FastPass+ Most Certainly Not Coming Back As It Was

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Tickets prices have risen a lot and in general all the prices are risen. I think this is the most stupid idea that Disney have generated in years. Everyone pays an important amount of money for merchandising. However, if I had to pay for attractions, I would not pay for merchandising since a park day is really expensive. Maybe,we need someone like Michael Eisner and not like Bob Chapeck. He doesn't know how to manage Disney

Well there I agree…

but they will pursue easy profits no matter where it takes them.

That used to be the gift shops…where as much as 90% was walk away profit. It’s the “big secret” of parks…That was never really as secret.

paid fastpasses is even easier…and why everyone needs to be careful.

people have already forgotten you are paying for the ride overhead/operation…

what’s that ticket for? A concrete fee?

so paid fast pass is 100% profit in this scenario…and no cap on pricing

dangerous. Sometimes “no big deal” decisions today have long lasting patterns later. I caution against those.

 

[Missing20K]

Chapek's approach seems to be push and push and push until guests start to take notice, then scale back.

What push has Chapek implemented that increased revenue that DIS then walked back due to customer backlash? I honestly don’t know, maybe there is an instance. But I can’t think of any off hand.

 

[jpinkc]

Universal has great capacity at both of their parks to keep wait times low, and the high prices for express keep the express lines walk-ons.

I saw lots of 60 plus waits when I was there and that does not include Hagrids. Now that was in 19 and maybe there was a bit more crowd as people were there for Hagrids opening.

 

[M:SpilotISTC12]

Wow our annual trips that normally included two parks will now probably go down to one. Ticket prices are going to be going up and add this in just to be able to ride 3 rides with no wait. And that won't include the time commitment of still having to wait standby for the others we don't wind up paying for.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

We would be avoiding this if they actually had spent money on expanding their parks.

If attendance would have fallen when they didn’t expand…this wouldn’t be happening

but people kept going more and the beast was fed

 

[dsinclair]

Yes. That is 1 park. What are you saying? For a family of 5 that would be $8k+ for a week vacation in WDW.

I'm just correcting you. You were saying the price was for Express at 2 parks instead of just 1, which drastically changes how reasonable the price is in comparison to the FP discussion here.

 

[mightynine]

That's true, and why Ellen's Energy absolutely needed an update -- I'm certainly not suggesting every attraction should exist exactly the way it was when it first opened. Replacing it was fine in theory, but even ignoring the terrible thematic fit, but they keep building replacements that lower overall capacity. Guardians will probably have a similar hourly capacity for total guests, but it will functionally be far less considering how long UoE was. Not that I'd expect them to build anything as long as UoE again, but some 10-15 minute attractions would be nice.

I was thinking this today with something like Premier Access, you really need more people-eating B, C and D tickets that aren't under the paid umbrella to help spread the crowds.

 

[M:SpilotISTC12]

People with kids will get screwed, just as they got screwed with Magical Express ending.
People with kids in the park: wait 40min? nope. Pay $60 for all my kids? nope. Get a standbypass for 4 hours from now when we need to go back to the hotel to nap? nope.

Yay Disney World is so magical.

Yo there is no way this doesn't happen. This is going to be new norm.

 

[MattC]

If attendance would have fallen when they didn’t expand…this wouldn’t be happening

but people kept going more and the beast was fed

This. It will not stop as long as people keep going and spending.

 

[G00fyDad]

I'm just correcting you. You were saying the price was for Express at 2 parks instead of just 1, which drastically changes how reasonable the price is in comparison to the FP discussion here.

Fair point. But what I was talking about was that USO has two parks. Paying that fee for just two parks ($239 x2) is not as bad as paying for it at WDW ($239 x4).

 

[wedenterprises]

Yo there is no way this doesn't happen. This is going to be new norm.

If it's the Disneyland Paris model then yep. I'm already picturing our trips.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Not to be somewhat optimistic…but this system could work (but unlikely)…

if all 3 “options” are consistent…and people settle into patterns that meet their expectations…it could work.

but wdw is a beast…there is nothing else like it except for Disneyland (as a direct 1:1 to WDW’s magic kingdom on a crowded day)

 

[M:SpilotISTC12]

If it's the Disneyland Paris model then yep. I'm already picturing our trips.

And this is why I plan on going to Aulani, HH and VB more often. If I'm going to drop a grand on a ticket its going to be in Hawaii and not to wait in a line that can be rigged against me. That Standby queue system seems really sketchy to me.

 

[Andrew25]

$20 is nothing, but $20 per person, per ride starts to add up. $80 for a one-time use for a family of 4 is absurd. Part of me believes this is a way to get families to visit one more additional day. Why spend $80 for a family of four for one ride when you can spend an additional $40-50 per person to add an additional day?

 

[tallica]

Like they are now?

Yes, lines without FP move are continually moving at quick pace. No more inching along at a snails pace. A line is more tolerable to most people when it feels like you are making progress.

 

[Ayla]

People who are saying "just wait in the standby" don't understand how this new program works.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I was thinking this today with something like Premier Access, you really need more people-eating B, C and D tickets that aren't under the paid umbrella to help spread the crowds.

They stopped expansion in 1999…why do you believe they see any need to spread crowds when they have been making easy profits off those crowds for 10 years? And now it’s gonna go into hyperdrive (no pun intended…their Star Wars movies are failures)

 

[GimpYancIent]

People who are saying "just wait in the standby" don't understand how this new program works.

Or maybe FP is not important to some folks.

 

[KenFromOC]

Fair point. But what I was talking about was that USO has two parks. Paying that fee for just two parks ($239 x2) is not as bad as paying for it at WDW ($239 x4).

Let’s for fun assume it would be $239 for all 4 parks at WDW. But….how many folks could actually get to all 4 parks in one day to the point of really making that worth it? Heck you’d be spending a lot of time just transfering between park. And in a way the same is true at Uni Orlando. $239 for both parks on a single day equals $120 per park for a half day since you’ll be going between both parks. That is pricey for sure, and that is on top of another $200 or so for the tickets!

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Chapek's approach seems to be push and push and push until guests start to take notice, then scale back.

That’s the standard retail approach. So you are correct.

for damn near 20 years I’ve sat and watched hundreds of posters ask why they shouldn’t do this in Disney parks?
Well now we get to see the results of that debate. In real time. Across the board.