Rumor Version of MaxPass coming to WDW in May?

[monothingie]

Disney has to do something about the lines. Keeping the experience as it is today just flat out doesn’t work well for new rides everyone wants to go on. So people miss out on riding the ride completely or have a miserable time standing in line for 3 hours.

Except Disney isn't doing anything about the lines. From what I understand (@marni1971 wink once if I'm accurate) they are not lowering the total number of available Fast Passes for an attraction. They are segmenting the total number of Fast Passes for an attraction into a Paid bin and Free Bin. Those wanting the free option will have to fight harder to get them, while those going the paid route should have a relatively easy time of securing high demand fast passes.

I would assume that those passes that don't sell get reallocated at some point. So in theory there should be no change to the number of FP users for a given ride, and as such the lines will either stay the same or get worse.

 

[eddie104]

I understand it seems unfair, but many can’t even afford the cost of admission, let alone the cost of additional FP premium charges.

Which is what find funny about some people who are mad about price increases I mean how are you upset about paying 100 dollars more when your paying Disney 1000 already...just saying.

 

[HauntedPirate]

So this is going to be an unpopular opinion, but I don’t mind this.

The crowd levels are getting unbearable really, and Disney keeps increasing costs and the levels keep going up.

There is only so much they can do. There are really 2 solutions: build more attractions to eat up more of the demand (requires more capex and operational costs, meaning less profit) or charge more money.

I hate waiting in lines. FP is annoying in how I have to schedule my ride (where’s the spontaneity in that?!?) but at least I can skip the line on some rides.

If I’m there with limited time, and I can afford to pay to skip the line, sounds great to me.

I understand it seems unfair, but many can’t even afford the cost of admission, let alone the cost of additional FP premium charges.

Disney has to do something about the lines. Keeping the experience as it is today just flat out doesn’t work well for new rides everyone wants to go on. So people miss out on riding the ride completely or have a miserable time standing in line for 3 hours.

Honestly, this seems like the equitable approach, and if it means I have to shell out a few more bucks on trips when time is more critical than others, or if I’ve got multiple people in the party with conflicting “favorites”, this seems reasonable to me.

Just imagine if they hadn't let the parks stagnate for almost a decade plus hadn't blown all the money spent on MDE/MagicBands/FP+.

I don't commend them for spending a large sum of money now because the problems they are trying to fix they themselves created and could have easily avoided if those at and near the top had any theme park experience. Instead, they chose to view the theme parks as a "mature" business unit and not needing any significant on-going investments.

If you have "limited time and can afford to pay to skip the line", you can already do that - VIP tours. Why is paid FastPass seemingly the only solution?

Simply throwing money at a problem isn't always the best solution.

 

[nickys]

The extra club level passes that you can purchase now require you to purchase them for all nights of your stay

No they don’t. Nor do you have to buy it for everyone in your reservation. It does have a minimum no. of nights to stay in order to qualify, and you have to buy it for at least 3 days. But if you stay 7 nights CL, you can choose any 3 days you want it for.

 

[nickys]

@marni1971, a question if I may ask .....

Will this be something you have to buy at the same level and for all days of your ticket? Or like the CL ones, will you able to choose certain days, levels and for only those who wish to do so?

As always, appreciate if you can’t answer.

 

[Creathir]

Except Disney isn't doing anything about the lines. From what I understand (@marni1971 wink once if I'm accurate) they are not lowering the total number of available Fast Passes for an attraction. They are segmenting the total number of Fast Passes for an attraction into a Paid bin and Free Bin. Those wanting the free option will have to fight harder to get them, while those going the paid route should have a relatively easy time of securing high demand fast passes.

I would assume that those passes that don't sell get reallocated at some point. So in theory there should be no change to the number of FP users for a given ride, and as such the lines will either stay the same or get worse.

There naturally will be less people in the FP line because less people will want to or be able to afford to shell out for it.

Even though they are not technically decreasing the supply, the increase in cost will have the effect of decreasing demand.

“$30 to skip the lines is too much, I’ll just wait in the standby line.”

This obviously would not help that situation if they do indeed turn around and give said allocated FP away. My guess is they won’t.

 

[monothingie]

There naturally will be less people in the FP line because less people will want to or be able to afford to shell out for it.

Unused allocations will be put back into the "free bin" If FOP had XXX number of FP allocations before, It will still have XXX allocations after. Of course assuming it doesn't sell out.

 

[marni1971]

There naturally will be less people in the FP line because less people will want to or be able to afford to shell out for it.

Even though they are not technically decreasing the supply, the increase in cost will have the effect of decreasing demand.

“$30 to skip the lines is too much, I’ll just wait in the standby line.”

This obviously would not help that situation if they do indeed turn around and give said allocated FP away. My guess is they won’t.

I’ve a feeling the ratio will adjust to ensure as best as possible that all available FPs are allocated. Free and paid for. It may even by dynamic since everything is electronic.

 

[Rebel_]

I miss 2012.

 

[xdan0920]

There naturally will be less people in the FP line because less people will want to or be able to afford to shell out for it.

Even though they are not technically decreasing the supply, the increase in cost will have the effect of decreasing demand.

“$30 to skip the lines is too much, I’ll just wait in the standby line.”

This obviously would not help that situation if they do indeed turn around and give said allocated FP away. My guess is they won’t.

You are severely overestimating the discretionary ability of the new WDW guest. There is nothing they won't pay for.

 

[monothingie]

You are severely overestimating the discretionary ability of the new WDW guest. There is nothing they won't pay for.

Unfortunately.

 

[mikejs78]

To put a new spin on an old Yogi Berra quote:

"Nobody can afford it anymore, it's too expensive.". Yet attendance goes up, and up, and up. This isn't just upper class.. The sheer number of people who keep going to Disney shows that they aren't overpricing it yet. Sure, some people on the margins end up being priced out, but how many people go to WDW now? How many will be lining up for Galaxy's Edge?

 

[Dunston]

Man, this sucks. I can't imagine there won't be an outcry when something that was free one day is paid for the next. They walked back pricing of Disney After Hours after assessing the initial public response, so I'm sure that the pricing for this will be adjusted according to demand. I just seriously wonder whether it will improve or worsen the average guest's experience.

Whatever changes they have in store, I hope they implement them long after I Check In to my late May trip.

 

[xdan0920]

To put a new spin on an old Yogi Berra quote:

"Nobody can afford it anymore, it's too expensive.". Yet attendance goes up, and up, and up. This isn't just upper class.. The sheer number of people who keep going to Disney shows that they aren't overpricing it yet. Sure, some people on the margins end up being priced out, but how many people go to WDW now? How many will be lining up for Galaxy's Edge?

The only people I know being “priced out” are people who can afford it, but simply won’t. We go way less then we used to, and it’s not because we can’t afford it, it’s because we don’t like feeling like suckers at every turn. This will only exacerbate that feeling. Once Guests, now marks. Sad.

 

[Family_Man]

Man, this sucks. I can't imagine there won't be an outcry when something that was free one day is paid for the next. They walked back pricing of Disney After Hours after assessing the initial public response, so I'm sure that the pricing for this will be adjusted according to demand. I just seriously wonder whether it will improve or worsen the average guest's experience.

Whatever changes they have in store, I hope they implement them long after I Check In to my late May trip.

So reading all this info, I don't think there will be much of an outcry. The allocation of fastpasses are all behind the scenes. So if they simply reduce the number of FOP fastpasses, but still give you three fastpasses at 60 days onsite, it will be hard to notice. You will only notice that FOP used to be available at 60+5 days, but now is only available at 60+7. There will be an outcry, but only from about 0.05% of the visitors.

 

[JoeCamel]

The only people I know being “priced out” are people who can afford it, but simply won’t. We go way less then we used to, and it’s not because we can’t afford it, it’s because we don’t like feeling like suckers at every turn. This will only exacerbate that feeling. Once Guests, now marks. Sad.

With every increase the GP does a new calculation when contemplating a WDW trip, they compare the value to what they can have at other destinations and if WDW does not trip the scales then it is out of the running.
The die hard fans and DVC are going to go no matter what the gate price is, makes sense they are building more DVC.
As many have said before me, there will come a tipping point...

 

[mikejs78]

So reading all this info, I don't think there will be much of an outcry. The allocation of fastpasses are all behind the scenes. So if they simply reduce the number of FOP fastpasses, but still give you three fastpasses at 60 days onsite, it will be hard to notice. You will only notice that FOP used to be available at 60+5 days, but now is only available at 60+7. There will be an outcry, but only from about 0.05% of the visitors.

I wonder with them cracking down on the reservation cancellations if it will even be noticable at all...

With every increase the GP does a new calculation when contemplating a WDW trip, they compare the value to what they can have at other destinations and if WDW does not trip the scales then it is out of the running.

Said as more and more people keep coming every year. There won't be a sudden tipping of the scales. There will come an inflection point where the price gets high enough where attendance stops increasing, and even decreasing. But then Disney can just turn the down (either by lowering prices or offering discounts) to get attendance back to increasing again. Sure, some people will get disgusted and give up for good. But others will continue to come as long as it's seen to be a valuable product.

Frankly I think overcrowding, more than price, is likely to start to have an effect if attendance keeps growing at the pace it has been.

 

[xdan0920]

With every increase the GP does a new calculation when contemplating a WDW trip, they compare the value to what they can have at other destinations and if WDW does not trip the scales then it is out of the running.
The die hard fans and DVC are going to go no matter what the gate price is, makes sense they are building more DVC.
As many have said before me, there will come a tipping point...

I am DVC.

 

[disneyworlddad]

Pass. But I do know a derivative is being looked at. Of course.

It may also have an effect in how current FP+ works.

@marni1971 Is not offering FP at Star Wars opening part of a test to the alternative?

 

[toonaspie]

Unpopular opinion here but I don't mind the EMM and DAH events. I'm thinking from the perspective of if this gets some people to get the more popular rides done and over with before the parks actually open (or wait to do them after everyone else is kicked out) then this should make the FP and Standby lines of those popular attractions a little easier during normal hours. That is what I'm hoping is the actual result from this anyway.