FastPass+ Most Certainly Not Coming Back As It Was

[Sandurz]

Can someone summarize the difference between this and the old paid service at DLP? I definitely remember almost buying some Fastpass related thing when I was there in 2019 but I don't really remember what it was lol.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Trying to see something positive this could mean you can jump on a Tron standby pass when you enter town square and not have to run to get in the standby line first thing.

You’ll just have to rope drop the park to be told to go to the ride at 11am for your hour long queue.

…totally the bright side

 

[monothingie]

X pages later and I'm still standing by my statement that it will not change as drastically as some people are hinting because some of these ideas just seem to complex for WDW. Maybe they aren't as complex for other Disney parks or other theme/amusement parks in general because other parks/resorts are quite small in size or number of attractions compared to how many and how spread out Disney World is. Too complex for the computer system and in some cases too complex for the guest.
I can foresee changes coming but just not as much as I'm reading.

One thing Disney does not excel at, is the reliability of their IT and their Apps.

 

[Waters Back Side]

Is there any possibility at all they will return the FP+ to WDW temporarily until the new system?

In other words, those who made reservations before a certain date, will still be eligible to use the old system etc? How soon will this be up and running? By October 1? Later? Earlier?

 

[WannaGoNow]

Everything he does is for the hope of making the company look better in the next financial quarter. Mega businesses like Disney cannot be run that way or there will be major issues decades from now.

That’s PRECISELY how publicly traded mega US companies are run. They live or die by their quarterly investor calls and Wall Street pundit analyses.

You can hate the game but that doesn’t change the facts of the game.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

One thing Disney does not excel at, is the reliability of their IT and their Apps.

Captain Understatement on that one

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

One thing Disney does not excel at, is the reliability of their IT and their Apps.

One of my points exactly.

 

[drizgirl]

I agree with your thoughts.

They want to push out the middle class families. Guests who pay for deluxe resorts, DVC and services like this lightning pass with pay the shortfall but will also have a better guest satisfaction because there will be less people in the parks.

It’s blatantly obvious how they are moving forward.

They want the middle classes to stay at home and enjoy they’re $7.99 Disney+ subscription

Except that Disney is heavily invested in moderate and value resorts.

 

[SteamboatJoe]

Trying to see something positive this could mean you can jump on a Tron standby pass when you enter town square and not have to run to get in the standby line first thing.

You’ll just have to rope drop the park to be told to go to the ride at 11am for your hour long queue.

Virtual queue in and of itself is not a bad concept in some ways but the latter portion of your point definitely makes it seem almost useless.

 

[monothingie]

Except that Disney is heavily invested in moderate and value resorts.

Of which will be the only category to still be not fully reopened.

 

[Club34]

Wdw isn’t Paris. I can only say this so many ways…MASS amounts of people…all the time.

this could create madness in the mornings and ridiculous crunch anytime the piddly customers are thrown any kind of operational bone.

and kill any kind of new/repeat customers. And that’s what they depend on…quarterlies calls aside.

how are those timeshares gonna sell if you have to buy a $2000 pass AND that doesn’t get you on rides.

they sell amusement parks…plain and simple. The chickens are coming home. Iger/chapek.

i hope I’m wrong…but every move has been predictable…most especially/disappointingly the customers just rolling over for it.

Yeah, this may seem like an idle "I'm done with Disney" threat which are a dime a dozen on here but unless these perks are somehow "reasonably" rolled into a vacation package, this might be my straw. In discussions with my family who often come along with larger family trips, the consensus was 'why bother if you can't get on the rides when you want'? The FastPass+ system was pushing the limits in terms of availability and taking away the option of spontaneity. Now, on top of that, you add in additional costs? I'm kinda done. The overlooked niceties and details have been eroding at a rapid pace since the 2000's. Covid gave Disney the excuse to clip a lot of stuff and retool for profit (and yes, I realize they took a hit with the pandemic).

I will take a 50th trip (me and WDW are the same age within 30 days of each other) by 2022 but that may be it for me. I have been there a lot, so for me, it's just diminishing returns. With less new stuff and now all the nickel and diming, it might be time. Not saying I would never ever go back but it won't be the regular trip that I used to do. It's about time I explore elsewhere and for cheaper. It's a shame and it's sad. My young mother at 20yo drove her then newborn son to WDW that first November 1971 and thus the addiction was born. I'm a Disney kid having been there countless times through my childhood and now my adulthood, does this spell the end of an era?

 

[monothingie]

Those upcharge hard ticket events are starting to look more cost effective.

 

[drizgirl]

Completely agree. Disney may assume the app can take care of educating the guest, but that's not how it will work practically.

Which translates into high levels of guest dissatisfaction.

 

[deWild]

I don’t see this system coming to WDW. Admission is already astronomical for a family of 4. And wasn’t the whole concept of MyMagic+ based around the idea that it would free guests’ time to shop and dine, which didn’t really happen?

 

[DisneyCane]

The bottom line seems to be that the question is not if they are going to monetize FP, it's when the new system is going to be launched and how miserable is it going to make the park experience for those who don't purchase paid FP.

 

[drizgirl]

So basically it's like the amusement park days where you spent money for each ride you go on except now it's called a fastpass.

How much did you pay to get into the amusement park back in the day?

Right. It's nothing like that.

 

[nickys]

Why is no one talking about this besides this forum? This is literally game changing news.

They are!

 

[AshaNeOmah]

I think they’re courting the hardcore Disney fans who will continue to pay no matter what rather than 1% of regular holiday goers

You might be talking about people like me, but my attempt at going one week every 6-12 months (from 600-ish miles away) would definitely change to once every couple of years at most.

I just can't see them starting Genie on day one by charging for individual rides on top of a $125 ticket. I really hope I'm right... :-(

 

[GhostHost1000]

It's OK if something works for our style and not yours. lol

You’re style is wanting to pay for what you had without paying before?

 

[drizgirl]

And I never disagreed that they would charge but I still think the actual system will not change that drastically.
I've always said Disney needs the KISS approach and some ideas thrown around on here seem complex even for someone that's been able to adapt through all phases of Disney.
Heck I'd pay for FP+ as it was pre pandemic.
They could easily make a ton of money and people would still use it.

If they bundle the passes here, as has been hinted at, it could turn out to be more complex rather than less.