FastPass+ Most Certainly Not Coming Back As It Was

[ImperfectPixie]

I have NO IDEA if this is true, so please take the following with great skepticism:

Not quite FP news, and not me, but someone in another thread just shared that they were able to pre-book Rise as part of booking the VIP tour, and according to them, that was not previously possible. According to them, this was just new as of today.

Anyone in this forum have a VIP tour booked?

There's another thread discussing that. RotR boarding group just became part of the VIP tours.

 

[flynnibus]

I have NO IDEA if this is true, so please take the following with great skepticism:

Not quite FP news, and not me, but someone in another thread just shared that they were able to pre-book Rise as part of booking the VIP tour, and according to them, that was not previously possible. According to them, this was just new as of today.

Yes this was covered previously - it's a change that VIP now can bypass the boarding group process.

 

[Florida Man]

I have NO IDEA if this is true, so please take the following with great skepticism:

Not quite FP news, and not me, but someone in another thread just shared that they were able to pre-book Rise as part of booking the VIP tour, and according to them, that was not previously possible. According to them, this was just new as of today.

Anyone in this forum have a VIP tour booked?

True

 

[ImperfectPixie]

Yes, these ratios are common. You just don't notice it in the size of the groups you see. When they let 3 groups go and one standby group... thats 75:25...

How continuous this is visible depends on when returners get in line. But the FP availability is based on how much of the ride capacity they intend to give away to FP.

It's quite genius, really. Not enough capacity in the parks...implement a shorter-wait system and feed 80% of those riders as opposed to 20% standby. Standby becomes so miserable that every guest wants to avoid it at all costs. Hold back some capacity by not running 2nd or 3rd tracks on some rides...standby looks even worse, and even FP waits are getting to be a little lengthy. Let this go for a few years until people are starving for a better system...and charge them for it.

 

[Waters Back Side]

With FP+, sure they “gave” you 3 FPs but (in my experience) many times only 1 was really necessary - the other two you had to choose from were for attractions where FP wasn’t really necessary. I remember not using them many times because the standby line was less than 10 min. So I’d rather see it go back to the old FP system or $ per attraction so I can get FPs for the rides I choose as I need them.

That depends on the crowd levels. On spring break we would use our 3 MK FPs and check out Small World or Jungle Cruise and the waits were an hour. And sometimes we woild wait like everyone else. Knocking off 3 quickly made it very tolerable to wait on lines after. Staring at my phone while in the parks for a 4th FP was never anything I had any interest in.

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

Which was 'why they exist at every major theme park' -- The systems exist because the companies saw they could sell that kind of access for a huge premium. Not because someone paying for shorter lines is what people wanted.

Um, my WDW memories date back to the 1970's.

I distinctly recall having that very conversation - back then!

Long before FP, almost to start of WDW, my family fantasized about some kind of FP/way to make waits shorter. We very much talked about WDW creating golden tickets of some kind that would = shorter waits.

I don't think we were alone. I'm willing to bet, wealthy Romans entering the Colosseum had some sort of fastpass/VIP entrance, while the masses waited in lines. As long as people have waited in lines, people have fantasized about ways to pay to make the wait shorter.

 

[kong1802]

…oh that one hit home

I’ll miss that place

 

[hopemax]

Um, actually yes. There are often empty seats on rides.

One means to fill them is called "single rider." In the before times, instead of letting a seat go empty, I happily sat next to strangers. I mean, all of us pretty much do that all day at WDW anyhow, so why not? I don't care about the picture. I can take a picture just before/after the ride if I'm so inclined.

I always saw SR as me doing everyone else a small favor, because it makes the line shorter for everyone. It is a bit like that old game Tetris. Efficiency is awesome! And I've met some really cool people via riding solo. The last time I rode TT SR, I met a senior-aged couple that were first time riders! I was able to answer their questions, ease their concerns a little. they shared their enthusiasm with me! Very sweet people! Seeing the ride through their eyes gave me a fresh perspective. I very much hope when I get to be their age, that I am equally adventurous!

As for going to WDW with younger family: if we were eligible to use SR, we did. Everyone in SR just has to be 7 or older and comfortable with splitting up. (If we had children under 7 (or not comfortable riding solo), then we split up or stuck with only FP/rider swap.)

To answer your later question, yes, if everyone did SR, the wait would be just as long as standby. If/when that happened, we adjusted, but that wasn't very often.

If many folks don't understand FP, even fewer understand what single rider is. Yes, it is kind of magical. Knowledge is magical. I hope that's why we all participate in this forum, to learn from each other. Though some days, I have my doubts.

Now you're just being disingenuous by bringing single rider into to a discussion about Fastpass. How does Fastpass solve a problem of needing a single person, when often Faspass delivers parties of 2, 3, 4, 5 people to the front of the queue not one? You can't solve that problem via Fastpass. Nor are most of the people who want Fastpass believe they are solving by asking for it. They want to ride with their spouse, kids, grandparents, etc. Not fill a single empty seat.

But let's roll with it. If we were talking about making the actual single rider queue virtual. You could sign up for one 60 days in advance, to enter in a specific window, but with the same caveat as now, your wait time is not guaranteed and is dependent on the frequency of an empty spot being available and if the queue CMs are on point and there are long pauses between needing them, you might find yourself waiting longer than just going through standby. I'm fine with that. It would be in response to the situation in Standby, and doesn't make the situation worse. It fulfils a specific need.

If Disney were capping the number of line-skips to the number of empty seats that go out, and making sure they are now full that would be one thing. But the size of the Fastpass bucket is way larger than that, and filled with parties who can't possibly solve the problem of an empty seat. Which is why I used the term disingenuous. I don't expect the people who want Fastpass will accept this as a solution. They want their seat without restrictions or waits, and so I still ask where does it come that seat come from when the seats are demonstrably full without them.

 

[Bairstow]

What’s the cover charge then?

Maybe $4 less than it is today
That way Disney could legally transition all future ticket sales to a pay-per ride model.

If there are no Fastpass queues for something like Tower of Terror, but every ride costs $15, the queues should be much more manageable and everyone would be on the same footing. You wouldn't have the problem we allegedly had in the FP+ days where people were reserving FP times for something like Spaceship Earth when they wouldn't have been riding anyway.

 

[matt9112]

Wait...wait...you mean there could be more than one Rapunzel in the Princess Storybook Hall!?!!??!?

Could be 6 more if it wad built right.

 

[matt9112]

It's quite genius, really. Not enough capacity in the parks...implement a shorter-wait system and feed 80% of those riders as opposed to 20% standby. Standby becomes so miserable that every guest wants to avoid it at all costs. Hold back some capacity by not running 2nd or 3rd tracks on some rides...standby looks even worse, and even FP waits are getting to be a little lengthy. Let this go for a few years until people are starving for a better system...and charge them for it.

It is utterly disgraceful that they staff a "mininum" for projected demand. When the park opens big thunder should be working both sides...thats what it is. It should be a fixed cost. But god forbid some people dont wait in line.

 

[Waters Back Side]

Maybe $4 less than it is today
That way Disney could legally transition all future ticket sales to a pay-per ride model.

If there are no Fastpass queues for something like Tower of Terror, but every ride costs $15, the queues should be much more manageable and everyone would be on the same footing. You wouldn't have the problem we allegedly had in the FP+ days where people were reserving FP times for something like Spaceship Earth when they wouldn't have been riding anyway.

Think about what a family of 4 would have to pay for 5 days at that price. That would mean 1 ride a day is $60. For 5 days or would cost $300 extra dollars for 5 total rides, 1 a day.

I am a pay for what you get person. I have no problem paying for value. Value is not paying for less then what I got for free. If you want to sell me a package of 5 rides a day with 2 if them being super headliners (tier 1) I would pay for it.

I never abused the system and ruined it for everyone else by trying for extra FPs. So if I'm going to be forced to pay to walk on some rides it has to be an appealing package. Not per ride for a family of 5. That's price out money.

I think people are really not considering how drastic the cost would be for a large family in a pay per ride system.

 

[ImperfectPixie]

It is utterly disgraceful that they staff a "mininum" for projected demand. When the park opens big thunder should be working both sides...thats what it is. It should be a fixed cost. But god forbid some people dont wait in line.

Oh, I'm right there with you. When I said "genius", I meant "evil genius".

 

[Bairstow]

Think about what a family of 4 would have to pay for 5 days at that price. That would mean 1 ride a day is $60. For 5 days or would cost $300 extra dollars for 5 total rides, 1 a day.

I am a pay for what you get person. I have no problem paying for value. Value is not paying for less then what I got for free. If you want to sell me a package of 5 rides a day with 2 if them being super headliners (tier 1) I would pay for it.

I never abused the system and ruined it for everyone else by trying for extra FPs. So if I'm going to be forced to pay to walk on some rides it has to be an appealing package. Not per ride for a family of 5. That's price out money.

I think people are really not considering how drastic the cost would be for a large family in a pay per ride system.

Disney wouldn't fix the ride prices so high at first, though, and not every ride would be so expensive. Something like Dumbo might only be $8 a person.

Most Disney guests are so addicted that they would still pay it.

 

[Waters Back Side]

Disney wouldn't fix the ride prices so high at first, though, and not every ride would be so expensive. Something like Dumbo might only be $8 a person.

Most Disney guests are so addicted that they would still pay it.

This is a mindset that people need to stop having because its false. They would pay for value. Not just throw Disney money for a perk they once received free.

I would pay $1000 to have unlimited front line access for me, my wife and 3 kids. Any and all rides any time of day for a week. To me that's value.

Otherwise I'd be content with the 3 free and be happy to wait like the rest after that. To me it's an all or nothing. Pay per ride is disastrous for WDW with big families who go for more then a few nights.

 

[CuteAsMinnie]

It's quite genius, really. Not enough capacity in the parks...implement a shorter-wait system and feed 80% of those riders as opposed to 20% standby. Standby becomes so miserable that every guest wants to avoid it at all costs. Hold back some capacity by not running 2nd or 3rd tracks on some rides...standby looks even worse, and even FP waits are getting to be a little lengthy. Let this go for a few years until people are starving for a better system...and charge them for it.

That’s the plan. And that’s after your fam of 4 just paid near $500 just to walk thru the turnstyle.

 

[Bairstow]

Pay per ride is disastrous for WDW with big families who go for more then a few nights.

But that would be amazing for Disney.

 

[Waters Back Side]

But that would be amazing for Disney.

Not when large families stop filling their hotel rooms.

 

[Jrb1979]

Not when large families stop filling their hotel rooms.

If a paid system does come doesn't mean you have to buy it.

 

[networkpro]

Because people pay for things doesn’t necessarily equate to “value”

Also: the “free market” is never free and never will be…ask Disney

Free market in that there are not government imposed set prices for items in the economy, not comrade Xi saying all worthy citizens (of sufficient social credit standing) will pay X to be in his parks . BTW Winnie the Pooh is persona non grata due to his unfortunate resemblance to a certain head of state.