about this, saying that Disney would then lose all their merchandise sales, but this could actually increase merchandise sales, since the average person would no longer be able to afford the parks, so they'd have to content themselves with some Disney trinkets instead.

 

[KTR]

I think it must depend on family size & what part of the country you’re starting from (as far as travel costs). We never spend anywhere close to that per trip. Our current trip at Contemporary for 7 nights (6 park days) in July will be $6000 including all TS dining for all meals each day & airfare. We are just a family of 3 & DS is under 3 so that helps. Family traveling with us is staying at pop & for 3 adults for the same time including deluxe dining plan & airfare is about $5000. I think the biggest cost of most vacations is usually the hotel. So it would likely cost us close to what you spent on the non wdw vacations b/c the hotel costs would be similar. Park admission is obviously the bulk of your expense for wdw trips.

We are not cruise, beach, or camping ppl so that’s all I know that we have priced to be cheaper. The places we like to go Hawaii, California, NYC, Europe, etc. all cost way more for how we like to travel.

ETA: We always go to WDW with discounts.

Pretty sure OP was using Canadian dollars. Which doesn’t invalidate his comparison for each vacation, but would make it not an accurate comparison to the price you pay.

 

[lugnut33]

I only made a statement about my "normal-sized" family to prove that it's not just large families that would balk at the cost. Extract from that what you will, but it wasn't meant to be a stand-in for everyone.

I understand that some percentage of families will buy things I wouldn't.

Your assertion that "practically everyone" had embraced the paid extra hour events is false by definition. The events are meant to provide hours with purposefully low crowds. That means that the vast majority of visitors in a week can't possibly even do the event, even at a sell-out.

I don't consider these to be "must-do" events since I've never done one and consider them above my personal cost to benefit ratio. I know I'm not alone in that based on just comments here. I also know others find them worthwhile.

I realize each family is different, but overall there has been acceptance from guests for paid after and pre) hours events. You cannot deny that free Extra Magic Hours for resort guests has been cut back dramatically over the last 4 years. With that there has been a rise in the amount of paid events be it After Hours (which has cut into normal park hours), Morning Magic, MNSSHP, MVMCP, and others I'm certainly forgetting (the new one is a Villains after hours event at MK). In a sense you are paying for these events because the erosion in normal park hours is eating into your opportunity value.

It's great for Disney as they get two entrances per day from between 5000 and 30,000 guests. If you don't think the ultimate goal is to have the parks at capacity during the day and then again at night under new admission costs, then you're not paying attention. It's also amazing that they can now charge more for 3 hours of park admission than they get for a whole day admission. And yet we Disney fans have embraced this concept (I've done DAH and MNSSHP).

 

[mamaofsix]

Pretty sure OP was using Canadian dollars. Which doesn’t invalidate his comparison for each vacation, but would make it not an accurate comparison to the price you pay.

Nope, I was using U.S. dollars... Add 1/4 to make it accurate in Canadian dollars

 

[SL6827]

We had the most fabulous time last week at Disney. So many things fell into place, made it so, so magical. I am now wondering if fate really did kick in here. I am wondering if that trip might just be our last for a good while and we were blessed to leave on a high note. I really think if paid fast passes come into play, we will not be going much more. We just won't. We will venture off. This is my gut feeling. If so, and I am right, we did have one of the absolute best trips ever. Hopefully I am wrong.

I am going to keep thinking I am wrong on this. Staying positive, going to stay positive, lol.

 

[Sarah1024]

YOU: "What investment are those??"

Not sure what you mean? They've added Fantasy Land, Pandora, Toy Story Land and soon Star Wars?!?!?

Not sure what you would consider "investment" in your opinion? For me I think those are SIGNIFICANT investments that SIGNIFICANTLY expand your vacation time and enjoyment at Disney....

As far as the economy "tanking", as I mentioned - economy is going strong now and they can maximize their ROI as long as that is the case. If things change, they can easily offer the discounts, special promo codes, etc. as they have done in the past....

As far moving to other parks - the size and quality of offerings I think are not comparable to Disney and therefore the cheaper price is warranted. I am sure if Universal could they would charge more - but while they are excellent Theme parks, they don't compare to Disney in scope, quality and overall experience. You can do Universal in two days (maybe one if you use their express pass) try doing ALL of Walt Disney World in two days....you would miss a huge number of things....

Again, it's a business and I think they are managing well, offering more and more things. And I agree as another poster said - overall while Disney is not cheap....there is certainly a great number of things to do and experience for the money you do spend.

Yes, those are great additions. However, they also got rid of many rides and reduced ride capacity more than upped it in the last decade. Universal has been crushing Disney in terms of new rides and experiences, Disney has just recently added these to keep up. If there were no Universal, would there be a TSL and SWGE? Maybe not.

 

[PrincessWithABlaster]

We had the most fabulous time last week at Disney. So many things fell into place, made it so, so magical. I am now wondering if fate really did kick in here. I am wondering if that trip might just be our last for a good while and we were blessed to leave on a high note. I really think if paid fast passes come into play, we will not be going much more. We just won't. We will venture off. This is my gut feeling. If so, and I am right, we did have one of the absolute best trips ever. Hopefully I am wrong.

I am going to keep thinking I am wrong on this. Staying positive, going to stay positive, lol.

That's kind of how I feel about it too. We had been planning to take next year off and wait out the SWGE crowds. But in planning this year and hearing about better than expected availability this fall, I had been thinking, well maybe we'll go next year. But paid FPs may well push me back the other direction depending on how they're implemented. We'll see.

 

[Ego831]

Crowds will fluctuate depending on time of year (summer vs fall) and new ride additions (Toy Story Land, Star Wars, etc.

I just "like" having the OPTION to pay to maximize my time at the parks. As all things - if people don't see the value they will not pay for them and they are welcome to wait on line - but let others pay if they want since it is worth it to me.

And also again confused with your statement that the only way crowds will go down is by a big economic downturn or if Disney raises the prices astronomically - why would Disney do that?! They are trying to maximize the number of people in the park because it increases their return on investment....it is up to us to decide how to react to that: (1) Go and deal with lines (2) Go and pay extra to improve your experience and (3) Don't go. I like having option #2 - but you might prefer 1 or 3.

Sorry - it still sounds to me that your observations are all based on you feeling "slighted because Disney is not as much a "value" as YOU think it should be!?!

Conversations starts there - I think Disney continues to provide excellent value for what you pay:large multiple parks, different themes, different rides, different foods, etc. etc - none of the other local theme parks can offer the breadth, diversity and quality of Disney World - as proof I offer again that you can do the other parks in one or two days - but try that at Disney World. That doesn't even cover quality, etc which I believe Disney excels at.

My main point is that the new rides, lands, shows, etc. MUST go hand in hand with price increases, etc otherwise you are not being realistic and "fair" to Disney....

 

[LSUmiss]

Crowds will fluctuate depending on time of year (summer vs fall) and new ride additions (Toy Story Land, Star Wars, etc.

I just "like" having the OPTION to pay to maximize my time at the parks. As all things - if people don't see the value they will not pay for them and they are welcome to wait on line - but let others pay if they want since it is worth it to me.

And also again confused with your statement that the only way crowds will go down is by a big economic downturn or if Disney raises the prices astronomically - why would Disney do that?! They are trying to maximize the number of people in the park because it increases their return on investment....it is up to us to decide how to react to that: (1) Go and deal with lines (2) Go and pay extra to improve your experience and (3) Don't go. I like having option #2 - but you might prefer 1 or 3.

Sorry - it still sounds to me that your observations are all based on you feeling "slighted because Disney is not as much a "value" as YOU think it should be!?!

Conversations starts there - I think Disney continues to provide excellent value for what you pay:large multiple parks, different themes, different rides, different foods, etc. etc - none of the other local theme parks can offer the breadth, diversity and quality of Disney World - as proof I offer again that you can do the other parks in one or two days - but try that at Disney World. That doesn't even cover quality, etc which I believe Disney excels at.

My main point is that the new rides, lands, shows, etc. MUST go hand in hand with price increases, etc otherwise you are not being realistic and "fair" to Disney....

I agree. I would be one who would like the option to pay as long as it’s reasonably priced (subjective of course) & offers what we want. I would also hope that they would leave some version of the free service in place. Isn’t that the case in DLR? You can buy MaxPass but still get free fps at kiosks or is that not how it works? We have done DAH in the past, but we have a young DS now that can’t make those hours. He doesn’t get up early enough for EMM either (go figure). So I would like another paid option that allows us to mitigate the crowds during regular park hours. I can refresh & would have never wanted to pay for FP before DS. But now I’d rather not have to gamble with what’s available day of & be glued to my phone in line. Harder to do when trying to entertain a toddler. And just a quick read on the theme park planning of the crowds right now & I’m ready to pay up. I know that was Disney’s evil genius plan, but it worked. Ppl have different touring styles that accommodate their current situation. I like that WDW offers such a variety of choices. I know they do it to make $, but they also do it to give ppl what they want. Time is money. I just don’t get why ppl think they’re owed anything.

 

[whiporee]

While I don't think anything will be coming soon, if WDW does make the change I'm sure they'll give it plenty of lead time. You can't have resort reservations in place and then change the FP system -- that would be lots of bad publicity. But I could see them offering an additional fee for additional FPs -- you get your promised three, and then after that they cost something. That way may be changing the rules, but it's not an inherent violation of the established guidelines (WDW never promises additional FPs, only the ability to try to get them).

 

[SaharanTea]

I realize each family is different, but overall there has been acceptance from guests for paid after and pre) hours events. You cannot deny that free Extra Magic Hours for resort guests has been cut back dramatically over the last 4 years. With that there has been a rise in the amount of paid events be it After Hours (which has cut into normal park hours), Morning Magic, MNSSHP, MVMCP, and others I'm certainly forgetting (the new one is a Villains after hours event at MK). In a sense you are paying for these events because the erosion in normal park hours is eating into your opportunity value.

It's great for Disney as they get two entrances per day from between 5000 and 30,000 guests. If you don't think the ultimate goal is to have the parks at capacity during the day and then again at night under new admission costs, then you're not paying attention. It's also amazing that they can now charge more for 3 hours of park admission than they get for a whole day admission. And yet we Disney fans have embraced this concept (I've done DAH and MNSSHP).

We agree!

 

[SaharanTea]

I just don’t get why ppl think they’re owed anything.

I don't think anyone thinks they are inherently owed anything. We're just sad how quickly Disney is moving to monetize seemingly everything. We all know it's a business, but we do wonder if it will have a detrimental affect on their future earnings and--more importantly--our own ability to afford and enjoy the parks.

I don't think anyone wants to see it turned into something they won't enjoy or can't afford, even if we do all have somewhat different ideas about what that something is.

None of these discussions are new, at least in general. People have been talking about rising costs and their effects since I've been on this board and I'm sure well before that.

 

[SL6827]

I don't think anyone thinks they are inherently owed anything. We're just sad how quickly Disney is moving to monetize seemingly everything. We all know it's a business, but we do wonder if it will have a detrimental affect on their future earnings and--more importantly--our own ability to afford and enjoy the parks.

I don't think anyone wants to see it turned into something they won't enjoy or can't afford, even if we do all have somewhat different ideas about what that something is.

None of these discussions are new, at least in general. People have been talking about rising costs and their effects since I've been on this board and I'm sure well before that.

Well said.

 

[Patches Lee]

I’m not sure where these ppl vacation that is so much cheaper. But, I understand if something like they’re ppl who can’t afford to vacation at all. Value is one thing if you don’t like what you get for the $. But wdw is no more (and often less) expensive than other destinations.

Apples to apples for us was WL vs DW. For the same price as DW 10 days vs could get 6 days at DL both in the same resort category. What made DL the same price for use was the flight costing $250 more per person. For us flight cost really influences where we go and for how long.

 

[jhoannam]

No evening EMH at MK the first week in October. Someone was saying that maybe they switched the Wednesday 10/2 PM EMH to Monday, but 10/7 hours are posted and no PM EMH at MK.

 

[lugnut33]

We agree!

Whoa, Kenny The Pirate came out today with unconfirmed news that all Evening Extra Magic Hours have been eliminated from the Magic Kingdom. You want to stay late then you have to pay.

 

[lugnut33]

Apples to apples for us was WL vs DW. For the same price as DW 10 days vs could get 6 days at DL both in the same resort category. What made DL the same price for use was the flight costing $250 more per person. For us flight cost really influences where we go and for how long.

Last year I priced out taking the family to WDW or to a really nice all inclusive adults only resort in Cancun over Thanksgiving (don't tell me, "but it's a holiday" because that's when we could travel). The Cancun trip came in almost 50% cheaper.

We have a 16 day summer trip planned to Southern Spain and Morocco and it's coming in significantly cheaper than a two week trip to WDW. Our Spain/Morocco trip will be around 5K total, a WDW trip is going to come in around 8K.

I'm in no way complaining about WDW, if you have the money then do it. I know I'd love to.

 

[jhoannam]

Whoa, Kenny The Pirate came out today with unconfirmed news that all Evening Extra Magic Hours have been eliminated from the Magic Kingdom. You want to stay late then you have to pay.

I wonder if they’ll get lots of backlash? We’ve never used MK evening EMH, but we do use AM. I wonder if those will be even busier.

I hope this means that HS, will get all the evening EMH.

 

[jhoannam]

Last year I priced out taking the family to WDW or to a really nice all inclusive adults only resort in Cancun over Thanksgiving (don't tell me, "but it's a holiday" because that's when we could travel). The Cancun trip came in almost 50% cheaper.

We have a 16 day summer trip planned to Southern Spain and Morocco and it's coming in significantly cheaper than a two week trip to WDW. Our Spain/Morocco trip will be around 5K total, a WDW trip is going to come in around 8K.

I'm in no way complaining about WDW, if you have the money then do it. I know I'd love to.

Teach me your ways! How are you going to Spain for $5k?