State of Fast Pass Return (or replacement)

[tinkerhon]

... those two can definitely be in groups. And not sure how you can say definitely not DAS

Because a number of people asked if they were "priority" passes (thats was the word that most used, if they didnt say "fastpass",) for disabled or handicapped, and the CMs said "no"- And most of the time, they were groups of 10-15 people that all went in together, and they were each given a card by someone else in their group. )

 

[tinkerhon]

As someone with a completely invisible condition I have to 3rd this sentiment.

As a person on permanent disability, due to a mental condition(s) that people would not be able to detect, I totally agree with all of you. But these were definitely not DAS--- the CMs that were asked told people that they werent, and in one instance, it was a tour group. The group had a "team leader"-- ( holding a flag) that handed out the cards to the rest of the group- (around 12-15 people)

 

[mercuryvenus]

As a person on permanent disability, due to a mental condition(s) that people would not be able to detect, I totally agree with all of you. But these were definitely not DAS--- the CMs that were asked told people that they werent, and in one instance, it was a tour group. The group had a "team leader"-- ( holding a flag) that handed out the cards to the rest of the group- (around 12-15 people)

Could have been Club 33 or Golden Oaks.

 

[ForWhomTheMouseTolls]

Because a number of people asked if they were "priority" passes (thats was the word that most used, if they didnt say "fastpass",) for disabled or handicapped, and the CMs said "no"- And most of the time, they were groups of 10-15 people that all went in together, and they were each given a card by someone else in their group. )

Likely part of the beta test.

 

[tinkerhon]

Likely part of the beta test.

Could be --- Im going to be here for another few days--- will definitely ask if I see the same scenario again- did not see it happening today at DHS-- saw it @ Epcot on "SE" and "TT"-

 

[tinkerhon]

Could have been Club 33 or Golden Oaks.

Yea, Im definitely going to ask--- will be at AK on Sunday, and will ask a CM---

 

[Kbrb]

Yeah and we are not even allowed in the county yet.

I do find it rather amusing they chose DLP to test this madness out. Yes they had a form of paid FP but its always been the case Disney's least favorite park was DLP. I made the huge huge mistake of going after being 3 times to DW.......Yeah its not even the same league never again. Part of me would have loved to see Tron opening on time just to see how utterly crazy the lines would have been.

What ever they are planning to do they need to do it soon, International guests and full capacity will happen soon and this will be a huge mess.

 

[Karin1984]

I do find it rather amusing they chose DLP to test this madness out.

They have been testing it for over 4 years in Shanghai already. They replaced their regular fastpass with the standby pass in 2020. Disneyland Paris is the second park they are doing this.
Disneyland Paris got a few years ago only the package deal option Shanghai had, last October they started with the standby pass. The pay-per-ride FP was the last step.

Disney's actions on how they role this out and where makes perfect sense, Shanghai was new, their audience didn't know anything else. Taking it to Paris next makes even more sense as in culture Europe is closer to the US than Asia. They will use these two case studies to perfect it before bringing to their biggest / most important audience.

It wouldn't make sense to test it in Hong Kong as their numbers are much smaller in comparison to Shanghai. I love Hong Kong and it's my favourite Asian park, but if it is about data collection Shanghai is a better option. Disney doesn't own Tokyo. WDW is their big tourist destination, you have to be careful before you introduce anything here. That leaves DL, where they just tested Maxpass, also for the last four years. This was a very soft launch to introduce the concept of paying for premium access to the US public. Very low price, some nice benefit with the Photopass. Like introducing a child to spicy food by slowly adding some more spice in each meal.

Before they go bigger and charge more in the US, they need more and more data. Shanghai and Paris are going to provide that.

 

[yaya74]

They have been testing it for over 4 years in Shanghai already. They replaced their regular fastpass with the standby pass in 2020. Disneyland Paris is the second park they are doing this.
Disneyland Paris got a few years ago only the package deal option Shanghai had, last October they started with the standby pass. The pay-per-ride FP was the last step.

Disney's actions on how they role this out and where makes perfect sense, Shanghai was new, their audience didn't know anything else. Taking it to Paris next makes even more sense as in culture Europe is closer to the US than Asia. They will use these two case studies to perfect it before bringing to their biggest / most important audience.

It wouldn't make sense to test it in Hong Kong as their numbers are much smaller in comparison to Shanghai. I love Hong Kong and it's my favourite Asian park, but if it is about data collection Shanghai is a better option. Disney doesn't own Tokyo. WDW is their big tourist destination, you have to be careful before you introduce anything here. That leaves DL, where they just tested Maxpass, also for the last four years. This was a very soft launch to introduce the concept of paying for premium access to the US public. Very low price, some nice benefit with the Photopass. Like introducing a child to spicy food by slowly adding some more spice in each meal.

Before they go bigger and charge more in the US, they need more and more data. Shanghai and Paris are going to provide that.

Don't forget the Club Level Fastpass + Program that started in 2018. I don't know if it was still offered prior to the Covid closure.

 

[Marionnette]

Don't forget the Club Level Fastpass + Program that started in 2018. I don't know if it was still offered prior to the Covid closure.

Not only was it offered, but they had also expanded it to DVC bungalows, cabins and grand villas in 2019. The program was still in effect in early 2020. It was cumbersome to deal with. Guests who purchased could not book online and they could not change those FP+ without calling. So while the program debuted in 2018, perhaps as a test to see how many high-spending guests would bite, the infrastructure to support it on a massive scale just wasn't there.

 

[Wandering Oaken]

 

[tinkerhon]

Just to share some of my experiences so far - arrived on weds and have gone to DHS and EPCOT so far - in general, the lines are scarier than the actual wait times - only once so far, the wait time ended up being longer than the posted time - that was for Test Track - posted was 60 mins - took around 70-80 -

The other have been a minimum of 10 mins less - that being said , I will say that if you are NOT RD people AND the rides are a big part of your trip , without FP+ , it’s tough to go on a lot of the attractions, especially the major ones - ( for example, we had to skip Soarin because we didn’t have enough time ( posted wait was 90 mins ) - not having a few FPs locked in made it very hard - we felt ourselves picking and choosing - if we wanted to do Star Tours, we couldn’t do TSMM - that’s just us - YMMV - and forget about Slinky - 120 posted once we got there - just my thoughts - honestly, would gladly pay for FPS right now

 

[ForWhomTheMouseTolls]

I was originally meh in fast pass a few months ago given the waits.
For the same reason today, they need to try to get that solution up ASAP.

 

[SarahWI]

would gladly pay for FPS right now

I suspect that is the strategy- make wait times frustrating and long, then people will jump at the chance to buy FPs. Count us in.

 

[tinkerhon]

I suspect that is the strategy- make wait times frustrating and long, then people will jump at the chance to buy FPs. Count us in.

Without a doubt--- that is definitely the plan--- IMHO !!! We dont have many that we consider "must do's", but I would gladly pay right now !!!

 

[preemiemama]

AK rope drop this morning. 7:15 am- this was behind us. We were within the first 100 people through the tapstile and about 4 rows back from the “rope”. This was the toughest group at RD so far this week. We were off FOP by 8:15 and worked our way to Navi River snd Everest x 2 before our breakfast ressie and the crowds started to build throughout the park. Wait times are high once you hit official park open and only seem to go up from there- especially for headliners. And this is the same across all the parks to varying degrees. RD is vital to getting on rides right now- and you will need to pick and choose what you can accomplish in a day because once 10-11 am hits you’ll be in a long line for most anything you want to get done. For us this morning, 4 rides was an accomplishment.

 

[JessicaW1234]

View attachment 590251
AK rope drop this morning. 7:15 am- this was behind us. We were within the first 100 people through the tapstile and about 4 rows back from the “rope”. This was the toughest group at RD so far this week. We were off FOP by 8:15 and worked our way to Navi River snd Everest x 2 before our breakfast ressie and the crowds started to build throughout the park. Wait times are high once you hit official park open and only seem to go up from there- especially for headliners. And this is the same across all the parks to varying degrees. RD is vital to getting on rides right now- and you will need to pick and choose what you can accomplish in a day because once 10-11 am hits you’ll be in a long line for most anything you want to get done. For us this morning, 4 rides was an accomplishment.

What time did you leave your resort & arrive at the park?

 

[tinkerhon]

View attachment 590251
AK rope drop this morning. 7:15 am- this was behind us. We were within the first 100 people through the tapstile and about 4 rows back from the “rope”. This was the toughest group at RD so far this week. We were off FOP by 8:15 and worked our way to Navi River snd Everest x 2 before our breakfast ressie and the crowds started to build throughout the park. Wait times are high once you hit official park open and only seem to go up from there- especially for headliners. And this is the same across all the parks to varying degrees. RD is vital to getting on rides right now- and you will need to pick and choose what you can accomplish in a day because once 10-11 am hits you’ll be in a long line for most anything you want to get done. For us this morning, 4 rides was an accomplishment.

Exactly--- and this is the problem in a nutshell !! I had mentioned it in a previous post--- If you are not RD people (and many are not, especially if you have young children). I have a condition that makes it very hard for me to pop right out of bed early- led to me being on permanent disability-- its an equilibrium issue, and takes some time for my medication to kick in. Right now, (and JMO) , Disney is basically "forcing" ppl to RD if you want to maximize your park day, until they roll out some sort of FP system.

 

[preemiemama]

What time did you leave your resort & arrive at the park?

We are at AKL. Bus stop at 6:30 ish. Bus arrived at 6:55 and waited to leave until 7. At park at 7:05. Started letting guests in around 7:10.

 

[preemiemama]

Exactly--- and this is the problem in a nutshell !! I had mentioned it in a previous post--- If you are not RD people (and many are not, especially if you have young children). I have a condition that makes it very hard for me to pop right out of bed early- led to me being on permanent disability-- its an equilibrium issue, and takes some time for my medication to kick in. Right now, (and JMO) , Disney is basically "forcing" ppl to RD if you want to maximize your park day, until they roll out some sort of FP system.

Yep- and even then you need to temper your expectations for what you can accomplish in a day. Especially in the July sun and heat.