FastPass+ Most Certainly Not Coming Back As It Was

[EeyoreFan#24]

Yeah you can play the Disney Parks App Games. Yeah just what I want to stare at my phone at WDW! WRONG!!!!!!

Yah right…I’d rather just go eat lunch in one of their overpriced buffets. That’ll show them whose in charge.

 

[Waters Back Side]

No, they will announce it, then there will be a gap of a few weeks while cast are trained on it. All of this will take place prior to the date it goes live.

The entire point of this system (aside from generating money) is to make things more flexible. Nobody "needs" to spend a lot of money to skip some lines. The default is people wait in the regular line. If there's a few attractions you want to see again or skip the queue for, you can pay to do so. Don't need a big lead time to set that up. They did it in Paris in a matter of weeks.

Again though, not to sound like a broken record, but the default of waiting on a regular line will still be a problem for the busier weeks when families of 3, 4 and 5 guests go to WDW. Most of the calendar year, a default standby free option will not drastically affect peoples satisfaction negatively. Im inclined to agree on that. But in the summer months, Christmas/New Years, and Spring Break the lines will be entirely too long for the typical larger family to enjoy if they have to pay to go on rides quickly or wait.

If it was easy for me to pack my car and drive my wife and 3 kids the 2nd week of September to Disney I'd agree. But not when the vast majority of large families travel to Disney.

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

I’m not saying that was the only reason but when they take away all these perks that were free pre Covid then your value is less. That’s can’t be argued.

for Eg., I’m assuming you rather free magic band than paying for it? Free parking vs paying for it? Free transportation from the airport instead of paying for it? Free fast passes vs paying for them? Extra hours in the parks vs not having them?

get it?

Dude, you asked why people would pay to stay on property despite a reduction in perks offered.

I answered with examples of why people would do so, regardless of the amount of extras included.

For some reason you're arguing that the value of staying on property has gone done, something no one is disputing.

Some people like to stay on property regardless of any "extras" included.

 

[flynnibus]

There is no appeal to wait to be called back to a stand by line and wait.

I find sitting on a bench and enjoying food or scenery a heck of a lot more appealing then standing in switchbacks or in extended queues.

 

[flynnibus]

In practice, this is going to be really tough to pull off for the more popular attractions. You will have to give people really tight return windows and stick to them otherwise the system will quickly fall apart assuming demand remains consistent throughout the day.

There is no need for precision. The whole model is simply a model to defer demand peaks to later where the demand can be managed.

When the line hits your maximum... you simply start stretching return times out to manage the incoming amount of people to the standby line. There is no promise of a specific amount of wait, nor is there really a specific commitment from the guest to return (tho the action could be blocking).

If the standby line is turning through 800 people an hour, they simply forecast how many people they want to enter the line per hour to be under 800 to try to keep the line from growing obscenely. The model can be loose because there is no hard commitment on keeping the line at the maximum... it's just a soft limit.

 

[DisneyDodo]

You can wait in line at the time you arrive and do other things after or you can wait in line later when called back in the queue and do things before. Not sure what the difference is. There is no appeal to wait to be called back to a stand by line and wait.

Without this system, you could not do the former option. You would be physically waiting in line the entire time, it would just be longer.

 

[nickys]

What happens if the standby return line becomes too long? Can you get in line for that line?

Not if it works the same as in DLP. You wait until you see Standby Return being offered again for that ride.

 

[nickys]

Sounds like being told to wait two hours to get into a two hour line…yikes.

The idea is they give return times such that you then only wait 30 minutes, for example.

 

[nickys]

There is no need for precision. The whole model is simply a model to defer demand peaks to later where the demand can be managed.

When the line hits your maximum... you simply start stretching return times out to manage the incoming amount of people to the standby line. There is no promise of a specific amount of wait, nor is there really a specific commitment from the guest to return (tho the action could be blocking).

If the standby line is turning through 800 people an hour, they simply forecast how many people they want to enter the line per hour to be under 800 to try to keep the line from growing obscenely. The model can be loose because there is no hard commitment on keeping the line at the maximum... it's just a soft limit.

At DLP it seems the stand-by return is switched off for times. Presumably they offer return times for a certain number of people and then stop. Once the physical line goes back down below the threshold, they can re-open the physical line and then switch the stand-by return back on.

 

[nickys]

The other thing nobody is talking about is with the rumoured multiple options and how they work, how can it be that not a single rep when you call WDW really know nothing at this point? If its true and If they are informed a day or two before WDWs decision goes public, how do they handle all the push back, or even peoples questions and concerns when it comes time to answer questions amd explain it to them how each option works, what it entails etc?

You answered your own question. This latest hypothetical system is just rumoured right now. It combines much of the DLP system with the instant access option.

Why would the CMs be expected to answer questions about a rumoured system?

Once the system is finalised, the CMs will get some information.

 

[Waters Back Side]

CM's are going to get calls the minute the system is announced. And when guests hear that it will involve them opening their wallets they will want answers on the spot. You think guests with a trip a month or a couple months out will be happy with the answer " we do not have all the details yet, or we cannot answer that specific question until we have more info". The time they are being trained and given the information os the time they will have to in parallel explain how it works to some people.
A lot of us on the forum have a pretty good understanding but we are in the minority.

The options rumored earlier in the podcast potentially are very good mechanisms for controlling lines. The standby queue is not a bad idea because it ensures you will not have to wait as long as the traditional stand by lines. The other options like the actual DPA and lightning pass options are good options for a guest to have as long as resort guests have some free line skips thrown their way. It sounds like going from one extreme to the other, but my mindset is this entire new system and the options are bad if FP+ is paid only but good if there is a free option that does not impact the availability of the bigger attractions people usually booked in advance. The free factor is the deal breaker for me.

 

[Jeff4272]

They're not the same. As an example, if a ride would have a 120 min. wait with standby-only, and they implement Standby Pass with a max wait time of 60 min, you would only stand in line for 60 min., giving you an extra 60 minutes to do other things vs spending all 120 min. in a standby-only line.

It’s still a line to stand in line no matter how many times you try to say it differently

 

[G00fyDad]

CM's are going to get calls the minute the system is announced. And when guests hear that it will involve them opening their wallets they will want answers on the spot. You think guests with a trip a month or a couple months out will be happy with the answer " we do not have all the details yet, or we cannot answer that specific question until we have more info". The time they are being trained and given the information os the time they will have to in parallel explain how it works to some people.
A lot of us on the forum have a pretty good understanding but we are in the minority.

The options rumored earlier in the podcast potentially are very good mechanisms for controlling lines. The standby queue is not a bad idea because it ensures you will not have to wait as long as the traditional stand by lines. The other options like the actual DPA and lightning pass options are good options for a guest to have as long as resort guests have some free line skips thrown their way. It sounds like going from one extreme to the other, but my mindset is this entire new system and the options are bad if FP+ is paid only but good if there is a free option that does not impact the availability of the bigger attractions people usually booked in advance. The free factor is the deal breaker for me.

It's kind of funny that you actually think Disney cares what guests will have to say about it. They don't care how we feel about anything. They haven't for a while.

 

[Jeff4272]

Dude, you asked why people would pay to stay on property despite a reduction in perks offered.

I answered with examples of why people would do so, regardless of the amount of extras included.

For some reason you're arguing that the value of staying on property has gone done, something no one is disputing.

Some people like to stay on property regardless of any "extras" included.

Unless they don’t have beds included.

 

[Jeff4272]

The idea is they give return times such that you then only wait 30 minutes, for example.

So for eg. SDMT has 120 minutes at open. They tell you to come back for your standby time at noon. In the meantime you can enjoy tiki room and Tom Sawyer island?

 

[lewisc]

Currently, almost every ride almost every day. you can join the line a few minutes before closing and wait. The system at DLP makes it easier to stop that pra ticr

 

[Waters Back Side]

It's kind of funny that you actually think Disney cares what guests will have to say about it. They don't care how we feel about anything. They haven't for a while.

I know they do not care. But that does not take away from the fact they still have to deal with it. Just like when I was oncr comped a free 2 nighter at a deluxe because I complained about an issue I had in a previous trip that was actually not that big of a deal (even though I did not let them know that part, I made it as if it was a big deal). It was not their decision. They got the okay to comp me from higher ups. They could not care less either way.


My point was not whether they care. My point was a lot of people will have planned trips in the near future to Disney with a lot of unanswered questions which is bad for both the consumer and the business.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

My guess is that it wouldn't actually matter all that much when you book the FPs because I wouldn't anticipate availability being much of a concern here. These FPs should be priced such that demand rarely every exceeds supply (otherwise Disney would be leaving money on the table). If that't true, you'd be able to hop over to the park at any time and grab a FP for whichever attraction with a window in the not-too-distant future.

Why would they let people “preload” fast passes all over the place. That was their problem in the first place. Even if the price keeps sales down…you could still wreck the crowd flow.

I'm not sure you'll be able to book FPs in advance. I think it would make more sense for Disney to only sell them day of to people who are already in the park. It could become a customer service issue if they presell them and then plans change -- not that Disney would have to give refunds, but I imagine they'd rather avoid the headache of a ton of people calling about wanting to change the FPs they bought two months ago.

Are you allowed to purchase them in advance with the current Paris system?

Should be in park…always should have been

$50 for immediate boarding at RotR sounds low.

JHC…has no one ridden this thing at this point?

ALOT of people woukd never do that. This biard specifically is full of people that will never visit universal and dosen't give them the time of day. Disney is counting on those die hards.

100%…the “void fillers”…
But even with Disney’s near limitless brand draw…this really could sheer a large amount of their demand off in a rather short time
and I NEVER say that lightly.

not only that…these parks are big. Just simply saying “I’ll do double to get them back” is on the 4th dimension where time, distance and space are no longer valid.

The Disney Dish episode that came out yesterday explains the new fastpass coming to Disneyworld in detail by Jim Hill and Len Testa. Give it a listen.

Len is fine…hard to trust the other guy

Entirely hypothetical. I could be wrong.

I appreciate you being upfront about that…as always

ROTR will be a nightmare if we have to pay. This is just getting worse the longer I look and listen. Maybe we should cancel our Nov trip.

See above

I absolutely despise the current boarding group system. I think it's unfair and silly.

It’s ridiculous…because they spent 5 years redoing a park and had little to show for it as far as capacity after. Tremendous mistake.

 

[G00fyDad]

I know they do not care. But that does not take away from the fact they still have to deal with it. Just like when I was oncr comped a free 2 nighter at a deluxe because I complained about an issue I had in a previous trip that was actually not that big of a deal (even though I did not let them know that part, I made it as if it was a big deal). It was not their decision. They got the okay to comp me from higher ups. They could not care less either way.


My point was not whether they care. My point was a lot of people will have planned trips in the near future to Disney with a lot of unanswered questions which is bad for both the consumer and the business.

I understand what you are saying but what happened to you happens to others as well but it is rare these days. Today Disney knows people are going to go to WDW and they are not going to lose any noticeable amount of money from those that choose to stay off property or not go at all. They are seeing sold out days in the park pass system and sold out hotels. They could care less if people are steaming mad about what has been lost or upset over the rise in costs vs the product offered. They don't care. The only thing that will solve that problem is if more people stop going to WDW than they can handle. Of course I am part of the problem right now because I have a trip planned for next year that I am not likely to cancel since it is my first, and last, trip to see Galaxy's Edge. After this next trip we are not going anymore for a long time. Maybe never again. Disney is seeing a lot of revenge travel and bookings made for the 50th celebration. My guess if that after the 50th is over (maybe even by the end of Summer 2022) you will see more perks coming back and more discounts offered when travel to WDW slows back down. But until then Disney is getting those dollars and they couldn't give a rat's rear-end (cleaned that up a bit) about how people feel about not getting their money's worth.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

My counter is what's the incentive to stay on property now?

The same that has been there for years

Although neither are ideal, I’d rather have the current boarding group system than virtual standby - seems like they accomplish the same goal but the former gives you a bit more control over your day.

But it doesn’t accomplish their goal

Dude, you asked why people would pay to stay on property despite a reduction in perks offered.

I answered with examples of why people would do so, regardless of the amount of extras included.

For some reason you're arguing that the value of staying on property has gone done, something no one is disputing.

Some people like to stay on property regardless of any "extras" included.

I agree.

sometimes I wonder if I’m thinking of the same place around here?

adults crave this stuff…like a drug…just the idea of “getting it” gets many through the slog.

they have had some not publicized problems selling rooms at times…this is true. They handle
It in other ways…
But what makes anyone believe they’re not selling rooms on the average? Nothing indicates that. Nothing

everytime in their history they’ve downgraded products or eliminated perks…the customers have quickly forgotten.

it would be wise to not bet against that now.