Disney extending 60 day FP to non disney resorts

Next year, Walt Disney World will implement a fee-based FastPass+ program, comparable to what has already gone into effect at the Disneyland Resort. The days of free FastPasses is coming to an end and this move is intended to familiarize Good Neighbor Hotel guests with the system, prior to the fee implementation.

Also, DVC members will not be getting free FastPasses. Our offering will be comparable to that of Disneyland Resort Annual Passholders.
I think that something is up with this. I have always thought that the paid fast pass option will eventually become a reality in Orlando as well.
 
I think that something is up with this. I have always thought that the paid fast pass option will eventually become a reality in Orlando as well.

It makes no financial sense for them to do that. They would be trading assured customers at $100 a day for skipping the lines at $10 a day.
Paid extra fastpasses, redeemed less than 30 days out, would make sense for them. You get to skip a couple of lines, they make a couple extra bucks, but they still get their guaranteed customers using the 60 and 30 day reservation system.
 
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I'm confused by their rationale for this. I'm sure the participating resorts will have to pay an additional fee but they are adding thousands of rooms to this "special" perk which helps justify the cost of both WDW hotels and DVC.

There are some huge resorts on that list- Bonnet Creek, Waldorf Astoria, Caribe Royale... in addition to cheap motels like Best Western and Clarion Inn.

The Disney resorts are 50-100% more expensive than comparable offsite hotels, is it worth it if all you get is bus service and an hour or two extra in a park?

IMHO they are doing this to:
*Encourage Guests to buy in to DVC;

**Encourage Guests to buy tons of Tickets versus the WDW Annual Passes OR in ADDITION to APs(

***Encourage Guests to extend their 7 -Nite Stay by staying for CHEAPER @ a Good Neighbor Hotel;

****Encourage Guests to stay @
a Disney Springs Hotel to BOOST Disney Springs revenue
 
Doesn't seem fair to me... as aDVC owner who always stays on site this was a perk that was used constantly.... sucks that they can just change plans and rules the way they do..... Disney knows that they have us and that they can pretty much do whatever they want... thats why ticket prices will rise every year despite them getting record numbers in attendance every year.... the greed of Corporate Disney really annoys me.....
 


Maybe stating the obvious - but If this were to occur, IMO, one key reason is to secure visitors to WDW rather than the other expanding attractions in the area. Marketeers would have crunched the numbers - and advanced planning would likely attract non-resort guests, maybe targeting folks who cannot plan in 6-12 month increments like many of us have to do. I'm sure they would realize that this works the other way too and would not want to lose WDW guests to other attractions so I would assume there would be some series of perks offered to on-site guests. Hence, perhaps, moonlight magic and what may be other enhanced offerings, discount FP+ (if they go to a paid approach), .... the possibilities are countless and purely conjecture. Whatever it is.. if it is... The end result would be more $$$ I'm sure. Being a DVC owner since 2010, I'm not one bit concerned. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I don't see Disney as greedy. They are a business - they owe to their employees and stockholders to maximize profit. There is no place like WDW, period. I'm guilty sometimes too, at getting angry at something I liked that was changed, but every once in a while you step back and look at the overall picture and realize "it will be okay". Not sure why, but for some reason I guess this is one of those days....
 
Maybe stating the obvious - but If this were to occur, IMO, one key reason is to secure visitors to WDW rather than the other expanding attractions in the area. Marketeers would have crunched the numbers - and advanced planning would likely attract non-resort guests, maybe targeting folks who cannot plan in 6-12 month increments like many of us have to do. I'm sure they would realize that this works the other way too and would not want to lose WDW guests to other attractions so I would assume there would be some series of perks offered to on-site guests. Hence, perhaps, moonlight magic and what may be other enhanced offerings, discount FP+ (if they go to a paid approach), .... the possibilities are countless and purely conjecture. Whatever it is.. if it is... The end result would be more $$$ I'm sure. Being a DVC owner since 2010, I'm not one bit concerned. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I don't see Disney as greedy. They are a business - they owe to their employees and stockholders to maximize profit. There is no place like WDW, period. I'm guilty sometimes too, at getting angry at something I liked that was changed, but every once in a while you step back and look at the overall picture and realize "it will be okay". Not sure why, but for some reason I guess this is one of those days....

Exactly. I don't like it at face value, but they know what they are doing. They will find a way to get new customers first, and make their frequent visitors happy second. Makes sense from a business standpoint.

Something I read yesterday is a rumor that they will start security pre-chexkinf AP holders, allowing them to bypass the security lines. Moves like this make frequent customers still be special without costing Disney any extra customers.
 
http://wdwnt.com/blog/2017/10/disne...pass-booking-guests-select-non-disney-hotels/

Going to make fp harder to get and it’s annoying DVC gets same as random hotels near WDW.

I just contacted Member Services to ask about this rumor and here is the response I received:

"This booking process is not true and we are not offering this perk to any Day Guests. The information that is out there is from a non-Disney website."

We should definitely keep in mind that this isn't coming from Disney and fake news is absolutely out of control these days.
 


I just contacted Member Services to ask about this rumor and here is the response I received:

"This booking process is not true and we are not offering this perk to any Day Guests. The information that is out there is from a non-Disney website."

We should definitely keep in mind that this isn't coming from Disney and fake news is absolutely out of control these days.

Calling this "fake news" is a bit too strong. It is nothing more than a rumor at this point, of which some end up happening and some do not.

Of course a cast member is going to say that, for 2 reasons. 1.) They do not know any inside information about what is happening. 2.) They are motivated to have people book on site.
The statement that they made was not factually incorrect, at this time there is no perk being offered to day guests. The rumor site that the information is coming from states that this perk will start as soon as December, not immediately.

I for one hope that this is just a rumor, but I can really see how this would benefit Disney. If they lose 5% of their on-property hotel guests, they can easily get them back by offering them 20% off their rooms, a different of about $40 a night for moderates. On the other hand, if they get 3% more attendance in their parks, that makes a much bigger difference to their bottom line. Those people are buying tickets, souvenirs, snacks, and meals. That's all income that wasn't there before.

Do not expect Disney to tell you that they are going to be doing this in 3-4 months, that is just bad business from their standpoint. If they told you that they were going to be raising ticket prices on June 1st, you would plan to buy before then to save money. If they told you about this hotel deal in advance, you might change your trip plans accordingly as well.

The best part about this rumor is that there is nothing we can do about it one way or another. Might as well sit back and see what happens. Most people on this board are DVC members anyway, so we are pretty locked-in either way.
 
Disney confirmed this in a press release today. (Link)

Very disappointing IMO. It's already hard to get certain rides 60 days out and adding thousands of rooms to the competition will only make it worse. Plus, longer lines during EMH.
 
We should definitely keep in mind that this isn't coming from Disney and fake news is absolutely out of control these days.

Keep in mind that Disney will always try to make the most money that they can, both by getting the most customers as possible, and by not announcing every move that we may not agree with well in advance. I think today's news acts as good reminder to not automatically write off everything you may not agree with as being 'fake news'
 
As far as Disney expanding the FP+system, it really disappoints me. FP+ lines are long enough as it is. And recently, we went to WDW with family who didn't want to use FP+ that much ("I'd rather not be tied to a time") So what happened? Over and over, the line they were in was stopped so that CMs could let up to 50 FP+ people through, otherwise the FP+ line would get too long, defeating the purpose for those who used FP+. But guests who just show up and get in line, maybe they don't understand FP+, feel like second class citizens.
 
Interesting wording in that press release. People who book the non-Disney hotels THROUGH WDW Travel will get the 60 day fastpasses, but everyone at those hotels will get extra magic hours.
 
I’m very sad to hear that.

I can’t help think if Disney will introduce another type of benefit for those staying onsite but maybe only available to those with direct points.

Some of the pitch to get people to buy direct was the 60 days FP+ window.
 
It was hard enough to get FoP with the existing pool of people booking FP+ at 60 days out. I don't really see the incentive in doing this. Doesn't Disney want to encourage people to stay at their hotels instead of those of a 3rd party?
 
It was hard enough to get FoP with the existing pool of people booking FP+ at 60 days out. I don't really see the incentive in doing this. Doesn't Disney want to encourage people to stay at their hotels instead of those of a 3rd party?

2 reasons.
1. By requiring people to book certain ways to get the benefit, Disney gets pure profits without having to pay for housekeeping, property taxes, etc.

2. More fastpasses given to more people ensures more attendance. Like you said, FoP is hard to get. Once it sells out, people will look to get hard to get ones at other parks, and it will nicely fill out attendance across all 4 parks. Bad for us, but good for Disney.
 
Interesting wording in that press release. People who book the non-Disney hotels THROUGH WDW Travel will get the 60 day fastpasses, but everyone at those hotels will get extra magic hours.

I think in a way that may limit people eligible. Many of these hotels are part of chains - Hilton, Wyndam, etc. I'm sure some people plan to use their frequent stay points to pay for their stay and therefore will not be eligible for 60 day fastpasses.

Lately it's been hard to get onsite rooms with all the renovations and construction going on. This opens up more rooms and Disney takes a cut. I wouldn't assume these rooms are dirt cheap. Looking up the beginning of February, Hilton Buena Vista Palace is $199 a night with a advance purchase promo right now for $159. Having to purchase a package might make prices higher, plus you don't get DME, Dining Plan, etc.
 
I called member services and explained how disgusted I am with this decision. They acted like they did not know what I was talking about. They tried to tell me it wasn’t true. I said this is very short sighted and will hurt them in the long run. Why would anyone pay what they are charging for points these days to get the same thing you can get at a cheap offsite hotel. My wife wants to sell and tell Disney to take a hike. I am so upset right now. Please call DVC and let them know if you are upset with this move.
 
I called member services and explained how disgusted I am with this decision. They acted like they did not know what I was talking about. They tried to tell me it wasn’t true. I said this is very short sighted and will hurt them in the long run. Why would anyone pay what they are charging for points these days to get the same thing you can get at a cheap offsite hotel. My wife wants to sell and tell Disney to take a hike. I am so upset right now. Please call DVC and let them know if you are upset with this move.

They don't care about your personal opinion. If you sell, guess what, someone else is buying! It is net neutral for them! Probably even better, as a new buyer would be more likely to go and spend more on souvenirs.
They know exactly what they are doing with this move. You can either take it in stride or sell, they don't care either way in your case.
 
They don't care about your personal opinion. If you sell, guess what, someone else is buying! It is net neutral for them! Probably even better, as a new buyer would be more likely to go and spend more on souvenirs.
They know exactly what they are doing with this move. You can either take it in stride or sell, they don't care either way in your case.
But it is like I told them. At my job, I am considered the Disney expert. Everyone comes to me to get advise on Disney trips. If I am unhappy with Disney, they are losing money because I am telling coworkers to not go and spend their money somewhere else. We have several hundred employees and quite a few seek me out. I will cost them money. They certainly don’t want to get a bad reputation.
 
But it is like I told them. At my job, I am considered the Disney expert. Everyone comes to me to get advise on Disney trips. If I am unhappy with Disney, they are losing money because I am telling coworkers to not go and spend their money somewhere else. We have several hundred employees and quite a few seek me out. I will cost them money. They certainly don’t want to get a bad reputation.

I don't blame you for being upset. Just don't expect you voicing your opinion to change a thing. The hundreds of people that you speak to do not come close to comparing to the amount of guaranteed customers they just got. I just bought into DVC this past summer. I am most definately not thrilled, but I understand why they would do this. The best thing to do is to first off just relax about it. It may only add 100 or so fastpasses per day, if even that. If traffic shifts from the on-site hotels to these, and then those on site rooms do not sell, nothing is lost in terms of fastpasses. I highly doubt a ton of people will want to pay $170 a night to stay off property, just for the fastpasses. Some, sure, but most will find it not worth the hassle.
Even if things do drastically change fastpasses, this is where being a DVC member is so nice. Just slow your trips down and do less rides in a day. There is so much else to do in the parks, it should not be too big of an issue with all of the new E-Ticket rides being added over the next few years.
If Disney does find that this negatively affects them too badly, I am sure that they will pull this perk back.
 

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