I couldn't help weighing in on this one because I was just talking about this with my husband the other night. I was reading through the Unofficial Guide and here is what I found:
According to the Unofficial Guide for 2006,
"Disney was award US Patent 20050060173 in March 2005, which described in detail the following possible system enhancements:
"IMMEDIATE FREEBIE FASTPASSES allow guests who obtain FASTPASSes for one attraction to get a second FASTPASS at the same time good for another attraction in the same park.
"FRONT-OF-THE-LINE FASTPASS would offer guests the ability to head immediately to the front of the line once per attraction. Curiously, the patent says this may be offered both for FASTPASS and non-FASTPASS attractions.
"CONCURRENT FASTPASSES would allow guests to hold multiple valid FASTPASSes at the same time.
"SURPRISES FASTPASSES would give guests obtaining FASTPASSes at one attraction an additional FASTPASS good for up to three other attractions at different times throughout the day.
"ADVANCE FASTPASS would provide guests with three to five FASTPASSes at the beginning of their day from a central kiosk.
"TELEVISION FASTPASS would allow Disney resort guests to choose FASTPASS attractions and return times for the park they intend to visit the next day, from the comfort of their hotel room. Variations of this FASTPASS-in-advance are described in the patent for cell phones, the Internet, and pretty much any communication medium short of yodeling.
"Each FASTPASS variation in the patent includes detailed descriptions of scenarios in which guests can also select their FASTPASS return times from a list of choices, rather than having the FASTPASS system dictate when to return. If implemented, this would greatly reduce the amount of planning necessary to enjoy each park's headliner attractions and would make scheduling midday breaks and meals much easier.
"To date, Disney has been coy as to whether these FASTPASS enhancements will ever be available to the general public.
"The new patent is remarkably straightforward in explaining that the beneficiaries of these FASTPASS enhancements are Disney resort guests. In an effort to boost occupancy (and revenue) at their resorts, Disney is apparently considering a tiered FASTPASS system, where guests staying at more expensive Disney properties get more FASTPASS features. Here's a quote from the patent:
"'Spending per guest at hotels can determine different hierarchies of access to FASTPASS. Thus, the more that is spent by a patron, the higher the priority can be for FASTPASS.'"
