State of Fast Pass Return (or replacement)

[jade1]

We have a bunch of reservations spread out at WDW. Reservations at BCV mainly but also SSR, OKW and Poly. It’s a lot of family and extended family broken into diff groups - all got canceled first week of Covid lockdowns, so it’s been consolidated into this 2 week trip end of July now. I plan everything for the groups, but have no say in what they ultimately do. But they do not want to wait in long lines at all and don’t care much about the fireworks (even though I live for watching the fireworks nightly).

Well don't just let BCV expire (all of them really) those night should bring a lot of cash.

 

[amboehmer]

Here now and they definitely need FP+ back. We have been rope dropping every.single.day around an hour before park opening. In the past past we’ve been able to do some form of early entry every other day with EMH, a PPO breakfast and combine with FP. A lot of times we would have completed a good amount of the park by 11am and head back for a rest. Now, if we are lucky we can get maybe 2 rides in by 10am and the lines are building. And if the ride you are heading on first is down, you are out of luck. You just wasted your time in line for nothing and now the waits have increased every where else. Happened to us with Splash twice and Test Track. And there is no remediation. We were just around the corner from the loading point in Splash when the ride was down and we were all sent out of line without a FP for the delay. Same thing on Test Track, an hour in line when it was announced their testing wasn’t working and there would be substantial delays (at least another hour). No fast passes offered but we went to a guest services umbrella and complained nicely and got one added. After that we passed by guest relations which had a swarm of people and could hear cast members basically yelling that Test Track was down, there was nothing they could do, and didn’t seem to indicate those people would be getting fast passes. We got another FP this week when People Mover stopped about 5 times while we were on it. Eventually we were stopped for 20-25 minutes and had to be evacuated off the ride. Turned into at least a 40 minute experience for which we received 1 FP.
We have never ever waited in such long lines. 40 minutes for Gran Fiesta.
If I didn’t have DVC points that would expire I would have cancelled our trip. There is 0 advantage to staying onsite right now. We haven’t even been able to enjoy our resort because we are too busy waiting in lines trying to fit the rides in. I will say Magic Kingdom does not seem too crowded when you are moving about. I think everyone is just standing in line all day. It also doesn‘t help that multiple rides are breaking down all day long in all the parks either.

We just got back a couple days ago from the holiday weekend and had pretty much the exact same experience. Whoever is saying rides are 1/2 what are posted hasn’t been to the parks for at least July. They absolutely are as posted, I timed the ones we were in and sometimes they were over. We were just there early February and things were fine. It’s WAY more crowded in the parks now than when we went before. It literally felt like Thanksgiving week (which we’ve done a few times) in years past. Even my husband (who actually would rather do Disney than anywhere else for vacation) said he’s done....at least for the time being. We’re seriously thinking about selling our dvc. Our kids had annual passes that expired on our last park day this trip and I’m still trying to decide if I should let them go or renew. We live out of state but usually make at least 2 short trips a year and it’s a better deal than two sets of tickets. Plus we’ll pop down for a long weekend here or there since it’s just a matter of airfare for travel since we already have the ‘tickets’. We spend a pretty hefty sum on meals and merchandise usually and guess what we didn’t do this trip?.....simply because we didn’t have time or really the desire after spending all day in lines. If we knew fp would return by the time we went again I would renew their passes but who knows these days. We usually did the same in the old days....early risers and left parks midday to enjoy the resort/shop after we ride our favorite rides. We spent practically our entire days in line and accomplished very little this past trip. It just was not enjoyable and we would rather not spend another trip like this last one.

 

[cjsmom5]

I just saw that Disneyland Paris has now rolled out a "pay per ride" fast pass system. You pay for your entrance ticket and then pay (American value) $8-$15 per person, per ride for fast pass. As I recall they also said that they are moving the "stand by" line to a virtual type of que where you have to get a "boarding pass time" to return to the attraction (within a window timeframe) to even get on the ride. The ability to showing up, hanging out, and even standing in the standby line seems to be something that may be slowly disappearing.

I am not sure if this will transfer to the US but it appears that Disney Execs are trying to make DisneyWorld and Disneyland a playland for those with higher disposable incomes with fewer people/access and higher per guest spending ratio. You can see the start of this in only offering extended hours to those guests staying in Deluxe and Deluxe Villa properties - a strategy - I believe for getting people to be okay with "exclusivity" of higher end properties. I think it is really sad. I was helping a friend price a WDW vacation the other day and for her family of 4, even in a Value hotel, the price was almost not affordable for them.

 

[zuzustargal]

am i the only one who thinks paid fastpasses aren’t actually that bad…? universal does it and it works out so much better over there, lines move much more smoothly when the fastpass line doesnt get clogged up.

I agree with you. I personally think a paid system a great idea! This has been rumored for years and I don't understand the complete freak out by some. You don't have to buy the FP's if you don't want to. Just use other methods to get on the popular rides such as rope drop or late night visits. Or just purchase one day for your favorite park. I'm looking forward to a new system. I just wish they'd hurry up and get started. I'm hoping something is up and running for August.

 

[Loro]

FWIW... I can pass this along. The dissatisfaction with the experience due to increased wait times because of capacity is being heard at the top levels of mgmt and they are getting antsy about the current view of the WDW brand. That concern is filtering to IT and Finance to agree on a solution even if it is short term. The idea of band aid it now whether with fp+ or a half operational new system ( which would hold back other announcements while they try to integrate them) and deal with the uproar over more changes happening within 6 months when that happens, is one which could happen. Unfortunately, at this point based on rollout time for either system, I wouldn't expect it until august. Depends on how antsy they are.

The bolded part is what I had heard from my source and why I originally expected FP+ to be coming sometime in July. Now that they had a partially successful test, who knows when/what they decide on. They better do it soon though, or there's going to be a lot of VERY unhappy guests.

 

[DopeyRN]

If disney really does keep tabs on forums and social media, they need to get in front of this, no matter what they plan on doing.

They are getting flamed all over the place. I cant tell you how many posts ive seen on social media with people saying, "I'm done with disney".

I am there. We are going this November bc my oldest sons kids have never gone. I see this as our WDW finale. Too expensive and no real perks anymore to staying in WDW resorts. Ridiculous prices. And I am hearing bad transportation, housekeeping and ride reliability.

 

[monstermash23]

So just to clarify, the delay is because the new system keeps crashing/failing and a multibillion dollar company doesn’t seem to have the ability to resolve it but actually the delay is because leadership at TDO is not antsy enough? And somehow Finance is involved with an interim solution? Why does this story feel like a work of fan fiction…

That’s not what he’s saying, I don’t think.

Not speaking for Remy here but I believe it’s more fluid and complex then that. And it seems like the situation has been evolving as testing keeps happening and the technicological impact keeps changing from those evolving circumstances. This causes ripple effects as far as IT goes and decision making abilities go, I would imagine. Remy can probably explain it better but I din’t think this is fiction.

I think Disney had FP+ working and ready to go, but they wanted to keep pushing to see if the paid system could work and be implemented.

I work in IT. the developers always say it will take longer then expected. Leadership always pushes for tighter timeframes and less budget. These situations always happen in IT.

I just expect better from Disney in terms of effective decision making where guests are concerned.

 

[cjsmom5]

There has been a few insiders that have said its likely to have a cost attached to it. Other Disney parks have done it already. IMO they would have already hinted at them returning like they did for the dining plan.

I just saw that Disneyland Paris has now rolled out a "pay per ride" fast pass system. You pay for your entrance ticket and then pay (American value) $8-$15 per person, per ride for fast pass. As I recall they also said that they are moving the "stand by" line to a virtual type of que where you have to get a "boarding pass time" to return to the attraction (within a window timeframe) to even get on the ride. The ability to showing up, hanging out, and even standing in the standby line seems to be something that may be slowly disappearing. I think pay per day for fast pass option or pay per ride is coming --- rumors have it at $100 - $300 per day per person per park. For a family of four that would put it out of reach, for moderate income families.

 

[monstermash23]

Well don't just let BCV expire (all of them really) those night should bring a lot of cash.

Yea that’s def part of our conversations at the moment. A lot of family members and people paying, so the financial part of the talks get complicated quick here lol

 

[Epcot Forever Forever]

FWIW... I can pass this along. The dissatisfaction with the experience due to increased wait times because of capacity is being heard at the top levels of mgmt and they are getting antsy about the current view of the WDW brand. That concern is filtering to IT and Finance to agree on a solution even if it is short term. The idea of band aid it now whether with fp+ or a half operational new system ( which would hold back other announcements while they try to integrate them) and deal with the uproar over more changes happening within 6 months when that happens, is one which could happen. Unfortunately, at this point based on rollout time for either system, I wouldn't expect it until august. Depends on how antsy they are.

According to Touring Plans, standby waits are still significantly below pre-pandemic averages.

 

[andyman8]

That’s not what he’s saying, I don’t think.

It’s more fluid and complex then that. And it seems like the situation has been evolving as testing keeps happening and the technicological impact keeps changing from those evolving circumstances. This causes ripple effects as far as IT goes and decision making abilities go, I would imagine. Remy can probably explain it better but I din’t think this is fiction.

I think Disney had FP+ working and ready to go, but they wanted to keep pushing to see if the paid system could work and be implemented.

I work in IT. the developers always say it will take longer then expected. Leadership always pushes for tighter timeframes and less budget. These situations always happen in IT.

I just expect better from Disney in terms of effective decision making where guests are concerned.

Disney has had an effective FP+ system since the parks closed. It never went away or was “destroyed” like some have alleged. Yes, they used it as framework for the initial Park Pass rollout but if anyone thinks that Disney is rash enough to “destroy” the system or not keep a backup, they’d be mistaken. They could turn it “on” at any time they wanted. They even still have CMs working at the FP merge position of attractions since there is still an alternate attraction entrance. Disney just isn’t ready to roll out a general standby bypass option yet for a variety of reasons (IT is not a sizable one of those). Once again, consider the source and the accuracy of the source’s prior predictions.

 

[cjsmom5]

If they do eventually monetize the system, I'd guess it would be a pretty low-cost to use sort of thingamajig (like max pass cost).

I am not sure I agree. I think they are moving to make it a higher price. One of the things that kept us returning to Disney and not Universal was the cost of the Front of the Line passes. Fast passes allowed us to get access to rides we really wanted to get on and not have to wait hours in line. Right now Disneyland Paris is saying they will charge $8 to $15 per ride per person for a fast pass plus your entrance ticket. I would hope if they do charge they would keep it reasonable in price but what is reasonable to one family will not be reasonable to another.

 

[monstermash23]

Disney has had an effective FP+ system since the parks closed. It never went away or was “destroyed” like some have alleged. Yes, they used it as framework for the initial Park Pass rollout but if anyone thinks that Disney is rash enough to “destroy” the system or not keep a backup, they’d be mistaken. They could turn it “on” at any time they wanted. They even still have CMs working at the FP merger position of attractions since there is still an alternate attraction entrance. Disney just isn’t ready to roll out a general standby bypass option yet for a variety of reasons (IT is not a sizable one of those). Once again, consider the source and the accuracy of the source’s prior predictions.

I think you’re right they have had FP+ ready. It was tested and works on the current platform (allegedly). That’s what we are pissed about, that they can turn this on. And that they won’t or aren’t in hopes of achieving a paid system in the near future. But “near future” is the issue because if nothing is in place between now and that near future, meanwhile capacity continues to go up or reach max, then the people in between (like us) get screwed. And that poor decision making on Disney’s part is why we are pissed, not for any other reason.

Maybe that’s all inaccurate but I also don’t have much else to go other then what we hear from sources that appear reliable on here. I’ve never met anyone on here and have never vetted anyone either so it’s all constructive heresay. But again, if Disney gives us nothing else at the monent then this is what we will go on. Or at least this is what my family wants to go on.

I just counted (I manage reservations for 4 diff groups within my large family) and we have 62 ADR’s collectively over 2 weeks. I would hate to let all that planning work go to waste. But that’s a lot of money saved that Disney does not seem to justify getting from us at the moment, as far as my family’s concerned. I’m pissed too, but I’m personally not ready to throw in the towel just yet (even if a bunch in my family are right this instant) so it’s an evolving conversation with our group at the moment.

 

[espeongirl]

completely agree, if it does happen literally nobody is making you purchase. fastpasses are not exactly a necessity, you can do anything without one it just takes ~10-30 min longer at the most..

 

[Lsdolphin]

Not sure what they are “testing” but the fast pass system was certainly up and running up til day parks closed due to COVID so I don’t understand why they just don’t turn it back on especially when last resorts open and capacity continues to increase....unless this truly is Disney planning to demand more $ for what was included with park tickets already.

 

[Jrb1979]

Not sure what they are “testing” but the fast pass system was certainly up and running up til day parks closed due to COVID so I don’t understand why they just don’t turn it back on especially when last resorts open and capacity continues to increase....

Cause they want to make it a paid system of some kind.

If they are switching to a paid system I don't think it makes sense to bring back FP+ only to switch it the new system a few months later. I think they would have more backlash doing that then delaying it til they get the new system in place.

 

[cakebaker]

If they are switching to a paid system I don't think it makes sense to bring back FP+ only to switch it the new system a few months later. I think they would have more backlash doing that then delaying it til they get the new system in place.

That's because you aren't going in the next few months.

I see absolutely no difference in the backlash they face by going back to FP+ for however long it takes to get the new system functioning and the backlash when they finally introduce a new system. People are going to have fits over a paid system and when they introduce it has nothing to do with it. What they will face is a summer full of crowds who are angry and unhappy that they wasted thousands of dollars to get to stand in line for hours in some case in the unbearably hot parks. Then they get to deal with guests who don't want a paid system AND guests who had an absolutely miserable time on their last trip.

 

[CSLucas]

That's because you aren't going in the next few months.

I see absolutely no difference in the backlash they face by go back to FP+ for however long it takes to get the new system functioning as far as backlash goes. People are going to have fits over a paid system and when they introduce it has nothing to do with it. What they will face is a summer full of crowds who are angry and unhappy that they wasted thousands of dollars to get to stand in line for hours in some case in the unbearably hot parks. Then they get to deal with guests who don't want a paid system AND guests who had an absolutely miserable time on their last trip.

I agree with this assessment of potential backlash. What I think the bigger problem they will face is what sort of timeline to set on it. Unless they have a super clear sunset date for free FP then I could see a lot of people booking once FP+ comes back being SUPER angry if between when they booked and when they take their trip Disney decided to charge for it. Right now nobody has it, so while people can certainly complain, nobody can realistically say they were entitled to it. If they bring it back and Mr. Smith sees that and books a trip for January, then he could reasonably say that he doesn't follow Disney news and be sorely disappointed when he shows up with his family and finds out he has to pay for fastpass.

 

[Lsdolphin]

Cause they want to make it a paid system of some kind.

If they are switching to a paid system I don't think it makes sense to bring back FP+ only to switch it the new system a few months later. I think they would have more backlash doing that then delaying it til they get the new system in place.

Yep, actually that is the only reason I can see that they haven’t resumed the fast pass+ already...they are already using fast pass entrances for DAS and those with “special fast passes” as well as VIPs

 

[Mrs~Incredible]

That's because you aren't going in the next few months.

I see absolutely no difference in the backlash they face by go back to FP+ for however long it takes to get the new system functioning as far as backlash goes. People are going to have fits over a paid system and when they introduce it has nothing to do with it. What they will face is a summer full of crowds who are angry and unhappy that they wasted thousands of dollars to get to stand in line for hours in some case in the unbearably hot parks. Then they get to deal with guests who don't want a paid system AND guests who had an absolutely miserable time on their last trip.

Truth. Perfectly said. I sure hope WDW has people reading here and around the interweb.