Fastpass return or replacement?

[Bibbobboo2u]

Why is everyone flipping out about this when all we know are unsubstantiated rumors?

The source of these rumors is pretty reliable.

Also, several weeks ago a different vlogger used the term "lightning pass" when discussing a rumored paid FP+ replacement system. It is sounding more and more realistic.

 

[Garyjames220]

Can you purchase in advance for Paris? Locking you into advance purchases has to be profitable for them.

no I don’t think u can in Paris

 

[annadreamsofdisneyworld]

But that's exactly what many of us are doing right now. I want at least the option of being able to not do that.

But I'm not doing that now, and that's not something my family is willing to do.

 

[Marionnette]

Can you purchase in advance for Paris? Locking you into advance purchases has to be profitable for them.

I think the incentive for using Lightning Pass would be when you approach a standby line, see the long wait time and purchase a return time for the Lightning Lane on the spot. There may not be enough interest in paying ahead of time for something that you may decide not to use because you slept in, it's raining or the standby line is a tolerable length. With FP+, there was no money to be lost just because you missed a FP+ return time that you scheduled 60+ ago.

 

[DJJimmy9]

The only thing I could see is if regular lightning pass is you buy a "return time" for the fastpass line, and Lightning+ is you buy "Right now access!" for the fastpass line. That would justify an increased cost for the + I suppose for the really rich who dont' want to wait at all. Effectively then regular lightning is the old fastpass system without the ability to pre-book, and having to pay for every single fastpass. Lightning+ is just like if you refreshed and got lucky and found a fastpass with immediate availability.

Interesting…I didn’t think of it that way. I guess that would not require a separate line. Both could use the FP line, but Lightning+ would get a FP that could be used instantly and regular old slow Lightning could schedule a FP for a later time.

 

[Bibbobboo2u]

But that's exactly what many of us are doing right now. I want at least the option of being able to not do that.

Because they took away no-charge FP+. Many people will be ok with paying extra for what was once part of the ticket price. Paying for convenience is not new. Disney just waited until they found an opportune time to implement pay-to-play. It is sad to me because if these rumors materialize, I know it will change our vacation plans, but not for the better I am afraid. I have vented about it on the boards. Thanks to all for letting me do that, and now I will try to wait for the actual roll-out. Who knows, maybe something in there will work for us.

 

[mshanson3121]

10 days later... still no news. I wish I could say I was shocked.

 

[Stephy811]

I think the hardest part for me (as a type a planner) if this comes to fruition will be the loss of the certainty of knowing what I have locked in. For example, under the new system, whether to hit rope drop or not will mean weighing several other options like maybe we will get a late return time for standby virtual queue or maybe lightning won’t be available for particular ride…feels like it will lead to a lot more decisions on day of instead of knowing I need to get up early for AK bc I don’t have FOP fp. So much harder to plan…at least for my touring style.

 

[Scroggins]

I think the concept of not having regular stand by lines and having to literally be "on your phone" all day getting in and out of queues would be a disaster....there would really be no way to plan a day and the casual flow of traffic around the park would come to a standstill, it would be like the zombie hoard all standing in the sun waiting for their next "turn"....while having a couple FP is nice, there is still something to be said for just wandering the park and getting in lines or taking advantage of some shopping or a short line when it makes sense. I can't fathom having to plan out every day ride by ride and being tied to that kind of schedule...this is vacation, it's supposed to be fun!

 

[TommyJK]

Interesting…I didn’t think of it that way. I guess that would not require a separate line. Both could use the FP line, but Lightning+ would get a FP that could be used instantly and regular old slow Lightning could schedule a FP for a later time.

This is how I interpreted it as well. But the question would then be how many Lightning vs Lightning+ they would provision each hour. They could (and likely will) sell out of the Lightning's early in the morning for all lightning spots through the end of the day for really popular attractions, leaving only Lightning+ at a given time or Standby/Genie.

It'll be interesting to see how it pans out.

 

[Jrb1979]

It feels like the only rumor most wouldn't dismiss is if it was FP+ was coming back.

 

[ST1TCH]

As horrible as this new rumor sounds, it certainly fits the bill of what Remy was suggesting in how it ties into so many different systems and very complex.

I would think maybe on-site stays would get x number of lightning pass per day, etc? Something like that to make on-prem worth it?

 

[Jrb1979]

As horrible as this new rumor sounds, it certainly fits the bill of what Remy was suggesting in how it ties into so many different systems and very complex.

I would think maybe on-site stays would get x number of lightning pass per day, etc? Something like that to make on-prem worth it?

I think those days are done. Your incentive to stay on site is early entry and for deluxe guests the evening hours.

 

[cakebaker]

Because they took away no-charge FP+. Many people will be ok with paying extra for what was once part of the ticket price. Paying for convenience is not new. Disney just waited until they found an opportune time to implement pay-to-play. It is sad to me because if these rumors materialize, I know it will change our vacation plans, but not for the better I am afraid. I have vented about it on the boards. Thanks to all for letting me do that, and now I will try to wait for the actual roll-out. Who knows, maybe something in there will work for us.

I'm not ok with paying for it, but depending on what it is and what it costs, it may still be worth it to me. What I know for sure, is the way it is now, it's not something I'll do again. I'm just hoping whatever they put out is something we can live with. I very much want to continue to go to WDW, but just can't as it stands today. Venting is good, it's about all we can do while we wait.

 

[kc51570]

Sounds like a nightmare. I’ll wait to see what they release. We have an annual pass that we bought in 2019 and activated on our last trip so will take one more trip using DVC points to see how this works out. The description alone makes me want to never buy another park ticket. This will incentivize me to rent out my DVC points to cover my dues and then put the rest of the proceeds toward a different vacation.

 

[Bibbobboo2u]

I'm not ok with paying for it, but depending on what it is and what it costs, it may still be worth it to me. What I know for sure, is the way it is now, it's not something I'll do again. I'm just hoping whatever they put out is something we can live with. I very much want to continue to go to WDW, but just can't as it stands today. Venting is good, it's about all we can do while we wait.

I think we are riding in the same boat right now!

 

[pinkxray]

I hope Disney gives us some news soon. October 1 isn’t very far away.
We travel in Nov. and I want to know what nights are the holiday after hours, am I paying for fast passes, when are deluxe late nights. I have my park passes planned but will need to switch accordingly.

Also need to figure how much overtime I need to work to be able to ride Remy and ROTR

 

[Lashed34]

I think those days are done. Your incentive to stay on site is early entry and for deluxe guests the evening hours.

I'm still unsure how the extra evening hour will work for Deluxe guests. We know that people get in lines at park close and still get to ride, so if queues are long how will this benefit the extra hour for Deluxe Guests?

I'm assuming it will be just an hour.

 

[StarrySkye21]

If I have to end up paying $50 for RoTR in order to ride it at all I probably will, just to experience it once in a lifetime. But this will likely be our last Disney vacation for a long long time. Universal will have our future business if Disney can’t figure out how bring the magic back without costing an arm and a leg.

 

[cakebaker]

I'm still unsure how the extra evening hour will work for Deluxe guests. We know that people get in lines at park close and still get to ride, so if queues are long how will this benefit the extra hour for Deluxe Guests?

I'm assuming it will be just an hour.

They've already announced it will be 2 hrs, only Epcot and the MK right now, each one once a week. It's very disappointing it doesn't include HS or AK and who knows what they need evening hours for at Epcot right now....so little to do there, but that's what it is.

It doesn't take long to work through the line of offsite guests but while I don't recall it working this way, some have suggested they would let on site guests go through the FP line once the park closes. It's been a long time since we made use of emh's because they were so crowded, so it's entirely possible they've been letting guests go through the FP line for some time. Hopefully the new emh's will be much less crowded.