FastPass+ Most Certainly Not Coming Back As It Was

[Chip Chipperson]

it’s financially straightforward for Disney to see which attractions are worth keeping/updating/replacing.

That should be obvious to them already, though. They don't need paid FastPass to tell them that people like Expedition Everest, Tower of Terror, 7DMT, Big Thunder, Space Mountain, etc. They're also well aware that there aren't that many fans of Carousel of Progress aside from those who like it for the nostalgia. They didn't shutter Stitch's Great Escape because they got great feedback on it or because it was drawing huge crowds.

Also, the flip side to the "updating" argument is that popular rides might be less likely to be closed for even a week to receive minor refurbishments since they are then not only dealing with the expenditure of the refurb, but adding a loss of daily FP revenue to the equation.

 

[RSoxNo1]

Publicly known? It wasn’t that hard to figure out honestly, but I never saw any info about it online, or a list of “drop times” for various attractions, etc.

I believe there was a thread on here, and there definitely was a thread on Touring Plans.

I took a screen shot on my phone. The gist was as follows:

Flight of Passage: 11:01 AM, 1:01 PM, 3:01 PM, 5:01 PM
Toy Story Land: 9:31 AM, 12:01 PM, 2:31 PM, 5:01 PM
Test Track and Soarin': 11:30 AM, 1:30 PM, 3:30 PM

 

[flynnibus]

Exactly. Not much difference in price from a 5 day and 10 day. Also, why would Disney want to find 2 families to stay in one room as opposed to finding 1 with a longer stay and not have to clean it.

Did you notice your hotel room doesn't get cheaper the longer you stay? The ticket discounting is the lure... the hotel, food&beverage is the lioness hiding and ready to take you down.

Housekeeping costs aren't even a factor here... That's something they do in volume all the time anyway. That would be chasing pennies while dollars fly over your head.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

That really is gonna cut into that $320 market cap, ain’t it?

we’re not gonna do the “poor whittle conglomerate” routine, are we?

how bout dem airlines? $50 bil in cash…no strings attached…when they weren’t flying…now they’re begging for cash because they can’t manage to fly.

“free market”…my butt

It doesn't strike me as a "bailout" when the businesses were forced to shut down. They didn't fail from poor decision making, governments of the world literally made it illegal for them to remain open.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

For decades now, I've argued that I get good value from my WDW vacations. (We do a lot of tricks to achieve that - DVC, APs, FPs etc.) My argument was centered around the fact that while a WDW vacation is pricey, you get a lot for that money. For example, with some smart strategies and planning I could do every attraction in all 4 parks (or at least all the ones I really wanted to do). However I had to concede that higher prices, shorter hours and more ticketed events has hurt that value in recent years.

One of the reasons I enjoyed my Disneyland visits so much was the freedom to ride more rides. If I walked into the park within an hour of opening I could get a fastpass for any attraction I wanted later in the day and jump on several attractions with minnimul wait. I also had the option of staying late (11 pm or 12 am) and riding attractions with minnimul wait.

Not because I paid extra money for “after hours” - not because I was staying at a Disney hotel - because I bought a ticket to enter Disneyland that day!

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

What if when I get it to the park and don't feel like doing A B and C but want to do X Y and Z instead.

That’s not permitted…

because one federally subsidized, minimum wage college program worker at ABC might be wasted that hour.

(I’ll let you decide just how much I’m joking about this )

 

[jpinkc]

I have never felt the need for a car at WDW. I know people who do drive down and I am in Missouri but we always have flown. Did drive down once and that was a miserable slog. Spur of the moment trip to celebrate the 1st pregnancy. But we drove down and dropped off car at the rental place and took a cab to the resort and flew home.

 

[Parker in NYC]

It doesn't strike me as a "bailout" when the businesses were forced to shut down. They didn't fail from poor decision making, governments of the world literally made it illegal for them to remain open.

Too bad. That’s the risk you take in business.

 

[Mark48]

If anyone believes that the price of an admission ticket will be lowered when the new pass system is started
I would ask you to cite ANY price rollback done in the past by the mouse. This all boils down to simple
economics . They want to make more money. Thats it.

 

[Disney Analyst]

Whatever they plan for WDW will likely be working seamlessly with that new Genie thing they are developing.

 

[aaronml]

I believe there was a thread on here, and there definitely was a thread on Touring Plans.

I took a screen shot on my phone. The gist was as follows:

Flight of Passage: 11:01 AM, 1:01 PM, 3:01 PM, 5:01 PM
Toy Story Land: 9:31 AM, 12:01 PM, 2:31 PM, 5:01 PM
Test Track and Soarin': 11:30 AM, 1:30 PM, 3:30 PM

Heh yeah, that lines up with what I had for the most part. Good to know that other folks figured that out

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

It doesn't strike me as a "bailout" when the businesses were forced to shut down. They didn't fail from poor decision making, governments of the world literally made it illegal for them to remain open.

The strain did that - actually - and Mother Nature would have taken out many of the less intelligent humans if they didn’t believe it.

so really…the Government kinda ran a “reverse Jurassic park”

point is. You give the airlines a war chest…they should reserve its. Not act like a kid with an allowance that spent too much on candy and baseball cards.

but “free market” and all

 

[mattpeto]

That ticket pricing is based on the old model. I expect it will change to accommodate the new model if needed.

The old model was very much based on the research that folks take vacations in 1 week increments, have a set budget, and Disney wants to capture that entire budget and weeklong vacation. That old model was also about trying to fill the parks and spark demand. Under that model, Disney captured you at MCO, brought you to their property, and kept you there. Ticket prices incentivized you to stay. Free transportation made it hard to leave. And perks made you want to stay onsite.

Now, Disney has a demand problem -- too many people want to come there and they can't accommodate everyone who wants to come. Instead of increasing capacity, they are trying to find ways to maximize revenue based on the capacity they have. We have seen them take many steps to do this, all of which are moving away from the old model. First, no more MDE. Second, a token EMH benefit for all, but really, mainly for deluxe guests. Third, pay to play FP. Fourth, more after hours events -- essentially double selling the parks. Didn't have a magical time? Then you should have spent more. Don't come back unless you are willing to pony-up, because there are a thousand people ready to take your spot.

And this is no secret, Chapek has said all this to wall street. They have unprecedented demand. APs are undesirables. They are looking to increase per guest spending.

I guess we will see.

It's more important for them to fill up guests rooms, then it is the parks.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Whatever they plan for WDW will likely be working seamlessly with that new Genie thing they are developing.

What IT at disney has ever worked “seamlessly”?

 

[aaronml]

My understanding was that it was to guard against ride breakdowns on FP rides flooding the other FP rides for make-good FPs.

Are you referring to why they didn’t do this for MK? Wouldn’t that have been an issue for the other 3 parks also?

 

[Disney Analyst]

What IT at disney has ever worked “seamlessly”?

My point is - I believe whatever they come up with for WDW will be integrated with Genie. Which makes me think it’ll certainly be different then what Paris is getting, based on how they’ve described the genie app.

 

[Chip Chipperson]

What if when I get it to the park and don't feel like doing A B and C but want to do X Y and Z instead.

I would bet that most people booking their FP+ selections in advance know which rides are their "must do" rides and which ones aren't.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Who’s bankrolling the vloggers in this brave new world? You’re going to see more allegiance than ever — in order to survive.

I don’t want anyone to do poorly but I can’t help but think lifestyle vloggers and tiktokers contributed to this crossroads, greatly. Especially those who say that everything at Disney is fabulous. Kids aren’t the only ones watching them. What’s an extra $300 per person per day when we live in the FOMO era. What’s an extra $500? Oh, and club level is a must to have that perfect experience. Here are all the things you need (and money to spend) to do to make your trip perfect. Disney sitting back saying… do your thing, we’ll just accommodate quietly in the background.

Who’s the cheapest divorce lawyer in orlando?

i think I know a couple that may need them soon

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

My point is - I believe whatever they come up with for WDW will be integrated with Genie. Which makes me think it’ll certainly be different then what Paris is getting, based on how they’ve described the genie app.

I thought they had scrapped that idea awhile ago?

but who knows

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Sounds like it would ruin WDW. You're already paying $110+ for a park ticket and you know people will buy this pass. I just hope Japan won't implement this... just sad really. As it stands, I hated having to plan my entire trip months before I even go. In August 2020, that was the first time in years I could go with minimal reservations. I only had dinner reservations and the rest was sort of winging it. All I can say is that if this is a new thing for the American parks, I may start making Tokyo Disney my home resort.

How is it that Japan is like $80 a ticket to Disney but the American parks are over $100 and just keep adding some questionable changes?

OLC is more a fan of their parks than TWDC is of theirs.

one treats them like a prized thoroughbred. The other an old donkey that sleeps all day