Not sure I'm getting why FP+ is "limiting" peoples experience.

[MikeandReneePlus5]

I enjoyed watching Saving Mr Banks last night. I left the cinema with a similar feeling. Great post. It does capture my disappointment with the changes.

It's ironic that the Walt Disney Company made Saving Mr. Banks isn't it?

 

[Robo]

And maybe this explains the credit guarantee for every restaurant even during slow times - it is important to book that seat at a restaurant and not hop around. Plan your meals, plan your three rides, plan your extra experience. Create your daily itinerary and stick with it.

Things food and wine are wildly popular (lots of extra costs)
The parties are crazy popular (extra cost)

I can see more and more of this.

Disney tried other parties at MK.
Didn't work.

 

[rt2dz]

I have never had an interest in Club Med type places and definitely don't want to deal with a Disney version of that. Ugh, that fits doesn't it?

I like Club Med type of resorts (not beach ones because I can't spend days at the beach, half day max), but they are all inclusive and frequently cost less to equal what I pay at WDW prior to the upcharges. I don't think this would be a successful version of the Club Med model.

 

[vcgirl925]

A lot of this is why I now find the US/IoA experience far superior to WDW. You stay on site there, you get the express pass included. You save hours of time, just as a bonus of staying on site in a lovely hotel, for half of the cost of a Disney Deluxe. If you don't stay on site, you pay $50-$125 a day for the privilege. I actually don't think that is unreasonable. At least it gives everyone a fighting chance, if you are willing to fork over the dough.

I realize the same system would never work at WDW due to the sheer number of rooms on property, BUT, (and I realize I'm in the flaming minority), I'd pay $100 a day extra to have an every ride fastpass, able to use all day long. I'd do it in a heartbeat, with a smile on my face. I think standing in more than two 120 minute queues per day may make a lot of people run to guest services to upgrade to never do that again, if given the choice. Especially 1st timers. I'd MUCH rather have a pay system, with more ride availability, than this tiered system with limited selection.

We already doll out $5-7000 total for a Disney vacation, an extra $500 for fastpass privileges is nothing, really.

And, like the OP says, no one would HAVE to use it.

I agree 100%. After 14 years of going to ONLY Disney we tired US/IOA this past Sept. It was such a breath of fresh air. The express passes are fantastic. Staying onsite i could ride everything except forbidden Journey, over and over again all day with no limitations. I would pay extra to get that at Disney.

 

[surferdave]

I like Club Med type of resorts (not beach ones because I can't spend days at the beach, half day max), but they are all inclusive and frequently cost less to equal what I pay at WDW prior to the upcharges. I don't think this would be a successful version of the Club Med model.

I can't imagine paying for a Club Med experience if Club Med is filling up all their standing room only space selling tickets at the door. Not only that, but flying in South American tour groups, cheerleader camps, and business conventions to be certain I'm constantly crowded in.

 

[metzgardesign]

I agree 100%. After 14 years of going to ONLY Disney we tired US/IOA this past Sept. It was such a breath of fresh air. The express passes are fantastic. Staying onsite i could ride everything except forbidden Journey, over and over again all day with no limitations. I would pay extra to get that at Disney.

I sure wouldn't.

Using the example crostorfer mentioned of paying $100 extra per day for the privilege of unlimited rides.....for our family of 3, over a 6-day-in-the-parks vacation.....that would equate to $1800 extra tacked onto the trip (unless they were referring to the entire group paying $100 extra/day.....and I still don't see that happening for us).

Whoa......

 

[magicbob]

Personally, I think you hit the nail on the head here. My mom and I have been talking about this. More and more DVC construction. I think this is totally the way it's headed. The total immersion experience.

I quite enjoy the "total immersion experience" in terms of doing lots of other things besides just the parks. But when I am in the parks, I want to be able to get on the rides. It seems more and more like they are trying to downplay going on rides. I just don't see that being a successful strategy. If I want to just go relax on the beach, etc. I go to Hawaii or St. Thomas or Crete. The primary reason families go to WDW is to ride rides. I spend more time doing other things and less time in the parks than I used to, but I can never imagine spending the day in a park and experiencing only three of the attractions.

 

[mom2rtk]

I can't imagine paying for a Club Med experience if Club Med is filling up all their standing room only space selling tickets at the door. Not only that, but flying in South American tour groups, cheerleader camps, and business conventions to be certain I'm constantly crowded in.

Yep. That's sort of where the whole thing starts to fall apart.

 

[metzgardesign]

I quite enjoy the "total immersion experience" in terms of doing lots of other things besides just the parks. But when I am in the parks, I want to be able to get on the rides. It seems more and more like they are trying to downplay going on rides. I just don't see that being a successful strategy. If I want to just go relax on the beach, etc. I go to Hawaii or St. Thomas or Crete. The primary reason families go to WDW is to ride rides. I spend more time doing other things and less time in the parks than I used to, but I can never imagine spending the day in a park and experiencing only three of the attractions.

Ultimately, it boils down to maximizing ticket sales (in conjunction with DVC sales/resort rooms-filling) without providing any real measurable in-park options increases for those increased crowds (the best financial reward for Disney is value-added, basic vacation package supplements).

A giant shell game, as it were.

How to accommodate increased crowds without substantially increasing attractions for them. And how to effectively entice those crowds to graciously hand over more of their money to Disney for more "options."

A corporate version of filling a 5-pound bag with 10 pounds of pooh.....and convincing the pooh that it's happy with that situation.

As I alluded to earlier.....the number-crunchers now in charge of this division of Disney are loving this opportunity (at least theoretically.....however they may not be thrilled with the implementation, thus far).....the approach flies in the face of Walt Disney's original vision that his parks provided a place for families to have a good time and experience his "magic" (while still providing the Disney corporation with a healthy profit).

The new paradigm is less customer-centric, and far more stockholder/company-centric.

 

[ArwenMarie]

Disney wants their cake and they want to eat it too (otherwise known as greed).

They want to charge an all-access ticket price, yet overcrowd the place to the point that you are eating fart (HT to Juanolas) and "upsell" (their words) for as many things as they can. Can't have it both ways. If they want to ration rides, and charge for soaking up the atmosphere, then lower the ticket prices, make Epcot a mall and charge per ride. Fine.

But they can't expect people not to get ticked when they are charging the ticket prices that they are charging yet rationing out rides and trying to charge extra for everything that they possibly can.

Even character meals...priced through the roof for crud food but parents line up like crazy for them because it gets you out of a few hellish meet and greet lines. And parties...so you get kicked out of the park halfway through the day unless you want to pay for a party? Think about that! How about running a Christmas and Halloween parade on regular nights around those holidays? Big deal. But no, then they couldn't charge their exorbitant ticket prices for the parties. It's like they are so greedy they just don't know when to stop.

They would have made it an all-inclusive by now if they could. It would be a lot easier for them. But they can't. As much as they want to dump on offsite, whether local or tourists, they need those customers too.

So they push and push and push on price and "upselling" and maybe it will backfire on them, maybe it won't.

The sad thing is if they actually tried to make "magic" again...they would find their investment would come back to them tenfold. People are so hungry for beautiful things and magical moments...that's why people keep going there, even though it is so expensive, because there is still something there. But building magical places and things take time and money and don't give quick returns for bonuses and dividends. Cutting budgets and building DVC does.

 

[Spankadoodle]

The people complaining about the new fast pass system, are the reason they are replacing the old one. They want to ride "their" rides multiple times per day, without caring about other people having a chance.

 

[Robo]

The people complaining about the new fast pass system, are the reason they are replacing the old one. They want to ride "their" rides multiple times per day, without caring about other people having a chance.

Source?

 

[skater]

The people complaining about the new fast pass system, are the reason they are replacing the old one. They want to ride "their" rides multiple times per day, without caring about other people having a chance.

Seriously doubt it.

 

[mom2rtk]

The people complaining about the new fast pass system, are the reason they are replacing the old one. They want to ride "their" rides multiple times per day, without caring about other people having a chance.

So were these people blocking the entrance of the rides for the other guests or something?

 

[Laketravis]

So were these people blocking the entrance of the rides for the other guests or something?

 

[morethananyonex]

The people complaining about the new fast pass system, are the reason they are replacing the old one. They want to ride "their" rides multiple times per day, without caring about other people having a chance.

Money is the reason they are replacing the old system. Disney is a business first and foremost who doesn't give a crap if little Jimmy had to wait to ride TSMM unless it means his parents are spending less money because of it.

 

[Mkrop]

The people complaining about the new fast pass system, are the reason they are replacing the old one. They want to ride "their" rides multiple times per day, without caring about other people having a chance.

oh please oh please tell me what was keeping all these poor souls from riding these rides....

 

[crostorfer]

The people complaining about the new fast pass system, are the reason they are replacing the old one. They want to ride "their" rides multiple times per day, without caring about other people having a chance.

Those other people did have a chance. It was called a Fastpass of their very own.

 

[Donut23]

Substantially may be up for interpretation. But I can see FP+ (and the whole MM+ in general) making Disney more money in several different ways.

*First time guests - who would look at Disney as "just a bigger theme park" and not realize just how much they would need to plan will now get 3 guaranteed rides. And in parks with tiers, they will be subtly guided to pick only 1 headliner attraction. Parks with no tiers, they will more likely be guided to secondary rides, but I would lay even odds that most people are aware that rides containing the word "mountain" are the biggies. These people are going to be more likely (subjectively speaking and IMHO) to be happier with the trip and thus have a more positive recollection for the next time they plan a vacation. More new repeat business = more $.

*Scheduling the FP+'s - By knowing where and when the guests are planning to be (even though plans change) Disney can then schedule the "appropriate" number of CM's. Rather than scheduling what they anticipate based on past experience, they will actually have a sizeable chunk of the tourists self-identifying where they plan to be. By scheduling the minimum number of needed CM's, instead of an estimated/anticipated of potentially needed, payroll drops, and Disney gets more $.

*Monitoring of guest/crowd movement - When full implementation of MB's comes out, and everyone has one, Disney will be able to track exactly where in the parks each person is when (within the radius of the receiver signals). This will allow them to email/text "surprise FP+'s at POTC" or "instant Dole-whip coupons" or some other something based on (next point) to try to move people from more congested to less congested areas. By leveling out crowds the lines for rides will decrease (fewer people in Adventure Land means fewer people in lines in Adventure Land) and giving people a perception of "extra pixie dust" the guests will (more likely, caveats granted) be happier. Which means more likely to take advantage of that "Dole-whip coupon" and buy something they may not have normally.

*Historical data / Data mining - by seeing exactly which guest does what when where and how often, Disney can tailor incentives to assist in the previous point. If the records show that at some point you always buy a Dole-whip after you ride Jungle Cruise and POTC, when you cross the bridge and the system realizes that there is a 40 minute wait at the rides, it can send that "instant coupon" knowing you are more likely to take the time now and save, causing a small delay that (assuming everything works correctly) will allow the lines to decrease on your rides. While this does not necessarily get Disney more money right here, when guests notice that the alerts "save" them money on things they normally buy, they will be more likely to buy something new when that alert comes in. Which is where Disney can make more $.

I am relatively sure that there are many other ways that Disney can use all of this to make money, but these are all things I can think of in just a few moments. Given that Disney surely has at least 1 or 2 bean counters who are probably more cognizant of how Disney works than I am, I would put really good odds that there are many more money making methods we have yet to see in the My Magic Magic Bands.

Cashless travel. There are now decades of data from cruise lines and cashless environments. People spend an average of 11% more in cashless situations.

Uncle Bobbie is screaming ...... A magic Band On Every Wrist.......as they quietly raised budgets for parks an additional 11% for 2014.


It really is all about making $$$$$$$. Everything else is just whoey Disney has to live with.

 

[SkaGoat]

Money is the reason they are replacing the old system. Disney is a business first and foremost who doesn't give a crap if little Jimmy had to wait to ride TSMM unless it means his parents are spending less money because of it.

How is Disney making more or less money if little Jimmy rides Toy Story 1x or 50x?

People are complaining FastPass+ will mean they spend more time in line, if this were true, it would hurt Disney's pocketbook because guests standing in line aren't spending money on food and souvenirs.

Personally, FastPass+ is tailor made for the type of touring my wife and I do. We are usually at one park for rope drop, we ride all the head liners, have lunch, then head to the room for a mid day break, we then head out for dinner, and finish the day off with a different park.

So for our trip in Feb, we mostly chose FastPass+s for the 2nd park. We almost never need FastPass for the parks we make it to rope drop for.

But we are OK with only riding our favs once or twice a trip, and we are diligent about making it to rope drop.