So, let's assume FP+ doesn't come back in its old form

[JakeAZ]

At no extra cost to Disney

That right there is the key and why they will implement some type of paid system. The infrastructure is already there. It's all profit.

 

[Grasshopper2016]

Also, what's to prevent Disney from artificially slowing down the lines? Less CM working the ride? Not running at full capacity?

Nothing, except the fact that customers who feel cheated and had a miserable time aren't going to come back, and are going to tell their friends not to bother. But, given that Disney was increasingly running rides at reduced capacity---leading to artificially long lines even on low crowd days---in the months before Covid, I'm not holding my breath.

 

[chris benton]

I'm getting the feeling that no matter what happens - the majority will still not use the system to their benefit anyway.
There will be mounds of information on the web that most anyone can find while watching tv to read.
There will be youtube videos with instructions on how to use whatever system is in place by people standing in a park, and showing how it works in real time.
There are websites devoted to sharing info for suggestions on what might be the best way to get your money's worth.

But I can still walk to Splash Mountain with a 40 minute posted wait time, and grab a FP for it while en route.
I can grab a seat at Lion King, and grab a FP for FOP before the show starts so we can bypass the 60 min standby line when Lion King is over.

The previous FP+ system was fp's all day long, included in the ticket price. You could use your own device to try to get them, there were kiosks in the parks to get them. Multiple people in your party could search for them. The MDE site even advertised that people should use more than 3 FP's. If you did choose to grab more fastpasses than 3, the mde site would sometimes even send you congratulatory messages for using the system how it was designed. For the money being paid for these vacations, it would behoove more people to investigate the opportunities if they think their experience could be improved. I'm not sure how Walt can please everyone, but if they announce new "rules" you can be sure I'll take a few hours to research how to maximize my value to ensure we have a blast the way we'd like.

I'd also love to be a fly on the wall in some of the meetings where they decide on staffing levels. I'm guessing that they try to keep wait times above a certain time as optimum $ intake. Example: They might know if FOP is 40 minutes all day long, that will not have any negative impact on profits, since they know the masses will still show up. SO, they reduce staff / ride bays to balance it out. Ticket sale indicators down on certain days? Reduce staff, and keep the wait times steady - doesn't matter - people will still come and spend a lot of money, so we must be doing things right.

We'd all be doing the same thing if we ran the corp. Maximize profits while keeping visitors "happy."
"Happy" just means showing up and spending enough money to be dispersed through the ranks. Implementing new ways to get people to spend more money is always welcomed. I mean, sometimes execs' kids need a little help with their first yacht. Those things are pretty damn expensive. You tend to forget about mooring fees, and the cost of hiring maint workers when you're not using it. Plus, the amount of gas those things use is cray-cray.