Wanna buy a Fastpass? It will cost ya $50

We decided to book this because we are only staying 4 nights. I had booked EMM, a GG pre park opening breakfast, a BOG ppo breakfast, and a HEA dessert party and buying these extra FPs will now cost less than all that so I will be canceling those. And now we can sleep a bit later and take our time in the mornings in the lounge instead of being RDers like we usually are. My boys (16) are psyched but said they still may want to do that one morning.

Your post and the several others that have said they will now be cancelling got me to thinking. Wonder if Disney will even see the correlation of cancellations and fewer bookings of the extras to this new CL FP+?

IF they do see it, which could also be dependent on whether other non-CL people fill in the cancellations, will they UP the price of the CL FP+ to make it more of a choice or will they see it as a loss and therefore cancel the program altogether?
 
Your post and the several others that have said they will now be cancelling got me to thinking. Wonder if Disney will even see the correlation of cancellations and fewer bookings of the extras to this new CL FP+?

IF they do see it, which could also be dependent on whether other non-CL people fill in the cancellations, will they UP the price of the CL FP+ to make it more of a choice or will they see it as a loss and therefore cancel the program altogether?



Anything is possible, but the extra FP+ cost them nothing unless you consider the time it takes for a CM to book them, whereas dessert parties, EMM, and after hours events do have a cost to put on. Also, there is likely someone coming along to book that cancelled spot so there isn’t a loss there.

From my perspective, even with cancellations this looks like a win for Disney.
 
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My real concern about buying extra fast passes is that in the future WDW will say you get 3 per day, if you want more you pay more.
 
I agree that not all CL guests will use this, my opinion is that a lot of CL guests are getting that room for the status, to be able to tell their friends they are getting CL, and to possibly eat some meals in the lounge to make up for the cost.
Are there really people who book a hotel room to brag to their friends about it?? That would never have occurred to me...

It is simpler, but WDW isn't likely to adopt it anytime soon due to two words: sunk costs.
The whole idea of sunk costs is that you do not consider them when making a rational business/financial decision, though. I doubt Disney execs are emotionally wed to FP+. They cite it as a factor in increased profitability and per guest spending. I assume that’s why it’ll stick around. If another incarnation is more profitable, they’ll make a change.

Vacationing only once or twice per decade, just to stay in far more expensive hotel rooms, would be an absurd choice. I like to do things that actually make sense.
There’s that declarative statement again... about something subjective. I don’t understand the need.
 


Personally for me this is Disney stepping over the line. I love Disney and love the FP system but to allow guests to pay for additional FP window seems to slap all of the average people travelling to Disney in the face. $50 seems an absurd amount to pay to get onto an attraction/s faster, however people who can afford that and have that extra money available will obviously be able to take advantage of it. Others will not.
 
Personally for me this is Disney stepping over the line. I love Disney and love the FP system but to allow guests to pay for additional FP window seems to slap all of the average people travelling to Disney in the face. $50 seems an absurd amount to pay to get onto an attraction/s faster, however people who can afford that and have that extra money available will obviously be able to take advantage of it. Others will not.

I said something similar upthread, but “absurd” is relative. To a lot of people, $100+ is an absurd price to pay to go to a theme park for a day. Lots (and I mean LOTS) of people can’t afford to even go to Disney at all.

This is just like any luxury item. There will be people who can afford it and people who can’t. Having money will always afford you more opportunities than those who have less. It’s just life.
 
I said something similar upthread, but “absurd” is relative. To a lot of people, $100+ is an absurd price to pay to go to a theme park for a day. Lots (and I mean LOTS) of people can’t afford to even go to Disney at all.

This is just like any luxury item. There will be people who can afford it and people who can’t. Having money will always afford you more opportunities than those who have less. It’s just life.

No doubt, I absoultely agree. Disney is a business and has to make money and this appears to be one of the new ways in which they will do this
 


I said something similar upthread, but “absurd” is relative. To a lot of people, $100+ is an absurd price to pay to go to a theme park for a day. Lots (and I mean LOTS) of people can’t afford to even go to Disney at all.

This is just like any luxury item. There will be people who can afford it and people who can’t. Having money will always afford you more opportunities than those who have less. It’s just life.
It's true that it's life but it's still aggravating in this case. Disney used to provide many things as part of admission that they now want extra money for. Prices rise but to see endless extras that have to be paid for gets tiresome imo. Many people predicted this and even more so who knows where it will end. As long as there are those who are willing to pay there is no reason for Disney to stop. I personally prefer a simple entrance cost to being charged endless fees for so-called extras.
 
:wave2: Dropping in to remind everyone to remain on the topic presented in the OP. This Disney Pilot Program for Club Level Guests is a strategy and is the focus of this thread.

Here are some other threads where the CL Perks are being discussed:

Disney's Club Level (CL) Information and Questions -0- posts with “absurd”

Club level guests can buy more fast passes? -0- posts with “absurd”

Club Level Fastpass+ Purchase (Logistics) -0- posts with “absurd”

This thread: 6 posts with “absurd” used at least once within the text.
 
:wave2: Dropping in to remind everyone to remain on the topic presented in the OP. This Disney Pilot Program for Club Level Guests is a strategy and is the focus of this thread.

Here are some other threads where the CL Perks are being discussed:

Disney's Club Level (CL) Information and Questions -0- posts with “absurd”

Club level guests can buy more fast passes? -0- posts with “absurd”

Club Level Fastpass+ Purchase (Logistics) -0- posts with “absurd”

This thread: 6 posts with “absurd” used at least once within the text.

Can I ask in all seriousness why using absurd would be a problem? It is not an attack on people, it is being used to express frustration with the new "strategy" that Disney is trying. Is it not okay to express disappointment with something new that Disney is trying?
 
As per Spectrum News 13 (this is a Central Florida Cable News Channel)

Guests staying at some Walt Disney World resorts will soon have the option of buying additional FastPass+ reservations.

  • Guests will be able to buy additional Fastpasses
  • Available to guests staying in select resorts, in club-level rooms
  • Option will costs $50 per person, per day
A Disney spokesperson confirmed the information with Spectrum News 13 on Tuesday.

The FastPass+ deal will be offered separately to guests who book a stay in a club-level room at select resorts.

The additional Fastpasses will cost $50 per person, per day, according to Disney. So for one guest who wants to add the option for three days, the additional FastPass+ reservations would cost $150. In order to add the extra option, guests must get it for a minimum of three days, according to Disney.

Guests will have the chance to add the option after making their reservation.

The Fastpasses can be used at any park; however, guests will make selections at the time of booking.

Disney says it plans to roll out the program Friday, but stresses the option is just a pilot program.

The FastPass+ service, which enables guests to make advance reservations for select rides and shows, is free with theme park admission.


Nah! I’ll pass.
 
Can I ask in all seriousness why using absurd would be a problem? It is not an attack on people, it is being used to express frustration with the new "strategy" that Disney is trying. Is it not okay to express disappointment with something new that Disney is trying?
Also used to describe those who are CL guests who may choose to utilize this strategy. There’s been much discussion on “metrics” and no analytics yet, so I was just pointing out there are other more welcoming threads.
 
It's true that it's life but it's still aggravating in this case. Disney used to provide many things as part of admission that they now want extra money for.

Could you provide examples? I’ve been to Disney 7 times in the last 10 years and have not been upcharged for anything that I once got for free. There isn’t an extra cost for the attractions, transportation is still free, and the initial selection of 3 FPs is also still free. I’m not aggravated, yet.
 
I can see using this if you are going during peak times - Christmas week, Easter, July 4 etc. To basically have 6 FP for a day during those times would have real value. I could also imagine those folks who are only doing three days at WDW using this - 3 FP in one park in the morning, 3 FP in another park in the afternoon, plus great viewing for a night time show. If you are 3 or 4 people, I could see that having value. There is a lot of shaming on this thread as to how people spend money. Perhaps someone would rather spend $150 per person to have that experience and memories, than spend $150 per person on a souvenir cup, popcorn bucket, Micky plush and some other overpriced piece of plastic etc that will all get trashed in a month or so. Each to their own.
 
Just read the following article and this stood out — assume they’re adding more to FP pool then? Ultimately adding to standby waits, then, no?

“This pilot program will not affect FastPass+ availability for Resort Guests booking at their normal 60-day window.”

http://wdwnt.com/blog/2018/01/confi...e-show-viewing-new-theme-park-extra-offering/

I still think negligible with this test, but perhaps not if expanded.
 
I can see using this if you are going during peak times - Christmas week, Easter, July 4 etc. To basically have 6 FP for a day during those times would have real value. I could also imagine those folks who are only doing three days at WDW using this - 3 FP in one park in the morning, 3 FP in another park in the afternoon, plus great viewing for a night time show. If you are 3 or 4 people, I could see that having value. There is a lot of shaming on this thread as to how people spend money. Perhaps someone would rather spend $150 per person to have that experience and memories, than spend $150 per person on a souvenir cup, popcorn bucket, Micky plush and some other overpriced piece of plastic etc that will all get trashed in a month or so. Each to their own.

We just forked over $120 per person (plus tax) for 3 extra hours in MK on our next trip, so I don’t think this is actually priced that crazy. It’s frustrating to me that Disney is clearly moving in a monetizing FP+ direction, but I can’t say the price point is that crazy when compared to other offerings.

I can see the value in this for anybody who doesn’t frequently visit, almost year round. I think sometimes when you go so often (like so many people here) you take for granted that next trip may be 5 or 10 years away, if at all, and people want to cram in as much as they can. When you aren’t paying to go to Disney yearly, $50 per person per day to experience more isn’t that hard to understand.

We just booked our FP+ for our next trip, so the annoyance of the tiers is fresh in my mind. $50 per person almost seems like a bargain when you look at how much easier your Epcot day can be
 
It might make sense to others. It’s stilll YOUR choice. Bottom line is there are ppl this appeals to & that doesn’t necessarily mean their “rich”.

Another aspect bears mentioning...I don't know about the rest of the world, but European hotels tend to offer- more or less - club level service as a standard amenity at most hotels. It is sometimes called board, or half-board. Even a low budget hotel will give you coffee and a stale pastry every morning.

I've always wondered if that's part of why Disney offers it at all, to appeal to international travelers that expect it.

To some folks, not getting half-board would be like staying at a hotel that doesn't have towels. The reaction would just be, "What? Why would anyone do that? Of course we'll pay for half board service."

Many Americans just set a different set of expectations. I originally came to the DIS boards to find discounts. Some vacations we spend more, some I are very low budget. Over the years, we've tried almost every combo to save money.

Except I've always refused to use the in-room iron to make grilled cheese sandwiches. :crazy2:(That actually used to be a hot suggestion on the budget boards!)
 
Could you provide examples? I’ve been to Disney 7 times in the last 10 years and have not been upcharged for anything that I once got for free. There isn’t an extra cost for the attractions, transportation is still free, and the initial selection of 3 FPs is also still free. I’m not aggravated, yet.
Non-expiring tickets. Non-hopping tickets. Every ticket used to include BOTH hopping and NEVER expired! It was actually something they touted in their ads! If you've only been going to WDW for ten years, then those pre-date your visits. MYW started in 2005. That said, four day hoppers in 2004 were $192-$202. In 2005, the new 4 day non-hoppers were $185.

It depends how far back you go in visits to WDW.

They've also added the no-show ADR fee. I've never been charged it, nor did we abuse the system before it was added, but for me, it does make me reluctant to book ADR's. Especially when WDW so very often seats us very late past our ADR time. Last trip, we made it on time, despite the monorail not working 100%, and waited over an hour past our ADR. WDW doesn't hold up their end, but they want to penalize me if I don't hold up my end?

WDW also used to offer a kind of after hours event in MK for a mere $10. Three hours in the park, minimal other guests- just $10! Few folks knew about it.

Ah, but there I go again posting some history.
And WDW perks that were semi-secret.

Honestly, just as nobody knew about the $10 nights, I think many guests won't even know about this program.
 

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