the why behind fastpass+

[PoshMom]

I don't mean to start more drama. But I'm just wondering what the why is behind fastpass+. Why if the other system was working would they change it? I'm wondering could it be bc some got paper fastpasses and then didn't return with them. Therefore many were wasted when others could have used them. I don't know. I'm just speculating. What would be the cause for this if most were pleased with the old system?

 

[DividedSky]

I don't mean to start more drama. But I'm just wondering what the why is behind fastpass+. Why if the other system was working would they change it? I'm wondering could it be bc some got paper fastpasses and then didn't return with them. Therefore many were wasted when others could have used them. I don't know. I'm just speculating. What would be the cause for this if most were pleased with the old system?

I hated the old system.

where do you get the stat that most were pleased with it?

 

[PoshMom]

I hated the old system.

where do you get the stat that most were pleased with it?

It's not a statistic. I'm just reading about most on these boards who aren't pleased with the change. I'm really curious the reason(s) behind it the change.

 

[sethschroeder]

Also I thought there was a stat that most people used FP- 1 time or less a day? The average FP was less than 3 with a majority pulled by a smaller minority.

 

[john398]

I think the why is because of data mining

 

[mom2rtk]

My belief is that they put FP on the band to get you to use it. Sort of a gateway drug. They want you using it so they can track the data, learn more about you, learn more about how their crowds are behaving, so that they can make decisions to increase profits.

Legacy FP was just collateral damage.

 

[sethschroeder]

They likely are using it for data collection, upgraded infrastructure, and marketing gimmick. Read the article on my sig when it was first patented .

 

[JanaDee]

Two reasons FP+ came to be ~ a way to mine data and market to you and a way to make you feel locked into a WDW vacation so you don't go anywhere else.

So, basically, $$$$$$. Disney came right out and said in the early stages it was so people will spend more money in their parks.

 

[PoshMom]

Ok. Thank you to everyone! That's interesting.

 

[jtowntoflorida]

The reason is stated in black & white in the My Magic+ related patents. It's all about "guest management"...trying to figure out how to manage a guest's experience to maximize guest spend.

So, the others who said "data mining" are 100% correct.

 

[JimmyV]

Books could be written.....

The cynic in me believes that FP+ is a subtle way to ensure that guests who come to Central Florida for 7 or 8 days use all of those days (or maybe all but one of those days) to go to WDW instead of 4 days at WDW, two days at US and a day at SW. By way of example, in the past, (and I admit that I am making up numbers here), 95% of all Epcot guests who met the height requirements and who did not shy away from thrill rides, experienced both Soarin' and Test Track in the same day. By tiering those attractions, they have made it more likely than before that people will visit Epcot over the course of two days and get a FP for one attraction on one day, and a FP for the other attraction on the second day. Whereas people might have squeezed all of Epcot into a single day before, it has become very hard to do that now unless you are a RD person. Arrive at 9:30 with a FP for one of those attractions and you are all but assured of waiting in a 70 minute line for the other. Many people will do that. But many others will opt for the FP strategy and do Epcot twice instead of once. The FP+ system has made it such that unless you are a dawn 'til midnight commando, it will take you 6+ days to do and see everything you want to at all four parks unless you go when the crowd levels are 1-4. I do not think that it can be debated that Disney does not want you spending four days at WDW and three days elsewhere. They want you for six or even seven days. I think that they have devised a strategy to make it more likely that you will a) stay on site, and b) spend most of your time at their parks and restaurants. Just a theory.

 

[helenb]

If they just wanted to data mine, they could have set up Legacy FP machines to read Magicbands. That's all the change that would have been necessary. It would have been less complicated as well, because they would not have had to set up the reservation system the ability to change FP, etc.

I think the idea of 'gateway drug' is possible... encourage people who don't know much about planning for the parks to make reservations, then get them into the system. But I'm not sure how much impact this would have overall. I've also seen the theory that if people plan months in advance, they are better able to staff the parks with the appropriate amount of CMs.

I've seen people speculate that the FP system was changed to take away the 'power' from super-planners (like people on this site) who got 7+ FP per day, and give it to people who sleep late, and 'clueless' first timers. Since these people are the majority of visitors, FP+ is theoretically improving the experience for them.

I'd love for someone who understands the way executives think, and the way corporate decisions are made, to comment on this. I've asked Jim Hill a few times, but he seems to be avoiding the subject, remaining incredibly mum on such a major chance to the Disney infrastructure.

 

[JimmyV]

I actually don't think data mining has much to do with it at all. The data that they want is the "where are you now, where have you been, what do you like to do, where are you going, what do you spend money on", etc. That can be collected via Magic Bands. And it isn't collected from offsite guests who still use plastic admission cards. The only data that they are mining from FP usage is what rides you FP'ed. That could just as easily be derived from the old system. Each KTTK card was unique and once it was slipped into the old FP machines, they would have gotten the same data that they are getting now. I agree 100% that the NextGen system is geared toward data mining. But I don't think that things like "no hopping" and "no second FPs for the same attraction" have anything to do with data mining. I think the new FP rules are designed to make you spend more time at WDW. Period.

 

[DividedSky]

It's not a statistic. I'm just reading about most on these boards who aren't pleased with the change. I'm really curious the reason(s) behind it the change.

this board is not a good barometer of the overall demographic of park visitors.

 

[Texas Crude]

1. Data mining. Huge potential here.

2. I truly believe it is a HUGE improvement for the "average" visitor. Most people don't go to WDW every year, or even every 5 or 10 years. Many people will go once or twice in their lifetime. They don't plan their ride times and dinner reservations 180 days in advance, and they dont know how important it is to walk around the park collecting little tickets that cant be used until several hours later. They may show up to HS at 10:00 only to discover a 2 hour wait for Toy Story and that all the fast passed are gone. I can't tell you how many people I know who have gone when it was crowded and simply said "never again".

This is sooooo much easier for a "casual visitor" to take advantage of than the old system (which I've heard it said many people didn't even use to begin with). In the end, the few super planners like us will ride a few less attractions, but nearly everyone else will ride a few more. After 2 days at MK they've guaranteed themselves the chance to ride all the headline attractions, whether they show up for RD or not. That wasn't the case with the old system.

The old system was great for planners like us... Very marginal for everyone else.

 

[JimmyV]

this board is not a good barometer of the overall demographic of park visitors.

But this cuts both ways. I presume that by your statement you mean that this board is more studious of and passionate about WDW than the overall demographic and hence both hyper-supportive and hyper-critical of it. And that is true. But the less studious, less passionate people are not likely going to be the ones to have a negative opinon about certain issues like FP-. The less passionate person likely had either a positive reaction to the system, or no reaction whatsoever. But they are far less likely to have had a negative opinion of it. They just didn't think that much about it. Indeed, the average, overall demographic were not the people complaining about the old system and demanding a change. If you want to know how people who really care about such things feel, you have to look at boards like this. I'm not a NASCAR follower, so asking me what I think about the rule changes to the Chase for the Cup would be pointless. To know how people really feel about it, you'd have to go to a NASCAR chat board.

 

[Golf4283]

It's not a statistic. I'm just reading about most on these boards who aren't pleased with the change. I'm really curious the reason(s) behind it the change.

What you're failing to realize is that the membership of this board consists of die-hard fans. Lots of people have specific park plans on a day to day basis that revolved around the fastpass system and standby lines in a very intricate ballet. The masses are what Disney is catering towards with this system.

Please note that my comments are mostly, but not all, tongue in cheek. I am being honest when I say that this board is not indicative of the majority opinion. Granted we don't know how the majority feels and I'm not saying they love/hate it.

 

[ArwenMarie]

I still think it's going to be used to try to increase onsite hotel occupancy. I guess you could say it already is, since only onsite gets prebooking and offsite has to use the kiosks. But I think there will be even more in that area.

 

[surferdave]

The bottom line reason for the NextGen project is the data. I think that even the business about people staying in the parks longer if they plan ahead was just to mollify investors who couldn't think deeply enough to see the value of the data.

FP+ is just the component that replaces FP-, which probably had obsolescence problems if nothing else, and didn't support the data lust. No doubt some of the management minions at WDW recognize that Fastpasses are an asset that they can leverage either as a cash product or an incentive for other guest behaviors.

 

[stinkpickle]

It should help with forecasting, also. Advanced FP reservations help them get an idea of how many people will be in what park on what day, so they might be able to adjust staff and park hours.