Wanna buy a Fastpass? It will cost ya $50

[ArwenMarie]

I think it is just a difficult position that Disney is putting our family in. And it seems like a poor business decision on Disney's part. Instead of Disney receiving an extra $600+ from us, they are forcing us to either choose to switch rooms (which would save us MUCH more than the $600 than they would receive in return) or stay where we are and not be able to pay for the fastpasses. At this point, we will stay and hope that it gets rolled out further. I think the pros of the villa outweigh this con and there is always the chance that this test could end before our stay. Unfortunately the club level suites do not offer us the main amenities that work for our family (mainly laundry and kitchen).

I hear you.

There are kitchenettes in the 2 bedroom Club Level suites with a frig, microwave and sink. Not sure about laundry. They are really beautiful suites if you think you want the space. Not even on the same level as the BLT villas (which are also very nice)

 

[mickeyluv'r]

On the subject of Walt wanting Disneyland to be affordable/for everyone.

Source please? I’ve just never heard this.

I've heard more specific quotes than this, (about how Walt wanted Disneyland to a place that was affordable for everyone) but with just a quick search I found multiple quotes that get to the gist of how he thought:

1. "Disneyland is a work of love. We didn't go into Disneyland just with the idea of making money. "

2, "In my view, wholesome pleasure, sport, and recreation are as vital to this nation as productive work and should have a large share in the national budget."

2. “I have never been interested in personal gain or profit. This business and this studio have been my entire life.”

3.. "We believed in our idea – a family park where parents and children could have fun- together.”

4. (not really about affordability, but so great!) –“Our heritage and ideals, our code and standards – the things we live by and teach our children – are preserved or diminished by how freely we exchange ideas and feelings.”

5. "“I don’t make pictures just to make money. I make money to make more pictures.”


While none of these specifically say Disneyland should be inexpensive, taken together, they clearly show that he cared mostly about sharing his creations with as many people as possible, not making money.

 

[Hikergirl]

I'm willing to bet that if he was still around and saw the success and money Disney was making he'd have no problems with it at all.

 

[jimim]

We've developed a fairly efficient system for tackling the parks every Christmas 12/24-1/1 (the most crowded time of the year)

Magic Kingdom:
- Head to Space Mountain then Buzz at RD, while everyone runs to Fantasyland
- FP+'s for 7DMT, Thunder Mountain and Jungle Cruise
- See the Muppets show and 3pm parade
- We save the kiddie and family rides like Pooh and Peter Pan for late-night EMHs, like December 30th.

DHS:
- We split this into two days:
- On one day we do DHS FP+s (RnR, ToT, Frozen Musical) in the daytime, then Epcot at night for Illuminations.
- Another day we'll do Epcot in the daytime, and DHS FP+'s at night (TSMM, Star Tours and ToT)

EPCOT:
- Staying at BC, we'll do EPCOT on our arrival day and last day. Arrival day: FP+'s include TestTrack, character meet and spaceship earth
- On our departure day, we'll do Frozen, etc.

Why the example? Because it's proof that you don't need to pay for FP+'s. Even on shorter trips we've gotten everything done. We'll do one day at DHS and arrive at RD for ToT, and a FP+ for TSMM.

Now, to play devil's advocate: if this is your first ever trip to Disney and possibly ONLY trip to Disney, well then, it may be worth it.

Look, I'm a big proponent of spending your money however you seem fit. Could my family get by with staying at a Moderate every Christmas? Heck yeah. We've done it in the past. Only recently did we start springing for Deluxe Resorts because we love the proximity to the parks and it makes our trip easier.

oh that's a basket-full of seasoned disney park goers! very nice layout for a first timer to help them out. not like they will head to that advice cause most i talk to stress for the hard rides in the AM cause they think they might not get to them before the end of the trip. it's simply amazing how you can crush rides at the magic kingdom during the night shows or extended hours.

 

[LSUmiss]

As for the parks in general becoming more popular despite this (although this might've tapered off a bit recently), I think it's because the price increases have lit a fire under a lot of people's butts to go while they still can or still feel it's worth it. When it was always more in line with inflation then there wasn't the pressure there has been more recently.
However this is probably temporary and those guests will probably eventually go away

I disagree. I think it’s more popular b/c Disney markets their products & parks well worldwide. And they have done a good job of marketing to all levels. They advertise how “affordable” it is for a family of 4 to stay in a value for 4 days. That’s not aimed at ppl who know what it used to cost just 5 years ago to do that. That’s aimed at ppl who never thought they could afford Disney at all & stick to cheaper vacations but then say “hmm...that’s not that bad”. Plus with allowing ppl to book for a reasonably low deposit amount & make payments, it essentially lets you put vacation on layaway. So Disney has marketed to whole new demographic that never used to even consider disney. I don’t think the average person thinks it’s going to soon rise beyond their budget & hurry up to get a trip in.

 

[LSUmiss]

It's because most on this board are more well off. In the general population you'll find many more who would be offended by the offer and what it means to regular park-goers

Most of the general population doesn’t know how the current fp system works so they won’t be upset about potentially losing something they never knew they might have had. And, again, disposable income can be related to other life choices, so it doesn’t make ppl well off, just means they spend their $ differently. Example for me: we go often to WdW. My sister goes once every 5 years or so. She had said to me once “oh we can’t go like y’all b/c we can’t afford that”. But, I pointed out to her that her & her husband both ride in Mardi Gras krewes here in NOLA. That’s very expensive & about what we pay to go to wdw annually or twice annually so it’s just a different use of our disposable incomes. And even the amount of ppl in your family can be a choice. A family of 5 has to spend more for the same thing than a family of 4, but, for the most part that is a choice.

 

[LSUmiss]

Just so we are clear here, what is the "luxury item" that is under consideration in this discussion? A trip to WDW generally? A stay in a Club Level room? Or a chance to ride Flight of Passage and Frozen? It is only the latter that is being tethered to the $50 per day price tag. The prices of the Disney vacation generally and the Club Level room have not changed as a result of this new initiative. I am struggling to place a two minute whirl on an amusement park ride in the "luxury item" category.

Vacation is a luxury item in general.

 

[DavidNYC]

This is a luxury vacation. I agree that the haves & the have nots widening gap in the real world is a major problem with access to necessities, opportunities in education/employment, etc. But this is more like different levels like a pp said. Someone may chose to stay 2 weeks in a value whereas another may find value in 4 days club level
with this perk & spend close to the same $.

If it is limited to this - I'm fine with it. It's a relatively low number of guests who will do this and will have probably no measurable effect on overall availability. The problem is if this continues to expand. I think Disney has done a good job so far of striking a careful balance with it's upsells in a way to provide some special experiences for those who pay more while not impacting the vast majority of typical guests. (Although I think they've been really skirting around that line with the tremendous number of parties at the holidays which have made is very difficult for non-paying guests to do evenings in MK at Halloween and Xmas). But this if expanded could have a tremendous effect. The question will be whether it will remain a limited perk to a small number of high paying guests or whether they start transferring more of what is a finite resource to those who pay. Dessert parties and the like created a new experience. This doesn't create anything - it merely transfers resources from one group to another.

 

[ckelly14]

Dessert parties and the like created a new experience. This doesn't create anything - it merely transfers resources from one group to another.

Very true. Haven't thought of it this way.

 

[AEA1127]

Interested to hear more details tomorrow. We have a CL trip booked in September and would be interested in this. We were just there in December and found that for HEA especially, it was a mess trying to stay in a spot (far in advance) and not have our toddler trampled by people closer to showtime. It wasn't worth the headache, we watched other nights from the hotel and did two MVMCP nights to see the holiday offerings. Getting 3 additional FP AND reserved nighttime viewing locations would be valuable to us. I just don't think it would be necessary for our entire trip if that's required. I guess we'll see tomorrow!

 

[LSUmiss]

If it is limited to this - I'm fine with it. It's a relatively low number of guests who will do this and will have probably no measurable effect on overall availability. The problem is if this continues to expand. I think Disney has done a good job so far of striking a careful balance with it's upsells in a way to provide some special experiences for those who pay more while not impacting the vast majority of typical guests. (Although I think they've been really skirting around that line with the tremendous number of parties at the holidays which have made is very difficult for non-paying guests to do evenings in MK at Halloween and Xmas). But this if expanded could have a tremendous effect. The question will be whether it will remain a limited perk to a small number of high paying guests or whether they start transferring more of what is a finite resource to those who pay. Dessert parties and the like created a new experience. This doesn't create anything - it merely transfers resources from one group to another.

It can be argued that it was already tiered with off site getting less access than on site. And it will be an issue if effects availability of the first 3 FPs. I don’t see Disney suddenly charging for the first 3. I think that’s safe. Think any charge will come for additional ones.

 

[DavidNYC]

It can be argued that it was already tiered with off site getting less access than on site. And it will be an issue if effects availability of the first 3 FPs. I don’t see Disney suddenly charging for the first 3. I think that’s safe. Think any charge will come for additional ones.

Yes - onsite guests get perks but that is such a HUGE group with a lot of options at different price points I look at that more of a brand loyalty perk than a financial limiter.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Imagine if WDW instituted a policy where those who have the most visits get the best FPs... there would be a riot.
....

There are something like 700 club level rooms and 30,500 non-CL rooms on WDW property. Unless this expands outside of club level, no one will ever notice the difference from this either.

I was going to refute your first sentence until I read your last sentence. If WDW has been giving their best customers better access to e-ride FP and ADR's using some kind of algorithm, we wouldn't even know it.

When I worked in the service industry, I was often given permission to make allowances for our best customers. Why wouldn't a company do a little extra for their best customers?

 

[anomamatt]

I was going to refute your first sentence until I read your last sentence. If WDW has been giving their best customers better access to e-ride FP and ADR's using some kind of algorithm, we wouldn't even know it.

When I worked in the service industry, I was often given permission to make allowances for our best customers. Why wouldn't a company do a little extra for their best customers?

What I meant with my first sentence is that if WDW made it public and advertised it, people would flip out.

And yeah, it already happens at WDW. I have no idea about algorithms they might or might not use, but if you do a VIP tour and ask for something "crazy", they will try to make it happen (and sometimes it might have an extra $$$ attached, but not always). There are no hard and fast rules about what you can do. They just don't advertise it.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

I'm willing to bet that if he was still around and saw the success and money Disney was making he'd have no problems with it at all.

Sure, he was successful, but he was also a wild risk taker. Whenever he had a financial success, he typically used the money to finance his next big risk; risks that put his studio in financial jeopardy.

Snow White WAS successful, but well...it was made during the Great Depression. A big part of the motivation of doing such an ambitious project was to employ as many folks as possible so they wouldn't starve.

I don't speculate on what he would do if he was still alive, but suggesting wealth was his prime motivation is demonstrably inaccurate if you know his biography.

 

[tlmadden73]

Technically Fast Passes are already "tiered" anyway.

The family who chooses and can afford a 10-day vacation gets a 6-day head start on making their Fast passes compared to someone like me who usually gets 3-4 nights.
Since I am only staying only 4 nights, even if I make myr fast passes at the very minute I am able to, high-demand fast passes (like Flight of Passage) are already gone.

So it is not like the current Fast Pass system is "equal" anyway. The families who pay Disney a lot more money (to stay more nights) get a slight perk for it.

I'm not a fan of selling 3 extra fast passes, but I am not surprised.
Will 3 extra fast passes per person per club level room gobble up more fast passes than the "loophole" did that was open for years? (Allowing you to a second MDE account and extra magic bands to book an extra 3 or more fast passes per day?)

I am also not a fan of the 90 days out thing either.

Just let Fast Passes be used the day of .. this scheduling thing 30/60/90 days in advance is just plain awful and stressful when trying to plan a fun, family vacation.

 

[Hikergirl]

Sure, he was successful, but he was also a wild risk taker. Whenever he had a financial success, he typically used the money to finance his next big risk; risks that put his studio in financial jeopardy.

Snow White WAS successful, but well...it was made during the Great Depression. A big part of the motivation of doing such an ambitious project was to employ as many folks as possible so they wouldn't starve.

I don't speculate on what he would do if he was still alive, but suggesting wealth was his prime motivation is demonstrably inaccurate if you know his biography.

I never said that, I don't know or even care what is motivation was. All I care about it is the WDW I spend my money at today. Of course I'm not a fan of Walt's, I don't hold him up on any pedestal or anything. I'm grateful he did what he did when he did, or else there would not be WDW today that I love. However, I don't need to know his bio to know that as a businessman he wouldn't have any problems with the success of his company. A successful company means alot more than one individual's wealth.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

What I meant with my first sentence is that if WDW made it public and advertised it, people would flip out.

And yeah, it already happens at WDW. I have no idea about algorithms they might or might not use, but if you do a VIP tour and ask for something "crazy", they will try to make it happen (and sometimes it might have an extra $$$ attached, but not always). There are no hard and fast rules about what you can do. They just don't advertise it.

I suppose it depends what you mean by public and advertised.

WDW has long been in the habit of using multiple marketing strategies to different kinds of customers.

As I said earlier, many of the CL guests are at WDW for work. They don't book meals at 180 days, and they often don't buy park tickets at all, but I imagine that if the CEO of a large corporation asks about getting a signature dinner, WDW finds a table.

Maybe they don't tell us peasants about it, but they might tell the CEO she can eat wherever she wants whenever she wants, and that she doesn't have to use the peasant (er, standby) line to ride Space Mtn.

Orlando is full of convention space, and CEO's have many choices when booking a big event. Disney offers their clients the value of "superior amenities and services, " as well as a unique opportunity to "experience the magic!" After all, theme park events "Create unforgettable networking opportunities!"

 

[Magic_Man]

Most of the general population doesn’t know how the current fp system works so they won’t be upset about potentially losing something they never knew they might have had.

What the general population does or does not know matters little. What matters is what the subset of the general population who vacation at WDW knows. And while it became a common refrain to project ignorance on them when FP (and later FP+) were first introduced, the level of knowledge is growing rapidly, especially as tech-savvy Millennials (and four year-olds) displace the Greatest Generation as guests.

 

[holden]

We paid $255pp for the Ultimate day of Thrills VIP Tour (price includes 15% DVC discount) last summer. We went through the FP+ line for 11 rides. That comes out to $23.18 per FP+ per person, but it also included two tour guides for our group of approximately 20, transportation to two parks (EP and DHS) in a van, back entrance into the parks (thus avoiding the lines out front), bottles of water and lunch at Sunshine Seasons. I think my deal was better.

Edited to add: Tour began at MK