Disney to charge for Fastpass

kaylasmom

New Member
I can't be the only one who would be irritated if this actually happened. A working class family already has to save for years to bring a family of 4 from out of state to spend a week at WDW. Now is it fair that because this family doesn't have loads of extra cash that they shouldn't be entitled to the same benefits as those who have that money to throw away? Is everything about the theme park industry going to start catering to the super rich only? There are already families that will never be able to stay at a Deluxe resort, or on the monorail line. Who will never be able to eat at Victoria and Alberts or The California Grill. And that's fine... people understand that. But to take a well-established fee free program and allow only those with the cash to do it to me is ludicrous.

I thought the idea behind Disneyland and Disneyworld was to be a magical place where families could spend time enjoying the attractions together. Well, doesn't that mean all families should benefit from at least SOME of the perks regardless of their economic status? Noone would argue that the Grand Floridian Hotel should be offered at a value resort price, because that resort was designed to offer perks to folks willing to pay a premium price.

So essentially, because you cannot afford a fastpass perk, you are supposed to enjoy fewer attractions? I think everyone should have equal access to the attractions once they have paid their admission. If you choose not to utilize fastpass, so be it.. but to make it a pay service so only certain people CAN access the service is wrong in my opinion.
 

LongballMG

Well-Known Member
Surely I can't be the only one who wants to kill Fastpass completely.

It's a failed system and I want it gone. If a Pay As You Go system is the first step in getting rid of it for good, I'm all for it.

I've really thought this out and have several scenarios but it is 12:36 AM and I'm tired.

~Mike
 

the-reason14

Well-Known Member
No, I dont think they should charge or get rid of it. To the people who dont like it and say that it messes up the lines, then dont use it. You can choose to stand in the long lines and say how much you wish fp was gone, while people who want to use it zip right pass you.

I just hope they dont start charging for it. To me, if they were gonna charge for fp, then that is something they should have done maybe a year after it was introduced, not 8 yrs. So Im hoping this rumor isnt true, I dont think it is, but you never really know. But if they ever did charge, I doubt Ill be shelving out the cash to go back to WDW as much if at all.
 

BensMum

New Member
Taken from the disneyland paris website:

"VIP FASTPASS®: as a Suites Guests, you get immediate access to the attractions equipped with "FASTPASS® Service".

Disney Hotel FASTPASS®: faster entry at your choice of time on some of your favourite "FASTPASS®" attractions. Available to Guests staying at the Disneyland Hotel.

http://www.disneylandparis.com/uk/good_to_know/park_information/fast_pass.htm

This looks to me like two forms of special Fastpass "Given" to guests staying at the resort.
This looks good at first but when you read it carefully it does refer to guests staying at the Disneyland Hotel. This is the DLRP equivilant to the Grand Floridian! Guests staying at all the other DLRP resort hotels are in the same situation as people paying on the gate, again unless they have unlimited cash to be able to afford to stay in one of the Suites. As somebody else said in an earlier part of this thread, it's a perk for the guests who are lucky enough not to have to think about a budget.
We're visiting DLRP on 16 December this year and staying at Sequoia Lodge - a mid range hotel - our package doesn't include any Fastpass extra's over and above our park entrance ticket. And no, I wouldn't pay more for a separate fastpass in Disney or any other resort.
 

pauluk

Member
PAris VIP Fastpass

This looks good at first but when you read it carefully it does refer to guests staying at the Disneyland Hotel. This is the DLRP equivilant to the Grand Floridian! Guests staying at all the other DLRP resort hotels are in the same situation as people paying on the gate, again unless they have unlimited cash to be able to afford to stay in one of the Suites. As somebody else said in an earlier part of this thread, it's a perk for the guests who are lucky enough not to have to think about a budget.
We're visiting DLRP on 16 December this year and staying at Sequoia Lodge - a mid range hotel - our package doesn't include any Fastpass extra's over and above our park entrance ticket. And no, I wouldn't pay more for a separate fastpass in Disney or any other resort.

The strange thing is, the Sequoia Lodge is one of the hotels you CAN get the VIP pass , it is one of three hotels which offer suites (Disneyland and Newport being the other two). I would say the Sequoia and NewPort are moderate style hotels.

Paul
 

bears163

Active Member
i hope this does not happen but like others i would not be suprised if it did. but i also think it would not last long. People have to spend enough money just to get to the park right now. How much are talking though? 20.00/day....this would not last IMO. i was looking at what universal charges.....WOW no way would i buy it. I have 6 people in my family. so i would have to spend an extra 120/day...NO WAY that is rediculous.
 

ChrisQ

Member
It is amazing to me what a good job Disney marketing has done with FP.

Precisely. How many Travel Channel Disney specials have included a detailed description of FP? And, IIRC, the Disney travel DVD's explicitly mention FP. That's what makes it so interesting to me that they would consider charging something that they tout so highly as being free.

Oh well...that's a bridge I'll cross when I get to it.
 

Mr.EPCOT

Active Member
Realistically, the time you save using FastPasses is negated by the longer wait times of whatever other FP attractions you wait for in Stand-by.

Here's a comparison (admittedly, this is just educated guesswork):
You use FastPasses on Soarin', you end up waiting 15 minutes, bypassing a 75-minute wait time. You wait in Stand-by for Test Track for 45 minutes. You've waited in line an hour total.

In a non-FastPass World, you might wait 40 minutes for Soarin', and 20 minutes for Test Track.
 

polarboi

Member
I think your friend is putting you on, simply because when does Disney EVER mention Universal in their advertising?

I don't know that the friend is putting her on, but I doubt that the text she saw (whatever it was) is finalized and intended for the public in the future. I would be absolutely shocked if Disney ever "made a point" of publicly mentioning that one of their prices was cheaper than Universal's. When you're the top dog, you never mention your competition.


As for the FP haters, I totally get your point, but I still think the FP system is a good one as is. Yes, it can result in somewhat longer standby lines at some attractions. But it also provides you with an easy way to get out of waiting in those lines. And while it is surely annoying for the Annual Passholder or other frequent guest who wants to meander around the park and experience all the standby queues, it is a godsend to the family making their once-in-a-blue-moon trip where every minute counts. Everyone has equal access to the system, so I really do think it's fair all around. A paid system would be pretty unfair, in my book, and a bad idea.

And while I'm not denying that FP does make standby lines at some attractions longer, it depends on a lot of factors. There are a few situations where someone might FP one blockbuster attraction and jump immediately in line for another blockbuster attraction (RnRC and Tot, for instance) but I often eat, walk, or experience a people-eating attraction like CoP while waiting for a FP to come up. I try to avoid standing in any lines for very long if I can help it; I much prefer to be experiencing the parks and make my line-waiting the virtual kind. Since I can only "virtually" wait in one line at a time, I'm not adding to the lines any more than if I were standing there in person.

-p.b. :cool:

ETA: ImagineerMMC, the numbers you're suggesting would require that FP more than doubles the wait time of an attraction. The system isn't set up to allow that, so that can't possibly be right.
 

Laura

22
Premium Member
As long as it's included with the APs or SPs or an "on property stay" perk I don't really care; which it most likely would be.

Like other's have said before: Disney is a company, they are in the money making business. So if this makes them additional money or saves them money they will do it. They may test this out in phases at some point to see if it is cost effective. They could even end up running a dual system (I doubt they would but you never know).

Well Fastpass wouldn't be much of a perk if everyone staying on property or with an AP could skip the lines. The fastpass lines in that situation would be longer than the standby lines!
 

Pumbas Nakasak

Heading for the great escape.
and-by for Test Track for 45 minutes. You've waited in line an hour total.

In a non-FastPass World, you might wait 40 minutes for Soarin', and 20 minutes for Test Track.


However those of us with brains tend to use FP on those high attendance attractions and visit things like Universe of Energy in the wait window. Simple really . And If you get up early there's plenty of FPs available at opening, and I can manage two or three vsists to each attraction in a day.

Hoorrahh for FP, providing its free. I wonder if Disney plans to pull a Universal and make it a perk for resort guests. Niceeeee
 

jonnyc

Well-Known Member
First post in a while, got back a few weeks ago and have been coming to terms with the fact i won't be going to the world for at least a good 4 years!:cry:.


Anywho on the Fastpass situation. It started out well, but people have gone fastpass crazy the past 2/3 years i've gone. TSM is ridculous, if there were no FP for that, it would constantly move. This would also be the case for BSRS and SM, there is no need. Look how much better the HM queue is now.


And to all the people who are outraged at it, Disney can do whatever they want. Fastpass is Privilege, not a right. And believe me, the Fastpass crazy people will buy them. It's smart buisness from Disney.

So get in the stand-by queue and enjoy some of the incredible themeing on offer!
 

ZambeziZelda

Member
Original Poster
Holy Hannah, didn't think my little thread would cause such debate.

I have decided to take a belated grain of salt...didn't really think about the fact that it's probably just a proposal. :wave:

However, for the few of you who think my source is pulling my leg...nope. I still stand by the fact that she did see official documentation. In her line of work (which I'm not going to reveal here, out of respect for her) it's a very normal thing to see things like that.

I wouldn't mind them charging for Fastpass. I've had experiences dealing with both Universal's Express and Disney's Fastpass (as a guest and employee for both) and I personally think Express runs smoother than FP. FP, to be perfectly honest, confuses the heck out of most guests I've spoken with (I'm talking non Disney forum users, because I'm sure all of us here know exactly how it works.)
 

Nemo14

Well-Known Member
Holy Hannah, didn't think my little thread would cause such debate.

I have decided to take a belated grain of salt...didn't really think about the fact that it's probably just a proposal. :wave:

However, for the few of you who think my source is pulling my leg...nope. I still stand by the fact that she did see official documentation. In her line of work (which I'm not going to reveal here, out of respect for her) it's a very normal thing to see things like that.

I wouldn't mind them charging for Fastpass. I've had experiences dealing with both Universal's Express and Disney's Fastpass (as a guest and employee for both) and I personally think Express runs smoother than FP. FP, to be perfectly honest, confuses the heck out of most guests I've spoken with (I'm talking non Disney forum users, because I'm sure all of us here know exactly how it works.)
I found this thread about this from a few years ago.
http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showthread.php?t=56366&highlight=fastpass
 

hrcollectibles

Active Member
What did we do before the invention of the fast pass.. Oh thats right we waited in lines. I rarely use fast passes. Thats because most of the attractions I like do not have them. What would the waits be like if Disney decided to pull the plugs on the fast pass system?
 

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