FastPass+ open to all guests including offsite beginning next week at Disney's Animal Kingdom

[ParentsOf4]

Not to totally change gears, but if Universal really pursues their plans to significantly increase hotel rooms I wonder when/if the unlimited front of the line pass will start to negatively impact other guest's experiences.

Universal has 2400 Deluxe Resort rooms with no immediate plans to expand in that market.

For comparison, WDW has 5,652 Deluxe Resort rooms plus another 4,359 DVC rooms. That's 10,000 "Deluxe" rooms for 1 great theme park and 3 theme parks that desperately need more rides.

Universal's Cabana Bay is targeted for the Value Resort market and will not have free Express Pass access.

Universal has so much excess ride capacity that not only can they offer free unlimited Express Pass to their Deluxe Resort guests, but they also can sell their excess capacity to day guests.

Universal does not have WDW's ride capacity problems.

WDW needs to stop building hotels and DVC and start adding more attractions!

 

[John]

The difference being Universal is expanding their offerings to meet the demand....

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!

 

[John]

In general, there has been a reasonably mature discussion on the most recent FP+ developments along with the corresponding pros and cons of MyMagic+.

I always like that.

I prefer to evaluate MyMagic+ based on how I think it will affect the guest experience in total. Therefore, I think it's helpful when we concentrate less on individual experiences and instead try to understand MyMagic+ at the macro level.

I realize some will like MyMagic+ and others won't.

I am disappointed that it appears that after decades of relative in-park equality, Disney has decided to relegate offsite guests to second-class status, especially considering the tremendous number of onsite guests WDW is trying to accommodate. Let's face it, if WDW had only 5,000 onsite rooms, then there still would be plenty of ride capacity left for offsite guests. WDW's rooms vs. rides numbers are just so wrong for this.

If the FP+ policy being tested at DAK is extended to other parks, then how does any offsite guest ever like MyMagic+?

Realizing how many offsite guests might be adversely impacted by MyMagic+, it's difficult for me to envision any scenario where WDW as a whole is "better" as a result of MyMagic+.

I think everyone would have been happier if the money had been spent on Cars Land at DHS!

Agree with this 100% the effects of weather this program is a success or failure will have an effect on all of us on a macro level. We all should care about the off site guest. It does have an impact on all of us and our experience.

 

[GoofGoof]

Universal has 2400 Deluxe Resort rooms with no immediate plans to expand in that market.

For comparison, WDW has 5,652 Deluxe Resort rooms plus another 4,359 DVC rooms. That's 10,000 "Deluxe" guests for 1 great theme park and 3 theme parks that desperately need more rides.

Universal's Cabana Bay is targeted for the Value Resort market and will not have free Express Pass access.

Universal has so much excess ride capacity that not only can they offer free unlimited Express Pass to their Deluxe Resort guests, but they also can sell their excess capacity to day guests.

Universal does not have WDW's ride capacity problems.

WDW needs to stop building hotels and DVC and start adding more attractions!

So as long as they don't plan to offer the benefit to anyone other than deluxe guests it should not matter for Universal. I agree that WDW's biggest issue under the current system is ride capacity. I'm not a defender of this little experiment. My series of posts relating to standby lines and availability of FP were related specifically to the topic discussed and not meant to be an endorsement of the system in any way.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Universal has also opted not to make new headline attractions available as part of the ExpressPass. Could you image Disney opening Radiator Springs Racers or the new Avatar attraction without FastPass?

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Universal has also opted not to make new headline attractions available as part of the ExpressPass. Could you image Disney opening Radiator Springs Racers or the new Avatar attraction without FastPass?

There's an express line for FJ and Transformers and Kang does not have one due to its limited capacity. Did you mean the pay-for-use express pass option, or will all new rides from now on not feature it?

 

[Tom Morrow]

Off Topicish:

Went to MK this morning. Before Fastpass started on Peter Pan. What would be normally a 75 minute standby line emptied in just over 10 minutes.

How again is Fastpass better?

I've been saying this all along, but it wasn't until Disney changed to a more restrictive and unfamiliar system that people are starting to realize the "truth" about Fastpass. As any CM who has worked a high demand FP attraction can tell you, remove FP all together and the standby line wait times reduce significantly.

The fact that I used to be able to get as many fast passes as I wanted, if timed correctly, at any of the four parks throughout the day, and now I can only have three at one Park that I have to schedule 60 days in advance (to stand even a remote chance of getting them when I want them) is enough of a failure to me.

People scheduling their Fastpass Plus options day-of are able to get all the good options, as long as they arrive early enough to do it.

You know, just like the old Fastpasses.

 

[danlb_2000]

There's an express line for FJ and Transformers and Kang does not have one due to its limited capacity. Did you mean the pay-for-use express pass option, or will all new rides from now on not feature it?

According to the Uni web site Tranformers does have express pass, but FJ does not.

 

[lazyboy97o]

There's an express line for FJ and Transformers and Kang does not have one due to its limited capacity. Did you mean the pay-for-use express pass option, or will all new rides from now on not feature it?

I did not mean to imply all new attractions lack Express Pass, just that Universal does not uniformly include it with all new attractions. Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey has the infrastructure in place to handle an Express Pass queue but it is not an option. @HTF also recently said on Orlando United Radio that Express Pass would not be available for the Hogwarts Express and Gringotts. It was also only recently that Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rock It! began accepting Express Pass.

 

[biggy H]

Oh look, another zombie account here to tell us how great Disney is.

I never said that Disney is great at all so don't put word in to my mouth. Just because you don't like what I said you don't have get on your high horse. I just said what I believe, you see it time and time again on here how people won't be going again because of this or that but obviously they do as they still comment on board about WDW. There are too many people moaning about this because it changes how they used to spend their time at WDW, well get used to it, things change and they don't always work first time.

 

[71jason]

Some numbers for you:

1971 - Magic Kingdom opens; Total WDW rooms: 1,911
1983 - Epcot opens; Total WDW rooms: 2,497
1989 - DHS opens; Total WDW rooms: 5,476
1998 - DAK opens: Total WDW rooms: 20,156 (including Swan, Dolphin, & Shades of Green)
2013 - Nothing opens; Total WDW rooms: 30,978 (including Swan, Dolphin, & Shades of Green)

As I've written before, the dirty little secret is that WDW is no longer in the theme park business; it's in the hotel and timeshare business.

Once you realize this, corporate Disney's behavior becomes clear.

I think an argument can be made the original FastPass (created in 1999) was a response to the same issue of too few attractions. Rather than build more capacity, to spread crowds around, the idea was to free up guest waiting in line to go grab a bite or browse a shop, rendering queue length a non-issue. Of course, because Michael Eisner's dad never let the chauffeur drive him to Coney Island as a boy, he had no idea how amusement park guests think, so FP only exacerbated the problem when guests took their new found free time to jump on a C or D-ticket.

Which basically proves your underlying point as of late--the only thing WDW needs right now is more attraction capacity.

 

[71jason]

According to the Uni web site Tranformers does have express pass, but FJ does not.

Rip Ride Rockit didn't either, for at least a year, although it does now. Rumor is Gringotts also will not have express.

 

[surfsupdon]

Once this system is up and running and working as planned in a year or so people will wonder what all the fuss was about.
The vast majority of guests in the end won't care. If people don't like the new system then don't go and while you are at it why bother posting on a forum about WDW. I suspect the vast majority of people moaning on here and elsewhere will just suck it up and carry on going and using the new system to their advantage.

We used it and "sucked it up." Then immediately cancelled our future December trip, at onsite Deluxe Resort, on day 4 of our 5 day Nov vacation.

I will be back, for free, on our school's class trip in March for 5 days. Will try it out again. But forsee huge problems with a group of 150+ kids and adults.

runDisney is a branch that we really enjoy. So the races will continue. We will run Disney, stay at Disney, but are looking at another Universal or Busch day. Who knows, it is all speculation. Just a shame that our Disney ride count is so inferior now under the new programs.

 

[wm49rs]

I never said that Disney is great at all so don't put word in to my mouth. Just because you don't like what I said you don't have get on your high horse. I just said what I believe, you see it time and time again on here how people won't be going again because of this or that but obviously they do as they still comment on board about WDW. There are too many people moaning about this because it changes how they used to spend their time at WDW, well get used to it, things change and they don't always work first time.

The first time? What is the magic number for trials and errors people have to go through then?

 

[ford91exploder]

Universal has 2400 Deluxe Resort rooms with no immediate plans to expand in that market.

For comparison, WDW has 5,652 Deluxe Resort rooms plus another 4,359 DVC rooms. That's 10,000 "Deluxe" rooms for 1 great theme park and 3 theme parks that desperately need more rides.

Universal's Cabana Bay is targeted for the Value Resort market and will not have free Express Pass access.

Universal has so much excess ride capacity that not only can they offer free unlimited Express Pass to their Deluxe Resort guests, but they also can sell their excess capacity to day guests.

Universal does not have WDW's ride capacity problems.

WDW needs to stop building hotels and DVC and start adding more attractions!

Trouble is Disney is addicted to the quick cash hit that a new DVC brings, BLT brought in 856M in point sales for a hotel which cost AT MOST 200M,

 

[ford91exploder]

We used it and "sucked it up." Then immediately cancelled our future December trip, at onsite Deluxe Resort, on day 4 of our 5 day Nov vacation.

I will be back, for free, on our school's class trip in March for 5 days. Will try it out again. But forsee huge problems with a group of 150+ kids and adults.

runDisney is a branch that we really enjoy. So the races will continue. We will run Disney, stay at Disney, but are looking at another Universal or Busch day. Who knows, it is all speculation. Just a shame that our Disney ride count is so inferior now under the new programs.

Same here 'sucked it up' used it - shortened and eventually cancelled stay over christmas holiday because of horrible experience.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

According to the Uni web site Tranformers does have express pass, but FJ does not.

I remember it did, but maybe that was the single-rider option? I'm losing track of all these lines.

 

[ford91exploder]

I never said that Disney is great at all so don't put word in to my mouth. Just because you don't like what I said you don't have get on your high horse. I just said what I believe, you see it time and time again on here how people won't be going again because of this or that but obviously they do as they still comment on board about WDW. There are too many people moaning about this because it changes how they used to spend their time at WDW, well get used to it, things change and they don't always work first time.

And due to bad design and/or assumptions - some things NEVER work I anticipate that Disney's NGE will fall into that category, It will be interesting to see how much damage NGE is allowed to do before the BoD figures out that as implemented NGE is a net negative for TWDC.

 

[Disneydreamer23]

is this a problem? Shouldn't Disney Resort guests have the advantage? Disney would say, "stay on site or get an AP if you want priority." And those are the groups that should get priority.

AGREE

 

[surfsupdon]

Same here 'sucked it up' used it - shortened and eventually cancelled stay over christmas holiday because of horrible experience.

Stinks! I want to go!! But we realized how few rides we would be able to ride, based on the November trip. What a shame.

Disney for Christmas and New Years "was" the BEST!