Paying for fastpass in 2006?????

[disney-itch]

I just picked up Birnbaum's Walt Disney World for Kids by Kids! for my 8yr old DD. (I never read Birnbaum's myself, just the Unoffical Guide and of course these boards to get all the info I ever need ) I thought she'd enjoy the photos and Disney explained in Kids Speak.

Well, I look at the second page and there is an explanation of fastpass,then this got my attention..."Fastpass is usually free for guests staying at deluxe Walt Disney World hotels. Other guests may have to pay for it in 2006"

Have I missed any past theads about this?...I know that there was a thead on the rumors board but it is from this past summer. In that thread, all the discussion stemed from an article from Jim Hill and talked about patents. I'm not sure when this 2006 guide came out, the copywrite is 2005. The fact that it is in writing really makes me nervous.

*I posted this on the Theme Parks board. It was suggested that I post this here too.

 

[raidermatt]

The '06 guide was published in October.

To me, the fact that it is in the "official" guide leaves no doubt that the change is under consideration by Disney, or at least it was when the guide went to press.

If, when and how it will actually be implemented is still a question, though.

 

[DoeWDW]

Since you use your park ticket to get fastpasses, maybe it would be an add-on to Magic Your Way tickets sold to guests at the gates and at all resorts except the deluxe resorts. I would guess if you are a guest at a deluxe resort, they will automatically put it on your Magic Your Way tickets.

This sounds like it would be a nightmare to implement, unless they change the machines to accept your park ticket and then your room key card.

 

[DisneyKidds]

Show of hands.........who, as begrudgingly as you might do it, would pay for fastpass if that is what comes to be?

I suppose I would. If I'm dropping five grand on a WDW vacation, I can't see myself letting another couple hundred dollars come between me and maximum enjoyment of my trip. For Disney trips, fastpass has become a drug of choice for many. I can't see going cold turkey. Sure, that may be giving in to Disney and their tactics, but so be it. It's a personal thing, but I don't want to sacrifice my enjoyment to take the moral high ground. I'd do that with many things, but fastpass (which if used wisely is a wonderful thing) just wouldn't be one of them.

Six Flags has a fastpass like system that you have to pay for, done electronically via handhelds. In a heartbeat I'd use it on a trip there, when rides like Kinda Ka can frequently have lines up to 3 hours long.

 

[Luv2Roam]

I wouldn't, just as we don't at USO.
And I suppose in the long run it would cut down on pur park time. Or we would be more selective when we would go. Which would make me re-think buying Premiums APs over regular.

 

[Horizons16]

Remember when life was easy without fastpass??

Might get flamed for that but hey there was no planning on here there just for a fastpass no waiting for the stand-by line or the fastpass line depending on where you are.

Dont get me wrong I use it all the time. Unfortunatly all the paying clones came up at other parks so Disney saw that guests are more than happy to pay for it so its just another venue of income for them.

 

[JimMIA]

I wouldn't, just as we don't at USO.
And I suppose in the long run it would cut down on pur park time. Or we would be more selective when we would go. Which would make me re-think buying Premiums APs over regular.

We wouldn't either. There is NO ride at WDW that we absolutely MUST go on, and if the lines are too long, we just do it on the next trip. FP's are great, but if they're not available, we'll adjust.

I'd be surprised if they actually started charging. I think it would be both a logistical and marketing disaster. There's a pain threshhold where any money spent for things like FP's is really just going to be less spent on food or merchandise.

I think the more likely avenue for Disney to take is to offer extra FP's or the ability to schedule FP's for onsite guests. That's more in line with their approach to the Dining Plans, ME, etc.

 

[Mickmse2002]

I'm not sure what we would do. We use them now and they are awfully convenient for certain attractions but I do not think I am willing to shell out extra money for this convenience. I would have to see the details before passing judgement.

 

[wdwfan1]

So--how would they handle someone staying at a Deluxe using an AP???

 

[PrincessAurora]

I would pay, grrrr, but it would also depend on how much the FP add on was. Hope they don't do it although since I usually stay at Wilderness Lodge, guess I dont have to worry.

 

[tchrrx]

I will be staying at Deluxe this June. Does that mean that the Fast Pass will be automatic for me? I was not planning on getting one, I just thought I'd wait in lines. Should I get a FP, even if it's not included in my Deluxe accomodations? Will you please explain to me how the FP works, as I am hopelessly confused? Thanks!

 

[almacdonald]

Can you imagine having to pay and only being able to get 1 fastpass every 2 hours? they'd have to change the system. I think it's a terrible idea personally.

 

[Luv2Roam]

Yes, then Universal could really point out that THEIR on-site stay truly means Front of the Line. (Which it does.) USO has a separate Express Pass system.
If Disney guests paid, even a little, they would expect more.
USO Express pass cost is ridiculous, I think.
But I think Disney has way too many guests to have guests pay for FP. They would HAVE to limit the number sold each day. And I am sure their guest complaints would rise significantly.
Then again those going to Guest Services to complain about anything would probably receive FPs -- a cheap, yet pleasing way out if a jam.

 

[bicker]

I suspect the "more" guests would be paying for is the ability to select the timeslot for the FastPasses they'd get. I'd be willing to pay for that -- especially with Park Hoppers (being able to get FastPasses for attractions in a park we don't plan to arrive in until the afternoon).

 

[jade1]

I suspect it will be more of a "convienence selection" than an actual charge. In other words if you are at a Deluxe you get 4 pass selections each day for each member of your party (ahead of time and/or live). Moderates get 3 and Values get 2. None for offsite-unless you want to pay for this feature. Other than that it would be an invisible change to everyone. Its just that many of the good times for the good rides would be selected "ahead" of time. The computer could limit the times available to for example 1/2 the passes and the rest is running live each day. The point is you could select all of your MK FP's the day (or month) before. That way you could sleep in until your times approach-if you dont show up so what-the stand by line will just move faster. I further suspect at check in you could choose or scroll through the FPC "Fast Pass Channel" on your TV either the days before or during the day and view what passes are available for each ride-if you like the times you could accept them and pick them up at the front desk. Its perfect. How many times are you swimming and suddenly "wonder" what the FP time is for TOT and no way to find out.

 

[tearawayface]

I too think it will be a convenience benefit for Guests staying on Disney property. Just like Disney's Extra Magic hours and the free Magical express shuttles, disney wants to give value to the guests who stay on property, Disney needs to keep all of those resorts at full occupancy. What better way to give guests value than to give the guests something Disney is giving out for free anyway..fast passes. Depending on which resort guests are eligible for the fastpasses it could deplete the number available for the guests not staying on property, but again Disney's goal is to have a self contained environment where no one is allowed to wander off property and spend $$ elsewhere.

 

[Frances999]

I would also be willing to pay for FPs but I feel Disney should reward those staying on-site with greater FP benefits. Universal's system of offering Front-of-the-Line access to those staying in on-site hotels is the #1 selling point for the vast majority of guests and Disney could seriously boost their resort occupancy rates if they offered a similar system. However, due to the large number of Disney resorts some sort of system would need to be devised to ensure that there was no over-distribution of fastpasses - in my opinion they distribute too many already.

It is a difficult point of discussion but in my opinion something needs to be done and it will be interesting to find out if/how the fastpass system will be changing.

 

[Frances999]

I will be staying at Deluxe this June. Does that mean that the Fast Pass will be automatic for me? I was not planning on getting one, I just thought I'd wait in lines. Should I get a FP, even if it's not included in my Deluxe accomodations? Will you please explain to me how the FP works, as I am hopelessly confused? Thanks!

Using your park admission ticket you can collect FastPass tickets from distribution machines located at the major attractions. The FP tickets have a time slot printed on them, and you need to return during the printed time period to access the fastpass line and beat the regular line. They only issue a certain number of fastpasses per time slot, and one can only hold one fastpass per park admission ticket at a time.

At the moment there is no benefit for guests staying in a WDW resort (deluxe or not). All guests are treated equally in respect to fastpasses and you only need your park admission ticket to get the FP ticket.

 

[Lewisc]

Disney probably has too many hotel rooms to institute a FOTL type of system like Universal. Instead they have EMH in which the park is just open to resort guests.

 

[jade1]

Disney probably has too many hotel rooms to institute a FOTL type of system like Universal. Instead they have EMH in which the park is just open to resort guests.

I agree to a point. If they tweak the current system it could work. Example is in a given day TOT will distribute 5000 FP which leaves 5000 stand by riders. Now the day before the WDW Hotel computers can distribute 2500 TOT passes to guests before those are gone, leaving 2500 FP and 5000 stand by for the next day-and most guests will not bother with TOT passes because they already have them etc etc.