Disney considering VIP and other add-on options to their tickets....

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Honestly, as long as the free FastPass system is kept in place as it stands, I don't see a problem with this at all. Universal used to offer a free return-time based FastPass IN ADDITION to their premium "Plus" and Resort passes... (as I recall, the free Express was axed due to a lawsuit from Disney). But, even with both systems in place, the Express still worked. If this new pass is priced correctly (expensive enough that some will be able afford it but every average joe won't see the value), then it's a win-win for everyone. Disney gets some extra $$, some once-in-a-lifetime visitors get to insure that they see all of the big attractions, and regular guests still have access to their free passes.

Everyone's complaining about not being on equal terms, and how their children will be "devastated" to learn they're second class citizens... let me ask you this. If you're in line for say, Space Mountain, and a group of individuals pass you in the FastPass lane, how are you going to know if they're using this new fancy "special" pass or just a regular free FastPass? You won't. You'll have just as much ability to obtain a free FastPass as they have done; they've just paid for the privilege to use it as many times as they please. And you know what? They PAID for that privilege, and that's completely fair. Talk about equality all you want, the theme parks are a business, and if someone's willing to pay extra for something that costs nothing to Disney, they have every right (and frankly they SHOULD) do it.

 

[mrbghd]

We got this survey after we returned from out trip a couple of weeks ago. the prospect of being able to customize our experience is exciting. Hopefully some of the ideas will be instituted by Disney. For those that complain about fairness you need to get over it. Also, there are tons of perks in place already for those who are willing to spend the money. I like the idea of being able to spend a little more on a ticket for a holiday in order to limit the crowds in the park. The idea of the all inclusive plan is also great. We did this in the mid 90's and loved it! Remember it beneifts everyone to have higher paying guests in the parks. It's those "big spenders" that support the park operations for those who go the inexpensive route.

 

[NoChesterHester]

It's one of those pesky ideas from the Founding Fathers of the USA. What were they thinking!

Careful. I really don't wish to turn this into more of a political argument than this already is.

"Created equal" and "equal" are two very different ideals.

It depends on how you define equality. I define it as the "equal" ability to achieve something without oppression. If you believe that equal means that everyone has the same everything then you probably have a conceptual disagreement with our method of governance.

 

[CaptainWinter]

Careful. I really don't wish to turn this into more of a political argument than this already is.

"Created equal" and "equal" are two very different ideals.

It depends on how you define equality. I define it as the "equal" ability to achieve something without oppression. If you believe that equal means that everyone has the same everything then you probably have a conceptual disagreement with our method of governance.

There's no politics at issue here. Luxury goods and services, like vacations and theme park tickets, are privileges and not rights, to state the screamingly obvious. I doubt fosse wanted to be taken literally when he brought up the founding fathers anyway.

What is at issue is a real, practical question: will the introduction of VIP tickets make average-Joe tickets a better or a worse value? Some suspect better, others suspect worse, and no one is wrong, since no one can know the impact of an unannounced, unimplemented, nonexistent program.

 

[fosse76]

They were for equal oppurtunity. And BTW, not for all, they excluded women and African Americans from their idea. Additionally, they did not want everyone to be equal, but everyone to have the chance to be successful on their own merits, not limited by some draconian tether requiring those who can to suffer because some can't.

I won't respond about the women and black people reference, for that's neither here nor there. But You aren't entirely correct. They were about equal justice, equal access, and that no man was better than another man. A man can be rich, but he was no better than someone who was poor.

 

[fosse76]

Since we have no facts at this point, would the converse that the naysayers may be overestimating its impact be true as well?

Perhaps. Not a great barometer, but we can look at other parks who charge for the privilege to "cut in line" and see the impact on guest waiting times. The pay systems are every bit as popular as Disney's free FP system, so I would argue that there will be an impact on guests who don't pay. Assuming it works like FP currently does, with only the multiple FP Restriction removed, it will definitely decrease the number of fast passes available to guests who don't pay, which has a negative impact. If it is an immediate entry pass, similar to Universal's system, it will increase wait times for everyone, not just FP users. In either scenario, it will have a negative impact on guests who don't pay for it.

 

[the-reason14]

I've seen some people with guest relations cm's as escorts "skipping" the lines and using fastpass with the escort by their side. How about the people who want "unlimited" fastpass just do that and leave the fastpass as it is.

 

[lebeau]

How about we get rid of FP so everyone can be truly equal! Who's with me? :lookaroun

Aw, shucks...

 

[wm49rs]

How about we get rid of FP so everyone can be truly equal! Who's with me? :lookaroun

Aw, shucks...

But then we wouldn't get to have the lovely and exhilarating "personal responsibility" arguments over them......

 

[DVCOwner]

I continue to hear people on this site asked why Disney is not doing something to take on what US FL did with Harry Potter. Many ask why new rides are not being built. Maybe US and other are using additional money made by sell peaks, like FastPasses, to build these new attactions. Disney in order to expand during these times of little or no growth in gate, must look at as many options as possible to increase revenue and than (I hope) build new attactions to bring us back and bring in new guest. I think that if someone is willing to pay more they should get more. That is why Disney is doing a survey and I hope will find things that generate additional income without effecting other quest.

I can think of a lot of things Disney already does that brings in additional revenue with little effect on me, but there is some. The one example that stands out is ADR with special seating for shows. This limits the amount of seating for people not willing to pay for dinner to get the special treatment and has some effect on the amount of seats that other guest are waiting in line for.

 

[fosse76]

I continue to hear people on this site asked why Disney is not doing something to take on what US FL did with Harry Potter. Many ask why new rides are not being built. Maybe US and other are using additional money made by sell peaks, like FastPasses, to build these new attactions. Disney in order to expand during these times of little or no growth in gate, must look at as many options as possible to increase revenue and than (I hope) build new attactions to bring us back and bring in new guest. I think that if someone is willing to pay more they should get more. That is why Disney is doing a survey and I hope will find things that generate additional income without effecting other quest.

I can think of a lot of things Disney already does that brings in additional revenue with little effect on me, but there is some. The one example that stands out is ADR with special seating for shows. This limits the amount of seating for people not willing to pay for dinner to get the special treatment and has some effect on the amount of seats that other guest are waiting in line for.

But if they don't build and expand, then people won't pay to come at all, and as a result there won't be any money to expand. Look at regional parks. They have to add new rides every year or too in order to keep attendance stable. Anytime a Six Flags park adds a new rollercoaster, attendance increases that year. Disney's current attendance increase is the result of the massive discounting. So they need something to persuade people to come. I went to Universal this weekend, and to be honest, had absolutely no desire to go to WDW. So I didn't. And I still don't miss it.

 

[HM Spectre]

I don't know... I mean, I don't have a problem with people being able to pay money to improve the quality of their experience at Disney. That happens all over the park: at the restaurants, at the merchandise stands, at the resorts, etc. People who pay more money will get more in return.

That said, all that stuff is fluff around the actual ride experience. Honestly, I'm not keen on the fact that in order to "maximize" your enjoyment waiting for the rides, you'd have to fork over $150 for a VIP FP. Seems to me that at some point, you need to draw the line and I'd probably draw the line there. No need to go back to E-Ticket times... keep the ride package the same for everyone and let them customize their experience with $$$ in other areas.

 

[mickey2008.1]

US has a very small amount of fast passes they sell,which dont affect the wait times for regular paying customers. So if disney sold, lets say, 500 vip passes per park, and attendance is a t least 10000 per day, will this really affect any ones wait times, no, only if all 500 vips showed up at the same attraction at the same time. The money generated from 2000 vips (500 vips at four parks) per day ($300,000)over a year($109,000,000) is huge! thats pays for alot of new attractions, not so dumb on TDO if they did it. Wont affect my trip. I dont like the unlimited food one though, adrs are tought enough as is.

 

[mrbghd]

But if they don't build and expand, then people won't pay to come at all, and as a result there won't be any money to expand. Look at regional parks. They have to add new rides every year or too in order to keep attendance stable. Anytime a Six Flags park adds a new rollercoaster, attendance increases that year. Disney's current attendance increase is the result of the massive discounting. So they need something to persuade people to come. I went to Universal this weekend, and to be honest, had absolutely no desire to go to WDW. So I didn't. And I still don't miss it.

Your point has some merit. My issue with it is that regional parks cannot be compared to WDW. This is because of (1) cost of attendance; (2) length of stay of guest; and (3) distance guests travel to reach the park.

WDW can afford to discount more than regionalparks because of the # of visitors per year versus regional parks. WDW continues to keep its parks at the top of the attendance lists every year, so the fact is that not adding rides does not mean people will not come.

Again, I think we should encourage the attendance of "high ticket" guests as they will be a new source of revenue to hopefully improve the park experience.

 

[mrbghd]

I don't know... I mean, I don't have a problem with people being able to pay money to improve the quality of their experience at Disney. That happens all over the park: at the restaurants, at the merchandise stands, at the resorts, etc. People who pay more money will get more in return.

That said, all that stuff is fluff around the actual ride experience. Honestly, I'm not keen on the fact that in order to "maximize" your enjoyment waiting for the rides, you'd have to fork over $150 for a VIP FP. Seems to me that at some point, you need to draw the line and I'd probably draw the line there. No need to go back to E-Ticket times... keep the ride package the same for everyone and let them customize their experience with $$$ in other areas.

FYI, people can get vip access now if they are willing to pay for it.

 

[Thrill]

FYI, people can get vip access now if they are willing to pay for it.

It's $275 an hour at a minimum of six hours to get unlimited FastPass (As in, show the card, you're in at any time, much like Universal's Express Pass Plus.) for up to ten people on top of park admission with the VIP tour. VIP tours start at $175 hourly, and FastPass for the group is $100 hourly. For a whole day, this is roughly $130- per guest, minimum. Seeing as a group of five people doubles the cost to $260 or so, I'm wondering how this FastPass would work. Having unlimited FastPass might dissuade guests from taking a VIP Tour, or at the very least, from adding the FastPass option.

Will it be like the VIP Tour/Express Pass Plus, where you just walk right into the FP queue, or will it just allow you to hold one FP per attraction at a time (to avoid large groups that could use the same ticket for unlimited FastPasses)? Both have issues, as one lowers the amount of free FastPasses remain, and the other allows guests to cut in line, but in limited quantities, I can't see this having a huge impact on other guests, but it will definitely increase revenue, which will hopefully lead to more new attractions.

 

[wolf359]

FYI, people can get vip access now if they are willing to pay for it.

Yes, a lot of these options have been available for a long time in one form or another, this new survey indicates Disney is looking to increase awareness of them by making them ticket upgrades.

Considering their push to make the Magic Your Way ticket capable of being an "all powerful" passport to everything Walt Disney World has to offer it makes a lot of sense from a marketing and advertising point of view to offer VIP experiences as an add-on to the ticket itself.

I also agree that Disney is smart to expand these offerings to the "normal" park guest because many people feel somewhat overwhelmed when planning a Disney vacation because of the wide variety. I see the VIP add-ons appealing to a wider group of guests than just the super affluent.

 

[mrbghd]

It's $275 an hour at a minimum of six hours to get unlimited FastPass (As in, show the card, you're in at any time, much like Universal's Express Pass Plus.) for up to ten people on top of park admission with the VIP tour. VIP tours start at $175 hourly, and FastPass for the group is $100 hourly. For a whole day, this is roughly $130- per guest, minimum. Seeing as a group of five people doubles the cost to $260 or so, I'm wondering how this FastPass would work. Having unlimited FastPass might dissuade guests from taking a VIP Tour, or at the very least, from adding the FastPass option.

Will it be like the VIP Tour/Express Pass Plus, where you just walk right into the FP queue, or will it just allow you to hold one FP per attraction at a time (to avoid large groups that could use the same ticket for unlimited FastPasses)? Both have issues, as one lowers the amount of free FastPasses remain, and the other allows guests to cut in line, but in limited quantities, I can't see this having a huge impact on other guests, but it will definitely increase revenue, which will hopefully lead to more new attractions.

That is an interesting point as to how it will impact the VIP tour/ express pass. Also will the VIP fastpass just allow you to enter the FP line and not need to get a fastpass because if so, then there will be minimal to no impact on guests choosing not to pay for the perk.

BTW we did the VIP Tour/ Express Pass at all 4 parks this trip and I highly recommend it to anyone who can afford it. The convenience and ease of this was unreal and it really maximized our park experience.

I have a question for all of the "it's not fair types:" Do you feel closing the park early for hard ticket events is fair? I think that has far more impact on daily guests than tweaking the fastpass system will.

 

[David S.]

I like the idea of being able to spend a little more on a ticket for a holiday in order to limit the crowds in the park.

I just hope they wouldn't restrict access to Annual Passholders on those holidays. As a seasonal local, I buy the AP without blackout dates so I can visit the parks during the holidays and other peak times. Visiting the Magic Kingdom on New Year's Eve is an annual tradition. If I suddenly was not allowed to visit the Magic Kingdom on that day and other holidays without giving them another hundred bucks per day, I'd be losing something I've been allowed to do as an AP holder for YEARS, and therefore expect to do. But I bet my price for the AP would not go down to reflect having access to the park for fewer days!

I understand completely where you are coming from when you say you wouldn't mind paying a "little more" to limit the crowd. Assuming you are not an AP holder, you are used to the idea of having to pay SOMETHING for each and every day you set foot in the parks. So while you would only be asked to pay a "little more" than you would have expected to pay for a holiday, I , as an AP, would have to pay a LOT more - namely the entire upcharge!

In this context, all those after-hour upcharge parties would be more appealing as well to someone used to having to pay per day anyway (especially since they allow early entry). People who don't have APs and are used to having to pay (whether a one-day ticket or multi-day) for each and every time they set foot in the parks don't mind paying a little more than normal on those days to get the atmosphere and special entertainment of those parties.

As an AP holder, however, I pay one fee all year (around 4-something plus tax). So if I went to one of those upcharge parties, I'd be paying almost ONE FOURTH of what I pay the entire year, to go on the same attractions that are free to me every other day of the year. So the only difference is the entertainment package. Is that entertainment package for just one "party night" worth ONE FOURTH of what I pay for 365 days of access to the parks? I would say NO, but luckilly the Christmas entertainment found at those parties is all free during regular park hours the week between Christmas and New Years. As for Halloween, I don't get to experience that entertainment package, but I don't really care for Halloween anyway! (although I'd enjoy Disney's "not so scary", cuter version of Halloween more than the gruesome gore/horror approach taken by most parks).

Getting back to the New Years Eve thing, I really hope Disney does the right thing and doesn't suddenly ask Annual Passholders who are used to visiting on holidays to start paying 100 bucks a pop for them. Under that scenario, if I went on New Years Eve and Easter Sunday LIKE I AM USED TO DOING NOW, the price of my AP would effectively be going up from between 4 and 5 hundred dollars to between 6 and 7 hundred dollars. That is a HUGE increase just to be able to continue visiting the parks the way I am used to!

But I won't get upset about this unless they actually do it. Please don't forget your loyal AP holders, Disney! The ones you used to advertise to about how having an AP makes you feel like you "own the parks"! Not if you shut us out on holidays, it won't!

Sometimes I really wish WDW was more like DL, and had a large base of local APs, instead of being so touristy, and local APs being a distinct minority not valued as much as resort guests.

 

[Buried20KLeague]

I have a question for all of the "it's not fair types:" Do you feel closing the park early for hard ticket events is fair? I think that has far more impact on daily guests than tweaking the fastpass system will.

That's a tough question.

Initially, I would say that they should include the hard ticket events in with admission, like they have at DL. Different fireworks, a different parade, and either candy or cider and cookies (depending on the season) could be the draw to increase regular attendance during these traditionally slower periods.

BUT... Knowing full well that that's a pipe dream, and that there's no way they'd get rid of hard ticket events because they make money hand over fist... I think they handle them about as best as possible, given the situation. Traditionally, the MK isn't open very late these times of the year during the week anyway. These parties run till midnight... It's not as if the parties weren't going on, the park would be open till midnight for the general public instead, except for probably a few Friday nights they have parties on. Most of the time it cuts an hour or maybe two off what would have been a normal night.