State of Fast Pass Return (or replacement)

[SuzErwin]

That is literally how MaxPass works. Pay $10 a day to add it on.

Before the pandemic, MaxPass was $20/day/per person. But it also included Memory Maker. Also, APs could add MaxPass for an annual upcharge.

However, MaxPass did not guarantee you FastPasses in advance the way FP+ did. All MaxPass did was increase the convenience of getting a FastPass on that day. You're in Disneyland and you have a FP for Space Mountain in an hour, but two hours have passed since you pulled the FP making you eligible to pull another one, and you'd like to choose Incredicoaster in DCA as your next FP? MaxPass allows you to pull the Incredicoaster FP virtually without having to leave Disneyland, enter DCA, walk all the way back to Pixar Pier, then walk all the way back to Disneyland for Space Mountain.

However, if you didn't have MaxPass, you could still pull that second FP. You just needed to pull it in person at the kiosks.

And if DLR was crowded - which was a given - FastPasses for popular rides went quickly. Try getting a RSR FP in the afternoon most days! And once the FastPasses are gone, they're gone. So paying the $20 did not reserve you a place for the rides you most wanted to ride. That was always a toss up. It let you cut out the time spent walking from kiosk to kiosk, that's all.

 

[Iowamomof4]

For what it's worth, when you go to the fastpass page on the MDE app it no longer gives you a covid-19 warning stating that fast passes have been suspended. It allows you to go straight through to choose your party just like it did before after you got rid of that warning. Although it's still times out.

I had the Covid warning pop up.

 

[vicarrieous]

For what it's worth, when you go to the fastpass page on the MDE app it no longer gives you a covid-19 warning stating that fast passes have been suspended. It allows you to go straight through to choose your party just like it did before after you got rid of that warning. Although it's still times out.

That warning has been gone and back numerous times over the past two weeks for me. I have been testing the app for at least a month and have gotten the suspension pop up about 60-70% of the time and no pop up about 30-40% of the time.

 

[Karin1984]

Pixiedust.be (one of the bigger DLP-Fan social media channels) just made a post:


I think they are a little upset ;-)

(Edited in the picture, because it only shows up in my timeline, and not when I go to the actual facebook page of Pixiedust.be)

 

[jkh36619]

The restaurants would still be full though if they got people to reduce their stays. As it is, it's nearly impossible to get seats at many restaurants.

Maybe table service. But there are more qs locations than TS. Never a problem grabbing a bite at one.

 

[abeswede]

Maybe table service. But there are more qs locations than TS. Never a problem grabbing a bite at one.

And the longer we stay the more quick service we tend to eat at (vs. table service). So we are spending money in the parks (souvenirs, quick-service food, snacks, etc.) without taking away nearly any dining capacity.

 

[cakebaker]

For what it's worth, when you go to the fastpass page on the MDE app it no longer gives you a covid-19 warning stating that fast passes have been suspended. It allows you to go straight through to choose your party just like it did before after you got rid of that warning. Although it's still times out.

Mine is still a dead link on my phone and when I use the laptop, I get the covid warning. Not sure why I continue to have a dead link on my phone though.

 

[cakebaker]

You could even use them AFTER the hour-long window had passed - CMs didn't mind.

And that's one of the reasons they replaced it. Guests were collecting FP's in the morning hours like candy, running out the supply and then using them in the evenings. That wasn't how it was intended to be used. It let the FP lines be super light in the morning, then clogged them up in the late afternoon and evenings. FP was meant to distribute the wealth, not so people could ride their favorites over and over again. We did it too, not to re-ride but because we preferred riding at night, so no finger wagging from me- Just that it screwed with how FP was supposed to work.

It's one reason so many people hated it when FP+ started. It put a stop to the hoarding of FP's and prevented one person from riding 5-6 times a day while others couldn't ride once. I was glad to see it go.

 

[Moliphino]

And that's one of the reasons they replaced it. Guests were collecting FP's in the morning hours like candy, running out the supply and then using them in the evenings. That wasn't how it was intended to be used. It let the FP lines be super light in the morning, then clogged them up in the late afternoon and evenings. FP was meant to distribute the wealth, not so people could ride their favorites over and over again. We did it too, not to re-ride but because we preferred riding at night, so no finger wagging from me- Just that it screwed with how FP was supposed to work.

It's one reason so many people hated it when FP+ started. It put a stop to the hoarding of FP's and prevented one person from riding 5-6 times a day while others couldn't ride once. I was glad to see it go.

Heck, before they starting cracking down we were using fastpasses from previous days or even prior trips. Then they started actually checking the dates and that loophole closed.

 

[cakebaker]

Heck, before they starting cracking down we were using fastpasses from previous days or even prior trips. Then they started actually checking the dates and that loophole closed.

They did finally put a stop to it, but that was after the decision to replace it had been announced. We did previous days, but never trip to trip. We used them all.

I'm just wondering what happens to that nice little letter I have from guest services giving me a bunch of FP's for a huge screw up on our last pre-covid trip. We planned on using them in March of last year...but yeah. I may just have a way out of this mess the end of the month if I can talk guest services into honoring them!

 

[Future_WorldPhonencian]

The restaurants would still be full though if they got people to reduce their stays. As it is, it's nearly impossible to get seats at many restaurants.

Not so, right now many dining locations are closed/ at lreduced capacity. Folks with short trips 1-2 days are more likely to be go go go and eat qs, Long trips have more sit down character meals etc.

 

[jlundeen]

One thing I did like about the paper ones was that you could give them away to other guests if you couldn't use it. With the current (most current, I should say) you couldn't even change it to another member of your family/friends. You had to use/cancel it or just let it expire.

 

[Disneyfan754321]

Yea with fluid pricing. Rope dropping? Sorry, price just went up $100 a ride

My family plays rct3 ( rollercoaster tycoon) in the game there is admission and each ride cost money. We always laugh... who would pay $100 to get in a park then pay for rides .

 

[Loro]

I think current Disney leadership is forgetting why FP was brought about in the first place. It's to keep people out of attraction lines and in shops and spending money elsewhere. A pay FP system will have a far lower adoption percentage, so now most people will be spending more time in attraction lines. Basically, Whatever revenue they gain by tinkering with this is very possibly going to cannibalize revenue from elsewhere. Also, most people have vacation budgets. Spend on FP means less spend elsewhere.

 

[Disneyfan754321]

I also just read a blog article about this same thing, and the blogger (who I've followed for years and tend to agree with on lots of things) seemed to think it's inevitable that this will come to WDW soon. That surprised me, though, because I really don't know that a system that works for DLP would also work for WDW, which is so much larger with so many more people visiting annually, from what I understand. I also read that DLP has previously tried a paid fastpass system, which ultimately failed. I fully expect there to be some imminent paid component to fastpass, but the system they outlined (pay per ride) seemed absolutely ludicrous, at least in the context of WDW.

It's TRUE what works for one park will not for another. Everyone knows the FP+ program has been flawed from the go.

 

[Wandering Oaken]

It's TRUE what works for one park will not for another. Everyone knows the FP+ program has been flawed from the go.

For those that don't know how to use it.

 

[Wandering Oaken]

Two people I know that are going to go to Disney (one this summer and the other one later this fall) are now talking about canceling their trips. They've both said that if this premier access garbage goes through then they're not going to Disney. One said that they would go to Universal Orlando instead and the other one is still undecided on where they'd go instead of Disney.

 

[cakebaker]

It's TRUE what works for one park will not for another. Everyone knows the FP+ program has been flawed from the go.

I don't know that at all. It worked as it was intended to do. Some people just didn't like it because they couldn't do as they had done with FP. I don't think they're killing FP+ because it didn't work. I think they're killing it because this is the perfect chance to introduce a pay to play system.

 

[anomamatt]

Everyone knows the FP+ program has been flawed from the go.

The number of loopholes in the FP+ system were staggering. Which is why I loved it.

I cannot imagine Disney IT making an even more complicated system... It will be a feeding frenzy for "FP+ Strategists".

 

[Lewisc]

I think current Disney leadership is forgetting why FP was brought about in the first place. It's to keep people out of attraction lines and in shops and spending money elsewhere. A pay FP system will have a far lower adoption percentage, so now most people will be spending more time in attraction lines. Basically, Whatever revenue they gain by tinkering with this is very possibly going to cannibalize revenue from elsewhere. Also, most people have vacation budgets. Spend on FP means less spend elsewhere.

I read, on the internet so it must be true, Disney found guests were spending time average waiting on line going on less popular attractions. They weren't spending time shopping.