Disney's Fast Pass is not free anymore !

[Zarniwoop]

What is this cry for? For years Suite customers have received VIP FastPass. Did you notice them last time you visited?

BIG Thunder Mountain has a capacity of >2000 person per hour. 50 € per VIP Fastpass is a hefty price. Maybe one hundred customers per day are willing to pay that. Ok, with Suite residents there can be 200 guests with VIP fastpass. Scattered around they wont add a minute to your waiting. Even if they all ended up to ride BTM same time, it'd make the queue 6 minute longer.

Instead, Disney could make € 1.8 million per year selling 100 VIP faspass per day. So, this would make Disney happy, VIP customer happy, but a regular visitor jealous - unless he doesn't know when he's happy too.

[pussnboots]

Originally Posted by Zarniwoop

What is this cry for? For years Suite customers have received VIP FastPass. Did you notice them last time you visited?

BIG Thunder Mountain has a capacity of >2000 person per hour. 50 € per VIP Fastpass is a hefty price. Maybe one hundred customers per day are willing to pay that. Ok, with Suite residents there can be 200 guests with VIP fastpass. Scattered around they wont add a minute to your waiting. Even if they all ended up to ride BTM same time, it'd make the queue 6 minute longer.

Instead, Disney could make € 1.8 million per year selling 100 VIP faspass per day. So, this would make Disney happy, VIP customer happy, but a regular visitor jealous - unless he doesn't know when he's happy too.

Exactly. I understand people's moral objections, but this will in all likelihood not affect us in a noticeable manner.

And goodness knows Euro Disney needs the money — in order to maintain and build things, which is what we all want them to do.

[fizzog]

It's a business! Disney have been "money hungry" for decades, for heaven's sake look at the Disney Vault (again). It's an evil corporation essentially, we must get over the fact that they're out to get as much money as possible. We already know that from the price of everything in-park!

[TimmyTimmyTimmy]

Originally Posted by Zarniwoop

What is this cry for? For years Suite customers have received VIP FastPass. Did you notice them last time you visited?

BIG Thunder Mountain has a capacity of >2000 person per hour. 50 € per VIP Fastpass is a hefty price. Maybe one hundred customers per day are willing to pay that. Ok, with Suite residents there can be 200 guests with VIP fastpass. Scattered around they wont add a minute to your waiting. Even if they all ended up to ride BTM same time, it'd make the queue 6 minute longer.

Instead, Disney could make € 1.8 million per year selling 100 VIP faspass per day. So, this would make Disney happy, VIP customer happy, but a regular visitor jealous - unless he doesn't know when he's happy too.

You are correct. But it doesn´t make those who appose wrong.
There are many more ways that Disney could make money in the parks without anybody noticing a difference. They could charge extra for tickets sold to people from certain parts of the world where people make more money, they could raise the price in the restaurants by 10% on weekends, they could charge people for renting the glasses for 3-D shows... and so on. They can do alot. It does not make it right and it does not mean they should.

[PeoplemoverMatt]

Originally Posted by Dustysage

Well, judging from the tone of what you wrote, you think we are all nuts.

But certain things cross a line from premium priced into gouging and is going to make the Walt Disney Company look really bad from a marketing perspective.

But you are certainly entitled to your opinion, even if you don't respect mine.

-Dusty

I'm not sure where you get how I don't respect your opinion. I respect it, but whole-heartedly disagree with it. There are some in the general public that might see red over this for the reasons you state, but I believe the majority of the people will see this as another premium service option born into the collective marketplace. I also don't see this as the instrument of pain & suffering that you see it as.

Originally Posted by Dustysage

Those who pay will be able to ride as many attractions as they want. That most certainly will result in those who don't pay being able to enjoy less of the parks.

The problem I have with this logic is, if I follow it to its end, the conclusion is that it's wrong for Disney to charge admission at all. It's wrong for the park to make a buck because that destablizes equality because not everyone has the same amount of money to spend because everyone's at different income levels. It's just not reality.

As I pointed out earlier, many parks already have an upcharge premium service option to wait somewhere other than in line, and/or skip most of the wait time. A very small percentage of a park's daily population chooses to purchase this option, making the effect on lines negilible. I think you'll see a very similar effect in Paris and in the USA should it ever come here.

The only place where I might be concerned about the effects of this would be WDW where guests are conditioned to believe that paying ungodly amounts of money for everything is totally normal, and there is a serious lack of capacity at Epcot, Hollywood Studios, & Animal Kingdom.

[jp-disney]

When I was a child, we used the “ticket book.” I would save my “E” tickets, so the best ride was my last ride! But, with the ticket book, we were paying for the experience. The more mom and dad paid, the more we rode!

Then came the single admission – with free rides for all. I loved that, and was willing to pay more to get in. Then, Fast Pass – but like it or not, at lease we are equals in being able to use the system. But, now, it is looking that we may someday have to pay at both ends. You pay a premium to get in – but, if you want the best experience possible you may someday have to:
Stay on property at a premium Hotel
And or…
Pay extra for a premium Fast Pass

In the end, those who cannot afford all that, get a sub par experience. I would almost rather see them go back to a cheaper admission with a ticket book. At least a family could choose inexpensive lodging and use their “extra” cash for the rides (the main reason most of us are there!).

I sure don’t expect Disney to stop making money. If that happens, the parks decay. They are a public company – and answer to the shareholders. I just like to see the experience as fair to all as possible to all who go! Great discussion – all! I’ll put my pitchfork away. It’s dull anyway!

[Baloo]

Originally Posted by SpaceDad

There is a small percent of people who think the FP system should be removed. They either don't understand how to use it, or don't like putting in the effort to use it right, so they complain about it being there at all. I understand part of their complaint, but in general I know I go on more rides now with fastpass then before fastpass.

that really isn't the reason why some of us want the system removed or minimized. We know very well how it works and how to use it. The thing is that we see the disadvantages of having it on most if not all attractions.

Fastpass has literally changed the theme park experience starting with the mentality with many in management.


1) Why pay all the extra money on nicely themed queues when many people will just run through it when they get fastpass? lets just add lots of switchbacks and chains.


2) In Anaheim another problem that fastpass created was to radically change the already built queues in many attractions. Attractions like Indiana Jones, Rogger rabbit cartoon spin, Star tours, Haunted Mansion, Space mountain, Thunder Mountain and Pirates of Carribbean which have or had fastpass had to be radically altered causing the standby lines to pour outside their already themed queues unto walkways.

The standby lines for Pirates of Caribbean were so bad after they added fastpass that the line would go out into the walkway and up over the bridge. Half of the indoor queue and courtyard was empty while fastpass people ran through it. The same scenerio happened with haunted Mansion which later went to having it only for the Holidays. Even the Indy queue was altered to the point that the lines now spill out into adventureland even though it has a very long queue space

One of the worst fastpass integrations happened when they added it to Roger Rabbit. They literally turned the outside courtyard into the standby queue while the elaborate and extremely detailed queue sat empty to allow fastpass guests. That change also caused another small attraction to slowly see it demise. The jolley trolley could no longer run because the queue wrapped around the plaza where the trolley tracks were. Eventually when the queue was re-arranged with a simple change and standby was again allowed to go through the queue and fill it up TDA just decided to slowly find excuses to eliminate the trolley for ever.


No matter what people say Fastpass has altered the guest experience and has made the crowd control problems even worse. One of the biggest problems with fastpass is that it is not properly controlled. All tickets have time slots which should be enforced. People have gotten used to not obeying the time slots on the tickets and many show up later then they should.

Now imagine the already scheduled guests on a fastpass line plus the delayed fatspass guests wanting to get on the attraction. All that does is make the standby line longer because the CM knows very well that if they do not clear out the fastpass line soon then the next group will begin to show up causing that line to fill up. Then there are the times when an attraction goes down and people are asked to come back. The CM's will most likely have to deal with all the guests that had fastpass from previous hours when the attraction went down.

All that creates longer lines that spill out unto walkways filled with frustrated guests.


Maybe Fastpass works well in a couple parks at WDW but the truth is that it does not work well in the Anaheim parks or parks like DHS, Disney studios Paris or even the Tokyo parks

[Baloo]

I do not know if anyone has mentioned it or not but if Disney was actually thinking of charging that high a price for an unlimited fastpass could it be that we ( or a group of people) gave them that idea to begin with.


I have search several times on ebay the word fastpass and have been surprised at how much people are willing to buy unused and expired fastpasses that they later go and use at the parks. Not only is a small group of people making profit out of a free perk but people are willing to pay large sums of money to be able to have as many fastpasses as they can before heading on a vacation trip.


SInce Disney has had a difficult time stopping this abuse then they probably decided to just offer the same extra perk themselves by eliminating the middle man which is profiting from a free system

[TimmyTimmyTimmy]

Originally Posted by Baloo

I do not know if anyone has mentioned it or not but if Disney was actually thinking of charging that high a price for an unlimited fastpass could it be that we ( or a group of people) gave them that idea to begin with.


I have search several times on ebay the word fastpass and have been surprised at how much people are willing to buy unused and expired fastpasses that they later go and use at the parks. Not only is a small group of people making profit out of a free perk but people are willing to pay large sums of money to be able to have as many fastpasses as they can before heading on a vacation trip.


SInce Disney has had a difficult time stopping this abuse then they probably decided to just offer the same extra perk themselves by eliminating the middle man which is profiting from a free system

Should drug users get free drugs to prevent crime?

[Dustysage]

Originally Posted by Baloo

I do not know if anyone has mentioned it or not but if Disney was actually thinking of charging that high a price for an unlimited fastpass could it be that we ( or a group of people) gave them that idea to begin with.

Actually, considering that FastPass came to be during the Paul Pressler era (evil marketing genius), it is likely that the idea to eventually charge for the system was part of the plan all along. Al Lutz has repeatedly spoken about various plans for a paid version of the system that was proposed to be launched at different times.

For a while, they spoke about a system that would let Disney hotel guests select all of their fast passes for the entire day from the TV set in their rooms. Then we heard that a version of the Dream Fastpass might be made available at Disneyland California for purchase as part of the year of celebrations.

In the end, it looks like they decided to trial the system off-shore to judge reaction (and resentment) from afar before taking the risk at home in the US.

Should they try it in the US, they might find that it works to a degree in Florida (with its abundance of tourists), but not so well in Anaheim with lots of upset locals and APs who make up more than half of the attendance.

Let's hope that the French raise a big fuss and the cancer of paid fastpass does not spread to the US parks!

-Dusty

[DLRP_bopazot]

The Test will soon be over and in July the price will change from 100 Euros to 80 Euros .

They expect the summer to be busy and they're still selling that pass to Disneyland Hotel guests .

[TDLFAN]

Originally Posted by Dustysage

I'm sorry to hear that.

I am not. I am glad that Disney is finally moving in that direction. You know how I feel about Fastpass and it's unjust ways in regards to ALL guests in the park. People want to cut to the front of the line..? then PAY UP MONEY MISTER!! Bravo for Disney. I hope they do this in the USA parks as well. Squeeze every penny from each guest... that is the new age Disney way of operating their parks!! Bravo. Congrats to DLP for being in the forefront of this long delayed plan. (Remember, it was me who told everyone many many moons ago that Fastpass will be "on sale" soon enough...)

[jcruise86]

I wrote this on another Web site regarding something else, but unfortunately it is applicable here.

By increasingly sticking unaffordable privileges (and unreasonably priced necessities) into the faces if its middle class base, Disney parks are risking a long-term backlash. The so-called "magic" of Disney's reputation was slowly constructed, in part, by providing a fair value that made all guests feel like valued guests. By focusing on more highly visible VIP options Disney is dividing the parks by class: middle class vs. upper class.

At the same time, just in case middle-class guests have missed the point that they they will be treated more and more like citizens of Orwell's Oceania, Disney has been decreasing choices (coming soon: two food options: brown stuff and grey stuff!)
while at the same time raising prices, so that mediocre restaurant fare delivered with flair seems like a rip off even by theme park standards.

Disney executives must increase profits quarterly and yearly, but a better long-term strategy would be building more unique magic kingdom parks, not by making the majority of its guests a little less loyal.

Iger now =s Eisner, in that 30-51 million a year for the CEO (Iger in 2008) is again the company's ultimate goal.

[BoogaFrito]

I find the notion that Disneyland is some sort of commune to be somewhat ridiculous. Someone always wants to dust off the class warfare rhetoric.

In Walt's day, people had to pay per ride. Charging extra for a new value-added perk is not like telling us "common folk" we have to start sitting at the back of the doombuggy...

[pussnboots]

Originally Posted by jcruise86

I wrote this on another Web site regarding something else, but unfortunately it is applicable here.

By increasingly sticking unaffordable privileges (and unreasonably priced necessities) into the faces if its middle class base, Disney parks are risking a long-term backlash. The so-called "magic" of Disney's reputation was slowly constructed, in part, by providing a fair value that made all guests feel like valued guests. By focusing on more highly visible VIP options Disney is dividing the parks by class: middle class vs. upper class.

At the same time, just in case middle-class guests have missed the point that they they will be treated more and more like citizens of Orwell's Oceania, Disney has been decreasing choices (coming soon: two food options: brown stuff and grey stuff!)
while at the same time raising prices, so that mediocre restaurant fare delivered with flair seems like a rip off even by theme park standards.

Disney executives must increase profits quarterly and yearly, but a better long-term strategy would be building more unique magic kingdom parks, not by making the majority of its guests a little less loyal.
Iger now =s Eisner, in that 30-51 million a year for the CEO (Iger in 2008) is again the company's ultimate goal.

Gray stuff? Served with flair? That's not Orwell, that's Lumiere the talking candlestick.

But I do understand the worries about class divisions. If Deluxe hotel guests were to be given club jackets and shiny golden UberFastPasses to special entrances with valets and red carpets and led onto spacious first-class cars on the Railroad with the commoners forced to watch from their overstuffed queues... I too would be a little sick to my stomach. Even if I were the one with the club jacket and the shiny UberFastPass.

As it is, things feel reasonably fair. I might feel like a poor bastard when I'm at an expensive hotel in which I might never be able to afford a night's stay, but at the parks things are considerably more proletarian. We can all get a FastPass, and anyone who can afford a park ticket can afford the occasional sit-down meal. It's not equal, and capitalism in its purest form, obviously, but it's all pretty inoffensive.

However, unless this new €100 FastPass thing is a phenomenal hit and they tamper with the price and formula, I really doubt it will change much in that area.