Wanna buy a Fastpass? It will cost ya $50

[Planogirl]

I personally couldn't care less if people choose to spend money on things like this. That's their business.

What I do care about is that the number of fastpasses for any given ride is finite. The more Disney devotes to special extras like this, the less are available for those who won't or can't take part. Disney is certainly not a charity but it is aggravating that they continue to make a trip to a theme park more and more complicated.

I also don't care if other parks do the same. That just makes it sound like Disney is copying other parks. Beside most other such places don't require a several day visit. That does make a difference.

 

[MrInfinity]

There are lots of good expressions of why one would or would not pay for this in this thread. It's kind of annoying tho to read about Disney being immoral or discriminatory. Personifying the company that is Disney and applying morality to it is silly. Disney is a company. People work there. People whose job it is to maximize profit by balancing price and experience to get the most out of every possible guest at every spend level. This seems like a reasonable option to explore, to me. I haven't yet decided if we'll use it, but it's given me lots to think about. Like... I never felt we don't get on enough rides, but does this make me think it'll be harder in the future? Is buying this therefore an over-protective defensive move? Or is it something that would legitimately save an hour or two in our day? For example, I'm ALREADY willing to save an hour or two per day by staying at a Deluxe Resort for ~$200 more than a Moderate resort. So isn't this simply doubling down for another $200/day to save another hour or two? I don't know because we already get on lots of rides with minimal waits. Maybe saving a FOP line would be helpful. But we ride it twice in a day anyways. Beyond FOP or Frozen, what value would I really get from this? I wouldn't spend $200 for a Tier-1 and two Tier-2's. So I don't know. Just things to think about. At this point it seems like it might be something to try to see if it's good. Kind of like trying any other over-priced option like a dessert party or tour that some people love and other people call a waste.

 

[jimim]

people value different things with all their trips. so to pay and not pay you can run in circles forever. i have learned over the years that when you are at the world or a week trip you get all the rides wanted in. we always leave and say ya got on everything and usually multiple times. something always happens. kids get a second wind late night and suddenly you are hopping on and off toy story mania 5-6 times before leaving the park.

at this point in my life the biggest problem i have with disney and young kids is parades and night shows. i have purchased dessert parties just for seating like others. star wars when they show just started and the frozen one a few years back now. just made it easier. i remember years ago when i thought sitting 45 mins for a show was nuts. i long for those days. lol ya sometimes you get lucky and grab a nice spot and a short waiting period, but that is a tough grab these days.

i still stand behind what i said this morning. no way no how. . . but everyone talking about how they would use it this way or that has my head spinning that i wish they would offer some type of nighttime show package. you might get me on that one.

 

[epcotty]

I wonder if most people on these boards think the average person (or even the average disney park-goer) would spend $600+ each night on a hotel room. I wouldn't think so for a minute and neither would a lot of other people. Sure, the more well off don't mind but on these boards it's generally assumed that everyone will pay that, which is definitely unrealistic

 

[bryanb]

When I started work at Disneyland, the orientation cast member told us that Disneyland was a symbol of equality in our society. No matter how rich or how poor, everyone waited in the same lines. (Well, technically celebrities didn't have to but we were very sensitive about it being for their safety and we always had to refer to them as "celebrities" to make the distinction. There were the days before VIP services were widely available to the public.)

I wonder if sometimes when people bring up morality, they're really actually unhappy about the larger issue of inequality in society. People consider Disney a symbol of their childhood and an American birthright. Yet now the parks are crowded with people willing to buy expensive tickets that are pricing out the average family. If that wasn't bad enough, those who are privileged enough can flaunt their money even more to cut lines and get exclusive access to special events/reserved seating/experiences. It's just another symbol of how money creates inequality, taking something directly away from people who can't or won't spend it.

For people who think this way, they are disappointed at the perception that Disney has lost certain ideals. It's rude that their childhood symbol is a business seeking to maximize profit, and it undermines the magic of ideals.

(To be clear, I don't think this way as you can see from my previous posts. I'm just thinking about why it makes sense for some people to bring morality into this argument.)

 

[DGsAtBLT]

I wonder if most people on these boards think the average person (or even the average disney park-goer) would spend $600+ each night on a hotel room. I wouldn't think so for a minute and neither would a lot of other people. Sure, the more well off don't mind but on these boards it's generally assumed that everyone will pay that, which is definitely unrealistic

I don’t think that.

I do think that once this is rolled out past club level, it would be very appealing for once in a lifetime type guests who are just going to hear $50 per day (per person) for 3 less lines and jump on it.

I actually think this may be more appealing for those who aren’t Disney obsessed than those who are.

 

[anomamatt]

I don’t get the equality or morality arguments. Many people in this country can’t afford to Disney at all. Is that also unfair or immoral?

And for those saying Disney used to be equal to all guests... VIP tours and other upcharges have been around a very long time. As with everything else in this world, having enough money (and being willing to spend it) makes anything possible.

 

[epcotty]

A good question is however, for those who haven't been offered and wouldn't buy it if they were (probably a large percentage of those who haven't been offered) will it affect the amount of their going to the parks ? If there's a noticeable drop in attendance due to this (or eventually, if it gets more widespread), would Disney care? I think it would have to depend on if they're making up the money or not.

Park tickets are expensive enough without having to do add-ons to the ticket. However, with the sample testing, those who will be able to buy won't care about paying more.

As others have said, this is different from other extras because it has the potential and power to diminish the experience for the average park-goer.

I do miss the old FP, it was a lot more fair. Pre-Iger (or even earlier on in Iger's tenure) Disney was a lot more fair, and more in line with what Walt wanted.

 

[LSUmiss]

The 90 day issue is what bugs me the most. That feels like a first step to make FP a two tier system with only those who can pay getting the better ones. If it were limited to club rooms - maybe it won't be so bad but it seems like Disney is starting to take a step that is unquestionably working to destroy one of the key pillars of Disney. Yes - there have been a lot of upsell things but most of them didn't have as direct an impact on the other guests. Ride availability is a zero sum game and if you move the needle too far, you'll be creating a much wider gap between the haves and have nots.

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 $.

 

[Magic_Man]

I never felt we don't get on enough rides, but does this make me think it'll be harder in the future? Is buying this therefore an over-protective defensive move? Or is it something that would legitimately save an hour or two in our day?

Exactly where I come out on this (right now). I don't feel "ride deprived" right now, so do I need to spend more money to get more of what I already get enough of? Analogy: At my favorite restaurant I order the lobster risotto and love it. The restaurant announces that if you pay $100 per year to join their new VIP Club, when you order the risotto you get 1.5x amount of lobster in the dish. Do I join the club if I already enjoy the regular dish? No. But what if I fear that the entire inventory of lobster will be allocated to the VIP version of the dish? Am I backed in to joining the club in order to preserve access to my favorite dish?

Beyond FOP or Frozen, what value would I really get from this? I wouldn't spend $200 for a Tier-1 and two Tier-2's.

This is where I find the new program puzzling. Are they really going to allow you to jump over the tier system and choose whatever you want? If not, why would you spend $$$ on FPs that are typically available as "same days". Seems like the more logical approach would be to sell extras as singles for $15 each instead of bundling three for $50. People might jump at spending $15 or $30 for one or two FPs. But $50 for three might be the point of diminishing returns. Just as Disney overreached with the initial price of the After Hours event only having to lower it, they may be doing the same here. I guess that is what tests are for.

 

[epcotty]

Disney is selling all kinds of fast passes. Book a Disney Springs room paying Disney rates and you get fast passes. Book with the hotel at a better rate and no fast passes for you.

So now you can actually book through Disney for Disney Springs hotels? Interesting, and strange that booking through the hotel wouldn't net the 60 day fp

 

[Davey Jones II]

This favors people with deep pockets, over the rest of us, and will reduce availability. I don't see why more of you are not upset by this. Let me spell it out: this is BAD for anyone who can't afford to shell out for the extra FPs!

 

[chudlyfudly]

I'm certainly not in favour of the idea but personal feelings aside I am absolutely astounded this hasn't happened before now. It seems like one of the most clear cut ways for Disney to get some extra profit with no real extra expense (except the potential backlash from the community).

It's also a little hard to visualise; I've seen the list of rooms that qualify for this and can't really fathom what kind of impact it may or may not have on getting a fastpass the normal way.

 

[zebrastreyepz]

I read it somewhere waaaayyyyy back in 1998 when I first started becoming a serious WDW goer:

You either spend time to save money or spend money to save time.

When I was younger, I spent time to save money.

Now I'm at that half century mark and last trip found myself willing to pay $40 for preferred parking or $25 for valet and use the dining package to get a reserved seat at Fantasmic and I for SURE see the value for us in buying the dessert parties for HEA.

 

[chudlyfudly]

Also, purely speculative now; are we looking at the dawn of a new 'fastpass package' in a similar vein to the dining packages in the event that this succeeds? Granted you actually get something tangible for your money with the dining packages, but it seems like another carrot they can dangle to make certain 'bronze, silver and gold' style options appealing at the time of booking.

 

[zebrastreyepz]

Also, purely speculative now; are we looking at the dawn of a new 'fastpass package' in a similar vein to the dining packages in the event that this succeeds? Granted you actually get something tangible for your money with the dining packages, but it seems like another carrot they can dangle to make certain 'bronze, silver and gold' style options appealing at the time of booking.

I've thought this was the goal from the beginning of FP+.

 

[CarolynU]

Just getting to Disney is expensive for my family. Potentially a family of four pay $1200 each just to fly to MCO peak season. That's $4800 before even adding on hotel fees, so we don't then add on club level deluxe accommodation. Some do, but we don't. I don't know how that compares with people who live in the US, so can't make a comparison.

Do I think that Disney are trying to squeeze more and more $$ out of every trip? Yes.

Are they in line with every other business? Presumably yes.

Do we miss the old style Disney model? Yes. Was that image real or just a perception? I don't know.

So we have two choices. We come or we don't. We spend additional $$$ or we don't.

We micro plan or we don't.

At the moment we have chosen to switch to Disney Cruise Line which although a premium product is a more relaxing style of vacation for us, which we prefer. Apart from state room category everyone is treated the same. We have also switched to the California Parks, which although has now also instigated a form of pay to reserve FP's system these are available day of and not tiered to hotel level and you don't have to plan weeks in advance.

However, my daughter and husband want an old style family Disney vacation in 2019 before school dictates when we have to come. They also want extended family to come and to stay in a large villa with a private pool. Now because if we go down that route we will be at what I feel will be a disadvantage I am dreading it. Fancy that, I will be dreading coming to Disney Florida. Or rather I will be dreading the planning that it will entail and the potential feeling that without lining up for hours we will do much less than we once would have done. Or that by 2019 more and more choices will be taken away because they have all been taken by people who have paid to stay in a higher level accommodation or because they are special ticket events or anything else that the system now requires, but I still have two choices. Come or not come. Or come but stay not in a villa but on property, which is my preferred option but I doubt that it will be my families as they like the idea of us all staying under one roof with plenty of space and a private pool etc etc I think that they have a nostalgia for The Waltons lol!

So we have choices. I just feel that the Disney holidays that I had when my children were small have not been replaced with anything that works better for our family, but presumably my loss is others gain. That’s life!

 

[DisneyWishes14]

A good question is however, for those who haven't been offered and wouldn't buy it if they were (probably a large percentage of those who haven't been offered) will it affect the amount of their going to the parks ? If there's a noticeable drop in attendance due to this (or eventually, if it gets more widespread), would Disney care? I think it would have to depend on if they're making up the money or not.

Park tickets are expensive enough without having to do add-ons to the ticket. However, with the sample testing, those who will be able to buy won't care about paying more.

As others have said, this is different from other extras because it has the potential and power to diminish the experience for the average park-goer.

I do miss the old FP, it was a lot more fair. Pre-Iger (or even earlier on in Iger's tenure) Disney was a lot more fair, and more in line with what Walt wanted.

Please research the history of e-tickets and ride ticket books at Disneyland to understand how tickets were sold during Walt's lifetime. There was no "fair" ride system. You paid an admission fee and then paid per-ride ON TOP of that. The more popular the ride, the more expensive the ticket. For instance an "e-ride" (the most popular rides) ticket was more than 8 times the cost of an "a-ticket" ride. In todays terms, we could say that if it cost you $1 per ticket to go on Triceratop Spin, it would cost you $8.50 to get one ride on FoP. And you could buy as many ride tickets as you would like. So, the number of rides you rode was completely dependent on how much money you shelled out to buy ride coupons. And if you were a member of the Magic Kingdom Club, you had access to discounted tickets. Monetizing FP+ is far more in line with the original Disneyland ticketing system which existed when Walt was alive.

It was far, far less egalitarian than it is today. Unlimited use tickets (like we have today), weren't introduced until the 70's (after Walt's death) due to competition from other theme parks that had introduced the concept in direct competition with Disney. So, Walt never "wanted" an unlimited use ticket system. It was pay as you go and pay, pay, pay for more, more, more. I find it humorous that people on this board attribute these mythical, charitable qualities to Walt Disney. He was a business man and wasn't giving anything away for free!

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

I do miss the old FP, it was a lot more fair. Pre-Iger (or even earlier on in Iger's tenure) Disney was a lot more fair, and more in line with what Walt wanted.

Walt created a park where some rides were more expensive to ride than others, depending on their ticket designation (ie popularity). And that was on top of base park admission. Presumably some could afford to ride the e-ticket bobsleds over and over, and others could not... easy to argue that that was LESS “fair”. Walt was a businessman — he wanted to make money as well.

 

[KyleAfterAWhile]

I can care less. There enough we get in what we want each trip.

Will be great for the one in a lifetime travelers that really don’t know anything to make it easier for them. Will help to make their pockets lighter also while walking aimlessly throughout the parks.

I'm sure you mean you could't care less, right?

And you are dead on about the lighter pockets... Great way to say it.