Jim Hill on XPass coming in 2012

[71jason]

I think he is smart to point out that this program will be dependant on whether guests actually want to pay for it. This would certainly be expensive, and I don't think the demand is there to make it worth it. Management should be well aware that they are already luring in a significant percentage of guests through perks like reduced resort rates and free dining promotions. People are looking to vacation at WDW for LESS - not more. Even if money is not an issue for some guests - is a parade THAT much more enjoyable in a designated area? (Which, by the way, the suggested reserved area is one of the worst places in my opinion during the summer - the sun hits right down on you in front of the castle). I think most people have vacationed at WDW numerous times, they know what to expect, and probably have their own "plan of attack". I put my vote in for this being yet another expensive project rolled out by management that will fade away within a year....

There's an entire cottage industry in Orlando dedicated to making sure people who can afford to drop a few extra hundred a day get through the park without waiting in line and without having to worry about ADRs, when shows start, etc. A certain TOUR GUIDE may be better known for the cult-like following on his in-house message board, but it's the private VIP tours that have made him a very wealthy man. Others in the business have also done quite well.

This isn't about filling 50,000 rooms a night, the reason for free dining and deep discounts. This is about an upcharge experience aimed at guests in the high-end resorts (it also gives the WDW 3.5-star resorts a perk their 4-star competitors can't match). And yes, there is a market for it that, until now, TDO seemed content to leave to third parties.

 

[MarkTwain]

I doubt that's the case. People can do that now if they know how to use fastpass correctly.

Difference being that people will now have the ability to do this months in advance.

Having read previously from other sources what this was going to be like, I actually felt a little relieved after reading this article. Just to highlight this quote:

Walt Disney World management does anticipate that there'll initially be some issues with XPass. Which is why - after this premium vacation package is officially announced after the first of the year - it'll then only be available for Guests who book stays at deluxe WDW resorts like Disney's Grand Florida Resort and Spa.

Then - after they've worked all of the kinks out (More importantly, should there actually be sufficient Guest demand for this program. Let's remember that there have been other innovative uses of technology [EX: My Pal Mickey] previously introduced at the Parks that were then met with a collective shrug from WDW visitors. Which is why these other expensive-to-develop-and-maintain initiatives were eventually abandoned) - XPass will be made available to Guests who stay at the other WDW Resorts. Provided - of course - these people are willing to pay the high price tag associated with this premium vacation package.

Two things I'm relieved to hear are: (1) The system initially be offered only to guests staying at deluxe resorts, and (2) there will be a significantly expensive fee to participate in it.

That's much, much better (assuming it's true) to what we were hearing a few months ago, when it was being predicted that this offer would extend to everyone that stayed at any WDW resort, as part of the resort's fee. I, like many other people, was predicting that "NextGen" would be the end of way we currently enjoy Disney parks.

But as many have pointed out, most people are looking for ways to save when going to WDW, not ways to add hundreds or thousands to the cost of a WDW vacation. Add these budget-conscious (a.k.a average) people to the people coming in from offsite who can't use XPass, and then add in the people that would choose not to participate in the system on principle (apparently, most of the people on this site), and you have maybe 5 - 10% of guests using XPass at any given time.

With any luck, it won't have that big of an impact on existing WDW operations or the way most of us seem to like doing things. Is it still a huge waste of money and effort by Disney? Sure. The end of the way we currently enjoy WDW? Hopefully not...

 

[wdw71fan]

I think we will just cancel our Nov. 2012 vacation. We had decided that once they start letting people book ride times from home, it's over!
We like to be spontaneous, we do not want to decide 6 months in advance where we MIGHT want to eat when we are on vacation, nor do we want to make reservations for rides. After all these years of going every year, sometimes twice, we noticed the food quality declining and prices just keep rising for less.

Good-Bye WDW, it was fun....

yeah, cuz thats not extremist.

 

[Crush Dude!]

So This is to be the Big Announcement made New Years Weekend???

 

[midwest_mice]

I see this as good and bad. Good because those who plan in advance everything they do-it will give them a set in stone timeline. Bad for me because I truly believe in visiting WDW and visit the attractions as I feel fits what I want to explore. I do use Fastpass quite often, but I also really enjoy walking around and hoping in a stand-by line if its under 30 minutes. Fastpass is great and all, but even though you use it doesn't mean you will instantly get on the ride. I have stood in the Fastpass line over 15 minutes in Space Mountain before. Although those few times I did the stand-by was well over 90 minutes of waiting.
I don't agree with the premier spots for parades. That should be first come, first served all along the parade route. Reserved spots for handicap is perfectly fine, as long as its not abused by trying to cram your entire party of 10 in the reserved spot.

 

[Crush Dude!]

Does even less for uk visitors as we already get 1 night in MK and 1 in WS with reserved viewing for wishes and ROE

 

[Bolt]

Wow. You do realize this isnt something that you HAVE to do right? You can just keep vacationing the way you always have. Its just something else. Please step away from the edge.

Well said - I rather have people like that not coming to Disney World. If they are complaining about things a year in advance, just count the number of times they show up at Guest Relations complaining that it's not raining pure magic.

Again, it's optional.

 

[Glasgow]

I wonder if I can reserve a stall at the new PPF bathrooms?

 

[Yodadudeman]

It could be nice if you had young children. That way you wouldn't have to rush to the fast-pass terminals when the park opens or wait in long lines. Toddlers wear out fast waiting in some of the smallest lines. This idea is very child-friendly.

However, for those who have been to the parks before and don't have children, this could remove some of the fun of simply walking the parks and picking the rides you want to go on.

In the end though, it really depends on how Disney sets this up. If it is poorly constructed, then yes, it will suck. BUT if Disney has thought this thing through(which I would wager they have), this new idea won't inconvenience those of us who choose not to use it.

 

[Goofy6294]

Honestly, I'm not particularly concerned by the article. I've attended private functions at WDW (fireworks viewings, dessert parties, etc.) that had restricted access. There are already visitors that receive special privileges like additional fastpasses for various reasons (corporate partners). And we've all heard that NextGen will vastly increase the personalization of many differences experiences at the parks.

Do I expect a doll I that I designed on the web to wave at only me on a boat full of guests at IASW? Of course not - there's a certain BS factor that has to be considered in the article, but the fact of the matter is that WDW already provides most of the perks that he discusses. From a business standpoint, it makes perfect sense to package and market them. The types of visitors that shell out that type of money aren't as subject to the ups and downs of the economy as the rest of us, giving Disney a recession-proof demographic - just what every business wants.

 

[baymenxpac]

yeah, i don't get how this is a bad thing.

here's how i view it: suppose you have a 6:30 ADR at epcot. let's say it's a short trip, so this is the only time you're going to epcot. your favorite ride is soarin'. conventional wisdom says: hell no, i'm not getting on soaring anywhere after noon without waiting in line for an hour or getting my fastpass in the morning. so you reserve a 5:45 ride time on soarin', get to your ADR in plenty of time and essentially, for a price, kill two birds with one stone.

my family, for example, loves to do the parks in the morning, go back to the hotel for some pool and drink time, then go back for an ADR at night and then mosey around the park. but in the last few years, i've realized i haven't ridden the big rides at MK at night in a while. it's one of my favorite things to do, but if we do get back to MK, it's usually busy and we say, "eh...who cares? let's skip it." so if i could book splash and space mountain for a nighttime ride to kind of force myself back there at night and assure myself of nighttime rides of those, it would be really cool.

 

[Crush Dude!]

yeah, i don't get how this is a bad thing.

here's how i view it: suppose you have a 6:30 ADR at epcot. let's say it's a short trip, so this is the only time you're going to epcot. your favorite ride is soarin'. conventional wisdom says: hell no, i'm not getting on soaring anywhere after noon without waiting in line for an hour or getting my fastpass in the morning. so you reserve a 5:45 ride time on soarin', get to your ADR in plenty of time and essentially, for a price, kill two birds with one stone.

my family, for example, loves to do the parks in the morning, go back to the hotel for some pool and drink time, then go back for an ADR at night and then mosey around the park. but in the last few years, i've realized i haven't ridden the big rides at MK at night in a while. it's one of my favorite things to do, but if we do get back to MK, it's usually busy and we say, "eh...who cares? let's skip it." so if i could book splash and space mountain for a nighttime ride to kind of force myself back there at night and assure myself of nighttime rides of those, it would be really cool.

Gotta agree here! Really everything is gonna be speculation until TDO rolls this out!

 

[iceman22]

Will they create a THIRD line for the Xpass folks?? Something tells me that Fastpasses are going away or going to be seriously messed with....

I would hate having a third line because it already so crowded as it is and having third line would just MADNESS!

I won't want to be a CM on the day the XPASS comes out cause I have an felling that someone or a CM will go home with a black eye!

 

[The Empress Lilly]

I thoroughly detest this sort of guest stratification.

 

[WDWfanboy]

I was under the impression that XPass was simply going to be another perk for all resort guests to help drive the occupancy levels in the hotels.

 

[baymenxpac]

I thoroughly detest this sort of guest stratification.

isn't it all guest stratification? aren't people who are more inclined to stay at the grand floridian in a different segmentation than those who stay at pop century? or those who choose to dine at california grill a different segment than those who choose to eat at earl of sandwich? if you want to do it, you can. if not, you don't have to. and operating under the assumption that reserved booking times will cut into the amount of fast passes issued, it won't affect the stand by line. assuming that's true, it's limiting the impact on those who choose to not opt into the program. so i guess i just don't see the problem.

 

[G00fyDad]

That he made it up.

^^ This!

Doesn't sound made up to me.

I'm not sure what to think of it till I see it in practice.

Then you don't read his stuff too often do you? When this doesn't come to fruition he'll just backtrack and spew something about the deal falling through or XPass being postponed, or any other amount of BS. I can make the prediction that Disney is breaking ground soon on a Carsland expansion in DHS. And then when it doesn't happen I can just come back and say that they couldn't all agree on how it should be done so it got shelved.

Can you link me to a "major" Jim Hill article where he turned out to be accurate? Actually, make it two. We all get lucky.

What's the saying....? "A broken clock is right twice a day?"

Wow. You do realize this isnt something that you HAVE to do right? You can just keep vacationing the way you always have. Its just something else. Please step away from the edge.

People like them crack me up. They know they don't have to do this but they are so overdramatic about it. I hope they keep true to their word. All of them. That just means more room in the parks for us.

 

[walterdisney]

Well said - I rather have people like that not coming to Disney World. If they are complaining about things a year in advance, just count the number of times they show up at Guest Relations complaining that it's not raining pure magic.

Again, it's optional.

Seriously, its not like there going to torture you and make you do this. Its just for the guests who want to do it.

 

[mickey2008.1]

I like the idea somewhat, but I just hope it doesnt end up like getting ADRS. Example: LeCellier booked months in advance and no ADRS even at 180 days out.
Could you imagine if TSSM FPS were all taken for the day online before you even had a chance to get to the park at 9:30am?

I agree with a certain number of passes per day, like 500. Universal does this currently for an upcharge and it works fairly well, because they keep it at a low number of 300 people per day I believe. If WDW did it like this, it would blend in just fine, a FP for a certain ride at a certain time.

As for the character picking a certain person out on a particular ride, I juyst don't see WDW doing that, it would ruin the experience for others on the ride. I call BS on this one.

 

[Brian Noble]

it's the private VIP tours that have made him a very wealthy man

If you remember that he's a cash business, with no benefits, etc. etc. etc. it's actually only "a nice living", depending on how much of a cut he takes from his other guides. Your average small-town lawyer probably bills as much or more hourly.

That said, there certainly are people out there who will pay a small multiple of the "typical" all-in trip price if someone else would just deal with everything for them. It's not a huge market, but it is there.