Rumored FastPass changes

[Dznefreek]

From Screamscape:
Disney - (5/20/05) Longtime readers know that I really have no love for Disney’s FastPass system. Sure, it can help you out on a ride here and there by skipping out of a long line, but overall it ruins the experience of just spending a casual day at the park and hitting attractions as you walk up to them. Now you have to backtrack all over the park to get FastPass tickets, find something else to do for the next couple of hours, and get back in time for your window. Like something and want to ride it again? Not a chance because there are two hours worth of people “virtually” waiting ahead of you. Well, the already complicating experience of Disney’s FastPass is about to get a whole lot more complex in ways that I predicted would happen years ago.
On March 17th, Disney the US Patent Office granted Disney the rights to several new planned features. A few choice examples include the “Immediate Freebie FastPass” which seems to allow immediate entry to an attraction without a virtual wait, “Front of the Line FastPass” that would grant the holder immediate access to all FastPass attractions, “Pre-Arrival FastPass” that can allow guests to grab FastPass reservations via the Web, In Room TV, Cel Phones or Kiosk up to several days in advance, “Concurrent FastPass” allowing you to have several FastPasses at once and “Advanced FastPass” where a guest can pre select 3-5 attractions and be issued pre assigned FastPasses with different times throughout the day for each as well as take into consideration the benefit of ParkHopping on your ticket to allow for reservations at a second park on the same day.
If that wasn’t enough Disney is ready to segregate their own on-site Resort guests into different priority tiers based upon which resort you stay at, what kind of room you have, and even how much you are spending while on property. So if a off site guest hits FastPass at Space Mountain and gets a 2 hour return time, an on site guest at All Stars may get to return in 90 minutes, but a guest at the Animal Kingdom Lodge may get to ride in 30 minutes and someone staying in the Presidential Suite at the Boardwalk may get a ticket to just walk right in. To quote a few lines from the patent:
“Spending per guest at hotels can determine different hierarchies of access to Fastpass. Thus, the more that is spent by a patron, the higher the priority can be for Fastpass.”
“Different levels and hierarchies can be applicable at different hotels. Thus, more luxurious hotels can have higher priorities.”
“Where a patron is in a related hotel, a higher priority can be given.”
From a technology geek standpoint, I’m interested in seeing how they integrate Text Messaging from guest Cell Phones into the FastPass system. They’ve described being able to validate your existence in the park for the day(s) by entering a code from your ticket into the online system attaching it to your valid cell phone number, but also odd alternate ideas such as sending you an image of a bar code to your phone display that can be read by a bar code reader at the attraction that can issue you the paper ticket.
At this point, I’m wondering just how far off we are from having an itinerary print out given to you as you enter the turnstiles in the morning. This kind of over scheduling of your vacation experience has even extended to Disney’s miniature golf courses where you are now issued a Tee Off time to return after paying for your game instead of just jumping onto the course and waiting for the group in front of you to finish the hole. Enough is enough.

 

[Miss Inga Depointe]

http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=817577

You'd better sit down. There's alot here and it isn't all pretty!

 

[NCombs]

Yes-there is already a post with 365 responses about this.

 

[Dznefreek]

I have been out of town all week and just saw it.

 

[SnowyPrincesses:)]

I've been bogged down with school and work so for the first time since finding this board haven't been on in.....three days!!!!!!!!! This seems very unfair to me, I realize Disney is a buisness but honestly this seems wrong. We are doing a split stay between POP and COR, I would be VERY unhappy if I were treated any different in the parks after the switch. What about leaving the outside world outside? Does the family that struggled to make a family vacation at ASM need to be reminded that they can't afford a deluxe? Disney is supposed to be an escape from reality and catagorizing people by how much they can afford to spend seems like a slap in the face to me.

 

[Schmeck]

Did anyone even think that Disney is just getting a patent on all of this to have control of the technology? So that if Universal was intersted in doing this, or Six Flags, Busch Gardens, etc, they'd have to pay Disney to use it?

 

[lentesta]

I have an "Unlimited Instant" FASTPASS. Disney handed them out to media during the Soarin' press event. It provided an unlimited number of instant FASTPASSes for every FASTPASS attraction. (Sadly, it was only good until May 8. Darn.)

Given that Disney's already done the programming to make this work, and handed them out in large-scale trials, I think it's way more than a defensive patent. I would be surprised if these changes were not rolled out this year. And the fact that it's a separate piece of plastic will mean it'll work for AP holders and DVC members.

IMHO, the Unlimited Instant FASTPASS is the thing by which sliced bread should be judged. If it was tied to deluxe resorts, I'd never stay anywhere else. It's that good.

Len

 

[seashoreCM]

Immediate Freebie fastpass already exists, I actually have one (which I saved as a souvenir rather than used). It is often given if an attraction breaks down just before someone who waited in line a long time got to go in.

Front Of The Line fastpass already exists, it is used by Make A Wish guests and on some other rare occasions.

Concurrent fastpass also exists, it was an official experiment at Epcot for a short time last mongh and it exists de-facto if a malfunction occurs separating some fastpass machines from the network.

WDW does have a problem, saturation. Rides do have limits, for example only about 25,000 people can ride Test Track in a day no matter how many guests are in the park or how many fastpasses are issued. I can see putting in a system whereby some (higher paying) resort guests are saved the aggravation of not being able to fully enjoy their vacation after spending all that money. Reserving some of the rides' capacity for these guests is one method. For the rest of us, somebody's got to choose a different time to visit when the place is not so saturated.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/fastpass.htm

 

[eeyoreforever]

. I can see putting in a system whereby some (higher paying) resort guests are saved the aggravation of not being able to fully enjoy their vacation after spending all that money. Reserving some of the rides' capacity for these guests is one method. For the rest of us, somebody's got to choose a different time to visit when the place is not so saturated.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/fastpass.htm

I have avoided reading the other thread about this, but I finally broke down and read this one. I don't think it would be fair to reward the people staying in the higher priced resorts and penalizing those staying in the values. What about the family who comes and stays 3 days in a deluxe at a pin code and a family who is staying at a value resort for 10 days paying full price? The deluxe family would get more benefits even though the other family is actually spending more? Perhaps this is not the way it would actually work-its just the first thing that came to mind to me since we are staying 13 days at a value. FastPass may could use some tweaking, but I hope it doesn't drastically change.

 

[jswalker1981]

I wouldn't be against paying for a book of fastpass tickets ahead of time. But I don't agree with the tier system of on-site members. I think it would be easier to plan a trip if you could just go online, pick which rides you want a fast pass for, pay for them, and either print them up, or have them mailed to you. Or possibly have a kiosk at the park that will let you pick and choose what time you want to go on the ride.

 

[Chuck S]

Did anyone even think that Disney is just getting a patent on all of this to have control of the technology? So that if Universal was intersted in doing this, or Six Flags, Busch Gardens, etc, they'd have to pay Disney to use it?

What??? Common sense isn't nearly as much fun as flaming a system that Disney hasn't implemented or even made any sort of announcement about!

 

[jarestel]

What??? Common sense isn't nearly as much fun as flaming a system that Disney hasn't implemented or even made any sort of announcement about!

Agreed Chuck, but a lot of what we discuss here concerns what Disney should or shouldn't do, can or can't do, and will or won't do. It's just harmless fun, for the most part!

 

[suevee]

Isn't this just a version of what Universal does with it's hotels and head of the line access for their hotel guests? WDW has many more resorts that Universal. It would be impossible to give head of the line access to every resort room they have. So a tier system would make them more competitive with Universal's head of the line system while increasing the occupancy of their more expensive resorts.

 

[missminniemouse]

Isn't this just a version of what Universal does with it's hotels and head of the line access for their hotel guests? WDW has many more resorts that Universal. It would be impossible to give head of the line access to every resort room they have. So a tier system would make them more competitive with Universal's head of the line system while increasing the occupancy of their more expensive resorts.

I was just thinking the same thing. My mother and brother stayed at Universal a few days in January and had a feature where they could go to the front of the line just for staying at one of their hotels. Perhaps this is Disney's way of competing with that.

Personally I don't agree with it. I think it just makes the whole thing way too complicated. It may be somewhat fair, but too complex. I don't like dealing with the issue of fast passes in advance. I like seeing how the crowds are and doing it on an as necessary basis. We usually go to WDW during light crowd times and don't often even use fast passes, but have in some cases such as Test Track.

 

[Wendy*Darling]

On our last visit we did a survey at the front of the park. They asked about what sort of perks would you expect to find for staying onsite. My suggestion was that onsite guests, at ALL RESORTS, would be given a booklet of fast passes for each member of their party ages 3 and up. The booklet would contain one pass for each fastpass equiped attraction that would be good anytime. You would have one opportunity to ride each attraction whenever you wanted without a wait but after that you would have to use the system as it is in place now. In talking with the CM it sounds like lots of people are saying that Disney needs to do something to compete with Universal's front of line access perk. Some people think that would be allowing on site guests to hold two fast passes at a time, some thing nothing short of FOL access will do (though not practical given 20 resorts!). This is obviously their answer.

I don't necissarily think it is terribly unfair that they are considering this plan that they have applied for the patent for. It's not like this will be the first time or place where there are more perks for people who spend more. I guess I see it the same way as that I don't feel like it's unfair that concierge guests get breakfast/snack/desert/beverage offerings and I don't because they are paying for that perk and I am not. I doubt that if it is implemented that it will be a deluxe guests get all available fastpasses and there is nothing available for those in values or off site guests sort of deal. I'm sure that they will have some sort of limits in place to prevent that from being a problem.

I don't think it is the *best* idea, but I also don't see it as some horrid injustice either.

 

[Schmeck]

But choosing to pay extra for food/concierge style is different, because it is just at the hotel. I'm predicting a huge back-fire if the deluxe resorts get more park-perks. There are way more value resort rooms than deluxe - Disney will lose money there if they can't give the value resort guests perks any better than last pickings for fast passes.

 

[Forevryoung]

If I know that I can accomplish all xxx amount of rides if I stay 3 days in a Delux (in all 4 major parks) what is the benifit of staying longer?

Now if this is the case- more people doing shorter vacations at Delux's, they will easily fill up because of this new "perk" AND there wont have to be any codes. Especially AP rates BECAUSE those AP people will already be given the special fastpass options.

I am staying offsite for 7 nights and 1 night onsite (silly situation I know) but would I be able to do 2x more those two days where I am spending the night at CSR then those 6 days I will be sleeping offsite? Interesting thought-

Universal is Universal they only have 3 "onsite" hotels. If people want FOTL access, they should stay there

 

[Dznefreek]

It would be impossible to give head of the line access to every resort room they have

No it would not.
Not everyone staying on WDW property goes to the parks at the exact same time. Take into consideration there are 4 parks X the number of shows X the attractions x the number of rides. Also people are at the water parks, shopping, visiting realtives; and yes going to non-disney parks. No to mention not all the resorts are at 100% occupancy all year round.

 

[BostonRob]

No it would not.
Not everyone staying on WDW property goes to the parks at the exact same time. Take into consideration there are 4 parks X the number of shows X the attractions x the number of rides. Also people are at the water parks, shopping, visiting realtives; and yes going to non-disney parks. No to mention not all the resorts are at 100% occupancy all year round.

I think you're overestimating the capabilities of the fastpass system. There already aren't enough fastpasses to go around. They couldn't even give all guests unlimited fastpasses, let alone front of the line access, which is a different thing entirely. If they did, you'd end up having lines at the fastpass entrance or at the front of the line entrance which exceeded the standby lines. Seriously.

 

[Dznefreek]

I was referring to FOTL (front of the line) like they do at USF, not FASTPASS.