Fastpass for deluxe resort guests only?

[Patricia Melton]

Now you are making it more difficult for a regular folk to get a fastpass, since now they are going to be less in number for the people who doesn't stay at a deluxe resort..

How would the advance fast pass for Deluxe Resort guests make getting fast passes harder for other people?

People who aren't staying in a Deluxe Resort can get all the fast passes they want the day-of, just as they can now. People staying in Deluxe Resorts who don't take advantage of the concierge service can get fast passes the day-of too, just like everyone else.

You're talking like there are enough people staying in Deluxe Resorts for them to take up EVERY SINGLE FAST PASS SLOT there is in an entire day...and that's just not true.

How many Deluxe Resorts are there? How many rooms in those resorts?

How many fast pass slots are there in a day?

I don't know the exact answer to those three questions, but I would guess it would be something like this:

(number of Deluxe Resorts) x (number of rooms per Deluxe) x (average of 3 guests per room) < the number of fast pass slots available each day.

How much ride capacity is there per hour for the attractions that are fast pass? I think it's thousands per hour. There is just no way that a Deluxe Resorts Advance Fast Pass system would eat up all those spots.

 

[spacemt354]

How would the advance fast pass for Deluxe Resort guests make getting fast passes harder for other people?

People who aren't staying in a Deluxe Resort can get all the fast passes they want the day-of, just as they can now. People staying in Deluxe Resorts who don't take advantage of the concierge service can get fast passes the day-of too, just like everyone else.

You're talking like there are enough people staying in Deluxe Resorts for them to take up EVERY SINGLE FAST PASS SLOT there is in an entire day...and that's just not true.

How many Deluxe Resorts are there? How many rooms in those resorts?

How many fast pass slots are there in a day?

I don't know the exact answer to those three questions, but I would guess it would be something like this:

(number of Deluxe Resorts) x (number of rooms per Deluxe) x (average of 3 guests per room) < the number of fast pass slots available each day.

How much ride capacity is there per hour for the attractions that are fast pass? I think it's thousands per hour. There is just no way that a Deluxe Resorts Advance Fast Pass system would eat up all those spots.

I looked it up. There are 8 total deluxe resorts on property. There are a total of 6,021 deluxe rooms available. Let's just say hypothetically, every room was filled with an average of 3 guests. So 6,021 rooms x 3 guests = 18,063 people potentially staying in deluxe resorts. And in my research, I noticed an interestinng fact. Are you including DVC members in this concierge fastpass package? They pay a pretty penny as well, and a lot of the DVC resorts are connected to deluxe resorts. If you're going to include deluxe resorts, you're going to have to include DVC members as well. How unfair would that be as a DVC member if someone in your own resort is getting advanced fastpasses and you aren't. if you include DVC members, that will significantly increase the total amount of potential guests who can reserve fastpasses ahead of everyone else.

Anyway, I don't know how many fastpasses are distributed per day per ride. I can only speculate on the exact amount. But what I can say is if every one of those 18,063 potential guests got advanced fastpasses, the amount of fastpasses that would be left to the regular folks would be very marginalized. They may or may not be out completely, but regular guests are not going to be able to get fastpasses the way they used to, as you had mentioned they would. Before the park even opens and they step through the gate, fastpasses could be almost out. If everyone of those people reserves two fastpasses for space mountain, just like you had suggested you wanted to, then 36,126 of the available fastpass tickets for space mountain would be gone before any regular folk has a chance to get one. The fastpass machines will most certainly run out much earlier than they do today with your system. So although others are still able to get fastpasses, they don't have as much availablity, and that's not fair when everyone pays the same amount for a park pass.

 

[Patricia Melton]

and that's not fair when everyone pays the same amount for a park pass.

"That's not fair!" is a very Occupy Wall Street rallying cry.

I think the way fast passes are handled now isn't fair. The setup is skewed towards people who are super-aggressive and who spend a lot of time learning how to make best advantage of their time in the park. Not everyone has the luxury of investing that amount of time to game the fast pass system.

Disney needs to do something to take the stress out of the visits to the park -- so that someone like me who is approaching 60 won't have to worry about racing around to get fast passes so my niece and nephew have a good time in the park.

I want to be able to pay a premium price and have the luxury of knowing when exactly I can walk my niece and nephew over to a ride so they can ride it.

And I think that staying in a Deluxe Resort should entitle someone to more help from Disney to ensure a stress-free vacation.

I find it hard to believe that Disney is not already on its way towards implementing a system very much like the one that I'd like to see. I've heard rumors about something like this coming and I am excited for it.

 

[spacemt354]

"That's not fair!" is a very Occupy Wall Street rallying cry.

I think the way fast passes are handled now isn't fair. The setup is skewed towards people who are super-aggressive and who spend a lot of time learning how to make best advantage of their time in the park. Not everyone has the luxury of investing that amount of time to game the fast pass system.

Disney needs to do something to take the stress out of the visits to the park -- so that someone like me who is approaching 60 won't have to worry about racing around to get fast passes so my niece and nephew have a good time in the park.

I want to be able to pay a premium price and have the luxury of knowing when exactly I can walk my niece and nephew over to a ride so they can ride it.

And I think that staying in a Deluxe Resort should entitle someone to more help from Disney to ensure a stress-free vacation.

I find it hard to believe that Disney is not already on its way towards implementing a system very much like the one that I'd like to see. I've heard rumors about something like this coming and I am excited for it.

First off, stop bringing politics into this. You are trying to avoid the topic by pushing it off to something else without really responding to any of the data that I had provided or questions I had asked. And if "that's not fair" is an occupy wall street cry, you just used the same cry yourself, as you claim that the way fastpasses are handled now isn't fair.

And secondly, I don't know how much more fair this current fastpass system can get. For people who put the work in to study and analyze when and where to get fastpasses, those people get rewarded with a less stressful trip. You don't have to be super-agressive at all. Just understand that the most popular rides will run out first, and work your way from there. It takes two seconds to ask a disney representative on the phone about the current fastpass system if you want any more tips then what you find out on your own. Everyone does have the opportunity to ask these questions and study fastpass, but it is on you as an individual if you don't take the time to do so. How is that unfair? It's only unfair to people who expect everything to fall into their lap and everything to come to them, without putting the work in. We are paying the same price of park admission as everyone else, yet we actually take the time to plan ahead, like most guests, and make sure we hit everything we want so there is less stress. And I think just buying your way into extra fastpasses at the expense of others hard work, research, and enjoyment is not the right way to do things.

Also my grandparents are 75, and come down with us all the time. There is no racing around with them because we know from asking questions and doing research, when and where to get fastpasses and to have an overall good time in the parks. But with your system, our habits of enjoyment will now have to change. Fastpasses will run out sooner, and we now have to get to the parks earlier, and race around to make sure we get our fastpasses before they run out. And all this change happened because people want to spend extra money so they don't have to put the time in to ask questions and research walt disney world like we did. They just want stuff to be given to them if they pay an extra price for a resort. If people want that, then so be it. I don't think it's right in this instance however.

Lastly, I know I am not alone in my position. Although I may be one of the more vocal people on here regarding this topic, I know that 92 other people voted with me by saying "No, It's not fair or acceptable" So I stand by my beliefs, knowing that others have the same beliefs as well. Because I enjoy disney world, just as I assume you do. Disney world is my family's favorite place to vacation, and I think the fastpass system we have now is fair and also works. So I am always going to support the notion that everyone with a park pass should have a fair shot at getting fastpasses. And that is the final thing I am going to say.

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

Lifes a then you die, welcome to the real world.

 

[copcarguyp71]

Wow I can imagine that this topic garnered so much controversy (sarcasm)....

I love when someone posts "what ifs?" and people start screaming like it was actually going to happen. If that was true they would rebuild Horizons, re-open WOL, re-vamp Imagination, get rid of MILF, bring back 20,000 leagues (which I would support BTW)..or any number of other weekly reheated topics. These topics are good for venting or ranting and nothing more, TDO is going to do exactly what THEY WANT TO DO...nothing more and nothing less.

 

[JarretttheGuy]

wow, this thread seems to be out of control.

No one seems to have really thought about WHY fast passes exist.

They were created to cut down on line wait times.

They succeeded.

If WDW made the FP an exclusive, they would be undermining the reason they were created in the first place. Fast Pass is open to everyone, so that everyone can have a better experience at the park. Does anyone remember the day when you had to pick between Splash Mountain and BTRR during the summer because the queue was 3+hours. I do. Since FP, I haven't seen a line that long. (except TSMM)

You can talk about egalitarianism and fairness, but Disney Parks has always been a business. One created for families to enjoy. But also to make money. Money wasn't the driving factor in creating the parks, which is why they are so excellent, but is a necessity to keep the going and improving.

As for fairness, I believe that Disney offers a wide range of options for all income levels. If you are on the low end, you can have a great wonderful time. If you are in the middle, you can have a great wonderful time. If you are on the top, you can have a great wonderful time.

Now are these experiences different?

Absolutely.

But, is the lowest end less enjoyable than the highest?

I would say no.They are just differently enjoyable. And there is nothing wrong with that.

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

wow , just wow

 

[JohnLocke]

I don't think it is necessarily the worst idea to add a bit to FP for resort guests, though I would not take it away for free for everyone. Paying to stay on Disney property, no matter what level, offers you certain perks. The Deluxe guests get premium location to the parks and extremely nice lodging, the moderates get a nice level between Deluxe and Value, and the Value guests get transportation and the use of EMH that the other resort guests get.

I think an interesting idea would be to give resort guests a few more FPs than normal guests get. This could be done one of 2 ways, either by letting them have multiple FPs at the same time or setting the best case scenario at a certain number in a day, 12 or so feels right, and giving them extra by level. In this scenario, I'd say Deluxe get 4 extra, Moderates 3, and Values 2. I saw some bring up AP holders, I think they should be treated as Moderates and still get the additional passes depending on the result they may stay in.

 

[jlsHouston]

No matter what category of resort you stay in at WDW you should have the same option to the fastpass system as all other paying guests into the parks! Wait I just thought of something and I don't know the answer to this but can you get fastpass access if you are staying off property ?

 

[spacemt354]

No matter what category of resort you stay in at WDW you should have the same option to the fastpass system as all other paying guests into the parks! Wait I just thought of something and I don't know the answer to this but can you get fastpass access if you are staying off property ?

Yes you can. Fastpasses are available to everyone who has a park pass, regardless of where you are staying.

 

[jlsHouston]

Yes you can. Fastpasses are available to everyone who has a park pass, regardless of where you are staying.

well that is the way I think it should be, we always stay on property but if you have a park pass you should have access to the fastpass system

 

[jlsHouston]

I don't think it is necessarily the worst idea to add a bit to FP for resort guests, though I would not take it away for free for everyone. Paying to stay on Disney property, no matter what level, offers you certain perks. The Deluxe guests get premium location to the parks and extremely nice lodging, the moderates get a nice level between Deluxe and Value, and the Value guests get transportation and the use of EMH that the other resort guests get.

I think an interesting idea would be to give resort guests a few more FPs than normal guests get. This could be done one of 2 ways, either by letting them have multiple FPs at the same time or setting the best case scenario at a certain number in a day, 12 or so feels right, and giving them extra by level. In this scenario, I'd say Deluxe get 4 extra, Moderates 3, and Values 2. I saw some bring up AP holders, I think they should be treated as Moderates and still get the additional passes depending on the result they may stay in.

well I kind of like this idea... not sure how it would work with the times since I believe the current system slots times for your return based on some kind of body count...wouldn't want to see the fastpass system slow down because of too many people getting fastpasses and using them at peak times.

 

[JohnLocke]

well I kind of like this idea... not sure how it would work with the times since I believe the current system slots times for your return based on some kind of body count...wouldn't want to see the fastpass system slow down because of too many people getting fastpasses and using them at peak times.

Let me try to flesh it out a bit. The more I think of my quick idea, option two, with a twist or more explanation, is the best. This option keeps the current FP system in place, as is, with the added bonus of giving resort guests "line cuts." The "line cut" works like this: Depending on level, guests either get 2, 3, or 4 of them to do what they wish. You're only guaranteed the time on the system when getting the FP, but you're able to break the 1 hour hold either 2, 3, or 4 times.

In this scenario, a group of 4 would be able to split in 2 and one half get FPs for TSMM while the other got RnR and meet up to join ToT while waiting out their time. These cuts work much like a Snack Credit on the DDP, after using one break, it simply takes away 1 from whatever your daily allotment is, if you're really excited about a certain ride you can use all of your cuts at one time or try to space them throughout the day. This takes nothing away from the current system other than letting people take a few more FPs at a time, the ride schedule still increases as the system judges bodies, so your ride time isn't really guaranteed to be close with the second FP from another ride.

AP holders should get moderate level plus those at the resort they stay, should they stay on Disney property. Florida pass holders get Value level.

 

[jlsHouston]

Let me try to flesh it out a bit. The more I think of my quick idea, option two, with a twist or more explanation, is the best. This option keeps the current FP system in place, as is, with the added bonus of giving resort guests "line cuts." The "line cut" works like this: Depending on level, guests either get 2, 3, or 4 of them to do what they wish. You're only guaranteed the time on the system when getting the FP, but you're able to break the 1 hour hold either 2, 3, or 4 times.

In this scenario, a group of 4 would be able to split in 2 and one half get FPs for TSMM while the other got RnR and meet up to join ToT while waiting out their time. These cuts work much like a Snack Credit on the DDP, after using one break, it simply takes away 1 from whatever your daily allotment is, if you're really excited about a certain ride you can use all of your cuts at one time or try to space them throughout the day. This takes nothing away from the current system other than letting people take a few more FPs at a time, the ride schedule still increases as the system judges bodies, so your ride time isn't really guaranteed to be close with the second FP from another ride.

AP holders should get moderate level plus those at the resort they stay, should they stay on Disney property. Florida pass holders get Value level.

I think this idea has merit, I noticed last visit in April they were tough about enforcing the fastpass time you returned compared to July 2011 during our first visit and I also noticed that they ran out of fastpasses quickly for rides that are really popular so I would hate to see changes to the current system that actually ended up taking away available fastpasses for all. But I do like the idea of a bonus system of fastpasses for staying on property. Mainly I think that they need to make sure everyone has a shot at fastpass for some of the more popular rides, it should be fair inasmuch everyone has an opportunity to cut wait times for a few of the more popular rides, and I think a bonus system for staying on property would be a nice benefit.

 

[JohnLocke]

I think this idea has merit, I noticed last visit in April they were tough about enforcing the fastpass time you returned compared to July 2011 during our first visit and I also noticed that they ran out of fastpasses quickly for rides that are really popular so I would hate to see changes to the current system that actually ended up taking away available fastpasses for all. But I do like the idea of a bonus system of fastpasses for staying on property. Mainly I think that they need to make sure everyone has a shot at fastpass for some of the more popular rides, it should be fair inasmuch everyone has an opportunity to cut wait times for a few of the more popular rides, and I think a bonus system for staying on property would be a nice benefit.

Oh definitely, that's my thought behind the quota and how those add into the system. It's still a first come first serve system for all, mine just has resort guests being able to get an additional FP or two when they pick up their initial one. If they're a late comer to the parks, they'll still have to take the chance of not getting a TSMM or other popular ride FP, though.

 

[Magikal]

Personally, I would not have a problem with Disney offering an express pass sort of thing to deluxe resort guests and maybe more limited express type passes for moderate and value resort guests. I think the issue for Disney would be pulling the free FPs. As long as all guests can still get the free FPs I don't think it will be such a big deal.
We stay at Hard Rock every time we go to Universal because we love that hotel and we love the Express Pass

We usually stay mod unless we find a good deal in a deluxe, and for five of us to stay at a mod it's significantly more than a value. I think $340/night is worthy to be put in the same category as the deluxe as far as any hypothetical FP perks would go. IMHO, the mods are significantly more than $69-$89/night as are the value resorts.

 

[crystal1273]

Just return from a day in disney, after a week's cruise and was not aware of the changes to fastpasses being enforced with time slot. However when we explain this to a cast member they allowed my family to ride space mountain 3 hours passed the end time, granted it was raining on an off all day. Being advent disney fans over the last 20 years always felt like the fastpass system was unfair to those on property, and that their was ways to cheat the system. We usually stay at the Wilderness Lodge as that is just our favorite hotel, and have always thought that Disney needs a better system for their resort guests to enjoy all the rides especially during high peak seasons as fast passes go early and even though we early morning hours or late hours are in effect the times tend to be difficult. For example if a park opens at 8am you have to be in the park by 7am to get the benefits or even better for the later park closes at midnight you can stay awake till 3am. Now I dont know about anyone else but this is a vacation and 3am is just to late and unfair to those on property. So I do think those on property should be entitled to a certain amount of fast passes more than those not on property to use at times that are good for them.

 

[FettFan]

No. Times like these, WDO needs to ask themselves "What Would Walt Do?"

I think he would be okay with Fastpass as is....open to everyone, but limited to one fastpass at a time.

 

[tracyandalex]

I am wondering if TDO will have to add some sort of additional incentive to those staying on property now that EMH are being cut. While I certainly do not no all the ins and outs of any proposed rework to the FP system I think that is a relatively cheap perk that could be added for resort guests. Resort guests might be able to have more than one FP at a time, something like that.