Portofino includes the express pass. If the WDW hotels stop including a FP benefit, it becomes much more attractive to stay at a UO deluxe property vs WDW on a trip where you're doing both.
Stay on property and you can get it for free or a discount depending on which resort you stay at.
Shanghai's system would make it even more cost effective to stay off site than a $200 a day express pass. They would have to charge around 3 to 4 times as much at WDW and give 3 of them for free to Deluxe resort guests to make on site as attractive. Plus, that doesn't address the problem of this encouraging people to stay less days at the resorts and encouraging them to cut their number of park days down.
Then what's the answer? I ask cause from everything that's been said a paid version is coming.
They’ve been saying a paid version has been coming for years now. I do think eventually it happens but at the same time don’t expect it to happen tomorrow either.
Not tomorrow but now would be the time to do it since FP doesn't exist right now. When it does come back it will be a paid version.
But then I might as well book a couple of VIP days. Which they already have. And less days spending $$$$ in the parks.
That is a great example of why Shanghai is a bad place to look to compare. It's consumed as a day trip; paying big bucks for 1 day isn't a big deal. That's why Cedar Fair and Six Flags have very expensive express passes. There is nothing else in the world like WDW; that's why WDW had a unique solution before with FP+ and why WDW will likely have a unique solution moving forward.
This would be awesome in theory, but WDW has to be asking themselves if an expensive project that promotes crowding is the way forward.
Agreed and I think the other big difference in Cedar Fair and WDW. At Cedar Fair most get the fast lane not just for lower wait times but to re-ride attractions multiple times in a day. I will say it feels like every time a paid version comes up in rumors many find ways to justify why it has to stay free.
First, it isn't $5,600 more for a family of four, because you don't need as many days at the park to do everything you want. My family of 3 would be dropping from 7 days at the park to 4. You are saving money staying off site and eating meals outside of the WDW bubble. You are saving money on the number of days you are buying tickets to WDW parks.
Not saying it has to stay free. But has to be more creative than $200/day express pass. I will say I do think Genie will have something to do with it. Say pay to ask for what you want to do in a day... this includes fastpass as needed. Something like that.
FP+ wasn't really free. For it be of real use to you need to pay a premium to stay at one of Disney's Resorts while taking advantage of EMH and the longer you stay the more useful it is. So Disney is getting people to buy more days of park tickets, having them pay a premium to stay at their resort and getting them to eat every meal on site. People paid through the roof for FP+.
I think we are in agreement here. We just have different opinions as the guest. I’ve been all over the world and the rest of Orlando is not what I travel to MCO for. Not flying from across the country (or world for that matter) to stay somewhere for 3 nights and no interest in the rest of Orlando with a few exceptions that I definitely don’t need to do annually or several times a year like I do Disney. Exactly why they’ll have to think outside of the box. They aren’t looking to neutralize the spend. They will monetize FP to increase it.
A fast pass system that costs $2000/day?
