Why not do what Universal does?

[jaklgreen]

I don't like how they block out the HP rides with their express pass. If I am going to pay extra for something then I want it to include everything. Even if they want to limit it to say "you can ride it twice with EP" but to eliminate it completely rubs me the wrong way.

 

[lunchbox1175]

The simple answer is why would Disney ever try to be like Universal, that's a step backwards. Disney started the FastPass system, and it was free and always has been, Uni introduced it as a reaction. Secondly, there is a daily limit to the Express Pass....they only sell so many of them and they frequently run out, where as FP+ is free for every guest.

 

[dancotton]

Just... No. In the UK, all themeparks follow the Universal style paid fastpass and it is awful. Disney has the best system, stick with it. Plus volumes of crowds for WDW are very different from Universal. The more fastpasses used, the slower regular queues move. Universal should adopt the Fastpass+ model if anything! (Not too fussed about the pre-selection stuff, worked well in my experience but hey)

 

[Luxe]

This is going to sound crazy but... did you know that you don't actually have to use FP+? I know it's crazy but no one is forcing you to book anything months in advanced. The first time I used FP+ at the park was a few days into a trip and we had no clue what we were doing and we never had a problem switching selections, times or booking new FP times that same day. If a ride ever closed down we were ALWAYS given a FP voucher for any ride(except the busy ones like 7DMT/TSMM) that day which is great.

I always see people running around the parks dragging their kids from FP to FP so worried about missing one and booking the next one blah blah. It looks incredibly stressful and unnecessary in my opinion. You miss out on so many things, even going through the queues is a great experience. Not only do you get to hang out and bond with your family but you get to take in the amazing queues(get a FP for Soarin though ) and even talk about what you want to do next, where you want to eat or even discuss the plans for the next few days. The charm of Disney World is in the details. People looking to just ride rides all day should probably just stay at Uni honestly.

 

[JusticeDisney]

I am within the category of NOT staying onsite at Universal because the hotel prices are ridiculous when you can stay a night in a hotel walking-distance for like, $60.00s a night. On top of that, there is basically no need to stay on-site considering you'll be in the parks most of the day anyways. So you're basically paying for a $400 express pass with a bed for the night.

So I guess you don't prefer to stay onsite at Disney either. That's certainly your prerogative. I happen to prefer the convenience and amenities which come along with staying onsite.

 

[danyoung56]

I have been going regularly for 32 years. 47 trips all together. I have been rained on only once and that was in the evening. Quick storm over with fast and I continued on.

I would never say you're wrong, but your experience and mine differ greatly. I've been visiting at least twice a year for the past 20 years or so, I I've gotten rained on a bunch. Usually it's just the 20 minute afternoon thunderstorm, but I've experienced rain that lasts all day several times.

 

[sheriffwoody]

This is going to sound crazy but... did you know that you don't actually have to use FP+? I know it's crazy but no one is forcing you to book anything months in advanced.

I think a lot of people forget this. I'm guilty of feeling like I must use it myself, but you're so right. Last trip, we booked fast passes, but I don't even think we used half of them.

 

[Goofyernmost]

I would never say you're wrong, but your experience and mine differ greatly. I've been visiting at least twice a year for the past 20 years or so, I I've gotten rained on a bunch. Usually it's just the 20 minute afternoon thunderstorm, but I've experienced rain that lasts all day several times.

I think it probably depends on when you go there. I usually, habitually, have always gone in between November and April. I have gone at all other times of the year, except the dead of summer. That has been my experience and it had been significant enough that friends want to go with me because I seem to have some magical power the keeps the bad weather away. It has gotten to the point now that when I plan a trip, I am certain that the law of averages will hit me up side the head when I get there. I, honestly, thought that it must almost never rain in Florida based on my experience. I do know for seeing other experiences that it isn't true, but, all I can vouch for is what happened when I was there.

As I think about it I do remember one other time when a day long storm went through and even had a small tornado just to the south of Orlando, but, I hadn't planned on being at Disney that day anyway, so I had forgotten about that. So I stand corrected, twice it rained around me in 32 years. Still a pretty good average.

 

[slappy magoo]

I'm sure this has been discussed on here before, but I'm relatively new to this forum. Anyway, like myself, it seems as though many people don't really like the fastpass+ system. So my question is, why not do what Universal does with its express passes and allow guests to purchase tickets like that? I mean, if Universal can make it work, no doubt Disney can as well, and it would take all the headaches out of the constant way-in-advance planning that a trip to WDW requires.

Well why not also do what Uni does and offer front-of-the-line privileges to anyone staying on-property? I'm sure all of us who always stay on property would love that but it would probably clog the FP queue.

I guess I don't understand why make the suggestion to pay for Fastpasses, like Uni does, but not the suggestion to get front-of-line privileges for on-property guests, like Uni does.

As others have said on the many other FP related threads, WDW is already much much different than what Walt Disney originally, but one notion he endorsed, that I really appreciate, is the notion that once you're in the park, people should be treated as equally as possible. You shouldn't have to pay to get a perk. As it is, your budget or wallet can already dictate if you go, when you go, how long you go, where you stay, where you eat, what you eat, the souvenirs you buy and on and on. But when you're getting on line for an attraction or waiting for a parade, there's something to be said for keeping things as equal as possible.

FP, for all its faults, tried to at least offer people an equal chance to pick and choose the perks they wanted. Maybe Space Mountain isn't as important to you as a prime parade viewing spot. Maybe more so. So you pick what's important and everyone gets a little something (and also runs the risk of being a little disappointed that for the money you spent you didn't get to experience all you wanted).

When parks offer front of the line privileges for a fee, you can call it class envy (though I could probably swing the additional cost), but it feels like just another reminder, especially to kids more than the adults who already know it, that some people get better treatment, and it's not necessarily based on whether they're good or smart or kind or always play by the rules, but whether or not they can pony up the dough. There are plenty of other places and times for kids to learn that really harsh lesson, plenty of other occasions to let them decide if that lesson drives them to work harder to get nice things, or whether they lead a charmed life and assume they always will, or they'll work harder to keep getting those perks, or get defeated and deflated. It'd be a shame - and I think for some people, a disincentive to go or return - to have to learn those lessons in a place like WDW.

 

[JusticeDisney]

Well why not also do what Uni does and offer front-of-the-line privileges to anyone staying on-property? I'm sure all of us who always stay on property would love that but it would probably clog the FP queue.

I guess I don't understand why make the suggestion to pay for Fastpasses, like Uni does, but not the suggestion to get front-of-line privileges for on-property guests, like Uni does.

As others have said on the many other FP related threads, WDW is already much much different than what Walt Disney originally, but one notion he endorsed, that I really appreciate, is the notion that once you're in the park, people should be treated as equally as possible. You shouldn't have to pay to get a perk. As it is, your budget or wallet can already dictate if you go, when you go, how long you go, where you stay, where you eat, what you eat, the souvenirs you buy and on and on. But when you're getting on line for an attraction or waiting for a parade, there's something to be said for keeping things as equal as possible.

FP, for all its faults, tried to at least offer people an equal chance to pick and choose the perks they wanted. Maybe Space Mountain isn't as important to you as a prime parade viewing spot. Maybe more so. So you pick what's important and everyone gets a little something (and also runs the risk of being a little disappointed that for the money you spent you didn't get to experience all you wanted).

When parks offer front of the line privileges for a fee, you can call it class envy (though I could probably swing the additional cost), but it feels like just another reminder, especially to kids more than the adults who already know it, that some people get better treatment, and it's not necessarily based on whether they're good or smart or kind or always play by the rules, but whether or not they can pony up the dough. There are plenty of other places and times for kids to learn that really harsh lesson, plenty of other occasions to let them decide if that lesson drives them to work harder to get nice things, or whether they lead a charmed life and assume they always will, or they'll work harder to keep getting those perks, or get defeated and deflated. It'd be a shame - and I think for some people, a disincentive to go or return - to have to learn those lessons in a place like WDW.

What a thoughtful response. Very nicely stated.

 

[blueboxdoctor]

My problem with it is having to book it so far in advance, mainly because today I don't know what I want to do on the third Tuesday in December. It's not so bad, but it sometimes feels like everything becomes too scheduled. It's really not the end of the world, and while I complain about it as well, it has not ruined my time at WDW (except when they forgot to activate my wrist band and I couldn't get into my room at the Wilderness Lodge, but then I went and got that sorted out without any issue and I was back on my way).

 

[thomas998]

I'm sure this has been discussed on here before, but I'm relatively new to this forum. Anyway, like myself, it seems as though many people don't really like the fastpass+ system. So my question is, why not do what Universal does with its express passes and allow guests to purchase tickets like that? I mean, if Universal can make it work, no doubt Disney can as well, and it would take all the headaches out of the constant way-in-advance planning that a trip to WDW requires.

It works at Universal because they have fewer hotels and it was pretty much used by Universal the same way Disney has used the fastpass+ system. It isn't really about making your trip any better or creating any more ride experiences as much as it is about creating a perk for hotel guest that they can use to justify their otherwise above the market price for rooms in the Orlando area. It's the reason you get different tiers of it at Universal depending on which hotel you stay at... stay at their version of a deluxe and you get the unlimited universal pass where you can use the special line on the rides more than once, if you stay at the low end Universal hotel you get a cut rate universal pass that only allows you to use the special line for any ride that has the line one time per day... Not saying that isn't a good idea, because frankly I like it more than the fastpass+ system... But at Disney you have 3 levels of hotels... And you would need to provide each hotel some level of your universal style fastpass if you wanted to continue to use it as an unquantifiable perk to make guest pay higher prices for the Disney hotels.

And even if you only did it for the deluxe and moderate guests and gave nothing to the value resort guests I think you would have too many people with the special passes especially at the very popular rides. I could easily see seven dwarves mine train having a huge line of people jumping the regular line to the point that no one in the regular line would quickly become a 4 or 5 hour wait, while the special line would turn into a multi-hour wait and the end result would be very upset guests that didn't think their special hotel perk was worth a flip.

But by rationing out the ability to use the fastpass you insure that when a guest actually manages to use it they find a benefit in it because it doesn't mean they have to wait in a long line.

And don't forget Disney does offer the special jump ahead of everyone option for those willing to pay for a VIP guide.

 

[shipley731]

Well why not also do what Uni does and offer front-of-the-line privileges to anyone staying on-property? I'm sure all of us who always stay on property would love that but it would probably clog the FP queue.

I guess I don't understand why make the suggestion to pay for Fastpasses, like Uni does, but not the suggestion to get front-of-line privileges for on-property guests, like Uni does.

To clarify, you only get the express pass if you are staying at Portofino, Hard Rock or Royal Pacific. Cabana Beach & the new Sapphire Resort opening next year don't come with express passes. It also looks like Universal is going to a three tier hotel system - Premier (Portofino & Hard Rock), Preferred (Royal Pacific & Sapphire), & Prime Value (Cabana Beach).

 

[PrincessJenn5795]

I prefer FP+ because the Express pass is so expensive, and the cost depends on the day you are there. On our last WDW trip we took two days for Universal and it was the beginning of August. It cost almost $1000 for the 4 Express passes (not including park tickets). We actually booked a room there, even though it meant doubling up with our WDW room because it was the middle of our trip, because it ended up being cheaper for the room than the passes. That is pretty ridiculous, and there are a lot of people who would not have that option because of the cost. The FP+ system does not add any cost on to a trip, so there is equal access to it for the people who are on a tighter budget.

 

[The Empress Lilly]

Express Pass is VIP treatment of some guests.

At Disney, all kids are equal and everybody is a VIP.

 

[WondersOfLife]

So I guess you don't prefer to stay onsite at Disney either. That's certainly your prerogative. I happen to prefer the convenience and amenities which come along with staying onsite.

It's not that I don't prefer to stay onsite.. It's that I can't afford it. Because middle class is totally knocked out when it comes to all of the "additional benefits." So. Like I said. It's better to stay free of charge for the people who WANT to experience it but can't afford it. Universal and Disney are slowly just becoming a playground for rich people... So this is one of the few benefits Disney still has over Universal in lower classes.

 

[Luxe]

My problem with it is having to book it so far in advance, mainly because today I don't know what I want to do on the third Tuesday in December. It's not so bad, but it sometimes feels like everything becomes too scheduled. It's really not the end of the world, and while I complain about it as well, it has not ruined my time at WDW (except when they forgot to activate my wrist band and I couldn't get into my room at the Wilderness Lodge, but then I went and got that sorted out without any issue and I was back on my way).

You do NOT need to book months in advanced. That's the problem I have with people that complain about the FP+ system. You can wake up every morning and book whatever the heck you want for that day. Yeah so sometime you might not get the crazy busy attractions(TSMM) but who cares? If you really want to ride it then just wait in the queue. Just because the ability for you to book FP+ in advanced does NOT mean that you have to.

The whole point of the system is to be able to plan your vacation however you like. Some people prefer booking FP before their trip because they have already decided which park they will be at each day(which can be changed any time if they change their minds). Other people show up to the park, head to the kiosk and book whatever is available when they get there. And then there's also people who don't even use the FP system(crazy right?). The point being, it's a system that allows people to plan(or not) their vacation exactly how they like. Just because some people would prefer to throw money at Disney to ride whatever they want whenever doesn't mean it's a good idea.

 

[draybook]

I am within the category of NOT staying onsite at Universal because the hotel prices are ridiculous when you can stay a night in a hotel walking-distance for like, $60.00s a night. On top of that, there is basically no need to stay on-site considering you'll be in the parks most of the day anyways. So you're basically paying for a $400 express pass with a bed for the night.

Not sure what suite you're staying in, but we paid around $160 a night for 3 nights at RPR from September 11th-14th. That's less than what you will pay per night at a Disney moderate. Universal offers unlimited Express Pass with the stay. Disney allows 3 scheduled FP's + however many more you can squeeze in after that. I'm not a math major but the "value" definitely sways in favor of Universal. Honestly. we are in LOVE with Universal's setup, but we also know that with the amount of on-site guests and the logistics of it, it would be almost impossible at Disney.

 

[JusticeDisney]

Not sure what suite you're staying in, but we paid around $160 a night for 3 nights at RPR from September 11th-14th. That's less than what you will pay per night at a Disney moderate. Universal offers unlimited Express Pass with the stay. Disney allows 3 scheduled FP's + however many more you can squeeze in after that. I'm not a math major but the "value" definitely sways in favor of Universal. Honestly. we are in LOVE with Universal's setup, but we also know that with the amount of on-site guests and the logistics of it, it would be almost impossible at Disney.

I agree with every word.

 

[jonesenon4]

i have annual passes at both WDW and UNIVERSAL so i feel qualified to answer this as i have used both often. i do prefer the UNI express pass over the disney fast pass and heres why. at universal if you stay on sight you get the pass with the room which is an incentive to stay on sight. at disney it could be tiered to the resort deluxe free moderate 50% off value 25% off. personally i dont like the fact that off sight people get the same ride advantage as on sight people do when selecting a fastpass. with the express pass if you want it you either stay on sight or purchase it.however this is just my opinion so please no bashing allowed.