Paid FP options coming soon to WDW?

[Jacq7414]

People preferred Disney hotels for years before FP+ became a thing.

Weren’t there more perks though with the extra magic hours and stuff? Parking used to be included at the hotel as well. I’d hope there would be some perk for hotel guests, even if it’s just 1 FP+

 

[Jrb1979]

I think this at WDW will at least be four times as expensive than what they charge at Cedar Point. Disney will have to make up for the revenue FP+ generates for them from partner hotels, lost revenue from people buying VIP tours, lost revenue from people who book club rooms for additional FP’s, lost revenue from people who will no longer buy extra hour event tickets, lost revenue from people who reduce the number of days they buy tickets and lost revenue from people who stop staying on site because there is no advantage to staying on site.

It probably will be more expensive. Disney wants to make as much money as possible from FP+. I think they realize it's a big money maker at all other parks. What I do see happening is resort guests get a discount to make up for the free FP. I can see more people opting for the after hours events when a paid system comes

 

[lovethesun12]

You know after looking at the other parks and how they operate, I'm still convinced the paid FP+ will be an add on to the three free FP+ you already get. It's possible (obviously) there could be less availability for that. It would just be to inconvenient for guests with longer stays and this is not a problem the other parks would run into as much.

I'm not saying it's impossible, but if they take away the 3 FP+ it is not going to go over well.

Alternatively, they can offer the opportunity to purchase a bundle of guaranteed rides in addition to FP+, or you can purchase a few extra rides throughout your stay (super convenient for tiered rides). In this case people may grumble or whine a little that it won't be the same, but it generally would be accepted.

If I'm going for 11 nights knowing I will have waits for all the best rides that I'm not accustomed to, it won't be fun. And I would NOT pay an extra $2000 for the same (or better) experience.

But if I still have my guaranteed FP+ I would totally look at adding on maybe an extra ride or 2 at Epcot, or a day of "bundled" rides at MK or HS. I would look at that as an add-on just like a dessert party.

 

[Bibbobboo2u]

So what would the cost of a ticket be for, if you have to pay "extra" to go on rides during regular park hours? Would you just be paying for a ticket just to have a chance to participate in a park reservation lottery, for which you may or may not get desired park access? Would the ticket cost just be for walking around a park but not being able to ride or watch shows? Disney tickets are not cheap, so what is the value of a ticket if it does not allow you to actually do things in the park?

 

[firefly_ris]

People preferred Disney hotels for years before FP+ became a thing.

True but the Poly didn't cost 600 smackers a night either.

 

[Jrb1979]

So what would the cost of a ticket be for, if you have to pay "extra" to go on rides during regular park hours? Would you just be paying for a ticket just to have a chance to participate in a park reservation lottery, for which you may or may not get desired park access? Would the ticket cost just be for walking around a park but not being able to ride or watch shows? Disney tickets are not cheap, so what is the value of a ticket if it does not allow you to actually do things in the park?

Your ticket gets you into the park as well as the standby queues. Just like every other park.

 

[mmackeymouse]

I guess my question would be, are they discontinuing the After Hours parties and EMMs? Because that's essentially what those events are: $100 for a bundle of rides. It's the same thing in a little different packaging.

But, I just cannot see them being able to charge $100 for low waits on rides...because, who is going to pay that, to do it during a busy day...when they can just pay the same amount, or less, or a little more, and get those same rides in a much less crowded situation?

For me, I think the best solution is probably somewhere in the middle....something more than free, but certainly less than $100+ a day.

 

[Bibbobboo2u]

Your ticket gets you into the park as well as the standby queues. Just like every other park.

Until COVID, a Disney ticket also provided quicker access to at least 3 rides/shows, usually more. A paid FP system would diminish the value of a ticket because it would no longer provide this benefit (only standby queues), but I seriously doubt that Disney is going to lower prices when a ticket becomes a "stand-by only" device.

 

[jade1]

IMO WDW will use this opportunity to test high spending guests, combined with low occupancy (better experience) park crowds.

They can hide behind they had no other choice but to reduce crowds, and therefore charge through the roof in order to stay profitable.

As time goes by and all the factors play out, they will be able to obtain plenty of stats on how much they can continue to charge-and what for.

 

[Jrb1979]

https://blogmickey.com/2020/07/shanghai-disneyland-quietly-removes-free-fastpass-but-does-it-matter/

 

[Runnsally]

IMO WDW will use this opportunity to test high spending guests, combined with low occupancy (better experience) park crowds.

They can hide behind they had no other choice but to reduce crowds, and therefore charge through the roof in order to stay profitable.

As time goes by and all the factors play out, they will be able to obtain plenty of stats on how much they can continue to charge-and what for.

Increasing crowds has allowed WDW to increase up-charge events that are designed to alleviate crowding (classic move of creating a problem and then charging people for the solution). If lower crowds is the new normal will be interesting to see how WDW increases the spend per guest.

 

[firefly_ris]

It's not so much the cost of the premier access I would worry about, it's how the park will look for those who don't purchase it.

At $120 (this seems like a good estimate, the cost at Shanghai is about 130% of a 1 day ticket) this would cost my family $480 more for each park day I use it than it costs for a park day right now. That's pretty significant. While a place like Cedar Point is probably a day trip, WDW for most is an extended trip. We usually have 10 park days. If we purchased this for even just 4 of our park days, we are looking at over $2000 extra. And that's just for 8 rides, it's not unlimited like say universal. Also, parks like universal have wait times (without the pass) that aren't as long as Disney.

The thing is I wouldn't have to pay it which makes me fine with it. But the question is will my trip look better, worse, or the same under the new system without it? If they are offering the "Standby pass" I think it could be the same or better. But again, it depends on how often the standby pass is offered and what a "busy" day is to them. If the days I usually go offer the standby pass I think it will be fine.

If they bundle this up into a package that would be a whole different discussion...

Yeah, that would be insane, hypothetically. Let's say we do 6 day non-hoppers, that is already $2000 for my family of five just to walk in the gates, then it would be $120x5 PER DAY additional equaling $3600 extra...?! So $5600?! And that's before we eat, sleep in a hotel or fly there? That would be a hard pass, I'm hoping, for most people, although I'd bet there are some deep pocketed people on these boards who would cheerfully hand it over. But I would never be back, sadly.

 

[Fido Chuckwagon]

People preferred Disney hotels for years before FP+ became a thing.

Were Disney motels like All-Stars able to charge such a premium over an equivalent non-Disney hotel back then though?

 

[Jrb1979]

According to poster Marni1971 on WDWmagic he thinks they will go to a combo system leaning towards standby for the majority is a hunch. Very similar to what most US parks do.

 

[Pdollar88]

According to poster Marni1971 on WDWmagic he thinks they will go to a combo system leaning towards standby for the majority is a hunch. Very similar to what most US parks do.

Can you clarify what he means? I don’t understand.

 

[Jrb1979]

Can you clarify what he means? I don’t understand.

When FP comes back it most likely be similar to other US parks. Majority will have to use the standby line and the FP queue will be short but cost to use it.

 

[Pdollar88]

When FP comes back it most likely be similar to other US parks. Majority will have to use the standby line and the FP queue will be short but cost to use it.

Gotcha, thank you! I was reading it funny, I guess. I’m always nervous about change, but I guess we’ll wait and see.

As others have mentioned, this just seems to remove one of the few remaining benefits to onsite hotels. (Although I still would prefer on-site).

 

[Violetspider]

When FP comes back it most likely be similar to other US parks. Majority will have to use the standby line and the FP queue will be short but cost to use it.

Not sure Disney wants to make staying off-site more attractive than on though. Without some sort of ride related perk that comes with your on-site stay, the dollars just wouldn't add up for many guests. Shanghai doesn't have the resort inventory that WDW has to fill, so paying extra to play is a no brainer. Same for many other U.S. parks that are day trip kind of places. It's an apples to oranges kind of comparison IMO.

 

[CanadaDisney05]

Gotcha, thank you! I was reading it funny, I guess. I’m always nervous about change, but I guess we’ll wait and see.

As others have mentioned, this just seems to remove one of the few remaining benefits to onsite hotels. (Although I still would prefer on-site).

Another big benefit of onsite hotels is Disney transportation + Magical Express + no resort fees.

If I stay offsite, I'm probably paying $40/day for a car + $25 a day for theme park parking + $25 a day of resort fees for a total of $90.

If I stay at the all-stars, I have free transportation and no resort fees. From a strict monetary standpoint, that offsite hotel has to be $90 per night cheaper to break even.

 

[Eric Smith]

Another big benefit of onsite hotels is Disney transportation + Magical Express + no resort fees.

If I stay offsite, I'm probably paying $40/day for a car + $25 a day for theme park parking + $25 a day of resort fees for a total of $90.

If I stay at the all-stars, I have free transportation and no resort fees. From a strict monetary standpoint, that offsite hotel has to be $90 per night cheaper to break even.

It may seem small, but the package delivery service is a big perk for us. It's nice not to have to carry something around the parks with you or do all your shopping on the way out of a park.