WDW Now Offering One Day, One Park Pre-Made FP Reservations

[hertamaniac]

Not sure I see strong value, but it might be helpful to some guests.

I can't help but think this is just a precursor of further FP modifications.

 

[umichigan10]

I can see them upcharging tickets that have more sought after experiences preloaded. But I don’t know if they can fundamentally alter the current system; they’ve created this obsessive preplanning culture, and I don’t think you can totally pivot away from that, at least right away

 

[jlwhitney]

I don't see anything of any excitement to this. Its basically for those that buy a ticket same day and its not any big major rides. Plus right now it costs the same as a regular ticket. Its just Disney trying to spread the crowds out more.

 

[tlmadden73]

Great for those last minute "Hey -- we are in Orlando, let's go to Disney World" type of people -- which (shocking to most of us) there are plenty.

The same people who don't know FP exists -- and if they do, they think it is something that costs extra.
The same people who think you can just roll up to WDW like you would your local Six Flags park

Nothing wrong with that -- I am just saying there is a market for this type of ticket and it costs Disney nothing to implement.

This "control" of Fast Passes and being able to "package" them definitely shows what they can do with the FP+ system.
It isn't a far stretch to have them make pre-packaged Fast Passes of high-demand attractions for sale.

For example:
They simply "set aside" X number of Fast Passes (from the normal scheduling queue) and just sell "Fast Pass packages" like they do parties. Buy a "Toy Story package" for $30/person for a specific day during your trip giving you 3 extra fast passes that day for those three new rides.

The problem is .. to make that work .. that would mean there are less free Fast Passes for the premium attractions.
But ... complain as we would .. I guarantee there would be people lining up to gobble those up (depending on the prices).

 

[intertile]

I can see them doing this with SWGE...$200/person for 1 day admission to HS with both new rides and Mickey ride in FP+. They can easily augment the current system to offer these "upgraded" tickets. With the draw and buzz of SWGE, they'll get away with it easily. They can take it a step further with SWGE and Tier the single day w/FP pricing structure with the time of the year. i.e. In low season it cost $150/person, during holiday weeks or July it costs $250/person, etc. With the following of Star Wars, and the huge draw this will get it will be VERY EASY to monetize.

Personally, I don't have a problem with this. So long as we are still able to get FP with our tickets, I can't fault a company for monetizing something with demand.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Great for those last minute "Hey -- we are in Orlando, let's go to Disney World" type of people -- which (shocking to most of us) there are plenty.

The same people who don't know FP exists -- and if they do, they think it is something that costs extra.
The same people who think you can just roll up to WDW like you would your local Six Flags park

Nothing wrong with that -- I am just saying there is a market for this type of ticket and it costs Disney nothing to implement.

This "control" of Fast Passes and being able to "package" them definitely shows what they can do with the FP+ system.
It isn't a far stretch to have them make pre-packaged Fast Passes of high-demand attractions for sale.

For example:
They simply "set aside" X number of Fast Passes (from the normal scheduling queue) and just sell "Fast Pass packages" like they do parties. Buy a "Toy Story package" for $30/person for a specific day during your trip giving you 3 extra fast passes that day for those three new rides.

The problem is .. to make that work .. that would mean there are less free Fast Passes for the premium attractions.
But ... complain as we would .. I guarantee there would be people lining up to gobble those up (depending on the prices).

I think you are spot on with a lot of this - in that it is for people that likely aren't on the DISBoards. I bet there are people that see this and think "Oh wow, what a great deal! I get free FP included in this rather than having to pay for them!!!!"

And like you say, they are "getting rid of" FP for rides that are in low demand

definitely interested in where this could lead in the future - how much would they have to charge for packages that include highly sought after FP+ $20 extra? $50 extra? (to include Flight of Passage for example)

 

[mikebb]

I think you are spot on with a lot of this - in that it is for people that likely aren't on the DISBoards. I bet there are people that see this and think "Oh wow, what a great deal! I get free FP included in this rather than having to pay for them!!!!"

And like you say, they are "getting rid of" FP for rides that are in low demand

definitely interested in where this could lead in the future - how much would they have to charge for packages that include highly sought after FP+ $20 extra? $50 extra? (to include Flight of Passage for example)

Agreed, I think people on the DIS tend to analyze all things Disney and recognize that FP is a limited quantity, not just something that Disney can just keep giving away without impact elsewhere - "front of the line passes for everyone!" (the old "when everything is an emergency, nothing is..." phrase comes to mind.)

Thing is, I think there comes a point where anyone who's not a one-and-done visitor starts to think "what am I really getting" when laying out hundreds or thousands on tickets or annual passes. FPs have gone from optional and no waiting to required with waits equivalent to what used to be standby times. There is a tipping point that Disney needs to be careful of where you are essentially just buying ride tickets (the old A-E ticket model) anymore and not front-of-the-line privileges. I'm afraid this little change, while seemingly innocuous, may indicate more is to come...

SWGE should really be a proof - I'm curious with the flood of crowds whether standby will even be possible or FP basically required. I think today's Disney seeing the $$ around this may be irresistible to them - can you imagine this pricing model? $100 "basic" HS admission (300 min standby waits, or no standby at all), or $150-$180 "enhanced" admission with guaranteed access to SWGE attractions? If you are a passholder, don't worry, we'll sell you a $79/day upcharge to ensure you can get on rides too!

 

[tlmadden73]

definitely interested in where this could lead in the future - how much would they have to charge for packages that include highly sought after FP+ $20 extra? $50 extra? (to include Flight of Passage for example)

Ya . .Time is money.

If you are coming to WDW for something specific (say a new land or attraction), what's an extra $20-50 a person to "guarantee" you can ride that hot new ride they've been advertising. People pay more than that for just dessert parties that get you a slightly better view of a night show. I mean . . as long as it is cheaper than the Halloween or Christmas party experiences, I see the same people going for it.

I am saying it right now - hear me Disney! - I would pay for some sort of guaranteed access to SWGE -- whether it is an Early Morning Magic thing or just guaranteed fast passes without being disappointed when you can't even get them at your 60 day mark. My children will still be pretty young in 2019 and 2020. It will be worth the money to avoid bored, whiny children just so I (the Star Wars fan) can experience these attractions without a long, long wait and be able to leisurely experience the rest of the land (outside of the attractions).

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Agreed, I think people on the DIS tend to analyze all things Disney and recognize that FP is a limited quantity, not just something that Disney can just keep giving away without impact elsewhere - "front of the line passes for everyone!" (the old "when everything is an emergency, nothing is..." phrase comes to mind.)

Thing is, I think there comes a point where anyone who's not a one-and-done visitor starts to think "what am I really getting" when laying out hundreds or thousands on tickets or annual passes. FPs have gone from optional and no waiting to required with waits equivalent to what used to be standby times. There is a tipping point that Disney needs to be careful of where you are essentially just buying ride tickets (the old A-E ticket model) anymore and not front-of-the-line privileges. I'm afraid this little change, while seemingly innocuous, may indicate more is to come...

SWGE should really be a proof - I'm curious with the flood of crowds whether standby will even be possible or FP basically required. I think today's Disney seeing the $$ around this may be irresistible to them - can you see imagine this pricing model? $100 "basic" HS admission (300 min "standby waits, or no standby at all), or $150-$180 "enhanced" admission with guaranteed access to SWGE attractions? If you are a passholder, don't worry, we'll sell you a $79/day upcharge to ensure you can get on rides too!

It is so tough to figure out what Disney should do as the crowds just keep coming. So if they got rid of FP people would be on line such a high % of their day - with FP at least they can feel like they get on some rides and with the tiering I think people (at least those staying on site) feel like they will get on a few of the high demand rides. So there is some benefit - but it has the flip side that if you don't have a FP for a ride it makes the wait way longer than it would be if there was no FP at all (biggest issue is for rides/queues that weren't designed to have FP - such as Pirates)

Ya . .Time is money.

If you are coming to WDW for something specific (say a new land or attraction), what's an extra $20-50 a person to "guarantee" you can ride that hot new ride they've been advertising. People pay more than that for just dessert parties that get you a slightly better view of a night show. I mean . . as long as it is cheaper than the Halloween or Christmas party experiences, I see the same people going for it.

I am saying it right now - hear me Disney! - I would pay for some sort of guaranteed access to SWGE -- whether it is an Early Morning Magic thing or just guaranteed fast passes without being disappointed when you can't even get them at your 60 day mark. My children will still be pretty young in 2019 and 2020. It will be worth the money to avoid bored, whiny children just so I (the Star Wars fan) can experience these attractions without a long, long wait and be able to leisurely experience the rest of the land (outside of the attractions).

I definitely am of the mind that once Galaxy's Edge opens we will save money elsewhere (Stay off site, fewer/no sit down meals, fewer park days, etc.) and use the savings to pay for some sort of special access to Galaxy's Edge - even if like the VIP tour they have at Animal Kingdom which is basically paying to get on Flight of Passage

I mean, think about it -> spend $200/night to stay on site and hope you get get a FP for at least one of the rides at 65+ days out ... or spend $100/night to stay off site and use the savings to pay for guaranteed access? To me it's a no brainer

 

[hertamaniac]

I mean, think about it -> spend $200/night to stay on site and hope you get get a FP for at least one of the rides at 65+ days out ... or spend $100/night to stay off site and use the savings to pay for guaranteed access? To me it's a no brainer

I am in complete agreement. Of course, this also could counter occupancy % at WDW resorts right?

 

[intertile]

Personally, I hope they do a extra magic evening at DHS from say 7pm-midnight. A paid ticketed party like at magic kingdom. Would be worth a $200 upcharge if they limited ticket sales and you could basically experience the whole park without dealing with crazy crowds and waits.

 

[TLM2015]

@TheMaxRebo I too agree with the strategy of spending less elsewhere and just doing the extras to get access. We're going this summer, staying offsite, and doing the Extra Magic Morning at MK to ride 7DMT without worrying about FP. My only conflict with it is that it seems like more and more extra access events are being added and most of them I don't think infringe on those that do not pay for access but I wonder when it is going to start making more of an impact to those that are not paying extra for them. Like the MNSSHP which is now at the end of August and more dates means MK closing early. That said, I am kind of hoping that they will have the same type of event once Star Wars opens for access to rides with limited crowds.

 

[Doberge]

Of course there is finite limit to the number of riders and fastpass times, but Disney can choose to heavily manipulate the numbers. There's already mounting evidence of ride capacity manipulation, so the potential next step is changing the fastpass formula (let more FP through and less standby) to increase standby times to make FP+ such a need for particular rides that people would pay more for extra (we are seeing this already with club) or more in a base ticket to guarantee certain rides (as rumored here).

 

[Keels]

Of course there is finite limit to the number of riders and fastpass times, but Disney can choose to heavily manipulate the numbers. There's already mounting evidence of ride capacity manipulation, so the potential next step is changing the fastpass formula (let more FP through and less standby) to increase standby times to make FP+ such a need for particular rides that people would pay more for extra (we are seeing this already with club) or more in a base ticket to guarantee certain rides (as rumored here).

Disney most DEFINITELY throttles throughput to manipulate standby wait times and affect hourly an overall ride capacity.

 

[mshanson3121]

Where is the info on this?

 

[rteetz]

Where is the info on this?

I’m pretty sure any of the major Disney news sites have this now.

 

[jkh36619]

I would go a step further on this, I could see where they would also offer a QS meal as well. Couldn't do a TS because of availability of course. But I would not be surprised if in the future when you book your trip, you pick which days you will be in what park, then you choose your experiences then you choose your dining location all well in advance.

 

[toonaspie]

I would go a step further on this, I could see where they would also offer a QS meal as well. Couldn't do a TS because of availability of course. But I would not be surprised if in the future when you book your trip, you pick which days you will be in what park, then you choose your experiences then you choose your dining location all well in advance.

Like a Disney version of Touring Plans? I'm amazed Disney doesn't have this already.

 

[jkh36619]

Like a Disney version of Touring Plans? I'm amazed Disney doesn't have this already.

exactly,

You book room fp dining all in one step. for a premium of course.