Fastpass+, a solution to "overwhelmingly negative" responses from families

napeterson18

napeterson18

Member
Original Poster
One of the lead designers of the My Disney Experience and Fastpass+ just came to the University of Florida's Integrated Product and Process Design (IPPD) class and gave a lecture with his experience creating the My Disney Experience platform.

One of the most interesting points he touched upon was just why Disney has decided to implement this program and allow Fastpasses to be reserved so far in advanced. The reason? Parents who were surveyed about their experience and perception of the Disney Parks "overwhelmingly" said that it was "the most terrifying experience of their life." These are the words he used, unaltered. Parents said this because they know they will have to split up their family in a park of thousands, having people do other things while Mom gets Fastpasses and Dad goes to wait in line to get something to eat with the kids. This creates a vacation of nothing but stress, and Disney (World, more than anywhere else) has been in a sort of crisis-mode trying to figure out just how to handle this. Thus, the implementation of My Disney Experience, Fastpass+, and Dining programs which allows you to have things planned far in advanced, thus allowing the family to stay together.

While the magic is there for the kids, it's simply not there for the adults. At least, that's according to the "overwhelmingly" negative responses from parents about going to Disney on vacation.
 
luv

luv

Well-Known Member
Fastpass was their most terrifying experience?

I know there are a lot of different people in the world and that some have been leading exceptionally sheltered lives. But if FP was the most terrifying experience of their life, they aren't just very sheltered, they're very lucky! (Or very dumb.)
 
BoarderPhreak

BoarderPhreak

Well-Known Member
I'm totally not onboard with FP-in-advance. That's nuts. It's bad enough with dining reservations. Why?

For the average person, they have no idea you have to do this - and even if they did, that they could do it up to 180 days in advance. It's great for the "must plan everything" types that vacation with a clipboard... But does not work for people that like to play life a little more... Casually. By the time they find out that they should've reserved this or that months ago, they can't. Then what? You can't see an attraction without waiting in line for two hours because FP is all booked up?

At least right now you must do it in-park. And when you go controls when you come back, etc. So everyone has a reasonable, equal chance.
 
Z

Zman-ks

Well-Known Member
Tim_4 said:
Yeah... Since you disagree it can't possibly be true. Disney must intentionally be doing things to screw up the guest experience. That makes way more sense.
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Total sense. :eek:
 
T

Tim_4

Well-Known Member
BoarderPhreak said:
I'm totally not onboard with FP-in-advance. That's nuts. It's bad enough with dining reservations. Why?

For the average person, they have no idea you have to do this - and even if they did, that they could do it up to 180 days in advance. It's great for the "must plan everything" types that vacation with a clipboard... But does not work for people that like to play life a little more... Casually. By the time they find out that they should've reserved this or that months ago, they can't. Then what? You can't see an attraction without waiting in line for two hours because FP is all booked up?

At least right now you must do it in-park. And when you go controls when you come back, etc. So everyone has a reasonable, equal chance.
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You're missing the point. The demand for attractions and dining will create a "mad scramble" no matter what method they use. The theory with NGE is that guest satisfaction will increase if that mad dash is in the comfort of your living room a few weeks before vacation rather than sprinting from Pixar Place to Tower of Terror in 91 degree weather at 9:00 AM. You might disagree but there's valid reasoning behind it.
 
BoarderPhreak

BoarderPhreak

Well-Known Member
Tim_4 said:
You're missing the point. The demand for attractions and dining will create a "mad scramble" no matter what method they use. The theory with NGE is that guest satisfaction will increase if that mad dash is in the comfort of your living room a few weeks before vacation rather than sprinting from Pixar Place to Tower of Terror in 91 degree weather at 9:00 AM. You might disagree but there's valid reasoning behind it.
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I guess. But there shouldn't be a "mad scramble" to begin with. And like I said - what about the people that have no idea this had to be done, or couldn't do it for whatever reason, or decided to just drop in at a park, or... There might be "valid reasoning" but I still think it's dumb.
 
BoarderPhreak

BoarderPhreak

Well-Known Member
Look, I get the concept - parents especially want to know that their Johnny can get onto his favorite ride on their one day at MK - and not have to participate in the Running Of The Bulls at rope drop for the FPs. I'm just saying - there's got to be a better solution. Not just a response to the most recent symptom on the list, but higher up - to the cause of the problem in the first place.
 
ParentsOf4

ParentsOf4

Well-Known Member
BoarderPhreak said:
Look, I get the concept - parents especially want to know that their Johnny can get onto his favorite ride on their one day at MK - and not have to participate in the Running Of The Bulls at rope drop for the FPs. I'm just saying - there's got to be a better solution. Not just a response to the most recent symptom on the list, but higher up - to the cause of the problem in the first place.
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The "best" solution would be to eliminate FP/FP+ completely. Let everyone stand in line the old fashioned way. Ultimately, FP+ does not increase ride capacity; it only changes how the wait time is distributed. For every attraction I get on quicker using FP+ there will be 4 or 5 attractions that I stand in line longer because of FP+.

FP+ is not about improving guest satisfaction; it's about improving perceived guest satisfaction during the sales transaction which, for WDW, does not end until check-in. I might feel good if I am able to book the FP+ experiences I want 60 days out. However, once I arrive I still will spend the same amount of total time standing in line.

Eliminating FP/FP+ means that my perception at the parks (i.e. after the sales transaction) will improve. I'm standing in a line that actually is moving along with everyone else. It feels fair. Anyone who has been in the Standby line at Peter Pan watching hundreds of FP guests walk by knows exactly how frustrating the feeling is. FP+ does not eliminate this feeling; it only makes it worse since FP+ has been added to even more attractions. However, completely eliminating FP/FP+ would not allow Disney to advertise the service. Like so many aspects of advertising, it's more about perception than results.
 
sweetpee_1993

sweetpee_1993

Well-Known Member
If that's why Disney is doing all this My Disney Experience crap then they totally missed the mark. Do I think WDW parks for the inexperienced with little kids could be terrifying? Heck yeah! It would be overwhelming! WDW is an extremely complicated place. But the whole process of My Disney Experience does nothing to alleviate that. I would think it'd make it worse. Simplify. Do not further complicate, fellas. Hell, I don't know all the ins & outs of all this new garbage with the NextGen and the apps blah blah blah. I don't want to know it. I don't want to have to do all that. It shouldn't take so much intricate studying, planning, & mental gymnastics. Go back to basics, Disney, and you won't overwhelm or freak people out. Kinda a no-brainer, wouldn't ya think?
 
T

Tim_4

Well-Known Member
BoarderPhreak said:
I guess. But there shouldn't be a "mad scramble" to begin with. And like I said - what about the people that have no idea this had to be done, or couldn't do it for whatever reason, or decided to just drop in at a park, or... There might be "valid reasoning" but I still think it's dumb.
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There are dumb and/or uninformed guests under the current system already. It's probably easier to explain "download this app" than "run to Midway Mania as fast as you can and put your room key in a machine and it prints out a ticket that says when you can come back." This is an app-driven culture. People will "get it" because it's how they work, study, read, and communicate already.
 
BoarderPhreak

BoarderPhreak

Well-Known Member
ParentsOf4 said:
The "best" solution would be to eliminate FP/FP+ completely. Let everyone stand in line the old fashioned way. Ultimately, FP+ does not increase rider capacity; it only changes how the wait time is distributed. For every attraction I get on quicker using FP+ there will be 4 or 5 attractions that I stand in line longer because of FP+.

FP+ is not about improving guest satisfaction; it's about improving perceived guest satisfaction during the sales transaction which, for WDW, does not end until check-in. I might feel good if I am able to book the FP+ experiences I want 60 days out. However, once I arrive I still will spend the same amount of total time standing in line.

Eliminating FP/FP+ means that my perception at the parks (i.e. after the sales transaction) will improve. I'm standing in a line that actually is moving along with everyone else. It feels fair. Anyone who has been the Standby line at Peter Pan watching hundreds of FP guests walk by knows exactly how frustrating the feeling is. FP+ does not eliminate this feeling; it only makes it worse since FP+ has been added to even more attractions. However, completely eliminating FP/FP+ would not allow Disney to advertise the service. Like so many aspects of advertising, it's more about perception than results.
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I might agree with you, but that carries its own set of issues. It's the most equitable solution, for sure. Everyone's equal - if you want on, you wait. But that's fun for no one, and you end up with a mess of people blocking traffic flow, getting sweaty and angry in the queue, etc.

The basic premise of FP/FP+ is sane, I think. But needs... Tweaking. For one thing, keep it as something you must do in-park. Everyone's equal on that ground. But maybe have kiosks, ticket windows, or a GPS-based app where you can get your FP/FP+s, so there's no mad dash. Same with restaurants; make a reservation either in-person or in-park, at multiple locations. The keys to either being a) in-park and b) in multiple locations.
 
ParentsOf4

ParentsOf4

Well-Known Member
WDW veterans forget how truly overwhelming WDW is for inexperienced guests. My well-worn copy of The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World is several hundred pages long and has more technical material than many college texts. Yes, WDW can be terrifying and FP is intimidating for the uninitiated. I went at least 2 or 3 visits before finally using FP and that after being a (at the time) 20+ year WDW veteran.

There are financial reasons why Disney is implementing FP+. See my post here if you would like some thoughts on these:

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/...-starts-to-appear.857948/page-19#post-5268660

Beyond that, there are non-financial advantages to FP+ as well. Mom and Dad have been saving for 4 years to visit WDW and are desperate, absolutely desperate, to have a “perfect” WDW vacation. That’s why they called at 9 AM (or whatever the time) exactly 180 days out so they could get their ADRs. That’s why they were willing to spend $50/adult on a character buffet for food that costs them $10/adult offsite. That’s why they’re shelling out big bucks for the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique and Pirates League. Little Johnny is 7 and Little Sue is 4 only once. If Mom and Dad don’t get this vacation exactly right, their little ones’ lives will be lessened and they’ll miss out on a memory of a lifetime. They are just begging WDW to make it better.

WDW is obliging (taking advantage of) them by creating FP+.

“Don’t worry about your Fast Passes, parade & nighttime show viewing spots, or ADRs. We’ll take care of it for you."

What @napeterson18 indicates was reported by a former WDW employee makes complete sense.
 
ParentsOf4

ParentsOf4

Well-Known Member
BoarderPhreak said:
I might agree with you, but that carries its own set of issues. It's the most equitable solution, for sure. Everyone's equal - if you want on, you wait. But that's fun for no one, and you end up with a mess of people blocking traffic flow, getting sweaty and angry in the queue, etc.
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Hopefully you realize that's exactly how WDW operated for nearly 30 years. WDW was a lot more fun in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s than it is today.;)

P.S. It also was more fun when everyone's head wasn't stuck in their smart phones but that ship has sailed.:eek:
 
WDW1974

WDW1974

Well-Known Member
xdan0920 said:
Utter nonsense. I'll let some of our more articulate members deconstruct this, I'll just leave it at utter nonsense.
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No. I think utter nonsense covers it without resorting to more base terms like BS.

Disney has made visiting WDW a much more stressful experience with things that take all the spontaneity out of a visit and make it something you hear people talking about using spreadsheets for.

Everything from FP to DDP has made visiting more of a chore and less fun. I'm also a bit surprised that this individual isn't under a NDA considering that MM+ hasn't even been rolled out and is struggling in tests.
 
BoarderPhreak

BoarderPhreak

Well-Known Member
ParentsOf4 said:
Hopefully you realize that's exactly how WDW operated for nearly 30 years. WDW was a lot more fun in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s than it is today.;)

P.S. It also was more fun when everyone's head wasn't stuck in their smart phones but that ship has sailed.:eek:
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Of course - preachin' to the choir! :D

All this tech stuff has gotten ridiculous. It's a vacation for cryin' out loud. And parents need to loosen up. Go to the park with your kids and enjoy whatever you do, together, as a family. THAT is the magic. Not making sure you do A, B and C.
 

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